The sight that greeted her eyes was Director Wang's face, contorted with rage. It was cold, sinister, and menacing, as if a Asura from hell could swallow her whole at any moment.
"What, what are you doing..." Liu Jia trembled, her voice quivering.
She felt a fear that seeped into her bones. But she knew she couldn't surrender, nor could she escape.
Director Wang approached her step by step, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a black crocodile-skin wallet. He withdrew a thick stack of bills and, with a sweep of his hand, scattered them towards her.
Amidst the fluttering, snow-like pink bills, Director Wang’s ferocious face loomed closer, and he sneered.
"You usually seem so aloof and proud! I didn't expect you to be a greedy slut who loves money and fame! Hmph, if you don't get a chance to be famous, you'll come to my set and cause trouble! Fine, you want it, here's your money, now get lost, and the farther the better! Don't contaminate my set!"
The onlookers jeered, "Exactly! Why are you acting so high and mighty, pretending to be wronged and pitiful? Who doesn't know about the messes you've made before? You've got some nerve!"
Liu Jia looked at their faces with a broken heart, feeling her body temperature plummet. The fortress she had painstakingly built in her heart crumbled and shattered piece by piece.
In that instant, she felt only pain and despair.
That despair was like an invisible giant hand that violently destroyed her body, tearing it apart, shredding it to pieces, leaving her unrecognizable.
"Remember this, everyone. The injustice and humiliation I've suffered here today, I will repay you tenfold one day!"
Liu Jia shakily stood up, spitting the words through gritted teeth, and stumbled away from the set.
As she walked in a disheveled state towards the street outside the set, she unconsciously counted the money in her hand.
Just a few thousand US dollars, plus the scattered payments Director Wang had given her before, it barely amounted to tens of thousands! It was not enough to cover her expenses!
The more Liu Jia thought about it, the more resentful she felt. She couldn't let these scumbags off the hook so easily, nor could she let Director Wang dismiss her with such a paltry sum!
Liu Jia immediately ran to the entrance of the set and yelled at the top of her lungs, "You people are too much! You think you can just send me away with this little money? Do you think I'm some little dog begging for scraps? Come out, let's settle this!"
As soon as her voice fell, Director Wang's robust and sturdy figure, along with the crew and actors, appeared before her.
What followed were heavy, merciless blows and vulgar insults.
Liu Jia cried out in agony, curling up on the ground with her head in her hands.
Faintly, she heard someone curse her, "This woman is shameless, utterly shameless! Giving you this much money is already a favor! And you still want more? I didn't want to curse you, but it seems you really are a dog!"
The barrage of punches and insults lasted only a few dozen seconds. But to Liu Jia, it felt like an eternity.
Perhaps the intense pain had blurred her sense of time, Liu Jia mused.
She curled up on the ground like a cat. Only after Director Wang and the crew had left for a long time did she cautiously get up.
Holding back her tears, she took out a mirror from her bag. When she saw her reflection, she let out a sharp, piercing scream!
She couldn't believe that the bruised, swollen, and disfigured ugly woman in the mirror was herself?
No! She couldn't let them get away with this! She absolutely couldn't endure this humiliation in silence!
After all, she still had a final "trump card"! Wang Wansan, he would surely help her!
When she returned home and saw Wang Wansan, she would tell him all the grievances she suffered today and make him avenge her.
Liu Jia forced herself to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes. She glanced back fiercely at the entrance to the set, then shoved the wad of cash she clutched tightly into her bag and hailed a taxi.
In the taxi, she casually opened Weibo, only to be met with news about Yue Ran and Shi XinXin.
She hadn't wanted to look, but after scrolling through several pages, she found that most of the Weibo posts were about the latest news of the two – Yue Ran and Shi XinXin had publicly acknowledged to the media that they were purely brother and sister.
"Heh, that woman named Shi is getting more and more ridiculous..." Liu Jia let out a short, sharp, cold laugh.
What new trick was Shi XinXin playing now?
After enjoying all the affection and care, she still had to put on a dignified act of purity and innocence. She suspected that under the guise of "siblings," Shi XinXin was selfishly monopolizing Yue Ran while also comfortably seeing other men!
Thinking this, Liu Jia clenched her fists, wishing she could crush Shi XinXin into pieces!
Yue Ran, Yue Ran, you are so kind and pure, so clean and beautiful, detached from worldly desires, and so intelligent and outstanding. But why are you being deceived by Shi XinXin?
Wake up, Yue Ran. I, even in my dreams, worry about you...
As Liu Jia was lost in her thoughts, she heard the driver's impatient voice.
"Miss, we've arrived at your destination three minutes ago! You're not getting out, and you're still muttering curses in my car. What do you want?"
Liu Jia gave an embarrassed smile, put her phone in her bag, opened the car door, and said, "I'm so sorry, I'm getting out now."
Even long after the taxi had driven away, the driver's last words still echoed in Liu Jia's ears –
What's wrong with young women these days? They're not only neurotic but also don't pay attention to their appearance! Looking like that, they don't even wear a mask when they go out. It really ruins the cityscape!
Liu Jia felt annoyed and didn't bother arguing with the glib driver. She tidied her clothes and walked towards the villa gate.
From afar, she saw a "mountain" of trash piled up at the entrance of the villa. She walked closer in confusion and was stunned by the scene before her.
The pile of "trash" at the villa's entrance was her luggage.
"Ah!"
Liu Jia shrieked instinctively and charged towards it like a madwoman, pounding on the door. But after knocking for a long time, no one opened it for her. The usually smiling housekeeper seemed to have vanished into thin air, ignoring her knocking and shouting.
Could it be that Wang Wansan did this intentionally? Was he trying to kick me out?
As this thought crossed Liu Jia's mind, she shivered unexpectedly. Liu Jia squatted down and began frantically rummaging through her luggage.