Volume Two: Shadows of the Past, Chapter Sixty-Two: One Wave Subsides, Another Rises

"Haha, Young Master Chen is certainly a lucky man! To have so many beauties coming to find him." Watching Chen Jing surrounded by four women, Liu Hao sighed with the kind of envy only men can truly understand.

"Pfft, what a scumbag," Wang Shumin muttered from the side, rolling her eyes before returning to her work, not bothering to look at Chen Jing again.

"Why do those two wearing sunglasses look so familiar?" Wang Zhou asked, his curiosity piqued.

Liu Hao stroked his chin, peering closely before pondering aloud, "They do look a bit familiar. One of them looks like Ling Ruohan."

Liu Manqiang hesitated for a moment before chiming in, "It is definitely her. I saw her visiting the set when I was working with Director Zhang Qishan."

Once it was confirmed that one of them was indeed Ling Ruohan, Liu Hao exclaimed, "Heh, to be able to woo—or at least know—a goddess like Ling Ruohan. He really is living a charmed life for his age! The director certainly has a way with women."

Wang Zhou shrugged. "Haha, isn't that a given? If I had the director's looks and talent, my side would be filled with beauties too."

"Haha, well said. Whoa! Look, everyone, the director just brought in two more beauties..."

Reality has a way of playing tricks on people; the very thing one fears is often what comes to pass.

Chen Jing felt exhausted. He swore to himself that he would never try to juggle so many threads at once again—he simply couldn't handle it!

When Chen Jing personally escorted Wang Menglan and her daughter into the crew and brought them before Lin Xi and the others, the women's gazes immediately converged on Wang Menglan.

"Wow, everyone is here! Sister Lin Xi, Sister Ruohan, Sister Xueyue, Sister Zitan, it's been a long time," Wang Youxuan greeted each of them in turn.

The women smiled and nodded in response. Ling Ruohan stepped forward, embracing Wang Youxuan affectionately. "Youxuan, I've missed you so much."

On the other side, Wang Menglan stood beside Chen Jing and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Did something happen just now? Why did they look at me so strangely when we walked in?" She had clearly felt their scrutinizing gazes.

Chen Jing could only offer a bitter smile, unsure of how to explain. In any case, he figured Sister Lin Xi would confront Sister Menglan soon enough, so he decided to keep quiet.

Sure enough, once Ling Ruohan deliberately pulled Wang Youxuan aside to chat, Lin Xi walked decisively toward Wang Menglan and Chen Jing, smiling as she greeted her. "Sister Menglan, long time no see."

Seeing Lin Xi, Wang Menglan’s smile was warm. "Indeed, Lin Xi, it has been a while."

After the greeting, Lin Xi hesitated before asking, "By the way, Sister Menglan, have you also invested money in A-Jing's film?"

*There it is,* Chen Jing thought, abandoning all hope of resistance. *Fine, let the storm rage on.*

However, contrary to everyone's expectations, Wang Menglan answered without a moment's hesitation, "No? Why do you ask? Is A-Jing short on funds for his movie?" She then looked at Chen Jing with a questioning gaze.

For a moment, Chen Jing’s expression was indescribable. If he hadn't caught the sly glint in her eyes, he would have almost believed her.

It seemed Sister Menglan had sensed the subtext in Lin Xi's question and was able to feign ignorance perfectly.

*As expected,* Chen Jing thought, *Sister Menglan is the most considerate of me. Well, Sister Xueyue is great too. Actually, everyone is great, haha!*

Lin Xi looked at Wang Menglan in surprise, lost in doubt. *Did I think wrong? That can't be right, can it?*

Seeing Wang Menglan’s sincere expression, Lin Xi smiled and said, "Nothing, really. We’ve all invested in A-Jing’s film, so I was just wondering if you’d be interested in joining us." Since she hadn't invested, she might as well help Chen Jing secure some funding. After all, for him, the more investment, the better.

Wang Menglan feigned deep thought before smiling. "That sounds good. I definitely want to support A-Jing's filmmaking. How about this: when I get back, I’ll see how much I can invest, and then I’ll be in touch with you, A-Jing." She looked directly at Chen Jing for the last sentence.

*Brilliant!* Chen Jing silently applauded Sister Menglan’s cleverness. He also played along, saying, "That would be great! I welcome your investment anytime, Sister Menglan. I guarantee it will be a profitable venture."

Seeing the seamless coordination between Chen Jing and Wang Menglan, Lin Xi and the others abandoned their suspicions.

Lin Xi then felt a pang of annoyance with herself. *Why am I worrying about his business? If someone wants to invest, let them. If he wants to keep things from me, then so be it.*

Of course, she was just venting. She was still frustrated that he had kept her in the dark, but as his manager, she would inevitably have to handle such things.

Since there seemed to be no issue between Wang Menglan and Chen Jing, Ling Ruohan and the others stopped pressing the matter. With Wang Youxuan present, Ling Ruohan and Lin Zitan simply shot Chen Jing a look and let it go. As for Xueyue, she was too busy worrying about Chen Jing’s secret being exposed to ask any further questions.

And so, the potential disaster was narrowly averted.

Realizing he had been one step away from a "shura field," Chen Jing breathed a sigh of relief. *Well, that "showdown" was avoided without a scratch. I should stick to playing these high-stakes games during the day; sooner or later, it’s all going to blow up.*

He joked to himself, though in truth, he hadn't intentionally kept things from them; he just hadn't known how to explain, and once filming got busy, it had slipped his mind. With this resolved and the filming wrapped up, Chen Jing felt a wave of exhilaration.

Seeing that he was no longer needed, he went to find Wang Shumin to discuss the post-production editing.

"Shumin," he called out.

"What?" she replied, sounding a bit sharp.

Chen Jing looked at her, puzzled. "What's wrong? Did someone upset you?"

Realizing she had overreacted, Wang Shumin softened her tone. "It's nothing. Tell me, what do you need?"

"Oh, it's like this. The wrap-up banquet isn't until tomorrow night, so we have all day tomorrow. Let's get the editing done then," Chen Jing said. Only he would dare suggest finishing a film's edit in a single day.

Yet, Wang Shumin didn't find it absurd at all. She answered decisively, "Fine!"

Anyone who had seen Chen Jing’s raw footage would understand why he could finish the edit in a day.

Every shot he took was purposeful, with absolutely no wasted footage. It only needed fine-tuning to become a complete film. This was what Wang Shumin admired most about him.

"Good, then tomorrow—" Chen Jing was about to set a time when his phone rang. He gestured for Wang Shumin to wait and stepped aside to answer.

As soon as he saw the caller ID, his expression shifted. He glanced at Wang Shumin and walked to a secluded spot. After listening for only a few moments, his face turned grim.

"I understand. Arrange the earliest flight for me; I'm heading back immediately," Chen Jing said, his voice cold before he hung up.

He took a deep breath, but the agitation remained. He stood there, brow furrowed in deep thought, so preoccupied that he didn't even notice Wang Shumin approaching.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, sensing his distress.

Chen Jing jumped slightly. Seeing it was her, he shook his head and sighed. "Shumin, I'm afraid you'll have to handle the rest of the editing on your own. I have an urgent matter and can't stay."

Wang Shumin was startled. "What? But... can I really edit this alone?"

Chen Jing smiled and patted her shoulder. "I trust you. You’re the only one who truly understands the vision for this film. Just edit it with confidence."

Wang Shumin bit her lip and nodded. "Alright. If anything, we can just video call while I edit." She knew she could do it; after all, there was very little unusable footage.

"We'll see. Also, I won't be able to make the wrap-up banquet tomorrow. You'll need to coordinate things, but I'll ask Sister Lin to help you." Without waiting for her response, Chen Jing walked toward the others.

The women were still chatting and laughing when he approached, his face full of apology. "I'm sorry, everyone. An emergency has come up, and I may have to leave early."

"A-Jing?"

They looked at him in surprise, confused by his sudden announcement.

Lin Xi frowned. "What happened?"

Chen Jing shook his head, hesitated, and then said, "Something happened back home. I need to go back..."

After making all the necessary arrangements, Chen Jing, accompanied by Mo Li and Zhang Jingzhi, boarded a private jet in the middle of the night, once again setting off on the journey back to the Imperial Headquarters.