Chapter 379: Replaced

Not long after, Mo Ting returned to the room with some simple food that he prepared. Tangning lifted her head, "I want to go visit Bei Chendong…"

"No need," Mo Ting sat on the edge of Tangning's bed and helped her sit up. He then carefully fed her the food.

Seeing the questioning look on her face, he explained, "Xiner is taking care of him."

"Plus… I've given Xiner to him as compensation. You don't need to feel guilty."

"Are you saying…"

"Yes, he likes Xiner. Although I don't know how he got to know about her…he's not the type to act impulsively. He usually can't be bothered dealing with people, he won't even pretend that he likes them," Mo Ting explained gently. He then looked at Tangning with seriousness, "Bei Chendong is actually my cousin. He's older than me by a few days…"

"Cousin? Is that why he wasn't picky towards me?" Tangning suddenly understood why Bei Chendong had agreed to work with a newcomer like herself. It turned out…

"No. If he really didn't want to, no one could have forced him."

"No wonder I saw similarities between the two of you," Tangning smiled as she obediently ate a mouthful of congee. She then patted the spot beside her and said to Mo Ting, "Come, sleep next to me. It's been a long time since I hugged you to sleep."

Mo Ting took the opportunity to lay on the bed and allowed her to bury herself in his arms, "Like this?"

Tangning closed her eyes and nodded, "I have a suspect in mind, but I need proof."

"I will find someone to investigate."

Hearing Mo Ting's words, Tangning suddenly started giggling, "Ting…did you know? You always seem to know what I'm thinking so I never need to say much."

"That's because I listen to you with my heart," Mo Ting planted a kiss on her head.

"If you hadn't married me, perhaps you wouldn't be cramped up in this small hospital inside this tiny room."

"But, you have no idea how fortunate I am, that the person I married was you."

…

'Hidden Expert' wasn't produced by Hai Rui, so Mo Ting had no control over any changes to take place.

Fueled by the rumors, the director eventually received a phone call from the producer, "I've thought about it. In order to avoid any more incidences from happening, I think it's best we replace Tangning. I've already found the right candidate. I'll send her over tomorrow."

"But, i don't think it's right for us to replace Tangning without prior notification," the director was put in a difficult position.

"In this industry, I'm sure you know better than I do, what we are most afraid of. Right now, everyone is already saying that Tangning is a jinx. Even if it was deliberately planned by someone, she has indeed caused a misfortune for our film. It wasn't easy for us to get Bei Chendong. Even if we don't use Tangning, I'm sure the film will still be a hit!"

"But, what about President Mo? I don't know how to explain this to him," the director felt a little helpless. In reality, he actually felt that no one would be able to pull off the troublemaker as well as Tangning.

"I'll speak to President Mo. You don't need to worry about anything, just focus on filming."

"Errr… OK then," the director had no choice but to admit defeat. When it came to making decisions, the one with the money always called the shots.

So, later that night, Lu Che received a phone call from the producer and handed it straight to Mo Ting, "It's an important phone call."

Mo Ting looked down at the sleeping Tangning, moved her carefully to one side and walked barefoot out of the hospital room into the corridor, "Hello, this is Mo Ting."

"President Mo…this is Xiao Shao. Is the madam feeling better?" the producer spoke politely as he tried to test the waters.

"If President Shao has something to say, just say it."

"To be honest, I see a lot of potential with Tangning. Especially since it is rare to come across a model with such good acting. But…you should know as well as I do, how important luck means to us. If Tangning comes across any misfortune, Hai Rui would always be there to help her. But, I have invested my entire fortune into 'Hidden Expert', if anything was to happen again, I would lose everything. So…"

"…after careful consideration, we have decided to replace Tangning. I hope you can understand that a small production like ours can't handle someone as high and mighty as Tangning."

The message was clear: replace Tangning!

"President Shao, think about it carefully. There are some things you can't take back," Mo Ting held back the fire in his eyes as he gave a gentle reminder.

There was one thing he had not yet told them: his relationship with Bei Chendong.

If Tangning was to be replaced, then what about Bei Chendong?

Would he continue filming without her?

"I am sorry, President Mo…"

"Understood," Mo Ting did not try to change their decision. The almighty Hai Rui had plenty of other opportunities to choose from.

But, he wanted them to know, by making this decision, they would need to face the consequences.

After hanging up the phone, the producer felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders as he cheered to himself, "There are plenty of people similar to Tangning. Although, she was very famous as a model, this is the film industry. I can't be bothered taking risks over a newcomer."

"President, the madam has been replaced?"

Mo Ting never imagined something like this would happen to an artist that he personally managed…

Lu Che was also surprised. Had the producer swallowed the guts of a bear[1]?

Because all Mo Ting had to do, was look at Lu Che and he would immediately obey his every order…

In reality, it was understandable for the producer to think this way. But, whether someone had influenced this decision, Mo Ting would need to investigate further into it.

How dare they replace one of his people…

Since they dared to call Tangning a jinx, he was going to let them experience true misfortune!

"President, put some shoes on first," Lu Che tried to change the subject by grabbing Mo Ting's shoes from inside the room and placing it in front of him.

In the end, Mo Ting put on his shoes, immediately walked over to Bei Chendong's room and knocked on the door.

"President Mo…" Han Xiner stood up from her seat respectfully.

"Step out for a minute. I want to have a few words with Bei Chendong," Mo Ting instructed.

"OK," Han Xiner quickly left the room. At this time, Bei Chendong looked obviously displeased.

"Don't order her around like that. That is something only I can do."

"The producer has decided to replace Tangning," Mo Ting said straightforwardly. "So, you should also withdraw your participation in the film. Otherwise…"

"I understand," Bei Chendong nodded his head. Even though he quite liked this film, he wasn't going to stand idly by as the producer bullied a member of his family.

Moreover, even though he and Mo Ting barely spent time together, he was well aware of Mo Ting's temper.

Even if he was to finish filming this film, it may not pass the review stage. And even if it passed, it may never get the chance to be released.

How dare they bully someone from Hai Rui?

Did they think Mo Ting had turned soft after getting married? Did they consider how much he doted Tangning?

"I will use bad safety measures as a reason to withdraw from the film. Since I'm still in the hospital, they can't possibly ask for compensation…"

[1] The Chinese believe that you are what you eat. So, in this case, swallowing the guts of a bear would mean one is really brave.