Joe Qi gave a lazy smile as he walked up to Sylvia Ran's car.
Sylvia Ran eagerly opened the car door for Joe Qi. She glanced behind him and, seeing that Charles Yin and Sean Kerr hadn't followed, a flicker of delight flashed in her eyes.
Joe Qi didn't miss the joy in Sylvia Ran's eyes. He seemed boneless as he slumped into the passenger seat.
"Dieyi just called me and said you were wronged during the audition?" Joe Qi looked at Sylvia Ran, half-smiling.
Sylvia Ran's eyes reddened. She bit her lower lip hard, her gaze resentfully sweeping across Joe Qi's face as she softly said, "It's my own bad luck, humiliating myself—who can I blame? Everyone knows Cecilia Gu and Rona Muir don't like me. I grew up with Charles and Sean, so it's understandable they dislike me. But we're just good friends, and they still misunderstand me like this..."
Joe Qi watched Sylvia Ran's performance with a half-smile.
Oh, a few days ago she claimed she truly loved Charles Yin, and now they're just good friends?
That's quite a change!
Joe Qi suddenly got interested—he wanted to see what exactly Sylvia Ran was up to.
"What can I do? Charles invested a lot of money, but the condition was for Cecilia Gu to be the producer. I couldn't refuse, right? Rona Muir is close with Cecilia, so if she wants Rona involved, I can't say no either. Plus, Rona is Sean Kerr's assistant—I have to give Sean some respect, don't I?" Joe Qi finished, then reached out and gently picked up Sylvia Ran's hair that hung over her chest, bringing it to his nose for a sniff. "Smells nice."
Normally, anyone would be furious at Joe Qi's move.
You don't mess with a friend's wife, and you definitely don't flirt with your buddy's close female friend!
Joe Qi's action was a blatant act of flirting!
But instead of getting angry, Sylvia Ran gave Joe Qi a coy look. "You're awful. I'm a little hungry."
After she spoke, Sylvia Ran deliberately shot Joe Qi a flirty glance.
Joe Qi was no fool—he instantly understood the meaning behind her look and grabbed Sylvia Ran's right hand.
Sure enough, Sylvia Ran showed no sign of refusing.
"If you're hungry, let me treat you to a meal, okay?" Joe Qi smiled deeply, playing the role of a playboy to perfection.
"Great! Since I've been wronged, I want something nice to eat as compensation." Sylvia Ran said, deliberately acting cute.
"Sure." Joe Qi's smile grew even deeper.
Sylvia Ran finally smiled and started the car, driving off quickly with Joe Qi.
Charles Yin took off his headphones and said to Sean Kerr, "Let's go. Looks like we're in for some drama today."
Sean Kerr still looked confused. "What drama?"
He's still heartbroken, okay? As his buddies, aren't you going to comfort him at all?
Charles Yin didn't care about Sean's breakup and dragged him straight into a huge media room.
As soon as they entered, Charles grabbed the remote from the table and turned on the video.
A hidden camera view instantly appeared on the screen mounted on the wall.
The people being filmed were none other than Joe Qi and Sylvia Ran.
"Sylvia?" Sean Kerr froze when he saw who was being filmed. For now, his heartbreak was forgotten.
"Charles, what does this mean? Are you spying on them?" Sean Kerr, who was usually sharp at work, was surprisingly clueless when it came to relationships.
Charles Yin settled comfortably into his chair and said slowly, "I've always suspected that Sylvia Ran's six-year disappearance wasn't as simple as you think. I was going to have Ethan Yin test her, but that idiot got completely played by Sylvia—she took all his money and he still failed! I thought I'd never find out her secret, but now she's after Joe Qi. So I talked to Joe and asked him to help me confirm something."
"Confirm what?" Sean Kerr was still confused.
"We'll know soon enough," Charles Yin said, his smile growing deeper. The calculating look in his narrow eyes sent chills down Sean's spine.
Meanwhile, in the car, Joe Qi lounged lazily in his seat, his half-smiling eyes fixed on Sylvia Ran.
Sylvia Ran drove in silence, but she could clearly feel Joe Qi's gaze on her.
A glint of determination flashed in Sylvia Ran's eyes.
"Where should we eat?" Sylvia Ran asked, giving Joe Qi a sultry look.
"You choose. My treat tonight—order whatever you want." Joe Qi pinched his chin with one hand, while the fingers of his other hand casually brushed against Sylvia Ran's thigh.
Sylvia Ran's eyes sparkled even brighter.
"I heard there's a hotel with great French food. Want to try it?" Sylvia Ran's voice grew even softer.
"Sure." Joe Qi blinked and said, "It's up to you."
Joe Qi's fingers started to stray, slowly sliding up the inside of Sylvia Ran's thigh.
Sylvia Ran just tapped the back of Joe Qi's hand with her right hand, but didn't say anything to stop him.
By now, both of them knew exactly what they wanted.
Seeing this, Sean Kerr was utterly shocked!
"How could this happen?" Sean Kerr felt like his worldview was collapsing.
Charles Yin sneered, "Yeah, how did it come to this? Aren't you curious why she's changed so much in the past six years?"
Sean Kerr immediately turned to Charles Yin. "Did you find out something?"
"She's covered her tracks well, so there's no solid evidence yet. But there are plenty of clues. Joe Qi really has it tough today—he's basically sacrificing himself!" Charles Yin's smile deepened. "I can't wait to see what happens next..."
Sean Kerr finally began to calm down and started thinking things through.
Honestly, when Sean Kerr isn't acting like a goofball, he's actually a pretty great guy.
Handsome, rich, powerful, and loyal.
Well, okay, his goofy side does lower his overall score a bit.
But when Sean Kerr is calm, he's definitely not a fool.
After thinking over what Charles Yin said, Sean's eyes turned a little cold. "She's definitely not the Sylvia Ran we used to know! The old Sylvia would never do something like this."
"That's why we need to figure out why she's so desperate to find a man!" Charles Yin's lips curled into a cold smile. If Sean didn't see Sylvia Ran's ugly side for himself, he'd never believe Charles.
Sylvia Ran is definitely hiding some unspeakable secret!
I'm suddenly really excited to find out what that secret is!
Sean Kerr shook off his earlier gloom, dragged a chair over, and sat down to quietly watch the scene unfold.
But is it really fair to Dieyi Chen for Joe Qi to act this way?
Oh, who's to blame for being blind to the truth?
After all, it was Dieyi Chen who insisted on pushing Sylvia Ran onto Joe Qi!
Sylvia Ran quickly drove to a hotel.
The French food here is honestly just average. Even though Joe Qi doesn't come to N City often, he knows where to find the best French cuisine.
But there's one good thing about this place—the French food isn't served in the main hall, but in private rooms.
And as for what happens in those private rooms... heh, do I even need to say it?
Joe Qi acted like he had no idea, letting Sylvia Ran lead him to the place.
Joe Qi, tall and broad-shouldered, is a familiar face in the entertainment world. When he's out and about, he usually wears sunglasses to hide his identity.
But this time, Joe Qi didn't bother to cover up and let his face be seen by everyone.
Sylvia Ran glanced at Joe Qi. Sure, he's a bit older... but compared to those old geezers, he's way better.
Plus, Joe Qi is loaded!
He's not quite on Charles Yin's level, but when it comes to connections, he's not lacking at all.
In showbiz, who doesn't know a few big shots?
Sylvia Ran checked her makeup in the mirror one last time, made sure she looked perfect, then got out of the car and took Joe Qi's arm as they walked inside together.
Most people who come here to eat have an ulterior motive.
I mean, who eats in a private room just for a regular meal? Eating next to a bed... it just feels off!
Once inside the hotel, Sylvia Ran confidently led Joe Qi to a room.
As soon as the door opened, Joe Qi whistled. "Didn't expect this, Sylvia—you've got some real style!"
Sylvia Ran instantly gave him a seductive smile. "As long as you don't mind."
How could he possibly mind??