An Ruo looked at him speechlessly. Not only did he get Shi Yibo's autograph, but he also managed to snag Song Weiwei's signed photo—how greedy could he be!
It was clear that Song Weiwei was a nice person. Out of courtesy, she agreed to a group photo, while Chen Keqiao slipped off to post on Weibo.
Song Weiwei walked over and sat beside An Ruo. "Are you free tonight? Want to grab a meal together?"
Having a famous star invite her to dinner—what kind of fortune was this?
But An Ruo remembered it was the weekend, and her husband was waiting at home. She hesitated for a few seconds before shaking her head. "Sorry, I already have plans tonight..."
"Ah~" Song Weiwei sighed in disappointment. "It's rare that Qiao Yu isn't watching me today. I was hoping to sneak out with someone for hotpot, but I guess that's off the table."
She loved eating, but her agent was strict about it. An Ruo knew this, but if she went, she'd be breaking her promise to her husband.
In the end, she steeled herself to refuse and offered comfort instead. "Another day. I'll treat you next time, and I'll find a safe, hidden spot where your agent won't find out."
"As expected of a married woman—heading straight home after work. Is your husband that strict?" Song Weiwei teased her as usual. "That won't do. You need to be a role model for us women. Don't let a man lead you around by the nose."
An Ruo let out a soft laugh.
"Alright, we'll make plans another day." Song Weiwei stood up, ready to leave, when suddenly someone bumped into her, and the coffee they were carrying spilled all over her.
It all happened so fast that no one had time to react.
An Ruo recognized the woman holding the coffee. She was an artist under Jinhuang Media, playing the third female lead in this drama.
She gave Song Weiwei a cold glance without any hint of apology, then lifted her chin arrogantly and started to walk away.
Song Weiwei narrowed her eyes. "Hey, you bumped into me. At least say sorry before you leave?"
Su Weiyue stopped, slowly turning around to look at her as if in disbelief, pointing at herself. "Are you talking to me?"
This woman was incredibly arrogant!
"Do I need to pull up the surveillance footage?" Song Weiwei smirked lightly. "A simple apology—no need to make a big scene, right?"
Song Weiwei had been putting up with her for a long time. Technically, Su Weiyue was just the third female lead in this drama, practically invisible compared to her, but she seemed to have some serious backing and had been hostile toward her multiple times.
"Apologize to you? Ha, do you even know who I am?" Su Weiyue shot her a disdainful glare, her expression dripping with contempt. "I'm willing to play a supporting role—you should be thanking your lucky stars. If I get upset one day, I can take over this hard-won role of yours anytime."
An Ruo frowned slightly. Who was this Su Weiyue, and why was she so arrogant, claiming she could replace Song Weiwei's position at any moment?
Chen Keqiao, who had just posted on Weibo, heard the hostile tone and closed her phone, leaning in. "What's going on?"
An Ruo lowered her voice. "She accidentally bumped into Miss Song, and they got into a bit of an argument."
"Miss Su, isn't that a bit too arrogant?"
"I have the capital to be arrogant. Do you?"
Chen Keqiao could barely contain her anger. She hated people like this—the way they bossed others around was infuriating!
"A plastic ladle in a hot oil pan, a sparrow pecking a cow's ass—truly impressive." She sneered. "What's wrong with this world? A minor supporting actress dares to act tough in front of the lead?"
"And who the hell are you?"
"None of your business who I am. I'm not part of your crew anyway."
An Ruo tugged at her sleeve, signaling her to control her temper, but Chen Keqiao wasn't someone to mess with.
If someone challenged her, she'd fight back head-on!
Su Weiyue glanced at the work badge on her chest and sneered. "Even if you're not part of the crew, I can still make your life hell in this society."
A lowly assistant dared to talk back to her?
"Ha, I'm so scared!" Chen Keqiao crossed her arms and laughed coldly. "I wasn't raised on threats!"
"Brat, crossing me means crossing the entire Jinhuang Entertainment, and that means going against the Ji family!"
Hearing this, Chen Keqiao, who was about to retort, froze. The Ji family?!
She quickly pulled out her phone to search for Jinhuang Entertainment and sure enough, it was a subsidiary of the Ji family.
Chen Keqiao swallowed hard and tugged at An Ruo's sleeve. "We can't afford to mess with Jinhuang Entertainment." Then, turning back with a bright smile, she said, "Sorry about that, Miss Su. It was all a misunderstanding. I'm your fan! I only acted that way to get your attention..."
An Ruo was stunned by her rapid change in attitude and also curious about Su Weiyue's background—what could scare Chen Keqiao so badly?
Su Weiyue, seeing her pale face from fear of her connections, snorted and graciously decided not to bother with them.
Her haughty demeanor infuriated Song Weiwei. She couldn't just let her walk away like that and was about to chase after her, but Chen Keqiao quickly grabbed her.
"Oh, we common folks better not mess with her..."
An Ruo pursed her lips. "Since when did you become such a coward?"
Come on, in high school, Chen Keqiao was the queen of bullies!
"She's from Jinhuang Entertainment."
"So what?"
"Jinhuang Entertainment is a subsidiary of the Ji family. Don't tell me you don't know about the Ye family!"
An Ruo shook her head. She really didn't.
"The four great families of Shencheng: the Shen, Zhou, Huo, and Ji families!" Chen Keqiao saw her blank expression and knew she didn't get it. She patiently explained, "The Shen family has a century of history, so they're the head of the four. But originally, the four families didn't include the Ye and Huo families."
An Ruo was curious. "Why?"
"At first, the four families were the Shen, Zhou, Mu, and Ye. But later, the Mu and Ye families ran into trouble, which opened the door for the Huo and Ji families to step in."
Hearing her mention the Mu family, Song Weiwei's calm exterior rippled with emotion, and her hands clenched tightly inside her sleeves.
"The last banquet the Ye family held was a star-studded affair, practically inviting every elite family in Asia. But who would've thought that such a lavish, powerful family would be completely destroyed overnight six years ago because of some incident?"
An Ruo took a sip of water. "What happened?"
"Rumor has it that Ye Wantang, the Ye family's daughter, was engaged to Huo Jinyan, the son of the Huo family, which was ranked just below the four great families. But Ye Wantang had a messy personal life—on the night of the engagement, she slept with another man and was caught red-handed by her fiancé!"
"..." An Ruo pressed her lips together. She never expected that the womanizing Huo Jinyan had such a tragic romantic history!
To be betrayed by a woman—it really didn't fit his usual persona.