Hear this life

After watching her get into the car, Lu Shicheng walked around from the front of the car to the other side, opened the door and got in.

Wen Tingli put on a cold attitude, but she was not calm at all in her heart.

After not seeing him for a few months, he seemed taller, with more profound features and contours. His temperament used to be between that of a teenager and an adult man, but now he was gradually becoming more mature. There was an indescribable charm in his every move, and his whole body was full of elegant demeanor, which made people want to take a few more glances.

Her usually excellent language skills suddenly failed at this moment, and she couldn't even decide which opening line to use to hurt him hard.

I thought Mr. Lu was dead.

When did you come back?

What are you coming back for?!

In these imaginary conversations, Wen Tingli gradually forgot the reason why they had fallen out in the first place, and the feeling of grievance only grew stronger in her heart.

Suddenly, her tears rolled out of her eyes like a pot of boiling water without any warning.

She pretended to be strong and raised her head, then wiped away her tears with the back of her hand with a sad look.

If Lu Shicheng stopped the car and wiped her tears at this time, she would be able to forgive him.

If he didn't have a handkerchief, he could use the back of his hand and sleeve to wipe her like he did last time, and she didn't mind.

However, the people around him didn't react at all, and the car just kept going faster and faster.

It would be better to have a big quarrel! She thought bitterly.

After being frozen outside for so long, the carriage was unusually warm. The sudden change in temperature made her nose itchy and she sneezed out of nowhere. She didn't know how to provoke him, but then an idea came to her and she sneezed several times using the remaining itchiness.

She saw that there was a coat on Lu Shicheng's car seat.

She was giving him the opportunity to bow down to her.

He couldn't ignore her feelings. She knew better than anyone how gentlemanly and considerate he was in front of her. As long as he got carried away and put his clothes on her, she would throw herself on his shoulders, cry her heart out, and scold him!

As expected, as soon as she sneezed, he subconsciously stepped on the brakes, remained silent for a moment, turned around to pick up his coat from the back seat, but just put it on her knees and immediately moved away from her, not giving her a chance to get close to him.

In order not to touch her body, he stretched his arms as far as possible and moved his body as far away from her as possible. It was like a magic trick!

Why didn't he just chop off the arm right there and then!

Wen Tingli threw his coat back onto his knees in annoyance.

"I don't want it, please take it away!"

He looked out the front window and started the car again.

For the rest of the journey, Wen Tingli stopped making any noise out of spite, and he seemed to block out all the noise around him, driving very fast.

After an unknown amount of time, the car suddenly stopped. Wen Tingli refused to turn around. Why did he stop so suddenly? Was he going to apologize to her? No matter what he did, she would never accept it easily.

After a few seconds, the feeling of being stared at the back of her head became stronger and stronger. She couldn't help but turn around out of curiosity and saw that he was indeed looking at her intently. However, he immediately reminded her to look outside the car.

【You can get off now. 】

Wen Tingli looked carefully and found that they had arrived at her doorstep so quickly. Lu Shicheng was even thoughtful enough to park the car in front of the steps in the front yard.

This way she wouldn't have to brave the snow to get home.

But there is nothing else but thoughtfulness.

He was practically invulnerable tonight.

Very good, she opened the car door expressionlessly and said stiffly: "Thank you!"

Lu Shicheng held the steering wheel with one hand and looked ahead.

Wen Tingli took two steps forward without looking back, then suddenly turned back and said to the window: "Let me tell you clearly: I just happened to be visiting a friend's house nearby tonight, and I was indeed followed by someone before, and this has happened more than once, otherwise I wouldn't have bumped into you in such a panic - no matter what, thank you for tonight! See you later!"

After saying this, she walked into the building without looking back, entered the room, and fell on the bed without turning on the light. He still hated her, and how could she not hate him! From now on, she would never see him again, so that everyone would have a clear conscience.

After being in a daze for a while, she jumped out of bed. She had work to do tomorrow and she didn't have time to get angry with irrelevant people.

She opened the closet and took out her bathrobe, preparing to take a bath and go to bed. Suddenly she felt something was wrong. She had been upstairs for so long, but she hadn't heard the sound of a car starting. She hurried to the window and looked out, and unexpectedly found that Lu Shicheng's car was still parked in front of the steps.

He was not in the car, but under it. His tall figure was very conspicuous in the snow.

Wen Tingli couldn't help but hold her breath.

Lu Shicheng looked around as she walked, very vigilantly, and carefully checked under the trees, beside the street lights, and in front of the steps of her house. After a little thought, she looked up at the dark window of the Wen family.

Wen Tingli hurriedly hid behind the curtains.

When I looked outside again, Lu Shicheng had already left.

She couldn't help but be a little dazed.

What was he checking out downstairs? Was there something he was worried about?
Could it be——

The smile suddenly returned to her face.

He was concerned about her safety.

Is it because of what she just said?

He lost his temper just because she said someone was following him.

It was a pity that he acted so calm before.

It would be best if he never revealed the truth in front of her for the rest of his life.

The melancholy in her heart was swept away, and she went to the bathroom to take a shower humming a song. After going to bed, she thought about what happened tonight with relish. Her heart was sometimes sour, sometimes sweet, and sometimes happy, and she fell asleep after a long while.

***
During the New Year period, Hujiang University was on holiday and the crew also stopped working for three days.

Wen Tingli was actually busier than before the holiday. There were celebrations at school, and she also received invitations to some banquets in society.

Among them are the annual meeting of the Film Association, Chinese family dinners hosted by well-known senior movie stars such as Duan Miaoqing and Wen Guanhua, and Western parties hosted by business celebrities such as the Gao and Dong families.

This has never happened before. All the messages sent to her were written with "Dear Ms. Wen Tingli."

This meant that her name had a place in social occasions.

This is the beginning of a person's influence in society.

Wen Tingli is proud of herself and is busy all day long.

That day, Gao Xiaowen called Wen Tingli and told her to come to the banquet early in the evening.

Suddenly, there was a noise coming from the set. Wen Tingli hurriedly put down the phone and went to check. It turned out that two jet lamps had suddenly broken and Huang Yuanshan was losing his temper there.

"It flashed a few times in the first few days. I told you to send it for repair, but you just blamed each other. Now it's fine. Other scenes are fine, but this last scene has extremely high requirements for lighting. How can you let me shoot it?"

Everyone tried to persuade Huang Yuanshan to calm down. After some discussion, Assistant Director Tan decided to find someone to repair the lights, but replacing the parts would take at least several hours. It seemed that the daytime scene could only be shot after 10 o'clock in the evening to avoid wasting film.

"Mr. Zhou, Sister Wen, Wen Tingli, is there any problem with this arrangement?" Huang Yuanshan asked for everyone's opinions with a frown.

Wen Guanhua was the first to express his opinion: "I have no problem."

"We have no objection. The front part was carefully crafted, so there is no reason to be perfunctory about the final highlight."

When it came to filming, Wen Tingli, who had always been hardworking, naturally did not say a word. She just thought to herself that she could still go to Gao's house for the dinner in the evening, and at most she could rush to the set after nine o'clock.

But I'm afraid we will have to shoot until the early morning tonight. Thinking of this, Wen Tingli hurried to the office to call Mrs. Zhou.

When I got there, there was already someone inside.

It was Luo Shuhong, who was facing the door, paying close attention to what was going on outside while she was on the phone, her voice was quite low. When she saw Wen Tingli coming over, she calmly put down the phone.

Wen Tingli stared at her, but Luo Shuhong greeted her generously.

"Done?"

Wen Tingli glanced behind her secretly. There was nothing there except a telephone. She nodded calmly: "Yes, I just finished work."

Mrs. Zhou learned on the phone that Wen Tingli would be back later, but she didn't say anything. She just said, "Mr. Liu and Mrs. Liu are still not at home today. I heard that Mrs. Liu has many relatives in Hong Kong. I'm afraid she took advantage of the New Year holiday to go out on a cruise ship."

Wen Tingli hesitated for a moment and said, "I'll ask around later. Is Xiao Taozi doing well? Tell her that I'll finish filming tonight and will take her to Zhaofeng Park tomorrow. Okay, take her to bed early."

By the time Wen Tingli finished removing her makeup and rushed to Gao's house, it was already half past six.

The Gao family is a new family that always cares about ostentation. Needless to say, the scene tonight was grand. The guests in the hall could be described as a constant stream. As soon as Wen Tingli appeared at the door, many guests looked at her curiously. Gao Xiaowen rushed out to greet them. Someone on the other end smiled and waved, "Wen Tingli."

The flower hall was full of people. On the high-back sofa on the left sat the popular actress Yu Peiling. She wore a smoke-blue low-waisted long skirt, a sleek white fur collar, and a rhinestone headband. She was outstanding, and sprayed with Guerlain perfume specially made in Paris, exuding a fragrant breeze. The group of young men and women around her were all dressed up, and the manager named Chen Maoqing was among them.

On the right are a group of old classmates from Shishi Middle School. Compared with the glittering and gorgeous girls on the left, this side looks fresh and simple, with a student-like vibe.

Wen Tingli took the initiative to go over and say hello to Yu Peiling. Firstly, they had dealt with each other before, and secondly, Yu Peiling was considered a senior in the industry.

"Long time no see." Yu Peiling was quite polite to Wen Tingli, but she was used to being flattered, so her attitude was inevitably a little casual.

"Yes." Wen Tingli replied with a smile. Suddenly, she felt a sharp gaze from the side. She saw Yu Peiling's agent looking at her with hostility, but he immediately retracted his gaze and started talking to others with a smile, as if the scene just now was just Wen Tingli's own illusion.

Wen Tingli had some idea why Manager Chen was like this. Huang Yuanshan had analyzed with her that she and Yu Peiling were of similar types, which was called "collision" in the film industry and was a big taboo.

Chen Maoqing had worked hard to bring Yu Peiling to her current status, but she was far from famous enough, so naturally he didn't want to see a younger competitor emerge to snatch roles from Yu Peiling.

"This is human nature." Huang Yuanshan sighed to her that day, "You debuted in our Golden Film Company. Chen Maoqing can't get you to his side anymore. He will definitely guard against you for Yu Peiling. It's okay if "Southern Beauty" doesn't become popular. Once it becomes popular, you will have the opportunity to experience his methods. Chen Maoqing is notorious for this. You should keep this in mind for now. It's better to be careful."

Wen Tingli was thinking about these words in her mind, but she didn't show any sign on her face. She still greeted the other party with great interest, then walked over here and sat down among her friends.

Zhao Qingluo snatched a book from Yan Zhenzhen and stuffed it into Wen Tingli's hand: "Look, Yan Zhenzhen has made great progress. We haven't seen each other for a few days, but she actually wrote a script quietly in school. I was thinking, maybe you can act in this script in the future."

Yan Zhenzhen reached out to take it back, but Wen Tingli had already jumped up and hid on the other side. Yan Zhenzhen had no choice but to cover her face with her hands.

"Wen Tingli, if you dare to laugh at me, I will break off our friendship!"

Wen Tingli opened the title page without giving any explanation. "You loved writing these things when you were studying at Wuben. Hey, "It's a Blessing, Not a Disaster", is this the name of the script?"

After reading a few lines, Wen Tingli said happily, "Hey, it's really good! Wait a minute, don't rush to read it, can you let me finish reading it? Otherwise, I will show it to Sister Huang tomorrow morning."

Someone called Wen Tingli over there. It was Mrs. Pan. Wen Tingli hurriedly went to greet her: "Mrs. Pan."

Mrs. Pan did not come alone tonight. She was accompanied by several young people in luxurious clothes who looked like Mrs. Pan's nephews.

"This is Miss Wen I told you about. She is still studying at university." Mrs. Pan smiled and took Wen Tingli's hand. "The three of them are the most promising young people in our Pan family. They are willing to study and are honest. The Gao family is so lively tonight, so I brought them out for a walk."

As soon as the gentlemen saw Wen Tingli, their eyes lit up.

"Ms. Wen, which university are you studying at? What's your major?"

"Hey, Miss Wen, have you ever been featured in an interview in the Zhensheng Evening News? I think I've seen your photo."

The smartest one simply helped Wen Tingli get a fruit plate: "It's boring to stand and talk all the time, Miss Wen, let's go over there and eat while we talk. Do you know how to play tennis? No, I can teach you."

Mrs. Gao happened to come over to greet Mrs. Pan. Seeing this, the two ladies smiled, shook their heads, and walked away together.

Wen Tingli handled the situation with ease and looked radiant. Just as she was escorted by several people to sit on the sofa, another group of young men surrounded her. The men surrounded her like bees around flowers.

Someone brought her drinks, someone served her snacks, someone presented her with a bouquet of flowers, someone even suggested accompanying her to the garden to get some fresh air, and someone even took out their newly bought German miniature camera for her to play with.

Wen Tingli rested her arm on the right armrest of the sofa, listening to their conversation lazily. Suddenly, she felt a gaze coming over here. She didn't know whether it was looking at her or the person next to her. When she looked up, she saw Lu Shicheng walking over there as if no one was around.

It was as if the gaze just now was just her own illusion.

Wen Tingli bit her lip and looked at his back.

"Who is that boy?" said the eldest son of the Pan family. "He is like a star surrounded by stars. Even Mr. Gao is so attentive to him."

"You don't even recognize Lu Shicheng?"

"Master Pan just came to Shanghai from Tianjin, so it's no wonder he didn't recognize him. But didn't Lu Shicheng go back to Southeast Asia? When did he come back?"

"He has been back for a few days. There are many things to do at the end of the year. He came back to represent the Lu family to host the annual meeting of the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce. By the way, you all heard that half a year ago, Lu Shicheng invested in a movie called "Sands of Time" and specially found the movie emperor Zhu Xiaozhou to play the role. I heard that it is almost finished. If this movie performs well, the Lu family may continue to invest in the film industry."

After these words came out, the young masters were not indifferent, but the people in the art circle nearby immediately became excited. "Then the film industry will be lively. The huge family business accumulated by three or four generations is so huge that even the White Dragon Gang is envious. When the time comes, whoever the Lu family wants to support can be supported by just a word."

These words aroused the interest of someone at the scene. This person stared at Lu Shicheng's back. It was Chen Maoqing.

While following Lu Shicheng with his eyes, he did not forget to nudge Yu Peiling beside him with his elbow. Yu Peiling almost spilled the wine in her hand, but she was not annoyed, but glared back at Chen Maoqing with a smile.

Half an hour later, as more and more people gathered in the flower hall, many of them spontaneously left their seats and went to the garden.

Wen Tingli finally managed to escape from the crowd of suitors and went to Gao Xiaowen's bedroom upstairs to hide away in peace.

After a while, Gao Xiaowen also came. As soon as he entered the room, he urged Wen Tingli: "I have arranged everything for you, go quickly."

Wen Tingli didn't move. Gao Xiaowen squinted her eyes and smiled at her: "Aren't you going to ask him a few questions in person? Why, you don't dare to go again? If you don't go, I won't keep that room for you."

Wen Tingli then calmly stood up, went downstairs to the pastry area, picked up a glass of champagne at random, but did not drink it. She was just in a daze. Customers kept passing by behind her, but she did not pay attention. After finally sorting out her thoughts, she poured another glass of wine, held the two glasses of champagne and quietly slipped out.

I quickly arrived at the back building and walked in, and saw Gao Tingxin and Meng Qiguang coming out.

Wen Tingli looked around and saw that there was no way to retreat, so she had to hide behind a bush nearby. She moved so hastily that she almost spilled the two glasses of wine.

Fortunately, the two of them seemed to have their own thoughts and did not notice where Wen Tingli was hiding. Gao Tingxin stood on the steps and lit a cigarette, smiling and said, "Why is Lu Shicheng so absent-minded tonight? He couldn't hold the cards steadily and dropped them under the table several times."

Meng Qiguang didn't respond. The guys at the table kept asking Gao Tingxin about Miss Wen. Who wouldn't be annoyed by that?

Gao Tingxin was always rough-minded, so he didn't think much about it and said casually, "Don't tell me, Lu Shicheng is a quiet man, but his style of playing cards is fierce. No matter how much you guys besiege him, he just counters your moves without making a sound."

Meng Qiguang said sarcastically, "If this man is not cunning, can he bring down his two uncles? His grandfather Lu Hongjun was also a powerful figure who had the final say. Now he can't do anything to the eldest grandson of the Lu family. I think he is not only smart, but also cruel."

Gao Tingxin said with some regret, "It's a pity that no matter how capable he is, he is still a mute. A few days ago, he hosted the annual meeting of the Shanghai Nanyang Chamber of Commerce. His personal ability was impressive, but he had many inconveniences when presiding over the meeting. At that time, I thought, I can't let others speak for him every time."

"Didn't Lu Shicheng find a few medical professors who are good at treating muteness? Is there no other solution?"

Gao Tingxin shook his head. "One of my uncles studied medicine in the United States. According to him, Lu Shicheng's illness requires a strong stress, similar to what we Chinese often call a medicine lead. Without a medicine lead, no matter how you treat it, it will be useless. Let's not talk about this for now. Hey, you are better at judging people than me. Look at what Lu Shicheng means tonight. Will he consider investing in the amusement park this time?"

He recalled what happened in the bridge room just now. As soon as he mentioned the issue of both parties investing in the cooperation, Lu Shicheng shook his head directly.

Gao Tingxin smiled and said, "At least listen to what I have to say before rejecting me. This is really a good project. Many people want to invest but don't have the financial strength to do so. There are only two serious amusement parks in Shanghai right now, the Great World and the New World. The facilities at the New World amusement park are quite old..."

Having said that, he actually didn't have much hope in his heart. After all, he had mentioned the idea of ​​building an amusement park to Lu Shicheng last year, and Lu Shicheng had decisively rejected him.

Who would have thought that when these words were spoken today, Lu Shicheng actually showed some sign of wanting to hear more.

He said hurriedly, "Don't worry. I know you don't want to get involved with the White Dragon Gang. This time it's not the land in Hongkou, but the land near the bowling ball court. The original owner's surname was Wang. Many years ago, Mr. Wang used it to build a flour mill. After the factory went bankrupt, it has been idle. I plan to buy it. You and I will invest together. I believe we can build an amusement park that is more luxurious than the Great World."

I don’t know which words touched Lu Shicheng, but he took the plan and began to read it thoughtfully.

At this point, Gao Tingxin suddenly came back to his senses: "Look at me, Xiaowen said there is something urgent to tell us, let's go and see what's going on first."

Meng Qiguang stepped down the stairs and suddenly seemed to have caught a glimpse of something. He looked over there for a while, then retracted his foot and said calmly, "I left something in there. You go first, I'll be right back."

Gao Tingxin did not suspect anything and left alone.

Wen Tingli had been hiding in the bushes nearby for so long that her legs were numb from squatting. She just hoped that Meng Qiguang would leave quickly, but he put a cigarette in his mouth leisurely, as if he had no intention of leaving.

Wen Tingli secretly complained.

When she lowered her head, she realized that a corner of her skirt was accidentally exposed. She carefully tried to pull it back, but at this moment, Meng Qiguang suddenly turned his head and looked over here intentionally or unintentionally.

Wen Tingli was so frightened that she forgot to breathe.

Fortunately, although Meng Qiguang turned his face towards this side, he just glanced casually in the direction of the upstairs, and then retracted his gaze.

Wen Tingli felt like she couldn't hold on any longer.

She began to suspect that Meng Qiguang did it on purpose, otherwise why would he be grinning while holding his pipe in his mouth?

He had probably seen her early in the morning.

Wen Tingli made up her mind and decided to come out of the bushes. At this time, she heard footsteps in front of her. She looked out through the gap between the trees and saw Yu Peiling and Chen Maoqing coming.

Chen Maoqing was talking to Yu Peiling in private when they saw Meng Qiguang on the steps. They both stopped at the same time. Yu Peiling asked with a smile, "Why is Mr. Meng staying here alone?"

"It's too stuffy in here, let's go out and get some fresh air." Chen Maoqing said, "Mr. Meng has been playing cards in the back building, right? May I ask if the game is over?"

"It ended long ago."

The two of them politely passed by Meng Qiguang and entered the building.

Meng Qiguang took a deep look at the bushes, put out his cigarette with a calm face, and walked down the stairs.

Strangely enough, as soon as Meng Qiguang left, Chen Maoqing came out of the building, looking towards the building meaningfully as he walked, as if he was proud of something.

As soon as Chen Maoqing walked away, Wen Tingli immediately crawled out from behind the bushes. After getting up, she found that not only her legs were numb, but her hands were also numb. When she was hiding before, she was habitually holding two glasses of champagne in her hands. Fortunately, not much wine was spilled.

After tidying up hastily in the shadow of the tree, she went back to the building alone. Gao Xiaowen told her that there was a row of entertainment rooms on the east side of the first floor, and the room at the end was always where her eldest brother played cards with his friends.

As soon as I entered the building, I smelled a faint fragrance. Someone had just walked through the corridor, and the faint fragrance was still lingering in the air.

The scent is so unique that you can tell it's the same fragrance that Yu Peiling uses as soon as you smell it.

Wen Tingli walked quietly forward towards the source of the fragrance. The corridor was covered with thick carpets, and there was no sound when she stepped on them. When she reached the end of the corridor, she saw that the door of the room was closed, and she could vaguely hear a woman talking inside.

Wen Tingli was listening intently when the door suddenly opened and Yu Peiling came out in a panic. She said angrily as she walked away, "Did I run into trouble? This Chen Maoqing keeps giving me bad advice!"

He snorted again, "What's so great about that? There are so many people in Shanghai who want to pursue me, Yu Peiling. You are not a big deal!"

While mumbling quietly, she held her head high like a white swan and walked away swaying in her high heels. Perhaps she was so immersed in her shame and anger that she didn't notice Wen Tingli in the corner at all.

Wen Tingli looked into the room and saw Lu Shicheng sitting alone behind the card table.

The fireplace in the room was burning too brightly. He was not wearing a coat, only a white shirt and a dark suit vest, with an emerald collar clip on his tie. Perhaps because he felt hot, he rolled up both sleeves of his shirt, and there was an empty wine glass in his hand.

His face looked gloomy and cold, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Hearing the noise at the door, a look of extreme impatience flashed across Lu Shicheng's face.

This was the first time Wen Tingli saw this expression on his face since she met him, but when he raised his eyes and saw that the person coming was Wen Tingli, his impatience disappeared instantly and he paused for a moment.

But then, a very deliberate cold expression appeared on his face.

Very good, after not seeing him for a few months, his acting skills are almost catching up with hers.

She just acted, she never lost in this aspect. She walked into the room with a glass of wine and looked around in surprise: "Hey, didn't they say Xiaowen was here? Why are you the only one here?"

Lu Shicheng looked at her with a knowing look on his face. Wen Tingli sat down opposite him and said, "Since we happened to meet here, I just want to ask you something: What were you secretly checking downstairs of my house the night before last?"

A suspicious blush flashed across Lu Shicheng's face, and he lowered his eyes to look at the empty wine glass in his hand.

Wen Tingli stared at his face, the mixed feelings of love and hate in her heart surged up again, and she said coldly: "What does Mr. Lu have to do with me now? It seems that it is not your turn to take care of my affairs."

Lu Shicheng was silent for a moment, picked up his coat beside the chair and stood up.

Wen Tingli felt a pang in her heart. She endured it for a few seconds, then turned her head and said to the person behind her, "I haven't finished what I'm saying yet."

Lu Shicheng stopped, but refused to look back at her. Instead, he looked at the door in front of him.

Wen Tingli stood up and walked in front of him, took a deep breath, and looked not at him but at the ground under the two of their feet. The distance was so short, yet so far.

She said in a low voice: "Have you already determined that I am an emotional liar?"

Lu Shicheng looked indifferent, but she could hear his breathing suddenly became a little disordered. She looked aside and said, "I have never lied to anyone, but I have never lied to you. You simply misunderstood my feelings for you."

Lu Shicheng's Adam's apple rolled. He turned his head and looked at her for a while, then took his hand out of his trouser pocket and made a sign in sign language to her.

Wen Tingli was stunned. She had recently learned some basic sign language on the crew because of the filming, so she could understand it. But when she was with Lu Shicheng before, he seldom used sign language to communicate with her. She probably knew the reason. He was unwilling to admit in front of her that his muteness was a disability.

Now, he would rather admit his shortcomings than have too much contact with her like before. After all, when two people communicate with paper and pen, everything seems ambiguous.

he was asking her.

【Misunderstand--】

[Then please tell me, Miss Wen, what is the truth? ]

"I--"

Lu Shicheng looked at her disappointedly.

Rather than investigating her, he would rather wait for her to tell the truth herself, but it was obvious that this person was extremely important to her, so important that she would rather give up a relationship than tell the truth.

His expression turned cold again.

[Miss Wen, please move aside.]

"I won't let you go! I know that you hate it most when someone plots against you. You blame me for approaching you with a purpose in mind. You think I have tarnished your feelings - but have you ever thought that if I didn't really like you, I would just have to stay away from you immediately after completing the task. Why would I stay with you all day? Have you forgotten that we were so close, you and I -"

Her voice became lower and lower, but these words did not move Lu Shicheng. Instead, they seemed to have touched his sore spot. His face turned red, but his eyes became more and more sarcastic. He smiled:
[I should be touched, right? At least there is some sincerity mixed in with the lies, but from the beginning, this relationship has been full of lies, right? ]

"I had no choice! But I can swear to God that this mission was over before I decided to be with you. Everything I said and did to you was my own will. The reason why I can't tell you some secrets for the time being is just to protect my friends."

【So who is this friend? ! 】

Her words stopped abruptly. Lu Shicheng did not give in, looking at her with a deep and complicated gaze.

Wen Tingli gritted her teeth and lowered her head. She couldn't tell Lu Shicheng about Dean Deng just to win him back. She seemed to be standing at a moral fork, in a dilemma. She shook her head decisively: "I can't say... I only know that I didn't deceive your feelings. You... please check your heart. Is my love for you sincere or fake? Can't you tell at all? !"

As he spoke, tears began to fall.

Lu Shicheng seemed a little moved. He looked at her silently for a while, then raised his hand to gently wipe her tears.

Wen Tingli's tears became more and more turbulent, and he finally softened his heart and couldn't bear to let her go. However, he only helped her wipe her tears and took his hand back without hesitation.

[Ms. Wen, ever since I first saw you participate in a drama competition at the Golden Theater, I knew you were an excellent actor. Your tears come easily and your emotions switch freely. I can't tell when you were crying for real and when you were crying for fake. I have no way of telling how much sincerity you have in your words. In fact, the contract also proves one thing: you have been lying to me. So, please don't use this trick again in the future.]

He expressed this almost in a cold and objective manner, and walked around her to the outside.

She stamped her feet in anger behind him. His behavior just now almost made her believe that he had let it go. He actually used this method to make her experience the feeling of being teased.

She also turned her head away coldly: "Okay, from now on, I will never come to you, and you'd better never meddle in my affairs again!"

Lu Shicheng paused, and someone happened to come in outside.

"Shicheng, have you read the document? What do you think?" It was Gao Tingxin's voice.

Wen Tingli looked around quickly, blaming herself for not timing it correctly. Gao Xiaowen had told her before that she and Lu Shicheng could only get ten minutes alone at most. Now if Gao Tingxin and the others saw her and Lu Shicheng alone in a room, there would inevitably be some rumors.

Unexpectedly, Lu Shicheng closed the door when he went out.

"Let's go to the front to discuss the details?" Gao Tingxin said pleasantly, "Okay, I'll have someone go to the study to make tea."

Wen Tingli pricked up her ears and listened. After a while, it was quiet outside again. She seized the opportunity to slip out of the room, feeling mixed emotions. Lu Shicheng's attentiveness and consideration never let her down. The only shortcoming of this man was probably that he was too stubborn in his thinking!
On certain matters of principle, he is almost heartless!

Gao Xiaowen and others were looking for Wen Tingli everywhere.

Wen Tingli returned to the front building and hung out with her friends for a while. It was already late for the performance, so she said to Zhao Qingluo and the others in a sullen tone, "I have to go back to the set to shoot the night scene."

Several people saw her off. Just then Gao Tingxin and Lu Shicheng came out of the study. Wen Tingli was talking to her friends, but her eyes couldn't help but glance at Lu Shicheng.

Lu Shicheng never looked at her.

Wen Tingli snorted and decisively looked away: "Don't see me off. I'll call you one by one tomorrow."

"Let's go quickly, don't delay your finishing." Gao Xiaowen and others said with a smile.

A group of little girls gathered together was already eye-catching, and Gao Xiaowen's smile attracted the attention of others.

Gao Tingxin asked in surprise: "Miss Wen left so early?"

At this time, a manager came to Gao Tingxin in a panic, looked at Lu Shicheng and Meng Qiguang beside Gao Tingxin, and swallowed his words.

"We are not outsiders, so just say whatever you want to say." Gao Tingxin said with a smile.

The steward swallowed nervously and lowered his voice to say, "Someone brought two glasses of champagne to the bridge room in the back building. It happened that the lady's cat was strolling outside tonight. Ah Xiang didn't keep an eye on it, and the little thing jumped in, jumped onto the table and licked a sip of the wine. Unexpectedly, the cat fell to the ground and died on the spot. Ah Xiang and the others were terrified at the time. We suspect... suspect that someone put rat poison in the wine."

Lu Shicheng's expression changed.

"Isn't champagne meant for entertaining guests?" Gao Tingxin was also shocked. "Why is there rat poison here?"

"I don't know. There are two glasses of champagne on the table. One is poisoned and the other is not. The poisoned one has a little lipstick mark, which should be left by a female guest. If it was really poisoned, it would most likely be aimed at this female guest. I don't know if this guest is still at the scene. Do you think we should report it to the police station?"

"Wait, wait." Gao Tingxin was a little confused. "You mean, a guest wants to poison another guest tonight?"

Lu Shicheng's face was as cold as ice. After thinking for a while, he suddenly looked up in the direction where Wen Tingli left in the car.

***
Golden Pictures Studio.

Wen Tingli plays the middle-aged Nan Qi, who walks alone towards a makeshift "hill" with a bamboo basket in her hand. She has a hunched back, a numb expression, and stiff knees. She is only 31 years old, but looks as old as an old lady.

When she reached the middle of the hillside, her feet seemed to be unable to support her anymore. She stumbled and fell down the steep slope. "Nanqi" struggled for a few times before giving up. She looked very tired, with a bitter smile on her face, quietly welcoming the arrival of death. The smile was like a reflection in the water, constantly trembling slightly in front of the camera. At the same time, the lights in the venue became dimmer and dimmer. As the last light went out, Nanqi's face, like a withered flower, completely withered in the darkness.

"Good!" Huang Yuanshan's cheers were heard behind the camera, and the lights in the venue lit up again.

The assistant director and the photographer said excitedly, "We were worried that we would have to shoot this several times before it was approved. We didn't expect Miss Wen to be so hardworking. Thank you for your hard work."

Wen Tingli was naturally very happy. She jumped up from the ground and saw that it was already 1:30 in the morning. Most of her colleagues in the studio had already left. Otherwise, with the last scene being filmed so smoothly, everyone would have been celebrating by now.

Even so, the dozen or so colleagues present couldn't hide their smiles. They were busy packing up their things and discussing where to go for a midnight snack to celebrate.

Wen Tingli smiled and said, "I won't join in the fun today. It's too late. If I don't go back, my family will be worried."

"Then let's have the wrap-up banquet together later. Your school will be on vacation soon, right? Once the play is finished, you won't have to work so hard in the future."

Huang Yuanshan came over with a cheerful look on his face and clapped his hands: "Everyone has worked hard these past few months. I'll treat everyone to a midnight snack tonight. Xiao Tan, take the film to the company. It won't be too late to do the rest of the work tomorrow. Tingli, the company's driver has already gone off work. I'll drive you home when I get back."

Wen Tingli said quickly, "Okay, I'll go in and remove my makeup and come out soon, Sister Huang, wait for me."

"No hurry, I'll arrange for the guys to have supper first, and I'll come back to pick you up in time. Lao Lu, come over early after you finish packing."

After a while, everyone left, leaving only two stage managers outside unloading the lights. The older one was the Old Lu that Huang Yuanshan had just mentioned.

Old Lu is recognized as a good guy in the crew. Every time the filming is over, he is the last one to leave. He has a daughter who is about the same age as Wen Tingli, and the whole family depends on him to earn money.

Wen Tingli had a good impression of Lao Lu and said to him, "Master Lu, I will be out in about twenty minutes."

She ran to the dressing room at the back to remove her makeup. Her scene was scheduled last, and the other actresses had already left work.

After finishing, Wen Tingli opened the closet to get her handbag, and suddenly heard footsteps outside the door. She thought it was Lao Lu coming to urge her to go out, so she quickly closed the closet and came out.

When she reached the door and pulled it, it wouldn't open, as if someone had locked it from the outside. Wen Tingli was startled and started knocking on the door vigorously.

"Master Lu, this is Xiao Wen. I'm still inside!"

The footsteps outside suddenly faded away, and the pace was still a bit flustered.

Wen Tingli's face turned grim, something was wrong!
"Who is that outside? Don't joke with me like that!"

She pulled out her pistol without hesitation, aimed it at the door lock and fired a shot, then quickly opened the door, only to be choked by the thick black smoke that rolled in towards her.

Wen Tingli suddenly felt a chill running from the soles of her feet to her whole body.

It's on fire! Did someone set the fire on purpose? This person clearly wants to kill her!

She gritted her teeth, covered her mouth and nose, and ran out desperately.

During this period of time, she was careful everywhere, at home, at school, at parties, and on the way to work. She was always on guard. In order to prevent anyone from harming Mrs. Zhou and Taozi, she even asked Li Chengying to send someone to station troops near her home.

But she never expected that the murderer would actually set fire to the studio in order to murder her! How audacious!
The corridor was full of fire, and huge tongues of flames were spreading towards her along the walls and floors at an unexpected speed.

"Help!" The fire quickly blocked the way, so I quickly turned around to find another way out. Fortunately, I had stayed on the set long enough and remembered that there was a toilet at the end of the corridor. I jumped out of the window and there was an aisle leading directly to the back alley. There was also a terrace behind the tea room, but it was a little further away.

Wen Tingli immediately ran towards the toilet, and suddenly heard someone shouting from behind: "There's a fire, Miss Wen, Miss Wen, are you out? Run!"

"I `m coming out!"

Before he could finish his words, there was a muffled sound at the stairs. Looking back through the thick smoke, he saw a man lying on the steps.

"Master Lu!"

Master Lu seemed to have just escaped from the prop room on the second floor, holding a bucket in his hand, with the water in the bucket spilled all over the floor.

Wen Tingli rushed back to help Master Lu up, and the two ran to the end of the corridor together.

"I thought it was just a small fire, but looking at the situation, it's clear that someone has sprinkled gasoline on it. The fire will become more and more intense."

In a moment, the raging fire spread along the wall paneling to the ceiling. When they were about to rush into the toilet, a piece of wood fell from the beam and hit them right between the two of them. The flames shot up high and almost burned Wen Tingli's eyebrows.

Master Lu accidentally got hit on the arm and groaned.

Wen Tingli was so scared that she retreated to the corridor. In the blink of an eye, the toilet door was a sea of ​​fire. She could only hear Master Lu shouting desperately in the toilet: "Miss Wen! Miss Wen!"

"Try to jump out of the window and look for someone! There's a terrace in the tea room, I'll try to go there!"

"Okay, I saw a car parked under a streetlight ahead. Maybe it's Sister Huang who came back to pick you up. I'll go call someone to help put out the fire, and then call the Concession Fire Department."

As she was speaking, thick smoke rushed towards Wen Tingli again. She aimed in the direction of the tea room and rushed over. The fire had not yet spread inside. She passed through the tea room and was about to rush into the terrace in one go. Unexpectedly, the fire spread to the door frame and the hot flames rushed straight towards her.

With no way out, Wen Tingli shouted towards the terrace: "Help, help!"

The temperature in the room was getting higher and higher, and the smoke was getting thicker. Seeing a towel next to the tea cabinet, Wen Tingli hurriedly poured the water in the tea bucket onto the towel, quickly covered her mouth with the wet towel, and rushed out desperately.

The fire in the corridor was basically spreading to the ceiling, and the way forward had not been blocked for the time being, so there was no need to worry about not being able to escape smoothly.

Unexpectedly, Chong rushed out, but accidentally fell heavily to the ground and couldn't get up for a long time. While struggling, he heard footsteps coming from the front.

The person seemed to be looking for someone. Every time he ran to a door, he would stop and kick it hard.

As this man broke in, the doors in the corridor were kicked open one by one.

The strange thing is that this man is obviously very anxious, but unusually silent.

Just searching, just searching anxiously, but never making any sound.

As his hopes were dashed again and again, the man's actions gradually began to reveal a sense of panic and despair.

With a loud bang, another beam from the ceiling fell down, causing the floor to buzz. The rising flames, accompanied by thick black smoke, seemed to be able to devour everything in the world.

The man choked a few times and stopped walking. This time, besides silence and panic, there were also violent gasps.

Wen Tingli's mind seemed to be filled with fog, and she was still lying on the ground in a daze. Suddenly, she heard someone in front of her shouting in a very difficult voice: "Wen-Ting-Li."

It was the voice of a young man.

Wen Tingli was shocked.

It was just three short words, but they seemed to be squeezed out from between teeth, as if there was no other way and he had to shout them out with all his might.

Wen Tingli's body began to tremble slightly. She would never forget this voice after hearing it once.

After shouting out the first word with difficulty, the man immediately shouted again in a low voice: "Wen Tingli."

This time it went much more smoothly, but this person seemed not to be used to shouting like that. After each shout, there would be a pause.

From the tone of this man's voice, you can hear how anxious he is at the moment.

"Wen Tingli." He panted and called out with great effort, "Wen Tingli."

As if he didn't get a response, he ran upstairs. Wen Tingli shuddered and shouted with all her might, "I'm here."

The man immediately caught the source of her voice, turned around quickly, and ran towards her.

A figure appeared before her eyes along with the light and shadow.

Wen Tingli felt a soreness in her throat and tears welled up in her eyes. She opened her eyes wide and looked at the face above her, but before she could see his expression clearly, the man hugged her tightly in his arms, picked her up and ran away.

(End of this chapter)