Chapter 494 - His Deepest Secrets
Xu Xiyan immediately walked over to Wen Li, opening the pastry packaging along the way. By the time she reached the assistant, Xu Xiyan had already fished out the peanut butter cream pastry from inside the packet.
“Oh no, you eat it, Ms. Xinrou gave it to you,” said Wen Li as she stared at the pastry in disgust. She did not want to look at anything Jing Xi had touched, let alone eat it.
“I know, but good things are meant to be shared, right?”
Xu Xiyan’s smile was now firmly set on her face. “Assistant Wen, you’ve been so nice to me. Please, let me return the favor by feeding you!”
And then—
Right in front of everyone, Xu Xiyan forcefully stuffed the pastry into Wen Li’s mouth, pressing it in with all her strength.
Xu Xiyan recalled Wen Li’s snide remarks and disdainful looks, and wished the pastry had been dog poop instead.
Wen Li had not been quick enough to avoid Xu Xiyan. Her mouth was now stuffed full of cake. She tried to resist, but Xu Xiyan was stronger than she was: she smeared peanut butter and cream all over Wen Li’s face.
Xu Xiyan released Wen Li and casually wiped her sticky fingers on the assistant’s clothes, as though it was the most natural thing in the world. She patted Wen Li on the shoulder and said, “There we go. Please, enjoy the pastry, Assistant Wen. Thank you for the snack, Ms. Xu!”
Everyone watched in shock as Xu Xiyan leisurely sauntered back to the set to find the person responsible for the in-program ads.
“Pfft! Pffffffft…”
Wen Li shook off the peanut butter and cream from her face. In her fury, she forgot where she was and began ranting loudly to Xu Xinrou.
“Ms. Xinrou, did you see that?! She stuffed my mouth with food! That Jing Xi is too much, how dare she humiliate me in front of everyone. That means she has no respect for you, you know. We need to teach her a lesson, before she forgets she’s from the Xu family, too.”
“Assistant Wen, watch your tongue!”
Xu Xinrou shot Wen Li a look of warning, telling her to shut up. Jing Xi’s insolent attitude towards Xu Xinrou was nothing new; like Wen Li, Xu Xinrou wanted badly to put Xu Xiyan in her place, but they had to be smart about it and do it in secret.
Wen Li glanced at the people around her and realized she had been too rash. She immediately clammed up.
Deep down, however, she continued to curse Xu Xiyan: Damn you, Jing Xi! Just you wait!
Xu Xinrou had wanted to embarrass Xu Xiyan in front of everyone, but the actress had turned the tables and bullied her assistant instead. It was a slap to the face for Xu Xinrou.
She would have to swallow her anger and resentment for now, and remember to avenge herself later.
Xu Xiyan found the crew responsible for the in-program ads. Once she’d changed into her costume and gotten her makeup done, it was time to begin shooting the ads.
The trend now was to insert the in-program ads seamlessly into the show to act as “commercial breaks” for viewers on online streaming sites.
It was much more convenient this way: the production crew would be able to film the ads on the set, and viewers tended to be much more receptive towards ads that were properly integrated into the show.
Xu Xiyan did not have many lines for her ads. They were easy to remember.
She completed all three of her in-program ads without a hitch. Before leaving the set, Xu Xiyan decided to look for the director, Huang Guoqiang.
Huang Guoqiang was discussing something with the set manager. Xu Xiyan waited until he had finished before walking over to greet him.
“Director Huang, I’m done shooting my in-program ads.”
Huang Guoqiang turned at the sound of her voice, and smiled when he saw that it was Xu Xiyan. He pointed to the chair across him. “You’re done? Excellent. Come, have a seat.”
Xu Xiyan sat down.
Huang Guoqiang had asked Xu Xiyan to sit down and talk because he wanted to ask about Qi Liya. “By the way, Jing Xi, was Little Qi alone in her room when you left the hospital?”
“That’s right.”
Huang Guoqiang nodded. He made a few false starts, not knowing how to broach the subject. “So Little Qi…”
“Don’t worry, Director Huang. Xiao Ke’s with her now.” Xu Xiyan watched him intently with her bright eyes. She decided it was time to lay it all out in the open. “Hey, Director Huang, can I ask you something? Are you in love with Ms. Qi?”
A look of surprise flashed across Huang Guoqiang’s face; this was quickly followed by a smile as he poked her forehead with a finger. “You cheeky girl, nothing gets past you. All right, you’ve seen through me.”
Huang Guoqiang had spent enough time with Xu Xiyan to know that she could be trusted. He opened up to her, revealing to her his deepest secrets.
…