She Is Like a Breath of Spring - Chapter 5

There were already three people sitting in the seven-seat business van. Jiang Zhen huddled in the back row, and even after boarding the car, she did not remove her hat or mask.

Jiang Yin sat beside her and immediately felt the scrutinizing gaze of Liu Yin.

“What happened just now? Why were you two in the mall?” She looked at Jiang Zhen, seemingly noticing her distress, before shifting her gaze to Jiang Yin.

“We went to the mall to buy something and encountered a sasaeng,” Jiang Yin answered succinctly. “It was a man who looked to be in his early thirties. He was not very tall, reaching about my shoulder, with a medium build. Have you seen him before?”

Wu Yuting, another assistant sitting next to Liu Yin, immediately turned around. “I have seen him!” She turned to Liu Yin. “Sister Yin, that man who followed Zhenzhen to the hotel last time looks exactly like what she described.”

Wu Yuting was the assistant who had subdued the stalker in the hotel last time, so her impression of him was very deep.

“That idiot?! Was he not detained last time? They let him out after only a month?”

“He was only sentenced to ten days of detention last time, so he was released long ago,” Wu Yuting said with a frown. “But how did he know Zhenzhen would be here today? Has he been lurking near Zhenzhen’s house?”

As soon as these words were spoken, the hair on the backs of everyone’s necks stood up, even though the air conditioning was running in the hot car.

Jiang Zhen, who was scared out of her wits, stammered, “No, that is impossible. Besides the people in our studio, who else knows where I live?”

As she finished that sentence, the five people in the car felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar. If only people from the studio knew, did that not mean there was a mole leaking her schedule?

Even Jiang Yin, who had been acting very calm, was a bit worried. She thought for a moment and said, “It seems you need to check the people in your studio thoroughly. Otherwise, that man will definitely follow Zhenzhen again. He failed this time, but there is no guarantee he will not succeed next time. He is a potential criminal.”

As her voice fell, Jiang Zhen suddenly gripped Jiang Yin’s clothes tightly.

In the dim light of the car, Jiang Yin saw a mist of water in her eyes and tears welling up. She patted the back of Jiang Zhen’s hand, wanting to comfort her, but felt that anything she said at this moment would be too hollow.

However, this gesture caused Jiang Zhen to misunderstand. The latter thought her act of grabbing the hem of the clothes was being rejected, so she quickly withdrew her hand and lowered her head, remaining silent for a long time.

About ten minutes later, the manager, Song Xi, called again to urge them. After hanging up, Liu Yin turned to Jiang Yin and said, “I am sorry, little sister. I have to drop our Zhenzhen off at the brand location first, then I will find a car to send you back to school. Is that okay?”

Jiang Yin nodded and said, “There is no need to find a car for me. I can just take a taxi back myself in a while.”

Liu Yin did not say anything but gave a soft “mm” and turned to the man driving. “Xiao Hu, turn up the air conditioning a bit. It is a little cold in the car.”

Hu Shan responded and, while waiting for a red light, adjusted the air conditioning to twenty-five degrees.

But Jiang Yin noticed that Jiang Zhen was still shaking. It was not that she was mentally weak; it was just that the events of today were too much for her. First, there was the second encounter with a creep, and second, the realization that there was a mole in her studio. It would be abnormal for a nineteen-year-old girl not to be afraid.

It was not until they got out of the car that Jiang Zhen’s fear seemed to subside significantly. After Jiang Yin got out of the car, she said her goodbyes and prepared to call a taxi again.

However, before she could even open the app, Liu Yin walked over again and said apologetically, “Little sister, could you please come up with us for a moment? You can explain things to Zhenzhen’s manager and the brand coordinator. We are half an hour late, and we are afraid…”

Deciding to help until the very end, Jiang Yin put away her phone and nodded to Liu Yin.

Today, Jiang Zhen was shooting for a high-tech electronic company’s tablet and mobile phone. Originally, the studio was supposed to choose the location, but the brand had already set up the shooting area in their company building, so the location today was inside their office tower.

This company was somewhat famous in the industry. One of Jiang Yin’s roommates wanted to apply for a job here after graduation. Following Liu Yin and the others upstairs, they took the elevator directly to the twenty-second floor. Before the elevator doors fully opened, Jiang Yin already heard the voice of “Sister Song.”

However, it was not a roar of anger, but a slightly flattering smile. “Manager Xu, our Zhenzhen is almost here. The assistant said there was a slight accident on the road.”

The man called Manager Xu sounded very displeased. “Teacher Song, I know Jiang Zhen is very popular and sought after right now, and I can understand a little bit of temper. But she is a full half-hour late. My whole team is waiting for the shoot. Who is going to be responsible for the cost of the delayed time and labor?”

The moment the elevator doors opened, Jiang Zhen took off her mask and hat. Her slightly hunched back immediately straightened. She walked to the front of the crowd and smiled softly. “I am sorry, Manager Xu. It was my fault for delaying everyone for so long. I will buy drinks for everyone today.”

Once she entered work mode, the terror and anxiety on Jiang Zhen vanished completely, replaced by the same sunny and energetic star seen in advertisements. Jiang Yin lingered at the back of the crowd, watching her back with complex thoughts.

When she happened to see entertainment news before, she remembered marketing accounts saying Jiang Zhen’s family was very rich, possibly a wealthy heiress who would have to go home and inherit billions if she did not act well. Did this mean she had not made her identity as a daughter of the Jiang family public in the industry?

If everyone knew her father was the chairman of the Jiang Group, Manager Xu probably would not have cared about a thirty-minute delay.

Suppressing her curiosity, Jiang Yin followed them.

After hearing Jiang Zhen’s voice, the displeasure on Manager Xu’s face dissipated slightly. He turned around and looked the simply dressed Jiang Zhen up and down with a scrutinizing gaze, then gave an ambiguous chuckle. “Teacher Song, your sought-after rising star does not look like much when she is not dressed up.”

Liu Yin, standing behind Jiang Zhen, silently clenched her fists.

Song Xi gave a couple of dry chuckles and said, “She will be fine once she is ready. Since she is here now, Manager Xu, let us hurry to the shoot, shall we?”

Manager Xu snorted and turned to stride toward the studio.

Song Xi pulled Jiang Zhen aside, lowered her voice, and asked with a frown, “What exactly happened on the road? Yinyin said you ran into that sasaeng again?”

“Sister,” Liu Yin called out from behind them, pointing to Jiang Yin beside her. “Let Zhenzhen’s sister explain. Let Zhenzhen go to makeup and change first.” Since the makeup and styling for this shoot needed to be confirmed on-site by the brand, they had not prepared beforehand to avoid displeasing the sponsor.

After hearing Jiang Yin explain the situation, Song Xi sighed heavily and said worriedly, “The people in the studio have been with me and Zhenzhen since the beginning. I did not expect a mole to appear under these circumstances.” She frowned slightly. “Thank you. If not for you today, I am afraid Zhenzhen would have been bullied again.”

“Teacher… Song,” Jiang Yin checked to make sure no one was eavesdropping before continuing. “I am Zhenzhen’s sister, so I am also worried about her safety. I thought about it carefully on the way here. That mole must have known Zhenzhen was waiting for a car near the mall today, which is why he could leak the schedule to the sasaeng. Think about it carefully: besides the people in the car and yourself, who else knew Zhenzhen would appear near the mall today?”

Song Xi’s frown deepened. “I have already considered what you said. Since you are Zhenzhen’s sister, I will not hide it from you.” Song Xi looked around and continued, “Besides us, no one else knew Zhenzhen’s schedule. I trust Yinyin and Yuting; they have been with me and Zhenzhen since our previous company. The only possibility is…”

The driver, Hu Shan.

After finishing the analysis of the mole, Jiang Yin prepared to leave. However, her luck seemed poor today, or rather, the luck of Jiang Zhen’s team was poor as something went wrong again.

She had only taken a couple of steps toward the elevator when Liu Yin chased after her apologetically and called out, “Um, sister, could you please not leave yet?”

Jiang Yin turned around helplessly, sighed silently, and asked, “What is it?”

“The assistant responsible for managing and looking after the costumes has an upset stomach today and is stuck in the bathroom. Could you please help us look after the costumes over there for a bit? Once Zhenzhen has changed her clothes, you can leave.”

Repeating the thought “help until the very end” in her mind, Jiang Yin who might not make it back to school today turned back and said with a wry smile, “No problem.”

Whatever, the deadline for the group project was still a week away. Besides, that reason was just an excuse she made up to go back to school, so she was not actually in a rush to do homework.

A temporary dressing room had been prepared for Jiang Zhen in the studio. When Jiang Yin entered, she was still in the middle of her makeup. The girl sat with her back to her, so her moving beauty could only be glimpsed vaguely in the mirror.

Looking at the person in the mirror, Jiang Yin sincerely felt that Manager Xu was blind. Jiang Zhen looked great even without makeup, and now with it, that bright face was even more dazzling.

Seeing Jiang Yin again in the mirror, Jiang Zhen turned around in surprise and asked in disbelief, “Yin? Why haven’t you left yet?”

Liu Yin chuckled and explained the situation. After this series of events, not only did the people in the studio feel embarrassed, but even Jiang Zhen herself felt apologetic.

“I will buy everyone drinks in a while, you should order one too,” Jiang Zhen said. Seemingly afraid Jiang Yin would refuse, she added quickly, “It is okay if you do not want to drink today; it can wait until next time.”

This time, Jiang Yin did not refuse. She smiled and agreed. Only then did Jiang Zhen finally stop feeling so guilty.

After the makeup was done, Liu Yin asked Jiang Yin for the costumes and took Jiang Zhen to change.

Jiang Yin did not leave immediately but waited on the spot just in case. As she expected, a minute later, Liu Yin walked over with a red face and sweat on her forehead. Just as she was about to speak, Jiang Yin said, “Sister Yinyin, just tell me what you need help with.”

“Um…” Liu Yin paused. “The assistant with the stomach issues was supposed to help change the clothes, but she was sent to the hospital for dehydration. Now could you please help me change Zhenzhen into her dress?”

Jiang Yin thought to herself: Wait, are your assistants really this unreliable?

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