Actresses

Chapter 23 Evidence

Seeing this, Shi Jiahe was both happy and angry.

He Yuran, this boss, is sometimes unappealing. Even if you reason with her and do things for her out of kindness, she won't appreciate it. But if you spout some strange, unfounded theories, she'll readily accept them. This is a common problem for many artists in the film and television industry. The difference with He Yuran is that she's more humane. But regardless, as long as we can get Sister Ran's attention back to work, it's always a good thing.

"Then let's find someone to leak information to the paparazzi so they can take pictures." He Yuran said, but then changed her mind. "Oh no, it would be too much of a favor to ask the paparazzi to do that."

Shi Jiahe thought to herself, "When will I be able to get rid of this habit of acting on a whim?"

"But we need to keep some evidence. Otherwise, how am I supposed to explain this to Zhuang Pan? Besides, this can only be discussed in person. If I send her a message on WeChat later, she'll just fold up my chat history and forward it to her boyfriend. I'll be caught in the middle." He Yuran muttered to herself.

"Well, we definitely can't notify the paparazzi, but I'm not sure if passersby will take pictures of them. Here's what we'll do: Ran-jie, you and Zhuang Pan definitely have more interaction, so you can subtly inquire about her recent situation first, and then I'll try to see if we can get a picture of this guy. Getting a photo would be the best outcome."

The two of them simultaneously blurted out the same name: Xuanxuan.

After chatting for a while, He Yuran, who hadn't actually gone to the hot springs, got sleepy and went to bed early, accompanied by Xiao Zhao and Sister Jun. Meanwhile, Shi Jiahe led her team, closed the door, and began assigning tasks.

"First of all, I want to emphasize one point: this must be kept secret. It's only the four of us who need to know," Shi Jiahe said.

"Of course. But why would we do something like taking photos secretly? Isn't that what paparazzi do?" Ding Yi asked, puzzled.

However, both Danzi and Xuanxuan were very excited, especially Danzi, while Xuanxuan's joy was tinged with a bit of panic.

"Will the equipment I brought be sufficient?"

Shi Jiahe almost laughed herself silly. "You think you're filming them for promotional material? Just use your phone, as long as you can see their faces clearly, and preferably capture some intimate moments between them."

"No problem, I'll try my best!" Xuanxuan said, blushing.

"But how do we film them? I see only the two of them, and none of us know them," Ding Yi said.

"Did you make out which floor and room type they parked on?"

"Oh dear! I don't remember, but Xiao Zhao should."

"Send a WeChat message to ask now," Shi Jiahe said, pointing to her phone.

"Okay, okay." Ding Yi quickly made a phone call.

As expected, Xiao Zhao's memory was far superior to others, and he clearly stated the floor. The remaining question was about the room type. This couldn't be asked directly at the front desk; they wouldn't disclose guest privacy. The best way was to ask the housekeeping staff.

Xuanxuan asked worriedly, "Sister, this isn't illegal, is it?"

Ding Yi laughed and said, "It's okay. If it's really illegal, your sister Jiahe will go in for you."

Shi Jiahe rolled her eyes. "We don't have any security cameras. If they do capture something, it'll be in a public place. Don't scare yourself unnecessarily!"

In the end, it was Egg Boy who came up with a solution.

Due to its room types and prices, the Royal Residence doesn't have many rooms to begin with, and currently only a handful of guests are staying there. Have the cleaning staff roughly determine which rooms on each floor are occupied, then eliminate rooms with children; those two people should definitely be among the remaining guests. If you still can't tell, call the front desk and ask them to deliver something to the remaining rooms; seeing who's picking it up will give you an idea of ​​the situation.

However, judging from the takeout boxes Ding Yi mentioned, the two people definitely wouldn't be going out tonight. So Shi Jiahe told everyone to get some rest, and that the four of them would go to the restaurant in pairs tomorrow morning to keep watch.

However, it's also possible that the two of them won't come down for breakfast and might order room service from their room.

At this moment, Ding Yi shook his head: "Let's take a gamble, they'll definitely come down to eat."

"Why are you so confident? They told you," Shi Jiahe laughed.

"I knew when I booked this hotel that breakfast needed to be pre-ordered. But I don't think these two people seem to have the brains or awareness to do that," Ding Yi said slowly. "Besides, who would waste such an expensive breakfast? They'd definitely come down."

The remaining three people all said in unison after hearing this: "Sister Ding, we believe you."

After assigning tasks, everyone washed up and went to bed early, since they had to take turns guarding breakfast early in the morning.

Later that evening, He Yuran sent Shi Jiahe a WeChat message, saying that she had inquired and indeed, Zhuang Pan and a mutual friend said that Zhuang Pan's recent state of mind had been somewhat erratic, and that her next project was still undecided. That was all she had found out so far. Shi Jiahe said that this was enough evidence to contact her immediately. He Yuran agreed, saying she would leave it to her.

But He Yuran was still worried. She asked on WeChat, "Can you guys handle this? Or should I just go and knock on the door? There are no barriers for actors to find actors."

Shi Jiahe said, "Forget it, what if you and that guy start having another scandal?"

Nothing happened that night. The next morning, Ding Yi, who needed little sleep, got up first, washed up, and went downstairs. Shi Jiahe followed later, and the two ate and discussed things together.

"Aren't you getting up? Do you have to be so lovey-dovey? Aren't you going downstairs for breakfast? Do you think this is worth the expensive room rate?" Shi Jiahe complained while yawning.

Ding Yi exclaimed, "Oh dear, you didn't pay for the room yourself, did you?"

Shi Jiahe gritted her teeth: "Anyway, at least one of those two people paid."

At the next hour, the two children came downstairs, and the four of them huddled around a table whispering to each other, as if they were having an affair.

Danzi and Xuanxuan said, "Let's eat quickly so as not to affect our work."

Shi Jiahe was starting to get anxious. If she really didn't run into them in the morning, wouldn't she have to wait in the hallway, or even at the hotel front desk to check out? What if they had extended their stay in the room and she wouldn't see them at all that day?

As I was thinking about it, I suddenly felt like I needed to go to the bathroom.

Just as Shi Jiahe was feeling uneasy, two people entered the restaurant one after the other.

Ding Yi said in a low voice, "They're here!"

Egg Boy immediately craned his neck, and Shi Jiahe lowered her head and said, "Don't be too obvious! Don't let people realize we're in the same line of work."

Beijing's Chaoyang District, especially the area from Sanlitun eastward to Changying, is teeming with people working in the film and television industry. When dining out or discussing business, one must first observe whether there are any colleagues nearby, otherwise, it's easy for their conversation to be overheard. As for celebrities, it goes without saying that because their appearance and attire are relatively eye-catching in a crowd, they are even more vigilant, let alone those going out for affairs.

Shi Jiahe was mainly afraid of disturbing the male actor.

At this moment, Xuanxuan stood up. Danzi asked, "Where are you going?" Xuanxuan didn't answer, but just took her phone and left.

Ding Yi said, "Don't ask anymore. The photographer has his own ideas."

During this time, Danzai quickly took a few more photos and even discreetly set up his phone to film some videos. The angles weren't great, though; you could barely see his profile. But anyone who knew him should be able to tell.

"Why don't we go and help too?" Ding Yi said.

"Everyone has their own expertise, there's no need for that. I'm wondering, could they possibly be friends?" Shi Jiahe pondered.

"Oh, what naive nonsense are you talking about? Can having breakfast together at a hotel mean you're just ordinary friends? If I ever catch my husband having breakfast with a strange woman at a hotel, I'll kill him—oh no, the child still needs a father."

Ding Yi was asking and answering herself, while Shi Jiahe remained silent, thinking to herself, "What on earth is my sister going through every day with this ability to think outside the box?"

"You've only just become famous, and you don't even know how to cherish your reputation," Shi Jiahe said.

"Jiahe, why are you saying such naive and innocent things today? It's news in our industry to cherish our reputation, okay? How many times have we had our stories backfired on trending topics? Do you think they're all male protagonists from Jinjiang novels, all so deeply in love?"

"It's pointless," Shi Jiahe sighed.

"So you see, I don't take this job seriously. That's the reason, it's not worth it," Ding Yi said again.

"But work should have some meaning, at least."

"...Hey! I think I got a picture."

As soon as Ding Yi finished speaking, Xuanxuan quickly walked back, and judging from her expression, she did not return empty-handed.

"How is it?" Shi Jiahe asked curiously.

"High-definition direct shot!"

"He cheated and they even filmed it directly... What a jerk. What do you think of the filming?"

Egg Boy ran back and gathered around the table. Everyone turned off the sound and watched the footage. It was indeed very clear. There were close-ups of the male lead's facial expressions, and even a shot of the female lead's reaction. Someone unfamiliar with the scene might have mistaken it for a behind-the-scenes video from a fashion drama.

"That's enough to make Zhuang Pan furious," Shi Jiahe said.

The group transferred all the footage to Shi Jiahe's phone, and then everyone began to observe the couple feeding each other on their date without any pressure at the table.

"Wow, the fans will be furious when they see this," Egg said while patrolling the male actor's super topic.

"Do you think Zhuang Pan is angrier or the fans are angrier?" Ding Yi asked again.

Shi Jiahe couldn't help but laugh. "Sister Ding, I've noticed you've been the most sarcastic I've ever been on this trip. I've never seen you so sarcastic before."

Ding Yi chuckled for a long time.

After returning to their rooms, everyone started packing their things, planning to check out in the afternoon, have a meal, do some sightseeing, and then head back to the city.

Shi Jiahe went to find He Yuran alone. After the two of them were left in the room, Shi Jiahe showed her all the footage she had shot that morning.

He Yuran said lazily, "I can't show her everything, so you have to pick one out for me."

Shi Jiahe said first, "We still need to choose the footage, okay?" So they chose one that contained the most information. And sure enough, it was Xuanxuan who took the picture.

"I'll send it to your phone," Shi Jiahe said, holding up her phone.

"No, I'm thinking, we can't let Zhuang Pan see it," He Yuran suddenly said.

"Why?" Shi Jiahe thought to herself, "Wouldn't all our efforts have been for nothing?" But she didn't dare say it aloud.

"I think if we still want to talk to Zhuang Pan about serious matters, using her boyfriend's infidelity to get closer will definitely backfire." He Yuran paused. "Because if someone approached me like this, it would be like throwing my face on the ground and stomping on it, you understand? Actresses absolutely cannot accept this."

"...Then when you see her, you'll have nothing to say, right? We've already talked, but you can't just start by bringing up filming; you'll probably get rejected."

"But we don't necessarily need to have a specific reason to make plans together," He Yuran tilted her head, suddenly making a cute expression and winking. "We don't really need any particular reason to make plans to eat together."

This time, it was Shi Jiahe's turn to be stunned.

...Oh right!

She forgot a basic fact. The relationships between actors and staff are different. When staff meet, there's always some serious business to discuss; otherwise, it's a waste of each other's time. But when one actress invites another, it's nine times out of ten because they're bored.

"Damn, it has to be my sister again." Shi Jiahe clapped twice. "Then it's settled? Once we get back to the city, I'll trouble you to ask her out as soon as possible."

"Yes, I understand," He Yuran said. "But keep the video safe. I think it might come in handy later."