Chapter 742: Jiaojiao 22
She agreed and stuffed the cash into Zong Qi’s hand. ’Compared to Ye Rong and the others, I’m so poor.’ But Chen Jiao couldn’t use that other money. She’d feel too guilty spending it.
Zong Qi pocketed the cash and left the film set without another word. After grabbing a bite to eat nearby, he went to Chen Jiao’s hotel to check her out.
While helping Chen Jiao pack her luggage, Zong Qi inevitably saw the suitcase. For someone who had spent years living on a knife’s edge, the mere mention of that rolling suitcase was enough to give Zong Qi a faint idea of what was going on.
Combined with what Ye Rong and the others had said last night, Zong Qi understood things even better. ’So, if Chen Jiao has so much money, why did she look so pained when she was paying my salary?’
’Zong Qi couldn’t figure it out. But that was fine. He’d find out sooner or later.’
After they moved to a new hotel, Zong Qi was back on set by four. ’Since I’m working as an assistant and part-time bodyguard, I naturally have to be wherever the boss is.’
Just then, Chen Jiao finished her last scene for the day. She didn’t rush off, but instead waited for the director to call it a wrap. ’It’s almost funny,’ she thought. ’Even though I scared Ye Rong and his cronies half to death, the set is still running as usual.’
’Whatever. As long as I get my paycheck, who cares what Ye Rong and the others think?’
Seeing Chen Jiao approach, Zong Qi handed her a thermos. "I just filled this with hot water. It’s been cooling for a bit, so it shouldn’t be too hot."
Chen Jiao took the thermos, took a tentative sip, and then began gulping it down. GLUG, GLUG, GLUG. "It’s so nice to have an assistant," she said.
As she wasn’t a big star, Chen Jiao had never had her own assistant before. You had to pay them out of your own pocket, and with Chen Qing’s medical bills to cover, she naturally couldn’t bear to part with the money.
After Chen Jiao finished the water, Zong Qi handed her a tissue. She wiped the sweat from her brow. "All settled?"
Zong Qi grunted in affirmation, but then, feeling that was a bit too curt, added, "It’s all taken care of."
Chen Jiao smiled. "As long as it’s taken care of. Once the director calls it a wrap, we can head back."
Hearing the word "we," Zong Qi’s eyelids twitched. Chen Jiao just smiled. "Did Li Shun and his men come looking for you about something today?"
’Even though she trusted Zong Qi, she didn’t want him to see right through her. A boss needed to be able to command respect when necessary. If the boss is a pushover, employees are quick to become disloyal.’
And Chen Jiao had no desire to test the loyalty of others.
Zong Qi replied, "Yes. Li Shun and the others were new recruits. After the beating they took yesterday, they don’t want to live a life of violence anymore. They were hoping you could show them a better path."
Chen Jiao’s eyes widened slightly. ’It’s already a struggle to support myself and my dad, and now I have Zong Qi to pay. How could I possibly afford to take on anyone else?’
But Tan You laughed. "Tell him you’ll give them an answer in three days. I have a use for these men."
Chen Jiao didn’t ask what Tan You had in mind and simply agreed. Turning to Zong Qi, she smiled. "I’ll think it over. Have them come see me in three days."
"I won’t have them fighting and killing. It’s good to live an honest life."
Zong Qi agreed. "Alright. I’ll go see them tomorrow."
Mobile phones existed at this time, but they were extremely expensive items that ordinary people didn’t have. Even Chen Jiao had only managed to buy one after two years in the industry, and hadn’t she only done that to stay connected and find more work?
After a moment’s thought, Chen Jiao gave Zong Qi her phone number. "If anything comes up, you can call me at this number."
Zong Qi took the small slip of paper and tucked it into his wallet.
Around six o’clock, Liu Fu finally called it a wrap. The production only provided an evening meal when they were filming a night scene; otherwise, there was just the one meal provided at lunchtime.
The thought of having to spend money on dinner made Chen Jiao’s face scrunch up in a frown. ’Supporting an assistant really is expensive.’ Despite what she was thinking, her expression remained perfectly calm.
When they arrived at the hotel, Zong Qi handed her a key card. "I’m in the room next to yours."
Chen Jiao nodded slightly. "Okay. Come over around eight. It’s for something important."
She added that last part deliberately, worried Zong Qi might get the wrong idea. The corner of Zong Qi’s mouth twitched. "Got it."
As calm as Chen Jiao had been in front of Zong Qi, she was equally anguished once she was back in her room. "Teacher, I’m almost out of money... I had to buy so many medicinal ingredients, and they’re all so expensive!"
She had been supporting Chen Qing and herself for years, living an extremely frugal life. Even so, she had only managed to save about 200,000. But in just the last few days, Chen Jiao figured she’d spent nearly all of it.
The thought that she now had to support Zong Qi as well made her desire to earn money all the more urgent.
Tan You understood what Chen Jiao was feeling. She sighed and showed Chen Jiao the money she had made on the stock market. "I spent your money, but I also earned it back for you. Still feeling the pinch? Don’t worry, it was all managed using your own savings."
Seeing the "2" followed by six zeroes, Chen Jiao finally relaxed a little. "Thank goodness, there’s still money. But you’re the one who made this, Teacher... I feel bad taking it."
Tan You smiled, thinking how surprisingly modest Chen Jiao was. "The principal was yours. I’m not doing this just to take care of you; your father’s medical expenses are going to be a huge number."
"Your reputation is growing now, so you need to settle him somewhere suitable. And then you’ll have to hire good doctors. All of that requires money." Seeing Chen Jiao’s shoulders slump, Tan You pressed on, "You’re not willing to use connections to get roles, so I have to help you build your own capital."
Chen Jiao’s eyes lit up. "Teacher, you’re going to support my acting career?"
"Mhm," Tan You chuckled. "We don’t necessarily have to find investors. We can save up our own money, produce our own projects, and be our own bosses. Wouldn’t that be great? It saves us the trouble of bickering with other people."
Chen Jiao thought it over and over. "Then how about this? I’ll work for you, Teacher. I promise I’ll act my best, and you can just pay me a salary, okay? I only need enough for my father’s medical bills. I don’t want anything else. You can just give me a small allowance every month."
"Even though the principal was mine, you’re the one who earned all this money, Teacher. I’ve already benefited so much. I can’t be insatiably greedy. In fact, even asking for this much feels greedy."
Hearing this, Tan You felt that Chen Jiao possessed a kind of stubborn, almost foolish integrity. But this foolishness wasn’t the least bit off-putting. ’Ah, Chen Qing,’ she thought, ’to have raised Chen Jiao to be so principled is truly a rare accomplishment.’
Now, looking at Chen Jiao, she felt as though she were raising a daughter. She had seen plenty of clever people in her time, but she had never met someone like Chen Jiao, who clung to her principles to the point of naivete.
But there was no denying it: Tan You was truly growing fonder and fonder of Chen Jiao. She had a soft spot for "slow" children—Tan You had never denied it. Perhaps it was because she had been called a slow child herself when she was young.
’She had no intention of changing Chen Jiao. This quality of hers was precious; there was no need, nor should there be a reason, for Chen Jiao to abandon it just to adapt to society.’