Chapter 04
Shen Li was taken aback for a second, then her mind raced to catch up with his train of thought. Sure enough, he saw her giving the male lead acting instructions and was feeling resentful? No wonder he'd seemed strange to her ever since.
“I can give acting advice to any actor who needs guidance, but…” Shen Li turned her head to look at him. Although the light from the chandelier in the room was dim, it still made her look dazzling.
She said earnestly, "After get off work, you're the only one who lets me have private lessons. Given our relationship, I still have this privilege."
In the quiet room, the sound of a heartbeat was exceptionally clear.
Shen Li continued to mutter to herself about his questions, while Luo Mingxiu listened with his head turned to the side, but his attention couldn't help but shift to her face, staring at her beautiful lips and whispering softly.
After the video finished playing, Shen Li returned the phone to him. Luo Mingxiu took it and continued to stare at her intently, his fingers tapping the screen like he was playing the piano, turning it on and off repeatedly, his mind already wandering far away.
Shen Li frowned slightly: "Have you stared enough? Are you writing a script on my face?"
The person who had been caught daydreaming suddenly stood up, their ears turning bright red: "I'm sorry."
Seeing his amusing expression, Shen Li unconsciously curled her lips: "Alright, go back and get some rest. If you get distracted and make mistakes again tomorrow, not only Director Liu, but I'll also be scolding you."
The phone next to her vibrated twice. It was a WeChat message from Xiaoyu: Sister Li, I'm near the restaurant. Do you want me to bring you dinner?
She replied with a "okay," and then asked Luo Mingxiu, "Have you eaten? If not, have Xiaoyu bring two portions."
“Oh, she knows about our relationship.” She added, afraid he would feel embarrassed.
“I’ve eaten the crew’s boxed lunches…” Luo Mingxiu hesitated after speaking, then added, “But I wasn’t full.”
"Let's eat together later." Shen Li asked Xiao Yu to bring an extra portion, then exited the chat window and saw a new message in the family group chat.
She told her family the day she met Luo Mingxiu.
The parents were also puzzled when Aunt Luo left the Shen family with her son back then, but everyone has their own unspeakable stories. Although they were friends with Aunt Luo, they didn't feel comfortable asking too many questions. Moreover, as time passed, they had long since stopped caring.
Now that she knows Luo Mingxiu has reappeared, she shares the same thought: as long as he's safe, that's enough. She doesn't want to dwell on the past, so she won't ask about it. But her sudden disappearance and loss of contact back then still deserves criticism.
Dad: Lili, bring that kid home when you have time.
Mom: We haven't seen each other for four years and all he does is contact his sister. He doesn't even care about his godparents. What an ingrate! We've raised him for nothing all these years. He's getting less and less cute as he was when he was little.
Her home is in H City, so it's not too much trouble to go home when she's filming in Hengdian. Shen Li sent a message in the group promising to bring it back, and then looked through her chat history with Cheng Qingqing and found the words "promoting filming" in the schedule.
"We're taking our costume fitting photos next Saturday," Shen Li asked, putting away her phone. "After the shoot, we'll have a day off. Will you come home with me then? They all want to see you."
Luo Mingxiu answered readily: "Okay, whatever you say."
"Let me tell you first, my mom is very angry. Get ready for trial, you ungrateful brat." Shen Li took a banana from the fruit basket on the table, peeled it, and took a bite. She noticed that Luo Mingxiu was staring at her without saying a word.
"What? You're upset that I called you an ingrate?" Shen Li looked at him, completely unaware that she had some banana stuck to her lips.
"No, whatever you say, sister, is what I should do." Luo Mingxiu handed her a tissue and pointed to his lips.
Shen Li immediately realized what was happening and awkwardly wiped her mouth.
Luo Mingxiu smiled.
"What are you laughing at? What's so funny?" Shen Li crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it into the trash can.
Luo Mingxiu didn't say anything until her assistant came back and they ate and chatted together. He couldn't take his eyes off her. He just felt that Shen Li hadn't changed at all. She was still the same as before. Whether eating or talking, she was still so... captivating.
The memory of that hug lingers in my mind. The days and nights we haven't seen each other, I thought I had become immune to her glamorous image on screen.
But when they met again, that feeling of joy mixed with fear returned, and the longing deep within him surged like a tide, just as it had before when he was by her side.
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Shen Li sent a message to Xiao Yu, saying she was going out to eat. After sending the message, she saw that Luo Mingxiu had also gone out.
She stepped forward, looked him over to make sure he was in good spirits, and then asked, "There's a pretty good breakfast place around here, wanna go?"
"Go." Luo Mingxiu told Xiao Wen that she didn't need to bring breakfast, and followed Shen Li's footsteps.
There are quite a few people working early in the morning near Hengdian. There are extras running around on the streets, and the shops are full of people.
"A basket of steamed buns, two pumpkin cakes, and two servings of tofu pudding and taro pastries." As soon as Shen Li entered the store, she ordered the food with ease. She turned to Luo Mingxiu and said, "The taro pastries here are a specialty. They are plentiful and delicious. If you don't finish them later, you can take them to the film set to rest and eat them."
Just as they finished ordering, a group of people left, so the two of them went over and sat down to wait for their food.
As Shen Li scrolled through her WeChat Moments, she saw that Fang Wei had posted a series of photos in the early hours of the morning, seemingly wrapping up his overseas photography trip.
She casually gave him a like, then clicked into his chat box. After typing for a while, she felt there was nothing to say and was about to exit when a message flashed by: "A morning shoot today?" She then deleted it.
About a minute later, another message came from the other end: I just saw that the second male lead is your younger brother. Haven't we been in touch for a long time? Why did you ask him to act in your show?
Shen Li replied: He tried it himself.
Fang Wei: How can a newcomer get into your play?
The way she said it made it sound like she had pulled strings for him. Chen Li typed in annoyance: I told you, he contacted the director for the audition himself. Can you please stop making assumptions?
Fang Wei: Who left and then suddenly came back? You cooperated with him so easily, Shen Li. Don't you think you're being too lenient with him?
To condone it?
Shen Li looked up at the person who went to pick up the food; their back was tall and straight.
It was less about indulgence and more about habit. Luo Mingxiu had come to her house when he was nine years old, and after living together for so many years, she had long been used to having such a younger brother. Since their relationship wasn't so easy to break up, she didn't want to be coy.
She still remembered the message she sent him after he left after the college entrance exam: "Your sister can let you grow freely, but don't forget that the door to our home will always be open for you."
She didn't know if he saw the message, but she hoped he did.
Luo Mingxiu returned with the meal and felt her intense gaze. He placed the bowl in front of her and asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You're so handsome! Mingxiu is so good-looking, no wonder he has so many female fans since he became a star." Chen Li turned off her phone, scooped up a spoonful of porridge, and blew on it. "Your manager is Liang Jin, right? Does he have a lot of people working for him?"
“He currently only has me under his management. Brother Liang, a former artist, started his own entertainment company. The girl group he made popular back then was also framed and involved in a scandal. He resigned and was depressed for a few years. Now he is starting over.”
"I know about that. It was a real blow. He was very capable. It's a pity."
“Don’t worry, Brother Liang is trustworthy,” Luo Mingxiu said earnestly. “I met him by chance when I was working part-time as an extra. He always liked to wander around Hengdian and said that when he saw me, he thought he would take another gamble.”
In less than a month, he helped me land my first role with screen time and lines. He was my mentor in acting, and I've never known how to thank him enough.
“Then act well. He returns to his peak, and you reach the top. That’s the best reward for him.” Shen Li picked up a whole taro pastry and bit into it, her cheeks puffed out, her eyes squinting with delight.
Looking at her adorable appearance, Luo Mingxiu smiled and said, "Yes, thanks to Brother Liang, I had the opportunity to come to my sister's side."
Shen Li stopped talking and glanced at him: "I'm a little curious, if you weren't acting, were you planning to never see me again in this lifetime?"
Luo Mingxiu was stunned for a moment and didn't speak until he finished eating before replying, "There are no ifs."
Sunrise was quick; we had just finished a meal and went out when we saw a touch of red appear on the horizon. By the time we finished our costumes and makeup and arrived at the filming location, the sun was already pressing down on the city wall.
For the scene where she falls from the city wall, the director team climbed to a high-rise building and used sunshades to block the strong sunlight. Shen Li was suspended by wires and test-flew, landing safely below the city wall.
Luo Mingxiu obediently bowed as the stylist combed his hair. He felt a shadow flash past him, glanced at it briefly, and then quickly looked away.
He was going to ride his horse to pick her up in a moment, then put his arm around her and get back on the horse.
This action requires the two people to coordinate very smoothly. To avoid any mistakes, the director asked them to prepare before filming by first lifting the horse onto flat ground to test it.
As it turned out, the director's concerns were justified. This was Luo Mingxiu's first scene with her, and he was visibly nervous about such a large-scale scene.
Following the director's instructions, when he reached out to lift her up on horseback, his movements were stiff. After pulling her in front of him, he hesitated about how to protect her. When he realized what was happening, his arms were just empty air in front of her, and he couldn't actually hold her.
"You don't need to be a gentleman when filming." Shen Li grabbed his hand and pressed it against her waist. The person behind her immediately became breathless and clearly out of sorts.
“Li Ze like this can’t protect Xie Huaixi,” Shen Li wanted to continue criticizing him after dismounting, but seeing his face turn bright red, she swallowed back the criticism she was about to say.
"How can we still film in this heat?"
“I can film, I’ll cool you down.” Luo Mingxiu took the ice water handed to him by his assistant.
The cooling method involved rolling a bottle of ice water around his face and then blowing it with a fan for two or three minutes. Only after Shen Li saw that his face was no longer as red did she nod and continue filming.
The next two scenes went smoothly, especially the scene where she fell and was caught on horseback, followed by a fierce battle. Shen Li was very satisfied with that scene.
The guard, played by Luo Mingxiu, held her protectively in his arms, one arm around her while the other held a sword to fight the enemy. They fought their way out of the encirclement, full of vigor and spirit. The entire scene was filmed in one take without any interruptions, and even the director was so surprised that he stood up and applauded from in front of the monitor.
"That's fantastic!" Shen Li praised him generously, patting him on the shoulder to encourage him. "We're getting into character, keep it up!"
Luo Mingxiu stared at her smiling face, his fingers clenching tightly in his palm. He hummed in response and lowered his head, ignoring the uncontrollable, wild heartbeat.
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