After breakfast, the driver took Ning Ran to the movie set.
It was time again for another session of intense filming.
Todayâs movie was especially important as it was a highly anticipated movie that the crew had been preparing for a long time.
But Ning Ran wasnât feeling herself because of her stomach ache.
She thought about it for a moment. I only had tomato egg Noodles this morning, thatâs what I usually make. Nothing seemed off about the food I had either. Why am I having an upset tummy?
The movie was important, so she knew she had to give her best in portraying the essence of the movie.
However, her body wasnât cooperating with her to be in the swing of things.
Everyone could see that she wasnât in her best state.
Although the director dared not say anything to her, everyone could tell that the director wasnât happy about it from the frown.
âIâm sorry, Director. My tummy keeps hurtingâ¦I canât get into my best state. Allow me to readjust myself; Iâll feel better,â said Ning Ran, who also felt upset.
âIs it because youâre too tired?â The director asked, concerned.
âNope, itâs just my stomach hurting.â
âCould it be because you had something bad?â
âI donât think so. The food Iâve eaten for the past two days were fine. Nothing seemed off,â Ning Ran responded.
âTake a short rest then,â The director said.
âDing, are you alright?â
Tang Jing asked as she walked towards her.
Tang Jing was a highly-educated, beautiful and intelligent actress, who has always been modest since the day she joined the filming set. She was also known to handle all her matters very diligently.
That said, she was undeniably popular around the crew, especially among the male crews because of her stunning look.
Ning Ran was also beautiful, but because she was known to be a member of the Nan family, the crew members never put any thought on it.
Therefore, ever since Tang Jing replaced Luo Fei in the previous set, she had become the most popular actress among the crew.
âThank you for your concern. Iâm alright. Itâs just that my stomach is hurting a little.â
âMy manager has brought some generic medication. Should I get two painkillers for you?â Tang Jing asked thoughtfully.
âSure, thank you.â
Tang Jing asked her assistant to bring painkillers, and Ning Ran took two pills. She wasnât sure if it was a psychological effect, but she was indeed felt much better.
Then, the filming proceeded.
But the next scene was going to be more challenging as Ning Ran and Tang Jing had to act under the rain.
For such a scene, many popular celebrities would use stunt doubles to cover for them. But Ning Ran was not a famous actress, so there was no one assigned to stand in for her.
She could only pull through with her wearied body. The rain machine dispersed water vigorously to produce thick droplets, which were denser than those from an actual downpour.
However, Tang Jing continuously made mistakes which resulted in numerous NGs. Despite having many shots taken, there were none that made the cut.
Tang Jingâs acting skills were satisfactory, and she was in her ideal state as well. Nobody knew what went wrong today; she just kept making mistakes.
The director had no choice but to call cut.
Ning Ran, who was unwell, to begin with, felt like she was going to collapse after being drenched under the water for such a long time.
âShould we stop filming for today and continue after youâve adjusted into a better state?â The director asked Tang Jing.
âItâs okay, I should be fine. Iâm just worried about Ding because she looks really sick. She has always been my role model and because she wasnât in her best state, I was out of form too,â Tang Jing replied.
âDing isnât in her best state because her body is unwell. You, not being in your best state, is because of yourself. You shouldnât blame others for it,â The director reminded Tang Jing.
âThatâs for sure, Iâm not blaming anyone. Itâs just that worrying about Ding got me carried away. Iâll try to keep myself in check. Letâs try again for now. If it still doesnât work, weâll continue tomorrow. Iâm really sorry about this,â Tang Jing said guiltily.
After taking a short break, they continued filming again.
However, Tang Jing was still struggling and repeatedly making mistakes.
This particular scene under the rain took them several hours to film.
When the director finally told them it was over, Ning Ran felt as if she was about to lose her balance.
Just as she entered the resting area, her vision turned black and she collapsed.
When Ning Ran finally regained consciousness, she was already on the ambulance.
Ning Ran panicked a little when she heard the siren of the ambulance as she had never been one before.
âDoctor, whatâs wrong with me?â Ning Ran asked weakly.
âWe have not done a proper examination so itâs hard to come up with a diagnosis, but we suspect that it is due to over-exhaustion. Please stop talking for now. Close your eyes and get some rest. â
âAlright, thank you doctor.â
Ning Ran was feeling undeniably tired. Her eyelids were heavy and she didnât feel like talking.
Later that night, Ning Ranâs fever showed no signs of subsiding.
The doctor said it was nothing serious. She had acute enteritis and high fever because she had overworked herself. Her body had become weak, which was why she passed out. The doctorâs suggestion was for her to stay in the hospital for future monitoring because her fever may lead to other problems.
Tang Jing remained by her side and diligently took care of all the necessary paperwork.
Ning Ran felt bad about it so she told Tang Jing to head home and rest. However, the latter insisted on staying and said she will only leave when her fever subsides.
Since Ning Ran couldnât convince her or physically chase her away, the only thing she could do was thank her repeatedly.
â¦
Nanshi Corporationâs Headquarters.
Nan Chen, who just ended a meeting, returned to his office. He leaned back onto his chair and closed his eyes to take a nap.
He needed a short break as he had another video conference after this.
His schedule today was extremely packed and the longest break he could take was five minutes.
The reason he was in a hurry to finish his work promptly was so that he could return to Red Maple City and accompany his two children.
After staying two days in Red Maple City, Nan Chen might be slightly addicted to that place.
Those warm feelings he had felt were something he had never experienced before. He did have a home with the Nan family, but when compared to the home in Red Maple City, he always felt that something was missing.
After all these years, he had never found out what it was until he found it in Red Maple City.
As for what it actually was, Nan Chen couldnât put it into words.
âSir Chen.â Jiang Zhe walked in.
âTime until the next meeting?â Nan Chen asked.
âTwo minutes.â
âIâll be there in a bit.â
âAnd one more thingâ¦â
âWeâll talk about it after this meeting. Leave the room for now.â Nan Chen interrupted him.
Jiang Zhe hesitated for a while and went out.
Two minutes later, Nan Chen opened his eyes. He appeared bright-eyed as he walked into the multipurpose conference room.
âSir Chen, should I check on Ms. Ding?â Jiang Zhe asked cautiously.
Nan Chen stopped in his tracks, âWhat do you mean?â
âMs. Ding has fainted on set. She is now in the hospitalâ¦â
âWhy didnât you say it earlier?â Nan Chen asked furiously.
âI saw that you were busy with the conference, soâ¦â
Nan Chen turned around and walked to the escalator, âPrepare the car, weâre going to the hospital.â
âThe meetingâ¦â
âCancel it!â
âYes, sir.â
A few minutes later, when they were on their way to the hospital, Jiang Zhe dialed Wang Yanâs number.
âAssistant Jiang, I am Wang Yan.â The director quavered, already having a bad feeling about it.
âSir Chen has some questions for you.â Jiang Zhe switched to speaker mode.
âPlease go ahead, Master Chen.â
âWhat should I say?â Nan Chen asked callously.
Wang Yan was stunned as he thought, Oh God, how should I respond?
Wang Yan was an experienced man and instantly reacted. âMaster Chen, this is all my fault! I deserve to die! I shouldnât have let Ms. Ding film a raining scene knowing she wasnât feeling well.â
âWhy arenât you dead then?â Nan Chen retorted.
Next Chapter q