Huayu: The young actress is heavily dependent on me

Chapter 31 Sister, let me help you test the waters

Jing Tian was lying on the big bed in the master bedroom at home. As soon as she moved, a sharp pain shot through her ankle, making her gasp.

Jing Tian felt his face flush as he recalled his intimate moments with Chen Li last night.

She quickly pulled the blanket up to cover her face.

She now wants to erase every detail of last night from her mind.

What on earth is going on here...?

My phone suddenly started vibrating.

She pulled it out from under the pillow:

Lu Zheng, calling.

Jing Tian instantly regained about 80% of his senses.

She took a deep breath and pressed the answer button:

"Hey, Brother Lu."

"Open the door. I'm downstairs at your place."

The phone hangs up.

Jing Tian: "..."

Twenty minutes later, Lu Zheng sat on the sofa in Jing Tian's living room.

Jing Tian slumped at the other end, his injured right foot resting on the coffee table, a fawning smile on his face.

Lu Zheng, owner of Starlight Pictures.

He rarely comes into the public eye, but every move Jing Tian makes is one he personally orchestrates.

He once boasted that his company was opened specifically for Jing Tian alone, and that's pretty much true.

After all, Starlight Brilliant only signed one artist, Jing Tian, and the other is practically unknown.

Lu Zheng is in his early forties, with a sharp glint in his eyes, a result of years of business experience.

At that moment, he was looking at the bandage around Jing Tian's foot, his face as black as the bottom of a pot.

"Speak," he said, leaning back with his arms crossed over his chest. "How did you get your foot?"

Jing Tian immediately covered his head, slumped back against the sofa armrest, and mumbled weakly:

"Ugh... my head is so dizzy... I just took some medicine, and the doctor said I need to rest more. Maybe we can do it another day, another day—"

"Jing Tian".

Two words, not heavy, but Jing Tian immediately became obedient.

She pouted, propped herself up from the armrest, and, not daring to look at Lu Zheng, whispered:

"I just... twisted my ankle while soaking in the hot spring. It's nothing serious. The doctor said it's a ligament strain and I'll be fine after a few days of rest."

"Soaking in hot springs?" Lu Zheng frowned. "You were filming 'Ban Shu Legend' in Hengdian, who gave you permission to go soaking in hot springs outside?"

Jing Tian remained silent.

She wanted to say that last night wasn't just about soaking in hot springs, but also about Dilraba Dilmurat and Chen Li.

But saying that would only make things worse, so it's better to shut up and play dead.

Lu Zheng looked at her, feeling both angry and helpless:

"Do you know, if I hadn't found out from the hotel that you ran away, people would have thought you were on the film set."

He paused, his voice deepening slightly:

"The filming schedule for 'Ban Shu Legend' in Hengdian is already very full. You have more than 800 scenes to film. Have you considered how many days your injury will delay the entire production?"

Jing Tian lowered his head, his fingers unconsciously gripping the edge of a cushion on the sofa, his voice growing softer and softer:

"I know I was wrong."

It would have been better if this hadn't been brought up, because as soon as it was, Lu Zheng's temper flared up again.

"Da Tian Tian, Da Tian Tian, you're already 27 years old, how come you're still acting like a little girl? How many years have you been in this industry? From releasing your EP in 2006 until now, it's been a full eight years. Do I need to teach you how to do things?"

He grew increasingly agitated as he spoke, tapping his fingers on the coffee table repeatedly.

"Last year, I managed to improve my reputation with movies like Special Identity, Police Story 2013, and From Vegas to Macau. The combined box office was over a billion yuan, which at least helped me shake off the reputation of being a box office poison. The online criticism of me was just about to subside."

"And you, getting injured at this crucial moment, what if some photos leak out? Wouldn't the internet be in complete chaos? How am I supposed to explain this to your father if something happens to you?"

Jing Tian immediately rolled over and buried his face in the sofa cushions, only the back of his head showing, his voice muffled:

"I'm asleep, I can't hear you, I can't hear you, I can't hear you..."

Lu Zheng laughed.

"I've been using this trick on you for eight years now, since the first time I taught you. Does it still work?"

It doesn't work, but it's useful.

Jing Tian kept his head down and didn't say anything.

Looking at the curled-up figure on the sofa, Lu Zheng felt both annoyed and amused, and softened his tone slightly:

"Stop pretending, sit up, I have something important to tell you."

Jing Tian dawdled for a while before slowly sitting up, hugging the pillow to her chest, peeking out with her eyes, and quickly glancing at him.

"How serious is the injury to your foot?" Lu Zheng asked.

"It's not serious, really not serious," Jing Tian quickly shook his head, adding, "It's not serious at all."

"The doctor said I can get out of bed after a few days of rest."

Lu Zheng stared at her for two seconds, as if to confirm whether she was lying, and finally sighed:

"That's good. There's one more thing. We still need to follow up on the jewelry brand endorsement we discussed earlier. We need to rearrange our schedules for some of the work."

"Take care of your leg first. Don't go to events limping. What will the brands think?"

Jing Tian hummed in agreement.

Suddenly, she recalled Chen Li squatting on the ground last night, supporting her ankle with one hand and pressing an ice pack with the other, his thumb gently rubbing her skin.

As he bent down to examine the injury, stray hairs fell across his forehead, his expression serious and focused.

Jing Tian suddenly snapped out of her daze and realized that Lu Zheng was still staring at her.

"Why is your face red?" Lu Zheng asked.

"Full of energy..."

Lu Zheng was speechless.

This girl turns into a grinning face as soon as she gets a scolding.

My lecture was like hitting cotton wool.

Jing Tian chuckled, and couldn't help but think of Chen Li's face.

Xiaodi, you can't resist this man.

Let me test the water for you first...

......

"Good! That's a wrap!" The director stood up from behind the monitor, a rare satisfied smile on his face.

"Chen Li, one last shot, take it in one take."

Chen Li finally calmed down, took a deep breath, and bowed slightly to the director: "Thank you, director."

As soon as he finished speaking, a staff member jogged over from the sidelines, carrying a bouquet of flowers.

"Happy wrap-up, Teacher Chen!"

Congratulations on wrapping up filming!

"Thank you for your hard work, Teacher Chen!"

Seven or eight staff members gathered around.

There were stagehands, costume crew, and publicity staff all chiming in with congratulations.

A round-faced young stagehand handed me a notebook: "Mr. Chen, could you sign this? My sister really likes the movie you acted in—"

Before she could finish speaking, someone next to her tugged at her, and the girl immediately blushed.

Chen Li smiled, took the pen, lowered his head, signed his name on the notebook, and wrote "Progress in studies".

He stayed in the crew for nearly two months. Although he wasn't playing the lead or second lead role, he had a lot of screen time and was well-liked.

Surrounded by a group of people, I was surrounded by well wishes for a successful wrap-up of filming.

"Come on, let's take a picture together!" A staff member waved his phone around.

Chen Li stood cooperatively in the middle of the crowd, turned slightly to the side, and showed a standard business smile.

The flash went off several times.

Once the crowd had dispersed somewhat, he switched the bouquet to his left hand, rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand, and relaxed his shoulders slightly.

Just as I was about to walk towards the dressing room, I heard a panting sound behind me.

"Chen—Li—!"

He turned around.

Dilraba ran over from the other side of the set.

"You've finished filming! Congratulations!" She stood up straight, then opened her arms and gave him a big hug.

The staff members who hadn't gone far pretended not to see.

Chen Li was bumped into and nearly crushed the bouquet of flowers in her hand.

He chuckled and gently patted her back twice: "Thanks."

Dilraba released him, took a half step back, and looked up at him with a smile:

"How about we go out for dinner tonight to celebrate?"

"OK!"

"Sigh, it's a pity that Sister Tiantian is still recuperating at home and can't go with us..."