After Divorcing the Beautiful Richest Woman, She Fell in Love (GL) - Chapter 19

Jiang Wanru returned to her dressing room. Her assistant, Xiao Tao, handed her a thermos along with a clean wet wipe.

She lightly dabbed her lips before leisurely opening the lid to take a slow sip. Xiao Tao carefully adjusted the edges of her costume, worried that any wrinkles might affect the next scene.

This was Jiang Wanru’s private dressing room; normally, other staff members weren’t allowed to enter. Even so, Xiao Tao was very cautious and didn’t dare gossip about what had just happened on set.

Jiang Wanru set the tea cup down gently and turned to Xiao Tao. “That’s enough.”

Her face was expressionless, but her tone was quite gentle. Xiao Tao stopped as told and sat in a nearby chair. Jiang Wanru had no intention of chatting; she closed her eyes to rest. Although she was sitting, her back was perfectly straight, not touching the backrest at all to keep her costume crisp.

The sound of footsteps came from outside, followed by a short knock. Xiao Tao hurried to open the door.

“Sister Qinghe.” Xiao Tao, who had been blocking the door, stepped aside once she saw who it was.

Lian Qinghe was Jiang Wanru’s manager and also Xiao Tao’s senior. She acknowledged Xiao Tao with a hurried nod and went straight to Jiang Wanru.

“I only left the set for half a day, and I missed quite a show.”

Jiang Wanru opened her eyes. Her expressive gaze swept over the woman slapping her thigh in front of her. “What’s so interesting about that kind of drama?”

Lian Qinghe clicked her tongue. “How is it not interesting? I heard that some people already pre-bought trending searches, just waiting for the leaked photos from the set.” She found it funnier the more she thought about it, adding gleefully: “Personally, I think there’s no need to waste that money. Just leak what Director Yang said today, and they’ll get their trending search for free.”

A slight curve appeared at the corner of Jiang Wanru’s lips, but it vanished quickly. “You… keep those words to yourself on set. If someone hears you, they’ll say I’m looking down on newcomers again.”

Lian Qinghe made a zipping motion over her lips and leaned in closer. “Then we’ll vent once we’re off-set.”

Just then, a staff member knocked to signal that filming could resume. Jiang Wanru rose gracefully. “It’s a waste that you didn’t become a journalist.”

Lian Qinghe wasn’t annoyed at all, following her out with a grin.

After the adjustment period, Yan Shan wasn’t as ridiculous as before, but she wasn’t much better either. Yang Yuqun frowned, shifting all his attention to Jiang Wanru. If push came to shove, he would simply cut Yan Shan’s close-ups; his priority was ensuring Jiang Wanru’s performance was brilliant.

When filming ended, the staff breathed a sigh of relief and busied themselves with post-production prep. While Jiang Wanru was touching up her makeup, Yan Shan walked over looking pitiful.

“Teacher Jiang, I’m truly sorry. I caused you so much trouble today with all those NGs.”

Jiang Wanru didn’t show any disgust, but her serious expression created a sense of immense distance. “It’s all for the work.”

Yan Shan breathed a sigh of relief, but before she could continue playing the victim, she heard Jiang Wanru’s cold voice: “However, if your work attitude and ability are too poor, you should think of a solution.”

“I…”

Jiang Wanru had already walked back to the camera for the next scene. Yan Shan had no heart to stay and observe; she hurriedly removed her makeup and went back to her room.

As soon as she entered, she wanted to call Lin Feiruo. She had her finger on the dial button but quickly canceled it. She had never searched for Lin Feiruo so urgently before, and the woman’s recent disappearance was bizarre. After thinking it over, she decided she couldn’t lose the upper hand so easily.

Yan Shan stood before the mirror and forced herself to cry for a bit. She still had the basic skills of an actress; her eyes soon turned red. Combined with her naturally fragile, “white jasmine” features, she looked heartbreakingly realistic. She quickly took several selfies, capturing her pitiful and helpless state from different angles.

While sorting through the photos, Yan Shan specifically chose the one most likely to move Lin Feiruo. A “simp” might be worthless, but controlling a simp was very valuable. Yan Shan knew exactly where her attraction for Lin Feiruo lay, but whether she “gave” it or not was entirely under her control.

Reddened eyes, a lip nearly bitten through—stubborn yet fragile.

Yan Shan didn’t just send the photo; she sent a plea for help: [I’ve run into trouble. What should I do?]

Lin Feiruo was currently searching for ticket info for the wellness forum. She was very interested in Dr. Yu’s speech and hoped to find a resale ticket. When she received Yan Shan’s photo, she froze.

After reading the message, she frowned. “If you’ve run into trouble, what does that have to do with me?” Lin Feiruo deleted the photo and the message.

The only reason she hadn’t blocked this number yet was that she wanted to see if she could get the original owner’s “wasted money” back.

Yan Shan waited for half an hour. Still no word from Lin Feiruo. She was truly panicking now. She had many places that required cash, she was being suppressed by Jiang Wanru on set, and everyone had seen her being made a fool of in the first scene. If she didn’t turn the situation around quickly, her chance to elevate her status with this film would be gone.

[I have something very important to discuss with you in person.]

Lin Feiruo frowned. How important can it be? Isn’t it just about the six million? She deleted it again.

But this time, Yan Shan was persistent. Just as she put her phone down, a new message arrived.

[Some things might have been discovered. We need to discuss a strategy immediately.]

Some things? Lin Feiruo thought back. The original owner was a simp, but Yan Shan had never actually given her any real “sweetness”! Aside from the money transfers, what scandalous secrets could they possibly share?

However, since she hadn’t actually met Yan Shan yet, it was possible certain plot points hadn’t been “activated” yet. Lin Feiruo weighed the options and decided to go see her. After all, the one who was head-over-heels in love was the original owner; Lin Feiruo wasn’t worried about her own heart wavering.

Plus, seeing if she could claw back some of that “sucker money” wouldn’t be bad either. She replied: [What is it?]

Seeing the reply, Yan Shan gripped her phone in excitement. But there was no joy in her expression; this only proved that Lin Feiruo had been intentionally ignoring her before. Hmph! How dare she!

The more Yan Shan thought about it, the angrier she got. She never imagined Lin Feiruo would ever act this way. She had no clue what had caused the change. But she didn’t dare act haughty or get angry on purpose like she used to—what if Lin Feiruo stopped replying again?

[Some things aren’t convenient to say over text. We must talk in person.]

Without waiting for a reply, Yan Shan followed up: [Can you come to the set? I’m at Yunxi Film City.]

Yunxi Film City was in the suburbs of Shanghai; it wasn’t far.

[Let’s meet tomorrow afternoon, okay?]

Three messages in a row, each softer in tone than the last. Even an outsider like Lin Feiruo could read the hint of coquettishness in them. Is it really that easy for her to say these things? Lin Feiruo felt goosebumps, but then she had a sudden thought: What would it be like if Jian Xiyan said something like that?

The contrast was so extreme it was impossible to imagine. Lin Feiruo burst out laughing.

A few minutes passed while she was laughing. Yan Shan, anxious and flustered, took advantage of the fact that Lin Feiruo hadn’t said no and set a time.

[Tomorrow at 4:00 PM. I’ll have someone wait for you at the entrance of the film city, okay?]

Since she had decided to meet, Lin Feiruo didn’t overthink it further and simply replied: [Fine.]

Yan Shan’s heart steadied once she saw the agreement. But… this was a far cry from the old Lin Feiruo. In the past, Yan Shan would give one-word replies while Lin Feiruo would send paragraphs of text that annoyed her to read. Now, the tables had turned, and she was the one chasing Lin Feiruo for an answer.

What a load of crap this world is! Yan Shan felt everything was abnormal and her luck was simply too poor.

Once she calmed down, she still felt something was off. Lin Feiruo had clearly said she would have a “huge surprise” ready. Could this coldness over the past few days be part of some big reveal? She couldn’t think of any other reason for the change.

Wait… Could it be? Yan Shan’s heart sank. Does Jian Xiyan know?

Yan Shan knew about the marriage, but she had never asked directly, maintaining a “don’t ask, don’t tell” ambiguous relationship. No commitment, no responsibility—she didn’t care about Lin Feiruo’s status. For two years everything had been fine; she assumed Lin Feiruo had Jian Xiyan perfectly fooled. After all, that woman was always traveling and had no time for her.

If Jian Xiyan really found out, it would be big trouble! Yan Shan felt conflicted, but quickly convinced herself: Anyway, that’s Lin Feiruo’s responsibility. I never said I was actually going to be with her.

Besides, Jian Xiyan had just become the richest woman; she would surely value her reputation.

Even if she pursued the matter, she wouldn’t make a huge public scene.

Yan Shan felt a bit more secure and began planning how to handle Lin Feiruo the next day.