Taming The Tiger

16. Game Over

When Yu Hua opened his eyes, he was alone in the suit and the sun was long risen. With horror, he turned the bedside clock towards himself and sighed in relief, seeing it was ten. Then he noticed the note lying near the clock.

[My driver will take you to the company for the shooting, so don't go home. Don't forget to take the ointment with you. You can also get the care-kit or throw it in the trash bin before leaving the room.]- HJY

Throw it in the trash bin?! The hell he would do that!

Yu Hua left the note back on the bedside table and lay down carefully. Although he felt much better than the previous day, the pain wasn't gone completely. Staring at the small ointment bottle, the actor smiled fondly, thinking how nice it was to have someone caring for him when he needed it. Even in his wildest dreams, Yu Hua wouldn't believe that the CEO would take him to his hotel and call a doctor for him. Even though he was fighting with the urge to scream with the pain, he didn't fail to see how worried Hu Jing Yao looked as he stood in front of the bed.

"You are actually pretty nice, Mr. Hu," he said as he patted the CEO's pillow.

***

At eight in the morning, Hu Jing Yao was in his office, watching the record of Yu Hua's incident. His hands clenched into fists under the table as he saw the sinister smile on Sun Ming's face.

"So, you also don't think it was an accident?" the CEO asked the script writer after he watched the recording twice.

"No," she shook her head firmly and adjusted her red rimmed round glasses, "I have been in this industry for more than six years and I have never seen such a malicious actor as Sun Ming. He hurt his co-actor last year as well, but the director swept it under the rug as usual."

"I see," the CEO replied, rubbing his chin, "how about his talent? Is he really necessary for the drama or can we replace him?"

The script writer smiled brightly, showing her teeth, "even an intern can play the role better."

"Wonderful news," Hu Jing Yao clapped his hands and called Lu Rao to his office.

***

A knife could cut the tension in the air.

Yu Hua knew immediately there was something wrong in the studio, seeing Hu Jing Yao there.

"Actor Yu, welcome," the CEO greeted the other and rose to his feet. The director and the other actors scattered away from his path as if he had the potential to hurt them.

"Mr. Hu," Yu Hua bowed politely, his heart beating in his mouth.

"As everyone is here, let me make an announcement," the CEO said authoritatively, looking at the actors and actresses one by one, "from now on, Sun Ming is no longer a cast member in this drama."

The audience buzzed with shock while Yu Hua felt his mouth drop to the floor. It couldn't be related to his injury, right? The previous night, Hu Jing Yao looked highly unbothered about the cause of the incident, but now he was saying Sun Ming was out.

"Can I ask why?" Dan Li asked boldly and the director wanted to hug him for that.

Hu Jing Yao looked at him coldly, "I don't tolerate harmful behaviour, especially when it is intentional."

"Are you talking about the earlier accident?" Na Na joined the conversation and from her sarcastic tone, it was obvious she was on Sun Ming's side.

"When it is intentional, we don't call it an accident," the CEO said with an educational manner, boring holes in Na Na's bead-like eyes.

"Come on, Mr. Hu, these kinds of things happen all the time on the set," she shrugged, "why did you take it this seriously? Don't tell me you favour Yu Hua?"

Yu Hua sucked a deep breath with panic, but Hu Jing Yao remained calm.

Smiling victoriously, he said "of course I don't, I am just trying to provide you guys a safe environment to work in. You can be thrilled by violence, but I don't, Na Na."

Na Na bit her lips, acknowledging she lost the round. Therefore, Dan Li took her place in the front line.

"Although I agree you are too fond of our lovely Yu Yu here, I wonder with whom you will replace Sun Ming."

Everyone, even silent Lu Mei -the second female lead- looked back and forth between Yu Hua and the CEO with meaningful glares, and Yu Hua felt the ground shaking underneath his feet. The last thing he wanted was their dirty secret to be revealed, but the inevitable end seemed so close.

Until...

"Jing Yong will replace Sun Ming." The dominant voice of the CEO echoed in the studio and confusion besieged the crowd.

"Who is Jing Yong?" they started to ask each other, yet got no answer, until Yu Hua spoke up.

"Jing Yong is the costume department's intern, he works for our drama," the actor declared with shock as nobody knew about the nice intern.

A pleased smile crawled onto Hu Jing Yao's lips, "actor Yu, although you are the newest member of our company, you are surely the most considerate one towards the others. How can one not like you?"

In the face of the inappropriate remark, Yu Hua gasped while the others abashed to their very core. The score was the CEO's again.

Looking at them disdainfully, Hu Jing Yao continued, "Jing Yong isn't only an intern, he was our actor once, but due to Sun Ming's bullying, he quitted his drama and later came back as an intern. As I am always on the victim's side, I gave the role to him as a late apology."

Game over. The ultimate winner is Hu Jing Yao!