Second pregnancy, sixth child: The beloved mom's disguise has been exposed again.

Chapter 278 I don't lack money, I just cherish talent.

Tang Xiaoge was not in the audition room, but instead appeared in front of everyone, which surprised and delighted many of her fans.

There are many female celebrities who like Tang Xiaoge, some with impure motives and others with pure motives.

The one who snatched Cui Mengmeng's phone was also one of them; of course, she was the former.

"It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! I was just joking with my friend!" The woman quickly returned the phone to Cui Mengmeng, smiling obsequiously.

Cui Mengmeng didn't want to let it go so easily, but considering her status as Luo Xiyao's assistant, she couldn't be too high-profile and make enemies.

She silently took the phone, her face looking rather grim.

"Thank you, Mr. Tang." Cui Mengmeng had just had her phone snatched and was still upset, so she wasn't as enthusiastic towards Tang Xiaoge.

She was racking her brain trying to recall if there was any important information on her phone, or if there were any photos of Luo Xiyao in her album.

Fortunately, the other party only took it for about twenty seconds and didn't have time to back it up.

"It was nothing." Tang Xiaoge waved his hand, and seeing that the person involved had no intention of pursuing the matter, he left after saying that.

Tang Xiaoge appeared quickly and left quickly, leaving many people in a daze.

It's strange that he wasn't one of the audition mentors, but instead appeared in the lobby.

After Cui Mengmeng waited outside for about twenty minutes, Ning Yao came out. Cui Mengmeng quickly ran over, wanting to ask about the result, but she hesitated because there were too many people around. She held back until Ning Yao got into the car before asking.

"How's it going? You were in there for a long time, so there should be some chance, right?"

Most people go in for ten minutes, and many come out in three to five minutes, but Luo Xiyao stayed for a full twenty minutes.

Ning Yao had just sat down when she heard Cui Mengmeng hurriedly ask a question.

Ning Yao couldn't help but find it amusing and decided to tease Cui Mengmeng. She raised her left eyebrow slightly, preparing a troubled expression.

Seeing her like this, Cui Mengmeng became even more nervous, her fingers gripping the hem of her clothes tightly.

"You should ask Xiao Jue first, I need to think about it."

When Cui Mengmeng heard Ning Yao say those words, her heart skipped a beat; she feared the outcome wouldn't be good.

Why did the bad result waste twenty minutes? Cui Mengmeng couldn't figure out the connection, so she gave up and went to ask Xin Yujue to hear about her other friend's audition experience.

"I can't, but I saw Ning Duoduo is here too. She's the newly crowned Best Actress. A Best Actress paired with a Best Actor makes for a truly great show..."

"Is she available? Didn't she just take on a campus idol film? The one she acted in with Qin Kun?" Cui Mengmeng asked curiously.

"I heard that he turned down that role, paid the penalty for breach of contract, and the lawsuit between the two parties has ended."

"It seems she's determined to win. She's gone to great lengths, even willing to pay a penalty for breach of contract, just to cooperate with Tang Xiaoge."

"That's right. This is a rare opportunity. The Best Actor is directing and starring in the film, and the modern costumes and character design have whetted the appetites of fans. Even before filming has started, many fans who have heard the news have already gone crazy."

"If I were Ning Duoduo, I would also turn down my original drama and devote myself wholeheartedly to this one."

Ning Yao listened to her two roommates' conversation from the side, but sensed something unusual.

Ning Duoduo turned down the script she was working on, paid the penalty for breach of contract, and prepared entirely for this audition.

It was just an audition, yet she took such a huge gamble, wasn't she taking too much risk?

Either Ning Duoduo is that kind of person, or she is certain that she will be able to join the film crew.

Between the two hypotheses, Ning Yao leans more towards the latter.

"Yao Yao?" Cui Mengmeng waved her hand in front of Ning Yao, her eyes filled with worry.

I called her several times but she didn't respond. Why is she spacing out?

"Huh?" Ning Yao came back to her senses and remembered that Cui Mengmeng seemed to have asked her about the audition results. "The reason my audition took so long was because the makeup artist did my makeup for the first ten minutes, and then we checked the results for the last ten minutes."

"It's okay, it's okay. We weren't really aiming for the lead role anyway, so don't be sad," Cui Mengmeng quickly tried to smooth things over, not wanting the atmosphere in the car to become too somber.

The car drove all the way back to school. Before getting out of the car, Ning Yao remembered the handmade shirt tailor shop on the street opposite the school.

"You guys go back first, I have some things to take care of. Let's meet at the teachers' apartment later." After getting out of the car, Ning Yao told her two roommates and then went to the small commercial street diagonally opposite.

The handmade tailor shop is still there, with its doors wide open for business, but it's still very quiet with hardly anyone coming in or out.

Ning Yao stood outside the door for a while before leisurely walking in.

The owner wasn't at the counter, but the faint sound of a sewing machine could be heard coming from the back room—not loud, just soft and slow.

Ning Yao stood on the shop floor and asked in a cool voice, "Is Boss Fan here?"

The sound of the sewing machine stopped abruptly, and the sound of footsteps approaching from afar came as someone got up and moved a stool.

Fan Xuewen came out from the inner room and looked at the female college student who had come to the store for the second time with some surprise.

"Is there something you need?" His voice was as deep and hoarse as ever, which was unpleasant to listen to.

When Ning Yao saw Fan Xuewen, she was also shocked. The scars on his face seemed to have been deliberately concealed, covered with a thick layer of foundation.

The raised and sunken scars were covered by foundation that didn't match his skin tone. Compared to his previous hideous appearance, he looked even more terrifying now, and it would have been better if he hadn't covered them up at all.

Ning Yao had come prepared, and although she was surprised, she wasn't as rude as she had been during their first meeting.

"I'm here to discuss a collaboration with you. I want to help your tailor shop grow into a major brand. Of course, you are the brand creator, and I'm just investing in you and sharing the profits," Ning Yao stated her purpose directly.

She thought highly of this tailor shop; the craftsmanship was truly excellent. It was just a pity that the owner was judged by his appearance.

"The investment contract is here. You can take a look and ask any questions you may have." Ning Yao took out her phone, pulled up the electronic contract, and placed it neatly in front of Fan Xuewen.

"Investment? You're going to invest in me?" Fan Xuewen seemed to realize this belatedly, his voice trembling slightly.

He stared intently at Ning Yao in front of him, his eyes shimmering with a gentle light.

Ning Yao felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze. Noticing the change in Ning Yao's emotions, Fan Xuewen looked away and carefully read through the electronic contract.

The contract terms were almost entirely in his favor, and Ning Yao was only asking for 10% of the net profit.

"Let's split it 50/50, with you getting 50% of the profits," Fan Xuewen said after thinking for a while.

Ning Yao raised an eyebrow; this man seemed much more upright than she had imagined.

"No need. I don't lack money; I just value talent."

"Then there's no need to continue talking. Please leave." Fan Xuewen was surprisingly stubborn, handing the phone back to Ning Yao and turning to go back into the inner room.

Ning Yao was puzzled. She had never been refused money before.

"Fifty percent it is fine, but do you see if there's anything else that needs to be corrected?"

As soon as Ning Yao finished speaking, Fan Xuewen came out of the workroom again.

“That’s all.” His signature husky voice rang out, and a light layer of goosebumps rose on Ning Yao’s skin beneath her sleeves.

"Alright, I'll arrange for a lawyer to come and sign the contract with you in three days."

Ning Yao is decisive and efficient; if she says three days, she means three days.

Shortly after signing a cooperation agreement with Fan Xuewen, the results of the audition for the female lead of "The Commander's Wife" were announced.

The official announcement states that the female lead is Wen Na.