Category: Reborn to Stew Soup (GL)

Chapter 60: Secret Recipe Braised Pig’s Feet p2

Pan Xiang’s intention was to support the actor’s immersion and embodiment of the character, allowing them to become that character, to imagine their thoughts and feelings in that situation. This kind of immersion wasn’t suitable for every scene, but in certain scenes, it could produce unexpected brilliance. Like the scene just now. Ji Junxin thought this and kept it in mind.

Perhaps even Director Pan hadn’t expected that the one who benefited the most from his explanation would be Ji Junxin.

After explaining Pan Xiang’s idea to Ji Junxin and Mi Hongdou, Director Pan told them not to tell Zhang Zijing. In his opinion, Zhang Zijing wouldn’t be able to understand such a profound concept. Knowing that his character wasn’t as important as he thought might negatively affect his already poor performance.

Mi Hongdou and Ji Junxin naturally agreed. Mi Hongdou was quite happy because after this scene, she no longer had to pretend to love the emperor so much.

After Mi Hongdou’s drunken scene, Director Pan completely believed Qiao Rubai’s words about how the other actors’ brilliant performances could compensate for Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo’s mediocrity and make the film a success.

After all, after Pan Xiang’s revision, Zhang Zijing’s character was just a bland plot device. And Jiang Duo’s character, Concubine Zhu, later Consort Zhu… was a villain with no redeeming qualities. Even with a good performance, the audience probably wouldn’t like her. Watching Jiang Lingling, trying her best in the rain scene, and Zhang Zijing, repeatedly NGing, Director Pan placed all his hopes on the other actors, especially Ji Junxin, Mi Hongdou, and Jiang Lingling.

He had just placed his hopes on them, and the next morning, Ji Junxin, whom he favored, started having repeated NGs. How could he not feel disheartened?

Her lines, movements, and expressions were all correct, only the feeling was wrong. Director Pan, determined to get the best performance from Ji Junxin and the others, didn’t let it pass just because it was technically acceptable. It couldn’t just be passable, it had to be brilliant. Without their knowledge, he had raised the bar for them.

After several NGs, Director Pan didn’t ask for continuous takes like he did with Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo, hoping to find a usable one. Instead, he let Ji Junxin take a break and find the right feeling.

Having filmed so many scenes, Ji Junxin knew what the problem was today. It was that Jiang Lingling, sitting not far away, the lower half of her face covered with tissues like a mummy. That burning gaze was practically scorching Mi Hongdou. Ji Junxin was a little unhappy and didn’t understand why the person being stared at was performing normally, while she…

Her performance was so bad, so many NGs, and it was a scene with Mi Hongdou. Mi Hongdou must be annoyed, must dislike her… must have stopped being her fan… Ji Junxin, after being dismissed by Director Pan to take a break, dejectedly returned to the backstage area, not daring to look at Mi Hongdou.

Ji Junxin hurried backstage like she was escaping and didn’t dare to turn around. However… Mi Hongdou didn’t follow her! Okay, she hadn’t asked her to… but… shouldn’t she have followed? …

She must be unhappy… When Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo kept NGing a few days ago, she had looked at them with such disdain. Now, she must be looking at her with the same disdain… Ji Junxin nervously fiddled with her sleeve, her mood worsening.

If Mi Hongdou knew that Ji Junxin had misinterpreted the disdain in her eyes when looking at Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo, she would be speechless.

Ji Junxin suddenly didn’t want to film with Mi Hongdou anymore. As she struggled with her thoughts, time seemed to move especially slowly. She felt like Director Pan would call for her any minute, but no one came. She didn’t even know if she wanted to be called out or not.

Just as Ji Junxin was feeling restless, she saw… Mi Hongdou entering from the corner of her eye.

Ji Junxin quickly looked away and straightened up.

Mi Hongdou was carefully holding a porcelain bowl and didn’t see Ji Junxin’s small movements. Otherwise, she would have been reminded of the cat video she saw on Weibo a few days ago, the cat who was about to steal some food, but when its owner appeared, quickly sat up straight and pretended to be innocent.

“Jiang Lingling’s godfather brought braised pig’s feet, try some, it’s still warm.” Mi Hongdou, as if presenting a treasure, placed the bowl on Ji Junxin’s dressing table. “Try it, there’s more, it’s being kept warm in his RV. He said he’ll drive to our hotel later and share some with us.”

Hmph, she wouldn’t eat it. Ji Junxin, who had just been tempted by the aroma, held her breath. She wouldn’t be as easily swayed by food as Jiang Lingling.

Eh? Mi Hongdou, not receiving the expected foodie reaction, was stunned. Something seemed off about Ji Junxin.

Leaning closer, Mi Hongdou finally saw Ji Junxin’s deliberately averted face. Oh, why the unhappy expression? Could it be because of the NGs earlier? Mi Hongdou quickly grasped half the reason.

“This is Huang Ji’s secret recipe braised pig’s feet, braised in a secret sauce, incredibly flavorful, the skin is crispy, the meat is tender, it’s incredibly delicious. Many people clean the bones, leaving clear teeth marks.” Mi Hongdou said, putting on a disposable glove, picking up the still slightly hot pig’s foot, and using the ultimate foodie tactic, held it to Ji Junxin’s mouth. “Smell it, isn’t it fragrant? Come on, even if you don’t want to eat it, just lick it.”

Ji Junxin, who had been holding her breath, decided to take a small… just a small breath to survive.

The rich aroma filled her senses.

It smelled so good… Ji Junxin instantly forgot about her decision to distance herself from easily tempted foodies like Jiang Lingling.

So, when a little foodie was unhappy, she needed the comfort of food~ Mi Hongdou happily watched as Ji Junxin’s previously gloomy expression was replaced by the standard starry-eyed look of a foodie encountering delicious food. Jiang Lingling’s pig’s feet arrived just in time. Mi Hongdou, inadvertently, praised the person who had made Ji Junxin unhappy.

“Here, try it…” Mi Hongdou held the pig’s foot closer to Ji Junxin’s mouth, gently coaxing her.

Ji Junxin looked at Mi Hongdou with a complicated expression. So, she wasn’t annoyed by her NGs? Then she was still her fan? She must be! Otherwise, why would she offer her the pig’s feet first! Ji Junxin thought this and cheered up. Since she was her fan, she wouldn’t refuse her kindness~ Ji Junxin smiled and reached out to Mi Hongdou. “Give me a glove, I’ll eat it myself.”

Mi Hongdou paused, looking at the pig’s foot in her gloved right hand. “I only brought one glove.”

“…Then… you eat it…” Ji Junxin turned her face away. She wouldn’t be a foodie who needed to be fed like Jiang Lingling!

So… why was she being arrogant even with food in front of her?

“This glove will get oily if I take it off. I’ll go get you a new one, Jiang Lingling should have some.” Mi Hongdou put the pig’s foot back in the bowl, straightened up, and was about to leave.

Then, her coat was tugged.

Ji Junxin, who had an inexplicable animosity towards Jiang Lingling today, didn’t want Mi Hongdou to keep going to her.

“Then feed me.” Ji Junxin pointed at the glove on Mi Hongdou’s hand.

A foodie’s heart was truly difficult to understand. Mi Hongdou bent down again, picked up the pig’s foot, and held it to Ji Junxin’s mouth.

Ji Junxin looked at the pig’s foot, then at Mi Hongdou, and then carefully took a small bite.

The soft, melt-in-your-mouth skin, yet still slightly chewy, incredibly flavorful, the aroma of spices and braising liquid infused into the meat, amplifying its deliciousness, a thousand times more fragrant than it smelled!

So delicious! Ji Junxin’s heart was captivated by the pig’s foot. She also wanted to gnaw on the bone until it was covered in teeth marks!

So, Ji Junxin, who had just been mocking Jiang Lingling for being an easily swayed foodie, now clung to Mi Hongdou’s hand and started devouring the pig’s foot.

Why did it feel like she was feeding a cat, and the cat, afraid she would run away, was clinging to her hand with its paws? Mi Hongdou looked at Ji Junxin’s neatly styled hair and resisted the urge to ruffle it.

“Don’t worry, Director Pan and the others are also eating, they won’t call us so soon.” Ji Junxin ate quickly, and Mi Hongdou felt like her fingers had been accidentally grazed several times. Most importantly… they seemed to have been licked a few times.

Even through the glove, Mi Hongdou could clearly feel the soft little tongue swirling around her fingertip, then across her palm. Just like a kitten… Although she knew it was just an accidental touch while Ji Junxin was eating, Mi Hongdou felt an itch where she had been licked… The itch spread from her palm to her arm, past her heart, and then… settled in her lower abdomen…

No… this was a strange feeling. Mi Hongdou felt her face heating up. She wanted to throw away the pig’s foot… She looked at Ji Junxin, who was still gnawing on the bone, for the first time hoping that the little foodie would eat faster, finish it quickly.

That’s a finger, not a pig’s foot… you’ve licked it three times! Are you even paying attention to what you’re eating! Mi Hongdou was on the verge of a breakdown.

Regardless of the happiness or breakdown backstage, Jiang Lingling finally… met her godfather. From afar.

“Come closer! Let me feel your forehead, see if you still have a fever.” Dong Yuannan stood by his RV, calling out to Jiang Lingling, who was standing five or six meters away. “If you still have a fever, we’ll go get an IV drip!”

Jiang Lingling shook her head from afar: “No… I won’t. I’ve arranged for lunch!”

“You can eat anytime!” Dong Yuannan said anxiously, taking a few steps towards her. “Seeing a doctor is more important!”

Jiang Lingling quickly retreated: “No!”

Shouting from afar in the cold weather, Dong Yuannan felt his throat hurting. Looking at Jiang Lingling, who was stubbornly keeping her distance, even with a cold, shouting so loudly wouldn’t be good for her throat either. He sighed, took out his phone, and called her.

Finally, they could have a proper conversation.

Dong Yuannan tried to persuade her again, but Jiang Lingling refused to go to the hospital, saying she had already taken medicine and would be fine soon.

Jiang Lingling was so stubborn, Dong Yuannan couldn’t argue with her. So, he changed the subject.

“Lingling, is it hard work on set? Is anyone bullying you?” Dong Yuannan looked at his goddaughter from afar. Her face seemed a little smaller, could it be that she had lost weight from all the work? He seemed to have the superpower of seeing through the pile of tissues covering her face.

So, Jiang Lingling launched into a three-thousand-word rant. Dong Yuannan, listening patiently, remembered one name: Zhang Zijing.

Having identified the villain, Dong Yuannan changed the subject again: “Lingling, after being on set for so long, have you made any friends?”

Jiang Lingling thought for a moment. “I guess I have two.”

“Oh, really? That’s good. Who are they?” Dong Yuannan showed great interest. Jiang Lingling was introverted. He had taken her to meet his business partners before, but she never interacted with their children. Now that she finally had friends, she would have someone to play with. Daddy Dong was very pleased.

Jiang Lingling, seeing her godfather’s pleased expression, decided to keep her single-dog woes to herself. She gave the names of Mi Hongdou and Ji Junxin. The second name wasn’t added just because of the Old Beijing chicken roll.

Dong Yuannan, always busy, vaguely remembered the names and asked Jiang Lingling to introduce him to her new friends.

“Don’t bother, they’re… hehe…” Jiang Lingling thought of the braised pig’s foot Mi Hongdou took, that one pig’s foot, they were probably sharing it happily right now, bite for bite. Just imagining it made her feel another pang of CP damage. “It’s okay, we’ll see them at dinner. One is the little empress who made the egg fried rice at the estate, she’ll be cooking for us later. She promised to make a whole table of dishes, including the egg fried rice.” Jiang Lingling looked at Dong Yuannan proudly, waiting for praise.

“Uh… Lingling, you’re so amazing.” Dong Yuannan praised her, then carefully asked, “She’s your friend, is it okay to ask her to cook so much for us?”

“It’s fine~” Jiang Lingling waved her hand dismissively. “You’re my godfather, and she’s my friend. If she thinks it’s not okay, then she’s not a true friend, and I don’t want her anymore.”

Dong Yuannan was touched, but something still felt off.

Jiang Lingling continued, “We’re not the only ones eating. That Ji Junxin, the one who wouldn’t sell me the egg fried rice, she’ll be there too. Godfather, if you like a dish, make sure to grab more!”

Daddy Dong, who just wanted to greet Jiang Lingling’s friends, felt like he was about to be dragged into a new world.

And he didn’t realize how much his conversation with Jiang Lingling resembled his conversation with his son years ago, on the way home from his first day of kindergarten.

Chapter 60: Secret Recipe Braised Pig’s Feet p1

Director Pan remembered it was about half a month after “Imperial Secrets” officially started filming. Qiao Rubai from Qiong Yu, as if possessed, suddenly demanded that Dajin Entertainment replace the male lead, Zhang Zijing, and one of the supporting actresses, Jiang Duo.

Not many people in the crew knew about this. But Director Pan, as the director, naturally knew.

Replacing actors during filming wasn’t unheard of. Usually, it was due to an actor’s injury or illness preventing them from continuing, irreconcilable conflicts between the actor and their agency or the investors, or realizing during filming that the casting was a mistake, the actor not fitting the role, requiring a replacement for the sake of the film’s quality. The last scenario was rare. In this increasingly commercialized industry, very few productions were meticulous enough to replace actors mid-filming. And major miscasts were also rare.

“Imperial Secrets” had only been filming for half a month. Director Pan’s filming pace was slow at first, then gradually accelerated. They hadn’t filmed many scenes in the first half month, focusing mostly on building rapport between actors and understanding the characters. Everyone was just getting into their roles. Qiao Rubai’s sudden demand to replace actors, and actors from their partner, Dajin Entertainment, was surprising. Director Pan thought Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo’s acting was passable. And the casting, the collaboration between Qiong Yu and Dajin, had been finalized by Qiao Rubai herself just half a month ago. Changing her mind so decisively now was shocking.

The contracts were signed, and the collaboration had already begun. Dajin’s attitude was quite good. But just as Qiao Rubai almost persuaded the person in charge of this project at Dajin to replace Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo with other actors from their company, the opposition within Dajin prevailed.

The attempt to replace the actors failed, and Director Pan was relieved. Dajin Entertainment wasn’t a large company, and they didn’t have many artists. If Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo were replaced, the replacements would also have to be from Dajin. In Director Pan’s opinion, Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo were already the best Dajin had to offer. The replacements might be even worse. He didn’t want to replace barely passable actors with failing ones. Qiao Rubai’s failure was his secret relief.

It seemed that Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo were completely unaware of this incident. Dajin probably didn’t want them to know, afraid it would affect their already limited acting skills and increase the chance of them being replaced by Qiao Rubai.

Director Pan thought that after this failed attempt, Qiao Rubai would let it go. But she didn’t. As if possessed, her attitude completely changed from the earlier amicable contract signing. After failing to replace the actors, Qiao Rubai decided to change the script.

Director Pan didn’t know how Qiao Rubai did it, but she actually managed to persuade all the partner companies and investors to replace a large portion of the “Imperial Secrets” script almost a month after filming started.

When Qiao Rubai handed him the revised script, Director Pan, seeing the name “Pan Xiang” listed as the screenwriter, thought it was just someone with the same name as his granddaughter.

The revised script was excellent. It expanded the story beyond the confines of the palace, adding two major settings, making the story much grander in both depth and scope. The characters’ personalities were more distinct, the relationships and conflicts between them more complex, and the newly added estate and battlefield scenes injected a dose of positive energy into the film. Both commercially and artistically, the revised script was much better. After reading it, Director Pan understood why the partner companies and investors agreed to the last-minute change. Filmed this way, the movie would be a hit, a huge hit! He felt his youthful ambition rekindled.

Director Pan didn’t understand why Qiao Rubai, having a screenwriter who could produce such a good script in just a few days, hadn’t brought her in earlier, wasting a month of filming. But this didn’t stop him from wanting to have a long discussion with Qiao Rubai, his blood boiling with excitement over the new script.

Then… he saw his granddaughter, who was supposed to be studying at university, walking towards them…

When Qiao Rubai formally introduced Pan Xiang, the new screenwriter of “Imperial Secrets,” to Director Pan, the latter’s shock was another story about HP loss.

Perhaps because he learned that this excellent story was written by his own granddaughter, Director Pan, who had been enthusiastic, calmed down and carefully reread the script several times.

As an experienced, insightful, and capable director, he noticed some problems.

Of course, it wasn’t that the story was bad, but compared to the original version, the male lead’s role was significantly weakened. This wasn’t about reducing the emperor Ji Yan’s screen time, but about the other characters being more compelling in the revised version. In comparison, the still ordinary male lead, besides his title, didn’t leave much of an impression. And the revised battlefield scenes added a brilliant general character. Although the role wasn’t large, Director Pan believed that as long as the actor wasn’t terrible, this character would be very eye-catching. So, the male lead… became even more ordinary.

In the first version, the numerous female characters, some deeply in love with the male lead, some hating him because of their love, all lived for his affection. They schemed against each other, harmed each other, lived and died, all for the emperor’s love. Emperor Ji Yan, although his role wasn’t particularly large or complex, was the center of the story, the source of all love and hate. He was the male lead.

But in the second version, things changed. Of course, on the surface, in the early palace scenes, the concubines still competed for the emperor’s favor. Miao Qianye, innocent and gentle, attracting the emperor’s attention; Concubine Zhu, scheming to gain his interest; and the young empress, who believed in their deep love, all loved the emperor in the early palace scenes, raised his heir together in the estate scenes, and reunited with him in the later palace scenes.

Weakening the male lead was one issue, and after reading the second version repeatedly, Director Pan noticed another problem. Although Pan Xiang’s writing was beautiful, and there seemed to be several love lines between the emperor and the concubines running through the story, there actually… weren’t…

When Miao Qianye, favored but childless, was promoted to Zhaoyi, just below a consort, the emperor’s love for her intensified. Then came a solo scene of the young empress, the setting being that the emperor hadn’t visited her on the first and fifteenth of the month, as he was supposed to. The young empress waited until late at night, then dismissed the food and left in tears.

This scene, on its own, wasn’t unusual. But it was followed by two more scenes. One was of the young empress by the window in the early morning, watching the sunrise, her expression gradually shifting from sadness to serenity. The other was of the young empress, having regained her composure and authority, summoning Miao Qianye for a private conversation.

These three scenes, when viewed together, depicted a woman deeply in love with her husband, losing his affection, initially angry, then gradually calming down, and then… developing a sense of camaraderie with her rival.

Pan Xiang hadn’t explicitly written the young empress’s emotional state, but Director Pan felt that an experienced actress would understand why she underwent this transformation. It was because she had fallen out of love.

Although discussing the complexities of love with his granddaughter, who hadn’t even graduated from university, felt a bit awkward, as a responsible director, he pointed at these three scenes and asked, “The empress was deeply in love with the emperor, why would she suddenly fall out of love?”

Pan Xiang first praised her grandfather’s sharp eye, then retorted, “Why couldn’t she suddenly fall out of love?”

Director Pan was speechless.

In real life, if someone was truly hurt, it was possible to fall out of love. But this was a movie, a movie about palace life. The empress falling out of love with the emperor? Then what about her later protecting their heir? What about her later sacrificing herself for the heir’s ascension to the throne?

Seemingly sensing his doubts, Pan Xiang clearly explained her thoughts on the emotional arc.

Finally, Director Pan understood. He hadn’t misread the script.

In Pan Xiang’s vision, the emperor’s unusual interest in Miao Qianye, his growing favoritism towards her, disrupted his previously indifferent attitude towards the harem. He even ignored the custom of visiting the empress on the first and fifteenth of the month, deeply hurting the young empress. She had once dreamt of a lifelong love, and although that dream was shattered, she still believed in their affection, that she was special. Reality had slapped her hard.

The greater the pain, the clearer the realization. After a brief period of helplessness and confusion, the young empress chose to love less, to hurt less. This was where the setup of the young empress coming from a military family came into play. Love, when it was there, was absolute. When it was gone, it was gone, decisively and without hesitation.

Precisely because the young empress, partly voluntarily, partly forcing herself, chose to no longer love the emperor so deeply, she could then, with curiosity but without malice, appreciate Miao Qianye, who was supposed to be her rival.

Later, when the emperor disappeared, the empress held the fort and protected their heir, not because she still loved the emperor deeply, but because she was the empress, it was her duty, her responsibility to the country.

Similarly, in the estate, precisely because she no longer loved the emperor so deeply, she could face his concubines, those women who had once shared her husband, with such calmness. She calmly arranged their lives, calmly did her best to protect everyone.

Because she no longer loved the emperor, she could have a greater love, the love of an empress for her people.

Although he had already sensed the hidden meaning in the script, Pan Xiang’s detailed explanation still moved Director Pan. The empress, who had been deeply in love with the emperor in the original version, now falling out of love, this severed love line elevated the story to another level. From personal love to a greater love… just hearing it, he could almost see the previously narrow scope of the story expand, vast and boundless.

Director Pan was silent for a long time, then asked, “Since the empress’s character is defined by her love for her people, then at the end of the script, after the emperor’s death, with the eldest prince raised by her, the court officials, fearing that the eldest prince’s ascension would mean the empire falling under the empress’s control, supported the second prince, born to Consort Zhu. So, to ensure the eldest prince’s ascension, the empress committed suicide. Then, if the empress truly cared about the country, to ensure a more capable ruler, why didn’t the script include scenes showing the eldest prince’s talent or the second prince’s incompetence, to make the plot more reasonable?”

“Precisely because I didn’t want to explicitly show that her final choice was purely for the good of the country,” Pan Xiang replied with a smile.

So what was the reasoning then? Did her great love in the end become maternal love? Director Pan frowned.

“But you didn’t indicate the empress’s change of heart in the script. You have to indicate it so the actress knows when to change her feelings towards the emperor.” Director Pan felt that although his granddaughter had written a good script, the details were lacking.

Pan Xiang hesitated, then replied, “I think I’ve written the story completely. As long as they carefully study the script, the actors should be able to grasp when and how to change their emotions. I could add notes, saying, ‘After this scene, Empress, you no longer love the emperor.’ Or, ‘In this scene, Empress, you initially love the emperor, then after standing by the window, you feel disheartened, then looking at the table, you feel sad, and finally, when you leave, you no longer love him.’ But even with my notes, actors who aren’t invested in the role might not be able to portray it. And actors who are invested don’t need my notes.” She paused, then continued, “I think all emotions, their development and transitions, should be the character’s own realizations, so it won’t seem forced.”

Director Pan felt that Pan Xiang’s idea was very idealistic. It meant that only an actor who truly understood the script, or was very experienced and invested, could grasp the emotional changes.

Seemingly sensing his concerns, Pan Xiang continued, “Different people will have different interpretations of the same script. Different actors will portray different feelings. Even I, after writing the script, can’t be completely sure how the young empress’s feelings change subtly. But I think a good actor should be able to feel the character’s emotions during filming.” Just like, she is her… Pan Xiang didn’t say the last sentence, or her grandfather would accuse her of being too idealistic again.

Even without the last sentence, Director Pan still felt that her idea was very idealistic. But for some reason, Qiao Rubai had full confidence in Pan Xiang, even more so than he did.

Recalling Qiao Rubai’s earlier attempt to replace Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo, Director Pan now understood why, after the script revision, although Zhang Zijing’s screen time hadn’t decreased, the importance of his character had plummeted.

He had pointed out to Qiao Rubai that the revised script left too much room for interpretation, and Bao Yueqiao, the actress originally cast as the young empress, although petite and delicate, might not be able to handle the revised role. Qiao Rubai had just told him not to worry, and a few days later, she brought Mi Hongdou into the crew.

Putting aside the first wedding night scene, as a complete newcomer, Mi Hongdou’s performance had truly impressed him.

However, he hadn’t told Mi Hongdou about his discussion with Pan Xiang regarding the young empress’s emotional arc. Firstly, because Mi Hongdou seemed to dislike Zhang Zijing, the actor playing the emperor, and all the love scenes were already a struggle for her. Director Pan was afraid that explaining the emotional arc at the beginning would make it even harder for her to portray the changes. Secondly, he didn’t quite agree with Pan Xiang’s idea of the actor independently controlling the emotional changes. He felt that it would only confuse the actor.

So far, although Mi Hongdou disliked Zhang Zijing, her performance had been exactly what he wanted. So, he had almost forgotten about his discussion with Pan Xiang and the whole “actor’s autonomy” thing.

Until that night, when Mi Hongdou asked to rehearse alone, to find the right emotions, and he secretly filmed it, capturing a brilliant performance, even better than Pan Xiang’s original script.

Director Pan seemed to understand what it meant when an actor truly understood the character’s emotional changes.

Mi Hongdou’s performance perfectly captured Pan Xiang’s idea of the unwillingness to love after experiencing extreme pain. The script, which he had initially found slightly illogical, now made perfect sense after seeing Mi Hongdou’s interpretation.

Compared to rigid instructions, wasn’t this flowing emotion, this transition from love to indifference, the hidden essence of the script?

It wasn’t explicitly stated or indicated in the script. But Director Pan believed that when the audience saw this scene, they would definitely feel the change in her emotions.

So, when Mi Hongdou, lacking confidence, said that she was just rehearsing and her performance wasn’t good, Director Pan praised her profusely and shared with her and Ji Junxin what he remembered from his conversation with Pan Xiang.

Director Pan’s explanation, interspersed with praise for Mi Hongdou, made her a little embarrassed. But Ji Junxin listened intently, grasping Pan Xiang’s intention.

 

Chapter 59: The Drunken Scene p2

Director Pan greatly admired Mi Hongdou’s talent, acting skills, and comprehension. But for this scene of the lonely empress, he was still a little worried that she wouldn’t be able to get into character. After all, this was a solo scene for the young empress, with a wide range of emotions to portray. The script didn’t specify the transitions or the specific emotions, just that this segment required a lot of improvisation from the actress. Mi Hongdou couldn’t possibly be heartbroken because of Zhang Zijing. Relying solely on acting skills, switching between so many emotions would seem forced and unnatural. Director Pan was worried, so he talked to Mi Hongdou for a long time before filming, for the first time publicly agreeing with Pan Xiang’s suggestion, “If you don’t like Zhang Zijing, then look at someone you like through him.”

If you can’t immerse yourself in the role and feel the empress’s sadness over being forgotten by the emperor, then imagine the person you like, imagine them abandoning you.

Mi Hongdou thought for a long time, then asked to be left alone to prepare. She would try acting it out by herself, and when she felt ready, they could start filming. Director Pan agreed, but he secretly told the crew to start filming. Perhaps her own preparation would be better than a deliberate performance later? Having been tormented by Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo for too long, Director Pan wouldn’t miss any opportunity for a good take.

So, the young empress leaned against the window, for a long, long time. Outside, night deepened, and the moonlight was just right.

The young empress’s expression gradually shifted from loneliness to sadness, then suddenly, a flicker of madness.

Yes, a flicker of madness that would be missed if you weren’t paying attention. Director Pan, staring intently at the screen, clenched his fists. He suddenly had a feeling that his decision to secretly start filming was probably the best decision he had made in days!

In the room, the young empress, after standing by the window for a long time, seemed to lose interest in the scenery outside. She walked back inside and sat at the table, which was laden with dishes, some the emperor’s favorites, some hers.

The empress sat upright, her expression composed, as if the person who had shown a flicker of madness earlier wasn’t her at all.

After a while, she gestured and pointed at the dishes, asking the servants to remove the emperor’s favorites. What was left were her own favorites. She looked at the table, the previously full table now sparsely populated with dishes. The young empress smiled self-deprecatingly. She cared so much about him, and he… She stopped a servant who was trying to rearrange the dishes. “Take them all away.”

Up to this point, the scene followed the script. According to the script, the servants would clear the table, the empress would stare at the empty table for a while, then, unable to control her emotions, her eyes would redden, and she would leave in tears.

The servant, following the script, was about to clear the table, but when she reached for the wine pot, the young empress stopped her.

“Leave this, take away the rest. You can all leave.” The young empress’s voice, without its usual forced authority, sounded tired and even a little weak.

This wasn’t in the script. The servant hesitated, then removed her hand from the wine pot and left with the dishes. The other servants looked at Director Pan, confused. He waved his hand with a dark expression, and they left too. Director Pan breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he had switched to a close-up when Mi Hongdou changed her lines, otherwise, he would have had to call cut.

“That last servant was good, quite quick-witted,” Director Pan whispered to a crew member next to him, then quickly refocused on Mi Hongdou on the screen.

The room was empty, only a wine pot and two cups left on the table.

The young empress’s fingers traced the two cups, then she picked up one, played with it with an amused smile, and then, without hesitation, threw it on the floor. A crisp, shattering sound.

Then she picked up the other cup, reached for the wine pot, as if to pour herself a drink. But she stopped midway, as if remembering something. She looked at the broken pieces on the floor, then at the cup in her hand, and suddenly smiled, a bitter smile with a hint of indescribable sweetness. She gently placed the cup next to the broken pieces. Another crisp, shattering sound, the shards indistinguishable.

“Remind me to get a close-up of the broken pieces later,” Director Pan said, grabbing a crew member, his eyes glued to the screen.

“Okay.” The voice beside him was Ji Junxin’s.

Director Pan was startled and turned around. Ji Junxin, already changed and her makeup removed, was standing next to him, watching the screen intently.

The young empress looked at the broken pieces on the floor, seemingly satisfied that they were now in pairs, her expression softening.

A clear liquid streamed from the wine pot into the young empress’s mouth.

Director Pan was incredibly grateful that he had insisted on real food and water in the wine pot. Otherwise… they wouldn’t be able to continue filming.

Some liquid dribbled from the corner of the young empress’s mouth, and she quickly closed her lips, her movements slightly flustered and awkward. Her cheeks puffed out from the mouthful of “wine,” and she resolutely swallowed.

“Cough… cough…” She choked.

Director Pan felt the person next to him move forward and instinctively grabbed her arm. It was Ji Junxin.

“She’s just acting…” Director Pan whispered, trying to calm the anxious Ji Junxin. But… it seemed that Mi Hongdou had actually choked. The coughing, the choking, the effect was really good.

Look, Mi Hongdou’s nose was red, and tears welled up in her eyes, just like someone who choked on a mouthful of wine. Using water to create the effect of alcohol, whether intentional or not, it was impressive.

The young empress coughed a few times, her face turning red. But she didn’t put down the wine pot.

One mouthful after another… until the pot was empty. The young empress, her face flushed, stood up unsteadily and raised her hand, as if to throw the wine pot towards the broken cups. But she stopped midway, looked at the broken pieces, and then, abruptly changing direction, threw the pot to the other side of the table.

Then… she cried…

Real tears… Director Pan knew… the camera was zoomed in on her face.

Ji Junxin, whom Director Pan had been holding, started struggling again. He had to let go and whisper fiercely, “She’s acting so well! Don’t disturb her!”

Ji Junxin stopped struggling…

Director Pan, watching the screen, felt that he had been a bit too harsh, but apologizing seemed awkward. “Be good, I’ll buy you chestnuts later.”

Although Ji Junxin didn’t respond, Director Pan felt that she was now as obedient as a kitten.

It wasn’t silent, heartbroken tears, but loud sobs, her face buried in her arms on the table. A more realistic portrayal of drunkenness.

The young empress cried for a long time. Director Pan felt that this take was good enough.

Compared to the original ending of leaving in tears, the drunken scene Mi Hongdou added was brilliant. Ending the scene with the young empress’s heartbroken sobs was perfect!

If they could capture her tear-streaked face when she lifted her head, it would be even better. Director Pan, thinking this, didn’t call cut.

The set was silent, only the young empress’s sobs could be heard, so heartbreaking that it tugged at everyone’s heartstrings. A few older female crew members wiped their eyes.

Director Pan was about to call cut.

Just then, the sobs subsided. He waited.

The young empress slowly lifted her head.

As he expected, Mi Hongdou had truly cried, her face streaked with tears, her eyes red… Director Pan was about to praise her for controlling her movements when she collapsed, not ruining her makeup, when he saw… the bright red on her lips.

It wasn’t… lipstick. Could it be… Director Pan’s heart lurched. She didn’t have to be so dedicated, biting her lip until it bled. Although surprised, as an experienced and perceptive director, he signaled for a close-up of Mi Hongdou’s lips.

The young empress on the screen had stopped sobbing, but tears were still silently streaming down her face. If her earlier sobs were heartbreaking, then her current expression, numb and despairing, as if the tears were flowing involuntarily, was even more so.

This was it, an even better moment to call cut than before!

But Director Pan didn’t say anything.

As expected, Mi Hongdou’s performance wasn’t over yet.

The young empress stood up again, her body swaying, almost stepping on the broken pieces of the cup. Director Pan felt a little nervous and thought he should call cut. But he quickly realized that this near miss was also part of her act. After steadying herself, the young empress squatted down, picked up a shard of glass in one hand, then another shard in the other.

Director Pan was glad that he had all cameras rolling. Otherwise, this change in angle would have required two separate takes. Heh, after so many NGs, he had learned his lesson. Having all cameras rolling made it easier to capture unexpected brilliance. He hadn’t been able to salvage anything from Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo’s NGs, but he had found a treasure.

Then, the young empress did something that seemed a little childish. Holding a shard in each hand, she tried to put the two obviously mismatched pieces together, turning them this way and that. They clearly didn’t fit, how could they be put together? Everyone could see it, but the young empress seemed not to understand. She didn’t try other pieces, just stubbornly and childishly tried to fit these two together. From the frequency of her movements and her expression, it was clear that her initial patience was giving way to increasing frustration. Her movements became rough and clumsy, like a child’s, the two shards clattering against each other. The young empress looked fragile and pitiful.

She was drunk. Although everyone knew Mi Hongdou was drinking water, they all felt that she was drunk.

Perhaps because her movements were too rough, one of the shards slipped from her hand and fell to the floor. The young empress looked down, confused, as if she couldn’t recognize which piece it was. Then, unexpectedly, after a brief moment of confusion, she suddenly threw the other shard to the floor in a fit of anger, stood up, and walked towards the bedroom.

Silence. Was she going to hit someone? … For some reason, many crew members had this thought at the same time. Even Director Pan couldn’t deny that this thought had also flashed through his mind.

After a few steps, Mi Hongdou stopped and closed her eyes. A few seconds later, when she opened them again, although there was a hint of fatigue, it was her usual gentle gaze.

Director Pan, for some reason, breathed a sigh of relief. Then he heard Ji Junxin’s even louder sigh of relief.

Ji Junxin quickly ran towards Mi Hongdou, and this time, Director Pan didn’t stop her.

This time, it was truly over. It was brilliant… this impromptu performance was truly unforgettable. Director Pan suddenly believed Qiao Rubai’s words. “Even if Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo’s performances are mediocre, the other actors’ performances are enough to make this film a success.”

Yes, perhaps they really could do it.

As Director Pan walked over to praise Mi Hongdou, he heard Ji Junxin checking the wound on Mi Hongdou’s lip, softly complaining that she was too immersed in the role and had hurt herself. Director Pan felt a little awkward. Although it would have been a bit much, when the young empress was clumsily trying to piece the cup together earlier, he had thought that adding a scene of her accidentally cutting her hand would be perfect. Of course, it was impossible, since it wasn’t planned, and if Mi Hongdou cut herself, it would be a real injury. He had considered adding it in post-production, but it didn’t feel right. This naturally flowing scene wasn’t suitable for any additions. And Mi Hongdou would probably find it difficult to recreate the same emotions.

“Director Pan, I’m ready. I know how to act this scene now. Let’s begin.” Mi Hongdou took the tissue from Ji Junxin, dabbed at the wound on her lip, and said to Director Pan sincerely.

Are you kidding me? Director Pan was stunned.

He told Mi Hongdou that her earlier performance had already been filmed, and it was excellent, there was no need to reshoot. He thought she would be happy, but she wasn’t. Mi Hongdou said that she was just trying to find the right emotions, that she hadn’t followed the script, which seemed inappropriate… and she felt that her portrayal of the emotions, especially the resentment she often struggled with, was a bit over the top.

It was indeed inappropriate for a complete newcomer like Mi Hongdou, with no previous works, to improvise. But it was truly brilliant. Especially after the heartbreaking sobs and confusion, after the young empress’s pitiful vulnerability, that sudden outburst of anger was shocking and revealed something deeper, something beyond the scene itself.

“Pan Xiang told me about her ideas for this script. I didn’t quite agree with them before, so I never mentioned it to you.” Director Pan hesitated, but seeing Mi Hongdou’s anxious expression, he continued, “Now, let me tell you what Pan Xiang said.”

Chapter 59: The Drunken Scene p1

Jiang Lingling naturally remembered Director Pan waiting for them to film. Whether Ji Junxin remembered was another matter.

Now, with Ji Junxin and Mi Hongdou’s makeup almost done, Jiang Lingling made a decision.

After Jiang Lingling went out for a walk with her tissues, Director Pan returned, following behind her.

“Xiaomi, Zhang Zijing said he’s unwell and asked for time off. You don’t have to film your scenes with him today.” Director Pan said, glancing at Jiang Lingling, then turning back to Mi Hongdou. “And Jiang Lingling has such a bad cold, she can’t film either. So, your scenes this morning are finished. Come back at 3 PM.”

Jiang Lingling really was… she arrived so late this morning, could it be that she beat up Zhang Zijing as soon as she woke up, so he couldn’t get out of bed? Mi Hongdou thought about it and felt it was entirely possible.

“Will we film some of the later scenes to make up for the lost time?” Ji Junxin asked, her face full of concern.

So, did she want to film more or not? Director Pan hesitated, then said firmly, “No, we won’t make up for the lost time. Xiaomi, you’re free to…” He paused, his expression softening. “Heh…” He trailed off and walked away, looking rather happy.

Did Jiang Lingling drug Director Pan? With such a tight schedule recently, Director Pan wanted everyone working 24/7, and now he was letting them have several hours off without making up for it?

“Great…”

Just as Mi Hongdou couldn’t understand the logic of Jiang Lingling and Director Pan, Ji Junxin’s soft, joyful voice came from beside her.

Mi Hongdou looked at the expectant Ji Junxin, then at Jiang Lingling, who was buried in tissues, only half her face visible, but her smiling eyes and curved lips betraying her happiness. Okay, perhaps she was the one who needed medication.

But did they even realize that they had arrived at 5 AM, spent almost two hours on makeup and costumes, would film for less than three hours, then spend another hour removing everything, only to return at 3 PM for another two hours of makeup? Oh, returning at 3 PM… was it for makeup or filming? If it was for filming, then they had to be back by 1 PM, which meant only a two-hour break! So, for the sake of food, were they trying to kill her? Mi Hongdou glared at the two, amused and exasperated. She really couldn’t do anything with them.

Jiang Lingling ignored Mi Hongdou’s glare and went to sit in a corner, giggling. But Ji Junxin immediately felt embarrassed. Hearing that list of dishes earlier, and thinking about Mi Hongdou’s cooking, she had gotten carried away. But now, considering the time spent on makeup and costumes, it was really a lot of trouble. She felt a little bad for her newly acquired fan.

Ji Junxin’s conflicted and embarrassed expression made Mi Hongdou feel a little better. Sigh, what could she do with this little foodie? At least she cared. Mi Hongdou comforted herself.

“How about you don’t remove your makeup later, just change your clothes? We’ll be getting in the car right away anyway.” Ji Junxin said considerately.

Mi Hongdou touched the heavy phoenix crown on her head and silently looked away. Just be a quiet little foodie, okay…

“Where are we cooking?” Mi Hongdou looked at Jiang Lingling. “We can have your assistant pick us up later. You should go back and rest, it’s rare for Director Pan to give you time off.”

Jiang Lingling, who was typing on her phone, looked up and shook her head with a smile. “No, I’m not going back. I’ll stay here and watch you.”

Mi Hongdou was speechless. Jiang Lingling meant “watch” as in “observe,” not “look after.” What was there to watch? Did she think she would run away?

So, the day’s filming began under Jiang Lingling’s watchful eye.

When Mi Hongdou was backstage, Jiang Lingling sat in a corner, watching. When Mi Hongdou went on set to film, Jiang Lingling followed, found another corner, and continued watching. Jiang Lingling was skilled at finding the perfect spot: sheltered from the wind, away from people, yet with a clear view of Mi Hongdou. Having a burning gaze constantly following her wasn’t comfortable. Mi Hongdou tried to talk to Jiang Lingling, explaining that since she had promised to cook, she wouldn’t break her promise. But as soon as she approached, Jiang Lingling jumped up like she had been electrocuted, ran away from Mi Hongdou, and even told her to stay away, to avoid catching her cold.

Mi Hongdou had seen many people being considerate and trying not to infect others when they were sick, but she had never seen anyone as… cautious as Jiang Lingling. She found it a little amusing, and also felt a pang of sympathy. She was probably so cautious for Dong Yuannan’s sake, just like her earlier persistence about the egg fried rice. Mi Hongdou recalled the inspiring stories of Dong Yuannan and Jiang Lingling from her previous life and decided to let it go, let Jiang Lingling watch, as long as she was happy.

So, Mi Hongdou resigned herself to her fate. Jiang Lingling, satisfied, continued her blatant surveillance. And then, someone became unhappy.

Most of the morning scenes were between Ji Junxin and Mi Hongdou. So, Jiang Lingling’s actions naturally caught Ji Junxin’s attention. That expectant, burning gaze… that unwavering, affectionate stare… Ji Junxin was a little unhappy. But she felt that this emotion was inexplicable and she had no reason to complain or even ask, so she just buried it deep inside, not showing it on her face. The result was… she NGed…

In the early palace scenes, the character Miao Qianye was supposed to be lucky, somewhat naive, gentle, and unambitious. This was quite similar to Ji Junxin’s own personality, so she had been portraying the character well.

The scene they were currently filming was about Miao Qianye gradually gaining the emperor’s favor, and the empress, initially dismissive of her, started paying attention. So, after a routine greeting, she kept Miao Qianye behind for a probing conversation. According to the script, in this conversation, Miao Qianye should be gentle, obedient, and harmless, like a budding flower, making the empress wary yet also harboring a hint of fondness. And the empress, born into a military family, although trying to maintain her authority, still had a hint of naiveté. In the conversation, Miao Qianye noticed the empress’s unintentional display of innocence. She was the mother of the nation, yet just a young empress, her authority a necessary facade, a necessary defense. Miao Qianye, without even realizing it, felt a strange sense of sympathy for the young empress, who was rumored to be strict and difficult to get along with.

This scene, although just a conversation between two women, was their first real interaction, perhaps revealing a side of themselves unknown to others. Although there weren’t many opportunities to showcase this understanding in the early palace scenes, and the script didn’t have any explicit alliance-forming moments, Director Pan felt that the audience should be able to sense the unspoken connection between these two women from this conversation.

No alliance, no promises, no shared interests. The young empress and Miao Qianye, at this moment, without even realizing it, developed a mutual fondness, which laid the foundation for their later relationship: facing the rebels together, raising the heir together in the estate, even their final separation, all stemmed from this initial conversation and the impression they formed of each other.

This was a simple yet crucial scene. It not only required good acting skills but also a specific emotional state.

After two months of working together, Director Pan had full confidence in Ji Junxin and Mi Hongdou, especially since this was a scene between just the two of them, and they had such a good relationship. So, before filming, he just gave them a few routine instructions and called “action.”

Not only Director Pan, but the rest of the crew also thought the same. They had been tormented by Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo for days. They were overjoyed to hear that Zhang Zijing had called in sick. Without him, they could have fewer NGs, and perhaps Director Pan would even let them finish early, so they could have a late-night snack.

So, when Director Pan called “cut” after just a few lines, the entire crew was disheartened. Without one of the NG kings, Ji Junxin, who usually nailed her scenes, was actually stopped… was the crew cursed?

Director Pan hadn’t expected to call “cut” on Ji Junxin’s first scene either.

Her lines were correct, her movements were correct, even her expression wasn’t wrong. But as soon as filming started, Director Pan felt that something was off. He frowned, watched them exchange a few lines, and then couldn’t help but call cut. It was indeed off. Ji Junxin’s emotions weren’t right, her demeanor wasn’t right.

At this time, Miao Qianye should be innocent, gentle, like a soft and chewy glutinous rice ball, harmless and comforting. But Ji Junxin seemed a little unhappy, a little distracted. Although she tried to appear obedient and gentle, Director Pan felt that this wasn’t the Miao Qianye he wanted, not the Miao Qianye that Ji Junxin, with her skills, should be portraying.

Director Pan called cut and took Ji Junxin aside for a private talk. Although they had to reshoot, both Director Pan and the crew members thought it was just a minor issue and Ji Junxin would quickly fix it.

However, reality was often cruel.

The second take, the third, the fourth… Director Pan called cut again and again.

He had talked to Ji Junxin several times, but her performance seemed to be getting worse, not better. Forget about portraying the unspoken connection between the two characters, even Miao Qianye’s basic characteristics, which Ji Junxin usually nailed, seemed unattainable today. Director Pan couldn’t believe it, was Ji Junxin now under Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo’s NG curse?

Whispers started spreading through the crew. Director Pan didn’t need to listen closely to know that they were talking about Ji Junxin, perhaps even complaining. NGs were common on any set. Ji Junxin usually had a very high completion rate, and she had only messed up a few takes. Normally, people would just gossip, it wouldn’t escalate to complaints. But the situation now was different. The crew had been tormented by Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo’s NGs for days, working long hours, with little usable footage. NGs had become a sensitive topic. Director Pan understood their frustration… but it didn’t seem like Ji Junxin would recover her state and nail the scene anytime soon.

If it were Zhang Zijing or Jiang Duo, not making any mistakes with their movements or lines, their expressions basically matching the script, even if their emotions and feelings were lacking, Director Pan wouldn’t call cut. He might even applaud and praise them. After all, for those who couldn’t even deliver a passable performance, just getting through the scene without major mistakes was already an achievement.

But Ji Junxin was different. Because Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo’s performance was so bad, the only requirement for their scenes was to avoid mistakes, emotions and feelings were no longer expected. So, Director Pan placed more importance on Ji Junxin, or rather, not just Ji Junxin, but also Mi Hongdou and Jiang Lingling.

“Imperial Secrets” had only a few main actors. Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo’s poor performance was seriously affecting the quality of the film. Director Pan had discussed this with Qiao Rubai, but Qiao Rubai’s decision was to leave it be. Changing actors was impossible now, they could only hope that the other actors’ excellent performances could salvage the film. At first, Director Pan hadn’t understood. As a palace intrigue and war drama, with Jiang Duo’s minor role, it was one thing, but with Zhang Zijing’s important role and his current performance, how could the film be salvaged?

Until the scene before Jiang Lingling and Zhang Zijing’s rain scene the night before.

It was a scene of Mi Hongdou, the young empress, alone in the palace.

She had fallen in love at first sight, they were a young couple, she thought their love was deep and true, he visited her every night. But tonight, the fifteenth of the month, when he was supposed to be with her, he didn’t come. And on the first of the month, he had also stayed elsewhere.

There were no arguments, no animosity, he wasn’t even deliberately slighting her, the empress.

He had simply fallen deeply in love with someone else, and forgotten everything else.

The young empress wanted to seek him out, but she remembered her mother’s advice when she married into the royal family: the empress was the head of the harem, the mother of the nation. She had to be dignified and composed…

Was seeking out her husband an undignified act? The young empress didn’t understand, and her sadness deepened.

Director Pan knew that Mi Hongdou truly disliked Zhang Zijing. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have NGed so many times in the simple opening scene of their wedding night, almost making him miss such a talented actress. Later, after that scene, Mi Hongdou’s performance in the following scenes with Zhang Zijing had been quite smooth, her expressions and emotions on point. Director Pan had thought she had figured it out. Until one time, after a scene with Zhang Zijing, Director Pan saw Mi Hongdou’s expression instantly turn cold. She didn’t even say goodbye to Zhang Zijing, just walked away as if he was a pebble on the side of the road. Well, no, not just a pebble, judging by her disgusted expression, it should be a smelly pebble. Director Pan almost chuckled. So, Mi Hongdou’s dislike for Zhang Zijing hadn’t changed. It was just that her talent and acting skills, and perhaps that “substitution” principle someone mentioned, had perfectly masked it.

Sometimes, Director Pan wondered who Mi Hongdou was looking at, through Zhang Zijing, with that gentle and loving gaze.

Mi Hongdou’s performance had been excellent. But her emotions when facing Zhang Zijing were mostly just sweetness or resentment. She nailed the former, but often overdid the latter. However, after a few adjustments, she had learned to portray resentment born from love, not from a murderous grudge.

Chapter 58: Medicine and More Medicine p2

Zhang Zijing’s diarrhea had developed into acute gastroenteritis. After Ji Junxin and the others returned, he rushed to the hospital, received two IV drips, and took a lot of medicine, before his condition stabilized. This ordeal not only weakened him physically but also left him feeling depressed. There was already Mi Hongdou in the crew, who disliked him, and now there was also Jiang Duo, whom he had come to dislike. If it weren’t for her numerous NGs and making him drink so much cold water, he wouldn’t have had diarrhea, wouldn’t have been so weak, and wouldn’t have been NGing so much. Zhang Zijing’s initial attraction to Jiang Duo had turned into resentment.

Actually, Zhang Zijing’s bad mood would be perfect for the fight scenes on the battlefield. He could vent his emotions and play the role authentically. Unfortunately, they were currently filming the palace scenes, and most of his scenes were with Ji Junxin and Mi Hongdou, of course, also with Jiang Duo and Jiang Lingling. He didn’t have many scenes with the other concubines or ministers. So, every day, he had to act opposite Mi Hongdou, who disliked him, Jiang Lingling, who looked down on him, or Jiang Duo, whom he found annoying. And they were all supposed to be love scenes. Zhang Zijing felt miserable. He should at least be happy filming with Ji Junxin, right? But he wasn’t… Whenever he had scenes with Ji Junxin, Mi Hongdou would be sitting next to Director Pan, watching with a cold expression. Once, while filming with Ji Junxin, Zhang Zijing made a mistake with his lines and instinctively glanced at Director Pan. Heh… he saw Mi Hongdou, her face dark, looking at him with disdain. Sometimes, Zhang Zijing really wanted to ask Mi Hongdou what grudge she had against him! She had the same expression even when he was NGing scenes with other people! So, Zhang Zijing filmed every scene with a terrible mood, how could his completion rate be high?

As for Jiang Duo, that afternoon, she had been distracted by her worry over her father’s meeting with Lu Gaoshi alone. So many NGs… She wanted to perform well, but she couldn’t stop worrying. As a woman, she understood Lu Gaoshi’s intentions. She did want to use Lu Gaoshi to climb the social ladder, to get closer to Qiong Yu, not just for connections, but for resources. Jiang Duo desperately wanted to be famous, so when her mother suggested that her father contact his former junior, Lu Gaoshi, she had guessed what would happen, and she knew it wasn’t right, but she hadn’t stopped it. Even her mother had suggested it, and she hadn’t objected, so it shouldn’t be a problem, right? As long as she was present during their meetings, it would be fine. Jiang Duo thought this and did this. During their three-person meetings, Lu Gaoshi was always elegant and reserved. Even if her gaze towards her father was meaningful, with Jiang Duo present, she didn’t say anything inappropriate. But without her there… Jiang Duo was very worried, but she had to stay and film. She couldn’t offend Director Pan… Once she got close to Qiao Rubai, what was Director Pan to her? The worried Jiang Duo could only comfort herself with fantasies of a bright future, so distracted that she couldn’t help but NG.

Actually, that night, after Jiang Dingyi got home and sent Jiang Duo a message, briefly mentioning his conversation with Lu Gaoshi, Jiang Duo’s heart had settled. So, the next day, her performance quickly returned to her usual level. Her acting was still average, but if Director Pan wasn’t too picky, it was passable. Jiang Duo hoped that her NG streak was over. But that night, her hope was shattered.

That afternoon, when Ji Junxin and Mi Hongdou returned, Jiang Duo didn’t see Lu Gaoshi and assumed she was still in Jiang City dealing with something. So, when Lu Gaoshi knocked on her door that night, Jiang Duo wasn’t surprised. It was probably the same old topic of how to befriend Ji Junxin. Jiang Duo opened the door and welcomed Lu Gaoshi in, but she was dismissive of the upcoming conversation. In her opinion, Ji Junxin, whom she couldn’t win over, couldn’t compare to Qiao Rubai, who always finished the food she brought. But Lu Gaoshi was still useful for now, after all, she had some connections in Qiong Yu, Jiang Duo thought.

But she was wrong. What Lu Gaoshi told her this time was something she had never expected. Her mother had been addicted to gambling for almost a year, and her father’s photo studio and all their other properties had been sold to pay off her gambling debts. Not only that, but all the money she had earned since entering the industry was gone. That was her hard-earned money! Hadn’t her mother said she was just keeping it for her, helping her manage her finances! All their money, everything was gone. From what Lu Gaoshi said, she had already lent them money twice. If it weren’t for Lu Gaoshi’s money, their house would have been sold to pay off the debts. Lu Gaoshi’s words weren’t fast, but they chilled Jiang Duo to the bone.

Jiang Duo didn’t know how she sent Lu Gaoshi away. She couldn’t even process why Lu Gaoshi had told her all this. She only knew that all her hard-earned money was gone. Jiang Duo had a younger brother, ten years younger than her, and she had always known that most of the family’s properties, business, and even money would be left to him. But she hadn’t minded. She was an actress, she could earn her own money, and when she became more famous, she could earn even more. She valued money, so she worked hard to earn it, but now, it was all gone. Money could be earned again, but her mother’s gambling addiction, if it couldn’t be cured… Jiang Duo could almost imagine having to spend all her future earnings to repay her mother’s debts, a debt she could never repay, and then having her family’s scandal exposed by the media. She hoped that it was all just Lu Gaoshi’s nonsense, but this fleeting hope was quickly shattered by her father’s confirmation over the phone.

They had no money left, they were in debt to Lu Gaoshi, and her father seemed unable to control her mother. Oh, right, it was always her mother who made the decisions in their family. Her father, who always listened to his wife, even if his wife asked him to sell himself, wouldn’t he do it? Heh… Jiang Duo felt her thoughts turning dark. Was she destined to spend her life repaying her mother’s debts? No, she wasn’t famous yet, how could she be ruined like this?

Mi Hongdou had returned to the “Imperial Secrets” set, and the filming schedule was packed. Jiang Duo wanted to go back, but she couldn’t get leave. She couldn’t tell the truth, and she didn’t dare to make up easily exposed lies, so she could only endure. With a terrible mood and having to endure, Jiang Duo’s NG rate reached a new high.

And Jiang Duo, preoccupied with her family problems and the constant NGs, didn’t even notice that Lu Gaoshi hadn’t appeared on set since their conversation that night.

Including the two days when Ji Junxin and Mi Hongdou went back to Jiang City, Director Pan had endured four days of Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo’s NGs.

This was the fifth day. The sun had risen, but Director Pan was still in bed, refusing to get up. He didn’t want to witness another day of NGs. His last shred of patience had been exhausted during last night’s rain scene. Zhang Zijing’s performance made him want to kick him out of the crew! He couldn’t take it anymore, the constant NGs because of forgotten lines, awkward movements, and sheer stupidity. He didn’t want to get up, he didn’t want to do this anymore!

Director Pan’s wife was speechless at his rare act of defiance. After trying to wake him up several times, only to have him cling to the blanket and refuse to budge, she decided to ignore his childish behavior. After all, she was his wife, not his boss. Thinking this, she happily abandoned him, got dressed, and prepared to go out for morning tea by herself.

Jiang Lingling, who was also ready to quit, was sneezing non-stop, using up a whole box of tissues. It was so unlucky… Thinking about the sympathetic looks from Ji Junxin and Mi Hongdou when she was informed about last night’s rain scene with Zhang Zijing, Jiang Lingling wanted to cry. Knowing it would be an NG-fest and still having to endure it was a huge test of her patience. Fortunately, they finally finished the scene, but it was two hours later. In this weather, wearing that damp costume, standing in the rain for two hours, even the strong Jiang Lingling couldn’t avoid catching a cold.

The most infuriating part was that in that rain scene, her character had to walk through the rain towards the emperor, who was standing under the eaves, and then hug him. So, for those two hours, she was the only one getting drenched! Jiang Lingling hated Zhang Zijing and also criticized Pan Xiang, who wrote the scene. What grudge did she have against her! Achoo…

Jiang Lingling wanted to stay in bed. After last night’s experience with that scumbag Zhang Zijing, she felt she had the right to stay in bed, it was her prerogative!

But she received a message, so she reluctantly got up, clutching a box of tissues.

Jiang Lingling hadn’t forgotten that the pig’s feet should be arriving today, but she hadn’t expected Dong Yuannan to deliver them personally. He had left at 4:30 AM and texted her at 7 AM, already halfway there.

With Dong Yuannan coming, she couldn’t stay in bed. Jiang Lingling sat up, cross-legged, and started typing on her phone.

Director Pan’s phone beeped, but he didn’t want to reach for it. His wife, after getting dressed, came over and checked the message for him. Soon, he felt a cold object being placed against his warm cheek.

So cruel… they were supposed to love and cherish each other until old age, why treat him like this… Director Pan grumpily took the phone from his face. The message was already open.

[Director Pan, the braised pig’s feet are coming!] Sender: Jiang Lingling.

Director Pan bolted upright in bed. His wife, who was supposed to be out for morning tea, was sitting in a chair, looking at him with a smile.

After getting a definite answer from Jiang Lingling two days ago, Director Pan, eager to please his wife, had already told her about the braised pig’s feet. No wonder she had woken him up so efficiently after reading the message. Good job, wife! Director Pan beamed, quickly got dressed, and rushed to the set with his wife.

Although Director Pan had slept in, because he acted quickly afterward, he arrived at the set just as Ji Junxin and Mi Hongdou had finished changing and were having their hair done.

Director Pan took his wife on a tour of the backstage area, then left.

“Did you text Jiang Lingling?” Ji Junxin whispered to Mi Hongdou.

The warm breath against her ear made it itch, and her heart itched too. Mi Hongdou felt like she had a nest of kittens in her heart. Why was her heart always itching recently? “I did, she hasn’t replied yet. She probably overslept. I’ll call her later if she doesn’t show up.” Mi Hongdou had learned her lesson. To avoid having to buy KFC to appease Jiang Lingling again, after not seeing her at her usual makeup station, they decided to send her a message.

Just as Mi Hongdou and Ji Junxin were whispering, their two hairstylists practically glued to them, Jiang Lingling arrived, clutching her box of tissues, followed by her assistant carrying several more boxes.

“You… achoo… so early… achoo…” Jiang Lingling greeted Ji Junxin and Mi Hongdou, her mouth and nose covered with tissues.

It seemed that even someone with superhuman strength couldn’t withstand two hours in the rain. Poor Jiang Lingling. Ji Junxin and Mi Hongdou exchanged glances, a shared thought passing between them.

“You have a cold, why don’t you tell Director Pan and rest today? We can film your scenes later. Or should you go to the hospital for an IV drip?” Ji Junxin asked with concern.

“Achoo… no, the braised pig’s feet are on their way.” Jiang Lingling consciously kept her distance, her face buried in tissues. “I have to be here.”

“The pig’s feet are already cooked, you don’t have to stay here to cook them, go see a doctor!” Mi Hongdou thought Jiang Lingling’s cold was quite serious, she wouldn’t be able to film even if she stayed. Moreover, she seemed to have scenes with Zhang Zijing today. She was afraid Jiang Lingling would actually tear him apart.

“Um, I don’t… achoo… I don’t need to cook them.”

Jiang Lingling’s voice, muffled by the tissues, was a little unclear, and Mi Hongdou thought she had misheard.

“I cook them?” Mi Hongdou was stunned. “Aren’t the pig’s feet already cooked?”

“My godfather is coming too. Do you remember the egg fried rice, chicken and corn soup, spicy chicken, stir-fried pomfret, braised beef brisket with potatoes, and silver carp and tofu soup you promised me?” Jiang Lingling recited the dishes in one breath, then sneezed.

“Cooking today? But we have scenes scheduled until tonight!” Mi Hongdou was shocked. “And I don’t think spicy chicken was on the menu I promised you…”

“But I have a cold! I want crispy, spicy chicken…” Jiang Lingling looked at Mi Hongdou with a pitiful expression.

Please don’t use the word “I” like that, it made it difficult to be friends with her.

Mi Hongdou’s face was full of black lines: “Even if I agreed, I don’t have time. Should I cook in the middle of the night? As a late-night snack?”

“Add spicy chicken to the menu.” Jiang Lingling looked at her assistant. “Tell them to buy more chicken, we’ll eat it while watching TV tonight as a snack.”

The assistant, her hands full of tissue boxes, fumbled for her phone and started dialing. “We were going to buy three chickens, make it six.”

Mi Hongdou was stunned. Six chickens worth of spicy chicken, was she trying to give everyone diarrhea? And cooking so many dishes in the middle of the night, was she planning to eat them for breakfast? She couldn’t understand Jiang Lingling’s logic at all… Mi Hongdou looked at Ji Junxin for help, then froze.

Why that pitiful expression! Her eyes were almost tearing up! It wasn’t her who had to cook all night, why was she about to cry! “Are you… okay?” Although confused, Mi Hongdou still felt a pang of sympathy. She looked so pitiful.

Ji Junxin’s eyebrows furrowed, her lips trembling, she looked down at her fingers, silent.

They were surrounded by people, the two hairstylists still working on their hair. It wasn’t a good place to talk, but Mi Hongdou was worried. “Is your stomach hurting again?” she whispered.

“No!” Ji Junxin, still looking pitiful, looked up shyly and, after a moment, mumbled, “I just… hearing those dishes… I… kind of… want to eat them…”

Mi Hongdou, who had just found Ji Junxin’s pitiful and shy demeanor adorable, was stunned again. So who was the one who had two candied eggs and a bowl of noodles with scallion oil for breakfast! And she was already thinking about food again… did she even remember her stomachache last night?

“Let’s eat together! We can have it for lunch! You didn’t eat much for breakfast, right?” Jiang Lingling, her ears sharp, extended a friendly invitation.

“Not much!” Ji Junxin happily replied, her eyes shining as she looked at Mi Hongdou.

Do you two even remember Director Pan, who’s waiting for us to film? Mi Hongdou felt her worldview shattered again.

Chapter 58: Medicine and More Medicine p1

Ji Junxin was a little concerned that Qiao Rubai hadn’t replied to her message, even after she went to bed. She could guess that Qiao Rubai would be angry when she saw it. After all, Qiao Rubai had put in a lot of effort to show her Lu Gaoshi’s true colors. And then… she turned around and pleaded for Lu Gaoshi. If she were in Qiao Rubai’s shoes, having gone through so much trouble to wake someone up, only to have them pretend to be asleep again, she would also be a little angry. So, although Ji Junxin was concerned, she didn’t dare to text or call Qiao Rubai again.

Well, her fear of Qiao Rubai’s anger was only a small part of the reason. The main reason was… she didn’t have the energy to deal with it.

She had a big problem.

In the dark, quiet bedroom, a rustling sound. A figure tiptoed out to the living room. After a long while, the figure slowly returned, lay down in bed, and the familiar scratching sound, like a small animal digging at something, came from under the covers.

Ten minutes later, the figure repeated the same actions.

This happened three times. The last time, the figure returned much slower than the first. And before returning, the familiar sound of rustling plastic bags came from the living room.

This time, after the figure lay down, another figure sat up on the other bed. The first figure remained silent, as if asleep.

Mi Hongdou glanced at the other bed. She didn’t believe Ji Junxin could fall asleep so quickly. She had woken up when Ji Junxin returned to the bedroom the second time. Sensing something was off, and recalling… the night they first moved in, Mi Hongdou thought she knew why Ji Junxin kept getting up.

Taking care of a foodie meant being prepared for midnight medicine runs.

Knowing that Ji Junxin was pretending to be asleep, Mi Hongdou didn’t say anything and quietly went to the living room.

She turned on the living room light, and the soft glow reached the bedroom door. The previously dark bedroom was now dimly lit. Ji Junxin burrowed deeper under the covers and closed her eyes tightly.

When Mi Hongdou returned with the medicine and water, she saw a quail pretending to be invisible.

“Here, take this.” Mi Hongdou, thinking she was being considerate, held the pill on a tissue near Ji Junxin’s face.

The familiar scent of herbs and fruit. Even with her eyes closed, Ji Junxin knew what Mi Hongdou had brought. But the problem was…

The smell didn’t dissipate, so Ji Junxin knew that Mi Hongdou must have seen through her pretense and was now patiently holding the medicine. It seemed there was no escape.

Mi Hongdou, persistent, won this round. She held the medicine and watched as Ji Junxin reluctantly opened her eyes. She moved the pill closer.

Ji Junxin, who had obediently taken the medicine last time, turned her head away and refused.

Overeating and then refusing digestive medicine, was she rebelling? Mi Hongdou was surprised and stubbornly held the pill to Ji Junxin’s lips again.

Ji Junxin, clutching the blanket, rolled to the other side of the bed and, before Mi Hongdou could reach her, said with a flushed face, “This medicine won’t work this time.”

Huh? Mi Hongdou froze.

“It… it seems… I ate something too spicy later.” Ji Junxin gritted her teeth and confessed, “So I had diarrhea at night.” She felt her idol image crumbling in front of Mi Hongdou, how mortifying. It was all because she had refused Mi Hongdou’s offer to help unpack the suitcases Lu Gaoshi brought. Why did she say there was plenty of time? If she had unpacked them, she would have found her usual medicine! Ji Junxin regretted it deeply, not realizing that what she should really regret was eating all the chili oil from the big plate chicken.

Diarrhea from eating something too spicy? Mi Hongdou hadn’t expected this to be the reason Ji Junxin kept getting up. In her previous life, when they became food buddies, Ji Junxin, although usually preferring milder flavors, could handle spicy food. It wasn’t the first time she had finished the big plate chicken sauce by herself… Oh, right, Mi Hongdou remembered the six years they hadn’t known each other. Perhaps some abilities needed time to develop. Even a big eater’s stomach wasn’t built in a day.

Mi Hongdou thought of the noodles she had mixed for Ji Junxin at dinner, adding several extra spoonfuls of chili oil. Later, when Ji Junxin mixed her second serving, she hadn’t eaten the noodles strand by strand, but in small bowls. If it weren’t for her bad example, two servings of noodles wouldn’t have used up all the sauce. But because she had mixed it all together like that, Ji Junxin had finished all the sauce. Mi Hongdou’s intention was for Ji Junxin to eat something spicy, so she could vent her emotions. Even if she didn’t cry in front of her, at least the spiciness would be a good excuse for her tears. Mi Hongdou had been so focused on helping Ji Junxin vent that she hadn’t realized… Ji Junxin couldn’t handle that much spice yet.

Sigh, she should spend more time understanding the current Ji Junxin, not relying on her past experiences… Mi Hongdou tightened her grip on the digestive tablets, the triangular pills digging into her palm, a slight pain she didn’t notice.

Ji Junxin, huddled under the covers, glanced at Mi Hongdou, who was lost in thought, seemingly frozen. So… from overeating to having diarrhea, her idol image had truly crumbled beyond repair…

Ji Junxin buried her face in the pillow, mortified.

Seeing the quail-like figure on the bed, Mi Hongdou realized that this wasn’t the time to space out. Without even putting down the glass of water, she darted back and forth between the bedroom and the living room, this time with two norfloxacin tablets.

“Take your medicine…” Mi Hongdou was filled with apologies, not only for her bad example of mixing the noodles with so much chili oil, but also for her negligence and presumption. Her voice was soft and gentle, full of remorse.

To Ji Junxin, it sounded incredibly tender. She lifted her face from the pillow and looked at Mi Hongdou, who was looking down at her, her gentle eyes filled with… only her. A warm current flowed through her heart.

It seemed her idol image wasn’t completely shattered… Ji Junxin sat up, relieved, took the medicine and water, and swallowed the pills in one gulp.

Even taking medicine, a foodie was more efficient than others…

It was best to wait a while before lying down after taking medicine, or the bitterness might come back up. Ji Junxin quickly finished the water and got out of bed. “I’ll go put the glass away.”

“No, you’re wearing so little, you’ll catch a cold walking around like that.” Mi Hongdou, who had a jacket on when she got out of bed, looked at Ji Junxin… and her nightgown.

The white cotton nightgown looked so fitting and cute on Ji Junxin. Um… perhaps too fitting… Mi Hongdou’s gaze awkwardly shifted from Ji Junxin’s chest, and she unconsciously tightened her jacket.

“It’s okay, it’s just a few steps.” Ji Junxin said and, without waiting for a reply, turned on the bedside lamp and quickly went to the living room to put the glass away.

When Ji Junxin returned, Mi Hongdou was back under the covers.

“I’m turning off the lights.” Ji Junxin said, standing between the two beds.

“Okay.” Mi Hongdou looked up and inadvertently saw Ji Junxin… Okay, she really wasn’t looking on purpose. It was all because of that bra topic this morning, how annoying!

The first time she saw it, the room was only dimly lit by the light from the living room, so she only saw a vague outline. But just now… the room was brightly lit… the white cotton becoming slightly see-through under the light… and from below… so round… Mi Hongdou clutched the corner of the blanket.

The lights went off, and the room darkened. But the image from just before the lights went out lingered in Mi Hongdou’s mind.

Mi Hongdou suddenly recalled an experiment she had read about in a book long ago. If you stared at an image without blinking for more than ten seconds, then looked at a white wall and blinked rapidly, you would see the image on the wall. She vaguely remembered the conclusion: after seeing something, the visual effect would briefly linger on the retina. If you closed your eyes at this time, it would be as if you could still see the object, but it was just the brain processing the information recorded on the retina.

So… Ji Junxin’s image was recorded on her retina? … In the darkness, Mi Hongdou opened her eyes, then closed them, opened, closed, opened, closed… Perhaps because of this repetitive action, the image from before the lights went out, and the earlier glimpse, were even more vivid in her mind. Mi Hongdou suddenly felt hot and kicked off the covers, half her body exposed.

Ji Junxin was really too much. If it weren’t for her bringing up the bra topic this morning, she wouldn’t have paid attention. She hadn’t noticed anything when Ji Junxin got up in the middle of the night to look for medicine. Thinking about this, Mi Hongdou tried to remember if she had actually seen anything then… and she couldn’t fall asleep.

That night, Ji Junxin, having taken her medicine, slept soundly, while Mi Hongdou tossed and turned until dawn.

So, the next day, when Director Pan saw Mi Hongdou’s dark circles, he almost exploded, frustrated that his earlier consideration of letting them go back early to rest was wasted.

By now, Mi Hongdou’s indoor scenes for “Divorce, So Be It” were almost finished. The outdoor scenes would be scheduled later. And finally, they could start filming the young empress’s scenes for “Imperial Secrets.”

In her previous life, “Imperial Secrets,” excluding post-production, took almost a year to film. Now, it had only been two months since filming started, and they had already undergone a major script revision. Many of the scenes filmed in the first month couldn’t be used. But Director Pan wanted to finish filming within eight months. These eight months included the first month, which was already wasted, and the second month, when Mi Hongdou wasn’t filming. So, they only had six months left. The palace scenes had just begun. The estate scenes, besides the test shoot, hadn’t progressed. And then there were the battle scenes…

Mi Hongdou felt that this couldn’t be Director Pan’s idea. This accelerated pace must be Qiao Rubai’s doing. Mi Hongdou couldn’t guess what Qiao Rubai was planning. But after this drama finished filming, Qiao Rubai probably wouldn’t let Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo have any more opportunities to work with Ji Junxin. So, all Mi Hongdou could do was cooperate and hopefully finish quickly, saying goodbye to the remaining two scumbags.

Costumes and makeup for historical dramas were much more complicated and time-consuming than those for modern dramas. As the second female lead, Mi Hongdou’s return meant a fuller schedule for the crew. The main actors had to arrive before dawn for makeup and costumes, and they often filmed night scenes until after dark.

After two days of intensive filming, Ji Junxin and Mi Hongdou had a very low NG rate, often completing scenes in one or two takes. The second takes were usually due to external factors like camera angles, wind direction, or some clueless crew member walking into the shot, not their mistakes. Their performance greatly satisfied Director Pan. And there was another person, Jiang Lingling, whose performance also surprised him.

Compared to the experienced Ji Junxin and the talented Mi Hongdou, Jiang Lingling’s initial performance wasn’t very good. However… after Qiao Rubai suggested that Pan Xiang revise Jiang Lingling’s scenes, her performance improved considerably. If at first, Director Pan felt that Qiao Rubai, as an investor, frequently changing actors and revising the script wasn’t appropriate, then Mi Hongdou’s performance and Jiang Lingling’s improvement made him increasingly trust Qiao Rubai’s judgment. This was also why he agreed to Qiao Rubai’s proposal of compressing the year-long filming schedule to eight months.

However, although Ji Junxin, Mi Hongdou, and Jiang Lingling were performing well, the others weren’t. Like Zhang Zijing… and Jiang Duo…

Director Pan couldn’t understand. Zhang Zijing’s performance in the first two months had been decent, and although Jiang Duo’s acting was average, her NG rate wasn’t particularly high. But why, after filming their scenes for two days, had their performance deteriorated so much? In the past two days, whether it was the three with high completion rates, or the other supporting actors, whenever they had scenes with those two, the NG rate was astonishingly high. Director Pan had gone from angrily giving directions to silently calling for another take.

It seemed that Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo were having a streak of bad luck. Their poor performance even shocked themselves.

Chapter 57: Big Plate Noodles p2

After replying to Lu Gaoshi, Ji Junxin forwarded both messages to Qiao Rubai and added another message of her own.

After that, Ji Junxin’s phone remained silent. Neither Lu Gaoshi nor Qiao Rubai contacted her again.

Mi Hongdou still didn’t ask anything. She just poured the remaining noodles into the big plate chicken, mixed them well, and gave Ji Junxin a full bowl, adding a few extra spoonfuls of chili oil. “These noodles are best eaten in big bites!” She placed the bowl in front of Ji Junxin.

Ji Junxin obediently took the bowl, ate two mouthfuls, then stopped and looked up, her cheeks puffed out, her eyes and nose still slightly red, looking at Mi Hongdou pitifully.

“How is it? Delicious, right?” Mi Hongdou pretended not to notice and added a boneless piece of chicken to Ji Junxin’s bowl.

“Mixing it all together like this, it’s coated with too much chili oil, it’s too… spicy…” Ji Junxin finally swallowed the noodles, feeling the spiciness bringing tears to her eyes.

“Really? I don’t think so, it should be very satisfying.” Mi Hongdou focused on deboning the chicken, not trying the noodles herself.

It did seem quite satisfying… Ji Junxin wiped her tears with a tissue, took another bite, then wiped her tears again.

“Lu Gaoshi left Qiong Yu, she’s not my manager anymore.” Ji Junxin finished most of the noodles in one go, her eyes and nose red, as if she had been crying.

“People come and go, life is full of meetings and partings. She’s gone, but I’m still here. I’ll help you unpack those suitcases later, don’t worry.” Mi Hongdou tried to hide her joy. Although she had expected it, hearing that the annoying woman was finally gone, she couldn’t help but feel a burst of happiness.

Mi Hongdou guessed that Ji Junxin wouldn’t tell her about last night’s events. As expected, after saying that, Ji Junxin didn’t mention Lu Gaoshi again.

As for Lu Gaoshi, after receiving Ji Junxin’s two “okays,” she felt both disappointed and relieved. Disappointed that Ji Junxin was truly angry this time and wouldn’t reconcile with her, and that she had truly offended Qiao Rubai from Qiong Yu, a decision she couldn’t reverse. Relieved that Ji Junxin had at least agreed to keep their conversation last night a secret and ask Qiao Rubai to do the same. Lu Gaoshi knew that Qiao Rubai’s attitude depended on Ji Junxin. Since Ji Junxin had agreed, if she went to talk to Qiao Rubai, Qiao Rubai should understand that Ji Junxin didn’t want to pursue the matter… then she wouldn’t deliberately make things difficult for her in the industry, right?

Lu Gaoshi had spent the entire night thinking about how their conversation at Nan Tian could have been overheard by Ji Junxin and Qiao Rubai. She could only conclude that either she or Jiang Dingyi had been followed, eavesdropped on, or even surveilled. The thought chilled her to the bone. Even a place with connections like Nan Tian could be infiltrated. It seemed Qiao Rubai was serious about getting rid of her. Lu Gaoshi’s usual arrogance stemmed from her relationship with Ji Junxin. If Qiao Rubai targeted her, what chance did she have? Realizing this, Lu Gaoshi didn’t dare to ask to stay with Ji Junxin.

She had originally wanted to subtly inquire how they heard her conversation. But Ji Junxin had completely ignored her, so she could only ask Ji Junxin to relay her request for secrecy to Qiao Rubai, hoping that Qiao Rubai, seeing that she was no longer pestering Ji Junxin, would let her go.

Not knowing where she might be eavesdropped on or surveilled, Lu Gaoshi was terrified.

If she completely distanced herself from Ji Junxin, Qiao Rubai should stop surveilling her, right? … Lu Gaoshi thought this, found a secluded spot, took out an old-fashioned phone from her bag, and dialed the only number saved in it.

“Ring… ring… ring…”

The wait was long, but Lu Gaoshi was patient, seemingly accustomed to it.

“Hello…” A man’s voice, just one word, sounding middle-aged.

“It’s me…” Lu Gaoshi, after the call connected, suddenly became nervous. After saying those two words, she paused.

The person on the other end seemed to wait patiently. After a long silence, he spoke again: “I know.” This time, it was more than one word. His voice was a little hoarse, but his pronunciation was clear, his tone seemingly indifferent.

Whether sooner or later, she was doomed. Lu Gaoshi had made up her mind before making this call. Moreover, even if she didn’t say it now, the person on the other end would soon find out. “I’ve left Qiong Yu, I’m no longer Ji Junxin’s manager.” Lu Gaoshi nervously swallowed. “So, I can no longer provide you with information about Ji Junxin. Your payment was always six months in advance. There’s still a little over a month left for this payment period, I’ll return the remaining amount to you.”

There was a long silence on the other end. Just as Lu Gaoshi thought he had hung up, he spoke again.

“The money doesn’t matter. What happened? Was it because someone found out about you providing me with information?” The man’s voice was now anxious, no longer indifferent.

“No, it wasn’t, it was my own decision.” Lu Gaoshi had already offended one boss, she didn’t want to offend this one too.

“Really?” The man didn’t seem entirely convinced, but his voice had calmed down.

“Yes. I reconnected with an old acquaintance and want to spend more time with him.” Having experienced Qiao Rubai’s investigation, Lu Gaoshi guessed that the man would also investigate her reason for leaving. She hoped that her excuse would be convincing enough to prevent him from digging too deep, from finding out about… yesterday’s conversation. The thought made her shiver.

“Really?” The man seemed to be in a chatty mood. “An old acquaintance, male or female?”

His sudden familiarity and friendliness startled Lu Gaoshi. It was her own matter, why was he so interested? Wasn’t he only like this when talking about Ji Junxin? Besides, she had already said it was an old acquaintance and that she wanted to spend more time with him, wasn’t that clear enough? It was obviously a romantic relationship, how could it be a woman!

But for now, the man was still her boss, so Lu Gaoshi honestly replied: “Male.”

“Oh.” The man’s voice turned cold again. “Then I wish you happiness.” A curt and indifferent blessing.

Then he hung up.

Lu Gaoshi listened to the dial tone, stunned. So, that was it? It was over? The deal… was over? Lu Gaoshi couldn’t believe it. This person was truly heartless. After so many years of phone calls, he didn’t even say goodbye?

Lu Gaoshi, no longer of any use, stood in the wind, holding the old phone, her heart feeling strangely cold.

This man, or rather, the intermediary who had contacted her on behalf of this man, had appeared two months after she became Ji Junxin’s manager. The intermediary, offering a sum large enough to buy an apartment, had made a seemingly absurd request: Lu Gaoshi, as Ji Junxin’s manager, had to call a specific number every two or three days, at least three times a week, and tell the man on the other end about Ji Junxin’s recent activities.

At that time, Lu Gaoshi’s first reaction was that the person was either from the paparazzi or sent by Qiong Yu to test her loyalty. But the intermediary said that the large sum of money was just payment for six months. Six months, one apartment. One year, two apartments. A year and a half, three apartments… Simple math, but Lu Gaoshi could barely process it. It wasn’t until the intermediary took her to the bank and deposited the money into her account that she realized she had made her choice.

Since then, Lu Gaoshi had called this number every two or three days, for years, until now.

The first few times, after the calls, Lu Gaoshi would check the entertainment news and gossip magazines to see if the information she had revealed, which hadn’t been made public yet, had been leaked. But it never was. After a while, Lu Gaoshi relaxed…

Over the years, the man hadn’t asked Lu Gaoshi to specifically inquire about anything. He just listened to whatever she said. What drama Ji Junxin was filming, who her co-stars were, what events she was attending, what scripts she was considering, as Lu Gaoshi made more and more calls, she became more casual in her reports. The other party just listened quietly. Sometimes, when Ji Junxin wasn’t filming, Lu Gaoshi would talk about what she ate, what she drank, what she was craving, and the other party would still listen patiently, without any comment. Whether the calls were long or short, he didn’t seem to mind.

Ji Junxin was a boring person, just filming and eating, or staying at home, without much of a social life. But although the other end of the phone was often silent, Lu Gaoshi always felt that he was listening with great interest. There was a time when Lu Gaoshi felt that she had become quite familiar with the man after so many phone calls, even though it was mostly her talking and him listening, so she subtly asked him why he wanted to know these things about Ji Junxin. But he immediately reminded her coldly that it was just a business transaction, that he was her employer, and as an employee, she didn’t need to know too much about her boss. So, Lu Gaoshi never asked again.

Bosses… they were truly heartless creatures. Lu Gaoshi clutched the old phone. She probably wouldn’t need it anymore. She suddenly wondered if, after she left, he would bribe someone else around Ji Junxin. Would it be Mi Hongdou, or Shen Zhu? … Heh, it seemed that it no longer had anything to do with her.

Lu Gaoshi didn’t know how much Qiao Rubai and Ji Junxin had investigated, whether they knew about her dealings with this man. But she guessed they didn’t. Otherwise, Qiao Rubai wouldn’t have let her go so easily, she would have interrogated her. But she had taken the initiative to cut off this last connection to Ji Junxin. She hoped that when they found out later, they would let her go, considering that she had given up voluntarily…

“Hmph…” Qiao Rubai glanced at her phone and angrily threw it on the table.

The phone landed with a thud, almost falling off the table.

Yang Lianyi, who was cutting steak, paused. “What’s wrong? Why are you suddenly angry? … Look, you scared Miemie, smile.”

Qiao Rubai, still fuming, couldn’t smile, but she turned to look at Yang Miemie, who was sitting in a high chair next to her. The little girl smiled at her foolishly, then, wiggling her chubby bottom, reached for Qiao Rubai’s phone with her short arms, grabbed it, and smiled.

So cute. Looking at the adorable little girl, Qiao Rubai’s mood improved.

Then, the next moment, the little girl skillfully put a corner of the phone in her mouth and bit down.

Both Qiao Rubai and the little girl froze.

“Eh…” Yang Lianyi watched as the phone slipped from the little girl’s hands and clattered to the floor, too late to even warn her.

The little girl covered her mouth with her chubby hands, or rather, her baby teeth.

“Aiya, did you hurt your teeth? Why do you want to eat everything? Isn’t the mashed potatoes good?” Qiao Rubai anxiously pulled the little girl’s hands away, checked her teeth, and, after confirming they were fine, picked up the bowl of mashed potatoes and sniffed it. “This was specially made with chicken broth, don’t you like it?”

The little girl shrank back in her chair and looked pitifully at… the steak on Yang Lianyi’s fork.

“You should check your phone. Don’t mind her, she wants to bite everything recently. It’s all because of the nanny who used to take care of her, she had a lot of custom-made soft candies from the candy store. Candy building blocks, candy kitchen sets, candy Go pieces… by the time I found out, Miemie had already developed this bad habit of biting everything. Hmph, she finally bit something hard, so she’ll stop dreaming that everything in the world is made of soft candy.” It was time for her to wake up from her foodie dream. Yang Lianyi finished her rant and, noticing that the little girl’s gaze was still fixed on her fork, slowly and elegantly brought the steak to her mouth, chewing with a look of enjoyment. “Some children just don’t understand. If she doesn’t eat her mashed potatoes, she won’t get any meat. It’s a pity if she ends up with nothing to eat.”

Qiao Rubai, who had just picked up her phone and straightened up, looked at the stunned little girl. She swore… the little girl understood. The proof was… Yang Miemie started wiggling her chubby bottom, reaching for the bowl of mashed potatoes that had just been taken from her table.

Qiao Rubai put the bowl back on Yang Miemie’s table. The little girl, no longer looking disgusted, started eating happily.

“I put bacon bits in it,” Qiao Rubai whispered to Yang Miemie, leaning closer.

“Really? I heard that. Who was the one who promised to only use chicken broth and make it vegetarian?” Yang Lianyi laughed. “She doesn’t understand what you’re saying anyway.”

Qiao Rubai looked at Yang Miemie, whose eating speed had clearly increased. She felt that the little girl not only understood but also felt a sense of urgency, afraid of having her dinner taken away.

“Don’t always make her eat vegetarian food, how pitiful.” Qiao Rubai was afraid the little girl would choke, seeing her practically burying her face in the bowl.

“Wasn’t it you who told me that children who are too chubby will be laughed at when they grow up, and losing weight is hard and pitiful, so I should start controlling her diet early?” Yang Lianyi said, taking a bite of steak. Qiao Rubai’s cooking wasn’t bad, she wanted to try the mashed potatoes.

As soon as Yang Lianyi finished speaking, Qiao Rubai felt a sense of foreboding. As expected, the little girl looked up at her with her big, round, pitiful eyes, some mashed potatoes on her chin. Qiao Rubai didn’t dare to meet the little foodie’s resentful gaze and, without even wiping her chin, looked down at her phone.

Eh… it wouldn’t turn on… Well, after being dropped twice, it was probably broken. Qiao Rubai pressed the button a few more times, then gave up.

She didn’t really want to reply to that message anyway.

She had received three messages earlier. The first two were from Ji Junxin, forwarding Lu Gaoshi’s messages. Qiao Rubai was furious. What “out of her mind”? It was clearly premeditated! And apologies? She didn’t see any sincerity! After saying and doing those things, she still had the audacity to ask for secrecy? Heh, wanting to continue working in this industry? She was asking her not to expose her, not to ruin her career. After reading the two messages, Qiao Rubai was shocked by Lu Gaoshi’s shamelessness. No wonder her assistant said the handover and settlement went smoothly this morning, so this was her plan.

Angered by the first two messages, Qiao Rubai opened the third one, read it, and then slammed her phone on the table. Although she had guessed that the third message would be Ji Junxin pleading for Lu Gaoshi, seeing it still made her angry. Especially since Ji Junxin understood that Lu Gaoshi was using her to ask for leniency, asking her not to blacklist her or spread rumors, and she still pleaded for her.

It was the same in her previous life. If it weren’t for Ji Junxin’s pleading, she wouldn’t have just severed Qiong Yu’s ties with Dajin and let the matter go. Seeing Jiang Duo and Zhang Zijing doing well at Dajin later, and Lu Gaoshi happily working as Jiang Duo’s manager, occasionally attending events with Jiang Duo’s father, made her grind her teeth in frustration.

Now, with a second chance, was she going to let it go again?

Chapter 57: Big Plate Noodles p1

Before Ji Junxin could process Mi Hongdou’s “Then okay,” the doorbell interrupted them.

Some people, no matter when or where they appeared, were just unwelcome.

Mi Hongdou opened the door to find Lu Gaoshi, dragging two suitcases. After yesterday’s eavesdropping, Mi Hongdou disliked Lu Gaoshi even more and didn’t want to let her in. Hadn’t Qiao Rubai dealt with this problem after hearing what Lu Gaoshi said? And Ji Junxin… probably didn’t want to see her either. Mi Hongdou realized that her body was faithfully reflecting her thoughts, blocking the doorway without budging.

Normally, Lu Gaoshi would have spoken up, but not today. Mi Hongdou saw a flicker of guilt in her eyes.

Guilt? Mi Hongdou didn’t understand.

“Who is it?” Ji Junxin looked at the big plate chicken on the coffee table, then at Mi Hongdou blocking the doorway. They had already spent quite some time getting the takeout, any further delay, and the chicken would be cold! Who was so inconsiderate as to ring the doorbell at this time!

Ji Junxin’s voice reminded Mi Hongdou that Lu Gaoshi was, after all, Ji Junxin’s manager. Blocking her like this wasn’t appropriate. “It’s Sister Lu…” Mi Hongdou reluctantly said and moved aside slightly, creating a narrow passage.

Why was she here? Qiao Rubai had just texted her at noon, saying that she had… fired her. Ji Junxin was momentarily stunned, then saw Lu Gaoshi squeeze through the narrow opening. When she saw the two familiar suitcases, she understood. Right, those were her things, she must be here to return them.

Why not give them to Shen Zhu or someone else? Wouldn’t she feel awkward coming herself? Ji Junxin’s feelings were complicated. She wasn’t sure what she thought of Lu Gaoshi anymore. But she was certain that she wouldn’t trust her again and didn’t want to interact with her anymore. Thinking this, as soon as Lu Gaoshi entered, Ji Junxin quickly looked away, her gaze fixed on the big plate chicken.

The hotel room wasn’t large. Soon, the footsteps and the sound of rolling suitcases stopped.

Ji Junxin, her eyes lowered, silently prayed that Lu Gaoshi would leave after dropping off the suitcases.

“Junxin.” Lu Gaoshi’s voice came from nearby.

No, she didn’t want to hear anything. Explanations… apologies… sentimentality… she didn’t want to hear any of it. Ji Junxin didn’t look at Lu Gaoshi, maintaining her still, unresponsive posture.

It was a silent rejection. Lu Gaoshi understood, but she continued, “The things I packed for you are all in these two suitcases. Should I unpack them for you, help you organize? You always have trouble finding things.”

Ji Junxin didn’t respond, not even moving.

If Mi Hongdou couldn’t see that something was wrong, she would be blind.

So, it seemed that Ji Junxin and Lu Gaoshi had a falling out? How annoying, she had to pretend she didn’t know anything and couldn’t help.

Wait, she could help.

“It’s okay, don’t trouble Sister Lu with unpacking. We’re eating, we’ll unpack together after we’re finished.” Mi Hongdou, without closing the door, walked over to Lu Gaoshi and, before she could react, dragged the two suitcases to the side.

Lu Gaoshi looked at Mi Hongdou intently. Her dismissive attitude was too obvious. Lu Gaoshi wasn’t sure if Ji Junxin had said something to her.

Mi Hongdou met her gaze, and after a few seconds, Lu Gaoshi looked away.

“Xiaomi, I need to talk to Junxin, can you… please go to the bedroom, no… just go somewhere else for a bit? Five minutes, just five minutes…” Lu Gaoshi’s tone was unprecedentedly gentle. Ji Junxin had been sitting motionless on the sofa, completely ignoring her. Lu Gaoshi couldn’t even talk to her privately. But it seemed that Ji Junxin wouldn’t leave the room with her. Now, Lu Gaoshi could only hope that Mi Hongdou would leave.

However, Mi Hongdou didn’t move either. Ji Junxin clearly didn’t want to talk to Lu Gaoshi, she wouldn’t be so foolish as to leave them alone.

Lu Gaoshi, feeling guilty, guessed that Ji Junxin must have said something to Mi Hongdou, otherwise, she wouldn’t be acting like this.

Having brought the luggage all the way here, it seemed like a wasted trip, Lu Gaoshi sighed inwardly. She could have just texted Ji Junxin. But perhaps she still had a sliver of hope that after a night, Ji Junxin’s anger would subside? Ji Junxin’s demeanor yesterday had been so cold and distant, so frightening. Perhaps she was just very angry, and anger stemmed from caring, right? Perhaps… perhaps she still cared and could still forgive her? Even if she didn’t forgive her, at least… not holding a grudge would be good.

Lu Gaoshi hoped that by coming here and seeing Ji Junxin face to face, without Qiao Rubai present, perhaps Ji Junxin would soften. Even if they couldn’t work together anymore, at least… she could let go of the past. But unfortunately, even without Qiao Rubai, there was still Mi Hongdou. Ji Junxin’s attitude hadn’t softened overnight, she seemed even more resolute, not even wanting to speak.

“I’ll leave the things here, I’ll be going now. I’ll… send you a message later, can you reply after you read it?” Lu Gaoshi wasn’t sure how much Mi Hongdou knew, but she didn’t want to say anything more in front of her, so she said this to Ji Junxin, her tone unusually pleading.

Ji Junxin didn’t move or respond, as if she and Lu Gaoshi were in two different dimensions.

Mi Hongdou walked to the door, held the doorknob, and looked at Lu Gaoshi, a clear gesture of “please leave.”

Lu Gaoshi slowly walked towards the door, glancing back at the sofa several times, but Ji Junxin remained motionless. Lu Gaoshi stood by the door, and Mi Hongdou didn’t rush her. Finally, Lu Gaoshi left.

After closing the door, the room was silent. Ji Junxin slowly looked up towards the door, meeting Mi Hongdou’s gaze. Ji Junxin quickly looked away…

Good, there were no tears in Ji Junxin’s eyes! Mi Hongdou breathed a sigh of relief.

“Aiya, aiya, the big plate chicken is getting cold! Let’s eat quickly!” Mi Hongdou’s sudden, loud voice broke the awkward silence. Her exaggerated movements, pretending to pounce on the chicken, made Ji Junxin laugh.

“It’s not cold yet.” Ji Junxin touched the bottom of the plate and said with a smile, “Look, the layer of oil on top keeps it warm.”

Finally, a smile. Lu Gaoshi was a troublemaker, just a short visit, and she had thought Ji Junxin was frozen in shock. Mi Hongdou complained inwardly, putting the chopsticks in Ji Junxin’s hand. “We still have to eat quickly, or the oil will cool down, and it won’t be good for mixing with the noodles.”

Right! Ji Junxin looked at the two servings of noodles they had ordered. This was the best part. She held the chopsticks. So, she could eat without taking off her bra? Ji Junxin’s mood improved. It seemed that Lu Gaoshi’s short visit had distracted Mi Hongdou, which wasn’t a bad thing.

Mi Hongdou had never had such a strange thought of withholding food until her bra was removed!

Ji Junxin, her mood restored, picked up a wide noodle, swirled it in the sauce, and lifted it out, coated in red oil and sprinkled with sesame seeds. She twirled the noodles around her chopsticks, took a bite, and… Spicy! Numbing! Fragrant! The rich sauce, made from chicken and vegetables, clung to the noodles, coated in chili oil. It was incredibly delicious.

The best part of big plate chicken was definitely the noodles! One bite, two bites, three bites… Ji Junxin couldn’t stop eating. Then, a piece of chicken fell into her bowl.

Ji Junxin looked up, her cheeks puffed out.

“Have some chicken, just noodles isn’t enough, you’ll be hungry later.” Mi Hongdou chuckled. It was the same in her previous life. Others would eat the chicken first, then mix the noodles with the remaining sauce. Ji Junxin always ate the noodles first, two or three servings, until almost all the sauce and chili oil were gone, before eating anything else. But after two or three servings of noodles, she wouldn’t have room for anything else. So, when they ate big plate chicken, Mi Hongdou would eat the chicken, and Ji Junxin would eat the noodles.

Well, just noodles might indeed leave her hungry later. Ji Junxin obediently ate the chicken. It was tender, flavorful, and even spicier than the noodles, but so good! The earlier unhappiness from meeting Lu Gaoshi seemed to be dispelled by the spicy food.

“The potatoes in this big plate chicken aren’t soft enough.” Mi Hongdou took a bite of potato. “They should have been braised longer.”

Ji Junxin swallowed the chicken: “But if they were braised longer, the chicken would be overcooked.”

“Then we can boil the potatoes first, then braise them with the chicken.” Mi Hongdou shared her experience.

Hmm, she didn’t quite understand, but it sounded reasonable. Ji Junxin gave her an admiring look and continued eating noodles.

Mi Hongdou silently added another piece of chicken to Ji Junxin’s bowl.

This dinner should have continued happily, with delicious big plate chicken, friendly feeding, and admiring gazes, until the end. However, Ji Junxin’s phone rang.

Even without looking, Mi Hongdou could tell it was a message notification. Thinking of Lu Gaoshi’s words before leaving, how annoying… she couldn’t even enjoy her meal in peace!

Mi Hongdou hoped Ji Junxin would read it after dinner. But as an uninvolved bystander, she had no reason to stop her. Everyone had a phone now, who could tell someone not to use their phone during dinner?

Ji Junxin didn’t immediately reach for her phone, but she slowed down and stopped taking more food. Mi Hongdou, watching, felt a sense of foreboding.

As expected, after finishing the noodles in her mouth, Ji Junxin reached for her phone.

[I’ve completed the resignation procedures at Qiong Yu this morning and handed over my work to President Qiao’s assistant. Your things are all in those two suitcases. Last night… I was out of my mind when I said those things, I’m truly sorry. I don’t expect your forgiveness, I just ask that you… please don’t tell anyone what you heard last night.] Sender: Lu Gaoshi.

Ji Junxin held her phone, her heart heavy. So, the main point of this message was to ask for secrecy. But she couldn’t tell anyone about this anyway. Just now, after Lu Gaoshi left, Ji Junxin had thought about how to answer if Mi Hongdou asked what had happened between them. It was a difficult question. She didn’t want to lie to Mi Hongdou, but telling the truth was embarrassing. Ji Junxin hoped that Mi Hongdou would continue to admire her and not see her… flaws. Fortunately, Mi Hongdou hadn’t asked anything.

[Okay.] Ji Junxin replied with one word, a promise, and an end.

Before she could put down her phone, another message arrived.

[Could you also please tell President Qiao not to tell anyone? I’m not demanding anything… it’s just that… I’m at this age, without any special skills, and I still need to make a living in this industry.] Sender: Lu Gaoshi.

Ji Junxin thought for a moment, then replied with another [Okay]. After all, Lu Gaoshi had taken care of her for several years. Whether her intentions were good or bad, whether her feelings were true or false, Lu Gaoshi had tried her best. Ji Junxin hadn’t intended to retaliate. What happened between them wasn’t even a grudge, just… there was no need to continue their relationship.

Chapter 56: Old Beijing Chicken Roll p2

Thinking about rebirth, Qiao Rubai’s gaze landed on Yang Lianyi, who was walking slowly ahead.

Back then, she had been stabbed, and Yang Lianyi had shielded her… She must have died then. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have woken up ten years in the past. But she… hadn’t come back. So, she must have survived.

Every time she thought about this, Qiao Rubai felt a pang in her heart. Sometimes, she couldn’t tell whether she hoped Yang Lianyi had survived or whether she hoped that Yang Lianyi had also died and returned to ten years ago with her.

This ten-year gap, how should she face it? She, who had developed feelings for her ten years later, how should she face her, who might or might not have had feelings for her, whether ten years ago or ten years later?

Qiao Rubai pressed her hand against her heart, as if the physical pain could lessen the heartache.

When Yang Lianyi realized that the person behind her hadn’t spoken for a long time, she turned around and saw Qiao Rubai frowning, clutching her chest, looking like she was in pain.

“What’s wrong? Is your heart hurting? Don’t scare me…” Yang Lianyi quickly rushed back to Qiao Rubai’s side, shifted the little girl to one arm, and placed her free hand over Qiao Rubai’s.

The familiar voice from the last moments of her previous life. Qiao Rubai looked up, and through the anxious Yang Lianyi in front of her, she seemed to see the blood-soaked Yang Lianyi from back then, holding her, crying and saying something.

“I’m fine, I think Miemie just kicked me…” Feeling Yang Lianyi’s warmth, Qiao Rubai felt much better and unhesitatingly blamed Yang Miemie for her discomfort.

The little girl, busy looking around from Yang Lianyi’s shoulder, didn’t realize she had just been framed.

Anyway, the priority was to ensure she wouldn’t be killed in this life, everything else could wait… Qiao Rubai thought. Thinking about Lu Gaoshi, whose salary had been settled and who had been dismissed by her assistant this morning, well, one step at a time, there was still hope.

Qiao Rubai’s life now had a glimmer of hope. But Jiang Lingling felt that her life was hopeless.

Hmph, who were those two walking in side by side? She didn’t know them! Jiang Lingling turned her face away.

Ji Junxin and Mi Hongdou weren’t blind, they saw her childish behavior. It was her fault, she had been so focused on breakfast at Mi Hongdou’s place that she forgot about Jiang Lingling. Ji Junxin awkwardly fiddled with her clothes. Mi Hongdou patted her hand reassuringly and pulled her towards the sulking Jiang Lingling.

“Freshly baked KFC egg tarts.” Mi Hongdou stopped beside Jiang Lingling and held out the plastic bag.

Hmph, who knows you! Jiang Lingling, surrounded by the sweet aroma of egg tarts, stubbornly turned her head even further away. Away from the egg tarts! Away from the CP!

“And… and…” Ji Junxin also held out her plastic bag.

Mi Hongdou encouraged Ji Junxin with a look. Ji Junxin composed herself and recited the items, “And spicy wings, roasted wings, original recipe fried chicken, Old Beijing chicken roll…”

Old Beijing chicken roll… Jiang Lingling gulped silently.

Foodies are always observant of strange details. Ji Junxin took out the chicken roll, peeled back the wrapping paper, reached out, and held it to Jiang Lingling’s mouth.

The aroma of fried chicken, scallions, cucumber, bean sauce, and tortilla… Jiang Lingling couldn’t help but sniff a few more times, then she realized she was constantly gulping.

She had to maintain her composure… Where was her assistant? She would dock her pay! Jiang Lingling held her head high, refusing to move.

The exhausted assistant was fast asleep on a makeup chair nearby, dreaming of fragrant fried chicken.

Ji Junxin looked at Mi Hongdou, who raised her hand slightly, so Ji Junxin also raised her hand, pressing the exposed fried chicken part of the chicken roll against Jiang Lingling’s lips.

Now, Jiang Lingling couldn’t even lick her lips.

Okay, if they admitted their mistake and said a few nice words, she would forgive them. Jiang Lingling, having imagined the taste of the fried chicken against her lips dozens of times, finally decided to be magnanimous towards the CP.

Ji Junxin’s hand was getting tired from holding the chicken roll.

“My hand is tired…” Ji Junxin whispered to Mi Hongdou.

Mi Hongdou looked at Jiang Lingling, who was practically twisting her neck, and said to Ji Junxin, “Then forget it, let’s go eat the egg tarts, they’ll be cold soon.”

Ji Junxin glanced at Jiang Lingling, hesitant, feeling a little bad. But her hand was really tired. After a few more seconds, she decided to listen to Mi Hongdou.

Jiang Lingling had been listening intently. Although she was still acting arrogant, she had already given in inwardly.

They were leaving without even apologizing properly! Did they even have any sincerity! Jiang Lingling was exasperated.

The moment the fragrant, slightly firm object left her lips, Jiang Lingling instinctively lowered her head and took a bite.

The soft tortilla, the sweet and savory bean sauce, the crisp and refreshing cucumber, the thin scallion shreds, and the crispy, tender fried chicken… how could it be so delicious? It was the perfect combination. Jiang Lingling chewed, as always, feeling incredibly satisfied. She had finally succumbed to her deep love for KFC, forgetting everything else. She had only eaten breakfast today, a tasteless steamed bun her assistant had bought on the road.

After the first bite, Jiang Lingling quickly took another. Wait, her teeth seemed to have bitten something… She licked her teeth and looked at the chicken roll. Had she bitten her own hand?

“Um…” Jiang Lingling quickly swallowed the chicken. “Did I… bite your hand?” Oh my god, she had bitten Ji Junxin’s finger in front of Mi Hongdou, would she be killed in her sleep tonight? Jiang Lingling looked at Ji Junxin worriedly.

“It’s okay… it’s okay…” Ji Junxin handed the chicken roll to Jiang Lingling.

It was okay, not that she hadn’t bitten her, but that it was okay that she had bitten her? Jiang Lingling was conflicted. She really hadn’t meant to, she was just a little hungry and lost control. As a fellow foodie, Ji Junxin could understand, right? …

Looking at Ji Junxin, who was smiling faintly, it seemed that she did understand. However… whether Mi Hongdou, who was now carefully examining Ji Junxin’s hand, could understand was another matter.

“You could have come back this afternoon, why didn’t you tell me!” Jiang Lingling, having just committed a misdeed, decided to take the offensive, but her voice lacked its usual force due to her guilt.

“But you bit Ji Junxin.” Mi Hongdou said confidently. She had just checked Ji Junxin’s finger, it was fine. Hmph, a finger that even she, the die-hard fan, hadn’t bitten, Jiang Lingling had bitten it, did she want to fight! Mi Hongdou’s competitiveness intensified, not even realizing how skewed her comparison was.

“Okay…” Jiang Lingling’s arrogance deflated. “Then we’re even.” Something still felt off.

So, Mi Hongdou and Ji Junxin, in a strange way, triumphantly reconciled with Jiang Lingling.

But all three of them seemed a little unhappy.

Jiang Lingling felt that she had accidentally bitten Ji Junxin, but it had somehow offset their deliberate ignoring of her, which felt like a loss.

Mi Hongdou regretted that the finger she hadn’t even bitten had been nibbled on by Jiang Lingling and wanted to bite her back.

As for Ji Junxin, she wasn’t quite sure if they were now officially friends with Jiang Lingling. Did Mi Hongdou like Jiang Lingling more, or her? She had just decided to expand her friend circle, but she didn’t want Mi Hongdou’s friend line to be occupied by someone else.

Coincidentally, the first scene they were filming that afternoon was in the Imperial Garden, with the three of them as the main characters and a few other concubines as background, a scene of seemingly harmonious conversation but filled with hidden agendas and scheming.

This scene was completed in one take. Director Pan, who had suffered through two days of NGs, finally breathed a sigh of relief. Life was back to normal.

“The three of you were very good. In that scene, the dynamic between you, neither enemies nor friends, with subtle undercurrents and a need for cooperation, you captured it perfectly.” Director Pan, tormented by Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo for two days, generously praised the three.

Ji Junxin and Mi Hongdou exchanged glances and smiled.

Poor Jiang Lingling was hurt again. So, making up with a CP, how foolish… it wasn’t because of the Old Beijing chicken roll that she became foolish, waaaah.

The following scenes also went smoothly. Director Pan, in a good mood, considering that the three of them had endured a five-hour drive each way for two days, dismissed them at 6 PM.

After two days of traveling and filming, both Mi Hongdou and Ji Junxin were tired. Mi Hongdou, seeing that they finished early, had planned to go to the supermarket, buy some ingredients, and make dinner for Ji Junxin. But this suggestion was unexpectedly rejected by the foodie.

The foodie insisted that Mi Hongdou was too tired from the two-day drive and wouldn’t let her cook. Although Mi Hongdou was a little disappointed that she couldn’t personally feed the foodie today, she was warmed by her concern.

Wait, something seemed off. She was supposed to be her goddess, what was this “foodie” business?

On their way back, they ordered a large portion of big plate chicken and two servings of noodles. Carrying the heavy food containers, they returned to their room.

It had only been two days, but it felt like two weeks. Ji Junxin sat on the sofa in the living room, watching Mi Hongdou move around, opening the windows for ventilation, unpacking the takeout containers. She recalled yesterday, being alone at home, the small apartment feeling strangely empty. She had felt this way before, but yesterday, it was particularly strong. Ji Junxin didn’t know if it was because of her falling out with Lu Gaoshi, or because after living with Mi Hongdou for so many days, she could no longer get used to being alone.

Sigh, it seemed that after this drama finished filming, it would take her a long time to get used to living alone again. Ji Junxin leaned back on the sofa, feeling that even the aroma of big plate chicken couldn’t lift her spirits.

She watched Mi Hongdou open the windows, wipe the table, arrange the takeout on the coffee table, and then stand before her with two pairs of chopsticks. Ji Junxin looked at the tempting big plate chicken, quickly pushed her loneliness aside, sat up straight, and reached for the chopsticks.

Then… Mi Hongdou pulled her hand back.

Ji Junxin froze.

“Heh, who was the one who said it’s best to take off your bra as soon as you get back to the room, that wearing it for too long isn’t good?” Mi Hongdou asked, a mischievous smile on her face.

Ji Junxin was speechless.

That’s right! It must have been because she wasn’t fully awake and her brain wasn’t functioning properly that she was teased by the Yang Lianyi-possessed Ji Junxin, and even blushed! … Hmph, now that she was well-rested and her brain was recharged, it was her turn… to make Ji Junxin blush. Mi Hongdou recalled her earlier fantasy of Ji Junxin blushing and pouting in embarrassment… it was so cute. It wasn’t so much about getting back at Ji Junxin for teasing her earlier, but rather about satisfying her own mischievous desire to see Ji Junxin blush. But she wouldn’t admit that.

Ji Junxin stared at the chopsticks in Mi Hongdou’s hand. So, she wouldn’t let her eat unless she took off her bra? … Ji Junxin looked at the steaming, fragrant big plate chicken and the two large bowls of noodles, her hand unconsciously touching the strap of her bra under her clothes, then she looked at Mi Hongdou with a pitiful expression.

That pitiful look was so cute… Mi Hongdou’s heart felt like it was being scratched by ten thousand cats. Okay, that expression was compensation for teasing her earlier.

Just as Mi Hongdou was about to hand over the chopsticks, Ji Junxin’s expression suddenly turned resolute, like a warrior about to make a great sacrifice.

“Then okay…” Before Ji Junxin could finish… the doorbell rang.

Chapter 56: Old Beijing Chicken Roll p1

The moment the words left his mouth, Zhang Zijing regretted using his unfamiliarity with the script as an excuse. Director Pan was a renowned director whom many crews couldn’t even get. Even Ji Junxin, the biggest star in the crew, would have to humbly apologize and correct her mistakes if scolded by him. And although Director Pan had a temper, he wasn’t the type to deliberately find fault. If he pointed out a problem, it was a real problem… Zhang Zijing’s impulsive retort was immediately followed by deep regret.

His outburst wasn’t entirely due to Director Pan’s scolding. He had been tormented the previous day and was still fuming. He had thought he could get some rest today, but… he was stuck filming with Jiang Duo again.

After Ji Junxin and the others left the previous day, they had filmed Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo’s scenes. Although they were scenes together, most of the lines and actions were Zhang Zijing’s. He was carrying the scenes. As Director Pan had scolded Jiang Duo yesterday, he couldn’t understand why some takes were NGed. In those scenes, Jiang Duo only needed to sit, occasionally smile at the emperor. Even with such simple requirements, she still managed to forget to react, causing NGs. Since Jiang Duo mostly just had to sit, stand, or smile, the NGs didn’t affect her much. But Zhang Zijing was the one who suffered, repeating his lines over and over, exhausting him. And there was a scene where Jiang Duo fed him wine. Although the cup was small, and it was just water, the repeated NGs meant he had to drink, and drink, and drink. Director Pan didn’t allow him to use an empty cup. In the November weather, he drank so much cold water that his stomach felt like ice, and he had diarrhea all night.

Considering they were from the same company and had a good relationship before, and Jiang Duo, who caused the repeated NGs, had already been scolded by Director Pan, Zhang Zijing wasn’t going to hold it against her. But what was that just now? As Zhang Zijing was thinking about how to smooth things over, Jiang Duo spoke up. Heh, he had just offended Director Pan, and she rushed over to grab his sleeve, even glaring at him. Was she trying to show Director Pan that he would have confronted him if it weren’t for her intervention? And her sincere and quick apology, along with her promise to do better, contrasted sharply with his earlier outburst, making it easy for her to gain Director Pan’s favor.

Although Zhang Zijing had been tormented the previous day, the NGs were mostly Jiang Duo’s fault. If it weren’t for that, he wouldn’t have been NGing so much today due to his physical discomfort. Heh, now she was acting like the good guy, ignoring the fact that it was her fault!

One thought after another raced through Zhang Zijing’s mind, his frustration growing. He wasn’t going to cooperate with Jiang Duo’s attempt to “rescue” him. If she took all the credit, what was left for him? Zhang Zijing pulled his sleeve away from Jiang Duo’s hand with a look of disdain.

Jiang Duo, oblivious to Zhang Zijing’s anger, which was directed not only at Director Pan but also at her, had her rare act of kindness backfire. If she knew the reason for his attitude, she probably wouldn’t even bother being kind in the future.

“Alright, take a break. We’ll try again later.” Since someone had intervened, Director Pan dropped his sarcastic tone. The braised pig’s feet would arrive in a few hours, hmph, he would welcome them happily, not bothering with them anymore.

Although Director Pan had a temper, if someone apologized sincerely, he wouldn’t keep berating them. This was much better than many more famous and ill-tempered directors. Jiang Duo knew this clearly, which was how she had survived yesterday’s NG-fest. It was all thanks to her timely apologies and good attitude.

Now that they were dismissed, Zhang Zijing wanted to say something to appease Director Pan and apologize, but seeing Jiang Duo standing next to him, her expression practically screaming “See, I saved you,” he couldn’t bring himself to say it. Some people were really full of themselves… Zhang Zijing, his face dark, suppressing his anger, suddenly felt a cramp in his stomach and, without saying a word or even glancing at Jiang Duo, quickly walked away. Damn it, why didn’t all that medicine last night work?

Ungrateful! Jiang Duo, unaware of Zhang Zijing’s suffering, flung her hand and left too.

Zhang Zijing went to the bathroom several times, then politely declined his assistant’s suggestion of asking for time off to see a doctor, and stubbornly made his way back to the set, clutching the wall for support.

It was truly self-inflicted. After confronting Director Pan, asking for time off now would be a direct slap in the face. Even Zhang Zijing wasn’t that stupid. He could imagine that offending Director Pan wouldn’t end well for him. So, it was all Jiang Duo’s fault! Zhang Zijing, his face dark, gritting his teeth, returned to the set and continued filming the… love scene with Jiang Duo.

Mi Hongdou, sound asleep in the chauffeured car, had no idea that in her absence, a scene she had longed to see in her previous life was unfolding: the infighting of the scumbags.

Even with all his efforts, Zhang Zijing couldn’t overcome his physical discomfort. He tried his best, but only slightly reduced the number of NGs. Director Pan remained displeased.

More than an hour later, the almost collapsing Zhang Zijing saw Jiang Lingling and her assistant appear on set. Jiang Lingling was usually arrogant and overbearing on set, and Zhang Zijing disliked girls with such flamboyant personalities. But at this moment, he was overjoyed to see her! He almost wanted to cry! Finally, there were replacements! Zhang Zijing was so excited that he forgot he was filming. Unsurprisingly, he NGed again…

To his surprise, this time, besides the “cut,” Director Pan didn’t scold him at all. He didn’t even look at him.

Director Pan’s attention was on Jiang Lingling, his gaze scanning her up and down, then shifting to her assistant, giving her the same thorough scrutiny. Then, his frown deepened.

Where were the pig’s feet!

Jiang Lingling, oblivious to Director Pan’s inner thoughts, happily walked over to him, shook her wristwatch, and said with a smile, “11:47, I’m back before twelve!”

“Okay.” Director Pan, still hopeful, clasped his hands behind his back and casually circled Jiang Lingling, scrutinizing her. After confirming that there was nowhere on her or her assistant that could be hiding pig’s feet, his heart sank. What had kept him going after two days of NGs? The heartbroken Director Pan slowly shuffled back to his director’s chair.

Director Pan actually had a rather imposing appearance, especially when he was silent. So, when his face fell in disappointment, the contrast was quite stark, even… a little pitiful?

Why… what did she say… Wasn’t returning before twelve his order yesterday? Facing the silent, seemingly deflated Director Pan, Jiang Lingling felt startled and looked at her assistant for help.

The assistant, who had been driving close to the speed limit for five hours, looked a little pale, but she quickly understood Director Pan’s thoughts. “Pig’s feet…” She mouthed the words to Jiang Lingling.

Jiang Lingling suddenly realized and hurried over to Director Pan. “Ahem, Director Pan, about the pig’s feet…”

Director Pan, who had been listlessly picking at the back of his chair, heard the key words and abruptly looked up, his gaze sharp as an eagle’s. Jiang Lingling was startled, but she was also someone who had seen the world. She paused briefly, then continued, “The pig’s feet, I ordered them yesterday. But the master chef’s secret recipe braised pig’s feet is always made at a specific time. For special orders like mine, they have to be made fresh. They said they only start preparing after receiving the order, and it takes three days. I’ve arranged for someone to deliver them as soon as they’re ready. They’ll be here the day after tomorrow.”

Director Pan listened intently to every word, then his expression returned to normal, and he waved his hand dismissively. “It’s okay, no rush.”

Really? … Heh… Jiang Lingling only dared to laugh inwardly. The assistant, who understood Director Pan’s feelings even better, was now blushing after her earlier paleness.

“Three days, shouldn’t they arrive tomorrow then?” Director Pan picked at his chair, his gaze distant, as if just making casual conversation.

“The day of the order doesn’t count towards the three days…” Jiang Lingling swore she didn’t see the flicker of disappointment in Director Pan’s eyes again.

Well, the pig’s feet would arrive eventually, and his wife would get to eat them. Director Pan mentally prepared himself, looked at Jiang Lingling, and pointed to the resting area. “Go take a break. We’ll start filming your scenes when Ji Junxin and Mi Hongdou arrive, continuing from where you left off yesterday.”

“They’re not here yet?” Jiang Lingling, who thought she was the last to arrive, checked her watch. It was past noon.

“Oh, Qiao Rubai said we could continue filming other scenes this morning, and Ji Junxin would be back in the afternoon.” Director Pan looked at the stunned Jiang Lingling and delivered the final blow, “I thought you were all coming back in the afternoon. You’re quite early.” Without the pig’s feet, he didn’t know why she came so early, just to disappoint him earlier? …

There were many sad things in the world that Jiang Lingling, by chance, had never experienced. For example, in kindergarten, or elementary, middle, or high school, during breaks, girls would go to the bathroom in pairs, and there would always be one poor, lonely soul who had to go alone. Or, in a dorm with seven people, everyone would pair up for meals and classes, and there would be one poor soul who had no one to save a seat for them during meals, no one to remind them about classes, who could only stand and eat alone, or miss classes unintentionally. Jiang Lingling hadn’t gone to school, so she had successfully avoided these situations. However, some people were destined to be hurt…

No… no… no… silence, please, just stare into space, as something expands rapidly, like a balloon being inflated.

Oh… that was probably the legendary… psychological shadow area of a single dog.

When Mi Hongdou and Ji Junxin arrived at the set, it was past 3 PM.

Director Pan finally released Zhang Zijing and Jiang Duo, who had been tormented for two days.

Zhang Zijing wanted to wait for Ji Junxin to be alone so he could chat with her and perhaps find out why the three of them had suddenly left together. The three of them, one from Qiong Yu, one from Mengguan, and one a freelancer, suddenly leaving in the middle of filming, something important must have happened. Zhang Zijing was curious and had even asked his assistant to investigate, but there was no news from Qiong Yu or Mengguan recently, well, at least not on the surface. Zhang Zijing wanted to wait, but… his stomach couldn’t wait. Almost as soon as Director Pan dismissed him and Jiang Duo, telling them to come back tomorrow morning, Zhang Zijing heard his stomach rumbling again. So, he had to leave quickly, without even saying goodbye, let alone chatting.

“Quite the temper.” Director Pan, who had been NGed for two days and still hadn’t received his pig’s feet, was increasingly displeased with the impolite Zhang Zijing.

Zhang Zijing’s pale face suggested that something must have happened on set these past two days. Seeing the scumbags unhappy, Mi Hongdou was happy. Her gossip senses tingled, but glancing at Jiang Duo, who was saying goodbye to Director Pan and seemed to be looking in their direction, Mi Hongdou decisively pulled Ji Junxin towards the backstage area.

Sigh, Qiao Rubai was really unreliable, taking so long to deal with just a few people. Thinking about having to film with Jiang Duo for so long, Mi Hongdou worried about Ji Junxin’s state of mind.

But… perhaps… since they hadn’t become friends yet in this life, Jiang Duo and the Jiang family’s scheming wouldn’t hurt Ji Junxin as much as Lu Gaoshi’s betrayal. Mi Hongdou secretly glanced at Ji Junxin, who was obediently following her. Besides a brief stiffening of her expression when she saw Jiang Duo, she seemed fine now. Mi Hongdou felt a little more reassured.

At this moment, Qiao Rubai, who was at the Jiangcheng Children’s Amusement Park, suddenly felt an itch in her nose and sneezed several times.

“You’ve caught a cold. It’s so cold, and you insisted on eating ice cream earlier.” Yang Lianyi handed the little girl she was holding to Qiao Rubai. “Here, hold her, you’ll warm up.”

Qiao Rubai, her face full of black lines, held the round, heavy little girl dressed in a light yellow cat costume. “So you’re actually giving her to me because she’s too heavy?”

Yang Lianyi twirled her skirt and walked away.

And she criticized her for eating ice cream? Who was the one wearing such a thin dress in this freezing weather at the amusement park! Qiao Rubai took a deep breath and followed.

One step, two steps, three steps… The little girl in her arms was so heavy that after a few steps, Qiao Rubai felt slightly breathless.

“Miemie, can you walk for a bit?” Qiao Rubai asked the little girl.

Yang Miemie, in her cat costume, tugged at her paw gloves and looked up at Qiao Rubai with her big, round eyes. Just as Qiao Rubai was hopefully anticipating some consideration, Yang Miemie closed her eyes, kicked her legs, tilted her head, and went completely limp in Qiao Rubai’s arms.

Are you playing dead? And you even kicked! Who was the one who threw a tantrum and insisted on having ice cream when Yang Lianyi went to the bathroom, saying she would only have one bite! And who was the one who suddenly stuffed the ice cream into her mouth when Yang Lianyi came back! And who was the one who had to lie and say she wanted it, and then eat that freezing ice cream, which wasn’t even her favorite taro flavor!

Qiao Rubai took a deep breath and poked the little girl in her arms. “Taro flavored ice cream, want some?”

The limp little girl in her arms immediately opened her eyes and looked around, not seeing any ice cream, but Qiao Rubai’s mischievous smile.

She closed her eyes, kicked her legs, and tilted her head… Yang Miemie flawlessly executed the standard “playing dead” routine.

Qiao Rubai, unable to rub her chest, which had just been kicked by the little girl, felt a pang of regret for her own actions.

So good at playing dead at just three years old, Qiao Rubai thought, not noticing Yang Lianyi returning.

“Let me hold her.” Yang Lianyi effortlessly scooped up the little girl and glanced at Qiao Rubai. “Hmph, you can’t even hold her and didn’t even ask for my help.”

“Why would I ask for your help? If I did, you would just ask me to join Mengguan again.” Qiao Rubai smiled. “Why don’t you merge Mengguan with Qiong Yu? It’s the same thing.”

“I don’t want to. I’m not interested in Qiong Yu. I’m interested in you~” Yang Lianyi gave Qiao Rubai a charming smile.

Qiao Rubai didn’t speak, her face feeling warm. She hoped it wouldn’t turn red.

Yang Lianyi smiled triumphantly. She was even cuter when she was shy. Not being able to have her in Mengguan was a huge loss. Although Qiao Rubai’s shy and restrained demeanor was adorable, Yang Lianyi knew her limits and didn’t continue teasing her. She even considerately walked a little faster, giving Qiao Rubai some space to cool down. The boss of Qiong Yu was shy, how exciting~ The little girl, nestled in Yang Lianyi’s arms, knowing that her aunt wouldn’t let her walk, happily rolled around and perched on Yang Lianyi’s shoulder, facing Qiao Rubai, who was walking behind them. She smiled, revealing a few baby teeth.

What a clever little girl, was she also reborn?