Li Chu laughed breathlessly at Tang Congnan’s resentful look. The more she thought about it, the funnier it became, and she almost wanted to pull Qian Duoduo in to laugh with her.
“Keep laughing, and I’ll schedule two more announcements for you later.”
Tang Congnan laughed too, but his smile was laced with menace.
“Who was laughing? Who! Own up!”
Li Chu immediately became serious, righteously condemning the air.
Tang Congnan snorted and then got down to business.
“Do you have any plans for New Year’s Eve?”
“Can I get a ticket to see the New Year’s Eve Gala?”
Li Chu asked humbly. She had never been able to snag a ticket before. Now that she was a celebrity, she should be able to get one, right? Any channel would do.
“Ambitious! That’s all your ambition amounts to!”
Tang Congnan poked Li Chu’s head with his finger, his face full of exasperation.
“I don’t have anything planned for New Year’s Eve anyway.”
Li Chu replied, feeling wronged. Tang Congnan didn’t intend to let her accept everything, so naturally, she had fewer announcements. New Year’s Eve activities were unlikely to involve her. Wouldn’t it be a pity if she didn’t go to a concert?
Tang Congnan glared at her and said, “Who said that? There are arrangements. If you don’t have anything personal, just follow me.”
“What kind of arrangements?”
With the concert opportunity gone, Li Chu asked with some disappointment.
“There will be a reception. Many important people will be there. Be smart.”
“Okay.”
Li Chu nodded. Events like high-society receptions were essential. Tang Congnan taking her must mean he wanted her to network. Li Chu understood.
Time flew by, and soon it was evening. At the wrap-up party, the director and producer sat at the head table. Li Chu sat next to Tang Congnan, with Ning Manqing opposite her.
Li Chu couldn’t drink alcohol, so she only toasted twice at the beginning and used tea for the rest of the evening. Tang Congnan, holding his wine glass, made polite conversation and drank with the director and producer until his face was flushed.
Li Chu’s gaze rested on Ning Manqing. Ning Manqing was drinking alcohol, quite a bit, in fact. Ji Yun and Zhao Zhichun kept toasting her, but her face didn’t redden, and she didn’t seem drunk at all. She stood out among the crowd with her poise.
She had taken off her black coat, revealing a white knit sweater underneath. Her sleeves were rolled up, exposing a slender wrist as she raised her glass.
Li Chu’s gaze lingered unconsciously, following Ning Manqing’s movements.
Then she was caught.
Ning Manqing raised her glass to her, her gaze falling openly on Li Chu. In the dim light, her eyes were as bright as stars.
Li Chu immediately used her teacup to hide her awkwardness and raised it in return, clinking glasses in the air and drinking the warm tea.
Tang Congnan caught this from the corner of his eye and immediately poured a glass of wine, toasting Ning Manqing and thanking her for taking care of Li Chu.
Li Chu thought to herself, If Mama Nan knew how Teacher Ning was specifically taking care of her, he would probably smash this wine glass on Teacher Ning’s head.
Ning Manqing didn’t miss Li Chu’s secret smile. She said with a smile, “She has also taught me a lot. We are progressing together.”
As for what kind of progress they were making together, only heaven, earth, and the car knew.
No matter how reluctant they were, the banquet eventually came to an end.
Li Chu didn’t return to the crew’s accommodations but went to the hotel Tang Congnan had booked. She had a flight back to Yunzhou City tomorrow.
Li Chu finished showering and lay in bed, still feeling a little unaccustomed.
She picked up her phone and scrolled through her WeChat Moments. She didn’t have many contacts. Besides her agent and assistant, there were some people left over from the original Li Chu, and a few friends she had added herself.
Ning Manqing, Chen Ying, and Teacher Dong Ming. No one else.
Li Chu sent a message to Ning Manqing. It wasn’t anything meaningful, just a cat emoji. After sending it, Li Chu felt a little lonely.
Her phone vibrated. Li Chu saw the cat emoji sent back in the chat window and the corners of her mouth turned up.
【Xiao Chu】: Teacher Ning, aren’t you resting yet? Are you okay after drinking so much?
Perhaps because she had been drinking, Ning Manqing didn’t type but sent a voice message instead.
“Just finished showering. I’m fine. What about you? Why aren’t you sleeping yet?”
The static made the distant voice sound a little ambiguous. Li Chu lay in bed, listening to Ning Manqing’s voice, as if she could smell the moisture from her side.
Li Chu also stopped typing and sent a voice message back.
“Not very sleepy yet. I’m used to the bed in the crew’s accommodations, so I feel a little uncomfortable now.”
“You’ll get used to it soon. The end of one story means a new one is about to begin. You’ll probably be very busy once the drama airs.”
The alcohol made Ning Manqing’s voice slightly slurred, her words no longer so clear, carrying a hazy gentleness.
As if finding the back-and-forth voice messages too slow, Ning Manqing directly initiated a voice call.
As for why she didn’t make a video call, Ning Manqing felt that she didn’t look good right now and was afraid of damaging her image in Tao Tao’s eyes.
“Do you have any plans for the end of the year?”
Ning Manqing lay in bed, propping her head up and looking at the call icon on her phone, asking casually.
“Brother Nan said he would take me to some reception. Actually, I wanted to go to the New Year’s Eve concert. I’ve never seen a live one before.”
Li Chu mumbled. Although getting to know important people and networking was indeed important, she still felt regretful about missing the live concert.
Ning Manqing was amused by her words. She laughed for a while before saying, “Who do you want to see?”
“Anyone is fine, any channel. But I’d most like to go to Fruit TV’s. I heard Ming Zhi will be there, not sure if it’s true.”
Ming Zhi was a singer who had risen to fame in recent years. Li Chu had a playlist dedicated to her on her phone and even had a VIP membership for her music.
She wasn’t exactly a fan, she just thought Ming Zhi sang very well, with a light and ethereal voice, and her songs were very healing.
Ning Manqing pondered for a moment, and after recalling that this person was an omega, she said reassuringly, “It might be true. I’ll ask for you later.”
“No need. I can’t go anyway. I was just saying. What about you, Teacher Ning? Any plans?”
Li Chu quickly stopped her, not wanting Ning Manqing to bother. She was just talking.
“I don’t like you calling me that all the time.”
Ning Manqing’s voice came from the phone, low and soft, inexplicably making Li Chu feel a little aggrieved.
Li Chu opened her mouth, her face flushing, and stammered, “Man… Manqing.”
On the other end of the phone, Ning Manqing’s lips curled into a wide smile.
“I might be busy for a while after filming wraps up, and I might not have time to attend any industry events.”
Ning Manqing might be flying abroad after the filming ended. Although she had been remotely managing and holding conference calls for the company, she still needed to be there to take charge and conduct some important face-to-face negotiations.
“Oh, so you haven’t decided on your next project yet?”
Li Chu didn’t ask what Ning Manqing was going to be busy with. Everyone had their own private matters to attend to. Besides, Ning Manqing was the female lead. It was normal for the female lead to focus on her career.
“There’s a movie script, already confirmed, but the filming schedule hasn’t been set yet. Probably after the New Year, around the first lunar month.”
Ning Manqing also wanted to be with Li Chu for every project, but that would be too conspicuous, and there was no opportunity for now. This movie was something she had agreed to earlier.
Li Chu asked curiously, “What genre is it?”
“Historical. It’s about the life of a general. There are romantic scenes but no intimate ones. Very few romantic scenes, actually.”
Ning Manqing finished the first sentence and then immediately added the second one as if to supplement it.
“It’s okay even if there are many romantic scenes.”
Li Chu whispered, seeing her own face reflected on the darkened phone screen.
Woman, your name is hypocrisy.
“Of course it matters. What about you, Tao Tao? What kind of role do you want to play next? With your image, I think there will be many offers for idol dramas, but I don’t recommend you take them at this time.”
Ning Manqing first answered Li Chu’s question seriously and then inquired about Li Chu’s plans, very ‘kindly’ offering her advice.
Li Chu wasn’t really a naive little white flower. She immediately understood Ning Manqing’s little thought of not wanting her to take on idol dramas. She scoffed inwardly, but her face was almost splitting from a smile.
Teacher Ning’s little thoughts are so cute.
“I’ll see what scripts come my way and pick something I’m interested in.”
Li Chu replied, recalling the drama Ning Manqing said she was going to act in. For some reason, it felt very familiar.
After a while, it hit her.
Although she couldn’t remember the name, in the novel, that movie should be the one that won Ning Manqing the Golden Horse Award for Best Actress.
Li Chu’s heart surged. She felt a thrill as if she was about to witness history. Although the movie hadn’t started filming yet, she was already celebrating in her mind.
Her sudden cheerful tone surprised Ning Manqing on the other end. She asked with a smile if something good had happened.
“I just suddenly felt that being able to chat with Teacher Ning like this is really a happy thing.”
Li Chu’s voice was buoyant, as if it came with its own wavy lines.
Ning Manqing paused on the other end and said, “I’m also very happy to be able to chat with Tao Tao like this.”
The atmosphere was gentle and relaxed, and even Li Chu’s dreams that night seemed sweet.
Before the end of the year, Tang Congnan didn’t let Li Chu idle.
Li Chu appeared as a guest on a variety show and shot a magazine cover with an interview. In total, it took a week of running around.
Before getting out of the car at the reception, Tang Congnan was still giving instructions: “Many important people will be there tonight. Don’t be rash. This reception is hosted by the Tiange Group. Their new president, who took office six months ago, is very capable. I heard he intends to enter the entertainment industry. Tonight’s theme revolves around them. We’re not involved in that yet, so let’s just meet some people and chat.”
Li Chu nodded. Her dress tonight was a low-key champagne color, neither flashy nor revealing, very proper.
When the reception began, Li Chu looked at the tall, distinguished man standing in the middle of the crowd, surrounded by people, and the feeling of familiarity grew stronger.
“Brother Nan, did this president take office six months ago?”
“Yes. The previous head of Tiange was his second uncle, but it seems like his second uncle took it from his father. He bided his time for a long time and took Tiange back. He made drastic changes as soon as he took office. We don’t know the deeper details. Just don’t provoke him. Others are eager to get close, but we’re not going that route. Stay away.”
This familiar feeling, this familiar setup… Li Chu was silent for a moment and asked, “Brother Nan, what’s his name?”
“I forgot to tell you. I’ll remember to have you do your homework next time. He’s Mu Xiao.”
… It’s you, the male lead!
This transmigrated cannon fodder finally remembered the male lead’s name.
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