Chapter 40: First Time Calling Mom

Chapter 40: Chapter 40: First Time Calling Mom

Xu Lin arrived late, a group of strong young men in tow.

"Where are they? Where are they?"

They fought against the flow of the crowd, sweating profusely as they squeezed their way through.

Of course, that was also because they had gone to the wrong place first and had to run a whole extra lap around the night market.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have taken so long to find them.

Fu Chao saw Xu Lin approaching menacingly with a posse trailing behind him, looking for all the world like a gang boss.

Fu Chao asked, "Director Xu... are you here to start a brawl?"

Xu Lin looked a little awkward.

"Well, I heard someone was bullying Nan Yi, didn’t I?"

At first, all he’d heard was something about Nan Zhi grabbing a kitchen knife, and his mind went blank. He had charged out without a second thought.

He’d only run a few steps before his assistant director explained that someone had bullied Nan Yi, and Nan Zhi was going to settle the score.

Xu Lin stopped in his tracks.

Then, without another word, he turned around, went back, and gathered a few strong young men.

’...Forget everything else, you can’t lose when it comes to making an entrance!’

Hearing this, Fu Chao’s opinion of Xu Lin improved slightly.

Xu Lin had a good track record as a director, but he was also famous in the industry for putting profits above all else.

Fu Chao had never liked associating with people like that.

He never would have thought Xu Lin had such a fiercely protective side.

A thought stirred in his mind, and he was just about to speak...

Xu Lin continued, "What if this gets blown out of proportion, filmed, and posted online!"

Fu Chao immediately swallowed his words. ’Director Xu, that’s you all right. As expected.’

Xu Lin found Nan Zhi, his attitude less than friendly.

"Do you have any idea..."

A sudden chill ran down his spine. He looked down and saw Nan Yi clinging tightly to Nan Zhi’s leg.

The boy’s beautiful little face was filled with attachment and dependence on Nan Zhi, and wariness toward Xu Lin.

Xu Lin had no choice but to change his tune.

"...Let’s find a place to talk."

"Alright."

Nan Zhi wasn’t surprised in the least.

A faulty audio device had caused this massive screw-up; she didn’t need to guess what kind of firestorm was raging online.

Xu Lin must be furious right now.

Just then, Qing Xi, who Fu Chao had temporarily entrusted to his assistant, was led over.

Only five years old, he had no idea what was happening and was intently eating an ice cream bar.

Not only was he eating one himself, but he was also holding an unopened one, which he offered to Nan Yi.

"Yiyi, good things should be shared!"

Nan Yi didn’t take it.

Instead, relying on an almost animal-like intuition, he gripped Nan Zhi’s pant leg tightly, not wanting her to leave.

Nan Zhi said, "It’s okay, I’ll be right back."

Then she turned to Fu Chao.

"Please watch him for me. I’ll be right back."

Her casual attitude suggested she didn’t think this conversation was a big deal.

Xu Lin was so angry he could only glare!

’He was planning on giving her a piece of his mind, okay?!’

Fu Chao nodded and reached for Nan Yi’s hand.

But Nan Yi grew anxious.

"Mama!"

He blurted out the word, one he hadn’t used in so long!

He ran over with a PATTER-PATTER-PATTER of his feet, planting himself in front of Nan Zhi and glaring at the unfriendly Xu Lin.

"Don’t you dare bully my mama!"

Xu Lin fell into an awkward silence.

Nan Zhi, for her part, froze on the spot.

She had discovered it long ago—

From the moment she had awakened in this body until now, Nan Yi had not called her "Mama" a single time.

This wasn’t just true for her, but for the Tactician who had occupied this body before her as well.

It was just that the Tactician hadn’t cared at all and had therefore never noticed.

Now, Nan Yi had called her Mama.

’This meant...’

’He was starting to accept her!’

It was such a small, ordinary thing, so why did Nan Zhi feel her eyes sting so fiercely?

Nan Zhi suppressed the lump in her throat and smiled.

"Don’t worry, Yiyi. Mama will be fine."

Qing Xi also tried to comfort Nan Yi.

"Don’t worry, my uncle is here! He’s really good at fighting!"

The prospective target of said fight, Xu Lin: ...

’What was with this life-and-death-parting atmosphere?’

’Was he the main villain in some melodrama?!’

However, once they returned to the show’s base camp, entered a private room, and removed all their microphones, Xu Lin’s attitude softened considerably.

He asked calmly,

"This abuse business, is it true or not?"

"It’s not."

Nan Zhi’s answer was firm and decisive.

Xu Lin: "How can you be so sure?"

Nan Zhi looked straight at Xu Lin.

"Don’t you already have a good idea, Director Xu?"

’Otherwise, what would be waiting for her wouldn’t be this inquiry, but a demand letter for a massive breach of contract penalty!’

Xu Lin observed Nan Zhi with surprise.

"You... you really seem to have changed."

Nan Zhi replied in a tone that was half-joking, half-serious.

"Maybe this is the real me."

It was unclear if Xu Lin understood, but he only said two words:

"That’s good."

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

Xu Lin went to open the door and found Fu Chao standing outside.

"The trouble was caused by my careless words, so I have a responsibility to explain... Nan Zhi did not abuse her child!"

He had a whole speech prepared.

But Xu Lin simply replied,

"I know."

"Even if you don’t believe me, Director Xu... huh?"

Fu Chao’s face was a mask of confusion.

"But it’s useless even if I believe it. The problem is whether the public believes it, whether the police believe it! Some ’concerned citizens’ online have already reported it. The network told us to halt filming and said the police will be getting involved to investigate. The situation is much trickier than we imagined!"

Xu Lin gave a bitter smile, knowing that at this point, the matter was already far beyond their control.

He said, "All we can do is cooperate fully with the investigation."

Fu Chao didn’t respond.

After ten years in the entertainment industry, he knew all too well that having a clear conscience didn’t mean you were safe from slander.

His heart was heavy, and he grew more and more frustrated with his earlier impulsiveness.

’What on earth had happened?’

’He was always so cautious. How could he have gotten so hot-headed that he’d run off to confront her in the middle of filming?’

’He could have waited for the situation to be investigated, or at least until filming was over.’

"...I’m sorry."

It was the only thing Fu Chao could do.

It felt so pathetic and powerless. Fu Chao didn’t even dare to look Nan Zhi in the eye.

Nan Zhi, on the other hand, didn’t seem to mind much.

Or rather, she was already aware of a mysterious force at play behind the scenes, so she couldn’t attribute all the blame to Fu Chao alone.

So she asked Fu Chao,

"That promise you made to work for me, does it still count?"

"You want to keep running the stall? Hasn’t filming been suspended?"

Fu Chao couldn’t quite figure Nan Zhi out.

Nan Zhi said, "No matter how big the disaster, you still have to eat."

Fu Chao was suddenly infected by her carefree spirit, and a surge of motivation welled up inside him.

"You’ve got a point! Even if the sky falls, we eat first! Let’s go! Time to run the stall!"

Xu Lin, standing to the side, hadn’t even processed what was happening as he watched Nan Zhi and Fu Chao say their goodbyes and leave.

’Wait, that’s not right!’

’Aren’t they supposed to be filming a show?’

’Isn’t running a stall at the night market part of the show?’

’How did things get so backward? It’s like running the stall is their main job now, and filming the show is just a side gig.’

The assistant director, who had been waiting by the door, slipped in.

"Director Xu, what do we do now...?"

Xu Lin composed himself.

"There was no abuse. It was all a misunderstanding. Inform everyone to do their best to ride out this storm smoothly."

The assistant director nodded repeatedly, about to go and share the good news with everyone.

But Xu Lin called out to him again.

"Oh, right. Dinner’s already been ordered, yes? In that case, I’ll pay out of my own pocket to add an extra dish for everyone. Let’s have fried rice! Golden Egg Fried Rice!"