However, Liu Fang's hand brushed past Lin Leyao's shoulder without actually putting his arm around her. The two were now much closer than before.
Lin Leyao's surprise hadn't faded yet, and Liu Fang, seemingly oblivious to the reason, reminded her, "Your assistant didn't take the picture well. Let's look at the front and have her take it again."
Everything that had just happened seemed like an accident, so Lin Leyao didn't take it to heart anymore and turned to look at Xiao Mi in front of her.
Xiaomi didn't show it on her face, but she took several pictures with her phone. However, she silently complained to herself, wondering why she felt something was off about this CEO Liu.
Xiaomi quickly took two pictures and then returned the phone to Liu Fang.
Liu Fang looked at the two people in the photo and praised, "You took a really good picture."
Xiaomi grinned awkwardly.
After lingering on the photo for a few seconds, Liu Fang asked Lin Leyao next to him, "Do you want to shoot some vlogs to share with your fans? I happen to be a documentary photographer, so I can take this opportunity to shoot one for you."
Hearing this, Lin Leyao hesitated: "Isn't this inappropriate?"
“What’s inappropriate about it? What I’ve done can’t compare to the life-saving grace you’ve shown me.”
Lin Leyao is starting to realize that Liu Fang has probably been looking for a way to repay her for saving her sister. However, having the film's investors film a vlog for her feels a bit inappropriate, and Lin Leyao wants to refuse: "It would be a waste of your talent to have you film this..."
Lin Leyao was interrupted by Liu Fang before she could finish speaking: "What do you mean by wasting talent? There are such unique buildings around, and you are such a beautiful woman. I am lucky."
Having said all that, Lin Leyao didn't refuse any further.
Seeing that Lin Leyao had agreed, Liu Fang raised her eyebrows, feeling a joy that she herself could not even realize.
Xiao Mi stood silently to the side, and seeing Liu Fang's state, her suspicions deepened.
For the next period of time, Liu Fang was filming videos of Lin Leyao with his phone.
It would be hard for anyone to guess that the person who patiently took photos of Lin Leyao is the heir to a famous British family conglomerate.
The group quickly moved to another tourist attraction. This attraction was sparsely populated, with only a few of them present.
Liu Fang suggested, "Le Yao, there's no one here. Why don't you take off your mask and film a short clip?"
Lin Leyao took off her mask without hesitation.
Xiaomi kept scanning her surroundings, and after seeing that there was no one else around, she turned her gaze back to Lin Leyao.
Upon closer inspection, one could see Liu Fang reach out, his fingertips brushing against Lin Leyao's cheek, and gently pulling a stray strand of hair to the side.
His fingertips grazed across Lin Leyao's delicate skin, offering no real sensation, but Liu Fang looked down at Lin Leyao and was momentarily stunned.
Liu Fang stood motionless in front of her. Lin Leyao looked up, her eyes filled with doubt.
Liu Fang didn't reveal any flaws. She smiled brightly, in a good mood: "Le Yao, this makeup really suits you."
Lin Leyao was still wearing the makeup from the drama.
Before Lin Leyao could say anything, Liu Fang had already taken a few steps back and picked up his phone to take pictures of Lin Leyao.
Xiaomi, who was not far away, retrieved the photos she had just taken from her album and sent them out.
S City, Huanning Group, President's Office.
Xin Ying picked up her phone after finishing all the documents, and her brow furrowed when she saw the message notification from Xiaomi.
She opened the chat window and saw a photo.
Clicking on it reveals two people clearly. One is Lin Leyao, and the other, though only her profile is visible, is someone Xin Ying has only seen photos of before. However, for some reason, Xin Ying is able to clearly recognize this person as the new investor in the drama Lin Leyao is currently filming.
The photo is nothing special; it's clear that the investor is taking pictures of Lin Leyao.
But for some reason, Xin Ying always felt uncomfortable when she saw this investor.
Before Xin Ying could continue thinking, there was a knock on the office door.
The secretary came in to remind him, "Mr. Xin, you can go to the meeting now."
"Okay. Let's go." Xin Ying stood up and left the office first.
The secretary glanced at Xin Ying, then quickly lowered her head. Xin Ying had been in a very good mood when she came to work this morning, so why had her mood changed so drastically in just a few hours?
Who made President Xin angry?
Inside the Huanning Group office, the monthly summary reports from each department are being presented.
The finance director said, "Mr. Xin, the budget for the Huaikang project may need to be increased."
After the CFO finished speaking, Xin Ying, who was sitting in the main seat, remained silent.
The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
The CFO stood there for a while, and seeing that Xin Ying remained silent, he became increasingly nervous. He swallowed hard, and was about to speak when he was interrupted.
Xin Ying's cold, hard voice rang out, word by word, in the quiet conference room: "Is...possible?"
Xin Ying raised her eyes and looked coldly at the CFO: "Tell me what those two words might mean?"
"yes……"
"Do you expect me to reply with an 'okay' or 'I understand'? You've worked at the company for almost twenty years, and you don't even know how to give a proper report?"
Xin Ying's voice was icy cold, seemingly devoid of any emotional fluctuation, but her words weighed heavily on the CFO, causing him to tremble uncontrollably.
Everyone present was on edge, holding their breath, their bodies tense.
Xin Ying asked coldly, "What is the specific budget?"
The CFO wiped the cold sweat from his brow and quickly replied, "Two hundred and thirty million."
Xin Ying scoffed.
Without paying any more attention to the CFO, Xin Ying stood up and said expressionlessly, "That's all for today's meeting. Meeting adjourned."
Xin Ying turned and left the conference room. As soon as she disappeared, everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief.
The CFO loosened his tie and said dejectedly, "Did Mr. Xin eat firecrackers today? Why are you so angry!"
Other employees speculated, "Didn't they just announce their marriage last night? Maybe they had a fight with the president's wife."
The CFO took a tissue from someone, wiped the cold sweat from his face, and complained, "Does President Xin look like someone who would have emotional fluctuations over relationship matters? Damn it, I haven't been scolded like this by President Xin in years..."
After filming the VLOG, Lin Leyao and Liu Fang had lunch together.
During the meal, Liu Fang's younger sister, Liu Ai, received a phone call.
Liu Ai asked Liu Fang where he was, and Liu Fang replied, "I'm having dinner with your savior!"
Liu Ai's scream came through the phone's microphone and clearly reached Lin Leyao's ears.
Seeing Liu Ai so emotional, Lin Leyao was somewhat surprised. She hadn't expected the two sisters to value her saving her so much.
Liu Ai hurriedly said a few words and hung up the phone. A moment later, Liu Fang's WeChat call notification sounded.
Liu Ai sent a video call invitation, and Liu Fang clicked to answer.
With the sound played aloud, Liu Ai's voice clearly reached Lin Leyao's ears.
"Where's Sister Lin? Where's Sister Lin?"
Hearing Liu Ai's words, Lin Leyao put down her chopsticks. Before she could react, Liu Fang, who was sitting next to her, suddenly leaned in, put one hand on Lin Leyao's shoulder, and pulled her into his arms, the two of them very close.
Liu Fang said to the person in the video, "Your Sister Lin is here!"
Lin Leyao felt a little awkward because they were too close.
She gripped the edge of the table in front of her, struggling slightly in resistance. Liu Fang was still talking to Liu Ai, so Lin Leyao straightened up and created some distance between herself and Liu Fang.
Liu Ai kept insisting on talking to Lin Leyao, so Liu Fang pointed the camera at Lin Leyao.
Lin Leyao quietly let out a breath.
--------------------
Author's Note:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 03:19:52 on March 2, 2022 and 03:04:49 on March 3, 2022!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the grenade: 55157345 (1 grenade);
Thank you to the little angels who threw landmines: YaoYao (2);
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Ji, snower (10 bottles); and the lovely kitten (7 bottles);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 43
Liu Ai was very excited to see Lin Leyao.
The young girl had just come of age and had a more outgoing personality compared to Liu Fang. During her video call with Lin Leyao, she was very enthusiastic, both in her expressions and her speech.
After having dinner with Liu Fang, Lin Leyao returned to the film set to continue filming her afternoon scenes.
In the video, Liu Ai said that she would come to the film set to see Lin Leyao today. At the time, Lin Leyao thought she was joking and didn't take it to heart.
Unexpectedly, I received a call from Liu Fang right after filming ended today. He said that Liu Ai had arrived at the film studio and we would all have dinner together tonight.
Xiaomi did not attend the dinner that evening. Lin Leyao and the Liu sisters went to a very private Japanese restaurant near the film studio.
Lin Leyao and Liu Ai first met in real life at this Japanese restaurant.
Liu Ai is only about 1.5 meters tall, and her healthy wheat-colored skin shows that she loves sports.
Upon meeting, Liu Ai hugged Lin Leyao and gave her two affectionate kisses.
Although Lin Leyao doesn't like having too much physical contact with others in private, she easily accepts Liu Ai, a girl who only has eyes for her.
Liu Ai liked to liven up the atmosphere and had a special fondness for Lin Leyao, so she put a lot of thought into Lin Leyao's needs throughout the entire dinner.
This was the happiest meal Lin Leyao had eaten since joining the film crew. Her tense nerves, which had been constantly in front of unfamiliar people, gradually relaxed.
The meal was a pleasant one for both the host and guests.
When they parted, Liu Ai took a photo with Lin Leyao. Liu Ai stood in the middle, with her left arm around Lin Leyao and her right arm around Liu Fang. The three of them posed for a photo with the help of a waiter.
The meal lasted three hours, and we didn't get back to the hotel until after midnight.
People working in the entertainment industry are all good at staying up late.
Lin Leyao played on her phone for a while and saw a video posted by paparazzi on a short video platform showing her and Liu Fang strolling around the film and television city today.