Her Rose – Chapter 62

No matter what the main creators of the movie thought of it, nor what turbulent undercurrents were hidden beneath this film, three days later, 《Return》 began filming as scheduled.

Cheng Ying brought Jiang Hanguang and the personal assistant she had found for her to the designated pickup point ahead of time, waiting for the car arranged by the crew to pick them up.

The pickup point was a star-rated hotel on the edge of Yunjing City’s new district. The crew had rented out an entire floor, which was currently serving as the actors’ pickup point and would also serve as their accommodation starting tomorrow.

Although the movie was being filmed in Yunjing City, meaning the shooting location was very likely still Central Film and Television City, according to the unspoken rules of the industry, even the biggest stars had to follow the crew’s arrangements once they joined. Acting smart on their own or asking too many questions would easily lead to gossip.

Since they had decided to film it, Cheng Ying also planned to get along well with the crew. Although she would most likely destroy the fruits of their hard labor, before that, Jiang Hanguang still needed to use the promotional materials from this drama to solidify her fanbase.

When the time arranged with the crew arrived, the crew’s car still hadn’t come. Cheng Ying was a little displeased, but it didn’t show on her face. She continued to chat cheerfully with Jiang Hanguang.

It was normal for a film crew to have a lot to do on the first day of shooting, so it wasn’t strange for them to be late.

Besides, filming this thing was already vexing enough. If she wore a long face every day, it would only make Jiang Hanguang more worried.

Jiang Hanguang, on the other hand, was still deeply engrossed in the script, her brow slightly furrowed. She was seriously flipping through the script, which, in just three short days, had its pages curled from her turning and had doubled in thickness from all the sticky notes she’d attached.

Over the past two days, Cheng Ying had gotten a full taste of what Jiang Hanguang was like when she was working. She finally understood why, even after leaving the entertainment industry for ten years, she could still return and portray her characters so vividly.

To say she forgot to eat and sleep was an understatement. In reality, when Jiang Hanguang was reading the script, she could barely hear people talking next to her. More than once, Cheng Ying had to forcibly use her status as the master of the house to barge into Jiang Hanguang’s bedroom without permission and drag the woman, who seemed to be waking from a dream, out to eat.

“Boss Cheng, Sister Jiang, here’s some water.” The personal assistant, Xiao Xiao, had just been plucked by Cheng Ying from Cheng’s Media’s backup assistant team. She had never been outstanding in any way growing up, and when she presented, she unsurprisingly became the most mediocre of Betas—the kind of ordinary girl who would be hard to find in a crowd. Now, she had suddenly become the assistant to the popular star Jiang Hanguang. She was currently in a state of immense happiness mixed with disbelief and trepidation, afraid she was dreaming. Consequently, she was exceptionally attentive and cautious. Even for the water, she had bought new cups from the hotel at her own expense and had hidden in the pantry to wash them over a dozen times before finally bringing out two cups of hot water.

The Alpha, slouched on the sofa, casually took the cup offered to her and gave Xiao Xiao a toothy grin, which had a somewhat frivolous air to it. “Thanks for your hard work~”

Xiao Xiao hadn’t really seen Cheng Ying much before, so she naturally didn’t know this was how she usually treated people. First, she was dazed for a moment by the other’s beautiful and brilliant smile, but when she came to her senses, she couldn’t help but feel apprehensive.

It wasn’t that she was arrogant enough to think Cheng Ying was interested in her—after all, anyone who had seen Jiang Hanguang in person would find it hard not to feel a sense of helpless shame about their own looks. So, what she was actually more worried about at that moment was: would Jiang Hanguang be unhappy because Cheng Ying had smiled at her like that?

Jiang Hanguang and Cheng Ying’s relationship was now known to everyone. Who could ask which Omega would tolerate their Alpha grinning so brilliantly at someone else right in front of them?

What happened next seemed to confirm her suspicions. The water offered to Jiang Hanguang was not taken. The woman, so beautiful that she looked like a painting just by sitting there, was still looking at the script with a serious expression, seemingly displeased.

Xiao Xiao’s heart sank, and she almost burst into tears on the spot. Could she be so unlucky as to offend her boss on her very first day of work? As expected, for someone like her, even if she got lucky, she would definitely pay it back with double the misfortune later.

While she was at a loss, Cheng Ying, who had taken a couple of sips of tea, deftly put down her cup, took the other one from her hand, and with that same unreliable yet suggestive smile, said, “Let me.”

Xiao Xiao: “…”

She was just about to exclaim that Miss Jiang was truly skilled at taming Alphas, needing Boss Cheng to wait on her hand and foot just for a drink of water, when she saw the one doing the waiting lean impolitely close to the skilled Alpha-tamer’s ear, puff up her cheeks, and blow a hard puff of air at the Omega’s jade-like ear.

“Ah…” Jiang Hanguang let out a low, soft cry. Like a startled rabbit, she raised a hand to cover her ear and looked at Cheng Ying beside her with a mixture of confusion and reproach.

Cheng Ying’s smile didn’t change, but Xiao Xiao could hear a very obvious doting tone in her voice. “Lost in your reading again? Have some water, rest your eyes.”

Only then did Jiang Hanguang notice Xiao Xiao standing beside her. She quickly took the cup from Cheng Ying’s hand, nodded at Xiao Xiao, and gave her a polite and gentle smile. “Thank you.”

Xiao Xiao finally understood that Jiang Hanguang wasn’t angry at all; she simply hadn’t heard her speak.

But the price she paid to understand this was not insignificant. First, her heartbeat was thrown into disarray by a critical hit from Miss Jiang’s beauty, and then she was force-fed a mouthful of dog food.

She clearly saw that Miss Jiang’s earlobe, which had just been blown on, was tinged with a beautiful red. What she didn’t know was that if they were in private, Boss Cheng would most likely have bitten it instead of blowing on it.

Sitting back down with her mind a chaotic mess as if she’d just survived a disaster, Xiao Xiao saw Cheng Ying casually take the script from Jiang Hanguang’s lap, presumably meaning for her to take a break before reading again.

But Jiang Hanguang had clearly reached a crucial part and was unwilling to put it down. She reached for the script in Cheng Ying’s hand while whispering something to her.

Actually, Xiao Xiao didn’t really want to know what they were saying, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from Miss Jiang’s beautiful face, which held a hint of a pout. Thus, she couldn’t stop herself from watching the whole exchange.

They both spoke in low voices, but their expressions were easy to understand, so even by relying purely on her imagination, she could figure out what they were saying.

“Just a little more, just a little.”

“Nope. You said that last time. How long has it been?”

“But…”

“If you really want to read it, that’s fine too. How about you give me a kiss?”

“…”

Xiao Xiao watched as the Alpha, who was grinning like a fox, held the script far away at arm’s length. The elegant and beautiful Omega looked at her helplessly, a wry smile on her face that held no negative feelings, occasionally glancing at Xiao Xiao with a troubled expression.

This wasn’t some doting domineering president and her gentle, lovely little wife; this was a live scene of the big bad wolf teasing the little white rabbit.

Xiao Xiao had no doubt that if she weren’t here right now, that wolf would have already gotten her way and had her meal.

But given that the wolf was her boss’s boss, and that the two of them were a match made in heaven, she didn’t dare step out to uphold justice. She could only try her best to curl up into the sofa to make herself seem less like a third wheel.

At the same time, she looked out the window at the clear sky, tears streaming down her face.

She finally knew the price of her good fortune: an unlimited supply of premium-grade dog food.

Meanwhile, in this harmonious atmosphere, Xiao Xiao’s uneasy heart gradually settled down.

Her two bosses seemed to be very good-tempered, much easier to get along with than they appeared. And with her role as a third wheel who was superfluous even as a helper, her future work would surely be easy and pleasant.

However, this beautiful thought lasted less than three minutes before it was shattered to pieces.

Cheng Ying’s phone suddenly rang. All three people in the room paused. Cheng Ying shamelessly stuffed the script behind her back to hold it down as she answered the call.

After listening for just a couple of sentences, the Alpha’s face, which had been as bright as a spring day, darkened.

She spoke to the person on the other end in a displeased yet businesslike tone, “We’ve waited here for an extra half an hour. For you to ask us to go by ourselves now isn’t very appropriate, is it?”

The person on the other end said something else, which was either shirking responsibility or being unreasonable.

Because Xiao Xiao heard Cheng Ying let out a cold laugh, her tone suddenly turning severe. “That’s your problem. The notice we received was to wait here. If the crew’s car isn’t parked outside within half an hour, Miss Jiang will not be appearing on set today. When that time comes, you can go act yourself and see if Director Yan is satisfied.”

Without waiting for a reply, she hung up and threw her phone onto the coffee table with a clatter.

Xiao Xiao, who was already trembling from her severe tone, jumped and nearly fell off the sofa.

She quickly sat up straight, putting on a well-behaved expression, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.

She must have been out of her mind to think Cheng Ying was easy to get along with. If she didn’t have a temper, how could she possibly have managed several famous artists?

But Jiang Hanguang, who had just been helplessly teased by Cheng Ying, was not as silent as a cicada in winter like her. The woman gently patted Cheng Ying’s shoulder. “It’s common for the crew to be busy on the first day. It’s okay if we go by ourselves, right? You drove, anyway.”

The Alpha, whose face was clouded over, grunted like a wolf being soothed, her expression softening slightly. She answered Jiang Hanguang gently, “You don’t understand. In a crew of this level, the assistant director is definitely a shrewd veteran of the industry. This matter isn’t big, but it’s a test. If we give in to him now, there will only be more trouble during filming later. Those people are used to bullying the kind and fearing the fierce. If you’re easygoing, not only will they not appreciate it, they’ll just push their luck even further. I don’t want you to be wronged…”

Jiang Hanguang thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. “You’re still the more thoughtful one.”

Cheng Ying rubbed against her hand. “You’re just too nice. Some people are just asking for it.”

Her gaze fell on Xiao Xiao, who was trying her best to pretend to be a mushroom on the opposite side, and she let out a chuckle. “What are you afraid of? I’m not talking about you. But remember what I said today. Our Hanguang is kind-hearted. If something like this happens when I’m not around…”

Xiao Xiao immediately understood, stood up, and with an expression of facing death unflinchingly, declared, “I will definitely protect Miss Jiang!”

Jiang Hanguang: “…I’m not Tang Sanzang, you don’t have to be so tense.”