Chapter 53
Upon arriving at the company, Shen Li first went to the artist department, where Luo Mingxiu was indeed not present.
Tongcheng Qingqing chatted with her team about work until noon when she saw Luo Mingxiu's message, which read: "Just woke up."
He was having lunch with Cheng Qingqing at the staff restaurant downstairs in Qingli's building. After getting off the elevator, Shen Li didn't reply to him immediately. She waited until they got their food and sat down before replying: "You're only waking up now? What did you do last night?"
Luo Mingxiu: Do you really want to know?
Fortunately, she wasn't drinking any water, otherwise Chen Li would definitely have spat it out: I was just asking casually, who would want to know?
Luo Mingxiu: Shen Li, look ahead.
Shen Li: Hmm?
She quickly looked up and saw that the person behind their table was Luo Mingxiu, who was also having lunch with Liang Jin.
Luo Mingxiu wore a loose-fitting short-sleeved work shirt and trousers, and his hair was styled very smartly, but his dark circles were obvious.
His gaze lingered on her head for a moment, then he smiled.
Cheng Qingqing turned her head following Shen Li's gaze: "Oh my, you're exchanging glances. Do you want to come and sit down? I'll give you a seat."
"No," Shen Li stopped her, "There are people all around."
“What are you afraid of?” Cheng Qingqing got up and sat down next to Chen Li. “It’s not like we haven’t eaten with other employees before. If we don’t tell anyone, how will anyone know what’s going on between you two?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Luo Mingxiu sat down with a plate, and Liang Jin followed suit and sat down opposite them.
It's fine for the four of them to eat together, as long as they're not sitting alone together.
Shen Li felt relieved.
Luo Mingxiu clearly saw the pear blossom headband on her head and the bracelet on her wrist; they were both gifts from him.
What day is it today?
Luo Mingxiu looked at Shen Li: "Why did you suddenly decide to wear these today?"
“You gave it to me, so can’t I wear it?” Shen Li said.
"I haven't seen you bring them out much before, so I thought you didn't like them."
Shen Li knew he would think that way. She said, "How could I not like it? I've already taken out the keychain and bag. I'll be using them often in the future. I was afraid of breaking them before, so I didn't use them."
Luo Mingxiu's ears turned red: "If you ruin it, I'll fix it for you again."
Shen Li snorted: "That's exactly what I was waiting for."
The two were exchanging words back and forth, and Cheng Qingqing couldn't get a word in edgewise. She could only sigh and say, "Oh dear, there's too much sugar in this food."
Liang Jin nodded in understanding instantly: "Yes, it's really cloyingly sweet."
Shen Li: "..."
After dinner, Cheng Qingqing and Liang Jin went upstairs first, leaving them some space.
Shen Li couldn't get too close to him outside, so she went ahead and sent a message on her phone: I'm going to the parking lot, you can come over later.
After getting into the car, Shen Li closed her eyes and waited for a while. When she heard a soft knock on the door, she opened it and grabbed him. Luo Mingxiu leaned forward and rested his hands on the armrest of the seat.
Shen Li hooked her arms around his neck and gave him a passionate kiss. Luo Mingxiu seemed unprepared and was stunned by the kiss.
"Take a breath," Chen Li stopped, her warm breath filling the air, "Do you want me to teach you?"
“Sister…” Luo Mingxiu’s face suddenly flushed, his eyes tightened, and he put his arms around Shen Li’s waist and lifted her up so that she could sit on his lap.
He lowered his head to touch her lips, "You're being too unfair."
Shen Li originally intended to stop after just one kiss, but she went too far and Luo Mingxiu kept kissing her on and off for an hour.
After the passionate kiss, Luo Mingxiu buried his face in front of her and inhaled deeply.
Shen Li especially liked him like this. After the kiss, he hugged her intimately, his hair brushing against her chin like a puppy clinging to its owner.
"You look so good with your hair up." After inhaling the fragrance to his heart's content, Luo Mingxiu looked at her profile with satisfaction, his voice soft and sticky.
"Hmm, have you praised me enough?" Shen Li said. "You want me to use the hairband you gave me often, right?"
Luo Mingxiu sat up straight and shook his head: "No, it's too beautiful. I just wanted you to hold it for me to see."
"Wow, you really are..." Shen Li was so shocked that she couldn't speak.
After a while, Shen Li asked again, "What about the gift I gave you before?"
Luo Mingxiu: "I often wear my tie clip when I go out for events, but I keep my necklace at home because I'm afraid I'll lose it."
"Take it out and wear it too," Chen Li patted him. "Don't worry about losing it, there will be new ones later."
"Hmm," Luo Mingxiu hugged Shen Li again, resting his head on her shoulder, "Are you flying to Y City this afternoon?"
"Yes, you asked Xiaoyu?"
"Um."
"How long until filming wraps up?"
"It's still early. If all goes well, the detective will be airing next month, and I should be almost done filming by then."
Luo Mingxiu sat up straight and looked at her, a glint in his eyes: "There will be some on-site events after the drama becomes popular, right?"
"That also depends on whether it conflicts with my filming. If the filming isn't finished, I'll basically be cooperating with online promotion."
Seeing that Luo Mingxiu's expectant gaze vanished in an instant, Shen Li thought for a moment and took out the pear keychain he had made, placing it in his hand: "This little yellow pear you made is exactly the same as my portrait. Take it, and when you miss me, use it to remember me."
Luo Mingxiu smiled, then suddenly remembered something and opened the car door: "Wait for me."
"What?" Shen Li looked at Luo Mingxiu in confusion as he put on his hat, quickly ran to his car, got out of the car, and then got back into her car, holding something in his hand.
"Is this the same puppy keychain from before?" Shen Li thought it looked somewhat similar.
Luo Mingxiu opened his palm and saw a wooden dog, but it wasn't a keychain anymore. It had a rope on it and tassels hanging down, so it had been turned into a pendant.
“You can hang your keys, phone, car, or bag on this. Hang it wherever you want,” Luo Mingxiu said, noticing the look of surprise in Shen Li’s eyes. He was even happier. “My profile picture is a dog, so you can remember me by looking at this.”
What is this, exchanging tokens of love? Shen Li pursed her lips, which couldn't help but curl up, took the pendant, examined it for a while, and successfully hung it on her phone case.
She shook her phone: "Fine, so I can remember you anytime, anywhere?"
Shen Li looked at him with a smile. Luo Mingxiu stared at her intently, then lowered his head, pinched her cheek, and kissed her lips.
"Chen Li, I like you so much."
“I like you too,” Shen Li replied.
.
On August 2nd, "Detective Xie Huaixi" premiered with three episodes released consecutively, and within two hours, it became the most popular period drama during the summer season.
The data was even more impressive than the platform expected, and after three episodes, it was simultaneously launched on overseas platforms, where it received a warm response.
Online, there are countless fan-made edits and videos, and discussions about this show are rampant on various entertainment and social media platforms such as Daigua and Lvdou.
Two weeks later, the popularity continued to rise. The fans of the drama not only had a group of people who followed the updates and discussed the plot in real time, but also people who shipped the four main characters into four different couples.
In addition, the character played by Li Nan, although he has not yet appeared, is already generating just as much buzz as the main characters due to the large number of fans who ship him with Nan Li.
In short, of the five couples, except for the second female lead and the second male lead, all the others are related to the female lead.
Some people have created posts analyzing the appeal of various couples, and it turns out that these aren't just rumors. The female lead Xie Huaixi, played by Shen Li, has some romantic or platonic relationships with other characters. It all depends on how the audience chooses to ship them.
[Guess the title of the drama: Xie Huaixi? Because the female lead is the core of this team.]
[This is awesome! This is the kind of show we strong, independent women love to watch!]
[Image: Women need to read these things to have the energy to make a living!]
The drama became a hit, and Shen Li, along with the entire main cast, gained popularity. Even the supporting actors who had good acting skills but weren't famous in the already aired episodes also gained a lot of fans.
With his previous movie breakout role, Luo Mingxiu has become incredibly popular again, making him arguably the fastest rising star among new actors, with a constant stream of endorsement offers coming his way.
During the time the drama was airing, Luo Mingxiu was either rushing to announcements or on his way to announcements.
"That's about enough for today. Let's go back to the company, do one more interview, and then call it a day," Liang Jin said to Luo Mingxiu, who was playing on his phone beside him, in the car.
"Okay, are you still sleeping?" Luo Mingxiu took off his headphones and answered him. He was watching a promotional variety show he had recorded before, which had been online for two days. He finished work a little earlier today and only then remembered to watch it.
“I’m not going to sleep anymore,” Liang Jin said, taking off his eye mask and sitting up straight. “Let it out, I want to see it too.”
The sound came on, and it was playing the water-splashing segment. Luo Mingxiu said, "I've almost finished watching it. If you want to see my performance, turn it on and watch it yourself."
"I don't have time to look at them. I'll just get a feel for the atmosphere and glance at the comments section," Liang Jin said. "Back at the company, I still have to sift through scripts. My inbox is overflowing with scripts looking for you."
Liang Jin kept muttering to himself, but Luo Mingxiu didn't hear him at all. He kept watching the progress bar of Chen Li splashing water, accompanied by a laugh or two.
"How many times do you want to play this? You can't get enough of it, can you?" Liang Jin rolled his eyes. "This is the first time I've seen someone get splashed and still laugh so happily."
Luo Mingxiu played the video one last time before turning it off; he couldn't help it, his girlfriend was just too adorable.
Not knowing if Shen Li had seen it, he opened his phone to send her a message, only to find that he hadn't replied to the one he sent yesterday.
Liang Jin glanced at it and said, "I heard from President Cheng that the movie is wrapping up."
Luo Mingxiu understood, so he logged out of WeChat and didn't plan to bother her with messages.
Filming at this stage is the busiest, and with a hit drama currently airing, she probably does a lot of online interviews even though she doesn't participate in offline promotions.
"She'll be busy after filming wraps up, right?" Luo Mingxiu asked. "After all, the show is a hit, and there's a lot of business to do."
Liang Jin: "Busy, but not at the level you are at now. For artists like Shen Li who have stable popularity, some materials are prepared while they are being filmed. Similarly, commercial activities are the same. It's not like you suddenly become popular and then a lot of work comes in. You are busy for a while and then idle for a while."
"Her work throughout the year, including the number of films she takes on and advertising endorsements, is stable and predictable. Her team can make plans for the entire year ahead of time each year."
Liang Jin looked at him and said, "You two are in the honeymoon phase, and a day apart feels like three autumns. But if you want to have a good relationship, you first need to focus on your work."
“I know,” Luo Mingxiu said.
If he hadn't become an actor, he would have had no chance to get close to her. Of course he knew how important this job was to him. If he didn't catch up with her soon, would Shen Li really continue to like him?
He lacked that confidence.
"Don't worry, with your current popularity, you'll have plenty of roles to play," Liang Jin patted his shoulder. "However, there are many scripts available, but they vary greatly in quality. What kind of roles do you want to play?"
Luo Mingxiu began to think about the genre. Of the dramas he had filmed so far, the youth movie had made a splash, and after signing with Qingli, he had taken on two dramas, both of which were suspenseful.
“Next, I still want to try suspense scripts,” Luo Mingxiu replied. “Rather than trying things out like a headless fly, I think it’s better to focus on genres that I have experience filming. Once I’ve established myself in my comfort zone, then we can talk about how to step out and take on challenges.”
Liang Jin nodded approvingly: "That's what I'm thinking too. I'm not only paying attention to projects from other companies, but also to projects from the company's film and television department. I hope to find you a resource in the suspense genre that can be close to mainstream films. It would be a shame if you didn't get more screen time."
After several days of working overtime to screen scripts, Liang Jin quickly gave Luo Mingxiu a suitable script.
"Director Jiang's modern detective drama, I play a policeman, a supporting role with an important part besides the main character."
"Director Jiang, Jiang Mingyi?" Luo Mingxiu asked.
“Yes,” Liang Jin gave an affirmative answer. “Director Jiang is a famous film director, but he always uses newcomers, whether he’s making movies or TV series. You’ve come across a good opportunity this time. Director Jiang saw your performance and personally asked you to audition.”
"And I heard that she is planning a new movie. If this collaboration suits her, she might give you a role in the movie. You know, Shen Li's famous work, 'The Madman,' was directed by her."
Luo Mingxiu was deeply moved and could not calm down for a long time. He knew, of course, that Jiang Mingyi did not have many works, but they were all of high quality and topped the box office.
Even though he's only getting a supporting role now, it's still a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for someone like him who hasn't been in the industry for very long.
As for any film collaborations, he wouldn't even dare to think about it. The reason why "The Madman" is the one Shen Li has watched the most times is not only because of Shen Li's superb acting skills, but also because of the director's filming techniques.
"Thank you, Brother Liang, I will definitely prepare well!" Luo Mingxiu's joy was evident.
Does Shen Li know? He's going to collaborate with the renowned director who directed her debut film. I really want to share this joy with her.
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