As an unofficial member of the crew, she only needed to stay in a small corner where no one would notice her, play games, help Ouyang carry things, and run errands.

Bo He, who thought she was completely inconspicuous, was still sought out.

The person standing in front of her blocked the view of her phone screen.

Bo He had no choice but to give up the game she was about to win and look up.

"Xiao Bo, you're Xiao Bo, right?"

The middle-aged man put on a smile, as if trying to appear more amiable.

Unfortunately, he failed. Bo He's attitude was lukewarm.

"And you are?"

The middle-aged man took out a business card and handed it over.

"My surname is Pan, you can just call me Old Pan. We met a long time ago, you probably don't remember, but that's alright. I'm Director An's agent. Can I talk with you?"

Bo He smiled, "Looking for me to act in a film? Sorry, I'm not entering the entertainment industry. You should find someone else."

Old Pan also smiled, "You're a humorous young lady. Let's find a place to chat."

Bo He: "We're complete strangers. There's nothing to talk about, is there?"

"Let's talk about Ouyang Xuan? I heard from Xiao Yao that you came to help her this time. She really wants a new role, right? Director An happens to have a script on hand that's suitable for her."

Old Pan didn't give her a chance to refuse. He spoke quickly, first with a lure, then dropping a hint, "I've been with Director An for many years. There are many things that I help her take care of when she's busy with work, just like your friendship with Ouyang. There's a teahouse across the street, it's quite quiet. How about there?"

Bo He didn't speak, just looked at him quietly for a moment.

Old Pan felt a little unnerved by her gaze.

He hadn't wanted to approach her here either, but after several trips to the inn they were staying at without seeing Bo He, and leaving his contact information only to never receive a call back, Old Pan had no choice but to resort to this less-than-ideal plan.

But Bo He's reaction was clearly not what he had expected.

"I only have half an hour."

Old Pan said hurriedly, "That's more than enough, more than enough!"

He had deliberately chosen this time of day to minimize the impact.

The film crew was at its busiest.

The arrival of the female lead had attracted the attention of the vast majority of people.

Everyone crowded around her like stars around the moon, calling her "Jie" this and "Jie" that. No one paid any attention to Old Pan and Bo He in the corner.

The two of them left the film set, one after the other.

Old Pan seemed to be intentionally avoiding suspicion, deliberately keeping some distance.

Bo He acted as if she didn't see, and walked straight into the teahouse across the street.

When Xiao Ning saw Bo He, she was quite happy. She greeted her enthusiastically, bustling about. Hearing they had business to discuss, she even led the two of them to the most private booth inside.

Before Bo He could even order, Xiao Ning had already steeped the best tea leaves and brought them over, not forgetting to prepare a few plates of pastries for them to enjoy at their leisure.

Old Pan was a little surprised.

When he had come with Director An to Li City to scout locations for the film, Director An had taken a liking to the old residence across the street at first glance, and had also taken a fancy to this teahouse that was a quiet spot amidst the clamor. At the time, she had even had him negotiate with the owner to see if he was interested in selling. But after asking around, Old Pan only managed to find out that the teahouse owner wasn't short on money, wasn't a local, and seemed to have a significant background—elusive as a divine dragon. The remaining two young female employees knew nothing when asked, so Director An gave up on the idea.

Old Pan felt it wasn't good to get straight to the point, so he picked the safest topic.

"This teahouse is quite nice, simple and elegant. I don't think I saw these dolls last time, they're quite interesting."

But Bo He had no interest in beating around the bush with him and asked directly, "What did Director An send you to say?"

Old Pan laughed, "I heard from Xiao Yao that you two had dinner together yesterday? It's a good thing for young people to interact more..."

Bo He stood up.

"Excuse me, I have other things to do. I don't have time to listen to your nonsense."

Old Pan quickly stood up and made a gesture to stop her.

"Don't be hasty, don't be hasty, I didn't come because of her! I heard you've graduated and started working. Director An originally wanted to help, but you didn't come to her, relying on your own efforts for everything. Director An was very pleased when she heard, but she was also worried that since you just started working, your expenses would be high and you wouldn't have any spare cash, so she asked me to bring you some living expenses."

With that, he took a bank card from his pocket, placed it gently on the table, and pushed it over.

Bo He looked at the card and suddenly smiled too.

Old Pan didn't know what she found so amusing. His smile faded a little, and he was somewhat baffled.

"Is Director An worried I'll come looking for trouble? Tarnish her reputation? If I had known she was in this production, I wouldn't have come."

Old Pan said amicably, "Look at you, Xiao Bo. I know you've been wronged all these years, but these things were force majeure. Nobody wanted it to be this way, including Director An. After she learned the truth, she has done her best to make it up to you all these years. Don't hate her."

"You're exaggerating. She's never had any presence in my eyes, so where would the hate come from?" Bo He's reply was also gentle and refined, without a trace of worldly emotion. "If the compensation you're referring to is the money she sent—"

Bo He took out her phone, opened her photos, searched for a moment, then enlarged an image and placed it in front of Old Pan.

"I haven't taken a single cent. I've donated it all to build reading corners for children in mountainous regions."

Old Pan looked at the donation receipts in the photo, stacked on top of each other with the amounts unevenly showing, and was suddenly speechless.

Bo He dealt another blow: "The amount on each receipt is the same as the amount she had someone send me each time. She didn't even dare use her own name when sending the money, afraid that I would find some leverage against her and ruin her reputation. It was always in your name. So, if I were to ask her about these donations, she might not even know, but you certainly do. Since you're here, why don't you check? Do the numbers add up?"

Old Pan: ...

He suddenly realized that the young woman before him was not as easy to deal with as he had imagined.

At least, not as easy to handle as Shu Yao, who was raised in a greenhouse.

He knew the two of them were fundamentally different, yet he couldn't help but secretly compare them.

Before Old Pan had a chance to speak, he heard her say again: "Mr. Pan, although Director An and I are mother and daughter by blood, this was not a choice I was happy to make. It's not just that Director An doesn't want to acknowledge me; I don't want to acknowledge her either. So you don't have to worry that I'll use this to take advantage of Director An. But if you people push me too far and really piss me off, then I might just get angry and go talk nonsense to the media!"

Bo He's tone was calm.

But to Old Pan's ears, this calmness was like a giant boulder teetering on a cliff's edge, which could possibly be pushed over with a single finger.