The Film Base and the Airport were in the same direction, only the Film Base was a bit further off.
The black Audi sped along the road and finally arrived at the Film Base gate at nine o’clock.
At the entrance, people came and went, many extras lingered by the gate waiting for work, and some paparazzi blended in among them, hoping to catch some fresh news.
As He Yu’s Audi stopped, many people secretly or openly sized it up, guessing which star might be inside.
He Yu didn’t get out of the car.
Instead, he first called Xie Xiaobao.
After a moment, the call was answered.
From the background noise, He Yu guessed that Xiaobao was probably on the set.
“Hey? Are you done with work?” Xie Xiaobao picked up the phone.
He had just finished filming a scene with Xiao Hei, who had been throwing a tantrum and refusing to cooperate.
Xiaobao had coaxed her for a while before calming her down.
“Mm, I’m done.” He Yu smiled involuntarily.
“When will you finish over there? I’m back in the country and will come to visit you later.”
“Around twelve,” Xiaobao estimated and said, “You just got back, so rest at home for now.”
“No worries.” He Yu spread his fingers and brushed his hair back from his forehead, his voice especially gentle.
“I’m just coming to see you.”
Xiaobao’s response was immediately cut off.
His fair cheeks flushed a fiery red.
Lately, He Yu’s words had been getting stranger and stranger.
He stammered, “Okay then.”
Maybe sensing Xiaobao’s awkwardness, He Yu suddenly chuckled softly, “Call me when you’re done.”
“Okay.”
Ending the call, He Yu told the driver to find a place to eat first.
It was still early, and since Xiaobao wouldn’t finish until noon, they needed to grab a bite to eat.
After the meal, they returned to the Film Base.
Around 11:40, Xiaobao called to say he was finished.
“Alright, come out.” He Yu smiled and said, “I’m right by the gate.”
“Huh?” Xiaobao was momentarily stunned, then asked Xie Feifei’s assistant to watch the cat and hurried out.
At the gate, a familiar black Audi was parked.
Xiaobao’s eyes lit up as he jogged over.
He wanted to call out He Yu’s name but suddenly remembered there might be paparazzi lurking nearby.
So he swallowed the words, opened the door, and got in quietly.
“When did you arrive?” Xiaobao looked at He Yu, his eyes especially bright in the dim interior.
“Not long ago.” He Yu moved his fingers slightly but held back from reaching out.
“Have you eaten?”
Xiaobao shook his head, “Not yet.”
He Yu laughed and said, “Me neither. Let’s eat together.”
He turned to the driver up front and said, “Find a restaurant for us to eat at.”
The driver, who had just finished eating, felt like he’d overheard something he shouldn’t have.
He silently nodded and drove them back to the restaurant where they had just eaten.
They got out at the entrance.
The driver, with a keen eye, went to park the car and then idly found a spot in the lobby to kill time.
After all, he had just eaten and wasn’t hungry.
If he mindlessly followed the CEO’s orders, he might get into trouble back at the company.
The two men ordered a private room.
A waiter brought over a teapot to pour them tea.
Worried Xiaobao was hungry, He Yu ordered some dishes right away.
“Why didn’t Orange Bao come?” He Yu asked casually.
Xiaobao inwardly snorted.
If he brought him along, Orange Bao would be rolling over on He Yu again, so of course, he couldn’t bring him.
Though he thought this silently, he said, “It was too rushed when I came out, and besides, it’s inconvenient to bring him.”
He Yu had only asked casually.
It didn’t matter that Orange Bao wasn’t here as long as the owner was.
They chatted while waiting for the food, and Xiaobao told He Yu some funny stories from the past few days.
But He Yu’s brows furrowed more and more.
“Yang Qifei is targeting you on the set?”
“It’s not exactly targeting,” Xiaobao shrugged.
“His cat got pushed down by Xiao Hei, so maybe he’s a little unhappy. But I didn’t really lose out.”
He Yu filed this information away.
Once Xiaobao’s story got out, He Public Relations Team at He’s Entertainment immediately began responding.
But the news was too explosive and spread very quickly.
Even pulling out online supporters to suppress the hype didn’t work.
If it weren’t for Xie Yan showing up and revealing a brilliant twist about Xiaobao’s identity, it would have been almost impossible to clear up such a large-scale rumor campaign.
The photos were obviously taken by someone inside the crew.
Xiaobao had a good temper and rarely had enemies.
The only person he’d had conflict with was Yang Qifei.
Someone needed to investigate Yang Qifei.
There was an eighty to ninety percent chance the whistleblower was connected to him.
He quickly ran through all this in his mind but said nothing.
Instead, he asked if Xiaobao was comfortable on set.
“It’s pretty fun.” Xiaobao said, “Except Xiao Hei is hard to coax. She always throws tantrums and refuses to cooperate.”
Xiao Hei’s wild and unruly nature perfectly fit the script’s requirements.
But it also meant she wouldn’t cooperate much during filming.
Xiaobao had to use countless little fish snacks to bribe her into compliance.
He Yu looked at him warmly, listening to the set anecdotes.
The waiter came with the dishes, interrupting their chat.
Xiaobao had only eaten breakfast and was genuinely hungry, so he ate happily.
He Yu had eaten at nine but picked at his food sporadically.
They chatted as they ate.
By about 12:30, they finished.
At 1 PM, Orange Bao and Xiao Hei had another scene, so Xiaobao couldn’t leave.
They headed back to the crew directly.
The filming schedule was tight lately.
Director Luo Qin wanted to premiere on Valentine’s Day, so the crew had been working overtime.
The Audi pulled up again at the Film Base gate.
Curious onlookers craned their necks to see, as the car had come and gone three times without anyone getting out.
Maybe it was someone important.
Shiny black dress shoes stepped onto the ground.
He Yu got out, then went around to open the door for Xiaobao.
Xiaobao stepped out of the car, cautiously scanning the surroundings.
He whispered to He Yu, “Let’s hurry inside before the reporters catch us again.”
He Yu smiled and replied, “Let them. Visiting the set isn’t something to hide.”
Xiaobao agreed with the logic and confidently led He Yu into the set.
The crew was already busy.
Because of the tight schedule, the staff started working immediately after eating.
When Xiaobao brought He Yu in, the crew members noticeably paused, then carried on as if nothing happened, though their eyes flickered subtly in their direction.
Xiaobao pulled over two chairs and sat He Yu down.
There wasn’t much to say after sitting—everything worth discussing had been covered during the meal.
Xiaobao hadn’t even sat down long before he bounced off to the tea room to pour He Yu some tea.
Lu Xiaoyue’s assistant happened to be there making coffee.
They had gotten familiar over the past few days.
Seeing Xiaobao come in, she approached and asked, “Xiaobao, is that really President He sitting outside?”
Xiaobao took a disposable cup, dropped in a tea bag, and poured hot water.
The assistant stretched her neck to look at He Yu and said, “President He is really handsome in person.”
“Yeah.”
She glanced around and then covered her mouth to whisper, “He’s way more handsome than many stars in the industry. But he looks kind of fierce.”
Xiaobao felt like he was being complimented too, and proudly said, “I think he’s handsome as well, but He Yu isn’t fierce. He just looks intimidating because he’s so tall.”
The assistant was half convinced.
After hesitating, she confided in Xiaobao, “Could you ask President He for an autograph for me later?”
“Sure, I’ll ask for you.” Xiaobao carried the tea and walked out, agreeing immediately.
He Yu naturally wouldn’t refuse Xiaobao’s request.
Xiaobao waved to the assistant nearby, and she came running over with a notebook and pen.
“Hello, President He. I’d like to ask you for your autograph.”
As she got closer, the assistant felt President He’s aura was even more intimidating.
She bravely kept smiling but swallowed the words, “I really like you,” that she wanted to say.
He Yu nodded expressionlessly.
The assistant flipped the autograph book to the page with Xiaobao’s signature and timidly said, “Just sign here.”
He Yu’s hand holding the pen hesitated for a moment, then signed his name right next to Xiaobao’s.
The assistant’s eyes lit up, thrilled inside but still politely thanked He Yu.
“Thank you, President He. I won’t disturb you anymore,” she said before rushing off without even a minute’s pause.
“Wah, President He looks really fierce with that serious face.”
Xiaobao watched the assistant’s retreating figure and chuckled.
He bent halfway and tilted his head to poke He Yu’s face.
“He does look fierce. No wonder he scared her off.”
He Yu caught his hand with a helpless expression.
“Even fierce, I don’t see you afraid of me.”
“Not afraid now,” Xiaobao mumbled, thinking back to when they first met, “But I used to be scared.”
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