The food Wang Lujie brought over from Chu Feiliang was all light, but without exception, it was all fragrant and looked especially appetizing.
Rong Guang took a sniff and only then realized her stomach had been growling with hunger for some time. With so much going on earlier, she hadn’t noticed. Now, with so much delicious food tempting her, she suddenly felt famished and quickly called Chacha over to eat.
Chacha’s eyes lit up when she saw the food on the table. She zipped over, her mouth watering. “It smells so good!”
There was simple century egg congee, a few steamed buns with molten yellow custard centers, and sweet corn cut into pieces. On the side were some crisp, refreshing pickles for seasoning.
Chacha looked at it for a moment before saying, “This isn’t from the cafeteria, is it?”
The cafeteria food was tasty, but because it had to be supplied to so many people on the cast and crew, its presentation wasn’t great.
Even the containers for this food looked particularly high-end, and the desserts looked exquisite—even the braised egg on the side was specially packed in a little pig-shaped shell.
“It doesn’t look like it to me, either.” Rong Guang scratched her head. “Let’s eat. After we finish, I have something to tell you.”
So, while they were eating, Rong Guang told Chacha about the outcome of Mao Xiaosong’s case.
Chacha frowned and said in a low voice, “I still feel like he got off a little too easy. Only three months of detention.”
Rong Guang smiled. “But this incident will go on his permanent record. He’ll have a criminal record from now on.”
Chacha froze, looking a bit lost. “Is it like what happened with my dad?”
Rong Guang’s spoon paused mid-air. She thought for a moment, observed Chacha’s expression, and said, “The nature of the incidents is different. But in terms of its social implications, the meaning is the same.”
“Oh,” Chacha said sullenly, then added, “You don’t have to worry about me, Sister Guangguang. I know my dad wasn’t wrongly accused—he got his criminal record for robbing someone and nearly stabbing them to death.”
Rong Guang patted Chacha’s head.
Chacha’s mood came and went quickly. She soon recovered and said, “If it’s going on his permanent record, then it’s not a bad outcome.”
Rong Guang nodded.
Chacha put down her spoon and counted on her fingers. “He’s thirty-five this year. No one will want to hire him for his original job anymore. Losing his job at this age… he’ll only be able to work as a mistreated little assistant in the future. How miserable.”
“Not only that,” Rong Guang said seriously. “It must have taken him at least three to five years, maybe even longer, to get into Director Zhang’s crew. Setting aside his salary, any legitimate production crew or team will investigate the basic family background and personal records of their staff. With his record, he won’t even be able to get into a proper crew in the future.”
“Serves him right!” Chacha said, grinding her teeth. “Who told him to be so evil!”
Rong Guang smiled and patted Chacha’s head. “Yes, it’s the retribution he deserves.”
The white gauze on Chacha’s head hadn’t been removed yet, but her dark, shoulder-length hair had been cut into a very short bob. The small patch of hair around the wound on the back of her head had been shaved off to prevent infection in this season.
The nurses at the hospital probably didn’t want to shave a larger area of Chacha’s head because of the wound, fearing it might damage the self-esteem of a girl her age. So they chose the more troublesome method of changing her gauze and dressing every day.
As Rong Guang pulled her hand back, she gave Chacha’s cheek a playful pinch and said with a grin, “Chacha, you can’t act so recklessly in the future. If you see a bad person, you have to run away first. Remember to call me if anything happens, understand? You’ve only been practicing kung fu for a short time. You can’t beat them.”
This time, Chacha nodded very seriously. “Then can I go to that temple where you used to practice martial arts to learn kung fu?”
“No.” Rong Guang thought for a moment. “My situation back then was special. My grandma had a connection with Buddhism, and she had been going to that temple to offer incense and pray for decades. The abbot also knew about my situation, which is why I was given special permission to train there for a few years. During those years, I was treated just like a young monk—studying, attending classes, eating vegetarian meals, and practicing martial arts. You wouldn’t be able to endure that kind of hardship.”
When Rong Guang said she couldn’t handle it, Chacha didn’t argue. She just nodded and said, “Then I won’t go. Sister Guangguang, you can keep teaching me when we go home. That kick you gave that guy was so cool, you sent him flying!”
“It depends on the person,” Rong Guang said with a laugh. “I couldn’t do that to someone too heavy. Boys and girls are naturally different in strength, which is why I told you that when you encounter trouble, your first reaction should be to calm down and think of a solution, not to confront them directly.”
“Got it!” Chacha’s eyes shone, her admiration for Rong Guang deepening. “I’ll use my brain more in the future!”
The next morning, Rong Guang and Chacha got up early. When they arrived at the set, they could hear the extras, who had nothing to do, chatting idly about all sorts of things.
Chacha had only been there for a few days, but she had a good relationship with the simple and honest extras. Most of them knew she had been injured and had strongly condemned Mao Xiaosong.
When a few dark-faced men saw that Chacha had returned safely and had even brought them fruit, they eagerly pulled red envelopes from their pockets and scrambled to stuff them into Chacha’s.
“Just take what your uncle is giving you. It’s not easy for two young girls to make a living out here, and you have to support your grandma…”
“That’s right, it’s not much money. You two sisters should save it up. It would be great if you could save enough for college.”
“Come, let your uncle see your head… Oh my, that must have bled so much…”
A group of people surrounded Chacha, but they didn’t get too close. At most, they leaned in to look at the back of her head, and after a moment of chattering, they started cursing Mao Xiaosong again.
Chacha sat there properly, munching on an old-fashioned popsicle someone had gotten for her. She asked indistinctly, “Old uncles, what were you all talking about just now?”
“Hmph.” An elderly man spat. “Who else but that makeup artist who hit you! He never looked like a good person, always ordering us around and giving us attitude. And now, look at him, laying such a heavy hand on a little girl!”
Chacha looked innocent. “Then how come I heard Auntie Ruyi’s name too?”
“Jiang Ruyi?” A few of them exchanged glances. “That’s a rumor we heard from who-knows-where. They say the director’s side plans to terminate the contract with Jiang Ruyi. The papers have already been sent to the hospital. In a few days, a new actress will come to audition.”
A few others nearby whispered, “I heard this new one is bringing her own funding to the production?”
“Who knows? They say she has a powerful background… I don’t know what she was thinking, wanting to come and play a villain.”
Chacha’s eyes widened in surprise. She wasn’t too concerned about who was coming, but asked, “Is that really happening? Why are they terminating the contract?”
“Of course.” A man nodded, idly folding the popsicle wrapper Chacha had set aside. “An actor’s face is ruined, how can they act? Forget a big star like Jiang Ruyi, even us extras who roll around in the mud wouldn’t be able to find work if our faces were ruined.”
Chacha thought for a moment. “That’s true.”
Someone nearby gave the speaker a kick. “What are you saying to a little girl? She’s so young, can’t you say something nice!”
The speaker chuckled twice and changed his tune. “Study hard, study hard, so you can serve the country when you grow up. Little Chacha is pretty. Even if her face were covered in pockmarks, she’d still be pretty. If you don’t become an actress in the future, you can be… a scientist!”
Among this group of people with limited education, the most cultured profession they could name was a scientist.
Chacha subconsciously touched her face, imagined herself with a pockmarked face, and laughed along.
After returning from the extras’ area, Chacha immediately rushed over to Rong Guang.
Upon first hearing the news that the production was terminating Jiang Ruyi’s contract, Rong Guang was surprised, yet she also felt it was within her expectations.
To be fair, Jiang Ruyi wasn’t ugly; one could even say she was very beautiful.
In fact, part of the reason for her infamous popularity was that her looks aligned with mainstream beauty standards. In other words, she had a high degree of likability.
A considerable number of people hated on her, but a considerable number also defended her.
Unfortunately, one wrong step led to a total loss. With her face ruined, her career in the entertainment industry was basically over.
Chacha had now more or less figured out the whole story. She squatted in a corner of the set with Rong Guang, propped her chin on her hands, and asked, “But I don’t get it. Why did she team up with Mao Xiaosong to harm you? Was it just because you got this role?”
“Not entirely.” Rong Guang thought for a moment and told Chacha the truth. “Because this role is too good. Auntie Jiang also wanted to fight for this role at first, but she wasn’t as skilled as me, so the role became mine.”
“Mhm, I know that.” Chacha nodded, gave Rong Guang a thumbs-up, and said with a smile, “Sister Chu praised you, too.”
“Yes.” Rong Guang smiled gently, thought for a moment, and said, “Jiang Ruyi was probably too desperate to change her image. If I remember correctly, she’s been playing villains for a long time, getting flamed by the entire internet every time one of her shows aired. For two or three years, the six or seven dramas she filmed were all villain roles, and the offers she got were also for villains. Plus, she couldn’t get any endorsements or commercials, so this role was very important to her.”
Although, as far as Rong Guang knew, the role probably wouldn’t have gone to Jiang Ruyi in the end anyway.
“That’s so miserable,” Chacha said.
Rong Guang nodded and sighed. “Good, heroic roles have very high requirements—not only do you need good acting skills, but your face also needs to have audience appeal. Jiang Ruyi’s face isn’t quite right for that. Although she’s beautiful, she doesn’t look very righteous, and her acting isn’t up to par. She can’t handle roles with a lot of inner turmoil.”
“But that’s still no reason to harm people.” Chacha had a serious expression. “My grandpa said that those who commit many injustices are doomed to bring about their own destruction.”
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