Chapter 21: Breach of Contract

“Ahhhh… Yinyin! My second female lead role was snatched!” The woman, dressed stylishly with fair skin and stunning features accentuated by a unique light orange lipstick, was in a fit of rage, furiously punching the throw pillows on the sofa. “An 18th-tier actress—who knows which old man she’s been sleeping with or what shady tricks she pulled in secret—actually stole my role!”

“What’s going on? Take your time and explain,” Lin Shiyin walked over, gently patting her shoulder.

“I got the news first thing this morning…” Hong Xia explained the entire situation.

After listening, Lin Shiyin fell silent for a long while. “It’s her…”

“What? You know her?” Hong Xia widened her eyes in surprise. “That unremarkable tramp, Tang Xin? How do you know someone like her?”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Lin Shiyin replied, her tone casual. “She’s probably strapped for cash after running bit parts for so long. I saw her once at a friend’s house—she was working as a maid there.”

“Hah! A maid? She was probably trying to seduce some rich guy. After all, your friends must all be loaded.”

Lin Shiyin merely smiled faintly in response.

Seeing her reaction, Hong Xia grew even more convinced of her theory.

“A shady little tramp daring to steal my role… Just wait and see how I’ll deal with her! Yinyin, give me the maid role you mentioned. I promise I’ll make her life miserable!”

Lin Shiyin nodded. “I was planning to give it to my assistant, but since you want it, of course, it’s yours. You’re my bestie, after all. And compared to my assistant, your status is much higher; Director Liang will surely be thrilled.”

“Yinyin, thank you so much. Oh, by the way, I have an appointment with my beautician. I’ll head out now.”

After Hong Xia left, Lin Shiyin picked up her phone and made a call. “Brother Lin, I heard Tang Xin got the role of Su Xin. What’s going on?”

A few minutes later, Lin Shiyin’s expression turned dark and stormy. She coldly said, “I understand, Brother Lin… No rush. This time, she’s offended Hong Xia. Let’s have Hong Xia make her suffer a bit first. When I step in, it’ll be the final blow. I’ll make sure she’s utterly ruined, kicked out of the entertainment industry, and that Yuze despises her completely!”

–

A week later, with the main cast finalized, the production team of Under the Sky called for a full-cast meeting.

Tang Xin recognized many people—after all, this was a world based on her own book, populated by characters she had created.

But she struggled to connect names to faces.

The only person she could identify was Lin Shiyin.

The meeting lasted a full three hours, ending around 11 a.m.

After the meeting, Tang Xin ran into Lin Shiyin.

Lin Shiyin’s beautiful eyes widened in surprise. “Oh, it’s you, Tang… Tang Qianqian?!”

Tang Xin: “…” Damn it, that dog Yue Yuze purposely introduced me like that last time!

“Hehe, that’s just… um, my nickname. My real name is Tang Xin.”

“So, you’re the actress playing Su Xin. Impressive.” Lin Shiyin smiled, gently patting Tang Xin’s shoulder. “It’s a surprise and a pleasure to see you here. By the way, it’s almost lunchtime—join me for a meal?”

“Sure.” Tang Xin agreed, glancing at Qi Shu nearby.

Before Qi Shu could respond, Lin Shiyin interjected, “This must be your agent? Since we’re celebrating today, let’s keep it just the two of us. Next time, we can include our agents for a proper exchange.”

Qi Shu smiled politely. “I didn’t expect our Tang Tang to have the honor of knowing Film Queen Lin. It’s truly a privilege. I look forward to dining with you in the future, Ms. Lin.”

“Of course. For now, I’ll take care of your Tang Tang.” Lin Shiyin smiled and affectionately linked arms with Tang Xin. “Qianqian, let’s go.”

Tang Xin smiled sweetly, linking arms with Lin Shiyin as well.

Oh my, this is my female lead! So much better than that lousy male lead.

She was soft, fragrant, and utterly adorable.

I want to hug her. I want to kiss her.

Tang Xin followed Lin Shiyin into a nanny van. As they settled in, Lin Shiyin smiled and said, “Oh, I almost forgot to mention—actually, I have a friend joining us for lunch. You don’t mind an extra person, do you, Qianqian?”

“Of course not! The more, the merrier!” Tang Xin replied cheerfully, genuinely unbothered.

However, Lin Shiyin neglected to inform her that the “extra person” was none other than… Yue Yuze!

Since the restaurant was close to Yue Sen Group’s headquarters, Yue Yuze had arrived early and was already waiting in a private room. After ten minutes, the door finally opened, and in came Lin Shiyin—arm in arm with a beaming Tang Xin.

The woman looked as happy as a silly little cat.

Yue Yuze’s gaze fell on Tang Xin’s hand, tightly clutching Lin Shiyin’s arm. His phoenix eyes narrowed slightly. “Tang Xin, what are you doing here?”

“What a coincidence… Mr. Yue,” Tang Xin sighed inwardly.

What’s with the male lead’s glare? The way he’s staring at me holding the female lead—it’s practically venomous.

I’m a woman! How can he even be jealous of me? Does he think I’m going to steal Lin Shiyin from him? What a petty man!

Still, his jealousy over anyone and everyone, regardless of gender, was perfectly in line with the personality she had written for him.

“Yuze, don’t blame her. I invited her to join us for lunch,” Lin Shiyin explained as she walked over and sat opposite Yue Yuze at the round dining table.

The table was small, meant to seat no more than four. Now, with the three of them, Lin Shiyin took the spot beside Yue Yuze.

Seeing this, Tang Xin quickly tried to sit closer to Lin Shiyin, but Yue Yuze dragged the extra chair over to his side. He gave her a cold, piercing look and said, “Sit here.”

“Oh, thank you, Mr. Yue.” Jealous, are we? Afraid I’ll sit too close to your woman?

“Here, Qianqian, see what you’d like to eat.” Lin Shiyin smiled and handed her the menu.

Hearing this, Yue Yuze looked over at Lin Shiyin. “Tang Qianqian?”

Lin Shiyin glanced up and smiled at him. “Yes, didn’t you tell me her name was Tang Qianqian last time? But I’ve since learned that’s just her nickname. Her real name is Tang Xin.”

Before long, everyone ordered their dishes.

“By the way, Qianqian, with filming starting soon, you probably won’t have time to continue working as a maid at Yuze’s house, right?”

“Ah…” Tang Xin froze momentarily before quickly recovering. She instinctively glanced at Yue Yuze.

To her dismay, he was also watching her. His gaze was deep and icy, and the faint smirk on his lips screamed amusement, as if he were reveling in watching her scramble to cover up this lie.

“Oh, the maid thing… Well, I signed a one-year contract with Mr. Yue, and there are still a few months left. I can’t break the contract, so I’ll finish the remaining months first,” Tang Xin said with a smile to Lin Shiyin.

“I see,” Lin Shiyin said as she turned to Yue Yuze. “Yuze, filming is really tough, especially since Qianqian is playing an important supporting role with so many scenes. Why don’t you be kind and let her quit the maid job early?”

“Sure,” Yue Yuze replied.

Lin Shiyin smiled in relief.

But before she could say anything further, Yue Yuze locked his eyes on Tang Xin and said in a low voice, “The penalty for breaching the contract… Ten billion. She can’t afford it. How about you pay it for her?”

As he said this, he turned his gaze to Lin Shiyin.

The smile on Lin Shiyin’s lips froze instantly.