Chapter 61: Slave 9527

“Okay, okay!” Xiao Ran was utterly infatuated with Fang Ruoxin—so much so that he would agree to anything she asked, even at the cost of his life. Usually able to remain calm, he was now overjoyed by Fang Ruoxin’s special treatment today and had no energy to think critically about what she was saying.
Fang Ruoxin then reverted to her cold expression, and Xiao Ran suddenly snapped out of it. Remembering what he had just agreed to, he broke into a cold sweat. Where could he get a moon? He was at a loss. As for this little princess Fang Ruoxin, he really couldn’t think of anything to give her.
He had tried before to give her some crafts he made himself, but unfortunately, Fang Ruoxin would merely glance at them coldly, scoff with disdain, and throw them away. After these few lessons, Xiao Ran learned his lesson: if he was to give her something, it had to be flowers—the only thing he could afford and the only thing she would accept. Recalling all this, Fang Ruoxin flashed a smile that drove Xiao Ran crazy: “Aren’t you regretting it now?”
“No, I’m not. For you, I’d even die!” Xiao Ran shook his head firmly, denying it outright. Of course not—he knew that if he admitted it, given Fang Ruoxin’s temper, she would either walk away or splash water on him.
“That’s what you said. If I ever ask you to do something in the future, don’t ever back out!” Fang Ruoxin’s smiling face was truly beautiful; her fair, jade-like skin made any man swallow hard. Of course, Xiao Ran wasn’t bad-looking either, but in front of Fang Ruoxin, he always felt a bit out of place.
Obviously, our protagonist wasn’t aware of this. He only felt that every smile of Fang Ruoxin moved his heart. Fang Ruoxin’s eyes shifted slightly, showing amusement: “I still want to act. Would you let me play in ‘A Fairy Tale in Autumn’?”
“No problem!” The instant he replied so readily, Xiao Ran was shocked almost to the point of jumping up. He wished he could slap himself—what nonsense! How could Fang Ruoxin play that role? Without Zhong Chuhong, the film would lose its charm and become just another mediocre romance.
Fang Ruoxin’s acting skills? Ridiculous. Though he liked her, he certainly didn’t approve of her acting—those were two different things. With her acting skills, she would definitely fail as the heroine. Xiao Ran had seen Fang Ruoxin act before. To use a classic line from “Jianghu”: She doesn’t listen when told, doesn’t understand when explained, doesn’t act when informed, makes mistakes when trying, refuses to admit them, won’t change, refuses to accept changes, and stays silent even when told!
Fang Ruoxin’s situation was far more complicated. She wasn’t the kind to listen to others, and she never accepted Xiao Ran’s advice. Sometimes, Xiao Ran even thought that if he didn’t like her, even if she were God’s sister, he wouldn’t give her a chance.

Worse still, after seeing Fang Ruoxin’s personality, Fa Ge and Huazai both repeatedly assured Xiao Ran that they would never work with this woman. Xiao Ran understood them—Fang Ruoxin might smile at them most of the time, but the contempt in her heart could not be erased. No one would allow their pride to be challenged like this, and Xiao Ran had been scolded harshly by Fa Ge several times in private over this matter.

“No!” On this issue, Xiao Ran, who had already stopped eating, was extremely firm: “I can’t give you that role. No one but Hong Gu can play it! How about this? I’ll write you another love script another day—it will definitely be better than this one. What do you think?”

Fang Ruoxin’s expression changed, and she also put down her utensils, her eyes showing contempt. That expression quickly turned into a smile—a sinister-looking smile—as she leaned forward toward Xiao Ran and asked in an extremely sweet tone, “Really not? But I really like this role!”

“A Xin, really not.” Xiao Ran’s resolve softened a bit at her voice, but his sense of reason remained intact. He was well aware of what would happen if Hong Gu didn’t play the role: “You know your acting skills aren’t good enough; you definitely can’t do it. Besides, the company has already signed with Hong Gu. Doing this will just put me in a difficult position…”

Silently, Fang Ruoxin’s expression changed drastically. She stood up and left. Xiao Ran’s head, still tilted forward, remained frozen for several seconds. His face was wet as he watched Fang Ruoxin walk away from the restaurant with a smile, forcing himself to smile bitterly.

A noblewoman—such a difficult noblewoman! Xiao Ran began to doubt whether pursuing her was really the right choice. After all, he valued a free and happy life, not a life spent constantly in high-end places and among the upper class. If possible, he would choose a remote place to travel. But was Fang Ruoxin really right for him?

He didn’t know, nor did he have time to consider it. He knew he liked Fang Ruoxin—he had fallen in love with her at first sight. Although he often thought of Lin Qingxia when with her now, he constantly reminded himself that he liked A Xin.

He put down the money and immediately chased after her under the gazes of the other people in the restaurant. Fang Ruoxin wasn’t walking fast, so he quickly caught up to her, apologizing repeatedly, “A Xin, please don’t be angry, okay? Next time, I’ll definitely write you a better script!”

Fang Ruoxin suddenly stopped and stared at Xiao Ran. “I don’t care about other scripts. I only want that role. If you can’t do it, don’t come to me anymore!”

Xiao Ran was stunned for a moment as he watched her graceful figure get into the car. An unprecedented anger surged in his heart. But that anger dissipated quickly, and he hurriedly chased after her. Seeing the car door about to close, he frantically stretched out his foot to block it, only to be painfully hit by the door.

Seeing Xiao Ran jump up, drenched in sweat, Fang Ruoxin suddenly felt a hint of regret. She thought maybe she shouldn’t have pushed him like this. It would be nonsense to say that Fang Ruoxin felt nothing for Xiao Ran at all. It was just that she was naturally that way and, proud as she was, always did things that left Xiao Ran extremely embarrassed. But for her, it was a way to express her feelings.

Because if they were just strangers, Fang Ruoxin would have simply smiled politely at them instead of torturing Xiao Ran in this way. For her, Xiao Ran already held a certain place in her heart, which was why he received such “affectionate treatment.”

Moreover, Fang Ruoxin knew her own situation—she had to get married by June 1987, or else… Thinking of this, her heart softened, and she asked gently, “Are you okay? Come on, get in the car!”

Now, Xiao Ran felt as if he were being honored, as if favored by God. When the car passed by a garden full of flowers, Fang Ruoxin stopped it. Gazing thoughtfully at the colorful blooms, she said, “I wish someone could give me flowers at a time like this!”

Xiao Ran immediately jumped out. It was a trivial matter—of course, he would do it. But after taking a few steps and seeing a sign hanging on the iron gate, he hesitated. The sign read four words: “Dangerous Dogs Inside!”

This kind of scene often happened in movies. Thinking of this, Xiao Ran felt both amused and exasperated. Still, he had to pick the flowers. As Xiao Ran disappeared from her sight, Fang Ruoxin’s expression kept changing, as if she were deep in thought.

She was thinking about the time after she first met Xiao Ran. After that, when she returned to the hotel, she mentioned him to Fang Haihai and was immediately scolded, told that he was very talented. At first, she didn’t take it seriously, but as she got to know him better, she gradually understood what her brother meant.

Xiao Ran’s talent wasn’t in business but in film—a fact even little princess Fang Ruoxin could see. In her eyes, Xiao Ran was a person who was reserved but also bold and full of ideas. His reserve showed in front of her, while his boldness and ideas manifested in film.

She felt that Xiao Ran had the power to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary, along with something very special—a thing that wasn’t particularly attractive but truly unique. Although she thought Xiao Ran might just be good enough for her, she still hoped she had a little more time, so that she would have many more options.

Unfortunately, she knew she had less than three months left. She blamed those carefree young men of the past for acting as if they were blind, circling around her for a while before gradually leaving. Now, there were only a few candidates left. And among them, according to her brother, Xiao Ran was talented and would surely have a promising future. She thought she might be able to make a choice, but perhaps it was better to wait a while—maybe there would be an even better option?

As soon as she thought of this, Fang Ruoxin heard barking dogs. Xiao Ran rushed over quickly, holding the flowers like a rabbit with its tail stepped on. The moment Xiao Ran closed the car door, two extremely fierce German Shepherds pounced fiercely on the car window—truly terrifying.
“Drive fast!” Xiao Ran didn’t realize he was shouting. Under normal circumstances, Fang Ruoxin would have insisted on talking further, but now she seemed so down that she ignored his tone.
After handing the flowers to Fang Ruoxin, he finally checked if he had been bitten. Thankfully, it was just a false alarm—like a couple stealing flowers in a movie, given a harmless scare by fate. The only difference was that Xiao Ran was actually scared, though Fang Ruoxin and he weren’t yet a couple.
After dropping Fang Ruoxin home, Fang Ruohai gave Xiao Ran a look and asked how things were going. Xiao Ran shook his head with a bitter smile, unwilling to say anything, and left. Seeing him go, Fang Ruohai looked worriedly at the stairs. If A’Xin couldn’t get married by June, things would really get troublesome.
He knew his sister’s temper and personality were the result of being spoiled since childhood—no one could control her. He thought Xiao Ran might make a good brother-in-law; at least he’d never heard of any romantic involvement with any actress, though he did get too close to Lin Qingxia these days.
“Under no circumstances can we let my sister follow in my and my elder brother’s footsteps—her happiness must not be ruined like that!” Fang Ruohai gritted his teeth and made up his mind: “We must set them up!”
“Absolutely not!” Zhou Runfa rejected Xiao Ran’s idea with unprecedented firmness. “There’s no room for discussion!”
“We agree too!” Zhong Chuhong and Zhang Wanding immediately opposed him like Brother Fa, though not as firmly. Their tone made it clear there was no room for negotiation: “You want us to work with her? A’Ran, you know exactly what kind of person she is. Just kidding—after working with her once, I’m afraid I’ll age ten years faster!”
Xiao Ran smiled bitterly. He really regretted it now—why had he agreed to A’Xin’s request? Why hadn’t he had the heart to correct her when she made so many mistakes? Now Fang Ruoxin’s bad reputation had mostly taken shape, especially in such a small circle as the film industry, where news spread quickly.
It seemed no one would want to work with A’Xin now! Xiao Ran looked at the three of them dejectedly, his eyes filled with pleading. He had originally planned to give Fang Ruoxin a surprise, but it was fortunate he hadn’t told her—otherwise, things would have gotten really awkward.