Chapter 3 – Fast-forward

Ming Yao was still in a daze when she returned to her dorm.

The earring—had that man taken the wrong one by accident, or… was it actually a gift for her?

But they didn’t even know each other. At most, they had met twice, and both encounters had been painfully awkward. There was no reason for him to give her such an expensive gift.

Honestly, she was already grateful that he hadn’t mocked her to her face for showing up out of nowhere and calling him gege.

No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t figure out why the heir of SG Group would give her a gift.

She preferred to believe he had simply meant to return the earring she lost but had grabbed the wrong one by mistake.

The dorm was quiet, with only Ming Yao still living there. Most senior students had already moved out, and she was also searching for a new place, though she hadn’t found one yet.

After taking a shower, she lay on her bed and, as usual, opened her script.

After visiting the jewelry exhibition today, she picked up a marker and jotted down her thoughts and observations in the scene where they felt relevant.

Once she finished, she went over the scene again.

Lin Yunyun and Gu Yuan first met at the jewelry exhibition. Because Yunyun looked so much like Gu Yuan’s first love, he deliberately gave her a gift to win over the naive young girl.

As Ming Yao read, she sighed and muttered, “Scumbag.”

Just then, her phone rang. It was her mother, Jiang Minyue.

Over a decade ago, Jiang Minyue had been a legendary actress in the entertainment industry. But just as she reached the peak of her career, she abruptly retired and disappeared from the public eye, leaving fans with lingering regret.

Even though she had stepped away from the industry, Jiang Minyue remained deeply invested in Ming Yao’s career. She insisted on knowing the director’s name for every project and wouldn’t allow Ming Yao to audition until she had done her research.

The industry was full of hidden dangers, and Jiang Minyue did everything she could to use her experience to help her daughter avoid unnecessary pitfalls.

Jiang Minyue called and said, “Annie will reach out in the next few days to get the contract signed. Since I won’t be there with you, talk to Annie if you need anything.”

“Mm, I know.”

The Annie Jiang Minyue mentioned was her former assistant, Tian Annie. More than a decade had passed, and that assistant had now become one of the industry’s top agents.

She was also the only person from Jiang Minyue’s entertainment circle whom she still kept in touch with.

The industry was full of hidden dangers. Though Jiang Minyue did her best to guide her daughter down the right path, she often reminded her: Before you accomplish anything, you have to learn how to be a good person. Always stay honest and grounded.

— Stay honest and grounded.

Ming Yao’s mind drifted to those expensive earrings.

She felt anything but grounded.

—

At five in the afternoon the next day, Ming Yao finished her French class. Since the training center was close to Zhouyi Hotel, she decided to walk over.

Not sure if she would be able to find him, she went to the front desk first. “Excuse me, is your president available?”

The receptionist greeted her with a polite smile. “Do you have an appointment, Miss?”

“……” Of course, Ming Yao didn’t have an appointment.

Just as she was about to leave the earrings at the front desk, a man’s voice called out from the side, “Jin Tang? When did you get back?”

The voice was clearly directed at her. Ming Yao instinctively turned and found herself staring at a stranger. Baffled, she glanced around before pointing at herself, silently asking, Me? Are you talking to me?

The man gave her a once-over before slapping his forehead with a sheepish grin. “Oh, sorry about that—I thought you were someone else. You just remind me of a friend.”

Ming Yao: “……”

At that moment, the receptionist respectfully greeted, “Hello, Junior Manager Dai.”

Dai Zhiyang glanced over lazily and asked, “What’s going on?”

“This young lady wants to see President Qi, but she doesn’t have an appointment.”

Dai Zhiyang raised a brow slightly, but soon, a faint, unreadable smile tugged at his lips. He turned to Ming Yao. “Why are you looking for Qi Xu?”

Ah, so his name is Qi Xu.

Ming Yao lifted the jewelry box. “He left something with me—I’m here to return it.”

Dai Zhiyang’s gaze flicked to the box in her hand. He looked like he was about to say something but hesitated, swallowing his words. Instead, his smile deepened with interest. “Alright, I’ll take you there.”

Ming Yao hesitated for a few seconds before nodding. “Okay.”

It was clear that this Junior Manager Dai knew the man. Judging from the receptionist’s tone, he was likely part of the hotel’s management.

Ming Yao followed him to an office building adjacent to the hotel, which appeared to be the business section. After taking the elevator up to the executive floor, she arrived at the entrance of a spacious office.

Without hesitation, Dai Zhiyang pushed the door open and called out teasingly, “Qi Xu, you’ve got a beauty here to see you.”

Ming Yao stiffened slightly, feeling a bit awkward. But since she was already at the door, there was no turning back now. Steeling herself, she stepped inside—only to find several people already seated in the room.

Three or four unfamiliar men sat around the office table, while the man behind the desk lifted his gaze—sharp and unreadable, locking directly onto her.

All eyes were on Ming Yao, but there was something strange about the way they looked at her. It wasn’t just curiosity; there was an unspoken meaning behind it. For some reason, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she had just stepped into a wolf’s den.

Dai Zhiyang smirked knowingly. “I thought it was just me, but judging by your expressions, you see it too, don’t you?”

The men at the table exchanged glances with Qi Xu but didn’t answer. Instead, they stood up with practiced ease and said, “We’ll let you handle this. We can discuss the rest later.”

Dai Zhiyang was swept out along with them.

The strange, lingering tension left Ming Yao uneasy, but before she could dwell on it, the office door clicked shut, leaving just her and Qi Xu.

The atmosphere instantly grew heavier.

This man had a presence that was impossible to ignore—his gaze seemed to pierce through her, stripping away any place to hide.

Qi Xu flicked the ash from his cigarette, leaning back into his chair with an air of indifference. His voice was calm and distant. “You were looking for me?”

Ming Yao took a steadying breath, stepped forward, and set the jewelry box on his desk. “Mr. Qi, I think you might’ve grabbed the wrong one. This isn’t the earring I lost.”

“Oh?” Qi Xu’s face remained unreadable.

“…Yeah.” Ming Yao’s response felt painfully awkward.

After a moment of silence, Qi Xu flicked the ashes off his cigarette and leaned back in his chair. “Sit.”

Feeling awkward just standing there, Ming Yao hesitated briefly before sitting down. She pushed the open jewelry box toward him. “Take a look.”

Qi Xu’s gaze rested on her face for a moment before he lazily glanced at the earring. “It’s not a mistake.”

Ming Yao: “…?”

Not a mistake?

Then why would he give me something this expensive? That doesn’t make any sense.

Seeing her confusion, Qi Xu nudged the jewelry box back toward her. “Consider it a gift for calling me gege.”

“……” Ming Yao’s ears burned red. “No, I wasn’t—I didn’t mean—”

Before she could finish, the secretary walked in and set a cup of coffee down in front of her with a polite smile. “Please enjoy.”

Ming Yao had no mind for coffee—Qi Xu’s words had completely thrown her off.

“Mr. Qi, this is really just a misunderstanding. That day, I knocked on the wrong door… my friend sent me the wrong room number…”

She sincerely explained the whole situation, but after all that, Qi Xu simply responded with a detached, “Mm.”

Ming Yao: “…?”

Are you kidding me? Showing up at my door already? Did you just put the plot on fast-forward?!