Huayu: The young actress is heavily dependent on me

The dinner party was exceptionally lively.

Meng Ziyi and Bai Mengyan huddled together and chatted enthusiastically.

Tian Xiwei sat across from me, quietly eating her chicken wings. Occasionally she would look up and interject with a word, but most of the time she would just smile with her eyes crinkled.

Chen Li leaned back in his chair, slowly sipping a drink as he looked at the three people in front of him.

Sister Meng was vividly recounting her experience of being chased for three blocks by a stray cat while filming in Hengdian, and Bai Mengyan laughed so hard she slapped the table.

He suddenly felt that the group of people were like a family, which was quite heartwarming.

Suddenly, he noticed something rubbing against his trouser leg.

It was very light, like a breeze brushing past your ankle, or like a kitten tentatively reaching out its paw to nudge you.

At first, he thought it was someone nearby who had accidentally bumped into it, so he didn't pay much attention and picked up his cup to take another sip of his drink.

But the foot didn't move away; instead, it slowly shuffled upwards a little, as if hesitating about something.

Then it gently pressed against his calf.

Chen Li paused for a moment, holding the cup. The angle, the furtive manner.

He recognized it all too well; it was the exact taste.

Sister Meng liked to do this: first, she would touch his ankle with the tip of her shoe, then look out the window with an innocent expression, as if she knew nothing.

He raised his eyes and looked at Meng Ziyi, who was sitting diagonally opposite him.

Meng Ziyi was turning to the side to discuss a shopping mall's discount event with Bai Mengyan. Her face showed no sign of anything unusual, and she even had a faint smile on her lips.

Chen Li chuckled inwardly. Ever since that time in the car, Sister Meng had grown to love this thrill more and more.

Okay! Exciting! I like it!

He put down his cup and leaned back in his chair.

Without changing his expression, his right hand, which was resting on his knee, quietly slid under the tablecloth, grabbed his ankle, pulled it up, and took off his shoe.

My fingertips touched the delicate ankle bone, and I could feel the slightly cool temperature below even through a layer of cotton socks.

He gently placed his hand on the instep, his thumb rubbing back and forth along the arch of the instep.

The foot seemed to have been burned, and it jerked back.

Chen Li's lips curled up slightly.

Is this a case of feigning weakness to lure you in, or something similar?

You run, I chase; you can't escape even if you grow wings!

Chen Li grabbed his ankle and squeezed it gently.

The little foot tried to pull back twice, but failed, so it slowly stopped moving and obediently rested in his palm, with only the toes still inside the sock, unconsciously curling slightly and gently brushing against his fingers.

That's a good girl.

Just as Chen Li was immersed in this silent contest under the tablecloth, Meng Ziyi suddenly put her chopsticks on the bowl, pushed back her chair, and stood up:

"I'll go get a bottle of water. Is there anything else you need?"

Chen Li's hand froze in mid-air, her pupils dilating in shock...

Gan! This... isn't that Sister Meng's foot??

His gaze quickly swept across the dining table.

When Bai Mengyan saw the boss looking over, she winked playfully.

Could it be Bai Mengyan?

Chen Li was sweating profusely.

It's not unacceptable... after all, she's my assistant, I can just explain it to her...

Just as she thought of this, Bai Mengyan wiped her mouth and stood up:

"I'm going to the restroom."

Chen Li: ...

The chair moved back a step, and the footsteps gradually faded away.

The cups, plates, and bowls on the table remained quietly in place, while the charcoal fire crackled softly under the grill.

Now there are only two people left at the table.

One person held onto the other's ankle tightly, while the other's face turned so red it could boil an egg.

Tian Xiwei finally slowly raised her head, her face now completely flushed.

I only accidentally touched Director Chen's leg, is it really necessary to punish myself like this...?

He even tickled the soles of his feet...

She bit her lower lip and whispered:

"Director Chen...have you touched her enough?"

Chen Li immediately released her hand, and the little foot that had been held for a while quickly retracted under the chair.

Honestly, he really didn't know it was Tian Xiwei.

Um... this shouldn't be considered a crime, right...?

Thinking of this, Chen Li unconsciously put the hand that had touched his foot next to his nose and smelled it, then pretended to be thinking.

Hmm, slightly sour, and surprisingly fragrant...

Xiao Tian stared wide-eyed at Chen Li's actions.

So Director Chen has a thing for this?

Just as the two were looking at each other in silence, the atmosphere becoming awkward, Meng Ziyi and Bai Mengyan returned together.

Although she sensed that there was something subtly off between the two of them, Meng Ziyi didn't think much of it.

When the group left, the waiter escorted the four of them to the door.

He had an expression that said, "I'll come back next time and finish the melodramatic plot."

As night deepened, Meng Ziyi found an excuse to send the two girls away, and then happily took Chen Li to the hotel as well.

......

Meng Ziyi walked out of the bathroom wearing a loose bathrobe and drying her hair.

Chen Li was already lying in bed, playing on her phone.

Seeing Meng Ziyi come out, Chen Li put down his phone, hugged Meng Ziyi, and kissed her.

Meng Ziyi leaned against his chest, looking like a timid wife.

"Yongle Film & Television has been contacting me recently," she said, her voice muffled.

"The production team of 'God of War Zhao Yun' was a big-budget historical drama with an investment of 250 million yuan. It had Lin Gengxin as the male lead, a Korean director, and Lin Yun as the female lead. They wanted me to play a supporting role, Shi Yan, the maidservant of the female lead."

Chen Li paused for a moment as he played with the ends of her hair.

God of War Zhao Zilong.

He remembered that the show premiered on Hunan TV in early 2016. Although the reviews weren't great, the ratings were indeed high, making it a highly sought-after project in the industry at the time.

And Lim Yoon-a—Lim Yoon-a of Girls' Generation—is not only a top star in South Korea, but also has extremely high popularity throughout Asia.

Acting alongside an artist of this caliber, even as her maid, would provide far greater exposure than playing the second female lead in a low-budget web series.

More importantly, Yongle Film & Television has a series of projects in the pipeline, including a prime-time drama like "People's Prosecutor" on CCTV-1.

However, Meng Jie made a mistake in publicity at the time. The company hyped up the "outshining Lin Yoona" announcement, which led to her being criticized for a long time.

It wasn't until Peach Blossom Village established the characters that things got much better afterwards.

"What do you think?" he asked.

Meng Ziyi rolled over, lying on his chest, her hair falling between his collarbones, her fingertips slowly drawing circles on his heart:

"Their offer was reasonable, a three-year contract with a minimum guarantee of two films per year—but the penalty for breach of contract was eight million."

Her voice gradually lowered, as if she was thinking about the same thing over and over again.

"To be honest with you, I used to be so tired from running around to different film crews. Submitting resumes, waiting for auditions, being rejected, and then submitting again—I really don't want to go through those days again where I didn't know where to go next."

"At least with Yongle, there's a guarantee, not just about the money, but it gives me the feeling of having an alarm clock set for me."

"I have work tomorrow and a film crew to join next month, so I don't have to check my phone every morning to see if there are any audition notices."

She propped herself up and looked into Chen Li's eyes:

"But I don't want to miss your first film. Your project is just starting out, and the crew is getting to know each other for the first time. Every role must be filled by someone I trust."

"I'm afraid that if I join your production, I'll get stuck with Yongle's schedule halfway through, which will delay both of us. I'm also afraid that if I go to Yongle, they'll think I'm just someone who runs around to different productions, and I won't have a chance to work when I come back."

"And aren't you about to set up your own studio? This makes me even more conflicted..."

"Go ahead," Chen Li said.