novelraw Chapter 508 - 507: That Would Be Even Less Safe
Chapter 508 - 507: That Would Be Even Less Safe
As soon as Mu Qiu got in the car, she threw herself into Cheng Zhirang’s arms.
Cheng Zhirang hugged her with a smile and placed a kiss on the top of her head.
"Coming with me? Just have a meal nearby."
"Sure, but won’t it disrupt your meeting?" she asked politely, but her body was honest, buckling the seatbelt and closing the car door immediately.
Cheng Zhirang held back a laugh: "No, it won’t. Why did you attach that monkey doll on your bag?"
Mu Qiu made a sound of agreement, her tone casual: "Everyone knows I have this doll now, seeing it they’ll know the person beside you is me."
And not some random people, as some media outlets love to write and spread rumors. Until now, she’s seen lots of times the hashtags #ChengZhirangMuQiuBreakup and #ChengZhirangWithUnknownWoman in some news, all false.
Even though it’s clearly fake, and basically no one believes it, as long as someone clicks, it increases their KPI, so they delight in spreading such news.
It’s really annoying to see.
Cheng Zhirang reached out and touched the back of her head, his eyes full of gentle warmth.
"Only you."
Mu Qiu snuggled against his palm, turned her head to kiss the vein on his wrist.
"It can only be me."
...
Cheng Zhirang’s meeting with the director was scheduled at a teahouse not far from Yishan District.
Chen Song and Assistant Wen had already arrived and were talking with the director in a private room.
Cheng Zhirang walked in with Mu Qiu. The director stood up to greet them, noticed someone behind him, and teased Cheng Zhirang during the handshake.
"Keeping you on a tight leash?"
Mu Qiu stayed silent, Cheng Zhirang chuckled and said: "Just finished another meeting and need to take her somewhere after this, so I brought her along."
At this point, Mu Qiu slightly bent over, speaking softly: "Sorry for the intrusion."
"No problem, no problem, you’re welcome."
It’s not a big deal, bringing a girlfriend is considered normal.
Once seated, Mu Qiu found herself between Cheng Zhirang and Chen Song, while Assistant Wen sat opposite, occasionally glancing their way.
Mu Qiu wasn’t planning to participate in their discussions. Once the food arrived, she focused on eating, occasionally listening to their conversation.
It seemed like the script they were discussing was sci-fi themed, with no female lead, post-apocalyptic, and an acquired IP, which already boasted a large readership.
Cheng Zhirang had never filmed such a post-apocalyptic theme before, especially when a movie with many female roles ends up with no absolute female lead; it’s not common for a director to take such a bold move.
Moreover, Cheng Zhirang would have to show his upper body.
Mu Qiu frowned, spitting out a piece of ginger she had just eaten, hissing in discomfort.
Cheng Zhirang, mid-sentence, glanced back at her, scooping some soup into a bowl and pushing it towards her.
Mu Qiu quietly picked it up and drank a couple of sips.
The relatively young director noticed their interaction and smiled: "You two seem quite close. I’ve heard Miss Mu is also an author; have you read this book?"
Mu Qiu put down her chopsticks with an inward sigh and nodded: "It’s actually a coincidence, but yes, I’ve read it."
"Oh?" All were surprised she actually had read it and looked at her.
The young director asked: "Really? What do you think of it?"
"It’s excellent."
Qing Rong productions are always top-notch.
"High praise, then Cheng Zhirang should definitely take the role."
"My high praise doesn’t mean much," Mu Qiu smiled, "It’s up to Brother Cheng and Sister Chen to decide."
The director’s smile remained unchanged, obviously accustomed to handling such deflections.
"No problem, it’s a consideration to make, naturally. But Miss Mu, have you ever considered joining the entertainment industry?"
Mu Qiu was momentarily surprised, then shook her head: "No such plans."
"You have great potential. If you were under Sister Chen’s management, your rise would be swift. Really not considering it?"
Leveraging Cheng Zhirang’s influence, her rise would indeed be unusually fast.
Mu Qiu reiterated: "No plans. Not everyone can just bite off a piece of this pie."
The director’s smile deepened: "True indeed."
It seemed like a sudden casual chat, and after saying this, he turned back to continue his conversation with Cheng Zhirang.
Chen Song leaned closer, whispering: "Are you two going on a date this afternoon?"
"...Yes, a date."
"No wonder, your outfit looks nice."
Mu Qiu looked down at her clothes.
A white printed T-shirt with a black stretch skirt, the right leg had a slit, with a small strap design, resembling a band tied directly to the thigh.
She didn’t think it was a big deal, nothing that fancy to suggest it was specially chosen for a date?
"Is this very formal?" she asked.
Chen Song shook her head: "Looks like you’re specifically going shopping. You’d better not go to a big mall, could result in congested stampede situations, not safe."
"Not going to a mall, going to my house."
Chen Song squinted at her: "That’s even less safe."
"......"
Chen Song picked up some food and sighed inwardly: Mu Qiu’s waist is getting more slender, her upper body is getting more upright, clearly reflecting their tumultuous times together.
Turns out, Cheng Zhirang’s preferences are quite predictable, liking long legs, slim waists, no makeup. Like most men.
Except most people, even if they like this, can’t have it; he does.
At that thought, another person entered her mind. She frowned briefly, immediately losing her appetite.
Mu Qiu wasn’t very hungry either.
She’d been chewing on two pieces of meat in the soup for ages, only eating one.
Chen Song noticed her listless demeanor, remembering what she just ate, squinting her eyes.
Then she whispered to Mu Qiu: "You’re not... pregnant, are you?"
"......"
Mu Qiu didn’t know when Chen Song’s eyes turned into X-rays, scanning her entire body to feel her abdomen’s temperature was different?
A bit speechless, she didn’t explain, just took her bag and opened it to show her.
Inside were little pink, yellow, purple, and blue, arranged orderly.
Chen Song coughed lightly: "Sorry about that."
It seemed this date was pretty safe as well.
The discussions didn’t last long, and the lunch wrapped up soon after. Cheng Zhirang put on a mask and followed everyone outside, shaking hands with the director at the door as they said their goodbyes.
Then everyone got into their respective cars, and before anyone noticed Cheng Zhirang, Assistant Wen quickly drove into traffic.
The car was quiet and peaceful.
Suddenly, Cheng Zhirang asked Mu Qiu: "You’ve read that book, if I took the role, what do you think?"
"On the premise of staying true to the book," Mu Qiu thought carefully and said: "It should be good. If the crew invests in quality effects, with the unique selling point of being the first dystopian IP without a female lead, plus having you, it could really be a hit."
Chen Song was quite curious: "You remember it quite well? Why do you think no female lead will make it a big hit?"
"This book is by the same author as the costume drama Qiu Shuang starred in last year," Mu Qiu remained calm but her fingers were fidgeting,
"That author happens to be my friend, the quality of their work is undeniable."
Chen Song glanced up at Cheng Zhirang, but the question was for Mu Qiu: "Is it the one who was the first to stand up for you?"
"Yes, Qing Rong," she replied straightforwardly.