Chapter 46

Tan Ya said, “It was soft articles written by Star Path Entertainment, and they were the ones who hyped it up.”

Jiang Sisi said, “Have you contacted Star Path? What did they say?”

Tan Ya said, “They didn’t respond.”

“They dare to do it but not own up to it.” Jiang Sisi sneered. “Some third-rate media that’s not even worth mentioning dares to leech off my popularity.”

Tan Ya didn’t say anything, waiting for Jiang Sisi’s decision.

Recently, Jiang Sisi had been filming while also keeping an eye on the release of Youth Tour. After thinking for a moment, she said, “Have the PR department stir something up. Let them handle the details however they see fit.”

There were plenty of people who leeched off her popularity on a regular basis, and this wasn’t the only media outlet. Normally, Jiang Sisi turned a blind eye— the entertainment industry was small, and nitpicking everything was too exhausting. Let them leech if they wanted. But Star Path Entertainment must have hit some bad luck to cross her path right now.

It was actually because Star Path Entertainment had dragged Leng Xiang into it. If they wanted to leech popularity, why pick a topic like bad blood between them?

Tan Ya saw through it but didn’t point it out. She nodded, preparing to leave and contact the PR department, when Jiang Sisi suddenly called her back.

Jiang Sisi said, “Wait, I need to head back to the city soon. You go back to the hotel and check on Leng Xiang.”

She was the one who had worn Leng Xiang out, and she was also the one who cared.

Tan Ya’s face showed an “I knew it” expression as she agreed.

Jiang Sisi rubbed her brow. “Alright, that’s it. Go ahead.”

Tan Ya nodded and left.

When Leng Xiang returned, Pei Shuang had already gotten up to go film.

The room was empty, so she went straight to bed and crashed.

At noon, Leng Xiang didn’t come downstairs and wasn’t replying to WeChat messages. Wang Linlin didn’t want to call and disturb her, so she grabbed some food from the buffet and brought lunch up to Leng Xiang.

She had just swiped her key card to enter when she discovered someone else in the room.

“What are you doing here?!” Wang Linlin jumped when she saw who it was.

Tan Ya was sitting on the edge of Leng Xiang’s bed. Hearing the sudden commotion, she lifted her eyelids to glance at Wang Linlin and pressed a finger to her lips in a “shh” gesture.

Wang Linlin’s volume dropped immediately.

Ever since their first meeting—where she’d embarrassed herself in front of Tan Ya and then seen her effortlessly carry a thirty-inch suitcase—Wang Linlin felt inexplicably guilty around her.

Moreover, Tan Ya’s height was downright intimidating. What kind of woman grew that tall? What did she eat to get like that? The oppressive aura was overwhelming.

Though Wang Linlin was outgoing, she’d never met anyone like Tan Ya in her twenty-plus years of life. She always imagined Tan Ya as the silent enforcer standing behind some triad boss—quiet and reserved on the surface, but the toughest one to mess with. Back in school, she must have been a campus bully, the type who rolled up her sleeves to reveal rippling muscles, grabbed a weapon in a fight, and took on ten guys at once.

After that one glance from Tan Ya, Wang Linlin instinctively took two steps back, dismissing her own wild thoughts.

She didn’t even need a weapon—that look alone could scare a crowd to death.

Tan Ya didn’t appear much around the set unless there was something going on.

Jiang Sisi not only had a movie to shoot and Shiyue Studio to manage, but she also owned Black Pool Bar and the fifty-story hotel above it, and she even hosted a show—though she handed Welcome to Star off to a substitute host while filming, she still reviewed every episode’s script personally before feeling at ease.

And that was probably not all.

Tan Ya was Jiang Sisi’s assistant—and her only one.

She was usually sent by Jiang Sisi to handle all sorts of tasks, often vanishing for four or five days at a time, all mysterious.

After filming for so long, this was the closest Wang Linlin had been to Tan Ya besides their first meeting.

Wang Linlin set the food she’d brought on the coffee table and crept toward Leng Xiang’s bed, shrinking back.

Why am I so scared of her? It’s not like she’s going to eat me.

With that thought, Wang Linlin mustered some courage, coughed twice, and said, “What are you here for?”

Leng Xiang frowned uneasily in her sleep, as if disturbed by the noise.

A glint of amusement flashed in Tan Ya’s eyes as she pressed her index finger to her lips again.

The moment Wang Linlin met her gaze, all her newfound courage deflated, and she chickened out.

Wang Linlin touched her nose awkwardly and lowered her voice. “I was just asking. How did you get in? There are only three key cards.”

Tan Ya said, “I got a spare from the front desk. Director Jiang asked me to check on Miss Leng.”

What’s there to check? It’s your Director Jiang who wore Sister Leng Xiang out like this.

Wang Linlin grumbled inwardly, edging farther from where Tan Ya sat. Leng Xiang didn’t stir, but Wang Linlin figured she was about to wake up anyway and had no intention of leaving.

Even if she didn’t wake, she had to—skipping lunch wasn’t an option. She’d eaten breakfast at 4:30 a.m., and if she weren’t asleep, she’d be starving by now.

Tan Ya suddenly reached out and pointed at the USB port and charging cable by the TV wall.

In a low voice, Tan Ya said, “Excuse me, could you grab my phone for me?”

Wang Linlin was sitting next to Tan Ya, and the narrow path between the two hotel beds made it inconvenient for her to reach herself.

Startled by the sudden request, Wang Linlin turned to look at the plug by the TV wall.

There was indeed a phone there.

Wang Linlin fetched it and handed it over.

Tan Ya reached out to take it.

Their fingers brushed for an instant, and Wang Linlin yanked her hand back like it’d been scalded. She looked up at Tan Ya, undisguised fear in her eyes.

Tan Ya took the phone steadily and unlocked the screen, doing something on it—Wang Linlin couldn’t tell what.

Wang Linlin sneaked a sideways glance at the screen but couldn’t make sense of it.

It seemed Tan Ya hadn’t noticed her odd reaction.

Wang Linlin subconsciously let out a breath of relief. Just as she relaxed, Tan Ya spoke, a hint of teasing in her tone.

“By the way, why do you get so tense around me? Are you that afraid of me?”

Wang Linlin choked, scrambling backward several steps. The chair scraped harshly against the floor.

Leng Xiang’s eyelids fluttered twice on the bed, and she opened her eyes.

She was a light sleeper and didn’t rest easily during the day. Three hours of sleep brought her right to this point.

Of course, the noise Wang Linlin made had woken her too.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw two people in what had been an empty room.

Wang Linlin looked startled, backed way up with her eyes wide, staring at Tan Ya by her bed.

Tan Ya’s face showed no expression. In Leng Xiang’s memory, Jiang Sisi’s assistant had always been all business, never displaying personal emotions.

The scene hung awkwardly for a moment until Leng Xiang coughed and asked, “What are you two doing?”

Wang Linlin turned away as if to hide, grabbed the food from the coffee table, set up a tray table on the bed for Leng Xiang, and said, “Nothing. It’s past one already, Sister Leng Xiang. I brought you lunch—eat something.”

Tan Ya chimed in appropriately. “Director Jiang is tied up right now and asked me to check on you. If you’re feeling okay, I’ll take my leave.”

Jiang Sisi had sent her.

Leng Xiang frowned again. “What is she up to?”

Tan Ya said, “Something came up with the Youth Tour release schedule and issues on set. Director Jiang went back to the city to handle it.”

Youth Tour.

Leng Xiang suddenly recalled the argument she’d had with Jiang Sisi that night.

It wasn’t much of an argument—just her unilaterally grilling Jiang Sisi, who didn’t argue back before leaving.

The next night when she went to find Jiang Sisi again, she’d said things weren’t what Leng Xiang imagined, and if there was a chance, she could ask Luo Pi herself.

Not what she’d imagined—what was the truth?

She and Luo Pi were strangers, so she couldn’t just pry into her family matters out of nowhere. But maybe Tan Ya knew something.

Leng Xiang asked, “Do you know Luo Pi?”

Tan Ya nodded. “Miss Luo is the female lead in Youth Tour. I’ve had some contact with her.”

Leng Xiang hesitated, then asked, “Why did Jiang Sisi choose Luo Pi for Youth Tour back then?”

There were still some suspicious points about it.

Before Youth Tour, Luo Pi wasn’t even a eighteenth-tier actress—just a background extra hopping between sets. How had Jiang Sisi learned of her background and cast her in Youth Tour?

Tan Ya said methodically, “Miss Luo is an orphan. Her parents died in a car accident when she was young, and the driver fled. I assume you know that.”

Leng Xiang nodded. She did.

Tan Ya continued, “Later, Miss Luo tracked down the perpetrator and wanted justice.”

Leng Xiang’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

Tan Ya said, “But years had passed, most evidence was gone, and it was nearing the statute of limitations. By chance, Director Jiang found out.”

Leng Xiang was a bit stunned. “And then?”

Tan Ya said, “Director Jiang got her a team of lawyers and pulled strings with the police—she has connections there. Before the statute ran out, the police found evidence. They won the case; the perp got twenty years, and Miss Luo received compensation.”

That compensation was the least significant part for Luo Pi.

Her twenty-year nightmare was finally over.

Tan Ya added, “Youth Tour‘s script went through many revisions. The current version isn’t much like Miss Luo’s story anymore, but Director Jiang said the initial inspiration undeniably came from her, so she invited Miss Luo to play the female lead, and she agreed.”

So that was it.

Leng Xiang was lost in thought, not touching the food in front of her.

Wang Linlin was so engrossed she forgot her fear of Tan Ya and sighed. “Wow, Director Jiang is amazing. Hiring lawyers is one thing, but a whole team?”

Tan Ya said, “Director Jiang has wide connections.”

Wang Linlin added, “That’s a huge debt of gratitude. Director Jiang is basically Luo Pi’s benefactor.”

Tan Ya said, “Miss Luo didn’t take a dime for Youth Tour.”

After hearing the full story, Leng Xiang completely lost her appetite.

A mix of emotions churned inside her.

She’d thoroughly misunderstood Jiang Sisi—not just misunderstood, but picked a fight with her.

Leng Xiang covered her face.