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"I heard it's Director Li's idea," Xiao Lin whispered, "seems like it has quite the backing."
The door creaked open, and Director Li walked in with a cheerful smile, followed by a petite girl who looked like a doll.
"Su Yao, let me introduce you," he said. "This is Jiang Ke'er, the daughter of Chairman Jiang from Starshine Media. She'll be stepping in for Li Ting today."
Su Yao stood up and gave a casual glance over. The girl appeared to be in her early twenties, with delicate features and a sweet smile that revealed two faint dimples.
"Hello, Sister Su Yao!" Jiang Ke'er said sweetly. "I'm your fan! I was so excited to learn I could work with you that I couldn't sleep at all last night."
Su Yao smiled slightly and extended her hand. "Nice to meet you."
Director Li pulled Su Yao aside and spoke quietly, "Ke'er is new and her acting skills aren't very mature yet. Please help her out during the shoot." He scratched his head awkwardly. "I owe her father a favor, and this is my way of repaying it."
Understanding his concern, Su Yao nodded. "No problem, I'll take care of her."
Director Li patted Su Yao on the shoulder, gratitude evident on his face. "Thank you so much."
Flipping through the script, Su Yao noted that today's scene involved a confrontation where Jiang Ke'er would slap her. Such scenes were simple for professional actors; as long as they controlled their strength, the effect would come across well.
"All departments ready! Actors in position!" the assistant director called out.
Su Yao and Jiang Ke'er took their places and nodded at each other to signal they were ready.
"Action!"
Just as Su Yao began to deliver her lines, "Smack!" A loud slap landed firmly on her face.
Caught off guard, Su Yao stumbled back a step, her left cheek instantly burning with pain.
The entire set fell silent, everyone stunned by the sudden turn of events.
Director Li stared for a few seconds, furrowing his brow as he looked at Jiang Ke'er and then back at Su Yao. "Miss Jiang, please follow the script and don’t steal the scene."
"I'm so sorry! I'm really sorry, Director Li! I'm sorry, Sister Su Yao!" Jiang Ke'er immediately showed an innocent expression. "I was too nervous and lost control!"
Rubbing her stinging cheek, Su Yao forced a smile. "It's fine; let's do it again."
"Reset!" the assistant director shouted again.
"Action!"
This time, Jiang Ke'er didn't wait for Su Yao to finish her lines before delivering another loud slap—this one even harder than the last.
Su Yao's face instantly reddened and swelled up, a flicker of pain flashing in her eyes.
"What are you doing?!" Assistant Xiao Lin could no longer hold back. She rushed forward and stood in front of Su Yao, glaring at Jiang Ke'er. "Can’t you act properly?!"
Jiang Ke'er immediately switched to a look of grievance. Tears welled up in her eyes as her voice trembled, "I’m sorry, I’m really too nervous… I’m a newcomer and don’t understand the rules. Sister Su Yao, please don’t be angry…"
Su Yao watched Jiang Ke'er’s performance with a cold smile in her heart: this wasn’t a case of not being able to act; she was simply a born drama queen.
Director Li sighed, "Let’s take a break." He looked at Jiang Ke'er, his tone becoming more serious. "Miss Jiang, come with me for a moment. I need to explain the details of this scene to you."
Xiao Lin gently helped Su Yao to the resting area, "Sister Yao, let me see your face!" Makeup artist Xiao Li rushed over, checking Su Yao's swollen face with concern while carefully touching up her makeup.
"This girl is definitely doing it on purpose!" Xiao Li said indignantly. "Who acts like this?"
Meanwhile, Xiao Lin quietly took out her phone and quickly dialed a number. "Hello, is that Zhang Shao? Can you come to the set? Sister Yao has been bullied…"
When the director shouted "Action" for the third time, Jiang Ke'er raised her hand again and slapped Su Yao's face hard. The force of the slap sent Su Yao staggering backward.
Just as she was about to fall, a pair of strong arms caught her from behind, pulling her into an embrace.
"Are you okay?" Zhang Zihao's voice came from behind her.
Su Yao rubbed her cheek and shook her head, "I’m fine."
Zhang Zihao turned to Jiang Ke'er, fury blazing in his eyes. "What the hell are you doing?!"
He stepped forward and raised his hand to slap her back.
Su Yao quickly grabbed his arm, "Don’t do that!"
Jiang Ke'er immediately perked up, looking at him defiantly as she shouted, "Zhang Zihao, do you dare hit me?"
Then she switched to an innocent expression. "I just wanted to act well; it wasn’t intentional." With that, she shot Zhang Zihao a glare and swayed her hips as she left the set.
Zhang Zihao was so furious that veins bulged on his forehead; he wanted to chase after her but was firmly held back by Su Yao.
"Forget it; it’s not worth it to argue with her," Su Yao softly advised.
Zhang Zihao took a deep breath, trying hard to suppress his anger.
He gently helped Su Yao to the resting area. "Your face is so swollen; you should sit down and rest."
Xiao Lin quickly brought over ice packs and towels, carefully applying them to Su Yao's face.
"Did you offend her?" Zhang Zihao asked, puzzled.
"She is notoriously willful," he added.
Su Yao shook her head. "I don’t even know her."
Zhang Zihao clenched his fists. "If I had been here from the start, you wouldn't have had to suffer like this. Don’t worry; I’ll come to see you every day from now on."
After leaving the set, Zhang Zihao immediately dialed Jiang Rou's number.
"Was Jiang Ke'er arranged by you?" he asked in a low voice, his anger palpable.
Jiang Rou chuckled lightly. "What’s wrong? Did you enjoy playing the hero saving the damsel in distress?"
"Jiang Rou, don’t go too far!" Zhang Zihao gritted his teeth. "If you use such underhanded tactics against Su Yao again, I won’t cooperate with you anymore!"
"Oh?" Jiang Rou's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Without my help, you wouldn’t stand a chance of getting Su Yao even in several lifetimes."
"I warn you," Zhang Zihao said harshly, "if it happens again, I will tell Lin Yue everything!"
Jiang Rou snorted coldly. "Do as you please."
After hanging up, Zhang Zihao stood outside the set, watching the busy crew in the distance. He suddenly realized that he seemed to be sinking deeper into this situation while Su Yao remained forever out of reach.
That evening, Xiao Lin looked at Su Yao's red and swollen face with concern. "Sister Yao, you should tell President Lin about this."
Su Yao hesitated for a moment and shook her head. "I don’t want to bother her with these small matters."
Lin Yue was still in America taking care of Jiang Rou; she didn’t want to worry Lin Yue.
The next day, when Jiang Ke'er appeared on set, Zhang Zihao kept a close watch on her. She had toned down her attitude significantly, constantly referring to Su Yao as "Sister Yao" and even wanting to treat her to dinner after filming.
"Thank you for teaching me today, and... I’m really sorry about yesterday. Let me take you out for a meal," she said.
Just as Su Yao was about to decline, Zhang Zihao stepped in front of her. "Her face is still swollen; the doctor said she needs to rest and doesn’t have time."
Jiang Ke'er's smile faltered as she turned to mock him. "Zhang Zihao, you're being overly concerned. You're not Lin Yue."
As soon as those words left her mouth, the air fell silent. Zhang Zihao paused for half a second before suddenly letting out a low laugh—not one of joy but tinged with helplessness and irony.
"Ah, what a talent," he thought, shaking his head. "With that level of intelligence, she sold out Jiang Rou in an instant."
Su Yao stood nearby, her gaze sharpening. She had heard that remark loud and clear. A cold smile crept onto her lips, but her eyes darkened. "So it was her."
In the afternoon, Ye Lan made a special appearance on set with flowers in hand. The moment she saw Su Yao's face, her heart tightened.
"I heard about what happened yesterday. Does it still hurt?"
Su Yao forced a smile. "It's nothing serious, just encountered an unprofessional actor."
"If it hurts, just tell me. I know the best dermatologist," Ye Lan replied.
Su Yao smiled and said, "Okay."
The two chatted and laughed together, and it was clear that Su Yao was much happier in Ye Lan's company.
Zhang Zihao watched their interaction from a distance, waiting until Ye Lan left before approaching Su Yao.
"Su Yao, what do you think of Ye Lan?" he asked tentatively.
Su Yao looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean? Teacher Ye is really nice."
"Why do you ask?"
"Oh, it's nothing. Just curious."
He had originally thought that with Lin Yue absent, he would have more opportunities to get closer to Su Yao. He didn't expect to find another competitor in the mix—one that Su Yao seemed more inclined to accept.
Zhang Zihao decided not to share this discovery with Jiang Rou. He knew that Jiang Rou only cared about whether Su Yao was with Lin Yue; who Su Yao was with otherwise didn't matter to her at all.
In the following days, Ye Lan visited the set frequently. Xiao Lin also noticed Ye Lan's special attention toward Su Yao. When Su Yuyan asked about Su Yao's recent state, Xiao Lin inadvertently let something slip: "Sister Yao has been getting close to the author of Dark River, Ye Lan; Teacher Ye has been especially nice to Sister Yao..."
Upon hearing this information, Su Yuyan's mind began to race.
Since Su Yao has no feelings for Zhang Zihao, it would be better to match Ye Lan with Su Yao. As long as it prevents Su Yao from being with Lin Yue, that’s all that matters. Su Yuyan quickly called Su Yao.
"Yao Yao," Su Yuyan said gently to her daughter, "I heard that Teacher Ye has been visiting the set often to guide you. Since she takes such good care of you, we should invite her over for dinner to show our appreciation."
Su Yao was a bit surprised. "Mom, isn’t that too formal?"
"Not at all," Su Yuyan laughed. "She’s a renowned writer; we should show her some respect."
On the night of the dinner, Su Yuyan was particularly attentive to Ye Lan. She kept serving her food, asking questions, and showing great concern. She even praised Su Yao in front of Ye Lan, as if she were promoting her daughter.
The more Su Yao observed, the more she felt something was off; her mother’s attitude clearly indicated she was trying to set them up.
After dinner, while walking Ye Lan to the parking lot, Su Yao couldn’t help but speak softly. "Teacher Ye, my mom misunderstood; she thinks you…"
Su Yao's face turned slightly red, and she didn’t know how to continue. "Anyway, please don’t take it to heart."
"I apologize on her behalf," she added.
Ye Lan had intended to confess at that moment but swallowed her words instead. The timing wasn’t right; she didn’t want to pressure Su Yao.
"I don’t mind," Ye Lan said with a gentle smile. "Your mom is very nice."
After seeing Ye Lan off, Su Yao returned home and immediately sought out her mother for an explanation. "Mom, Teacher Ye and I are just friends," Su Yao said earnestly.
"Ye Lan clearly likes you; can’t you see that?"
"She’s nice to everyone, and besides… the person in my heart isn’t her."
Su Yuyan's expression darkened instantly. "Is it Lin Yue again? As long as I’m alive, you can forget about being with her!"
Not wanting to argue with her mother, Su Yao simply said she needed to get up early tomorrow and headed home.
Late at night, lying in bed and unable to sleep, Su Yao thought about Lin Yue far away in America and what she might be doing. She picked up her phone and sent a voice message.
"Lin Yue, I… really miss you."
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