On the 20th day of the first lunar month, “Twin Pearls” was released ahead of schedule without any warning, causing a huge sensation.

In April, Yu Peiling’s “Paradise Garden” was successfully completed and officially released in early May.

This is Yu Peiling’s transitional work. A few days before the release, Yu Peiling was so worried that she couldn’t sleep every night. She often made harassing phone calls to Wen Tingli and Huang Yuanshan in the middle of the night. Wen Tingli patted her chest and assured her that it would be fine, but Yu Peiling just couldn’t relax.

In other words, Yu Peiling is sometimes like a child, she likes to be in a lively environment, likes to be flattered, and often wants to be accompanied by others. When she is happy, she is more optimistic than anyone else, but she is easily depressed when she encounters a setback.

Wen Tingli was worried that if she continued to suffer from insomnia all night, she would suffer from what Western medicine calls “neurasthenia”, so she simply dragged Huang Yuanshan to Yu Peiling’s house to stay with her for a few nights. Yu Peiling not only wanted them to chat with her, but also had to hold their arms before she would close her eyes. This method was very effective, and she could fall asleep quickly every time.

Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief, and the film was critically acclaimed upon its release.

A senior film critic commented: “In the past, I only thought that Miss Yu was a lovable vase, and at most she played some frivolous and vain urban beauties, or the young wives of wealthy families. Once she jumped out of the existing framework, she was like a wooden beauty with no spirit. However, in the new film, Miss Yu laughed, scolded, and each side of her was vivid. Her acting was so real that she was like a familiar person around you and me…

“Miss Yu’s rapid progress must be related to the contract termination storm a while ago. As the saying goes, every failure makes one wiser. After encountering setbacks, people often have a deeper understanding and thinking about life. On the other hand, the guidance of the famous director Huang Yuanshan is also indispensable. It can be seen that actors and directors are indispensable to each other and share honor and disgrace.”

Wen Tingli and Huang Yuanshan were in high spirits. On the one hand, they were happy for helping Yu Peiling successfully transform herself. On the other hand, they were proud that Xiufeng had achieved excellent results in three consecutive films. Not only did Xiufeng turn losses into profits, but it also firmly established its foothold in the Shanghai film market.

At the end of May, Gao Xiaowen wrote to say that her Ao Shuang company was officially open for business. In addition to the signature product ‘Ao Shuang’ powder cream, it also launched ‘Qinian’ lipstick and ‘Tiao Tiao’ perfume. Due to the novel colors, they are quite popular among local women. After a month of trial operation, the business is pretty good.

A recent photo of Gao Xiaowen was attached to the letter.

In the photo, Gao Xiaowen grinned at the camera. As usual, she was wearing extremely exaggerated clothes. I wonder if the red feathers on her hat were made of ostrich feathers.

The photo is not a solo photo. Gao Xiaowen is surrounded by several young friends, who are probably new friends she met after going to Hong Kong. She has always liked making friends and is loyal, so it is not surprising that she made so many friends at once.

Several people took turns reading Gao Xiaowen’s letters and photos, laughing as they read, and their hearts, which had been hanging for months, finally settled down.

A week later, good news came from Qiao Baoxin. She wrote to tell Wen Tingli that she had successfully passed the joint selection examination of the college and Mary College in the United States, and would go to the United States to study soon.

Through the letter, I seem to be able to see Baoxin’s quiet and lovely smile.

After reading the letter, Wen Tingli couldn’t help but sigh with disappointment.

Bao Xin is about to leave, and everyone is working hard for their own future.

She herself had new plans. Seeing that Xiufeng was on the right track, she returned to school and submitted an application for reinstatement. Unfortunately, the courses for this semester had basically ended, and she had to wait until the beginning of September to complete the enrollment procedures.

Taking advantage of this gap, Wen Tingli called Yue Zhaoyun to discuss buying her new book and adapting it into a movie, and strongly invited Yue Zhaoyun to come to Shanghai to serve as a screenwriter.

Yue Zhaoyun agreed readily, but since there was still a part of the novel to be written, she planned to continue writing it behind closed doors for a while, and then come to Shanghai to meet them after it was completely completed.

Just at this time, the situation in Peiping took a turn for the worse. Wen Tingli and Huang Yuanshan were worried and kept urging Yue Zhaoyun to leave. On this day, Yue Zhaoyun had already bought the ticket, but she suddenly developed a high fever before getting on the train. Several local friends rushed her to Union Hospital, where they found out that she had encephalitis.

Wen Tingli and Huang Yuanshan were extremely anxious, but they also knew that it was not appropriate for the patient to travel at this time, so they could only passively wait for news from the hospital. After a day and a night of rescue, Yue Zhaoyun’s condition stabilized, but it was still unclear when she could be discharged from the hospital.

That night, Huang Yuanshan and Wen Tingli were waiting for news at Wen’s house. As soon as Wen Tingli hung up the phone, she happily said to Huang Yuanshan: “The doctor confirmed that Sister Yue can take the train. I will go to Beijing to pick her up overnight.”

“No, the company has been too busy lately. You have to stay and take charge of the overall situation. Li Zhen and I will go there. He has many acquaintances in Peking. With him greeting people along the way, everything will be more convenient.”

“No, you are the boss, you should stay and take charge of the situation. Don’t worry, I won’t go alone, I’ll let Lu Shicheng go with me.”

These words were just to comfort Huang Yuanshan. Lu Shicheng’s Zhabei Pharmaceutical Factory had recently started shipping medicines, and boxes of medicines were being sent to the front line of the Anti-Japanese War. Lu Shicheng personally watched over them at the factory every night, sometimes staying all night.

She didn’t want to distract him from his friends at this moment, just as he never interfered with her work.

Therefore, she decided to go to Peking alone to pick someone up.

Huang Yuanshan refused to agree. “Now when you go out, people will recognize you at a glance. When you get to the train station, I’m afraid you won’t be able to walk. It’s much more convenient for Li Zhen and I to go than for you.”

Wen Tingli followed Huang Yuanshan to the door. The phone in the living room rang again. Mrs. Zhou was sitting on the sofa knitting and answered the phone.

Wen Tingli stood at the gate and talked to Huang Yuanshan for a few more words. She didn’t hear Mrs. Zhou calling her. She looked at Huang Yuanshan in confusion, then turned back to the house and asked, “Mrs. Zhou, who’s calling?”

Mrs. Zhou held the receiver blankly, her face frighteningly pale.

Wen Tingli had an ominous premonition in her mind: “What happened? Is Sister Yue in trouble?!”

“No, no—” Mrs. Zhou opened her mouth in shock, “Mr. Kuang just called and said that the Japanese suddenly started to attack Peking, and told you not to act rashly.”

The air around froze instantly. Under the horrified gazes of Wen Tingli and Huang Yuanshan, Mrs. Zhou stood up stupidly. The ball of wool on her knees fell to the ground and rolled away.

***
When the news came out, the whole country was outraged and protests against the Japanese invasion broke out all over the country.

The literary and art circles were no less enthusiastic, and they called on their colleagues in the Shanghai industry overnight to organize anti-Japanese and national salvation propaganda activities. (Note) Wen Tingli and Huang Yuanshan had no time to take care of the company’s affairs, and they ran to the Film Association and the Drama Association every night to help.

Three days later in the evening, Wen Tingli received a piece of news and was immediately overjoyed. She drove to a gray old building near Jinsitu Temple on Kangding Road.

Someone came to open the door immediately. He was a boy of about sixteen or seventeen years old.

Wen Tingli nodded to him and followed him into the house. She went straight through the patio and up to the third floor. When she arrived at the bedroom door, she opened it and saw Yue Zhaoyun sitting on the bed drinking water. The head nurse Liu was the one who was taking care of her by the bed.

Wen Tingli felt a sharp pain in her nose. Yue Zhaoyun had become so thin after this illness that she could hardly recognize herself.

Yue Zhaoyun stretched out his arms towards her. After surviving the disaster, both of them were indescribably excited.

“I thought I would be trapped in Peking and unable to leave.” Yue Zhaoyun started to cry. “I never expected… Tingli, thank you.”

A thick layer of tears condensed in her eyes, and she looked at head nurse Liu with gratitude: “I know you are Tingli’s friend. I didn’t dare to ask your name. Thousands of words can be summed up in one sentence: Thank you.”

Head Nurse Liu pulled Wen Tingli out of the door, and before she could speak, Wen Tingli hugged her shoulders tightly.

Head Nurse Liu had tears in her eyes, but she smiled and said, “You have always been stronger than others. The people have been rescued, why are you still crying? You also know that I don’t know how to comfort people.”

“No, I don’t need your comfort. I can just cry by myself. Sister Liu, I am so grateful to you for this trip.”

“When you risked your life to help us, did you ever say anything?” Head Nurse Liu sighed. “In times of national crisis, compatriots should help each other. I was just about to ask you, you sent the five thousand dollars, right? Don’t play dumb, you were the only one who knew the contact address that day.”

She took out a thick envelope from her pocket and returned it to Wen Tingli.

Wen Tingli refused to accept it: “The newspaper said that the Japanese assassination activities are becoming more and more rampant. I think your situation must be very difficult. I dare not contact you without permission. I can only support you in this way. No, please accept it. This is a donation from me in the name of Sister Li’s younger sister–“

When she heard the name “Sister Li”, Head Nurse Liu quickly turned her face away.

After a few seconds of silence, she turned around and said to Wen Tingli, “I have to ask the organization for their opinion before I can tell you whether we can accept it. For safety reasons, we have to move overnight, and you should also take Ms. Yue away from here as soon as possible.”

Huang Yuanshan got the news and paced anxiously at the gate of the Wen family. When he saw Wen Tingli’s car approaching, he ran over to help Yue Zhaoyun get out of the car.

She and Yue Zhaoyun were not only friends for many years, but also confidants of each other. After their country was destroyed and their families were ruined, they fled thousands of miles away. When they met again, they couldn’t help but cry bitterly.

After discussion, Yue Zhaoyun was placed at Wen Tingli’s home for one night, and then moved to Huang Yuanshan’s home the next day to recuperate. Huang’s home had no children, so the environment was relatively quiet. Yan Zhenzhen had always regarded Yue Zhaoyun as her idol, and when she heard that she had been picked up, she rushed to the Wen family to visit her in the middle of the night.

Yue Zhaoyun said in bed: “My new novel… it doesn’t matter if it’s not filmed. These days, there is a fire burning in my chest all the time. Although I am a writer, I also want to contribute to my country. On the way, I re-conceived a patriotic script, the title is “Resistance”, and I will start writing it tomorrow morning. No, don’t persuade me, my body has almost recovered.”

They looked at each other in silence and just nodded.

From that day on, Wen Tingli and Huang Yuanshan continued to participate in the rehearsals of the Shanghai Patriotic Dramatists Association during the day, and intensively prepared for the new film at night.

Unfortunately, Yue Zhaoyun was still very weak and often had to stop after writing a few pages. At noon that day, Wen Tingli saw that Yue Zhaoyun looked unwell and urged her to rest, but Yue Zhaoyun refused to stop writing.

When I was writing towards the evening, the rustling sound on the bed suddenly stopped. Looking back, I saw Yue Zhaoyun falling silently on the bed.

Several people were extremely worried and hurriedly called Dr. Louis. After some treatment, Yue Zhaoyun woke up slowly. Louis said to others with a serious expression: “She must stop the work at hand immediately. It is very dangerous to continue like this.”

Yue Zhaoyun shook her head on the pillow. Wen Tingli came close to her and heard her say with a weak breath, “I can’t stop. Everyone is waiting for my script. I only need ten scenes to complete it.”

Wen Tingli burst into tears: “But your physical condition no longer allows you to spend your energy.”

“Nothing is not allowed…I…” Yue Zhaoyun fell into coma again.

Xiufeng’s people came to visit after hearing the news. Gu Jie said worriedly, “Under this situation, we must not let Miss Yue write again, but how can the company make up for the loss? The costumes of several leading actors have just been made, and a lot of budget has been spent on the scenery and props. The schedules of the relevant actors have also been cleared in advance. At this time, the script suddenly died, and all the previous investment has gone down the drain.”

Huang Yuanshan said decisively: “I will not let this play die halfway. At worst, I will write the next few scenes.”

“No.” Tan Guiwang jumped out to object, “Master, you run around all day long, sleep less than three or four hours a day, and stay up late to write the script. Your health will definitely collapse. Why don’t you let Ke Qing do it? He is the manager of the scriptwriting department, and it would be most appropriate for him to continue writing.”

“Ke Qing? Although he is talented, he also has a rather rebellious personality. Once the script is in his hands, he will definitely overturn and rewrite the previous text according to his own ideas. Is it still Sister Yue’s script?”

With this in mind, it is almost impossible to find a suitable screenwriter. On the one hand, this person must be highly consistent with Yue Zhaoyun in terms of ideas, at least be able to understand her creative intentions. On the other hand, he must respect Yue Zhaoyun enough and not change her previous works.

The most important thing is that this person must have a certain level of writing skills to ensure that he does not add unnecessary details.

Everyone was at a loss, and Wen Tingli suddenly said, “I thought of someone.”

Yan Zhenzhen rushed to Huang’s house. After hearing Wen Tingli’s request, she was stunned: “Me? I’m here to help Sister Yue continue writing “Resistance”? Don’t be ridiculous, how can I do that?”

“You can do it!” Wen Tingli said resolutely, “No one can do it except you. Since we were deskmates at Shishi Girls’ Middle School, I have read almost all of your novel manuscripts. I know your writing level best. Besides, you have always regarded Sister Yue as your idol. You are very familiar with her style and writing characteristics. You respect the views she wants to express from the bottom of your heart. You don’t have to worry about the story going astray when you continue writing.”

Yan Zhenzhen still shook her head like a rattle: “No, no, that’s Yue Zhaoyun’s story. I definitely can’t continue it with my ability. Besides, Sister Yue won’t agree to let anyone else continue it for her.”

“If someone else were to write, she might not agree. But it’s different for you. She has always treated you as her junior and even helped you revise your novel. Okay, I won’t force you. Sister Huang and I will go find Ke Qing right away.”

“Ke Qing? That eccentric scholar?” Yan Zhenzhen snatched the manuscript from Wen Tingli’s hand, “No! We can’t give Sister Yue’s hard work to him!”

Facing Wen Tingli’s smiling eyes, Yan Zhenzhen knew she had been tricked, and nodded helplessly: “Okay, I’ll give it a try.”

But Yan Zhenzhen didn’t just want to “give it a try”. She looked casual and uninhibited, but once she promised something, she would take it more seriously than anyone else. Encouraged by Wen Tingli, she locked herself at home and wrote day and night for five days. When she was sleepy, she would take a nap and when she was hungry, she would just chew a piece of bread. By the end of the writing, her head was as big as a bucket and her legs were as soft as noodles, but her eyes were bright and she came to find Wen Tingli and Huang Yuanshan excitedly before dawn.

As Yue Zhaoyun’s health improved, the three of them took turns reading Yan Zhenzhen’s new manuscript. The more they read, the more surprised they were. By the end, Yue Zhaoyun was already in tears.

Yan Zhenzhen was shocked: “Are you disappointed with my sequel?”

“No, this is totally the story I wanted to write. Thank you for your hard work, Zhenzhen.”

Yan Zhenzhen was still in a daze, but Wen Tingli was already crying with joy and pushed her: “Did you hear me? I knew you could do it!”

“Write Zhenzhen’s name… before mine,” Yue Zhaoyun urged. “I’m not being polite. Supporting the younger generation is one thing, but what’s rare is that she didn’t distort my original intention at all. Many of the plots in the later part are better than I imagined. Without her, this story might not have continued. So she is the undisputed main screenwriter. Please do as I say.”

After many twists and turns, “Defense” finally started filming. All the crew members put in their utmost enthusiasm for this drama and almost tried their best to shoot it.

Wen Tingli was almost the busiest one. Normally, she could have a meal with Lu Shicheng every day, but this time she hadn’t seen Lu Shicheng for a week. Lu Shicheng called her at noon that day, but she didn’t answer the phone, and she couldn’t help but feel very worried.

In the evening, she had finished filming all her scenes. Seeing that she had nothing else to do for the time being, she was about to go to the pharmaceutical factory to find Lu Shicheng. Suddenly, she heard Xiaotian shouting from upstairs, “Boss Wen, there’s a phone call for you.”

The voice of the person on the phone was quite unfamiliar: “Miss Wen, we met at Head Nurse Liu’s house that day. My last name is Miao, and I am Liu Xiangzhi’s subordinate.”

The boy who opened the door that day?

Wen Tingli said nothing.

“A few days ago, Teacher Liu led people to Beijing to rescue a friend. According to the itinerary, they should have returned yesterday morning at the latest, but there has been no news since then. I… I’m worried that something has happened.”

The boy’s voice was still a little childish, and he was shaking as he spoke.

“Please forgive my intrusion. Normally, I only have one line of contact with Teacher Liu. Now I am alone and I don’t know what to do. I can see that Teacher Liu trusts you very much, so I called the telephone company to check your company’s phone number. I also understand that I have violated discipline, but if I delay any longer, I am afraid that I will miss the opportunity to rescue you.”

The first thought that came to Wen Tingli’s mind was: Could it be a trap?

She had indeed seen this man at Head Nurse Liu’s home. If he was not a trusted subordinate, Head Nurse Liu would never have allowed him to be present that day.

But she still felt that the whole thing was a bit strange. As she hesitated, she thought of Li Chengying’s death, and her heart felt like it was cut by a knife, and it hurt so much.

The boy was right. If she missed the best opportunity to save someone, she would regret it for the rest of her life.

She thought of someone and just smiled and said, “I think you may have recognized the wrong person. I don’t understand what you are saying at all.”

As soon as she hung up the phone, she quickly called Liu Yaqiao. From the beginning, Liu Yaqiao was very clear about her relationship with Dean Deng. Other people’s positions might be questionable, but Liu Yaqiao’s position was absolutely trustworthy.

Liu Yaqiao was working overtime at the law firm. When she heard that it was Wen Tingli calling, she thought she was looking for her about the Women Workers Charity Foundation. She said, “I have something urgent to do. I’ll come back to you in two days.”

Wen Tingli said in a deep voice: “Sister Yaqiao, an acquaintance of mine disappeared suddenly. Her surname is Liu. Do you know her?”

The air froze for a second.

“Meet at my house at 8 o’clock in the evening.” Liu Yaqiao hung up the phone decisively.

This made Wen Tingli more and more convinced that something had really happened to Head Nurse Liu. The hairs on her back stood up all of a sudden. The scenes of Sister Li being killed flashed before her eyes frame by frame, making her feel cold even on a hot day. She rushed to Liu Yaqiao’s house at night and found that her face was not much better than hers.

“What on earth was that phone call about in the evening?”

Wen Tingli then told Liu Yaqiao the whole story. Liu Yaqiao fell into a chair in pain. “Yes, Sister Xiang Zhi did get into trouble. She was in the car with three members of an underground patriotic organization. The last time they called me, they told me that they had successfully rescued them. But they lost contact that night. It’s strange that there are no new people on the arrest list, which shows that they have not been arrested.”

She took a deep breath worriedly. “I guess they are probably still stuck near the martial law zone, but they just haven’t found a chance to leave the city. If they continue to hide like this, they will either starve to death or be discovered by the Japanese. The most difficult thing is that Liu Xiangzhi is my superior. I don’t know the contact information of other members, and I can’t ask for help from my superiors. I can only passively wait for news here.”

Wen Tingli was so anxious that she suddenly said, “I heard that the International Red Cross can still enter and leave Peking. If we can find a member of the Red Cross to help us, is there a way to get into the city to look for people through them?”

Her first thought was of Doctor Louis.

“But at this moment, who is willing to take such a big risk?” Liu Yaqiao suddenly got stuck, “Wait, I thought of someone who might be able to help – Lu Shicheng.”

Wen Tingli was stunned for a moment, and Liu Yaqiao explained: “Lu Shicheng’s pharmaceutical factory has a separate shipping route, and the Huiqun Hospital under the Lu family has several doctors who are members of the International Red Cross. I have a detailed list here, but I don’t know… Lu Shicheng is unwilling to get involved in this muddy water? After all, our organization has never dealt with him before.”

“No, he will definitely help.” Wen Tingli said with a smile and a very firm tone.

***
The two rushed to Dasheng Pharmaceutical Factory as quickly as possible, but Lu Shicheng was not working in the office. Instead, he was in the workshop at the back counting goods with the production manager.

The weather was hot, so he had his shirt collar open and his sleeves rolled up. Even so, his forehead was covered with sweat. He was a little surprised when he saw the manager leading Wen Tingli in, and took her to a cooler vent: “Why are you here at this time? Have you eaten?”

Wen Tingli whispered, “I have something urgent to talk to you about. That’s Sister Yaqiao, you’ve met her.”

Only then did Lu Shicheng notice Liu Yaqiao behind Wen Tingli.

Liu Yaqiao nodded at him, and Lu Shicheng nodded politely, then looked at Wen Tingli with an inquiring look. Wen Tingli whispered something to him, and he raised his eyes and looked around: “Okay, let’s talk in my office.”

As soon as the three of them went upstairs, Liu Yaqiao told Lu Shicheng the general situation. Lu Shicheng didn’t respond, as if he was thinking.

Liu Yaqiao’s face was as gloomy as water, but her heart was sinking like a weight. She neither explained the true identity of Liu Xiangzhi and others, nor did she explain why they wanted to go to Beiping at this juncture. Cooperation requires honesty. If one party is reserved in every way, it is difficult for the other party to agree to help. Moreover, this is not a small favor, but a big favor.

She could almost predict how Lu Shicheng would react. Unconsciously, her brows knitted together in worry, but unexpectedly, the first thing Lu Shicheng said was: “Okay, I will take people to Beiping tonight, but before that, you have to give me a verbal signal to prove your position, otherwise I am afraid they will not trust me. In addition, please describe the possible scope of their disappearance, their appearance and age as clearly as possible.”

Liu Yaqiao was overjoyed.

But what surprised her most was the tacit understanding between Lu Shicheng and Wen Tingli.

Just as she finished explaining the relevant details to Lu Shicheng, Wen Tingli walked up to Lu Shicheng carrying her suitcase, and the two of them started talking in low voices.

Liu Yaqiao quickly moved aside, but still accidentally heard a few words.

“Of course I’ll go with you. I can disguise myself, pretend to be an old lady, and deceive people. With me by your side, things will go much more smoothly…”

When Lu Shicheng heard the word “liar”, he laughed: “You also know that you can lie… Your play is so important, how can you let it go? At worst, I can find a real old lady to follow me.”

Wen Tingli was amused by what she said and whispered something while laughing. The two of them talked so relaxed and harmoniously that Liu Yaqiao couldn’t help but look back again.

I happened to see Lu Shicheng reaching out to help Wen Tingli lift the hair that fell on her shoulders.

Wen Tingli’s hair was a little untidy during the run. Lu Shicheng’s eyes followed his fingers and fell on her hair and her face. He couldn’t hide his love for her. He was so focused, as if his eyes couldn’t hold anything else except Wen Tingli.

This gentle scene made Liu Yaqiao’s tense heart relax for a moment. She smiled and shook her head, then walked a little further away so that the two of them could have some private conversation.

Lu Shicheng set off for Peking that night.

For a whole week, there was no news.

Wen Tingli was busy filming “Resistance” and participating in various anti-Japanese activities, but only she knew how much torment she was in.

But no matter how worried she was, she did not lose her mind. Lu Shicheng had his own way of dealing with this matter, just like she had her own way of rescuing Yue Zhaoyun. He could neither ask too many questions nor interfere.

All we can do now is: wait.

But she couldn’t overcome her inner fear and couldn’t sleep all night. When she finally fell asleep, she subconsciously kept one ear perked up, fearing that she would miss a call from Lu Shicheng.

That day, as soon as she finished her work, she stayed by the phone as usual, holding her head with both hands and inserting her fingers into her hair. She had already thought that if there was no news tonight, she would take new actions no matter what. Suddenly, the phone rang.

It was Liu Yaqiao who called. Sister Yaqiao, who was always calm, had a choked voice: “They are all back… Don’t worry, everything is fine.”

Wen Tingli jumped three feet high on the sofa: “Where is he?”

Liu Yaqiao obviously knew who this “he” referred to: “We are also looking for Mr. Lu. He helped us so much. I really don’t know how to thank him. But I heard from Dr. Lewis that Mr. Lu seemed to have returned directly to the Lu Mansion as soon as he came back.

Wen Tingli picked up her handbag and ran out. When she drove to the Lu Mansion, Lu Shicheng was not there. Kuang Zhilin also came to the Lu Mansion. When he saw Wen Tingli, he was surprised and said, “Mr. Lu went straight to you as soon as he came back. Didn’t you meet?”

Wen Tingli turned around and rushed home, but when she got home, she saw Zhou Sao’s surprised look: “Mr. Lu saw that you were not at home, so he drove to look for you again.”

Wen Tingli jumped back into the car again. Mrs. Zhou didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “You two are probably confused. Just go into the house and wait. Mr. Lu will come to you sooner or later.”

Wen Tingli said, “I’m going to the pharmaceutical factory. If Mr. Lu calls again later, tell him that I’m waiting for him at the pharmaceutical factory.”

After waiting in Lu Shicheng’s office for about half an hour, I heard someone coming upstairs. The person was in a hurry and walked straight to the office door.

Wen Tingli couldn’t wait to open the door and throw herself into his arms, but she heard Lu Shicheng hiss. “Are you hurt?”

Lu Shicheng took off his coat and threw it on the sofa behind her, then pulled up the sleeves of his shirt a little to show her.

There was a large abrasion on his right arm. Wen Tingli gasped in pain: “I knew it! I knew it! There must be other injuries, let me see.”

Lu Shicheng frowned and let her play with him without saying a word.

Wen Tingli took him to the sofa and he fell down.

Wen Tingli found gauze and a medicine bottle to apply medicine to him, and he raised his arm and let her wipe it obediently.

She found some cold water and a handkerchief and put them on his forehead to cool him down. He knew he didn’t have a fever, but he still let her wet his forehead.

But when she began to unbutton his shirt one by one, preparing to help him check his shoulders, back, chest and abdomen for gunshot wounds, he finally couldn’t hold it in anymore, and grabbed her hand with a smile: “I’m fine, I was just pretending.”

He smiled happily and contentedly.

“Why are you like this!” She was almost worried to death, but he was still joking with her.

Lu Shicheng held her in his arms: “I’m sorry, I just…”

He just longed for the feeling of being cared for wholeheartedly by her.

She forgave everything in an instant, and her eyes carefully rubbed his face: “Are you really okay?”

“It’s really okay.” He kissed her ear, “Have you been worried about me these days?”

“I was so worried that I couldn’t sleep. I was afraid something would happen to you, and I was even more afraid that you wouldn’t come back.”

“I promised to come back, and I will definitely come back. As long as I am still alive, I will crawl back to see you.”

Wen Tingli covered his mouth and said, “You can only say this once, and never again.”

“Okay.” He promised her everything.

His breath was hot, burning her palms.

That strange heat… Wen Tingli touched his forehead suspiciously, but he didn’t have a fever. She caught a glimpse of his shirt being half unbuttoned by her, and then she realized why his breath was so hot. She felt a little annoyed and even a little embarrassed, as she had been too impatient just now.

She lowered her eyelids modestly and tried to help him button his shirt again, but he dodged her hand and stood aside to button his shirt.

In this regard, he has always been a gentleman and polite. He has not been influenced by those new customs at all. He has his principles. Even if the feelings between two people are so deep, they are based on emotion and end with courtesy.

She couldn’t help but sneak a peek at his profile and saw that his ears were all red.

Lu Shicheng looked out the window quietly for a long while before regaining his composure. He came back and asked her, “Are you hungry? I asked the hotel to send some food before coming.”

As soon as he came back, her appetite returned, and they sat together eating with their heads close together, and she ate more than he did.

While drinking tea after dinner, Wen Tingli asked him in a low voice: “When you agreed to help that day, you didn’t carefully ask about the true identities of those people. Don’t you have any doubts in your heart? Do you know what they do?”

“I know.” Lu Shicheng looked at the tea leaves in the cup. “Whether it’s Sister Li or Dean Deng, they are all people who have helped you. Your elder sister is my elder sister. The person you want to protect is the person I want to protect. I have no principles in this regard.”

Wen Tingli suddenly covered her face.

Lu Shicheng smiled and came close to her to check. She refused to take her hands off her face, turning her body from side to side, just avoiding his eyes. After calming down for a long time, her voice came out from between her fingers: “Lu Shicheng, I love you a little bit.”

“‘Kind of’? Put your hands down and look me in the eyes.”

Wen Tingli put her hands down and looked into his eyes: “Lu Shicheng, I love you very much.”

He then pulled her in front of him and kissed her deeply. They heard a rumbling sound outside the window, so they went to the window to check and found that it was a truck from the pharmaceutical factory loading goods there.

Under the street lights, you can see boxes of medicines being loaded onto trucks. Next, they will be sent to places where they are urgently needed.

Wen Tingli felt a sense of pride in her heart. In the face of national crisis, everyone was doing their part. When he first acquired the ruins, many people laughed at Lu Shicheng for being a prodigal, but he didn’t care. He built this new pharmaceutical factory bit by bit on the ruins according to his own blueprint. At the critical moment, it quietly served the country in an unobtrusive way.

She admired his character and liked his style, and he never let her down at any time.

Lu Shicheng leaned on the railing with both hands and was lost in thought. He suddenly said, “You know, watching these trucks leave like a dragon, I always feel that they are the continuation of my mother’s life.”

She understood what he meant. After persisting for so many years, he finally realized his original ambition on behalf of his mother who passed away young. However, he still felt regretful because his mother could not see it all with her own eyes. What was gone was gone, and no matter how hard he tried, she could never get it back.

She sighed, saying that everyone has irreparable regrets in life, and all we can do is to hold on to everything we have and cherish every moment.

She subconsciously held his hand tightly, and Lu Shicheng was too smart to immediately hold her hand back. In this dark night, they stood side by side, like two connected trees. However, when they wanted to say something more, they just kept silent. The difficult situation made both of them feel heavy in their hearts.

***
That night, Lu Shicheng sent Wen Tingli home and returned to Lu Mansion very late. Kuang Zhilin was waiting for him in the study.

“What happened?” Kuang Zhilin came up with a heavy heart.

Lu Shicheng was a little tired. He rubbed his face and sat down to think. During this trip to Peiping to rescue people, he saw Lu Kejian walking with several Japanese officers by chance.

He suspected that he had seen it wrong, so he wanted to verify it as soon as possible.

If it was true, he thought, Lu Kejian must be crazy.

A stray dog, in order to seize power and to avenge him and the Lu family, was willing to flatter a group of invaders.

No, he must find out the truth in the shortest possible time and take timely action.

After hearing the whole story, Kuang Zhilin was shocked and angry: “This scum! Does he think he can still get away with it like he did when he colluded with the White Dragon Gang? Should we tell this to the old man?”

Lu Shicheng leaned his head on the sofa, tilted his head back and closed his eyes.

The situation has been almost set up, and he believes that Lu Kejian will stick to his path to the end.

As for his grandfather, this was his youngest son whom he would defend to the death, regardless of right or wrong. He was looking forward to his reaction after learning the truth. Thinking of this, Lu Shicheng smiled mockingly. Then he fell silent again. His hatred for his grandfather seemed to be even deeper than his hatred for Lu Kejian, which surprised him.

***
The war spread rapidly, and Tianjin and Beijing fell one after another.

There were all kinds of heart-wrenching reports in the newspapers every day, and everyone on the street was worried. Wen Tingli and Huang Yuanshan were determined to shoot “Resistance” every minute.

One night in August, I had just fallen asleep when I was suddenly awakened by a loud rumbling noise in the distance.

Wen Tingli seemed to have a premonition. She jumped out of bed and ran to the stairs. Mrs. Zhou also came out holding Xiao Taozi and said anxiously, “Danny, I’m so panicked. What’s that noise?”

“Don’t be afraid, I’ll make a phone call first.”

But she almost rolled and crawled down the stairs, and before she could pick up the phone, there was a hurried knock on the door.

It was late at night and the sound was extremely frightening. Wen Tingli went forward with a pale face to open the door.

Lu Shicheng’s expression was even uglier than she expected. As soon as he entered the room, he said, “The Japanese have begun to attack Shanghai. Come with me to the Lu Mansion immediately.”

“it is good.”

Wen Tingli went upstairs to pack her luggage. Seeing that Mrs. Zhou was still in a daze, she said sternly, “Go into the house and pack your things.”

At this moment, there is no time to think about anything else. Survival is more important than anything else! Going to the Lu Mansion, not only can we take care of each other, but the Lu family’s passenger ship is parked at the dock and can go south at any time.

She hurriedly helped Xiao Taozi pack her luggage, and then went upstairs to pack her own clothes.

The family had just settled down in Lu Mansion when the phone in the living room rang, but it was not for Lu Shicheng, but for Wen Tingli.

“It’s me, Boss Wen.” It was Tan Guiwang, his throat was so anxious that it seemed to smoke. “Don’t blame me for being presumptuous. No one answered your phone. I guess Mr. Lu took you to the Lu Mansion. Master–“

Wen Tingli’s heart trembled: “What happened?!”

“The war defense is near the slope road, not far from Xiufeng. As soon as Master heard the news, she drove to the company, and Sister Yue couldn’t stop her at all. I thought Master must be worried about those cameras and films, so I set out to chase her, but I was afraid…”

Wen Tingli hung up the phone and ran out without saying a word, while running, she did not forget to check the pistol in her handbag.

“Where are you going?” Lu Shicheng hurriedly stopped her.

“Go find Sister Huang. She went to Xiufeng alone. I have to bring her back.”

Manager Xu and others looked at each other in bewilderment. There was a war going on nearby, and Miss Wen was risking her life.

Lu Shicheng grabbed Wen Tingli’s hand without hesitation: “I’ll go with you.”

They got in the car and set off.

The further we went, the more chaotic the streets became. The sound of artillery in the distance rumbled like thunder, the cries of the elderly and children were incessant, and the residents of the Chinese area ran to the concessions in droves.

Lu Shicheng looked extremely grim, and Wen Tingli was also watching all this with gritted teeth. This beautiful city, lovely people, bustling streets, her home! Everything changed overnight!
She hated the invaders! She hated this atrocity! She hated it so much that her chest felt like it was about to explode, and her eyes turned red!
Lu Shicheng drove very fast all the way.

The closer they were to Xiufeng, the more frequent the sound of artillery shells in front of them became. That was the knock of death. Wen Tingli’s whole body was tense. The reason why they rented the company nearby was because the rent was cheap and the venue was large enough. Unexpectedly, precisely because it was located in a marginal area, the war started there first.

Suddenly, a cloud of smoke rose from the sky ahead. It was——

Wen Tingli’s pupils shrank. “No!” Her face turned pale, her throat tightened, and she clutched Lu Shicheng’s sleeve tightly. She couldn’t wait for him to stop the car, so she jumped down in a panic. As a result, she fell forward to the ground because she didn’t stand firmly. But she didn’t care about the pain, and rolled and crawled towards the fire.

In front of this huge tongue of fire, her power was too small.

In just a few seconds, Xiufeng was engulfed in flames.

“No——” She cried desperately towards the blazing fire.

She wanted to cry, curse, kill, and find something to put out the fire. Under the huge emotional stimulation, she completely lost her mind and was about to rush in, but Lu Shicheng hugged her in his arms.

She burst into tears in his arms.

Everything was gone. Her “Resistance” film, the photographic equipment she had saved with so much difficulty, and the studio she and her companions had built brick by brick!

Her ambitions are so great!

Listening to Wen Tingli’s mournful cry, Lu Shicheng’s Adam’s apple rolled. He held her in his arms with regret and kept stroking the back of her head, but he knew that no matter what he did at this time, he could not comfort her. Suddenly, he heard a loud “crash” from the other side, and two people ran out coughing.

It turned out to be Huang Yuanshan and Tan Guiwang. Huang Yuanshan found a huge flag from somewhere, waving it wildly as he rushed out, took a breath, turned around and rushed into the sea of ​​fire again.

Tan Guiwang fell to the ground and had no time to catch up.

“Sister Huang!” Wen Tingli rushed forward and hugged Huang Yuanshan’s waist without saying a word.

Huang Yuanshan was incredibly strong. As soon as he hugged her, he was thrown to the ground. Lu Shicheng chased after her and grabbed Huang Yuanshan’s arm tightly: “Sister Huang, you can’t go in. You will die.”

“If I lose my life, I lose my life.” Huang Yuanshan cried out at the top of his lungs, “That’s my life! My movie, my Xiufeng! What hope do I have? I will fight these invaders to the death!”

Wen Tingli burst into tears. Lu Shicheng took great effort to carry and drag Huang Yuanshan to the side of the car. Tan Guiwang had already climbed up from the ground by then and hurriedly helped to stuff Huang Yuanshan into the car.

Huang Yuanshan was still struggling fiercely one second ago, but he was silent the next second. Wen Tingli came closer and took a look: “Oh no, Sister Huang has fainted. We need to go to the hospital immediately.”

Huang Yuanshan’s face was as pale as gold paper and her forehead was burning hot. On the way, Wen Tingli helped her check and found that her arms and legs were burned.

Wen Tingli was so anxious that she burst into tears. Fortunately, Louis arrived at Lu Mansion after a while. However, after taking medicine and getting injections, Huang Yuanshan’s high fever did not subside at all. Her teeth were clenched and her muscles were extremely tense. It took two people to hold her down.

Louis stuffed a soft towel into Huang Yuanshan’s mouth and put a few ice packs on her legs and armpits to help cool her down. The more he treated her, the uglier Louis’s face became. “Her condition is quite bad. I’m worried that she will develop laryngeal spasm.”

Wen Tingli’s mind went blank: “What does that mean?”

“It means that her condition is worse than I expected. Perhaps she has suffered a major emotional trauma, or perhaps she inhaled a large amount of smoke when she was in the sea of ​​fire just now. In short, this is a very rare clinical condition. I will give her another dose of sedative to try.”

The required medicine was only available at the Red Cross Hospital. Lu Shicheng tried every means to get the medicine. However, after the second round of medicine, Huang Yuanshan’s condition did not improve at all, and even the color of his lips looked a little ugly.

Tan Guiwang was so anxious that he squatted in the corner and cried bitterly.

Wen Tingli didn’t care about being sad. She clasped her hands together and silently pressed them against her forehead, which made her look like she was praying. In fact, her mind was working very fast.

She had no doubt about Lewis’ words: If this continued, Sister Huang would die.

Her heart was instantly gripped by great fear. She was more afraid of losing Sister Huang than anyone else in the world.

But the best doctor is already here, the best medicine has been used, and all we can do from now on is leave it to fate.

No, she thought, maybe everyone’s thinking was wrong from the beginning. Heart disease needs to be treated with heart medicine!

Huang Jie’s love for movies can be described as pure and natural. Just like fish cannot live without water, Huang Jie cannot live without movies. Xiufeng’s burning was undoubtedly a fatal blow to Huang Jie.

Perhaps, the most important thing now is to help Sister Huang rebuild her faith as soon as possible…

As she was thinking, Wen Tingli suddenly raised her head and unexpectedly found that Lu Shicheng had been standing beside her and looking at her quietly.

“What do you need me to do?”

Wen Tingli was inexplicably moved and held his hand tightly: “I want to pick up a few people and bring them to Lu Mansion right away.”

***
Soon, Cao Renxiu, Gu Jie, Xiaotian, Li Zhen, Ke Qing and Yu Peiling arrived, and even Yue Zhaoyun, who had not yet fully recovered, came.

Everyone gathered outside the door, looking at Huang Yuanshan lying on the bed in the room with great concern.

Wen Tingli whispered a few words to everyone, and everyone nodded slightly. Wen Tingli went back to the room and half-knelt beside Huang Yuanshan’s bed.

“Sister Huang, look, everyone is here to see you.” As soon as she opened her mouth, tears blurred her vision. “Everyone is here. No one is willing to leave. Everyone is waiting for you to wake up and take us to shoot the movie. You know that you are the backbone of Xiufeng. The company can be rebuilt even if it is burned down. If you fall, Xiufeng will face a real disaster.”

A low sobbing sound was heard inside and outside the house.

Yu Peiling cried so much that her makeup was ruined. She rushed to the end of the bed and said, “Boss Huang, what do you mean? You finally poached me from Huamei, and you’re quitting right after we finished filming the first movie?! I’m still waiting for you to tailor the next two movies for me. Wake up now. I didn’t expect you to be so irresponsible!”

Nurse Melissa just came in with a tray. When she saw this scene, she was so scared that she hurriedly asked Yu Peiling to leave, but Wen Tingli kept shaking her head at her.

Li Zhen had originally kept his head down and remained silent, but was touched by Yu Peiling’s words. He raised his head with red eyes and said:
“Boss Huang, when you came to Suzhou to look for me, I avoided you. You visited me three times and promised me that you would set up a unique film company. I was moved by your ambition and courage, so I quit my job as editor-in-chief of the newspaper and joined Xiufeng. I didn’t make a mistake in choosing you. Spring Breeze, Twin Pearls, Garden of Heaven… Every time you and Boss Wen succeeded, I was full of energy when working with you. What about now? You were defeated by a fire? If you can’t wake up like this, I will be the first to look down on you!”

Huang Yuanshan was still unconscious on the bed, but tears silently rolled down his eyes.

Wen Tingli’s heart trembled, and she moved closer: “I know you can hear me, Sister Huang, listen to me, Xiufeng was burned down by a fire, but we Xiufeng people are still here, I believe as long as we don’t get separated, everything can start over again. At worst, we can go south first, to Wuhan, to Chongqing, or to Hong Kong. When Gao Xiaowen went to Hong Kong, she couldn’t even boil an egg, but now her small company is running well. It shows that as long as we get started, nothing can stop us.”

She wiped away her tears: “Think about it, when Xiufeng was first established, there were only you and me in the whole company, and we didn’t even have a decent office space. Now, there are so many new forces gathered around us, and everyone is waiting for you to lead us forward. Sister Huang, do you hear me——”

Suddenly, Louis said in surprise: “She seems to be able to hear, Melissa, come here quickly, the patient’s muscle tension is not so high anymore, give her medicine quickly.”

Wen Tingli stepped aside in panic. This time, not long after the medicine was given, the body temperature began to drop. Wen Tingli cried with joy and hugged everyone.

An hour later, Huang Yuanshan’s condition further improved. Wen Tingli collapsed on a chair beside the bed as if she had escaped. After her emotions calmed down a little, she began to arrange the relocation matters in an orderly manner.

Now that the company is gone, the top priority is the livelihood of its employees.

“We will leave when Sister Huang’s condition stabilizes. If you are willing to go to Hong Kong or Chongqing with us, please raise your hands. If you don’t want to go, Xiufeng will never force you, and I will pay you an additional severance pay.”

Everyone raised their hands, except Ke Qing, the manager of the screenwriting department.

He said unhappily, “My whole family is in the countryside. It’s not convenient to flee with my whole family. I plan to go back to the countryside to hide for a while. Besides, I have confidence in the current war situation, so I won’t join you in the fun.”

Without giving him any time to explain, Wen Tingli took out a stack of silver dollars from her bag and stuffed them into his hands. There were a total of four hundred dollars in total.

“This——” Ke Qing’s expression changed subtly.

“Xiufeng never treats his own people unfairly. You have worked for the company for so long, this is the subsidy you deserve. Take it quickly. There are so many people at home waiting for food. Of course, if Mr. Ke wants to write a movie script in the future, you are welcome to contact us at any time.” Wen Tingli said with a smile.

Ke Qing nodded shyly.

Lu Shicheng looked up at the ceiling, and couldn’t help looking over there again. He had said before that Wen Tingli’s soul was golden. Xiufeng’s burning must have been a big blow to her, but she held on. In this regard, Wen Tingli has always had amazing self-healing ability.

Kuang Zhilin saw this and sighed sincerely: “The friendship between Miss Wen and Huang Yuanshan is really touching. To be honest, I used to have some prejudice against Miss Wen, but after getting to know her more, I appreciate her more and more. She is really a woman of great courage.”

***
Overnight, Lu Mansion became a temporary shelter.

As soon as Cao Renxiu, Gu Jie and others settled down, they immediately brought their parents and siblings over. During dinner, there were at least dozens of people around the table, making the Lu Mansion noisy. There was nothing they could do about it. People were panicking at the moment, and the concessions were relatively safe, especially the Lu Mansion.

Yue Zhaoyun and the others were only worried that they would disturb them too much, but they didn’t expect Lu Shicheng to not mind at all. He not only provided food and drinks, but also had the guest rooms in the back building cleaned up one by one so that everyone could stay in Lu’s mansion that night.

Yu Peiling took Wen Tingli aside in her busy schedule and teased her, “He is really well-mannered and good-tempered. Earlier, Cao Renxiu’s mother accidentally vomited all over the floor at the door of the study, and it was really stinking. Lu Shicheng not only didn’t even frown, but also helped to get a towel and pass water. This is the time to see a person’s true character… If he is not your man, I must get him.”

Wen Tingli laughed angrily: “You still have the energy to joke with me, go to sleep quickly, you have been guarding Sister Huang’s bedside all night, your eyes are red.”

Usually, Yu Peiling was very ostentatious, and was very particular about food, clothing, and daily expenses, and she would always complain about this and that. But when it came to the critical moment, she was very loyal, running around all night without any complaints.

Facing this group of lovely friends, Wen Tingli’s heart was filled with tenderness. She discussed with Lu Shicheng whether to go to Hong Kong or Chongqing. Lu Shicheng said without hesitation: “Hong Kong.”

“How to say?”

“Hong Kong’s film industry is relatively prosperous. Don’t forget that you’ve only filmed half of “The Resistance.”

(End of this chapter)