Chen Keqiao secretly raised her phone, only to be caught red-handed by An Ruo, who happened to glance over. Her delicate brows furrowed instantly. "Didn't you promise me you wouldn't take random pictures?"
"That's the super popular Song Weiwei everyone's buzzing about! Since we're already here, how can I not snap a couple of photos to justify that expensive sports car ride!"
"..."
An Ruo pulled down her arm and reached for the phone she was recklessly snapping with. "Hold back a little. If you want to take pictures, at least wait until she's done!"
The two were busy intercepting each other, unaware that the director had already called "cut." Chen Keqiao was used to their playful scuffles and didn't notice what was behind her, stumbling abruptly into an unfamiliar embrace.
An Ruo was startled, her gaze flickering with surprise at the man across from her.
Meanwhile, Chen Keqiao lost her footing. Though she crashed into the man's chest, he didn't seem inclined to steady her, simply watching as she fell to the ground.
"Ouch!" She rubbed her sore bottom, wincing as she looked up. "Who's this? No gentlemanly manners at all—couldn't even bother to lend a hand?"
Only when she spotted the pair of men's leather shoes did she realize it was a man. Even if she'd accidentally bumped into him, shouldn't he have been polite enough to help her up?
But when she lifted her head and saw the man's noble, coldly handsome face, she instantly forgot to breathe! An Ruo thought she was hurt and reached out to help her.
Chen Keqiao stared wide-eyed, grabbing her hand to stand up, then suddenly shyly hid behind An Ruo, peeking out to steal glances.
Ahhh! It's the big star Shi Yibo! The man she'd only ever seen on TV!
So handsome! So captivating!
Shi Yibo gave them a faint glance, said nothing, and his perpetually icy expression showed no extra emotion. He drifted past them like a wisp of breeze, brushing by without a second look.
An Ruo furrowed her brow subtly. This guy was lucky he had good looks; otherwise, with that arrogant, disdainful attitude, he'd get beaten up wherever he went!
She thought about calling him to apologize, but then reconsidered—it wasn't really his fault, since Chen Keqiao had bumped into him.
The person in question was now beaming with a dreamy smile. An Ruo glanced at her and curled her lips. "You... did you hit your head and go stupid?"
"Ruoruo! Do you know who that man was just now!?" Chen Keqiao grabbed her shoulders and shook her vigorously. "He's Shi Yibo, the one who blew up in the last two years! Shi Yibo!"
"..."
"I'm totally obsessed with him!"
An Ruo's stomach churned from the shaking. Before Chen Keqiao could stop, she pulled away and rushed to a trash can, spitting out a few mouthfuls of sour bile.
Chen Keqiao followed, immediately worried. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"
She threw up just from a few shakes!?
"I'm fine." An Ruo grabbed an unopened bottle of water from a nearby table to rinse her mouth, then wiped her lips with a tissue. "My stomach's been acting up lately."
She hadn't figured out how to tell Chen Keqiao about her pregnancy yet. With so many people around on set and afraid her loudmouth friend would blurt it out, she decided to brush it off for now.
"Even though you landed that art director job that regular white-collar workers envy during your internship, you can't neglect your health like this. Here, I know you have stomach issues, so I grabbed some medicine for you at the pharmacy the day before yesterday." Chen Keqiao pulled out stomach medicine from her bag and shoved it into An Ruo's hand, dropping her joking demeanor for a serious tone. "You're a grown woman, and you still can't take care of yourself. Now that you're the young mistress of the Shen family, you can't keep gnawing on those hard, cold buns—eat better!"
In her memory, An Ruo always scrimped by eating leftovers from the school cafeteria. Since overnight food was cheaper, she'd make do with buns and pickled veggies to get by.
Sometimes, when Chen Keqiao caught her in that pitiful state, she'd generously treat her to a big meal. Despite being an excellent student who won scholarships every month and worked part-time on the side, An Ruo never spent the money on herself.
A warmth spread through An Ruo's heart. Before meeting Shen Xiaoxing, aside from Grandma An and An Che, Chen Keqiao had been the kindest to her!
She was grateful and repaid the favor. Chen Keqiao's grades were poor, so An Ruo helped her with homework and did what she could to give back.
"Thanks." An Ruo took the stomach medicine and put it in her pocket.
She did have a stomach condition, a bad habit built up over years of eating leftovers and skipping meals.
But ever since she'd been with Shen Xiaoxing, he'd nursed her stomach back to health. Besides, now that she was pregnant with a little one inside, she couldn't take any medication.
Still, she appreciated the gesture.
"Ah, don't mention it!" Chen Keqiao looked at her, then smirked slyly. "If you really want to thank me, how about getting me Shi Yibo's autograph?"
"..."
She knew this woman couldn't stay serious for more than a few seconds—just like Shen Xiaoxing, though their obsessions were different!
"What's the matter? After all I've done for you, won't you help your girl out?"
"...Given my current position, it's not convenient to ask for one."
She was now Gu Chao's appointed overseer, stuck watching Shi Yibo work all day. He'd already built up resentment; there was no way he'd willingly give her an autograph.
The last time he'd agreed, it was because Song Weiwei had stepped in, mistaking her for a fan.
"What, are you afraid your Mr. Shen will get jealous?"
An Ruo was speechless. "Stop messing around. I'll figure out a way to get it for you."
She could just give her the signed photo Shi Yibo had handed her that day.
Too bad she'd stuffed it into her coat pocket in a rush and had changed clothes since, so she didn't have it on her.
...
All day, An Ruo kept Chen Keqiao on set watching the filming, constantly stopping her restless hands for fear she'd whip out her phone and snap photos without thinking.
Chen Keqiao was great in every way—easygoing and carefree—but she loved showing off when something new caught her interest. Taking pictures was fine, but if her big mouth spread it online, An Ruo would be legally liable!
"Behave yourself, or I won't get you that autograph."
"Whose autograph?" A crisp, elegant female voice sounded from behind.
They both turned to see Song Weiwei, dressed in ancient costume, swaying gracefully toward them.
She was naturally alluring. If not for her strong acting skills and ability to control herself on camera, An Ruo would have doubted the script's character fit her personality, thinking she'd mess it up.
But she proved her talent—she wasn't the talentless花瓶 the internet claimed, nor as terrible as the insults suggested.
Chen Keqiao's eyes went wide. Oh man, she'd made the right call coming to this set!
Her two favorite stars were together, and she'd already gotten close—bumping into Shi Yibo, getting a smile from Song Weiwei. She could die happy!
"Is this your friend?"
An Ruo hesitated, hiding Chen Keqiao's identity. "She's my new assistant. Sisi has other things to handle these days..."
Song Weiwei didn't question it—she had no clue how other companies arranged things.
But Chen Keqiao kept staring at her. Seeing the stars in her eyes, Song Weiwei chuckled softly. "You like me?"
"Mm-hmm!" Chen Keqiao pulled out a notepad from who knows where, pleading. "Weiwei, I'm a huge fan! Can I get an autograph? Please!"
Taking photos during filming was a no-go, but autographs were fine.
Song Weiwei wasn't petty. Smiling, she took the pen and signed her artistic signature on the blank page, handing it back. "Thanks for liking me."
"Then... can I ask for one more thing?" Chen Keqiao fidgeted. "A photo together?"