After Being Dumped by the Film Empress, My Acting Skills Soared - Chapter 67

Chapter 67

Fortunately, despite his irritation, Li Yuan never failed to deliver when Shao Niannian begged for a favor. He even punctuated his resolve by elbowing President Huang in the ribs.

Huang: “?” What’s wrong with you?

“Niannian is coming over. If that big mouth of yours can’t keep a secret, shut it.”

“And what if I can’t?”

“I hear Africa is a great place to open a branch office.”

Huang: “…” Unbelievable. This guy is obsessed.

Actually, Huang understood the situation. He knew that the older generation in the Shao family didn’t fully support Niannian entering the entertainment industry. Li Yuan and Shao Yun carried the burden of family pressure for their child. The best solution was to hide the family connection and let Shao Niannian stand on her own—especially in the chaotic world of showbiz.

Niannian hadn’t initially wanted to bring Jiang Yan to meet Li Yuan, but avoiding it made her feel strangely guilty. They both knew their relationship was a sham, but bringing someone to “meet the parents” was a heavy gesture. She told herself the guilt stemmed from the fact that introducing them would only invite unnecessary trouble.

After all, they weren’t a real couple.

As for Jiang Yan, she had heard rumors that Li Yuan had married a woman in her second marriage and that they were very much in love, raising two daughters together. But as for who the wife was or who the children were, Jiang Yan had never been interested enough to investigate. In the melting pot of coastal elite families, Li Yuan’s marriage wasn’t exactly a scandal. If one wanted real gossip, Jiang Yan’s own life was far more intriguing.

Niannian awkwardly introduced them.

“Uncle Li, long time no see.” Jiang Yan nodded politely.

“Yes, long time. Your mother has been well lately, I hope?” Li Yuan’s gaze flickered to Niannian, who was hiding behind Jiang Yan. Seeing his daughter’s apologetic smile, he had no choice but to play along and exchange pleasantries with Jiang Yan as if she were a stranger.

Jiang Yan was curious. “Uncle Li, isn’t yours a law firm? Since when do law firms hire celebrities as spokespeople?”

“Haha, just trying to keep up with the younger generation.” Li Yuan knew he couldn’t completely fool her, so he mixed truth with fiction. “Besides, people in your industry love sending lawyer’s letters to public accounts and trolls. We recently opened a specialized department for that. Hiring an actress as our spokesperson to drive that business seems reasonable, doesn’t it?”

Jiang Yan let out a soft chuckle, unsure how to answer. Li Yuan looked so serious that she couldn’t tell if he was joking. She maintained a polite, distant smile.

Jiang Yan had intended to stay for the shoot and drive Niannian home afterward, but Li Yuan’s attitude was unexpectedly firm.

“I can’t agree to that. I promised someone I would get Niannian home safely.”

Li Yuan remained expressionless, completely ignoring his daughter, who was frantically making faces at him from behind Jiang Yan’s back. Jiang Yan was stunned but didn’t feel right pushing back against an elder, so she agreed.

After the banquet, as they stepped out of the building, the cold wind from the Pearl River hit them. Niannian, in her thin qipao, immediately broke out in goosebumps and began to shiver.

Li Yuan’s eyes were glued to his daughter. His wariness toward Jiang Yan had spiked, thanks to President Huang’s teasing “thorns” that were now firmly lodged in his heart. Seeing Niannian cold, he reached down to unbutton his blazer to drape it over her.

But before he could even get it off his waist, someone else beat him to it.

Li Yuan: “?” What the—?

Jiang Yan had anticipated the temperature drop and had sent her assistant to the car for a small fleece blanket earlier. She stepped forward and draped it over Niannian’s shoulders. “It’s cold out here. Don’t catch a cold.”

“Thanks.” Niannian looked back at her and teased, “I remember you didn’t have this kind of attitude toward me before.”

“In love, one must be flexible—ready to yield or stand firm as needed.”

Jiang Yan knew Niannian was mocking her for running away earlier out of fear. Now, because of a contract, she was the picture of a doting, attentive partner. If Jiang Yan were the type to be easily embarrassed by such things, she wouldn’t have reached the top of the industry.

“Mm…” Flexible indeed.

Jiang Yan naturally reached out to take Niannian’s hand. According to the plan laid out by Gao Hui and Yang Yang, they were supposed to start dropping signals to the public to build the “CP” (couple) narrative. They had even contacted top-tier fan editors to start churning out “shipped” videos.

However, before Jiang Yan’s hand could close around Niannian’s soft palm, she felt a sharp, piercing gaze from behind. She turned around warily and came face-to-face with a dark-faced Li Yuan.

Jiang Yan: “…?” I didn’t think I offended him.

At the shoot, the photographer Yang Yang had hired was a “gold-tier” pro known for creating atmospheric “couple” shots. Most of the famous industry “ships” had been captured by his lens.

The photographer was already tinkering with his “long-lens cannon,” showing the screen to Yang Yang. They were whispering.

Yang Yang nodded, her brow furrowed. “This shot is usable, but we can’t post it. You have to be the one to ‘leak’ it. If we post it officially, it’ll be too chaotic.”

“Don’t worry, Sister Yang,” the photographer replied. “The photo is gorgeous. The background is just a bit… cluttered. I’ll adjust the lighting in post and edit out the ‘mess’ in the back.”

The “mess” in the back was the scowling Li Yuan.

Since Li Yuan insisted on driving her home, Jiang Yan let Niannian finish her solo shots first. The process was smooth. When it was time to say goodbye, Niannian walked up to Jiang Yan, who was leaning against the river railing with her own blanket. The bright studio lights made Jiang Yan squint, her eyes hooded to protect them from the glare.

“What is it?”

Before Jiang Yan could react, Niannian tilted her head and unfastened the mismatched earring from her lobe—returning the one that didn’t belong to her.

“This is yours.”

Niannian pressed the earring into Jiang Yan’s palm. She stood on her tiptoes, her makeup-free face coming inches away from Jiang Yan’s. For a heartbeat, it looked as though she was going to kiss her.

But Jiang Yan knew it wouldn’t happen.

Nearby, the photographer’s shutter clicked rapidly. A series of breathtaking photos appeared on the screen—pure, unadulterated beauty. A beauty paired with another beauty—the only true law of the universe.

“Relax,” Niannian whispered, looking at Jiang Yan, who had instinctively leaned back an inch. Niannian’s lips curled into a smile. “We have a long way to go on this contract. Why so nervous? See you in a few days. I hope we can really play ‘couple’ well then.”

“Fine,” Jiang Yan countered. “I just hope my ‘girlfriend’ won’t step on my feet when we have to dance in a few days.”

Niannian: “…Aren’t we doing a dating variety show?”

“Who says you can’t dance on a dating show? It’s a great way to show how close we are.”

“Fine, you win!” Niannian gritted her teeth. Thinking of Gao Hui’s warning that this show would be heavily promoted, her attitude softened. “Can we… not dance? I’m really bad at it.”

“Depends on my girlfriend’s performance.” Jiang Yan reached out and pinched Niannian’s earlobe. It was incredibly soft, like a plush toy from a high-end mall. The sensation was addictive.

The earlobe is a sensitive spot. As soon as Jiang Yan touched it, Niannian’s resolve melted like water, her protests dying in her throat. Unable to win the exchange, Niannian clutched her blanket and bolted for her father’s car, not daring to stay another minute.

Cowardly yet loves to play, Jiang Yan thought as she shifted into work mode.

The studio worked fast. By the early hours of the morning, the photos were edited. They paired them with pre-written copy and hit “post.” Given Jiang Yan’s massive following, the post trended almost instantly.

But the clever netizens—boosted by a few well-placed “water army” accounts—didn’t disappoint Yang Yang. Someone quickly noticed that Jiang Yan’s photos and the set released by Niannian’s studio were identical in style.

—“If they aren’t a couple, I’ll poke my eyes out!”

Fans from both sides began cross-visiting the accounts, complimenting both stars as if forced into a social obligation. Even if they didn’t want to believe it, staff “alt accounts” were already fanning the flames.

“Yeah, they were shot together. Aren’t they pretty?” “The boss had to approve it, obviously! They were so cute together on set, but we can’t show you the behind-the-scenes stuff yet, it’s so frustrating!”

People recognized the style of the famous photographer and swarmed his Weibo for fresh tea. Before they could even ask, he laid out the “sliced watermelon” for them.

Photographer V: “It’s been a while since I captured such atmospheric shots! Beauty paired with beauty—they really lit up the night~”

The attached photo showed Jiang Yan and Niannian walking side-by-side toward the set. They were incredibly close; Jiang Yan was leaning toward Niannian, listening intently, while Niannian looked up with a sweet smile, wrapped in a matching blanket. The atmosphere between them left no room for a third person.

And then there was the shot of Jiang Yan seemingly reaching for Niannian’s hand.

The trending topics were theirs for the taking before the sun even rose.