The crew's boxed lunches were uniformly distributed by the set manager and were generally average. However, ever since becoming close with Sister Fu, Gu Suisui's quality of life had dramatically improved. Whenever Fu Yingyu's assistant Xiao Wu went out to buy food, she would always bring back a portion for her too.
Especially today, Gu Suisui found fried chicken legs in the lunch box at noon!!
The golden, crispy coating was covered in breadcrumbs, releasing a mouthwatering aroma the moment she opened the box.
"Thank you, Sister Fu! You're the best~" She absolutely loved fried chicken legs (/≧▽≦/)～
Gu Suisui grabbed the chicken leg and took a bite with satisfaction. The exterior was crispy yet tender, leaving her mouth pleasantly full of oil. The little cotton candy can only temporarily put down her "idol image" when eating, temporarily forgetting about paying attention to things like maintaining image.
Fu Yingyu pulled out a tissue to wipe her mouth, saying helplessly: "Eat slowly, no one's going to fight you for it. It's all yours."
Compared to the sumptuous lunch prepared for the child that could make anyone's mouth water, Fu Yingyu's own meal was much simpler – just a vegetable salad.
The role Fu Yingyu was currently playing required her to wear a cheongsam in the film, which had extremely strict requirements for an actress's figure. Until filming wrapped up, she didn't dare eat much.
When Gu Suisui saw the pile of green leaves in Sister Fu's bowl, her small face scrunched up like a bun, clearly expressing her distaste. After some thought, she quickly used her chopsticks to transfer the braised beef from her bowl, and said softly: "Sister Fu, why are you only eating leaves? Did the assistant sister forget to buy you meat? It's okay, you can have all the meat from my bowl. Mama says eating meat helps you grow taller."
Though the little cotton candy was protective of her food, she was very generous to people who were good to her.
Seeing the child's sincere concern, Fu Yingyu's lips tightened, her dark eyes warming with affection. Then, thinking of something, she raised an eyebrow, her gaze fell upon the chicken leg Gu Suisui had only taken one bite out of, and deliberately sighed: "...But what if I don't want the meat in your bowl and want your chicken leg instead?"
My chicken leg!!
Gu Suisui clearly hesitated this time, and only after a good while did she finally make up her mind. She extended her hand with the chicken leg, turning her head away to avoid looking at her beloved chicken, saying aggrievedly: "Sister Fu, you can have this chicken leg. I'm very generous, it's... it's all yours!"
Losing something delicious seemed quite devastating for a three-and-a-half-year-old child – her whole demeanor wilted.
Haha, how can this little crybaby's reaction be so cute?
Fu Yingyu, seeing the obvious reluctance in the little girl's beautiful almond eyes, laughed rather unscrupulously: "Alright, alright, most generous little Gu Suisui, Sister Fu was just teasing you. How about this – I'll just take one bite of the chicken leg, and the rest is all yours, okay?"
With that, Fu Yingyu leaned over and took a bite of the chicken leg in Gu Suisui's hand, showing no concern that the food had already been eaten by the little one.
She hadn't planned to eat any, but seeing how much the child enjoyed it, her own appetite was piqued, and she couldn't resist trying a bite.
The fried chicken leg was indeed delicious – no wonder little Gu Suisui loved it so much.
When her manager Hao Peng came to visit the set, he saw his artist sitting in a chair, smilingly eating from the chicken leg held by the little girl beside her, the two appearing very close.
Hao Peng was dumbfounded: "...??!" Who am I? Where am I? What did I just see?
These days, Hao Peng had been busy dealing with Fu Yingyu's potential contract termination with the company. He needed to make preparations in advance, so he hadn't visited the set for several days. Seeing this unusual scene today gave him quite a shock.
Speaking of his artist, she had always maintained extremely strong self-control regarding her figure management, requiring no oversight from him as her manager. To look better on camera, she always carefully calculated the calories of every meal she ate on set.
Of course, occasionally eating high-calorie food wasn't a big deal. What shocked him was her unusually close interaction with the little girl.
What is going on today? Has the sun risen from the west?
Too shocked to speak coherently, Hao Peng's first words were: "Yingyu, these... these are all calories!"
Actually, what he really wanted to ask was what was going on between her and this little girl.
Hearing this strange term, Gu Suisui tilted her head and asked curiously: "Sister Fu, what are calories?"
Can you... can you eat them?
Fu Yingyu patted the little one's head and said: "As a child, you don't need to care about such things. Stay here and enjoy your lunch. I need to discuss something with that uncle, I'll be back soon."
A child with a little baby fat on her face is so adorable. At this age, if she can't eat whatever she wants to her heart's content, life would be too miserable.
Perhaps due to their daily interactions recently, Fu Yingyu had already begun treating Gu Suisui like her own little sister, so she didn't want her to worry about trivial matters while eating like she herself did.
Besides, watching the little crybaby eat always looked particularly delightful, giving one a sense of peaceful contentment.
She hoped the child could remain carefree like this forever.
After brushing off Gu Suisui's curious question, Fu Yingyu gave Hao Peng a meaningful look. The two left the set finding a quieter place to talk.
"What did you want to talk about?" Fu Yingyu asked casually, her expression indifferent.
Hao Peng glanced around, and seeing no one nearby, said: "Nothing much, just came to check on you and update you about the contract situation. Yingyu, I want to ask you one more time – are you really sure about terminating the contract with the company?"
"There's no turning back once you've drawn the bow. Once news of your contract termination with Tianhao Entertainment spreads, not only will you be unable to stay with the company, but it'll also cause quite a stir online. You'll face many difficulties then. I hope you'll consider this carefully and not act impulsively because of Ji Min."
The company's actions were indeed unfair this time, but it wasn't certain who would become the top actress – there might still be room for maneuver.
Moreover, given Fu Yingyu's current status, the company wouldn't easily let her go. It wasn't as simple as just paying the contract termination fee – there might be complications along the way...
Fu Yingyu chuckled: "When have I, Fu Yingyu, ever regretted my decisions? I'll say it again – I'm definitely terminating my contract with Tianhao Entertainment! I can't stay in the same company as Ji Min anymore – either it's me or her. Hao Peng, you've been my manager for three years, you know me. If you have other thoughts or plans, I won't stop you."
She wouldn't force someone with two minds to stay by her side.
Hao Peng had already decided what to do the day she first mentioned contract termination. He said firmly: "Yingyu, since you're determined to leave, how could I possibly stay with the company?"
Whether out of years of loyalty or simply for his own career development, following Fu Yingyu was currently his best option.
Hearing his words, Fu Yingyu's cold expression softened slightly, but she had never been one for soft words. She could only pat his shoulder and promise: "Even with a new company, you'll always be my manager. That will never change."
Hao Peng wanted to ask about the little girl, but seeing that Fu Yingyu didn't seem to be interested in talking about this, he let it go.
With his good memory, he naturally recognized the little girl as the one who had been with Lu Chi at the Dormant set.
Last time, he had vaguely sensed that Yingyu's attitude toward this little girl was unusually warm, suspecting they might have known each other before. She, who typically minded her own business, had actually gone to comfort a crying child with candy. Now it seemed his suspicions were confirmed.
Hao Peng wasn't an assertive manager. His principle in dealing with people was to avoid making enemies whenever possible.
When he first started managing Fu Yingyu, it was different – he still had some managerial authority. But as her career developed, he began following his artist's lead on all major decisions, at most he would give her suggestions from the side. Even with something as important as terminating the current contract, it was no exception.
Thinking about Fu Yingyu's close relationship with the little girl, Hao Peng suddenly remembered something.
If Fu Yingyu wanted to terminate her contract with Tianhao Entertainment, she'd need to find another company first. Among other major entertainment companies in the country, Qin Entertainment would be the best choice. Not only was Qin Entertainment financially strong, but the key was, while they had numerous powerful male artists, they lacked a top female artist. If Fu Yingyu went there, her career development wouldn't be any worse than at Tianhao Entertainment – it might even be better.
And Lu Chi's company was precisely Qin Entertainment.
Thinking this through, Hao Peng suddenly understood everything. All his previous confusion cleared up.
...So she has been planning to switch companies since then.
==
"Little sister, do you know where Fu Yingyu went?"
Gu Suisui, who was eating, heard someone talking to her. She looked up and saw a fashionably dressed woman.
The person wore a sleeveless chiffon dress that revealed her slender, fair calves. Her small, delicate oval face appeared harmless, pure and sweet.
Gu Suisui curiously looked at the beautiful bling-bling dress she wore, blinked her eyes and replied politely: "Sister, Sister Fu isn't here, she left for something. If you want to find her, please come back later."
Wow! This sister's dress is so pretty, it even sparkles bling-bling in the sunlight (/≧▽≦/)～
The little cotton candy also wanted to wear this kind of bling-bling skirt...
Hearing that Fu Yingyu wasn't there, Ji Min's face showed a meaningful smile. She sat down beside the little girl and said with a smile: "I'm not looking for Fu Yingyu, I came to see you, little sister."
Gu Suisui was puzzled: "Me?"
"Yes, and I brought you some delicious treats – freshly made pastries. They are soft and milky, perfect for children your age." As she spoke, Ji Min had her assistant place what she'd brought on the table.
Gu Suisui's nose twitched, indeed smelling the unique milky fragrance of the pastries.
Ji Min: "Little sister, what's your name? Can you tell your sister?"
With the pastries as groundwork, even though Gu Suisui vaguely felt this sister wasn't as gentle and kind as she appeared, she still politely answered her question.
Ji Min and Fu Yingyu had known each other for a long time, and she believed she understood her personality and temperament well. In her view, this woman wouldn't be so kind to a child without reason.
Until she accidentally heard something from Director He Zhiliang – he said the little girl playing young Fu Yingyu had eyes quite similar to hers.
This comment made Ji Min suddenly understand something.
As for the woman on set who claimed to be the little girl's mother, she was probably someone Fu Yingyu found to cover things up. The stark difference in the mother and daughter's looks made it impossible for them to be related.
—Oh, Fu Yingyu, Fu Yingyu, once I find a way to get information from this little girl and catch your handle, let's see how you compete with me for the top position in the company when news of your premarital pregnancy gets out.
With various schemes running through her mind, Ji Min's smile grew warmer, perfectly playing the role of a gentle big sister. However, she secretly turned on her phone's recording function.
What she didn't know was that sitting before her wasn't an ordinary child. Gu Suisui immediately sensed something was wrong the moment Ji Min's malicious intent surfaced.
Hmm? Such strong malice. Does this sister want to harm me?
But why? She just gave me delicious pastries.
Before the innocent Gu Suisui could figure things out, she saw Sister Fu, who was very kind to her, coming over from a distance.
Acting on instinct to avoid danger, she quickly stood up from her chair and ran to Fu Yingyu's side, gently tugged at her clothes and whispered: "Sister Fu, this sister suddenly came over saying she wanted to talk to me about something. I'm... I'm a little scared."