Mr. Lu, stop being such a jerk. Your wife is your nemesis's white moonlight.

The girl who was taking photos for hire trembled.

She was just a dropout who started doing proxy photography after hearing that it was lucrative. Faced with the sullen-faced producer and the menacing security guards, her mental defenses had long since crumbled.

Ye Ruyan's words at this moment seemed to have given her a foothold. Although she was caught this time, at least... she could get more money.

She took a deep breath and pointed at Dongdong, her voice trembling: "This woman contacted me yesterday... She told me that if I just took a few photos... and posted them online, I would get paid... I was wrong, I really didn't know it would be this serious, I will never do it again..."

Ye Ruyan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then instantly put on an expression of disbelief and astonishment:

"Xu An'an, I never expected you to be so vain! Filming hasn't even started yet, and you're already thinking of using this kind of publicity stunt!"

In an instant, everyone's attention turned to Xu An'an.

Whispers could be heard from all directions:

"No way, she actually did something like that?"

"How shameful! How could an actress of this caliber resort to such despicable tactics?"

"I still don't know how she won the Best Actress award..."

Ms. Jin frowned deeply. Although this was the first time she had met this girl named Xu An'an, she had seen her work before.

From a professional's perspective, Xu An'an's performance was seamless, and she had a very good impression of the actress. Part of the reason she took on this job was because she wanted to meet her.

She doesn't think her judgment is wrong.

Dongdong's eyes reddened with anxiety: "That's not true! They're lying! Sister An'an didn't do it at all—"

Xu An'an suddenly raised her hand to interrupt, indicating that she didn't need to say anything more.

Amidst countless probing and disdainful gazes, Xu An'an slowly stood up.

Her makeup and hair weren't finished yet; her long hair was loosely draped over her shoulders, and her light, sheer makeup looked clean and translucent under the lights, giving her a breathtaking beauty.

She walked straight up to the girl who was taking photos for others, stopped, and looked directly into the girl's eyes.

After a while, she calmly spoke:

"You said I paid you to film this, so how much did I pay you?"

The girl was taken aback, completely unprepared for the question. What did it mean? How should she answer?

In her panic, she instinctively looked at Ye Ruyan, but Ye Ruyan also looked bewildered.

These subtle movements naturally did not escape Xu An'an's eyes. She raised an eyebrow and said with amusement:

"I'm asking you a question. Why were you going to see Miss Ye? Could it be... that you're very close to her?"

Ye Ruyan's expression changed drastically, and she flew into a rage as if her tail had been stepped on:

"Xu An'an! What nonsense are you talking about?"

As if anticipating her reaction, Xu An'an smiled at Ye Ruyan, "Don't get so excited, Miss Ye, it was just a joke."

Then she turned to look at the girl taking photos on behalf of others, her gaze carrying a strange hint of encouragement:

"Young lady, tell everyone how much money I'm going to give you?"

That look completely terrified the girl; she felt that the gentle and beautiful Xu An'an in front of her was more frightening than a vengeful ghost.

She was trembling uncontrollably and stammered, "Five...five hundred thousand."

In an instant, a suppressed gasp filled the air.

Five hundred thousand... No wonder she's a rich lady, she's really willing to spend money on a few photos.

Upon hearing the number, Xu An'an raised an eyebrow slightly.

This amount was more than she had expected.

However, this is better.

Xu An'an slightly curled the corners of her mouth.

"So much money..." she said, turning to look at Ye Ruyan. "Miss Ye just said that my assistant met with you outside the hotel yesterday afternoon after the reading session."

She deliberately slowed her pace, "Such a large sum of money, and you're exchanging it right outside a hotel where there are so many people and eyes—even someone as unrelated as Miss Ye could notice. Isn't that a bit too hasty?"

The girl who took the photos for others and Ye Ruyan both turned pale at the same time.

"Besides, even if it's brand new cash just withdrawn from the bank, 50 in cash would require at least a small suitcase to fit," Xu An'an said calmly, looking at Ye Ruyan.

"Other locations may have blind spots in the surveillance cameras, but there must be cameras at the hotel entrance. We can check to see if Dongdong actually took such a large suitcase out yesterday evening."

"Then...what does that prove?" A hint of panic flashed in Ye Ruyan's eyes, but she forced a steady voice: "Who said it had to be cash? A bank transfer would have been fine—"

Seeing the smile gradually spreading across Xu An'an's eyes, Ye Ruyan stopped speaking abruptly.

How could she say it herself!

"Miss Ye is right," Xu An'an nodded with satisfaction, pursing her lips. "Transferring money is much more convenient, but it leaves a record, so..."

She looked again at the trembling young girl, "Could you please show me the transfer records so I can see who asked you for 'help'?"

"I......"

The girl hunched her shoulders and looked helplessly at Ye Ruyan.

Ye Ruyan's lips trembled as she shrieked, "Transaction records are personal privacy! What right do you have to check them?"

Xu An'an noticed her nervousness and, instead of being angry, smiled: "How strange, Miss Ye. I need to check her transfer records, why are you so agitated?"

"I...I wasn't agitated! I just...I just couldn't stand seeing you bullying people!"

Now that things have come to this, Ye Ruyan knows she can no longer drag Xu An'an down with her, and all she wants is to save herself.

She walked slowly toward the producer, her voice softening, "Sister Zhao, I think this young girl was just temporarily blinded by greed. Since she hasn't caused too much of a problem for the crew, why not give her a chance to make amends this time?"

Having worked in the film and television industry for so many years, Zhao Shuang knows perfectly well who the "real culprit" is now.

But the current situation is somewhat tricky. As a member of the Ye family, she doesn't want to offend Ye Ruyan. Fortunately, this matter hasn't escalated too much, so she might as well do her a favor...

Just as Zhao Shuang was about to speak, the door to the dressing room was pushed open again with a loud "bang".

A tall and imposing figure strode in.

Upon seeing the newcomer's face, the new girls gasped in unison.

"So handsome! Who is he?"

"Keep your voice down! This is President Yan, the eldest son of the Yan family!"

"Oh my god, he looks like that? I thought he was some celebrity! What's he doing here?"

"..."

Under the watchful eyes of countless people, Yan Heng walked through the crowd and went straight to Xu An'an's side.

Her tall, broad back acted as a silent protective wall, separating Xu An'an from the others.

Although there was no physical contact between the two, Xu An'an inexplicably felt as if she could sense the vibrant heat emanating from him, a feeling of reliability and comfort.

Xu An'an's previously tense shoulder line suddenly relaxed.

Yan Heng coldly swept his gaze over everyone present.

"What just happened?"