Chapter 100

Thanks to drtime for the sundae~~ and to seraph618505 and "Kind-hearted Sister" for the spiked clubs!!

Thanks to Wu Meiya, the two from Qianran, the three from yyrs, tequilachen, fu2007 (twice), Nennen Doufu, the three from Wen Lan, the six from Lianyi Meng, the two from Li Qi, Nini, Wangyue Xingchen, Aibei Aibao, Shu Bingmo, the two from nancyxie1, ivy_love, and ida1984 for the "all-in-one" update requests... My, what a long dragon of requests that is!!!

Ahhh~ so many update orders...

Thanks to Nanguagua~ deepsnow~~ jing2009zi~ jennitin~~ and menghuanyanche for the update orders~~ hee hee~~ *cough cough*... ending on a cliffhanger is an art form...

Thanks to Jiangjiang for the peace talisman! And to melodys718 for the heart-shaped candy~ *lick lick*~

Thanks to Layasu and Mingxinyu for the picnic baskets!! Thank you, ladies, for your affirmation and blessings~~

Thanks to Milk Tea Bear for the lunch box~~ hee hee~ and with the two from lh841114, it’s just enough for Lele the Mine Owner to have one each!!

Thanks to Layasu, linda9866222, and aulaul for the great articles! Bear hugs to you all!! Jiangshan loves you ladies too! Thank you for your hard work~

Thanks to Qiannu Youhun for the loving hugs and the loving cake~~ *mwah mwah mwah*~~

Thanks to Yileduo for the loving hugs and the beautiful cherry blossom tree~~~ *hugs and won't let go!*

Thanks to hamei and Ruisi for the loving cakes~~ *mm-hmm*!! I will definitely work hard!

Thanks to lh841114 for the two good-luck charms and the lunch box!! Wishing you good luck every day too!

Fancai, my dear, *mwah*!! Thanks for the five heart-shaped candies! Hee hee~ don't worry, don't worry~~ I'm only a "wicked stepmother" occasionally...

Orange Juice~~ *pouts and kisses*~ thank you for the cake and the blessings! *hugs*~

Thanks to Miss Wu for the loving diamond~~ I'm not unhappy~~ hee hee~~ seeing you all makes me happier than anything!

cainsu~~ *strokes head*~~ make sure to use sunscreen!!! Keep it up!! Thanks for the loving diamond!

Bubble Ru~~ *mwah*~~ my eyes are full of hearts~~ thank you for the ten love charms!! I’ll use these love charms to wish you all smooth romances! And may you be full of happiness!

Thanks to Yueye Wuyou Shuiqin for the good-luck charm~~ the loving megaphone, and the loving diamond!! Thank you~~ my son didn't throw a tantrum this time~~ *hee hee*~~

(Jiangshan isn't sure if I accidentally missed anyone~~ if I did, you must tell Jiangshan~~ *bear hug*~ I really didn't do it on purpose!!)

Thanks to Wu Meiya for the recommendation~~ *mwah*~~ a little bit of angst is good for the soul, it really is~~

That is all!! A million thanks to the lovely ladies who passionately support Jiangshan on Freshnet!! You are all Jiangshan's treasures! Love you all!

☆, (13 Fresh Coins) Chapter 110: The Impermanence of Worldly Affairs

When Xiao Sha and the others first saw Xiao Yan place a bottle of water in front of He Lele, they didn't have much of a reaction, but when they realized what had happened, their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"Are you crazy? You bought her water?" Xiao Sha asked, her face full of disgust.

Xiao Yan gave an awkward smile, "Just by the way, just by the way..."

"Hmph..." Xiao Sha knew there must be more to it, but she wasn't in a hurry to ask; she let out a cold snort and focused on the upcoming shoot.

Half an hour later, Muse Media.

"Pull the surveillance for Zone C27 from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM... no, pull the surveillance for Zone C27 for the entire day," Shentu Mo said coldly into the phone.

"Yes..." the person on the other end seemed hesitant.

"...What is it?"

"Is Producer Shentu asking because of the incident where Assistant Ruan Lin was hit today?"

"...Has someone already checked?"

"Yes, He Lele came to check the surveillance footage herself, but due to regulations, we didn't let her make a copy."

Hanging up the phone, Shentu Mo leaned back into his sofa chair and moved his neck; the eyes behind his lenses were pensive. When he fast-forwarded through the day's surveillance and saw that Xiao Yan had actually bought He Lele a bottle of water, the corners of his mouth finally curled into a brazen and appreciative smile.

This woman... finally knows how to do more than just endure. As for the others...

"Liu Cheng, aside from the filming of 'One Life, One World', suspend all of Xiao Sha's other activities. Cancel all endorsements that haven't been signed yet. You can distribute the resources yourself."

"Yes. And as for Elder Xiao, should I go—"

"No need."

"Yes."

A short while later.

"Shentu, did Shasha do something she shouldn't have? Tell me, and I'll go teach her a lesson!"

"..."

"...Shasha is still young, after all. Don't you think... you could give her a chance to correct her mistake? How about this, let's have dinner together tonight. If there's any misunderstanding, we can clear it up. I will make sure Shasha apologizes to you properly!"

"Elder Xiao, you are a veteran of Muse. There are some things that are unpleasant to hear, and I don't want to say them to you."

"Sigh... I understand. Shasha is actually a good child; it's me who spoiled her. This time... let's just consider it a lesson for her."

When the news that Muse was effectively shelving Xiao Sha spread through the industry, the set of "One Life, One World" remained relatively calm. Everyone was waiting for the night shoot.

After a day of cold compresses, the redness and swelling on her face had finally faded. He Lele handed Ruan Lin's phone back to him. Mu Wei had called just a moment ago, and not knowing whether she should answer, she hadn't. So, as soon as Ruan Lin finished filming, she hurriedly handed the phone to him.

Ruan Lin looked at the missed call and dialed back. As soon as it connected, he had only said "Hello" when Mu Wei immediately cut him off—

"Where is Lele? Put her on the phone."

Ruan Lin paused for a moment, glanced at He Lele, who was packing up to move to the next location, hung up the phone directly, and casually added Mu Wei's number to his blacklist.

The past was the past, and now... he had no aesthetic appreciation for being cuckolded.

"Did your phone run out of battery?" Otherwise, Mu Wei wouldn't have called him.

"...Yes." He Lele replied softly, keeping her head down.

A lie. Ruan Lin stared at He Lele's seemingly docile appearance, his mind already rehearsing how he would educate her after they finished work that night!

Night, indoor set.

In fact, as a romantic art film aimed at winning awards, the intensity of the intimate scenes in "One Life, One World" was not high; one could even say it leaned towards a beautiful, aesthetic style. Because they couldn't rely on exaggerated or intense physical actions to express the depth of desire, the demands on the actors' eyes and expressions were exceptionally high. The reason Ruan Lin had failed several times before was that his eyes held neither love nor desire; in the end, he almost nakedly revealed his annoyance, and even said the most hurtful thing to a woman's self-esteem in front of the director and the camera crew—

"Looking at you, I can't summon the slightest bit of desire."

That one sentence drove Xiao Sha into a frenzy, and she even declared, "It's either him or me! If I'm here, he's not!" One can see how frustrated she was, but if we're talking about frustration, Director Cao Xin's level was probably no less than Xiao Sha's.

Originally, as a rising star in the directing world, Muse had high hopes for him, investing heavily, letting him choose the script, and providing a top-tier team for the directing, cinematography, lighting, and art departments. His schedule was packed, and Muse didn't even intend to make money on "One Life, One World"—it was purely to win awards for him and the actors. With such strong support... he had almost ruined it!

"You, you just said you want to use a body double? But..." Cao Xin looked at Xiao Sha, feeling completely stuck.

"What 'but'? Why should I have to accommodate him? He has no desire when filming with me, and I have no feeling when filming with him. Let's just film our parts separately and edit them together later!" Xiao Sha crossed her arms, looking arrogant and unruly.

"Vivian, we understand your feelings, but asking us to find a body double on such short notice is just not realistic," the female assistant director said, frowning.

"Hey! Don't say I didn't consider the crew. I've already found a body double for Ruan Lin. Xiao Yan!"

Following Xiao Sha's call, Xiao Yan nodded and then led in a young man whose build was somewhat similar to Ruan Lin's.

The directing team looked at each other, and finally, the middle-aged female assistant director spoke up, "Doing this... will make things difficult for Ruan Lin."

"Ha! Make things difficult for him? I've already given him enough face! After the way he insulted me, the fact that I didn't have Muse shelve him is already very generous!" Xiao Sha shouted, unable to hide her anger.

He Lele, following behind Ruan Lin, had just entered the filming area and happened to hear this.

Shelve Ruan Lin?

She looked at Ruan Lin in front of her with some concern, only to find Ruan Lin looking back at her with an intrigued expression.

"Worried about me?" the narcissistic man asked in a low voice for the second time.

"..." He Lele didn't answer. After seeing his ability and dedication to his career with her own eyes, she truly didn't want to see someone who worked so hard get crushed simply because he lacked a backer. But could he stop asking in such an annoying tone? He Lele pouted helplessly.

Ruan Lin chuckled softly and raised his hand to gently pat He Lele's head. This action, treating her like a child, made He Lele glare at him in frustration, but Ruan Lin only laughed even more happily because of it.

"Ruan Lin... you, come here for a second," the middle-aged female assistant director called out.

He Lele then realized they had become the center of attention. Fortunately, Ruan Lin's departure also drew everyone's gaze away, and her phobia lost its trigger before it could flare up.

In fact, an ordinary person doesn't have many opportunities to be stared at by a crowd in daily life. Everyone is busy; who has the spare time to care about others? Unless that person has done something outstanding or outrageous. And she had long ago learned four words—keep a low profile. Don't look for trouble, and... try hard not to let trouble find you.

Sensing a gaze, He Lele looked over—it was Xiao Yan. As soon as Xiao Yan saw He Lele looking back, she hurriedly shifted her gaze away.

Xiao Yan swallowed hard. She had checked—that phone was indeed a luxury phone launched by Versace, and she hadn't found a knockoff version anywhere on the internet. So, so that fake country girl was really... really using a phone worth fifty-nine thousand! And she heard that this He Lele was only a temporary assistant for a week... She looked average, so she shouldn't be a mistress or a kept woman. So... Xiao Yan felt thirsty. Could this girl be the daughter of some wealthy family who came to the set to play?

She couldn't help but look around. She had heard that those wealthy young ladies always had bodyguards following them in secret. She had hit her today; would she be... Xiao Yan became more and more afraid the more she thought about it, and couldn't help but move a few steps toward a dark corner. Jiang Jingjing, who was beside her, found this very strange and looked at Xiao Yan with confusion. Seeing that her fearful expression was completely different from what it had been during the day, she couldn't help but feel a bit of schadenfreude amidst her confusion.

"A body double?" Ruan Lin glanced at the body double actor Xiao Sha had found and smiled faintly, without a trace of negative emotion, "That's fine too."

"But—filming is so tight right now. Where are we going to find a suitable female body double in such a short time? And... even if we find one, the chemistry with you will be a problem," the female assistant director said anxiously.

Xiao Sha sat to the side, watching coldly. She wanted to embarrass Ruan Lin and let the crew know that she was being very cooperative; it was Ruan Lin, not her, who was dragging down the crew, delaying filming, and lacking acting skills! She wanted Ruan Lin to come and beg her personally, beg her to film with him!

"No, on the contrary, I have a very suitable candidate, and she is right here," Ruan Lin replied with a smile. That confident and elegant smile was enough to dissolve everyone's doubts and sweep away the gloom that had been hanging over the directing team!

"I knew you had a backup plan!" the middle-aged female assistant director said, praising him with a smile, not caring that Xiao Sha was present.

*Stroking the ladies*~~ I slept in today~~ I set the alarm wrong~

Regarding the issue of revenge~~ *hee hee hee hee*~~ Lele is always very patient when it comes to her own affairs~~ so she is very tolerant of others~~ but~~ if Lele took care of all the revenge herself~~ what would the men do~~ right~~ *hee hee hee hee*

Thanks to Li Qi~ caroljx~ the two from ivy8031tww~ deepsnow~ Zizhu Feishang~ "I am a happy CNM"~ and tequilachen for the "all-in-one" update requests~~ *hee hee*~~ I'm not afraid of being urged~~ Jiangshan will work hard!!

— Author's Notes —

Author's Note: