"You woke me up."
She was still sleepy, and her words were heavily nasal.
Mu Junze looked at her lovingly and tapped the tip of her nose.
Meng Nianchu giggled.
"Have a good rest." Mu Junze tried to pry her hands off him to tuck her in.
But Meng Nianchu refused to let go. "I want you to hold me while I sleep."
The little woman in his arms pouted and acted coquettishly. Her blatant request made Mu Junze stiffen.
"Do you know what you're doing?"
Meng Nianchu wrapped her arms around Mu Junze's neck and pulled him closer. "I want to sleep with you."
The warmth of her breath touched his skin. Desire flickered in Mu Junze's eyes. "Are you sure?"
"Sure!"
The willow tree outside the window swayed. It was a night of passion.
Early the next morning, when Meng Nianchu woke up, her head ached badly. She had no memory of what had happened the previous night. After getting dressed, she went downstairs. Mu Junze had already prepared breakfast.
"Come and eat."
Meng Nianchu rubbed her temples and asked nervously, "I didn't do anything excessive last night, did I?"
She looked at Mu Junze hopefully, afraid that he would say something she didn't want to hear.
Mu Junze looked directly at her. "Such as?"
"Such as I didn't do anything to you, did I?"
"No." Mu Junze hesitated for a while before answering.
Meng Nianchu was willing to believe this answer. She picked up a piece of toast and took a bite. Mu Junze handed her a cup of warm milk. "Drink some. It's good for your stomach."
The hand that had just grabbed the milk cup trembled violently. Meng Nianchu looked at Mu Junze suspiciously, as if she had heard something extraordinary.
It was rare to hear Mu Junze speak nicely.
After they finished breakfast, Mu Junze took Meng Nianchu to the film crew as usual and then drove to the company.
As soon as Meng Nianchu entered the film crew, countless eyes were instantly on her. Several actresses who had frequent contact with Meng Nianchu pulled her aside, their voices full of disbelief.
"I heard that Boss Zhu, who invested in the film crew, was willing to break the contract just to withdraw his investment last night! Early this morning, the news spread throughout the film crew."
This news gave Meng Nianchu a little shock. But then she thought that with Zhu Qi's withdrawal, she would no longer have to see him on the set. Immediately, she felt a bit of unkind joy.
Another actress quickly added, "And I heard from people in the film crew that almost at the same time Zhu Qi withdrew his investment, Mu Junze became the biggest investor in the film crew."
Mu Junze?
Meng Nianchu's heart skipped a beat.
Someone asked, "Is this really true? I heard people in the film crew say it so convincingly. Zhu Qi came to the film crew yesterday to talk about cooperation with the director, but withdrew his investment at night. It's so strange, isn't it?"
Some people took the opportunity to flatter. "Mu Junze is the biggest investor in the film crew. Doesn't that mean the director has to show more respect to Nianchu? Nianchu, give me some more opportunities. I'm also a good actress. Think of me more often."
Meng Nianchu knew nothing about the inside story of these things. She could only force a smile and try to get through the situation.
Who withdrew the investment and who invested, Meng Nianchu wasn't very interested in these things. What she cared most about at the moment was how to perform the plot vividly.
Meng Nianchu sat alone quietly in the corner, trying to understand the lines. In front of her, the assistant director was exhausted as he communicated with Meng Rong about acting skills.
"Miss Meng, your character needs to show her entanglement. Your facial expressions need to be more vivid. Just crying and laughing mechanically is too stiff."
"This is already the nth time!" Meng Rong fanned herself impatiently. She was annoyed that the assistant director didn't let her pass the scene again and again.
"The way you act in this scene..."
"What's wrong with my acting? I'm going to take a break. You guys continue!" Without caring about others' feelings, Meng Rong left the shooting location and sat under a sunshade to relax.
Seeing her like this, the assistant director was afraid of her status as the eldest daughter of the Meng family and didn't dare to urge her rashly. He sighed helplessly and modified the shooting plan midway, starting to shoot the following scenes first.
After two small scenes were shot, Meng Rong reluctantly agreed to continue cooperating.
"Hurry up. I don't have time to waste on the same scene with you."
Zhang Zhengfeng came out of the dressing room after finishing the makeup for this scene. Meng Rong's impatient warning reached his ears.
When the assistant director saw Zhang Zhengfeng coming, he greeted him respectfully and whispered in his ear in advance, "When acting later, Teacher Zhang, please be more tolerant of Miss Meng. She's been spoiled since childhood and has a bit of a princess temper. Don't be angry, Teacher Zhang."
"Okay." Zhang Zhengfeng didn't really care about Meng Rong's petty tantrums. He thought that he was much older than Meng Rong, so it was right not to argue with her. No matter how willful Meng Rong was, she couldn't be too excessive.
However, there's always someone better.
Meng Rong's coquettishness repeatedly exceeded his tolerance. After acting for just two minutes, she said she was thirsty. After another three minutes, she said it was too hot. Half an hour passed in a flash, and the whole scene hadn't been shot yet.
Zhang Zhengfeng was exposed to the strong sun, and his blood sugar rose. He almost fainted in the middle. After all this, Meng Rong finally showed a bit of restraint. She stood in front of the camera properly and endured her coquettishness without causing more trouble.
Everything was ready. The camera started, and the lens focused on Meng Rong's fair face.
It was her turn to say the lines.
"One, two, three, four, five, six..."
All the actors around were stunned at that moment.
Even Zhang Zhengfeng, who had experienced many ups and downs, was stunned for a while after hearing the numbers from Meng Rong's mouth.
"Why aren't you saying the lines?" he asked sternly.
Meng Rong said confidently, "Isn't there post - production dubbing?"
Such blatant irresponsibility made Zhang Zhengfeng so angry that he almost exploded. He angrily threw down the script and angrily accused Meng Rong, "How did an actress like you get the role of the leading actress!"
"Memorizing lines is the most basic task for an actor. If you can't even do this well, how can you call yourself an actor! I can't act with someone like you. I'm not acting in this play anymore. Find someone else."
Meng Nianchu, who was memorizing lines, happened to look up and saw Zhang Zhengfeng getting angry. She walked over curiously and bumped into Zhang Zhengfeng. Seeing him angry, she glanced around. "What's wrong, Teacher Zhang?"
"Actors these days are so spoiled!" His words were full of disappointment.
Having lost face in front of everyone, Meng Rong was also dissatisfied. "I can't remember the lines. As long as you remember them, what does it matter to you? You'll still get your salary!"
Zhang Zhengfeng shook his head. "The acting industry will be ruined by people like you sooner or later! Ruined!"