Chapter 28
"Hello? Qingqing." Shen Li answered the phone while wrapping herself in a bath towel and leaving the bathroom.
"You know about the fight, right?" Cheng Qingqing's voice sounded tired on the other end of the phone.
"Yes, Xiaoyu told me, and I just saw the trending topics. They're probably... because of me." Shen Li walked to the bedside and changed into the coat she had prepared before taking a bath.
Cheng Qingqing: "Ah, what happened?"
"I'll talk to you when I have time. I'm going to the set to check on things." Shen Li ended the call, got dressed, and went downstairs with Xiao Yu.
On Weibo's main page, the hashtag #LiNanLuoMingxiuFightingEachOther# has been dominated by videos of the two punching and kicking each other while bystanders try to break them up, sparking continuous discussion.
[What happened? I've never seen Li Nan so angry.]
[Luo Mingxiu's expression is so fierce.]
[Li Nan was just making a guest appearance, and Luo Mingxiu is Shen Li's artist; aren't they embarrassing her by fighting like this?]
[Those present at the scene said that Luo Mingxiu started the trouble.]
[This is the kind of quality a top student from a 985 university has? The entertainment industry really is a big melting pot; you can find all kinds of people there.]
[This is hilarious! This is the academic genius brother that fans are raving about—he's like a mad dog.]
[Why do all these dramas have problems from start to finish? I feel so sorry for my sister.]
[What's there to feel sorry for? Wasn't Luo Mingxiu an artist signed by your sister herself? She has no taste, can't pick people, and doesn't discipline them properly.]
[What's the point of having police if an apology is enough? My brother Nan had such bad luck, giving her a cameo role for free and getting betrayed by one of her artists.]
Even if it's useless, you should still apologize, at least to give most people a place to vent their anger. Staying silent will not only make other partners of Qingli question the artist's character, but will also arouse fans' condemnation of Qingli's work attitude.
In the car, Shen Li pressed her fingers against her temples, closed Weibo, and received a message from Director Liu.
Director Liu: Teacher Shen, I'll have to trouble you to come to the film studio. The place where Teacher Li and Luo Mingxiu had their conflict is outside our filming area, which has negatively impacted the tourists in the scenic area.
Director Liu: The two were taken to their superiors by security guards and signed a settlement agreement, but there is still a guarantee from the scenic area service center that needs to be signed by the heads of the directing team and the production team.
Shen Li quickly replied: I'm in the car, I'll be right there.
After replying, Cheng Qingqing sent another message saying that Liang Jin had already communicated with Li Nan's team and that Luo Mingxiu had posted an apology on Weibo.
Shen Li opened Weibo again and clicked on Luo Mingxiu's homepage from her following list.
Luo Mingxiu V: I deeply realize my mistake because of some misunderstandings that offended Teacher Li. I sincerely apologize to Teacher Li @Li Nan. I am sorry. I will compensate you for all the mental and economic losses caused to you. At the same time, I will learn from this lesson and accept all criticism and supervision.
One minute later, Li Nan reposted his Weibo post: Just consider it a fight scene practice. The misunderstanding has been cleared up. He is currently fine and the crew's affairs are proceeding as usual. I hope everyone will not speculate too much.
Li Nan's Weibo was flooded with comments from fans expressing their sympathy and dissatisfaction.
Shen Li could guess that Li Nan's cooperation was not only due to Liang Jin's communication, but more importantly, because Luo Mingxiu was her artist, and he was only refraining from making things difficult for her sake.
As the car approached the film and television base, Shen Li turned off her phone and stopped in front of the service center not far from the entrance. There were two other cars parked at the entrance, belonging to Luo Mingxiu and Li Nan.
Shen Li paused for a moment, then walked over and found the car empty, and inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.
Director Liu waved to her from the lobby: "Teacher Shen, over here."
Shen Li nodded and followed Director Liu up to the third floor, where they entered the area where signatures were required.
After they signed the papers, the service center supervisor gave them a lecture before letting them leave.
After leaving the house, Shen Li asked Director Liu, "Did the film crew stop working this afternoon?"
"Stop. Sun Qi won't be back until tomorrow, and both lead actors are injured. None of the four of you can film, so we have to stop." Director Liu sighed with a tense face. "With something like this happening, even the extras who were originally scheduled can't film."
As expected, Shen Li apologized to Director Liu: "I will have Qing Li allocate funds to compensate for the lost work time. This matter was caused by one of our artists. After work resumes, I will bring him to apologize to all the crew members in person."
Hearing this, Director Liu's expression improved considerably. The two of them went down to the first floor together. At the entrance, the two cars were still parked there, but there were already people inside.
Director Liu took his leave and went ahead, while Shen Li remained where she was.
Luo Mingxiu must have seen her, because he quickly got out of the car. Shen Li first noticed the band-aids that were clearly visible on his cheekbones and jawline.
She lifted her foot and walked over, but as she got closer, her eyes turned cold, and she changed direction, walking towards the car door next to her.
The door opened, and she got into Li Nan's car.
Outside the car, Luo Mingxiu stood frozen by the door. She thought Shen Li was coming over to talk to him, but she only glanced at him indifferently.
The cold gaze scraped at his heart like a blade. His phone rang in the car, and Luo Mingxiu composed himself and returned to the car to answer it.
Liang Jin's voice came through the phone: "You've done all the necessary public relations work on Weibo, and you've done the apology and compensation to Teacher Li on the spot, right?"
“I did it,” Luo Mingxiu said.
Liang Jin breathed a sigh of relief: "Mingxiu, you really need to learn a lesson from this. This is only because of Shen Li. Otherwise, given Li Nan's team's previous way of doing things, they definitely wouldn't have accepted the apology so easily."
Luo Mingxiu: "I know."
"Knowing you still went to provoke him, I was originally thinking that since Li Nan is doing so well as a director now, you could get to know him on set, build a good relationship, and he might think of you when there are opportunities. But instead, you got into a fight with him..."
Liang Jin paused suddenly and asked, "You two fighting, it's not related to Shen Li, is it?"
Luo Mingxiu did not answer directly: "It was my own fault for not liking him and for not controlling my emotions."
Liang Jin chuckled: "Do you think I'd believe that? To be honest, does he also like Shen Li, or does he know about your feelings for Shen Li?"
"Yes." Having already been exposed by Liang Jin, Luo Mingxiu no longer concealed the truth.
“He knew I liked Shen Li, and he kept provoking me, getting close to her, and even asking her out to dinner. After dinner, Shen Li acted strangely, so he must have told her about me.”
"So you hit him just because you suspected him of revealing your crush?" Liang Jin sighed. "My goodness, I think you've really been blinded by love. If you could think about things more maturely, you wouldn't have hit him."
"Regardless of whether Li Nan has directly confronted anyone, your act of hitting him has made it even clearer to Shen Li what you mean to him. It's no wonder she's avoiding you like the plague."
"Now that things have come to this point, you'll just have to accept it no matter what kind of person they are. What did you promise me before? You said you wouldn't let her know until you reached the same level as her. You're just talking nonsense, aren't you? You have no integrity whatsoever."
Luo Mingxiu pursed his lips: "I'm sorry." He knew that his superiors had done something wrong, and he tried his best to be patient, but the thought that Shen Li would feel pressured by it and avoid him or stay away from him made him hesitate.
He couldn't control his emotions.
"President Cheng scolded me like a dog in the meeting today, saying that I was too impetuous and did things without considering the consequences. He said that I had squandered all the goodwill I had built up from the movie."
Once you're labeled as having a bad temper, it'll be hard to shake off. So please, there's less than two weeks left, just finish filming properly, okay?
Luo Mingxiu: "Okay, I'll apologize to President Cheng after filming wraps up."
Liang Jin: "Yes, I apologize to the director and Shen Li on set."
After hanging up the phone, Luo Mingxiu rolled down the car window and looked back. Li Nan and Shen Li's car had already driven away.
His eyes darkened, and he turned to Xiaowen, saying, "Let's go."
Xiao Wen started the car and said as he drove, "Brother Luo, don't blame Brother Liang for scolding you like that. You really acted too impulsively this time."
"No matter how much Teacher Li is a senior, it's unreasonable for you to hit him because of personal grudges. Besides, you are an artist under Qingli, and every move you make represents Sister Shenli's reputation."
Xiaowen looked at Luo Mingxiu through the mirror again and sighed, "Anyway, when we get back to the hotel, you can take whatever scolding Sister Shenli gives you."
Luo Mingxiu's eyelashes drooped, and he looked at his fingertips, which were trembling uncontrollably.
He wasn't afraid of being scolded; he was afraid that Shen Li wouldn't scold him at all and would be completely disappointed in him.
Shen Li returned to the hotel and asked Xiao Yu to order some food, including a light meal for Li Nan, and also asked her to send the medicine over.
Li Nan had injuries all over his legs and waist. Although he said it was nothing, it was Luo Mingxiu who had hit him, so he thought it would make him feel better.
After the items were delivered, a while later, Li Nan sent a message: I don't blame you, you don't need to feel guilty for him.
Li Nan: You kept avoiding my gaze while we were talking in the car. My room isn't far from yours, and I still need Xiaoyu to bring the medicine. Are you avoiding me? I'll be very sad.
Li Nan: Shen Li, don't avoid me. Although I've confessed, I won't force you to agree immediately. Can we still get along like before?
Li Nan could tell she was uncomfortable. After seeing the message, Shen Li was troubled for a while before replying: Okay, I won't avoid you.
I felt much better after posting it.
Who cares? He likes her, why is she wasting her time and energy? It's a headache, isn't it? They're going to act together again later, can they stay awkward forever? Whatever, let nature take its course.
After figuring it out, Shen Li tossed her phone onto the bed and prepared to wash up.
Just then, someone knocked on the door. Xiaoyu had already told her on WeChat that she was going back to her room, so the person who came now was undoubtedly Luo Mingxiu.
She had just sent Luo Mingxiu a message that hadn't been replied to. She wanted to talk to him, but she planned to do it over the phone. She didn't expect him to come online so suddenly, catching her completely off guard.
Perhaps not hearing the noise, Luo Mingxiu stopped knocking. His voice came through, sounding somewhat anxious: "Sister, are you there? I apologize for what happened today. Please open the door."
Shen Li opened the door, sat on the sofa, and adopted a serious posture.
Luo Mingxiu didn't dare to sit down. He stood in front of her, bowed his head, and said with the same meek and submissive manner he always used when apologizing, "I'm sorry."
Shen Li said coldly, "Sorry, saying those three words too often makes them lose their meaning."
The air seemed to freeze for a moment, neither of them speaking, the only sound the ticking of the clock.
Luo Mingxiu was at a loss for what to do. This was torture for him. He felt that Shen Li's cold face was tearing at his heart.
He bent his knees slightly, gritting his teeth and enduring the pain in his knees as he knelt on the hard floor.
"What are you doing?" Shen Li stood up.
Luo Mingxiu shifted his knees, kneeling closer to her feet. He looked up at Shen Li and said, "Sister, you can scold me and hit me, but please don't just stay silent like this. I beg you."
"Stand up." Shen Li could hardly bear to look at the scene; kneeling was unbecoming.
When I was little, I only knelt down and apologized to Aunt Luo. How can she still do this now that I'm all grown up? Is she my mother?
"Sister." Luo Mingxiu didn't get up, still looking up at her, his tone cautious.
“I told you to stand up,” Shen Li said in a commanding tone, “I can’t scold you if you’re standing like this.”
Luo Mingxiu got up, and Shen Li sat back down on the sofa.
She closed her eyes and said, "What do you want me to scold you for? What do you need me to say about you, Luo Mingxiu? Why didn't you have this awareness before the fight? You rushed in and started hitting without thinking. You were having a good time, but you didn't think about Qingli or the crew."
You're just thinking about Liang Jin, and that I'll be there to back you up. Can you please stop being so naive?
“You came here to be an actor, but I don’t see that you really care about this job. You never take acting seriously. Your mind is just filled with…” Shen Li paused for a breath and said, “filled with all sorts of nonsense. If you really want to be a good actor, then do it seriously. If you can’t, then get out. Qingli doesn’t need someone like you.”
"Don't send me away. I'll never be impulsive again. I'll be good, sister. I'll listen to you."
Luo Mingxiu pleaded, "I can't leave you anymore."
"Why can't you leave me?" Shen Li couldn't stand him like this. She raised her voice, "I signed you as an artist. You are an employee and I am the boss. If you don't perform well, I will consider firing you."
"Yes, I am your sister. I can guide you, but I will only teach you acting. I don't want to interfere with anything else. You can't rely on me. You have to figure out how you want to live your life, instead of following me around."
Shen Li's words were loaded with meaning, and Luo Mingxiu looked up, trying to read the unspoken message from her face.
She said, "I used to think that I spoiled you, but now I realize that I really did spoil you too much."
Luo Mingxiu saw the disappointment in her eyes, and his heart sank to the bottom.
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