CHAPTER 278: CHAPTER 206: XU RUYAN’S LITTLE SECRET_3

"Okay, so how exactly did you get injured?"

Seeing how readily he agreed, Xu Ruyan immediately realized that he probably didn’t take her words to heart.

"Don’t rush me; I haven’t stated my conditions yet. As long as you don’t tell my sister and help me keep this a secret, I can help you pursue my sister and also tell you some of her little secrets!"

Wow, this little sister-in-law is ruthless! What could possibly make her betray her own sister rather than reveal the truth? Is the reason behind this injury really so intricate? How can a simple matter become as convoluted as a detective drama, ending with a quid pro quo?

The more it went on, the more Chu Tian’s curiosity grew.

"Okay, seriously, we have a deal. I absolutely won’t tell your sister. Can you tell me the reason now?"

Xu Ruyan looked into Chu Tian’s eyes. She could feel that he was serious and not just humoring her, which made her breathe a sigh of relief.

"It’s a deal, no backing out!"

"No backing out!"

The two of them high-fived, sealing the promise. Only then did Xu Ruyan slowly begin to speak:

"Actually... I fell while riding a horse..."

"Mm... huh? What? That’s it?"

Chu Tian had thought it was something significant, but after all the fuss, it was just this? Fell off a horse? What a bizarre reason! It was neither bullying nor being picked on, nor any of the other numerous reasons they had considered—just a simple fall from a horse? It wasn’t that the injury wasn’t serious, but was horse riding something that needed to be kept so secret? Xu Qingqiu, no matter how down on her luck, could still be considered well-off, so Xu Ruyan surely wasn’t lacking pocket money. Besides, going to a riding stable doesn’t cost much, and it’s normal for a beginner to get injured once in a while, right? What was there to hide about this?

Possibly, Xu Ruyan also realized the reason she gave wasn’t very convincing. Seeing Chu Tian’s duped expression, she hesitated and said:

"It’s just... I fell off during... filming..."

Filming? Wait! What’s going on? How did filming come into this? Isn’t Xu Ruyan studying finance?

"Start from the beginning, and don’t think of hiding anything from me," Chu Tian threatened. "Otherwise, you’ll be the one breaking the deal, and I’ll tell your sister."

Facing Chu Tian’s threat, Xu Ruyan had no choice but to lay it all out.

「This incident went back a month.」

According to Xu Ruyan, one of her classmates knew someone from the film academy. This acquaintance casually mentioned an opportunity to act in a movie and make a good sum of money. Moreover, they specifically said her look was perfect for a certain role and invited her several times to play a part.

Initially, Xu Ruyan thought they were scammers and ignored them. However, they somehow managed to find her instructor. On her instructor’s advice and guarantee, she decided to consider the offer.

It turned out to be a real film crew and an actual film. They gave her a small role with lines and screen time; it wasn’t many scenes, but the character was essential.

The only catch was that it involved action scenes. One of these, riding a horse, was the most challenging part and required extra practice. Critically, they were offering a lot of money: 100,000 yuan.

She had specifically taken time off for this and had been shooting for nearly a month. The last scene was the horse-riding part, which had gone smoothly during rehearsals.

But during the final take, a crew member moving things accidentally startled the horse. Just as she was about to dismount after completing the scene, she was thrown off, and her head was grazed by the horse’s hoof.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a direct kick, so the force wasn’t too great; otherwise, she could have been killed. Even so, half her face swelled up.

It also happened to be the last shot needed, so she was done filming after that. The injury wasn’t severe, so it was a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.

In the end, the production company compensated her with 50,000 yuan. Including her acting fee, she earned a total of 150,000 yuan for her troubles.

After hearing the whole story, Chu Tian breathed a sigh of relief but also felt utterly speechless.

The good news was that it wasn’t as bad as everyone had feared. The bad news was that this little sister-in-law wasn’t entirely honest. Studying finance and acting on the side? Something felt off to him. Also, he hadn’t realized it before, but it seemed she wasn’t from this school, was she?