Meng Jingwei met Su Meiyi's gaze in the mirror. "How come you're here?" she asked.
Su Meiyi, in costume and with heavy makeup, looked radiant. She lowered her head to the cup of hot coffee in her hand, hesitated, and bit her lip, seemingly caught in a strong internal struggle.
Then, she took two steps forward, placed the coffee directly on the table, and said, "I wanted coffee, and my assistant bought an extra cup. It's a waste to throw it away, so I'm giving it to you."
Her words came out quickly. After setting down the coffee, she turned and bolted.
Watching her hasty retreat, Meng Jingwei felt a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
Xiao Ke, who was applying makeup to Meng Jingwei, asked while holding an eyeshadow brush, "Didn't Su Meiyi have a falling out with you? Why is she suddenly giving you coffee? Sister Weiwei, I'm telling you, no good deed goes unpunished."
Previously, due to the cast's ostracism of Meng Jingwei, even the makeup artist Xiao Ke had maintained a distant attitude towards her. However, after Ji Lanfeng appeared, Xiao Ke began to affectionately call her 'Sister Weiwei'.
"That makes sense," Meng Jingwei said earnestly. "In that case, I'll give the coffee to you."
Xiao Ke's hand paused, and she shook her head like a rattle. "No, no, no, I won't drink it. What if it's poisoned?" Even if it wasn't poisoned, she thought, it could have saliva or laxatives in it, which wasn't impossible.
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Meng Jingwei pick up the coffee cup, insert a straw, and take a sip. Seeing Meng Jingwei actually drink the coffee, Xiao Ke's eyes widened. "Wow, Sister Weiwei, you're a true warrior. Aren't you afraid she put laxatives in it?"
Meng Jingwei lowered her gaze to the hot coffee in her hand, her red lips curving into a slight smile. "She wouldn't dare."
Her confidence stemmed from her 'collaboration' with Lü Sen the previous night, which had successfully shifted her position in Su Meiyi's mind. From now on, Tang Wanxing would likely be the target of Su Meiyi's animosity.
After her makeup was done, Meng Jingwei put on an orange puffer jacket over her costume. Holding the cup of coffee from Su Meiyi, she went outside.
As she walked from the lounge area to the day's filming location, she encountered Qiao Ziqian and Li Shang. After she had fallen into the water that day, Li Shang had jumped into the lake to save her, risking his own life. Meng Jingwei was deeply touched when she heard the news. Seeing them, she walked over, nodded slightly at Qiao Ziqian, and then said to Li Shang, "I heard you jumped into Blue Star Lake to save me that day?"
Li Shang chuckled heartily, scratching the back of his head with his black-gloved hand. "I did jump, I just couldn't find you." He was dressed in dark blue brocade robes with embroidered patterns, a black belt, gold thread trim, and a light blue fur-collared long robe. His hair was tied up with a jade hairpin. Coupled with his exquisite makeup, his sharp brows and striking eyes made him appear handsome and rugged, giving him the aura of a classic ancient Chinese beauty. It was no wonder Li Shang was a top-tier celebrity, an idol for many female fans; he was indeed quite handsome. However, Meng Jingwei generally viewed these young idols as younger brothers, as her preference was for mature and steady men.
"Regardless, the fact that you dared to jump into Blue Star Lake to save me is truly impressive. And I'm also deeply touched," Meng Jingwei said with a warm smile. "How about this, after work tonight, I'll treat you and Qiao Ziqian to hot pot. It's the best season for hot pot in winter."
"Hot pot... hot pot... maybe not," Li Shang said, pursing his lips. He glanced hesitantly at Meng Jingwei. "I'd still prefer it if you taught me martial arts. Could you do me that favor?" Hot pot was simply not his preference. His sole focus now was to have Meng Jingwei teach him martial arts.