Chapter 89: Bitterness in the Heart p2
“Then I’ll be going.” Having completed her mission, Pan Xiang waved at Director Pan, pleased with herself, she hadn’t let down last night’s delicious meal.
“Wait…” Director Pan narrowed his eyes, stopping Pan Xiang, who was about to leave. “She asked you to tell me this, didn’t she give you anything?”
“…” Pan Xiang turned around, looked at Director Pan’s knowing smile, and reluctantly took out a bag of stuffed dates from her bag. “I almost forgot…” Not really.
“Ha, it was Mi Hongdou, wasn’t it? I knew it, the props department wouldn’t be so concerned, and Ji Junxin even less so.” Director Pan picked up the bag, satisfied. “Store-bought or homemade?”
“Mi Hongdou baked them last night.” Pan Xiang, seeing her grandfather’s smug expression, her eyes darted around. “By the way, we had twice-cooked pork with garlic chives, scrambled eggs with shredded pork and yellow chives, dry pot cabbage, beef with tea tree mushrooms, iron plate tofu, steamed eggs with shrimp and clams, eggplant fish, and taro and pork bone soup last night, all made by Mi Hongdou. And also…”
“Stop!” Director Pan’s smugness vanished as Pan Xiang recited the dishes. He quickly made a “stop” gesture, his expression turning gloomy. “There’s no need to list them all, you’re not a waiter. Okay, okay, you can go now, if you continue, I’ll change my mind about the prosthetic belly.” Just listening to it made him want to cry.
Pan Xiang smiled, covered her mouth, and slowly backed away, pretending to leave. Director Pan proudly raised his chin. Just as Pan Xiang reached the door, she quickly added, “Mi Hongdou also steamed crabs!” Then, like a startled rabbit, she disappeared.
That little girl! Director Pan angrily grabbed something from the table, about to throw it at the door. But seeing that it was the bag of stuffed dates, he stopped.
Through the bag, he could see the dates, stuffed with various fillings, red, green, white, and yellow, quite interesting. He opened the bag, and the sweet aroma of dates, nuts, and fruits filled the air. That Mi Hongdou, not becoming a chef was such a waste… but not being an actress would also be a waste.
Director Pan smiled, shook his head, and without immediately eating the dates, glanced at the door. Seeing no one around, he quickly picked up the prosthetic belly and tried to put it on.
It was quite heavy, and without anyone to help, he couldn’t tie the straps. He placed it on the table, leaned over, and started tying the main straps, then the supporting ones. After a while, he finally managed to put it on and took a few steps back… Compared to Mi Hongdou, who almost collapsed, Director Pan was a little stronger, but he had been careless and the sudden weight made him bend over and stumble forward, almost bumping into the table. He steadied himself against the table and slowly straightened up. It was indeed quite heavy…
He leaned against the table for support, getting used to the weight, then let go and took a few steps, trying out bending, squatting, and standing. For Ji Junxin, this weight was indeed the limit. The later ones, even heavier, she probably wouldn’t be able to handle them, even if she forced it, her performance would be affected. Director Pan didn’t remove the prosthetic belly, but sat down, holding it, eating a few stuffed dates, and thinking about how to adjust it.
The dates were delicious, and Director Pan’s mind worked quickly. It wasn’t a complicated problem. After a few crispy, delicious dates, he had a solution.
But as he chewed on a kiwi-stuffed date and untied the prosthetic belly, his expression gradually shifted from happiness to seriousness, then to worry.
Pan Xiang, who had run into Jiang Lingling and was now in the chauffeured car, trying the breakfast made by Jiang Lingling’s newly poached chef, had no idea about the missed calls on her phone.
Director Pan, having searched the room for scissors without success, angrily slammed his phone on the table. That little girl, always around when there was food, nowhere to be found when needed! Couldn’t she even check her phone! Could they still be family! He looked at the prosthetic belly on his lap, feeling a sense of despair… it was so heavy…
Unlike Pan Xiang, who was happily eating and oblivious to the missed calls, Mi Hongdou, receiving a call, wasn’t so happy.
Her phone rang, breaking the quiet munching sounds in the car. The caller ID showed Mi Hongcai’s full name. Mi Hongdou hesitated, she could guess what the call was about. They were on their way to the set, and Ji Junxin was in the car, she didn’t want to answer. But she couldn’t not answer either. If he couldn’t reach her, he might call her mother, which would be even more troublesome. And some things couldn’t be explained in a text message. She had to answer…
Mi Hongdou sighed and answered the call.
As expected, after a few perfunctory greetings, Mi Hongcai got straight to the point, asking why she had lied about being an advertising designer when she was actually filming, even as a lead actress. His tone was much colder than last time, his greetings curt, his questions laced with anger.
When Qiao Rubai and Yang Lianyi came for dinner, discussing releasing a trailer to address the magazine article, Mi Hongdou had known that her father would eventually find out. Now, calculating the time, the trailer was released two afternoons ago, and the call came this morning, the news had spread quickly. Listening to her father’s angry questioning, Mi Hongdou wanted to laugh. What was he so angry about? After more than ten, almost twenty years of indifference, did he expect her to be honest and forthcoming? A hint of mockery appeared on her lips.
“Yes, I’m acting.” Mi Hongdou had lied last time because she didn’t want to deal with them before establishing herself. Now that the trailer was out, there was no point in denying it.
Perhaps surprised by her calm tone, Mi Hongcai stopped, and there was a brief silence on the phone.
Mi Hongcai was sitting in his living room. His wife, Wang Bide, and his daughter, Mi Yu, were sitting on the sofa next to him, both staring at him. A glass of warm water was gradually cooling down in front of him.
The night before, Mi Hongcai had been out late for a business dinner, returning almost 2 AM, sleeping in the cold guest room. He had just fallen asleep when he was woken up by his daughter, Mi Yu. It was still dark outside, and he felt like he had only slept for ten minutes! Even though he doted on Mi Yu, the lack of sleep and the throbbing headache made him irritable. But before he could express his anger, Mi Yu started talking.
The topic, naturally, was the “Imperial Secrets” trailer she saw online. Forget about the actress’s appearance, the introduction clearly stated that the actress playing Empress Qin Muxue was Mi Hongdou! Mi Yu, after checking the filming location and the cast, was furious. This film was a joint production between Qiong Yu and several other companies, directed by the renowned Director Pan, starring Ji Junxin, Qiong Yu’s top actress, and… it was being filmed in Shudian. Mi Yu hadn’t been mistaken! So, that “advertising designer” story, either Mi Hongdou was lying, or he was! Mi Yu didn’t care about what time he had come home or how well he had slept, she just wanted answers.
After being bombarded by Mi Yu’s questions, Mi Hongcai, although still grumpy from being woken up, couldn’t vent his anger at her, especially since Wang Bide, hearing the commotion, had also come downstairs. So, he suppressed his anger, and by the time he called Mi Hongdou, he was fuming.
So, although he started with polite greetings, as was his habit in business, his words were cold and laced with resentment. As he spoke, feeling his anger dissipating, he became even more unrestrained, asserting his authority as a father, his questioning tone sharp and accusatory, completely forgetting the strained relationship between him and Mi Hongdou.
After his long speech, Mi Hongdou’s calm admission of being an actress, without any further explanation, reignited his anger.
“So you’re acting! Then why did you tell me you were an advertising designer!” Mi Hongcai was furious. He had asked this question several times, and Mi Hongdou only admitted to acting, not addressing her earlier lie.
Mi Hongcai’s roar almost echoed through the phone and into the chauffeured car.
Mi Hongdou’s face turned even colder, her voice icy as she replied, “Didn’t you also tell my mother that you would spend the rest of your life with her?”
Leave a Reply