After Reuniting with My Aloof Movie Queen Childhood Friend - Chapter 3

Without wasting a single moment mourning the loss of her precious “prop,” Ji Youyi performed a rapid mental brainstorm while wiping her mouth, contemplating her most pressing issue.

Wantao Entertainment was over twenty kilometers from the hospital. She had no money for a taxi and it was impossible to walk there. The solution had to be found right here.

As her vision gradually cleared, Ji Youyi finally got a good look at the two women in front of her.

The one on the left had a particularly striking figure.

She wore a black satin shirt paired with trousers, the cut and fabric looked exceptionally expensive. Her cold-brown curly hair reached her waist, with a few strands draped casually over her shoulders.

Her face was hidden behind a black mask, and her baseball cap was pulled low, making it impossible to see her features. However, her legs were long, she was tall, and while lean, she wasn’t fragile, her posture was impeccable.

Judging from Ji Youyi’s professional eye, her physique was extremely photogenic. Even if her face couldn’t keep up, she’d be more than qualified to be a body double for a leading lady.

Pity her aura was too aloof and cold, making her difficult to approach.

The girl on the right appeared to be her subordinate. She had a bag slung over one arm and held a black overcoat over the other, one that didn’t quite match her own style.

She was dressed in a crisp, professional look with a high, neat ponytail. Despite her efforts to maintain a “ruthless white collar” persona, her lively apricot eyes behind semi-rimless glasses betrayed an outgoing personality. She looked like a much easier nut to crack.

At that moment, she was asking anxiously, “Are you okay? Can you walk? Shall I take you back to the hospital?”

In the span of those three questions, Ji Youyi had organized her thoughts:

The people opposite her were well-off and had social status. The fact that they stopped to help and hadn’t immediately left suggested they were either kind, well-bred, obsessed with saving face, or afraid of trouble, at least one of those.

Excellent. Her taxi fare was as good as settled.

Ji Youyi lowered the tissue, revealing the blood-stained side. Her eyelashes drooped, trembling delicately, and her pale lips pursed with slight difficulty as if she were enduring immense pain. “I’m… I’m fine…”

“No, you are not fine,” Fang Ruohan interrupted, her vision going dark with worry.

She pulled out her phone. “I’ll contact a doctor for you right away.”

“Sister, please don’t.” Out of anxiety, Ji Youyi took a small step forward to stop her. She skillfully managed not to invade their personal space to avoid being offensive, but because she was “too weak,” her body swayed. A startled Fang Ruohan immediately reached out to steady her.

Meng Xingshu glanced at her. She saw those beautiful eyes welling up with a perfectly timed mist, and those soft lips quivering slightly.

“Seeing a doctor is very expensive, I… I can’t afford it.” Her chin tucked back slightly, and a look of self-deprecation appeared on her face. “Though I might not look like it, I’m actually an idol or an actress, I guess. I’ve played some small supporting roles. But some things happened recently… my agency’s boss said I caused huge reputational damage to the company, and they want me to pay compensation.”

Fang Ruohan let out an “Ah,” instinctively wanting to gossip, but she held back.

She had already recognized Ji Youyi. Perhaps because she wasn’t wearing makeup, the real person looked quite different from the news reports, the girl looked much more pitiful.

Ji Youyi continued, her voice tinged with a “sandy” quality that made one’s heart ache with every word. “I have to pay millions, but I don’t have the money…”

“I used to live a very hard life. When the scout found me, I thought my luck had finally changed, but I didn’t realize I was just jumping from one fire pit into another.”

“I didn’t understand contracts. I signed wherever they told me to. The result is that, besides the 5,000 yuan the company pays me every month, I don’t get any income, yet I have to cover all my own expenses.”

“I want to terminate the contract. The company said I can, but I have to pay a penalty. But I really have no money! Not a single cent…”

Ji Youyi shook her head, the tears in her eyes growing heavier. Her tone rose slightly before dropping back down into despondency. “I owe too much debt now and can’t pay it back. All my assets have been frozen.”

The more she spoke, the lower her head dropped, her words carrying a faint touch of self-mockery. “Of course, it’s not like I actually have any assets anyway.”

Fang Ruohan “ah” again. She didn’t say much, but her mind was racing. Wantao is a famous entertainment company. They can drop hundreds of millions to boost Zhou Wenchen’s profile, but they treat small artists this poorly behind the scenes?

With the story told, the atmosphere was sufficiently primed.

Ji Youyi’s lips trembled and her nose crinkled as if she were desperately trying to hold back tears. She steered the conversation toward her current predicament. “I had no choice. I wanted to end it all, but I didn’t succeed. Now the company is pressuring me to talk about the termination, but the main entrance is swarming with reporters. I had to sneak out the back door and accidentally ran into you… I’m so sorry.”

As she spoke, a gust of cold wind blew by, and she shivering appropriately.

The hospital gown was thin. The girl shrunk into herself, hugging her arms, her fingertips clutching her sleeves turning white from the cold.

Meng Xingshu looked away and tapped the overcoat on Fang Ruohan’s arm.

Fang Ruohan looked at Meng Xingshu hesitantly.

Meng Xingshu’s expression remained indifferent. “Give it to her.”

Only then did Fang Ruohan shake out the coat and wrap it around Ji Youyi.

The pure black cashmere coat was soft and warm, carrying a rich fragrance, the same scent she had smelled earlier. The hem reached down to her calves, blocking out the biting wind.

Once bundled in the coat, Ji Youyi gave them a sweet, obedient smile. Mentally, she calculated that if she resold this coat, it would probably clear a good chunk of her debt.

Sigh, if only I could keep it. But then again, I’m not a professional actress, my acting probably isn’t worth this much.

She thanked them softly, pulling her hair out from the collar. Using her slender fingers as a comb, she straightened her tresses.

With her collar straightened and her dark hair falling smoothly over her shoulders, occasionally tossed by the wind, her watery eyes shined in the sunlight. That beautiful face suddenly became even more arresting.

Meng Xingshu watched for a moment, then reached out, took off her own hat, and pressed it onto Ji Youyi’s head.

As those slender fingers rested on the brim of the hat, her cool, pale hand was inches away. Ji Youyi inexplicably held her breath for a heartbeat.

Looking up slightly, she could see the upper half of the woman’s face. Her forehead was full and beautiful, and her eyes were exquisitely shaped, though they looked like a lake covered in snow, carrying a quiet, lonely chill.

Their gazes met. Ji Youyi blinked as if flustered, smiling shyly and saying once more, “Thank you.”

After speaking, she was the first to lower her eyes, appearing timid yet sufficiently polite.

“You’re welcome.” Meng Xingshu’s gaze, however, remained fixed on Ji Youyi’s eyes.

Conveying emotion through the eyes is a fundamental skill for an actress, and this girl was doing it very well.

Fragility, hesitation, helplessness, she had displayed everything she needed to. And now that the “scene” had ended, that tearful gaze had been “dried” in a split second.

Quick to enter the role, even quicker to leave it. She was a good actress.

“How do you plan on getting there?” Meng Xingshu asked.

“I don’t have money for a taxi, and the company won’t pick me up… I might just have to walk.”

Ji Youyi looked up at Meng Xingshu cautiously, her clear pupils full of sincerity. She looked incredibly obedient.

It seemed as though if no one helped her, she truly would endure the cold wind and her physical weakness to walk all that way, right until she collapsed.

Meng Xingshu didn’t want to look anymore. She pressed down the brim of her own hat and withdrew her hand.

With her vision blocked by the hat, Ji Youyi could only see the path ahead. She heard the woman beside her say in a cool, crisp voice:

“Then take my car. I’ll give you a lift.”