Chapter 11 On the Way Here

Xiao Zhang came in from outside carrying a lunchbox. “Mr. Ji, come have some porridge.”

Ji Hanzhang, who was leaning back on the sofa, set down the script and rubbed his brow. “Thanks.”

When his stomach was uncomfortable, he ate very little at each meal and often needed snacks every few hours. Xiao Zhang had been with him for over a year and was used to all this, always managing the timing perfectly.

Xiao Zhang pulled a long face. “Brother Hui just called me. The incident with us going to that adult-themed restaurant got leaked online. It’s already trending.”

To be precise, Brother Hui had scolded him so harshly it was like raining curses.

Ji the Movie King had always had an immaculate public image—purer than even bottled spring water. And now he was involved in something like this? It was basically a smear on his lofty reputation.

Deng Youhui was furious but didn’t dare take it out on Ji Hanzhang, so he exploded at Xiao Zhang instead.

Ji Hanzhang stood up and moved to sit at the table. He asked calmly, “You didn’t say we were there doing a good deed?”

Xiao Zhang replied, “…Brother Hui said that we—uh, no, I—was meddling like a dog catching mice, sticking my nose into things that didn’t concern me.”

Ji Hanzhang raised an eyebrow, picked up his phone, and opened Big Eye.

#MovieKingJi – Three-character Star Incident
#JiHanzhang – Suspected Solicitation
#“The Regent Prince” Scandal Right at Launch

All three hashtags were pinned near the top, especially the second one, which even had a flashing red “HOT” label.

They were being discreet about it, using “solicitation” rather than “prostitution.”

No wonder Deng Youhui had been so furious he lost control and started calling people dogs.

“Tell him to contact the lawyers and start collecting evidence. Have them issue a legal statement.” Ji Hanzhang paused. “Also, find out what’s going on with Xia Xiangyang.”

Xiao Zhang said, “Brother Hui’s already on it. He said he’s pulling some strings to get the police to release a clarification statement.”

Ji Hanzhang nodded and picked up the spoon to eat his porridge.

Xiao Zhang observed his expression. He didn’t seem the least bit affected, and couldn’t help asking, “Mr. Ji, aren’t you worried that the trending topics might hurt your reputation?”

Ji Hanzhang glanced at him. “It’s all baseless. Deng Youhui will take care of it.”

Truthfully, the main reason Deng Youhui had been swearing was because he finally got a vacation, and now he had to work overtime again.

—

The Next Day

As soon as the alarm rang, Jiang Shuwan got up and began washing up.

She had two scenes to shoot today. Wang Youde had assigned a staff member to coordinate with her. That staff member, a young woman, had already notified her yesterday and asked her to try to get to the set early.

After breakfast, Jiang Shuwan hurried downstairs. As she passed through the lobby, the hotel manager—who had clearly been waiting—stopped her.

“Miss Jiang.”

Jiang Shuwan stopped and looked at him in confusion. “Yes?”

The manager said, “Miss Jiang, Mr. Han called this morning and asked us to prepare a lunchbox for you. Would you like to take it now, or should we deliver it to you at noon?”

Jiang Shuwan blinked, suddenly remembering—

Oh no! She forgot to reply to her eldest brother’s mealtime check-in message last night!

She hadn’t replied this morning either!

After hesitating for a moment, she said, “You’ve already prepared it? Then I’ll take it now, I guess.”

The manager smiled. “Please wait a moment.”

He turned and retrieved a tall thermal lunchbox from the front desk, at least several dozen centimeters high.

Jiang Shuwan looked it over. Her gut feeling was that it must be heavy. But she was strong, so carrying it to the set wouldn’t be a problem.

However, the hotel manager didn’t give her the chance. He pulled out a key adorned with a little panda keychain and handed it to her.

“This is a new electric scooter Mr. Han had purchased for you, as per his instructions. It’s parked out front. When you return to the hotel, just hand the key to the doorman, and he’ll park it for you.”

Jiang Shuwan: “…”

If she remembered correctly, Wanzhou was supposed to be a five-star hotel?

Then again, this Wanzhou was in a special location near the film studios and mainly served celebrities and production crews. Its pricing and positioning were different from regular Wanzhou branches.

Still, that didn’t explain why they were offering electric scooter valet service?

The hotel manager gave a refined smile. “This is the service reserved for guests in our top-floor suite.”

He even personally walked Jiang Shuwan to the front entrance and helped place the large lunchbox into the rear storage compartment of the scooter.

It fit perfectly, clearly measured in advance.

Thankfully, it was early morning and not many people were around. But Jiang Shuwan could still feel the surprised stares of those nearby.

Fortunately, she didn’t care much about what others thought. After her initial confusion and surprise, she accepted the fact that her big brother had gotten her a little scooter. She hopped on, politely said goodbye, and headed toward The Regent Prince film set.

The hotel manager watched her figure disappear into the distance, once again wondering who exactly this guest was. After all, he’d never heard of their Mr. Han showing this much concern for any woman.

Could she be the future lady boss?

Honestly, given the thoughtful level of care, it really might be possible.

—

After arriving on set, Jiang Shuwan was led by the staff member to a shared makeup room for supporting roles.

Typically, background extras waited in line outside for their turn with the makeup artists. But for those extras who might appear on camera, even briefly, a bit more effort was made with makeup.

The makeup artist assumed Jiang Shuwan was that type of extra and wasn’t surprised. After selecting her costume, they quickly applied a light makeup look.

Once finished, the artist couldn’t help but comment, “Your skin is in great condition—cool, fair tone too. You have really good features. It’s just that your previous hairstyle was a mess and hid your good points. And these thick black-framed glasses aren’t suitable for you either—they completely flatten your aura.”

Once she had her hair styled and put in contact lenses, she looked like a completely different person.

The makeup artist suddenly understood why staff had singled her out for makeup.

Film people really do have an eye for beauty.

Of course, the young staffer had no idea she’d just brought in a “connected” person and was now being mistaken for someone with a keen eye by the makeup artist.

Jiang Shuwan didn’t really understand these things.

Her messy hair was because she spent most of her time doing experiments. She barely had time to go to the salon even once a year. Usually, she just tied it up with an elastic band—hairstyle was a trivial matter to her.

As for the glasses, thick frames were simply convenient.

She bought her glasses for 300 yuan from a shop near campus. The pair she was wearing now was still pretty new. A few months ago, when she was busiest with experiments, the frame broke on one side, and she just taped it together with transparent tape.

Sure, contact lenses looked better, but they were inconvenient. Plus, she often stayed up late, so they weren’t suitable for her long hours of screen time.

Still, she respected professionals in every field, so she accepted the advice with humility—but had no plans to change.

Both scenes were set in the palace. The young emperor, forced by circumstance, had summoned the Regent Prince back to court. Inside, he was seething with resentment and throwing tantrums in the palace. Meanwhile, enemy spies embedded within took the opportunity to sow discord between ruler and subject.

Jiang Shuwan played a background palace maid standing quietly nearby.

She had no lines in either scene, so they were not difficult at all. The only real challenge was standing still in one posture for a long time—it was tiring.

After filming, she couldn’t help but rub her lower back.

She didn’t have any more scenes for the day, but she planned to stick around and observe the filming in person. When she told the staffer, the girl readily agreed.

While waiting for the next scene, a commotion suddenly broke out outside. Jiang Shuwan overheard someone nearby saying, “It’s someone from Xia Xiangyang’s company. How did they find the set? Could Xia Xiangyang really be taken away?”

Just as her curiosity peaked, the system spoke:

[It’s Gao Xiaoming’s uncle—well, his biological father, actually—who came to get Xia Xiangyang, the victim, to sign a letter of forgiveness. The man is a senior executive at Xia Xiangyang’s company. Coming in person like this, Xia Xiangyang might find it hard to say no.]

[Oh! Wait—Gao Xiaoming being his illegitimate son has already been discovered by his wife. She’s on her way to the set now. If Xia Xiangyang can hold out until she gets here, he probably won’t need to sign anything.]

Whoa!