After Transmigrating as the Vicious Female Supporting Character, I Ran Away While Pregnant - Chapter 21

 Li Sheng felt a bit staggered by the blow. Combined with the fact that she had to face Mo Yueshuang at the film set the day after tomorrow, her heart was in total turmoil.

She took out her phone, wanting to call Mo Yueshuang, but her finger hovered over the dial button for a long time. She couldn’t summon the courage to press it. Finally, Li Sheng turned off her phone in frustration, forcing herself not to think about it.

She drove around aimlessly for a while, and didn’t go to the kindergarten to pick up Ranran until late afternoon.

When she picked up Ranran today, even the little one could sense her mommy’s abnormality. Li Sheng took her from the teacher and held her in her arms for a long time without moving.

Ranran wrapped her small arms around Li Sheng’s neck and rubbed her head against her shoulder: “Mommy~”

Hearing the little one call her so sweetly, Li Sheng’s heart—originally like an iceberg—melted into a flowing stream.

“Did Ranran miss me?” Li Sheng picked her up and kissed her cheek. “Mommy missed Ranran so much today!”

“Mommy, Ranran missed you too.” The little one hugged Li Sheng and gave her a big kiss back.

Most of the children here were picked up by nannies or butlers. Occasionally, a mother would come, but they usually maintained the posture of a wealthy socialite and wouldn’t engage in such close, casual affection with their children.

Consequently, they were quite envious of Ranran.

Ranran didn’t realize she had unknowingly become the center of envy. Once she felt Li Sheng relax, she began sharing her day at the kindergarten.

“Mommy, I met a new friend!”

“Is Ranran happy to have a new friend?” Li Sheng steadied herself, forcing the chaotic thoughts away, especially the dread of facing Mo Yueshuang the day after tomorrow.

Ranran’s little mouth didn’t stop, chattering away to Li Sheng about the fun things at the kindergarten.

“Ranran received a new toy! Mommy, Ranran wants to give toys to friends too.” The little one already understood the concept of reciprocity.

Li Sheng smiled. “Alright, after dinner, Mommy will take you to buy toys, okay?”

“Mhm!”

The next day, when she dropped Ranran off at the kindergarten, Ranran walked ahead with small steps, clutching the toy her friend gave her and the new toys she was going to gift. A teacher followed behind her to receive her.

At the gate, Ranran stopped and looked back at Li Sheng. Her hands were full, so she couldn’t wave, so she just shouted loudly: “Mommy! Ranran is going to learn now! Mommy, remember to come pick me up!”

“Okay, baby! Get along well with your friends, and find the teacher if you have trouble.”

Tomorrow was the day to join the film crew. Li Sheng still hadn’t figured out how to face Mo Yueshuang. But what is meant to come will eventually arrive; there is no hiding.

Ranran is Mo Yueshuang’s child. Should I tell her?

Li Sheng had been asking herself this for two days. Occasionally, she thought petulantly: I’m the one who carried and gave birth to her. Mo Yueshuang didn’t do anything; why should I tell her?

But thinking carefully, Mo Yueshuang must have done something for them to have this child.

Headache. Li Sheng had a major headache.

September 5th. Most of the actors were present, along with several investors.

Li Sheng stood in a corner wearing white casual clothes and a baseball cap. There were too many people, all of them handsome men and beautiful women from the entertainment industry, which actually made the originally ethereal Li Sheng blend into the crowd.

A Feng Shui master had looked over the site. The Chief Director, Wen Tingzong, led the entire crew in offering incense and praying to the four directions of heaven and earth.

Next was the host’s speech—the most sleep-inducing stage. Li Sheng frowned and looked up at the sky. Dark clouds were gathering, and the sun was half-hidden. The weather was a bit muggy; it would likely rain.

Rain is considered a good omen at a “cranking” (opening) ceremony.

“Distinguished leaders, guests, and creative staff, good morning!”

“Today we gather here for the grand opening ceremony of the movie Di Xue.”

“This film aims to reveal the true nature of humanity after the apocalypse. It is a battle of shadows, and even more so, a self-battle of humanity itself.”

“…Let us welcome Chief Director Wen Tingzong for his address.”

“Next, we invite Director XX of the Movie Department of XX TV Station to speak.”

“…”

Li Sheng watched the speakers on stage, who were practically spitting with fervor. She was secretly glad she was standing in the back row to avoid the “spray.”

Finally, it was time for the lead actors to speak. This was the first time Li Sheng had seen Mo Yueshuang in half a month.

As thin as ever, she still held her back straight. Despite the countless misunderstandings, grievances, insults, and suppression she had faced—things an average person wouldn’t experience in a lifetime—a smile remained in her eyes.

After Mo Yueshuang came the male lead, the eldest son of the Guan family, Guan Anru.

It made sense now why the second Guan brother had let this movie go so easily; his older brother was starring in it.

Later, an actress she had seen during the auditions also appeared. Although she wasn’t chosen as the lead, Wen Tingzong admired her acting and cast her in a significant supporting role.

As Li Sheng was drifting off, the ceremony finally ended. Unfortunately, the dark clouds moved away and it didn’t rain. The director muttered a few words of regret.

After lunch, everyone headed to the Film City.

The sets were ready, all departments were in place, and the equipment had been checked multiple times. The entire crew was prepared, waiting for the Chief Director’s command to begin filming.

To save time, money, and labor, the crew didn’t film in chronological order. The current scene was the protagonist Di Xue entering the base to meet the Base Leader after the apocalypse.

The Base Leader was the male lead, played by Guan Anru.

Since it was a scene between the two leads, many extras were also dressed up as “background boards” in the shot.

“Guan Anru is so handsome. His family has money and power; marrying him would be truly marrying into a wealthy clan.”

“Don’t think too much, stop daydreaming. Organize the props and don’t make the director yell at you. No matter how handsome or rich Guan Anru is, it has nothing to do with you.”

“Fantasizing isn’t illegal. There’s nothing wrong with me thinking about it.”

“But I heard Guan Anru is chasing Mo Yueshuang. Is it true?”

“I know, I know! Rumors started when they worked on Feng Zhi last year. But I heard Mo Yueshuang paid for those rumors herself to create hype; Young Master Guan never even looked at her properly.”

“Has Mo Yueshuang offended some big shot over the years? The black material never stops. If she hadn’t gained fame and connections in her early years, she definitely wouldn’t be able to stay in this circle.”

Li Sheng had already discussed the content for today’s shoot with Director Wen over the phone last night. There wasn’t anything vital. Wen Tingzong still wanted to keep the creative control in his own hands, so Li Sheng was mostly “idle” today, aside from watching out of curiosity.

As she walked to a corner and saw a few people organizing props, she happened to overhear this conversation.

They turned and saw her. Since Li Sheng hadn’t shown her face or stated her identity much, they only thought she looked familiar but didn’t realize who she was.

Li Sheng looked at the backpacks and asked: “What’s inside those?”

“Some old newspapers and empty water cups.”

Even though they didn’t recognize her, anyone who could wander so leisurely through the set without being driven away by the floor manager or criticized by the director was clearly not an ordinary person.

So, when Li Sheng asked, they answered obediently.

Li Sheng frowned. “The director values this movie very much, and I also hope it can be more realistic.”

“The backpacks should contain between two and ten biscuits, two or three bottles of water, some common trauma medicine. The female lead’s backpack also needs a change of clothes and a small cloth bear that has been torn and sewn back together.”

Li Sheng said this, and the group stood there staring at her. Li Sheng said coldly: “What are you dazing for? Go and get everything ready.”

Coincidentally, the assistant director came over to fetch props. He jogged over to grab a prepared prop sword needed for the next scene. He came early to get ready so as not to be flustered during the shoot.

Seeing Li Sheng in a standoff with the prop team, he came over and asked: “What’s wrong? Does Screenwriter Li have some better suggestions for the prop arrangement?”

Hearing the assistant director’s title for Li Sheng and seeing his respectful attitude, the group finally understood who she was. They hurried to greet her: “Hello, Screenwriter Li.”

Li Sheng ignored them and simply pointed at the backpacks: “I didn’t write out in detail what was in everyone’s bags, but stuffing old newspapers and empty bottles in there definitely won’t work. I’ll list the items that need to be inside, and you arrange for someone to collect them all.”

“Yes, yes, of course. Please write it down.” The assistant director breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing Li Sheng’s expression, he thought something major had happened. It turned out she was just like the director, striving for perfection.

The assistant director introduced the group with a smile: “These are colleagues from the prop team. Screenwriter Li, just give the list to them once you’ve finished writing.”

The group nodded with sheepish smiles: “Yes, just leave it to us.”

The assistant director left. Li Sheng wrote a long list and gave it to the prop team: “I remember these tactical backpacks are needed for the last scene today. It’s best to get everything together before then.”

Li Sheng left after saying that, leaving the group staring at the list in a daze.

“Buying these isn’t hard, but to get all these varieties by this afternoon… my legs are going to break from running…”

“And what the heck is this cloth bear? Torn and then sewn up? We need to get needles and thread ready too.”

“What are you standing around for? Go! If we’re late and delay things, the director will skin us alive!”

They grumbled a bit with long faces, but soon scattered like birds to go and prepare.

Li Sheng watched them run off from a distance, and her somewhat gloomy mood gradually improved. She even hummed a little tune to herself.

She didn’t know why she disliked hearing those people gossiping about Mo Yueshuang behind her back. Clearly, Mo Yueshuang had nothing to do with her; they only had a connection because of Ranran.

Li Sheng looked toward Mo Yueshuang. Mo Yueshuang was sitting in the rest area the crew had arranged for her. Under a large tree was a sun umbrella, and beneath it, Chen Yue had set up a lounge chair and a round wooden table. Beside it were water, towels, and a small fan.

The weather wasn’t hot yet, but actors get sweaty when moving during a shoot. Plus, they were filming a “winter” scene, so the actors were wrapped in thick layers. Break times were short; taking the costume off and putting it back on was time-consuming, so it was easier to stay in the padded jacket and use a fan.

Mo Yueshuang was truly beautiful. Beauty is in the bones, not just the skin. Her beauty had a unique charm; even when doing nothing but sitting there flipping through a script, she exuded a refined, scholarly aura.

Li Sheng knew a bit about her background—she knew Mo Yueshuang’s formal education wasn’t high. Yet, at such a young age, she could engrave that “literary aura” into her bones. She must have put in a lot of work in private.

Internet rumors said that to film a period drama, Mo Yueshuang had even gone into closed training with the crew for six months. In this era of instant gratification, few people are willing to settle down and hone themselves for a single role; Mo Yueshuang was one of them.

Li Sheng just watched from afar, not wanting to disturb her. She understood Mo Yueshuang’s hardships and knew that while she looked relaxed now, she was actually putting in several times more effort than the average person.

She really only looked relaxed; the sweat she shed in private was more than anyone else present. Yet, despite being so serious and hardworking, she still faced so much malicious verbal harm. Li Sheng thought this might be why she felt angry.

Li Sheng didn’t want to disturb her and was content to appreciate her from a distance, but others didn’t think the same way.

The first scene ended, and Guan Anru changed out of his costume and hurried over without stopping.

“Yueshuang.”

Guan Anru came over with his script. Hearing the intimate address, Mo Yueshuang still wasn’t quite used to it, even though she had heard it for three or four months last year.

She snapped out of her script and stood up as a polite welcome. Guan Anru smiled: “Stay seated. It’ll be your turn soon.”

Mo Yueshuang didn’t stand on ceremony and sat down gracefully. She wanted to keep reading, but Guan Anru clearly had something to say, so she waited for him to speak.

Guan Anru sat in the chair next to her. He flipped through his script and smiled: “I didn’t expect us to work together again so soon.”

It wasn’t anything important, just small talk. Mo Yueshuang felt a slight disappointment, but the feeling passed quickly. She smiled politely and followed his lead.

“Yes. After we parted at the wrap party last year, I thought it would be difficult to have the chance to work with you again. I didn’t expect us to be in the same crew so soon.”

“I’ve said many times, you don’t need to use formal addresses with me. You’re too polite.” Guan Anru felt a bit displeased but didn’t show it at all, maintaining a gentle, faint smile on his face.