Due to the tightness in her chest, Jiang Li walked so fast that when she suddenly stopped, she felt a bit dizzy.
She thought she had been able to be indifferent enough, but the stimulation and pain brought by the words had such a strong after - effect that every step she took made her feel as if her internal organs were being torn apart.
It was clearly the hottest part of summer, so why was the wind so bone - chilling, as if it was trying to blow people to death?
After returning to the hotel, Jiang Li didn't say much to Xiaoye. She said she was too tired and wanted to rest early, then headed straight to her room alone.
Seeing her in a poor state, Xiaoye didn't ask why she came back so early. Instead, she made the bed for her and asked if she wanted to eat something before going to sleep.
She also told Jiang Li that Sister Chen had already sorted things out, and the public relations department had issued a clarification. This storm would soon pass, so she should cheer up.
"I'm not hungry. I'm so tired," Jiang Li replied weakly, without much emotion. "Wake me up tomorrow morning. Thank you."
Dealing with Xiao Yanzhi was really exhausting. It made her feel more tired than shooting an action scene ten times.
She took a quick shower and fell into bed, half - asleep.
Probably because of the psychiatric medication, she slept restlessly. In her dream, she was standing on the edge of a cliff. Occasionally, small stones would fall from beside her feet, and the howling wind filled her ears.
The feeling of being about to jump off the cliff couldn't be more real.
She hesitated at the edge, her body swaying precariously. If the wind blew any harder, it would almost blow her off.
"Sister Jiang Li!"
A loud shout startled Jiang Li awake.
"You're about to fall off the bed!" Xiaoye exclaimed from the doorway and quickly came over to help her steady. It turned out that she had unconsciously rolled to the edge of the bed and was about to fall.
No wonder she had such a dream. It turned out that reality and dream had overlapped.
Her mind was so wandering that she almost couldn't tell if she was in a dream or in reality.
She had always been a well - behaved sleeper since childhood and rarely rolled around in bed, let alone rolling to the edge of such a big hotel bed.
She sent a text message to Dr. Qiao, and he said it was a side effect of the psychiatric medication. He suggested that she could reduce the dosage according to her own situation.
"Anyway, the best solution is to keep yourself physically and mentally relaxed," Qiao Jinrun said. "Have you encountered any difficulties recently? You can tell me."
Jiang Li curved her lips and tried to sound as light - hearted as possible. "No, actually I've been shooting the drama smoothly recently. Maybe I'm just too tired."
She was always used to comforting others first. Qiao Jinrun didn't expose her either. "Is the shooting almost finished? It's almost July."
Jiang Li was leaning on the lounge chair, holding her phone. She was sipping on her Americano with one hand and holding the phone to her ear with the other. "It's almost done. Just a few more scenes and we'll wrap up."
Qiao Jinrun's gentle voice came through the receiver. "Song Yu is going to have her wedding in early August. Are you available?"
Only then did Jiang Li remember that Song Yu was engaged to Bai He. "Wasn't the engagement banquet held?"
"The two families are quite low - key. They just had a meeting between the parents. Only the wedding will be grand, and there should be invitations sent later."
No one knew who it was, but they had a grand engagement banquet that ended up as a joke and was hard to salvage. After that, the nobles in the circle had become more cautious.
Compared to showing off, these people were more afraid of losing face.
Jiang Li asked for the exact time and confirmed that she would have wrapped up by then. So she said with a smile that she would wait for Song Yu's invitation before agreeing to attend the wedding.
"My appearance fee is quite high. I hope Lawyer Song will show some sincerity then."
Jiang Li was quite familiar with these people, so her tone was more amiable and casual.
Qiao Jinrun laughed. "I'll convey your message."
After hanging up the phone with Qiao Jinrun, Jiang Li casually put the phone aside and was about to look at the remaining script again when the phone vibrated twice.
Subconsciously thinking that Qiao Jinrun had something else to say, Jiang Li answered it. "What else..."
"Miss Jiang," came the gentlemanly voice of a man on the other end of the phone, speaking very slowly and methodically. "Hello."
Jiang Li was quite surprised that Chen Siqi would suddenly call her.
It turned out that he was asking about the previous cooperation with Haiyin and wanted to get her opinion.
"You can just communicate with Sister Chen. I'll fully follow her arrangements," Jiang Li said as she picked up the script again, ready to end the conversation.
"Jiang Li, I'm here to hear your thoughts," Chen Siqi said, his lips pursed slightly and a hint of smile in his voice. "I respect the opinions of the artists, and I especially respect yours."
"Most importantly," Chen Siqi paused for a moment and then continued, "if you have the intention to refuse, I'd like to try my best to persuade you."
This made Jiang Li laugh. She pursed her lips and said without leaving any loopholes. "Rarely does General Manager Chen condescend like this. I have no reason to refuse."
"However, I'm still under the contract of Jiang Entertainment. I still have a movie and some endorsements to finish. I have to wait until the contract expires..."
"Jiang Li, I heard that Xiao Yanzhi has been pestering you recently," Chen Siqi said calmly, with an undeniable tone in his voice.
Obviously, he had inquired about the news.
Jiang Li paused for two seconds. Just as she was about to beat around the bush, Chen Siqi suddenly said, "You won't be able to get rid of him by yourself."
Jiang Li was stunned.
"Everyone in the circle knows that a sugar daddy won't let go until he gets bored," he seemed to know this kind of people very well and spoke calmly. "If you keep dragging on like this, you won't be able to break free first."
"Unless he gets really tired of playing," Chen Siqi's voice was thought - provoking. "Jiang Li, you're a smart person. You should understand what I mean."
Jiang Li was speechless for a moment.
Of course, she understood that no matter how many tricks she played, no matter how bold her words or how sarcastic she was, in Xiao Yanzhi's eyes, it was just a little game of playing hard - to - get.
Before he really wanted to let go, there was absolutely no chance for her to leave.
It was a kind of helpless sadness.
"What exactly does General Manager Chen want to say?" Jiang Li was a bit unhappy and frowned slightly. "My private affairs don't need the busy General Manager Chen to interfere."
There was a hint of warning in her words.
Anticipating her slight anger, Chen Siqi continued calmly, "I'm not here to threaten you. I've encountered a little trouble on my side."
"The reason I'm telling you this is just to make a deal with you. I'll help you get rid of Xiao Yanzhi, and you need to do me a favor."
There was a seriousness in his tone that was hard to ignore. "You can choose to refuse, but at least give me a chance to explain."