“It’s fine, no worries,” Wen Ning took a deep breath. After all, it was Mr. Gu’s request. Wen Jiu… wouldn’t cause trouble, right?
“You can go back and rest. Take car number 3 today,” Wen Ning continued. “Let me know when you get home safely.”
“Got it, Sister Ning. Remember to drink your milk tea while it’s hot,” Xia Qingtian replied before leaving Wen Ning’s office.
Wen Ning picked up the warm milk tea and looked at Xia Qingtian’s retreating back, smiling wryly. “She really is still a child.”
She enjoyed drinking these things that children liked.
Puncturing the seal of the milk tea with a straw, Wen Ning took a tentative sip.
The soft aroma of oats and milk intertwined in her mouth, with a hint of sweetness. The chewy boba popped between her teeth, offering a dual textural experience.
“Unexpectedly… not bad,” Wen Ning smiled, looking at the milk tea. “No wonder kids like it so much.”
She then looked towards where Xia Qingtian had been sitting and sighed.
She still wasn’t sure if Mr. Gu’s favoritism was good or bad for Xia Qingtian…
Meanwhile, after leaving the office, Xia Qingtian and Li Mengxiao went straight to car number 3.
This was also to shake off the group of people who had been tailing her for the past few days.
Xia Qingtian’s car number was randomized; even she wouldn’t know which car she was taking until she got in.
The cars had excellent privacy, and the windows were tinted with one-way film, so people outside couldn’t see inside. Xia Qingtian, sitting in the car, had a clear view of the outside.
Seeing the car that had been following her still parked near Gu’s Entertainment Building, Xia Qingtian shook her head, unable to understand why they were so persistent.
Just then, Xia Qingtian’s phone vibrated a few times. She picked it up and saw that mobius had sent her a text message.
【What do you want to eat tonight?】
Xia Qingtian’s lips curved upwards unconsciously. Her beautiful eyes flickered as she replied, 【I feel like having Zha Jiang Mian, preferably handmade noodles. Can you make it?】
【I’ll learn. I’ll call you when it’s ready.】
【Ok】 Xia Qingtian sent a sticker of an emoji saying “Thanks, Boss,” her smile deepening.
“Qingtian? Why are you smiling so happily?” Li Mengxiao, sitting next to Xia Qingtian, couldn’t help but ask, seeing her smile so sweetly. “In love?”
“No way,” Xia Qingtian locked her phone screen before looking at Li Mengxiao and asking, “I was smiling that happily?”
“You were smiling sweeter than a full-sugar taro boba milk tea,” Li Mengxiao replied. “And radiating the sickly sweet smell of a new romance.”
“Not at all!” Xia Qingtian snorted, nudging Li Mengxiao with her shoulder. Li Mengxiao nudged back, and the two soon burst into laughter.
That evening, at the dinner table, as Xia Qingtian stirred the thick sauce and noodles with her chopsticks, she suddenly remembered Li Mengxiao’s words. Looking at mobius, who was sitting opposite her, she couldn’t help but blush.
“What’s wrong? Is the underfloor heating too high?” mobius asked, looking at Xia Qingtian.
“No, I’m just a little tired from stirring,” Xia Qingtian said with a dry laugh.
mobius naturally took the bowl in front of Xia Qingtian, thoroughly mixed the sauce, toppings, and handmade noodles, then placed it back in front of Xia Qingtian, even switching her to a different pair of chopsticks. “Eat up.”
“Thank you,” Xia Qingtian whispered. She felt that this bowl of Zha Jiang Mian was more delicious than all the noodles she had eaten in her two lifetimes combined.
“How is the taste?” mobius asked.
“Mmm, super delicious!” Xia Qingtian exclaimed. “You’re quite talented at cooking. How come it feels like you can do anything?”
“Heh, when you’ve lived long enough, you naturally learn more things,” mobius said casually.
“You’re only a few years older than me,” Xia Qingtian glanced at mobius.
mobius just smiled at that and didn’t say anything more.
After dinner, Xia Qingtian couldn’t help but cup her face and say, “It was so delicious. I’ll be eating packed lunches on set starting tomorrow, and I probably won’t get to eat such good food again.”
“Gu’s Entertainment’s boxed lunches are quite good; they usually have three meat dishes and three vegetable dishes,” mobius said. “The accommodation is also decent. As long as the filming process goes smoothly, it’s quite good.”
Xia Qingtian’s role as the third female lead wasn’t small, but it certainly wasn’t excessive, especially since she was a character who lived in flashbacks. If everything went smoothly, her scenes would be finished before the Spring Festival.
Of course, that was assuming things went smoothly.
“That’s good,” Xia Qingtian nodded, quite looking forward to her upcoming life on set.
Actually, when she thought about it, it all felt so unreal.
In her past life, she had been lonely, confined to a hospital bed, stuck in a wheelchair, trapped in that house, never able to leave until she died.
In this life, she had received her family’s most sincere love, had the opportunity to pursue her dreams, and could not only sing freely but also act in a drama, playing in her favorite drama from her past life.
All of this was something her past self wouldn’t even dare to imagine.
And…
Xia Qingtian’s gaze fell on mobius, and then she cleared her throat and asked, “mobius, do you have a girlfriend?”
“No, I’ve been too busy with work all these years,” mobius said casually. “I did have a fiancée earlier, but I was injured and in a coma for several months. By the time I woke up, she had already married someone else.”
“Ouch… that sounds a bit tragic!” Xia Qingtian’s gossipy antenna shot up. “Who did your fiancée marry? Is he as handsome as you? Is he as capable as you?”
“My cousin,” mobius looked at Xia Qingtian, and seeing her eyes widen, he couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “I still have work. Let’s meet again when you have some time off.”
“Okay.” Although Xia Qingtian had many more questions, as soon as she heard that mobius was busy with work, she had to suppress her curiosity. Before leaving, she patted mobius’s shoulder and couldn’t help but sympathize, “Capitalists, I understand you.”
When she could poach mobius over later, she would definitely not let him work overtime like this endlessly.
mobius really wanted to say: “It’s not me, I don’t have that, don’t talk nonsense.”
But in the end, he could only smile awkwardly. This time, he was truly unable to clear his name.
The next day, Xia Qingtian entered the crew with Li Mengxiao. After a series of superstitious rituals, the director distributed red envelopes for the auspicious start of filming, officially announcing the commencement of 《Fengyue Zui Xi Chun》.
The first day didn’t involve much actual filming, but there were quite a few reporters, which served as good publicity for the crew.
The actors also got to know each other, chatting and laughing.
Xia Qingtian didn’t know anyone, so she could only mingle and freeload with Li Mengxiao in a corner.
“You’re Xia Qingtian?” a male voice called out, accompanied by a gentle smile. “Hello, I’m Sun Pengxuan, the fifth male lead in this drama. I play your royal brother.”
“Hello…” As Xia Qingtian greeted him, a ding sounded in her mind.
【Congratulations to the host for triggering a hidden function again. Sun Pengxuan’s favorability has decreased by 5, current favorability is -10, status is Hatred.】
Xia Qingtian’s smile instantly froze.
Damn it, who did she offend?
Just by saying “Hello,” her favorability dropped directly to -10?