CHAPTER 33

Cai Juan slowed down the car and glanced at Xiaoyuan through the rearview mirror, "What you mean is..."

"Just... maybe I should give it a try..." Xiaoyuan was hardly listening to what Cai Juan was saying. She was biting her thumb nail and mumbling, "Maybe it really could help with acting..."

Cai Juan swallowed hard. "Don't tell me you're considering this... because of your contract with Wei Zhuang?" She couldn't be seriously thinking of using Wei Zhuang as a test subject, could she? It sounded just like something Xiaoyuan would do—wanting to see if dating a woman could help her with love scenes.

Xiaoyuan blinked, scratching her chin. "I guess I can't entirely deny that... maybe, possibly, I have a little awareness of it. The lead actress from that web movie 'I Love You' asked for my number and if I liked girls. I really hadn't thought about it back then."

"So you're saying you're thinking about it now?" Cai Juan leaned in to listen.

"Well, do you know how old Wei Zhuang is?"

"I haven't really seen her... haven't you met her a few times?"

"Can't tell."

"She should be a few years older than Brother Zhishi..."

"Really?" Xiaoyuan sat up straight in surprise, "I really couldn't tell!"

Cai Juan was curious. "Does she look that young?"

Xiaoyuan nodded, "Her skin is even whiter than mine, not a single wrinkle in sight." That pale skin, thin lips, and a world-weary expression—no signs of aging whatsoever.

"Well, that's normal. With her wealth, she probably spends more on skin care in a year than you would make from several acting gigs!"

Xiaoyuan was still amazed, "I didn't think she was that much older than me..."

"Hey, hey, hey, you better not do anything reckless. Just like we talked about last night—if you can delay, then delay. Once the six months are up, just go your separate ways. Don't entertain any ridiculous ideas. This isn't a joke."

"It's not easy to be in a relationship with a woman. After six months, will you, will you call that woman?"

Xiaoyuan seemed to not hear him, scratching her chin, "Wei Zhuang is a bit too old, there might be a generation gap in relationships... right?"

Caijuan: "..." 'Are you actually considering this seriously?'

Xiaoyuan muttered to herself, "She does seem a bit old, but age shouldn't be a big issue... right?"

"Let's eat, let's eat!" Cai Juan exclaimed, "Let's go eat! Today is a happy day!" He quickly changed the subject, knowing they'd be heading to Hengdian tomorrow and wouldn't see each other for a while.

Just as his thoughts crossed his mind, as if the universe was against him, a phone rang. It was Xiaoyuan's, and his heart skipped a beat.

"Hello? Yes, Assistant Gao," Xiaoyuan answered. She exchanged a glance with Cai Juan, surprise flickering across her face. "... Tonight? Okay, got it."

The call was brief and ended quickly. She fell silent for a moment.

Ca Juan also sensed the silence, letting out a deep breath.

What a powerful connection.

That evening, while waiting for the car to pick her up, Xiaoyuan was still reading the script. She had printed it out and was holding a pen, reading it line by line with great seriousness. Cai Juan, on the other hand, was a thousand times more nervous than her, pacing around the room, unable to sit still.

"Tonight, I won't sleep. I'll wait for you to come back... Oh, if it's too late, don't come back. It's not safe... But then again, there will definitely be a car to take you back. They won't let you come back alone."

"How about I go with you? No, they definitely won't let me. Then I'll just take a taxi and follow behind you..."

Xiaoyuan didn't even look up, casually responding, "Don't worry so much. It'll be fine."

Cai Juan sat down, breathing out repeatedly. "Oh man, I'm more nervous than on my first date!" He glanced at Xiaoyuan. "You're wearing that?"

Xiaoyuan was dressed in a chocolate brown cashmere sweater with jeans, and the sweater had a hood with a pair of cat ears on it.

"Mm, yeah." Xiaoyuan responded nonchalantly.

"No makeup?" Cai Juan asked again.

"No need, right? I'll just wash my face later." Xiaoyuan flipped a page of the script.

Cai Juan: "..."

She glanced at her phone, set the script down, and indeed went to the bathroom to wash her face, apply skincare, tidy her hair, put on a pair of black-rimmed glasses, and grab a small backpack before returning to the living room to put the script and pen inside.

Cai Juan was puzzled. "You're really bringing that? Are you planning to sleep over at a friend's house or something, bringing your 'homework'?"

"Yeah, in case I get bored, I can read it." Xiaoyuan slung the bag over her shoulder and put on a baseball cap. "I'm off now."

Cai Juan followed her to the entrance, watching her take out a pair of black and white sneakers from the shoe cabinet. "Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"

"No, it's okay," Xiaoyuan turned back to smile at him. "Just think of it as me going on a real date. I'm not a kid anymore!"

She laughed lightly, while Cai Juan's smile looked stiff and forced.

In the underground parking lot, the car was still a Mercedes, much more expensive than the last one. The same driver uncle took her to the city center, to a bustling residential area she had never been to despite living in the city for many years.

The luxurious Junyue Garden, owned by the Tonghua Group, was located in the best spot of this area, featuring high privacy and security. Entering the underground parking lot required several checkpoints, with the driver having to present identification and undergo facial recognition.

In the parking lot, each unit had its own designated parking area, also requiring identification and card access to enter. After the driver opened the door for her, he indicated that he could only take her this far.

Each unit had its own elevator, requiring a password to access directly to the 33rd floor. Once the elevator doors opened, she found herself in an incredibly spacious hallway, cold and luxurious, with a floor so shiny it could reflect her.

Xiaoyuan wasn't particularly nervous at first, but as soon as she stepped out of the elevator, her heart inexplicably started beating faster. She stood in front of the door, taking deep breaths, and mentally preparing herself. The contract they signed didn't define her identity; she didn't want to take advantage of Wei Zhuang in any way, and there was no need to fear her.

She entered the password given by Assistant Gao and opened the door. The sensor lights lit up, illuminating the space. She changed her shoes at the entrance and walked in. The large house was empty, and she felt a significant sense of relief.

The house was massive, with a large living room, a reception room, a small side hall, a study, a living room, and many bedrooms. She walked around, confirming no one was there, feeling completely at ease now.

'How could anyone live in such a big house alone?'

'I don't understand the life of the wealthy!'

Xiaoyuan sat obediently on the sofa in the nearest hall to the entrance, waiting patiently for ten minutes, but still didn't see any sign of Wei Zhuang.

She couldn't guess what the CEO's intentions were, so she simply stopped guessing and stood up to walk around again, choosing the living room. Because there was a very large table inside with a transparent glass wall and door, she could see if anyone was passing by outside. She sat down and continued to read the script.

Engrossed in her reading, she doodled with two different-colored pens, occasionally mumbling lines to herself.

There was a small bar counter in the living room, all with alcohol. She got up to find the kitchen, wandered around for a while, found the fridge, grabbed a carton of milk, checked the time—it was already half past ten, and Wei Zhuang still hadn't shown up.

She took out her phone, thinking of sending a message to Assistant Gao to ask if she could go home. There was already a message from her in the phone that she hadn't noticed earlier.

[Miss Xiang, President Wei still has some business to deal with. Please be patient and wait.]

Patient? It was almost her bedtime! Xiaoyuan yawned and continued reading. [Your clothes and toiletries are in the first master bedroom.]

The problem was, how was she supposed to know which room was the first master bedroom?

Xiaoyuan thought back to the route she had taken to come in, wondering if she could leave now. That thought circled in her mind for a moment, but she abandoned it. Even if she managed to get past all the checkpoints, there was no way to call a cab from here.

She yawned again, finished the milk, and tossed the carton into the recycling bin. This house felt like a maze. After finally making her way back to the reception room, she suddenly froze, holding her breath.

Through the glass, she saw Wei Zhuang standing by the table, again in an all-black suit, with her back to Xiaoyuan, looking at the script.

Xiaoyuan slowly walked toward the door. As if sensing her presence, Wei Zhuang turned around. Her shoulder-length black hair glimmered slightly as it caught the light, and her gaze met Xiaoyuan's.

She wore a mandarin collar shirt inside, the collar of the suit jacket was special, with a black base and white floral pattern. The delicate pattern seemed like a wisp of cloud resting on her neck, breaking the monotony of the all-black outfit.

"President Wei," Xiaoyuan still had some presence of mind, and called out hurriedly.

"Mm." Wei Zhuang slightly parted her vintage red lips, "Have you been waiting long?"

"Not really." Xiaoyuan's gaze shifted to the script in Wei Zhuang's hands. "I was reading the script for a while."

"Playing Ling Yao?" Wei Zhuang asked again.

"Yes." Xiaoyuan replied, noting that the highlighted parts were all of Ling Yao's lines.

Wei Zhuang nodded again, put down her script, and walked towards the bar counter.

It was only then that Xiaoyuan realized Wei Zhuang wasn't wearing high heels. Of course, why would she wear heels at home?

She wore indoor slippers, yet she still towered over Xiaoyuan by a good half a head as she walked past her.

Once she reached the bar, Xiaoyuan stepped in to grab her script, her gaze involuntarily following Wei Zhuang's movements. Wei Zhuang poured herself a drink, took a few sips, and then sat down on the sofa.

"Are you just getting off work now?" Xiaoyuan glanced at the time, it was exactly eleven o'clock. She asked this quite naturally but then felt that it might not be the right phrasing—after all, she shouldn't refer to the big boss as "getting off work," right?

"Mm." Wei Zhuang nodded slightly, her snow-white neck lifting as she took a sip of her drink, her voice a bit hoarse and lazy.

'Being a boss isn't easy either!' Xiaoyuan sighed inwardly.

She sat down again, flipped through her script to check her progress, and decided to read a little more. Glancing at Wei Zhuang, who seemed to be resting and drinking, Xiaoyuan noticed she didn't appear to oppose her reading.

So, Xiaoyuan buried herself back into the script. She had forgotten to ask Shi Hai who the male and female leads were, and by the time she remembered, she felt too embarrassed to bother him again, so she focused on familiarizing herself with the script as quickly as possible.

The two of them shared the same room in comfortable silence.

Neither disturbed the other, and neither seemed inclined to speak, creating a strange, harmonious sense of understanding.

Xiaoyuan's shoulder-length hair was tied up in a small bun, with soft strands falling around her fair neck. She wore no makeup, and under the warm light, her face had a youthful, dewy glow.

From Wei Zhuang's perspective, she could also see the smooth back of Xiaoyuan's neck adorned with a cat-ear hat, the ears perked up.

Leaning over the desk, she looked so diligent, like a studious student.

Wei Zhuang held her wine glass, watching her, and slowly finished her drink.

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