Chapter 404: All Out War (2)

It was Friday in the blink of an eye. After talking things over with her film crew, Xue Sijia set aside three days to complete the Shen family’s marketing campaign shoot for their new line of wedding dresses. Shen Jingchen had his hands full with work, so the task of overseeing the production was left to Shen Jingbin.

The photographer was a big shot of Chinese ancestry that Zhao Chengning had invited from overseas. Rumour has it that even A list Hollywood celebrities weren’t guaranteed his services and it was dependent on his mood. People like these typically don’t have very good tempers, and this was proven to be the case when Shen Jingbin arrived at the set, only to be greeted by him flying into a rage and cursing at the top of his voice in English. He was so loud, he could be heard even at a distance away.

Shen Jingbin knitted her brows and pulled aside one of the staff on site. “What happened?”

The staff seemed somewhat upset as well. “Miss Shen, this Xue Sijia has gone too far. She claimed that she couldn’t understand English, so she insisted that we secure an interpreter for her. When we did so and started filming, she started complaining shortly after about how she injured her hip a few days prior and wasn’t able to perform the actions we asked of her. On top of that, she wanted to rest. Now, the photographer’s flying off the handle.”

Looking at how the photographer was going crazy and Xue Sijia was leisurely fiddling with her handphone, Shen Jingbin now understood what Xue Sijia was playing at.

The contract was a double-edged sword. It restricted not only Xue Sijia, but the Shen family as well. The Shen family required her to perform her duties, but at the same time, she also had the right to make demands to meet her needs. To the Shen family, her self-centered demands was her clearly trying to be difficult, but from an outsider’s perspective, it was a reasonable ask, leaving the Shen family with no way of penalising her.

“Go to the coffee shop downstairs and bring back a latte. It has to be freshly ground and without any milk or sugar,” said Shen Jingbin to the staff member. She then forged ahead, putting on her sweetest voice to ask the photographer how he was doing.

When the photographer, Abner, noticed her, it was as if a dam had broken open and he began voicing all his grievances. Abner and Zhao Chengning were friends that got along pretty well, so he was naturally friendlier towards her as well.

Shen Jingbin calmed him down before sending him off to take a break. She also gave the rest of the staff on site, who’d been running themselves ragged, some time off too. She herself would take care of Xue Sijia.

Once everyone else had gone, leaving only Shen Jingbin, Xue Sijia, and her Manager, Shen Jingbin walked up to Xue Sijia.

Xue Sijia stopped swiping at her screen when Shen Jingbin drew near. She glanced up at Shen Jingbin for a moment before going back to fiddling with her phone.

“Do you really get a kick out of doing something like this, Miss Xue?” asked Shen Jingbin as she loomed over Xue Sijia.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t recovered from my hip injury yet, so I couldn’t pull off the movements that he asked for. You can’t blame me for that,” said Xue Sijia flatly.

Shen Jingbin let out a snort of disgust. What a conniving woman. If Abner wasn’t here because of his friendship with Zhao Chengning, but was instead invited over by the Shen family, Xue Sijia’s actions would’ve been more than enough to set him off. Apart from Xue Sijia having to take responsibility for her actions, the responsibility for her poor conduct would also fall on the Shen family’s head. Judging by how high up he is in the industry, antagonizing him would be the equivalent of committing suicide.

“Miss Xue, you wowed everyone when you and your film crew showcased ‘The Descending Dragon’s Disciple’ at the film festival in Cannes three years ago. Don’t tell me your fluent English from back then has withered away in just a few short years?”

Xue Sijia looked up at her in surprise. “How’d you know about that?”

Ignoring her question, Shen Jingbin continued, “You said you injured your hip, right? From what I know, there weren’t many parts for you to act out in the past month. In addition, most of them were just spoken lines. May I know how you injured yourself? Otherwise, I could escort you to the hospital for a checkup instead.”

Xue Sijia no longer bothered with her handphone. She shot Yangshu a glance, prompting Yangshu to leave and shut the door on the way out.

“Sounds like you know quite a lot,” Xue Sijia said in an even tone.

“It can’t be helped, we had to take some extra precautions since we’re working with you. I assume you know just how important this marketing campaign is for the Shen family. I hope you can play the part of a professional and cooperate with us in making this a success.”

“Sure, I can cooperate with you. But first, I want you to apologize to me. Then, I want you tag along with me and help me carry stuff. Once we’re done, I’ll cooperate. Otherwise, who knows, that big name photographer you guys invited might be leaving in a huff this afternoon.”

Shen Jingbin wore an agitated smile on her face. Other than Nine Ballads, no one else was as nitpicky as this woman. “Miss Xue, did you forget that you’ve signed a contract? Your actions already constitute a violation of our agreement. I have the right to remove you from the agreement and demand compensation.”

Xue Sijia appeared unfazed and wore a carefree smile. “That’s fine with me. I can afford to pay that pittance of a penalty fee too. But, make sure you think it through carefully. From what I know, I’m the only one who fits your criteria for an ambassador, no?”

Shen Jingbin glared at her for a good long while, but just as Xue Sijia thought Shen Jingbin was about to compromise with her, Shen Jingbin smiled.

“In truth, you never had any intention of cooperating with us to begin with, right? The only reason you accepted was because you wanted to make things difficult for me. The best case scenario for you would be to antagonize Abner. Alright, since that’s the case, I don’t need to stand on ceremony with you either. Xue Sijia, pack up and get the hell out of here.”

“Hmph, you better think this through. Once I leave, I won’t come back even if you come crawling on your knees!”

“Get out of here right this instant! Beg you? Aren’t you being too conceited? Do you think you’re the only person in the world?”

Xue Sijia’s expression twisted into one of disgust. With a harrumph, she grabbed her belongings and stormed out.

Halfway through, Shen Jingbin called out to her, “Xue Sijia, you don’t really think violating an agreement just constitutes paying a fine, do you? When you get back, I think you should go online and have a good look at what the Shen family’s doing. I’ve only ever seen a witless and conceited woman like you twice in my life. You’re one, and the other’s called Nine Ballads. If you play <<Legends Of Celestials And Demons>>, you should look up your fellow kindred spirit.”