Chapter 47
The stage lights shifted, the camera cut to the next award presenter, and Luo Mingxiu watched the red figure disappear into the exit, the light in his eyes fading.
Liang Jin, who was dealing with other artists' agents, looked over and saw Luo Mingxiu walking off the stage with his head down, and Shen Li's seat in the front row was empty.
He quickly went over, winked at him, and blocked a camera that was trying to take a picture.
“She’s gone to do an interview,” he whispered in his ear. “Watch your expression. We’re not doing an interview. We’ll have to wait until the ceremony is over to take a group photo with everyone.”
"Hmm." Hearing Liang Jin say that, Luo Mingxiu also realized that his sister would not have left early on purpose; she must have gone to do an interview.
Liang Jin patted him on the shoulder and returned to his seat. He sat down next to Luo Mingxiu, took a picture of the trophy, and then turned his phone towards Luo Mingxiu: "Take a picture and post it on Weibo. It's your first award, after all. Share it with your fans."
Luo Mingxiu looked up, smiled slightly at the camera, and posted the photo after receiving it.
Luo Mingxiu V: The stars don't ask about the traveler's journey; let's keep up the good work in the new year.
A loyal fan commented: "Little Luo, Little Luo, I don't believe you didn't have a New Year's wish. Were you daydreaming on stage just now?"
Luo Mingxiu replied: You guessed it.
After replying to a few more comments, Luo Mingxiu logged out of Weibo and switched to a secondary account.
His New Year's wish.
Of course.
His wish wouldn't come true if he spoke it aloud, so he wanted to hide it in his own secret space.
Puppy Eating Pear V (Visible only to myself)
New Year's wish:
1. My sister no longer avoids me.
2. Become her male lead.
.
Outside the venue, flashes of light filled the air as fans, surrounded by security, shouted their names. When Shen Li turned around to wave and greet the fans, she noticed that Li Nan was still helping her hold up her dress.
"Be careful." Li Nan glanced at her heels.
Shen Li looked down and saw that she had stepped on a section of her skirt. She quickly moved her foot away, and Li Nan helped her straighten it again.
"Thank you." She smiled at Li Nan, and the two walked side by side.
The screams grew louder, and onlookers took photos of the scene.
Inside the interview room, entertainment reporters asked questions that included not only movie-related topics but also, of course, gossip.
"Audiences are hoping you can play the male and female leads again. Director Li, will the film consider fulfilling everyone's wishes this time?"
"The movie mainly revolves around the female lead, there is no male lead, sorry, but I will have a cameo role in it..." At this point, Li Nan looked at Shen Li beside him, "and have a wonderful scene with my female lead."
Laughter rippled through the crowd of reporters, and Shen Li smiled back at him.
"Ms. Shen, how does it feel to collaborate with Mr. Li again after so many years?"
"Mr. Li and I have been friends for many years, so there's no need to worry about our chemistry. This is my first time acting in a film he directed, a completely new experience, and I believe this work will definitely surprise everyone..."
Meanwhile, Shen Li was giving a group interview in the interview room. Little did she know that photos of her and Li Nan at the ceremony had already topped the trending searches online.
The top three on the entertainment charts are all them: #LiNanHelpsChenLiHoldHisSkirt# #ChenLiLiNanNewMovie# #NanLi#
Nanri CP fans are overjoyed again. A well-known shipper bot quickly jumped on the bandwagon, compiling the entire event's interactions between the two, accompanied by sweet background music, creating a massive "fooling" scene in the comments section.
What's going on between them? Is Li Nan pursuing Shen Li?
[Didn't Shen Li just get divorced? She's dating again so quickly.]
[Li Nan's gaze was definitely not innocent.]
[They're pulling each other's skirts, looking at each other and smiling—you can tell they're like an old married couple.]
[Unexpectedly, after all the twists and turns, this couple is showing signs of becoming popular again. Minami-ri is really tough to beat.]
[So sweet! They're a perfect match in terms of looks and talent. I support their marriage. The blogger should sit at the head table.]
...
On the bus, after listening to the same song three times, Liang Jin got annoyed and nudged the phone next to him: "Can you please stop watching?"
“Those video bloggers can make even two strangers look amazing, let alone Shen Li and Li Nan. Why do you have to torture yourself like this?”
Feeling suffocated, Luo Mingxiu turned off the video, the image of Shen Li smiling at Li Nan lingering in his mind.
"Keep filming hard. When you can work with her one day, there will be a video of the two of you as a couple."
While trying to persuade him, Liang Jin said to Xiao Wen in the driver's seat, "Those reporters have been interviewing for who knows how long, and there are more and more people outside. Let's not wait any longer, let's go. I'll talk to President Cheng about my matter when I get back to the company."
"Wait," Luo Mingxiu called out, staring at another van parked not far away, "I want to see her get in the car before I leave."
Xiaowen turned to look at Liang Jin, who thought that once the film crew started shooting, there wouldn't be many chances to meet again, so he closed his eyes and said, "Listen to him."
The car was silent for a moment until the crowd outside began to stir. Luo Mingxiu looked out the window and saw that Shen Li had put on a warm coat over her red dress and was being escorted by security guards. Her team was a certain distance away from Li Nan and his group behind her.
As Shen Li walked, she waved to her enthusiastic fans. Before getting into the car, she stopped and looked up at the black minivan beyond the crowd.
Through the layers of people, Luo Mingxiu felt a sudden emptiness in his heart. He knew that Shen Li couldn't see him through the one-way glass of the car window, but he was still inexplicably shocked.
Luo Mingxiu lowered his eyes and finally spoke: "Xiao Wen, let's go."
As the car drove away, Shen Li withdrew her gaze. Her eyesight was excellent; the car model and license plate number belonged to the business vehicle assigned to Luo Mingxiu by the company.
He only left now, waiting until her interview was over.
"What?" Cheng Qingqing pinched Shen Li's arm.
Shen Li snapped out of her daze: "I just saw Luo Mingxiu's car."
"Oh, Liang Jin needed to see me, so I told him to wait at the door for a while." Cheng Qingqing glanced at the crowded people. "There were probably too many people, so they left first."
"I see." Shen Li's smile was somewhat forced.
What was she thinking? She was the one who pushed Luo Mingxiu away. How could she still think that after not seeing each other for so long, Luo Mingxiu would have something to say to her?
If they were talking, they wouldn't be so silent when they bumped into each other in the company elevator. He really was trying to distance himself from her. She should feel happy and relaxed, but for some reason, she felt like something was missing in her heart, an emptiness.
After a moment's hesitation, Shen Li asked in a low voice, "When does his new movie start filming?"
"The day after tomorrow," Cheng Qingqing raised an eyebrow, "are you going to the opening ceremony? If you are, I'll talk to Liang Jin about it."
Shen Li shook her head: "I'll just order some flower baskets and milk tea and send them over."
Cheng Qingqing: "I won't see him for two months once he joins the crew. I'll go cheer him on. Anyway, I'm going too."
Shen Li shook her head again.
“Shen Li,” Cheng Qingqing sighed, “would you feel good if you kept avoiding him like this?”
Shen Li's expression froze slightly: "I don't know, I'll probably get used to it after a while."
*
The new drama has been filming for two weeks. Luo Mingxiu has experience from the previous drama, and he has obviously improved in his understanding of the script, character settings, and scene blocking. The actors who work with him not only have no trouble communicating, but also learn a lot from him.
The director was overjoyed, as if he had struck gold. After each shoot, he would praise him to others, saying, "No wonder Teacher Shen chose him; he's really capable."
After several takes, the others in the crew became more experienced than Luo Mingxiu.
Those who initially looked down on him had to admit that this young man was indeed quite capable, and they began to ask him for advice when acting opposite him.
Of course, Yao Yunhe, who plays the female lead, is indispensable in this drama. Luo Mingxiu has the most scenes with her in this drama. Yao Yunhe's acting skills are generally acceptable, but compared with Luo Mingxiu, they seem inferior.
After being subtly criticized by the director several times, Miss Yao finally put aside her pride and stopped Luo Mingxiu after work one day, saying, "I belittled you before, I'm sorry. Now it seems that Sister Shen Li made the right choice. Your acting skills are perfect for guiding me. If I have any problems in my acting later, can you help me correct them? That way I won't have to keep asking Sister Shen Li."
"What do you mean?" Luo Mingxiu turned to ask her when he heard Shen Li's name. "Do you often ask her? How come you and your sister are so close?"
"Sister?" Yao Yunhe exclaimed in surprise, "You call Teacher Shen that in private? That's so cheesy."
Luo Mingxiu's face flushed slightly: "That's not important. I'm asking if you contact her frequently."
"What's wrong with keeping in touch? Our relationship has improved a long time ago..." Yao Yunhe said irritably.
Luo Mingxiu asked tentatively, "So what did she talk to you about? Did she mention me?"
"Why did I bring you up when I was asking her for advice?" Yao Yunhe said casually, then, seeing the other person's expression change, she added, "Oh, I know, you didn't have a falling out with Sister Shen Li, did you? She didn't come to the opening ceremony."
Luo Mingxiu remained silent, simply staring at the ground.
Yao Yunhe's eyes darted around: "How about this, if you help me with my acting, I can praise you more when I chat with Sister Shen Li and say some good things about you. When she sees how hard you work on set and how much face you make her, maybe her anger will gradually subside."
Luo Mingxiu pondered for a while, then finally lowered his eyes and said, "I can help you, but don't bother her. Saying too much will only upset her."
"Hey, I'm just trying to help you, and you're complaining."
“You don’t understand.” Luo Mingxiu went to Xiaowen’s place, handed her the script, and said no more to her.
"You know, he's a guy who can't even talk to anyone," Yao Yunhe mocked behind his back, "Isn't it just that he likes Sister Shen Li?"
Luo Mingxiu stopped moving, and Xiao Wen beside him also widened her eyes. The two of them turned around at the same time: "How could you..."
"You think I can't see through your awkwardness? Do you think all those idol dramas I acted in were for nothing?" Seeing Luo Mingxiu's reaction, Yao Yunhe became even more certain of what she was thinking.
Luo Mingxiu stood there, frozen in place.
Yao Yunhe looked Luo Mingxiu up and down and said, "That's true. A charming older sister like Teacher Shen is the most attractive to a younger brother like you."
"It's not surprising that she has many suitors. You don't seem particularly special. I'm guessing that you're in a situation where you can't win her over even if you want to, right?"
Luo Mingxiu: ...
“Yes, I like her,” Luo Mingxiu turned around and said seriously, “She doesn’t like me, so I don’t need you to say anything to her for me. She’s so smart, she’ll know right away that I’m scheming something again. I don’t dare to make any rash moves, she’ll just stay away from me.”
“Looking so pitiful,” Yao Yunhe scoffed, “I wouldn’t even bother helping you.”
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