Chapter 26

Ji Yanting had actually come? Wen Jiu instinctively pinched the wide sleeve of Yue Ling’s costume.
Even more shocked than she was, was Wen Ling.
Her agent hadn’t gone back yet today and was still watching from the sidelines.
When Ji Yanting appeared, the agent immediately shot Wen Ling a meaningful look.
Get over there. Use this chance. Let everyone see what the two of you are.
Wen Ling bit down on her lower lip, her expression stretched tight.
The makeup artist beside her flustered, “Your lipstick’s going to smudge, let me touch it up, hey…”
Wen Ling didn’t sit and wait for the touch-up. Riding a tiger with no way to dismount, she could only grit her teeth and walk forward.
Most people on set had already heard the rumor that Wen Ling was together with Ji Yanting.
It had been the morning’s main topic of gossip; no one expected Film Emperor Ji to show up in the afternoon.
They’d been sixty percent convinced before, now they were at a hundred.
Some, thinking ahead, were already planning how to cozy up to Wen Ling in front of Ji Yanting.
Others, devout melon-eaters, just hung back to watch the drama unfold.
No one knew that under Wen Ling’s glamorous, floor-length palace gown, the entire back of her dress was soaked through.
“Teacher Ji.” She walked up.
The director turned, then beckoned the second female lead over too. “Yanting, this is our drama’s leading lady, Wen Ling. And this is the second female lead, Yue Ling. They’re quite fated, their names even sound alike.”
Wen Jiu followed along, big dark eyes flicking between faces, watching every expression and every twitch.
Ji Yanting swept his gaze over the group and immediately picked out the familiar face.
He remembered Wen Jiu, the girl his cousin had dragged over in the middle of the night demanding an autograph.
And there, just within his line of sight, was that same cousin, freshly returned from abroad and… apparently doing odd jobs for the crew?
“I know them,” Ji Yanting said. “I came today just to take a look around.”
He nodded to the director.
The onlookers: !
Their belief in the rumors skyrocketed. So it was true, Film Emperor Ji and Wen Ling were a couple, and he had come specifically to visit her.
He’d quit acting and left the industry, yet still came to set for his girlfriend. True love! This was true love!
Their heated stares swept over everyone near Ji Yanting, even catching Wen Jiu and making her feel like she was being roasted alive.
She really wasn’t cut out to be a celebrity.
When she glanced sideways, she saw Wen Ling straighten her back. Look closer, though, and it was obvious: there was expectation in her eyes, but also a gnawing anxiety, as if she were terrified Ji Yanting would keep talking and shatter her lie.
Director Ye had never given Wen Ling any special treatment, but the rest of the cast and staff had all been extra nice to her because they believed she had a “connection” with Ji Yanting.
Wen Jiu had no intention of standing by and letting her use that to step on Yue Ling’s head.
Before anyone else could speak, Wen Jiu piped up, “Film Emperor Ji, you’re here for Sister Yue Ling, right?”
Wen Ling never imagined Wen Jiu would suddenly cut in. Panic flashed across her face; she hurried to interrupt, “Teacher Ji took time out of his busy schedule to come here. Why don’t we find somewhere to sit and talk?”
Director Ye nodded repeatedly. “Yes, it’s too hot to chat here. Yanting, let’s go sit in the resting area, but you have to stay and watch for a while.”
If Ji Yanting chose the latter, he’d keep filming while they talked.
Director Ye was a well-known figure in the industry, and he and Ji Yanting could talk about anything. That “rare guest” from earlier was just polite talk, they were actually quite familiar.
“Filming comes first,” Ji Yanting said.
The conversation had been completely sidestepped?! Wen Jiu felt that wouldn’t do. She had to clear up this rumor today.
Her Young Lady had said Ji Yanting was very close to her ideal type. She couldn’t let anyone with ulterior motives sabotage that fate.
Even if Yue Ling prioritized her career and didn’t see romance as essential, what was hers should remain hers. She might not want it, but no one else was allowed to use it as a stepping stone.
The director sat back down and called everyone to their marks.
Before leaving, Yue Ling turned and met Ji Yanting’s gaze for a heartbeat.
A dignified noble lady and a jade-like gentleman from a painting, amid the messy background of crew and equipment, they still became a perfect tableau for an instant.
They hadn’t done anything, but something in the air seemed to stir.
Seeing that, Wen Ling risked another glance at Ji Yanting. But he didn’t look back at her.
She felt anger prick, followed by a flush of embarrassment. When she noticed that her agent’s eyes had been glued to this little triangle the whole time, fear and unease burrowed in as well.
What now? Was she about to be found out?
Once the cameras rolled again, Wen Jiu slipped over to stand beside Ji Yanting. To keep from disturbing the set, she lowered her voice.
“Film Emperor Ji, somehow a rumor started in the crew that you and Wen Ling are together. Sister Yue Ling already knows about it.”
She’d messaged Ji Yanting that morning; there was no need to repeat every detail. She got straight to the point. “You came here today for Sister Yue Ling, of course. But you saw it just now, Wen Ling kept cutting in and changing the subject so she wouldn’t be exposed.”
If the female lead wanted to quietly scheme behind everyone’s backs, then she couldn’t blame Wen Jiu for pushing back.
Wen Jiu hadn’t forgotten how, on the very first day of filming, Wen Ling tried to climb by stepping directly on Yue Ling.
She laid it all out. “You probably don’t know this, but someone uploaded a video from our first day on set. Sister Yue Ling got scolded to death online, while Wen Ling gained a bunch of new fans.”
The matter had been resolved and Wen Ling had calmed down since then, but Wen Jiu fully intended to dig it back up.
She hadn’t even mentioned the fact that Wen Ling had never apologized. But even if she did, the damage that had already been done wouldn’t magically disappear. Since when did “losing” mean everyone had to feel sorry for you?
“Thank you for telling me all this. I understand now.” Ji Yanting had fought his way through the entertainment industry himself; he knew exactly how filthy things could get under the surface.
To show his gratitude, he added, “I’ll have someone prepare ten more signed photos for you. I hope you’ll like them.”
Only then did Wen Jiu remember she’d originally pretended to be his fan.
Film Emperor Ji’s signed photo really was expensive; she’d be a fool not to take them. She nodded, her smile bright and utterly sincere. “I like them, thank you, Film Emperor Ji.” Thank you, boss! Boss is so generous!
She slipped off to a quiet corner, pulled out her phone, and opened her second-hand app. She finally found the listing for the signed photo she’d auctioned off.
The auction had a time limit; it had already ended. The buyer had paid and messaged her repeatedly, but she’d never shipped the item.
[???]
[Are you a scammer or what?!]
[If you’re not selling, at least say something!!]
[You had the guts to list the signed photo, have the guts to come online too! Vanishing without a word, seriously?
The messages were spread out over half a month, but the buyer had never left, just camped there, waiting for her to come back online.
As a loyal fan of Ji Yanting, the buyer had checked and confirmed the autograph was genuine. There would be no second chance at a deal like this. She was terrified Wen Jiu was going to back out because she couldn’t bear to part with it, yet still clung to a tiny, stubborn hope that maybe Wen Jiu had just… forgotten.
To keep anyone else from snatching it, she’d rather leave her money parked with the platform, letting the payment sit there frozen while she waited.
The culprit in question, Wen Jiu, stared at the buyer’s wall of righteous fury, with no insults, no cursing, just pure waiting, and felt a deep, shameful pang of guilt.
The buyer hadn’t even left a negative review, just kept waiting.
[You finally came online!!]
The moment the green dot appeared by her name, the buyer pounced.
Feeling extremely sheepish, Wen Jiu replied: [I’m really sorry. I didn’t turn on push notifications for the app, so I never saw your messages. I’ve been busy lately and completely forgot about it. I wasn’t ignoring you on purpose.]
Wen Jiu: [I’ll go to the courier tonight and ship it out. I’m really, really sorry.]
On the other end: …
In truth, the buyer was fuming and very ready to curse her out, but she swallowed it, for the sake of that autograph.
Buyer: [Okay.]
One more word and she was afraid she’d explode.
Leaving the message thread, Wen Jiu opened the listing itself, and nearly dropped her phone. The final bid for the signed photo had been driven up to 530,000.6 yuan!!
Final price: 530,000.6 yuan
Platform fee: 31,800.36 yuan
Amount to her: 498,200.24 yuan.
Wen Jiu rubbed her eyes. She could hardly believe it.
She honestly could not comprehend how a single photo with a signature on it could be worth over five hundred thousand?!
Ah!!
Ah…?
For a signed photo worth that much, she immediately decided that when she went to ship it, she was absolutely buying the courier’s most expensive insurance.
And Film Emperor Ji had just promised to give her ten more signed photos.
She stole another glance at Ji Yanting and felt like he was literally glowing.
Sorry, Young Master, she thought. I’ve defected to your cousin. I’m now a genuine Ji Yanting stan.
That scene went badly for Wen Ling; she kept dropping out of character and the director called cut several times.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to perform well. It was just that every time she met the gaze of the noble consort played by Yue Ling, she had the horrible illusion of being stripped bare and stared at.
She wanted to show off her superior acting in front of Ji Yanting, prove she was better than Yue Ling.
But as she performed, memories of that beautiful dream kept surging up, the dream where Ji Yanting had favored her, where his eyes held only her reflection.
Her thoughts exploded in her head, and in the here and now, Yue Ling’s gaze began to feel suffocating.
Still, the scene was eventually finished. Director Ye was profoundly dissatisfied with Wen Ling’s performance and dragged her aside for a lecture, treating her no differently than anyone else.
The moment her Young Lady had a breather, Wen Jiu, now a freshly converted Ji Yanting fangirl, saw that her idol still hadn’t acted, so she marched out of the corner and pushed him forward.
“Sister Yue Ling, Film Emperor Ji is here to see you. Now that the scene’s wrapped, are you two going to leave right away?” Wen Jiu wasn’t afraid of embarrassment; she deliberately raised her voice.
In an instant, everyone nearby turned their eyes on them, their stares even more searing than before. Wen Jiu felt like if this went on, she’d be roasted on a skewer.
So much for Wen Ling being with Film Emperor Ji, huh?
Two women, one man… there’s definitely a melon here.
Wen Jiu pressed the attack, ignoring the daggers stabbing into her back. “Sister Yue Ling, your unrelated-from-birth-but-grew-up-together little cousin, Young Master Ji Yujing, went back home last week. This time, it’s his big brother’s turn to come take care of you. Your families go way back, they’re childhood family friends. Neither of the brothers can relax if you’re on set alone.”
“And, Film Emperor Ji, I heard you’ve been pursuing our Sister Yue Ling for years and stayed single all this time because of her. Mm… I guess that part isn’t really for me to say.”
She slapped a hand over her mouth. “Anyway, I’ve already spilled it. Film Emperor Ji, you can do it! I hope you get a chance to win your way into Sister Yue Ling’s heart.”
Her over-the-top performance, those lines that sounded like they came out of a brain-dead idol drama, plus the dramatic hand gestures… even she almost couldn’t stand herself. But she still forced herself to finish.
The rest, she left to the male lead.
He’d better not let her Young Lady down. He’d better not waste such a gloriously cringe-inducing sacrifice on her part.
Everyone there worked on film sets for a living; they’d heard every bizarre line under the sun. None of them found this particularly strange.
Their eyes and ears were full of what they’d just heard and seen.
Key words: family friends, years of pursuit, big brother and little brother.
So that “Ji Yujing” who’d been working for free was a real young master, and Film Emperor Ji’s actual little brother?
And that meant Wen Ling was not Ji Yanting’s girlfriend!
Pulled aside by the director, Wen Ling had no chance to stop Wen Jiu from speaking. Her face went paper-white in an instant.