Grandmother used to love making wontons, and she could also make dumplings.
When mom was wrapping wontons, Sheng Tang walked over and asked, "Mom, need any help?"
Mom said yes.
They stood at the dining table wrapping wontons, and the atmosphere was still quite awkward.
At this moment, mom suddenly spoke, "Tangtang, all these years, I’ve always been bad to you, haven’t I?"
Sheng Tang was slightly stunned.
"Mom is getting old, yet I’ve been losing control of my emotions and taking it out on you," mom continued, "It’s my fault. Lately, I’ve been dreaming about your grandmother a lot, and she always asked me if you were doing well. I think you’re probably not, and it’s all my fault."
After saying this, she sighed.
When she looked up, she found that Sheng Tang was crying.
Her tears flowed silently.
Fang Mengying then realized that her daughter had been enduring a lot of grievances these past few years, so she stepped forward and hugged her.
The mother and daughter hugged each other and cried together, and their relationship completely thawed.
Sheng Tang’s father finally got promoted to director, and besides teaching, he had to handle administrative work, so he was often very busy and occasionally had to travel on business, sometimes for one or two months.
Sheng Tang decided to stay home for two days every month.
Unexpectedly, when she returned the second month, mom fell ill.
Sheng Tang had just taken a role in a TV drama, playing the fourth female lead. Although the role wasn’t much, at least it was on screen with lines, and she valued it a lot.
This was also recommended to her by her class advisor.
The film crew had already started filming, in the same city.
Sheng Tang planned to go home to inform her mom and then move to the crew’s hotel to avoid commuting every day.
In a modern romance drama, the fourth female lead is almost like an extra, and Sheng Tang’s schedule was very tight.
Most of the time, extras wait around, not shooting; she might put on makeup in the morning and wait all day, or get to shoot just a few minutes at night.
If it’s your turn and you’re not there, the director might give you a severe reprimand.
After joining the crew, Sheng Tang didn’t want to get scolded, so she didn’t plan to commute back and forth.
With her mom ill and dad not at home, Sheng Tang quickly called her brother to ask him to take leave and come back.
Her brother got into a university in the same city. Although not S University, it was still quite good.
"You go ahead with your work; it’s important," mom said.
Sheng Tang had just reconciled with her and was constantly worried, her mind elsewhere even while on set.
Then something happened.
Sheng Tang was the prettiest among the female actors in the crew. She was dedicated and had talent, admired by both the director and others.
However, the lead actress and other supporting actresses, even their agents, felt Sheng Tang might steal their spotlight.
Especially the lead actress, who was, like Sheng Tang, exceptionally striking in appearance.
That period was the most bewildering time of Sheng Tang’s life.
She constantly worried about her mom, calling her brother who said, "Mom’s fever is recurring; I took her to the hospital."
Upon hearing this, Sheng Tang became extremely anxious, thinking about taking leave, her mind not in the right place.
She longed for her mom’s forgiveness and warm embrace too much.
Her heart was entirely with her hospitalized mother.
Thus, she fell into someone else’s trap.
The next day, the producer’s wife came to the set and slapped Sheng Tang twice, accusing her of seducing the producer during his visit the previous day.
There were photos too.
The photos showed Sheng Tang with the producer, leaning towards her and kissing her.
But Sheng Tang hadn’t even seen the producer the previous day.
After seeing the photos, Sheng Tang understood who had set her up and realized her mistakes.
But the chance to rectify her mistakes had already been missed due to worrying about her mom’s illness.
One mistake could lead to never recovering, such is the brutality of the entertainment industry. Sheng Tang’s previous smooth path might have been related to her lack of personal ties.
Staying calm and rational forever is nearly impossible, unless she loves no one and is distracted by no one.
The producer’s wife had some connections in the industry; she had Sheng Tang fired and aimed to ruin her future.
When Sheng Tang returned to school, her class advisor, rarely this emotional, rebuked her harshly, "Do you know who you’ve offended? How could you be so careless? Even if you wanted to take a shortcut, you should recognize the person! Is that someone you can afford to offend?"
The class advisor was heartbroken.
After calming down, she understood Sheng Tang had been set up and knew Sheng Tang wasn’t an impulsive girl.
Later, she recommended Sheng Tang several times, but the responses were, "We dare not use your esteemed student."
Sheng Tang’s reputation was ruined in the local industry even before formally debuting.
One mistake indeed proved fatal.
Three months after graduation, Sheng Tang still couldn’t find any job opportunities; every time she submitted a resume or auditioned, she was rejected outright.
She felt at a dead end until she reunited with Gu Jiahui.