Almost Grew a Brain

He turned it over and over in his mind, but something still felt off. In the end, the only explanation he could think of was that the female lead wanted to tie her name to his.

His manager had told him the same thing. She was the one who had asked the director to make the official announcement now. They hadn't known he was going on a dating show, and they were afraid that if he ended up with a new on-screen pairing, or actually got together with someone, they wouldn't be able to link him to her later. Hence this little stunt.

He hadn't reacted much when he saw those messages. After all, this was a common tactic in the industry. Besides, the announcement was already out and couldn't exactly be taken back, so he had accepted it.

He just wouldn't respond to any attempts to link them together beyond the necessary interactions.

But what the hell was this about her evading taxes?

Was she going to let everyone's hard work on the production go to waste?

That was something he really couldn't tolerate.

In a low, somber voice, he told them, "Something's come up, so I'll head back first. Sorry to leave the shopping to you."

[Huh? Where's he going?]

The other four nodded.

They were in the same industry, so naturally, they knew how hard it was to complete a production. It was only right that he wanted to hurry back and ask about it.

Only Su Tangtang was still out of the loop.

[He's just leaving like that?]

[Then how am I supposed to tell him about this?]

No need to tell him. He already knew!

With that thought, the other four took her along and continued onward.

By the time they had bought everything, it was already a little after five.

With the tax-evasion gossip exhausted and Su Tangtang no longer making any exclamations in her head, they asked the production crew to send over two cars from their generous sponsor. The five of them drove back.

Seeing the product placement he had been longing for finally happen, the director breathed a sigh of relief.

If he hadn't gotten that ad in, the sponsor would have beaten him up tonight.

When they returned to the villa, they didn't see Liao Xuliang or Xue Ruyin, but they happened to catch Chen Sinian coming downstairs.

He was a veteran actor, after all. Even though the matter couldn't have been investigated and resolved so quickly, his expression had already returned to its original composure.

There wasn't a hint that anything was wrong.

The other four who knew about it exchanged glances with him and said little. Only Su Tangtang kept broadcasting her thoughts: [Ugh, how am I supposed to tell him about this?]

[Sure, his fans really hate me and have said some pretty nasty things about me, but still, this represents everyone's hard work, doesn't it?]

[Wasn't there another drama where someone got exposed for tax evasion before it aired? That drama still hasn't aired to this day.]

She had been going over these thoughts the whole way back, so the other four were long past being surprised. Chen Sinian, however, froze slightly as he looked at her.

Then he saw An Ruzhi go over and whisper something to her.

Su Tangtang looked surprised.

"Seriously?" she asked.

[Wait, how does she know Bai Zhitao's been evading taxes?]

[Could she be like me?]

"Odd changes, even stays the same?"

"Huh?"

[Oh, so she isn't. Does she have a mole inside Qixing Company, then?]

[As expected of a rich heiress boldly taking on showbiz!]

ᵎ(•̀㉨•́)و !

"???"

Now everyone else was confused. They knew all those words individually, but why did they make no sense strung together?

Before they could think about it any further, Su Tangtang quietly asked An Ruzhi again, "Then have you told Chen Sinian? I saw on today's trending topics that he's supposed to film a drama with that woman."

An Ruzhi hastily nodded.

Su Tangtang said, "Good, then."

[Finally, I don't have to figure out a way to tell him about it.]

[Seriously, I almost grew a brain.]

Everyone: "..."

The corners of their mouths twitched, and they began changing the subject.

Xu Yuntong checked the time. Seeing that it was getting late, she said they should start preparing dinner.

Everyone nodded.

Qiao Yufan looked around, then asked Chen Sinian, "Have you seen Liao Xuliang and Xue Ruyin?"

They hadn't helped with the shopping, but they should at least take part in making dinner, right?

Chen Sinian shook his head. "No."

As soon as he returned, he had gone straight to his room to call his manager and ask him to investigate the matter first. He hadn't noticed where those two had gone.

[Huh? Those two are missing?]

[Don't tell me they've hidden somewhere to get it on?]

[Let me look it up!]

Everyone: "?!!"

Wait, they were moving that fast?

It was only the first day, and they were already getting it on?

[Wow!]

Were they really doing it?

Even the director, who had been about to head out for dinner, made a sharp U-turn and went straight back to his seat.

[They're in that storage room on the basement level! And Xue Ruyin made the first move!]

[Liao Xuliang's pretty impressive. It's been almost half an hour since they started, and they're still not done!]

[How can I pretend to casually pass by so I can eavesdrop?]

An Ruzhi: "!"

Now this was her area of expertise!

She might not be great at other things, but she was exceptionally good at making things up!

She raised a fist to her lips, gave a light cough, and asked, "Um, does anyone know where the shovel is? I noticed the flowers in the yard don't seem to be doing too well, so I wanted to loosen the soil around them."

[Huh? Why bring that up all of a sudden? Didn't they say they were going to start making dinner?]

[Don't ask. Zhizhi has her reasons!]

[But come to think of it, Zhizhi paid for everything they just bought. It'd be perfectly fine if she didn't cook tonight, right?]

[Don't invite hate onto Zhizhi, commenter above. It's not like the others won't transfer their share back to her.]

[Exactly. None of them probably care about such a small amount of money, right?]

Chen Sinian was the first to catch what An Ruzhi was getting at, and he quickly answered, "It's in the storage room. It's probably pretty dark down there, so I'll go with you."

Su Tangtang: "!!!"

[Take me! Take me!]

Qiao Yufan, Xu Yuntong, and Xiao Ziyao quickly chimed in too. "We'll come down and have a look as well."

"If the storage room's that dark, we can shine a light for you. You might find it faster."

Only He Pijiu was still wavering between the gossip and the show. He really wanted to follow them and eavesdrop too, but if they actually went down there, wouldn't their show be done for?

Then the assistant director came over and punched him.

"?!!"

He turned his head. "You actually dared to hit me?!"

The assistant director was a man around his age. The only difference was that he already had a very obvious bald spot, which made him look a little more mature. Now, with equal maturity, he told He Pijiu, "You're exactly who I'm hitting!"

"Is it really that hard to choose between the show and the gossip?!"

He Pijiu: "?!"

Only then did he seem to snap out of it. Right, what the hell was there to hesitate over? Obviously, the gossip...

No, the show. Obviously, the show was more important!