CHAPTER 90

The next day, at around eight in the morning, Xiaoyuan had already arrived at the company, eating breakfast while doing her makeup. She opted for a light, natural look, which still took over an hour to perfect.

With three media interviews scheduled, she had prepared three outfits. She could adjust her makeup later based on the clothing and styling.

The first interview was in the morning, followed by two in the afternoon, all spaced out neatly in her schedule.

By the time the last interview ended, it was already dinner time. Xiaoyuan returned to the company, finally relaxing her shoulders. She took out her phone to check the time and glanced at WeChat.

[I have important matters to attend to today, so I'll be back very late.]

It was a message that Wei Zhuang sent to her in the morning.

Xiaoyuan stared at it for a while.

Last night, she had been too busy to leave her a message, but today Wei Zhuang had taken the initiative.

There were still many things unfamiliar between the two of them, and they were both exploring, Xiaoyuan felt she was moving a bit faster, but she wasn't sure if Wei Zhuang was also moving toward her.

When she read the message, her heart felt like it was floating in warm water, gently swaying, and then with the infusion of honey, her entire heart became sweet.

[Okay, I understand.] she replied.

She felt that such a simple response wasn't enough. After scrolling through the emoji options, she finally picked a sticker.

It was a black-and-white anime-style kitten peeking out, blinking its big eyes, sitting with its tail swaying gently, looking obedient and expectant.

Wei Zhuang was probably busy and didn't reply immediately.

What expression would she have when she saw this sticker?

Xiaoyuan smiled with her eyes squinted.

Just then, someone called her, "Xiaoyuan." She turned around and saw the person wearing a white blazer, jeans, and high heels, with wavy brown hair—a youthful yet alluring look.

"Sister Chenying?" Xiaoyuan exclaimed in surprise.

"We always say we should have a meal together, and today we finally managed to make it happen," Ruan Qing said as she walked out with her bag. "Xiaoyuan, thank you for your hard work."

Xiaoyuan was wearing a short cream-colored cardigan, which could be worn inside out, with two large black bows on the back. She paired it with a mint green tulle skirt that reaches her knees and wore a pair of black strappy sandals, showcasing her long, straight, and fair legs. Her outfit wasn't overly formal, but the fresh and simple style made even her fellow women unable to look away in admiration.

"So beautiful." He Chenying complimented with a smile, glancing at her. "Xiaoyuan, do you want to join us?"

Since her senior had already spoken, and Xiaoyuan found it hard to refuse the kind invitation, just about to agree. However, Ruan Qing asked her, "Are you tired? If you're too tired, you can go home and rest."

'How can that be? This is He Chenying we're talking about!' Xiaoyuan was very surprised by Ruan Qing's leniency toward her.

Even He Chenying glanced at Ruan Qing, teasing with a smile, "So it's true that you favor your junior more. You weren't this gentle when you were taking care of me back then."

Ruan Qing laughed, "Well, Xiaoyuan is still young!"

She wasn't that young—she was already 26. Xiaoyuan was starting to feel awkward and quickly chimed in, "I'm actually quite hungry. How about I treat you both to dinner?"

He Chenying wrapped an arm around her shoulder, "You'd better keep your word."

Xiaoyuan nodded, "Of course."

Ruan Qing glanced at her and finally said, "Alright, let's go."

"What do you want to eat?"

"What does Xiaoyuan want to eat?"

"What does Sister Qing want to eat?"

Hahaha, they all burst into laughter.

In the end, they chose Japanese cuisine and entered a renowned restaurant, booking an elegantly decorated private room. The ingredients were fresh and luxurious, and they ordered sake.

"Do I have work tomorrow?" Xiaoyuan asked. After receiving a positive response, she immediately ordered a bowl of eel rice. She hadn't eaten much at noon because of her interview outfit, and now she was almost burying her face in it, scooping up small spoonfuls at an incredibly fast pace. Her eating manner was still graceful, giving a pleasing and satisfying feeling to anyone watching.

The other two couldn't take their eyes off her.

"Young people really can eat. I don't even dare to eat too many carbs for dinner," He Chenying glanced at Ruan Qing, "You were much stricter with me back then, forbidding me from eating this and that."

"I just told you to eat less junk food. I didn't restrict you on other things. But seriously, why do you sound so sour tonight? Haven't you had enough of being jealous of Xiaoyuan?" Ruan Qing retorted.

Xiaoyuan paused for a moment, blinked innocently, and after He Chenying gave her a reassuring smile, she continued eating.

He Chenying found her utterly adorable and couldn't help but say, "Watching you eat is so appetizing. I feel like I might overeat just by looking at you."

"You're not wrong..." Ruan Qing glanced at the table, where several plates were already empty. "It really is."

Xiaoyuan smiled, put down the spoon, wiped her lips with a tissue, and said, "I'm done eating."

Ruan Qing couldn't help but say, "Why don't you order another bowl?"

He Chenying's eyes sparkled with amusement. "How about some tempura?"

Xiaoyuan smiled as she poured wine for them.

Halfway through, she stopped and glanced at her phone from under the table.

Wei Zhuang's WeChat was still silent.

Ruan Qing held a small wine glass, taking a sip, and noticed her action. But the next second, she nearly spat out her drink at He Chenying's words.

"Xiaoyuan, why don't you come to Tonghua?"

At first, Xiaoyuan didn't quite catch it, but when she heard "Tonghua," she froze.

He Chenying then turned to Ruan Qing. "Ah Qing, why don't you bring Xiaoyuan to Tonghua with you?"

If it were before, when she didn't know the relationship between Wei Zhuang and Xiang Xiaoyuan, and she hadn't signed that confidentiality agreement, Ruan Qing would have likely considered it.

But now...

Who knows what Wei the boss and the person in front of her, Xiang Xiaoyuan, are scheming about? Whether to go to Tonghua or not is no longer something she can decide.

Ruan Qing finished that sip of wine, looked at Xiaoyuan, and decided to pass the ball to her, "Xiaoyuan, what do you think?"

Xiaoyuan scratched her head. "Thank you, Sister Chenying... I'm doing fine as I am."

"Ah? Don't you like Tonghua?" He Chenying said. "Tonghua is actually quite good. The environment is free, they don't engage in unnecessary hype, there are few actors, and there's no competition. Yirui is around your age, though her career path is different. You two would probably get along."

"..." Xiaoyuan really couldn't think of a reason to refuse, but she couldn't outright explain either, so she looked at Ruan Qing for help.

Ruan Qing glanced at the lamp light, then at the wine glass, and simply picked up the nearby glass to gulp down water.

Was this her way of covering up? Her acting skills were really limited, weren't they?

Xiaoyuan was puzzled and helplessly looked at Ruan Qing. It seemed she'd have to answer on her own.

"Sister Chenying, thank you. You're so kind and considerate. It would seem too rude of me to refuse, but... I'm really sorry," Xiaoyuan felt genuinely apologetic. Her senior had been so considerate, yet she was still turning her down. She was worried that He Chenying might get upset, and the more she spoke, the more flustered she became, her face turning red. "I'm sorry, it's just a personal reason... I'm just used to..."

"Alright, alright," a hint of surprise flashed across He Chenying's face, but she quickly said, "If you don't want to go, that's fine too."

Xiaoyuan felt like she was spoiling the mood. She lowered her head, looking as if she had done something wrong.

Ruan Qing couldn't be "distracted" anymore. She said, "Alright, alright, it's fine. Your senior sister won't mind. Come on, pour a drink for your senior sister."

Xiaoyuan quickly complied, pouring a glass for herself as well.

He Chenying smiled, "Really, it's fine. Alright, drink up."

Xiaoyuan clinked her glass lightly with He Chenying's and took a sip.

"Recently, I came across a script by Xu Shumin," He Chenying said to Ruan Qing. "I think I'll take the role. You should keep an eye on it."

"Ah? Xu Shumin? He's really making a comeback? I heard some rumors about it before."

"It's still in the confidential phase, I just happened to find out," He Chenying paused, recalling the time at the company when the vice president and she were discussing the investment in this project, and the big boss flatly rejected it.

At that time, she had mentioned signing Xiaoyuan to the head of the film department. She had intended to bring it up privately, but it just came up in conversation. What surprised her even more was Wei Zhuang's attitude. She actually asked if she had consulted Xiaoyuan's opinion.

Wei Zhuang's words vaguely implied that she made decisions for Xiaoyuan without consulting her.

It felt really strange. Her company's President would speak up for a small actress who wasn't even part of their company. Normally, even for their own artists, the President usually wouldn't get involved.

Could it be that Wei Zhuang and Xiaoyuan knew each other?

A few traces of doubt surfaced in He Chenying's beautiful eyes as she glanced at Xiaoyuan sitting across from her.

The latter, with her clear and bright eyes, asked with interest, "Sister Chenying, what kind of movie is it?"

"It's a TV series, a palace drama. I've only read the outline and the first episode's plot."

Ruan Qing: "You rarely do TV dramas, right? Especially palace dramas."

"Yeah, that's right... I've never done one before, so I wanted to give it a try." He Chenying's gaze lingered on Xiaoyuan, thinking to herself, it must be a misunderstanding. How could the two of them possibly know each other?

If they really knew each other, Xiaoyuan wouldn't have been making web dramas for the past few years.

"Are you telling me this because there's a role suitable for Xiaoyuan?"

He Chenying recalled for a moment, "I'm not quite sure how many characters there will be in the final version, but this is an ensemble piece, so keep an eye out."

"Alright," Ruan Qing agreed. "Is it still Warner's investment?"

Xiaoyuan happily said, "It would be great if I could act with Sister Chenying again."

He Chenying also smiled and nodded, saying to Ruan Qing, "It's Warner Bros. investing, but there might still be some funding issues, and perhaps other aspects as well. For now, we can only consider it a preliminary project. The casting will probably take a bit more time."

A project goes through various stages from initial approval, finding investors, casting, to filming, and any one of these stages could go wrong, leading to the project being shelved or scrapped.

Ruan Qing, having mentioned it like this, was also mentally prepared.

Such a topic was beyond Xiaoyuan's ability to interject. Distracted, she took out her phone, and the pinned chat in WeChat was still quiet.

'Is she that busy?' Xiaoyuan unconsciously pouted.

"Boyfriend?" He Chenying teased with a glance.

"...Huh?" Xiaoyuan was stunned.

"..." Ruan Qing started looking at the lamp light and the glass again, picked up the glass, and took a sip of water.

......

The Ji Dao Hotel, built by the river, is located in the luxurious district of Shencheng. Under the night sky, the towering buildings along the shimmering riverbank resemble a galaxy of stars.

In the living room of the presidential suite on the top floor of the hotel, Zhu Ehua leaned on the sofa, holding a crystal glass. The corners of her mouth curved slightly as she glanced at Wei Zhuang sitting across from her.

The mother and daughter, after many years apart, finally sat face to face.

On the crystal table, there was a stack of bound papers, with the four large characters "Deep in the Palace" printed on the cover.

"Still as serious as when you were a child. You won't speak unless someone teases you." Zhu Ehua said with a smile, looking at Wei Zhuang.

Wei Zhuang didn't say anything, just slightly furrowed her brows.

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