1131 I Want to Make You Stay 9

"Is she made of gold? She only suffered three or four whips of the lash and she's asking for an increment of 100 thousand dollars per episode?"

With a sullen expression on her face, Director Gao said, "We don't have a choice, you were the one who committed the mistake first. Caiwei, I hope you'll stop creating so much trouble for me. Don't forget who Fang Erlan's boss is. You don't want the efforts of the entire production team to go to waste because of you, do you? The studio that she's signed to has already stated their stand clearly. If we don't handle and address this issue appropriately, the television series might not be able to go on air. I actually think there's another meaning to their words. If I don't handle this issue appropriately, I can forget about making a living in this industry. If I get boycotted, what do you think is going to happen to you, Caiwei?"

"Okay, simmer down. I'll fork out the money," said Yu Caiwei, who felt the pinch and was extremely agonized.

—

After meeting the crew member that the bodyguards had brought to her, An Xiaoning dismissed them and informed Xiao Chenyang of the matter.

She initially thought that Xiao Chenyang would snap and blow his top. To her surprise, he actually remained quiet.

"Aren't you going to feel indignant and sympathize with her?" she asked.

"She doesn't need me to feel indignant for her or sympathize with her."

"What's wrong with you?" An Xiaoning asked in confusion.

"Nothing much," he answered aloofly with a look of disgruntlement while lying on the bed.

"Is your mobile phone out of battery? Do you need to charge it?"

"No, no one's going to call me anyway."

Knock-knock… The bodyguard yelled, "Young Madam, someone's here!"

An Xiaoning had described Xihou Jiaping's features to the bodyguards outside and specifically instructed them to inform her once the latter shows up.

Hence, she and Xiao Chenyang looked at each other, after which the latter immediately got up and zoomed toward the washroom.

An Xiaoning opened the door and met Xihou Jiaping's eyes.

"Ms. An, may I go in to see Jin Qingyan?"

"You are? Who are you?" she asked hesitantly.

"I'm his friend from abroad. I haven't met him in years. After hearing that he had fractured his calf and gotten hospitalized, I decided to come and visit an old friend."

"Alright, please come in ,then," An Xiaoning said, smiling.

The tension on Xihou Jiaping's chiseled face eased up a little, and he entered with the gifts. An Xiaoning closed the door and followed closely behind him.

Henry was lying on the bed. At the sight of Xihou Jiaping, he recalled the words that Xiao Chenyang and An Xiaoning had said to him previously and he answered, "What are you here for?"

"To visit you, of course. Long time no see, old friend."

Henry immediately exposed him and chastised, "I'm not your friend, don't jump to conclusions."

Xihou Jiaping realized that the sight before him did not align with the news he had received.

His lips curled into a sinister smile, and he placed the gifts onto the table. "Do you really think it's appropriate of you to say that?" He then said to An Xiaoning, "Ms. An, may I have a word with him in private?"

"I'm afraid not. I seek your forgiveness and understanding," said An Xiaoning, who remained calm and composed.

"In that case, forget it, then," he said, placing his hands behind his back out of habit. Glaring at Henry menacingly, he said, "I came today with the intention of presenting to you a huge gift. Do you have the guts to accept it?"

"Xihou Jiaping, stop beating around the bush. You know I hate wasting my breath talking to you."

Xihou Jiaping's forehead creased into a frown the moment he heard Henry calling him by his full name. Someone had clearly tipped me off and told me that he was in the midst of a relapse. I can't believe it… did he recover?

Seems like the time wasn't right today.

However, he didn't have a way out since he had already turned up.

"Don't waste your breath if you don't wish to do so, then."

He turned to face An Xiaoning and said, "Ms. An, you'd better excuse yourself."

"What if I still refuse to do so, Your Majesty?" said An Xiaoning, keeping her eyes fixed on him. Knowing that Xiao Chenyang was around, she inevitably felt more confident and brave. She did not bother beating around the bush and playing games with him any longer, because she knew that he was about to lay a hand on Henry.

Xihou Jiaping initially thought that he had everything under control, yet his plan fell through and backfired all of a sudden. However, he soon recovered from the shock and questioned, "Did you already recognize me long ago?"

"Yes, I already recognized you when you abducted Qingyan last time."

He dropped the pretense and threatened with a squint, "Aren't you afraid that I'll kill you?"

"I was afraid. Of course I was. I was terrified. However, I no longer fear you, because both Qingyan and I have a clear conscience. Your Majesty, you're so eager to kill us. Are you acting this way because you've been driven to desperation?"

Xihou Jiaping flew into an uncontrollable rage and snapped, "Hua Jin!"

An Xiaoning guffawed and goaded, "What's wrong? Are you losing your temper so soon? That doesn't seem like you at all."

"You're still the same old you…" He then glared daggers at Henry and immediately tried to attack him.

However, Xiao Chenyang grabbed onto his shoulder and held him down forcefully. He then flung Xihou Jiaping toward the side, causing him to be thrown off balance, such that he almost fell.

Xihou Jiaping recovered from the shock and discovered that Xiao Chenyang was present too!

Seriously…

"Xiao Chenyang, you're here to poke your nose into others' business again!"

"I'm sorry, but I just enjoy being nosy. If you don't like that… you're welcome to battle me!"

Xihou Jiaping scoffed and said, "Let's hope you'll always be by their side at all times from now on, then. Don't ever leave them alone, or else…"

Xihout Jiaping turned around to leave.

"Wait a minute…" An Xiaoning handed the gifts back to him and sneered, "Take these back with you. We've got an abundance of money. We don't need your gifts."

"…"

Glaring at her coldly, he grabbed the gifts and strode out of the door.

He then slammed the door shut. An Xiaoning looked at Xiao Chenyang and said, "Thank you, though I know you don't like hearing those words."

"I didn't do it for you anyway," Xiao Chenyang answered coldly.

An Xiaoning smiled and said, "But you still saved my life, didn't you? However, I'm afraid we'll have to trouble you frequent;y from now on."

"It's no trouble at all. Seems like Xihou Jiaping has already learned about his dissociative identity disorder. Otherwise, he wouldn't have said those words when he first entered. On the surface… he thought that you hadn't recognized him yet. He only knew about Qingyan's illness."

After some thought, An Xiaoning found that his words made sense. "If he's already aware of it, who did he hear it from? That's a crucial question. Barely anyone knows about Qingyan's illness. It's unlikely that our bodyguards have leaked the information…"

"It doesn't matter how he found out. Don't dwell on the reason since he already knows about it now. He'll definitely find a way to kill you guys again. Just be on your guard and be cautious at all times. You can't afford to be careless or make any blunders," he said solemnly.

Just as they were speaking, the bodyguard outside reported, "Young Madam, Ms. Hu is here again."

An Xiaoning glared at Henry and said, "Seems like she's not going to give up unless you make things clear to her. Would you like to have a few words with her?"

"Okay, let her in," he agreed.