Chapter 86: Little Brother, Give Me a Cigarette

On June 19, 2002, Lu Kuan led a portion of the film crew to Xiangjiang.

This was to accommodate Anita Mui, who was not fit for long-distance travel due to illness, and to complete her few minutes of cameo in the film.

Aside from the essential crew members, Liu Yifei and her mother also accompanied them this time.

After Lu Kuan officially acquired a stake in Red Star Dock, introducing Anita Mui’s music industry resources in Xiangjiang to Liu Yifei was one of the conditions at the time; now was the time for the initial fulfillment.

He made slight modifications to the script, placing the location where the female lawyer meets the protagonist and his father at home to avoid the need to find another set to build a scene.

This way, they could start filming directly at Anita Mui’s home in Heng’an Pavilion. With Anita Mui’s many years of acting experience, this scene didn't even count as a light snack.

"Little brother, if you have no work, you don't come to visit your big sister?"

Anita Mui’s complexion was even more ruddy than when they last met; her blog had become her big toy, a platform for her to interact and communicate with thousands of fans and moviegoers.

Every day she would sit in front of the computer wearing glasses, and Wang Minhui would have to urge her frequently to get up and walk around for exercise.

Watching Anita Mui and Lu Kuan embrace affectionately, Liu Xiaoli realized in her heart that he hadn't lied; the relationship between the two was indeed very close.

Lu Kuan gave a brief introduction to the main crew members from the mainland and then arranged for them to set the scene and position the cameras.

Under her mother’s prompting, Liu Yifei presented a gift:

"Hello, Sister Mui, I am Liu Yifei. This is handmade incense for you, blended with tea tree, geranium, and cedarwood. It is natural and non-irritating, and has a calming effect."

Anita Mui took the gift and looked at the delicate, doll-like young girl with some surprise.

Her neck was slender, her face pretty, and she was wearing a light purple floral dress and open-toed low-heeled sandals, her toenails painted like red beans—truly adorable.

"Little Lu, this is the girl you mentioned, right? She is really so pretty!"

"Yes, coming this time is also to see if there is any possibility for her to develop in music."

Anita Mui smiled and said: "Just based on this appearance, it’s enough. What’s difficult about singing? It’s very simple."

Hmm... that’s you. At the very least, the future Little Liu didn't exactly make a name for herself in singing.

Seeming to know that Lu Kuan valued this young girl highly, Anita Mui also politely took her hand and smiled at Liu Xiaoli: "Ms. Liu, your daughter is truly incredible. Growing up like this, she puts all the girls of the same generation in Xiangjiang to shame."

Liu Xiaoli beamed with joy and offered a few modest words, while Liu Yifei said coquettishly: "Sister Mui, please call me Xixi. Besides singing, I also want to ask you for advice on acting!"

Anita Mui laughed even more happily: "Xixi, have you seen the movies I’ve acted in?"

"Of course! Ru-hua in *Rouge*, Ying-jie in *A Better Tomorrow*, and Gu Manlu in *Eighteen Springs*—I like them all very much!"

Boss Lu felt that he should look at her with new eyes after three days of separation; he had suggested the incense, but he certainly hadn't taught her this flattery!

The young girl raised her eyebrows triumphantly as she looked at Lu Kuan’s amused expression; she had indeed done her homework before coming.

Furthermore, after this period of tempering and Lu Kuan’s "hawk-training" style of guidance—no less intense than the sadistic instructor in *Whiplash*—the young girl had managed to get a glimpse of the path to acting and was truly learning and improving with intent.

Judging from her many works in the future, her talent might only be considered mediocre in an entertainment industry teeming with geniuses, but her personal drive and professionalism in her acting career were beyond doubt.

This was also why Lu Kuan felt she was worth cultivating; no matter what, you have to possess either talent or hard work.

Everything was ready, and Lu Kuan signaled to begin.

Anita Mui, dressed as a professional lawyer, began to negotiate with the drummer Zhou Jielun and his father.

"Action!"

"Visiting your place today, it is mainly to..."

Before she could finish the sentence, a sudden change occurred on set!

"Sister Mui!"

Anita Mui was suddenly struck by a sharp pain in her lower abdomen; fine beads of sweat oozed from the tip of her nose, and she collapsed in pain onto the chair.

Zhou Jielun, who was acting opposite her, was the first to react and rushed over to support her.

Wang Minhui rushed in from the periphery, and while dialing the medical team, she cried out in alarm: "Quick! Help Sister Mui to the bedroom."

Lu Kuan scooped Anita Mui up and felt that she was as light and limp as a ball of cotton; her whole body was shivering from the pain, and her teeth were chattering.

He had just gently laid Anita Mui flat on the bed when she began to convulse violently.

"Little Liu! Help!"

Hearing his desperate shouting from outside, Liu Yifei also rushed in.

"Help me hold Sister Mui’s jaw steady, don't let her bite her tongue."

After saying this, he rushed out of the room to find Wang Minhui; there should be Dilaudid or painkillers prepared in the house.

"Oh! Okay!"

The young girl had never seen such a scene; she didn't know where to put her hands and was so anxious she almost cried.

Seeing Anita Mui, who had been hugging her with kind affection just moments ago, in such agonizing pain, Liu Yifei hardened her heart and stuck her hand directly into her mouth...

The doctor arrived quickly, and Lu Kuan, Wang Minhui, and Liu Yifei went outside to wait.

"Why is it like this?"

Wang Minhui glanced at Liu Yifei and hesitated to speak, so Lu Kuan urged: "It's fine, tell me."

"The doctors in America prescribed a new drug for her that must be used in conjunction with hormones, otherwise she will shiver with pain like this. It happens every two weeks."

Lu Kuan said sternly: "Then why not take it?"

It was the first time Wang Minhui had seen him in such a furious state, his hair standing on end, and as she spoke, she began to sob.

"Taking hormones will affect her skin condition and cause weight gain; it’s very hard to recover from for several years."

"She was afraid it would affect filming your movie, afraid it would affect her comeback a year later..."

"She cares most about her fans, and cares most about not being able to continue singing and performing. I can't persuade her, wuwuwuwu..."

Wang Minhui was the person closest to Anita Mui; ever since Anita Mui fell ill, her pressure had been greater than anyone else’s.

Wang Minhui respected her and loved her; she couldn't bear to see her in pain, and even less could she bear to let her lose her performing life—that would almost be like tearing away the soul of this wandering songstress!

Liu Yifei started to shed tears as well, squatting down to hug Wang Minhui, who was slumped on the floor: "Sister Minhui, don't cry, Sister Mui will definitely get better."

Listening to Anita Mui’s painful sounds from inside the room, her soul felt a moment of detachment.

How could someone be so self-sacrificing for their artistic life to this extent?

"Sister Mui wants you to come in."

Anita Mui’s private doctor walked out of the room, also with a forehead full of fine sweat.

Anita Mui, who was resting with her eyes closed on the bed, looked calmly at Lu Kuan.

"Little Lu, get your people ready, let's continue filming."

Lu Kuan’s expression changed drastically: "No! Your body..."

"Quiet! Do as I say."

When it came to work, Anita Mui seemed like a different person.

Or perhaps feeling that her tone was a bit too harsh, she only weakly curled the corners of her mouth at Lu Kuan after a long while.

"Little brother, give me a cigarette."

Little brother, give me a cigarette—is that how it’s said?

I remember it being said like that when I went on a business trip to Foshan a long time ago. If there are any errors, please feel free to correct me. (Thanks to the book friend for the advice; because I changed it, your book review was deleted by the system. Many thanks.)

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(End of chapter)