Dressed As a Cannon Fodder For the Rich and Powerful

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The shooting location on the second day was changed from a university town in the northern suburbs to an office building in the city center.

After all the adjustments on the previous day, the shooting process went more smoothly on the second day.

Qi Xiaoyu changed into a gray plaid three-piece suit, and his hair was combed back, revealing his beautiful widow’s peak and full forehead. He transformed from a youthful teenager into a young and wealthy business elite.

Xue Qingchu, on the other hand, put on a white shirt and a black pencil skirt, swapped her high ponytail for a big wave, and transformed herself from a rich girl into an office lady who has just entered the work force.

Like yesterday, the assistant director made an excited comment after seeing the two’s outfits: “Very good, very good. A talent and a beauty—what a perfect match! With such an eye-catching combination, this commercial must be popular.”

After the assistant director finished praising them, this time Xue Qingchu took the initiative to walk next to Qi Xiaoyu and asked with a smile, “Does Director Liu want to take a group photo of us as behind-the-scenes content?”

Taotao’s eyes widened with anxiety. She wanted to stop Xue Qingchu, but the latter had already positioned herself against Qi Xiaoyu. The crew assistant had also taken out their phones and snapped a dozen or so pictures.

Because both Xue Qingchu and Qi Xiaoyu were in good condition, today’s filming was completed ahead of schedule and ended before six o’clock in the afternoon.

As soon as the director shouted “Cut”, Taotao neatly packed Xue Qingchu’s things, said goodbye to the director team, and immediately went to the parking lot downstairs, as if she were afraid that if she waited a second longer, someone would catch up with her.

While Taotao pulled Xue Qingchu away, she also didn’t forget to say, “Sister Qingqing, you can’t be like this. Why are you so good-tempered with a newcomer like this? You even gave him your lunchbox today? Have you forgotten how Tang Kui, who you worked with last time, seized the opportunity to stir up scandals with you and gain exposure?”

Xue Qingchu left early, and when Qi Xiaoyu came out after changing his clothes, he could no longer find anyone.

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Qi Xiaoyu remembered that at noon, Xue Qingchu gave him the lunch box she brought from home, and he hadn’t returned the thermos box yet, so he picked up the box and looked for the person.

After all, he isn’t from Orange Juice Entertainment, and he didn’t when he could work with Xue Qingchu again. It’s not good to carry someone else’s lunch box.

*****

Xue Qingchu was still in the parking lot and had not left.

She was stopped by someone.

Jiang Sicheng has a head full of Korean-style wavy perms, wearing a flashy cool-tone pink suit and a pair of loafer shoes. He is turning the car key in one hand and holding roses in the other. Half of his body is leaning on Xue Qingchu’s white Mercedes-Benz, with a face of deep and undying affection. “Qingqing, you’ve worked hard; I’m here to take you home.”

Xue Qingchu quite disliked Jiang Sicheng. When she saw him, she felt uncomfortable all over, but she didn’t dare to disrespect him. After all, he was the son of Orange Juice Entertainment boss Jiang Feibai. She had already rejected him once before, but Jiang Sicheng seemed to be getting more and more aggressive and pursued her even harder.

Xue Qingchu showed a polite smile and said, “Thank you, Mr. Jiang. Taotao can drive me home. I don’t dare to trouble you.”

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When Jiang Sicheng heard that she wanted her assistant to take her back, he immediately felt that the assistant had hindered the development of their relationship. He immediately threw the roses on the ground and snatched the things from Taotao’s hands. “Go home by yourself. Don’t follow Qingqing all day long; you’re in the way!”

“She’s a little girl who can’t drive as well as me, my dear; it’s better if I take you home.”

Taotao’s eyes widened, and she shouted, “Young Master Jiang, I’m Sister Qingqing’s assistant; this is what I should do.”

As she spoke, she rushed to snatch the luggage back.

But Jiang Sicheng was quite agile. Wherever Taotao went, he went around in a circle, putting the luggage behind him so that Taotao couldn’t take it away.

Xue Qingchu was trapped between the two of them and was made to spin around. She could only circle around and say helplessly, “Mr. Jiang, I can really go home by myself. I don’t need you to send me… um – what are you doing!”

While Xue Qingchu was speaking, Taotao circled behind him again. Jiang Sicheng seized the opportunity, leaned over to hold down Xue Qingchu’s head, and kissed her on the cheek.

Xue Qingchu was so frightened that her face turned pale. She pushed Jiang Sicheng away and took several steps back.

“Sister Qingqing, are you okay?” Qi Xiaoyu came down from the elevator and happened to see this scene. He immediately ran a few steps forward, supported Xue Qingchu, and said loudly, “Fortunately, you didn’t leave. The director has something to ask you.”

Jiang Sicheng glared at Qi Xiaoyu, pointed at him, and asked Xue Qingchu, “Who is he? What does he have to do with you?”

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Xue Qingchu turned her head away and wiped her face with her hands a few times, unwilling to pay attention to Jiang Sicheng.

Qi Xiaoyu pulled Xue Qingchu behind him and said, “Sister Qingqing and I are colleagues who film a commercial together.”

Jiang Sicheng snorted and looked Qi Xiaoyu up and down with his small eyes. “Aren’t they all done shooting? Why are you still looking for Qingqing?”

“A scene was ruined by accident, and the director said it needed to be reshot.”

Jiang Sicheng groaned, “The makeup has been removed; how can they retake it? Won’t it be fixed in post-production?”

This time, before Qi Xiaoyu could lie, Taotao said first, “No, we have to go back to make up for the shooting. The director’s requirements are very strict. If we don’t go back, what will happen if there are rumors that Sister Qingqing’s work ethic is unprofessional?”

When Jiang Sicheng wasn’t paying attention, she grabbed the luggage and ran behind Qi Xiaoyu in three steps to hide.

Jiang Sicheng chuckled and walked towards Xue Qingchu with his head held high. “With me here, who dares to talk nonsense?”

Qi Xiaoyu stretched out his hand to stop the person and said with a cold expression, “The director asked me to come here just now. Everyone on the set is waiting for Sister Qingqing to go back. If you keep pestering her and the crew sees you here, or if someone takes a picture and posts it online, I’m afraid it won’t be good for you, Boss Jiang, or Orange Juice Entertainment.”

Jiang Sicheng stared at Qi Xiaoyu fiercely, and Qi Xiaoyu stared back without avoiding it.

After a while, Jiang Sicheng couldn’t hold on anymore, blinked, then took a step back and spat on the ground as if to save his face. “Okay, you are the one who stopped me today, right? This young master will settle scores with you next time.”

*****

After Jiang Sicheng left, Qi Xiaoyu accompanied Xue Qingchu back upstairs and found a cafe to sit down at.

Xue Qingchu kept her head down and wilted all the way.

Qi Xiaoyu ordered a cup of hot chocolate and a stack of brownies and placed them in front of her. “Sister Qingqing, don’t think about what just happened. Eat some sweets to calm down.”

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Xue Qingchu forced a smile and said, “Thank you, Xiaoyu.”

In fact, the reason she was moping wasn’t just because she was kissed by Jiang Sicheng, but she felt a sense of powerlessness when she thought about the fact that there was no way for her to get rid of Jiang Sicheng’s harassment if she worked for Orange Juice Entertainment.

Although Taotao always advised her to change to another agency, firstly, the liquidated damages were very expensive, and secondly, other companies may not have as many suitable resources for her as Orange Juice Entertainment.

When Qi Xiaoyu saw her stirring the drink in a daze, he tried to comfort her by saying, “Sister Qingqing, if you develop well in the future, you may not have to rely on Orange Juice Entertainment all the time.”

Xue Qingchu raised her head and stared at Qi Xiaoyu. She didn’t expect that Qi Xiaoyu could even guess her deepest thoughts. No wonder Gu Lei lost so miserably. It’s because Qi Xiaoyu was too smart, but this “smart” is no longer a derogatory impression in her heart as it was at the beginning, but rather a clever one that can read people’s hearts and be considerate.

Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but take a deep breath and say again, “Thank you. I’m fine. I’ll sit down for a while and leave. If you have something to do, you can go first. I won’t delay you any further.”

Taotao was still a bit hesitant, sneaking a glance at Qi Xiaoyu, and softly said to Xue Qingchu, “Sister Qingqing, why don’t we let him go with us? What if Jiang Sicheng is guarding you downstairs again?”

After saying that, she stared at Qi Xiaoyu eagerly.

Seeing that the day ended early and there was no rush to go home anyway, Qi Xiaoyu gentlemanly took all of Xue Qingchu’s luggage into his own hands and said, “Let’s go; it’s my honor to have eaten Sister Qingqing’s lunchbox today and then to be the escort at night.”

****

On the way, Taotao drove, Xue Qingchu sat in the passenger seat, and Qi Xiaoyu sat in the back seat.

They were chatting for a while about the interesting things that happened while filming when suddenly Xue Qingchu changed the topic: “Xiaoyu, on Saturday night, which is tomorrow, I was invited to a party. Do you want to go with me?”

Before Qi Xiaoyu could refuse, Xue Qingchu added, “It’s Kang Qitao’s birthday party. I happen to be short on a male companion. Are you willing to accompany me? Many seniors in the circle will be present that night. If you go, it will be good for your future development.”

Qi Xiaoyu originally wanted to refuse, but he didn’t expect that Xue Qingchu and him were going to the same party.

He couldn’t help but weigh it in his mind. Of course, there was no problem for him to go alone, but he knew too few people in the entertainment industry. Xue Qingchu’s seniority was much deeper than his own; if he had her to lead the way, he should be able to save a lot of effort.

More importantly, after getting along these two days, he felt that Xue Qingchu was nice and didn’t have those crooked and bad intentions.

Now that the girl has invited him, if he refuses, wouldn’t it be awkward if he met her at the party tomorrow?

Seeing that Qi Xiaoyu didn’t answer immediately, Taotao glanced at him through the rearview mirror and snorted, “Sister Qingqing is willing to invite you as her companion, and yet you’re secretly rejoicing but didn’t agree immediately. For such an occasion, if Sister Qingqing hadn’t invited you, you don’t know how many years it would have taken you to go there by yourself.”

Xue Qingchu shouted, “Taotao, don’t talk nonsense.”

Taotao stuck out her tongue and asked again, “Speak, are you going or not? You are so overwhelmed with happiness that you are speechless?”

Qi Xiaoyu didn’t want to talk to Taotao, so he just smiled and said, “Thank you, Sister Qingqing.”

Xue Qingchu bit her lip and revealed a smile before asking again, “Xiaoyu, where do you live? I’ll pick you up tomorrow.”

Qi Xiaoyu vaguely reported an address: “The area in the western suburbs.”

Xue Qingchu said “Oh” thoughtfully. Taotao also pursed her lips.

In addition to villa areas, there are also a large number of demolished houses and low-priced commercial housing in the western suburbs.

Villas cost hundreds of millions per unit, and demolished houses cost RMB 20,000 per square meter. There are even some policies that do not allow buying and selling, so they can only be used for group rentals.

Because of its remote suburban location, the rent of typical commercial housing is also much cheaper than that in an urban area.

In Xue Qingchu’s eyes, Qi Xiaoyu naturally couldn’t afford to live in a villa worth hundreds of millions. He could only live in the western suburbs because of poverty. After all, he was a newcomer who took a taxi to the crew.

Not only her, but Yu Xiaosheng also thought so. Star Entertainment is poor and has no company dormitories. Qi Xiaoyu was also poor, so he had to rent in the remote western suburbs, so far that he was not happy to drive Qi Xiaoyu back every time.

“You don’t have to pick me up; I’ll just take a cab over myself.”

“Let me pick you up. I also want to pick out a dress first. I can’t decide on my own, so you can help me choose.”

When Xue Qingchu said so, Qi Xiaoyu could only agree and told Xue Qingchu the road where he usually took a taxi.

*****

After saying goodbye to Xue Qingchu, Qi Xiaoyu returned to Xun’s house at around nine o’clock.

For the bustling S City, the nightlife had just begun at this hour, but Xun’s house was already dark, as if it were late at night.

Qi Xiaoyu dared not make a sound, quietly opened the door, sneaked into his room, took a bath, and immediately got into bed to sleep. He didn’t even notice that there was someone else in the room above him who was still awake.

Before going to bed, Qi Xiaoyu also thought about the fact that Xun Qian had ignored him for several days, but remembering that Xun Qian had an unpredictable personality, he just let it be.

The next morning, Qi Xiaoyu slept in for a while and then continued his daily routine.

By the time he finished his lunch, he looked at his watch and saw that it was almost time for his appointment with Xue Qingchu, so he went to the cloakroom and changed into a black velvet suit, ready to set off.

When he walked to the living room, he thought about whether to borrow Xun Qian’s car to go out, but remembering Butler Cheng’s awkward reaction last time, it’s better to go out by himself.

On the other side, Xun Qian was sitting by the window sill, holding a cigarette in one hand and leaning his elbow on the edge of the window. He happened to see Qi Xiaoyu, who was wearing a neat suit with a slim waist and long legs, walking out.

Butler Cheng was observing the situation and was reminded in a low voice, “Kang Qitao’s birthday party should end very late tonight. I’m afraid Mr. Qi won’t be able to call a taxi back. Third Master, shall we send a car to follow him?”

Xun Qian slowly put the cigarette in his mouth and took a puff. “What’s there to follow? Doesn’t he have legs?”

Butler Cheng retreated silently, not daring to say anything more.

Fifteen minutes later, the black Maybach slowly drove out from the main road of the Xun family villa, surrounded by evergreen vegetation.

…

After driving another half kilometer, a tall and slender figure wearing a black velvet suit finally appeared in his sight.

“Stop.” Xun Qian gave the command calmly, and the driver immediately stepped on the brakes.

Butler Cheng turned around and whispered, “Third Master, shall I call Mr. Qi up?”

“Yeah.” Xun Qian just nodded. “Wait. Don’t go yet.”

He rolled down the window and glanced at the green belt. Through several lush sycamore trees, he saw a white Mercedes-Benz parked in front of Qi Xiaoyu from a distance.

Then, the window in the back seat of the Mercedes-Benz rolled down, revealing the round face of a girl. Even though it was far away, a faint smile could be seen on the girl’s upturned face, and her voice warmly greeting Qi Xiaoyu to get into the car could also be heard.

Xun Qian’s face was expressionless as he watched Qi Xiaoyu open the door and get in. He then silently closed the Maybach’s window, leaned back in the seat, and even laughed lazily.

However, the driver and Butler Cheng swallowed silently, too frightened to breathe.

The author has something to say:

Xun Qian: Okay, very good, giving me a dose of anger every day.

Little Fish: Do you blame me?

Butler Cheng: Blame me. Blame me.