Chapter 317: Chapter 317: If you mind Si Chenli, I will have him benched

Shangguan Yuan had realized something was amiss when he hadn’t found any information on Meng Jiahe’s whereabouts in the company today, despite Qiaoqiao saying that Ah He had gone for a collaboration discussion.

But such an explanation couldn’t fool him; Ah He had never negotiated contracts before, and there had never been a time when she couldn’t be tracked through the computer.

As soon as he heard Meng Jiahe had returned, he rushed to the office immediately.

Although Ah He had already managed to hide her emotions, he still captured a trace of her uneasiness.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing, didn’t you have any work today?” Meng Jiahe pulled a smile, pushed her chair back, and walked towards his side.

“Ah He, you should know that you can’t hide from me. Don’t you trust me enough yet? Or do you think I can’t help?”

Shangguan Yuan’s gaze was deep; he stared straight at her face, his tone revealing a stubborn intent, as if he could find out even if she didn’t tell him.

“Of course, I trust you. I just thought this small matter didn’t need to be mentioned; I can handle it myself.”

Meng Jiahe reached out, wrapped her arms around his waist, and couldn’t help but bury her face in his chest, her eyes slightly reddening. She feared she might uncontrollably tell Shangguan Yuan everything.

She didn’t want to always bother him; she could handle things on her own.

“If it’s really a small matter, you should have handled it by now and should be here complaining about how annoying it was, not sitting alone in the office feeling down.”

Shangguan Yuan ruthlessly exposed her, his arm wrapping around her waist.

His other large hand rested on her head, gently massaging the back of her skull.

“I want to move my residence registration from the Meng Family. I don’t want to rely on others anymore.”

“Okay, where do you plan to move it? I’ll handle it for you,” Shangguan Yuan said softly.

“To my dad’s place. Although dad isn’t great either, at least grandma won’t point at my nose and yell at me, forcing me into things I don’t want to do.”

Meng Jiahe forced a smile, knowing very well that positioned in his embrace, he couldn’t see her face, yet she still didn’t want to appear too disheveled.

She felt like she had nothing and very insignificant; she feared Shangguan Yuan would think less of her if he knew.

“Since it’s not good there either, don’t jump from one pit of fire into another–you can have your own independent registration,” Shangguan Yuan suggested.

Hearing this, Meng Jiahe paused, wondering why she hadn’t considered this optimal solution initially, but then, she was feeling blocked.

She wanted to know her father’s attitude, what if he cared a little about his daughter like he did when she was younger, saving money for a week to buy her a little dress.

Meng Jiahe feigned a surprised tone, “Right, why didn’t I think of that initially?”

“Ah He, if you are willing, you could move onto my residence registration,” Shangguan Yuan said, lowering his gaze to her hair.

“I…” Meng Jiahe’s hands that were around his waist involuntarily retracted a bit.

“My name is Shangguan Yuan. My parents are very open-minded, and all my properties can be transferred to your name; I’d mark it on the contract as a holiday gift for you.”

Shangguan Yuan’s voice was extremely gentle. He knew his girl well; she lacked a sense of security, and it would take a massive step for her to confidently walk by his side.

“What if you have no money then?” Meng Jiahe felt a warmth flow through her heart.

Shangguan Yuan pretended to ponder for a moment, “I’ll earn more, and as a kept man dependent on his wife, I wouldn’t starve to death anyway.”

“Pfft…” Meng Jiahe couldn’t hold back her laughter.

“Feeling a bit happier now?”

“Mhm, do your parents really not mind me?”

“Of course, I can book the tickets now if you want to meet them,” Shangguan Yuan said with certainty. He had already prepped his parents when they confirmed their relationship, and they had shown their support.

His parents had always been very open-minded.

“It’s too soon, let’s wait a couple of days–at least until I have completely resolved the Meng Family’s matter.”

“Okay, I’ll wait for you.”

“Mhm.”

Over the next few days, Meng Jiahe and Shangguan Yuan were busy dealing with the issue.

This meant they had little time for anything else and had to neglect Chen Ling, leaving him temporarily in Sang Qiao’s care.

Sang Qiao, who was free, frequented the set, sometimes checking on Chaoyuan and sometimes observing Chen Ling.

–

–

Time flew by, and once the Meng Family’s issues were resolved, Shangguan Yuan took Ah He to meet his parents.

Sang Qiao congratulated them; coincidentally, it was also the premiere day of Chen Ling’s drama. Chen Ling was nervous and excited from morning.

Despite having been harshly criticized during the filming, Chen Ling didn’t seem emotional, which surprised Sang Qiao. “You’ve been criticized all this time, and now you start to fear?”

“Sister Qiao, I’m not afraid of the criticism; I’m worried that I didn’t act well, and I fear that the drama might flop,” Chen Ling spoke, unconsciously lowering her head.

She knew all too well that if a drama starring her flopped, excluding the script’s quality, if it was because of her, she might never get a leading role in the future.

She was afraid of letting herself down, not being able to earn money to pay off debts, and disappointing Sister Ah He and Sister Qiao.

“Don’t worry, your acting is very good; if there’s an issue, it’s with the drama,” Sang Qiao honestly said. She often visited the set and had seen Chen Ling’s acting several times. Her acting was really good, and she would point out small details and reshoot scenes tirelessly.

Besides the director, Chen Ling was the most diligent and striving on set.

“Thank you, Sister Qiao.” Chen Ling’s nervousness still hadn’t subsided.

“How about you come over to my place tonight? We can watch the first audience ratings for the drama together.”

Sang Qiao spoke calmly, knowing that Chen Ling was talented but whether the drama would succeed was uncertain.

She worried that if the ratings were low, Chen Ling might become disheartened. By bringing her back home, she could at least offer some comfort.

“No need, Sister Qiao, I can watch it myself.” Chen Ling instinctively didn’t want to bother anyone, especially since Sister Qiao had a family; it wouldn’t be right for her to go over.

“My house has many spare rooms. If you’re concerned about my husband, we can go to my villa, just the two of us.”

“No, no, no, I just don’t want to be a bother,” Chen Ling quickly responded, not in her place to care whether someone’s husband was home, as it was their home.

Sang Qiao thought about it, realizing it might be uncomfortable for a girl to go alone.

“No worries, I’ll also invite Liao Liao over, and you two can chat.”

Chen Ling became even more flustered, “Sister Qiao, actually…”

“Chaoyuan can join too, along with other familiar artists. Let’s celebrate for you,” Sang Qiao decided to invite a few more people. They could have a hotpot and drinks, treating it like a wrap party for the drama. With such a lively gathering, even if the ratings weren’t great, everyone could comfort Chen Ling together.

The more the merrier; they could surely comfort her better together.