The Substitute Bride -- CEO's Secret Darling Wife

"The hospital," Luo's mother muttered irritably, her thoughts consumed by Luo Chenguang, who had just stormed off.

Father Luo looked around the room, silent for a moment, before he said, "Give me the phone."

Luo's mother blinked in confusion. "What do you need the phone for?"

"Call Alice," Father Luo replied, his voice tinged with frustration.

"Why Alice?" Luo's mother asked, perplexed.

Father Luo's tone grew sharper. "Tell her to have Alexander return the company to me."

Luo's mother's eyebrow twitched. "What are you laughing at?" she asked, sensing his humor.

Father Luo's confusion deepened. "Why are you laughing?" he repeated, irritation creeping into his voice.

She scoffed lightly. "Alexander and Emily are divorced now, and he knows she's not Luo Aiqin."

Father Luo's eyes widened in shock. "What?!" He turned to himself, suddenly feeling the weight of the situation. "How stupid! Why didn't you get the company back before the divorce? If you'd done that, you wouldn't have had to waste time with Alexander."

Luo's mother didn't hold back. "She wanted to get your company back, but Alexander threatened to sue us for marriage fraud. The coward quickly signed the divorce agreement. How could she demand anything after that? She didn't even dare to ask for a single penny of the divorce settlement."

Father Luo could only shake his head in resignation, anger simmering inside him. He despised Emily's timidity. She's too stupid. Too obedient.

"You're not getting the company back," Luo's mother continued sharply. "Focus on getting better. When you're discharged, you'll need to find a job."

Father Luo wanted to laugh, but the hollow sound caught in his throat. A former boss, now having to work for others? But it seemed to be the only path left to him.

Film and Television City

"Bang!"

The sharp sound of a slap echoed through the cold winter air as Emily staggered back, feeling the searing pain on the left side of her face. The cold didn't matter; the pain on her cheek was all-consuming, making her feel as though the very side of her face was being torn apart.

This was supposed to be a scene where the heroine, in a moment of despair, is slapped by her love rival. The heroine doesn't fight back—she just cries silently. Emily, a stand-in for the heroine, was slapped eleven times during the shoot. Eleven.

The problem wasn't her acting. She cried beautifully, without the need for eye drops. The director even felt his heart ache seeing her genuine tears. She was acting so well, it was palpable, drawing the attention of everyone watching.

But it was the supporting actress who was the problem. Her acting was so poor, it had caused the scene to fail repeatedly. Eleven takes—and still no success.

"Cut!" the director shouted, signaling the break.

The cameraman stopped filming as the director observed the footage with a grimace. It wasn't good. He waved to disperse the crew and headed into the rest shed, needing a brief respite from the cold.

"Director, is this one okay? My hands are killing me from all the slapping," the supporting actress asked coquettishly, her fingers shaking from the strain.

"How can you bear to watch your own acting?" The director didn't even spare her a glance as he went into the shed. "We'll reshoot it later."

The actress pouted dramatically, as if she'd just been given the worst news of her career. Emily slowly picked herself up from the ground, feeling the sting of the slap linger. How could she bear this any longer?

The makeup artist hurried over, ready to touch up the supporting actress. But the actress, irritated, pushed her away and shot a venomous glare at Emily before retreating to her own rest shed.

"Are you okay?" the real heroine, Du Haitang, asked, her voice soft and apologetic as she approached Emily. "I'm sorry you have to go through all this for me."

Surrounding her were several assistants, holding hot water bottles, thermoses, and blankets, doting on her like a star. It was obvious who the real star was—Du Haitang, the lead.

"I'm fine," Emily said, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, despite the unbearable pain.

Du Haitang gave a comforting smile in return and offered some encouraging words. "The entertainment industry can be tough. You'll face plenty more of these challenges. Every newcomer goes through this. It's all about persistence and honing your skills. Being slapped is just the beginning."

Emily was genuinely surprised. The actress, who was so adored by everyone, was offering her advice. She hadn't expected such warmth from someone so successful.

"The weather's cold," Du Haitang added, taking a hot water bottle from one of her assistants and pressing it into Emily's hands. "Stay warm, okay?"

"Wait..." The assistant seemed confused. "Why are you giving her your hot water bottle?"

Emily hesitated, almost instinctively pushing the bottle back into Du Haitang's hands. "I can't accept this."

Du Haitang smiled, unfazed. "It's fine. I've got a heater in my shed. You need it more than I do." With that, she turned to head into her rest shed.

Emily watched the heroine disappear into the warmth, her heart swelling unexpectedly. It was so rare to experience kindness from strangers—especially from someone as influential as Du Haitang.

She stood there for a moment, her hands gently cradling the hot water bottle. So warm, she thought. I can't believe this is real.

The small gesture was a reminder of how warmth between people could make all the difference in a cold world.

Five minutes later, Emily was back at the set, preparing to continue. The director was talking to the supporting actress, who still seemed distracted. He told her to focus and get her emotions right. She nodded absently, clearly not taking the feedback seriously.

"Xiao Luo, you're here?" The director greeted Emily as she approached, immediately shifting his attention to her, eager to move forward.

Emily nodded slightly and took in the scene before her. The supporting actress seemed to glare at her, but Emily didn't let it faze her.

"Is your face okay? Do you need an ice pack before we start filming again?" The director's gaze lingered on her swollen cheek, and any decent person would've felt sympathy for such a beautiful face marred by pain.

"No need," Emily replied firmly, shaking her head. "Let's just finish this quickly."

The director didn't push her and nodded.

The moment had arrived. The scene was set, and everything was ready to go. The director held up his megaphone, signaling the crew to take their positions.

"Action!"

"Bang!"

The slap came even harder this time, sharper and more forceful than before. The supporting actress, now thoroughly fed up, let the slap land with all her might. Emily's face jerked to one side with the force of it, and she staggered back, barely managing to keep her footing.

In the script, the heroine was supposed to stand strong, not fall. But Emily couldn't help but think about the baby in her belly as she fought to maintain her composure.

"Why is it that a useless, crybaby person like you has someone like Han interested in you?" the supporting actress spat out her lines, barely bothering to mask her irritation. "Why doesn't he like me?"

Emily steeled herself, her emotions roiling beneath the surface. It was a line meant to hurt, meant to break the heroine's spirit. But Emily refused to let it break hers.