In the entertainment industry, people always praise the powerful and bully the weak, especially when someone is very popular. However, Lu Yinbing never thought that this would happen to her. To be more precise, she would be the one being "bullied", and the other person being praised would be Xia Yitong, her lover.
She knew in her heart that these were just some illogical remarks made by some fans, and she also knew that Xia Yitong was her lover, and that she was getting better and better, so she should be happy for her. However, a layer of gloom gradually covered her heart because of the completely different situations they were in now...
Lu Yinbing didn't search for information about herself on the Internet, she didn't dare to. She wasn't afraid of getting up again after falling, but she was afraid that someone would slander her behind her back. She used to have the capital, but now she has no confidence when she speaks. Once she loses the confidence, she is not sure if she can still face those doubts and criticisms.
She sat on the sofa in the living room for a long time, her thoughts wandering uncontrollably, until a pair of hands pressed on her shoulders.
"What are you daydreaming about?" Xia Yitong put his arm around her shoulders and sat down with his legs touching hers. Even in the hot summer, he didn't feel hot at all. Every time he got home, the first thing he did was to touch Lu Yinbing and have some physical contact with her.
Lu Yinbing kept staring at Xia Yitong, and Xia Yitong pecked her on the lips and said with a smile: "Why are you looking at me like that? Is there money growing on my face?"
“…” Lu Yinbing smiled, with very shallow smile lines at the corners of his eyes.
Xia Yitong: "Why aren't you talking?"
Lu Yinbing said: "I read the news about you online today, and everyone is praising you."
Xia Yitong: "Ah, what's wrong? I knew it a long time ago. I've been praised for two months. I've already been proud of myself."
"Nothing, I just feel that you have grown up." Lu Yinbing looked at her and swallowed the second half of his words. You have grown up and no longer need my protection.
"You're talking like I'm your daughter. I don't want another mother. You know, today Mother Xue asked me to wag her tail." Xia Yitong was thirsty after driving all the way here. She picked up an orange from the fruit plate on the table, peeled it, and handed half to Lu Yinbing. "I'm your wife. There's no such thing as grown up or not. I'm mature now."
She has matured. Her features, eyes and every move have the charm of a mature woman. The flower of her life has just blossomed to its best age.
Lu Yinbing chewed it and immediately felt a slight bitterness in the orange in his mouth.
Xia Yitong ate an orange in two or three bites. It was small, so he gave half to Lu Yinbing. He was not hungry, so he took another one, peeled it and split it in the middle. Before he handed it to Lu Yinbing, he said he didn't need it, so Xia Yitong swallowed it himself. He didn't have time to talk, and ate three in a row before he sighed with satisfaction.
"If someone doesn't know you, they would think you are very poor since you eat an orange so voraciously." Lu Yinbing couldn't help but touch her head.
Xia Yitong rubbed her palm and said, "I'm happy with you. It has nothing to do with what I eat."
Lu Yinbing was shivering with goose bumps.
Xia Yitong laughed, and like a half-coquettish person, she squeezed into Lu Yinbing's arms and pressed her down on the sofa. They hadn't done that for a long time, and Lu Yinbing was distracted by her push.
After Xia Yitong pressed her under him, he reached out his long arm, grabbed the phone on the coffee table, checked the time, and stuffed the phone into Lu Yinbing's hand. He buried his face in her neck, and a muffled voice came from under her neck: "Sleep for a while, call me in five minutes, at 4:45, I have an announcement."
Lu Yinbing: “…”
Xia Yitong yawned, and within three seconds, she fell asleep on Lu Yinbing's body with her limbs clasped like an octopus.
Lu Yinbing raised her hand and gestured to the side of her face, at least she didn't slap her in the face. She took advantage of Xia Yitong's sleep to observe her carefully, and suddenly remembered the comment from a netizen: "Is Xia Yitong the most likely person to take over her position among the young actresses in the entertainment industry?"
Others may not know, but as Xia Yitong's lover, Lu Yinbing knows better than anyone else about Xia Yitong's potential and where she is now. If Xia Yitong continues on this path, she may become a new legend. She is an unpolished jade, and she knew it a long time ago. After being polished by herself, Qin Hanlin, and Director Cheng, she finally began to show her brilliance. She is gentle and introverted, but she moistens things silently.
She heard from Xue Yao that many directors are interested in her now, and she has completely entered the film industry. When "Foster Mother" is released and nominated for several important awards, as long as her acting skills are certified by the industry, she will embark on a path she has never reached before.
Looking at herself, she suffered from illness and had problems with the most important aspect, memory. Her light was gradually dimming. She could no longer guide Xia Yitong and could no longer be her star.
Many thoughts flashed through Lu Yinbing's mind, all of which led to a pessimistic result. She quickly pulled her thoughts back to a stop, turned on the screen of her mobile phone, and was shocked to find that ten minutes had passed.
Every second counts for an artist, so Lu Yinbing quickly woke Xia Yitong up: "It's time, we're going to be late."
Xia Yitong was woken up by her. Before he could wrap his mind around what was going on, he heard her yelling in his ear that she was going to be late. He hurriedly grabbed his cell phone and put it in his trouser pocket, turned his back to her, waved, and trotted away.
"I'm not coming back for dinner tonight, you can go to bed first and don't have to wait for me!" Xia Yitong's voice disappeared outside the door.
Xia Yitong has been very busy lately. She doesn't come back until midnight every night and occasionally has to fly out of town. When she is in this city, Lu Yinbing prepares all kinds of midnight snacks for her to nourish her body, such as black chicken and codonopsis soup, glutinous rice dumplings... After all the hard work, she didn't lose weight, but gained a few pounds.
In mid-September, on the evening of the finale of "Mei Qi", everyone at the radio station and the crew, including Lu Yinbing in front of the TV, held their breath, waiting for the final ratings to be announced.
The moment the ending song played, the real-time ratings came out: 5.9!
Everyone clapped their hands vigorously, expressed regret and exclaimed that it was a pity, and then there was carnival and celebration. Xia Yitong happened to be in a city in the south at that time, and Lu Yinbing connected with her via video, and the two of them watched the finale together.
"A great master, Big Sister." Lu Yinbing flattered.
"No way. No matter how powerful a master is, he will be in your pocket, right?" Xia Yitong followed her words and made a bowing gesture.
Lu Yinbing: "That requires you to let me take the things from your pocket. When will you be back?"
Xia Yitong said, "I'm on a flight at noon tomorrow. I have to go to an opening ceremony after landing and be home before nine o'clock."
"Then you should go to bed early."
"You should go to bed early too. Good night, Teacher Lu." Xia Yitong sat on the bed, slid down her upper body, and crawled into the quilt.
"Good night, Teacher Xia." Lu Yinbing hung up the video, packed up the things on the table, turned around and went upstairs alone. When she reached the stairs, she suddenly turned around and took a look. She had never felt that this house was so big before.
Then he fixed his eyes, and a dark shadow gradually emerged in the darkness in front of him, and the sound of people talking kept making noises in his ears. Lu Yinbing's temples jumped violently, and he quickly returned to the room, slammed the door shut, and pressed his back against the door. His heart was beating wildly in his chest, and his throat was so dry that he couldn't speak.
She slowly slid down the door panel, sat on the ground, and pressed her forehead to the floor. The huge roar in her ears made it impossible for her to stand up. She bent down hard, and the phone in her pocket fell out. Her nose was sweating. Lu Yinbing looked at the camera of the phone, unlocked the screen, and the built-in smart AI recognized the two words she shouted and dialed the call for her.
"Are you in a bad mood, Bingbing? Why are you calling your mother so late?" Liu Xinmin said on the other end of the phone.
Lu Yinbing couldn't speak, only heavy breathing came through the microphone. Liu Xinmin heard it and her heart skipped a beat. She understood and comforted him, "We'll pick you up right away. Wait a moment."
"Old Lu, our daughter!" She banged on the door. Lu Yunzhang was still taking a shower in the bathroom. He panicked when he heard this. He didn't even shave, threw everything aside, wiped the foam off his body with a bath towel, grabbed some clothes from the closet outside, and drove to Lu Yinbing's villa with Liu Xinmin. He drove a long way before he realized that he was wearing a sweater.
Liu Xinmin didn't hang up the phone the whole way and kept talking to Lu Yinbing. Even though Lu Yinbing might not be able to hear what she was saying, she still wanted to talk. Her eyes turned red as she spoke, but she didn't dare to cry for fear of being heard by Lu Yinbing. Lu Yunzhang frowned and stepped on the accelerator deeper, directly crossing the speed limit. Liu Xinmin patted his shoulder and Lu Yunzhang loosened his foot a little.
Half an hour later, the two arrived at Lu Yinbing's villa and took Lu Yinbing directly back home.
Liu Xinmin waited until she calmed down, poured her a cup of hot tea, rubbed her hands and advised: "Bingbing, why don't you move back home? At first you had someone to take care of you there, but now you're all alone."
Lu Yinbing said: "If Xia Yitong doesn't come back at night, Xue Yao will come over. Today is an accident."
Liu Xinmin: "That's better at home. We have so many servants. If you have any instructions, it will be much more convenient."
Lu Yinbing: "I..."
Lu Yunzhang interrupted her and said coldly: "Let Xia Yitong move in with us. There are no paparazzi here, so there is nothing to be afraid of."
Lu Yinbing pressed his fingers on his forehead, knowing that he couldn't refuse, and sighed, "Okay."
When Xia Yitong heard that she had moved back home, she was stunned for a moment. She wanted to ask something but was blocked by Lu Yinbing. She missed home and her parents missed her, so she moved back. She kept interrupting her and Xia Yitong forgot what she wanted to say. In the end, she was happy for her and said, "I'm busy these days and don't have time to take care of you. I feel relieved when you are with your parents. I will go back tomorrow night and bring you some snacks you like."
On the first day of October, National Day, Xia Yitong received good news: "Foster Mother" was shortlisted for seven awards including this year's Golden Crow Awards for Best Film, and Xia Yitong was nominated for Best Actress.