Fog Returns to the Capital

Chapter 26 looks somewhat disheveled.

As he led her toward the restaurant, Zhou Jinghuai slowly and deliberately offered his assessment.

"They're quite easy to raise."

"..."

Li Wu, who was following behind him, blushed slightly, unsure whether his words were praise or criticism.

The breakfast was quite plentiful, with a wide variety of dishes that looked appealing and exquisite. However, the portions were rather small, giving the impression that it was meant to be sampled rather than eaten.

Li Wu eats very attentively, taking small bites at a time. It seems that no matter what food is in her mouth, she will finish it little by little.

Later on, Zhou Jinghuai just watched her eat by herself.

As they ate, Li Wu noticed that Zhou Jinghuai had stopped eating. Afraid that he would wait, she quickened her pace and almost choked.

"No rush, eat slowly."

Zhou Jinghuai pushed a glass of warm milk to her side.

Li Wu picked up her glass and took a sip without saying a word. After swallowing, she spoke, a little embarrassed, explaining that she had only drunk a little water at the party last night, so she had eaten more this morning.

"It's okay, I'll have someone make more if it's not enough."

Zhou Jinghuai said calmly.

Unconsciously, he noticed a speck of milky white that had accidentally stained Li Wu's lips, which she unconsciously licked lightly with her soft red tongue.

Zhou Jinghuai's gaze paused slightly, then he looked away as if nothing had happened.

"Why didn't you eat anything at the drinking party?"

Li Wu had almost finished eating, so she put down her chopsticks. After hearing Zhou Jinghuai's words, she smiled and said somewhat awkwardly, "Actually, I was just brought along."

"They can't be the ones having their business discussed on the side, and I, who's just there to make an appearance, am only focused on eating..."

But halfway through her sentence, Li Wu suddenly remembered that she had also been taken to a dinner party by Zhou Jinghuai last time.

She just kept eating the whole time, but no one dared to say a word.

Ultimately, it comes down to different social status and position.

Zhou Jinghuai didn't ask any more questions, but instead asked, "What's the name of that character you mentioned last night?"

The tone was so natural, as if it were just a casual question.

Li Wu was stunned.

His words automatically came to her mind: if she wanted it, it was hers.

But for some reason, Li Wu remembered last night again...

It was a very quiet night.

She had absolutely no idea what he meant.

Occasionally, he would make her feel that they were close. But when she cautiously approached with a nervous and anxious heart, she found that they were even further apart.

"The director must have his reasons for choosing her." After a few seconds, Li Wu simply said this.

She smiled at Zhou Jinghuai, her tone light and relaxed, "Besides, Director Jiang is quite nice; he even transferred my payment to my account as agreed. At worst, I'll try my best next time and make sure the director doesn't replace me."

“Some things can’t be achieved through effort alone.” Zhou Jinghuai’s voice was gentle and calm. “It’s actually quite easy to keep the director from replacing you.”

The words fell.

Li Wu's gaze lingered on him for a moment.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but a wave of fear washed over her. Just like last night, in the end he only told her to go and rest.

Li Wu didn't dare to answer, afraid that she would say the wrong thing.

only.

When Li Wu left, Zhou Jinghuai recorded her fingerprints and also gave her the access card for Emperor's View No. 1.

A certain emotion that I hadn't dared to think about deeply all night seemed to dissipate in that instant.

……

After Li Wu returned home that day, her daily life seemed to remain the same as before, with no significant changes. She continued to audition for various film and television productions, but very few people were willing to hire her.

A few days later, Li Wu received a text message.

A person claiming to be Chu Xuan said he needed to talk to her and asked to meet her at a coffee shop.

Li Wu initially ignored the unfamiliar number. It wasn't until the number called back that Li Wu recognized Chu Xuan's voice and took a taxi to the address in the text message.

Time Cafe.

A relaxed, nostalgic retro style. It's very quiet and offers excellent privacy, with only the soft sound of piano music playing.

Led by a waiter, Li Wu went to the private room that Chu Xuan had given her.

Chu Xuan is already here.

A black coat, a black hat, and a black face mask. He was fully disguised, with only his beautiful, captivating fox-like eyes showing.

"Li Wu?"

Upon seeing the newcomer, Chu Xuan, who was casually leaning back in her chair, spoke first, seemingly confirming her identity. Hearing this...

Although Li Wu didn't understand, she still replied, "It's me."

Even now, Li Wu is still wondering why Chu Xuan sought her out.

A top-tier celebrity like Chu Xuan would never have any interaction with her on a regular basis.

But soon.

Li Wu found out.

Because she wasn't very famous and wasn't worried about being recognized, Li Wu didn't have the habit of wearing a mask when she went out.

Chu Xuan's ambiguous gaze landed directly on Li Wu's pure and beautiful face.

The staring was almost undisguised.

Is this the guy who tried to steal their girl's man?
Chu Xuan took the prepared document from her assistant and slowly pushed it in front of Li Wu, saying, "Take a look."

A document with a blue cover.

Li Wu reached out and flipped through it; it was a script and a contract.

"Didn't I have my eye on a role in Director Jiang's drama before? I later found out that you had already finished filming."

Chu Xuan's voice is actually very pleasant, with a natural soothing quality that easily evokes a protective instinct in people.

However, her voice now carried a hint of languid indifference. Her tone was nonchalant, and her words were delivered with a measured tone.

"Consider this compensation for you."

Li Wu paused slightly in the hand holding the script.

She skimmed through the script. It was a web series adapted from a novel, and Chu Xuan had given her the role of the third female lead, with quite a few scenes.

However, these are mostly scenes where she gets beaten up, including but not limited to being slapped and having her hair pulled. The character is the mistress who breaks up the male lead's family; she's vicious and selfish, and even ends up harming the couple's child…

If you play a role like that, being criticized to the point of having eggs thrown at you when you go out would be considered a good outcome.

"Miss Chu, I..."

Seemingly sensing that Li Wu was about to refuse, Chu Xuan smiled, her fox-like eyes looking even brighter and more captivating.

"Don't rush to refuse, look here first."

Chu Xuan reached out and turned the contract to the last page for Li Wu, pointing to the string of numbers at the end, "If I remember correctly, it should be higher than the role you took for Director Jiang."

"..."

Seeing Li Wu remain silent, Chu Xuan seemed to have anticipated this outcome and gracefully rose from her chair.

Just as I was about to leave.

Chu Xuan seemed to suddenly remember something and kindly reminded him, "By the way, it seems this drama will be filming in the desert for a while. You can ask the director for the specific arrangements so you can prepare in advance."

Just as Chu Xuan reached the door, Li Wu's soft voice sounded behind her.

What exactly does she want?

she?
Chu Xuan's eyes flickered slightly, then she smiled, her soft, pleasant voice even carrying a hint of gentleness, "I don't understand what you're talking about..."

"I've already said that, consider this my compensation to you. But..."

Chu Xuan kindly suggested, "If I were you, I would take the role. After all, who can turn down money?"

……

After leaving the coffee shop.

Holding the blue document in her arms, Li Wu walked slowly along the sidewalk, looking somewhat dazed.

So much so that when she reached the corner, a hurried figure bumped into her, and she was knocked to the ground without any warning.

"sorry Sorry……"

"I didn't see it... I have something very urgent right now. If you need anything later, just call me at this number. I'll pay for all the medical expenses..."

The man seemed to be in a real hurry. After hastily apologizing and handing Li Wu a business card, he ran off in a rush.

Until a sudden wave of pain struck.

Li Wu, who had fallen to the ground in a disheveled state, looked down at her palms, which were scraped and bleeding slightly.

not far away.

A black sedan with consecutive license plate numbers drove up at a steady speed.

Just as we were about to pass each other by—

The assistant in the passenger seat suddenly spoke up, "Mr. Zhou, that looks like Miss Li..."

A small figure by the roadside seemed to have fallen to the ground and couldn't get up.

He looked somewhat disheveled.

(End of this chapter)