After they finished discussing the wedding, Xie Baiyan sent Ye An and Ye Yuan Nian out. After they left, he turned around and looked at his son who didn’t have an ounce of joy on his face. He couldn’t help but inwardly sigh.
“A’Shuo, this marriage… are you not willing?”
Upon hearing this, Xie Shuo stopped in his steps just as he was about to go back upstairs.
Xie Baiyan sighed. “A’ Shuo, with your current condition, you should have someone by your side to take care of you. You don’t want to hire a caregiver, either. Although the background of the Ye family’s daughter is a bit lesser, she doesn’t seem too bad. She’s well-educated and mild-tempered; she should know how to take care of others.”
Remembering how she had boasted about herself in his room just earlier, Xie Shuo stayed silent.
“But, if you’re not satisfied with her, then tell me as soon as possible. I’ll help you look for someone else; don’t wait until everything has already been prepared, or else we’ll lose face.”
“There’s nothing not to be satisfied with––”
Xie Shuo interrupted Xie Baiyan, changing the subject, “Has the discussion about the partnership with the Ye family been settled yet?”
Xie Baiyan paused before saying, “I gave the task to Xiao Ran; I’ll have him update you on the progress and how to proceed in a few days.”
Xie Shuo stood for a while, his gaze dropping slightly. Slowly, he turned and went upstairs.
“If he can do it himself, then there’s no need to ask me.”
——
“An An, what do you want to eat tonight?”
After leaving the Xie family, the weight on Ye Nuan Nian’s shoulders lifted. A smile graced his middle-aged face, and it looked like he had just negotiated a very successful business deal.
Ye An sneered and rummaged through her purse to find her phone, too lazy to even lift her gaze. “Anything.”
Ye Yuan Nian: “…..”
Ye An took her phone out and was about to unlock it when a call came in.
It was her boss from the dubbing studio, Xiang Quan.
“Hey, An An, are you free tonight?”
Ye An asked, “Do you need something?”
Xiang Quan said, “Recently, isn’t our studio in the midst of talking to Brilliant Dreams Culture about the animation “Pharmacist”? The person in charge there, President Lu, said that he wanted to meet you first and have a face-to-face meeting.”
Ye An, confused, asked, “Aren’t we just supposed to schedule a time and then go record a sample? How is it that I now need to have a meal with him first?”
Xiang Quan was put in a difficult position. These types of business meetings were indeed not a part of Ye An’s responsibilities; she was only responsible for the dubbing. However, this time it was the client that wanted to meet her, and there was nothing Xiang Quan could do about it.
“President Lu said the amount they’re investing into this anime isn’t small and that it is a key project for their company so their standards are relatively high. Hence, their requirements for the female lead voice actress are very strict as well…” Xiang Quan paused. “It’s just a meal, and I’ll be accompanying you. If the project discussion goes well, it’ll also be beneficial for your career.”
“Pharmacist” was an extremely popular big IP (Intellectual Property), and the original work already had a large fanbase. The animation production team was also among the best in the industry, making this opportunity indeed quite alluring…
Ye An grasped her phone and glanced at Ye Yuan Nian beside her. After contemplating for a few seconds, she said, “Okay, send the address to me. I’ll go over there right now.”
After the call ended, Xiang Quan soon sent the location over to her.
Ye An turned to face Ye Yuan Nian. “I have something to do, so I won’t be having dinner with you tonight; have the driver stop the car in front.”
Ye Yuan Nian originally wanted to take the opportunity over dinner to better their father-daughter relationship. He frowned upon hearing her words. “What’s so urgent? You can’t change it to another date?”
Ye An replied curtly, “Work. I can’t change it.”
Ye Yuan Nian’s frown furrowed even more. “You’re going to be getting married at the beginning of next month. If you can work less, then do so. If you need money, Daddy will give it to you.”
Upon hearing these words, Ye An lifted her gaze to look directly at him.
Ye Yuan Nian felt a little uncomfortable under her stare. “It isn’t that Daddy is trying to stop you from working, I’m just worried that you will be exhausted. When you marry into the Xie family, you should spend more time taking care of Xie Shuo. That is the most important thing…”
Ye An glanced at him and then looked away, insipidly saying, “I know—” she looked out the car window, “Just stop here.”
Ye Yuan Nian was afraid of making her angry, so he did not dare to push any further. Lowering his tone, YeYuan Nian asked gently, “Where’s the location? Daddy will send you there.”
Ye An turned to face her father whose face was brimming with fatherly love. Suddenly, she wanted to laugh.
She took a look at the time on her phone and didn’t decline his courtesy. Then she reported the address of the restaurant that Xiang Quan sent over.
Ye Yuan Nian faced forward to tell the driver to change routes.
With the endless stream of traffic, the setting sun gradually disappeared, leaving behind dazzling rose-tinted clouds and a fiery horizon.
After a while, Ye Yuan Nian tentatively suggested, “An An, why don’t you move back home for this period of time? It’ll be easier for Daddy to help prepare everything on your behalf for your marriage.”
For the convenience of going to work, Ye An had been renting an apartment and living there instead of the Ye residence. She also seldomly went back.
Ye Yuan Nian knew that she actually didn’t want to move back home. A few years ago, she had ran away from home.
Unexpectedly, Ye An directly answered without even lifting her gaze, “Okay.”
Ye Yuan Nian: “…..”
She replied so quickly that Ye Yuan Nian was a little unsure. “Then shall you go back and pack your things? Daddy will send someone over to come pick you up in two days.”
Ye An grasped her phone, focused on texting. “En.”
The answer was short and brusque, as if it was the only word she knew.
“……”
Ye Yuan Nian was thoroughly lost for words.
——
For the rest of the ride, there were no more exchanges between the father-daughter pair.
Ye Yuan Nian’s heart was conflicted. In the past few years, this daughter of his has become more and more docile. She rarely talked back anymore or lost her temper, but this made him feel… like there was something not right.
Her attitude towards him was how one would face a stranger: distant and polite, completely indifferent.
When she was little, she had clearly loved to jump into his arms and cling to him, calling, “Daddy.”
After arriving at her destination, Ye An opened the door and got out of the car.
Looking at her leaving figure, Ye Yuan Nian’s heart became even more constricted. He couldn’t help but call out, “An An…”
Ye An turned around, her side profile enshrouded in the afterglow of the sunset, showing her exquisite beauty. Her eyes, however, were crystal clear.
“En?”
Ye Yuan Nian looked at her and hesitated, but said nothing in the end.
Ye An was a little perplexed. As she saw his complicated expression, she figured that it must be because he was still worried about the marriage situation. Her head couldn’t help but hurt: were all old men this doubting? She had even offered her Oscar-level acting skills today already though!
She said patiently, “Don’t worry, since I’ve already agreed to this marriage, I’ll keep my word. I won’t suddenly back out or flee the marriage, causing you to lose face. When I went to the Xie manor today, did I ruin your objective?”
“As for what you just said, I’ll consider it.”
The two weren’t on the same page at all. Just as Ye Yuan Nian was going to explain himself, Ye An had already once again turned away.
“I’m leaving, bye~”
She waved and walked away quickly on her high heels. Her skirt fluttered in the wind, swirling up in the dazzling evening sunset.
Ye Yuan Nian sat in the car, suddenly feeling the midlife blues.
The place that Xiang Quan chose seemed to be a high-end Chinese restaurant with crystal chandeliers reflecting onto the floor, illuminating the whole lobby.
Ye An followed the server to the reserved private room where Xiang Quan and Lu Hong–the counterparty representative–were already seated inside.
“An An. ”
Seeing her come in, Xiang Quan got up.
“President Lu, this is our production studio’s Ye An.”
Seeing the figure of a beautiful woman coming over, Lu Hong’s eyes flashed with a hint of surprise. “Miss Ye.”
“Hello.” Ye An smiled faintly. “I’m sorry for being late, something came up earlier.”
Lu Hong smiled back and said, “That’s alright, we have just arrived as well.”
Ye An sat by Xiang Quan and looked up just in time to face Lu Hong’s gaze, seeming as if he was gauging the value of a flower vase.
The man was nearing his forties and dressed to seem like someone of high status. He didn’t even bother to hide his frivolous and greasy stare.
“Actually, this isn’t my first time meeting Miss Ye.”
Ye An’s expression remained unchanged. “Is that so?”
“Last month, I went to a recording studio and coincidentally saw Miss Ye dubbing for a drama.” Lu Hong smirked, seeming to imply something else. “Miss Ye probably must’ve not remembered, right?”
No wonder why she was called for this meeting. Ye An continued to smile politely.“I was busy at that time and must not have noticed.”
“Miss Ye is not only good at dubbing, but you’re also very beautiful. I’ve always wanted to find an opportunity to sit down and have a chat with Miss Ye…” Lu Hong reached to the side to grab the vessel of wine and looked up. “Can you drink?”
At these kinds of dinner, drinking was inevitable. Ye An was too lazy to pretend to be a pure and delicate green tea bitch, so she took the initiative to pour the wine.
She smiled: “I can’t drink well but definitely will give face to President Lu.1”
Lu Hong smiled, the corners of his eyes wrinkling.“I just like beautiful and straightforward girls just like Miss Ye.”
Ye An lifted her wine glass, raised her head, and downed the wine.
The ceiling light shined onto her eyes.
Lu Hong stared at her fair, slender neck and narrowed his eyes.
After several glasses, Ye An gradually became dizzy. She propped her elbow to support her head, and her eyelids began to droop.
Lu Hong was content as he saw her tactful actions. After having small talk for so long, he finally began to discuss the contract.
After drinking, the frivolousness on the man’s face became more and more apparent. “Miss Ye’s past works have been excellent; I’m sure that this time, we’ll collaborate well too.”
Ye An looked up, smiling. “Then, please take care of me, President Lu.”
Her face was already tinted crimson, and as the yellow light filtered down, the color of her complexion bloomed like a rose under the moonlight.
The more he looked, the more Lu Hong’s heart began to itch, and he could not help but to lean forward. “To be honest, a beautiful girl such as Miss Ye, whose dubbing fundamentals are already so strong, can definitely enter the entertainment industry. There’s no need to stay behind the scenes to dub. It’s a shame…”
He lowered his voice and smiled ambiguously.“I have a few connections. If Miss Ye is interested, I can refer you to some of them someday.”
Ye An smiled but did not reply, appearing as if she was unable to hold her alcohol.
She had spent the whole day putting on an act. After performing perfectly at the Xie residence, she had to come here to act again. With her professionalism, she could indeed switch to a career in acting in the entertainment industry.
Lu Hong thought she didn’t believe him and mustered the courage from the alcohol to boast, “Junming Group, the Xie Family. Miss Ye has heard of them, right?”
Ye An’s gaze flickered. “Yes…”
“Brilliant Dreams is backed by the Xie Family. I’m friendly with Director Xie and have even had drinks with him before…”
“Really?” Hearing this, Ye An finally showed some interest. Using her hand to prop her face, she lifted her gaze and said, “I heard that the young master of the Xie Family had an accident last year. How is he now?”
Lu Hong did not anticipate for her to ask about this matter and choked a little. In fact, he couldn’t even connect with an inch of the Xie Family, let alone know about the young master’s condition. He could only feign mystery, “I can’t spread this kind of information casually.”
Ye An smiled slightly and didn’t probe further.
After eating, Ye An and Xiang Quan saw Lu Hong out of the private room. Lu Hong tilted his head and drunkenly said toward her, “Where does Miss Ye live? How about I send you back?”
The strong smell of alcohol wafted over, almost causing Ye An to puke. Pretending she was drunk to the point of unsteadiness, Ye An dodged to the side.
Coincidentally, the door of the neighboring private room opened, and as she withdrew, she bumped into a person coming out.
A hand supported her arm, and their fair, slender wrist was exposed by the raised cuff of the shirt.
Ye An stabilized herself, looked up, and faced a handsome young face.
Author’s note: three chapters in a row; I’m waiting for compliments~
I’ll see you tomorrow at midnight!
Hey cuties, leave a lot of comments! I’ll bow for my thanks~
1. The idea of “face” in China is your reputation or image.
Interesting so far