Chapter 19: Am I the Heroine?

Liang Lei’s hand rested gently on the back of Fu Shuhua’s hand, her soft, hushed voice brushing against his heart like a feather.

"Shuhua, don't be like this. It’s not worth making yourself sick over it. I don’t know the reason, but perhaps Miss Jiang... perhaps she had her own hardships."

Liang Lei feigned ignorance, though in truth, she had planted informants among the medical staff. She had been well aware of the situation in the hospital room all along, simply choosing to play the innocent.

Fu Shuhua remained silent. He lit a cigarette, his hand resting on the steering wheel as he stared out the car window.

"Shuhua, please, don't do this. It’s not worth harming your own health for the sake of others." Liang Lei’s voice was as soft as a feather against his heart, and she leaned into him gently.

She comforted him in a tender tone: "It’s all my fault... If I had known you had feelings for Miss Jiang, I shouldn’t have insisted on rehearsing with her just to satisfy my itch for acting. If not for that, she wouldn’t have fallen into the water, and none of this would have happened..."

Liang Lei reached out to cover his hand, her body leaning lightly against him. As the man’s fiancée, she sensed that the relationship between Jiang Dian and Fu Shuhua was far from ordinary, yet she neither wept nor made a scene.

Fu Shuhua shifted his hand on the steering wheel, turned his head, and looked at Liang Lei.

"It’s not your fault."

"Shuhua, have you really forgiven me?" Liang Lei picked up a handkerchief to dab at non-existent tears. No one saw the faint, imperceptible curve of her lips.

Seeing his fiancée’s self-reproach, Fu Shuhua let out a long sigh. "It had nothing to do with you in the first place."

He reached out to pull her shoulder toward him, patting her back gently. "Alright, stop crying. We are getting married soon. The film set is a chaotic, murky place; it’s no environment for you."

"Okay." Liang Lei looked up, her tear-filled eyes appearing utterly pitiful. She bit her lip and forced a smile. "I’ll do whatever you say, Shuhua."

Liang Lei nestled obediently in his arms, chatting idly about happenings on set, occasionally "accidentally" mentioning Jiang Dian, only to quickly offer a soft apology. Watching her cautious demeanor, Fu Shuhua’s mood began to lift from its earlier depths.

As the car pulled up to the Liang family villa, Liang Lei unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to him. "Thank you for bringing me home."

"Don't mention it," Fu Shuhua waved a hand. "Get some rest early."

"Yes, you too."

Fu Shuhua watched her walk into the villa before he finally started the car and drove away.

***

In the hospital room, I lay flat on the bed, my hand over my forehead, my heart a jumble of emotions. I thought of how Fu Shuhua had gone out of his way to buy the pan-fried dumplings I liked, but the image quickly shifted to the sharp, biting contempt on his face when he had spoken to me and Gu Yan earlier.

This man was always like this—impossible to pin down.

I let out a long sigh. Just then, Gu Yan knocked and entered.

"Tiantian, the doctor says you can be discharged tomorrow. What are your plans?"

I shook my head.

To call them "plans" was a stretch; in truth, I had no room for choice.

"I’ll go back to the set and finish the film." Even though Director Wang had made things difficult for me, the contract was still in his hands. I had no choice but to endure, and for the rest, I could only pray that Liang Lei would stop looking for trouble.

My own capabilities were truly too limited—that was the very reason I had initially sought a benefactor to protect me.

I forced a weak smile at Gu Yan. "Senior, I’m stuck with this film, but for the next one, it’s a deal—you have to look out for me! I’m really looking forward to it..."

Before I could finish, Gu Yan strode toward me and slapped a piece of paper onto the table with a sharp thud.

"Tiantian, don't go back there. Come with me to a new production instead. The original schedule has changed; filming is starting early."

"And this time, you are the lead actress."

My eyes widened, and I looked at Gu Yan in utter disbelief.

"I... am the lead?"