Chapter 727: Jiaojiao 7
Moreover, Chen Jiao was in the entertainment industry—a veritable cesspool. Without a few tricks up her sleeve, she’d be eaten alive, with nothing left but scraps. And yet, Chen Jiao was genuinely passionate about acting. She loved being the center of attention, basking in the adoration of thousands of fans.
Of course, there was nothing wrong with that; it was just a personal preference. That being the case, Tan You had to plan things out carefully for her. Coincidentally, Tan You had taken on several entertainment-industry missions before, and Chen Jiao was the only one who was so steadfastly passionate about acting.
’Am I supposed to groom an award-winning actress in this world? The thought is actually quite exciting.’
Chen Jiao was carefree. Even if she went to bed hating Zhang Ping so much she was grinding her teeth, all that resentment would vanish without a trace by the time she woke up. Such an optimistic personality was a good thing; at least she didn’t let things fester.
Before she left for the set, the taser, pepper spray, and triangular spike that Tan You had ordered arrived. The taser was the size of a lipstick tube and could be hidden easily in her clothing.
The triangular spike could be strapped to her thigh. As for the pepper spray, Chen Jiao pouted, since she had no choice but to put it in her backpack. She also treasured her three small vials, keeping them on her person at all times and refusing to put them anywhere else.
Tan You naturally approved of this. When navigating a dangerous world, you had to keep your life-saving tools close. Otherwise, there would be no point in having them.
Thus armed, Chen Jiao finally picked up her large bag and headed to the film set. On set, Zhang Ping was sitting beside the monitor, frequently checking the time. His eyes scanned the area, eager to see when Chen Jiao would finally arrive.
As for Liu Fu, who was in front of the monitor, Zhang Ping paid him no mind at all.
He had arrived on set that morning full of anticipation, hoping to get another look at the script while Chen Jiao was away. But he never expected that Chen Jiao wouldn’t show up. Upon asking, he learned her scenes were in the afternoon.
Zhang Ping was absolutely furious, but he couldn’t let on how important Chen Jiao was to him. There was no shortage of actors these days, but good scripts were incredibly rare. If someone else saw the script she had, how could he possibly get his hands on it?
’If I can get Chen Jiao under my thumb... with that talent of hers, even if her acting is subpar, she still has her looks. If I play my cards right, how much profit could she bring me?’
’And if I can use this to please Brother Rong...’ At the thought, Zhang Ping couldn’t help but lick his lips greedily.
Just as he was lost in his fantasies about the future, Chen Jiao entered the set discreetly, wearing a baseball cap and carrying a backpack. Zhang Ping’s gaze fell upon the large backpack and instantly froze.
He was dying to know if Chen Jiao had brought the script with her today, but he had to maintain a perfectly calm facade. After all, he still had to make a living in this industry. If he openly earned a reputation for bullying actresses, his future career would be much more difficult.
The Brother Rong backing him would probably find a new person to support.
Zhang Ping was on pins and needles, impatiently waiting for Chen Jiao’s scene to begin. However, Chen Jiao only had one scene that afternoon, and after arriving and getting her makeup done, she just sat there watching the others film. That large bag stayed right beside her, leaving Zhang Ping absolutely no opening to exploit.
Just as Zhang Ping was growing secretly anxious, Chen Jiao, perhaps struck by some inspiration, pulled that incredibly familiar black leather notebook out of her bag.
Zhang Ping was so excited he almost jumped to his feet. ’As long as she brought the notebook today, I have a way to see the rest of the script!’
Meanwhile, in a corner of the set, Chen Jiao was struggling to suppress a smile. Before her floated a transparent screen, which clearly displayed Zhang Ping’s every move.
She could see it all perfectly: how he was clearly restless yet forced himself to appear calm, and the pathetic way his eyes kept darting toward her in a clumsy attempt to be subtle.
"If I ever get a role like this in the future, I’ll know exactly how to play it." Chen Jiao had actually calmed down now. While jotting down a few lines, she didn’t forget to gripe to Tan You.
Tan You couldn’t help but admire Chen Jiao’s nerve. "Then make sure you observe him carefully. An actor needs to be observant. You’re not scared anymore?"
"Nope, Teacher is here." Chen Jiao’s eyes crinkled into a smile. "With you here, Teacher, I’m not scared at all."
Chen Jiao’s words left Tan You feeling warm all over. No wonder she liked the girl so much. To be trusted so completely and without reservation was truly a precious thing.
Take her previous clients, for example. Very few of them had come to trust her completely in the end. This reminded Tan You of Chen Xi. She had truly poured her heart and soul into helping Chen Xi, but in the end...
But Tan You quickly let the thought go. ’Chen Xi was just a passerby in my life. Since she grew suspicious of me, it was only right for me to withdraw. In the end, Chen Xi wasn’t that important to me anyway.’
"As long as you focus on your career, I will always be here." Tan You didn’t ask for anything else; she only wanted Chen Jiao to fight for her career. This was partly for the sake of her client’s wish, and partly because she wanted to see just how far Chen Jiao could go in this life with her support.
Chen Jiao clenched her fist. "Of course! I will definitely work hard on my career!"
After Chen Jiao had been lounging in the deck chair for an hour, Tan You, figuring Zhang Ping’s patience must be worn thin, said softly, "I suspect your scene is about to be moved up."
Chen Jiao’s hand paused. On the screen, she saw Zhang Ping speaking to Liu Fu. "The weather isn’t looking great. Let’s move up whichever scenes we can. We can’t let the production fall behind schedule."
’They were both sly old dogs, so what was the point of this whole act?’ Liu Fu immediately understood Zhang Ping’s intention—he wanted to film Chen Jiao’s scene earlier. Although he had given Chen Jiao a subtle warning yesterday, Liu Fu couldn’t help but wonder what exactly Zhang Ping was plotting to get from her.
’Her looks? She’s only nineteen. Even if she’s fresh-faced and dewy, she can’t compare to the glamorous, sophisticated sirens in the industry. Besides, she’s not even Zhang Ping’s type. So what could he possibly be after?’
Despite his private thoughts, Liu Fu didn’t dare to delay. He was only an assistant director; Zhang Ping could replace him at any moment if he messed up. Therefore, Liu Fu raised his megaphone and shouted, "Everyone, let’s pick up the pace! It looks like it’s about to rain. Chen Jiao, get ready for the next scene!"
As if she’d been expecting it, Chen Jiao closed her notebook, stuffed it into her large bag, and jogged over to get her makeup touched up while she waited to film.
The moment Chen Jiao walked away, someone quickly snatched the bag from the deck chair. At the same time, Zhang Ping got up and swiftly left the set. He believed his actions were perfectly covert, but little did he know, both Tan You and Chen Jiao had seen everything.
Chen Jiao was secretly relieved. "Thank goodness I kept the things you taught me to prepare yesterday on my person."
"Right now, the bag only has a bottle of pepper spray, some makeup, and the script."
Tan You chuckled. "That’s good. You focus on filming. I’ll go check on the situation."