The assistant director began organizing extras. Meanwhile, Ye Aotian lay on a recliner, struggling with discomfort.
âWhatâs wrong, Ye Aotian?â
Ye Aotian replied, âNot sure. After drinking too much last night, I seem to have developed hemorrhoids. Itâs a bit uncomfortable ⦠donât laugh.â
Cao Zijin commented, âSorry, I didnât realize martial arts experts could get hemorrhoids. And ⦠what if itâs not hemorrhoids?â
âWhat else could it be? A man causing it? Thatâs impossible.â
Cao Zijin gave Feifei a knowing look.
On the surface, Feifei appeared indifferent, but inside, he was shocked. He faintly guessed that what had happened last night was likely Cao Zijinâs doing.
For anyone who just met her, Cao Zijin might seem kind-hearted. But those who knew her well understood she was ruthless. Anyone who threatened her position would face her relentless methods and end up ruined.
If youâre going to make an enemy, donât choose Cao Zijin. Sheâs not a good person.
Feifei quietly brought Chen Fan some warm water.
âIf itâs hemorrhoids, you should avoid cold drinks and drink warm water instead. Itâs better for your health.â
Cao Zijin suppressed a laugh and said, âOh, Feifei, youâre such a warm-hearted guy. Feifei, you wouldnât happen to like Ye Aotian, would you?â
Ye Aotian scoffed, âGet lost. I like women, alright? What about you, big star? Do you know any beautiful women you could introduce me to?â
Cao Zijin remarked, âOh, but Iâm such a big beauty myself, yet youâre still asking for other beautiful women?â
Ye Aotian replied, âDonât kid around. Weâre just business partners.â
But thatâs Cao Zijin for you; many people never believed that it was Cao Zijin who caused their downfall.
Feifei understood but wasnât sure how to warn Ye Aotian. It felt like he was caught in her trap.
Just then, the director arrived, lounging in a chair and saying, âDrank too much ⦠really drank too much last night.â
Ye Aotian asked, âHow was it? Were you satisfied?â
âSatisfied, but Iâm getting too old for this. Iâm worried I wonât be able to keep directing.â
Hahaha! The men all laughed heartily.
Just then, the director shouted, âBy the way, isnât the second female lead supposed to be here? Where is she?â
No sooner had he spoken than a van arrived, and a young woman stepped out.
She walked over to the director and said, âHello, Director.â
The director replied, âHello. I didnât expect you to come.â
The woman said, âSince my sister is here, I wanted to come. I think Iâll learn a lot by filming alongside her.â
Right then, Cao Zijin felt murderous.
Liu Feifeiâa popular star, known as an ethereal beauty who looked flawless in historical costumes.
She was reputed as the rarest of beauties, the kind whose face could justify any mistake.
This girl wasnât conniving; she was just pure and a bit of a fool, the type Cao Zijin feared most.
Looking at Liu Feifei in front of her, Cao Zijin thought that if it were anyone else, her words would be provoking trouble. But with Liu Feifei, it was fine.
This woman was naturally innocent and seemed to be blessed with incredible luck.
A classic example was at a dinner party: a high-profile figure took an interest in her and attempted to make a move, only to end up being hauled away by his wife before anything could happen.
Such incidents were common for her, and Cao Zijin even believed that this woman had a âlucky attributeâ.
No matter what she did, she was always exceedingly lucky.
Cao Zijin felt exhaustedâshe could deal with anyone but this woman. She had no means of handling her. It felt like dealing with this woman required not tactics, but divine intervention.
âSister, why arenât you saying anything? Arenât we good friends?â
Cao Zijin sighed and replied, âI was just lost in thought. Director, youâre really something, bringing in such a classic beauty. Do you intend for us to act against each other?â
The director replied, âOf course! I think the two of you in the same film will be very interesting.â
Liu Feifei looked at Ye Aotian and said, âWow, Director, this leading man is so handsome!â
Ye Aotian quickly straightened himself and said, âNot too bad, not too bad. Thank you for the compliment. Hi, Iâm Ye Aotian.â
He extended his hand to shake hers, but Liu Feifei ignored him.
Instead, she looked at Ye Aotian and asked, âAre you uncomfortable?â
âUh, not really ⦠Just a bit of a hemorrhoid situation, kind of awkward, but donât worryâit wonât affect filming. Iâm trained in martial arts.â
âOh, can you fly, then?â
âUh ⦠no, I canât.â
âAnd if someone shot you, would you die?â
âUh ⦠yes, I would die.â
âOh, then your martial arts arenât very strong. In the movies, those who practice martial arts are so strong. Youâre not up to it.â
Cao Zijin laughed wildly.
Ye Aotian also laughed, albeit helplessly. At that moment, he felt this girl was so intriguing, like a joyful presence that brought him happiness.
This kind of girl ⦠bringing her home would be wonderful.
For a moment, Ye Aotian felt that she was the woman heâd been dreaming of all his life. Such a girl was worth protecting for a lifetime.
Meanwhile, Cao Zijin noticed the look in Ye Aotianâs eyes. She knew that look all too wellâindeed, this woman was a female lead.
Alas, she was just the villain.
.
The director stood up and said, âWe have more people arriving. Look, here they come.â
At that moment, a man entered, surrounded by people. It was Xiao Feng, the acknowledged âhandsome guyâ of the entertainment industry.
Ye Aotian felt a sense of disgust as he looked at Xiao Fengâs thin, frail appearance.
Pretty boys were the worst.
âHello, Director. I was curious about who the lead actor would be. Turns out, itâs a newcomer.â
Ye Aotian stood up and looked at Xiao Feng, saying, âSo? A newcomer isnât allowed?â
âOh? Donât you know how to show respect to your seniors? Youâre just a nobody, yet youâre speaking so brashly?â
In Ye Aotianâs view, someone like Feifei, who was effeminate and openly liked men, was at least being true to himself.
But this guy in front of himâneither manly nor womanly, and frankly, nauseating.
The director quickly intervened, saying, âAlright, once everyoneâs here, we need to start filming. Everyone, please cooperate with me.â
Everyone fell silent.
By 8:30 in the morning, the shoot was officially set to begin. The director opted for a staged filming approach, starting with scenes that depicted a wedding and would later progress to wartime sequences.
Most of the war scenes would focus on Ye Aotian.
Newcomers had one advantage: they had the time and the obedience to follow directions.
But for big names like Cao Zijin and Liu Feifei, their scenes were highly valuable due to their high fees, so they couldnât stay on set for long.
That said, this film didnât require much from the female characters, primarily because hiring big names was expensive.
After all, arranging schedules for someone like Cao Zijin was no simple task.
Leaning close to Cao Zijin, Liu Feifei whispered, âSis, do you know any bad guys?â
âWhy bad guys?â
âI want to hire someone to beat up Ye Aotian. I think heâs so annoying.â
There it wasâthis woman must have her own diary.
âWhy do you think heâs annoying?â
âI donât know ⦠itâs weird. Sometimes when I say things, itâs like none of you hear me.â
Cao Zijin was dumbfounded. This was too outrageous. She herself had been pushing boundaries, but this woman had innocently blurted it out.
And yet, it somehow got throughâit was beyond absurd.
At that moment, her diary updated, and Cao Zijin opened it. She wanted to know exactly what role Liu Feifei played.