Chapter 66

Xia Hou Zhongying got out of the car, ate his breakfast while walking towards the school gate. As he entered, he heard a middle-aged man explaining something to the security guard. He vaguely heard the name Jin Taeyeon mentioned and became attentive.

"I really came to see my daughter, her name is Jin Taeyeon," the middle-aged man said to the security guard.

"I've told you, this is Kent School, not the Cheongdam High School where your daughter studies," the security guard shook his head and said.

"But my daughter told me she is filming a movie here," the middle-aged man continued to explain.

"Oh, you mean she is an actor in the movie being filmed here. You can contact her yourself and have her come out to meet you," the security guard said. Since the filming of "Green Apple Paradise" was taking place at Kent, the security guard couldn't be unaware. Hearing that the man's daughter was an actor in the movie, he suggested this.

"I left in a hurry this time and forgot to charge my phone. It's dead now, so I can't contact her," the middle-aged man said.

"In that case, I can't help you," the security guard shook his head. "The school has a rule that anyone looking for the film crew must be accompanied by someone from the crew to enter the school."

Previously, there had been journalists pretending to be family or friends of the crew members to sneak into the school for interviews. Because of that incident, all the security personnel were severely reprimanded and naturally didn't dare to be lax again.

The middle-aged man immediately looked worried and said, "I really can't get in touch with her. Look, I have so many things in my hands, all for my daughter. I can't take them back home, can I?"

No matter what the middle-aged man said, the security guard refused. He couldn't risk losing his job if something like that happened again.

"Uncle, I'll take him in," Xia Hou Zhongying said to the security guard.

"Oh, it's Zhongying," the security guard saw it was Xia Hou Zhongying and immediately smiled warmly. Xia Hou Zhongying was a treasure at Kent, and in the past few months, he had greatly improved Kent's reputation. Even the principal often spoke to him with a smile. With Xia Hou Zhongying's word, he wasn't worried about being punished by the school. He turned to the middle-aged man and said, "Since Zhongying has spoken, you can go in with him."

The middle-aged man was taken aback, looked at Xia Hou Zhongying, and wondered who this young boy was, but as long as he could get in, he quickly thanked the security guard.

"Uncle, let me help you carry some of these things," Xia Hou Zhongying saw the middle-aged man carrying a lot of things and offered to help.

"It's fine, it's fine, I can carry them," the middle-aged man, though not knowing who Xia Hou Zhongying was, was very grateful for his help in getting into Kent and didn't want to trouble him further.

"It's no problem," Xia Hou Zhongying smiled and said, "I heard you're Taeyeon's father, right? I'm Xia Hou Zhongying, and I'm friends with Taeyeon."

Saying this, he took two bags from the man and continued, "It's my duty to help elders."

"Zhongying, how did you and my daughter meet?" After hearing Xia Hou Zhongying's words, Jin's father couldn't refuse and let him carry the bags. They walked and talked as they went.

"Heh," Xia Hou Zhongying smiled. He couldn't tell the story of how he and Jin Taeyeon met, especially to her father. He couldn't say, "I pushed your daughter into the Han River," so he lied, "I'm in the same crew as Taeyeon."

"Oh, so you're an actor too," Jin's father smiled.

"Sort of," Xia Hou Zhongying felt awkward facing Jin's father and his face turned slightly red. Anyone who pushed someone's daughter into the Han River would feel embarrassed, and his face would be thicker than a city wall if he didn't.

"Here we are," to avoid the awkwardness, Xia Hou Zhongying changed the topic and led Jin's father to the set. "Uncle, Taeyeon is over there."

"Taeyeon, your father is here to see you," Xia Hou Zhongying put the things he was carrying on a table and saw Jin Taeyeon talking with a few girls nearby. He called out to her.

Hearing Xia Hou Zhongying's call, Jin Taeyeon turned around and saw him waving at her from the gate, with her father standing beside him. She was stunned for a moment, then quickly ran over.

"Father, why are you here?" Jin Taeyeon asked, puzzled.

"Hehe, I came to see you," Jin's father lovingly patted Jin Taeyeon's head and smiled.

"Why didn't you call me first? I could have come to pick you up," Jin Taeyeon said.

"I left in a hurry and forgot to charge my phone, so I couldn't contact you. It was your friend Zhongying who brought me in, otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to get in," Jin's father replied.

"Uncle, Taeyeon, you two chat, I'll go and get busy," Xia Hou Zhongying wanted to leave as soon as possible to avoid the awkwardness and smiled at them before quickly leaving.

"Okay," Jin Taeyeon nodded.

"Taeyeon, who is that boy? He's very polite, he even helped me carry things," Jin's father watched Xia Hou Zhongying's back as he left and asked with a smile.

"Taeyeon, Taeyeon?" Jin's father waited for a while but didn't hear a response. He turned to see Jin Taeyeon staring at Xia Hou Zhongying's back, puzzled, and called out again.

"Ah, Father, what did you say?" Jin Taeyeon came back to her senses, her face blushing, and asked, looking down.

"What's wrong with you?" Jin's father looked at his daughter, then at Xia Hou Zhongying, puzzled.

"Nothing," Jin Taeyeon replied, "Father, what did you say?"

"Oh, I was asking who that boy is," Jin's father, sensing something was off with his daughter, repeated his question.

"Father, you don't know?" Jin Taeyeon, seeing that Xia Hou Zhongying had brought her father in, thought he already knew Xia Hou Zhongying's identity. When her father asked, she couldn't help but ask.

"How would I know?" Jin's father, seeing his daughter acting strangely, became even more puzzled.

"I saw Brother Zhongying bring you in, so I thought you knew who he is," Jin Taeyeon replied, "He's our director."

"Him?" Jin's father was stunned for a moment, then asked, somewhat disbelieving, "You mean he's the director of the movie you're filming?"

"Yes," Jin Taeyeon seemed proud as she boasted to her father, "Father, don't look at Brother Zhongying's young age, he's very capable. He did everything for this movie, from the script, actors, to sponsors, all by himself."

Jin's father felt a sense of absurdity. A director? That young boy? He began to doubt what his daughter had told him and asked, "Taeyeon, is this the movie with Lee Hyori that you mentioned?"

"Yes, Father, I'm only filming one movie," Jin Taeyeon said, "Look, there's Sister Hyori over there."

Jin's father followed Jin Taeyeon's finger and saw Lee Hyori, who was talking with Xia Hou Zhongying nearby, holding a script and gesturing.

Jin's father no longer doubted Jin Taeyeon's words, but he felt a mix of amusement and concern. Could such a young boy direct a movie properly?

"Taeyeon, how is your director?" Jin's father asked.

"How is he?" Jin Taeyeon, not sure what her father was asking specifically, asked.

"Well, how is his skill?" Jin's father hesitated for a moment and asked.

"Father, how can you say that about Brother Zhongying?" Jin Taeyeon was slightly annoyed. Since she met Xia Hou Zhongying, she had been gradually drawn to him. They had gone through the entire process of the movie from conception to production, and she had seen all the efforts he put in, which made her admire him greatly. She also developed a crush on him but didn't dare to show it because of Zheng Xiuyan.

A few days ago, during the morning off and afternoon shooting, Jin Taeyeon, who had been paying close attention to Xia Hou Zhongying, noticed that he and Zheng Xiuyan seemed different after they arrived at the set. She couldn't pinpoint what was different, but she felt that Zheng Xiuyan seemed closer to Xia Hou Zhongying than before. Although they still acted playful, she could see Zheng Xiuyan's concern for him, and she would always wait until Xia Hou Zhongying finished his work before leaving with him.

That day, she suddenly felt very jealous of Zheng Xiuyan. Why was she Xia Hou Zhongying's sister? Why wasn't the one who could be with him every day her? Why didn't he ever look at her seriously? Why did he only see her as a friend?

When her father asked about Xia Hou Zhongying's skill, Jin Taeyeon's first reaction was that her father didn't believe in Xia Hou Zhongying, which made her angry, and she defended him without thinking.

After speaking, Jin Taeyeon realized she shouldn't have spoken to her father like that and felt guilty, explaining, "Father, Brother Zhongying is very capable. Even Sister Hyori and the other crew members admire him."

Jin's father could see that his daughter had a crush on Xia Hou Zhongying. If he couldn't see that, he wouldn't be a good father.

"Taeyeon, do you like him?" Jin's father fell silent for a moment, then asked softly.