Hear this life

As soon as Wen Tingli entered the company, she saw the hall full of colleagues, who were busy discussing the company's New Year party to be held tomorrow.

The theme of this year's annual meeting is a bit special, it is called "Overcoming Difficulties Together".

Due to the fire on the set, several of the company's films were suspended, and rebuilding the set would require a large amount of funds.

To this end, Liu Menglin sent out invitations to people from all walks of life to attend the company's annual meeting. In name, it was to entertain guests, but in reality he was shamelessly raising money for the company.

In view of the good social influence of Liu Menglin in the film industry, and the fact that several producers have invested a lot of money in Golden Pictures' films, more than half of the celebrities have agreed to attend the meeting tomorrow night. The reason is simply that they are afraid that Golden Pictures will never recover.

The company was in a recession, and colleagues were inevitably gloomy. When Wen Tingli came in, someone greeted her as usual: "Xiao Wen."

But there were one or two colleagues who were cold towards Wen Tingli.

As she was going upstairs, she heard someone whisper behind her: "How dare she laugh? Wasn't the fire started by her?"

"How can you say that? She is also a victim."

"But before she came, the company was doing well. As soon as she came, the set was burned down. This is a jinx."

Another person interjected: "I heard that she was set on fire in retaliation because she owed money outside and didn't pay it back. Tsk tsk, who would have thought that such a decent girl would be such a person."

Wen Tingli turned her head and wanted to refute the rumors, but she held back. There was a big trouble in front of her to solve, and she had to save her energy to talk to Liu Menglin.

Thinking of this, she smiled again and went upstairs. The two people downstairs saw that she was invulnerable and thought it was boring, so they quickly left.

Wen Tingli came to the door of Boss Liu's office and was about to knock on the door, but Huang Yuanshan appeared out of nowhere and said, "Where did you go last night? I couldn't find you anywhere!"

"I——" Wen Tingli was rarely speechless.

Fortunately, Huang Yuanshan didn't have the patience to find out where she went last night, because she had something more urgent to say: "Gao Xiaowen said that you signed an advertising contract with Ningbo Yan's family. Did you get the money?"

Wen Tingli shrugged: "The money...is gone."

Huang Yuanshan was a little slow to react.

Wen Tingli patiently explained: "That advertisement is fake from beginning to end."

"Fake?!" Huang Yuanshan was shocked and angry. "I said who would hire someone to shoot an advertisement during the Chinese New Year? What should we do now? The culprit of the arson has not been found. Liu Menglin is determined to put all the blame on you. He said that if you don't sign a contract with the company in the next two days, he will publish news that is unfavorable to you in the newspaper. I am busy helping you contact your friends in the legal field."

"But the deadline he gave me was clearly after the New Year!"

"This is his usual trick. He first creates an illusion to make you think that you still have time to make arrangements, and then he attacks you unexpectedly, leaving you unprepared. Think about it, your film will be released after the New Year, how can he control you?"

Wen Tingli was not afraid at all: "No matter what, I am just a victim! If he wants to sue, then let him do it. Anyway, I am not afraid! I will go find Sister Yaqiao."

But Liu Yaqiao was not in the law firm, so Wen Tingli had to go back home first. As soon as she entered the house, the phone rang. It was Zhao Qingluo and Yan Zhenzhen calling.

"Wen Tingli, you are so mean! You didn't even tell us about such a big thing."

Less than an hour later, the two men came rushing to the door with great momentum, and Zhao Qingluo stuffed a thick cloth bag into Wen Tingli's hands.

"What is this?" Wen Tingli was stunned.

"Money, we all heard from Sister Huang that Boss Liu has already sued you at the French Concession Public Court. Once the lawsuit begins, whether you win or lose, it will only be bad for you. This is what Yan Zhenzhen and I put together temporarily. It's a total of four thousand dollars. Don't think it's too little. We will work together to find a solution later. I'm sure many classmates will help."

Wen Tingli's eyes were hot: "What are you doing! I won't admit the loss until things get to this point."

"A wise man never suffers a loss in front of him. The boss of the film company has always had a good relationship with the newspapers. Be careful that he will use public opinion to ruin your reputation. "Beauty of the South" is about to be released, and there will be countless movies waiting for you to shoot in the future. For your future, you have to find a way to suppress this matter first."

"But--"

Yan Zhenzhen stuffed the money for the handkerchief into Wen Tingli's pocket without giving her any time to discuss it. "There is another way to settle the matter peacefully, which is to sign a contract to sell yourself to Boss Liu. Don't say that you are unwilling to sign this unequal treaty, but Zhao Qingluo and I will not watch you jump into the fire pit."

Wen Tingli couldn't bear to refuse her good friends' kindness, and she was also afraid that Li Chengying's plan might change, so she had to go with her good friends to raise money.

They ran around that afternoon. Among the old classmates from Shiwu Middle School, there were many from wealthy families, but their friendship was not that deep. They found more than a dozen classmates one after another and barely raised three thousand dollars, which was far from enough. Finally, Principal Zou heard that Wen Tingli had encountered difficulties and took the initiative to send five thousand dollars.

Wen Tingli was deeply moved and wanted to find Principal Zou to thank him in person. Unfortunately, the old man was too busy at the end of the year. When they arrived at Shiwu Middle School, the old principal was busy meeting with the school board. They waited outside for more than an hour but were unable to meet him.

The three of them came back in a bad mood, and Gao Xiaowen suddenly came to the door. The daughter of the Gao family was very generous, and as soon as she entered the door, she threw out a check for 20,000 yuan.

"Don't worry, this check is real." Gao Xiaowen said with a sullen look, "I'm sorry for what happened yesterday. I never thought the Yan family in Ningbo would collapse like this."

She had no idea what had happened last night. She just thought that the Yan family was trying to use a fake check to trick Wen Tingli into shooting a commercial for free. Not only did she fail to help her friend, she also caused her friend to almost get cheated.

This made Gao Xiaowen feel very embarrassed.

Afraid that Wen Tingli would not accept it, he emphasized, "Just think of it as the advertising fee for the Ao Shuang cream. You worked so hard to promote it for me on the set a while ago. This month, the sales of cream on the counter increased by 20% compared to last month. You have always been loyal and have never asked me for this advertising fee. This time, just pay it off in one lump sum. You have to continue to work hard to promote it for me in the future. Do you understand?"

What else could Wen Tingli say? She had to accept it first. Several people sat cross-legged on Wen Tingli's bed and counted it. It was a total of 32,000 oceans. Adding Wen Tingli's savings of 24,000 oceans, it was only more than 50,000 oceans, which was still not enough.

In the evening, Huang Yuanshan found the Wen family.

Wen Tingli opened the door and was stunned.

"Sister Yue!"

Yue Zhaoyun stood beside Huang Yuanshan and said with a smile, "You came here without saying hello, so you don't blame us for being presumptuous, right?"

When Yan Zhenzhen heard that this was the famous Yue Zhaoyun, her eyes widened. Le Hanhan rushed forward and shook the senior's hand, reluctant to let go for a long time. Huang Yuanshan took the tea brought by Zhou Sao and said to Wen Tingli:

"You ran away before I could finish my words this morning. Zhaoyun is a righteous person. She heard about the fire on the set and said she would come to Shanghai. After arriving in Shanghai today, she heard that you were going to sue Boss Liu, so she immediately asked me to bring her to you, saying that she would help you find a solution."

Yue Zhaoyun said to Wen Tingli sternly, "I can understand Liu Menglin's difficulties, but his approach is too eager for quick success. In the acting industry, it is taboo to sign contracts casually. In the first two years, I have seen two talented newcomers who were bound by a contract because of their inexperience and were forced to act in some inferior films. Yuanshan and I have discussed this for a long time. This lawsuit cannot be filed. For one thing, the lawsuit often takes several years. During this period, Liu Menglin will join forces with the bosses of other film companies to ban you. Even if you win the lawsuit in the future, your acting career will be completely ruined.

"Secondly, Yuanshan and I have already inquired about it. This time Liu Menglin came prepared. In order to minimize the losses, he mobilized all the social connections he could, including the legal community, the Public Trial Bureau of the Concession, and the newspapers. During the lawsuit, you will face overwhelming public criticism. He will not stop until your reputation is completely ruined. Even if you win, it doesn't matter. You will still lose miserably. From a long-term perspective, you have to admit defeat this time. You can earn money again, but it is not worth it to ruin your future."

As she spoke, she took out a bill from her purse and handed it to Wen Tingli.

It was a note for 10,000 silver dollars. Wen Tingli stood up as if she was burned: "No."

"Have you forgotten what I said to you across the street that night?" Yue Zhaoyun looked at Wen Tingli meaningfully.

Wen Tingli was speechless.

"Talent is a gift from God, you should cherish it. Moreover, it is a good thing to have someone to help you. It does not prove your weakness, but proves your value. Take it."

These words were similar to what Meng Qiguang said that night. Wen Tingli felt a little choked up in her throat, and Huang Yuanshan handed over his check with a smile.

"You refused to accept the money I gave you the other day. You should accept it this time, right? If I hadn't insisted on having you act in "Beauty of the South", you wouldn't have encountered this bad thing. I owe you this, but I have to make it clear in advance that you will have to pay me back in the future."

In this way, they finally collected more than 90,000 oceans. In the blink of an eye, it was already midnight. After Wen Tingli's repeated persuasion, the friends said goodbye and went home.

Wen Tingli sat alone in the living room, lost in thought. Looking at the pile of banknotes of varying amounts, her heart was sometimes excited, sometimes warm. She was surrounded by a tenderness and felt like crying several times.

Thinking back on the people she met and the things she experienced in the past year, it seemed like several lifetimes had passed. Fortunately, her mood did not become more vicissitudes, but instead she became more and more courageous to face life.

After being lost in thought for a long time, she slowly calmed down and looked at the phone on the wall. She knew that if everything went well with Li Chengying, someone would come to see her. The next second, she heard a series of "ring, ring, ring".

"It's me—" Luo Shuhong's hoarse and panicked voice came from the other end of the phone, "Can we find a place to meet?"

It's not hopeless. Wen Tingli breathed a sigh of relief: "Then, I'll decide the location."

An hour later, she and Luo Shuhong met in a tavern run by a White Russian. The tavern was closed during the day, opened in the evening, and remained open all night.

There were not many people in the store, so they chose a separate private room to sit down, paid the bill in advance, and asked the store owner not to disturb them. The Belarusian man quickly agreed, and the two sat opposite each other.

After not seeing her for a few days, Luo Shuhong had lost a lot of weight and looked very bad. Even thick makeup couldn't cover up the dark circles under her eyes.

She twisted her fingers nervously for a moment, then took out a few photos from her purse and put them on the table.

"When did you start sending people to follow me?"

Wen Tingli knew what the photo was without even looking at it.

One photo just happened to capture Luo Shuhong coming out of Deng Tianxing's house. The second photo showed Luo Shuhong and Deng Tianxing talking in a remote corner of Zhaofeng Park, and Luo Shuhong was about to stuff a stack of banknotes into Deng Tianxing's hand.

The third, and most crucial, photo was taken at the Gao family’s dinner party, with the camera focused on Wen Tingli’s back.

It can be seen that the photographer admires Wen Tingli very much because the angle of the composition is beautiful.

However, due to the coming and going of people at the scene, the camera accidentally captured another female guest next to Wen Tingli. This female guest was none other than Luo Shuhong, who was invited to attend the Gao family dinner that night. She was also holding champagne in front of the table, but strangely raised her left hand and flicked her nails at Wen Tingli's champagne glass.

If you don't think about it carefully, no one would think that this action is poisoning.

"After the incident, I asked Mr. Gao for the guest list for that night, first narrowed down the suspects, and then asked someone to secretly inquire whether there were any witnesses. As a result, it was such a coincidence that Mrs. Pan's nephew brought a German camera that night. He took many photos of me and happened to capture the scene of you poisoning. Unfortunately, a friend happened to come to talk to him when he was taking the photos, so he didn't notice your little action with his own eyes. But this photo is enough to accuse you of premeditated murder, and you have no way to deny it!"

Luo Shuhong was sweating profusely after hearing this. Suddenly, she covered her face and started crying, "I-I didn't know it was poison. When Deng Tianxing gave me the pill, he kept saying it was just a laxative. You were going to shoot the last scene of "Southern Beauty" at night. He wanted to make you have diarrhea, preferably to the point where you couldn't get into the studio. With Sister Huang's personality, she would probably drive you to the hospital, and the crew would be in chaos. He would then take advantage of the chaos to sneak into the viewing room upstairs and steal the film of "Southern Beauty" and burn it. In this way, the entire company would think you were a jinx and would never support you again. But I never thought he was going to murder you."

Wen Tingli looked at her coldly.

Luo Shuhong cried breathlessly: "I know that now, no matter what I say, you won't believe me, but I swear that every word I say is true. I really regret that I was bewitched by a scoundrel. I - I can't tell whether I love him or pity him. If he hadn't helped me get the role of 'Nanqi', I wouldn't have ended up in such a miserable state. A good movie star has suddenly become neither human nor ghost."

She covered her chest with her hands, revealing an extremely painful expression: "On the one hand, I feel guilty about him, and on the other hand, I also feel that you and Lu Shicheng are too cruel, so once Deng Tianxing instigated me, I had the idea of ​​retaliating against you with him, but I never wanted you to die from the beginning to the end, really."

Wen Tingli looked at her with an extremely ironic look: "At this point, do you still think Deng Tianxing did that to help you? He did that for himself! If someone loves you, how could he instigate you to help him hurt others? Once the truth is revealed in the future, Deng Tianxing will definitely push you out to take the blame for him without hesitation."

Luo Shuhong was silent for a while, then covered her eyes and cried again: "Anyway, he is dead now, and died so tragically. I am afraid - I am afraid that his ghost will come to find me. I am also afraid that the White Dragon Gang will find out that I helped Deng Tianxing and find someone to kill me. I dare not tell my father about this. My father is a dignified opium king. If he knows that I am so disappointing, he might be pissed to death by me. His health is not good to begin with - these days, I have been regretting and tormenting day and night, and sometimes I really want to die. No wonder my father always says that I have a smart face but a stupid heart. I am really blinded by my own greed!"

She cried and took her hands off her face, staring at Wen Tingli with her red and swollen eyes: "Miss Wen, I almost killed you. I didn't have the face to beg for your forgiveness, but I can tell you with a clear conscience that when I heard about the fire on the set that night, my heart was in knots. Later, when I saw that you were safe and sound, you don't know how happy I was."

She wiped away her tears, resolutely took out a thick stack of banknotes from her silver handbag, and pushed it in front of Wen Tingli.

"I know that Boss Liu has been pushing you hard recently, but every wrong has its perpetrator, and I can't shirk my responsibility for this matter. Now that Deng Tianxing and Qiu Dapeng are dead, I can't just hide behind them all the time. Here's 120,000 yuan, take it, and think of it as my—"

She lowered her head: "I will use this money to redeem my conscience."

Wen Tingli subconsciously looked at her hand. Luo Shuhong usually wore a pigeon egg diamond ring on her right ring finger, but now her finger was bare.

Luo Shuhong bit her lip and retracted her hands: "I didn't dare let my family know about this, so I secretly took the jewelry I often wore to the pawn shop and sold it, and -"

I also stole some jewelry that my mother seldom wore from the warehouse, and scraped together the money. Of course, I didn't need to explain this to Wen Tingli.

Wen Tingli put the banknote away without saying a word, and Luo Shuhong was stunned.

"Why, Miss Luo, do you think I would be embarrassed to accept it?"

Luo Shuhong stared at Wen Tingli blankly, then suddenly smiled bitterly and said, "You really... never play by the rules."

She lowered her head again, and said disheartenedly, "So many colleagues in the company were harmed by this fire. I can only try my best to make up for it. I have already paid the money. If Miss Wen wants to sue me, I will never deny it. I have suffered these days and I have completely figured it out. Instead of living in fear day and night, it is better to end it directly. I am waiting for your call."

She left, dispirited.

Wen Tingli looked at her back with mixed feelings. She came out and walked across the street, where there was an inconspicuous little bookstore. The windows on the second floor were dark. She knew that Li Chengying and Head Nurse Liu were waiting for her in the room.

After going upstairs, she told them what happened just now. Li Chengying helped her check the banknotes carefully: "It is a time-honored brand that is in stock and cashable. There is no problem. She must be sincere in wanting compensation, so she didn't take the check."

Liu Xiangzhi sighed, "One wrong step, all wrong. Fortunately, the remaining conscience saved Miss Luo. Xiao Wen, have you thought about it? Do you still want to charge her with attempted murder? If so, we will start to prepare."

Wen Tingli shook her head. "If she files this lawsuit, Luo Shuhong will never be able to shake off the reputation of a murderer. In life, everyone makes mistakes. She has tried her best to make amends within her ability. Give her a chance to reform. Besides, her father Luo Kunlong is a ruthless character. If she files this lawsuit, both sides will suffer. If it is not necessary, I don't want to actively make an enemy."

Li Chengying nodded: "Xiao Wen is becoming more and more comprehensive in his thinking, that's good, but just in case, we will keep this evidence for you."

Wen Tingli also had the same idea.

The next day, before dawn, Wen Tingli asked the company driver to pick her up. She spent the whole morning returning the banknotes that her friends had sent her yesterday.

At noon, she met Liu Yaqiao in a small bookstore in front of Hujiang University.

Liu Yaqiao got straight to the point: "I just learned that you are in such a big trouble. So, take me to see your boss Liu immediately. He is now clearly trying to make a big deal out of this in order to gain sympathy from the society. I am confident that I can help you win the lawsuit--"

Wen Tingli held the back of Liu Yaqiao's hand and said, "No, thank you, Sister Yaqiao. I won't consider suing. Sister Yue and the others are right. If this matter gets out of hand, it will be of no benefit to my own future. I still hope to make a career in this industry. I have already raised the money, but I am afraid that Liu Menglin will use other crooked tricks to embarrass me, so I would like to ask you to go with me."

Liu Yaqiao thought for a moment and said, "My suggestion is that you can give him the 100,000 yuan, but you have to pay it into the company's account in the form of shares, so that you can also get a share of the company's dividends in the future."

Wen Tingli's eyes lit up. She was indeed a lawyer to be able to come up with such a good idea.

The two rushed to the company and went upstairs to find Liu Menglin. Unlike yesterday, Wen Tingli's momentum was obviously much higher today. She walked to the table with a heroic and confident look.

"Boss Liu, this is my lawyer. I also brought the money." She slapped some of the banknotes on the table in a very impressive manner and stuffed them back into her bag. "My lawyer, Miss Liu, will talk to you about the next matter."

Liu Yaqiao bowed to Liu Menglin and said in a businesslike tone, "I am currently working at Bao Yaming Law Firm. I will be fully responsible for Miss Wen's investment in your company and purchasing shares this time."

As he listened, Liu Menglin's face gradually turned from yellow to black, then from black to red, and finally turned into a purple liver color.

"Investment? Dividends?" He was so angry that he took out a document from the drawer and threw it in front of Liu Yaqiao and Wen Tingli. "Let's not talk about this for now. Who told you that Wen Tingli only needs to pay 100,000 yuan in compensation?"

Wen Tingli and Liu Yaqiao looked at each other.

Then Liu Menglin said in a muffled voice: "Miss Wen, open your eyes and take a good look. It clearly says 130,000 yuan in cash."

Wen Tingli slammed the table: "Liu Menglin, don't go too far!"

Liu Menglin snorted and laughed: "Since you have hired a lawyer, why not let this lawyer see if I am bullying you. This is the number calculated by the company's accountant and Tianxiang Law Firm."

Wen Tingli looked at Liu Yaqiao nervously, and Liu Yaqiao carefully checked the contract on the table.

"How is it?" Wen Tingli couldn't help but ask Liu Yaqiao in a low voice.

Liu Yaqiao winked at Wen Tingli to go with her first.

After coming out, Liu Yaqiao looked very serious: "The biggest problem now is that there is no evidence to prove the crime. There are some new witnesses and material evidence in the French Concession. All aspects are unfavorable to you. Liu Menglin, as the party with the biggest loss in the fire, can raise the stakes at any time. Give me an afternoon and I will study it and come to you. Don't worry, there is always a way to solve it." Wen Tingli waited anxiously until five o'clock. There was no news from Liu Yaqiao yet, but the senior of the crew called to urge her.

"Why haven't you left yet? There are so many reporters and celebrities in the company, and Boss Liu is ordering people to look for you everywhere."

Wen Tingli slapped her forehead. She had completely forgotten that today was the company's New Year's party. She always attached great importance to such occasions and hurriedly dressed up.

On the way to the company, she secretly analyzed the current situation in her mind.
She was quite confident in Sister Yaqiao's abilities, but she did not forget that Liu Menglin was looking for a big lawyer from the famous Tianxiang Law Firm in Shanghai. The other party had more than a dozen apprentices doing odd jobs alone. And the time was so short. Even if Sister Yaqiao had great abilities, it would be difficult for her to find a breakthrough in such a short time.

In fact, with the compensation from Luo Shuhong, she could afford to pay it at any time, whether it was 100,000 or 130,000 yuan. But she really didn't want to indulge Liu Menglin's bad habits. But if he refused to compromise, she would have no choice but to sign a contract to sell herself to the company, or file a lawsuit.

She pushed open the car door with a heavy heart, but unexpectedly, as soon as she got out of the car, countless flashes were aimed at her.

"Ms. Wen! Look here! Do you have any predictions about the box office performance of "Beauty of the South"?"

Wen Tingli immediately smiled as bright as a rose.

She was born to be in the world of fame and fortune. The more crowded the occasion, the more she shines. Every time she faces the camera, she gets so excited that even her hair shines.

But now, the sweeter the smile on her face, the more annoyed she felt in her heart. She avoided the crowd and found a corner with few people to sit down, holding an empty wine glass in her hand, meditating towards the wall like a philosopher.

Suddenly, she heard a commotion behind her, as if some important person had arrived. If it were any other day, Wen Tingli would have turned her head to watch the fun, but she didn't have the mind to do so now.

After barely enduring for more than half an hour, she finally couldn't wait any longer and ran to the back to call Liu Yaqiao, but Liu Yaqiao said, "I was just about to contact you, but the French Concession Public Tribunal has withdrawn your civil lawsuit."

"what?"

"Liu Menglin decided not to sue."

"How is that possible?" Wen Tingli blurted out.

Liu Yaqiao smiled and said, "It's true. I'm also busy trying to find out the whole story."

Wen Tingli was afraid that Liu Menglin was planning some big move again, so after some thought, she decided to go to him in person to test his true intentions. However, before she could leave, Liu Menglin came to her in person.

"Xiao Wen." Liu Menglin's face was rarely filled with a trace of guilt. "What happened in the past was just a misunderstanding. Don't take it to heart."

Wen Tingli looked at Liu Menglin suspiciously. His face was as swollen as a pig's head two days ago, but now not only is it not swollen anymore, even the ulcer at the corner of his mouth has healed a lot.

"What happened?" she asked cautiously. "You're not going to sue me?"

"I won't sue you anymore." Liu Menglin waved his hand modestly.

"You're not going to put the blame for the fire on me?" There was a hint of smile on her lips, but her clear eyes did not show a trace of smile.

"I'm not feeling anxious anymore - no, what are you talking about? I've already said this is all a misunderstanding, why are you still saying these angry words?"

Wen Tingli was so angry that she wanted to laugh. When she was about to ask more questions, she suddenly saw a group of guests accompanying a man down the stairs. Her mind suddenly became brightened. She stared at the man for a while and then walked over there.

As soon as Lu Shicheng walked into the garden, he heard someone behind him say to him crisply: "Stop!"

He thought for a moment, stopped where he was, but did not look back.

Wen Tingli walked up to him from behind, looked up and said to him, "I knew it was you."

Lu Shicheng did not answer.

"Boss Liu, you were the one who paid for me, right?" She was very close to him, and he didn't know what was applied on her body. Her sweet scent brushed past his nose, and he couldn't help turning his face away.

Wen Tingli immediately took two steps forward and continued to face him.

"Why don't you speak? Are you afraid to answer? Or is it inconvenient to answer? Last time, you would rather give me the whole house than live under the same roof with me. Why are you helping me this time? Did I say I would accept your help?"

Lu Shicheng suddenly said: "Aren't you cold?"

Wen Tingli lowered her head in astonishment as she followed his gaze. In order to chase him just now, she had forgotten to put on her coat. Now she was only wearing a very thin evening dress. A gust of cold wind blew, and she shivered uncontrollably.

"If you don't want to get sick, Miss Wen, you'd better go back to your room." He said this lightly and walked around her.

She chased after him again, stretched out her arms to block him: "130,000 yuan is not a small amount. If you don't tell me clearly what name and identity you are using to help me, I won't accept it."

Another gust of wind blew, and the chill went straight into the bones. She couldn't bear it and took her hands back to rub her arms, but even though she was so cold, she insisted on not going back to the hall to keep warm.

Lu Shicheng paused, and simply gave her the road and walked to the other end. However, after walking for a long time, Wen Tingli still stood there stubbornly. Lu Shicheng frowned at the front and finally retreated.

"Have you forgotten that you almost got pneumonia a few days ago!"

"What's pneumonia? I won't leave until I explain myself clearly."

As expected, Lu Shicheng did not move. Wen Tingli smiled and pointed to the empty glass houses behind him and said softly, "It's warm there. If you're afraid that I'll be cold, come with me."

***
The two of them walked to the front of the lounge, one after the other. When they pushed the door open, a warm breeze blew in their faces.

"Please take a seat."

Lu Shicheng didn't sit down, but just stood by the table with his hands in his trouser pockets.

Wen Tingli ignored him and went straight to the cabinet to make tea: "I'll make you a cup of hot tea to warm you up. This is the actor's lounge, where colleagues often rest and sometimes eat, especially after something happened on the set-"

She suddenly dropped the unpleasant topic and focused on making tea. It was ready in a short while and she walked towards him with the tray.

"Please drink."

Lu Shicheng took the cup calmly: "Thank you."

Wen Tingli picked up another cup of tea and sat down to drink it slowly. The hot tea in the winter night was as delicious as ice cubes in the hot summer. After a few sips, she broke out in a slight sweat and her face became rosy.

Looking back, I saw Lu Shicheng had walked to the window and was looking out.

She stared at his profile and said tentatively, "That day, when I found out that Mrs. Liu, who lived next door to me, was missing, I called you immediately. But Manager Xu said that you went to Southeast Asia. When did you come back?"

Lu Shicheng did not answer.

"Great! You won't answer a single question tonight?"

Lu Shicheng was silent for a while, then turned to her and said, "No, I can answer all your questions truthfully, but before that, can you please answer a few questions for me?"

Wen Tingli paused for a moment, then showed an indifferent look: "You can ask whatever you want! I'm not like some people who always say one thing and mean another."

"Then please tell me, how many people were there in the back alley of Dayuan Teahouse that night? Why were they willing to take the risk to help you assassinate Qiu Dapeng? How were they able to detect Qiu Dapeng's whereabouts in advance? Also, why did they ask you to investigate me in the first place?"

Wen Tingli suddenly became mute.

"Don't dare to answer? Or is it inconvenient to answer?" Lu Shicheng raised his eyebrows.

This was the question she asked him first, and he asked her the same question back.

She was speechless and lowered her head apologetically: "You know I can't say it."

Lu Shicheng's expression showed some innocence: "Why can't I tell you?"

"You've changed! You've become aggressive."

Lu Shicheng restrained his smile and looked at her quietly with complicated eyes. Only he knew how worried and scared he was for her, and even a hint of inexplicable jealousy.

He said in a hoarse voice: "Wen Tingli, you should know that trust is always a two-way street. There is no reason for you to only ask the other party to be honest with you, right?"

Wen Tingli walked towards him with shame: "I'm sorry, but please forgive me for not being able to be honest with you about this matter. They are all very good people. They have helped me a lot. I must protect them."

"Then, I think there is nothing more to talk about between us." Lu Shicheng's expression was very calm, and his tone was even calmer. He ended the conversation decisively.

Wen Tingli was a little anxious: "But these are two completely different things. You are very important to me, but they are also very important to me. There is no contradiction between the two. You just need to think about it. We have known each other for such a long time. Have I ever hurt you? Just by thinking about this, you will know whether I am a good person or a bad person. Why can't a good person be allowed to keep some of his secrets?"

Lu Shicheng looked at her deeply and said, "I respect all your secrets. Likewise, please respect my decision."

After saying this, he seemed to think there was no need to continue chatting and walked out.

If they parted like this tonight, they wouldn't know when they would meet again. Wen Tingli rushed up to him and hugged him from behind without any hesitation.

The moment I touched him, his body visibly stiffened.

She simply closed her eyes tightly. "I love you! After I got out of the fire, I wrote you a few letters and tore them up. You were afraid that I was just playing with your feelings, but you didn't know that I wanted to show you my heart. I'm sorry that the contract caused you great harm, but I swear that was the only and last time I deceived you. Can you trust me again?"

Lu Shicheng wanted to raise his hands that were hanging by his side several times, but then put them down again. She couldn't see his expression, but she could feel his chest rising and falling violently.

In an instant, a sweet and bitter emotion surged in her heart, and she hugged him tighter.

But Lu Shicheng seemed to be afraid that his willpower would waver, and soon he raised his hands and forcibly pulled her hands away from his waist.

"If you continue to hide so many things from me, I won't believe a word you say."

She heard him say in a hoarse voice.

She felt a little sad in her heart. She hugged him again, but he pulled her away again. In a hurry, she blurted out: "I didn't expect you to be so suspicious!"

While struggling, her hand happened to touch the back of his hand, and she found a long scar on it. It was left when Mr. Lu San ran over the back of his hand with his wheelchair. She was also present when the accident happened.

The scar has not faded yet.

She suddenly regretted saying that. It is impossible for anyone who grew up in such an environment not to be suspicious. If it were her, after being deceived by someone around her once, it would be difficult for her to trust the other person again.

"Sorry, I--"

Lu Shicheng looked ahead and said, "I am a suspicious person. I thought you knew it a long time ago!"

He opened the door and walked out.

"Go away! Actually, if you can be so ruthless as to not mind my business this time, why would I bother you? But you just can't stand by and watch my business!"

The only answer she got was the whistling of the wind in the garden.

Wen Tingli sat down on the sofa with her forehead supported on her hand.

At this moment, footsteps suddenly sounded in the empty lobby. She thought it was Lu Shicheng coming back again, so she quickly turned her face away.

Unexpectedly, the voice coming from the front was Kuang Zhilin's.

"Miss Wen." Kuang Zhilin quickly looked inside, "Where is Master Cheng?"

Wen Tingli was extremely disappointed. She managed to say, "He's gone."

Kuang Zhilin did not chase after her immediately, but stood there and looked at Wen Tingli's expression. After thinking for a while, he said in a relaxed tone: "Miss Wen, you don't have to worry about the fire compensation anymore. Mr. Lu has already negotiated everything with your company."

This reminded Wen Tingli, and she hurriedly took out the banknotes from her handbag: "I was just about to tell Mr. Kuang this. Please help me pass these 120,000 yuan to Mr. Lu Shicheng, and tell him that I don't need his help with my business."

She stuffed the pile of banknotes into Kuang Zhilin's hands without any explanation.

Kuang Zhilin looked at the huge check in his hand in shock, and then looked at Wen Tingli in astonishment. Such a large sum of money——

He opened his mouth, but finally suppressed the urge to ask her in person where the money came from, and spoke again in a calm tone.

"Miss Wen, don't forget that Master Cheng owes you this. If you hadn't saved Mr. Lu last year, you wouldn't have shot and injured Qiu Dapeng's son, and you wouldn't have been killed. This time you're in trouble because of this. It's reasonable for Master Cheng to personally come forward to solve this problem."

Wen Tingli said nothing.

Kuang Zhilin hesitated for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said, "It's Kuang's fault for saying the wrong thing. I just want to tell Miss Wen that it has nothing to do with whether you owe her or not. Mr. Lu will not hesitate to intervene in anything related to you."

Wen Tingli: "Really? I don't think so. This is just your own misunderstanding, Mr. Kuang."

Although he said this, he quietly looked at Kuang Zhilin's expression, hoping to hear more from him, but Kuang Zhilin stopped talking implicitly. "I won't bother Miss Wen anymore. Kuang still has to go find Mr. Lu. I will pass on Miss Wen's money. As for whether Master Cheng will accept it--"

"If he doesn't accept it, I will donate the money to a women and children's charity organization in his name tomorrow."

Kuang Zhilin left with the pile of banknotes in confusion. Wen Tingli stood in front of the sofa and watched Kuang Zhilin leave. After a moment of silence, she absentmindedly walked to the window and stared blankly.

Someone else came in, it was Huang Yuanshan.

"Why are you hiding here alone? I had to look for you everywhere!" Huang Yuanshan said happily, "This afternoon, a distinguished person came to the company to discuss cooperation. Guess who it is?!"

Without waiting for Wen Tingli to answer, she clapped her hands and said, "Lu Shicheng! He had previously invested in Sands of Time, and now the film has been forced to stop production. If the film is not started for one day, it will lose one day's wages. Lu Shicheng simply provided financial assistance to the company as a partner and producer, forcing Boss Liu to start work as soon as possible. He just injected a large sum of money into the company this afternoon, but at the same time he also said that the Lu family will share profits when the film is released. Boss Liu was worried about where to get money, and suddenly such a large sum of money came. He was in high spirits and promised on the spot to repair the set as soon as possible."

As he was talking, Huang Yuanshan noticed that there was no surprise on Wen Tingli's face.

"You already know about this? Wait, Lu Shicheng is not doing this to help you - I was wondering why Boss Liu suddenly doesn't dare to ask you to sign a contract. This is not a small amount of money. Lu Shicheng didn't ask you to help her with anything? No?! Tsk tsk."

She excitedly dragged a chair over and sat opposite Wen Tingli, and asked her curiously, "Didn't you and Lu Shicheng break up? When did you make up again?"

"What reconciliation? Who wants to reconcile with him?!"

"Not reconciled? But Lu Shicheng is not the reincarnation of the Bodhisattva, why would he help so much for no reason?"

Wen Tingli said, "He owes me this! But I won't take it. I want him to continue to owe me."

Having said this, he walked out with a proud look on his face like a peacock.

Huang Yuanshan was stunned for a moment, then he laughed and scolded outside: "Is this a peacock that has turned into a spirit? Hey, I'm confused. Who owes who between you two? Why don't you explain yourself clearly? Why are you running away now?"

(End of this chapter)