Chapter Seventy-Six: If You Want to Enter the Film Industry, You Still Need His Help

A week passed much faster than Chen Fang had imagined.

The filming location was on Yunmeng Island.

Because of this, the general public outside had no way of knowing what was being filmed, but the production team knew how to whet appetites—they occasionally released behind-the-scenes snippets on the official Weibo to warm up for the actual broadcast.

This kept the CP fans online on the edges of their seats.

“An'an is so cute.”

“Cute? I want her.”

“My Hoohao is so manly, just look at those defined abs when he’s shirtless.”

“Xue’er’s gotten tanned, the sun on Yunmeng Island is too harsh. Give me back my snow-white Xue’er!”

“When it comes to the male guests’ fitness, every one of them has abs. Then look at my lazy oaf at home, lying on the sofa like a pig waiting to be weighed.”

“Chen Fang looks slim in clothes, who would've guessed those eight-pack abs are so tempting.”

“An Tinghan’s swimsuit look, eternal queen!”

...

Under the official Weibo, comment after comment flooded in.

After all, this season’s show had An Tinghan.

As the most popular female singer in the country, An Tinghan had an enormous fanbase, and with her appearance, Chen Fang’s own fans were growing exponentially as well.

Seven days later.

A private jet took off from Yunmeng Island, heading for the city of Jingdu.

Chen Fang was aboard.

“Nothing beats flying,” he sighed. “When I make enough money, I’ll buy myself a plane.”

Dressed in casual beachwear, Chen Fang watched as the ocean gradually receded behind him, disappearing from view.

Beside him, An Tinghan gazed at him with an infatuated look.

Chen Fang noticed and instinctively shifted away to put some distance between them.

In just seven days, An Tinghan seemed to have genuinely developed feelings for him.

If it hadn’t been such a hassle to transfer by boat and then car, he probably wouldn’t even have taken her private jet. The look in her eyes was like a wolf eyeing a rabbit—nothing good could come of it.

A few hours later, the plane landed smoothly in the leisure area of An Tinghan’s villa.

Not far away, Xi Yuanyuan stood waiting by the car.

Seeing this, Chen Fang hurried off the plane and walked toward her.

An Tinghan, a little flustered, followed closely, her voice soft and sweet: “You must be tired after such a long flight. Why not come inside and rest at my place first, take a shower, get a massage?”

Chen Fang turned his head away, refusing to look at her, and waved her off with a dismissive gesture—his actions and expression remarkably similar to a well-known meme.

He quickly reached Xi Yuanyuan’s car, opened the passenger door, and climbed in.

“Let’s go, quickly!” he urged, clearly impatient.

Xi Yuanyuan was utterly confused. Watching An Tinghan still trying to curry favor, she felt like her mind was failing her.

This wasn’t right!

An Tinghan was the superstar diva, and Chen Fang was just a small fry. Shouldn’t it have been Chen Fang chasing after An Tinghan?

How had the roles reversed?

Politely greeting An Tinghan, Xi Yuanyuan started the car and drove off quickly.

In the rear-view mirror, An Tinghan’s gaze was filled with reluctance, as if she were looking at a heartless scoundrel.

Xi Yuanyuan caught this scene in the mirror and glanced curiously at Chen Fang. “Come on, spill it. What did you do to An Tinghan during those seven days?”

Chen Fang shrugged.

He really hadn’t done much—just a little flirting, holding hands, putting an arm around her waist.

And he’d sung a few songs.

Who would have thought things would turn out like this?

Now, seeing An Tinghan made him anxious. Fortunately, they didn’t work at the same company, or seeing her at work would be a nightmare.

“Who knows?” he replied, leaning back and grinning. “Maybe she just wants a man.”

Xi Yuanyuan frowned, unable to shake a bad feeling. “You’d better keep your distance from her. That woman is no pushover. Think about it—how else could she become a superstar at such a young age? She must have a deep well of cunning and ambition. Be careful or she’ll strip you bare, down to your boxers!”

Crude! What sort of girl talks about boxers?

But, coming from Xi Yuanyuan, it made sense.

Chen Fang was unconcerned.

After a week together, he had a pretty good read on An Tinghan.

Naive, sweet-voiced, talented, with a wealthy father backing her.

An Tinghan’s rise to stardom was certainly due in part to her own abilities, but she couldn’t have made it without her family’s support.

She’d confided that her family was involved in international oil trading and had ties to several oil-rich nations’ royal families.

This was a well-kept secret, not to be found online.

Chen Fang was likely the first man to know about her family background.

Sometimes, it was enough to make a person envious.

All the money he’d worked so hard to earn in half a lifetime might be equivalent to what An Tinghan’s father could make in a single meal.

An Tinghan owed her stardom to her oil tycoon father, and compared to someone like Chen Fang, who came from nothing, she was truly at the top of the food chain.

Still, An Tinghan wasn’t a bad person.

At least, she wasn’t as scheming and devious as Xi Yuanyuan suspected.

For her, being a celebrity was simply a dream.

For most in the entertainment industry, it’s a murky, treacherous swamp—once you jump in, you’re bound to get dirty. But for An Tinghan, showbiz was just a hoola hoop: play with it if you like, toss it aside if you don’t.

“I’ll just stay away from her in the future,” Chen Fang said, relaxing into the seat, starting to feel drowsy.

Truth be told, he liked wealthy women.

But someone like An Tinghan was best left untouched.

People in the oil business were not to be trifled with.

Other rich women, if deceived, might just call him a scoundrel or post something online. But if he messed with An Tinghan, Chen Fang felt he’d be finished for sure.

Xi Yuanyuan nodded in satisfaction.

The car fell into a comfortable silence.

Soon, Chen Fang began nodding off, his head bobbing as he drifted to sleep.

Xi Yuanyuan wondered why he always fell asleep in her car.

After a while, she woke him.

Chen Fang yawned. “Are we at the company?”

Xi Yuanyuan was still driving, eyes on the road. “Not yet. I just have something to discuss with you.”

“Go ahead,” Chen Fang replied, shifting to a more comfortable position.

“My dad talked to you before about writing a song for his TV drama. Have you thought about it?” she asked quietly. “They’re about to start casting. Once that’s done, they’ll begin filming the promotional poster. My dad wants to have the theme song ready, so it can be used for publicity.”

Chen Fang paused in surprise.

Was it really starting so soon?

After a moment’s thought, he agreed. “Send me the full script. I’ll take a careful look.”

Xi Yuanyuan nodded.

Neither of them mentioned money.

Given her family’s wealth, there was no way they’d expect Chen Fang to work for free.

Besides, Chen Fang wanted to maintain a good relationship with Xi Dong as well.

Who knows—if he ever wanted to break into the film industry, he might need Xi Dong’s help.