Release that Man

“Xiao Ye, don’t you think that the man from that side has been trying to sneak a look at you?”

Luo Mingxin, who came to fetch Ye Shuang, could not help but comment once they got into the car. Ye Shuang looked at the man—it was the man who received the shock of his life inside the male toilet. She smiled softly before pulling her gaze back. “Perhaps it is a fan who has recognized us, let’s ignore him.”

“You’re probably right.” Luo Mingxin nodded in agreement with this suspicion. He activated the engine of the car and turned the steering wheel to exit the parking lot. “Looks like the disguise that I’ve used today is not that good. Even though I’m wrapped so tightly, people can still recognize me. Then again, it could have been your fan, right?”

Speaking of this, Luo Mingxin could not help but mock the man. “Xiao Ye, looks like you still don’t know this yet, huh? There’s another wave of popularity happening for you on the internet.”

Ye Shuang, who held the phone in her hand, stopped in her tracks and raised her head to ask in confusion, “What’s going on?”

Luo Mingxin tossed a glance at her, and there was a smile on his face. “Don’t just stop there. You just need to go online and look for the latest news. Why would you need to ask me?”

Dark lines dropped from Ye Shuang’s face. Her mind combed through what she had done recently, and a very bad feeling appeared in her heart. After searching for it online, it was exactly as she expected—it was a video of her stopping the scared horse on the film set. It was unclear which camera had still been rolling at the time, but it just so happened to capture the whole process when Brother Shuang stepped onto the plate to save the female actress who spooked the horse.

Having news from a movie set was something normal, and this time, he was given a topic that was organic and unprompted. Director Zhou would have been dumb if he did not make use of this to the best of its potential. Brother Shuang, who was already famous for his looks, instantly became another hot topic. Combining his powerful presence and handsome movement, he soon won over the other so-called flower boys and became the male god within the hearts of many female and even male fans.

She closed the phone with a lack of expression. At that moment, Ye Shuang really did not know what kind of reaction she should have. Luo Mingxin sighed as he drove. “You are born to be in this business. Your face is already handsome beyond belief, and on top of that, you’re a good actor. If that’s all, it would have been great already, but you’re even good at martial arts…”

Acting skills were required as long as one was in a movie. Even though the character might be different due to setting, the acting and how one played oneself into the character were similar. The only difference was fighting movies—not everyone would be able to participate in the shooting of such movies. Some had the looks but not the content while others were able to make fighting look like ballet.

Just having the looks was not enough; it might work for female actors to fill up the scene, but for male actors, they had to know a bit of actual martial arts or else the audience would not be able to buy it. Otherwise, why would other movie genres enjoy such variety in terms of actors over the years but martial arts movies still had the same old faces playing the same old characters?

Ye Shuang chuckled in a meaningful way. “No wonder you asked for my plane’s arrival time and the airport that I’ll be landing at. It is not an everyday affair that you’ll get Celebrity Luo to come fetch you. Is there something else that you wish to tell me?”

“You’re right about that, or else with my current schedule, why would I make time to purposely come fetch you?” Luo Mingxin turned the steering wheel and glanced at Ye Shuang with a significant look. It was then that Ye Shuang realized that ,Luo Mingxin’s car had been heading toward a specific direction, to a destination that was already decided and the man had not asked her for the location of her hotel.

Ye Shuang suddenly had a bad feeling, and with a headache coming, she asked, “Tell me, you have a premeditated plan, don’t you?”

Luo Mingxin laughed. “That I do.”

This plan might not be something bad. At most, it would be a plan that would require her cooperation without warning her what kind of thing she needed to do. Why he did not tell her beforehand could be due to many kinds of reasons. Considering that Brother Shuang might not cooperate if he had asked politely, he had captured the man and taken him directly to the scene, skipping the introduction and explanation.

Why would Director Zhou and Luo Mingxin choose to ‘sacrifice’ Brother Shuang?

It seemed the female actress wanted to thank Brother Shuang after her soul had returned from the accident. However, before she could find the man, she had already been informed that Brother Shuang had already left on a holiday. Then, after that, it was revealed that other than the identity of a female actress, when her family came to visit her, people at the shoot realized that this was a second generation of a government official that had hidden herself very deep…

“We actually also found this out later. Rong Su wasn’t her real name but the one she used when she joined the entertainment business.” Luo Mingxin led Ye Shuang to the private changing room and sighed. “Director Zhou is unwilling to reveal her actual identity, but I hear it is from a family that is very powerful and influential. I heard that she is the youngest daughter of a family from Beijing. She has enjoyed acting since she was young, but she did not want others to say that she is relying on her family connections to achieve success, so she came out on her own to make a living for herself. Here, try on this shirt.”

Ye Shuang accepted a blue shirt with polka dots from Luo Mingxin. After rolling her eyes at him, she turned and walked into the changing room.

“Hey! We’re both men, do you need to go in there just to change a top? Are you afraid that I’ll feel less confidence after seeing your body? I’ll let you know, I have abs, too!” Luo Mingxin was speechless. He called after the man, but the man did not stop. All he could do was follow behind Ye Shuang to the changing room. Then, the door slammed in his face, and it almost knocked into his tall nose. He leaned against the door lazily and continued the earlier conversation.

“Actually, before this, I thought that the career for this new star was a bit too smooth. Her acting skill is passable but not that good, so why was she able to take up roles in one movie after another? She was the main female character in her first movie, and she has never experienced a period where she had no work to do or had to hone her skill by being an extra. Her resume was shining perfectly, and normally, her agent would not even let her go to business events like conference and so on… But now, I finally get it. I believe her family members have already reached out the relevant individuals, but they did not show up to preserve the young girl’s face.”

After Ye Shuang walked out with the shirt on, she fixed the collar and sleeves. She asked without even raising her eyes, “It’s due to the incident with the horse that her family abandoned their usual low-key profile and jumped out to visit their daughter, is it? However, how is that even related to me? Normally, if an extra like myself saved the young lady, shouldn’t they just send me a cheque in appreciation? Even if they want to show some sincerity, the biggest difference should be sending people over to give the cheque or giving the cheque in person, right?”

Luo Mingxin smirked and reached out to grab one of the ties that was hanging on the rod. He tried it around Ye Shuang’s neck and left it to the man. “Put it on yourself… Mainly, it’s because Rong Su wants to thank you in person, and she said that she wants to treat you to a meal. Since you’ve already been invited, she could not leave out everyone else. Plus, her family is going to show up as well, so in the end, everyone will have to go. Earlier, when Director Zhou heard that you’re going to come back today, the crew decided to push the shoots that we’re doing today to several days later so that we can clear up the afternoon for everyone to prepare for the dinner tonight.”

Ye Shuang used her agile fingers to finish tying the tie. She adjusted the tightness and then turned to look at the pants, shoes, and socks that were arranged on the other row of cupboards. “It is just a dinner, that simple?”

“I’m afraid it won’t be that simple.” Luo Mingxin shook his head. “It’s a little girl after all. Since she has always been interested in being an actor, it is natural to assume that she has a good imagination. You have the game, the body, and the physical prowess, and this time, you’ve saved a damsel in distress. I’m afraid Rong Su is going to become one of your brainless fans.”

Ye Shuang looked at Luo Mingxin with clear suspicion. Can you even hear yourself when you say that?

Luo Mingxin gripped his fist and coughed into it. “Fine, perhaps the term brainless fan is a bit too much, but it is definitely true that she has cultivated some affection for you.”

Why would a cliched trope like a hero saving a damsel in distress always lead to romance?

To explain it from a biological standpoint, when one’s in a deep relationship, the body releases a high amount of endorphin, and that will lead to increased heart rate and body temperature. That creates a sense of nervousness and excitement. Similarly, when one is in a state of danger, due to extreme nervousness, it will also lead to the secretion of adrenaline, and it creates the sensation that is very similar to love. There were two different scenarios leading to the same results and experience.

Human beings have a hard time telling the difference between these two. Even if they can tell the difference in a ration way, the influence that the hormone has on the body is something that could not be avoided completely. Therefore, the nervousness when one is saved and when one is falling in love can easily be mixed together.

To explain it from a psychological standpoint, when one is in a state of deep despair and helplessness and someone shows up to save her from the worst situation safely, then after the incident, due to the experience from before, the victim will have a sense of reliance on her savior and will subconsciously feel a sense of security when she was in the person’s presence.

Perhaps those with a mature physiological health might be able to dissect this emotion with surgical detachment, but if it was someone like Rong Su who still had a naïve view of life, then it was a definite that she would have a changed view of Ye Shuang.

Ye Shuang held the pants and went silent. She was feeling rather down. “Perhaps I shouldn’t attend the dinner.”

Luo Mingxin coughed again. “This dinner has already gone beyond giving Rong Su face. The entire crew will be going, and the host is Rong Su’s family. What benefit will offending these people get us?”

Even though he had no idea how powerful Rong Su’s family was, from the way even Director Zhou had to adjust the shooting time to give face to the family, this went to show that they were not people that they could easily brush off.

Even if these people were unable to freeze them up with just an order, they were definitely able to create many small problems, like stopping the film set, the sponsors, the advertisements, the approval, the cinema distribution… As long as they reached out to one of those links in the chain, Director Zhou would lose half of his hair from the trouble that it would create.

Ye Shuang sighed and walked into the changing room to put on the pants. Then she put on the shoes, the jacket, and fixed her hair. Life was not easy no matter the career path that one chose, but she knew life as an actor was more troublesome compared to other careers. However, as troublesome as it was, it also had benefits that other careers could not provide.

A star with enough popularity would have a social circle that could not be rivalled by people in other occupations. As long as one was not too picky, basically, one would be able to get to know all the important people in the city at first notice… expect those who wished to hide themselves.

…

A bird becoming a phoenix… But wait, Rong Su was already a phoenix to begin with—she just pretended to be a normal bird to experience the normal life.

As a celebrity, it was common fare for Rong Su to take care of her appearance whenever she made an appearance at any event. The career of a celebrity was one that depended on appearance and image, so everyone would try their best to make sure that they looked their best.

However, perhaps due to the psychological effect or the male company that she had beside her, when the crew saw her again at the hotel that night, they had the experience that they were meeting her again for the first time.

Ye Shuang was eye-catching, sitting amid the crowd as well. Normally, Brother Shuang was already incredibly handsome, but that day, he came in a formal outfit, and the way he acted even managed to make Luo Mingxin next to himlook like a normal guy.

When Rong Su walked into the hotel, her eyes lit up immediately, and a blush rose to her cheeks. The male company she had by her side also had noticed Ye Shuang. He narrowed his gaze and slightly lifted his cheeks. He felt threatened and immediately went into a guarded mode.

Considering Ye Shuang’s physical prowess and his cousin’s feeling, the man immediately changed his tone and asked in a soft voice, “It’s this little white… this man?”

Rong Su touched her cheeks to try to make herself calm down. Without even raising her head, she answered in a shy voice, “Yes, it’s Brother Ye who saved me.”

The man huffed out of his nose to show his condescension, but it was a fact that Rong Su had been saved by Ye Shuang. To show face to his cousin, he would not act too out of place in front of Rong Su’s savior; therefore, he swallowed the urge and resisted.

When the two walked over, other people had already stood up to show friendliness and welcome. The man was more willing to give Director Zhou face. He greeted him politely, and after he arranged his emotion, he finally turned toward Ye Shuang and got into the real topic. “Is this Mr. Ye…”

Before he could state the hierarchy of the situation and sneak in a few threats, Rong Su swiftly betrayed him. “Brother Ye, this is my cousin, Qian Qianxiang. He heard that you have saved me, so he set up this dinner to thank you in person!”

No, that’s wrong!

Thanking him is one thing but you shouldn’t put yourself at such a low level, sister!

The lips of the man, who was Rong Su’s cousin, twitched, and he forced a smile. “Yes, thank you for saving my cousin.”

Then he could not resist the urge to glare at Rong Su.

Unfortunately, Rong Su was not paying him any attention. The girl had already lowered her head shyly under Brother Shuang’s gentle gaze. Her hands twisted the edge of her dress, and she confessed in a voice that was as soft as an ant’s. “And… and also me… I also want to thank you a lot…”

Brother Shuang looked at Qian Qianxiang, who appeared like he had just swallowed a fly, with a faded smile. Then, with a voice that seemed to possess magical power, he said, “I just didn’t want to see a girl get hurt. It’s nothing worth thanking me for. It’s what everyone should do.”

Rong Su’s face turned redder, and Qian Qianxiang’s turned darker.

…

Before the dinner started, the crew already witnessed a scene. Even though on the surface, it looked so peaceful, the undercurrent was rapid and dangerous. Like Ye Shuang initially predicted, the Qian family did not plan to view her differently simply because she had saved the girl.

Even though their appreciation toward Ye Shuang was not fake, so was the anger and fear that they had when they found out that Rong Su had tricked them and gone on to shoot this kind of dangerous movie. Then, in their concern, they exposed their background, and after that, all that remained was worry.

The entertainment world was very complicated, and the allure was able to draw people into it. Maybe, initially, Ye Shuang did it out of kindness, but no one could guarantee that this kindness would never change. After all, this was someone that they had not met, and the news on the paper could not be trusted fully. Even if the media had nothing but good things to say about Ye Shuang, the Qian family still had reservations about people from the entertainment world.

What if he just wanted to fight for a bigger space on the newspaper? Even if the man might not think that way initially, Rong Su could enable the person to stop fighting for at least ten years, and that was something that would be able to change people’s mind.

You use me to create news, and I use you to climb higher… Isn’t that what the entertainment world is all about?

They were willing to express their appreciation and kindness, but the bottom line was that this Ye Shuang would not think outside of his role in life simply because he had saved Rong Su. They could not allow the man to have any action that might cross the line, so everything had to have a limit to it.

Qian Qianxiang represented the family to come express this view. However, everything had been ruined by Rong Su.

Thank you a lot? Thank you, yes, but not ‘a lot’. We should sit down and go over the terms. Take the benefit that we will give you, and we’ll end this transaction there and then.

When the dinner started, with the hidden pull from Rong Su, Qian Qianxiang, who initially wanted to sit between his cousin and Ye Shuang to split them apart, had to switch seats with Rong Su before his sleeve was ruined. He watched as his cousin sat together with the shameless guy.

However, the guy a quite a gentleman, and his every movement spoke of education and decorum. He took good care of the girl, and the way he poured the tea for Rong Su was right out from a painting. “I have no idea Miss Rong has such a big family. This is our first meeting, and it’s a good acquaintance to make, but I hope Miss Rong will not bring up the life-saving incident again in the future.”

What could Rong Su say? Everything that her male god said was good; therefore, she nodded in a hurry. Submerged in the world of pink bubbles, she did not notice the dark shadows that were coming from her cousin.

There was a reason Ye Shuang was purposely doing this.

One was because she was annoyed at Qian Qianxiang’s attitude. Even though she could understand why the man was careful that his family might get cheated, that did not mean that she could accept it.

The more important reason was because Xia Cheng was also at the dinner table.

Rong Su’s hidden identity was a large surprise to everyone. As the sponsor, Xia Cheng was not technically a crew member, but to get know Qian family, this valuable connection, he had invited himself that night.

For Ye Shuang, who had been trying to get close to Xia Cheng, this was a pleasant surprise.