Bar Refaeli was stunning. Born in Israel in 1985, she possessed delicate features and a sultry figure.
Laila knew of her because, in her past life, she had heard that Bar was one of Leonardo DiCaprio's many ex-girlfriends. If history had followed its original trajectory, the two should have met in 2006 while filming Blood Diamond in South Africa. After that, Bar would have gained significant attention as Leonardo's girlfriend, paving the way for a bright future.
However, history had twisted—Blood Diamond, originally slated for 2006, had been delayed until 2008. Yet despite the one- or two-year postponement, they had still found each other.
Aside from marveling at the whims of fate, Laila couldn't think of any other way to describe the emotions she felt when she saw Leonardo walk into the set with Refaeli in tow.
"Laila, let me introduce you," Leonardo said warmly, his arm wrapped around Bar's waist. "This is Bar Refaeli, my girlfriend. Bar, this is our director, Laila Morán."
"Hello, Director Morán," Bar said nervously.
She didn't know why she was so tense. She had mentally prepared herself before coming, but the moment she saw Laila in person, her hands and feet seemed to forget where they were supposed to be.
After all, the woman standing before her was Hollywood's most formidable director, who had just swept the Oscars not long ago! Those she took under her wing skyrocketed to fame almost overnight—even the least successful became well-known second-tier stars, showered with attention.
"Hello, Refaeli. It's a pleasure to meet you," Laila said politely before shifting her gaze to Xiao Ye, who was standing slightly behind them.
I sent you along to keep an eye on him, and this is how you handle it.
She refused to believe Bar Refaeli would have been interested in Leonardo based on the disguise he had worn when he left earlier!
Xiao Ye had known he'd be held accountable for this. But he was innocent! The man had gone out to watch a fashion show, then came back saying he wanted to remove his disguise. At first, Xiao Ye thought he was just uncomfortable, but the next second, Leonardo had vanished. Thankfully, someone else had been tailing him and reported that he'd simply returned to the venue of the show.
And then… then the woman had come back, all lovey-dovey with the superstar. Oh, and the little model had been carrying a bouquet so extravagant it could probably knock someone out—not cheap.
As a pure-hearted, noble, and utterly unfrivolous man of the new era, Xiao Ye found Leonardo's behavior utterly despicable. How dare he charm a woman into his arms in such a short time? It was unforgivable! And infuriating! Worst of all, while the two of them were glued together like a single entity, he had to endure the murderous glare from his boss. What kind of makeup artist had it as rough as he did?
Truthfully, Laila hadn't planned to reprimand Xiao Ye too harshly. If Leonardo was determined to do something, there was no stopping him anyway. Honestly, while she disapproved of his womanizing tendencies, she couldn't deny that the man had an impeccable taste—every one of his ex-girlfriends had the perfect curves, the perfect assets, and the perfect face.
As someone who appreciated beauty, even if she had a better impression of Gisele Bündchen, she couldn't exactly take out her displeasure on the newcomer. The two had broken up amicably, so what was the point of holding a grudge?
"Since she's your girlfriend, her well-being is your responsibility," Laila said, not particularly bothered by his bringing someone along. "As long as you deliver good performances on set, you could bring the entire fashion show's lineup of models here to play, for all I care." Then, with a sinister smirk, she added, "But if you let this distract you during filming… I don't think you want to find out what I'll do."
Leonardo gulped and hastily nodded. "It won't affect filming at all, I swear!"
"Good." Only then did Laila turn back to Bar, who looked equally intimidated. "Ms. Refaeli, as you can see, conditions here aren't the most convenient. If you need anything, just ask Leo—he'll know what to do."
"Of course, thank you," Bar replied quickly.
Laila gave them a brief nod before walking away, dragging Xiao Ye—who had been trying to sneak off—along with her.
"Wow, so that's Director Moran… She's something," Bar murmured. What she wanted to say was terrifying. The woman was only a few years older than her, yet she carried an incredibly imposing aura.
As Leonardo led her to his temporary lodgings, he grinned. "Of course. She's Laila. There's no other director in Hollywood like her."
"That's true," Bar agreed. "Her films are amazing. I've seen almost every one of them—some multiple times."
Leonardo chuckled. "Then you'll want to see this one. I think you'll fall in love with it."
Bar, already mesmerized by his irresistible charm and roguish smile, gazed at his handsome face and murmured dreamily, "I think I already have."
The two immediately melted into each other again.
Meanwhile, Xiao Ye had been hauled back to Laila's quarters. Roy was inside, reading a book. When he saw them enter, he raised an eyebrow. "Xiao Ye's back? Is Leo back too?"
"He is," Laila replied tersely, not in the mood to elaborate. She unceremoniously dumped Xiao Ye into a chair before heading into the room to freshen up. The air here was too humid, making her feel sticky all over, so her priority was always to wash up.
Once she disappeared into the bathroom, Roy turned to Xiao Ye curiously. "What did you mess up this time?"
The wording made Xiao Ye want to leap up and argue. What do you mean, 'this time'? Had he messed up a lot before? Hadn't he been the one to help Roy get back to the U.S. last time? Was this how he treated his savior? The sheer audacity!
Seeing his irritation, Roy smirked. "What? Did Laila invite you over for dinner?" He highly doubted Xiao Ye would be here if there wasn't some kind of issue.
Xiao Ye silently wept inside. He was suffering, alright—because there was a reason he'd been brought here.
"Leo's back," he said with the expression of a man who had given up on life. "And he brought his new girlfriend with him."
Roy's hand, which had been flipping a page, paused. "New girlfriend?" If he recalled correctly, hadn't Leonardo been lamenting his loneliness just that morning? And now, after one outing, he had a new girlfriend?
Seeing Roy's stunned reaction, Xiao Ye felt a twisted sense of satisfaction. Now you know how it feels.
"Yep. A new girlfriend. A super-hot model." He gestured an exaggerated hourglass figure with his hands. "This kind of body."
Roy laughed. "Jealous?"
"Any man would be!" Xiao Ye rolled his eyes at the ceiling. "Not everyone's lucky enough to have a fiancée like you, you know."
Single men had the right to appreciate beautiful women too, damn it!