Before this, Tao Ran had only met Cui Xiao once. He had seen her from a distance at that time. Now that they would be filming together in this production she could be regarded as an official acquaintance.
Tony drove Tao Ran to the location, and said in the car: "This time the heroine Cui Xiao is also our newcomer to Starlight. She only shot an idol drama before. After that, she was lucky enough to meet the gold master Bai Shaohui, so she was able to win over the female lead role easily.”
Tao Ran looked through the script and said, "Is the ‘Lady Dragon’ back?"
Tony smiled ambiguously and said, "What's the matter? Do you miss her? Listen to my advice. You can't handle a woman like Miss Long. She’s rarely nice to anyone, so you should quickly grab this opportunity and get more benefits for yourself while she is still nice to you. Don’t be too swayed by your feelings.”
"I don't have any such feelings." Tao Ran helplessly said, "I already told you. I’m not interested in women."
"Cut!!" Tony obviously didn't believe it. "I haven’t known anyone else as inseparable from President Long. It’s obvious that you can’t do without her.”
I just want to complete the task, okay?
Tao Ran couldn't explain, so he lowered his head and continued to read the script.
The background of this play was in China and there were no big scenes of warlords fighting. It told the story of a young lady official and an actor. Tao Ran was playing the role of Hua Ziyan, a famous actor in Nanjing. Miss Du Jiao, the lady official played by Cui Xiao, fell in love with him at first sight when she saw him performing in a play. From then on, she would watch every play that Hua Ziyan starred in and then reward him richly.
Hua Ziyan felt inferior towards the lady official, so he kept avoiding her. He thought that their difference in status would make it impossible for them to be together in this life. However he also couldn’t stop thinking about her. Finally, to prove to Hua Ziyan that her love for him was real, Du Jiao turned her back on her family. That night, she stood alone outside his house, under the pouring rain, until Hua Ziyan could not restrain his feelings anymore. They then moved in together.
However, the good times didn’t last long. Du Jiao’s father secretly came to Hua Ziyan. He did not beat around the bush and told him directly to leave his daughter because he could not give his daughter the happiness and comfortable life that she had grown up with. Hua Ziyan knew that when he grew too old to sing, he would lose his only source of income and Du Jiao would also suffer with him. So he took the money that her father offered and left. Du Jiao was heart broken, crying day and night. In the end, she became penniless, and finally returned home to accept the marriage arranged for her by her parents.
After many years passed, Du Jiao took her children back to Nanjing to celebrate her father’s birthday. There, she met Hua Ziyan, who had become poor and lame, living on the streets. She chased him back to his shabby home, gave him some money, and then left. She didn't know that ever since he left her, Han Ziyan was also devastated. He felt so much regret that he began drinking his sorrows away all day long. As the years passed, he ruined his voice from the drinking habit and broke his leg in a street fight.
Hua Ziyan finally saw her again, just as beautiful and pure as he remembered, right before he committed suicide. At the moment that he was dying, Du Jiao was asleep in her husband’s arms. It was unknown what she was dreaming of as tears streamed out of the corners of her eyes.
Tao Ran especially liked this story. Although the story was bloody, it wasn’t stupid. He took the script and called the system, "Xiaomei, Xiaomei, is it possible for me to go to this world to do a task?"
Xiaomei shook her butt and said, "Impossible, host, there is no vicious female villain in that world for you to reform and guide."
Tao Ran suddenly realized the reason why he liked this story. There was no female villain in this world. The car drove up to the crew location. Tao Ran saw Cui Xiao as he was getting out of the car. Cui Xiao was talking to a person, and that person was Bai Shaohui. Tony said with an obvious sense of envy in his voice, "Where can I find such a young and handsome gold master?"
He escorted Tao Ran over and joined the two of them. Then, he said with a smile, "Mr. Bai, allow me to introduce you both. This is Tao Ran. He and Miss Cui will be a couple in the film."
Do you want Bai Shaohui to kill me by introducing me like this? Tao Ran scolded Tony in his mind as he stretched out his hand with a dry smile and said, "Hello."
Bai Shaohui looked at Tao Ran with disdain. Of course, people of his identity and status didn’t need to think very highly of a little star. He just gave him a gentle, polite hand grip, and then immediately withdrew his hand.
Cui Xiao looked at Tao Ran and said in surprise, "Tao Ran? Is it you? "
"It's me." Tao Ran smiled and said, "I didn't expect to see you again."
"Ah, it’s really you?" Cui Xiao looked pleasantly surprised and said, "We haven't seen each other for several years, have we?"
Tao Ran said, "Four years. We haven’t seen each other since we graduated from high school."
Seeing the two recognizing each other and exchanging pleasantries, Bai Shaohui could barely maintain his smiling expression. He said, "Xiaoxiao, do you know each other?"
"Don't call me Xiaoxiao." Cui Xiao said, looking annoyed. "We were high school classmates."
There was no mistaking it. At this time, Cui Xiao hadn’t liked, or perhaps she hadn't realized her feelings for Bai Shaohui. She always felt that Bai Shaohui was a playboy, and a pure and hard-working girl like herself shouldn't get involved with this kind of person. It was worth mentioning that Cui Xiao was not aware that Bai Shaohui had invested money in the cast. He really was a foolish infatuated man.
Cui Xiao didn't want to talk to Bai Shaohui, so she took Tao Ran to the side to catch up.
Long Qiu, who was observing from a distance, was very satisfied. This ‘Little Apple’ was quite impressive. His effectiveness just after meeting Cui Xiao, was worthy of her painstaking planning and cultivation. She took out a small notebook from her bag, which read: When he is sad and frustrated, approach him to comfort him. You are his angel.
Long Qiu stuffed the little book into her bag and walked towards Bai Shaohui. "Hi."
Bai Shaohui nodded upon seeing that the person was Long Qiu, "Hi, why are you here?"
"I am the producer of this film so I came to take a look." Long Qiu wore a black dress that exposed her collarbones and shoulders. It was sexy but not too revealing. She tried her best to smile and said sweetly, "Did you also come here to take a look?"
"Ah, yes." In Bai Shaohui's eyes, Long Qiu was a beautiful but boring woman. Her replies were very mechanical, and even her smile seemed so fake. Talking to her was like reading a contract, no emotions at all.
Long Qiu, who thought she was smiling sweetly and naturally, said, "We are partners now, so why don't we go have lunch together?" God only knows how nervous she was. Would he think she was very frivolous if she invited him to dinner so soon?
On the other side, Tao Ran and Cui Xiao were talking happily. Cui Xiao said, "I think you are different from when you were in high school. You were not so talkative at that time."
"You think I talk too much?" Tao Ran asked back.
"No, you're good like this." Cui Xiao smiled. "It's better to have a cheerful personality."
Tao Ran smiled and said, "Is that your boyfriend?"
"Who? You mean Bai Shaohui?" Cui Xiao immediately denied it. "No, no, he’s a playboy. I have nothing to do with him."
Tao Ran said meaningfully, "He isn't? But he looks at you really intently. As if he doesn't care about others as long as you are there."
“... How could that be?” Cui Xiao felt a bit uncomfortable as she said, "He is a playboy.”
Tao Ran had already accepted Long Qiu’s bribe. Since he had planned not to break these two off, he tried his best to match up Cui Xiao and Bai Shaohui. He said, "Is that right? As far as I know, Bai Shaohui, the son of Bai's group, is a very decent man. Everyone thinks highly of him, saying that he is a man who is well disciplined."
Cui Xiao didn't understand Bai Shaohui at all. After hearing Tao Ran's words, she felt very flustered. If Bai Shaohui was really not a playboy as Tao Ran said, then why would he be so attentive to her? She was just a little actress who had no power or influence. Was she worthy of his attention?
"He is looking at you." Tao Ran whispered. "A beauty like our President Long can't attract his attention when you are around. He really fell in love with you, right?"
Cui Xiao looked at Bai Shaohui, and sure enough, Bai Shaohui was looking at her. Meeting his gaze, she was a little surprised and felt a bit shy, so she immediately lowered her head to avoid him.
This situation was interpreted very differently in Bai Shaohui’s eyes. Cui Xiao had always ignored him and sometimes he could see disgust on her face when she was with him. But now she was talking and laughing with her old classmate and revealing such a shy expression. He felt really hateful and unbearable seeing this.
Feeling uncomfortable, he said to Long Qiu, "No, I have something else to do. Let’s have dinner together again when I have time."
Long Qiu's upbringing and habits made her unable to say anything to make him stay, Even though she was dying in her heart, she still said ‘Yes, okay.’ with a smile on the surface.
"Hello, Miss Long!"
Long Qiu turned around and saw Tao Ran standing beside her with a bright smile. She didn't understand what was so funny. He was chuckling while standing there. This was a prelude to dementia, right?
Tao Ran didn't know that she was dismissed by Bai Shaohui. He asked, "Why are you standing in a daze here?"
Long Qiu said coldly, "It's none of your business."
"All right." Tao Ran shrugged dismissively and took out his cell phone, "Miss Long, what's your number?"
Long Qiu was puzzled, "Why should I give you my phone number?"
Tao Ran took it for granted, "If you don't give it to me, how can I notify you if something happens?"
That being said, Long Qiu gave him her number, and then she praised him. "You did a good job just now. Keep it up."
Tao Ran saved the number and said, “Miss Long, did you especially come to see me today?"
Long Qiu looked at him. Who gave him the idea that she, the CEO, would come to see him specifically? Tao Ran looked moved. "I'm so touched. Miss Long, you are so kind. You are the most beautiful and kind-hearted woman I have ever seen."
Long Qiu: "..." What the hell?
Tao Ran's plan was to match Cui Xiao and Bai Shaohui, while on the other hand, enhancing Long Qiu's emotional self-confidence, letting her know that she could have a better choice even without Bai Shaohui.
"... Don't flatter me." Long Qiu would never admit that she was a little bit happy to hear such words. "It's useless."
"I am not flattering you." Tao Ran said, "I really think you are a good person. You are a beautiful and capable person who is also kind. You are many times better than Cui Xiao. Bai Shaohui's taste and vision are so bad that he can't appreciate you at all."
Long Qiu glared, "You are not allowed to talk about him that way. Who do you think you are? Why would you say such things?"