After Divorcing the Beautiful Richest Woman, She Fell in Love (GL) - Chapter 15

Jiang Wanru caught a fleeting glimpse of a figure outside the crowded circle. Remembering the woman’s name, a faint trace of disdain touched her lips.

Ever since the news broke that she had accepted the script for Ambience, countless people had been fighting tooth and nail for a chance to ride her coattails—Jiang Wanru knew this all too well. Given Yan Shan’s lack of seniority and acting chops in the industry, it was somewhat unexpected that she managed to snag this special guest appearance.

“Sister Wanru! I’ve dreamed of collaborating with you since the day I debuted. It would be an honor even to play your maid. I’ve been counting down the days, just waiting for the cameras to roll!”

A bold, thick-skinned actress in the crew pushed her way forward to get close to Jiang Wanru. She called her “Sister” at every turn, forming a sharp contrast with the others who addressed her as “Teacher Jiang.”

Jiang Wanru curved her lips into a perfunctory, polite smile. “Thank you for your kind words. I’m also looking forward to this movie.”

The person calling her “Sister” was Li Yu. She had debuted around the same time as Yan Shan, and the two shared similar looks and acting styles; they were often labeled as direct competitors by the industry. Since Yan Shan’s role this time was a notch higher than hers, Li Yu felt both resentful and insecure, so she wanted to seize the initiative as soon as filming began.

Working with Jiang Wanru was a shortcut to elevating one’s status. Li Yu had paid a heavy price this time, humoring three industry bigwigs just to secure this opportunity. Who would have thought Jiang Wanru would be so stingy even with her pleasantries, stating only that she was looking forward to the movie?

Li Yu’s plan fell through, but she couldn’t show any dissatisfaction on her face. “My acting still has many shortcomings. I hope Sister Wanru can give me some guidance.”

Following the staff’s guidance, Jiang Wanru was headed to change for the photoshoot. Seeing Li Yu still pestering her, she offered a seemingly casual but professional reminder: “Acting is a matter of ability, but it’s also an attitude. Everyone should have their acting ready before joining the set, rather than using the filming process to fill in the gaps. Wasting the crew’s resources is not a mindset an actor should have.”

Having said that, Jiang Wanru walked away without even looking back to see Li Yu’s reaction.

Some people in the crowd followed her, some dispersed to attend to their own business, and a few stayed behind to enjoy the joke at Li Yu’s expense.

Ding Chunlu hadn’t chimed in earlier, but she had listened to every word Li Yu said, wondering if she should follow suit. Seeing someone serve as cannonball fodder for her, she decided she would stick to calling her “Teacher Jiang” for the foreseeable future.

Seeing Li Yu standing there in awkward silence, Ding Chunlu was in high spirits. She approached with a fake air of comfort. “Don’t take it to heart. She’s a Best Actress winner; it’s normal for her to hold a high posture. She couldn’t possibly agree to teach you in front of so many people. If you didn’t perform well, wouldn’t she be the one to take the blame?”

It wasn’t until Ding Chunlu walked away that Li Yu realized: Is she mocking me for having bad acting?!

Yan Shan had witnessed Jiang Wanru’s performance. For some reason, she felt a lingering fear about her own exposed emotions. She didn’t know if Jiang Wanru had seen her look, but seeing how easily the woman slapped Li Yu’s face, it would be effortless for her to deal with Yan Shan if she ever felt like it.

Yan Shan realized just how small she was compared to Jiang Wanru.

Lin Feiruo! Yan Shan whispered the name several times in her heart. She desperately needed Lin Feiruo’s support right now!

She turned back to ask her assistant, “Any news?”

The assistant shook her head. Yan Shan choked back a breath, her mind a chaotic mess.

After being rejected by Lin Feiruo for the set visit, Jian Xiaomin quickly found a replacement, though the time was moved to tomorrow. She returned to the bank to finish her business; unwilling to shop alone, she chose to go home.

Mainly, she had things on her mind and couldn’t wait to tell Jian Xiyan immediately.

Having just settled into her hotel, Jian Xiyan was waiting for President Bu to return from sea fishing. Since the Jian Group was the one more eager for this partnership, it wasn’t surprising that President Bu was putting on airs.

Receiving her sister’s call, Jian Xiyan adjusted her mood and tone. “Xiaomin.”

“Sis, are you on Tara Island?”

“I arrived an hour ago.”

“That’s good.”

Jian Xiaomin suddenly hesitated, her breathing speed increasing unconsciously. Jian Xiyan knew she had something to say, likely related to the internship.

“Sis, I’m sorry.”

“Why the sudden apology?”

“It’s about the film set yesterday…” Jian Xiaomin apologized sincerely. “I was only thinking about Jiang Wanru and even blamed you for stopping me. I didn’t think about your difficulties and concerns. Please don’t be mad at me.”

Jian Xiyan froze for a moment, quickly realizing this didn’t sound like something Jian Xiaomin would have figured out on her own. “Who told you this?”

“Sister Feiruo.”

Jian Xiyan paused, her internal guard rising. Did Lin Feiruo go back to the Main Residence?

Jian Xiaomin explained gigglingly, “Sis, I know you guys don’t want to be controlled too much, so you let Sister Feiruo find an excuse to slip away after you left on your trip. I get it, I get it—I do that all the time too.”

Then, she briefly recounted running into Lin Feiruo near the bank and helping her celebrate her “late” birthday. In her mind, she was only hiding this from her parents, not her sister. She instinctively believed Jian Xiyan and Lin Feiruo were a unit, and that her sister knew about the “vacation” excuse.

Jian Xiyan rolled her eyes. Lin Feiruo really didn’t know how to hide. What a ditz!

Knowing Lin Feiruo hadn’t returned to the Main Residence, Jian Xiyan breathed a slight sigh of relief. But Jian Xiaomin’s next words made her heart leap again.

“I didn’t expect Sister Feiruo to hate Yan Shan just as much as I do!” Jian Xiaomin said gleefully and proudly.

Jian Xiyan’s breath nearly caught in her throat. “What did you say to her about Yan Shan?”

Her sister’s sudden severity and excitement startled Jian Xiaomin. “Nothing much… just that she’s fake, full of schemes, and wants to leech heat…” Jian Xiaomin’s voice became apprehensive.

Jian Xiyan frowned, thinking rapidly about how to soothe Lin Feiruo. Jian Xiaomin’s actions were equivalent to deep-frying Lin Feiruo’s heart on the spot. Since she hadn’t flipped out on the spot, she must have been considering Jian Xiyan’s “face.” Jian Xiyan felt grateful for Lin Feiruo’s restraint.

She didn’t interrupt her sister’s recap; she had to know every detail to precisely appease Lin Feiruo. Pressing her temples, she asked in a low voice, “And then?”

“I originally wanted her to persuade you to agree, but she ended up telling me those things instead.” Jian Xiaomin felt guilty again. “I realized I was wrong. I shouldn’t have ignored your words.”

Jian Xiyan was amused by her childlike tone, which briefly took her back to their childhood.

“Sister Feiruo really loves you so much.”

Jian Xiaomin’s sudden turn made Jian Xiyan pause again.

“At first, I just thought her words made sense, but later I analyzed them seriously and felt every word was filled with deep love and worry for you. She cares about how hard you work; she said you don’t sleep, and her eyes were almost watery when she said it.”

Jian Xiyan recalled the hamster face smiling and telling her to rest more. Watery eyes? She didn’t believe that. But Lin Feiruo certainly did nag about the lack of sleep. She let out an unconscious, low sigh. “Don’t listen to her.”

The tone was so much softer than her previous severity that Jian Xiaomin heard a hint of shyness in it. “Sis, you guys are so shy. You’ve been married for two years; why are you still embarrassed to admit you love each other?”

Jian Xiyan didn’t want to hear any more of her sister’s “filling in the blanks” and steered back to Yan Shan. “Did Lin Feiruo say anything else?”

“Not much.”

The business startup was a surprise for her sister, so Jian Xiaomin sensibly “kept” that secret.

Jian Xiyan had to remind her: “Don’t go looking for her much lately, and don’t mention anything about the movie.”

Jian Xiaomin agreed obediently. “Understood. You’re afraid Mom and Dad will find out.”

After hanging up, Jian Xiyan still gripped her phone tightly. She was considering how to speak to Lin Feiruo—what conditions would she have to offer this time to make Lin Feiruo not mind Xiaomin’s words?

She pulled up Lin Feiruo’s number with a heavy heart. She wasn’t picturing the adorable hamster face now, but the “idiot” indignant face of someone about to challenge her. Whenever Yan Shan wasn’t involved, they got along reasonably well. But now that the partnership was over, they still had to argue over Yan Shan.

How annoying!

Suppressing her irritability, Jian Xiyan waited patiently for the other end to pick up. The call was answered quickly, and an unexpectedly soft voice came through. Lin Feiruo had taken a groggy nap; she didn’t expect a call from Jian Xiyan.

“You’re there?”

“I’ve been here a while.”

“Oh. Then you…” Lin Feiruo guessed that Jian Xiaomin must have gone home and reported to her.

Jian Xiyan hesitated for a moment before speaking. “About what Xiaomin said to you today… I hope you don’t take it to heart.”

Jian Xiyan knew this was just a platitude—a pipe dream. There was no way Lin Feiruo wouldn’t care. She moved the phone away from her ear, preparing for an explosion on the other end.

Lin Feiruo rubbed her eyes, shaking off the last of her sleepiness. “It’s a small thing. It was my fault for getting caught.”

Hearing her grogginess, Jian Xiyan thought she probably hadn’t realized which “thing” she was referring to yet. Since she called specifically for this, she decided to be blunt: “Xiaomin’s dissatisfaction with Yan Shan is mainly due to the production arrangements. I’ll keep an eye on her. You…”

Lin Feiruo suddenly became serious: “You indeed need to keep an eye on her.”

Jian Xiyan slightly adjusted her breathing, knowing the storm was coming. But Lin Feiruo didn’t explode. Instead, she sounded a bit worried: “If she causes a big scene, it will be very disadvantageous for you.”