After finding another restroom, Li Chu felt the world was a beautiful and peaceful place.
Before leaving, Li Chu specifically glanced at the room where the male lead had been. The door was closed, and nothing seemed amiss. As she walked past, only a faint lingering scent of pheromones remained in the air, suggesting he had already left.
Li Chu didn’t know if this incident was part of the original plot, but she didn’t care either way. She wanted to avoid any interaction with the male lead because she couldn’t shake the subtle feeling that she had cheated on him. It wasn’t really her fault, though. If anyone was to blame, it was the “Turn-You-Into-an-Omega” water.
Li Chu wandered around for a bit longer before finally heading out, where she saw Tang Congnan pushing his way through the crowd towards her.
“Where did you go? I’ve been looking all over for you.” The anxiety on Tang Congnan’s face eased as he gave Li Chu a look, like a parent scolding a troublesome child.
“Restroom,” Li Chu answered truthfully. She had been to the restroom, even if the journey there had been a bit… eventful.
“Oh, Brother Nan, I just got a producer’s business card. He said he wants me to act in a drama…”
“Who? Let me see.” Tang Congnan’s expression immediately changed, now looking at Li Chu like a proud parent.
Li Chu showed him the contact information and recounted what the producer had said.
After two hours at the cocktail party, Tang Congnan and Li Chu returned to the car. Once inside, both of them breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed into their seats.
Tang Congnan was a bit tipsy. Qian Duoduo handed him the hangover remedy she had prepared earlier. The driver started the car and headed towards Li Chu’s home.
“Sister Li, I’ve already cleaned your place and timed the bath for you. It’ll be ready when you get back,” the thoughtful assistant Qian Duoduo said, earning an appreciative look from Li Chu.
Li Chu took out her phone and, after a moment of thought, sent a message to Ning Manqing.
【Xiao Chu】：Teacher Ning, I was at the cocktail party today, and someone came up to me, said they were a fan, and asked if filming had wrapped on set.
【Xiao Chu】：I felt something was off about it. I found out from someone else that he’s the Ning family’s young master.
【Xiao Chu】：I’m not very familiar with the Ning family, but judging by his tone, he seems pretty influential.
【Xiao Chu】：It’s such a coincidence that he shares your last name, Teacher Ning.
Apart from those in her circle and those connected to her family, most people in the industry believed Ning Manqing was just a regular acting graduate with no significant background. Li Chu was cautious about these matters and didn’t directly reveal that she knew Ning Manqing’s true status.
Ning Manqing didn’t reply. Li Chu assumed she was busy. The message had been sent, and Ning Manqing would see it eventually. That was enough.
Li Chu yawned. She was also a little tipsy and felt drowsy in the warmth of the car. Since they weren’t home yet, she tried to stay awake. Propping her chin on her hand, she scrolled through her WeChat Moments out of boredom and came across Bai Wu’s post.
【Bai Wu】：I’m coming for the New Year’s Eve event! A certain someone absolutely refuses to leave work and is still deeply in love with their job, so I’m going by myself!
Attached was a selfie. Her makeup was different from the day Li Chu had met her. Anyone who saw it would call her a hottie.
Li Chu commented below, curiously asking who it was. She guessed it might be Bai Wu’s partner. After all, the wording was quite intimate. But if it was her partner, it seemed odd that they wouldn’t be attending the New Year’s Eve event together.
A notification popped up. Li Chu was surprised that Bai Wu had replied so quickly.
Bai Wu replied to Xiao Chu: Your Teacher Ning~
Li Chu stared at the reply, speechless for a good while. No wonder the male lead in the original story saw Bai Wu as his number one rival and was constantly jealous of her. Bai Wu was worthy.
Bai Wu was abroad, and based on her post, so was Ning Manqing. Li Chu felt a little uneasy. It wasn’t because of Bai Wu or Ning Manqing, but because of herself. She knew Ning Manqing was busy and hadn’t asked what she was doing, thinking it wasn’t necessary. She still felt it wasn’t necessary, but the feeling of not knowing anything about Ning Manqing’s whereabouts or what she was up to left her with a restless sense of loss. Strange , Li Chu thought.
No wonder Ning Manqing hadn’t replied to her message yet. She must be busy.
Just then, Li Chu arrived home. She waved goodbye to Tang Congnan and Qian Duoduo, wrapped her coat tighter around herself, and got out of the car. Underneath her coat, she was still wearing her evening gown. The exposed skin of her legs below her knees was hit by the cold wind, jolting her awake. She quickened her pace towards home.
Closing the door behind her, shutting out the cold, Li Chu changed into a bathrobe, hung her gown on a hanger, and hurried to the bathroom for a soak. The bathwater was just the right temperature, infused with rose essential oil. Li Chu sank in with a contented sigh.
The warmth of the water relaxed her further. Her thoughts drifted: what Ning Manqing was doing, whether she had replied to her message, whether saving Mu Xiao would have any repercussions, and then back to the script. Her mind wandered until the water began to cool. Li Chu dragged her now-pruned body out of the bath and into bed, where she saw several unread messages and missed calls on her phone.
Slightly more alert now, she quickly called back. The call connected almost immediately.
“Teacher Ning, I didn’t see your calls. I was taking a bath,” Li Chu said, her voice soft and languid, as if soaked in warm water.
“That’s good. I thought you might have gotten drunk at the party.” Ning Manqing’s voice was laced with relief. She wasn’t usually so anxious, but seeing Li Chu’s message mentioning Ning Yuxi had worried her, and she’d called several times out of concern.
“No, I didn’t drink much. I got home half an hour ago.” Although she knew the person on the other end couldn’t see her, Li Chu subconsciously shook her head.
“The person you met is my younger brother. Your instincts were right; he’s not a good person. Stay away from him next time.” Ning Manqing listened to Li Chu’s voice, which, though tinged with sleepiness, sounded clear enough. She reiterated her warning. Ning Yuxi had always been against her. She usually ignored his petty attempts to sabotage her, but if he dared to lay a finger on Li Chu, she wouldn’t let him off the hook.
“Okay, I understand.” Li Chu replied. That young master was full of tricks. She would definitely keep her distance.
Hearing Li Chu’s response, Ning Manqing felt the urge to reach through the phone and caress her face, kiss her lips. Tao Tao was always so obedient, never asking questions, so docile that it melted her heart. It satisfied her well-hidden possessiveness and desire for control, intensifying her urge to hide her little treasure away. But hiding her away was something she could only dream of.
“Teacher Ning, are you still busy? It’s New Year’s Eve. Aren’t you going to any events?”
“What did you call me? I can’t hear you.” Ning Manqing persistently corrected Li Chu’s address, her voice traveling across the ocean, carrying a hint of tenderness.
“Manqing,” Li Chu’s voice dropped to a whisper, a wave of uncontrollable embarrassment washing over her. It was strange. It was just Ning Manqing’s name, not “dear,” not “baby,” and certainly not “wife.” Why did she feel so embarrassed?
Li Chu was grateful for the phone separating them, so Ning Manqing couldn’t see her blushing.
“I have some unfinished business here. As for New Year’s Eve events, I’m not particularly interested.” Ning Manqing chuckled, answering Li Chu’s question. Just as Li Chu was about to reply, Ning Manqing added, “Unless it’s with you. Then I’d be very interested.”
Li Chu thought, So bad . Even over the phone, she was trying to flirt with her.
“We should go see a concert together sometime, get front-row seats,” Li Chu said with a smile, still thinking about Ming Zhi’s concert.
“There’s no singer you like performing tonight for New Year’s Eve.” Despite being abroad, Ning Manqing had been paying attention. She had checked the program lists for various channels and hadn’t seen the singer Li Chu liked. She had even made inquiries.
“Oh? Really? I saw something online and thought she would be performing. It’s impossible she wouldn’t be invited.” Li Chu was surprised.
“I heard she had some vocal cord issues, but the source isn’t necessarily reliable. It’s also possible she’s just busy.”
“Mm-hmm.” A singer’s voice was crucial. Li Chu was a little worried, but she knew her worrying wouldn’t change anything. She could only hope it wasn’t true.
“Sleepy, Tao Tao?”
“A little,” Li Chu said, then yawned. “Maybe a little more than a little.”
“Then get some rest.”
“What about you?”
“It’s still early here.”
“Mmm…” Li Chu hesitated, drawing out the sound. She didn’t want to hang up. Lying in her comfortable bed, wrapped in her fluffy pajamas, she felt reluctant. Finally, she said, “You should get some rest too.”
Ning Manqing seemed to sense her reluctance and asked tentatively, “How about we stay on the line until you fall asleep? I’ll hang up then.”
Li Chu hesitated for a moment, then, unable to refuse, said, “Will that bother you?”
Ning Manqing chuckled. “Not at all. Think of it as keeping me company while I work.”
“So, I’ll just… fall asleep like this?”
“Good night.”
“Good night~” Li Chu’s voice was sweet. She placed her phone beside her and closed her eyes.
Ning Manqing muted her microphone to avoid the sound of her typing disturbing Li Chu’s sleep. Putting on her headphones, she listened to the faint sound of Li Chu’s breathing as she continued to work.
The long night grew warm and humid thanks to the indoor heating. As day turned to night, the new year officially began.
When Li Chu woke up, she saw the call had lasted for six hours. She silently prayed she hadn’t been grinding her teeth or talking in her sleep. I probably didn’t , she thought. A beauty like me wouldn’t do such things!
She sent Ning Manqing a good morning message, got out of bed, washed up, and made a quick breakfast of frozen wontons.
The doorbell rang. Li Chu assumed it was Qian Duoduo or Tang Congnan. Opening the door, she found a strange man standing there.
“Hello, Miss Li. I’m President Mu’s secretary. I apologize for this unannounced visit. I’m here to express our gratitude.”
The secretary spoke for a while. Li Chu mentally translated his polite speech: he was thanking her for what happened yesterday and hoped she wouldn’t spread the story around.
“I was just helping someone out. You don’t have to thank me specifically.” Li Chu waved her hand dismissively. She wasn’t surprised Mu Xiao had managed to find her; after all, she had used her own phone.
The secretary smiled and handed her a gift. “There’s 6,666,600 yuan on this card. A lucky number.”
At that moment, the card in Li Chu’s eyes seemed to glow. Li Chu decided that from now on, she would remember the name of every male lead in every novel she read.
If you’d like to read ahead and support me, you can request extra chapters or get the full novel as an EPUB.
