Don’t Play with Fire [Entertainment Industry] 65

Chapter 64: Sixty-Four Fires

Two hours later, Yan Duo lay slumped over the edge of the bed, drenched in sweat and too exhausted to move.

Ji Ran lay on her back, tracing down her spine, leaving a trail of red marks along the way.

Yan Duo felt ticklish, but her body was too exhausted—so exhausted that she didn’t even have the strength to struggle. She murmured lazily, “Stop kissing me, I don’t have the energy to laugh anymore.”

Ji Ran found her muttering particularly amusing. Without stopping his actions, he took a moment to reply, “But I can’t help it.”

He particularly liked Yan Duo wearing those clothes—hinting at what lay beneath, hazy and indistinct, neither fully concealed nor revealed, stirring an intense desire to explore. And, of course, a desire to destroy, just like the now-ruined garment barely clinging to her body.

Yan Duo closed her eyes, utterly exhausted. “I don’t want to shower anymore, just wipe me down.”

Ji Ran nodded in agreement. First, he found a pair of scissors to cut off Yan Duo’s torn clothes, then fetched a warm towel from the bathroom to wipe her body. Throughout the entire process, Yan Duo remained completely still—only when Ji Ran mischievously teased her sensitive spot with a playful bite did she let out a soft moan and kick him with her foot.

After drying her off, Ji Ran dressed her again, took a shower himself, and then finally lay down holding Yan Duo.

Just before falling asleep, Ji Ran thought to himself that he must remember to take out the secretly hidden lingerie from the suitcase tomorrow. If she really found out, he definitely wouldn’t get such proactive benefits in the future.

The next day after waking up, Yanduo went to the bathroom to wash her hair and take a shower, while Jiran went downstairs to make breakfast. After finishing the meal, Jiran drove Yanduo to the airport. The two of them were going out for promotions which would take about a week. After returning, they would rest for a few days before heading to the next location, so it was convenient to park the car at the airport.

Fang Fang and Ma Peng had already arrived at the agreed meeting spot before Yanduo and Jiran. When Yanduo saw Fang Fang, she asked her, “Have you completed your resignation procedures?”

“Yes, it’s done.”

Fang Fang was originally a member of Ji Ran’s studio, but she joined Fan Corporation to take care of Yan Duo. Now that Yan Duo has successfully terminated her contract with Fan Corporation, there’s no reason for Fang Fang to stay. She resigned right after Yan Duo left.

Thinking about Huang Rui who had always been targeting her, Yan Duo asked again, “Did everything go smoothly?”

Fang Fang smiled and said, “Don’t worry, Duo-jie. With Qi-jie around, Huang Rui wouldn’t succeed even if she tried to pull some tricks. niyuedu.com”

To be honest, Huang Rui was really petty. When Fang Fang went to resign, Huang Rui, as the newly promoted HR manager, initially refused to sign, insisting that resignation required a one-month notice and Fang Fang had to complete the month. In the end, Qi Sixian came over, and after a ten-minute discussion between the two, Fang Fang was allowed to leave only after compensating three months’ salary.

Fortunately, Fang Fang’s salary wasn’t high, so three months’ pay wasn’t a huge amount. Still, this incident made Fang Fang so angry that she vented her frustration to all her industry friends, thoroughly criticizing Huang Rui. Everyone agreed that with a boss’s wife of such character, Fan Corporation’s future looked bleak.

Yan Duo listened to Fang Fang’s words, nodded, glanced at Ji Ran beside her, and asked, “So will you be affiliated with Ji Ran’s studio or mine in the future?”

This statement essentially gives Fang Fang the choice of which boss to follow. If Fang Fang chooses Ji Ran, Yan Duo would look for another assistant and return to Ji Ran’s side. If Fang Fang chooses her, then she would become Yan Duo’s person from then on.

Fang Fang didn’t hesitate at all upon hearing this, “Then of course I’d choose Sister Duo!”

Professionally, Yanduo is much more approachable than Jiran and has a very friendly personality. Personally, she initially joined Jiran’s studio to pursue Mapeng, and now that the two are married, it doesn’t matter at all whether they work at the same company.

Yan Duo smiled and replied, “Alright then, remember to tell me directly if anything happens in the future.”

Previously, Fang Fang would handle everything by relying on Ji Ran’s salary, and Yan Duo had no objections. But for future matters—like Huang Rui cutting the safety rope—she wanted to resolve them herself.

This wasn’t about deliberately drawing a clear line with Ji Ran, but rather about honing her own problem-solving skills. Yan Duo had always been clear about one thing: she couldn’t live forever under Ji Ran’s protection. She needed to grow wings strong enough to soar through storms.

Fang Fang chuckled twice and agreed with a smile.

As Fang Fang and Ma Peng went to check in, Ji Ran draped his arm over Yan Duo’s shoulder and asked, “Don’t you trust your husband?”

Yan Duo looked at Ji Ran and said earnestly, “How could I not trust you? It’s just that small matters like these should be left to me. If there’s something major I can’t handle, I’ll definitely come to you!”

Ji Ran smiled as he looked at her, fully aware that his little wife was truly striving to grow. So, apart from supporting her, what else could he do?

Soon after, Director Zhong and Zeng Meng also arrived at the airport. After regrouping, they boarded the flight together, with F City being their first destination.

Their seats were together, with Ji Ran sitting to Yan Duo’s right and Zeng Meng to her left.

“I forgot to ask earlier—you’ve contacted my brother, right?”

These past few days had been so busy that Yan Duo completely forgot about previously introducing her brother to Zeng Meng. Seeing her now suddenly reminded her.

Zeng Meng twitched her lips. “I sent a friend request, but your brother still hasn’t added me.”

Yan Duo was stunned, “Huh? No way?”

On the day before New Year’s Eve, she had specifically reminded her brother, and he had never lied to her about things he promised.

“That must be my brother forgetting. I’ll remind him as soon as I get off the plane.” At that moment, Yan Duo regretted not giving Zeng Meng her brother’s phone number that day, opting for WeChat instead.

“No need, I’ve already signed up, so there’s no need to bother him.”

Zeng Meng had once been a bit curious about Yan Duo’s brother, which was why she immediately asked Yan Duo for his contact information. But after waiting for three days without receiving a friend request approval, her curiosity had long evaporated. She ended up enrolling in a training school on her own.

Yan Duo, seeing her resolute attitude, felt a bit embarrassed and didn’t say anything more.

After arriving in City F, the group went to a hotel near the TV station. Once settled in and having had lunch, they headed to the TV station together. Their task for the day was to rehearse the script for tomorrow’s interview program in advance.

As soon as Yan Duo got hold of the show’s script, her lips twitched in disbelief. To dig up “evidence” of her and Ji Ran’s “affection,” the production team had practically turned over every stone. They somehow dug up numerous interactions between the two on set and even managed to capture a screenshot of their subtle kiss on stage during the New Year’s Eve gala—utterly exaggerated.

“Mr. Ji, I’m counting on you for tomorrow’s interview,” Yan Duo whispered into Ji Ran’s ear.

Yan Duo admitted that her emotional intelligence couldn’t match Ji Ran’s, so she left such awkwardly blunt questions—the kind that made one unsure how to respond—to the thick-skinned Ji Ran. She would simply stay on the sidelines and play the role of the bashful one.

Ji Ran’s eyes were fixed on the video playing on the tablet, but he asked, “What’s in it for me?”

For such a trivial matter, he still wants benefits? Yan Duo rolled her eyes dramatically. “No benefits!”

Ji Ran glanced at her. Though he didn’t speak, his expression was clear—why would I do something with no benefit?

Yan Duo saw through his intentions, her face scrunching up as she clutched her stomach. “Ouch,” she groaned, “my stomach suddenly hurts. I think my period might last another two weeks, ugh!”

She simply didn’t believe that even if Ji Ran knew she was lying, he would dare to pull down her pants to check.

Ji Ran looked speechlessly at Yan Duo “weakly” slumped on the table and said calmly, “You win!”

Yan Duo giggled twice and immediately revived on the spot. “I just knew my husband is the best, absolutely one of a kind in this world!”

Ji Ran watched Yan Duo’s excellent acting skills. Though he said nothing, his eyes were filled with adoration.

The entire table was watching the two of them. Though no one knew what they had said, the atmosphere surrounding the pair was filled with pink bubbles.

At that moment, everyone had only one thought in their hearts—being forced to eat dog food even during serious work, is there no way to survive this?

That day, after everyone familiarized themselves with the process and reviewed all the interview questions for the next day, they left the TV station.

In the evening, Director Zhong hosted a dinner for the three guests who had come for the promotional event.

After sitting for a while, Zeng Meng glanced at the overly affectionate couple sitting across from her and jokingly said to Director Zhong, “Director, I don’t think you should have invited me along.”

Only three actors were promoting this film, and the promotional period was originally a great opportunity for exposure. Zeng Meng had been quite willing at first, but after just half a day together, she began to regret it. Two of the three actors were married, making her, the odd one out, feel like a third wheel.

Hearing Zeng Meng’s remark, Director Zhong replied, “If I hadn’t invited you, I’d be the third wheel. So this is actually the best arrangement.”

The two exchanged a helpless glance, sipped their tea, and looked everywhere except at the couple across from them, who had long forgotten anyone else existed.

Yan Duo, sitting across from the two, immediately took out her phone to message Yan Yi as soon as she sat down.

Ji Ran rinsed both his and Yan Duo’s bowls and chopsticks with hot water before pouring her a glass of coconut juice and himself a glass of orange juice.

After sending the message, Yan Duo took a moment to sip the white beverage in front of her. Before even swallowing, she spat it straight into the trash can, frowning as she asked Ji Ran, “Why does this taste a bit off?”

It didn’t taste like the coconut milk she usually drank—more like something that had been left out in the scorching heat overnight.

Ji Ran noticed a trace of white coconut milk lingering at the corner of Yan Duo’s lips, and for some reason, his mind began to wander. He grabbed a few tissues and wiped her mouth clean, saying, “Then drink mine instead.”

With that, he handed her the orange juice to rinse her mouth.

Yan Duo didn’t hesitate, taking a big gulp before spitting it into the trash can.

Ji Ran picked up the coconut milk she had drunk from and sniffed it. The scent was indeed different from usual, but it wasn’t the same as “that kind of weirdness”—not fishy… *Cough*, what was he thinking? Stop it!

To prevent his wandering thoughts from spiraling further, Ji Ran grabbed a new glass and poured himself a cup of cold water, taking a sip.

Yan Duo had no idea that the man beside her was already “physically in the restaurant, mentally in the hotel.” Leaning against Ji Ran’s shoulder, she texted Yan Yi back.

Just as she had thought, Yan Yi was busy with important matters, and his phone was flooded with too many unknown friend requests—so many that he didn’t even bother checking them. As a result, he genuinely forgot about adding his younger sister as a friend.

“Bro, let me tell you, Zeng Meng is a really, really good friend of mine—she took great care of me back when we were on set together! So, don’t you dare treat her poorly. Treat her to strawberry milk tea sometimes, okay? Consider it your way of thanking her on my behalf. Got it?”

In T City, Yan Yi, upon hearing that Zeng Meng had taken care of his sister, quickly found Zeng Meng’s friend request and accepted it.

【Don’t worry. Since she treats you well and is your good friend, from now on she’s like a little sister to me too. I’ll definitely take good care of her.】

Yan Duo read her brother’s reply, so furious that she slammed her phone face down on the table, burying her face against Ji Ran’s shoulder and sobbing.

Is she introducing a “little sister” to her brother? Clearly, it’s his girlfriend! With that kind of emotional intelligence, she might really end up alone forever!