Chapter 30: They Played Quite Well

“Fu Yunfan is his real name. A few years ago, during his university days, he entered the entertainment industry. Then, the year before last, he won the Best Actor award for the movie Assassination,” Han Chen said as he relayed the information he found.

Ji Xueli listened and looked at him, “Is that it?”

“I can find all this information online,” she smiled.

Han Chen grimaced, “His parents are both professors, and he doesn’t have any enemies. Little Xueli, his information is really pitifully scarce.”

Forget it, he might just be an NPC (non-playable character) after all, no need to care.

Just as Ji Xueli was about to speak, the door of the RV was knocked on.

“Teacher Ji, our Teacher Fu brought some local specialties and left some for you,” said Fu Yunfan’s manager.

Ji Xueli walked over to open the door, expecting only the manager, but Fu Yunfan was standing there too.

“Ah, how nice, thank you,” Ji Xueli, who had just been discussing him, was surprised to see him in front of her. She smiled and accepted the gift.

Fu Yunfan couldn’t help but smile when he saw her take it. This wasn’t just any local specialty; he had bought it himself after attending an event, specifically because he knew she liked it.

“You’re welcome,” Fu Yunfan said, struggling to control his expression.

Ji Xueli opened the gift box to reveal exquisite Chinese pastries that looked quite tempting.

“I’ll see you on set,” Ji Xueli politely thanked him and said goodbye.

“Mm,” Fu Yunfan clenched his fist, his fingertips trembling slightly, feeling a bit excited…

The door closed.

Ji Xueli bit into the pastry and walked away. “Are you sure he’s my fan? He looks so indifferent.”

“Yeah, it’s possible he liked you before, but maybe he’s unfollowed you now,” Han Chen analyzed.

“That makes sense, but when he sees my face again, he’ll probably follow me again,” Ji Xueli said calmly.

“Mm…” Han Chen wanted to argue, but then realized she had a point. Her face in the entertainment industry was probably the only thing she could truly rely on, and it was pretty impressive.

Her phone rang. Ji Xueli picked it up and saw it was Cheng Du. She answered it grumpily, “What do you want?”

“Why so fierce? The Young Master is right here with me,” Cheng Du said, holding the phone slightly away from his ear before continuing.

Ji Xueli softened her voice, “…What do you want?”

Han Chen looked at her like he’d seen a ghost.

Duan Qingyu looked out the window, his lips curving into a slight smile.

“You change your tone so quickly,” Cheng Du couldn’t help but comment, expanding his understanding of Ji Xueli.

“I’ve always been like this, what’s the matter?” Ji Xueli continued in her usual tone.

“You should prepare for the visit. I’ll come and see you on set this afternoon,” Cheng Du raised an eyebrow at Duan Qingyu.

“I’m not free with just you,” Ji Xueli said bluntly.

Cheng Du, unwilling to give up, asked again, “What if the Young Master comes?”

“Then I should be able to take a leave,” Ji Xueli changed her tone.

The double standards weren’t subtle. She’d just said she wasn’t free, but now that it was someone else, she could easily take leave. Cheng Du shot an envious look at Duan Qingyu.

Duan Qingyu shrugged, signaling that it had nothing to do with him.

“The Young Master isn’t available this afternoon, so it’s just me. Forget about it,” Cheng Du said with a hum, somehow looking pleased.

“What? The Young Master isn’t coming? I haven’t been in touch with him much these days because of filming,” Ji Xueli said, realizing she hadn’t talked to him much lately. “Let Duan Qingyu take the call.”

Cheng Du reluctantly handed the phone to Duan Qingyu. “Here, Ji Xueli wants to talk to you.”

“Hello,” Duan Qingyu’s calm and pleasant voice came through the phone.

“Do you have work this afternoon?” Ji Xueli asked, ignoring Han Chen’s eager curiosity.

“Mm, there’s a meeting,” Duan Qingyu replied. In reality, whether the meeting was held or not didn’t matter to him. His deep eyes reflected his indifference.

“Alright, have your meeting, and I’ll come find you for dinner when I’m done with work. That’s it,” Ji Xueli hung up immediately, not giving him a chance to refuse.

Duan Qingyu, hearing the call end abruptly, passed the phone back to Cheng Du. His well-defined wrist, adorned with a black-gold watch, emitted a faint glow.

“She hung up? I didn’t even finish talking,” Cheng Du said incredulously as he took the phone.

“What else did you have to say? Wasn’t it just about visiting?” Duan Qingyu said, his tone light.

Cheng Du nodded. “Yeah, she hasn’t agreed yet.”

“Hasn’t she already rejected you?” Duan Qingyu chuckled lightly, stating the obvious.

“…” Cheng Du hesitated, not knowing how to respond.

“Ji Xueli used to be all about her career, she even gave up on Ji Yanzhou, but now she’s not so obsessed anymore. She’s even willing to take leave,” he shook his head, feeling like she was no longer the same person.

But compared to before, he actually preferred the current Ji Xueli. She felt more like the old Ji Xueli, the one they used to play with so well.

“You act like you know her from back then,” Duan Qingyu said lightly.

“Weren’t the three of us pretty close when we were kids? It’s just that later, you and I went abroad…” Cheng Du retorted.

If they hadn’t gone abroad, their relationships would have been much better than now.

“Played pretty well…” Duan Qingyu’s long fingers played with the lighter, and his sharp profile was hidden in the shadow.

In his mind, the image of the girl on tiptoe to hug him, and later, the scene where she fought for someone else, flashed in his mind.

They did play quite well, Duan Qingyu’s dark eyes grew colder, and he didn’t speak.