After murmuring to herself, Du Anrao secretly poked her head out from behind Du Hexuan and curiously took several looks at Pei Yiyuan.
[Top-tier celebrities must have packed schedules. To be able to juggle several relationships seamlessly without being discovered while keeping up with that? A true master of time management! Still, playing so hard and yet no dark circles? Should I say the physical constitution of the young is just that good?]
Du Hexuan’s eyelid twitched. *No,* he thought, *it could also be that his foundation is just thick.*
"I know, I know! I’m a loyal fan of senior Du. I’ve seen all of your works. I even brought several discs today—would you mind signing them for me in a bit?"
Unaware that his entire life had just been laid bare the moment they met, Pei Yiyuan flashed a shy smile, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Du Hexuan, looking exactly like a fanboy meeting his idol.
Even Du Hexuan, who prided himself on being well-versed in the backstabbing nature of the industry, had to admit that if not for Du Anrao’s warning, he might have been deceived just like the director.
Who would have guessed that such a clean-cut young man, who looked like the boy next door, was actually a human teddy bear who played so recklessly in private?
[Starting off with such a practiced request for an autograph to get close? He’s probably used that line on plenty of people. Truly worthy of this vanity fair; his acting is much better than that little white lotus, Bai Xiuqing. It’s a pity, though—he doesn’t use his talents for the right things. He’ll crash and burn sooner or later.]
Du Hexuan: "..."
*You said it,* he thought. *It’s a good thing he doesn't use his talents for the right things; otherwise, this "former wave" would have been slapped dead on the shore by the "new wave."*
"No need to be so formal. We’re all in the same crew now; let’s take care of each other."
Du Hexuan spoke politely, but he did not accept the request for an autograph, his tone keeping a distant courtesy.
Pei Yiyuan naturally noticed this. A flash of annoyance crossed his eyes, but he quickly hid it and shifted the topic to Du Anrao.
"Is this young lady also a new actor in our crew? I don't think I’ve seen her before."
[Why is he suddenly coming after me? He isn't setting his sights on me, is he?]
Du Anrao meant that Pei Yiyuan was trying to get close to Du Hexuan by talking to her, but Du Hexuan clearly misunderstood. His face darkened instantly, and he pulled Du Anrao behind him.
"My sister is on break and doesn't have anything to do, so she’s here to be my assistant for a few days and do some traveling."
"Oh, I see. It’s the senior’s sister. My apologies for the oversight."
At this point, the overly oblivious director seemed to realize the subtle tension between them and hurriedly smoothed things over.
"Alright, alright. You two have plenty of scenes together; there will be plenty of time to chat. Xiao Pei, go and prepare yourself; the next scene is yours. Hexuan, you should get familiar with the script as well."
No sooner had the director and Pei Yiyuan walked away than a middle-aged man with a kind face walked leisurely toward the siblings, carrying an enamel mug. He greeted them with a familiar tone: "You’re here."
Du Hexuan was clearly well-acquainted with the man, and his expression softened slightly. "Brother Yang."
"Young people these days have too many schemes. To climb the ladder, their methods aren't always exactly aboveboard. Don't let it bother you. You’re only going to be with this crew for a few days anyway; there's no point in offending the capital behind these people over such trifles."
Du Hexuan’s eyes flickered. *That’s why they say ginger gets spicier with age,* he thought. He had relied on his sister’s "cheat sheet" to see the other man’s true colors, but this man in front of him had probably guessed the truth the moment he laid eyes on him.
Seeing that Du Hexuan had taken his advice, Yang Jiantao stopped lingering on the subject and smilingly changed the topic. "So, this is the younger sister you’ve been keeping hidden all this time? She’s so cute; no wonder you’ve been guarding her so closely. Is she still in school? How old is she this year?"
"She turns eighteen in a little over a month. An'an, this is Brother Yang Jiantao, a senior from our company. My first production was filmed with him, and he’s always taken good care of me."
Yes, the first production was that "idiot" role fresh in Du Anrao’s memory, where Yang Jiantao played the idiot’s father.
With Du Hexuan’s reminder, Du Anrao remembered.
"Hello, Brother Yang. I’ve seen your films; you act incredibly well. Thank you for taking such good care of my brother all these years."
When Yang Jiantao heard that Du Anrao was still a minor, his expression became even kinder. "You’re about the same age as my daughter. Calling me 'Brother' isn't quite right; you should probably call me 'Uncle'."
Du Anrao smiled sweetly. "My brother calls you 'Brother.' If I call you 'Uncle,' wouldn't that mess up the generations? Besides, you look like you’re only in your early thirties. I can’t tell at all that you have a daughter my age. If I called you 'Uncle,' wouldn't I be calling you old?"
Yang Jiantao laughed heartily as he held his mug. Once he finished, he teased, "Hexuan, your sister is much smoother-tongued than you."
Du Hexuan and Du Anrao both laughed, but halfway through, Du Anrao seemed to think of something, and the smile on her face froze instantly.
[Wait, Yang Jiantao? *That* Yang Jiantao?]
Du Hexuan was slightly startled, and a sudden, ominous premonition rose in his heart.
Sure enough, a split second later, Du Anrao’s suddenly shrill exclamation rang in his ears.
[That poor, unlucky sap Yang Jiantao, who was backstabbed by his wife and brother-in-law, had all his savings of many years drained, ended up buried in debt, and almost ended up homeless on the streets with his daughter!]
Du Hexuan: "!"
"What’s wrong? Why is your face so pale? Are you feeling unwell?" Yang Jiantao noticed Du Hexuan’s strange behavior and asked with concern.
"No... nothing. I caught a bit of a draft this morning, just a little headache." While Du Hexuan spoke to Yang Jiantao, his focus was entirely on Du Anrao.
The story related to Yang Jiantao came from a "Mary Sue" entertainment novel. In it, he was nothing more than an insignificant background character.
Because he filmed a drama with the male lead—who hadn't been in the industry long—they had a brief interaction and spoke a few times. Unfortunately, before the show even wrapped, Yang Jiantao’s family affairs fell apart, and he vanished from the industry, leaving no trace.
[Yang Jiantao’s wife is Huang Zhaodi. He met her when he was a struggling actor in Beijing. They supported each other for several years before finally getting married and having a daughter, but unfortunately...]
Giving a girl such a name—*Zhaodi*, meaning "looking for a younger brother"—made the intention self-evident.
The reality was exactly that. Huang Zhaodi was born into a family that was extremely biased toward sons. Not only did she suffer all kinds of unfair treatment since childhood, but she was also brainwashed by her parents into becoming an ATM for her brother.
Before she was married, she worked like crazy to earn money for her brother; after she was married, she did even worse, dragging her husband along to subsidize him.
This situation worsened after she gave birth to a daughter. It wasn't that Yang Jiantao hadn't thought about stopping it, but it wasn't something you could just stop if you wanted to.
[Just now, Brother Yang said I’m about the same age as his daughter, so that means his brother-in-law must have already started gambling. Before long, his wife will steal his ID to act as a guarantor for her brother, and then they will both run off with all the money in the house.]
[Tsk tsk tsk. Are these "brother-obsessed" women really this terrifying nowadays? For the sake of a brother, she doesn't even want her husband or child anymore. A brother is a "blood relative," but is a husband and daughter not a "real" husband and daughter? This brother must have been her father in a past life!]