Chapter 44

Yet the world was unpredictable. No one had expected that Lu Manlin, the elegant, alluring superstar who seemed to have it all, was privately a gambling addict and drug user. When Lu Xiaonong was twenty, Lu Manlin was hounded by criminal forces after signing gambling debts. With nowhere else to turn, Lu Manlin called her daughter in tears. Forced into a corner while studying at a university in America, Lu Xiaonong could only abandon her education, return home, and enter show business, using her earnings from filming and concerts to pay off her mother's debts.

After that, Lu Xiaonong dated several boyfriends in the industry. Every time a relationship reached the point of marriage, Lu Manlin would ruin it for no reason. At first, Lu Xiaonong patiently tried to communicate with her mother and asked why she kept doing this, but Lu Manlin never gave her an answer. She only insisted that Lu Xiaonong focus on her career. After getting nowhere time and again, the relationship between mother and daughter gradually froze over. Lu Xiaonong even publicly told the media that she was merely Lu Manlin's money-making tool. She said Lu Manlin feared that, once she got married, she would no longer be able to devote herself wholeheartedly to caring for her mother, which was why she kept making such unreasonable trouble.

In short, the battle between the Lu mother and daughter made entertainment media a fortune in sales and gave outsiders plenty of gossip for their after-dinner chats. Since the matter had caused such a huge uproar, when Chen Mo learned that Lu Xiaonong had been cast as Xiao Qiao, the female lead of The Three Kingdoms: Eastern Wu, he barely had to do anything. The moment he typed Lu Xiaonong's name into an online search, all that gossip immediately appeared among the top results.

Thinking of Lu Xiaonong's tense relationship with her mother, Chen Mo did not feel comfortable showing off his parents' affection in front of her. Still, he thoughtfully asked, "My mom just said on the phone that tonight's late-night snack is seafood congee. Would you like a bowl, Sister Lu?"

Lu Xiaonong had originally intended to refuse, but the words changed as they reached her lips. "Your family brought you a late-night snack. They probably want to have a proper talk with you. Wouldn't I be intruding if I were there too?"

Chen Mo smiled faintly. "How could you be? My family likes you the most, Sister Lu. If they knew you were coming for a late-night snack too, they'd definitely be happy."

Hearing that, Lu Xiaonong did not refuse again. She nodded and said, "Then I won't stand on ceremony. Come to think of it, I haven't had seafood congee in a long time."

After a pause, Lu Xiaonong added with a smile, "By the way, weren't you just saying you envied me for getting to act with Brother Chen? Is there enough food? If there is, call Yuxiu and A-Lan too. We can go over some scenes together."

Chen Mo suddenly understood. Lu Xiaonong wanted to make the excuse he had just come up with stick, so there would be no trouble later.

Of course, Chen Mo had no objection to such a small favor. He nodded at Lu Xiaonong and said, "Of course there's enough. I just don't know whether Brother Chen and Sister Zhao have time. How about this? I'll go downstairs to pick up my parents first, then call Brother Chen and Sister Zhao afterward."

Lu Xiaonong nodded with a smile. The moment Chen Mo entered the elevator, she took out her phone and sent Chen Yuxiu a text message.

When Chen Mo reached the lobby, his parents were sitting on a sofa, clutching a thermal food container as they waited. Everyone coming and going through the lobby was dressed to the nines. Even the hotel staff wore suits and ties, looking every bit like elites.

Holding a slightly faded blue thermal food container in such a lavish setting, Chen Mo's parents could not hide their nervous awkwardness in every movement. Their eyes kept darting toward the elevators.

The instant they saw Chen Mo emerge from the elevator, their eyes lit up. Father Chen rose to his feet without thinking and shouted, "Mo, over here!"

His booming voice instantly drew the attention of everyone in the lobby. Staff handling check-ins and guests chatting nearby all turned to look. Then came a wave of whispers and muffled laughter that made the atmosphere unbearably awkward.

Chen Mo's parents knew they had embarrassed him, and their faces immediately reddened with shame. They stood there stiffly, wishing they could find a crack in the floor and crawl into it.

Chen Mo froze when he saw this. Once he came back to himself, he strode toward his parents and called out loudly, "Dad, Mom. How long have you been waiting?"

The reporters and fans stationed in the lobby immediately sprang into action, crowding around with phones, cameras, and microphones raised.

Chen Mo frowned instinctively and stepped in front of his parents. "It's so late. Why aren't you all resting?"

Chen Mo's fans answered him amid excited screams, while fans of other actors asked about their own idols. Reporters mixed among the crowd took the opportunity to snap photos and ask questions. Chen Mo casually replied, "My parents came to bring me a late-night snack," then ignored the rest, shielding his parents as he led them into the elevator.

Since a major production was staying at the hotel, management was extremely strict about maintaining order for the sake of its reputation. Reporters and fans without room keycards were stopped outside the elevators by security.

Still shaken, Chen Mo's parents hugged the thermal container close and proudly said, "Our Mo really is famous now. He has so many fans!"

But after praising him, they immediately began to worry. Mother Chen changed the subject and hurriedly asked, "By the way, your dad and I embarrassed you in the lobby just now, didn't we? If we'd known, we wouldn't have come..."

"Nothing like that. Don't overthink it." Chen Mo cut her off with a smile. "It was lucky Dad called out to me just now. The hotel is so big and there are so many people—I was worried I wouldn't be able to find you. By the way, how long have you been waiting?"

Chen Mo's timely change of subject made his parents forget about whether they had embarrassed themselves. They answered automatically, "Not long. Just a little while."

Chen Mo nodded and said directly, "It's already so late. Don't go back tonight. Just stay here. The suite is large enough. You can take the master bedroom, and I'll sleep in the guest room. There's room for everyone."

Mother Chen immediately said, "That won't do. Your dad and I happened to run into a crew filming night scenes when we came over, and they ordered takeout too. The restaurant hasn't closed yet, and Big Liu is watching it—"

"Then have Brother Big Liu close up after he finishes cleaning. Don't make the trip back in the middle of the night." Chen Mo interrupted her, then smiled. "Besides, Lu Xiaonong, Zhao Lan, and Chen Yuxiu will be having a late-night snack with us tonight. Two actresses and a top film emperor. Didn't you say you loved the movies Lu Xiaonong and Chen Yuxiu made? This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance." Hearing this, Chen Mo's parents immediately hesitated. Mother Chen said uncertainly, "Would that really be all right...?"

"It should be fine. I already talked to Sister Lu. I'll call Brother Chen and Sister Zhao in a moment to ask..." Chen Mo said as he inserted the keycard and pushed open the door.

The next second, Chen Mo froze. Lu Xiaonong, Chen Yuxiu, and Zhao Lan—the very people he had just invited—were already sitting on the living room sofa, chatting. Besides them, Li Zhaoxi, who played Zhuge Liang; Fang Hong, who played Yuan Shu; and Yao Xining, who played Taishi Ci, were there as well.

Hearing movement at the door, everyone looked over and saw the three members of the Chen family standing there. They immediately rose to greet Father and Mother Chen. Lu Xiaonong smiled and explained to Chen Mo, "Didn't you say you wanted to invite us for a late-night snack, but were worried about disturbing Yuxiu and A-Lan? So I made a few calls for you. Who would have thought that A-Lan ran into Fang Hong and Xining on her way out, while Yuxiu ran into Movie Emperor Li? Everyone decided to come together. I thought it wouldn't look good for everyone to stand in the hallway, so I called the front desk and had them come open the door. You're not mad at me, are you?"

"Of course not." Chen Mo reacted at once and said with a smile, "I should be thanking you, Sister Lu. Without your help, how could I possibly have the clout to invite so many seniors over?"

Then Chen Mo immediately turned and introduced everyone in the room to his parents. Though Father and Mother Chen had run a small restaurant in the film city for decades and seen countless crews every year, they had almost no experience dealing with major celebrities. Faced with so many familiar faces famous from the big screen, they instantly became restrained.

Fortunately, every star in the room knew how to behave. In front of Chen Mo, no one made things difficult for his parents. Even Li Zhaoxi, the usually aloof Movie Emperor Li, who rarely interacted with fans in public, graciously asked whether Father and Mother Chen wanted a photo with him. The two were so delighted that they could barely stop smiling.

Still, Chen Mo's parents knew their limits. After getting autographs and photos and exchanging a few pleasantries, they quickly found an excuse to return to the bedroom to rest.

Lu Xiaonong glanced at the tightly shut door, then smiled. "Since Uncle and Auntie are resting, it wouldn't be good for all of us to disturb them. Why don't we go somewhere else?"

Just as she finished speaking, Chen Mo's phone suddenly rang.

Chapter 44

The unexpected ringtone interrupted Lu Xiaonong. Chen Mo smiled apologetically at everyone, picked up the phone lying face-down on the coffee table, and said, "Sorry, I need to take this."

Everyone nodded with smiles, signaling that he need not worry about it. Chen Mo smiled and slipped out onto the balcony, casually closing the glass door behind him. No one noticed that Movie Emperor Li, seated beside Chen Mo, briefly showed a look of surprise—

When Chen Mo picked up the phone, Li Zhaoxi had caught a glimpse of the caller ID. The name on the screen immediately made him think of certain rumors that had been circulating recently within a small circle... Now, it seemed those rumors might not have been mere rumors after all.

Li Zhaoxi quietly glanced at Chen Yuxiu. No wonder Chen Yuxiu had been unusually approachable ever since Chen Mo joined the cast. It turned out he had received the news long ago. Unfortunately for Chen Yuxiu, he was not the only well-informed person around. Otherwise, why would so many people give up their evening rest just to come join in the excitement?

Of the two women in the room, Zhao Lan, who played Da Qiao, narrowed her eyes as she studied everyone's expressions. Then she looked at the slightly faded light-blue thermal food container on the luxurious European-style dining table and suddenly smiled meaningfully. "Oh dear, it just occurred to me—with so many of us here for a late-night snack, I wonder whether there'll be enough seafood congee to go around."

Lu Xiaonong smiled and replied, "If there isn't enough, we can order more. This is a hotel. It's not as though they could be short on late-night food."

Zhao Lan merely smiled faintly at that, glanced at Lu Xiaonong, and said no more.

Out on the balcony, Chen Mo had no idea about the undercurrents swirling among the celebrities inside. Hearing Mu Yu say that he wanted to treat him to a late-night snack, Chen Mo frowned in difficulty. He glanced back into the room and said, "I'm eating right now... Yes, with people from the production... We might go over some scenes after we finish... How about we meet another time—"

As he spoke on the phone, Chen Mo rested his arm on the balcony's ornate brass railing and idly looked down. The night wind in early March was cold. Standing on the thirtieth floor and looking down, the traffic and colorful nightscape below resembled nothing more than tiny ants and scattered fireflies. He could not make out anything clearly.

But when his gaze swept across a black sedan parked beside the brightly lit musical fountain at the hotel entrance, Chen Mo's heart stirred. Though he was too far away to see the model, he still asked hesitantly, "Where are you right now?"

Mu Yu glanced regretfully at the empty, ornate gilded doors of the hotel entrance and answered calmly, "I'm still at the office. I was just about to get off work. I originally wanted to treat you to a late-night snack—"

"You're lying, aren't you?" Chen Mo suddenly asked impulsively. "Are you downstairs?"

As he spoke, Chen Mo instinctively waved down below and asked, "I just waved at you. Did you see it?"

"How could I have seen it?" Mu Yu chuckled and replied casually, "You're staying thirty floors up. Even if you waved, I wouldn't be able to see it."