Rong Guang wanted to thank Chu Feiliang for letting Wang Lujie take Chacha under her wing. It would allow Chacha to familiarize herself with the film crew’s work environment and meet more people. However, it was already too late to make a special trip over.
After some thought, she decided to find a more suitable opportunity to thank her formally.
“Chacha, I have a mission for you.” Rong Guang cupped Chacha’s face seriously.
Chacha’s mouth was squished into the shape of two stacked quail eggs. She mumbled indistinctly, “Whash ish ish?”
Rong Guang said, “Later, go and ask around if there’s a place nearby that can provide a space for me to cook… The hotel’s back kitchen won’t do; it has to be somewhere outside. I want to treat your Sister Chu to a meal.”
“Okay!” Chacha shook her head, blinked, and finally managed to free her face from Rong Guang’s hands.
Only after pulling her hands back did Rong Guang realize that Chacha’s face was exceptionally comfortable to pinch…
The texture was probably comparable only to a baby’s cheeks.
If you flicked it, the flesh on her face would jiggle.
Unable to resist, she gave it two more pinches before looking at her phone with a smile.
There were over thirty unread messages from Duan Nong. The corner of her mouth twitched, and she said, “Let’s go wash up first.”
Wang Lujie didn’t say much on the way back to the room with Chu Feiliang.
Chu Feiliang was already yawning nonstop. She had already removed all her makeup in one go back at Rong Guang’s place, so all she needed to do when she got back was take a quick shower.
Seeing Wang Lujie’s expression, she glanced at her a couple of times and said lazily, “Got something on your mind?”
Wang Lujie paused for a moment, then smiled. “I just feel that you’re quite concerned about little Rong.”
“Hmm?” Chu Feiliang opened the door to her room, kicked off her shoes, and walked barefoot into the bathroom to run the bath. Sitting on the edge of the tub, she asked, “How so?”
“You made a point of having me take Chacha away. Wasn’t it because you were worried about her condition?” Wang Lujie smiled, reaching out to prepare the things Chu Feiliang usually used.
She glanced at the water level in the bathtub and, seeing it would be a while, added, “She even ate a lot more for dinner tonight.”
Chu Feiliang reached out to test the water temperature and smiled at her words.
“I was a little worried. As for being hated by the entire internet, whether she can get through it is all up to her. Especially when she’s been made to take the blame for something so huge. If no one helps her, how is an eighteen-year-old girl supposed to bear it all on her own? Don’t be ridiculous.” Chu Feiliang pursed her lips, her accent shifting slightly. “But she’s… much stronger than I thought.”
“That’s true.” Wang Lujie nodded thoughtfully. “She has a rare kind of resilience. I’ve never seen a newcomer who can stand outside under the blazing sun for a whole day, insist on doing all her own action scenes, and even practice her moves with gestures and kicks off-camera…”
Chu Feiliang suddenly recalled the time she saw Rong Guang execute a flying kick in the hallway.
She glanced at the tips of her own toes and said with a smile, “Indeed. Her skills are excellent, too. She’s not like those delicate little girls. She’s quite formidable.”
Wang Lujie had seen that scene as well.
One look at Chu Feiliang’s expression told her what she was remembering. She couldn’t help but nod and say, “Indeed.”
“By the way, Director Zhang sent you a message. Remember to reply. I’ll remind you again later,” Wang Lujie said finally. As she stood up, she turned her head. “And the usual rule: don’t bolt the door. I’ll be right outside. If it’s been over an hour, I’ll knock.”
Chu Feiliang grunted in acknowledgment and chuckled at Wang Lujie. “Alright, it won’t come to that.”
Wang Lujie shrugged. “Your sister personally asked me to come and look after you. I have to be diligent.”
As her entire body sank into the bathtub, Chu Feiliang let out a long sigh.
Zhang Nanchuan must have known in advance that this drama would be very difficult to film. Since money was no object, he had also chosen the best hotel.
There were only a few rooms on the top floor, but each one had a bathtub with a massage function. Although it was quite painful, a full cycle really did relieve fatigue.
Gritting her teeth, Chu Feiliang opened her phone. Zhang Nanchuan’s message immediately appeared on the screen.
Lao Zhang: This old brother talks too much. The kid didn’t seem to be in a good state tonight. I’ll have to trouble Teacher Chu to pay a little more attention to the future flower of our motherland. This worried old father thanks you in advance.
Chu Feiliang chuckled, but before her smile could fully form, the jets started a new massage cycle, instantly twisting her smiling face into a grimace.
After enduring the onslaught, Chu Feiliang let out a breath, wiped her hands on a nearby towel, and typed a line: “Don’t worry about the kid’s condition. She’ll be in even better shape tomorrow.”
Zhang Nanchuan replied quickly: Got it. 【Handshake emoji】
Chu Feiliang rolled her eyes at the ceiling and replied with a smiley face emoji typically used by the older generation.
Zhang Nanchuan also sent back a smile.
It was immediately followed by: A pleasure working with you.
Chu Feiliang: “…”
When Rong Guang woke up the next day, she felt sore all over. She glanced at the time; it was just past six in the morning.
Chacha was snoring soundly in the adjacent bed like a little piglet. Her shirt had ridden up from her tossing and turning, revealing a round belly. She would smack her lips from time to time, lost in some unknown dream.
She finally felt a bit more refreshed after getting up and taking a shower.
The sky was beginning to brighten. Chacha’s eyes opened right at seven o’clock, and she wandered to the bathroom like a sleepwalker.
Rong Guang smiled and opened her phone.
Just as she had expected, Duan Nong had sent her many more messages since last night. Her unread messages were now at 99+.
She opened them to see a stream of smiley face emojis, interspersed with a few phrases like “Where are you?” and “Not replying?”
After a quick scan, Rong Guang sighed helplessly. A feeling of impatience had welled up inside her countless times.
Duan Nong was like this with everyone, accustomed to being bossy.
But the other two girls in the group, including herself, had all debuted as amateurs with no background. After so many years of struggle, being able to form a group with Duan Nong and enjoy three years of fame—it would have been nearly impossible without Duan Nong’s connections. This was something she had known for a long time.
Therefore, of the three in the group, she was the most tolerant of Duan Nong. Rong Guang gave in to almost everything Duan Nong wanted.
In their daily lives, Rong Guang, being two years older, had always taken on the role of a “big sister”—waking them up since their trainee days, making them breakfast and late-night snacks, helping them cut their hair, and so on.
She felt she had never wronged Duan Nong in any way.
But Duan Nong had been the same in her past life; her attitude toward her had grown increasingly unreasonable in recent years.
In her past life, it wasn’t until her grandmother’s accident that Duan Nong had finally left her a million yuan, along with a “sorry,” before disappearing from Rong Guang’s world.
And in this life?
Rong Guang frowned and typed a few words on her phone: The person looking for me last night was Teacher Chu Feiliang. We were doing a script reading. My phone ran out of battery and shut down. I have to work today, and my schedule is packed with scenes, so it’s not convenient for me to take messages.
The concert had gone on until about three in the morning, so Duan Nong should be asleep right now.
Rong Guang waited for a moment. When she saw no reply from Duan Nong, she let out a genuine sigh of relief.
She handed the phone to Chacha and repeated what she had told her yesterday. “I’ve muted her notifications, so you won’t see her messages even if she spams you. You don’t need to look at what she sends. If anything comes up, remember to find me.”
“Okay.” Chacha blinked and tucked the phone into the small pocket on the bib of her overalls.
On the way to “work” today, Chacha finally got to ride the four-wheeled electric scooter she had been dreaming of.
The rental company had a keen business sense. The four-wheelers were equipped with a rain canopy for rainy days and a sun canopy for sunny ones. Someone would also come by regularly to perform maintenance and charge them.
You had to admit, you could cruise around the entire area for fun on one of these things.
Chacha knew how to drive a tractor and an electric tricycle, so this little four-wheeler was a piece of cake for her. She even drove the electric vehicle with the swagger of a Hummer, constantly making “doot doot doot doot” sounds with her mouth.
After “dooting” for a while, Chacha’s mouth must have started to feel a bit numb. She worked her jaw, then turned her head and said, “Sister Guangguang, we can invite Sister Chu to go camping in the BMW later!”
“BMW? Camping?” Rong Guang raised an eyebrow. She understood Chacha’s joke. She craned her neck to look, and sure enough, the company had stuck two enormous characters on the vehicle: Bǎomǎ.
She burst out laughing. “That’s a great idea. I just don’t know if your Sister Chu would be willing to ride in a car like this.”
The words had barely left her mouth when a car behind them started honking, “Beep, beep, beep.”
Before Chacha could look back, she steered the vehicle toward the side of the road.
Rong Guang glanced back. The horn was still beeping.
Chu Feiliang also glanced tentatively from side to side before sticking her head out and shouting from a distance, “Stop—!”
Rong Guang patted Chacha. “Chacha, stop. It’s Sister Chu.”
“Huh? Huh? Huh?” Without looking back, Chacha slowly pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and watched as the RV following them came to a stop.
Chu Feiliang took off her sunglasses and curiously sized up their vehicle. “Where did you get this?”
“It’s a rental,” Rong Guang said.
“What a coincidence.” Chu Feiliang let out a breath and hung her sunglasses on her collar. “I’m feeling a bit carsick. Mind if I join you?”
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