Rapid Collapse (GL) - Chapter 48

In the distance, the mountains stretched endlessly, with birds occasionally flying past.

The river opposite shimmered under the sunlight, resembling a beautiful ink painting.

The scenery was breathtaking, but Shen Xi had no mood to admire it. Her heart was heavy with worry. She didn’t want her mother’s situation to involve anyone else, especially not Han Ning.

Footsteps sounded behind her. A tall, slender figure with long flowing hair cast a shadow on the grass. Han Ning walked up to her side, tilted her head, looked at Shen Xi’s expression, and sighed softly. “Looks like you found out? Keke and her big mouth…”

Shen Xi’s face showed signs of exhaustion. She turned to look at Han Ning and smiled faintly. “Are you stupid?”

“How am I stupid? Doing something within my power for my girlfriend is completely normal.”

Han Ning playfully pinched Shen Xi’s cheek and coaxed, “Baby, don’t feel pressured. We’re together, aren’t we?”

“I don’t know how to describe this feeling. I know I shouldn’t treat you like an outsider, but I still feel like I owe you. Even if I repay the money later, I’d still feel indebted…” Shen Xi felt uneasy, unable to put her emotions into words.

Maybe she just didn’t want to be in a weaker position…

She didn’t want money to be mixed into a pure relationship. That wasn’t what she wanted.

Han Ning understood her well. She had already guessed that with Shen Xi’s personality, knowing Han Ning had helped pay off her debt would be hard for her to accept. Honestly, Shen Xi’s slightly melancholic reaction was already a relief to Han Ning—she had feared she’d explode in anger or blame her for interfering.

Han Ning touched her nose, feeling a little wronged. Shen Xi had blamed her before, after all…

“So what now? Huh? I already gave the money to Nie Lan, and let me tell you, I even broke a cash-counting machine in the process. You can’t blame me for this!” Han Ning tilted her head, whistled, crossed her arms, stretched out her long legs, and put on an air of mischief. After thinking for a moment, she added, “If you blame me, I’ll tell your mom!”

Shen Xi looked at her for a moment, then smiled helplessly and gave her a light push, almost knocking her off the bench. “I don’t blame you.” Then she pulled Han Ning back, wrapped her arms around her shoulders like a koala, and whispered in her ear, “Will you always be this good to me?”

“I will. I promised to protect you, baby.” Han Ning kissed her lightly, patted her reassuringly, and let the gentle breeze wash over them.

About fifteen minutes later, Han Ning suddenly remembered something. “Hey, did we forget something?”

Shen Xi looked up at her. Their eyes met, and Shen Xi blinked. “Uh… my mom is still in the car…”

They both burst into laughter.

When they got back to the car, Shen Fengmei was already asleep in the back seat. They both sighed in relief. Han Ning started the car and drove home. When they arrived, Shen Fengmei woke up as Shen Xi called her. No longer sleepy, she said she wanted to continue reading her Feng Shui book. Shen Xi was more than happy to have some peace and spent the next few days staying with Han Ning, enjoying their time together.

“I heard from Liang Xun that Thorny Rose might wrap up filming early. Seems like there’s no market for it…” Han Ning mentioned one evening after taking a shower. She took a sip of milk and picked up a cat from its bed, stroking its fur while talking to Shen Xi.

“Huh? It’s only been ten episodes, and it’s ending? Wasn’t it supposed to be thirty episodes? Isn’t this a cancellation?” Shen Xi was lying on the couch, typing on her laptop. She looked up in surprise but, after thinking about it, found it expected. Though the full thirty-episode script was submitted, filming was slow due to difficulties, and the script had been revised multiple times. The show was also being aired while still in production.

Modern audiences lacked patience—people even watched short videos at double speed. Who had time to wait a whole week for one episode of a military drama?

As writers of the drama, Shen Xi and Chen Rong saw Thorny Rose as a creative work, but the investors had different concerns. They wanted profit. No matter how passionate the script was or how much effort Han Ning and Cheng Nian put into their roles—even cutting their hair short—if the investors lost confidence in the market, funding would be pulled, and everything would fall apart.

“Yeah, it’ll probably only go up to ten episodes at most…” Han Ning, still holding the cat, seemed unsurprised by the decision.

“So the show is ending before it even really starts…” Shen Xi grumbled. “This was my first original script… and it’s just going to disappear like that…” She pretended to wipe away imaginary tears.

Han Ning raised an eyebrow and teased, “Xiao Shen, your crying scene needs work. All thunder, no rain.” She put the cat down, rubbed her hands together, and pounced on Shen Xi. “Come here, little beauty, let me teach you how to cry properly~”

Shen Xi played along. “What kind of teacher teaches like this? Even Master Puti didn’t teach Sun Wukong like this!”

Han Ning seized the moment to kiss her multiple times. “Haven’t you heard the saying? If you want to learn well, you have to sleep with the teacher. Besides, you’re not a monkey—you’re a beautiful woman~”

Shen Xi was stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter. “Where did you hear that? Some comedian?”

“Yep, yep, yep!” Han Ning nodded enthusiastically. “Now, give me a kiss!” Before Shen Xi could respond, Han Ning showered her with kisses all over her face, lips, neck, and collarbone…

As things got more intense, Han Ning’s phone rang. The first time, she ignored it. The second time, she frowned and saw that it was Liang Xun. She declined the call, but when it rang a third time, she sighed.

“Answer it. It might be important,” Shen Xi said, catching her breath.

“What could be so urgent? I’m off work…” Han Ning grumbled but answered. “What is it? If it’s not important, don’t waste my time.”

“It’s urgent!” Liang Xun sounded out of breath.

“Is Shen Xi with you?”

“Yeah, what’s going on?” Han Ning asked.

“Good! Pack your things and come with the team. Chen Rong had a fallout with one of the Thorny Rose investors. They’re dropping the project.”

Han Ning quickly grasped the situation. After hanging up, Shen Xi asked, “What happened? I heard my name mentioned.”

“Overtime work.” Han Ning answered simply.

“Huh???” Shen Xi was confused.

They quickly packed their bags. Shen Xi didn’t have much to bring, and the set was close to home, so she traveled light. Before leaving, she reminded Shen Fengmei and told her she had books arriving soon.

“Mom, can you bring chicken soup to me and Ning Ning for lunch?” Shen Xi suddenly thought of a way to keep her mom occupied.

“Of course! I’ll even make chestnut-braised chicken—your childhood favorite! I bet Ning Ning will love it too.” Shen Fengmei beamed at Han Ning.

Han Ning nodded. “Auntie’s cooking must be delicious and nutritious.”

“We’re heading out now. Call if you need anything.” Shen Xi put on her shoes and grabbed her bag.

“Take care on the road,” Shen Fengmei reminded.

“Got it.”

On the way, Shen Xi charged her phone while Han Ning drove. “Your mom is much calmer than I expected this time.”

Han Ning had anticipated a dramatic mother-daughter war, but Shen Fengmei, though eccentric with her Feng Shui book, wasn’t causing trouble.

“She probably had a moment of conscience,” Shen Xi snorted. “If she causes any more trouble, I’ll call the police!”

Han Ning just chuckled, knowing Shen Xi would never abandon her mother.

Half an hour later, they arrived at the hotel arranged by the production team.