Chapter 21
Shen Li tugged at Luo Mingxiu's sleeve and winked at him.
Li Nan invited her to dinner; how could he possibly interrupt the meal?
To everyone's surprise, the boy acted as if he hadn't seen anything, and just sat there and started picking up food for her with his chopsticks.
I was just about to say something to him.
Li Nan said, "We've ordered too much. It would be good if your younger brother could help us eat some."
These words were directed at her. Shen Li looked at the large table of dishes and felt apologetic.
He turned and glared at Luo Mingxiu, then smiled at Li Nan.
Luo Mingxiu suddenly realized he had acted impulsively and felt uneasy.
He silently added more food to Chen Li's bowl, hoping to win her favor.
"Eat." Shen Li tapped his bowl.
With permission granted, Luo Mingxiu finally smiled.
"Give me a bottle of wine," Li Nan asked. "Does your brother drink?"
"No," Shen Li interrupted, "To be honest, the crew had a dinner party and drank alcohol just two days ago. His alcohol tolerance is inconsistent, so it's best if he doesn't drink."
"Really?" Li Nan looked at Luo Mingxiu.
Luo Mingxiu nodded: "I'll listen to her."
"Oh, so you listen to your older sister." Li Nan took a sip of tea and continued to look at Shen Li.
Similarly, Luo Mingxiu's gaze followed Shen Li.
The dish she picked at most was quietly moved to her side the next second.
When you need paper, it's handed to you before you can even open it.
Tea and snacks were placed on the shelf next to her so she could easily grab them at any time.
Seeing Luo Mingxiu's series of actions, Li Nan deliberately picked up a piece of beef from the sour soup pot and put it into Chen Li's bowl.
Luo Mingxiu's gaze immediately swept towards him, his eyes sharp, the dark emotions in them impossible to conceal.
"Why do you keep putting food in my bowl? You two haven't even eaten as much as I have!" Although Shen Li was unhappy, she still ate the beef and then put down her bowl.
“I’ll rest for a bit, you guys eat, I want to watch you eat.” She held up two fingers to her eyes, gesturing that she was watching you.
Li Nan laughed: "No, keep going. It's more enjoyable to watch you eat."
"I'm not a mukbang streamer," Shen Li snorted.
Li Nan: "Do you remember you considered this before?"
Then, the two continued the conversation, opening up a topic of the past.
As Luo Mingxiu listened to the amusing stories about Li Nan and her filming, he felt a mix of curiosity and a desire to learn more about Shen Li, but at the same time, his chest tightened, and he felt a complex mix of emotions.
He wasn't involved in those past events; while Shen Li was striving in the entertainment industry, he was still struggling on campus.
During her time of obscurity, the person who stayed by her side was not him.
“Sigh, what a pity about you…” Shen Li sighed, “You’ve already become a director, so let’s not talk about the past. That way, I’ll want you back on screen even more.”
Li Nan said, "You went back? What? You look down on this small role?"
Shen Li looked at him, hesitant to speak.
"Forget it, your ambitions lie elsewhere. I begged you eight hundred times last year for a cameo role. Don't worry, I won't ask you to come back for any more suitable roles in the future, Director Li." Shen Li deliberately emphasized the last two words.
Li Nan: "What did you ask me for? You just ate a few more meals at my house, didn't you?"
“You…” Shen Li was speechless, her face flushed. She glanced at Luo Mingxiu and said stubbornly, “That’s because someone was acting like a big shot, which is why I visited them time and time again. Besides, I invited more than just you; my uncle was there too. You weren’t as straightforward as him.”
Li Nan was amused by her serious expression. Seeing that the hair by her ear was sticking to her face in the wind, he wanted to help her fix it, but before he could reach out, someone else beat him to it and brushed the hair away.
Li Nan narrowed his eyes and met Luo Mingxiu's piercing gaze.
"Let's add each other on WeChat, Xiao Luo? Is that okay with you calling me?" He took out his phone, showed the QR code, and placed it on the table. "Don't call me Teacher Li either. I'm the same age as your sister. Call me 'brother,' how about that?"
Luo Mingxiu remained silent, his hands clenched at his sides, his gaze chilling.
"Add her quickly," Shen Li patted him and said to Li Nan, "Director Li, please take good care of me in future projects. The second female lead in this film is also one of my artists. Let's add each other on WeChat later?"
Li Nan said casually, "Fine, you can push it to her."
Luo Mingxiu added it.
After resting enough, Chen Li continued eating. All the other dishes were gone, leaving only the soup pot in the middle, still steaming.
She reached in with her chopsticks, picked up a slice of potato, and ate it. Seeing that the other two people weren't eating, she got up and gave each of them a slice.
Li Nan lowered his head: "Mmm, delicious."
Luo Mingxiu also lowered his head and quickly finished eating.
"We want more." The two looked up and said in unison.
Shen Li frowned slightly, her expression one of utter helplessness and speechlessness: "Help yourselves. Are you two eating with your mouths?"
"..."
Li Nan laughed out loud and reached for a piece of beef, but unexpectedly, he and Luo Mingxiu moved in sync and both grabbed the beef.
Seeing their stalemate, Shen Li sighed, scooped up two large pieces of beef with a spoon, and put them into their bowls: "There's so much, why are you fixated on that one piece?"
Li Nan let go of her hand, his smile fading. He watched as Luo Mingxiu finally placed the slice of beef into Chen Li's bowl, and suddenly asked, "Little Luo, do you like acting?"
Luo Mingxiu paused.
Li Nan continued, "Nothing else, just curious. I heard you didn't study acting?"
The topic changed so abruptly that Shen Li didn't even have time to react.
Luo Mingxiu quickly responded, saying only three words: "I like it."
Li Nan stared at him: "I like it too."
Luo Mingxiu: "Then why did you switch careers to become a director?"
“There’s no conflict. The performance and guidance are interconnected,” Li Nan said, turning his head. “Right, Shen Li?”
Chen Li ate half a chicken foot: "Yes."
Li Nan smiled and turned around, his eyes darkening. He whispered, "There's a saying: 'A person's greatest virtue is self-awareness.'"
Luo Mingxiu turned pale: "What do you mean?"
Li Nan: "You know what I mean."
"That's about it." Shen Li finished her soup and put down her bowl. Seeing that both of them were looking at her, she was puzzled. She took a tissue to wipe her mouth and got up.
"Check, Mr. Li."
After Li Nan paid the bill, Luo Mingxiu held up his phone and said to Chen Li, "I need to go back and pay too, let's go."
“Oh, right, I’m going to see Aunt Luo,” Shen Li turned around, “Then see you on set, Li Nan.”
"Mm." Li Nan waved and watched the two walk away.
Shen Li followed Luo Mingxiu up to the third floor. When they reached the end of the corridor, Luo Mingxiu stopped and knocked on the door.
The door opened, and Luo Qiuli pulled him, but when she saw the person behind him, she paused: "Lili?"
"Aunt Luo, it's been so long, I've missed you so much." Shen Li's voice trembled slightly as she stepped forward and hugged her.
When she was in junior high school, Aunt Luo worked at her house. At that time, there were no other nannies in the family. Her parents were busy, and Aunt Luo accompanied her for most of her childhood.
In her heart, Aunt Luo was no different from her own family.
"Oh, my good child," Luo Qiuli stroked Chen Li's head and smoothed her beautiful long hair, "Aunt Luo missed you too. Come in quickly and let me take a good look at you."
Luo Mingxiu reached out to block the door and peered inside.
"Don't worry, I let them go first," Luo Qiuli said.
"What?" Shen Li asked in confusion.
Luo Qiuli patted her hand: "They are my friends. I traveled with them."
Shen Li smiled and asked, "Oh, how long have you been here? What do you think of this place? Is it fun?"
"I've been here for two weeks now. It's fun, the scenery is beautiful, and I've taken a lot of great photos."
Luo Qiuli opened her phone's photo album as she spoke, "Look, this is a photo a young man took for us on the bridge on the first day."
This is an ancient street. You've made the right choice to film here. This place has a special charm and is very suitable for filming period dramas.
And here's another one. It's from an ethnic song and dance performance one evening, organized by the owner of this shop. Look, the auntie even participated!
In the photo, Luo Qiuli is dressed in Miao ethnic clothing, with one hand raised, holding up the hem of her skirt, crossing her legs, and smiling brightly and gently at the camera.
Shen Li stared intently at the photo and exclaimed, "So beautiful! Aunt Luo is getting younger and younger. I hope you're having fun."
Luo Qiuli covered her mouth and laughed: "Lili is still the sweetest. Mingxiu, that brat, dared to say I was pretending to be young."
Shen Li glared at him: "How could you talk to your aunt like that? Apologize now!"
Luo Mingxiu's face was full of helplessness: "I'm sorry, Mom."
Luo Qiuli couldn't stop smiling.
“It’s time to go,” Luo Mingxiu said. “What are you doing sitting here after you’ve finished eating?”
“Go wherever you want to go,” Luo Qiuli patted him and took Shen Li’s arm. “I’m leaving tomorrow. It’s not easy to see Lili, so I want to talk to her for a while.”
"Leaving tomorrow," Chen Li said, "won't you stay a few more days?"
Luo Qiuli: "The time was arranged with my sisters, and we were going to the next place."
“Okay,” Shen Li looked at Luo Mingxiu, “then you go back to the guesthouse first, I’ll accompany Auntie for a walk.”
"Don't stay up too late," Luo Mingxiu said to Luo Qiuli after checking the time. "Mom, go to bed early tonight. Be careful driving tomorrow."
"Stop nagging, go away," Aunt Luo waved him away, "You're even more nagging than me."
Luo Mingxiu strode away. His mother and Shen Li hadn't seen each other for a long time, so he didn't want to linger and disturb their reunion.
The guesthouse arranged by the film crew is not far from this restaurant, within walking distance. My mother is staying at the same guesthouse as them, so we can go back together after they've finished sightseeing.
Now, he wants to do something else.
He took out his phone and typed two words to the newly added contact: "Let's talk."
Soon, they replied: Okay, I'm at the guesthouse, on the third-floor outdoor public terrace.
Downstairs at the guesthouse, Luo Mingxiu looked up and saw Li Nan standing by the railing, waving at him.
Luo Mingxiu's eyes were cold as he stepped through the doorway, went up to the third floor, and walked toward his destination with a sullen face.
When I got to the terrace, I didn't see anyone at first. I took two steps forward and then I spotted him in the corner.
Li Nan leaned against the wall, holding a lighter to light a cigarette. When he saw him coming over, he reached into his pocket.
“I don’t smoke,” Luo Mingxiu said.
Li Nan stopped, put the lighter away, and glanced at him without putting the cigarette in his mouth.
Luo Mingxiu: "Go ahead and smoke, I don't mind."
"Hmm," Li Nan lowered his head, took a drag, and exhaled a smoke ring, "You like Shen Li?"
Luo Mingxiu: "You know perfectly well why you're asking this."
"Damn," Li Nan couldn't help but laugh, "Sorry, are you serious? When did this start?"
Luo Mingzheng looked at him directly, his eyes devoid of any smile: "I'm very serious. I like her, definitely before you did."
"Is there any such thing as first come, first served?" Li Nan's face also darkened, and he stubbed out his cigarette and threw it into the trash can.
Then she looked up at him and said, "Let me tell you clearly, I liked Shen Li before she got married. I didn't realize it then and missed my chance. Now that she's divorced, I will pursue her without reservation."
Luo Mingxiu grabbed his collar, gritted his teeth, and shouted angrily, "I'm warning you, stay away from her."
"Why should I?" Li Nan reached out and pulled him away. "Even if he's a younger brother, he can't control his older sister's feelings."
Shen Li and I graduated from the same acting school. When we acted in our first movie together, how old were you? In elementary school? Or middle school?
"I advise you to face reality sooner rather than later and be more polite to me. Maybe in the near future, I will be your brother-in-law."
Luo Mingxiu clenched his fist, raised his hand, and slammed it down slightly to the side, aiming straight at the stone wall behind Li Nan.
"You're already losing your temper?" Li Nan caught his fist in his palm and scoffed, "You little brat, you dare to compete with me?"
"Hmph," Luo Mingxiu found it laughable. "You liked her, acted in so many dramas with her, and stayed by her side for so long, but in the end, you still let her marry Fang Wei. What are you pretending to be so affectionate for now?"
"The choice is hers. Don't think you have much of a chance if you pursue her. She has always considered you a friend."
“She’s always treated you like a younger brother,” Li Nan said. “I’m warning you, don’t stare at me like you’re a wolf, it’s disgusting.”
Luo Mingxiu was about to step forward again.
Li Nan first pinned him to the ground: "Kid, don't think I'm afraid to hit you. I'm just afraid of hurting you. If you run to Shen Li and cry about it, I'll give you another chance."
"To be honest, I am her friend, and we are on par in every way. I can confess my feelings to her anytime without any reservations."
But you're different. She watched you grow up; you're family. Think about whether you're suitable for this role.
"You have nothing. If you confess your feelings, she will definitely run away and might even feel guilty. Do you want to see her embarrassed?"
Li Nan left after saying those words.
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