Superstar Assistant [GL] - Chapter 32

Chapter 32

A week later, Zhao Qing opened a Chinese restaurant in Hengdian. After Dong Minsi and Li Ziyu finished their day of filming, Zhao Qing invited them to the grand opening ceremony.

After a simple ribbon-cutting ceremony, Zhao Qing invited everyone to a private booth. By this time, Li Ziyu had already received Ji Xingchen’s script. After serving food for Zhou Tiantian, she said to Zhao Qing, “Since your Chinese restaurant is already open here in Hengdian and we’re such good friends, you have no reason to refuse me. How about providing our crew meals for a while?”

Zhao Qing had been worrying about how to bring this up, and Li Ziyu’s suggestion provided the perfect opening. She seized the opportunity and said to the group, “Money is money, whether it’s from strangers or friends. Since we’re all friends, I’m happy to provide the boxed lunches. I’ll have the chef design a menu; you just need to order a day in advance, and the staff will deliver them to the set on time.”

Dong Minsi smiled gently, her eyes lingering on Zhao Qing for a moment before she shyly looked down. “Does Miss Zhao mean I can order from your restaurant as well?”

Zhao Qing replied, “Of course, I would never turn a customer away.”

..

After agreeing on the price for the meals, they returned to the hotel. Li Ziyu was planning an early night when there was a knock at the door. She opened it to find Dong Minsi standing there looking apprehensive.

“Sister Minsi, is something wrong so late?” Li Ziyu asked, feigning ignorance.

Dong Minsi nodded and showed her phone to Li Ziyu. “This is the menu Miss Zhao just sent me. But given the price we discussed this afternoon, could she have sent the wrong menu by mistake?”

Li Ziyu glanced at it and nodded. “It’s correct. She sent me the same one.”

Dong Minsi sighed in relief and smiled. “It seems I’m benefiting from being your friend.”

Li Ziyu smiled back and said goodnight. Once the door was closed, she immediately called Zhao Qing and let out a cold laugh. “You ungrateful wolf! You actually dare to pick up my call!”

Zhao Qing laughed awkwardly. “Hey, sister, why the anger? Did someone bully you? Tell me, I’ll get revenge for you!”

“Don’t you know exactly who’s bullying me?” Li Ziyu sat on the sofa with her legs crossed. “Tell me, why is my menu different from Dong Minsi’s?”

Zhao Qing’s laughter grew even more awkward. “Well, the shop just opened, and some ingredients are rare…”

Li Ziyu said firmly, “I don’t care. Send me the same menu you gave Dong Minsi. Even if I don’t eat it, your ‘sister-in-law’ needs to eat, right?”

“Huh?” Zhao Qing didn’t react for a second. In the bathroom, the “sister-in-law” taking a shower suddenly sneezed for no reason.

Under Li Ziyu’s threat, Zhao Qing sent a new menu, and Li Ziyu was finally satisfied.

…

The next day, Zhao Qing personally delivered the lunch. Dong Minsi was shyly flattered. Zhao Qing, feeling awkward under Li Ziyu’s teasing gaze, leaned in and whispered to her, “Li Ziyu, I had the chef specially prepare today’s ‘maternity meal.’ That soup simmered all morning; it’ll definitely meet your assistant’s nutritional needs.”

Li Ziyu nodded with satisfaction. A passing staff member overheard this and sighed, “It’s so great being Teacher Li’s assistant. Not only does she keep her job while pregnant, but she even gets special meals.” She looked at Zhou Tiantian with envy. “You’re so lucky!”

Li Ziyu smirked with a hint of pride.

In the following days, Zhao Qing became a regular at the set. She provided meals for Li Ziyu, Zhou Tiantian, and Dong Minsi, and occasionally brought desserts or hot drinks for the whole crew. Even though she lingered often, the director didn’t mind.

Recently, however, Zhou Tiantian’s appetite had been poor. Seeing this, Li Ziyu felt pained. On a day when the schedule focused on supporting actors, she decided to go to Zhao Qing’s kitchen to cook something herself. Dong Minsi also had no scenes, so she joined Li Ziyu at the restaurant.

…

“Is Li Ziyu’s assistant the daughter of some high-level executive?” a staff member whispered as they watched them leave. “She has so much authority for an assistant, and Li Ziyu takes such special care of her. Her background must be impressive.”

“Isn’t she just pregnant? Teacher Li is just looking after a pregnant woman,” another replied.

“Even so, why would Teacher Li cook for her personally? While pregnant women can do less work, their authority shouldn’t increase. Usually, they move to the second line. Who would take responsibility if something happened to the baby?”

The others nodded. “You have a point. This assistant really acts like a big shot.”

Even Li Ziyu’s die-hard fans noticed the “spoiling.” Zhou Tiantian frequently posted videos and private photos of Li Ziyu on Weibo—privileges no previous assistant had.

Tao Hua, a new fan, heard these rumors but didn’t quite believe them. She was visiting Hengdian with her friend Duan Yangyang. “Can we really see Ziyu?”

“Definitely. I heard her best friend opened a restaurant here. We’ll eat there and then wait outside the set!” Duan Yangyang said confidently.

Inside the restaurant, they saw several celebrities. Suddenly, Li Ziyu and the group walked in. Duan Yangyang screamed and rushed over. Li Ziyu immediately pulled Tiantian behind her and frowned at the intruder. “Who are you?”

Duan Yangyang froze under the cold gaze. “I… I’m your fan…”

Li Ziyu relaxed but remained stern. “I see. Don’t be so reckless next time. We have a pregnant person in our group.”

Duan Yangyang felt a chill. She apologized and looked at Zhou Tiantian, who gave a sweet smile. “It’s okay, just be careful.”

As Li Ziyu brushed past, Duan Yangyang heard her say to Zhou Tiantian, “Since I have time today, I’ll cook some delicious dishes for you.”

Dong Minsi added, “Make enough for us to taste too!”

Li Ziyu snorted. “Ask Zhao Qing to cook for you. I only cook for Tiantian.”

…

Later, Duan Yangyang posted photos on Weibo: Our Ziyu has such a powerful aura and is so beautiful, but she’s so soft-hearted—she’s even cooking for her pregnant assistant.

The comments section exploded:

“This assistant is so lucky. The roles are reversed!”

“The ‘Big Shot’ assistant is back. Why does she get so much special treatment?”

“Some crew members said she sits in Li Ziyu’s chair while life assistants bring her hot water.”

The discussion quickly spiraled into a debate about workplace discrimination against pregnant women versus “diva” behavior.

In the hotel room, Zhou Tiantian sighed with relief. “At least they’re talking about pregnancy rights now instead of just me.”

Li Ziyu was irritable. “These people are brave behind a keyboard, but they wouldn’t dare say a word to my face.”

As the night ended, Li Ziyu shooed Zhao Qing and Dong Minsi out so Tiantian could rest. Alone in bed, Tiantian felt troubled. She didn’t want her “special treatment” to hurt Li Ziyu’s reputation.

The next day at lunch, Tiantian brought it up. Li Ziyu was unwilling to hide her affection. “This child in your belly is mine. I should be responsible for you. Why should I treat you poorly because of strangers?”

Dong Minsi, overhearing this, was utterly bewildered. “The child is yours?!”

Zhou Tiantian remained firm. “You can’t go public. To the world, this baby is mine. The technology used is still in trial stages. If we expose it now, it will affect your mother’s research.”

Li Ziyu’s face darkened. “I don’t need to check other people’s faces to do what I want.”

Zhou Tiantian’s eyes dimmed. She didn’t want this to be high-profile.