Spoiled by the CEO after amnesia!-Chapter 577 - 575: A Leopard Can’t Change Its Spots
The door slammed open.
She looked up, her nail polish brush skewed, slipping and painting beyond the nail, and she froze.
Why had Xue Jingchuan come?
Jiayi followed behind him, not carrying any costumes.
"So none of these costumes work, eh?" Xue Jingchuan pointed at the costumes Jiayi had previously brought over.
In the past two years, Xue Jingchuan had reached the status of a king in the domestic entertainment industry, and his joining the production was a result of the investors’ exhaustive efforts.
Xue Jingchuan’s last project hadn’t even finished filming, yet the movie production was willing to wait, which spoke volumes of his status on the set.
Lei Yuanyuan’s heart skipped a beat, unsure why this popular young king had gotten involved in this matter, and, of course, she couldn’t afford to offend him. Besides Xue Jingchuan’s status, she also had to often act opposite him, so she maintained a respectful tone, "Mhm, the clothes she brought over don’t fit."
"Where do they not fit?"
"They’re too small," Lei Yuanyuan claimed with confidence.
"The costumes for the film are tailored according to the actor’s measurements, and as an important supporting role, even more care is taken in their creation. Too small?" Xue Jingchuan raised an eyebrow.
"I’ve been to a few dinner parties these past days, ate a bit too much, and gained a few pounds. So what? Who knew the wardrobe department was so inflexible!" Lei Yuanyuan couldn’t help frowning, finally realizing that Xue Jingchuan was sticking up for Jiayi.
Xue Jingchuan couldn’t help but chuckle, "Gained weight from eating? A female actress with such poor control over her figure has the nerve to be so adamant?"
"You—" Lei Yuanyuan was furious but powerless to retort.
"A female actress gaining weight is a disrespect to her profession, a desecration to the audience, and negligence towards the production team. People pay to enter a cinema to watch a Huo Family film, not to see the extra fat on your body. Normally it might be overlooked, but right now you’re shooting a Huo Family film and you still can’t show a bit of restraint! You should know how demanding Director Ye is about the details of his films. Alright then, since you’ve gained weight to the point where none of these many outfits fit, I’ll have a word with Director Ye and the investors later, suggesting we postpone your scenes until you successfully lose weight!"
Having said that, Xue Jingchuan grabbed Jiayi’s hand, "Let’s go."
Lei Yuanyuan snapped back to reality!
With Xue Jingchuan’s high status in the production, if he really went to suggest postponing her scenes, the investors would certainly heed his advice, and even if she had a backer, it probably wouldn’t cover such trivial matters within the production.
Besides, Director Ye didn’t like her very much to begin with, and it would be the end for her if she truly got replaced!
She panicked, hurriedly calling out, "Wait a second, I, I’ve looked through them again, there are suitable sizes after all, I’ll pick one right now, okay?"
Xue Jingchuan turned around, his smile slightly scornful, "If there are suitable sizes, why did you insist on troubling others to fetch you new clothes?"
Xue Jingchuan wasn’t just standing up for the junior costume designer, he also wanted her to apologize!
Lei Yuanyuan’s lips whitened as she bit them, yet she could only bitterly say to Jiayi, "I’m sorry."
She, a distinguished female star, was apologizing to a junior costume designer! How unjust! Was there no reason in the world?
Lei Yuanyuan’s heart ached with anger.
Xue Jingchuan’s handsome features relaxed, glancing at Jiayi.
Though Jiayi was grateful to Xue Jingchuan for standing up for her, she didn’t want to make a big deal out of such a minor issue and whispered to him, "Let it be. Let’s go."
The two left the resting room.
****
After a busy afternoon, the incident with Lei Yuanyuan slipped to the back of Jiayi’s mind.
The day’s filming was nearly over, and there were no scenes that night, so the crew wrapped up quite early.
Jiayi was looking forward to going home early to spend time with Mommy and Zaizai, her mood considerably improved. After greeting her colleagues, she slung her handbag over her shoulder and headed out of the film and television city.
As soon as she stepped out of the door, her eyes lifted to see a yellow Lotus sports car parked under the night sky.
Xue Jingchuan leaned against the car door, looking clean and elegant, melding harmoniously with the gradually darkening hues of dusk. His hands were tucked in his pockets, and his long legs cast an extended shadow on the ground.
"Let me take you home."
No one could refuse the warm and gracious offer from a megastar.
Jiayi approached and greeted him.
Xue Jingchuan was the type of man who radiated brilliance on stage, but off stage, he had a hint of domestic warmth about him; he wasn’t the kind of star who acted superior.
She felt comfortable around him and could sense his caring attitude toward her.
To be honest, no woman would reject the company of such a male friend in her life, and Jiayi was no exception.
But—
Jiayi’s smile briefly tightened again.
Although Huo Zhenyang had not sought her and Zaizai out these days, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t continue to have people watching her from outside the set.
She didn’t know why she was so afraid of the Huo Family’s people seeing her with another man.
It’s not as if ordinary interactions with the opposite sex were an issue; even if she were to start dating and have a boyfriend in the future, so what?
Was that man supposed to have a say in it?
Yet in reality, she had already experienced his almost pathological possessiveness and pettiness once before.
Even for Ye Yongning, who was old enough to be her father, that man could be wildly jealous.
Wouldn’t Xue Jingchuan, a youthful man, provoke even more unreasonable trouble?
Thinking this, Jiayi approached and said somewhat embarrassedly, "It’s okay, I can go back by myself. There are fans of yours all around the set, and it wouldn’t be good if they saw us."
In places like this film city, during filming periods, fans would inevitably crowd around the stars.
Xue Jingchuan was no exception—since his arrival at the production crew not many days ago, the area outside the film city had been filled every day with dedicated fans, all hoping for a glimpse of their beloved Jingchuan.
The filming location within the film city was protected by robust security measures that fans couldn’t possibly breach.
Xue Jingchuan knew the reason Jiayi refused wasn’t the fear of being seen by fans; he guessed it had something to do with a certain man.
Huo Zhenyang’s nature hadn’t changed, much like the old adage, "It’s easier to change rivers and mountains than one’s nature."
Four years later, and it seemed he still had her tightly under his control.
"I was actually thinking of visiting Zaizai. Director Ye mentioned that the child is almost four years old, right?" Xue Jingchuan suddenly felt a bit moved.
Jiayi paused for a moment, then nodded, "Mhm."
"Now that you know about your past with him, and since Zaizai is the biological child of the Huo Family, have you really never considered going back to live with him again?" Xue Jingchuan looked at Jiayi in a way that suggested a friendly conversation. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚
A smile bloomed on Jiayi’s lips like a fleeting cloud, slightly bitter. It was a long time before she spoke, "Have I ever really been with him?"
Xue Jingchuan was taken aback by the question but then understood what she meant.
A few years ago, when Huo Zhenyang was with her, was that truly being together in the real sense of the word?
For Huo Zhenyang, perhaps he thought providing an unparalleled year of indulgence was enough for a woman.
But for her, that might have been just a year of desperate confinement and dependence.
Silence spread wantonly between them.
After a while, Xue Jingchuan spoke up, "If you don’t want me to take you, then let me walk with you for a bit." He glanced at the film city’s back gate, "There are no fans at the back gate."
