On the other side, Liu Rulan walked over to Su Shengxi and said, "Go greet Xiao He later."
Su Shengxi looked up with a helpless smile. "Manager Liu, I'm about to shoot the next scene. I really don't have time right now, sorry."
Liu Rulan glanced at him but ultimately didn't expose his poor lie.
Whatever, it didn't matter anymore.
Thinking of her upcoming plans, Liu Rulan lost her previous patience. "Do as you please then. I'm leaving first. Keep a low profile these days - there are eyes watching you everywhere."
"Understood, Manager Liu," Su Shengxi replied obediently.
Only after Liu Rulan left did Su Shengxi's expression darken.
"What an old hag, always making trouble," he muttered, tossing his script aside as he leaned back on the sofa and started playing with his phone.
-
"Mr. Xiao, hello."
A strange woman suddenly appeared before Xiao He.
Xiao He looked up in confusion at the woman in her thirties with neat ear-length hair, dressed in a black women's suit. Her stern, cold expression carried the authority of a school teacher, making Xiao He instinctively sit up straight.
"I'm Liu Rulan, currently a manager at Jiaxing Entertainment." She handed Xiao He a business card. "I'm very optimistic about your future development. If possible, I'd like you to consider me as your future manager."
Xiao He: ?
As he took the card, still processing this sudden encounter, she continued, "You can review my qualifications and think it over for a few days. I won't disturb you further now. I hope you can give me an answer next time we meet. Goodbye."
With that, the woman strode away in her heels with efficient determination.
Xiao He didn't even get a chance to speak before she disappeared.
This was efficiency at its finest - no wasted words...
But it was indeed the type of manager he preferred - straightforward and easy to communicate with.
Flipping the card in his fingers, Xiao He's expression shifted slightly when he read its contents.
This wasn't a Jiaxing Entertainment business card - it only introduced Liu Rulan personally.
In other words, this invitation came from Liu Rulan herself, not representing Jiaxing Entertainment.
Recalling how Liu Rulan had emphasized "currently" earlier, Xiao He began to understand something.
—This Manager Liu... wanted to strike out on her own.
That was... quite interesting.
After some thought, Xiao He still put the card in his bag.
-
On set:
"This phone call - you were the only one who touched it yesterday. Then coincidentally, Li Shuo's mission failed, and all our undercover agents and informants disappeared. Isn't that quite a coincidence?"
Meng Zetian suddenly closed the distance between them, his cold eyes filled with mockery and barely concealed probing.
The young man he confronted was slim and refined, wearing gold-rimmed glasses. Behind those lenses, his eyes flickered slightly as he secretly clenched his fists. "I don't understand what you mean, Captain Meng. If you suspect me, just report it and have me arrested."
Meng Zetian narrowed his eyes, staring unblinkingly at the man before him. After a long silence, his face suddenly broke into a smile as he patted the other's shoulder. "Haha, Reporter Bai is still so timid! That won't do! If war breaks out someday, you wouldn't even qualify as a war correspondent."
Bai Mingchuan adjusted his glasses, forcing a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "No need to worry about that. After all, this is Shanghai. If war really comes, it shouldn't concern me."
"Haha, true enough—" Meng Zetian laughed loudly. The two exchanged glances, their smiles equally hollow.
-
"Cut—!"
Wen Hongyuan called out, his stern expression finally relaxing.
"Good, we got this take."
The previously quiet office immediately buzzed with activity as crew members came forward to rearrange props for the next scene. Xiao He released his grip on Su Shengxi, giving him a slight nod before turning to get some water.
Su Shengxi stared at Xiao He's retreating back, his expression unusually grave.
"Xiao Su—" Wen Hongyuan called to him.
Su Shengxi immediately put on a smile and approached the director.
"Look here at your..." Wen Hongyuan began enthusiastically discussing the scene with Su Shengxi.
Meanwhile, Xiao He walked aside where Yi Man'er proactively handed him bottled water.
"Thanks, Sister Yi."
Yi Man'er wore a concerned expression. "You've really offended Su Shengxi these past few days."
Xiao He: "Huh?"
I offended Su Shengxi?
While drinking, Xiao He tried to recall: "I don't think so... Wasn't it just normal acting? Did he bring his character's emotions into real life and start hating me?"
Recently they did have more scenes together. Xiao He's character Meng Zetian harbored deep suspicions about Su Shengxi's character Bai Mingchuan, relentlessly pursuing him and setting traps that caused the inexperienced Bai Mingchuan much suffering, frequently requiring the male lead Li Shuo to bail him out.
If Su Shengxi had immersed himself in Bai Mingchuan's emotions, it made sense he'd resent Xiao He.
"Of course not. His acting is superficial - no way he could empathize with a character." Yi Man'er shrugged. "But since you joined the crew, he's had many NGs in scenes with you. You've made him lose face."
Xiao He's eyes widened. "What? But he had even more NGs with Mr. Zhang."
"Those are respected seniors! How can you compare?" Yi Man'er spoke bluntly. "Su Shengxi is the biggest star in this production, backed by investors. Except for those veteran actors, everyone else intentionally goes easy on him. It's practically an unspoken rule."
"Huh?"
Xiao He hadn't anticipated this situation.
As a complete newcomer, he truly hadn't known!
"So you really had no idea." Yi Man'er looked at Xiao He pityingly. "Makes sense - you don't have a manager, and probably never encountered this in previous crews. No one warned you."
Yi Man'er was currently in Group B, filmed by the assistant director, unaware of Group A's situation. She'd only heard about it from the makeup artist earlier.
Xiao He felt speechless. "Whatever. It's not like he can kick me out, right?"
Frankly, Xiao He wasn't afraid of Su Shengxi at all. After all, wasn't it Xiao He who exposed Su Shengxi's relationship scandal with Xu Youyou? Why would he fear some spineless coward?
Heh.
Yi Man'er hadn't expected Xiao He's confidence, sizing him up curiously, unsure where this bravado came from. "Well, be careful then."
She'd done her good deed by warning him.
In the following days, Xiao He didn't notice anything particularly amiss.
Their filming schedule was packed, more intense than usual. Though Xiao He remained alert for several days, he saw no signs of Su Shengxi plotting against him. On the contrary, Su Shengxi seemed preoccupied with other matters, leaving immediately after shoots.
Xiao He found this puzzling but remained vigilant. After one scene, he finally opened his cheat skill panel.
Mu Ze's long-tail effect still persisted. After accumulating over this period, Xiao He now had five lottery draws available.
Thinking of his gradually decreasing lifespan from not "eliminating" anyone recently, Xiao He winced momentarily before going all-in.
He didn't expect any new criminal skills - he genuinely had little interest in crime. If possible, more lifespan please!
Oh great System God of Fate~ Have mercy on this child!