Chapter 14: Jiang Ruotang Was Not Superficial

Lin Lu knew that saying something like that would make Bai Yingchuan’s disgust toward Jiang Ruotang reach its peak. Something like “keeping the director’s son company” was practically an insult to Bai Yingchuan.

Based on Lin Lu’s understanding of him, Bai Yingchuan would coldly reject the movie invitation and keep as far away as possible from the crazed fan Jiang Ruotang who always tried to invade his personal space.

What Lin Lu didn’t expect was Bai Yingchuan’s reply: “Got it. It’s just a movie. I should give Director Jiang some face.”

Lin Lu paused. That response… Was Bai Yingchuan angry or not?

How should he continue the conversation?

“Um… Yingchuan, Ruotang cares a lot about face, so if you see him, please don’t ask how he got the tickets. He has a strong sense of pride.”

He said this to prevent a situation where Jiang Ruotang claimed to have offered the tickets himself, which might arouse Bai Yingchuan’s suspicions.

If he gave a heads-up in advance, then no matter what Jiang Ruotang said, it would seem unreliable to Bai Yingchuan.

“Alright, I got it. Anything else?”

“No… nothing else.”

Bai Yingchuan hung up immediately. Listening to the busy tone from the phone, Lin Lu felt like… everything was off track.

Whether it was Jiang Ruotang or Bai Yingchuan, neither of them reacted the way he had expected.

Bai Yingchuan was often praised for being a natural clothes model. Even those flashy and exaggerated international runway outfits looked good on him. Ever since the school year started, he had always worn the uniform of Beicheng Guangyao. Perhaps Jiang Ruotang had grown aesthetically fatigued after seeing it for over two years, so when he finally saw Bai Yingchuan in person as the rumored number-one hardcore fan, he reacted calmly.

Fine. According to social etiquette, as the director’s son, Jiang Ruotang was still worth treating with a little more patience.

Bai Yingchuan chose a piece from the new fall collection to wear. It was low-key but complemented his figure well. He put on a stylish black cap and walked out the door. After hesitating for two seconds, he came back to grab a bottle of cologne and sprayed a bit on his collarbone.

It was a small screening room, and since it wasn’t the weekend, the audience entering through ticket checks came in sporadically.

Even though Bai Yingchuan wore a mask and cap, covering his face thoroughly, he could still feel the surrounding gazes.

“That guy has such a great body. I really want to take off his mask and see what he looks like!”

“Haha, he’s so covered up. He might just be average—or worse, have a crooked smile.”

“My gut says he’s a total hottie!”

“By the way… don’t you think he kinda looks like Bai Yingchuan from the side?”

“Bai Yingchuan’s only eighteen, right? Is he even that tall?”

Bai Yingchuan ignored the curious stares and strode into the theater.

Although it was a VIP screening room, most seats except the front row were full. Luckily, the couple seats had armrest dividers, isolating both sides, so the person on the other sofa couldn’t see him clearly.

He pulled the brim of his hat lower and glanced at the time—less than a minute before the movie started.

If Jiang Ruotang really liked him that much, he would have rushed over by now. Adjusting his mask, Bai Yingchuan felt that Lin Lu’s claim about Jiang Ruotang’s infatuation sounded more and more like nonsense.

Then, just as the pre-movie ads started playing, a young man in a black trench coat walked over and sat on the sofa next to Bai Yingchuan.

Bai Yingchuan frowned and lowered his voice, “Sir, are you in the wrong seat?”

Xiao Gao leaned toward him and asked quietly, “Are you Student Bai?”

Bai Yingchuan tensed up, wondering if the man was a paparazzo.

Xiao Gao said in a low voice, “I’m Ruotang’s driver. He’s about to take the joint entrance exams, so he couldn’t skip art class. I came to watch the movie with you instead. Just pretend I’m not here.”

After speaking, Xiao Gao handed him a cup of milk tea. “It’s sugar-free. You can drink it if you’re thirsty. And if you don’t want to finish the movie alone, I can take you home.”

“Thank you.”

A strange emotion surged in Bai Yingchuan’s heart. Logically, he hadn’t expected anything, but why did this feel like a letdown?

Since Jiang Ruotang didn’t come, he had no reason to save face for the director’s son—he could just leave.

But somehow, Bai Yingchuan suddenly became curious about the real Jiang Ruotang. As his driver, Xiao Gao might know him better than Lin Lu did.

Besides, Xiao Gao was thoughtful—sugar-free milk tea, even brought some nuts. These were Bai Yingchuan’s favorite things. He could feel the care behind the gesture.

In a way, Xiao Gao was a great movie-watching companion.

“Thanks for coming with me,” Bai Yingchuan said with a smile as he pulled down his mask.

Such a polite and warm smile instantly boosted Xiao Gao’s impression of him.

“No need to thank me. Thanks to you, I get to see this movie!”

It was an art film with such a slow pace that one couple beside them fell asleep in each other’s arms, and another simply left hand in hand.

Judging by this, the movie probably wouldn’t do well at the box office.

But Xiao Gao watched attentively. He didn’t speak or fidget, almost like he wasn’t there at all.

With five minutes left in the film, Bai Yingchuan tapped Xiao Gao’s shoulder, signaling to leave early to avoid the crowd.

But as they stepped out of the theater, they were still recognized—by what looked like a paparazzo.

The man began snapping photos wildly, nearly shoving a mic in Bai Yingchuan’s face.

“You’re Bai Yingchuan, right? Did you just watch Falling Clouds at Sunset? A lot of people left early! First day and the movie’s already flopping—what do you think of your mother Bai Yue’s performance? Is it the director’s fault or is her acting too weak? Is Bai Yue losing her box office appeal?”

Bai Yingchuan knew this guy came to stir trouble. His manager and assistant weren’t here, so he couldn’t say anything careless, but more and more people were gathering around.

It was annoying.

He didn’t want to comment on his mother’s acting. If he praised her, the paparazzo would call him biased. If he criticized her, they’d say he was fake.

“Oh my god… it really is Bai Yingchuan!”

“Look, look! He’s here!”

“He came to see Falling Clouds at Sunset? I was in the same theater and didn’t even notice!”

As the crowd thickened, that familiar sense of having to put on a public mask made Bai Yingchuan feel rebellious.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Gao reacted quickly. He smiled and shielded Bai Yingchuan, backing up while protecting him, pushing away the mic just enough without harming anyone.

“Friend, everyone experiences stories differently. With different life experiences, of course they’ll have different impressions of the film. If you’re curious, why not go watch it yourself?”

At that moment, the elevator doors opened. Bai Yingchuan backed into the elevator, and Xiao Gao pressed the button just in time to block the paparazzo.

Bai Yingchuan quietly exhaled.

This Xiao Gao was more professional than the bodyguards in his own team.

The elevator descended to the underground garage, and Xiao Gao led him to the car.

As they drove off, Bai Yingchuan lowered his mask and said, “Thank you—for earlier.”

“It’s nothing. Ruotang told me you’re very famous. If you got recognized or surrounded, I should cover for you and get you out safely.” Xiao Gao laughed heartily.

As expected of a top director’s driver—sharp instincts.

If Bai Yingchuan had gone with Lin Lu, he probably would’ve had to protect him.

“Oh? What did Ruotang say about the movie?” Bai Yingchuan asked.

The fact that the driver could casually call the boss’s son “Ruotang” showed he held some status in the Jiang household. It also showed Jiang Ruotang wasn’t the kind of young master who treated staff like servants.

“He said several films are competing for the Golden Scales Award this year, and some paparazzi would definitely try to create buzz. If people found out you came to watch your mother’s movie, they’d swarm in and ask nasty questions. It might not happen, but better to be cautious. If the paparazzi surrounded you, I should speak up and help redirect attention. Since I’m Director Jiang’s driver—not your assistant or manager—if I praised the movie, it’d just reflect well on Director Jiang, not cause trouble for you.”

As the streetlights swept across Bai Yingchuan’s face, his eyes were cold, but the corner of his mouth curved with a subtle, unreadable smile.

—Jiang Ruotang was nothing like what Lin Lu had described. Far from being superficial, he was actually quite thoughtful.

“Oh? Then why didn’t he just tell me not to see the movie? Less trouble that way.” Bai Yingchuan asked again.

“Well, isn’t it your mom’s film? Just because paparazzi might cause trouble, should you give up your right to enjoy a movie?” Xiao Gao smiled. “I used to go watch Director Jiang’s films with Ruotang. You both probably want to see reflections of your parents on the screen. He understands that feeling, so he wouldn’t stop you.”

Bai Yingchuan lowered his eyes. “It was supposed to be Lin Lu watching with me. He wouldn’t have handled that situation well.”

“Oh, right. Good thing Xiao Lu said he was busy and gave the ticket to Ruotang. Shame Ruotang’s preparing for exams now. Every art class matters.”

Bai Yingchuan raised an eyebrow. “Lin Lu called Jiang Ruotang and offered him the ticket?”

In that instant, Bai Yingchuan caught the real point—Xiao Gao’s version completely contradicted what Lin Lu had told him.

“Yeah. Xiao Lu said the ticket was too expensive to waste. I was wondering how expensive it could be, but after sitting on that sofa… yeah, it’s really pricey.”