Chapter 16: The Wrap-up Party

Since Shang Jie left, Jiang Xingxing’s chaotic life had finally returned to normal.

Qin Huai also stopped bringing people to the Red House Theater to stir up trouble. With the man’s departure, all the turbulence gradually settled down.

Seeing that Jiang Xingxing was still unhappy, Jiang Zhi asked her to help out at the theater more often and take on small acting roles.

As her older brother, he knew his sister well. Once she entered a role, all her real-life emotions seemed to be locked outside. She truly became a character from the play.

Many actors struggle to quickly detach from their emotions, but Jiang Xingxing could do it with ease.

She was, in every sense, born to act.

The final scenes of “The Eunuch’s Deep Palace Secrets” dragged on, but at least it was finished in the end. That night, the crew booked a private room at Century Hotel to celebrate the completion.

Jiang Xingxing, who had a speaking role as a palace maid, was naturally invited to the wrap party. As for extras like Song Xiaoxiao, who also played palace maids, they weren’t so lucky. They started grumbling like pigeons cooing in complaint.

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“R blyae vbl ekalnvsa kdhkvle y qlo sq bkp nzspl qakldep vs vbl oayr ryavu, kdnzwekdt vbl qyxswp ekalnvsa Qw Zl.”

“Ebs’p Qw Zl?”

“Zsw jdso, vbl sdl obs ekalnvle vbyv ckt bkv “Ukvu sq Pyuzktbv” lhlausdl oyp vyzjkdt ycswv alnldvzu.”

“Ls oyu! R nyd’v clzklhl Pkalnvsa Nkw, qasx swa pxyzz J-zlhlz qkzx, kp qakldep okvb Qw Zl.”

“Ebs eslpd’v byhl y qlo aknb yde rsolaqwz qakldep, aktbv?”

“R blyae “Ukvu sq Pyuzktbv” kp pvkzz kd vbl nypvkdt rbypl. Flhlayz vsr ynvalpplp byhl clld alflnvle cu vbl rasewnlap clnywpl vblka ynvkdt oypd’v tsse ldswtb. Mblu oydv vs alnypv yde yal zssjkdt qsa y vyzldvle dlonsxla.”

“El’al yzz dlonsxlap, yald’v ol?”

“Elzz, usw’e dlle vs ynvwyzzu yvvlde vbl oayr ryavu qsa y nbydnl.”

“Ugh, so envious. Why does Jiang Xingxing get to go while we can’t?”

Jiang Xingxing had just finished changing and overheard the group of palace maid extras talking about her.

Song Xiaoxiao deliberately raised her voice, saying, “Quit complaining. It’s not like you’re as ‘special’ as her.”

She always teased Jiang Xingxing about her flaws. From the start of filming, how many times had she made fun of her?

Jiang Xingxing glanced at Song Xiaoxiao, who said, “What are you looking at? Am I wrong? Don’t think that sucking up to the director makes you special. Even if you do, you’re not getting the lead role.”

For once, Jiang Xingxing didn’t respond. Instead, she walked straight to the director and whispered a few words to him.

Song Xiaoxiao found this amusing and said, “What are you, a little kid? Still running to tell on me? Too bad the crew is disbanding. Complaining to the director now is useless.”

But to her surprise, Jiang Xingxing returned and told the group of extras, “I just spoke to Director Liu, and he agreed that you can all come to the wrap party. Ren Shan, Wen Xue, Ran Niannian—you’re all invited.”

The extras stood there stunned for a while before reacting.

“Ah! Thank you, Xingxing!”

“You’re so kind! Thank you for speaking up for us!”

Jiang Xingxing replied, “No need to thank me. It was nothing.”

It was just a matter of setting out a few more plates, and most directors wouldn’t refuse such a small request. But no one else in the crew besides Jiang Xingxing would speak up for them, and they would never ask on their own—it would be too embarassing.

Jiang Xingxing always listened to the director, and although Director Liu had a hot temper and often argued with the actors, Jiang Xingxing was calm and gentle. She accepted his scoldings without talking back. So, even though the director often yelled at her, deep down, he liked this honest girl. When she asked to bring a few friends to the wrap party, he casually agreed.

“Song Xiaoxiao, you were just saying those things about Xingxing.”

“Aren’t you dying to go to the wrap party and meet Director Gu Ye? Now she’s given you the opportunity.”

“Aren’t you going to apologize to Xingxing?”

The few girls who had benefited from Jiang Xingxing’s kindness all turned their attention to Song Xiaoxiao.

Biting her lip, Song Xiaoxiao stubbornly replied, “Who… who asked for her help? I don’t even want to go to the wrap party.”

Jiang Xingxing could tell that she desperately wanted to go—probably to the point of obsession—but she just couldn’t swallow her pride. After all, if she went, it would mean acknowledging that she had benefited from Jiang Xingxing today, and all of her past sneers and mockery would come back to slap her in the face.

Even though she was itching to go, Song Xiaoxiao refused to give in out of sheer pride. She changed out of her costume and left without saying another word.

The crew rented two large buses and headed to the Century Hotel in Jiangcheng.

The director and the main cast members walked ahead, while Jiang Xingxing and the extras followed behind. Every girl had meticulously done her makeup; after all, they were about to meet a famous director, and he still hadn’t cast the lead actress for his next project. If one of them caught his eye, it could be their big break.

Naturally, Jiang Xingxing also hoped to impress the renowned director, so she had made an effort to look her best.

One elevator couldn’t fit everyone, so the director and main actors went up first, leaving Jiang Xingxing and a few others to wait for the second elevator.

Just then, a group of people entered the lobby. The hotel’s concierge quickly walked over, bowing respectfully.

“Mr. Shang, you’re here. Please, this way. The room is ready, and Mr. Li is already waiting for you.”

“Hmm,” came a deep, low response.

Hearing that voice, Jiang Xingxing couldn’t help but turn her head, only to see the man striding in, surrounded by a group of men in suits.

He was also dressed formally, wearing a shirt and slacks, with a dark bowtie neatly tied at his chest. His figure was tall and sharp, his shirt tucked loosely into his pants, and his long, straight legs made him look like a model.

His eyebrows were sharp, but his expression was emotionless. His dark brown eyes were cold and distant.

Jiang Xingxing knew everything about him—his body, his scent, his habits… But the man standing before her now seemed like a stranger.

He didn’t even glance in her direction.

The girls, recognizing he was an important figure, quickly stepped aside to let him take the elevator first.

“Xingxing, what are you daydreaming about?” One of her companions nudged her with an elbow, snapping her out of her daze.

“Huh?”

“Don’t block the door. Let this gentleman go up first,” her companion whispered.

Jiang Xingxing quickly moved aside, lowering her head.

Shang Jie stepped into the elevator with long strides, treating her as if she were a complete stranger.

Maybe, to him, she had always been just a stranger.

As the elevator doors were about to close, Jiang Xingxing finally lifted her head, only to meet Shang Jie’s gaze.

In that split second, his dark brown eyes stared straight at her. In that brief moment, she wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she thought she saw a flicker of familiarity in his eyes.

The elevator doors closed, and the girls around her instantly buzzed with excitement.

“Ahhh! Do you know who just went up?”

“Of course! It’s Shang Jie! I saw him on the news recently. He’s back!”

“He’s even more handsome in person than in the photos!”

“Did you see his face? Those eyes are so beautiful. I think I’ve already fallen in love with him.”

…

Throughout it all, Jiang Xingxing remained silent. When the second elevator arrived, she entered with the others.

At the wrap party, they met Director Gu Ye, who seemed quite interested in the new actors and asked them a few questions. The extras, of course, did their best to make a good impression, respectfully answering him. However, Jiang Xingxing’s mind was already elsewhere.

Her thoughts kept drifting back to what had just happened, replaying every frame of their encounter. Each image of him filled her mind, and she couldn’t stop analyzing it in detail.

That man was clearly a stranger now, no longer the Shang Jie she once knew.

Just as he had said, had the second personality truly been locked away?

Jiang Xingxing felt a strange sense of sadness. He had longed for a life of freedom, but in the end, he hadn’t gotten his wish.

A few minutes later, Jiang Xingxing excused herself and went to the bathroom at the end of the hall. She turned on the faucet, cupped some water in her hands, and splashed it gently on her face to calm herself down.

She needed to stop dwelling on the past. If she kept getting stuck there, she might never be able to move on.

Maybe it was best to treat the whole thing as a fleeting encounter, a chance meeting. If she could pull herself out before getting in too deep, perhaps that would be the graceful way to end things.

Just a minute after making up her mind, Jiang Xingxing stepped out of the restroom—only to come face-to-face with that familiar tall figure.

The overhead lights illuminated the man’s finely textured skin, and his deep brown eyes seemed even more intense. The contours of his features were sharp and clear under the light.

He tugged at his tie and walked over to the sink outside the restroom, turning on the faucet as water gushed out.

Jiang Xingxing took a deep breath and pretended not to recognize him, turning to leave. But then she heard his lazy voice call out—

“Miss Jiang.”

Jiang Xingxing froze, her whole body stiffening. She turned back awkwardly. “Are you… talking to me?”

Shang Jie pulled a white paper towel from the dispenser, carefully wiping his long, slender fingers one by one. Afterward, he lit a cigarette.

The light from above cast shadows over his chiseled face. His gaze was lowered, and his long eyelashes cast a delicate silhouette on his eyelids.

The way he lit the cigarette was unusually graceful.

Something about the scene stirred Jiang Xingxing’s memory, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what was wrong. The feeling was vague, just out of reach.

Casually, Shang Jie asked, “Is there someone in the bathroom?”

“Hmm?” Jiang Xingxing didn’t understand why he would ask such a question.

“The ladies’ room—anyone inside?” he repeated patiently.

“No, there’s no one, Mr. Shang.”

Just then, Jiang Xingxing noticed a devilish smile slowly spreading across Shang Jie’s thin lips.

Before she could react, Shang Jie grabbed her hand and pulled her into the women’s restroom, slamming the door shut behind them.

He pressed her against the wall, their breaths mingling. Jiang Xingxing could clearly see the emotions swirling in his eyes—intense and fervent.

In that moment, Jiang Xingxing suddenly realized what had been bothering her.

Shang Jie’s second personality was a heavy smoker, but his first personality had never smoked at all!

---

Sansukini: Hehe. I like naughty MLs.

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