Pregnant with the Alpha Best Actress's Child - Chapter 26

Before entering the room, Fan Wu knocked lightly on the door.

Soon, Sang Zhijiu answered from within, and only then did she use the key card to enter.

On the way back, Fan Wu had imagined dozens of potential reactions from Sang Zhijiu and had prepared herself for accusations and fury. To her surprise, Sang Zhijiu was currently sitting on the carpet, expressionlessly studying the script. She didn’t seem angry at all.

Fan Wu tentatively greeted her: “Do you want something to eat? I can have hotel service send something up.”

Sang Zhijiu didn’t even look up as she shook her head: “No, I’m not hungry.” Then, she added leisurely: “If you want to eat, you can order your own portion.”

Fan Wu smiled: “No need. I’m not hungry either.”

Some things had to be faced eventually. She took off her coat, hung it on the cabinet by the entrance, and walked over to Sang Zhijiu’s side.

Sang Zhijiu was looking at the content scheduled for tomorrow’s shoot.

The drama Better Than Love ended with an open conclusion. In the middle and later stages, shortly after the “honeymoon phase,” Chen Yue and Mu Yining encounter very realistic problems. Chen Yue wants to drop out of school completely to stay with Mu Yining’s band, but Mu Yining hopes Chen Yue will follow her parents’ arrangements and go abroad to a music conservatory for further study.

Their conflicts explode once more. During this time, Chen Yue’s mother meets with an accident while searching for her daughter at an underground bar; she is hospitalized after being beaten by thugs, and because of this, Chen Yue returns to her parents’ side. In the end, Chen Yue agrees to go abroad, and Mu Yining comes to the airport lobby to bid her farewell. They are still young; though they walk vastly different paths, the future still holds infinite possibilities.

Most of the preceding scenes were finished. Next up was the climax where the conflict between Chen Yue and Mu Yining erupts. This segment was a sharp departure from the previous passionate love phase. Two lovers who were once inseparable would tear at each other and resist one another through repeated arguments and even physical scuffles.

Seeing Fan Wu sit down beside her, Sang Zhijiu finally moved her gaze away from the script. She asked: “Can we start?”

Fan Wu spread her hands: “I’m fine with whenever.”

Sang Zhijiu casually placed the script on the nearby sofa. She tidied her clothes, then gritted her teeth and straddled Fan Wu’s waist, grabbing her collar to question her: “Did you ever truly like me?”

Fan Wu was momentarily startled. She hadn’t expected Sang Zhijiu to get physical immediately. But once she reacted, she adjusted quickly, putting on the indifferent expression belonging to Mu Yining.

“These things have nothing to do with whether I like you or not.”

Tears welled up in Chen Yue’s eyes. She let go of Mu Yining’s collar and moved to choke her neck instead, though she didn’t apply force; it was more of a threat.

“So everything you said before was a lie. Mu Yining, to you, I’ve always been a burden, haven’t I? The moment you get a chance, you want to push me away and wash your hands of me.”

Fan Wu dazed off for a second. At this moment, the real-life Sang Zhijiu and the fictional Chen Yue overlapped for a split second, and she couldn’t tell who was truly accusing her. However, in Sang Zhijiu’s heart, whether it was Fan Wu or Mu Yining, both were likely already unpardonable villains.

Fan Wu gently raised her hand: “Don’t cry. I didn’t lie to you on purpose.”

Sang Zhijiu gritted her teeth, her voice carrying a sob: “And you still say it wasn’t on purpose. You didn’t do it on purpose, yet you’ve already deceived me so miserably. If you did it intentionally, would you, would you trick me for a lifetime?”

She was losing control. The blood vessels in Fan Wu’s neck throbbed under her fingertips. For a few moments, Sang Zhijiu even wanted to tighten her hands and just strangle this disaster, Fan Wu, to death right there!

Fan Wu raised her arm, touched her face, and comforted her warmly: “If I really lied to you, I would definitely take responsibility for you.”

Sang Zhijiu swiped her hand away: “Who wants you to take responsibility, you bastard!”

In fact, starting from the last few lines, Fan Wu had already deviated from the original dialogue in the script. After falling out of character, Sang Zhijiu calmed down slightly.

Looking at her red eyes and nose, Fan Wu’s heart felt incredibly stifled. She smiled bitterly to herself. She had finally fully experienced Mu Yining’s helplessness and reluctance. But unlike Mu Yining, who lived in a script with a pre-written ending, she didn’t need to put on a cold face to push people away.

Setting aside her cluttered thoughts, Fan Wu took a tissue and gently wiped Sang Zhijiu’s tears. After a thought, she took the initiative to explain: “The matter with the text messages was an accident. At that time, I found out about Director Guan’s movements ahead of time from Mengzhi and wanted to find an opportunity to warn you. I didn’t expect that later…”

Sang Zhijiu hit her on the shoulder: “You, you even said you were my fan! You were clearly, clearly doing it on purpose!”

Fan Wu caught her small fist. She tried to speak up for herself: “But you have to admit, Senior W never lied to you or harmed you from beginning to end, right? I truly wanted to help you, but if I appeared with my real identity, you would definitely have resisted. That’s why I had no choice but to use a small ‘vest’ (secret identity).”

She flicked Sang Zhijiu’s nose bridge: “Little ones shouldn’t go back on their word.”

Sang Zhijiu’s face turned red with anger. She stopped her sobbing: “You, you didn’t harm me, you, you were just hiding behind text messages, watching me make a fool of myself over and over again!”

At a time like this, Fan Wu naturally couldn’t admit to that. She said righteously: “I did not.”

Sang Zhijiu glared at her fiercely.

Fan Wu couldn’t quite withstand the little one’s resentful gaze and changed her wording: “I, cough, I indeed learned about your difficulties because of it, but I never intended to mock you. Didn’t you notice? Every time you encountered a problem, I was even more anxious than you, trying my best to think of a solution for you.”

Sang Zhijiu paused for a moment, but anger soon regained the upper hand: “You, you’re just quibbling.”

She pushed off the carpet with her hands and stood up, leaving behind a harsh word: “In, in short, I won’t forgive you. We will finish filming this drama, and after that, we go our separate ways. From then on, we will have nothing to do with each other!”

Fan Wu looked up at her, temporarily unable to find anything to say.

Sang Zhijiu took her attitude as silent agreement and didn’t want to stay there any longer. She turned back to grab her script and left the room without looking back.

Only after the door slammed shut with a loud “Bang” did Fan Wu snap out of it. The little one had really cried hard just now; on the light-colored hotel carpet, there were even several small indentations formed by her tears.

Fan Wu reached out and touched them, feeling only a bit of cold moisture.

“Go our separate ways? Have nothing to do with each other?” She murmured the few sentences Sang Zhijiu said before leaving.

In fact, if Sang Zhijiu hadn’t brought it up, she really hadn’t thought about how she would interact with the little one after the project ended. She would probably go back to being a colleague in the company, a senior and junior in the industry, and if there were no collaborative projects, they would be like strangers, not interfering with each other and having no contact.

But after hearing Sang Zhijiu say that just now, she began to realize that such a sequel was not what she looked forward to. So, was she to be completely separated from the little one after filming?

Fan Wu narrowed her eyes, staring blankly at the tear stains on the carpet. After a short while, she tilted one corner of her mouth upward: “I’m sorry, Zhijiu. It seems to be a bit… late.”

After saying those words, Fan Wu suddenly felt a sense of sudden enlightenment. Perhaps, since who knows when, her feelings for the little one had undergone a world-shaking change. Before, she paid attention to Sang Zhijiu mostly because of Fan Yu. Now, her gaze lingered on the little one entirely out of the true desire of her heart.

Thinking of this, the smile on Fan Wu’s lips deepened slightly. But… an angry little one is not easy to coax.

Over the next few days, the filming progress was incredibly smooth. The issues the assistant directors had worried about didn’t appear at all; Sang Zhijiu performed exceptionally well during the final conflict segments. Under her portrayal, the character Chen Yue became increasingly flesh-and-blood; whether she was raging or weeping, it was highly impactful.

Occasionally, when problems did arise, they were actually on Fan Wu’s part.

During a break, an assistant director couldn’t help but ask: “Director Fan, have you not been resting well lately?” Based on his long history of working with her, Fan Wu rarely had frequent slips or mistakes.

Fan Wu was turning her head, looking at Sang Zhijiu not far away. Having just had an argument with Mu Yining, Sang Zhijiu’s face was still red. She took the mineral water handed over by assistant A-Kang, and just as she took a sip, she noticed Fan Wu’s gaze.

Immediately, she didn’t even bother to finish the water, simply squinting her eyes and glaring over at Fan Wu.

Fan Wu wasn’t angry; she was even secretly delighted because the other party was still willing to acknowledge her. She withdrew her gaze, not intending to continue fueling Sang Zhijiu’s anger, and responded to the assistant director: “I’m fine, I’ll be okay after an adjustment.”

The assistant director nodded. He said: “Our progress is quite impressive. I’m not rushing you, I’m just worried about your health.”

Fan Wu thought for a moment and suddenly said: “The wrap-up should be next month, right?”

The assistant director laughed: “That’s right. According to current progress, we are likely to finish filming ahead of schedule. We can wrap up at the beginning of next month.”

Fan Wu murmured: “The beginning of the month… there’s still nearly half a month left.”

After the wrap-up, Sang Zhijiu would return to her own territory. At that time, she feared she would have to spend a lot of effort just to find her. How could she coax the little one back within this short half-month, or at least ensure the little one wouldn’t refuse future meetings?

This made the great Director Fan a bit troubled. After all, Sang Zhijiu hadn’t really acknowledged her these past few days. Even when practicing scenes, she kept Lin Jiahe or her assistant A-Kang by her side; the two didn’t even have a chance to be alone.

Fan Wu pondered for a while and decided that the trouble caused by Senior W must be solved by Senior W herself.

Thus, when today’s work was all finished, she took out her phone, found the contact card labeled “Little One,” and sent a text message over.

[Senior W: Zhijiu, didn’t you say before that you wanted to treat me to a meal?] [Senior W: I’m free tonight and tomorrow. I wonder if it’s convenient for you.]

Sang Zhijiu, who was truly preparing to leave the set, noticed her phone vibrate and took it out to check. After seeing the content of the message, she froze for a moment, then turned her head to look at Fan Wu at the director’s table.

Fan Wu gave her a smile that was as kind as could be.

Sang Zhijiu withdrew her gaze and, under her assistant’s guidance, ducked into her car. Fan Wu thought the plan had failed, but three minutes later, a new message notification sounded.

[Okay.]

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