Hotel, suite.
At the bar area, an overweight man, only draped in a bath towel, boldly ogled at her captivating face, landing his gaze on her long legs.
Yu Nanshu smiled, passing him a document. "Mr. Wang, this is what Director Zheng asked me to give you."
Wang Xinhua made no move to accept the document. "No rush. Let's have a drink first."
The spirit in the decanter had been decanted.
Yu Nanshu took a seat.
Wang Xinhua was making his intentions quite clear. "Nanshu, not answering my calls, are you leaving me high and dry?"
"I feel remiss for not being able to reciprocate your kindness, Mr. Wang." Although upset, Yu Nanshu apologized, "I shall punish myself with three shots."
After downing all three, a wave of intoxication surged. Yu Nanshu felt her face getting hot. She wondered to herself: when did her tolerance for liquor get so low?
A hand reached out, touching her face. Wang Xinhua seemed openly gleeful, drawing his face closer to hers. "Nanshu, you really can't hold your liquor! Drunk already?"
Yu Nanshu's eyes gleamed red, dodging his gaze. "Mr. Wang, you've had too much."
Wang Xinhua's face hardened instantly. "Yu Nanshu. It's all about money, right? As long as you make me happy tonight, we can talk about anything..."
Yu Nanshu furrowed her brows, her skin tingling as though on fire. When her eyes caught sight of the decanter, she realized something.
A current popular actress? In the eyes of the rich, she was merely a plaything to tread on. When you please them, you were showered with flowers and luxury cars. When you don't, they could pluck you from the heavens into the hell with a snap of their fingers.
Why had she even agreed to this meeting?
The new drama was halfway through pre-production, when all of a sudden, Wang Xinhua cut off the funding... Not only that, he threatened that if she did not meet him, he would replace the leading lady, freeze her out and silence her career, and even make her pay a penalty for breach of contract.
Both the threat of being quelled and the heavy penalty were unbearable for Yu Nanshu.
And it was precisely because Wang Xinhua knew this, that he interrupted the funding for the drama production and forced her to meet him proactively.
Yu Nanshu saw through his intentions and pushed the files in front of her to Wang Xinhua, "Mr. Wang is right. I'm of low status, not even comparable to the tip of Miss Liang's toes, why would you care about the money?"
Over the past two years, she had made quite a lot of money for the dramas he invested in.
Wang Xinhua scoffed coldly, "Are you threatening me?"
Mentioning his wife at this point made him even more upset. Without care, he bypassed the bar, grasped her arm tightly, and pressed her down against it …
Yu Nanshu, who had risen to her current status in just a few years, admitted that she was no saint.
But she had her own bottom line.
Her skirt was torn, her waist numbed by the impact. She woke up in dizziness, forcefully pushed Wang Xinhua away, reached a sobriety device, and struck him with it.
Glass shattered with a dull sound.
Blood was spilled all over Wang Xinhua's face, he was furious, "Yu Nanshu, you slut! How could you!!"
Yu Nanshu held her collar, gasping heavily, but remaining silent.
Outside, the bodyguard heard commotion, entered, and was stunned by what he saw.
Wang Xinhua cursed loudly, "Catch this bitch for me!"
The bodyguards lunged at her.
Yu Nanshu had learned some self-defense techniques, but facing two burly men, she felt somewhat helpless. Seizing opportunity, she grabbed her document bag and dashed out of the room.
From within the room, Wang Xinhua's furious roar echoed, "Call for help! If she gets away today, I will kill all of you!"
Yu Nanshu dashed towards the elevator with the bodyguards in pursuit. She swiftly hit the button, heading for the top floor!
The hotel's security received the alert and began to chase after Yu Nanshu.
Yu Nanshu burst out of the elevator and in her panic, she saw a suite door opening from the inside and walked straight in...
She stumbled into the arms of a man, her entire body red-hot. A few seconds after her brain went blank, she slowly lifted her head. For a moment, Yu Nanshu was speechless.
Having been in the entertainment industry for several years, she had seen countless good-looking men and women. But, she had never seen such a face before -- features so exquisite it was difficult to discern gender, skin-tone an unusual hue of pale that was hard to forget.
Looking as if she had touched something dirty, his light-colored eyes reflected a disdain that could barely be concealed. His voice was pleasant, but chilly, "Do you like what you see?"
"I'm sorry."
Yu Nanshu jumped down, staggering a bit before steadying herself.
The man maneuvered his wheelchair, turning his head away, without giving her another glance, he moved into the room.
Yu Nanshu was stunned for a moment. The man did not recognize her.
The elevator dinged.
Yu Nanshu knew that if Wang Xinhua's men caught her today, the consequences were unimaginable. She clenched her teeth, made a decision, followed the man in the wheelchair into the room, closing the door behind her!
In the bathroom.
The man in the wheelchair heard the door close, rinsed his hands, and came out. His androgynous face sank when he looked up and saw Yu Nanshu, "Get out!"
In the past years, Yu Nanshu seldom humiliated herself to beg others. This time, she had no choice but to suppress her pride, looking at the man who showed intense distaste for her, she pleaded for help: "Please, I need your help..."
Her intuition told her that a customer residing on the top floor of the hotel must have an extraordinary status. Even if Wang Xinhua was the prince of this hotel, he would not dare to offend such a guest.
The man's body exuded a chilling coldness as he squinted his eyes to look at her.
Her face was pleasant, and those eyes seemed to speak into him, trying to maintain her composure, revealing a bit of begging. Her long legs were especially tall under that torn skirt, she seemed utterly disheveled and yet, she emitted another quality...
Pride and vulnerability.
The man's light colored pupils were flashing with a daunting light, "Do I look like a good person?"
"…"
Yu Nanshu pursed her lips, no, he didn't look like a good person at all. This man had a nice face, but his heart was definitely as cold as ice.
As both remained in a standoff.
The sound of a phone ringing and someone knocking on the door started simultaneously.
The man glanced at the caller ID on his phone, the corners of his mouth twisted with an ironic smile. His gaze still on Yu Nanshu, he looked at the door behind her and answered the phone first.
On the phone, there was a man's magnetic and gentle voice, "Yan Qing, the old man can't stop worrying about you, he has arranged for a doctor to see you. Even if it's just to ease the old man's mind, can you please let the doctor check you?"
Fu Yanqing rejected it in a cold voice, "Uncle, I know my own body's condition. There's no need to see a doctor…"
"It's been ten years. You haven't got off the wheelchair since that car accident, and you haven't had a girlfriend..."
"I'm fine, no need to worry, uncle."
"Yan Qing, don't be like this. Grandpa and I are genuinely concerned about you."
From the conversation, Yu Nan Shu was deducing something, her gaze unfalteringly fixed on the man. When she saw him impatiently hang up the phone, she proposed, "It seems like you're also having a bit of trouble? How about we help each other out?"
Fu Yan Qing looked at her with an intriguing yet subtle smile, "Oh? Why do you think I would need your help..."
A knock on the door followed by a courteous and polite voice, "Third Master. Officer Wang is looking for a thief who seems to have disappeared on the top floor. I wanted to ask if you have seen this thief?"
Fu Yan Qing took a good look at Yu Nan Shu, his light-colored pupils emanating an intense disdain.
Yu Nan Shu didn't dodge his gaze, lowering her voice, "I'm not a thief."