Chapter 14: I brought her in

Xie Chengyu had just finished his soup when he walked over.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Nan Xiao shook her head. “Nothing.”

She didn’t look at him as she spoke, then turned and climbed the stairs with a heavy heart.

Watching her retreating figure, Xie Chengyu’s brows knitted together.
What was going on with her? Ever since earlier, she’d been off in her own world—dazed, distant.

Back in the bedroom, Nan Xiao opened WeChat. From the contact list, she found an old name she hadn’t messaged in ages: “Kai Kai.” She tapped into the chat, disabled the “Do Not Disturb” setting.

Then she went to Kai Kai’s Moments. A single gray line stared back at her.
He’d blocked her?

That explained why she hadn’t seen a thing from him in so long. A dry laugh escaped her lips.

Later that evening, on his way back to the office, Xie Chengyu got a call from Xu Ruoxin.

“Hey, Chengyu.”

She always stretched out his name just a little—soft, flirtatious, but never too much.

“Do you know about *The Chronicles of Qinfei*? I really want to shoot this drama. The director originally picked me during auditions, but the writer vetoed it.”

Xie Chengyu didn’t ask for details. But when she said she wanted to be in it, he simply replied, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle it.”

“Okay, you’re the best, hehe.”

He hung up and told Zhou Wen to reach out to the *Qinfei* production team—find a way to get Xu Ruoxin cast.

Something about the title nagged at him. It sounded familiar… like he’d heard it somewhere before. Was it just his imagination?

For the next few days, Nan Xiao moved into the old house. But she stayed locked in her room, rewriting the script, barely stepping outside.

Xie Chengyu was gone all day, returning late each night. They hardly saw each other. The old man, Xie’s grandfather, grew increasingly anxious.

Finally, the first day of filming arrived. Nan Xiao took a taxi to the set. When Zhou Ruicheng saw her, he lit up and pulled her inside.

“Come on, come on! The leads are here—come take a look!”

Feng Xue’er had been acting for years, but never quite broke through. Nan Xiao had met her once before—didn’t expect much. Still, since she was playing the character Nan Xiao had written, she wanted to see how she’d do.

But when she stepped onto the set, she froze.

There stood a woman with jet-black hair and crimson lips, smiling softly as she watched Nan Xiao and Zhou Ruicheng approach.

That wasn’t Feng Xue’er.

That was Xu Ruoxin.

What was she doing here?

“Xiaoxiao,” Zhou Ruicheng said warmly, “this is Xu Ruoxin. She graduated from the Film Academy. She modeled in college and even shot some international projects overseas.”

“From now on, she’ll be playing the lead role—Qin Ran. I’m sure she’ll bring the character to life perfectly…”

“Zhou Ge.”

Nan Xiao cut him off, her voice tight. “Wait—wasn’t it Feng Xue’er? Why did you switch to Miss Xu?”

It wasn’t proper to say such things aloud, but seeing Xu Ruoxin’s smug expression, the quiet triumph in her eyes—anger surged through her.

Honestly, when Zhou Ruicheng first asked if Xu Ruoxin could play the role, Nan Xiao had felt uneasy. She didn’t like the idea of someone else taking on her story.

But she was professional. She watched every clip Xu Ruoxin had done. And after careful evaluation, she concluded: Xu Ruoxin wasn’t right for Qin Ran.

So she’d rejected her—not because of personal feelings, but because the fit was wrong.

Now, suddenly, the lead role was hers again?

“Oops, I totally forgot,” Zhou Ruicheng slapped his forehead. “We switched to Xu Ruoxin two days ago. I forgot to tell you.”

Xu Ruoxin listened, her lips curling into a faint, mocking smile—her superiority on full display.

Nan Xiao was furious, but she held herself back. “Zhou Ge, I still think Miss Xu isn’t suitable.”

Xu Ruoxin was beautiful. Her acting was solid. She could carry the lead—barely.

But she was all softness and allure, the kind of woman who played the innocent flower with just enough temptation to make men weak.

Qin Ran was pure-faced, yes—but beneath that calm exterior was steel. Unyielding. Unbreakable.

And Xu Ruoxin? She didn’t have that edge.

Nan Xiao was usually gentle, even timid. But when it came to work, she stood firm. That was the one thing she prided herself on.

“I know she’s not ideal,” Zhou Ruicheng whispered, lowering his voice. “But we can’t help it.”

“A big investor specifically backed Xu Ruoxin. We can’t afford to piss off the boss.”

Investor?

Nan Xiao snapped her head up, staring at Xu Ruoxin in disbelief.

Then, a cool, clear voice cut through the air:

“It was me who brought Ruoxin in. She wanted to play this role.”