The assistant director had found Lin Nuonuo clinging desperately to a pillar at the studio gate, putting up a fierce last-ditch struggle.
A short distance behind her stood the car the Lin family had sent. The driver waited in front of it, utterly helpless and close to tears. Lin Nuonuo was at least half a young miss of the Lin family, while he was only a driver. Why did he have to suffer through this?
“What’s going on?” The assistant director looked at Lin Nuonuo, then at Lin Chen with his darkened expression, at Chen Yi looking embarrassed, and at Zhang Qi, who appeared completely at a loss.
“Um…… nothing much……” Zhang Qi answered guiltily.
To explain the situation, they had to start a few minutes earlier.
Lin Nuonuo had no dedicated nanny at the Lin residence, so Butler Wang had simply sent a driver to pick her up.
Ten minutes ago, the driver arrived.
Zhang Qi and the others had thought that once the child was handed over to the driver, their trouble would be over.
Unexpectedly, the child who looked quiet and obedient on the surface had suddenly become stubborn. The moment she was led out, she had grabbed Lin Chen’s clothes and refused to get in the car, no matter what.
When Lin Chen prepared to lift her directly into the car, the child seemed to guess what he was planning. She bolted, then wrapped her arms tightly around the nearby pillar and refused to let go.
Seeing her unreasonable behavior, Lin Chen’s expression turned completely dark. He demanded coldly, “What are you making a fuss about?”
Lin Nuonuo bit her lip and said nothing. Her little face stayed stiff, tears gathering in her eyes, making her look pitiful in spite of herself.
Only after a long time did she lift her head to look at Lin Chen. With great grievance, she asked, “You don’t want me anymore?”
Hearing that accusation, Lin Chen’s mind filled with a thousand silent ‘WTF’s’.
Was this child biologically related to him? Had he somehow become legally responsible for her? What did she mean by asking him if he didn’t want her anymore?!
He grumbled inwardly.
Yet looking at her pitiful appearance, he actually felt a faint sense of guilt, as if he had wronged her somehow.
The atmosphere grew tense.
And that was what the assistant director saw when he arrived.
“The child just doesn’t want to go home. She’s throwing a tantrum.” Zhang Qi explained again, glancing at Lin Nuonuo still clutching the pillar.
Like this, anyone who knew the situation would understand she was being fussy about going home. But anyone who didn’t might think they were kidnapping her or trafficking her.
“Assistant Director Chen, what brings you here?” Chen Yi quickly shifted the topic.
“Oh, right. Since the schedule was shuffled, the scenes for Mo Hai and Mo Bei were moved forward. The child actor originally cast as Mo Bei couldn’t make it in time due to scheduling conflicts. The director’s team is planning to recast. I thought this child looked perfect for the role, so I mentioned it to the director. If possible, I’d like to take her to the back lot for him to take a look.”
After speaking, the assistant director glanced at Lin Nuonuo again, his eyes lighting up.
He had only taken a rough glance earlier, but thought she suited the role. Now that he looked carefully, she suited it even more.
Especially with her looking small, pitiful, and helpless at the moment. She was practically Mo Bei.
The assistant director felt pleasantly surprised, but the three men who heard him felt nothing but dread.
“Mo Bei doesn’t appear much. All her scenes combined could be finished in as fast as three days. It won’t cause trouble. Everything takes place in a single studio, so there’s no need for location changes. And there are no dangerous scenes. Overall, it’s quite simple.” He continued persuading Zhang Qi, the supposed uncle.
“This……” Zhang Qi glanced nervously at Lin Chen and Chen Yi. Receiving a subtle signal from the manager, he forced a troubled expression. “She’s never acted before. I’m afraid it won’t work.”
“It’s perfectly fine.” The assistant director said with a wave. “Playing Mo Bei doesn’t require strong acting skills. As long as the child can show the character’s state and traits, that’s enough. I think she’s great. As for concerns about her personal information, don’t worry. For minors, we have special performance contracts. If needed, we can keep her identity confidential so it won’t affect her studies or life later.” As if afraid Lin Nuonuo would run away, the assistant director piled on more benefits.
When he saw Zhang Qi and the others still looked troubled, he softened and smiled. “Just treat it as an experience. Everything is negotiable.”
But the problem wasn’t whether or not it could be negotiated!
Feeling completely out of sync with the assistant director and unable to make decisions, Zhang Qi felt bleak inside.
Just when the conversation was about to collapse, Lin Nuonuo, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up, “I can do it!”
“What did you say?” The assistant director looked at her.
“Um…… I want to act. Can I try?” She asked on her own behalf.
She didn’t know whether she could actually act, but she knew one thing with absolute clarity— staying there was her only chance to keep following Lin Chen.
“Yes, yes, of course.” Hearing her words, the assistant director smiled.
“You see? She’s interested. Let her try. And we’re only going to let the director take a look.” After speaking, as if afraid the others might fight him for her, he immediately called Lin Nuonuo over and led her into the studio, leaving the three gloomy men behind.
Chen Yi: “……” What shameless move was this?
Zhang Qi: “……” This wasn’t his fault, right?
Both looked at Lin Chen.
Lin Chen gestured to the driver, telling him to wait, then followed with a dark expression.
Walking behind the assistant director, he shot a glance at Lin Nuonuo and muttered so only she could hear, “Letting you go home is letting you die?”
He still couldn’t understand why she refused to return to the Lin family.
Hearing that, Lin Nuonuo stiffened. Sending her back was indeed sending her to her death.
But instead of answering, she murmured, “Maybe I have an inherited talent for acting……”
Lin Chen: “……” Talent? Inherited? From where?
Soon they arrived at the temporary meeting room.
Inside, the director and other assistant directors all brightened when they saw Lin Nuonuo.
It wasn’t that she was exceptionally beautiful, but she simply looked exactly like how they imagined Mo Bei.
“Lao Chen, this is the one you mentioned?”
“Yes, it’s her. Looks great, right?”
“Very good. Let her try a segment.”
A script was brought over, and a page was chosen for Lin Nuonuo.
“Read the third part.”
“Okay.” She accepted it.
The lines were short, and thankfully, she could read all the characters.
“My dad said it…… my mom didn’t abandon me……” She read word by word.
Whether it was ‘dad’ or ‘mom’, both terms felt unfamiliar to her. While she read that part, her voice and tone barely shifted. She injected almost no emotion at all, as if she were simply stating a fact. But paired with the image of Mo Bai in the drama— gravely ill and lying on a hospital bed waiting for death— her delivery happened to fit perfectly.
On top of that, her eyes were still swollen from crying outside, their rims red, giving her a pitiful look that stirred unexpected sympathy.
The director had her read a few more segments. Her diction was clear, she didn’t stumble, and she seemed to recognize most of the characters, which saved quite a bit of trouble.
“Not bad, not bad. She’s the one!” The director decided on the spot.
Assistant Director Chen, however, looked troubled. “There’s still one issue……”
“What issue?”
“This child was brought in by Lin Chen’s assistant. She isn’t a professional child actress, and they seem unwilling to let her take the role……” Assistant Director Chen briefly explained.
“That’s not a problem.”
The director clearly knew better than Assistant Director Chen how to grasp leverage. He immediately called in Lin Chen and his manager and threw out his trump card.
“Moving up Mo Bei’s scenes was something we were forced to do.”
Because of the female lead, the filming progress had been delayed. There was nothing they could do. After all, Xie Yunshan was extremely popular now and had just won a Best Actress award. She was a hot commodity in the industry, and even the production team couldn’t afford to offend her easily.
“As for the child actress for Mo Bei, honestly, we tried our best to find a substitute. Unfortunately, after searching everywhere, we couldn’t find anyone suitable.”
Of course, the director had his own preference. Even if the originally assigned child actress suddenly became available now, he still privately leaned toward choosing Lin Nuonuo for the role.
The previous child actress had solid skills and natural charm, and her grasp of Mo Bei’s character was excellent. But she looked too bright and healthy. She lacked the shadowed, fragile air the role required.
“The crew doesn’t want delays. If this drags on, the entire segment might be affected and even pushed back.” The director let out a dramatic sigh, though a glimmer flashed in his eyes.
He didn’t know Lin Chen’s full schedule, but from the manager’s earlier comments, he sensed that Lin Chen was in a hurry. That was why the crew had arranged all his scenes within these ten days.
And since he knew Lin Chen was pressed for time, the director had leverage.
Sure enough, Lin Chen frowned slightly at those words, and Chen Yi’s expression also softened.
Chen Yi looked at Lin Chen. He was, after all, the child’s actual uncle.
“How many days will Mo Bei’s scenes take?” Lin Chen asked.
“At the fastest, two days.” The director answered.
Hearing that, Lin Chen glanced at Lin Nuonuo, who was sitting upright on a chair nearby, her face tense as she kept sneaking nervous glances in their direction. In the end, he gave Chen Yi a look.
Understanding immediately, Chen Yi hurried to accept the crew’s request on Lin Chen’s— no, on Zhang Qi’s behalf, the scapegoat uncle.
Because Lin Nuonuo was a minor, the current regulations required Chen Yi to act as her temporary manager and sign the performance contract with the crew.
And Zhang Qi suddenly became her temporary assistant as well.
As for the driver waiting outside the set, he was dumbfounded when Lin Chen told him to leave on his own.
“But the child……”
“I’ll handle it.”
Lin Chen’s version of ‘handling it’ was casually sending Lin Chaojiang a message, 【Lin Nuonuo refused to leave the set. The director wants her for two days of filming. Have someone pick her up after two days.】
Lin Chaojiang already disapproved of Lin Chen working in the entertainment industry. Knowing that Lin Nuonuo would be filming for two days made him even angrier. But in the end, he held back and didn’t send anyone to forcibly drag her back to the Lin family.
Because deep down, he had never truly regarded Lin Nuonuo as part of the Lin family, nor as his granddaughter.