Li Chu’s alternate account was called “Mind Your Own Business, Beauty.” To prevent this account from being linked back to her, Li Chu never posted anything or reposted content from CP fans. Her homepage was filled with silly, nonsensical stuff.
In short, even though they were both CP fans, Peach’s Girlfriend was much more dedicated than her.
The avatar was a CP portrait, and the reposted and liked content was either about Li Chu or the Qing Li CP, with almost no individual reposts about Ning Manqing.
Li Chu felt the probability of this account belonging to Ning Manqing increased. Before, she wouldn’t have believed Ning Manqing would do such things, but now she was highly suspicious.
However, it was just suspicion. Maybe the person was just a CP fan biased towards her.
Li Chu had a way to verify, but now wasn’t the time. She needed Ning Manqing to be by her side.
Still, she sent a message to the account as a first move.
Mind Your Own Business, Beauty: Sister, let’s enjoy the sweetness together! Got some fragrant recommendations!
Mind Your Own Business, Beauty: [Long image]
Li Chu sent over several short stories and comic strips she thought were good. The other party didn’t respond, but Li Chu didn’t mind and continued happily browsing the super topic forum.
She was recently reading a melodramatic fanfiction. Apart from the names, this fanfiction had nothing to do with her or Ning Manqing. At first, she cringed while reading it, but as the awkwardness continued, she found the absurdity enjoyable, even seeing it as a humorous piece.
The “Li Chu” in the story had been locked up in a little dark room for three days. “Ning Manqing” coldly said…
“Even if I can’t have your heart, I will have your body… Hahahahahahahaha!”
Li Chu almost died laughing. Imagining Ning Manqing actually saying those words to her… was even funnier, hahaha!
So, she couldn’t help but leave a few “hahaha” comments, earning a question mark from the author.
【Is it that funny? You don’t understand Li Chu and Ning Manqing at all!】
Li Chu choked, sincerely sent “I’m sorry,” and then reflected on how she didn’t understand herself and her girlfriend. Having found her source of amusement, Li Chu happily went to read her scripts.
Tang Congnan had picked three scripts for her, two leading roles and one supporting role. Li Chu wasn’t particularly fond of any of them. During breaks in filming the variety show, she finished reading the three scripts and rejected them all.
Tang Congnan was so angry he wanted to fly over and hit her. Li Chu bought him a box of chrysanthemum tea to cool him down.
It wasn’t that the scripts were bad, but they all revolved around romance. It wasn’t that Li Chu wanted to abandon her professional ethics because she had a girlfriend, but after Die at Dawn and Dusk , if she were to take another leading role, she wanted to portray a more unique story.
Tang Congnan grumbled, “If you were with another agent, you’d be getting chewed out. You wouldn’t have the luxury of picking and choosing!”
“That’s why Brother Nan is the best.”
“Alright, alright, cut the crap. I’ll go pick some more. You’re really my ancestor.”
“I’m your precious daughter.”
“Get lost!”
Li Chu used a barrage of sweet words to coax her agent, though he didn’t seem particularly appeased.
Li Chu knew that in this industry, Tang Congnan was a really good agent to his artists, giving her the freedom to choose. Many actors had no control over their careers, but she seemed quite free.
Not only did her agent not pressure her, but the company also seemed very relaxed with her. It wasn’t special treatment, but they gave her the right to choose her roles and didn’t force her to make money.
Li Chu found this strange. Black Gold had headhunted her and offered her decent terms, very good for a short contract. She thought such conditions would mean a demanding workload, but the company was very lenient.
It was as if she had joined the company to slack off, not to work.
Li Chu thought Black Gold was this generous to everyone, but that wasn’t the case. While there were no instances of higher-ups exploiting artists, they were ruthless when it came to squeezing profits. Zheng Ru had complained to her about it many times.
That night, while video chatting with her girlfriend, Li Chu brought this up.
“Don’t worry, take your time picking scripts. You can have your agent do a preliminary screening, and then you can look at the rest. You might find something interesting.”
Ning Manqing had just removed her makeup. Her bare face, under the bright light, had a cool beauty.
“Mm-hmm! Teacher Ning, how much longer will your filming take?”
All in all, Ning Manqing had been on set for almost three months. The filming schedule was intense, and she had very little rest every day. Plus, after her week-long hospital stay, the schedule became even tighter after she woke up.
“At the current rate, it should be about another month.”
Ning Manqing opened a jar and applied gel to her hands.
The general she played had dry and rough hands from years of training. For realism, the props team and makeup artists put a lot of effort into her hands. During filming, her hands were covered in paint and fake skin, so she took special care of them after filming.
She hadn’t cared before, but now that she had Tao Tao, she had to take good care of her hands so Tao Tao wouldn’t be uncomfortable.
Ning Manqing’s fingers were slender and well-defined. Under the light, her gel-coated hands seemed to shimmer with a delicate beauty.
As Li Chu watched, she somehow became shy.
To avoid the atmosphere becoming strangely philosophical, Li Chu changed the subject and talked about the company.
“It’s so weird. If I didn’t know Black Gold’s boss, and had never met her, I would have thought she was related to me.”
Li Chu had signed her contract with her former agent, Hu Yi, and hadn’t met Black Gold’s boss, Yang Lan.
“She’s not related to you, but she is to Ran Yanru.”
Ning Manqing finished applying gel to her left hand and looked at her puzzled girlfriend, offering an explanation.
Li Chu paused, then suddenly realized.
“It was you! Why didn’t you tell me? I thought Black Gold had such a discerning eye and proactively called me to recruit me. Why did you do a good deed without taking credit?”
No wonder she had been poached by a company with an omega boss who strictly prohibited exploitation right after the incident with Yu Feiming trying to coerce her. And the benefits were much better than those of actors of the same level.
“I didn’t think much of it at the time, and I didn’t want you to feel indebted to me.”
The transparent gel spread on her skin. Under the halo of light, her gentle voice blended with the scene, creating a special feeling.
“You’re so good to me. I’ve decided to give you a surprise next time we meet.”
Li Chu rested her chin on her hand, her eyes curving into crescents.
She didn’t say anything too polite. At this point in their relationship, there was no need for such formalities. It wasn’t like they were friends who felt awkward about owing favors.
“Can we meet tomorrow?”
Ning Manqing’s hand paused, her eyes looking directly at Li Chu.
“It’s not quite dream time yet.”
After Ning Manqing had said “do as you please,” Li Chu had become much bolder.
But this wasn’t just teasing; it was also the truth. Li Chu couldn’t get away, and Ning Manqing even less so. Meeting tomorrow was impossible.
“Let’s talk about something else. Like, is it just because my boss is Sister Yanru’s relative that I have such good treatment?”
Li Chu was a little skeptical. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe the family connection, but business was business. Li Chu felt that this relationship alone wasn’t enough.
“I negotiated some terms with her. This matter actually has nothing to do with Ran Yanru. She just introduced us.”
Ning Manqing didn’t want Li Chu to attribute this favor to Ran Yanru. Although she didn’t expect anything in return, she didn’t want Li Chu to thank the wrong person.
Li Chu asked curiously, “What terms? Is it convenient to talk about them?”
“What’s inconvenient about it with you? I promised to help her wife in the shareholder dispute.”
Ning Manqing smiled at Li Chu. After applying the gel to her hands, she blew on her slightly damp skin and finished her sentence.
Her calm demeanor made it seem as if she had simply agreed to help someone with grocery shopping.
Li Chu was smitten by her girlfriend, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
Because of her girlfriend’s gaze, Ning Manqing elaborated a little.
“Yang Lan’s wife is the second daughter of Mingkang Real Estate’s CEO. She has an older omega sister, her father’s child from his previous marriage. His first wife died in a car accident protecting him, so he dotes on his daughter from that marriage, his eldest. She holds the most shares.”
“Yang Lan’s wife also has a younger brother, an alpha, who is the CEO’s child with his mistress. So, Yang Lan’s wife is the second child, and her mother is the current wife, but she’s the least favored and has the weakest competitive edge.”
Li Chu’s gossip senses tingled, and she couldn’t help but ask, “Why?”
Logically, the boss’s wife should have the strongest competitive edge. She’s an alpha, her mother is the legal wife, so why is she the weakest?
“Because her mother was chosen for the CEO by his omega father. The old man liked this quiet and virtuous daughter-in-law very much, but the CEO clearly didn’t. They were polite to each other, but after the old man passed away, he took a mistress, a rather capable one at that.”
Ning Manqing didn’t pry into other people’s affairs intentionally. Before she became an adult, she was a prominent figure in Yunzhou’s social circles, with many followers. Naturally, she knew more about these things.
“If the CEO liked the mistress so much, and favored her child, why didn’t the mistress try to take over? Or did the CEO have some conscience?”
Li Chu felt that the gossip of the wealthy was much more interesting than the entertainment industry’s, and immediately began to analyze.
“Mingkang Real Estate was built by the CEO’s mother. After she passed away, the CEO and his father ran it together. The old man favored his daughter-in-law and tied many assets to the couple. For Mingkang to reach its current scale, if the CEO wanted a divorce, it would definitely hurt him badly, so he just made do.”
Ning Manqing didn’t criticize other people’s family matters, but she certainly didn’t agree with the CEO’s behavior.
“His wife could tolerate that? With such good conditions, why didn’t she fight for her daughter? Why is she the weakest in the power struggle?”
“Just as the old man wished, this daughter-in-law didn’t fight or grab. She was devoted to charity, vegetarianism, and Buddhism, and didn’t care much about anything.”
Li Chu was speechless.
Ning Manqing looked at her speechless girlfriend on the video and chuckled. She wanted to reach through the screen and poke her face, but unfortunately, she couldn’t. She could only tap the screen, pretending to poke Li Chu’s head.
“Indeed, there’s no law stating that parents must love their children wholeheartedly and fight for everything for them.”
Ning Manqing’s smile was ambiguous, the light and shadow on her brows obscure.
Li Chu thought of her own awful, snobbish parents, her brows furrowing.
Reading fiction and facing reality were completely different. When reading, Li Chu knew these jerks would get their comeuppance, but experiencing it in real life was just frustrating.
Just like last time, when Ning Yuxi had called to taunt her, ending with a “tsk” and saying something like “So, your relationship is just so-so,” Li Chu wanted to rip his mouth apart.
She had never met anyone so annoying.
Ning Manqing, noticing this, said amusedly, “If you frown any more, you won’t be a peach, but a bun.”
“I was just thinking about your brother. Are you two from the same parents? How could he turn out like that?”
Of course, Li Chu knew they were from the same parents. If she didn’t know the plot, she would really have such doubts.
“Ignore him. And don’t reveal our relationship in front of him for now. He’s got a screw loose, and he targets me. If he knows about you and me, he’ll go after you relentlessly.”
Ning Manqing really didn’t want to admit that the idiot Ning Yuxi was her brother, but she wasn’t surprised. With their parents’ upbringing, what good could come of it?
Ning’s parents had the lowest expectations for Ning Yuxi. Because they already had her seemingly perfect example, they didn’t pay much attention to him. Ning Yuxi, however, felt that she had stolen his parents’ love, so he had always tried to compete with and antagonize her since childhood, but he was always defeated.
The first few times, Ning Manqing had felt a little sorry for her brother, but after it happened repeatedly, she just thought he was completely blind.
Ning Manqing had loved watching movies and TV shows since she was a child, but her parents didn’t like her developing this hobby, so she could only pursue it secretly. She knew her family wasn’t normal, but she wanted to be a normal person, so when she didn’t differentiate into an alpha at eighteen as expected, she was quite relieved. Even when her family cut ties with her, she wasn’t too sad.
But she didn’t want these troubles to affect Li Chu. Before she was completely strong, she had to protect Li Chu.
“Okay.”
“Will you feel wronged because you can’t tell anyone?”
Ning Manqing frowned slightly, feeling a little guilty.
“Absolutely not! Brother Nan said I’m in my rising period, so it’s best not to have any relationship rumors. Besides, secret dating is more exciting!”
Li Chu grinned. She knew about Ning Manqing’s family situation and wasn’t wronged at all. Moreover, secret relationships were thrilling.
Ning Manqing watched her girlfriend giggling on the video, her temples throbbing. She gritted her teeth, wanting to experience some excitement with her right now, but in the end, she could only helplessly tap the screen, pretending to knock on Li Chu’s head.
“Ahem, then, will it be tricky for you to help?”
Li Chu quickly changed the subject. If she continued to tease, she worried Ning Manqing would fly over and do something to her.
“Of course not. I’m Li Chu’s girlfriend.”
Ning Manqing’s lips curled up, calm and composed.
“My girlfriend is so awesome!”
Oh yeah!
After exchanging compliments with Ning Manqing, Li Chu contentedly went to bed.
After rejecting the scripts Tang Congnan had chosen, Li Chu started picking herself. She read scripts during breaks in her schedule, looking left and right, reading for over a month without agreeing to any.
Tang Congnan was numb. Every day he appeared before Li Chu, his eyes resentfully fixed on her.
“Tell me honestly, do you not want to act in romance dramas?”
After Li Chu rejected another romance drama he had favored, the mama bear exploded.
Li Chu immediately denied, “No, no, I just want to play something special.”
Tang Congnan said with a forced smile, “How special? Like Qin Mu and Xi Yiyun?”
In that instant, he was almost close to the truth!
Li Chu’s expression became subtle, and Tang Congnan thought she was serious.
“Snap out of it! Look in the mirror, look!”
Tang Congnan grabbed a small mirror and held it in front of Li Chu, making her look.
“Do you see a sweet-looking woman?”
How could Li Chu say no? She nodded like a pecking chicken.
Tang Congnan grinned. “I think this woman is very suitable for romantic idol dramas. What do you think?”
Li Chu’s eyes darted around. Actually, she wasn’t completely uninterested. If the other lead was her girlfriend, she would do it!
“Do you have some misunderstanding about yourself?!”
Tang Congnan held his head in his hands. Having such a rebellious artist was painful.
At Fu Yu Entertainment, Li Chu’s persona was a sweet, obedient girl. Then, after appearing on a variety show, because of the character she drew, that persona couldn’t be maintained, and she continued to deviate from it.
In Die at Dawn and Dusk , she played a serial killer. In the fantasy light comedy, she directly acted out various tragic deaths. In the historical idol drama, she went from the third female lead to the eighth, playing a carefree tool person.
Sweet? Obedient? Where?
When she came to Black Gold, Tang Congnan had asked Hu Yi what persona they planned for Li Chu so he could tailor his reverse requests. Hu Yi had said anything was fine, as long as it wasn’t illegal.
Anything was fine, as long as it wasn’t illegal. That was as good as saying nothing.
Tang Congnan thought if one day he lost his passion for being an agent, it would definitely be because Li Chu had single-handedly killed his love for the profession.
“Brother, don’t be sad. I’ll buy you the first milk tea of the summer.”
Li Chu carefully patted his shoulder, comforting the dejected man.
It was already June, and where Li Chu was, summer had arrived. Early summer was a bit hot, but still comfortable.
The dejected man snapped, “Milk tea my ass.”
A few minutes later, the dejected man: “Where’s the milk tea? I want 70% sugar, no ice.”
Li Chu sent Qian Duoduo a red envelope, and the little assistant happily went to buy it.
Watching Qian Duoduo’s retreating figure, Tang Congnan suddenly said, “Should we get you another assistant? Isn’t one not enough?”
“It’s enough for now. I’ll sign another one when it’s not.”
Li Chu knew that with her increasingly busy schedule, having only Qian Duoduo wouldn’t be enough. But she was secretly dating, so she would ask Ning Manqing if she had any reliable recommendations before addressing this.
“Okay. I’ll reduce your schedule for these few days. Die at Dawn and Dusk has passed review and is being scheduled for release. We need to start preparing for promotions and roadshows.”
“Perfect timing. I’m almost done with the last episode of the variety show, and Teacher Ning will be wrapping up in about half a month.”
Li Chu murmured, feeling the timing was quite good.
From filming to editing to review, it had been over half a year. The film was finally ready for release.
“Teacher Ning is filming that Ling Shan movie, right? I’m very optimistic about her.”
Tang Congnan knew Li Chu and Ning Manqing were close, so it wasn’t surprising she knew about the upcoming wrap-up. He mentioned the film Ning Manqing was working on.
As someone in the industry, Tang Congnan had access to some information. He thought about Ning Manqing’s mature acting skills and nodded affirmatively.
“Teacher Ning is the best, of course.”
Li Chu said happily, earning a roll of the eyes from Tang Congnan.
“He’s praising her, not you. What are you so smug about?”
Li Chu chuckled. Of course, it was because he was praising her girlfriend.
For the Die at Dawn and Dusk promotions, the main cast reunited.
“Why isn’t Sister Ning here yet?”
Zhao Zhichun looked around backstage. After finishing his hair and makeup, he came to Li Chu’s dressing room to chat.
“Based on the travel time, she should be here in about ten minutes. She just wrapped up filming yesterday and had to take a connecting flight. It’s quite far.”
There was no one else in the dressing room except for them and Qian Duoduo. They weren’t wearing mics yet. Li Chu applied lip gloss while looking in the mirror.
The makeup artist who was supposed to do Li Chu’s makeup wasn’t very skilled. Li Chu knew it would be a disaster just by looking at the contouring, so she immediately dismissed the artist and did it herself.
“Whoa, let’s go ice skating together again sometime.”
Zhao Zhichun winked at the mirror, referencing inside information.
“Ice skating? Never heard of it.”
Li Chu didn’t play along with his teasing, checking her makeup in the mirror and nodding with satisfaction.
“Sister, ice skating is a sport. There’s roller skating and the kind on real ice. It’s really fun.”
Qian Duoduo thought Li Chu didn’t know what ice skating was and started explaining.
Zhao Zhichun burst out laughing, as if having a seizure.
Qian Duoduo froze, looking at Zhao Zhichun in confusion, then at Li Chu, unsure what she had said wrong.
“Ignore him, he’s having a fit.”
“Li Zi, you’ve changed, boohoo. Am I no longer your favorite Brother Chun?”
“Favorite Brother Chun?”
The dressing room door was open. The woman leaning against the doorframe raised an eyebrow, her voice rising at the end.
“Sister Ning, you’re here pretty fast.”
Zhao Zhichun touched the back of his head, instantly transforming from a seizure patient to a normal person, sitting up straight.
“Teacher Ning, you’re here.”
Behind Ning Manqing were her assistant and the program staff. With so many eyes watching, Li Chu remained seated, waving at Ning Manqing.
“Yes, I’ll go do my makeup first. I’m late and time is tight.”
Ning Manqing acted as if she had come to say hello casually, not specifically to see someone. She waved to Li Chu and Zhao Zhichun.
A group of people passed by the dressing room door. The smile on Li Chu’s face faded.
“She looks so tired.”
Li Chu murmured, feeling distressed.
“Well, I’ll go chat with Sister Ning.”
Zhao Zhichun waved his phone at Li Chu and followed the group.
Li Chu didn’t understand why he waved his phone, then saw her own phone screen light up.
【Zhao Zhichun】: [Link: When an alpha is tired, her omega actually does this for her!]
【Zhao Zhichun】: [Link: The best way to eliminate alpha fatigue…]
【Zhao Zhichun】: [Link: When your alpha is tired, you should…]
【Xiao Chu】: …Thank you 🙂
During the official promotional event, under the host’s questioning, everyone introduced themselves. The experienced host didn’t forget to cue the promotional theme while going through the game process.
“Li Zi, how would you describe the relationship between the character you play and the character Manqing plays in the drama?”
Li Chu smiled and said, “I think they are confidantes. The character she plays is the most trusted person of the character I play.”
“What does Manqing think?”
Ning Manqing: “The character she plays is the most beloved person of the character I play.”
Host: “Wow, that sounds sweet. I’m looking forward to it.”
The cast members looked at each other and smiled, nodding in agreement.
Sweet, the kind of sweet that could kill you.
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PROMOOOOO!!!!!!!