Hear this life

Lu Shicheng thought about it and wrote it down in the notebook for her to see:

[I have to meet someone from Ningbo tomorrow night, but it will probably be over by 7 o'clock, or I can go to your workplace to find you. ]

"Then, tomorrow I'll invite you to have a Russian meal near Xiu De Middle School. There's a restaurant run by Russians there, and the bread they make is better than the ones on Nanjing Road. There's also a Cantonese restaurant near Hujiang University that tastes even better than the famous Xin Ya Lou. Really, you'll know once you try it."

Every time she mentioned a place, Lu Shicheng nodded without hesitation.

"Xiao Taozi wants to eat it too." Xiao Taozi became greedy and forced her way in.

"Okay, okay, take our little Taozi with you too."

***
After returning home that night, Xiao Taozi was so excited that she kept describing to Mrs. Zhou the experience of playing in the Great World Amusement Park during the day.

"Mr. Lu's car bumps into other cars. Sister and Xiao Taozi bump into other cars."

She excitedly showed Mrs. Zhou the toys and snacks that Lu Shicheng bought for her.

Mrs. Zhou couldn't stop laughing. Half of the time, she was amused by Xiao Taozi's nonsense, and the other half was that it had been a long time since she saw the two sisters having so much fun since the incident in the Wen family. As the only "relative" of the two sisters, she couldn't help but be happy too.

Xiao Taozi dragged Mrs. Zhou to Wen Tingli's room to see the newly bought dresses.

"My sister's clothes were dirty, so Mr. Lu took her to buy a lot of new dresses."

Mrs. Zhou looked puzzled when she heard this. Wen Tingli blushed and pulled Mrs. Zhou out to sit at the table in the living room. She then spread out two boxes of snacks that she had packed from Kangle Restaurant that night.

"These are for you, please try them."

Mrs. Zhou was a little at a loss: "Things outside are very expensive, don't even think about bringing them to me next time."

Wen Tingli picked up a piece of dessert and stuffed it into Zhou Sao's mouth without hesitation. Xiao Taozi clapped her hands. Zhou Sao ate with a smile and teased Xiao Taozi while eating.

"Does Xiao Taozi like Mr. Lu?"

Little Peach nodded vigorously.

"Then why were you so rude to Mr. Lu this morning?"

Xiao Taozi laughed shamefully. Wen Tingli was unusually quiet tonight, and she didn't say anything when she heard him, but went to the back to take a shower.

After taking a shower, Mrs. Zhou and Xiao Taozi were no longer in the living room. She could only hear Xiao Taozi chattering something in the inner room. Wen Tingli glanced at the phone on the wall and couldn't help but pick up the receiver.

She dialed the private line in Lu Shicheng's room.

"Mr. Lu. What's your name?" It was not Lu Shicheng's voice, but that of a middle-aged man.

Wen Tingli suddenly felt a little embarrassed and hung up the phone in a hurry.

Maybe Lu Shicheng hasn't come home yet... She told herself this and just as she returned to her room, she heard the ringing of a bell and ran back to the living room.

"Miss Wen, Master Cheng is back." It was still the same person, but his voice was a little more respectful. Soon, the microphone seemed to be given to another person.

Wen Tingli's heart was pounding.

Lu Shicheng held the microphone between his ear and right shoulder, and took off his coat while listening to the phone.

He had just arrived home and had not had time to change his clothes when he heard Manager Xu report that someone was calling. Manager Xu told him puzzledly that the call was clearly connected, but the other party hung up without saying a word.

When Lu Shicheng heard this, he immediately asked Manager Xu to go to the Wen family.

"How do you know it was me who called just now?" Wen Tingli coughed lightly.

Lu Shicheng paused in loosening his tie. It was just an intuition that did not even require any analysis from his brain.

Anyway, he knew it was her.

He smiled silently, untied his tie and threw it on the bed.

Wen Tingli also smiled and asked him, "Did you eat well tonight?"

Even though he knew she couldn't see it, he nodded subconsciously.

She seemed a little skeptical. "But you only had one steak tonight and said you were full..."

Lu Shicheng glanced at a cup of freshly brewed tea on the bedside table, picked up the teacup and drank it while listening.

"Are you afraid of eating me out of money? Don't look down on me. I still have enough money to treat you to a meal."

Lu Shicheng smiled and lowered his eyes to look at the tea in the teacup. The rippling yellow tea soup reminded him of the way Wen Tingli raised her eyebrows and spoke to him under the Western wall lamp tonight.

She is always in high spirits when she speaks, and no matter what the occasion, she always attracts people's attention at first glance.

"How about..." After a short silence, Wen Tingli spoke again with great interest, "After we finish our meal tomorrow night, let's go watch a movie. Everyone in the crew said that the movie was quite good, but it's a pity that we couldn't see it today..."

She spoke in a soft voice, and after saying this she waited with bated breath.

Lu Shicheng looked at the coat he had just taken off, which contained two movie tickets.

He bought it when he drove past the Carlton Cinema just now, because he remembered that every time he passed a cinema tonight, Wen Tingli would involuntarily look out the window with a look of regret.

"If you don't object, just knock on the wall or door and let me know." Wen Tingli said, "I'll go buy tickets early tomorrow morning. This play is very popular recently. If you're late, you won't be able to get tickets."

Lu Shicheng was startled and subconsciously opened the door and looked towards the corridor.

Wen Tingli didn't hear the knock on the door for a long time, and thought, could it be that Lu Shicheng doesn't have that much time tomorrow night? Then it's only the weekend, but on the weekend, with Xiao Taozi present, there's no way I can watch the movie.

Suddenly, the voice of a middle-aged manager came from the other side.

"You don't have to buy a ticket. I've already bought one." He spoke word by word, as if reading from a script. "The ticket is for 8:30 p.m."

Manager Xu was indeed holding the note in his hand. He was reading it while blinking his green eyes at Lu Shicheng.

Lu Shicheng motioned for him to continue reading.

"Is 8:30 too late? If you think it's too late, I can ask someone to change it to a time that's convenient for you."

Wen Tingli was stunned and stammered, "The timing is just right, then...then it's settled. Good night."

Lu Shicheng quickly wrote a few words and handed them over. Manager Xu hurriedly read them out, "Okay, then go to bed early. Good night."

As soon as the phone was hung up, Wen Tingli covered her mouth and laughed.

She was really scared just now.

It’s a good thing that Lu Shicheng could think of this!

When Lu Shicheng wrote out those words one by one for her to read, there was always a sense of tenderness and respect. But once the middle-aged manager said them, it felt indescribably awkward.

I guess Lu Shicheng had to come up with this idea out of desperation.

He had to tell her he had bought the ticket.

Buying tickets—Lu Shicheng actually had the same idea as her.

Wen Tingli smiled knowingly, went back to her room to iron her dress, and hummed a song while putting the Great World voucher given by Lu Shicheng into her bag.

Little Taozi came in with her new doll. Seeing this, she ran to her sister with a happy face.

"Xiao Taozi is going to the big world again, take Mr. Lu with you!"

"Do we have to bring Mr. Lu?"

"Be sure to bring it." Xiao Taozi nodded vigorously.

"Well, Mr. Lu is also very well behaved. It's not impossible to bring him along." Wen Tingli held Xiao Taozi's forehead and laughed.

After receiving the long note, she opened her suitcase and took out a large silver note.

When she went to Kangle Restaurant tonight, she didn't know that the prices of dishes had increased again, so when she paid the bill, she almost didn't have enough. Fortunately, she asked Lu Shicheng to bring Xiao Taozi to wait for her outside in advance, otherwise Lu Shicheng would definitely take the initiative to "pay for her" when he saw her counting the silver dollars one by one.

In order to prevent such incidents from happening again, Wen Tingli decided to carry more money with her on weekdays. Of course, compared with the gifts Lu Shicheng gave her, a hundred meals were nothing, but it was at least her attitude, just like the pen she gave him that night.

She fantasized about it in her mind, locked the suitcase and put it back under the bed, then put the three keys into her school bag.

Little Taozi watched her sister's every move curiously. Wen Tingli turned around, carried her sister to the bed and helped her take off her shoes.

"Mrs. Zhou, Xiao Taozi's shoes seem to be a little tight. I will come back early on Thursday afternoon, and we will take Xiao Taozi to make some new clothes and shoes."

Mrs. Zhou said in surprise in the outer room, "You are so busy on weekdays, why do you take time out to come back? Why don't you make clothes and buy shoes for the kid when you go out to play on Sunday?"

Suddenly, he remembered Lu Shicheng's usual behavior. With him present, he would definitely not let the young lady spend money.

Miss is really thoughtful.

She smiled and said, "I know."

***
The phone had been hung up for more than ten minutes, but Manager Xu was still staring at Lu Shicheng.

Lu Shicheng was silent.

Manager Xu vaguely felt that Lu Shicheng was a little unhappy, but it really wasn't his fault.

It was Young Master Cheng himself who suddenly called him in to pass on a message for him.

Now that the word had reached the right people, Young Master Cheng didn't seem too happy, which made him feel very uneasy.

After a while, Manager Xu spoke cautiously, "Master, do you think I was too harsh when speaking to Miss Wen?"

Lu Shicheng raised his eyes to look at him.

Manager Xu rubbed his hands in annoyance. In fact, he himself was somewhat aware of this. For example, if Young Master Cheng had said the sentence "You don't have to buy a ticket" himself, it would have had a different meaning. But when he repeated it in a stiff voice, it sounded like he was giving an order.

He felt a little aggrieved: "This is also my first time doing this job. At worst, I can just speak more gently to Miss Wen next time."

Lu Shicheng closed his eyes. There won't be a next time. He realized tonight that some words can never be passed on by others. Once passed on, they become weird.

His expression relaxed.

【Didn't Director Xie say that Dr. Kailin has already drawn up a treatment plan?】

"Yes, Doctor Louis called tonight and said that the situation this time is a bit special. First, Dr. Kailin's own personal equipment will be used, and these equipment are not convenient to move around. Second, the treatment involves three clinical departments, and it is not convenient to mobilize personnel. So Master Cheng may need to take two hours every afternoon to go to the Red Cross Hospital for treatment. In addition, Doctor Louis may have to stay in the Lu Mansion for a few days to record Master Cheng's condition at any time. Mr. Kuang only said that Master Cheng was too busy today and was still discussing with several doctors-"

[Please reply to Louis for me. The treatment will officially begin tomorrow afternoon.]

Manager Xu was stunned. So fast? "But Master Cheng has to go to the Rixin Shipyard tomorrow."

Lu Shicheng pointed to the phone, and Manager Xu quickly changed his words and said, "I'll call Dr. Louis right away."***
As soon as Wen Tingli came downstairs in the morning, someone came over and handed her a letter.

"Mr. Lu asked me to pass it on to Miss Wen."

I opened the envelope and saw two movie tickets, for the 8:30 show tomorrow night, with premium seats upstairs (note).

Wen Tingli tried not to look too happy and just said to the man, "Thank you."

She hailed a rickshaw on the side of the road, and as soon as she got in, she couldn't help taking out the movie ticket and looking at it carefully, laughing as she read.

The rickshaw driver looked back at Wen Tingli several times.

"What are you looking at?" Wen Tingli looked at him with a pair of clear eyes.

"Why are you so happy? Did the little girl win the lottery?" (Note)
“It’s better than winning the lottery.”

Today is Monday, and Golden Pictures Company is holding a meeting as usual. Although Wen Tingli is not yet an employee of the company, she comes almost every time in order to get acquainted with the crew members.

The first thing she did after entering the company was to go to the general manager's office to find Huang Yuanshan. As a result, she heard people arguing inside the corridor. Wen Tingli was hesitating whether to turn around and leave when the door was suddenly pulled open from the inside.

"I want to use him/her!" said Huang Yuanshan with an angry face.

Wen Tingli had no time to withdraw her feet, so she had to bite the bullet and greet him, "Sister Huang."

The door was still wide open, and at a glance one could see several company veterans sitting in the office, with two well-dressed middle-aged men sitting at the top.

Huang Yuanshan closed the door and said fiercely, "Why are you here if you're not studying in the crew?
Wen Tingli was confused: "The studio is not open either. Today is Monday and the whole company has to hold a meeting in the morning."

"No more! No more!" Huang Yuanshan waved his hands, "Everyone, go back to the crew and work, you too! Newcomers should spend every day in the studio, why are you wandering around for no reason!"

Wen Tingli knew that Huang Yuanshan was angry, so she didn't argue with him. She just pouted and said, "Then I'm leaving."

Huang Yuanshan called her from behind.

"We have to audition again before filming begins. You should study the script carefully for the next two days and come to the company early the day after tomorrow morning."

Wen Tingli was even more puzzled. Wasn't she already confirmed to be the lead actress? Why did she have to audition again?

A trace of uneasiness flashed through her heart. She looked back and saw Huang Yuanshan with a worried look on his face. She knew that if she asked directly, she would be rejected again, so she simply started a new question.

"By the way, Sister Huang, I want to ask you about someone. Who was the short-haired woman who was talking to you at the Lu family dinner?"

This time it was Huang Yuanshan's turn to be confused.

"He has a round face, is about thirty years old, and is wearing a chrysanthemum-green trouser suit." Wen Tingli described him in detail.

Huang Yuanshan's expression relaxed: "Oh, it's Yue Zhaoyun, what's wrong?"

Wen Tingli was stunned: "Famous Pen Yue Zhaoyun? The one who wrote "Beautiful Lady in the South"? Yesterday I took Xiao Taozi to the Great World and saw her playing bumper cars by herself. She was having a lot of fun."

Huang Yuanshan laughed grimly: "Not surprising, this is exactly what she would do."

"Did Yue Zhaoyun come to Shanghai specifically for the filming of "Beauty of the South"?"

Huang Yuanshan nodded.

Wen Tingli acted surprised: "They even invited the original author! Does the company attach great importance to this play?"

"How can I not take it seriously? You know..." Huang Yuanshan almost started talking, but he glanced at Wen Tingli and stopped talking. "Well, since you know that the company values ​​this play so much, why are you still chatting with me here? Why don't you go to the studio and learn from the seniors?"

On the way back, Wen Tingli was full of questions. She had known Huang Yuanshan for quite a while, but she had never seen her so angry. She had a vague feeling that this matter was related to her, but she couldn't find out anything.

Work in the studio went relatively smoothly that day, except that it was Monday and everyone seemed a little unmotivated. In the evening, several crews finished work and only the "Sands of Time" crew was still filming.

The reason was that the male lead Deng Tianxing was late again in the afternoon.

Wen Tingli heard from others that the reason why Deng Tianxing was late frequently recently was because he was pursuing Luo Shuhong, the daughter of opium tycoon Luo Kunlong.

Although Luo Shuhong is a rich lady, she is very interested in acting. In order to fulfill her dream, her father once funded her to shoot a movie "Spring River Sorrow". Unfortunately, Miss Luo's acting skills were mediocre and the box office was dismal after it was released. Luo's father refused to accompany his daughter's mischief, but Luo Shuhong was unwilling to quit the film industry. Recently, she often played supporting roles in various dramas. It is said that her acting skills have improved a lot, and now she only needs a good leading role to gain a firm foothold.

Deng Tianxing launched a passionate pursuit of Luo Shuhong after only meeting her once. However, there were countless men pursuing Miss Luo in Shanghai, and Deng Tianxing was not outstanding among them. Today, he must have been rejected by Luo Shuhong again, so he came with a gloomy face.

On a normal day, Wen Tingli would have stayed to continue studying, but when she thought of what Deng Tianxing and others had said that night to slander her and Meng Qiguang's relationship, she became furious. It was good enough that she didn't spit at Deng Tianxing in person, let alone learn acting from this annoying guy.

She finished her work happily, took a shower and changed her clothes, and suddenly heard someone in the dressing room next door talking on the phone.

"Shuhong, you don't even give me a chance, how do you know I'm not sincere to you?" It was Deng Tianxing's voice.

Wen Tingli rolled her eyes secretly.

Deng Tianxing laughed softly and said, "Of course I have a way to prove my sincerity... Hong, there is a saying that goes, give someone what they like. I know you are a woman with ambition. Don't worry, you will know what gift I want to give you in a few days! By then, I won't ask you to look at me more. I will be satisfied as long as you understand that I love you with all my heart."

Wen Tingli shook off the goose bumps on her body. Deng Tianxing was a well-known playboy. He had said such things to countless women. She hoped that Miss Luo Shuhong would not be fooled by him.

When we got down to the first floor, Deng Tianxing's voice came from upstairs: "Hey, isn't this Miss Wen? Aren't you always the hardest-working person? Why did you leave so early today? I heard you have a rich boyfriend again."

Wen Tingli simply couldn't understand why Deng Tianxing was so hostile towards her. It didn't seem like it would go this far just because of his relationship with Meng Qiguang.

If she turned around and refuted him a few words, Deng Tianxing might take advantage of the situation to make a fuss. Once the news got out, it would only be bad for her reputation. After all, Deng Tianxing was a senior, and she was an unknown newcomer.

So he just gave Deng Tianxing a vicious look and turned to leave.

As she walked down the stairs, a thought flashed through her mind - wait.

Deng Tianxing does not look crazy or stupid, and he can even be described as "slick" in his dealings with people. Otherwise, he would not have been able to stand out in such a competitive film industry.

For a mentally normal adult, he or she will only make enemies when his or her own interests are involved.

But she thought that she had no conflict of interest with Deng Tianxing. Firstly, they were not actors in the same play. Secondly, he was a male actor and she was a female actor, so there was no suspicion of overlapping types in terms of the source of plays.

But Deng Tianxing was hostile to her from the start.

The more she thought about it, the more she felt that there was something wrong. She stopped and turned her head, casting a meaningful glance in the direction Deng Tianxing left.

The truth will never just float on the surface, maybe she should ask Sister Li to help her investigate Deng Tianxing's background. Sister Li has a wide network of contacts and is quick to act. With her help, there is no worry that she will not be able to find out what Deng Tianxing is up to.

When she got to the door, she was greeted by the cool evening breeze, and her bad mood was instantly swept away. Wen Tingli looked up at the road and smiled brightly, looking expectantly at the sycamore tree on the roadside. There was no Lu Shicheng's car parked under the tree like last time. He said he would come to meet her at seven o'clock, but it was only six o'clock now. There were acquaintances from the crew all around, so why not go to the Sichuan restaurant and wait.

Hey, why is the wind getting colder? Is it going to rain?

***
When Dr. Kailin and others accompanied Lu Shicheng out of the treatment room, Kuang Zhilin had been waiting in the corridor for a long time. He approached with a hopeful look and asked, "How is it? Did the treatment go well?"

Lu Shicheng looked calm.

Kuang Zhilin hurriedly laughed and said, "How can the first treatment be effective? I was too impatient. Dr. Kailin, Director Xie, and Louis, thank you for your hard work."

Several doctors surrounded Lu Shicheng and gave him some instructions, and then Lu Shicheng and Kuang Zhilin said goodbye and left.

Lu Shicheng looked at the briefcase in Kuang Zhilin's hand and suddenly stopped.

[The other day I asked you to look up an actor named Deng Tianxing. Did you find anything? ]

Kuang Zhilin took out a manuscript and said, "Take a look at this first. This was sent to the newspaper by an anonymous person yesterday evening."

The title reads:

Socialite Miss Wen Tingli is about to star in Golden Pictures' major production "Beauty of the South".

[…The play was directed by the famous art film director Huang Yuanshan, and the script was written by the famous Peking writer Ms. Yue Zhaoyun. With Miss Wen's limited qualifications, she was not qualified to take on this leading role. However, according to insiders, Miss Wen is very good at using her beauty to gain resources for herself… She was originally the daughter of a tailor. She had many boyfriends when she was in middle school. Not long after, she successfully transferred from Xiude Girls' Middle School to the better Shiwu Girls' Middle School. Later, she participated in a beauty pageant and won the championship. Several contestants who participated in the competition at the same time said that Miss Wen's votes increased overnight, which was quite fishy. This time, she played the leading role because Miss Wen used the same trick again. There was an insider news from Golden Pictures that Miss Wen could not play the leading role of this high-quality film without the help of her boyfriends…]

Before he finished reading the entire article, Lu Shicheng's face had become extremely ugly.

Kuang Zhilin said worriedly, "Once this incident has an impact, Miss Wen will never be able to get rid of the title of 'socialite'. The bosses of Dajiang Daily and Hucheng Evening News are always well-informed. They probably know that Miss Wen is very familiar with Master Cheng, so they took the initiative to suppress the article. In the afternoon, they specially asked someone to forward the draft to my office to ask for our opinions. You see, there are a lot of photos attached at the back."

The first page shows the photo of Wen Tingli participating in the "Flower of Shanghai" competition.

Lu Shicheng had no expression on his face. [Have you found out who did it?]

"It's an anonymous person. He must have been secretly investigating Miss Wen for quite some time. The information he provided is very detailed. The article never mentions the Lu family, but only Miss Wen. This ensures that the newspaper will not dare to publish it because of concerns about the Lu family. It's okay for a big newspaper, but a small newspaper will definitely be unable to hold back after seeing such a rich manuscript. At worst, they can apologize in the newspaper later. Anyway, it will promote sales first. Has Miss Wen offended anyone recently?"

Lu Shicheng's eyes fell on the words "Beauty of the South" in the article.

"Could it be related to the White Dragon Gang?" Kuang Zhilin analyzed, "They didn't dare to touch the Lu family, so they took Miss Wen as their first target. But... Gang Leader Cao has been busy breaking up with Third Master Lu recently. Qiu Dapeng has lost Gang Leader Cao's trust, and he is also busy treating his seriously injured son. Logically, he has no time to spare."

Lu Shicheng pointed at the manuscript.

【Why not check the background of this play first. 】

"'Beauty of the South'?" Kuang Zhilin was secretly surprised. "Master Cheng is saying -"

Lu Shicheng pondered. If he remembered correctly, Wen Tingli had told him last month that her play would be about to start filming, but there had been no further news since then. Since it was a major production of Golden Pictures, it would not have been delayed for so long for no reason. Most likely, there was resistance in some link.

Who will be the biggest beneficiary of framing Wen Tingli at this moment? We will know once we check.

Kuang Zhilin nodded thoughtfully: "I understand. Should we let Miss Wen know about this?"

Lu Shicheng crumpled the manuscript into a ball and decided to wait until he found out who it was before telling Wen Tingli, otherwise it would only make her upset for nothing.

[Send someone to check which newspapers received this article this morning. Make sure to intercept them one by one. If there is any slip through the net, the rumor will be published in the newspaper tomorrow morning, and it will be irreversible. Do it as soon as possible. I'll wait for you here. Also, don't forget to have someone investigate Deng Tianxing's background.]

***
Wen Tingli held her chin and looked at the street.

She had been waiting in the Sichuan restaurant for an hour but still hadn't seen Lu Shicheng.

During that time, she was worried that Lu Shicheng would go directly to the crew to find her, so she went back specially. When she found out that Lu Shicheng did not come, she returned to the Sichuan restaurant in disappointment.

Before I knew it, it was seven o'clock.

No matter how late it is, it is considered late. For others, being late for a few minutes is not unusual, but Lu Shicheng is never late. The only time he broke an appointment was when he was plotted against by Mr. Lu.

Thinking of this, she became worried. If she had known, she would have waited wholeheartedly at the door of the crew. She ran to the street and looked around. Suddenly, she felt a chill on her forehead and raindrops fell. At first, there were only a few scattered raindrops, but suddenly it turned into a heavy downpour.

Wen Tingli hid back in the hotel with her head in her hands in embarrassment.

It was a quarter past seven. This was really unusual. Should I borrow an umbrella from the boss so I could go back to the set? Just as I was thinking about it, a young man came in despite the rain.

Wen Tingli's worry instantly turned into surprise, and she hurriedly stood up to greet him.

"Why are you so wet? Didn't you come here by car?"

(End of this chapter)