Chapter 5: You Never Told Me She Looked Like This

Qin Yang gege?

Who is this guy? Where did he come from?

His precious Yaoyao—how could she even think about carrying another man’s child?!

Pei Heng’s handsome face darkened. He was so furious that he jolted awake from his dream.

The heavy curtains blocked the moonlight, leaving the bedroom in complete darkness, but his eyes were exceptionally bright—sharp and ruthless, like a wolf king seeking revenge in the snowy night.

He looked as if he wanted to tear apart the man who had defiled his little fairy.

Qin Yang.

Qin… Yang.

Pei Heng muttered the name under his breath, his long fingers gripping his phone. His reflection in the screen was dark and foreboding.

A moment later, he dialed a number.

His voice was deep and chilling, as if squeezed out from his throat:

“Find out. In the entertainment industry and in the capital—who the hell is named Qin Yang?”

He wanted to see for himself exactly what kind of man this ‘Qin’ was—one who could make his Yaoyao think of him so much!

• Early the next morning, Jiang Yaoyao took a taxi to the set.

With her previous self’s lack of professionalism, the company never even considered assigning her an assistant. Even her agent, Xu Lu, had long wanted to cut ties with her because of all the trouble she caused.

Xu Lu was highly ranked in the company. If she deliberately sidelined Jiang Yaoyao, she would surely be blacklisted.

It looked like she had to give her best performance in this drama.

The show was a modern romance, so the makeup was light. The makeup artist’s brush flitted across her face a few times, and soon, the look was complete.

Jiang Yaoyao opened her eyes and found the makeup artist staring at her with wide eyes, as if she were witnessing something unbelievable.

She tilted her head slightly, and the reflection in the mirror mimicked her movement.

Her voluminous, wavy hair cascaded lazily over her shoulders and chest. A thin, coffee-colored eyeliner accentuated her naturally upturned eyes. A soft, cinnamon-pink gloss coated her lips, making her look irresistibly sweet and seductive.

Stunningly beautiful.

Breathtakingly mesmerizing.

It was hard to believe that this was the same infamous opportunist and gold-digging, washed-up actress Jiang Yaoyao.

What a waste of such a gorgeous face.

But clearly, Jiang Yaoyao was very satisfied with her appearance. She sweetly thanked the makeup artist, who was still in shock, before pushing the door open to leave.

“You blind? You almost knocked over our Yan Laoshi’s coffee—”

The assistant’s angry scolding came to an abrupt stop the moment she saw Jiang Yaoyao’s face.

She stared at her for a few seconds, gritted her teeth, and walked away.

Soon, Yan Leyao, the drama’s lead actress, appeared with a cup of coffee in hand.

Yan Leyao was known for her pure, innocent looks. With strong industry backing and excellent PR, she had skyrocketed to fame after a hit youth drama. She was now one of the hottest rising actresses.

But right now, she looked far from pleased.

Her beauty was delicate, and even with the touch of a top-tier makeup artist, she was only as pretty as she could possibly get. Yet when placed next to Jiang Yaoyao, her presence instantly faded into the background.

Yan Leyao had high hopes for this drama’s success—there was no way she’d let Jiang Yaoyao steal the spotlight from her.

Her face flickered between emotions as she scrutinized Jiang Yaoyao from head to toe. When her gaze finally landed on her face again, she bit her lip resentfully.

Jiang Yaoyao wasn’t new to the industry. But how had she always looked so plain before?

Suppressing her jealousy, Yan Leyao suddenly smiled and spoke in a friendly tone:

“Yaoyao, would you like some coffee? Black coffee in the morning helps with swelling.”

As she spoke, she tilted the cup, intending to spill it onto Jiang Yaoyao.

But just at that moment, Jiang Yaoyao’s bright eyes sparkled as she bent forward in a polite bow:

“Good morning, Yan Laoshi!”

The coffee arced through the air—

And with a loud splash, it landed right on the director’s bald head!

Silence.

Absolute, pin-drop silence.

Everyone on set froze in place.

Jiang Yaoyao straightened up, locking eyes with an embarrassed Yan Leyao.

Following her gaze, Jiang Yaoyao turned her head—

And met the furious, coffee-dripping face of Director Gu Zhang.

Jiang Yaoyao: “…”

After three to five seconds of dead silence, the set exploded into chaos:

“Director!”

“Get a towel for the director!”

“Clean the floor—move the props—”

Yan Leyao was pushed aside, stumbling and falling onto her assistant. She looked ahead with a conflicted expression, peering past the crowd at Director Gu Zhang, who was surrounded by people expressing their concern.

Jiang Yaoyao couldn’t squeeze in, but she had no intention of flattering him either.

She simply stood in a spot where she wouldn’t be in the way, glancing at Yan Leyao, whose face was full of mixed emotions, before shifting her gaze to Gu Zhang, who was wiping his face with a towel.

It was truly hard to imagine—

The original novel’s female lead, Yan Leyao, who was portrayed as pure, kind, gentle, and attentive, had actually made such a basic mistake.

Back when Jiang Yaoyao read Midsummer Evening Breeze, she had regarded Yan Leyao as her precious “baby girl.” She had worried for her when she couldn’t escape forced love, felt proud when she became the youngest Grand Slam Best Actress through her own efforts, and even when the novel ended poorly, she had prayed that her “baby girl” wouldn’t end up with the scumbag Wei Changze.

Now, Jiang Yaoyao’s excitement slowly faded. She looked at Yan Leyao, who was glaring at her with hostility, and blinked slowly.

The fictional character she had adored seemed to have shattered.

Yan Leyao wasn’t supposed to be like this.

Yan Leyao was staring right back at her.

At this moment, everyone on set was busy with other things, and no one was paying attention to them. The malice on Yan Leyao’s face was completely undisguised.

She walked toward Jiang Yaoyao step by step, chin raised, looking down at her as she spoke, emphasizing each word:

“Don’t think I don’t know why you suddenly became so pretty.”

“Just wait and see, plastic surgery freak!”

—

The director was in a terrible mood today, making the entire set tense.

Even Yan Leyao, who had been talking tough in the morning, had gone quiet. She stuck close to the director, acting humble and submissive, saying all sorts of flattering words.

But Gu Zhang only smiled, seemingly unbothered, yet the moment Yan Leyao started filming, he harshly berated her, making her face go pale.

During the lunch break, some people saw Yan Leyao secretly wiping away tears. Before long, a nanny van arrived near the set.

Yan Leyao, crying all the way, got into the van. When she came back out, her eyes were filled with a seductive charm, and even her legs seemed unsteady as she walked.

A man wearing sunglasses got out of the van with her.

No one knew what he discussed with the director, but by the afternoon, Gu Zhang’s mood had noticeably improved—he even started humming a tune.

At the end of the workday, in high spirits, Gu Zhang clapped his hands and announced:

“Everyone did well today! I’m treating everyone to a meal nearby—don’t be shy, eat to your heart’s content!”

His voice boomed through the megaphone, startling the cicadas in the roadside trees into silence. Only the fluttering of birds could be heard against the backdrop of the half-setting sun.

—

Meanwhile, in the city center, the highest skyscraper’s billboard gleamed brightly. The entire top floor of the building had been opened up as Pei Heng’s CEO office.

He held a freshly printed script in his hands, flipping to a page where the name “Qin Yang” was circled.

The room’s lighting was strikingly bright, illuminating his sharp and chiseled features, giving him an aura of intense dominance.

His long fingers turned another page, and his dark, sword-like eyebrows furrowed deeply. His narrow phoenix eyes swirled with deep displeasure.

His Yaoyao didn’t have many scenes in this drama, so theoretically, it should have been easy for her. But reality was far from that.

Her role was highly unlikable—she caused trouble throughout, got slapped by her husband, was forced to kneel by her mother-in-law, and was even humiliated by both the female lead and the second male lead, who poured red wine over her after berating her.

By the time Liu We, pregnant, was hit by a car and sent flying, the script didn’t express any sympathy—only cold words about karma and retribution.

Pei Heng’s brows knitted tightly as he continued reading, his heart aching more and more.

After cherishing his treasure in his heart for over a decade, he had finally found her, yet he didn’t even dare confess his feelings for fear of scaring her.

He wanted nothing more than to hold her in his hands, cherish her, and give her the entire world.

His little fairy—how could she be subjected to such mistreatment?

The handsome man’s face was tense as he threw the script into the trash can and dialed a number.

“Where is she?”

Upon hearing the location, his half-lidded eyes suddenly snapped open. Grabbing his coat, he strode out the door.

—

The film crew was large and diverse, and Jiang Yaoyao was waiting for food in a private room with her new actor friends.

There was a knock on the door. The assistant director scanned the room, and when he saw Jiang Yaoyao, he quickly waved her over.

“Yaoyao, come here—the director has some work-related matters for you.”

Jiang Yaoyao followed him to another private room, only to realize that aside from the director and Yan Leyao, the rest were all unfamiliar men.

The assistant director bowed and conveniently shut the door behind her.

The director nodded at her. “Yaoyao, come sit over here, next to Mr. Chen. Keep him company and have a few drinks with him.”

The ornate crystal chandelier cast a dazzling light, illuminating the stunning young woman’s delicate features. Her dewy eyes shimmered, making her look like a lost fawn in the forest.

She wore a simple white top and light-wash high-waisted jeans, yet even such a plain outfit accentuated her graceful curves.

Several burning, sticky gazes landed on her face and body, their eyes brazen and indecent.

The man sitting next to Yan Leyao stared openly. Recalling the way Yan Leyao had tried to set him up earlier, he lowered his voice and gritted his teeth:

“Yan Leyao, you never told me she looked like this.”