Chapter 310 - Mess around with me

The dinner was quite peaceful at the beginning. Everyone was having a good time as they enjoyed Xiao Lei's homecooked food. However, Han Ye was a little disheartened at being seated so far away from her. He had plans of spoiling her by treating her like a lady during the dinner, by placing food in her bowl and helping her with refilling the bowl of soup in front of her, but his plans were spoiled by this damned seating arrangement.  

Halfway through, everyone was talking freely when Tian Le asked about Xiao Lei's current work as well as her coworkers.

"It was alright, and my coworkers... Well, there are good ones and bad ones, but so far, nothing too major has happened yet," Xiao Lei said with a chuckle. "It's kind of fun actually, especially when I played those who intended to play with me."

"Play?" Tian Le asked with a confused expression. 

"Mess around with me," Xiao Lei explained. She then told them about how Vivian Siew tried to mess with her during the first scene, and how she retaliated in a subtle manner while teaching that woman a lesson. "She got so affected by it that I felt bad for her... Her acting skills seem to have deteriorated lately." 

Tian Le laughed as he said, "Man, I wish I were there to see it."

"We are going to start filming the fun scenes tomorrow," Xiao Lei said with a grin. "I'm not sure if you guys can come, but I'll ask the director. If he allows, you guys can come any time you want."

"Oh, that would be fun!" Tian Le said. He then looked at Xiao Zhihao and said, "There would be a lot of girls there you know. You should go and visit your mum in her workplace." 

"Fun scenes?" Lu Ziyan asked as he placed a piece of sweet and sour pork in An Xin's bowl. "Eat up," he said to An Xin in a low voice. 

Xiao Lei put down her chopsticks and raised her fists to the front of her face before punching the air in front of her. "Fighting scenes."

"No!" Both Han Ye and Xiao Zhihao said in unison. They then briefly glanced at each other. 

Xiao Zhihao looked at his mother and said, "No fighting scenes. You're pregnant."

"But that's my job."

"Again, you have a stunt double," Han Ye said in a stern voice. "President Wei hired her according to my requirements. So, she's more than capable of doing what she's supposed to do. You're not allowed to take the risks." 

"As what that man said," Xiao Zhihao said. Han Ye was surprised that Xiao Zhihao would agree with him.  

However, what he didn't know was that even though Xiao Zhihao might not like Han Ye, he knew that Han Ye had his mother's best interest in heart and that he would make sure that his mother was protected while she was at work. 

"How about just the minimum fighting part? I can fight, you know..." Xiao Lei tried to negotiate with her son. 

Xiao Zhihao covered his forehead with an exasperated expression and shook his head. He still couldn't believe that the mother he thought to be just another woman was actually strong beyond belief. At least, from what she told him, it appeared that both she and his father were actually trained in martial arts. He could believe that about his father, giving how strong his father was in his memory of him, but his mother... It was another case. This was a woman who would whine and cry when she saw a syringe. Could she really fight? 

"Mum, let's just pretend, during the pregnancy at least, that you are just a normal woman," Xiao Zhihao said with a hopeful expression. "You can act as one, that you are a weak, defenseless woman." 

Xiao Lei pouted, and after thinking for a while, she sighed and nodded. "I can't promise you that, but I can tell you that I'd be careful. I'll decide on what's safe to film and what's not, and--"

"No!" Both Xiao Zhihao and Han Ye said in unison again, interrupting her. 

"No means no. You're not filming in anything that would put you in any sort of danger!" Xiao Zhihao said with a stern expression.  

"I'll decide on what you can film!" Han Ye said with a frown. "Knowing you, you'd probably accept a few punches or kicks, as long as they aren't targeted at your abdomen." 

"Hey, you're not the boss of me!" Xiao Lei protested, as if she were affronted by the fact that someone else was trying to tell her what to do. "Besides, I know what's important and what's not! I'm not going to risk my kids' lives."  

"I just don't want you to get hurt!" Han Ye replied with a slightly raised voice. "Why can't you understand that?"

"I'm not a baby and I can take a little bit of pain!" Xiao Lei narrowed her eyes at him as she snapped back, causing her son to be slightly startled by her reaction as well. 

"I don't want you to even feel 1% of pain!" Han Ye argued, feeling exasperated by her stubbornness. She was usually calmer and more understanding, so why was she so adamant about this?! 

The others looked between the two of them, and after a few seconds of tense silence, An Xin cleared her throat and said, "Now, now. This is supposed to be a time for us to chill and relax..." 

"Yeah... Xiao Lei, Han Ye is just worried about you," Lu Ziyan said as he tried to defuse the tense situation as well.  

"He's just being an a*s..." she grumbled before standing up. "I'm done with dinner. Please continue eating. I'll be back soon."

She then stormed out of the room. 

"Erm... This is not the plan... Right?" Tian Le looked at Han Ye. He knew that Han Ye was trying to 

"She's a stubborn pig!" Han Ye folded his arms angrily and tapped his foot against the floor. A few seconds later, he stood up. "I'll go talk to her!" 

"No, you stay here... I'll go find here. It's easy for girls to talk to girls," An Xin said. She then went to look for Xiao Lei in her room. 

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Xiao Lei, it's me, An Xin. Are you alright? Can you please open the door?" 

A few seconds later, the door was opened and An Xin was abruptly pulled into the room before the door was slammed shut again. 

When An Xin saw Xiao Lei, the latter was smiling at her from eye to eye, and there was a mischievous look on her face as she asked, "How was my acting?" 

"What?" An Xin looked at her with a confused expression. 

Xiao Lei sat down on her bed and laughed. "Don't worry. I was only trying to put Han Ye and Zhihao on the same side. I'm not that dumb as to forcefully act in scenes that may endanger my children."

Besides, even though Han Ye did not mention it, Xiao Lei knew that he probably had had a little talk with President Wei regarding the slapping scene. Xiao Lei could still log onto his online calendar, and she saw that there was a meeting set up between Han Ye and Xiao Lei a few days ago. 

She wondered what Han Ye had said to President Wei, but Xiao Lei's life at the film site went from comfortable to luxurious, with a new box of chocolates and fresh bouquet of flowers being sent to her room every day. And the sender was President Wei.  

When An Xin realized what was going on, she laughed and sat down next to Xiao Lei. "So what now? Both of them are going to be worried." 

"Nah," Xiao Lei waved a hand nonchalantly and said, "They would be fine... I'm hoping that this would pull them closer. We'll wait here for a few minutes before going out. Act this out with me, An Xin..." 

An Xin chuckled and nodded. "Alright. I'm a bit stuffed anyway. Ziyan kept filling my bowl the whole night... No offense, Xiao Lei. You are a great chef, but I need a break from all the food."