Chapter 35

Chapter 35: 035 – Director Xie

“No. Qing Yan absolutely cannot jump into the Wang family’s wolf den.”

The words landed like a slap.

As Qiao Qing Yan supported Old Madam Qian and pushed open the private room door, she caught Old Ji’s anger head-on.

Old Ji looked up. The moment he saw who had entered, he reined his temper back in and sat upright, expression smoothing as if it had never cracked.

Old Madam Qian pretended she hadn’t heard anything and smiled instead. “Old Ji, what are you mad about now? Wolf den? Since when do you talk like that?”

She patted Qiao Qing Yan’s hand. “Xiao Qing Yan, come here. Let me introduce you.”

“This is Grandpa Qu—an old friend of mine and Old Ji’s.” She nodded toward the elderly man at the tea table. Then her smile turned toward the young man beside Old Ji. “And that one… I don’t think he needs an introduction, does he?”

Qiao Qing Yan followed obediently, her posture calm and respectful. “Grandpa Qu.”

Then she turned to the young man.

He looked around 27 or 28, right in his prime—handsome in a clean, mature way, steady in the way he held himself. A white shirt sat crisply on his frame. He sat properly on the sofa, not slouched, not careless, like habit had carved discipline into his bones.

Two phones—one black, one white—rested near his left hand.

On the back of one was a tiny, glittering, cute sticker.

The sticker looked absurdly out of place against the stark black-and-white.

“Director Xie,” Qiao Qing Yan said.

Xie Yu Qian—the only director in the industry who had both looks and talent.

He was also the director whose very first project had stumbled, in large part because of the original host. That little sticker had become the easiest way for people to recognize him. Rumor said Director Xie had a little sister and spoiled her like she was made of glass.

Xie Yu Qian didn’t react much to Qiao Qing Yan’s greeting. He only gave a slight nod.

Qiao Qing Yan understood. If the elders weren’t here, he probably wouldn’t even bother.

A flicker of images rose in her mind—on set, the original host being coquettish and affected, making trouble for anyone who didn’t indulge her. Sneaking around the crew quarters late at night. Harassing the director and assistant director like boundaries were optional.

Qiao Qing Yan pressed a hand to her temple. It must have been miserable for Xie Yu Qian back then. Yet he didn’t seem like the type to bow to pressure, so why hadn’t he kicked her out?

“Oh, so this is Girl Qiao,” Grandpa Qu said, smiling as he studied her openly. “You’re really pretty.”

From the moment she entered, his eyes had never left her.

He had to admit it. In half a lifetime, among all the beauties he’d seen, this girl was the most beautiful.

The last person he’d met who could match that kind of grace… was probably that one.

But their temperaments were completely different.

This girl’s beauty struck first—stunning, alluring, with an edge that could easily be mistaken for seduction. Yet she didn’t make people uncomfortable. Instead, there was something unexpectedly clean in her peach-blossom eyes, like she’d returned from chaos and come out simpler, more real.

Meeting his gaze without flinching, Qiao Qing Yan asked calmly, “Grandpa Qu knows me?”

Grandpa Qu’s brows lifted. He hadn’t expected her to hold eye contact so steadily—not a hint of fear, not even a polite dodge.

Even Xiao Qian, the first time Old Ji brought him over, hadn’t dared look him in the eyes like that.

Grandpa Qu felt the internet had exaggerated plenty. The real person didn’t match the version online at all.

“Old Ji has mentioned you to me many times,” Grandpa Qu said. “And besides… you’ve been pretty hot online lately.”

Qiao Qing Yan smiled softly. “Thank you for the compliment, Grandpa Qu.”

The gentle answer surprised everyone in the room.

Even Xie Yu Qian, who usually wore pride like armor, lifted his eyes slightly.

And yet, the girl at the center of the scrutiny didn’t shrink back at all. If anything, she seemed untouched by it.