Chu Feiliang took the laptop Chu Siyue handed her, opened it, and took a look.
The screen was on several web pages that had just been opened. Chu Siyue had thoughtfully scrolled to the top of each one, so she could start reading directly.
Chu Siyue had nothing to hide from her regarding company matters, so Chu Feiliang didn’t hesitate. Unworried about clicking the wrong thing, she opened a page and casually asked, “What’s all this?”
“A joint statement from Jiang Ruyi’s company and the representative of Mao Xiaosong’s makeup company,” Chu Siyue said faintly, a barely perceptible smile playing on her lips. “Jiang Ruyi really dragged them down with her this time. Their stocks plummeted, and they nearly had to delist.”
Chu Feiliang nodded nonchalantly. “Their company has no connection to ours, right?”
“Correct.” Chu Siyue tapped the table. “But getting rid of a dirty troublemaker who always stirs the pot is bound to improve one’s mood. You’ve seen how those smaller companies and subsidiaries under us complain endlessly.”
Chu Feiliang pretended not to hear the last sentence. After she finished reading, she passed the laptop to Rong Guang and said, “You take a look.”
Rong Guang took it and clicked open the joint statement issued by the two companies.
The official letter was extremely formal. Overall, it could be summed up in four words: ‘Cold, ruthless, none of our business.’
The entire announcement focused on paying more attention to their artists’ professional ethics and character in the future. It also gave strong assurances that they would cooperate with the public security organs to thoroughly investigate this incident. And although the artist and the company had no direct connection, they would take full responsibility for the severe impact of this event.
Although this incident wasn’t like a drug scandal, which would lead to an immediate industry-wide ban upon exposure, from the perspective of professional conduct, it was still something that would have an extremely negative impact.
This trend could not be allowed to start; otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.
If everyone started following this example, with a top idol leading the way, and teenagers began to imitate them, it would be a huge mess. It wouldn’t be a matter of one or two people anymore, but an issue for the entire industry.
After Rong Guang finished reading, she sighed inwardly. Jiang Ruyi was probably truly finished for this lifetime.
When she finished, she was about to hand the laptop back, but Duan Nong snatched it away first.
Rong Guang glanced at her and frowned.
Duan Nong acted as if she hadn’t seen a thing, not even the eyebrow Chu Feiliang instantly raised.
The computer screen timed out and went dark. Duan Nong slammed the spacebar, making a loud clacking sound, and said with schadenfreude, “Hah, serves her right. The breach of contract penalty is so high. Is the money Jiang Ruyi earned all these years even enough to cover it? How is she going to survive when she gets out?”
No one in the room responded. Duan Nong pouted, having made a fool of herself.
She closed the laptop, pushed it toward Chu Siyue, and crossed her arms, sulking in silence.
Chu Siyue didn’t stay long. After discussing the matter, she prepared to leave with her people. She was followed by at least six bodyguards, a rather exaggerated display of pomp.
“I’ll see you out.” Chu Feiliang stood up, grabbing the trash in front of Chacha and Rong Guang on her way.
Chacha cupped her face in her hands, blinked, and said, “Sister Chu, can I sit in your seat?”
“Of course, you can.” Chu Feiliang chuckled, then turned to Rong Guang. “I’ll be right back. We’ll go to the set together.”
Rong Guang nodded.
After the door closed, Duan Nong glared at Chacha, who had already moved to Rong Guang’s side.
Chacha didn’t want to cause trouble for Rong Guang, but she was unhappy with how Duan Nong was treating her. So she stuck to Rong Guang like a pendant, following wherever she went.
She wouldn’t provoke Duan Nong, but she also wouldn’t let Duan Nong touch Rong Guang, and would rather argue with her.
The meeting room was empty now. Duan Nong crossed her arms, sneered, and switched into taunt mode. “Where did you find a girl like this to be your assistant? If you needed an assistant, you should have just come to me sooner. I could have given you Xiao Zhou or Quan Quan. Wouldn’t either of them do a better job than her? Is she even an adult, just hanging around you all the time…”
“Duan Nong.” Rong Guang’s face turned cold. “I won’t repeat myself. Chacha is my sister, closer than a biological sister. If you say anything like that again, don’t blame me for getting nasty.”
Duan Nong was stunned.
Her expression turned a little ugly. She stared at Chacha’s and Rong Guang’s faces for a long time, as if trying to find some resemblance, but apparently found none. She could only say resentfully, “You have a sister? How come I’ve never heard you mention it?”
“No one knows about Chacha’s existence, but don’t get the wrong idea. Her background is perfectly legitimate.” Rong Guang glanced at her, loosened the hair tie at the back of Chacha’s head, had Chacha turn around, and began to retie her hair.
Only the three of them were left in the room, and no one paid any more attention to Duan Nong.
Duan Nong, having made a fool of herself again, finally seemed to belatedly get the hint. She sidled over and said, “Hey, don’t be mad. I was just joking… So, is she really your sister? Your biological sister? You two don’t look alike at all. The kid’s skin is pretty fair, but she just looks like a little simpleton…”
As she spoke, Duan Nong carelessly reached out and pinched Chacha again.
Chacha yelped again from the pinch, her eyes welling up with tears.
Rong Guang clenched her jaw, slapping Duan Nong’s hand away with a crisp sound, not holding back at all.
Duan Nong cried out, “Ah!” while clutching her hand. The back of her hand instantly turned red.
Rong Guang watched her hop around in pain, a look of grievance on her face. After a moment, she finally said, “Are you treating my words as hot air?”
“You’re really angry!” Duan Nong’s eyes were red with anger. “I can’t even joke with you anymore? I used to joke with you like this all the time, and you never got mad!”
Chacha carefully rubbed her own arm, her mouth forming a wavy line as she looked up pitifully and said, “Guangguang, it hurts.”
Rong Guang stroked the spot tenderly and blew on it. “I’ll let you have an ice cream later. You can press it against the spot. This time, you can have a more expensive cone.”
“Okay.” Chacha’s tears stopped. She took Rong Guang’s hand and rubbed her arm with it again. Once the pain was gone, she gave Duan Nong a provocative look, lifted her chin, and let out a soft “Hmph.”
Duan Nong was hopping mad, but seeing how angry Rong Guang had been, she didn’t dare do anything else to Chacha. She could only swallow her anger and sit back down heavily in her chair.
After a while, Duan Nong, who had been quiet for only a short time, started getting restless again.
“You still haven’t thanked me for helping you,” Duan Nong said smugly. “Treat me to a meal later?”
“No time.” Rong Guang looked at Duan Nong very seriously. “Nongnong, Director Zhang has always been very rigorous about his work. I know you’re competitive. Although you’ve mostly been just playing around in the past, in private, you work harder than anyone when it’s time to practice. That’s why I’ve always been willing to guide you, help you correct your movements and adjust your voice. This time is no different.”
Duan Nong paused, her expression turning serious along with Rong Guang’s words. She even sat up straighter, looking a bit like a diligent student.
Seeing her quiet down, Rong Guang sighed. “Don’t joke about your own future. Acting isn’t something you can master overnight. I don’t care why you joined the cast, but if you really want to act in this, then you need to practice properly.”
Duan Nong pressed her lips together and turned her face away. “I know!”
Chu Feiliang, having seen Chu Siyue off, came back in, knocked on the door, and said, “Shall we go?”
Rong Guang instantly brightened upon seeing her, nodded, and got ready to go to the set with her.
Chacha said, “Sister Chu, where’s that pretty big sister from before? Is she your real sister?”
“Mhm.” Chu Feiliang pointed to her RV on the other side. “Big Sister is a bit tired from work. She finally managed to get half a day off today, so she went to her vehicle to rest.”
“Okay.” Chacha blinked, hopping around and drawing squares on the ground with her foot. She glanced at Duan Nong, who was trailing behind them, and whispered, “Big Sister is amazing. She can keep the irritable sister in check.”
Chu Feiliang had sharp ears and heard her.
She then glanced back at Duan Nong, chuckled, and said, “Come here, Chacha. I’ll tell you a secret.”
Chacha’s eyes lit up. She perked up her ears and leaned close to Chu Feiliang, whispering eagerly, “What secret?”
Chu Feiliang saw Rong Guang’s curious gaze, grabbed her by the wrist, and pulled her down to sit on a bench with them.
The three of them formed a small circle. Chu Feiliang said, “That irritable sister you mentioned, she was beaten by me and your Big Sister from childhood all the way up. She’s a classic bully who preys on the weak and fears the strong. If you’re a bit more assertive yourself, she’ll be a bit more submissive.”
Rong Guang was taken aback, then shook her head with a laugh. “You’re right about that.”
It was true that Duan Nong was used to being willful, but whenever Rong Guang got truly angry or was genuinely tired, it was always Duan Nong who would back down and admit she was wrong.
For example, when she was angry about Duan Nong’s actions before, Duan Nong knew she was tired and stopped sending her messages.
This time, although she didn’t know exactly why Duan Nong had joined the cast, she could guess that the reason had something to do with her.
Duan Nong was loyal and truly a good choice for a friend. She wasn’t a bad person, but being around her could be exhausting. After all, no one’s heart is made of steel, and the things Duan Nong said sometimes were genuinely hurtful.
If Duan Nong didn’t grow up, she could only be friends with people like Chu Feiliang and Chu Siyue—people who beat her until she didn’t dare to have a temper.
Rong Guang belatedly tilted her head, completely stunned. “Sister, did you just say that Nongnong was beaten by you and… um, your sister, growing up?”
Little antennae seemed to pop up on Chacha’s head as well.
Chu Feiliang nodded frankly. “Ah, we taught her lessons from childhood on up. To put it without exaggeration, from the time she was three, she got plenty of beatings from me and my sister. She’d howl every time. Although we didn’t see her for a few years after that…” Chu Feiliang rubbed her chin, thought for a moment, and looked at Duan Nong, who was hesitating to approach because she was there. “But the psychological trauma from her childhood is still there. If you don’t believe me, just watch.”
“Watch what?” Chacha’s eyes were shining.
“Watch if she cries and dodges when I raise an arm or a leg near her.” Chu Feiliang shrugged.
Rong Guang felt that Chu Feiliang’s towering image had suddenly grown even taller before her eyes, and at the same time, it also seemed… more vivid and alive?
She blinked, cautiously scooted closer to her, and asked, “Did you really hit her?”
“Not exactly.” Chu Feiliang looked at Rong Guang’s cautious expression and chuckled. “What are you thinking of me? It’s because she was too mischievous as a child. Have you ever seen a kid who, while visiting a neighbor’s house at just over three years old, could set her own room on fire, then tie bedsheets into a rope to perform a fire escape from the second-story window, only to actually fall and give herself a concussion?”
Rong Guang’s breath caught. She thought to herself, that really does sound like something Duan Nong would do.
Chu Feiliang gestured toward Duan Nong with her chin, a cold smile tugging at her lips. “Yep, that’s her. If the family’s housekeeper hadn’t discovered it in time, and the fire, which had only burned a table, hadn’t been extinguished by the automatic sprinkler system, let’s not even talk about whether she would have survived lying on the grass below the second floor for a whole afternoon. The entire family could have lost their lives while taking a midday nap.”
Chacha’s face scrunched up. “So naughty… Guangguang, what was I doing when I was three?”
Rong Guang was stumped by the question. Right, what was Chacha doing when she was three?
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