The most beautiful space

52. There are gains and losses in everything.

Su Tong, who had been raising her hand to wave to Xie Mingyuan, froze for a moment, then naturally lowered it. She merely smiled slightly at him, trying to pretend she hadn't noticed his stiffness.

As he got closer, Su Tong noticed that he was wearing a simple t-shirt and casual pants. His usually well-groomed hair was slightly messy, but his chin and cheeks were clean and tidy, without the stubble that often appears when men are in a bad mood. Apart from not quite resembling the extremely successful and imposing President Xie that Su Tong had in mind, everything seemed fine. He moved his lips as if he was about to say something, but in the end, he just smiled back at Su Tong.

That smile was even more distressing than his usual dejected expression when he wasn't smiling. It was different from the smile he gave to Su Tong and his subordinates when he inspected the branch office, different from the smile he gave when he gave his speech at the National Outstanding Young Entrepreneur Awards Ceremony, and different from the smile he gave when he visited Su Tong in the city where she was hospitalized with a dislocated arm. It lacked the spirited and dashing demeanor of his earlier smiles, and instead carried an indescribable sense of helplessness and clarity. It even made Su Tong feel a strange sadness.

After thinking for a while, all he could say to Xie Mingyuan was an extremely bland sentence: "It's nice to see you again."

Xie Mingyuan lowered his head and smiled again. From the forest beside the winding mountain road came the lively yet lonely chirping of unknown insects, mingling with the rustling of the wind through the woods. Outside the car window, Xie Mingyuan's figure appeared somewhat thin and forlorn in the summer night breeze. However, he was Xie Chengjing after all, not an ignorant boy who had never encountered setbacks. He lowered his head and laughed twice, both amused and exasperated, before raising his head. His expression had calmed down, and his voice was slightly hoarse and tinged with bitterness: "Yes, me too. I'm also very happy to see you again."

There weren't many cars on the road, only their car was quietly parked in front of the small villa on the mountainside. The slightly glaring headlights illuminated an area ahead. Xie Chengjing glanced at Xie Mingyuan and said, "Get in the car quickly, we need to get back to the main house as soon as possible. Your father said he will wait for you to get home before he goes to sleep."

When Xie Mingyuan heard Xie Chengjing mention his father Xie Chengsheng, he seemed invincible and unaffected by anything. His expression remained calm and indifferent, and even the change in his eyes was subtle. He didn't look at Su Tong again, lowered his head, and got into the car to sit in the front passenger seat.

The journey home seemed even longer as Xie Mingyuan remained silent and head bowed, but Su Tong was far from sleepy. She listlessly fiddled with her phone, playing games, browsing WeChat and Weibo until she saw a news item that topped the trending entertainment news list: "Live from the film set, actress Lin Shanshan storms off in a huff, revealing the fierce competition among actresses on set!" Only then did she start paying attention.

The report was very detailed, with four accompanying photos. One photo showed Lin Shanshan ignoring the advice of her agent and assistant director, walking quickly out of the set with a cold and angry expression. Another photo showed Lin Shanshan sitting in her car, clearly unhappy, as she left the set. The third photo, though somewhat blurry, captured Lin Zhen sitting in the audience seats below the stage, dressed in costume, glancing back expressionlessly at the departing car of Lin Shanshan.

What surprised Su Tong the most was that the last small photo was of Fan Keqin, who played a Chinese girl selling flowers in the drama. The photo was well chosen, showing that although Fan Keqin was not extremely beautiful or stunning, she had fair skin, red lips and white teeth, and was exceptionally fresh and lovely.

The report included a lengthy comparative analysis of actresses such as Lin Shanshan, Qin Jing, Chen Qi, and Fan Keqin, who had already announced their participation in the filming of the movie in China. Su Tong initially read it somewhat casually, but later found it increasingly strange. The report, seemingly objective and fair, actually kept leading the reader's thinking in a biased direction.

The article subtly alludes to Fan Keqin, who plays only a minor supporting role, being favored by the crew and actors due to her beauty and talent, and even receiving praise from the director for her promising future. She is frequently bullied by Lin Shanshan, Qin Jing, and others, but lacking background and fame, she can only grit her teeth and endure the bullying. Actress Chen Qi, also from the same crew, is similarly bullied. In contrast, Lin Shanshan, relying on her privileged family background and fame in the entertainment industry, not only routinely bullies rising stars like Fan Keqin as a way to pass the time, but also frequently acts like a diva, often arriving late or not showing up at filming, commercials, or magazine shoots. This time, she even threw a tantrum and left the set of a renowned director, Lin Lili.

The report's summary was almost like saying that Lin Shanshan, who had only won the Golden Fox Award for Best Actress by chance once, considered herself a movie queen at every turn. A woman like her, who bullies newcomers, is arrogant, rude, and often acts like a diva, would not be even noticed by a true movie star like Lin Zhen, a refined gentleman.

Su Tong was surprised when she saw the report. The crew always took good precautions during filming. In addition to completely sealing off the set for filming, they also refused any fans to visit the set. All the actors and staff had signed confidentiality agreements. She never expected that such news would be leaked. For a proud woman like Lin Shanshan, who had been rejected by her beloved Xie Chengjing, it must be very difficult to face such unfounded news.

As she looked at the report, her facial expression remained largely unchanged, but she was clearly becoming more and more focused, with a slight hint of surprise and anger in her eyes. Xie Chengjing, with his military-like observation skills, easily noticed this and asked, "What are you looking at?"

"Yes, it's a news report about Lin Shanshan." Su Tong thought that although Xie Chengjing had probably rejected Lin Shanshan based on today's events, they should still know each other. Wang Lu had said that Lin Shanshan had been pursuing Xie Chengjing for years, and Su Tong herself hadn't noticed that Xie Chengjing disliked Lin Shanshan. So she held up her phone and swiped her fingers across the screen to show Xie Chengjing the news report bit by bit. "It's a negative report about Lin Shanshan, and it's completely fake."

Su Tong's index finger resembled a delicate, dewy white petal, slender, exquisite, and flawless. A touch of pale pink adorned her nail, mirroring her overall delicate and beautiful appearance—as if it could shatter at the slightest touch. Normally, she was either quietly absorbed in her own tasks or wore a faint smile. However, when she wielded the shovel and struck Chu Changmao with a resounding blow, when she stubbornly met his gaze without flinching, when she jogged after him with her dislocated arm, and when she secretly memorized her lines in her room late at night, she became stubbornly strong, unlike her usual serene and almost unreal self.

Xie Chengjing remained silent for a moment, as if he were looking at the report and thinking, before asking, "How do you know it must be fake?"

“I’m in the same production crew as her. Although we’re not that close, we know each other a little bit.” Su Tong took her phone back. “Lin Shanshan does seem a bit arrogant and unapproachable, but she’s very serious about filming and her acting is excellent. She doesn’t get angry when newcomers are struggling with scenes. But most importantly, her pride comes from within. She might not respect newcomers like Fan Keqin, but bullying her is practically out of the question. As for Fan Keqin, I haven’t had much contact with her. She seems gentle and kind, and the flower girl she played was beautiful and had a tragic fate that evoked pity. This report vaguely said that she was praised by the director, but it was actually just the assistant director giving a few words of encouragement to several new actors, including myself, saying that everyone performed well and that anyone could have a future if they worked hard.”

Su Tong originally only planned to say a few words, but seeing the focused look in Xie Chengjing's eyes, as if he were listening to a major military matter, she naturally and slowly expressed her thoughts on the matter.

“I still remember Fan Keqin fairly well, mainly because she was one of the few people in the crew who took the initiative to approach me. It was the first day of filming, and I was just sitting there watching from a folding chair. Fan Keqin didn't have any scenes at that time, but even though the director didn't call her over, she came anyway and was often around Lin Zhen. I used to think she was Lin Zhen's friend, but I only found out today that Lin Zhen only met her after filming started. On the first day, she struck up a conversation with me jokingly, saying, 'Sue, everyone else is busy, and only the two of us are observing and learning.' On the second day, she thanked me for the drinks and fruit I gave her, but later it seems like someone said something to her about me, and she hasn't spoken to me since.”

Xie Chengjing didn't seem particularly concerned, but he still asked, "So what do you think of Fan Keqin?"

"Overall, not bad. He's fairly good-looking, so he's a little ambitious, but not very smart." Su Tong figured Xie Chengjing probably wasn't very interested in these trivial matters of the entertainment industry, so she gave a very brief answer this time.

Xie Chengjing then asked, "How many days have you been filming?"

Su Tong was taken aback. Wasn't this a rhetorical question? Nevertheless, she answered, "The fourth day."

"Lin Shanshan is indeed a very proud woman, and she doesn't take many things seriously. But it's precisely because of her pride that she takes things so seriously. That Fan Keqin you mentioned, I think I've met her before. Today when I came to the set to see you, she took the initiative to show me the way and even told me her name. Aside from not being as beautiful as you described, just average-looking, everything else you said is quite right." Xie Chengjing, under Su Tong's somewhat confused gaze, stared intently into her eyes. His deep, dark eyes were cold and profound, yet exceptionally beautiful. His voice was low and clear, asking, "You understand them so well after only four days? We've known each other for much longer. What kind of person do you think I am?"

“…I don’t know.” Su Tong could only give this answer calmly, “You are you, and they are them.” — I can understand them, but I don’t understand you yet. Even if I have a little bit of presumptuous understanding, I don’t dare to say it.

Su Tong looked away, but just then she saw Xie Mingyuan's face in the rearview mirror. He was listening to Su Tong and Xie Chengjing's conversation, and the calm expression he had maintained just now cracked slightly. He still kept his head down. Today, he was not even like the person Su Tong remembered. In the mirror, a hint of heartache and coldness was revealed in his eyes.

Xie Chengjing's observational skills far surpassed his own; he must have noticed long ago, but he seemed completely unconcerned. It wasn't until the car arrived at the Xie family's government compound that Xie Mingyuan got out and, smiling, invited Xie Chengjing, "Second Uncle, you haven't been back to the main house in a long time. Come in and sit for a while before you leave."

"It's too late today, let's do it another day." After Xie Chengjing decisively refused, he asked as if he had no feelings for his nephew, "Your father asked me to persuade you, now, do you still need my persuasion?"

“It’s not necessary,” Xie Mingyuan smiled bitterly, exuding a mature and melancholic handsomeness. He didn’t look at Su Tong, but instead looked up at the sky before smiling and saying, “You told me this a long time ago, but I didn’t understand it then. If you don’t want this burden, you don’t have that right. My current situation is just the path I chose. I just find myself ridiculous. Not long ago, I was complacent about my achievements, thinking I was quite good.”

After Xie Mingyuan finished speaking, Xie Chengjing nodded and left with the words, "Please give my regards to my father and elder brother."

She then directly instructed Wang Lu to drive back, and they returned to the villa in silence. Kong Kong and Xie Er'er, who had been resting together, ran over to greet their master. Su Tong stroked Kong Kong's soft fur and carefully asked, "What exactly happened with Xie Mingyuan?"

"He's getting engaged," Xie Chengjing said without looking up. (166 Reading Network)