Chapter 933: A Million Times for You (295)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Since he’s engaged, I ought to keep my distance.” She held onto Xiao Yue’s arm and said, “Let’s go there and wait. Sis Xiaoning will be coming later.”
“Okay.”
They returned to their seats, only to discover that Xin Min had already left and that Yan Ge was sitting alone with the script in his hands.
Upon the sight of her, he said, “Let’s rehearse our lines.”
Fang Erlan said calmly, “Nah, let’s just memorize our own lines. It should be fine after the cameras start rolling.”
“What’s wrong with you?” Yan Ge asked in puzzlement.
“Nothing much.” She picked up her teacup and avoided eye contact with him.
A gloomy expression formed on Yan Ge’s face. They had always had a cordial relationship ever since filming officially began, which was so unlike the distant and aloof way she was behaving toward him now. In fact, she seemed to be unwilling to even speak to him.
Is it because of my engagement?
Is that why she’s doing all she can to keep a distance between us, to the point that she does not even want to talk to me?
Xiao Yue stared at the two of them, feeling extremely awkward.
Twenty minutes later, Xiao Yue said, “Sis Erlan, hurry and look, Sis Xiaoning and Sis Yangyang are here.”
Fang Erlan frantically stood up and scurried toward them to welcome them.
Noticing how pale Fang Erlan looked, An Xiaoning held her hand and asked, “Have you not been eating well?”
“I haven’t, I’m on a diet to lose some weight.”
“You ought to eat when you’re supposed to. Don’t try to lose weight intentionally. Filming is so tiring, how are you supposed to have the energy to do it if you don’t eat properly?”
Fang Erlan nodded with a smile and said, “Yes, I’ll take care of my body.”
They continued to walk forward, after which the crew members greeted An Xiaoning, who reciprocated. Yan Ge put down his script and stood up to greet her, “You’re here, Ms. An.”
“There’s still a month of filming to go. Yan Ge, are you starting to feel drained and fatigued?”
“Not really, I’m just a little tired.”
“Director Jing has told me over the phone that you’re very professional. Take a break while I go have a chat with Director Jing.”
“Alright.”
Jing Tian discussed some issues about the television series with An Xiaoning, after which she asked, “I heard from Yangyang that Erlan has been experiencing lots of difficulties and troubles lately. What happened?”
Pointing at a tent, he said, “Let’s go inside there to talk.”
“Yes.”
Once they were inside the tent, Jing Tian told her truthfully, “I find it really strange too. The crew members all belong to the same team that was involved in filming the movie we produced previously. They’re definitely reliable and trustworthy; otherwise, I wouldn’t have hired them. Although it’s common for suspension wires to break, it’s rather absurd and suspicious for so many of them to snap at the same time. Moreover, Erlan continued to meet with several incidents in the days after the wires snapped. She’s been really out of luck lately.”
“I know. It’d better not be an intentional act of malice. Otherwise, I’m going to scour every corner to find out who this person is. I’ll bring Erlan to the car and have a chat with her. Is she involved in the next scene you’re filming?”
“She is, but you two may have a chat first. I’ll just film the others while waiting. It should be fine as long as you don’t take too long.”
“Okay, then.”
An Xiaoning, Mei Yangyang, and Fang Erlan got inside the car together without Xiao Yue.
“Give me your birth characters and timing, I’ll see if someone is intentionally getting in your way.”
Fang Erlan blurted without hesitation, “I was born on the 28th of July at seven o’clock in the evening. I don’t exactly know which minute and second though.”
After hearing her birth characters, An Xiaoning began reading her fortune for the recent months.
Noticing the frown on her forehead, Mei Yangyang immediately asked, “Sis, did she really encounter a troublemaker?”
“Yes.” An Xiaoning said to Fang Erlan, “Erlan, tell me in detail, did you have a feud with anyone ever since you joined the production team?”
“There’s one such person. It’s Jing Yang,” said Fang Erlan, who could not help but feel disgusted at the thought of him. She then explained everything to An Xiaoning, including the details of when she first asked him for an autograph, all the way until he offered to make a cameo appearance.
Mei Yangyang chimed in, “Yeah, he was the one who pulled the publicity stunt by sparking rumors about being in a relationship with Erlan.”
“He probably didn’t get close to you with the intention of harming you. Judging from the fact that he offered to make a cameo appearance, he probably has other plans in mind. Who else have you fallen out with apart from him?”
Shaking her head, Fang Erlan answered, “I didn’t really offend anyone…”
Suddenly reminded of what Xiao Yue said to her just now, she repeated the latter’s words to An Xiaoning before saying, “Yan Ge’s fiancée has moved into the same hotel as us, and she checked into a room on the same floor as ours. However, she seems to be a kind, nice, and educated person. I don’t think she’s the one.”
“When did she move in?”
“It’s been a while now.”
An Xiaoning tilted her head and looked at her. “Do you fancy Yan Ge?” she asked.
Taken aback, Fang Erlan frantically defended herself, “No, not at all. He’s already engaged, I don’t harbor any designs on him.”
“What if he wasn’t engaged, then? When I was talking to Director Jing previously, I heard from him that you’d added a kiss scene on your own. I thought I heard him wrong,” An Xiaoning said solemnly.
Fang Erlan instantly turned red and spluttered, “Sis Xiaoning, I’ll never do such a silly thing again. Trust me.”
An Xiaoning smirked and teased, “You do fancy him, don’t you? It’s fine, Yangyang and I are your employers. Just tell us the truth.”
“I only decided to add that scene because I felt like I was at a losing end since I’d given him my first kiss. On the other hand, he had already kissed so many actresses before, so I wanted to…” Fang Erlan paused in her speech, too embarrassed to continue.
“You wanted to take revenge on him?” An Xiaoning asked.
“Yes,” Fang Erlan answered softly.
“You must be fond of him. Do you still carry any hopes of being in a relationship with him?” An Xiaoning asked earnestly.
Shaking her head, Fang Erlan answered, “Absolutely not. Ever since I found out about his engagement, I haven’t been talking to him much in private. I’ve even stopped rehearsing my lines together with him before filming starts. I know my limits. He had yet to go for a blind date and he didn’t have a fiancée yet when I added that kiss scene. Besides, I definitely wouldn’t carry a torch for a man who has a girlfriend or fiancée.”
“That’s good. Even if you still harbor any feelings for him that you have developed over the few months of filming, you must do your best to hold yourself back. Your career has just begun taking off. Don’t let any frivolous rumors ruin your progress. It’s easy to be mistaken as a homewrecker. Once your reputation is tarnished, it’d be hard to clear your name. Erlan, you came from a humble family, you should know that you wouldn’t have had the chance to star as the female lead if it weren’t because I’m the main investor of the television series. Since you’re an artiste of our studio, we have every duty to spur you on and push you toward fame and success. However, you mustn’t let me and Yangyang down, got it?”
Fang Erlan answered with a nod, “I understand. Rest assured, Sis Xiaoning, I definitely wouldn’t be a homewrecker. I’ll stop carrying a torch for him.”
Mei Yangyang said, “We do allow you to get into relationships, but Erlan, take a look at all the celebrities in the entertainment industry. Most of them only reveal their relationship status when they’re engaged. Celebrities can’t be like normal citizens and expose every relationship they get into. I just need you to understand that.”