Fang Miaomiao gazed at the beautiful scenery in the distance, then habitually reached for her phone before remembering it had been confiscated.
"Photography guy, can I borrow your phone?"
The photographer, about to refuse sternly, met her beautiful, deep eyes and ended up pulling out his own phone. "Here you go."
"Thank you, sir."
Fang Miaomiao took the phone with a smile and snapped a photo of the sky.
Thinking of something, she turned to Wen Yan'an. "An'an, let's take a picture together."
She and An'an hadn't taken a photo yet.
"Can we?"
"Why not?"
As Fang Miaomiao spoke, she switched to the front-facing camera. "Come on, An'an, look at the camera."
*Click.*
On the phone screen, the two of them were smiling. Bathed in the afterglow, they looked even more ethereal.
"So pretty. An'an is so handsome."
Fang Miaomiao handed the phone back to the photographer with a smile. "After this is over, let's add each other on WeChat. I'll trouble you for a bit."
"Okay," the photographer nodded.
"So pretty."
The wind blew against her face, carrying a slight chill.
"Mom, it's so nice being with you."
"My little darling."
They sat in the desert for about ten minutes.
Only then did Fang Miaomiao turn to the camera. "Director, are you there? Our walking time is over."
The photographer's phone rang quickly.
"Fang Miaomiao, you're cheating."
"When did I cheat?" Fang Miaomiao asked, feigning innocence.
"I told you to walk for forty minutes, and you only walked for thirty. Don't think you can get away with it just because I wasn't watching you."
"I'm being framed!" Fang Miaomiao cried out, wronged. "I really walked!"
"Nonsense, utter hogwash."
"Really," Fang Miaomiao pointed to a spot. "An'an and I were over there just now, and now we're here. How can you say we were resting in place for ten minutes?"
"When did you move?"
"Director, we were walking the whole time. Could it be that the signal is bad here and you couldn't see us?"
[I'm truly impressed by Miaomiao's cunning. How does she manage to so shamelessly trick Chen Tianming, and the key is that Chen Tianming doesn't even realize it.]
[Fang Miaomiao is also incredible. On the surface, she was standing still, lost in thought, but she was actually using the time to borrow the phone and take pictures, slowly moving. If I hadn't noticed the change in their surroundings, I wouldn't have realized they had already left their previous spot.]
[As expected, only Fang Miaomiao can handle Chen Tianming. That smile she gave earlier, damn, it gave me goosebumps. I even think Fang Miaomiao could be a great villain if a director took her under their wing. She'd surely achieve great things.]
[That smile earlier also stunned me. Can you believe it? For a moment, I really thought I wasn't watching a reality show but had clicked on a horror movie.]
[Fang Miaomiao has a bright future. Fang Miaomiao, keep going! Have your husband invest in a drama for you and act in it yourself, but find a good director to hone your skills.]
Chen Tianming finally noticed that Fang Miaomiao's position was indeed different from before.
But...
They hadn't even covered fifty meters in ten minutes.
Could it be any more fake?
"How about we let her get in the car? It's getting dark, and the wind is strong outside. Even if you don't care about Fang Miaomiao, you should at least care about An'an," Deputy Director Yang suggested. "Children don't have the same resistance as adults."
"Fang Miaomiao."
"Yes, Director."
"Get in the car!"
"Thank you, Director, for your immense kindness."
Once inside the SUV, Fang Miaomiao quickly rolled up all the windows. "An'an, are you cold?"
"A little."
"Come here, Mom will hug you."
Hugging the little ball of fluff, the chill subsided considerably.
"Phew... it's really cold."
"An'an hugging Mom, and Mom won't feel cold anymore."
"What a good child."
As the sun set, night fell quickly.
By the time Fang Miaomiao and the others arrived at the village, it was completely dark.
"Miaomiao, you're back?"
"We're freezing to death."
Cui Mantong quickly patted the stool beside her. "Come and warm yourself by the fire."
"It's so cold today."
The crew members also rushed to bring thick clothes.
Putting on a thick coat and warming themselves by the fire.
"An'an, how do you feel?"
"Very warm."
"Good boy. If you feel uncomfortable anywhere, you must tell me, okay?"
Wen Yan'an nodded obediently. "Don't worry, Mom, An'an knows."
"Everyone's here?" Chen Tianming emerged from the room with a smile. "Dinner is almost ready. Let's get it on the stove."
With that, a pot was hung over the bonfire.
The aroma was tantalizing.
Listening to the bubbling sound from the pot, Fang Miaomiao unashamedly swallowed her saliva.
"Dinner, dinner."
The group gathered around the pot and began to eat.
After dinner, Chen Tianming sympathized with the two who had carried water in the morning and decided that there were no activities for the evening, so they could go straight back to their rooms to sleep.
After a simple wash, Fang Miaomiao went back to the bedroom to coax An'an to sleep. She then took out the medicinal wine, wet a tissue, and pressed it firmly against the already bruised area.
The sharp pain in her shoulder and the coolness of the medicinal wine made Fang Miaomiao gasp.
Taking a deep breath, Fang Miaomiao continued her work.
She went out to wash her hands and returned to bed.
The bad premonition returned the moment she snuggled into the covers.
The room was very dark.
Yet she had no sleepiness at all.
Would Wang Qing really come looking for her?
She was truly a lunatic.
After an unknown amount of time, a sound came from outside the door.
Fang Miaomiao's eyelids fluttered, and the drowsiness that had just surfaced vanished instantly.
The door creaked open.
Fang Miaomiao closed her eyes, regulating her breathing to appear as if she were asleep.
Footsteps.
Though very light.
She could still hear them.
Closer.
Even closer.
Fang Miaomiao heard a whoosh in the air.
The moment she opened her eyes, she threw off the covers and kicked at the person by the bed.
She landed the kick.
A thud was heard in the darkness, followed by a pained groan.
Fang Miaomiao, quick as lightning, turned on the light.
The sudden light made the person on the floor instinctively raise a hand to shield their eyes.
"It really is you." Fang Miaomiao looked at the woman curled up on the floor, wearing clothes that looked like they hadn't been washed in ages, her hair disheveled, and her face pale. "Wang Qing."
Wang Qing's body stiffened. She lowered her hand, her eyes filled with hatred. "I didn't expect you to remember me."
"There aren't many people who can become as pathetic as you."
"Fang Miaomiao, shut up. If it weren't for you, how could I have ended up like this?" Wang Qing snarled.
"Oh, so now you're blaming me?" Fang Miaomiao sneered. "Did I tell you to push me? Did I tell you to commit tax evasion?"
"Fang Miaomiao, shut up."
Wang Qing grabbed a dagger and struggled to get up, lunging at Fang Miaomiao.
Fang Miaomiao's gaze sharpened.
Ensuring Wen Yan'an's safety, she allowed Wang Qing to tackle her to the ground, then screamed at the top of her lungs.
"Help! Someone's trying to kill me!"