The Ex-Wife of the Scumbag A Who Abandoned the Female Lead - Chapter 15

“Oh, you’re back. Perfect timing! Almost everyone is here, so let’s start filming.” Director Yu’s expression was unexpectedly gentle when he saw Shi Nuocen.

Shi Nuocen raised an eyebrow, inwardly surprised. After all, she was a full half-hour late this time, and all the other actors had already arrived. The piles of cardboard boxes seemed to have been moved into the studio as well, with the props inside unpacked and set up on the filming site.

“You know the general plot, right? It’s about a holiday where the male lead invites the second, third, and fourth male leads to have a drink and sample some pastries. This ad is a joint promotion between the TV drama and a pastry brand. Since you’re the fourth male lead, just follow behind the second and third leads and show your profile.”

Director Yu’s tone was unusually soft. Even when Shi Nuocen made some positioning mistakes during the shoot, he didn’t make things difficult for her. Instead, he seemed almost eager to get on her good side.

Comparing his attitude before and after, Shi Nuocen realized it must be because of Secretary Shang. She couldn’t help but sigh inwardly: Having a suspected backer versus having no backer at all really makes a difference. It’s just too realistic.

After finishing the ad, she returned to the TV drama set to continue filming the action scenes. Shi Nuocen maintained her previous standard. Her movements were sharp, her techniques elegant, and she executed everything flawlessly, almost always completing each shot in one take.

Director Qian grew increasingly satisfied, while Gong Ruiyu’s assistant rolled his eyes, clearly scheming something malicious.

Qiaoqiao and the others had already finished their scenes. Learning that Shi Nuocen still had several more scenes to shoot, they said their goodbyes and left first.

By the time Shi Nuocen wrapped up for the day, it was already around 7 p.m. She changed her clothes and walked out of the set. The film studio was at its collective dinner hour, so there weren’t many people moving around outside.

She paused in a shadowy spot, about to open her phone to call a taxi. Her plan was to first enjoy a lavish meal, then go on a shopping spree at the mall. After all, starting today, she was a wealthy woman again. It was time to indulge!

With 45,000 yuan in hand and a billion soon to come, why wait to spend it?

Shi Nuocen closed her phone and waited for the taxi while mentally planning her shopping spree. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a man peeking suspiciously from behind a trash can. After quickly scanning the area and confirming no one was around, he relaxed visibly. He then cleared out one of the trash bins and pulled a very young girl from a cardboard box, preparing to stuff her inside the bin to sneak her out unnoticed.

Is this human trafficking?! Am I witnessing a crime in progress?!

Even someone as composed as Shi Nuocen couldn’t help but tense up. Instinctively, she crouched lower, hiding deeper in the shadows, while rapidly thinking through her options. First and foremost, she must not be discovered. Only then could she strike unexpectedly and subdue the enemy in one move.

Unexpectedly, the child seemed to wake up. She sat up in the man’s arms, and upon seeing her surroundings, was instantly terrified. She opened her mouth but made no sound. The man, initially panicked by the unforeseen situation, instinctively reached to cover her mouth. But halfway through the motion, he stopped, his expression twisting into something vicious.

“A mute? How unlucky!” He seemed agitated, muttering to himself, “Finally found a pretty one, thought I could make a fortune and pay off my gambling debts, but it turns out she’s a little disabled!”

The man glared at the little girl resentfully for a long moment before comforting himself, “Never mind, never mind. The buyer won’t know anyway. Once I get the money, I’ll disappear, and no one will be able to find me.”

He tightened his grip on the girl’s collar and threatened, “Behave, and Uncle won’t hit you.”

Terrified, the child buried her head in her knees, curling her small body into a ball, her thin back trembling uncontrollably.

“Good girl,” the man said, pleased with her reaction, and reached out to pat her head.

But Shi Nuocen was furious. Her heart pounded wildly. The moment she saw the child, she recognized her. The little girl was none other than Ru Xi Cheng’s three-year-old niece. She hadn’t expected the game’s modeling to be so detailed; the child’s face was exactly like the one in the game!

As for why she couldn’t speak despite her fear, it must be due to severe trauma triggering her autism.

At this thought, and seeing the man’s actions, she could no longer hold back. She rushed over and shouted loudly!

At the same time, she called out to the people around the set to come out. Only by gathering everyone and relying on their collective strength could they prevent this man from escaping easily!

The people on set who were eating immediately dropped their meals and rushed out upon hearing about a child abduction. Soon, hundreds had gathered.

The man was initially flustered but gradually calmed down, even appearing composed. A clear sign that he was no first-time offender and likely a habitual criminal!

As the crowd closed in, he lifted the child and loudly protested, “Everyone, please judge for yourselves! What child abduction? It’s utter nonsense! I’m this child’s father. She’s my daughter, born mute and with some mental issues. She’s very timid and afraid of strangers. Only when she watches TV does she act like a normal child. I just wanted to bring her to see a real film set, hoping it might help her condition.”

His words sounded so sincere that many onlookers began to waver, whispering among themselves, “Could it be a misunderstanding? Maybe it’s just a mistake, and he really is her father.”

“Don’t believe him!” Shi Nuocen challenged. “Can’t you see how the child is trembling? If he were really her father, why would she be like this?”

Hearing this, the crowd found it reasonable and turned their attention to the man, demanding an explanation.

The man sighed and even managed to squeeze out two tears. “As I said earlier, this child has had mental issues since birth. When she has an episode, she doesn’t recognize anyone. Even if I put her down and hand her to someone else, she’d still act like this.”

Shi Nuocen had run out of patience. She directly called the police. “Enough with the act. I know this child’s real family. Save your explanations for the police!”

Hearing this, the man panicked. He grabbed the child and tried to bolt. Seeing this, the crowd realized he had been lying and joined in to block his escape.

Shi Nuocen remained on guard the entire time, wary that he might act out of desperation. However, with the child in his grasp, she had to tread carefully, fearing any rash move might harm the little one. In his panic, the man stumbled over a prop box by the roadside, and the child flew out of his arms.

Quick as lightning, she lunged forward and caught the small, frail body. The moment she held the child in her arms, her first thought was how light and tiny she felt. Smaller than an average three-year-old. The little one’s body carried a faint, pleasant milky scent, and the hair on her head was soft and silky.

The child remained curled up, trembling with fear, unable to utter even a word of distress.

As the man was pinned down by the crowd and bound hand and foot with rope, he sneered sarcastically, “See? I told you the kid would act like this no matter who held her!”

Recalling a scene from the game, Shi Nuocen had a sudden idea. She gently placed the little girl on a nearby blanket and, pretending to go about her own business, began humming a tune. The melody of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” Sure enough, the child’s trembling gradually subsided, and she slowly lifted her fluffy head, wrapping her arms around her knees as she curiously looked over.

Her almond-shaped eyes, dark and round like grapes, sparkled like tiny stars in the night sky.

“Sister, do you like this song too?” Her voice was soft and delicate, like bubbles in a lake, so faint it could easily be missed.

“Yes, I really like it,” Shi Nuocen replied with a smile. After all, it was one of the few songs she could sing without going off-key.

Perhaps drawn by Shi Nuocen’s gentle demeanor, her simple yet beautiful smile, and the comforting aura around her, the little girl couldn’t help but inch closer, shifting her tiny bottom quietly. “Your voice sounds so familiar,” she murmured. “I feel like I’ve heard it many times before.”

“Once, twice, three times…” She stretched out her delicate little hand, counting on her short fingers, her adorable pigtails swaying with each movement, melting hearts with every bob.

Shi Nuocen smiled as she watched her, unable to resist touching one of the little braids. The hair was smooth and fine, gliding pleasantly through her fingers. Yet, a thought crossed her mind: How could her voice be familiar? I’ve only sung in the game, and that was just a modeled character, not a real NPC. Could it be that this child heard something similar in a dream?

As she waited for the police, Shi Nuocen suddenly realized she didn’t have her ex-wife’s phone number. But then, an idea struck her abruptly.

If my ex-wife still kept the old markers, could it be that she also kept the old phone number?

The thought came out of nowhere but refused to be suppressed. Almost instinctively, she opened her phone and entered the string of digits. A number Shi Nuocen had chosen herself back then because it was so easy to remember.

The moment she pressed the call button, she snapped back to reality, chiding herself for being absurd. How could it possibly…

But three seconds later, the call connected, and her ex-wife’s voice truly came through the receiver. Shi Nuocen felt something lodge in her throat, rendering her inexplicably speechless.

“Hello?” Ru Xi Cheng’s voice came through again, tinged with an indescribable urgency and exhaustion. “Is this someone from the Shi family? I’m sorry, I have something very important and urgent right now.” She was about to hang up first when she heard a faint, small voice that at that moment sounded like heavenly music.

“Auntie Orange!”

The little girl, hearing the familiar voice, shifted closer. Her thin, pale arm brushed against Shi Nuocen’s without flinching. Instead, she fixed her eyes intently on the phone. When no one responded, she tilted her head and turned to the person beside her, asking timidly, “Sister, wasn’t that Auntie Orange just now?”

Only then did Shi Nuocen notice the difference in how the child addressed the two of them. She couldn’t help but chuckle and affirmed, “That was indeed your Auntie Orange.” When she uttered the last four words, she couldn’t hold back, and her tone came out a bit odd.

Ru Xi Cheng knew exactly what this person was thinking and immediately snapped, “Shi! Nuo! Cen!”

“Yes, I’m here.” Shi Nuocen’s laughter bubbled up, but in the next second, she feigned grievance and said, “You’re practically my elder now, of course you can sternly call me by my full name.”

Ru Xi Cheng clenched her phone in frustration, but since the child had been found, the heavy weight in her heart had lifted, so she didn’t rush to hang up. “How did the child end up with you? I’ve been searching for her for so, so long.”