Chapter 27: Gossip of the Yu Family
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The sports meet came to a triumphant close. With the final week of October remaining, Nanjiang University suddenly grew lively once more.
A film crew had arrived to shoot on location. The leads were two of the hottest stars in the industry, drawing countless fans and curious onlookers.
“What is there to see? The male lead isn’t even half as handsome as you, Godfather.”
Fang Lian had been trapped in the teaching building’s parking area for a full half hour. Seeing the crowd of frenzied fans growing larger by the minute, she could not help grumbling.
Yan Xuan, sitting in the passenger seat, unfastened his seat belt and suggested, “Why don’t we go over and see what all the fuss is about?”
“Are you a fan too, Godfather?”
“We have nothing better to do. Let’s get out and stretch our legs.”
Yan Xuan opened the door and stepped out first. Fang Lian followed close behind. They had barely made their way around to the side of the crowd when a black Mercedes suddenly drove into the parking lot, followed by a nanny van.
As luck would have it, the two vehicles stopped right beside Fang Lian’s Bentley.
The door of the nanny van remained tightly shut until filming was suspended. Then the film’s female director, Yu Mengyi, emerged from the teaching building surrounded by bodyguards and approached the van.
As a newcomer among domestic directors, Yu Mengyi possessed a face and figure capable of outshining any leading actress in the entertainment industry.
She had a pert little nose, lovely cherry-red lips, a classic oval face, and a pair of curving eyes that held the shape of crescent moons and seemed to smile perpetually. Every blink was full of spirit.
“Sister-in-law! What brings you here to visit the set?”
The door of the nanny van finally opened. Bai Hui, dressed in casual athletic wear, waved for Yu Mengyi to get inside.
“This is your first time directing. Your brother was worried, so he sent me to take a look.”
Yu Mengyi rolled her eyes. “My brother really does treat me like a child. How old does he think I am?”
“Get in first. We can talk inside.”
“Oh.”
Yu Mengyi climbed into the van in long strides. Seeing that Mi Xiaoyue was also inside, she exclaimed in surprise, “Xiaoyue! Come here and let Auntie give you a hug!”
Without bothering to ask whether Mi Xiaoyue agreed, she pulled her into her arms and began enthusiastically feeling her over.
“Not bad. My niece is finally putting on some weight.”
“Auntie, why do you make me sound like a pig?”
After struggling in vain, Mi Xiaoyue gave up and resigned herself to lying there, allowing Yu Mengyi to paw her from head to toe.
Ever since returning to the Yu family, apart from her parents, her little aunt Yu Mengyi was the person she had been closest to.
Her young and beautiful aunt was wonderful in every way, except for one thing.
Every time she saw Mi Xiaoyue, Yu Mengyi liked to hold her in her arms like a doll, fussing over her as though she were a three-year-old child.
And yet her aunt was only six years older than she was...
Yu Mengyi gently pinched Mi Xiaoyue’s delicate cheeks and asked with a smile, “Xiaoyue, you usually stay home playing video games. What made you think of coming to see Auntie today? Don’t tell me you came for Qian Xu too?”
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The male lead, Qian Xu, had quite a few female fans around eighteen or nineteen. Seeing that Mi Xiaoyue had made a special trip today, Yu Mengyi instinctively assumed that her niece was one of them.
“If you like him, Auntie can arrange for the two of you to have dinner later. You could even have a private meal together...”
Mi Xiaoyue did not answer. She stared dreamily out the window. She knew the Bentley parked nearby far too well.
Brother Yan’s car!
Was he somewhere close?
Mi Xiaoyue had agreed to come to Nanjiang University with Bai Hui to visit the set precisely because she hoped to run into Yan Xuan.
Although Yan Xuan had told her that it was inconvenient for them to meet at present, Mi Xiaoyue could never suppress her longing for him. Even catching a distant glimpse of him would have been enough to satisfy her.
Seeing Mi Xiaoyue staring fixedly at the Bentley, Yu Mengyi asked curiously, “Xiaoyue, do you like that car? Auntie will buy you one when we get home.”
“Auntie, I don’t even have a driver’s license.”
Mi Xiaoyue withdrew her gaze and said coquettishly, “It’s so stuffy in here. I want to get out and watch you film.”
“Er...”
Yu Mengyi looked toward Bai Hui, waiting for her sister-in-law’s answer.
She would never dare agree to something like that on her own.
Her brother and sister-in-law were keeping an especially close eye on Mi Xiaoyue these days, terrified that anything might happen to her again.
Bai Hui nodded. “Go ahead. Just don’t cause trouble for your aunt.”
Keeping a close watch on her was one thing, but whenever Mi Xiaoyue asked for something, Bai Hui almost always indulged her. She would never restrict her daughter’s freedom of movement either.
Mi Xiaoyue hurried out of the van, with Yu Mengyi following close behind. The two beauties, one tall and one petite, instantly drew everyone’s attention.
If there was anything in this world that could nourish a person most effectively, it was money.
Mi Xiaoyue had only been reunited with her birth parents half a month earlier. Under the care of a professional nutritionist, her skin had grown even fairer, while her already delicate and adorable features had become more radiant and captivating.
Her pure-white sweatshirt was oversized, yet it emphasized her petite, charming appearance perfectly. Her long, glossy black hair was tied into twin ponytails that fell behind her shoulders. A few curled strands playfully traced a circle along her slender swanlike neck.
She wore a schoolgirl-style pleated skirt. Its hem swayed lightly, and the neat pleats made her look both playful and elegant. It was clearly custom-made. Paired with white thigh-high stockings, it outlined the graceful curves of her legs.
“Look, it’s the two young ladies of the Yu family.”
“Is that Yu Miaozhi?”
“I’m so jealous...”
Amid the crowd’s whispers, Mi Xiaoyue accompanied Yu Mengyi into the filming area. Outside the perimeter, Fang Lian leaned close to Yan Xuan and began gossiping.
“I heard Yu Jiangxiong’s film company invested more than a hundred million in this production. He’s letting his little sister make a movie for fun.”
Yan Xuan smiled. “Why are you so interested in that?”
“We girls just like browsing entertainment gossip now and then...”
Fang Lian continued, “Let me tell you, Godfather. Yu Mengyi and Yu Jiangxiong have the same mother but different fathers. Yu Jiangxiong’s father died young. After Yu Jiangxiong became rich, his mother slept with pretty boys everywhere. She accidentally gave birth to Yu Mengyi at fifty, but no one knows who her father was.”
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“Do you know anything else about the Yu family?”
“No...”
The gossip Fang Lian had shared suddenly made Yan Xuan realize that he ought to gather more information about the Yu family, even if it was only what could be found in the public domain.
He had seen enough of the excitement and was about to return to the car when he suddenly heard a voice.
“Hey, student, would you be interested in playing an extra?”
A production assistant who was selecting extras had spotted Yan Xuan’s tall, handsome figure in the crowd and approached him of his own accord.
Yan Xuan pointed at himself. “Me?”
The production assistant nodded. “You won’t have to do anything. Just pretend to be a passerby attending class in a classroom. You’ll be paid.”
“Sure.”
Yan Xuan had been curious to experience what it felt like to make a film.
He followed the production assistant through the crowd and into the teaching building. Mi Xiaoyue, who had been lounging in Yu Mengyi’s director’s chair, suddenly sat bolt upright. Her large almond-shaped eyes filled with delight.
Brother Yan?!
Yan Xuan also noticed Mi Xiaoyue. He kept his expression calm and composed, not daring to react too obviously.
At that very moment, the leading actor, Qian Xu, entered the teaching building, prompting a wave of screams and cheers from the crowd outside.
As he reached his mark, Qian Xu suddenly sensed a burning gaze fixed intensely in his direction.
He assumed some crazed fan had slipped inside. But when he turned around, he met Mi Xiaoyue’s eyes.
“Yu Miaozhi!”
“Is she one of my fans?”
“Did she come here especially to see me?”
After a moment of surprise, Qian Xu was inwardly ecstatic.
If he could win the favor of the Yu family’s eldest daughter, his future in the entertainment industry would become much easier. Perhaps he might even manage to live off the Yu family’s wealth.
Qian Xu smiled at Mi Xiaoyue, but he failed to notice that her expression had turned rather unpleasant.
“What an obstructive celebrity. He’s blocking my view of Brother Yan...”
Mi Xiaoyue silently grumbled to herself, mentally adding another black mark against Qian Xu.
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