After Being Dumped by the Film Empress, My Acting Skills Soared - Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Shao Niannian settled Baobei in, shouldered her small bag, and left the house, heading toward the car waiting on a secluded street in the neighborhood. As she drew closer, she realized something was off. The license plate was the family’s, but the car was brand new. Fortunately, as soon as she approached, Li Yuan stepped out from the driver’s seat, allowing Niannian to relax and slide into the back seat.

“Why the sudden change of cars?” Niannian didn’t know much about cars, but since Jiang Yan endorsed a certain brand, she had been educated by fans in the early days and could distinguish that the Cayenne and the 911 both fell under the Porsche umbrella.

Niannian did a quick mental calculation. This new car was about 200,000 yuan cheaper than Li Yuan’s previous ride. She raised an eyebrow and teased, “Mr. Li, how is it that the more money you make, the further back you go? A Cayenne this color isn’t as expensive as your old 911, right?”

Li Yuan turned the steering wheel, replying casually, “Yeah. What kind of reason do you want to hear?”

“What reasons have you got for me?”

“I have a funny one and an even funnier one,” Li Yuan hummed. “For the sake of ‘program effect,’ I suggest you pick the generally funny one first.”

Niannian cooperated perfectly. “Fine, I’ll choose to hear the funny one first.”

Li Yuan nodded, his fingers tapping the wheel. “Your younger sister’s music exam training. In less than two short months, she burned through the 200,000 yuan budget I had set aside for the car.”

“Huh? Surely not that much.” Thinking of the money she had burned through during her two years of repeating grades, Niannian rubbed her nose guiltily. “Oh, so Ms. Shao didn’t give you a subsidy?”

“How could she? Even to print a reimbursement report and its attachments, I have to go to the office to use their printer…” Li Yuan sounded truly pitiful.

The family’s finances were held firmly in the hands of the “Little Aunt” (Shao Niannian’s younger sister). Although the money stayed in their respective accounts, they only had an equal amount of liquid funds to use each month; everything else went into investments and savings. Anything slightly over budget required submitting a reimbursement claim to the Little Aunt’s financial and tax team.

Li Yuan had lamented to Niannian countless times: “If I didn’t know your sister graduated from the Coastal University of Business and Technology, I’d swear she was born an accounting major.”

Shao Niannian, who likewise only had the same set amount of liquid funds, expressed her understanding.

“Mr. Li, you’ve worked hard at home.”

Niannian was slightly better off than Li Yuan. Since her salary didn’t hit her account on a fixed monthly basis and occasionally stayed on the books, she could move a little bit herself just by filing a report. A high-profile lawyer like Li Yuan, who drew fixed commissions from the previous month’s cases, was much more miserable. He basically had to print a whole stack of papers just for his reimbursement reports every month.

Shao Niannian felt his pain. “I understand. Little Aunt is just trying to control our high household spending. If it really doesn’t work out, in a few days I’ll…”

Before Niannian could finish, she saw a glimmer of hope in the eyes of the elite lawyer. She didn’t even need to look closely to know that the world had suffered under her sister’s rule for too long.

Unfortunately, she was a victim too.

“At most, I’ll buy a printer for the house so it’s more convenient for you to print your reports.”

“…” Li Yuan fell silent.

“What about the other ‘slightly funnier’ one?”

Li Yuan said, “I asked Ms. Shao to help me buy the car. I said something similar in price to the 911 would be fine. Then she brought your sister along.”

Sitting in the back seat, Niannian understood instantly. She snapped her fingers with her right hand in silent comprehension.

“Understood, understood. Say no more.” Niannian looked at Li Yuan with pity. “Is my sister really that stingy? A 911 isn’t that much more expensive than a Cayenne. Given the choice between the two, she really didn’t pull her punches.”

“That’s why I asked—are you sure her university graduation certificate isn’t a mistake?”

“Hard to say.” Niannian wanted to argue, but on second thought, she couldn’t find a single point to refute him.

Father and daughter reached a silent consensus on the issue of financial power: if you can’t beat the dragon, you have to obey the dragon. Whatever the dragon says to do, you do.

Knowing Niannian was coming back, the house was filled with food, ranging from cakes to fruit—basically everything she liked.

Before she could even get through the door, the two dogs sleeping in the yard rushed toward her excitedly, wagging their tails and competing to show her how much they missed her.

She ended up with half her face covered in slobber. Finally, Ms. Shao pulled away the German Shepherd that was aggressively standing in front to lick her. As she dragged it away, she scolded it, “Oh, so you’ve got a brain now? What do you think you’re doing? I haven’t even settled the score for you breaking the cage yet, and now that little brain is spinning with other ideas?”

The Bernese Mountain Dog was still a small puppy, looking very fluffy. When held, its fur was soft and its body radiated a warm temperature; it felt like holding a plush toy.

Niannian didn’t care if the puppy’s paws were dirty or if they left prints on her clothes. She held the puppy and rubbed her face against its soft fur, affectionately calling its name, “Xiao Bo, Xiao Bo! You’re so cute! You’re nothing like your grumpy-faced sister! Our Xiao Bo is the cutest dog in the whole world!”

Ms. Shao, walking ahead, heard her eldest daughter praise the dog just to get a verbal win over her younger daughter. She twitched the corner of her mouth slightly, helplessly leading the German Shepherd into the house. “I really don’t understand what you two sisters are thinking all day. When you’re apart, don’t you open your mouths to ask how the other is doing?”

“Why is it that as soon as you get home, both of you become so immature, insisting on insulting each other? Can’t you speak properly?” Ms. Shao asked.

“Tell her to speak to me properly first. She was the rude one.”

“Your sister thinks the same. Is it really such a big deal? Constantly arguing all day—someone who didn’t know better would think our family inheritance wasn’t distributed fairly.”

At the mention of this, Shao Niannian quickly changed the subject, clearly not wanting to touch upon such a sensitive topic.

From entering through the garden to using wet wipes to clean the dirt off the two dogs and then changing into clean clothes, the family finally had time to sit down for a proper talk.

Sitting on the sofa, Ms. Shao took a sip of hot tea and kept signaling Li Yuan with her eyes.

A daughter is flesh and blood from her own body. Ms. Shao didn’t have to guess much to know what was on Niannian’s mind. From the moment Niannian called to say she was coming home, Ms. Shao knew her eldest daughter had run into trouble. Otherwise, given Niannian’s personality, even if she suffered a great grievance, she would protect her family well from the public eye.

She wouldn’t let outside rumors attack her family, nor would she push them into the spotlight for the sake of “traffic” to be judged by the audience alongside her.

Having been glared at, Li Yuan unhurriedly cut a piece of chestnut matcha cake and handed it to Niannian. “Weren’t you filming these past few months? How was it? Gao Hui said the conditions where you went were quite harsh. You didn’t have trouble adjusting?”

“No.” Niannian thought for a moment and shook her head. “It was similar to where Grandpa and Grandma live, just a remote mountain village.”

“Oh. Did anything interesting happen?”

“Not really.” Niannian shared her life on set with the couple, which was rare for her. However, she mostly bypassed the topic of Jiang Yan.

She wasn’t ready to come out to her parents yet. Even if they could accept it, she currently had no actual relationship with Jiang Yan. Saying it would bring no benefit other than making them worry.

When Ms. Shao heard about the fall from the building later on, her brow furrowed, and her expression clearly changed. She didn’t drink a single sip of the tea in her hands, letting it turn from hot to lukewarm. She licked her lips, about to start nagging, but was interrupted by the man sitting next to her.

Taking advantage of the moment Niannian turned away, Li Yuan winked at Ms. Shao, signaling her to step away if she couldn’t listen further; there was no need to say discouraging things in front of the child.

“Mom, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, it’s nothing…” Ms. Shao lightly massaged her neck and shoulders. “Didn’t I just finish following up on a big project a few days ago? The muscles in my shoulders are still very tight. Ouch, speaking of which, I’m feeling a bit uncomfortable. Why don’t you two talk while I go upstairs and let the massage chair handle it?”

Ms. Shao often worked at her desk, and her cervical spondylosis was quite serious. The massage chair upstairs was bought specifically for her by Li Yuan. In fact, to keep things fair, Mr. Li had bought four massage chairs at once—one for each person—so no one would have anything to say.

Except for Mr. Li’s bank card.

Hearing this, Niannian didn’t suspect anything and instead worried, “How about I make an appointment for you later so we can go to the hospital?”

“No need, no need. It’s not a big problem.” Ms. Shao waved her hand, signaling for father and daughter to keep chatting while she headed upstairs.

Ms. Shao walked quickly, afraid that if she stayed a moment longer, she wouldn’t be able to resist standing at the foot of the stairs with her hands on her hips to lecture Niannian. She always unconsciously treated her two daughters like children, but time had quietly left its mark on everyone. A twenty-five-year-old adult was no longer a five-year-old child who needed to hold her hand timidly.

She could only feel heartache, but she had no right to blame Niannian for her professional seriousness and persistence. This was simply what Niannian should have in this industry.

Once Ms. Shao left, the atmosphere between the two remaining in the living room turned a bit cold.

Li Yuan spoke first. “Based on what you just said, do you have no scheduled activities coming up?”

Niannian shook her head. “No. I should be taking a good vacation for a while? I haven’t heard of any new arrangements from Gao Hui. Why?”

“Our law firm has a new partner recently. We just signed a legal counsel contract for their Chinese company, and they sent an invitation to their parent company’s anniversary gala.” Li Yuan had a little plan in mind, but his face remained kind and smiling.

Niannian sharply caught the word “anniversary” and couldn’t help but mutter in her heart—what kind of strange year is this? Every single company is having an anniversary.

“Ah, are you trying to get me some side work?”

“Sort of… but not exactly,” Li Yuan said. “Anyway, you know the uncles and aunts at the firm. It would be great if you came to be a one-day spokesperson for our company.”

“Besides, you just got back, it wouldn’t be good to leave again so soon, right? We can handle this little cooperation as a ‘private’ transaction. More importantly, your mom only has a few days off; it would be nice for everyone to spend time together at home.”

Li Yuan lamented, “Otherwise, this house is empty from spring to winter with hardly anyone living in it. Does it even feel like a home?”

“Hey, stop right there.” The more Niannian listened, the more she felt something was off. Her brain worked for a second, and she knew Lawyer Li was about to play the emotional card. She quickly called for a stop, covering her ears like she did when she was a child. “We’re both adults, let’s skip the emotional talk. Just tell me directly which company’s anniversary it is that requires you to go to such lengths?”

Niannian looked at Li Yuan suspiciously, speculating, “It couldn’t be Porsche, could it?”

“…Dream on,” Li Yuan said helplessly. “It’s Mefeirios.”

Li Yuan sipped his tea and continued calmly, “Isn’t their China region spokesperson Jiang Yan? And isn’t she your idol? So when this opportunity came up, I figured…”

“Dad! When are we going? Does your company have requirements for the spokesperson’s clothing and makeup? Or are there any reference celebrities you can provide?” Niannian was just worrying about not having a way into the anniversary when someone handed her a pillow while she was drowsy.

And it was her legal father on the household register—she could only say that this time, “heaven is helping me.”

Heaven was telling her not to give up.

Niannian looked at the man in front of her with excitement and anticipation. Li Yuan was also taken aback. That “Dad” almost made him knock over the tea in his hand.

The last time he heard Niannian call him “Dad” so decisively was a long time ago. Ever since the younger daughter grew up, it seemed the two girls—seven years apart—had entered their rebellious phases one after the other. One would only call them Mr. Li and Ms. Shao; the other called them directly by their full names. Even if she failed an exam, she would pout with tears in her eyes, yet her lips wouldn’t soften, insisting on using their full names.

“Dad, does your company’s spokesperson need to be intellectual and aloof, or lively and cute? Hmm? Or should a law firm’s representative be more down-to-earth?” Niannian was as sincere as if she were introducing her role-playing skills to a director. “Don’t worry, my roles are very versatile! As long as you provide the requirements, I definitely won’t let you down!”

Looking at the eager Niannian, Li Yuan couldn’t help but chuckle and gently pressed his excited daughter back into her seat. “There’s no rush for this; there’s still nearly a week to prepare.”

“However, after all these years, how is it that your taste in people hasn’t changed? In the past, your eyes would light up at the mention of Jiang Yan, and they were practically glued to the screen. Now that you’re grown, nothing has changed.”

Li Yuan couldn’t help but ask, “Do you really like her that much?”