Chapter 99 - In Her Way

Chapter 99: In Her Way

Yan Huan knew all that, of course. Nevertheless, a wrap party was a time to celebrate, it meant that the production crew would be able to kick back and relax for a few days. After that, they would have to start promoting the show to hopefully build enough momentum to start the broadcasting off with a bang.
Yan Huan picked up her chopsticks and began eating her food methodically. She made sure to eat in a demure, ladylike manner. Occasionally, someone would inadvertently look in her direction. She always smiled back when that happened.
But something bothered her…
She frowned slightly. She had realized, as soon as she entered the room, that there was a fat man at the table who would not stop looking at her. The message he was sending her was crystal clear.
In her previous life, she had met every kind of person under the sun and weathered every possible situation during her painstaking journey to the top of the showbiz hierarchy. She was exceedingly familiar with the look on that man’s face.
It was a look of aggressive interest. It was a sly, scheming look.
She tried to avoid the man’s gaze as much as possible. She excused herself to go to the washroom several times, but every time she got up she could feel that unwelcome gaze prickling at the back of her neck.
She gripped the cup in her hand. Beneath the table, her other hand was also clenched tight. She had barely started on her new journey in this life; the last thing she wanted was to run into unwanted “complications.”
She waited for what seemed like an eternity for everyone to finish eating and drinking. By the time everyone had had their fill, it was already late, and most of the actors could not spare the time to go for the usual karaoke after-party because of their busy schedules. That meant that the wrap party was essentially over at this point and everyone was free to leave.
It was standard etiquette for a newbie, no-name actor like Yan Huan to let the veteran actors leave before her. She waited until the room was almost empty before getting up to look for Yi Ling. Her instincts told her to leave as quickly as possible, before she ended up in an uncomfortable situation.
But when she was about to walk out the door, a man stepped in front of her. The fat on the man’s body jiggled all over— he was so large he practically blocked the entire doorway.
“Sorry, but if you could just move out of the way…”
Yan Huan lowered her eyelashes. She knew who this man was: Yan Lixiong, one of the producers for Love and Tribulations. He had produced several shows, investing in them with the money he had inherited from his wealthy family. There had been many rumors of his romantic involvement with various actresses, and he had a reputation within the industry for being a vile, disgusting player.
No, those aren’t ‘rumors,’ thought Yan Huan. Anyone with a brain could figure out what was really going on behind his never-ending series of “romantic involvements” with all those actresses.
Yan Lixiong was openly ogling Yan Huan. The fat on his double chin wobbled as an undisguised look of lust marched across his greasy face. It was clear from the dark circles under his eyes that he led an indulgent lifestyle.
“Are you Ms. Yan?”
“Yes, I’m Yan Huan. Nice to meet you, Mr. Yan.”
“Pleased to meet you.” Yan Lixiong’s face wobbled all over as he laughed heartily. “We seem to have a lot in common. Even our names are similar— we’re both Yans. Perhaps we were once from the same family, 500 years ago.”
I’d rather be dead than be related to you, thought Yan Huan irritably. She kept her head down, her gaze fixed upon the tip of her shoes. She refused to look at Yan Lixiong’s flabby face, or the repulsive glint in his eyes.
This man was very obviously interested in her, and not in a good way.