“What on earth is going on? I was completely out of it while filming just now.” After wrapping up the morning shoot, Jiang Wei was still grumbling. She had no desire to be the lead at all. “Tell me, what happened to the original male lead?”
Cheng Luo shook her head. “I am not sure.”
“You do not think he bought yesterday’s trending searches, do you?” Jiang Wei lowered her voice, though her tone could not hide her shock.
“I doubt it. There is no benefit in it for him.” Cheng Luo’s impression of Lin Qingze was that he was a bit blunt and slow-witted; he did not seem like the scheming type.
Jiang Wei wagged a finger with a profound look on her face. “You never know.”
The two fell into silence for a moment until Jiang Wei suddenly cried out, “Ah! Should the director not give me a raise? Why has he not mentioned it to me!”
Cheng Luo: “…”
Immediately, Jiang Wei rushed off to contact her agent, sending them in to handle the negotiations.
Since they were filming in a remote, desolate area, the actors usually returned to the hotel at noon to eat and rest before heading back for the afternoon session. Cheng Luo was no exception, but today, just as she got into her car, her phone—which had been quiet all day—began to ring.
“Baddie calling! Baddie calling!”
Cheng Luo stared at the caller ID, which read “Ex-Wife,” and thought to herself: Has the contact not been a bit too frequent these past few days? Why is she calling again?
Despite her internal grumbling, her finger swiped the screen a second later.
“Hello? What is it?”
The voice on the other end was not Zhai Qing’s, but a child’s voice thick with sobs. “Mama, I am sorry. I should not have said those things.”
Hearing her daughter’s trembling voice broke Cheng Luo’s heart. She hurried to soothe her gently. “Do not cry, baby. It was Mommy’s fault yesterday. I should not have been mean to you. And I was actually very surprised that you know so many words. It was my mistake. I hope Nono can forgive Mommy. I am sorry.”
“Cough, cough.” Children tend to cough when they cry too hard. Nono had been crying for a long time before making the call, and now she was genuinely coughing. All Cheng Luo could do was listen through the phone to that frail, kitten-like sound. “Nono, Nono! Cough slowly. Is there anyone with you?”
Just as Cheng Luo was wishing she could teleport to Nono’s side, the coughing gradually subsided. A reassuring voice appeared, and the sound of comfort traveled through the phone into Cheng Luo’s ear.
“In through your nose, out through your mouth. Have some water.”
Inexplicably, an image formed in Cheng Luo’s mind: Zhai Qing, dressed in a sharp professional suit with her sleeves rolled up to her elbows, with their daughter leaning against her arm while she gently patted the girl’s soft back. She was a woman of few words, but her actions provided a total sense of security.
“Is she okay now?” Cheng Luo asked, unable to sit still as the other side went quiet.
“She is fine now,” Zhai Qing’s voice replied.
“Oh. Is Nono still there?”
“Yes, she can hear you.”
“I am sorry, baby. Can you forgive Mama?” As Cheng Luo spoke, she could hear her ex-wife’s breathing near the receiver. She tried her best to ignore the slight awkwardness. “Nono, wait until next month. I will take some leave and come back to see you, okay? I will take you to the amusement park.”
“Okay!”
Hearing the clear joy in Nono’s voice, Cheng Luo finally felt relieved, but she still cautioned, “Nono tends to get a fever at night after crying too much. Please keep an eye on her.”
“I know.”
Silence passed for a few seconds before Cheng Luo asked somewhat unnaturally, “Is Nono still there?”
“She went to the bathroom.”
“About the other day, I did not mean to falsely accuse you. You did not take it to heart, did you?”
Zhai Qing’s finger absentmindedly tapped a glass nearby, the crisp sound echoing through the empty room. “No.”
“That is good then. I will not bother you anymore. If Nono misses me, just send me a message. If there is nothing else, I will hang up.” Cheng Luo counted to ten in her head; when no response came from the other side, she hung up.
Cheng Luo leaned back against the seat, exhausted. She asked listlessly, “Xiao Xi, the crew has three days off next month, right?”
“Yes. Sis, are you going back to stay with Nono?”
“Yeah. There is still a month to go. Just thinking about it is agonizing!” The only downside to this drama was that the lead had too many scenes; she was in almost every single one. Filming like this for a month was truly draining.
“Sis, I will make some chicken soup for you when we get back to nourish your body. My soup is delicious; anyone who tastes it never forgets the flavor.”
“How do you know how to make soup? You are so young, yet you know how to do everything.” Cheng Luo tilted her head back in surprise, looking at Xiao Xi in the driver’s seat.
“Ha, it is nothing special. Back then, I had a boyfriend who was studying for his postgraduate entrance exams. He studied late every night, so I learned how to stew soup for him.”
Cheng Luo patted her shoulder understandingly. “It is okay, Xiao Xi. What kind of handsome guys do you like? I will introduce some to you.”
“No need, Sis.” When Xiao Xi heard this, the corners of her mouth twitched awkwardly, looking very much like someone hiding a secret romance.
Cheng Luo’s inner gossip-monger caught fire. She leaned toward the front row, her eyes sharp as she stared at her assistant’s reddening face. “Something is going on! Who is it? Who is it?”
“No, nobody. You do not know them.”
“Really? If I do not know them, that is even more reason to tell me! Since I do not know him, I can help you analyze the situation!”
In the end, the little assistant shut her mouth tight. No matter what tricks Cheng Luo tried, she would not reveal a word. Cheng Luo could only sit back in disappointment.
After returning to the hotel, she finally saw a message from her agent.
Agent: Out on business, just saw the message. The trending search was not the company’s doing.
Cheng Luo: Oh. The male lead has been replaced.
Agent: I have looked at the script. It does not affect you much; in fact, your character has more highlight scenes now.
Agent: Focus on filming. This drama should get a good response. IMPORTANT: No scandals!
Cheng Luo looked at those exclamation marks and replied very seriously.
Cheng Luo: This time was a pure accident. We still do not know who took the secret photos. It was just a normal interaction between actors on set.
Agent: It is NOT normal! Stay away from men! And women too!
Whenever the topic of scandals came up, her agent became like a relic of a feudal era, determined to kill off any normal social interaction. It was as if they wanted her to wear a protective shield that kept everyone at least five meters away.
Cheng Luo: Understood. [Image: Keeping myself pure.jpg]
As Cheng Luo lay on the sofa to digest her lunch, the doorbell rang. Xiao Xi had gone back to rest, so she was alone. Cheng Luo put on her slippers to go open the door.
However, right before opening it, she suddenly remembered her agent’s words. She hesitated and looked through the peephole first: a person in a green jacket was standing at the door holding something, anxiously pressing the doorbell from time to time.
Once she saw his face, Cheng Luo was bewildered. Why was Lin Qingze here again? Thank goodness she had not opened the door impulsively.
She asked through the door, “What is it? What are you looking for me for?”
“Teacher Cheng Luo, could you please open the door? I want to apologize to you in person. I caused you trouble again last time.”
The best apology would be you not coming here at all, Cheng Luo thought silently.
“No need. I forgive you. Please leave quickly!”
“Teacher Cheng Luo, how can that be? I will just apologize to your face. I will not go inside.”
“No, it is not convenient!” Cheng Luo was getting angry now, annoyed by how oblivious this person was. She left him with a final “I am not opening the door, go back,” and walked away. Returning to the bedroom, she put on headphones to block out all sound.
Outside the door, Lin Qingze knocked for a while longer. Seeing that the person inside truly was not going to open up, he walked dejectedly to the nearby fire escape. “Bro, she will not open the door.”
The man on the other end of the line immediately scolded him, frustrated by his incompetence. “You are useless! You cannot even handle a small thing like this. Do you have any idea how much a single photo sells for!”
“I am sorry, Bro. But is this not a bit wrong?”
“What is ‘wrong’ or ‘right’? The company can barely put food on the table! Do you really think you are going to become famous just by acting in one drama? Keep dreaming!” The man cursed a few more times before hanging up.
The security camera mounted on the wall silently and clearly recorded every word of their conversation.
In a building over a thousand kilometers away, Zhai Qing tapped her finger, pausing the video playing on her computer. Her brows were knit into a deep frown as she sank into thought.
Back in her bedroom, Cheng Luo did not feel any more relaxed. Instead, she felt something was off. He insisted on her opening the door to apologize; was he really not aware of the recent situation? The more she thought about it, the more creeped out she became. She quickly took out her phone to find her agent.
Cheng Luo: !!! Lin Qingze was just at my door, insisting I open it. Thinking back, it is a bit scary.
This time, the agent replied instantly.
Agent: Stay away from him lately. When you go out, make sure your assistant is with you. You must avoid being alone with him at all costs.
Cheng Luo: You do not think he directed and acted out that trending search himself, do you? I could not tell.
Agent: What could that little brain of yours possibly see? Do not worry, just film as usual. If anyone else knocks, ask who it is before opening. Be careful.
Cheng Luo: Understood. [Image: Good girl.jpg]
Less than a minute after she put her phone down, the doorbell rang again. Cheng Luo was terrified he had doubled back. What if he tried to break in? While her mind raced with wild thoughts, she slowly shuffled to the door and checked the peephole as usual: it was her assistant with the soup.
“Sis, were you asleep? Why did it take so long to open the door?” the assistant asked casually as she entered.
Seeing a familiar face, Cheng Luo felt much more grounded. She recounted what had just happened.
Xiao Xi’s eyes widened. To be honest, she had a good impression of Lin Qingze too; she had not expected him to be so persistent. She hurriedly placed the steaming chicken soup on the table. “Sis, drink some soup to calm your nerves. It is fresh off the stove and still hot.”
Cheng Luo drank a whole bowl. The warm soup traveled down her throat to her stomach, and only then did she finally feel comfortable.