"Sure." Meng Nianchu replied, stealing a glance at Mu Feng. In that brief moment, ENYI had already walked into the clothing room where she worked.
After getting the answer, Mu Feng dashed downstairs like a bolt of lightning.
Meng Nianchu, however, stared at ENYI's clothing room, her brow furrowed in confusion.
It had seemed odd enough when ENYI had bombarded her with questions about Mu Junze yesterday. But today, to be dressed in the exact same style as herself?
Could it be that she really had feelings for Mu Junze...
At this thought, Meng Nianchu's frown deepened.
But then she recalled ENYI's cold and taciturn demeanor in public. Maybe she was just overthinking it. Perhaps it was merely a coincidence, and ENYI had simply desired a different style.
Meng Nianchu found it hard to imagine someone with ENYI's personality falling for a married man. It was so contrary to her impression of the girl.
Yet, her heart was filled with an odd sense of unease, a conflicting jumble of emotions.
While she was brooding in the practice room, Mu Feng was humming a tune, eager to go buy breakfast. The competition system of the program in recent days had put tremendous pressure on them. Not only were their bodies sore from the daily intense exercise, but they also felt that the food provided was no longer sufficient to keep up with their energy expenditure. Mu Feng was so hungry that his stomach was growling, and he couldn't wait to get his hands on some breakfast.
Just one more street, and he'd be there!
Spotting the steamed bun shop across the road, Mu Feng couldn't contain his excitement. He took off running towards it. Just then, a sedan that had been parked by the roadside suddenly accelerated in his direction.
There was no time for Mu Feng to react. The car was right upon him.
"Bang!"
...
"Someone's been killed!" A shrill scream suddenly pierced the air in the street.
The door of the practice room was ajar. Meng Nianchu looked in the direction of the sound.
A female makeup artist was stuttering to another girl who had rushed out upon hearing the noise. "When I was coming back from breakfast just now, I saw someone get hit by a car downstairs. There was blood everywhere! I heard it was one of the male trainees from our variety show. He's already been rushed to the hospital."
Every word the makeup artist said reached Meng Nianchu's ears.
"The director's coming! Director!"
Zhang Fan strode into the practice room. Out of breath from running so fast, he gasped, "Nianchu, Mu Feng's had an accident."
Hearing from Zhang Fan that the person in the accident was indeed Mu Feng, Meng Nianchu couldn't even remember how she got to the hospital.
By the time she arrived, Mu Feng had already been wheeled out of the emergency room.
It was a stroke of luck.
The doctor said he was out of danger.
Meng Nianchu sat on the chair beside the hospital bed, her eyes fixed on Mu Feng. Her small hands fidgeted nervously. She had no idea what to say to him when he woke up.
Although Mu Feng was out of danger, his right thigh had suffered the most damage in the accident. He had a minor fracture and would need at least half a month of rest before he could engage in any light singing and dancing.
But the competition was just a few days away. Since Mu Feng needed half a month to recover, it meant he wouldn't be able to participate.
Meng Nianchu let out a long sigh.
Suddenly, Mu Feng on the bed coughed, jolting Meng Nianchu out of her thoughts.
"You're awake?" Meng Nianchu quickly poured a glass of warm water and carefully helped him take a sip.
Mu Feng tried to move his body and immediately realized something was wrong.
"Am I crippled?" he asked weakly.
Meng Nianchu put the glass back on the table. "Not exactly, but you have a minor fracture. It'll take half a month to recover."
The ward fell silent for a few seconds.
Then Mu Feng let out a long breath. He clenched his right fist and punched the pillow in frustration.
"What about the competition!"
Meng Nianchu didn't say a word. Instead, she shifted the topic. "Director Zhang has already reported the case to the police. They're investigating the hit - and - run driver. They should find him soon."
Mu Feng was fuming. "So what if they find him? I still can't participate in the competition."
"There'll be other opportunities for this. Don't be too hasty. It's a good thing you're going to recover."
Mu Feng was still not willing to give up. He pulled a long face and whispered, "Can you talk to the director for me? Ask him to postpone the competition a bit. Just wait until I've recovered a bit."
His pitiful expression and tone were too much for Meng Nianchu to resist. She nodded. "I'll talk to the director."
Hearing her promise, Mu Feng's expression improved slightly.
Meng Nianchu stayed with Mu Feng for a little while longer before his company's team got the news and rushed to the hospital.
After soothing Mu Feng's emotions, his boss called Meng Nianchu out of the ward. The topic was still about postponing the competition.
Fearing that Meng Nianchu might still be angry about Mu Feng's recent dressing style being similar to Mu Junze's and thus refuse to help, the boss took the initiative to say that it was the idea of the entire public relations company and had nothing to do with Mu Feng.
Meng Nianchu would surely look after her own trainee, but she wasn't completely certain that she could make it happen. She just said she would do her best.
With a heavy heart, Meng Nianchu returned to the shooting location. Zhang Fan was already waiting for her outside the practice room. "How's Mu Feng?"
Meng Nianchu glanced around.
Zhang Fan followed her into the practice room and closed the door. "Is it serious?"
"He doesn't have any life - threatening injuries, but he has a minor fracture in his thigh. He needs half a month of rest."
Zhang Fan's face darkened.
Meng Nianchu said, "I think it would be irresponsible to both Mu Feng and our entire team if we just excluded him from the competition because of this accident."
"What do you want to do?" Zhang Fan asked directly.
Meng Nianchu didn't beat around the bush. "If possible, I'd like to postpone the competition for a while. I know this might seem irresponsible to the ticket - buying audience and the other contestants."
"But I have an idea. Don't tell anyone about the postponement. The competition will still go ahead as planned. The only difference is that this performance won't eliminate anyone. It'll just be a simple show."
Zhang Fan fell into deep thought.
Meng Nianchu's mind raced as she carefully chose her words. "Mu Feng only has a thigh injury. His voice and arms are fine. We can arrange for him to sing a solo song in the last show. This way, the ticket - buying audience won't leave disappointed, and Mu Feng can still appear on stage on time."
"Okay, let's do it!"
After hearing Meng Nianchu's last words, Zhang Fan slapped his thigh and agreed.
Meng Nianchu let out a sigh of relief. She had finally fulfilled her promise to Mu Feng.
After discussing the details with Zhang Fan, Zhang Fan immediately found someone to make the arrangements.
Meng Nianchu gathered the remaining four trainees to rearrange the dance formation.
Although Zhang Fan tried his best to keep it under wraps, the news of Mu Feng's accident still spread among some people on the set.