Chapter 126

When Fu Qiu returned to the lounge, Kong Xiyan was already awake, staring at her phone with a slight frown. At the sound of the door, she glanced over and said calmly, "Back already?"

"Did you order lunch?"

Fu Qiu opened her mouth, hesitated, then finally said, "Sister Kong, I need to tell you something."

Kong Xiyan raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

Fu Qiu recounted everything she had overheard in the restroom. "Sister Kong, I was furious when I heard it! Director Wei is really too much. I was wondering why there was traffic, turns out it was intentional!"

Kong Xiyan nodded. "I know."

Fu Qiu was startled. "Sister Kong, you knew?"

Kong Xiyan hummed in agreement.

Fu Qiu sat down beside her. "But why? Do you have some grudge with Director Wei? Or is it because you used to be with Xinhui and they're unhappy about your return?"

Kong Xiyan was amused by her wild speculation and shook her head. "None of that."

It wasn't necessary for everyone to know about her history with Guan Xiaoying.

With that thought, she simply said to Fu Qiu, "There's no grudge. You need to understand that if people don't like you, they'll always find a reason."

Fu Qiu wanted to argue, but on second thought, she felt Kong Xiyan was right. She sighed. "So Sister Kong, we're just going to wait like this? What if Director Wei doesn't show up?"

"If he doesn't, that's fine too. It gives me time to rest. I've been exhausted these past two days."

As she spoke, she yawned, her eyes glazing over. Fu Qiu quickly got up and pressed her hands on Kong Xiyan's shoulders. "Are you tired, Sister Kong? Want a massage?"

At the word "massage," Kong Xiyan's face suddenly flushed, even her earlobes turning red. She took Fu Qiu's hands away. "No need. I'll be fine after I sleep."

Fu Qiu blinked curiously. "Haven't you been sleeping well these past few days?"

Kong Xiyan: ...

That question.

She refused to answer.

Luckily, Fu Qiu didn't dig deeper—or perhaps she never even considered that angle—simply assuming Kong Xiyan had insomnia. She proceeded to introduce a dozen ways to cure it, listening until Kong Xiyan felt drowsy.

Just as Kong Xiyan was drifting off, a knock came at the lounge door. She jolted awake. Fu Qiu glanced at her, and they exchanged a look. Kong Xiyan sat up straight.

Fu Qiu trotted over and opened the door. A staff member stood outside, and she said, "Is Director Wei here?"

The staff member smiled, eyes narrowing. "Not yet, but I thought Miss Kong might not have had lunch, so I brought two portions."

She kept smiling at Fu Qiu. Fu Qiu frowned at her, and in a flash of recognition, realized this was one of the women from the restroom earlier!

She must have overheard the phone call and was trying to curry favor.

After all, she had just called President Chi.

Fu Qiu almost laughed at her nervous demeanor but held it in, saying calmly, "No need. I'll just order takeout for Sister Kong and me later."

"That's too much trouble, and Miss Kong must be hungry by now."

As she spoke, she peeked inside, meeting Kong Xiyan's gaze. She quickly lowered her head. Kong Xiyan's light voice drifted over. "Xiao Qiu, what's wrong?"

Fu Qiu quickly replied, "Nothing, Sister Kong."

After a moment's thought, she took the lunchbox from the woman's hands. "Alright, you can go now."

The girl nodded eagerly as she handed it over. "Okay, okay! Enjoy your meal, you two!"

Fu Qiu watched her retreating figure, stumbling over herself, and couldn't help but chuckle.

Kong Xiyan looked at her with slight surprise. "What happened?"

Fu Qiu closed the door and turned to walk over to Kong Xiyan. She placed the lunchbox on the vanity table, opened it, and handed Kong Xiyan a pair of chopsticks. "I just told a little lie."

Kong Xiyan: "What lie?"

Fu Qiu bit her lip and leaned close to Kong Xiyan's ear, recounting her earlier "phone call" with President Chi in detail. When she finished, Kong Xiyan stared at her in disbelief.

"Sister Kong."

"Don't look at me like that."

"You don't know how angry I was. I almost rushed out there to argue with them!"

Kong Xiyan kept looking at her. "Arguing won't solve anything. Look how you handled it instead—that was pretty good."

Fu Qiu opened her mouth to speak after the first half of Kong Xiyan's sentence, but hearing the second half, she grinned. "Is Sister Kong praising me?"

Kong Xiyan: "Sort of."

Fu Qiu felt much better, her brow relaxing. She picked up a few grains of rice and chewed slowly while asking, "By the way, Sister Kong, are we really not going to tell President Chi about what's happening here?"

"I heard they said Wei, the president of Xinhui, wants to collaborate with President Chi. If you let President Chi put in a word..."

Kong Xiyan set down her chopsticks, her expression even, her voice gentle yet firm. "Xiao Qiu."

"Don't let her know about this."

Fu Qiu was puzzled. "But Sister Kong, you're being treated unfairly here..."

"It's normal to be wronged."

"Who in this circle hasn't been wronged? If I complained about every little thing like this, then I really might as well quit the industry."

Fu Qiu blinked. "Sister Kong, I just feel bad for you."

Kong Xiyan patted her head. "Hurry up and eat."

With that, she curled up in her chair. Fu Qiu wanted to say more, but seeing her close her eyes to sleep again, she quietly finished her lunchbox. After tidying up the trash, she stepped out to dispose of it. On the way, she ran into several staff members, noticeably more respectful than in the morning, who even greeted her as she passed.

"Hello, Assistant Fu."

Fu Qiu smirked at their fawning gestures and went back into the lounge.

It was past three in the afternoon when Director Wei finally showed up.

He came with Chai Yin.

They entered the studio together. Upon arrival, he asked the staff, "Is Miss Kong still here?"

The staff replied that she was.

Director Wei gave a derisive snort, barely suppressing a smile as he said to Chai Yin, "I'll go check on her."

Chai Yin gave him a slight nod. After he left, she raised an eyebrow with a smile. Her assistant, following her gaze toward Director Wei, asked, "Yinyin, what's wrong?"

"Nothing much."

Chai Yin replied nonchalantly. "There's a saying that's popular online."

"It goes, 'If you don't court trouble, you won't meet it.'"

She pursed her lips into a light smile, while her assistant behind her was completely baffled.

Director Wei stood at the door of Kong Xiyan's lounge and had his assistant knock. Fu Qiu's face peeked out. The assistant said to her, "Is Miss Kong in? Director Wei is here."

His tone was arrogant, with no hint of remorse for keeping them waiting all day.

Fu Qiu clenched her fists at the sight of his face, but Kong Xiyan's voice came from behind. "Who is it?"

Director Wei pushed open the half-open door, brushing past Fu Qiu. Standing in front of Kong Xiyan, he extended his hand. "Miss Kong, hello. I'm Wei Haoran."

Kong Xiyan shook his hand. "I've heard much about you, Director Wei. It's an honor."

A mocking glint flashed in Wei Haoran's eyes as he casually explained, "My apologies, Miss Kong. Traffic was heavy this morning, and I got caught up with some minor matters at noon. Forgot to notify you. Hope you don't hold it against me."

Kong Xiyan lowered her eyes. "Director Wei, you flatter me."

The two exchanged pleasantries before heading out, where Kong Xiyan met Chai Yin.

She stood beside Wei Haoran, smiling subtly. Her extended hand was pale and slender, a platinum ring on her index finger glinting under the harsh sun. Kong Xiyan shook it briefly, and they parted after a mere touch.

Wei Haoran familiarized them with the set before instructing their respective stylists to take them for wardrobe changes.

They were to shoot the HG dual skincare commercial, a three-and-a-half-minute ad.

The concept was about a girl's secret crush. She had a crush on a radiant "goddess" in her department, and every day she secretly sent her food, drinks, and little novelties, never once revealing herself.

All because she considered herself plain, afraid that if the goddess saw her, she'd reject all her advances.

One day, while dropping off her gift, she discovered a letter in the goddess's locker, addressed to a "mysterious person."

A request to meet.

She clutched the letter, both thrilled and terrified. She wanted to go, but feared her appearance would scare the goddess away, and then she'd never be able to secretly care for her again.

The girl deliberated endlessly but ultimately didn't show up. She hid to the side, watching the goddess wait for her at the meeting spot.

One hour.

Two hours.

She sat there for half the day, showing no sign of annoyance, still waiting patiently with a calm expression.

Finally, the girl couldn't hold back. She walked up, biting her lip, and blurted out, "Don't wait anymore. She won't come."

The goddess stared at her, then suddenly smiled. "Why?"

"Because you are her, right?"

The girl froze in place, not daring to meet the goddess's eyes. The goddess gave a faint smile, reached out and took her hand. Leaning close to her ear, she said with a smile, "I know. I've been waiting for you."

The two standing together quickly drew a crowd, and photos were taken. Whispers spread, and the girl's head sank lower.

The goddess then took her hand and ran with her all the way to a cosmetics store. She smiled at her and led her inside.

Inside, she handed the girl a white porcelain bottle. The girl was stunned, but the goddess guided her to sit and began applying the contents onto her face, squeezing out a little and dabbing it on with a serious, focused expression, as if performing something sacred.

The girl's heart stirred, her eyes shimmering, and an unfamiliar smile spread across her face.

With her makeup done, she looked like a different person.

Taking advantage of the goddess's distraction, the girl picked up the bottle and opened it.

There was no makeup inside—just a small note.

With two words written on it.

Confidence.

Followed by a tagline.

"HG gives you confidence, granting you a new life."

Kong Xiyan was to play the girl with the crush, while Chai Yin was the sought-after goddess. She sat in a chair, deeply contemplating her role, as her stylist carried in several outfits and hung them on a rack.

Kong Xiyan glanced at them and frowned. "What are these?"

Her stylist looked at her and said, "These are your outfits for the shoot."

Before Kong Xiyan could respond, Fu Qiu jumped up. "What? Isn't Sister Kong playing an ordinary schoolgirl? What are these... these clothes?!"

Her stylist twitched her mouth. "There are many kinds of school uniforms."

Fu Qiu argued. "But these aren't school uniforms at all!"

It was basically a tube top and shorts.

What school would have uniforms like that?

Seeing their reluctance, the stylist frowned and said, "These are all Director Wei's arrangements. If Miss Kong has objections, you can discuss them with him directly."

She then turned and left the lounge. Fu Qiu gritted her teeth at her retreating figure, wishing she could bore holes into her with her glare!

Kong Xiyan lowered her gaze in thought for a moment. "I'll go talk to Director Wei."

Fu Qiu quickly followed her. "I'll come with you, Sister Kong."

Kong Xiyan thought for a moment and nodded.