Mysterious Assistant of the Washed-Up Queen-Chapter 513 - 331: A Natural Actor_2

If Xu Ruyan couldn’t handle it, things might get even more troublesome later on.

Chu Tian didn’t distrust Wei Chuan; he just felt there might be some misunderstanding about Xu Ruyan.

But Wei Chuan didn’t hesitate at all.

"Rest assured, to put it bluntly, this role is like it was tailor-made for her. Her playing Shirley Yang is just perfect!"

"Ah? This..."

Since he said so, although Chu Tian always felt something was odd, he didn’t say much more.

After all, Wei Chuan was the director. It was best not to talk too much and cause misunderstandings.

"Teacher Liao, could you tell us about the things that happened during the filming of ’Mysteries of Ancient Forest’? I’ve read online that a lot of strange things happened at that time."

They hadn’t even reached the actors’ rest area when they heard a buzz of voices from afar. There sat Xu Ruyan, like a curious child, staring wide-eyed at another actor.

"That’s the lead actor, Liao Yang. He’s only in his thirties and has already won a Best Actor award; his acting is exceptional. He’s playing Hu Bayi."

"That one beside him is a golden supporting actor, a true thespian, an old actor from Beijing Film, Xiang Xuefeng, playing Fat Wang."

"And over there is Big Gold Tooth’s actor..."

As they were talking, the three had already reached the tent where the actors were sitting.

"Director Wei, are we starting?"

Liao Yang was the first to notice the three people approaching and quickly stood up to speak to Wei Chuan.

"No worries, we’re just coming over to take a look. This is the investor and producer of our film, and also our boss, Chu Tian, President Chu."

"Oh my, Uncle Wei, please don’t say that. Just call me Chu Tian. I can’t live up to the title President Chu, haha! It’s very nice to meet everyone."

"Okay, you all get to know each other then. You’re around the same age; you’ll probably have more to talk about with each other than with me."

He said that, but he was actually handing over the speaking rights to Chu Tian. After all, Chu Tian was, first and foremost, the boss, and moreover, Xu Qingqiu was right beside him.

Wei Chuan had his own way of introducing Chu Tian, but since he wasn’t clear on the full picture, he decided not to interfere.

After all, Xu Qingqiu’s popularity had been soaring lately, and even within the film crew, he had heard about her more than once. With her right there in person, how could he not understand the relationship between the two?

Chu Tian immediately understood his intention. Besides, he and Xu Qingqiu were already a public couple, so there really wasn’t anything to hide.

However, at that moment, the most uncomfortable person was Xu Ruyan. She never imagined she would encounter her own sister here!

The crucial part was, she didn’t dare to speak, terrified her sister might call out her name.

Mainly, she was doing very well here, everyone got along, and there was no idle gossip. After all, during the audition, many people had been present and had witnessed Wei Chuan’s excitement.

Everyone knew she got in on her own merit.

But now, if people were to suddenly find out she was the investor’s girlfriend’s younger sister, then even things that seemed reasonable before would suddenly appear suspect. Everyone would wonder if she got in through connections.

So at this moment, she was incredibly anxious.

Luckily, neither Chu Tian nor Xu Qingqiu were fools; they didn’t want Xu Ruyan using her connections to stir up trouble in the crew.

Seeing her evasive eyes, they immediately understood her intention, feeling both relieved and somewhat amused.

"Haha, I don’t have much to introduce. I just invested some money. Don’t mind me; just focus on acting well, cooperate with the director, and produce good work."

"As for this lady here, I believe no introduction is needed? This is my girlfriend, Xu Qingqiu. I’m sure you all know her."

"Ah?"

GASP~

Originally, when they saw Xu Qingqiu, the others were a bit puzzled. But upon hearing Chu Tian’s words, it clicked, and they all gasped in unison.

In the end, Liao Yang was the first to react.

"Teacher Xu, of course, we know you! I’m a big fan of your music!"

"Teacher Liao, you flatter me. You’re far more remarkable; I’ve watched many of your works."

What followed was, of course, the much-anticipated round of business pleasantries. The overall atmosphere was relaxed, causing those around them to slowly let their guard down.

Whether out of genuine curiosity or something else, Xiang Xuefeng, who played Fat Wang, suddenly turned to Chu Tian and asked, "You must be the Chu Tian who appeared at that concert everyone’s talking about online, right?"

Chu Tian saw Xiang Xuefeng’s surprised expression and said with a laugh, "That’s probably me."

"Impressive, bro! You’ve kept yourself pretty hidden, haven’t you? There are a lot of guesses about you online. Some say you’re a rich second-generation kid, some say you’re just an assistant who got lucky due to proximity, and others say you are..."

At this, Xiang Xuefeng suddenly stopped, his face turning a bit awkward.

"Say I’m what? A kept man? Or something else?"

Chu Tian didn’t really mind; he was used to the myriad comments online. Those netizens could say just about anything.

"Haha, you know how netizens are, always guessing wildly. I just didn’t expect you to be... Oh, sorry, sorry!"

Suddenly realizing something, Xiang Xuefeng hurriedly apologized.

In his curiosity, and perhaps because Chu Tian was so young, he had momentarily forgotten his status.

As he spoke, he suddenly remembered: this man was an investor, essentially his boss, and he had just called him ’brother’—what a blunder...

Chu Tian didn’t care about these formalities. He waved his hand dismissively and, with a smile, began chatting with them.

Seeing how easy-going he was, everyone gradually loosened up, and the conversation flowed freely, covering all sorts of topics.

The only exception was Xu Ruyan, who sat to the side, motionless as a quail.

"Eh? Yan? Why aren’t you talking?"

Liao Yang was the first to notice her silence. He was quite fond of this young woman. Thinking she might be too shy or scared to speak up, he decided to draw her into the conversation and help her network a bit.

"This is Xu Ruyan, our leading lady. Don’t let her age fool you; her acting skills are quite remarkable, especially her understanding of the character. She has real talent."

"Right, and she’s also our ray of sunshine! Ever since she arrived, the atmosphere here has improved a lot. Everyone in the crew loves her."

Chu Tian glanced at Xu Ruyan with a half-smile, pretending not to know her, and said, "Oh? Really? Your name is Xu Ruyan, right? Work hard. This film is a big investment and also a great opportunity for you. You might become an overnight sensation."

Hearing Chu Tian’s words, Xu Ruyan felt her face burning. How can he spout such nonsense with such a straight face?

And what’s this about becoming an overnight sensation? Is he praising me or himself?

Xu Ruyan quietly wrinkled her little nose and, without meaning to, looked up at Chu Tian. She felt so awkward she could have dug a hole and buried herself in it, but she couldn’t say anything.

"Ah... Thank you... President Chu, for your... kind words. I’ll work hard."

"Yes, I believe in you. Keep it up. I’m rooting for you."

I’m rooting for you~

Now, Xu Ruyan’s mind kept echoing that phrase, and she felt as if the goosebumps on her skin were about to fall off. How did he manage to say that with such a serious face? If I didn’t know him, I’d never have guessed my brother-in-law could act so well—even better than me! Is he sure he isn’t an actor?

Watching Xu Ruyan’s discomfort, Chu Tian was inwardly bursting with laughter. Little rascal! She set such a huge trap for me during the New Year. If Mom-in-law hadn’t been so understanding, I nearly would’ve crashed and burned! I’ve been holding onto that grudge. Now that I’ve got my chance, how could I possibly not get some payback? You like to put on an act, huh? Well, let’s see who’s better at it!

Xu Qingqiu, who had been observing them the whole time, was nearly dying of laughter.

Especially when she saw Xu Ruyan’s pleading expression, she pretended not to notice, quietly enjoying the spectacle of the two drama-lovers trying to out-act each other.

The key was that everyone else remained oblivious. Liao Yang was even more diligently promoting this young woman he had just met, terrified she might offend the investor.

Only Wei Chuan, who hadn’t said much, seemed to have noticed something, his expression turning a little strange.