Chapter 25: Why take you along? To exact revenge.

"Isn't that great?" Ma Sichun's voice came through the receiver, accompanied by the characteristic noisy echo of a film set.

Ou Hao stared at his neck, where a cheap costume had left red welts, and suddenly let out a dry laugh. "Yeah, it's great... I went from a cameo to the male lead just like that!"

He tugged hard at the gold-threaded collar, his knuckles turning white.

The other end of the line fell into an eerie silence, with only the faint crackle of static.

Ou Hao kicked a piece of discarded foam fake rock that served as a prop and raised his voice. "I'm wearing a costume from Taobao that cost ninety yuan including shipping! I'm being blasted by industrial fans so hard I can barely stand, and my hair is full of plastic debris!"

"And you know what, Chun-chun?" He suddenly squatted down, clutching a handful of messy wig hair, his voice choked with tears. "That Jiang Ye is not human!"

From afar came the sound of the crew's loudspeaker urging him to get back to the set, but he grew more agitated. "He said he was afraid that if I went back to 'The Left Ear' too late, it would affect the schedule, so he's been dragging me to film for twenty hours a day for three days straight! My eyes are bloodshot; I see double when I look at the script now! We finished at four in the morning yesterday, and he actually said, 'The vibe is good, let's do ten more takes!'"

"He's a monster!"

Ma Sichun burst into laughter, and only after a struggle did she manage to stop. "Didn't you say he was your best brother just a few days ago?"

"He sabotages his own brothers!" Ou Hao stood up abruptly. "The day before yesterday, during the rain scene, he pointed a fire hose at me and said it added to the 'atmosphere'! Now my throat is inflamed, and I sound like a duck when I talk!"

He wiped his face, his fingertips smearing a patch of patchy, cheap foundation.

"So what are you going to do? Should you just stop filming and come back?" Ma Sichun asked, suppressing her laughter.

Ou Hao stared at the crew member adjusting the wind machine in the distance and suddenly slumped down, collapsing onto a wooden prop crate. "I'll stick with it a little longer..."

"Jiang Ye said we're already halfway through. If I leave, I'll have to pay for the film rolls..."

A burst of uncontrollable laughter erupted from the other end of the phone. Ma Sichun gasped between laughs, "You two brothers... this isn't acting, it's a trial by fire!"

Ou Hao listened to her laughter and looked at his costume, which was as wrinkled as pickled vegetables, and suddenly began to laugh along—a laugh that carried a note of choked, tearless frustration.

Isn't this just bullying?

...

"Sister Meng, your mom is here to visit the set!"

Meng Ziyi had just finished a scene where she had to spin around in front of a wind machine. Her wig was crooked, and the hem of her gauze dress was stained with fake snow.

She turned her head and saw a middle-aged, elegant woman with a slightly plump figure standing at the entrance of the film set.

Carrying a thermal food jar and wearing a Chanel jacket paired with a pearl necklace, she looked particularly striking among the sea of crew members.

"Sister Qian! How did you end up here?" She ran over in her slippers.

"You came all the way from the Northeast; you must be exhausted, right?"

Mother Meng shoved the thermal jar into her daughter's arms and reached out to pinch her sun-reddened cheeks. "You still know how to care about your mom? Look at those photos you posted on your moments—hanging from ropes in the water, rolling on the ground—you must be worn out!"

Her eyes suddenly reddened as she pulled at the cooling sleeves on her daughter's wrists. "Your arms are peeling from the sun. This isn't filming; it's suffering!"

Meng Ziyi ducked her head and giggled. As she opened the thermal jar, the heat rushed into her face. "Wow! This chicken soup smells amazing! Did you head straight to the kitchen as soon as you got off the plane?"

"You bet!" Mother Meng pulled out a towel to wipe her sweat. "I arrived at five in the morning, went to the farmers' market to get a freshly slaughtered hen, and simmered it on low heat for three hours. I was just worried you weren't eating well on set!"

She suddenly caught sight of a tear in the hem of her daughter's skirt. "Why is this dress torn? And why aren't you wearing the mink coat I brought you?"

"Oh, Mom! This is a costume!" Meng Ziyi hugged her mother's arm and swayed. "Don't worry about it, I'm doing great here!"

Her eyes suddenly lit up, and she waved to someone in the distance. "A-Ye! Come over and try the Northeast chicken soup my mom made!"

Jiang Ye jogged over with a script in hand, reaching out with a smile from a distance. "Hello, Auntie! I've heard so much about you. Sister Meng is always talking about how great your cooking is!"

Mother Meng smiled. "You're just being sweet! Has this girl been causing you any trouble on set?"

"Not at all!" Jiang Ye gave a thumbs-up. "Sister Meng is incredibly dedicated. Yesterday, during the drunken scene, she drank eight cups of mineral water without calling for a break. The whole crew calls her the 'Thousand-Cup Meng Beauty'!"

Meng Ziyi giggled on the side, fake snow still clinging to her hair, sparkling in the sunlight.

Jiang Ye's eyes suddenly lit up as he looked Mother Meng up and down. "Auntie, your aura is incredible! Just standing there, you look like you walked right out of a Republic-era pictorial! Our crew happens to be short a noblewoman character. Would you like to do a cameo for a couple of days? It would be a perfect natural fit!"

?????

Meng Ziyi was speechless. She had gotten close to Jiang Ye recently and understood his personality well.

Look at the male lead, Ou Hao, and the second male lead, Yu Menglong—weren't they both there as cameos?

If a dog ran in front of him, he'd probably try to make it act as a celestial hound...

But it was only different with her!

She was the one who voluntarily waived her salary!

There was a fundamental difference...

"Jiang Ye, stop it!" Meng Ziyi hurriedly tried to dismiss his idea. "How would my mom know how to act?"

Mother Meng’s previously smiling expression stiffened, and she tapped her daughter's arm. "Why wouldn't I be able to? Your mom was the school belle back in the day!"

She turned to Jiang Ye and raised an eyebrow. "Young man, are you a man of your word? Don't tease an old lady like me."

"Of course I am!" Jiang Ye said with sincere enthusiasm. "I guarantee I'll arrange close-up shots for you!"

Meng Ziyi hurriedly changed the subject, grabbed the thermal jar, and shoved it into Jiang Ye's hands. "Alright, alright, hurry up and taste the soup!"

She poured a full cup using the lid, carefully wiped the spoon, and handed it to him, her eyes sparkling as she watched him. "My mom's soup is delicious!"

Jiang Ye didn't stand on ceremony; he took the cup and took a large gulp. As the hot soup went down, his eyes lit up instantly. "Sss, this umami flavor goes straight to the soul! With skills like this, Auntie, I'd believe it if you told me you were a retired imperial chef!"

Meng Ziyi squatted beside him, resting her chin on her hands, her eyes following his every move, the corners of her mouth stretching toward her ears. "What did I tell you! You won't find a rival for my mom's soup in all of the Northeast!"

She reached out as if to wipe a drop of soup from the corner of his mouth, but halfway there, she awkwardly changed direction and pretended to fix her disheveled hair.

Mother Meng stood with her arms crossed, her gaze darting back and forth between her daughter's sparkling eyes and Jiang Ye's uninhibited eating.

Something is definitely going on here!

...

Longteng Yujing Residential District, Shancheng

"Dad, just take us with you!"

Lin Xiaoman was clutching Lin Jianjun's arm, pestering him, while Tian Xiwei stood beside her with a look of great expectation.

"Just for the weekend, we promise not to be any trouble!"

"Stop it." Lin Jianjun pulled his tie, which had been tugged out of shape. "I won't be on set for long, and I still have to coordinate platform resources for your brother. When would I have the time to act as a babysitter?"

He caught a glimpse of Tian Xiwei’s clenched fists and suddenly raised an eyebrow. "Tell me, what do you two really want to go there for?"

"For revenge!!!" Tian Xiwei suddenly took a half-step forward, her almond eyes wide, her ponytail bobbing with her.

The sunset shone through the sheer curtains onto her flushed cheeks, looking for all the world like someone who had suffered a great injustice!