“Sometimes he can be a bit mischievous,” Xie Xiaobao said modestly.
Xie Feifei smiled and shook her head, cupping Cat’s two front paws and holding it gently in her arms.
The Cat-Shaped Paper Doll obediently retracted its paws, letting her hold it, then nuzzled her chin with its head.
With the Cat as the icebreaker, the two groups quickly became acquainted.
Just as Zhang Fengnian said, Xie Feifei really was easy to get along with.
She didn’t say much; to strangers, she might seem aloof and unapproachable, but after chatting for a bit, it became clear she wasn’t cold—she was just genuinely bad at small talk.
Although Xie Feifei was quiet, her assistant was a lively young woman, and the two seemed very close.
Usually, Xie Feifei would say a sentence, and the assistant would follow up with explanations.
Cat-Shaped Paper Doll was cradled in Xie Feifei’s arms, its chin resting on her arm, tail flicking back and forth.
“You’re way too easy to bribe, aren’t you?” Xiao Hei walked over to Xie Xiaobao with her tail held high, meowing persuasively.
“His guard’s way too low; humans can easily fool him.”
Xie Xiaobao twitched the corner of his mouth but said nothing.
He lifted Xiao Hei and placed her on his lap, scratching under her chin and said, “Wait until it’s your turn—you have to cooperate a bit then.”
“This is the black cat actor?” Xie Feifei had noticed earlier but, being taciturn, only wondered quietly to herself.
“Yeah, her name’s Xiao Hei.” Xie Xiaobao then pulled Da Zhuang over.
“This is Da Zhuang. Both of them are from the shelter.”
Xiao Hei was never interested in bipeds.
She lazily licked her paw and stayed still in Xie Xiaobao’s arms.
Da Zhuang, on the other hand, was much more energetic.
He enthusiastically nudged Xie Feifei’s hand with his nose, wagging his tail happily behind him.
“You’re cute too.” Xie Feifei reached out to pet him.
Seeing his missing ear made her feel a bit sorry, so she softened her touch, stroking the spot where his ear should have been.
“Hey, you all came early today.” Yang Qifei strolled over with his hands in his pockets.
For some unknown reason, he seemed unusually early.
“Good morning, Teacher Yang.” Xie Xiaobao, having a good temper, greeted him first.
Yang Qifei glanced at him but didn’t reply, his gaze landing instead on Xiao Hei, who was licking her paw.
“So this is the cat Director Luo personally picked?” His lips curled in a nasty smirk.
“Honestly, not that impressive. The older Luo gets, the worse his eye for talent becomes—he even lets these stray cats and dogs into the crew.”
“Mr. Yang, that’s quite an exaggeration.” The Shelter Director had devoted half his life to the shelter.
The cats and dogs were his beloved charges, and hearing them belittled like this made him unable to stay silent.
“Tsk.” Yang Qifei shot him a disdainful look, then seemingly ignored the comment, turning his attention back to Xie Feifei.
“Feifei, who knows if these cats have diseases? You hold them like that and don’t mind the dirt?”
The Shelter Director’s face flushed red with anger at Yang Qifei’s attitude, but since this was the film crew’s territory, he could only hold his breath in frustration.
Xie Feifei frowned at his attitude and spoke up, “They’re not dirty. Don’t go too far.”
Yang Qifei’s expression darkened.
His gaze swept across everyone present, settling on Xie Xiaobao’s face as if suddenly remembering something.
“Ah, you’re that famous live streamer online, right? I heard President He’s got a special relationship with you?”
“Mr. Yang, your words are not fitting of your status.”
Xie Xiaobao was already unhappy with Yang Qifei’s earlier contempt for the Shelter Director and the animals.
Despite his gentle nature, he couldn’t help but get angry now.
Who knew this guy would even slander his relationship with He Yu, trying to ruin the friendship between them?
He was truly detestable.
“Didn’t your teacher ever teach you to be polite?” Xie Xiaobao was straightforward.
Although he was soft-tempered, he wouldn’t let others bully him.
No one had dared to scold him so directly before.
Yang Qifei’s face twisted with anger as he glared hard at Xie Xiaobao, finger practically pointing at his face.
“I’ve got you noted.”
Having dropped his threat, Yang Qifei turned and walked away with his assistant, keeping his distance.
Xie Xiaobao stuck his tongue out at his retreating back.
“I’ve got you noted too.”
Xie Feifei chuckled quietly beside him, then grew a bit concerned and said, “I heard he holds grudges—be careful.”
The assistant who was standing nearby explained, “Feifei joined the company earlier and is a senior; he wouldn’t dare do much to her. But you all need to be cautious…”
The assistant lowered her voice and continued, “I heard a young star once snapped at him face to face. Not long after, that star was replaced… Everyone says he has powerful backing.”
Old Wang raised an eyebrow—meaning Yang Qifei had a sponsor behind the scenes.
But Xiaobao had no plans to switch to being an actor.
It wasn’t a big deal.
If Yang Qifei really wanted to slander him, he’d have to see if He Entertainment’s Public Relations Department would allow it.
***
The sky brightened as the sun rose.
The crew arrived at their posts, ready to start the day’s shooting.
Xie Feifei headed to do styling without saying much, quickly going to the makeup room with her assistant.
Once everything was ready, the first scene began filming.
Xie Xiaobao had changed into a pink collar.
The heroine, played by Xie Feifei, held the cat while walking downstairs.
The cat at home ate a lot but refused to exercise.
The vet had already warned several times about its overweight condition.
So the heroine forced herself to take the cat out for a walk every day.
Many residents in the heroine’s neighborhood kept pets, so every morning people would take their animals out to exercise.
The chubby orange tabby was held in the heroine’s arms.
When they reached the plaza, she put the cat down and shook the leash to encourage it to walk with her.
The tabby wouldn’t budge.
Instead, it rubbed affectionately against her leg.
When the cat acted spoiled, the heroine softened a little.
But remembering the vet’s warning and looking at the cat’s round body, she steeled herself and pulled the leash forward.
The cat flattened its ears and dug its paws backward, stubbornly refusing to move.
At that moment, the scheming hero appeared with a husky he had adopted.
Xie Feifei and Cat-Shaped Paper Doll’s coordination was excellent.
They rehearsed before filming, so they only needed two takes.
But when Yang Qifei’s scenes started, the number of cuts skyrocketed.
Director Luo Qin’s smile faded, and his tone grew impatient.
After so many retakes, Yang Qifei’s performance only worsened.
It wasn’t a matter of poor acting skills; Yang Qifei hadn’t even prepared.
He couldn’t remember his lines, and Luo Qin couldn’t imagine how Yang Qifei had become famous in the first place.
After another cut, Luo Qin finally lost his temper and slammed the script down.
“CUT! We’re not filming Yang Qifei’s scenes for now. Prepare for the next scene.”
The angry voice blared through the speakers, silencing the entire set.
Everyone stared nervously at the center of the stage.
Yang Qifei’s face darkened and he said, “If Director Luo has an issue with me, he can say it directly.”
“An issue with you?” Luo Qin was fully enraged by his attitude, firing words like a machine gun.
“Of course I have an issue! This is a film crew—what do you think this is? You haven’t even memorized the most basic lines. Even that cat is acting better than you!”
The Cat-Shaped Paper Doll tilted its head and hesitantly replied, “Meow?”
In the silent set, the clear cat’s meow echoed sharply, sounding like the cat was mocking Yang Qifei.
His face flushed red with fury and he shouted, “Are you all ganging up on me?”
“I’m done acting.” He threw up his hands and stormed off the set.
Two assistants hurried after him.
After he left, a still-fuming Luo Qin regained some composure.
He glanced at the terrified crew and softened his tone.
“Don’t just stand there. Get back to work. Next, shoot the heroine’s scenes.”
His words scattered everyone like birds, and the crew resumed work as if nothing had happened.
They finished all the heroine’s scenes ahead of schedule, wrapping up a day of filming.
Everyone returned to the hotel with secret gossip on their minds.
People speculated whether, given Yang Qifei’s temper, he really wouldn’t come back if he said he wouldn’t act anymore.
The next day, Yang Qifei indeed did not show up.
Assistant Director Zhang Fengnian was anxious, his lips cracked from worry, but Luo Qin appeared unbothered, continuing with his work as if the emperor wasn’t anxious but the eunuchs were.
On the third day, Yang Qifei still hadn’t come.
Xie Xiaobao overheard the crew gossiping that Yang Qifei hadn’t left his hotel and was likely stalling, waiting for Luo Qin to come personally and persuade him to return, hoping to save face.
Everyone wondered if Luo Qin would be the first to back down.
***
Though missing the hero temporarily, the heroine’s scenes were plenty, and the crew’s shooting proceeded smoothly.
During lunch break, an unexpected visitor arrived at the set.
It was Xie Yan’s secretary.
Though he kept a low profile, the large crew’s keen eyes soon spread the news: the CEO of Feng Sheng’s secretary had come looking for Xie Xiaobao.
This was explosive news.
The entire crew began scrutinizing Xie Xiaobao, speculating about his relationship with the CEO.
***
“Leak the photos.” Yang Qifei, in his hotel room, smiled slyly upon hearing the news.
“Also leak that the director bullied me on set. Release both at once.”
The scandal of the Feng Sheng CEO’s ambiguous relationship with the little internet celebrity, following President He’s involvement, would certainly catch everyone’s attention.
No worries about Xie Xiaobao’s reputation going sour now.