The Ice-Queen Actress Used Her Acting Skills to Reel Me In! - Chapter 4

The agreed meeting place was a private Chinese restaurant under the Yahe brand.

The interior design of the restaurant exuded classical elegance, with the main hall cleverly divided into intimate spaces by intricate wooden partitions. This arrangement preserved the lively atmosphere while ensuring a degree of privacy.

Qin Zhaoman had assumed Shen Niannian would lead her to a private room, but the waiter guided her to a small booth near the window in the main hall.

Shen Niannian was already seated, waiting for her. She handed Qin Zhaoman a remote control and said, “Press this to open the window.”

Qin Zhaoman took the remote, which looked somewhat familiar—similar to the one for the office’s floor-to-ceiling blinds.

Puzzled, she sat down and pressed the button.

A soft whirring sound came from the right as the wooden blinds gradually rolled up, revealing a peony garden outside that slowly came into Qin Zhaoman’s view.

A flicker of delight crossed Qin Zhaoman’s eyes.

Inside the greenhouse garden, lush green leaves climbed the trellises, while pale pink and champagne-colored roses bloomed in abundance. Lower down, small white and pink flowers grew in harmonious clusters.

Even through the glass, the rich floral fragrance seemed to fill the air.

Gazing at the garden, Qin Zhaoman said nostalgically, “When my aunt was alive, we had a garden like this at home.”

Shen Niannian replied, “Ms. An was a renowned floral artist in China. This garden was designed by one of her students.”

Qin Zhaoman nodded slightly. “No wonder it looks so familiar.”

Shen Niannian picked up the teapot, pouring amber-hued tea into a delicate celadon cup. The faint aroma of tea wafted through the air.

Qin Zhaoman’s attention was drawn back to her. Shen Niannian’s tea-pouring movements were mesmerizing—as if she had practiced them a thousand times, each frame worthy of a documentary.

Shen Niannian handed one cup to Qin Zhaoman. “Try it.”

Qin Zhaoman mimicked her gesture, accepting it with both hands.

She took a small sip. It was slightly bitter and hot, but the fragrance was delightful—reminiscent of the pleasant scent she often associated with Shen Niannian.

Setting the cup down, Qin Zhaoman remarked, “If losing at cards always came with such a pleasant penalty, I wouldn’t mind.”

Shen Niannian smiled faintly. “I’m glad you like it, Ms. Qin. If I hadn’t managed to satisfy you, what I’m about to say next would’ve been harder to bring up.”

Qin Zhaoman eyed the two contracts Shen Niannian produced. “Is this what you’d call ‘courtesy before hostility’?”

Shen Niannian placed one contract in front of Qin Zhaoman. “‘Courtesy before hostility’ is for opponents. This time, I genuinely want to be friends with you, Ms. Qin.”

Qin Zhaoman pressed a finger onto the contract. “Neve, I never mix business with friendship.”

Shen Niannian felt Qin Zhaoman was like a large, self-assured cat—already certain of the outcome of this negotiation but toying with her prey for amusement.

“Perhaps you could at least take a look at the contract first?”

Qin Zhaoman leaned back in her chair. “It seems Ms. Shen isn’t as sincere about friendship as she claims.”

Shen Niannian maintained a gentle smile, waiting for her to read the documents.

Qin Zhaoman held her gaze. With anyone else, she might have stood up and left by now. But Shen Niannian’s earlier gestures had been charming.

A lovely, beautiful butterfly like her deserved some indulgence.

Qin Zhaoman flipped through the documents, turned two pages, then closed them again.

Shen Niannian asked, “What do you think?”

Their terms were very sincere, but not sincere enough to make someone help unconditionally. For Qin Zhaoman, this was a contract she could either accept or reject without much consequence.

Qin Zhaoman said, “I’m sorry, but I’m not particularly interested in this contract.”

Shen Niannian asked, “Is there any specific condition you’re dissatisfied with?”

Qin Zhaoman replied, “I have no interest in the affairs of Yahe.”

Among all the possible responses Shen Niannian had anticipated from Qin Zhaoman, this was the worst-case scenario—Qin Zhaoman had no intention of getting involved in Yahe’s mess.

If benefits couldn’t sway Qin Zhaoman, the next best approach was to appeal to emotions.

She could sense that Qin Zhaoman didn’t dislike her, but that slight goodwill wasn’t enough to make Qin Zhaoman intervene in Yahe for her sake.

Shen Niannian sighed softly, set the contract aside, and picked up the menu instead. “Any dietary restrictions, Miss Qin?”

Qin Zhaoman paused for a moment, then chuckled. “That’s quite the abrupt change of topic. Giving up so easily?”

Shen Niannian thought to herself, Of course not. But outwardly, she maintained a helpless yet gentle tone. “What else can I do?”

Qin Zhaoman, drawn in by her innocent yet alluring eyes, teased, “Beg me?”

Shen Niannian shook her head, sliding the menu toward her with a smile. “You’re lying. I don’t believe you.”

Qin Zhaoman laughed.

A sudden sense of regret flickered in her heart—it was a shame Shen Niannian wasn’t a man. If she were, Qin Zhaoman would have happily kept her as a companion, someone pleasing to the eye who could also fend off her uncle’s relentless matchmaking.

But alas, Shen Niannian was a woman too, useless for dealing with her uncle.

By the time dinner ended, it was already midnight. Secretary Li only entered after seeing Qin Zhaoman leave.

“How did it go? Smoothly?”

Shen Niannian put on her thick down jacket and replied, “Not smoothly. She doesn’t want anything to do with Yahe.”

Secretary Li watched her leisurely button up her coat and put on a mask, growing anxious. “Then what do we do? Should we approach someone else?”

Shen Niannian glanced at her. “Wait another month.”

Secretary Li asked, “Are you confident?”

Shen Niannian met her gaze. “Of course.”

Secretary Li immediately felt reassured.

Shen Niannian never panicked. Even if she reached the end only to find a cliff, she would calmly decide whether to build a bridge or take a detour—never a trace of fear or hesitation, exuding an unshakable sense of security.

Secretary Li drove her home and handed her the files she needed to review. “If there’s anything you don’t understand, feel free to contact me anytime.”

Shen Niannian glanced at the thickness of the documents before accepting them. “Understood.”

Secretary Li added, “If you’re tired, rest first. You can look at them tomorrow.”

Since the crisis in the group began, Shen Niannian had handled everything flawlessly. Even if Secretary Li were in her shoes, she doubted she could have done better.

But it was a pity—Shen Niannian was only just beginning to learn about finance. No matter how outstanding she appeared now, it was far from enough to handle the current situation.

Shen Niannian repeated that she understood, and only then did Secretary Li leave.

Back home, Shen Niannian turned on her phone, and a flood of messages popped up—most of them from her younger sister.

Shen Niannian’s gaze softened slightly as she checked the time—it was only around two or three in the morning back home.

Her messages always had a notification sound for Shen Suisui. If she accidentally woke her up now, she wouldn’t get proper sleep again.

Never mind.

She exited the chat, but her phone rang again—this time, it was a call from Director Parred.

Parred was the director of her last film and usually wouldn’t call at this hour unless it was urgent.

Shen Niannian answered, and Parred’s anxious voice immediately came through the receiver.

“Neve, oh my God, you finally picked up! Are you free tomorrow? Can you come in for a reshoot?”

Shen Niannian rested her elbow on the documents and replied, “Next week would be better. I’m quite busy tomorrow.”

Parred insisted, “Neve, I know your father is sick and you have a lot to handle, so I’ve already pushed this to the absolute last minute…”

Parred wasn’t the type to exaggerate—if he said it couldn’t wait, it really couldn’t.

After a brief pause, Shen Niannian didn’t argue further. “Alright, I’ll come back tomorrow.”

She hung up and immediately turned her attention to the files. With limited time each day, returning to the set without delaying company matters meant squeezing more rest time to review documents.

After staying up all night, Shen Niannian woke up the next morning with a throbbing headache. She freshened up quickly, and soon, Secretary Li arrived.

She explained the situation with Director Parred, and Secretary Li’s expression changed instantly. “You’re going back to the set?”

“Yes, it can’t be delayed any longer.”

Shen Niannian reassured her, “It won’t take too long. I’ll be back tonight. I’ve already finished reviewing yesterday’s documents—you can take them.”

“All of them?”

Secretary Li flipped through the marked files, then glanced at Shen Niannian’s exhausted face, unable to muster any frustration. “Did you even sleep at all last night?”

Shen Niannian said, “I rested.”

Secretary Li sighed, unsure what else to say. Shen Niannian never made things difficult for anyone when it came to work. As someone who had benefited greatly under her leadership, Secretary Li had no right to criticize.

She both admired Shen Niannian’s reliability and couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy.

“Don’t overwork yourself. Health is the foundation of everything.”

Before leaving, Shen Niannian reminded her, “Don’t mention any of this to Suisui. Make sure the people around her don’t say anything unnecessary either.”

Secretary Li smiled helplessly. “I know. You’ve already told me this multiple times.”

Shen Niannian said, “I don’t want her to worry.”

Secretary Li had to promise once more that no pressure would ever reach Shen Suisui before Shen Niannian finally relented.

Shen Niannian’s flight took off at five in the morning, and she arrived at the set in just an hour.

The reshoot wrapped up by three in the afternoon. Just as she was preparing to return to work, she received a message from He Junyu.

He Junyu: Are you in District A? I’ve designed a few new dresses for you—come try them on if you have time.

He Junyu was her closest friend back home and the only haute couture-certified designer in the country.

In recent years, she had gained significant acclaim in F Country, becoming one of the few designers who handpicked her clients—and she was extremely selective, only taking on a handful of people per season.

Shen Niannian suddenly thought of Qin Zhaoman.

Given her social standing, Qin Zhaoman should also be among He Junyu’s clientele.

Shen Niannian replied to He Junyu with a message: “Do you have Qin Zhaoman, Phoebe, and Qiao Qiao on your list of customers for spring customization?”

Ten minutes later.

He Junyu: “I checked and we have Qin Zhaoman and Qiao Qiao. What do you need them for?”

Shen Niannian typed back: “Big plans. I’ll tell you when we meet.”