Back in the car, Lin Nuan didn't dare to open Xie Jingqian's gift in front of Fu Huai'an…
Even though Lin Nuan had only known Xie Jingqian for a few days, who knew what Xie Jingqian, with her unbridled personality, would gift her.
It was fine for her to open it when she was alone, but how awkward would it be if she opened it in front of Fu Huai'an, and it was something embarrassing?
Lin Nuan weighed the box in her hands and felt that it wasn't very heavy. She had a vague guess in her heart about the contents. Based on Xie Jingqian's sly expression, Lin Nuan had reason to believe… that the box either held lingerie or condoms!
Even worse, it could be a whip or a pair of handcuffs!
Whatever it was, it was definitely related to sex!
Lin Nuan's hand caressed the box, her knuckles knocking on the cover gently…
After a moment of hesitation, Lin Nuan turned around to place the box in the backseat of the car.
"Are you not going to open it up and look at the present Xie Jingqian gave you?" asked Fu Huai'an.
Lin Nuan gave an awkward smile and said, "I'll open it when we get back…"
Fu Huai'an wasn't one to be nosy; furthermore, it was Xie Jingqian's gift to Lin Nuan. Fu Huai'an wasn't very interested in the girls' discussions, so he simply nodded in response.
Lin Nuan tugged at her seatbelt to loosen it slightly as she turned around to place the box in the backseat. However, the backseat was too far for Lin Nuan to reach, so she used slightly more strength to throw the box. Unfortunately, the box bounced off the seat instead, and the lid fell off.
A cat hairband, a translucent black dress, and a pair of underwear with a tail attached to it…
Indeed!
Just as Lin Nuan guessed, the gift was kinky lingerie!
Fu Huai'an glanced at his rearview mirror only to see a pile of black on top of the black leather of the seat, so he asked, "What's that black thing?"
"It's nothing!"
Lin Nuan hurriedly unbuckled her seatbelt with a red face. She turned her whole body around and bent over the console to pick up the box and forcefully closed the lid before pushing it to the back of the seat.
Lin Nuan then returned to her seat and put on her seatbelt once again, glancing sideways at Fu Huai'an. She only felt relieved when she realized that Fu Huai'an didn't seem to have noticed anything.
This Xie Jingqian, her gift was really…
Lin Nuan resisted the urge to let out a long sigh. She felt her phone vibrating, so she took it out of her pocket.
It was a message from Xie Jingqian.
"Mrs. Fu, no need to thank me! I hope you and Mr. Fu lead a blissful sex life!"
Lin Nuan's ears turned even redder.
Fu Huai'an noticed Lin Nuan's reaction in his peripheral vision and asked, "What exactly did Xie Jingqian give you for you to blush so hard?"
Lin Nuan quickly locked her phone screen and smiled at Fu Huai'an, saying, "No… it's nothing!"
…
Before they left Jincheng, Fu Huai'an and Lin Nuan went to visit Aunt and Uncle Blessing.
Uncle Blessing got traditional pastry makers to prepare a few boxes of osmanthus sticky rice cakes for Lin Nuan to take home.
Lin Nuan looked at the pile of boxes in surprise; she didn't expect Uncle Blessing to prepare so many. She had only wanted to bring back two boxes for her friends to taste.
Unwilling to reject Uncle Blessing's good intentions, Lin Nuan loaded them all into the car and thanked Uncle Blessing obediently.
Upon returning to Haicheng, Lin Nuan kept a box of cakes for Tuan Tuan and another for Little Candy. She sent one to Bai Xiaonian's father, mailed one to the Lins, then gave Miss Xia and Auntie Li, who had been busy taking care of Tuan Tuan, one box each. She shared the remaining boxes with her colleagues.
Once Miss Xia got a taste of the cake, she called Lin Nuan to her office and asked her where she bought it. It tasted exactly like the ones her father had bought for her when she was a little girl. She knew immediately that the ones Lin Nuan gave her were the real traditional cakes since she had always remembered the taste.
Lin Nuan honestly told her that an older relative had asked an old pastry maker in Jincheng's Osmanthus Dock to make the cakes.
Miss Xia then asked if Lin Nuan could ask the relative for a favor. When the producer of the program "Tracing Back" heard Miss Xia mention the cakes, they gained an interest in interviewing the pastry maker.
Lin Nuan thought for a moment and nodded her head, saying, "I'll ask that relative to ask if the pastry maker is willing to be interviewed!"
"Good! Please spend more effort on this matter," said Miss Xia, instructing Lin Nuan.
…
It was Lin Nuan's first time in a shoot. Although it was just one scene, it was something that Lin Nuan had never tried before, so she couldn't help but be nervous.
Lin Nuan, who had never had any acting experience, was worse than a background actor.
But since Lin Nuan had experience in hosting, her position in the frame was especially eye-catching.
Lin Nuan's scene was filmed in front of the green screen to be edited later… She stood amongst the fighting crowd, holding a sword whose blade was covered in blood. Upon learning that the lover she had struggled to find was dead, she was filled with hopelessness.
The director knew that Lin Nuan had no experience, so he continued to guide her patiently, even when they had NGed more than ten times.
Lin Nuan felt mortified and apologetic, so she kept apologizing to the staff and crew.
With every retake, the background actors had to return to their positions, and the props team had to reorganize the props.
The director was extremely polite towards Lin Nuan and chatted with her regarding how she had gone to Iraq to search for Wen Moshen. He needed the same empty gaze Lin Nuan had in those photographs.
Many years had passed since the incident, but Lin Nuan could never forget how she had felt at that time. Yet she couldn't bring herself into the emotional role so easily.
The director let Lin Nuan think for a while. They would begin once she felt that she had gotten a grasp on the emotions.
Lin Nuan closed her eyes and tried to think back on how she felt in Iraq. That was when Su Manman called her.
She comforted Lin Nuan, saying that when she first got into acting, she had more than 130 NGs and that they started calling her the Queen of NGs! She told Lin Nuan that it was ok to relax a little.
The first day, Lin Nuan couldn't manage to wrap up that scene at all. The director said that there was no rush and asked Lin Nuan to take a three-day break to think over the role and emotions before Lin Nuan left the studio in embarrassment.
Lin Nuan fully realized that… she really didn't have any acting skills!
…
At night, Liu Mingchen's program was broadcast before the silver screen actor's.
After the program ended, Nobel Prize winner Liu Mingchen and "A Sunday Date" entered the list of hot trending topics on Weibo, taking over the first and second places on the list. Even the movie regarding the difficulties of the treatment for cancer patients that had broadcasted a while ago was pushed up to fourth place.
For a while, the medicine, Abinoque, was the hottest topic of discussion among the whole nation.
Tuan Tuan and Fu Huai'an sat on the couch together to watch Lin Nuan's show, but Lin Nuan kept staring at the photo taken of her back in Iraq, especially focusing on the gaze.
She paced around the dining room as she texted Su Manman, asking for advice.
It wasn't that Lin Nuan was into acting, but since she had already promised Su Manman to help out, she was determined to do her best.NG means Not Good, a bad take