“Is there anything else? If not, I’m hanging up.” Lin Chen said to Wei Jinchi.
“Such a long night, and I’m still working overtime for you. Are you really just going to hang up on me? Do you have no conscience at all?” Wei Jinchi said in half-jest.
But once he met Lin Chen’s faintly warning gaze, he caved instantly.
“Ahem, just kidding. There’s nothing serious. You know the contracts. No issues there. A few other projects aren’t a big problem either. We’ll sign them when you’re back.” He said.
“But there’s one more thing……” At this point, Wei Jinchi put away his joking tone, his expression turning serious. “About the EBD project, I think we should be more cautious.”
After all, they had never invested in that field before, and the scale was too large. Personally, he didn’t agree with Lin Chen putting money into it.
But his reminder didn’t shake Lin Chen’s decision.
“I’ll consider it.” Lin Chen ended the call with a brief reply.
Closing his laptop, he looked toward Lin Nuonuo.
Facing Lin Chen’s displeased and clearly impatient expression, her heart skipped a beat.
“Um…… I just want to ask one last question.” She said, then nervously added, “Is that okay?”
Children were definitely not adorable creatures.
That was Lin Chen’s conclusion as he looked at Lin Nuonuo.
Fortunately, he had no children.
He added silently to himself, but still forced out, “Ask.”
“I…… um…… Do I get paid for acting in this show?” She asked as calmly as she could. But when she mentioned money, her bright eyes still betrayed her excitement.
Lin Chen hadn’t expected a kid this young to care so much about money.
After staring at her for a few seconds, he answered, “Yes, but not much. Don’t expect too much.”
She wasn’t a main cast member, and current rules for minors meant she couldn’t be paid much.
He had already seen her contract. She would receive one thousand two hundred yuan per scene, with twelve scenes in total, plus a few scattered shots. After taxes, it came to eighteen thousand yuan.
Compared to other actors, it was indeed nothing.
Lin Nuonuo didn’t know what ‘not much’ meant, but Lin Chen’s tone— casual and slightly dismissive— instantly dimmed her excitement. Her heart sank with disappointment.
“Not much……?” She had thought……
Seeing her pout and look so crestfallen, Lin Chen suddenly found it a little funny.
So he decided to tell her another bit of bad news, “And the money won’t go to you. I’ll send it to the Lin family.”
Of course, he wasn’t going to take her pay, but giving it directly to her also didn’t seem appropriate. So he had already told his manager. Once he received her payment, he would transfer it straight to Butler Wang’s account.
What the Lin family would do with the money afterward had nothing to do with him.
If the kid was money-greedy, disappointment was inevitable.
Sure enough, when she heard that, her face collapsed instantly.
“No!” She blurted anxiously, on the verge of tears. “Can you not send the money to the Lin family?” She asked.
“Why?” Lin Chen asked calmly.
“Because……” Because she didn’t trust them!
But she didn’t know how to explain it to him, so she bit her lip in silence.
After a moment, she looked at him again. “Can you keep the money for me? Please don’t send it to the Lin family.”
Even if it wasn’t much, she could save it with him. Once she saved up three thousand, she could take him for a DNA test.
“……”
Lin Chen had no idea what Lin Nuonuo was actually thinking.
He didn’t like how concerned a child this young was about money, but when he met her tense, pleading eyes, his heart softened against his will. He nodded. “Fine.”
“Thank you, da— mm— you!” She said, bursting with joy.
Having decided to reciprocate, she finally stopped bothering him.
For now.
……
When Lin Chen finished showering and walked out of the bathroom, he saw Lin Nuonuo bouncing excitedly on the makeshift bed he had set up, hugging her script and work pass, muttering something to herself.
Lin Chen: “……”
He recalled the servants’ descriptions— timid, quiet, dull, introverted.
He had seen none of that.
Just then, the little girl, still immersed in her joy over earning money and ‘being able to stay with her dad’, finally noticed Lin Chen. She froze like she had been caught committing a crime, then she dived under the blanket with a whoosh.
Watching her curl up like an ostrich, Lin Chen was speechless, but also faintly amused.
“If you’re not going to sleep, go stand outside. We start at eight-thirty tomorrow morning. If you can’t wake up, that’s on you.” He said coldly.
“Um, I’m already asleep.” Her muffled voice came from under the blanket.
Lin Chen: “……” Had she never learned the term ‘self-deception’?
He ignored her and returned to his room to sleep.
Lin Nuonuo stayed under the blanket for a while, then— whether from drowsiness or boredom— drifted off as well.
She slept deeply that night, without the nightmares. There were no scenes of the Lin family turning into monsters and trying to eat her.
────ρя
This translation is by Pocketrobbin at S h a n g h a i f a n t a s y . c o m
Early the next morning, Lin Chen woke on time. Passing through the living room, he glanced at the sofa.
Lin Nuonuo was already up. The bedding was neatly folded at one end of the couch. It surprised him, but not enough for him to comment.
Until he entered the bathroom, and he froze.
His toothbrush already had toothpaste on it, and the cup was filled with water. His towel was warmed and damp. His comb, razor, and hand towel were lined up in a row.
There were only two people in the room. He didn’t need to guess who did it.
He forced down the strange discomfort, washed up quickly, and stepped out.
Looking around, he soon spotted Lin Nuonuo. She was half-hidden behind the sofa, peeking out, her expression begging for praise.
His expression darkened.
It was his first time experiencing what it felt like to be treated as completely incapable of basic self-care. How ‘delightful’.
She realized he didn’t intend to praise her, but she followed him anyway.
“Do you want water? I poured some for you! And breakfast!”
She said it proudly, as if presenting treasures.
At the word ‘breakfast’, Lin Chen glanced toward the dining area, curious what the child could possibly have prepared.
But when he saw it, he fell silent again.
It was the same leftover pastries she had eaten yesterday, just placed on two plates.
He withdrew his gaze in disgust and walked off.
“You’re not eating? It’s really good.”
“If it’s good, eat it yourself. Get ready to leave.” He said as he returned to his bedroom.
“Oh.”
Lin Nuonuo had brought no luggage when she came, so there was nothing to pack.
After finishing her own breakfast and tidying her hair, she followed him out.
……
Soon, Lin Nuonuo arrived at the set with Lin Chen and Zhang Qi.
Unlike her ‘unregistered visitor’ status yesterday, today she wore an official staff badge around her neck. She was now a real crew member.
The staff member who had met them yesterday came to greet them again.
“Good morning, Teacher Lin.”
After greeting Lin Chen, she looked at Lin Nuonuo standing behind him. One glance was enough to know who the little girl was.
“This is the child playing Mo Bei, right?”
“Yes.”
She nodded, then said, “Make-up and costume are ready. Let’s head to the dressing room. After makeup, we can start the first scene of the day.”
They had two scenes that morning. The first was a father-daughter scene between Mo Hai and Mo Bei. The second was a scene between Mo Hai and the male lead, who played Mo Bei’s attending physician. In that one, the little girl was just a background character.
……
Lin Nuonuo didn’t do makeup with Lin Chen. A staff member led her to the women’s dressing room.
Her makeup artist was a young woman.
After a simple chat and instructions not to move during makeup, the makeup artist began preparing.
Her assistant arrived carrying several boxes.
The moment the assistant saw the little girl, her eyes lit up.
“This is the new Mo Bei?” She asked.
After confirmation, she scanned the child up and down in amazement. “The casting team really nailed it. We barely need to do anything.”
In the script, Mo Bei was a terminal leukemia patient, already emaciated beyond recognition.
The previous child actress had been healthy and a bit chubby. The makeup team had needed great effort to create a sickly look.
But Lin Nuonuo was already thin— far thinner than the average child. A bit of shadowing was enough to match the character perfectly.
Her complexion and hair already looked like long-term malnutrition, saving even more work.
“We really lucked out. Easiest job ever.” The assistant laughed.
The makeup artist didn’t say it aloud, but her expression agreed.
“Let’s try it out.”
She applied a pale, ashen base to dull the little girl’s complexion, added shadows to make her look more gaunt, then drew in the finer details.
The little girl stayed perfectly still the whole time.
Because of that, the already simple makeup took even less time.
Once the look was done, Lin Nuonuo changed into the hospital gown and put on a cap.
In less than an hour, she went from a child who ‘wasn’t very luck’ to a child who ‘doesn’t have much longer to live’.
The makeup artist and assistant were thrilled.
A staff member then took Lin Nuonuo to the set.
Everyone was already in place, preparing for the shoot.
The director and assistant directors sat before the monitors. When they saw Lin Nuonuo, all of them paused, then visibly lit up.
They had expected her look to suit Mo Bei’s character well, but seeing the final result still stunned them.
She was Mo Bei.
Just then, Lin Chen arrived in costume— messy hair, worn jeans, and a shabby hoodie.
Standing together, the pair looked like a genuinely destitute father and daughter relying on each other.
He noticed her waiting obediently.
When he saw her ‘about to die any minute’ makeup, his brows tightened instinctively. He knew it was for the role, yet still felt a faint, inexplicable pang of sympathy.
Until she grinned at him, showing that familiar, slightly flattering, slightly silly smile.
Whatever sympathy he had felt vanished instantly.