In this freezing weather, with a layer of frozen snow on the ground, the wind in City S was both cold and dry. Xia Yuan, wrapped in a coat, took a sip of warm water and spoke impatiently, “Go find out what’s going on.”
Xia Yuan had taken on the role of a female supporting character in a new drama. She played the sister of a powerful warlord from the Republic of China era, who had been pampered since childhood. Due to being born prematurely, she was frail and always had a sickly look between her brows.
To be honest, Xia Yuan’s bright and beautiful appearance didn’t quite fit this role, but other scripts required her to leave City S, which she was unwilling to do.
If she left, wouldn’t she and Meng Xiyue have to endure a long-distance relationship?
However, she was quite satisfied with this role since the character died early and had few lines.
Currently, she was wearing a light blue cheongsam, with light makeup on her face, her lips uncolored, just a faint pink. Her eyebrows were styled like those of Lin Daiyu, with slightly drooping eyelashes. She was huddled under a large coat, her face pale, fitting the image of a frail sister from the Republic of China era.
The crew had scheduled the shoot to start at ten o’clock, but it was already more than half an hour past the time, and there was still no action from the crew.
In this cold weather, waiting an extra half hour was already Xia Yuan’s limit.
Zhong Le quickly returned, panting, with white mist puffing out with each breath. “Sister Xia, the male lead of the crew hasn’t arrived yet.”
The male lead was a popular young actor, Gu Yan. Every drama he had starred in had been a huge hit, and he had crafted a perfect public persona. He was known as a sweet little puppy, with a smile that could melt hearts, and he had a massive fan base called the ‘Gu Family Army.’
He was also Xia Yuan’s co-star this time, playing her warlord brother.
Gu Yan had taken on this drama to transition his career. Sticking to the same persona for too long would bore his fans, so taking on a more explosive role would definitely win more support from them.
Xia Yuan couldn’t stand this injustice. She stood up, her delicate demeanor gone, and said, “Tell the director that I’ll come back when the male lead arrives.”
Zhong Le knew her temper and could only comply, “Sister Xia, let’s go to the car first. There’s heating.”
Xia Yuan, in her high heels, walked out. Lin Qi gave Zhong Le a look and followed Xia Yuan out, while Zhong Le went to inform the director.
To avoid the director’s displeasure.
As soon as Xia Yuan stepped outside, a gust of wind hit her, making her ankles ache from the cold. But she didn’t dare walk too fast, as the ground was slippery.
After a few steps, she heard a high-pitched scream, “Yan Bao.”
Startled, Xia Yuan shivered. A man fully armed with sunglasses and a mask came running towards her. Although the snow had been cleared, a thin layer of ice remained.
So, Xia Yuan watched as the man slipped and lunged towards her.
She wasn’t foolish enough to act as a cushion for the other person. When he lunged at her, she quickly stepped back two large steps.
He ended up falling right at her feet.
Seeing the distance, Xia Yuan thought to herself, “Good thing I stepped back quickly, otherwise I might have ended up with a fracture.”
Looking down at the man still lying on the ground, Xia Yuan snorted, “So reckless, didn’t you see someone here?”
The man quickly got up, shook his arm, and since he had landed properly, he wasn’t hurt. He awkwardly rubbed his slightly curly hair, “Sorry.”
A sharp voice filled with concern came from behind, “Yanbao, are you hurt?”
Xia Yuan looked over and saw a few girls holding up their phones, their faces red from the cold, being blocked by three bodyguards who wouldn’t let them get closer. They looked anxiously in this direction.
Gu Yan turned around, took off his sunglasses and mask, and smiled sweetly at them, “I’m fine, you all should go back, don’t catch a cold.”
The girls immediately teared up and almost jumped with excitement.
After greeting them, Gu Yan looked at Xia Yuan. In this white winter snow, she looked as beautiful as a blooming plum blossom. His eyes flashed with amazement, and he apologized again, “Sorry for scaring you.”
His apologetic attitude was good, and he looked clean and bright. Xia Yuan glanced at him and decided to forgive him, “Hmm, be more careful next time.”
Gu Yan responded good-naturedly, “Okay, okay.”
With the issue peacefully resolved, Xia Yuan was ready to leave. Standing here for so long, she was almost freezing.
Lin Qi whispered in Xia Yuan’s ear, “Sister Xia, he’s the male lead.”
Gu Yan, who hadn’t left yet, naturally heard this. He exclaimed, “You’re in the same crew as me?”
No wonder Gu Yan was so surprised. From the first moment Xia Yuan saw him, she treated him like an ordinary person. He was a bit frustrated, thinking his fame might be declining.
After all, he had been trending recently.
Xia Yuan wasn’t as good-natured. Her initial good impression of him instantly turned negative. She looked him up and down, “So you’re the male lead who kept the whole crew waiting for over half an hour.”
Her tone was very displeased.
Gu Yan’s face turned red, and he apologized again, “Something happened on the way.” He had encountered some obsessive fans who blocked his car. The roads were slippery, and they didn’t dare to drive fast. If something happened, it would be a big issue for a public figure. It took a lot of effort to shake them off, which is why he was so late.
Seeing the other person’s embarrassment, Xia Yuan slightly raised her chin and turned back to the film crew.
Gu Yan, like a little follower, quickly caught up.
And this scene was captured by a distant camera.
As soon as Gu Yan arrived at the set, he apologized and generously treated the entire crew to hot drinks. His sincere apologies quickly dispelled any complaints from the crew. After all, it’s hard to stay mad when someone is so generous.
Xia Yuan noticed that her two assistants were instantly charmed by this popular young star, but she felt nothing.
Fortunately, the morning was just for taking a few costume photos.
Xia Yuan’s costume photos were particularly simple, just two in total: one of her alone and one with her warlord brother, played by Gu Yan.
She had a strong sense of the camera and was very photogenic, which somewhat compensated for the inherent softness in the warlord sister’s demeanor.
The second photo was of her and Gu Yan. She sat sideways, leaning on Gu Yan’s knee, her eyes full of trust and dependence.
Xia Yuan was fine with it, simply replacing Gu Yan’s face with her brother Xia Ke’s in her mind. However, midway through, Xia Yuan thought this pose was quite nice and considered trying it with Meng Xiyue next time.
Her eyes, filled with admiration, instantly turned affectionate, as if she had eaten something sweet. The pure and intense emotion made Gu Yan falter, unable to sit still, his face turning red.
The clicking of the camera stopped, and the photographer looked at the two of them in the camera, dissatisfied: “You are siblings, not lovers.”
This comment elicited different reactions from the two.
Xia Yuan was displeased, while Gu Yan’s face grew even redder.
The photographer, realizing he wouldn’t get a satisfactory shot, told them to adjust their state and move on to the next set.
Off the set, Xia Yuan saw that Gu Yan’s blush hadn’t faded. She raised an eyebrow and said directly, “Don’t overthink it. I have a lover.”
Gu Yan blinked, a bit disappointed, and stammered shyly, “I… I wasn’t overthinking.”
Anyone else would have found this cute and endearing, but Xia Yuan coldly and mercilessly said, “That’s for the best.”
Meng Xiyue was very prone to jealousy. If she found out Xia Yuan was attracting admirers outside, who knows how jealous she would get.
She also had a habit of silently stewing in her jealousy, which would be quite uncomfortable.
Thinking of this, she missed Meng Xiyue.
After having an open conversation with her brother last time, he neither opposed nor supported her relationship with Meng Xiyue. She knew her brother needed time to process it.
However, these past few days, not being allowed to go back and live with Meng Xiyue made Xia Yuan unhappy.
But thinking of her brother’s expression, like a child who feels ignored, she had no choice but to stay at the Xia residence.
Now, it had been three days since she last slept while holding Meng Xiyue.
She was freezing.
Xia Yuan had no time to care about Gu Yan’s broken heart. All she could think about was that tonight, she must go back.
She missed Meng Xiyue so much, and Meng Xiyue must miss her even more.
…
*
N.S.
Meng Xiyue lowered her eyes, her gaze falling on the simple white watch on her left wrist. Her slender fingers tapped the watch.
This was a gift from Xia Yuan, and she hadn’t taken it off since she put it on.
Wearing it for so long, she had gotten used to it.
At this time, Xia Yuan was still filming.
She had learned two new dishes and was just waiting for her to come back.
At the same time, in Secretary Gao’s office.
Just as Secretary Gao was about to take some documents to get Meng Xiyue’s signature, his phone screen lit up with an automatic push notification.
He was about to turn it off, but seeing the content, as an elite professional, Secretary Gao silently clicked on it.
#New Romance of Popular Young Actor#
#Gu Yan’s Relationship#
#The Woman Behind Gu Yan is an Eighteenth-Tier Actress Xia Yuan#
Secretary Gao raised an eyebrow with interest and clicked on the text’s image.
In the picture, Xia Yuan, dressed in a qipao, and Gu Yan were looking at each other in the snowy scenery, creating an ambiguous and hazy atmosphere. There were also a few photos of them walking together.
Just from their backs, they looked inexplicably well-matched.
Secretary Gao then clicked on the comments.
A flood of crying and disbelief, with some even worse, started cursing Xia Yuan, saying she was not worthy of Gu Yan or accusing her of shamelessly riding on his fame.
Secretary Gao opened Xia Yuan’s Weibo, which had only a few photos, with the latest post being five days ago.
The comments below were all critical remarks from Gu Yan’s fans, some even escalating to personal attacks.
Seeing this, Secretary Gao stopped reading, put away the phone, and picked up the documents.
He knocked on the CEO’s office door, pushed it open, and saw the other party working seriously at the computer desk.
He handed over the documents: “CEO, this document needs your signature.”
Meng Xiyue took it, smoothly signing her name with a fountain pen. She was well aware of Secretary Gao’s capabilities.
Secretary Gao retrieved the document and began reporting on work: “Tianyu is in big trouble again. The former CEO of Tianyu, Li Ting, has sold all his 30% shares.”
“He invested all the money into a new company.”
Meng Xiyue thought for a moment: “Buy all the remaining shares that were sold.”
No matter how downfallen Tianyu was, its foundation was still there. For N.S, it was not a loss.
Secretary Gao also knew that Meng Xiyue intended to directly swallow Tianyu, so he was not surprised: “Understood.”
After handling the business, Secretary Gao adjusted his glasses and started talking about personal matters: “CEO, Miss Xia seems to be in some trouble.”
Meng Xiyue paused.
Secretary Gao naturally noticed and continued, “There are rumors circulating about a popular young actor named Gu Yan and Miss Xia.”
Meng Xiyue nodded, her expression indifferent. “I understand.”
Secretary Gao, knowing better, didn’t say anything further and quietly left the CEO’s office.
After the person left, Meng Xiyue continued to immerse herself in her busy work. As N.S grew, the workload also increased exponentially.
She simply didn’t have the time to deal with personal matters during work hours.
After a while, Meng Xiyue pursed her lips and opened her phone.

