LAVW – Chapter 146 Jealousy Ablaze

An awkward Merlin said, “So you understand English.”

“Of course. It’s required for work.” Guan Yunfei thought this foreign girl was asking a pointless question.

If he didn’t understand English, he wouldn’t even be able to get into a film crew.

Merlin explained, “Sorry, sorry. I’ve never heard you speak English before, but I’ve heard you speak Chinese, so I misunderstood and thought you didn’t understand English.”

“I was just asking—is it safe? I’m a bit worried about Qian, like a child’s mother who just can’t stop fretting.”

Guan Yunfei often worked outdoors; his face was quite tanned, and when he kept a straight face he looked a little fierce. Merlin was actually a bit afraid of him.

But what he said next surprised her.

“I guarantee safety, Tiger Mom.”

Very friendly—there was even a touch of humor.

Merlin laughed. “That’s wonderful. Thank you so much!”

Shi Qian: …Damn it.

So everyone wants to take advantage of me, huh.

With a faint bit of displeasure in his heart, Shi Qian’s performance ended up matching his mood perfectly. His acting went up another notch, and the director gave him several close-up shots.

Watching the playback, you could clearly see the full, flowing emotion pouring out of those blue eyes.

Thinking of how heartbreaking this part of the plot was, the director laughed and said, “Very good! Give Qian a chicken—add another chicken!”

Ross, who had just finished filming his “death scene,” said, “Hey, Director, what about me?”

“You can have a fried chicken leg.”

“Why don’t I get a whole chicken?”

“You wouldn’t be able to finish it, Ross.”

Ross collapsed to the ground, clutching his chest and continuing to act. “I’m really going to die of heartbreak.”

The set immediately filled with cheerful laughter.

On the other side, having completed their task, Guan Yunfei silently gestured to the other stuntmen to pack up their gear.

Shi Qian was being checked over by Merlin to see if there were any accidents.

But he himself knew best—he wasn’t injured at all. Not even the rope marks Merlin had been worried about.

Once Merlin let go, Shi Qian wandered over near Guan Yunfei, wanting to listen to what they were saying.

It had been too long since he’d heard his hometown language—he really missed it.

Guan Yunfei glanced at him but didn’t say anything.

Instead, a younger guy beside him, with a head of dyed blond hair, couldn’t help blurting out, “Damn, boss! The tiger’s coming over—are we okay?”

Maybe he was a bit scared; he was speaking Chinese.

“It’s fine,” Guan Yunfei reassured him. “This tiger isn’t fully grown yet—still green. Besides, haven’t I taught you Tiger Fist? Now’s a perfect chance to observe your progress.”

Tiger Fist?

Shi Qian’s eyes lit up.

He hadn’t expected that this group led by Guan Yunfei would actually know real kung fu.

Shi Qian didn’t dabble much in martial arts, but he knew Tiger Fist was a style that imitated a tiger’s movements, probably considered part of Xingyi Quan.

He just didn’t know how skilled Guan Yunfei really was.

Shi Qian opened his mouth. “Roar—”

Let me see that Tiger Fist.

Merlin hurried to coax him, “Qian, don’t scare them. Let’s go eat chicken, okay?”

Shi Qian wasn’t hungry, so he shook his head, his gaze fixed on Guan Yunfei.

This was very unusual.

Normally, to reassure the rest of the crew and keep work efficient, Shi Qian was extremely well-behaved before and after filming. Even when he was brought out to get some air or prepare for work, he rarely went looking to play with other people.

There used to be Ross—because of the role, and because Shi Qian got along with him—but lately even that had stopped.

Merlin was confused. “What’s wrong with him? Qian.”

Guan Yunfei guessed, “He might feel danger. You should take him away.”

Shi Qian: …

Brother, even if you really have some skills, don’t underestimate me, okay?

Shi Qian stubbornly refused to leave and instead stepped closer to Guan Yunfei.

The younger guys around Guan Yunfei started trembling in fear. “Brother Fei, this feels wrong. This tiger looks like it’s got its eyes on you.”

“Even if you can fight, it’s still a tiger! Look at those paws—they’re not a cat’s.”

Guan Yunfei took a closer look and said seriously, “No, he’s not afraid of me. He’s quite interested in me.”

They’d been chatting among themselves in Chinese the whole time, leaving Merlin completely lost.

“Sorry, could you tell me what you’re saying? My Chinese isn’t very good.”

Thinking about the origin of Qian’s name, Merlin had already been very curious about these ‘foreigners’—and now Shi Qian was acting strangely too.

Guan Yunfei switched back to English. “He’s very curious about me.”

“Why?” Merlin didn’t understand. Qian wasn’t seeing him for the first time.

“I think that’s something you should ask him.” Guan Yunfei couldn’t explain it and turned the question back on the foreign girl. “Why does he keep staring at me? You should manage him.”

Being stared at by a tiger like that—even without malice—would still put Guan Yunfei’s body into a ready state.

If it went on too long, it would drain a lot of his energy for no reason.

Merlin rubbed the tiger’s head. “Hey, Qian, we need to go eat. We’ll play at home later, okay? Baby, my sweetheart.”

Generally speaking, once Merlin used more than three “baby,” “sweetheart,” or similar terms, she could always coax the little tiger.

She was very experienced! Little Tiger totally fell for this routine.

No one knew that Shi Qian was so embarrassed his goosebumps were about to fall off.

Afraid that Merlin might come out with an even more “cloyingly sweet” nickname, Shi Qian good-naturedly rubbed against her.

“Grr—”

Let’s go, let’s go, stop calling me that.

As soon as the sound fell, Shi Qian had already turned and headed toward the place to eat.

As for Guan Yunfei and the others, there would be plenty of chances later to listen to people gossip. The wire-work had only just begun; Shi Qian was sure that his upcoming major scenes and difficult scenes would still require working with them.

After the extra meal, Shi Qian’s work for the day was over, and he went home early with Merlin.

But unexpectedly, in the middle of the afternoon, that guy Ross actually called, saying he wanted to come visit their home.

Merlin was a little unhappy and refused, “I’m staying at a friend’s place. It’s really inconvenient.”

“Merlin… I don’t have any other intentions. Please believe me,” Ross explained earnestly. “I know you’re living at Deanna’s place.”

“I happen to have a friend who knows your friend Deanna. What a coincidence, right? But it’s true!”

Ross’s tone was full of anticipation. “Don’t you want to see the look of surprise on Deanna’s face?”

As he spoke, Ross’s gaze also fell on the blonde, blue-eyed girl standing beside him.

Ross himself was a delicately handsome young man—very young, full of vitality, with a strong youthful air. But the blonde girl smiling faintly at his side looked even more tender in both features and temperament, like a proud, beautiful white rose, though there was also a strange, flowing allure hidden between her brows and eyes.

For the sake of giving Deanna a surprise, Merlin eventually agreed.

After hanging up, Ross said to the girl he had found, “Hey, big star, I’ve settled it. Don’t forget what you promised—help me put in a good word with Merlin.”

Being able to act in a fairly popular supporting role in Kingdom of Morbis, Ross was not an outdated, forgotten actor like Merlin.

In fact, he already had a bit of fame.

And the girl he called a “big star” was even more famous than him—the most popular young actress right now: Sophia.

Ross saw the girl who was the dream of countless men raise an eyebrow, then break into a radiant smile.

“Of course. Don’t worry.”

“You were actually able to recognize that girl just from her voice on the phone. What exactly is your relationship? Former close friends? Why didn’t you tell me?” Ross guessed.

“Secret.”

Sophia tossed out a mysterious answer that was basically no answer at all. After saying thanks, she turned and left in a hurry.

The black hem of her dress swayed like a fluttering butterfly.

Ross sighed helplessly. “Fine, you girls always have so many secrets.”

Later, when he learned from his agent that Sophia still had to go work in another city and would rush back again tomorrow to meet Deanna, Ross became even more certain—Sophia and Deanna must be very close.

Otherwise, running back and forth like this was something even he couldn’t manage just to chase a girl. Way too exhausting.

What Ross never expected was that Sophia didn’t go to work at all, but appeared in front of Deanna’s residence ahead of time.

Hearing the knock, the one who opened the door was Deanna herself.

Seeing the girl who suddenly appeared, Deanna’s face darkened completely.

Shi Qian, who curiously poked his head out, recognized her as a popular young actress who often appeared on television.

At the same time, he also noticed that Deanna’s expression was extremely unpleasant—something very rare, since Deanna usually had a very good temper.

“Sophia, what are you here for…” Deanna called out her name, her brows already tightly furrowed.

The blonde, blue-eyed girl met Deanna’s gaze. In their similarly green eyes were completely opposite emotions.

Deanna was impatient, while Sophia’s eyes were filled with delight.

“I came to see you, Deanna, my dear… sister.”

“I’m not your sister,” Deanna denied.

Sophia smiled. “Then I’ll call you ‘my dear,’ is that okay?”

Shi Qian: …Something feels very off.

The little tiger widened his round eyes, looking at this one, then that one, busy as could be.

Deanna continued to refuse, “Please don’t call me that.”

Sophia tilted her head. “Why won’t you let me in? Leaving your younger sister out in the cold at the door isn’t very polite.”

“I’m not your sister!” Deanna raised her voice. “Please leave.”

With a bang, the door shut, and Shi Qian lost his best vantage point for watching and eavesdropping.

But even with the door closed, Sophia outside still wasn’t giving up.

She stood right at the door.

She must have been standing very close, otherwise her voice wouldn’t have been so clear.

Her voice, sharp as a knife and dripping with mockery, pierced through the door.

“Deanna, what are you hiding for? You ran away from home for that idiot inside, didn’t you? Really, you couldn’t be any more stupid.”

“This has nothing to do with Merlin! Please don’t make random assumptions about me and my friends,” Deanna snapped.

“Random?” Sophia sneered. “You’re already living together. You’ve never even lived with me.”

Shi Qian: …

Help. The way you’re talking is really strange.

Just then, Merlin also heard the commotion and poked her head out from the kitchen. “Deanna, what’s wrong? Who’s knocking?”

“No one,” Deanna replied coldly.

But hearing that, Sophia outside was so jealous she was about to lose her mind.

“Let me in, or I’ll make sure she can’t even be an extra! Deanna, let me in!”

Deanna opened the door again, her eyes full of reproach. “Why do you have to drag innocent people into this?”

“Innocent?” Sophia reached out and pushed Deanna aside. “Of course she’s innocent—like a white jasmine in a castle, pure and spotless. That’s exactly the kind you like. I knew it.”

To be honest, the person involved—Merlin—was completely baffled by all this.

She asked in surprise, “Sophia, what nonsense are you talking about?”

Merlin had crossed paths with Sophia before, several years ago. Back then, Merlin still had a bit of popularity and had competed with Sophia for the same role.

She lost. Sophia won.

And it was from that moment on that Merlin’s career began to fade into obscurity, as if it had fallen into a black hole.

Merlin knew that was the price she and her mother paid for refusing “unspoken rules.”

She just hadn’t expected, in her youth, that the price would last until today and affect her so deeply.

Those past events flashed through her mind, finally settling into confusion in front of her eyes.

What was Sophia talking about? Did Deanna… like her?

Merlin’s puzzled gaze shifted back and forth between Sophia and Deanna. “What are you talking about?”

Sophia looked at her, who knew nothing, and even more dissatisfaction and jealousy spilled from her eyes.

Look at this idiot—knowing nothing at all, yet still able to enjoy Deanna’s kindness. It made Sophia’s jealousy burn even hotter.

Shi Qian lay obediently on the sofa.

This was not something a big cat could get involved in.

Also… had he fallen into a foreign version of an eight-o’clock soap opera?