Chapter 158: No Free Lunch

Old schoolmates, for adults more than ten years later, no matter how friendly they were back then, if they haven’t kept in touch, they drift apart. Li Yan had long forgotten his past, if not for that reunion, he would’ve forgotten not just Bai Jie, but also Qiao Huanxuan.

Qiao Huanxuan’s relationship was naturally different; apart from being taken by her that night upon reunion, she had also waited for him with deep affection for over ten years. On the other hand, Bai Jie was just an old classmate with no particularly close bond. That time they ate together, she cast aside her dignity to seduce him, just to get a chance in the acting scene. So Li Yan didn’t consider her particularly special, and wouldn’t treat her like Qiao Huanxuan.

Of course, everyone is an adult, with their own life attitudes and principles. He wouldn’t meddle in someone not too close. If he could help with a small favor, he didn’t mind doing so, but if Bai Jie wasn’t satisfied with that and wanted to advance through unspoken rules, Li Yan wouldn’t stop her. Whether she becomes worldly or corrupt, it’s her own choice.

For this reason, he didn’t speak or open the door, but kept listening to their conversation. When he later found out that Bai Jie had no such intentions, it was Mr. Tian trying to use his small power to entice her, and even attempted to force himself on her after her refusal. This was different!

He wouldn’t interfere with his female classmates using unspoken rules, but he wouldn’t let his female classmate be bullied in front of him. So upon hearing this, Li Yan directly opened the door.

To his surprise, after twisting the knob twice, the door didn’t open; it had been locked from the inside. Adding in that the previous few rooms were empty, it was clear that the photographer Tian deliberately brought Bai Jie in here and locked the door to buy more time and prevent being caught.

"Don’t come over, someone’s here..." Bai Jie’s voice significantly lowered, relieved hearing the door opening, but didn’t dare make a noise. After all, she was just a nobody, if caught, others would think she was seducing this photographer from Cloud Island.

The photographer Tian, upon hearing the door opening, paused, filled with resentment towards the person disturbing him. But he didn’t say anything aloud. He was very aware that a woman like Bai Jie wouldn’t dare make noise, and if she did, he’d counter-accuse her of seduction. After all, he had no fame but enough experience and connections in the industry, no one would believe he was forcing himself. At most, they’d see it as some sort of transaction. So he planned to stay quiet, waiting for the person outside to leave when they couldn’t open the door.

At this moment, Bai Jie’s silence gave him the chance to make a shushing gesture and try to undress her!

Just then, with a "bang," the door was kicked open from the outside. Here, doors were only locked when actresses changed into their underwear. More famous actresses had assistants with them; extras and background actors wouldn’t change alone, basically removing the worry of random intrusions. So for Li Yan, a regular lock was no challenge, one kick opened it.

After opening the door, Li Yan frowned deeply. Bai Jie was already forced onto a chair against the wall, wearing a helpless and troubled expression. He understood the situation after hearing the process; had he not entered, Bai Jie would still be resisting. Now, hearing someone approaches, afraid of embarrassment if seen, she dared not make a noise, letting the photographer succeed.

In fact, it’s the mentality of most women, whether harassed by a lecherous boss at work or on public transport, the fear of embarrassment leads them to endure silently, merely cursing inwardly, without calling for help or shouting. It’s exactly this mentality that wrongdoers exploit.

Bai Jie continued to clutch her clothes tightly, trying to cover herself up, embarrassed and ashamed when the door was suddenly kicked open, unsure of what to do. The photographer Tian, seeing someone kicking in the door, could only pause and look back at Li Yan, realizing he was an unfamiliar man.

As he told Bai Jie, he knew many directors, stars, and bosses; whether he was close with them or recognizable is another matter, but he had interacted with many in the industry, emboldening him to approach Bai Jie.

Now, seeing Li Yan and realizing he didn’t recognize him, he relaxed immediately. The known male actors in the cast he knew, and though he wasn’t familiar with producers and directors, he recognized them. With none of these arriving, there was only one possibility: this man was just an extra or background actor! His confidence soared.

"Who are you? Why are you here? Disturbing my photo shoot, I’ll have the director fire you!" Photographer Tian scolded with imperfect Yun Country speech.

Li Yan saw a professional DSLR camera on the table and realized the claim wasn’t false. Initially suspecting him as a photographer, he found it strange since today was crucial shooting, why was a photographer not by the camera and loitering here? Now his words and the camera made sense; he was just shooting publicity photos.

For someone like this, Li Yan had no patience, walked forward, and kicked out. The photographer Tian hadn’t reacted before his head was kicked, already positioned against the wall, causing him to hit back, lose consciousness, and fall heavily to the ground.

"You’re fired!"

After these words, Li Yan picked up the camera, smashing it on the ground, then grabbed a stool to break it further into pieces. He wasn’t venting by destroying the camera; hitting someone directly was more satisfying. But understanding Bai Jie’s perspective, she certainly wouldn’t want the incident widely spread, making it impossible for her to stay on the crew. So by injuring the photographer Tian and destroying the camera, it gave Qiao Pan legitimate reason to fire him.

"Li... Yan?" Bai Jie, though previously enraged and embarrassed when photographer Tian turned back, recognized as Li Yan approached and kicked the photographer Tian away.

Li Yan simply handled the situation, "Put on your clothes, aren’t you cold?"

"I... am not what you think. He tricked me into coming here, I had no thoughts of anything with him..."

If Li Yan hadn’t heard their conversation, he might have misunderstood. But he was a bit late entering, though he missed how she got tricked, he knew at least Bai Jie wasn’t involved in that way.

"I know, I’ve been outside for a while. Just get dressed, it’s not good to be seen." Li Yan explained without deliberately turning away or exiting as a courtesy.

Bai Jie felt a little relieved, hurriedly dressed, then stood up and angrily kicked the unconscious photographer Tian a few times to vent.

"Li Yan... thank you. If you hadn’t arrived just in time, I probably..." Bai Jie smiled bitterly.

These days in the crew, she noticed that less famous actors had assistants with them, while bigger names had managers, assistants, and even bodyguards accompanying them. To an ordinary person, it seemed pretentious. Now she somewhat understood it wasn’t just about face but also convenience and safety. Minor actors faced trouble, let alone stars? Had she an assistant, today’s danger might’ve been greatly avoided.

Li Yan didn’t criticize much. "I’m here on set today to look around, Qiao Pan didn’t see you at the site, mentioned you might be here, so I came over. Be more cautious in the future, the entertainment industry is a microcosm of society, besides easy fame and profit, darkness abounds."

"Mm..." Bai Jie acknowledged the lesson, then self-deprecated: "I’ve been in society for years, thinking I’m not as gullible as a fledgling girl, yet... "

Li Yan didn’t reproach her, yet didn’t offer sympathy either! Now she spoke, and he truthfully reminded: "Flies don’t swarm uncracked eggs, those who get cheated tend to be greedy. He lured you away alone likely with flattery, saying he’d shoot quality stills to help you get famous, to avoid suspicion, so invited you privately."

Bai Jie was a bit surprised but didn’t deny it. Thinking it over, she sighed: "You’re right. There is no free lunch; he’s not you and doesn’t know me well, why give special treatment without motive? I shouldn’t have been greedy!"

"I’m glad you’re grounded and don’t tread the path of unspoken rules. Earlier, old Qiao said you’re earnest and diligent, with a chance next time, we might offer you a role with more screen time." Li Yan comforted her.

Bai Jie gazed at him, said softly: "It’s still on your account... If I were ten or eight years younger, I could endure slowly. Now without a chance to make it big, I may never."

Li Yan glanced at her, saying indifferently: "You can strive for it, but even in unspoken rules, aim higher, what could a mere cameraman do for you?"

Bai Jie suddenly smiled alluringly: "What about you?"

(Many thanks for the rewards on the 25th: kipagod, dongmin8061, Cp Pampas) (To be continued, for more, please log on www.qidian.com, support the author, support genuine reading!)