Li Chu was about to make a smooth exit when she heard her “mother’s” roar.
“You actually dare to leave?!”
Tang Congnan’s head was buzzing with anger, partly from the shock of Li Chu calling him “Mom,” and partly from her lack of ambition.
“I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare.” Li Chu lowered her head obediently, sitting on the sofa like a scolded child.
“Do you know you’re on the rise? I don’t understand why you’d give up a good supporting female lead role for a minor one. It’s such a good production, but the eighth female lead barely has any screen time, and the character isn’t particularly outstanding. What are you aiming for? Do you have other offers?”
Li Chu didn’t dare speak under the barrage of questions, silently shaking her head.
“Don’t call me Mom! If I could give birth to such an unfilial daughter, I’d hang myself with my belt every day!” Tang Congnan fumed. They had agreed to switch companies together, to grow and prosper together, but Li Chu showed no drive.
Ambitious people would be aiming for the female lead, but Li Chu was actually lowering her status.
“Brother Nan, calm down.” Li Chu didn’t argue, but her eyes couldn’t help but glance at Tang Congnan’s lower body.
Hee hee, according to the ABO world setting, male betas can also have children. Although the conception rate is lower than female betas, as long as they work hard, there’s still a chance.
Tang Congnan’s scalp tingled. He used his desk to shield his lower body, glaring at Li Chu. “What are you looking at?!”
“Nothing, nothing at all.” Li Chu looked at the ceiling, a picture of innocence.
When Tang Congnan’s anger subsided a bit, Li Chu continued, “I want to be more selective. This script has the potential to be popular, but I don’t want to play that role. It’s not that I don’t want to be famous, I’m just not interested. If I had received this offer before playing Qin Mu, I definitely would have taken it.”
Li Chu’s refusal wasn’t solely because the role had a romantic subplot. She wasn’t that unprofessional. A larger part of it was her genuine lack of interest in naive, sweet characters like the junior sister.
Especially after playing an emotionally complex character like Qin Mu, she had little preference for roles with limited emotional range. Someone else might be better suited for it.
Li Chu’s mention of “Qin Mu” calmed Tang Congnan down considerably. He firmly believed that after Die at Dawn and Dusk aired, Li Chu would definitely become a big hit, and she would have more opportunities and resources then. There was no need to rush.
However, even though he said that, the thought of missing this opportunity still bothered him.
“Fine, alright. I’ll help you switch roles, but you have to listen to my arrangements from now on.” Tang Congnan smiled sinisterly, giving off the vibe of a wicked stepmother.
When Li Chu learned about her schedule for the first quarter of the year, she felt the full force of her “mother” turning into a “stepmother.”
“Does the schedule have to be this packed?” Li Chu cried, speechless.
“Let the baby bird fly, Mom will always be there.” Tang Congnan had readily accepted the title of “Mom” and replied with great affection.
Li Chu could only tearfully go to work.
When she told Ning Manqing about her next role, Ning Manqing sent back a few confused cat emojis.
【Ning Manqing】: Were you bullied?
【Ning Manqing】: Black Gold bought the rights to this IP last year and has been preparing it. As far as I know, the male and female leads have already been decided. Even if you can’t get the female lead, based on your image, commercial value, and acting skills, you should at least be cast as Bu Yue.
Bu Yue was the name of the naive, sweet junior sister.
【Xiao Chu】: Teacher Ning, you’re amazing! That’s exactly what the company arranged, but I don’t want to play Bu Yue. I think Man Ying is quite interesting.
【Xiao Chu】: Brother Nan was really angry with me. I know I’m not being very ambitious, but I’m less interested in Bu Yue.
It was a historical idol drama with a cultivation setting and three primary genders, similar to ABO, but instead of using the modern ABO designations, alpha, beta, and omega corresponded to Tiangan, Heyi, and Dikun, respectively.
Man Ying was the martial aunt of the female lead, a Heyi master who always appeared in the nick of time to save the day and then quickly left. She played a crucial role at key moments but didn’t have much screen time, often referred to by readers as the number one tool person in the entire story.
Perhaps to fit the tool person’s fleeting presence, Man Ying cultivated the Dao of freedom and loved adventure. This explained why she could always be found rescuing people in dangerous places and then leaving without a second thought.
Man Ying was an extremely free-spirited person, doing whatever she wanted within her own moral compass. She wasn’t a traditional do-gooder and sometimes even caused trouble for the protagonists.
For example, she thought a certain Chiyan beast was cool and would look awesome to ride, but this beast was only known to be owned by a cultivation family. So, she rushed over and stole their mount.
It was less stealing and more like robbing. She knocked out the owner in front of everyone and took the beast, saying she was just borrowing it for a couple of days and would return it later. The owner, enraged, invited the female lead and her companions, who had just entered the city, to their residence, ostensibly as guests, but actually as hostages.
Since the female lead and Man Ying were from the same sect, the city lord wanted to use them to force Man Ying to return the beast and apologize. The female lead couldn’t contact Man Ying and discovered some shady dealings within the cultivation family. While trying to escape and investigate, the male lead arrived just in time, thus beginning a new chapter of monster hunting and romance.
Li Chu quite liked Man Ying’s unrestrained and free-spirited nature. She was completely different from Qin Mu. Although Li Chu had long since gotten out of character, sometimes when she recalled Qin Mu, she would still feel a sense of gloom. She wanted to immerse herself in a character like Man Ying to lighten her heart.
Li Chu knew Ning Manqing would support her, and indeed she did.
【Ning Manqing】: As long as you weren’t wronged. This role has its merits too.
【Ning Manqing】: Play what you like. Taking acting too seriously as just a job can easily lead to burnout and loss of interest.
【Ning Manqing】: Just follow your heart. If you’re bullied, you must tell me.
Ning Manqing liked the feeling of Li Chu sharing her emotions with her. It didn’t have to be positive or cheerful emotions; she hoped to share Li Chu’s joy and also shoulder her pain.
【Xiao Chu】: Mhm!!!
Sister is so good, sister is wonderful, the gentle type is a true treasure. Li Chu thought.
In early spring, Li Chu officially joined the production crew. As soon as she entered, someone greeted her.
“Hello, Sister Li, I’m Zheng Ru.”
The girl who greeted and introduced herself was wearing makeup, so Li Chu couldn’t tell her exact age, but she seemed younger. Although Li Chu didn’t recognize her, she cheerfully returned the greeting due to the girl’s friendly attitude.
Later, Li Chu learned why Zheng Ru was so enthusiastic towards her. Zheng Ru was playing the supporting female lead, Bu Yue, the junior sister. Originally, Li Chu was supposed to play Man Ying, but since Li Chu didn’t want to take someone else’s role, they switched. This gave Zheng Ru the opportunity.
Going from the eighth female lead to the third, Zheng Ru was very grateful to Li Chu.
Li Chu didn’t have a condescending attitude. She encouraged Zheng Ru to perform well and offered to help with any acting questions. Zheng Ru often brought her script to Li Chu, and Li Chu taught her without reservation.
Zheng Ru was a quick learner with a good personality, and Li Chu quickly befriended her.
Li Chu occasionally mentioned the young girl to Ning Manqing, mainly about acting issues. Li Chu felt her own skills were limited. After answering Zheng Ru’s questions, she would sometimes ask Ning Manqing for her opinion.
One day, Li Chu was in her room on a video call with Ning Manqing when a familiar knock came from the door.
“Sister Li Zi, Sister Li Zi, I’m here again!”
“Hmm?” Li Chu didn’t hang up the call, her Bluetooth earbuds still in, and opened the door.
“I’m not here to bother you today! Look, chocolate!” Zheng Ru presented what she had hidden behind her back like a treasure. It was a few exquisitely wrapped pieces of chocolate.
“This chocolate is so delicious! It’s a niche brand. I always ask my friend to bring it back for me whenever he returns to the country. Sharing with you! I wasn’t sure if you liked it, so I only brought a few pieces. Having one occasionally won’t make you gain weight. If you like it, ask me for more tomorrow.”
“Okay, thank you.” Li Chu accepted the chocolate, smiling in gratitude.
“Don’t be so polite! I’ll go now, see you tomorrow on set!” Zheng Ru waved goodbye, grinning.
Li Chu watched her walk towards the elevator and closed the door.
The room became quiet again. Li Chu sat on the sofa, crossed her legs, and unwrapped a piece of chocolate.
Ning Manqing heard the rustling of the wrapper and asked, “Is it good?”
“Mmm… It’s alright. I’m not really a big fan of chocolate.” Li Chu wasn’t particularly fond of chocolate and couldn’t really tell if it was good or not. Looking at the two remaining pieces, she decided to share them with Qian Duoduo tomorrow.
“Can I visit the set in a couple of days?” Ning Manqing’s topic jumped abruptly from chocolate to visiting the set, leaving Li Chu momentarily stunned.
“Why do you want to visit me on set?”
“Filming for the movie is about to start. It’ll be a closed set, so I might not be able to see you for a long time.”
“Okay, then! When are you coming? I’ll pick you up at the airport.” The thought of not seeing Ning Manqing for several months made Li Chu immediately agree.
Hearing Li Chu’s quick response, Ning Manqing’s smile widened. “I’ll send you the flight information when the time comes.”
“Okay. But if I’m picking you up, you don’t need to come to the set, right? Although this drama uses a lot of green screen, there will be planned leaks from the set for publicity. I’ll take a few days off.” Li Chu figured since Ning Manqing was coming to see her, there was no need to come to the set to avoid being seen and photographed, which could cause trouble. Besides, they wouldn’t be able to see each other for several months, so they had to make every second count!
Hearing Li Chu’s naturally intimate words and the implications within, Ning Manqing’s voice became even softer, filled with a tender smile. “Okay.”
She had originally planned to visit Li Chu on set and meet the girl named Zheng Ru, but since Tao Tao said so, she would let it go.
It wasn’t that she saw Zheng Ru as a rival, but she was a cautious person, even if the other party was a female beta.
It was perfectly normal for a beta to like an omega. Moreover, the way Li Chu and that girl interacted made her wary.
After all, that was how she had won Li Chu’s affection. She remembered it well.
Planning ahead and taking precautions were her favorite things to do.
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