Rong Guang sat nervously, only touching the very edge of the chair.
Chu Feiliang looked up and was amused by Rong Guang’s on-pins-and-needles appearance. Holding the script in one hand, she tilted her head back and said, “Are there nails on the seat?”
Rong Guang shook her head and said softly, “No.”
Her gaze couldn’t help but linger on Chu Feiliang’s fingers. They were long and slender, pale like scallions, and every knuckle perfectly hit Rong Guang’s aesthetic sweet spot.
But the tip of one finger was wrapped in a small bandage.
It was a bit of an eyesore.
Rong Guang paused, changed the subject, and said, “Teacher Chu, what happened to your hand?”
Chu Feiliang raised an eyebrow and smiled playfully. “How long has it been? You’ve already forgotten the bite from last night?”
Rong Guang wished she hadn’t asked.
The question only made her feel more ashamed.
She was a little nervous, subconsciously pressing her thumbnail into the pad of her finger until it turned white.
It really hurt.
She grew nervous and quickly asked, “Did I… did I make you bleed yesterday?”
“Well, it didn’t bleed,” Chu Feiliang said.
Rong Guang held her breath, which was caught in her throat, knowing that Chu Feiliang probably wasn’t finished speaking.
Seemingly losing interest in the script in her hand, Chu Feiliang moved it aside, brought the bandaged hand before her eyes, and said with a light laugh, “I don’t know why, but this hand has been hurting since last night. If I don’t wrap it up, it feels uncomfortable.”
“Then what should we do?” Rong Guang stared at her eagerly.
“Feeling that guilty, huh?” Chu Feiliang smiled, extending her hand towards her. “Why don’t you blow on it for me? That can be your apology.”
Rong Guang didn’t move.
Chu Feiliang was just teasing her. Seeing that Rong Guang’s face was already beet red, she figured it was about time to quit while she was ahead.
She was about to pull her hand back.
But before she could move, she saw Rong Guang’s eyelids tremble. Her long, curly eyelashes lowered as she slowly brought her face closer to Chu Feiliang’s finger.
Then she gently blew on it.
Chu Feiliang was stunned.
But Rong Guang had already sat up straight again and was looking at her nervously. “Does it still hurt?”
Should… she blow on it again?
Chu Feiliang smelled very nice.
Even her fingertips seemed to carry her unique scent.
It was a fragrance she was particularly addicted to. In the past, when they were filming on location in less-than-ideal places, they had to stay in a small farmhouse courtyard and naturally had to sleep in the same bed.
And at those times, no matter how stressed Rong Guang was, as long as she could smell Chu Feiliang’s scent at night, she would feel exceptionally at ease, and her whole being could relax.
Chu Feiliang pulled her hand back, placed it under the table, and slowly clenched it into a fist.
Then she looked at Rong Guang’s flushed face, slowly shook her head, and said, “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”
Rong Guang nodded, her watery eyes blinking, feeling a little disappointed.
If she had known, she would have blown on it a couple more times.
They arrived at the film set soon after.
Perhaps because Chu Feiliang’s RV had been specially modified, it was so stable that Rong Guang didn’t notice the passage of time at all.
The ‘bus’ that had left a few minutes before them only came to a stop after their vehicle was already parked. People got off one after another and went to their designated places.
When Chacha and Ye Zi got off the bus, they glanced over in that direction, then exchanged a very sharp look.
“Why do I feel like there’s a murderous aura over there?” Chacha muttered.
She had just learned the term “murderous aura” and felt it was quite appropriate for the situation.
Ye Zi glanced over and, sure enough, a man was looking their way.
She stared back without any fear. The man, realizing he’d been spotted, scurried away in a panic.
“I don’t know who that was.” Ye Zi frowned. “Don’t be afraid, Chacha. I’ll help you check him out.”
“Huh?” For a moment, Chacha didn’t quite understand the two “check”s. She paused, then smiled. “Okay, I’m not afraid of him.”
Ye Zi also realized what she had just said and started laughing along with her.
After arriving at the studio, Rong Guang and Chu Feiliang had to part ways for the time being.
Chu Feiliang was the lead actress, after all, and had a huge number of scenes. The drama revolved almost entirely around her; one could even say it was tailor-made for her.
Rong Guang stood in place, watching until Chu Feiliang’s figure completely disappeared. Only then did she sigh and lead Chacha to where she needed to go.
Chacha didn’t understand. “Didn’t Sister Chu say yesterday that you’d be sharing a dressing room with her from now on?”
“Yes.” Rong Guang felt a little excited again thinking about it. “But I haven’t started filming yet. My dear Chacha, did you forget? Your sister joined the cast late and signed the contract late, so I have to do a makeup and costume photo shoot.”
Only then did Chacha understand. “Oh, I see.”
The makeup room was too crowded; there was no space for Chacha to stand inside.
After having to make way for people countless times, she glanced helplessly at the noisy room, then went to sit outside, hugging a large water bottle that was as tall as her torso.
It would be fine once Rong Guang finished her makeup and photos.
Then she could go play with Ye Zi again instead of waiting here all by herself.
Chacha blinked her eyes. She hadn’t brought her textbooks, so she couldn’t study.
She rested her chin on her hand and thought for a moment, then sat down in a small corner, took out her “senior phone,” and started playing a game of a panda climbing a tree.
The high score for this little game was set by Rong Guang, who had played it once by chance. Chacha still hadn’t been able to beat it.
The sight of the little panda constantly scrambling upwards was very amusing, and Chacha couldn’t help but laugh after watching for a short while.
Just then, a shadow suddenly fell over her.
The panda accidentally touched a bug, fell from the tree, and died.
Game over. Chacha wasn’t angry. Hugging her big water bottle, she stood up from the ground, lowered her head, and said, “Am I in the way? Sorry, I’ll move.”
With that, she found another small corner where she could see the makeup room door and continued to tuck herself away.
However, the shadow continued to follow her.
Chacha raised her head, squinting to focus her vision. She saw a complete stranger standing in front of her.
It was a man, one she had just seen a short while ago.
She hugged her water bottle tightly, her lips pressed together, her expression a little stubborn. “Can I help you?”
“Nothing much.” The man was in his thirties, his hair combed up and held in place with who knows how much hairspray. Even in this open environment, you could smell a pungent, cheap fragrance.
Chacha glanced at him and said nothing more.
“What are you doing sitting here all alone? Isn’t it cold? Aren’t little girls your age afraid of their butts getting cold?” The man smiled and reached out to put his arm around Chacha’s shoulder.
Chacha dodged in a flash, her gaze turning wary and gradually becoming aggressive.
“Oh.” The man chuckled. “Why are your hands shaking? Don’t be scared, big brother doesn’t mean any harm. I just want you to sit over there. It’s so cold on the floor. Here, sit on this.”
As he spoke, he patted a stack of boxes piled up nearby.
Chacha glanced down at them.
Then she hugged the water bottle in her arms tighter, thought for a moment, and said, “Do you think I’m a mentally handicapped child?”
The man was taken aback. “What?”
Chacha’s hands were still trembling, but she took out her phone and read word by word, “Mao Xiaosong, male, age thirty-five, makeup artist, fanatical fan of Jiang Ruyi, frequently engages in private transactions with Jiang Yuan to purchase Jiang Ruyi’s personal items…”
Mao Xiaosong’s expression changed.
This was a blind spot. He took two steps forward, making a move to snatch the phone from Chacha’s hand.
“I’d advise you not to move.” Chacha looked at him expressionlessly, holding up her phone. “Upon investigation, during her tenure as head of the production services team, Jiang Yuan repeatedly violated crew regulations, with instances of accepting bribes and embezzlement. The circumstances are serious and have severely harmed the interests of the production. It has been decided to dismiss her, thoroughly investigate all related personnel, and reserve all rights to pursue legal action…”
Mao Xiaosong’s attempt to snatch the phone froze.
“You probably didn’t come here on Jiang Ruyi’s orders.” Chacha’s hand clutched the phone, her fingertips pale and trembling slightly. “No matter what Jiang Yuan told you to make you want to take it out on me, I advise you to be careful. Don’t ruin your own future for someone irrelevant.”
Mao Xiaosong’s face twitched, feeling a burning pain on his cheeks.
Chacha said expressionlessly, “Ms. Jiang Yuan’s handling was very disgraceful. Ye Zi told me that not only will she be fired from the crew, but her malicious behavior will also be publicly posted in the group chat as a warning.”
“If you don’t want to lose your job completely when you’re almost forty, and have all your friends and family know about your disgraceful deeds, I advise you to leave right now. Otherwise, the next person to be dismissed will be you.”
Mao Xiaosong’s face trembled with anger, but faced with reality, he didn’t dare to act rashly. In the end, he could only leave in disgrace.
Chacha, trembling all over, hugged her big water bottle and retreated back into the small corner, her eyes wide.
After a long while, the spasms in her muscles, caused by extreme nervous tension, finally stopped.
After a short time, the makeup room wasn’t as busy as before.
Hugging her big water bottle, Chacha slowly made her way back through the crowd, found a spot with few people where she could still see Rong Guang, and continued to tuck herself away.
Probably because she had been so tense just now, Chacha fell asleep after a short while.
After finishing her costume photo shoot, Rong Guang found Chacha curled up asleep in a corner and was secretly amused. But just as she was about to wake her up, she noticed that Chacha’s posture was not right.
It was a defensive posture, full of vigilance.
Rong Guang paused, and the smile on her face involuntarily faded a little.
“Oh, Chacha’s asleep?” A passing crew member glanced at Chacha, handed Rong Guang a schedule, and said with a smile, “I just saw her chatting with Teacher Chu’s makeup artist. Did Teacher Chu need you for something? Here, this is your schedule for the afternoon.”
Rong Guang instantly turned her head. “Chatting with whom?”
“Looked like Xiao Song, I think?” The person thought for a moment and said, “Remember to ask if he needed you for something. I heard Teacher Chu agreed to share a dressing room with you to practice scenes. You have a scene tonight, don’t be late, and be diligent.”
Rong Guang nodded her thanks.
Then, moving as slowly as possible, she cleared her throat. Without touching Chacha, she called out from a short distance, “Chacha, wake up, time to work.”
Chacha’s whole body jolted. Her eyes were clear, and for a moment, her posture was extremely tense.
She instantly realized the situation, her eyes lit up slightly, and she scrambled up from the floor, calling out, “Sister Guangguang!”
She didn’t say anything else, first holding up the water bottle and calling out, “Are you thirsty, Sister Guangguang? I was holding it to keep it warm. It’s not cold and not hot, just right. Have a sip.”
Rong Guang looked at the muscles in Chacha’s arm, which were still twitching involuntarily, and clenched her fists.
After a long moment, she finally smiled. “I happen to be thirsty.”
Chacha happily prepared tea for her, muttering, “Looks like I’ll have to buy a bigger thermos. The weather will get colder soon, and it’s uncomfortable not having hot water to drink…”
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