"We'll have opportunities to collaborate," Quan Jiu said, deliberately trying to lighten the mood. "You mentioned I'm young, and there's plenty of time. 'Floating Life' is just the beginning; there will be more."
Xiao Qi's face lit up. "Then will I have a chance to play your male lead in the future?"
Quan Jiu smiled. "Among the new actors, your acting is more mature compared to others. If I have a suitable protagonist role for you in the future, I will definitely look for you."
With the assurance, Xiao Qi finally relaxed. He picked up his phone again, asking tentatively, "Can I save your phone number?"
Quan Jiu nodded and recited her number.
At that moment, Wang Feifei pushed open the door. "Jiujiu, Xing Di's costume photos are ready. Director Luo wants you to see the results."
A hint of sourness welled up in Xiao Qi's heart, but he wisely got up to say goodbye.
"Wait," Quan Jiu called out to him. "This might sound like I'm meddling, but I want to remind you that you need to manage your fans. Fans require management; you can't let them grow unchecked, or they will definitely cause you significant trouble in the future."
Xiao Qi's expression stiffened. He nodded slowly, said thank you, and left.
After Xiao Qi had gone, Wang Feifei pulled Quan Jiu aside and asked, "Jiujiu, what did he say?"
"He wants to book my next male lead," Quan Jiu said, walking towards the studio.
Wang Feifei snorted dismissively. "If it weren't for his fans causing trouble today, we wouldn't have had so many delays."
Quan Jiu squeezed Wang Feifei's hand to comfort her. "He himself has talent and is clearly a hardworking person. It's just that he's been in his comfort zone for too long and hasn't been sufficiently tested, which makes his transition difficult."
Wang Feifei asked, puzzled, "Are you really going to reserve a male lead role for him?"
Quan Jiu smiled. "If the role suits him, then I will. For someone ambitious and hardworking, why wouldn't I support them?"
The two arrived at the studio. Luo Cheng was selecting photos. Upon seeing Quan Jiu, he smiled and greeted her, "Scriptwriter Quan, the person you chose is indeed excellent. The costume photos turned out very well; I'm spoiled for choice."
"It's their own hard work. In fact, their appearances don't quite match the characters, but these two actors have good acting skills and are willing to delve deep into their roles, understanding them thoroughly, which is why there's no sense of incongruity," Quan Jiu said with a smile.
Quan Jiu and Luo Cheng finished selecting the costume photos together and then discussed the shooting order for the scenes with producer Wang Qiang. She estimated that after finishing these tasks, it would definitely be past five o'clock, so she messaged Mimi and Tutu first, telling the siblings to go home by themselves.
The two children were smart, and their kindergarten was right next to their residential complex, so she wasn't worried.
After receiving replies from the two little ones, Quan Jiu returned to her work with peace of mind. She was indeed busy until six in the afternoon.
As she was packing her things to leave, she was called by Jiang Nan Chen.
"Jiujiu, my mother's birthday is in three days. Are you free?" He handed Quan Jiu an invitation.
Quan Jiu smiled and accepted it. "Even if I'm not free, I'll make myself free."
Jiang Nan Chen secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing Quan Jiu with her bag, he gave her a few words of caution about traveling safely.
...
At Lijing Yuncheng, Mimi and Tutu, who had already arrived home, were idly watching a spy thriller.
Tututu found it boring and took out his own computer. He quickly hacked into the surveillance video of the main entrance of Lijing Yuncheng. Soon, he saw a familiar Rolls-Royce entering the complex.
"Sister, the deadbeat dad is back," Tututu said, pointing at the monitor.
Mimi grunted indifferently.
Tututu propped his chin on his hand. "I didn't feel anything when I didn't have a dad. Now that he's right across the street, sigh... it just feels a bit uncomfortable."
Even though he and his sister were infinitely smarter than ordinary children, they still longed for a complete family. Deep down, they truly wished they had a father.
Mimi glanced at her younger brother, Tututu, and asked, "Do you want to go?"
"Don't you?" Tututu retorted.
Mimi hesitated for a moment, then jumped off the sofa and turned off the TV. "Then let's try him again. If he's not a good person, we'll find another one for Mom."
Tututu chuckled. The siblings went out, repeating their previous tactic.
As Chu Rong went upstairs, he saw two angelic babies with small backpacks, standing blankly at his doorstep, looking at him innocently.
His brows unconsciously relaxed a little, but his expression remained unchanged as he opened the door and entered the house.
However, before he could close the door, the two adorable angelic babies arrived at his doorway and stared directly at him.
Chu Rong paused for a moment before saying faintly, "It's very dangerous to enter a stranger's house casually."
The two little ones continued to stare at him with their cute expressions.
Chu Rong opened his mouth, and in the end, somehow, his hands moved faster than his brain, and he opened the door for the two children.
Mimi and Tututu grinned and squeezed into the house one after the other.
Compared to last time, the two children were much more well-behaved this time. They sat on the sofa as soon as they entered and didn't look around.
Chu Rong hesitated for a moment, then went to the kitchen to boil a pot of hot water and warm two bottles of milk.
After placing the milk bottles beside Mimi and Tututu, he turned to go to his study to continue working.
Mimi and Tututu were delighted, holding their milk bottles and following him.
When Chu Rong entered the study, he found two tails following him. He habitually knitted his brows. "Go play outside. I need to work."
"We won't disturb you," Mimi said with a sweet smile.
Chu Rong's heart skipped a beat at the smile. That smile was like the most innocent and adorable angel, and it resembled her from five years ago.
Yes, from the moment he first saw these two children, he had a craving, an illusion, that they were like miniature versions of her.
But ultimately, it was his own illusion. The mother of these two children was not her at all.
And after recognizing this reality, his heart felt as if it were filled with mixed emotions, alternating between joy and anger. He himself didn't know what he was happy or angry about.
His heart suddenly felt like a tornado, sweeping away all his gloom.
Chu Rong turned his head in a bit of panic, his voice becoming a little colder. "Get out."
Mimi could tell the true emotions behind his words. She lowered her eyelids in disappointment and silently walked out.
Tututu snorted unhappily, angrily put down his milk bottle, and chased after Mimi. "Sister, wait for me."
Chu Rong watched the two children leave the study, a strong impulse driving him. He didn't understand, but seeing the children so disappointed and sad, he couldn't help but follow them.
Placing the milk bottle back into Tututu's hand, Chu Rong paused for a moment before turning on the television and saying somewhat stiffly, "What do you like to watch?"
"Spy..." He realized something was amiss and quickly changed his mind. "Cartoons."
Chu Rong switched to the children's channel and then, before his mind could fully process it, he sat down.
Mimi tilted her head to look at him, her voice a little wronged, and asked softly, "Do you like watching cartoons?"
"...Yes," Chu Rong replied faintly, forgetting that he still had a pile of important matters to attend to.