Even after getting off the plane, Li Chu still hadn’t seen a reply from Ning Manqing.
【Xiao Chu】：Still busy?
【Xiao Chu】：I wrapped up filming!
【Xiao Chu】：This role is really interesting, and I think my scenes will require a lot of special effects, hahahaha
【Xiao Chu】：The final scene was where I met the male and female leads in danger in a secret realm, and then I helped them by releasing a giant treasure snake. My acting without any props was so cool, the director and everyone said I did a great job.
Li Chu typed non-stop, but she never saw the “typing…” indicator on the other end. Figuring Ning Manqing must still be busy, she dejectedly stopped her chatter.
Puffing out her cheeks, Li Chu let out a sigh and got into Tang Congnan’s car.
“You have a few commercial performances lined up. I checked with Director Ji, he’s still editing and polishing the film. Zhong Yue’s Cheese-Flavored Love is about to be broadcast on satellite TV, and she’ll probably try to drag you down again to boost herself. Don’t worry about any of that.”
Seeing Li Chu’s poor complexion, Tang Congnan turned up the car’s air conditioning.
“Isn’t Zhong Yue’s team aiming for the summer season? Now isn’t the best time for traffic, is it?” Li Chu asked, surprised. That drama had started filming around the same time as hers, and Zhong Yue should have finished a bit earlier.
Idol romance dramas like that usually aired during the summer break, as the target audience was mostly teenagers and young adults. Shows had a higher chance of becoming popular then, often creating “summer-limited boyfriends/girlfriends.”
“This year’s summer season is going to be very competitive. Maybe they’re trying to avoid the risk. You might be entering a bloodbath, but hopefully, you’ll emerge victorious.” Tang Congnan thought for a moment before replying. He felt it was better to be safe. Rather than getting lost in the summer season’s competition, it was better to air early and gain some initial buzz.
Just like the historical idol drama Black Gold Entertainment was investing in this year. Filming had started recently and was progressing rapidly, also aiming for a summer release.
“Bah, bah, you’ll definitely come out on top. Our precious must become a huge star.” Tang Congnan corrected himself, looking at Li Chu’s face. “Why don’t you go back and rest? You look like you haven’t slept well. It’s getting late anyway. Eat something and sleep. I’ll pick you up tomorrow.”
Li Chu nodded and took out her phone to check her messages. Ning Manqing still hadn’t replied.
After arriving home, Li Chu first took a bath. Qian Duoduo had brought her food and placed it in a thermal container.
“Sister, I’ve tidied up your room. I’ll be going now,” Qian Duoduo said from outside the bathroom. Li Chu responded with a hum.
Her gaze fell on the small table beside the bathtub. Her phone lay face-up on the table, screen still dark, no new messages.
After soaking for a while, Li Chu stood up from the water, drying herself and grabbing her pajamas.
Suddenly, her phone dinged. Ignoring her still-dripping arms, Li Chu walked to the table. Seeing the name on the screen, she listlessly paused her drying and continued after putting on her pajamas.
The message was from Zheng Ru, expressing regret for not being able to celebrate Li Chu’s wrap-up with a meal. Li Chu replied that they would definitely do it next time.
Li Chu went to the living room, took out the food from the thermal container, and ate while checking her phone. She wanted to send something to Ning Manqing, but felt that constantly messaging when she knew the other person was busy would be annoying. So she did nothing, just refreshed her message list and half-heartedly scrolled through her Moments feed.
Ming Zhi had posted pictures of her cooking. Li Chu liked the post and left a comment. Unexpectedly, Ming Zhi messaged her a while later.
【Sister Zhizhi】：Come over to my place for a meal when you’re free. Do you have anything scheduled recently?
Ming Zhi’s message energized Li Chu, and she started replying.
【Xiao Chu】：I just finished filming yesterday. I think I have some commercial performances, events, and endorsements coming up. I haven’t chosen a new script yet.
【Sister Zhizhi】：Then you should be able to squeeze in a meal. What do you like to eat? I’ll make it for you before you come.
【Xiao Chu】：I love everything, I’m not picky, hehe!
【Xiao Chu】：Sister Zhizhi, aren’t you busy lately? I thought you’d have a packed schedule.
【Sister Zhizhi】：I’m preparing for my concert in Linlan next month. Are you coming?
A concert!!!
【Xiao Chu】：You had me at concert! Ahhhhh, I really want to hear you live!!!
【Sister Zhizhi】：Okay, I’ll give you a front-row ticket. Do you have any friends who want to come along?
Li Chu initially wanted to say yes, but then she thought that Ning Manqing wouldn’t have time next month, so she decided against it.
【Xiao Chu】：No, hahaha. Sister Zhizhi, if you’re willing to give me two more tickets, that’d be great too. Free tickets are always fun.
【Sister Zhizhi】：Alright, alright, you can have them.
【Xiao Chu】：Love you! Hehe!
Overjoyed, Li Chu immediately shared her excitement with Ning Manqing, but there was still no reply. The message seemed to have sunk without a trace.
Before going to bed, Li Chu still hadn’t seen a message. Thinking about the heavy rain in Ningsu and Ning Manqing’s potential “accident-prone” protagonist status, she immediately started searching online.
There had indeed been heavy rain and accidents in Ningsu, but none of them seemed related to Ning Manqing.
Li Chu sighed, sent Ning Manqing a goodnight message, and succumbed to sleep.
Perhaps because she was preoccupied with it, Li Chu dreamt of Ning Manqing replying to her messages and woke up abruptly.
The sky outside was still dark. Li Chu fumbled for her phone, squinting as she unlocked it. It was 3:49 AM. Li Chu glanced at the screen and immediately sat up, turning on the bedside lamp. She clicked on the message, making sure she wasn’t seeing things.
03:36
【Ning Manqing】：Congratulations on wrapping up filming!
【Ning Manqing】：Next month’s concert, your dream will come true!
【Ning Manqing】：Sweet dreams.
Unable to resist, Li Chu sent a message back, her tone laced with a hint of complaint.
【Xiao Chu】：Teacher Ning, why are you so busy until this hour? It’s been almost two days.
From yesterday afternoon to almost 4 AM now, it was practically two full days.
Two minutes later, a reply came.
【Ning Manqing】：I got caught in the rain the day before yesterday and had a cold, so I didn’t get to check my messages.
【Ning Manqing】：Are you replying at this hour because you suddenly woke up?
【Xiao Chu】：Yeah, I had a dream. Is the cold serious? Did you see a doctor?
Li Chu didn’t mention the content of her dream. She wanted to video call, but worried it would be too forward, so she typed her concern instead.
In a hospital room in Ningsu Town, Ran Yanru watched in stunned silence as her friend, with unwavering dedication, typed messages on her phone with a gentle expression. She felt a sense of bewildered disbelief.
The doctor had just checked on Ning Manqing and said her recovery was going well. With a few more days of rest, the wound on her back would heal, and the mild concussion just required rest.
Although she knew there wasn’t much to worry about, did Ning Manqing have to be so nonchalant? “The police still haven’t gotten a confession. Can you be a little more concerned? Someone was trying to kill you! Have you offended anyone recently? Could it have been your family?”
“It wasn’t them. I have a pretty good idea who it was,” Ning Manqing said calmly, sending a cat emoji to Li Chu.
“I also don’t think it was your family. It’s not time for a complete fallout yet. They wouldn’t resort to this. Besides, Ning Haoyuan’s main target is Ning Yunzhi right now. But I’m afraid if you get involved, they might form an alliance.”
Compared to Bai Wu, Ran Yanru knew more about Ning Manqing’s family situation. Bai Wu and her family had long since left the Yunzhou circle, but Ran Yanru was still in it.
Ning Manqing raised an eyebrow in agreement with Ran Yanru’s words and continued messaging Li Chu.
“You have an idea who it was? Tell me about it.” Ran Yanru was impatient. Ning Manqing’s calm demeanor was making her anxious. It was a classic case of the emperor not being anxious, but the eunuch being in a frenzy. Ning Manqing was lying in the hospital, relaxed and carefree, while Ran Yanru was beside herself with worry.
The smile on Ning Manqing’s face faded slightly, and she coldly uttered a name: “Yu Feiming.”
Ran Yanru was taken aback. The name sounded familiar, but not quite. She couldn’t place who it was.
After a while, she finally remembered. “Isn’t that the owner of Fu Yu Entertainment? The former boss of that Omega actress you worked with? Why would he target you? Is he crazy? Doesn’t he know who you are?” Ran Yanru couldn’t believe it. “When did you two become enemies? Why didn’t I know about this?”
“Last year.”
“Last year?” Ran Yanru raised her voice, emphasizing, “Although there’s a lot about your dealings I don’t know, you should at least tell me about these industry matters. Respect my role as your agent, let me handle it.” Then she suddenly realized something. “Right, hasn’t Fu Yu been in trouble recently? It seems like the company is about to collapse, and his family is facing a financial crisis…” Ran Yanru’s eyes widened. “Did you do this?”
Ning Manqing nodded, a hint of regret in her voice. “Unfortunately, there was a slight slip-up when I dealt with him. He actually found out about me.”
“But he seems to have miscalculated. I’ve already cleaned up the loose ends.”
Ning Manqing hadn’t personally dealt with him, but someone involved had made a mistake, allowing Yu Feiming to see her. Yu Feiming assumed it was some unknown person targeting him, and that she had some connection to this person. So he tried to plead with her, but she ‘innocently’ refused.
Yu Feiming had already been arrested. This attack was likely his revenge before going to jail, a desperate attempt to lash out, though not entirely baseless.
“Are you sure the news of my injury has been contained?” Ning Manqing looked at Ran Yanru, asking again after waking up.
“It should be fine. I’ve taken care of it. This won’t surface publicly.”
Ning Manqing nodded, relieved, and sent a message.
【Ning Manqing】：My cold is completely gone now. Don’t worry.
【Ning Manqing】：Happy cat.jpg
Seeing the message, Li Chu breathed a sigh of relief and went back to sleep.
The next morning, Li Chu received an anonymous call from Yunzhou on her private number. Puzzled, she answered.
“Hello?”
“Hello, is this Li Chu?”
The male voice was unfamiliar, but since he knew her name, she responded and tentatively asked, “Who is this?”
“We’ve met before. I’m a fan of yours. I’m Ning Yuxi. We exchanged business cards before.”
“…Hello. Is there something I can help you with?” Li Chu immediately became wary upon hearing the voice of the villainous younger brother. The business card she gave out wasn’t even for this number.
“You’ve worked with my sister before, so you must be quite familiar with her. My sister is Ning Manqing!”
“Oh, oh, Teacher Ning is your sister?” Li Chu feigned surprise, her brow furrowing.
“I hope my sister is alright. I heard she was injured the day before yesterday, falling down a mountain. I can’t reach her, and I don’t know where she is. I hope she’s okay.”
He sounded concerned, but the schadenfreude in his tone was barely concealed.
Li Chu’s mind buzzed. She tried to remain calm. “I’m sorry, but as far as I know, Teacher Ning is fine.”
“Tsk, it seems your relationship isn’t that close after all. Forget it.” The person on the other end hung up listlessly, leaving Li Chu with a dial tone.
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