BDB Chapter 15

The director didn’t have a death wish, and he knew that President Li’s final question was not merely a threat.

He dared not say more. After leaving the room, he personally called Jiang Tang’s agent.

At that time, Sister Wang had just arrived with Jiang Tang at a Japanese restaurant. Seeing Jiang Tang avoid ordering any raw fish and instead opting for a simple bowl of tonkotsu ramen, Sister Wang was reminding Jiang Tang not to indulge too much before joining the cast. Her phone rang just in time.

After she finished the call and returned to the table, she saw Jiang Tang rarely smile at her. “I didn’t pass the audition. Can I have the tonkotsu ramen now?”

Even though it was winter, the late afternoon sunlight filtered through the windows, casting a soft shadow under her eyes and highlighting the roots of her lashes.

It was as if she was enveloped in a lemo filter, making her look stunningly beautiful.

Sister Wang immediately clutched her chest.

The reason was not awe at the person’s looks but rather a thought of how she had gotten herself into such a situation!

On the small table, apart from the ramen, there was nothing else with a tempting aroma. Seeing Jiang Tang about to pick up her chopsticks, Sister Wang slowly moved the ramen bowl in front of Jiang Tang to her own side. “No.”

Jiang Tang was puzzled. “Why not?”

“If you didn’t pass the audition, you still have TV drama resources to explore and variety show opportunities to pursue. TV screens are more forgiving; you can appear ten pounds heavier on them. Your current figure is just right. If you gain more weight, you’ll look bloated on TV.”

Jiang Tang didn’t speak. She tried to move the ramen bowl back to her side but found Sister Wang holding it firmly. Helpless, she had to call the waiter and, under Sister Wang’s piercing gaze, ordered another bowl of ramen.

The ramen arrived quickly. Ignoring Sister Wang’s gaze, Jiang Tang picked up a chopstick full of noodles and took a bite. Sister Wang then asked, “Let me ask you one last time: Are you really not letting yourself go because you’re planning to retire from acting?”

Jiang Tang didn’t think she was letting herself go.

She had been eating well for a few days. Though she didn’t feel a significant change in her physical sensitivity, she was no longer as prone to anemia and blackouts as she had been in the initial days of her arrival.

In this CEO novel, the female lead was treated harshly. Jiang Tang believed that only by keeping her body in a condition close to ordinary people could she possibly survive safely and happily until the final episode.

“Then just take a job honestly.”

“No, Sister Wang, could you please wait for another six months?”

With differing views, it was only natural that they parted on unhappy terms.

Sister Wang left first, and Jiang Tang called the driver to inform him of her location. After finishing her ramen and packing the remaining dishes, she slowly walked out of the Japanese restaurant.

To her surprise, when she arrived at the agreed location, the familiar car was nowhere to be seen.

She even scanned the license plates of the many cars parked along the street, but none matched the one she was expecting.

She called the driver again, but there was no answer.

As if things couldn’t get worse, a drop of rain fell on her forehead just as she gave up on reaching the driver and decided to call the Li residence for a replacement vehicle.

Drip, drip.

In no time, it turned into a torrential downpour.

Though Jiang Tang managed to find shelter in time, the distance between where the car was parked and the covered walkway was significant.

On the way, she couldn’t avoid getting splashed by the rain.

While sheltering under the eaves, she heard people around her saying:

— “The weather forecast was way off; it was supposed to be sunny all day.”

— “I was just thinking how rare it was to have a sunny day, and now it’s changed so quickly.”

Jiang Tang agreed that the weather had changed too abruptly. Typically, such sudden downpours would be accompanied by thunder and lightning as a warning, but this rain arrived so swiftly and forcefully, it felt almost deliberate.

The cold wind cut through her, mixing with the raindrops on her body and head.

While waiting for the driver, Jiang Tang continually wiped away the rain, but her resistance soon triggered a sneeze.

Fortunately, the old residence didn’t let her down this time; the driver arrived quickly.

The contrast between the temperatures inside and outside the car was stark.

Leaning against the leather seat, the comfort of the environment soon lulled her into sleep.

She was woken by Butler Gu.

Although she felt a bit dizzy upon waking, it was normal to feel that way just after getting up.

However, after climbing the stairs alone and sitting in her room for a few minutes, she realized something was off.

Why did her head still feel so uncomfortable?

She called the downstairs landline and asked Butler Gu to bring up some cold medicine.

After taking the medicine with warm water, Butler Gu suggested, “Madam, you should remove your makeup and take a nap. You might have a cold. The house is warm; if you cover yourself with blankets and sweat it out, you should feel better when you wake up.”

Of course, she needed to remove her makeup. It was odd to sleep with heavy makeup on.

Sweating it out under the blankets was also a valid approach. In the long months and years of her previous life, when she was neglected, her mother would always have her do this whenever she fell ill.

Jiang Rao nodded and, after Butler Gu left, locked the door behind her. She soaked three to five cotton pads with the makeup remover she usually used for her heaviest makeup and pressed them onto her face for a deep cleanse.

The heavy makeup on top was applied with the most basic products. While it wouldn’t come off with just wet wipes, it was easy to remove with makeup remover.

Feeling somewhat dazed, she looked at her reflection with the eyeliner and lashes still intact. She blinked and then, feeling woozy, made her way to the bed.

Before falling asleep, she felt a lingering sense of unease in her half-awake, half-asleep state.

However, her head ached too much to dwell on it. Within just a few minutes of her head hitting the pillow, she closed her eyes and drifted peacefully into sleep.

She slept so soundly that she showed no signs of waking up by the time it neared lunchtime.

Thus, she missed Butler Gu’s call checking on her.

In the large ancient castle, every room had at least one spare key.

Butler Gu used a key to unlock the door Jiang Tang had locked and found her lying in bed with her face flushed red.

After calling the family doctor urgently, Butler Gu decided it was also necessary to inform President Li.

…

As a thoroughly straight man, in Li Jueyan’s mind, anything could be cleaned with water. If something wasn’t coming clean, it was simply because the amount of water or the intensity of the cleaning wasn’t sufficient.

Makeup remover was just another form of water, after all.

He didn’t expect Jiang Tang to remove her makeup voluntarily, so he had someone create an artificial downpour.

Although he realized soon after giving the order that no normal person would stand out in the open and get drenched, she had tricked him so many times and caused him so much trouble; a little discomfort and a bit of rain were only fair.

What he didn’t expect, however, was that just a little rain would make her come down with a fever.

The doors of the ancient castle had long been opened for him.

Upon entering, he heard Butler Gu report, “Madam has been given an IV and nutritional fluids. If her immune system is strong, she should recover by tomorrow morning.”

Li Jueyan’s expression was unreadable.

If her immune system was really that good, how could she fall ill from just a bit of rain?

He pushed open the door to her bedroom.

Under the glaring and flickering light, she slept soundly.

Yet, she didn’t look beautiful at all.

Her face was smeared with something, looking mottled and revealing an undeniable flush.

Tsk, ugly as hell.

He figured she was probably still wearing makeup. His straight-man logic kicked in once again, so he fetched a basin of water and placed it beside the bed. Then, wetting a towel, he reached over to wipe her cheeks.

After wiping, the mottled makeup stayed on the towel, revealing a fair, pinkish complexion.

He paused, trying to cover her eyes with the towel.

After about half a minute, as he removed the towel and looked down, his heart started pounding wildly at the sight of her bare face.

Without the glaring eye makeup, her eye area was clean.

One side of her face had dense, unruly lashes, and her lips were naturally red without any makeup.

It was her.

He knew he hadn’t been wrong!

…

Author’s Note: 

Li Jueyan: “I’m the domineering president who spends money to create artificial rain if no one removes the makeup for me!”

Jiang Tang: “…You’re being really cheeky, eh.”

——