Chapter 321 - 254: Reflection

Ni Bingyan had nightmares all night.

In her dreams, the assistant casting director from her past life kept reappearing. He was the one who had tried to force her onto the casting couch. When she refused, he flew into a rage, got drunk, and cornered her in the bathroom, trying to assault her.

And in her dream, she stabbed him, over and over again.

The lewd, greasy, contemptuous smile on the assistant director’s wide face. The terror in his eyes after being stabbed. The thick, sticky layer of blood on the off-white bathroom floor. The fruit knife, so slick she could barely hold it. The comforting words of the police officers. The guidance of her therapist...

Scene after scene, memories she never wanted to relive, all came flooding back in her dreams because of Xu Bin.

When she woke up in the morning, Ni Bingyan’s head was throbbing. She sat on her bed for a long time before she could pull herself together.

Things had been going so smoothly for the past two years that she had almost forgotten the world had a dark side, and that the entertainment industry was never short of filthy, despicable people.

Compared to what she had faced before, a person like Xu Bin was nothing.

She got dressed and went to brush her teeth. Seeing the person in the mirror with huge dark circles under her eyes, Ni Bingyan gave a self-deprecating smile.

’I’ve been eating steak for so long I’ve forgotten how hard it is to chew on stale bread.’

Every working person understands the feeling of having a frustrating colleague who, instead of cooperating to make the job easier, just drags you down.

Actors frequently have to work with all sorts of people. With high-pressure work and constantly changing environments, many actors have bad tempers, but most conflicts can be resolved.

Having been an actress for nearly twenty years, Ni Bingyan was adept at handling these situations.

A person like Xu Bin was difficult, but not impossible, to deal with. The only reason she felt helpless against him was that she now had more to lose. With more to consider, she lacked the courage to just throw caution to the wind.

She would likely encounter situations like this again in the future, and simply tolerating it every time was not an option.

Once she realized this, Ni Bingyan felt a sense of clarity. She took out her makeup bag and carefully applied her makeup.

Her makeup skills were excellent, but it still took a great deal of effort to cover her dark circles.

When she arrived at the set, the makeup artist saw she was already prepared. Happy to have a lighter workload, the artist simply did her hair before busying themselves with other things.

With time on her hands, Ni Bingyan decided to find Wu Xi to discuss the day’s scenes in advance. It would save some time when filming started later.

After staying up so late last night, she wanted to work hard today so she could wrap up early and go home to rest.

The greater the pressure, the more prepared one had to be. Perhaps something brilliant could be sparked under that immense stress.

She had always believed that heaven would never forsake those who worked hard. As long as she lived earnestly, life would surely give her a little surprise from time to time.

Full of renewed fighting spirit, Ni Bingyan walked out of the dressing room, only to see Xu Bin approaching, also sporting a pair of huge dark circles.

She hadn’t slept well last night, and neither had Xu Bin.

Tax evasion was a minor issue. As long as he paid it back promptly, it wouldn’t be a big problem. Besides, the amount wasn’t large. Even if it was exposed, he could explain it away as an oversight due to his ignorance of tax laws. At worst, he’d just have to apologize.

What truly terrified him was that someone was targeting him. After much digging, he discovered he Can’t Afford to Offend this person.

No one is perfect. When someone is deliberately plotting against you, you’re at a disadvantage. Even if he dodged it this time, what about the next?

He’d tossed and turned all night, not because he hated that Sang for giving him a hard time, but because he was filled with regret—utter regret.

He had gotten too used to smooth sailing, which was why he thought he could make a move on any beautiful woman he saw. He hadn’t even bothered to do his homework beforehand.

It turned out that Ni and Sang were in a serious relationship, not some casual fling that could be ended at any moment.

As a man, he understood all too well: the hatred of someone trying to steal your woman was as deep as the hatred for your father’s murderer. If his intentions were confirmed, they would be mortal enemies.

Giving him a little trouble with his taxes was just an appetizer; there was no telling what else was waiting for him.

After all, he was far from a perfect person. He had plenty of skeletons in his closet.

In his absolute terror, he even began to feel grateful to Ni Bingyan.

Grateful that she had principles, grateful that she wasn’t interested in him, grateful that she hadn’t let him succeed.

This way, there was a chance to make amends.

Yesterday he’d been late and gotten chewed out for it. This morning, afraid he wouldn’t wake up, he had gone so far as to set five alarms just to make it to the set on time.

The moment they saw each other, Ni Bingyan immediately went on high alert, her back straightening and her lips pressing into a thin line.

She had already decided: if Xu Bin tried to bully her again today, she would expose the problem and let the producer and director handle it.

She was just an actress; she didn’t need to carry such a heavy sense of responsibility.

However, contrary to what she expected, Xu Bin wasn’t passive-aggressive this time. Instead, the moment he saw her, he approached with a refined, gentle smile.

’What kind of trick is he trying to pull now?’

That was Ni Bingyan’s first reaction.

"Xiao Ni, good morning!"

Xu Bin’s face was pale and his eyes were ringed in black. His shoulders drooped, and his whole demeanor screamed dejection.

As he greeted her warmly, Ni Bingyan could even detect a hint of fawning in his expression.

It was a little strange not hearing him call her "Teacher Ni" in that weird tone of his.

"Mr. Xu, good morning to you too!"

You don’t hit a smiling face, as the saying goes. Ni Bingyan sized him up and down several times before finally offering a lukewarm reply.

"Oh, come on, we’re so familiar with each other! Why call me Mr. Xu? Just call me Uncle Xu!"

Xu Bin didn’t seem to mind her coldness in the slightest. In fact, he became even more enthusiastic, the fawning look on his face growing more pronounced.

Goosebumps immediately prickled on Ni Bingyan’s skin.

’When something’s this abnormal, there must be a catch. This sudden change in Xu Bin’s attitude... is he trying to dig a new trap for me?’

’Stay away from him! Stay away from him! Stay away from him!’

Alarm bells were screaming in Ni Bingyan’s mind.

Seeing Duanmu Li approaching with a water bottle, she flashed a fake smile, ditched Xu Bin, and hurried over.

She breathed a sigh of relief when Xu Bin didn’t follow.

There was something so strange about that Xu guy today. Ni Bingyan was genuinely afraid he might just pull out a knife and stab her if things went south.

"I made some chrysanthemum tea today to help you cool down."

Duanmu Li held up the thermos she was carrying, then leaned in and whispered in her ear:

"What’s that guy up to now?"

Speechless, Ni Bingyan recounted what had just happened, then complained with a frown:

"I don’t know what new trick he’s playing today, but he’s definitely not up to anything good!"

Duanmu Li snorted. "A fox guarding the henhouse. He’s definitely not up to any good! Let’s both be careful today!"

Ni Bingyan thought she had a point and quickly sent a message to Wang Biao.

The three of them were on high alert, but when filming began, Xu Bin was incredibly cooperative.

To say he was merely "cooperative" would be an insult to Mr. Xu’s professionalism.

To achieve a better result, he even sacrificed his own screen time just to make Ni Bingyan shine.

After they finished a scene, the two sat down on the sidelines. Xu Bin, acting like a little assistant, fawningly moved his own sun umbrella to shield Ni Bingyan.

"I’ve got thick skin, I’m not afraid of the sun. But you shouldn’t get a tan, Xiao Ni."

Ni Bingyan couldn’t stand it anymore. "What on earth are you trying to do today?"

He had specifically requested that umbrella from logistics, even lying that he was allergic to UV rays and couldn’t be in the sun. Now he was giving it to her. ’Is he crazy?’

It’s not like she didn’t have her own umbrella.

Seeing that only Wang Biao and Duanmu Li were nearby, Ni Bingyan, thoroughly annoyed, decided to get straight to the point.

"What is it you really want? Why don’t you just lay it all out? Let’s stop scheming against each other. At the end of the day, you were the one in the wrong from the start, and I haven’t done anything to you. All this nonsense is just delaying our work, and nobody wins!"

Xu Bin’s face stiffened, but he forced himself to maintain his smile. "It’s nothing, really. I just wanted to ask you for a favor."

Ni Bingyan scoffed. "A favor? You think I’d help you? Let’s just muddle through these next few scenes, and after that, you go your way, and I’ll go mine. As long as we stay out of each other’s business, we’ll be fine!"

As long as she was a little more careful, they would never have the chance to work together again.

Xu Bin was a man who cared about his dignity and was rarely spoken to so bluntly. But he had no choice; no matter how angry he was, he had to endure it.

"You’re the only one who can help with this, otherwise I wouldn’t be bothering you. There’s nothing between us, it was all a misunderstanding, right? Could you just put in a word with President Sang and ask him to let me off the hook?"

Ni Bingyan couldn’t help but furrow her brow.

The surname Sang was rare. When connected to her, it most likely meant Sang Yuan.

How did Sang Yuan know what was happening on her set?

He was abroad, and she had a policy of only telling him good news, not bad. They talked and called every day, but she had never mentioned this.

It wasn’t that she was being overly suspicious.

It certainly felt great to be protected, but if Sang Yuan had secretly planted someone by her side, that didn’t feel so good.

She had never been a clinging vine.

Sang Yuan was indeed powerful. Many of the troubles she encountered could be solved with a single word from him, but she didn’t like to rely on him.

When two people are together, they both need their own personal space to feel secure.

In this life, a sense of security that comes from within is incredibly important.

She didn’t know about others, but Ni Bingyan disliked it most when Sang Yuan interfered with her work.

In her view, a woman had to be independent and self-reliant, with a career that couldn’t be influenced by her significant other. Only then would she have the confidence to be in a relationship.

Otherwise, if their relationship soured and she lost Sang Yuan’s support, her career would inevitably collapse. What would she stand on then? How would she fight for custody of her children?

It wasn’t that she was too pessimistic.

She just had a strong sense of impending crisis and lacked a sense of security.

She always prepared for the worst in any situation. That way, when something bad happened, she wouldn’t panic. On the contrary, she would feel joyful even at the smallest gain.

This was the survival wisdom of someone from a humble background.

Otherwise, if life was only bitterness with no taste of sweetness, how unbearable would it be?