The Returning EX (John and Sophia)
Chapter 1866

Chapter 1866 Forced Pleasantries

lan didn't think too much of this as he flashed her a smile. He led her into the dressing room and they left swiftly after taking the make-up kit.

However, they had only just walked out of the dressing room when Cindy saw Yulia.

Yulia was walking next to one of the crew members and while the crew member didn't look like someone important, Cindy knew him nonetheless.

For every show that lan was set to appear on, Cindy took it upon herself to look into all the crew members involved and this particular one naturally did not escape her attention; he was the executive director of the show. On the other hand, lan had noticed Yulia as well and was obviously surprised.

Yulia and the director exchanged a few words and the minute she turned, she met Cindy and lan's astonished looks.

She was considerably more indifferent than the both of them to the point where she even acknowledged lan with a nod while asking, "Done with the set?"

There were others walking by at that moment and each of them slowed in their steps as they turned to cast curious looks at Yulia and the couple whom she was addressing.

Everyone was eyeing the trio with interest. Given how things between them had been blown out of proportion on the Internet not too long ago, everyone was aware of their brewing tension.

lan nodded with a brief hum. "They have wrapped it up. What are you doing here?"

Amusement colored Yulia's tone as she answered, "I'm here to see a friend." Then, her gaze flickered over to Cindy and she wore an affable expression as she greeted, "We meet again, Miss Selby."

Cindy knew that the pleasantries were a necessary part of the act, seeing as the whole scandal had only died down not too long ago. Those watching them right now were likely waiting to dig out more dirt or to make them the laughing stock.

As such, she squeezed out a warm smile. "What a coincidence running into you here, Miss Noble."

The executive director next to Yulia turned to address her, "Oh, I didn't know you were friends with them."

Yulia's reply was one of cool confirmation, after which she looked exasperated as she added, "We were previously meeting up as friends, but who could have thought that the public would misread the situation and twist the narrative?" With that, she glanced over at lan once more and said, "Let's have a meal together soon. I had a really good talk with Aurora the other day, and I look forward to seeing you guys outside of work."

lan wasn't about to call her bluff after she said all this, so he merely nodded. "Sure. Just give us a call."

Having said that, he took Cindy by the hand and bade farewell to the director and Yulia before leaving the set. It wasn't until he and Cindy were in the confines of the car that he asked disgruntledly, "What was she doing on set?"

No one other than Yulia knew the answer to that question.

The driver started the car and slowly pulled away. As the car cruised down the road, Cindy answered, "She was meeting with the director earlier, so I wonder what they were discussing."

lan couldn't care less about their discussion. After all, the show was a one-time thing and he wasn't too bothered about future collaborations now that filming had wrapped.

He leaned into the seat and kneaded his shoulders. "She seems to know a whole bunch of people in the industry, and here I was thinking she had a bad rap among her peers."

At least, judging by old news, it didn't look like Yulia had close interactions with anyone in particular.

Most of the news surrounded her promotion of the magazine, but when she was caught in a scandal, no one stood up for her.

This led him to think that she had rubbed people wrong, but he stood corrected when he saw how well she seemed to get along with the director from earlier.

That alone made lan realize that he had too little consideration of things; he should have been a little less short-sighted and understood that there were people like Yulia, whose prowess was so well-hidden tha no one bothered pondering on it. For her to own such ludicrous resources could mean that she had rubbed elbows with all the right people.

Meanwhile, Cindy leaned closer to lan as she confessed, "I actually thought she went to see you."

He gave her a look before he let out an amused chuckle. "I didn't even know about her visit, so don't hurt yourself with such thoughts."

The driver peered at them through the rearview mirror and clicked his tongue in mock disapproval. "My, my, is Cindy jealous of Yulia?"

Cindy hadn't tried to be subtle about her jealousy in front of lan, but she couldn't live down the embarrassment now that she was confronted by the driver. She huffed as she clarified, "No, I'm not exactly jealous of her. I was only joking because I know that there's nothing going on between her and lan."

The driver said nothing to this as he nodded placidly.

It wasn't long before lan and Cindy arrived home, but instead of heading straight into the apartment complex, they decided to go grocery shopping to stock the fridge with ingredients.