Chapter 31: The Film Emperor Keeps a Black-Hearted Vixen

"Ugh!" Su Tang kept her eyes tightly shut, feeling Shen Lü smearing mud all over her face.

After a long while, Su Tang opened her eyes, feeling a heavy weight on her face—certainly still the mud Shen Lü had applied.

"Pfft..." Shen Lü couldn't help but chuckle.

Chang Qinghua leaned over to take a look and immediately burst into laughter, "Hahaha, Little Shen, how could you do that? Little Su is a girl, after all."

Su Tang stood there stiffly, unsure whether to wipe her face or just endure it. She raised her hands and poked two holes in the mud near her eyes so she could see. She glared fiercely at Shen Lü, then looked at Song Heqing with a pitiful, aggrieved expression.

Song Heqing smiled, reached out, and helped Su Tang wipe the mud off her face.

Having achieved her goal, Su Tang felt a sense of secret triumph. However, using her hands only smeared the mud; the stains remained. Seeing Shen Lü still laughing heartily nearby, Su Tang didn't hesitate to step forward and press her face directly against his clothes. She shook her head vigorously before pulling back.

They were wearing rubber overalls similar to dungarees; while their lower bodies were covered, their upper bodies were somewhat exposed. Now, Shen Lü’s clothes were plastered with thick, muddy streaks. Having done the deed, Su Tang quickly hid behind Song Heqing. Facing Song Heqing, who stood in front of Su Tang, Shen Lü was too angry to speak.

"Su Tang!!!" he gritted his teeth.

Su Tang poked her head out from behind Song Heqing to look at Shen Lü. "The clothes were going to get dirty sooner or later; can’t you just wash them when you get back?"

Just as Shen Lü was about to retort, Song Heqing said with a smile, "Su Tang makes a point. You can just wash them with water when you return, and they’ll be clean."

Shen Lü had no choice but to bite his tongue and stay silent.

Su Tang giggled, then looked up to meet Song Heqing’s gaze, which held a hint of indulgence and pampering. Her earlobes turned red instantly. She looked away awkwardly. "Ahem, alright, if nothing else, I’ll wash them for you when we get back. Let’s get back to work."

Song Heqing picked up the rice seedlings from the side. "No need. Little Shen is grown up enough; he can wash them himself."

Su Tang followed behind Song Heqing. "That's true."

Before Shen Lü could even be happy, his request was rejected on his behalf by Song Heqing. Yet, he still dared not voice his frustration.

Before they arrived, they thought transplanting rice would be simple. At first, it did seem easy, but as they continued to bend over and straighten up, they began to find it physically taxing.

Wen Tian was the first to reach her limit, though she didn't explicitly complain of being tired. She scanned the surroundings. "Oh my, everyone has been busy for so long; you must be thirsty, right? We forgot to bring water. Let me go back and get some for you."

Seeing Wen Tian walk out of the mud pit and disappear, Shen Lü sneered. "If she wanted to slack off, she could have just said so. Did she really need to do that?"

Chang Qinghua tried to smooth things over. "Alright, alright, Little Wen is a girl, after all. Let her rest for a bit. By the way, Little Su, are you tired? Do you want to take a break?"

Su Tang shook her head. "No need, I’m not tired yet."

"Look, look, that’s the difference," Shen Lü remarked sarcastically.

Song Heqing pulled a bottle of cola from somewhere and handed it to Su Tang. "Drink something before you continue?"

Su Tang wiped her hands, took the cola, and gave a sweet smile. "Thank you, Brother Song. Then I won’t stand on ceremony."

Shen Lü watched their interaction, his brows twitching slightly, but he ultimately said nothing and went back to work. Everyone knew perfectly well that Wen Tian had gone off to slack, though they hadn't expected her to take so long to return. By the time she did, they had almost finished one section of the field, having taken only short breaks to drink water before continuing.

When Wen Tian returned with her so-called water, everyone had already asked the production crew for several bottles of mineral water and finished them.

"I’m back! Everyone, come and have some water," Wen Tian called out from the dry ground ahead.

But everyone was exhausted and had no desire to pay her any mind. Chang Qinghua clutched his waist, straightened up, and looked at Wen Tian, speechless.

"Little Wen, why did it take you so long to get back?"

"There was no water left at home, so I had to boil some more. I only just managed to bring it now."

Chang Qinghua had seen through Wen Tian; she always had an excuse for everything she did. "We’ve already had some. Hurry down and get to work. Once we finish early, we can go home and eat," Chang Qinghua said.

Unexpectedly, Wen Tian pouted. "You’ve all had water? You should have said so earlier. I thought no one had brought any, so I made the trip for nothing."

After saying this, Wen Tian walked down slowly, step by step, toward them.

"Who said we brought water? It’s because you were too slow, okay? If we hadn't begged the crew for a few bottles, we would have died of thirst by now," Shen Lü mocked.

Su Tang stood up, wiped the sweat from her face, and looked at Wen Tian, breathing slightly heavily. "Sister Tian, how come I remember there being water in the kettle? Didn't you see it? Why did you have to boil more?"

Wen Tian paused. "I was in a rush when I went back, so I accidentally knocked over the kettle, which is why I had to boil more."

"So, if we didn't ask, you wouldn't have admitted it, right?" Shen Lü was completely speechless regarding this woman. If he had known Wen Tian would act like this when he joined the show, he never would have allowed her to join.

Wen Tian had actually snuck away to dump the water out of the kettle while avoiding the cameras; she hadn't expected anyone to remember. Hearing Shen Lü’s sarcastic words, Wen Tian’s eyes turned red, and she looked as if she were about to cry. "I... I was afraid you would blame me..."

Shen Lü was stunned; he hadn't expected Wen Tian to start crying. He looked around helplessly, and Chang Qinghua hurriedly comforted her, "It’s okay, it’s okay. We won't blame you."

Su Tang also chimed in, "Yeah, yeah, Sister Tian, don't cry. We didn't mean to blame you, but you really were gone for a long time, which is why Shen Lü was a bit frustrated. If you had explained earlier, we wouldn't have been upset."

"If I had explained earlier, Shen Lü would have definitely said something mean, so... that’s why I didn't say anything," Wen Tian sobbed, clearly trying to cling to Shen Lü’s perceived unfairness.

Shen Lü was so angry he could feel smoke coming out of his ears, but he knew it was best to say nothing at this moment. However, he certainly wasn't going to apologize.

Wen Tian looked at Song Heqing, who had remained silent the whole time. "Brother Song..." she called out in a soft, weak voice.

The sound made Su Tang’s skin crawl, but she followed Wen Tian’s gaze to see how Song Heqing would respond. Song Heqing had been busy transplanting rice and hadn't participated in the dispute, but upon hearing Wen Tian’s call, he had no choice but to straighten up and look over.