Chapter 45

Xie Fuyi followed the commotion and saw a burly man in black pulling a young girl’s arm and throwing her out. The girl, protecting her camera, fell to the ground, scraping her arm.

She looked to be in her early twenties, with a beautiful appearance and a lively high ponytail. However, at the moment, she was furious, her eyes blazing, gritting her teeth as she said, “Who took pictures of you? I just wanted to interview Mu Ziming!”

“That’s even less possible. Who are you? Did you take pictures of him?” the man said, furrowing his brows as he reached for the girl’s camera and snatched it away.

Xie Fuyi recalled this scene. This girl was none other than Ye Yunshan, the sister of Ye Yunshen, the CEO of Entertainment Empire.

The original Xie Fuyi had seen her once before and had wanted to use her to get close to Ye Yunshen. However, his ulterior motives were exposed by the protagonist, and Ye Yunshen naturally used his influence to blacklist and sideline him.

Seeing the man raise his hand to smash the camera, the girl struggled to snatch it back, “Don’t!”

But she was too short to reach, so she could only watch helplessly as the man raised his hand.

Just then, a clear voice rang out softly—

“Wait.”

As the words fell, the man’s wrist was grasped by a beautiful and slender hand, stopping him from smashing the camera.

The man followed the graceful hand and saw a handsome and gentle face, momentarily stunned.

Xie Fuyi was about the same height as him, but his figure was slender, much thinner than him. He hadn’t expected the grip to be so strong, seemingly light but immobilizing.

The man’s expression turned cold and fierce, “Are you her accomplice? What do you want?”

Xie Fuyi looked at him and shook his head slightly, his expression calm, “I’m just an extra, and I don’t know this young lady. But since she said she didn’t take any pictures, checking the content of the camera will reveal whether she’s lying or not. If the camera is damaged, regardless of whose fault it is, you’ll probably have to pay for it.”

The commotion had already attracted a crowd, but no one intervened.

The girl looked at Xie Fuyi standing in front of her. Despite the mud on his face and clothes, his sharply defined profile and calm demeanor made it hard to notice the cheap costume and dirt on him.

His voice was calm and reasoned, his clear eyes bright and gentle, his comfortable aura unconsciously convincing. The surrounding people began to murmur, urging the man to find out the truth.

The man, whose wrist was held by Xie Fuyi’s hand and couldn’t break free, couldn’t believe the other’s strength. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he gruffly said, “Let go. I just wanted to see what’s inside!”

Xie Fuyi didn’t expose the man’s attempt to smash the camera just now. He just smiled faintly and let go of his hand.

Watching the man look through the photos, his expression becoming increasingly unpleasant, it seemed that there was indeed no picture taken of their crew or Mu Ziming.

“Let’s leave it at that this time. Don’t let it happen again,” he said with a somewhat grim face, handing the camera back and turning to leave.

The girl’s scraped arm still hurt, and she felt like the man wanted to brush her off with just a few words. Gritting her teeth, she snatched the camera back.

But just as the man was about to leave, he was stopped by the clear voice of a man, “Wait.”

“What now?” the man said impatiently, frowning.

Xie Fuyi’s tone was calm, but his expression was serious and earnest, “You misunderstood her and even pushed her down. You should apologize.”

The man hesitated for a moment, then his face flushed, “Do you know who I am? A mere extra, and you still want to act here?”

Xie Fuyi wasn’t intimidated in the slightest, just furrowed his brows slightly. With his handsome features and serious expression, he looked particularly stubborn, “Whether I act or not is irrelevant, but when you make a mistake, you should apologize.”

He remained calm, his voice resonant. The surrounding people were somewhat stunned. How could there still be someone who meddled in others’ business like this? Was he not afraid of ruining his own livelihood for someone he didn’t even know? Moreover, the man seemed to be bulkier than him. Wasn’t he afraid of angering the man and getting beaten up for being so stubborn?

“Get lost!” The man couldn’t hold back anymore, raising his hand as if to strike.

The crowd gasped, but in the next moment, they saw Xie Fuyi easily grasp the man’s wrist with one hand, not even budging an inch.

The man froze, unable to pull his hand free no matter how hard he tried. Even when Xie Fuyi seemed to exert a slight force, he felt a sharp pain in his arm, his face turning pale.

Xie Fuyi repeated earnestly, “Apologize.”

Though the words were neither light nor heavy, his tone was calm, yet the man inexplicably felt oppressed.

After a standoff for a while, he gritted his teeth and gruffly muttered an apology.

Only then did Xie Fuyi release his hand. The man immediately stepped back two paces, glaring fiercely before leaving. “You’re lucky this time, but don’t expect to get any roles in this film studio in the future!”

Is that so? That’s just great!

Xie Fuyi smirked inwardly, quickly ushering him away. He was afraid of staying here too long and accidentally messing up the plot again by running into the protagonist every day.

Xie Fuyi stood still, lowering his gaze slightly. In the eyes of others, he seemed worried. After all, he was just an extra struggling to make ends meet here. Now that he had offended the people around the biggest actor in the largest crew, he might not be able to survive here anymore.

“Are you okay? Thank you for helping me. I’ve caused you trouble…” The girl behind him gently tugged at Xie Fuyi’s sleeve.

Turning around, Xie Fuyi’s desolate expression softened. “It’s nothing. At worst, I’ll find another place.”

He said it lightly, even though he was in a difficult situation himself and had to comfort her. The girl was touched and felt wronged thinking about her experiences today. Gradually, tears welled up in her eyes. “It’s all my fault. I can’t do anything right. My phone was stolen the first time I took a bus. I haven’t eaten anything all morning. It’s my first time coming out for an interview alone, and I’ve already been slandered…”

Xie Fuyi sighed, reflecting on the life of a wealthy young lady who was taking a bus for the first time in her twenties.

And he couldn’t stand seeing girls cry. For a moment, he felt a bit at a loss, quickly raising his hand to wipe her tears. “Hey, don’t cry…”

But his slender fingers were still muddy, and they got stained with tears, leaving two faint traces. Xie Fuyi realized his embarrassment and awkwardly withdrew his hand. “Sorry, I got you dirty…”

“Hmm?” The girl was puzzled, her eyes still teary. It wasn’t until she glanced at her reflection in the nearby glass door that she realized what had happened. She stopped crying and burst into laughter.

Seeing her smile, Xie Fuyi breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced around, his gentle features softening. “Wait here for me.”

“Huh?” She hadn’t reacted yet, but she saw Xie Fuyi enter a nearby convenience store. When he came back, he not only bought cotton swabs and band-aids but also some bread. Xie Fuyi didn’t have much money now, and buying these things almost used up the extra money he earned from being an extra all morning.

“Are you hungry? Eat something to fill your stomach first. You have a wound on your arm, let me take care of it for you.” Seeing the concerned expression on Xie Fuyi’s handsome face, the girl couldn’t help but feel a warmth in her heart and muttered, “It’s okay, they’re just minor problems…”

“Although the wound isn’t big, you still need to take care of it. Infection would make it worse,” Xie Fuyi said gently as he carefully cleaned the wound on her arm, which had been stained with dirt, and applied a band-aid.

Xie Fuyi’s fingers were distinct and elegantly long. As he did all this, it was as if he was handling the most exquisite piece of art. The two of them were standing quite close, and his handsome face bore a gentle expression. When he looked up, you could almost see each of his thick, long black eyelashes.

“Is it still hurting?”

It wasn’t until the clear voice, tinged with comfort, softly sounded that the girl snapped back to reality. Her ears turned red instantly, and she shook her head slightly, “It’s not hurting anymore. Thank you… um, what’s your name? Are you also a celebrity?”

She was stumbling over her words… He looked so good; it couldn’t be possible that he was just an extra, right?

Xie Fuyi inwardly curved his lips — he had ulterior motives for getting close to her, so of course he couldn’t do a good deed without expecting something in return!

Xie Fuyi lowered his eyebrows slightly, revealing a helpless smile, and self-deprecatingly said, “Do I look like a celebrity in these clothes? I’m just an extra.”

“Huh? It’s such a waste for you to be an extra here…” The girl’s face was full of disbelief and pity. With Xie Fuyi’s face, even if he had no acting skills, there would surely be countless people wanting to promote him.

She glanced at Xie Fuyi’s despondent expression, pursed her lips, and said, “Although I don’t have very powerful connections, I’ve just started working at GM Magazine. But my brother seems to know a few directors. I can introduce you. Oh, by the way, I’m Ye Yunshan. What’s your name?”

Finally…

“Really? My name is Xie Fuyi. But, would it be too much trouble?” Xie Fuyi curved his lips, looking pleasantly surprised, while verbally pretending to be worried about inconveniencing her.

Xie Fuyi secretly felt a bit regretful. This was something Ye Yunshan couldn’t see through. If her brother were here, he would definitely see through his ulterior motives in an instant! But it didn’t matter; he would be exposed sooner or later!

“Why would it be trouble? You just helped me! Let me add you on WeChat…” Ye Yunshan reached out to take her phone, but the next moment, her movement faltered, her face fell, and she lamented, “I lost my phone. Can you add me instead?”

Xie Fuyi was taken aback. Did the original storyline involve the heiress actively adding the cannon fodder on WeChat?

But it should be fine for such a small matter…

Xie Fuyi smiled helplessly. He took out his phone, and Ye Yunshan handed over her phone to input her own phone number and request to add him as a friend, all in one smooth motion.

“That’s it. I’ll ask my brother when I get back, and I’ll let you know when there’s news.”

Ye Yunshan smiled sweetly, her palm slightly warm as she handed back the phone. It was the first time she had taken the initiative to ask for a man’s WeChat.