Chapter 29: The Third Contestant Appears

So all of Sheng Zhaoming’s strange actions and sudden care these past few days were because he knew she had a terminal illness, that she was a dying person?

This was truly a ridiculous situation.

Lu Hui: “…”

The foreign doctor looked at the two of them strangely. Sheng Zhaoming, with a cold face, pulled her arm and left the doctor’s office.

He frowned, deeply confused. “This doesn’t make sense. I clearly checked…”

He had found her medical records—mid to late stage, with widespread metastasis.

Lu Hui stared at him with wide eyes. “You checked up on me?!”

Sheng Zhaoming, with a guilty conscience, was both surprised and scared. The pain and sleepless nights he had endured now seemed like a joke. He had gone through so much trouble bringing a foreign doctor, and now it was all for nothing. No wonder she wasn’t anxious about getting treated—he had made a big deal out of nothing.

“It was you who said to Xie Ran that you had a terminal illness. That’s how I found out.”

“You investigated me? You invaded my privacy! Do you know what you’ve done?” She was furious that he had secretly investigated her life, using his money and power.

Sheng Zhaoming was just as angry at her accusations. He had been misled and manipulated. “If you hadn’t fooled Xie Ran with fake medical records, I wouldn’t have been tricked.”

Lu Hui found it laughable. “Do you want me to actually have a terminal illness and die sooner?”

Sheng Zhaoming’s handsome face tightened, his teeth clenched. “I didn’t mean that.”

Lu Hui laughed and retorted, “Then why are you angry now? I was fooling him, not you.”

She had a talent for getting under people’s skin, and Sheng Zhaoming couldn’t say a word. After a long pause, he lowered his gaze, staring blankly at her face, his tone stiff. “I just didn’t expect you to use this kind of thing to deceive people.”

Sheng Zhaoming took a couple of long strides, his legs easily covering the distance of two normal steps. He moved closer to her, his body looming. “Do you think this is funny? Watching others worry about your health and suffer? Does it make you feel good?”

Lu Hui was probably trying to kill him with her words. “Yeah, it’s pretty satisfying.”

She had thought that Sheng Zhaoming’s strange and kind attitude was some kind of ploy, but it seemed it was just a cheap and insincere attempt at sympathy.

So they only learn to cherish her when she’s on the brink of death? Isn’t that pathetic?

Lu Hui lazily said, “Don’t make yourself out to be my savior. We’re not even that close—just plastic sibling love.”

Sheng Zhaoming was so enraged he almost lost his mind, his temples throbbing, his brain on fire. He gave her a thumbs up, repeating “good” in a stern tone, with no room for retreat. “You’re right, we don’t have much of a relationship. This whole situation is my fault, I acted pathetic in front of you.”

Lu Hui thought he was acting crazy, his mental state not quite right.

What could she say to that? After some thought, she shot back, “As long as you know, brother.”

Sheng Zhaoming reached out and pinched her chin, then sharply pushed it away. His gaze was like a cold pond, and his voice was low and indifferent. “Don’t call me ‘brother.'”

Lu Hui felt her temper was really good, so she obediently changed her words. “Alright, Your Highness.”

Sheng Zhaoming’s mood changed faster than flipping a book. Lu Hui silently mocked his dog-like temper, which hadn’t changed at all.

He stared at her eyes, like a hunter who had been waiting for a long time for his prey. “What did you do during the month you disappeared?”

Lu Hui thought of a good excuse. “Making money.”

Sheng Zhaoming didn’t believe her. To this day, he still couldn’t find out what she was doing that month. His company never raised useless people. For such a small matter to remain unsolved was truly abnormal.

He stared at her eyes for almost two minutes, but when he didn’t find any signs, he turned his gaze away and coldly left.

Lu Hui treated it like a free checkup, coming in with confusion and leaving happily. When she returned to the Sheng family, she met Sheng Lian in the living room.

Lu Hui wasn’t sure how to address Sheng Lian, since they hadn’t talked much.

Sheng Lian asked, “Did you come back by yourself?”

Lu Hui nodded. “Yeah, just me.”

Sheng Lian seemed a little puzzled. “I saw you leaving with my brother this morning. Didn’t you come back together?”

“He probably had something to do.”

“Oh.” Sheng Lian took a can of milk from the fridge and sipped it slowly. Then she said, “The aunt who usually cooks isn’t here tonight. I’m thinking of ordering takeout. What do you want to eat?”

“I have a schedule tomorrow, so I won’t have dinner tonight.”

“Alright, I watched two episodes of your drama last night. You did really well.”

Lu Hui responded politely to her gentle and polite step-sister, “Thank you.”

Sheng Zhaoming didn’t come home until late at night. It seemed like he had drunk a lot. Even from a distance, the smell of alcohol was noticeable. He tugged at his tie and closed his eyes, leaning back on the sofa cushions. After a while, he opened his eyes, took out his phone, and dialed Lu Hui’s number.

Lu Hui had already fallen asleep, but the ringtone woke her up. “Hello?”

Sheng Zhaoming squinted, ordering her to do something for him. “Come downstairs and make me some soup.”

When Lu Hui recognized who the voice belonged to, she immediately hung up.

Sheng Zhaoming kept calling her, his calls continuously connecting, until he realized she had blocked him.

Not knowing what was happening, he opened WeChat, found her profile, and began sending messages one after another.

【Wake up.】

【Brother’s hungry.】

【I forgive you for deliberately messing with me. I advise you not to be ungrateful.】

【Come here and flatter me, understood?】

By the fifth message, he saw a bright red exclamation mark on the screen.

？？？So daring, blocking him!

---

The next day, Lu Hui did indeed have an event to attend. She went to the station to cooperate with the crew for a few simple interviews. The main focus of the drama was still on the male and female leads. Fans had gotten wind of the actors’ activities and had been waiting outside the TV station since early morning.

The female lead and the female supporting actress had equal popularity, which made things a little awkward.

Unexpectedly, Lu Hui’s fans ended up overshadowing the female lead.

As soon as Lu Hui got out of the car, she heard someone shout, “Xiao Huixiang, don’t forget to wear long underwear!!!”

The TV station’s interview was supposed to last about two hours, with most questions directed at the male lead and the female lead. Lu Hui sat there hungry, enduring an hour of being ignored, as if she were invisible. Since it was close to lunchtime, she thought she would have a chance to eat during the break.

However, the staff sternly told her she couldn’t. The interview was about to resume. After waiting another half hour, the female lead was still getting her makeup touched up, so they had to wait again.

Lu Hui thought that surely she could eat by now, but the staff told her again that it was not possible.

Lu Hui was a little angry. “I see you have no questions for me, so why not just put up a stand-in for me? It’ll have the same effect.”

Xiao Huixiang was never one to endure. She wasn’t afraid of being scolded, hehe.

“Miss Lu, please respect the press team. We’ve been preparing for a long time. You’ll be next.”

“You told me the same thing an hour ago. If you really don’t need anything from me, I’d like to eat first,” Lu Hui said with her large, beautiful round eyes, blinking innocently. “Otherwise, I’ll really think you want to starve me.”

The editor-in-chief, holding the script, said calmly, “Alright, Miss Lu, since you can’t wait, we’ll skip your interview. You can leave now.”

The interview team asked carefully selected questions to the male and female leads, going over them with the actors beforehand, marking what could be asked and what absolutely couldn’t be mentioned. However, Lu Hui didn’t get this treatment. The station still didn’t feel her value was high enough, and they didn’t think her contribution to the drama’s success was significant.

The media team was generally full of arrogant people who weren’t eager to waste time on the supporting actress. Could two hours of hunger really kill her? Not interviewing her wasn’t a loss.

The editor-in-chief glanced at her coldly, eager to see if she would leave like this.

To everyone’s surprise, Lu Hui didn’t back down. Not even slightly scared, she stood up and said, “Then, goodbye.”

Goodbye, indeed.

The editor-in-chief, upset, muttered to the people next to him, “With her attitude, she thinks she can get famous? She’s been blinded by temporary marketing and doesn’t even know who she is anymore.”

A junior editor commented, “Maybe she thinks she’s a little celebrity now, riding on the male lead’s coattails. She’ll have to pay for that eventually.”

“She’s meant to be a supporting actress. She’s not going to starve, so why is she showing off in front of us?”

Lu Hui was unfairly labeled as arrogant.

Since the interview was canceled, there was no part for her. She didn’t plan to mingle with the other actors. With her mask and hat on, she successfully disguised herself as an ordinary person and went downstairs to find a restaurant to eat.

She was starving.

Whenever Lu Hui got hungry, she became irritable.

She dragged her small frame into a Sichuan restaurant, wiped the dust off the bench with a tissue, and after sitting down, ordered three large dishes.

The boss eyed her suspiciously. “Miss, are you here alone?”

“Yes, I’m alone.”

“Don’t waste it. The country advocates the ‘Clean Plate Campaign’ now.”

“Boss, don’t worry. I joined the party in university. I’m definitely a civilized and morally upstanding youth.”

“Then please pay first.”

Lu Hui walked up to the counter, took out cash to settle the bill. When she turned around, she saw that the seat she had just carefully wiped was already taken by someone else.

Looking at the back, it was a tall, muscular man in a black suit.

Not that she was discriminating, but this build and appearance definitely seemed like someone who worked as a bodyguard.

Lu Hui didn’t want to give up her freshly cleaned seat. She slowly walked over to the man. “Excuse me, big brother, this seat is already taken.”

As expected, he was a bodyguard who had just gotten off work. He had a communicator clipped to his ear, and his gear was very professional.

The bodyguard was easy to talk to, not only pushing the chair back but also offering her the vacant seat.

Before Lu Hui could say thank you, she watched the bodyguard bow towards her, “Sir.”

Lu Hui instinctively turned her head and saw a man sitting in a wheelchair.

She had liked him before. His tall, slender frame stood upright in the wind, and he had a cold, distant air with the maturity and steadiness that only came with being a man in his thirties.

Lu Hui thought: Why! Why! Why!

She was just trying to have a meal downstairs, there was no need for such a shock!

The man pushed his wheelchair forward and spoke in a voice that carried a hint of cold, threatening tone. “Lu Hui, what a coincidence.”