Author: plum

The recording didn’t end until 9:00 PM. Yuan Zheng acted as host and organized them to have dinner outside. The men were drinking over there, while the women were chatting about cosmetics and beauty related things over here.

“Su Shen, how long have you been learning the guzheng?” Ye Meng, who was sitting beside her, suddenly asked.

Except for Su Shen, all the other girls didn’t dare to eat too much, only she ate half a bowl of rice more and had a glass of their special juice in hand. When she heard Ye Meng’s question, she turned around and smiled, “My grandfather likes these kinds of classical things, so he had me learn some when I was little.”    

Upon hearing her words, Yang Yun, on her other side, drank a sip of water depressingly, “Comparing oneself to others will only make one angry. I don’t even dare to drink too much water. Look at Su Shen, she ate half a bowl of rice more and her figure is still so good. If I had such a figure, I’d also do idol dramas.” 

Su Shen: “……”

She thought she had eaten quite little already, but when she saw the others, she felt guilty for eating just one more bite.

“You can only film horror movies!” Zhou Jun couldn’t help but tease her, and Yang Yun cursed at him again.

“Su Shen’s actually a master chef. Come here, I’ll let you guys admire it a little!” Just at this moment, Wang Cheng took out his phone and suddenly pulled out a photo, which was taken at Su Shen’s house before.

Zhou Jun took a glance and immediately leaned over and zoomed in on the picture, “No way? This was made by Su Shen?”

Seeing that he didn’t believe it, Wang Cheng explained with certainty, “Of course! It was super delicious. You can gain three pounds after eating her meal!” 

Yang Yun also leaned over to take a look and immediately took Su Shen’s arm and screamed “AHHH, I want to eat it! But, I have to diet.” 

Seeing Wang Cheng over there bragging again, Su Shen just felt exhausted. She was in the entertainment industry and did not have plans to enter the culinary industry either.

“Actually, as long as you have a reasonable diet, you won’t gain too much weight. I can make vegetarian pancakes that are low in calories. I often eat that to control my weight. You guys can come over to my house when you have time, and I can make whatever you want to eat.” She said with a smile.

Whether it’s pleasantries or not, the others had a great impression of her. After adding each other on WeChat, they then followed each other on Weibo. After dinner, Yang Yun added that she would go to her house for free meals in the future. 

Su Shen naturally agreed with a smile. When she got back to the hotel, she had to pack up and leave tomorrow.

When she was in bed, she thought of the phone call today. Su Shen didn’t know if she should explain to Xie Yan again, but on second thought, it had already been explained on the show. Thus, she did not say anything more.

It wasn’t until the next day that she flew back to Shanghai. Her Dad was richer than her and had bought a mansion. By the time she got home, her Mom was already busy in the kitchen. 

And in the living room sitting was her Dad, a middle-aged man, and a very familiar figure!

“Speak of the devil! Look, this girl is finally back.” Her Dad saw her and immediately beckoned her with his hand, “What are you waiting for? Come and see your Uncle Tan.”

The middle-aged man turned around and smiled kindly when he saw Su Shen, “Shen Shen has already grown so much, I still remember how little she was when she was just born. She became a lady already so quickly.” 

Su Shen blinked, changed her shoes and walked over with a smile, “Hello Uncle Tan.”

As she said that, she turned around and looked at the tall and handsome man at the side, “Hello Hao Zhi gege.” 

The man was wearing a black casual suit. At a glance, Su Shen could tell that the watch on his wrist was a global limited edition. Although his face was a little different from her memories, the original owner of Su Shen’s body had seen his photos before. That’s right, this man was the childhood friend that the original owner had a crush on!

However, he seemed to just treat her as a little sister. When he was 16, their entire family moved abroad. It was said that they seemed to have come back recently. Su Shen remembered that the original owner of this body had written a love letter to him before, but did not know if he had received it or not. But, there was no change in his attitude towards her. 

“Alas, we have grown old in a blink of an eye. I remember that these two were still so little and now, they have become adults.” Uncle Tan sighed while taking off his glasses, as if lamenting that time waits for no one.    

The girl in front was wearing a jade-green dress, which perfectly showed her beautiful figure. Unlike the little girl in his memories, the face of the person in front of him was beautiful and exquisite, but with a touch of innocence. However, her temperament portrayed indifference. She was different from the girl who only chased after him in the past; now, she was a little distant and courteous.

Tan Haozhi got up and looked at her with a smile, with a clear voice, “Long time no see, you’ve grown taller.”

Su Shen rolled her eyes and smiled politely, “Not as tall as you.”

Seeing the two of them chatting awkwardly, Papa Su could not help but feel a little helpless. He glanced at Papa Tan, and the two of them went to the study to chat with their teacups in hand. 

When they were the only people left in the living room, Su Shen stiffened a little. What she was most afraid of were these emotional entanglements, as she did not know how to deal with them at all. 

“Sit.” She took two steps back and sat on the other sofa.

Seeing that she seemed a little strained, Tan Haozhi smiled helplessly, “This is your home, why are you more nervous than me?” 

His smile only made people feel as if they were bathed in a spring breeze. Su Shen, however, was a little awkward and took a throw pillow on the side to put it on her legs, pretending to be calm while looking at him, “I didn’t expect you to come back so suddenly, will you go back in the future?” 

With regard to this childhood friend, he had been constantly in the mind of the original owner of this body. She often asked her Dad for news about him and learned that he had already received his JD and PhD in law and that he had won several lawsuits against famous attorneys abroad. For him to suddenly come back, it seemed that he wanted to develop his career back here.

“I opened a law firm with a friend and will develop my career back here in the future.” As he said this, he suddenly looked at her seriously, “I heard that you have entered the entertainment industry. Why haven’t I heard of you having this interest before?” 

The original owner of this body had this dream long ago, but at that time, he had been studying hard, so how could he have had the time to listen to the original Su Shen’s dream?

“Oh, I’ve had this idea since long ago. People should at least pursue their dreams once.” She smiled politely. 

Seeing her mannerisms were completely different from the little girl in his memories, Tan Haozhi felt very perplexed. Time could really change a lot. 

He suddenly thought of something and frowned, looking at her earnestly, “I saw the trailer of your movie with Xie Yan. You acted great; I didn’t realize that you had this potential before.”  

Their eyes met. He seemed to be really praising her. But Su Shen thought of the kiss scene with Xie Yan and wondered if he knew. That would be embarrassing. 

But just when Su Shen was about to say something, her phone suddenly rang. She apologized and then answered the call. 

The next moment, Liu jie’s clear voice came through the phone, “There is good news and bad news, which one do you want to hear first?” 

Upon hearing that, Su Shen glanced at Tan Haozhi and ran outside to take the call, “Good news.” 

At that, Liu jie on the other end immediately said, “I’ve booked that modern drama for you. You happen to be free the day after tomorrow,  so I’ll go with you to sign the contract and in passing, have a meal with the producer. By the way, Xie Yan will also go.”

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Good News

“Three million?”

The voice from the other end of the phone seemed a little puzzled, and everyone else looked at Su Shen curiously at what she was going to say.

Su Shen felt rather embarrassed. Xie Yan was probably confused by her. She was clearly someone who didn’t even want to owe others a meal, but now, she wanted to borrow three million all of a sudden. She didn’t know if Xie Yan could sense that something was weird about it. 

“Yeah, it’s the complex in Yuxin District. When I went to see it a few days ago, I felt that the condo was quite nice. But, I just happened to be short of three million. If it’s inconvenient for you, I’ll ask someone else.” Su Shen coughed slightly. What she said was so obvious, it was impossible for Xie Yan to not see through it. 

As expected, the person on the other end of the phone paused and suddenly said, “Is it convenient or not?” 

As his words fell, the people at the table across from her covered their mouths. If it wasn’t for the fact that they couldn’t make a sound, they would probably have screamed.

Seeing that time was running out, Su Shen immediately asked, “Are you willing to lend or not?”

Hearing this, Xie Yan said seriously, “Sure, but my interest is very high.”

She knew that he saw through it when he said that. Fortunately, the task was completed. Just at this moment, Zhou Jun, who was across from her, suddenly said, “Hi Yan ge, we’re recording for a show!” 

When he said that, Yang Yun, who was next to him, came over excitedly and shouted, “Xie laoshi, I’m your fan!” 

Su Shen’s hand was almost crushed by Yang Yun, which showed just how excited she was, just like how Tong Le was.

“Yan ge, when will you lend me three million!” Wang Cheng shouted from over there.

Actually, everyone could tell that Xie Yan must have seen through it just now, as his last sentence was obviously a joke.

“Xie laoshi surely wants to refuse in his heart!” Yang Yun looked at Wang Cheng jeeringly.

“Okay, y’all. Hi Yan ge, we’re recording for ‘Happy Today’; it was a game just now. You can say hello to our friends in the audience.” Yuan Zheng immediately took control of the scene. 

Upon hearing that, the person on the other end of the phone said unhurriedly, “Hello everyone, I’m Xie Yan.”

His voice was deep and mellow. Yang Yun, on the side, grabbed Su Shen’s arm tightly with excitement, “AHHHHH!”

“Okay, okay, there’s nothing else. I’m going to hang up.” Su Shen immediately took her phone and hung up before the other party could respond. 

She didn’t know how the production team would edit it later, but it was obvious that Xie Yan was joking around when he promised to lend her money. The public would definitely see it. 

“With this, there will definitely be someone asking Xie laoshi to lend them money everyday.” Zhang Qianqian said jokingly. 

Seeing this, Su Shen immediately said with all seriousness, “Actually, Xie laoshi is very nice. He would teach us a lot of things when filming.” 

“Yeah, he would tell me how to tone and intonate the lines. He’s also usually very down-to-earth.” Wang Cheng added. 

Su Shen couldn’t help but take another glance at him. How come she didn’t feel that Xie Yan was down-to-earth…

Everyone echoed a few more words, and then it was Zhang Qianqian’s turn to call. She drew out “I have a fever.”

The one she had to call was a heavily rumored boyfriend recently. The other party was a highly popular xiao xian rou. But what they didn’t expect was that after Zhang Qianqian finished speaking, the other party immediately said, “I’m coming to see you now.” 

In an instant, the entire room was flaring with noise. The person on the other end of the phone naturally found out that they were recording for a show, but the relationship between the two of them must not be ordinary. Zhang Qianqian’s face blushed with helplessness. 

However, this scene definitely could not be broadcasted. There could be ambiguity between the two, but if that were to be broadcasted, it would mean that they were going public with their relationship. Zhang Qianqian certainly did not want to go public with their relationship. The production team naturally wouldn’t do such a thing either. After all, this was a long term collaboration. Thus, the two of them soon recorded another take, but it was much more normal this time. 

They didn’t expect such big news to be leaked in the end. Everyone was so surprised that the calls after seemed average.

The result of this round was the red team. This was the script of the production team, where each team had to win once, so that they could have a sense of tension by being evenly matched. 

The punishment for Su Shen’s team was to let the other team’s members draw turtles on their faces, with lipstick even. In the end, they had to wash their faces before reapplying makeup.

Each team got a clue, and they respectively went to town to look for the peerless Master. During this time, the route and the meeting of the two teams were all scripted. Wang Cheng said he was hungry and insisted on taking them to eat a bowl of wontons on the roadside before leaving.

The scripted ending was that the red team found the Master, who was actually a kung fu master. Overall, this episode was already full of funny bits and breaking points. Although the part of Zhang Qianqian couldn’t be broadcasted, the rerecording was still full of ambiguity between the two, which was enough as a gimmick.

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After getting the clue from the first round, the second round’s competition started. But this time, everyone sat along a long table indoors. 

Director: “In front of you, there are ten cards. Each of you has to choose one. Later, you will take out your respective phone and let someone from the other team select a contact to complete the task on the card. The team that completes the most within the specified time will win this round.”

“Ah?”

Everyone shouted. Nobody expected for the production team to play this hard. Su Shen arched an eyebrow, as this was completely outside her expectations. 

These kinds of shows usually have a script, but mostly for when guests split apart and explore on their own, as there would be no funny bits otherwise. As for games and the like, there’s usually no notice, so that they could catch guests off guard.   

“Look guys, Zhou Jun’s face turned pale from fright. He must have many hidden secrets on his phone.” Yuan Zheng pointed at Zhou Jun who was across from him.  

At that, everyone else burst into laughter, with only Zhou Jun looking toward Deng Chun, “What do I have to be afraid of? I’m single. But, have you guys ever thought about Deng laoshi’s feelings? He’s married!” 

Who knew what random task would be on the card? Deng Chun helplessly rubbed his temple with a smile, while Yuan Zheng, who was beside him, jokingly said, “It’s over, Deng laoshi will have to kneel on the keyboard when he returns home.”

Everyone laughed again. Just at this moment, the Director asked everyone to hand over their phones. Although everyone was a little hesitant, they were all a part of the same industry. Even if there was any secret, no one would say it out loud. After all, there was no bad blood. 

After exchanging phones, Yuan Zheng chose an actress that Zhou Jun had worked with from his contacts. Actually, Su Shen saw that Zhou Jun happened to have a “Baby” in his contacts, which might be an undisclosed girlfriend. However, although Yuan Zheng and he loved to make fun of each other, they would not expose something like this at such a time.

Yang Yun chose the phone number of her well-known director Dad for Ye Meng. When Su Shen’s phone fell into Zhang Qianqian’s hand, Zhou Jun, who was next to her, saw something and shouted incessantly. 

“Stop, stop, stop, I see Jiang Yin’s name! Choose him!” Zhou Jun smiled mischievously, obviously aware of the gossip between Jiang Yin and her. 

Su Shen breathed a sigh of relief. Jiang Yin was familiar with the tactics used by variety shows and would definitely be able to see through it. She wasn’t worried.

“Wait!” Zhang Qianqian suddenly shouted, “Xie Yan! I’ll choose him!”

Compared with Jiang Yin, Xie Yan was much more of a trending topic. Anyone who paid attention to the news would know that Xie Yan’s first on-screen kiss was given to her. For the production team, this was definitely a gimmick.

“Ah?” Wang Cheng was also surprised when he heard that and seemed to be worried for Su Shen. After all, Xie Yan was taciturn and of few words. God knows if he could see through that this was part of a show?

“Yes, yes, yes, Xie Yan then.” The people on the red team agreed. Xie Yan does not participate in variety shows. If they could dial through, would it count as his debut? 

Seeing this, Su Shen helplessly laid her head on the table. She didn’t expect that Xie Yan would be chosen.

The first person to draw out a card was Zhao Feng. He drew out “Do you want to go on a vacation together next month?”

The one he needed to call was also a rumored girlfriend, who was picked by Yang Yun. In the end, they awkwardly chatted for a while, and the time quickly passed. He failed his task. Clearly, he was not close with his rumored girlfriend. 

The second one to go was Wang Cheng. He drew out “Would you like to have dinner tonight?” 

The person he needed to call was Yang Zhi, but he and Yang Zhi seemed to be quite close. The other party happily agreed. When she learned that he was recording for a show, she greeted the audience of the show. Fortunately, Wang Cheng’s task was completed.

After several rounds, Su Shen became more and more nervous. She didn’t know what she would draw. 

When it was finally her turn, facing the panning camera, Su Shen pretended to be calm and drew out a card on the table with the words “Can you lend me three million?”

Three million was neither much nor less for an artist. Even a C-list actor can earn tens of millions a year. For Xie Yan, it’s a drop in the bucket. However, Su Shen felt it was so abrupt to ask someone to lend her that much money.

“Quick, quick!” Zhou Jun immediately dialed the phone for her.

The phone beeped. Su Shen became more and more nervous. Until a few more rings, the phone finally connected and a hoarse male voice suddenly sounded, “Hello?”

Everyone stared at Su Shen, who pretended to be calm and said to the phone, “Are you practicing Muay Thai again?”

“Yeah.” Xie Yan, on the other end, couldn’t help wiping his sweat with a towel, and seemed curious that Su Shen would take the initiative to call him, while letting the instructor go for today.

“Umm… can I ask you to help me with something?” Su Shen was so nervous that her palms were sweating, but she appeared calm. 

Everyone else was staring at the phone tightly. Wang Cheng was even more nervous. He didn’t even have Xie Yan’s number. How come Su Shen has it? 

“Sure.”

The voice from the other end of the phone had no hesitation whatsoever. Everyone else covered their mouths and looked at Su Shen suspiciously. He agreed without even listening to what the request was. There seemed to be something going on here. 

Being stared at by them was too embarrassing and Su Shen took a deep breath and said, “The thing is, I’m planning to move houses. My current condo’s location didn’t seem to be too great, but houses in the CBD* area is too expensive. I’m still short of a bit of money, can you lend me three million first?”

CBD – Central Business District

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Phone Got Connected!

“AHH!!!” 

Yuan Zheng and the others all screamed wildly, and Wang Cheng, who was beside him, couldn’t help but ask, “What kind of punishment?”  

Director: “It’s a secret!” 

“AHAHA, you guys are doomed. Ye Meng has learned the guzheng before, an expert like her will know whether someone plays it or not!” Zhou Jun, who was across from them, began to mock them unscrupulously. 

Hearing this, Su Shen couldn’t help but glance at Ye Meng, who was facing her with a slight smile on her face. No wonder she couldn’t find the person, it seemed like they were chosen by the opposite team already. 

Director: “Okay, would the red team please play first.” 

As soon as the Director finished speaking, the selected girl immediately sat in front of the guzheng. She had already put on the fake nails and was wearing an ancient attire with long hair hanging past her shoulders. Although her appearance was not as exquisite as artists, her temperament was something that people could not ignore. 

When she raised her hand, the clanging sounds of music immediately flowed from her fingertips. All of a sudden, everyone had a surprised expression, and only Zhou Jun’s team began to cheer. 

Laymen watched for fun, and experts watched for expertise. From where she was from, this girl’s playing probably wouldn’t even get 60 points. 

“F**k!” Seeing this, Yuan Zheng immediately looked at the girl that he pulled out, somewhat vexed, and walked over to ask, “Do you know how to play?” 

The girl immediately shook her head apologetically upon hearing his words. 

By the time the girl in front of them finished playing, the red team was smug to the point of no return. Although, they had exaggerated their expressions for the sake of the show. 

“Su Shen, do you want to come to our team? That side simply lowers your looks!” Zhou Jun said with a smug smile. 

Hearing this, Yang Yun immediately exploded. She pulled Wang Cheng forward and said while pointing at his face, “You dare to compete with our team in terms of looks? There’s nothing worse than competing with us in looks!” 

“Our team’s looks are unparalleled!” Yuan Zheng immediately added. 

Su Shen couldn’t help but laugh. Although they were filming for a show, fun games would still make one physically and mentally happy. Moreover, the guests of this episode seemed to be easy to get along with and not too meddlesome.    

“Then may I ask, where’s the person you have chosen?” Zhou Jun had the same smile on his face, waiting for them to admit defeat. 

The Director had said that only one of them could play, and that girl had also said that she couldn’t, so it’s definitely their loss this round. 

“Wait a sec!” Yuan Zheng suddenly raised his hand, “What a coincidence, we also have an expert. Director, what if one of our team members could play? You never said that the person chosen must play!” 

Actually, the Director had said it just before. But for the appeal of the show, this was exactly what they wanted. Since a guest had this talent, then there would be another gimmick for the show. There was no reason not to agree. 

Director: “Okay, if one of you guys can play a complete piece of Lofty Mountains and Flowing Water, then this round will be a draw!” 

Hearing this, Yang Yun immediately pulled Su Shen forward, “Applause please!” 

“Clap clap!”

Yuan Zheng and the others immediately clapped enthusiastically. Wang Cheng also shouted ‘good luck’, while Zhou Jun’s team watched the scene with the attitude of watching a good show. 

Su Shen could play Lofty Mountains and Flowing Water, but she didn’t know whether to show her real ability or not under so many eyes. If her parents knew about it, it would be difficult to explain. She could say she learned it on her own, but it couldn’t be too refined. So, she should play it a little poorly. 

She slowly put on the fake nails, and her expression gradually became serious. She calmed her heart and started to pluck the strings. 

Although they didn’t know how well she played, it was distinctly more unique and pleasing than what the girl before played. Whether it was for the effect of the show or not, some people had surprised expressions on their faces, but no one uttered a sound lest they’d disturb her.

Laymen watched for fun, and experts watched for expertise. Only Ye Meng looked at Su Shen somewhat weirdly. She could hear that Su Shen’s qin skills were beyond the scope of her comprehension. Furthermore, her playing held an indescribable charm than her teacher’s. Even if she studied it from a young age, she was a genius to have such a talent.

The camera was aimed straight at Su Shen. She was wearing a pink hanfu, her skin was fair with exquisite and elegant features. At this moment, her eyes were down and expression indifferent. As her fingertips slid across the guzheng, sounds of it instantly torrented. 

As soon as the song ended, there was a burst of applause on scene. Yang Yun rushed forward and looked at the red team, “Convinced or not?!”   

The members of the red team admired Su Shen greatly. With respect to this kind of traditional quintessence of national culture, they maintained a rare revering mentality. Su Shen looked quiet and reserved, but was quite talented. However, this was still a competition, and there was no such thing as yielding. 

“It’s a draw then! Our Ye Meng can also!” Zhou Jun immediately looked at Ye Meng, “Quick, show them a hand too!”

Facing everyone’s burning gaze, Ye Meng politely smiled, “I can’t play as good as Su Shen did.”

Everyone thought she was joking when they heard that. But no one knew that she was telling the truth. At least in Ye Meng’s view, she had never seen anyone play it better than Su Shen, even her teacher.

“AHAHA! Now, it’s time for you guys to admit defeat!” Yuan Zheng started to jeer at them without hesitation. 

At this, the red team just made a “tsk” sound and didn’t say anything else. After all, Su Shen really did have the talent, and there was no fraudery conducted.  They were not unwilling.

“Su Shen, you’re amazing!” Yang Yun came forward and hugged her arm again, laughing happily. 

Su Shen was also led to laugh by her. She learned how to play the guzheng from the top guzheng master in the country. In order to send her di* sister to the palace, their Madame* naturally took great pains to nurture her sister. At that time, Su Shen attended to her Grandmother everyday. Perhaps feeling that she was clever and obedient, her Grandmother allowed her to go learn it too. In fact, among the four arts*, she was most adept at calligraphy and painting. But her guzheng was not bad either. Just now, she purposefully played two notes wrong, but no one seemed to have noticed. Moreover, the material of this guzheng was terribly poor, and it would not be able to showcase her normal playing either. 

di sister – daughter from the official wife

Madame – the official wife of a man in ancient China

four arts – guzheng, Go, calligraphy, and painting

Director: “Okay, the blue team wins the first round. As for the red team, each of you has to take out a marble from the box with the snake. 

“AHHHHH!”

Everyone on the red team was shocked. At this time, the staff carried a black box onto the stage, making it so that no one could see what was inside. But hearing that there was a snake inside, Zhang Qianqian turned pale, seemingly hadn’t thought that the production team would play this big.

It was just a ruse. How could the production team put the artists in danger? That snake definitely must be non-toxic and its mouth would be bound. Everyone could think of this, but they were still afraid more or less. 

“I’ll go first!” Zhou Jun gulped, rolled up his sleeve without demur, and directly reached into the box. 

What Su Shen was most afraid of were snakes, even if their mouths were bound. Fortunately, they didn’t lose this round; otherwise, she really wouldn’t have been able to do it. 

“Is it this?” Zhou Jun suddenly pulled out his hand, with a black marble in hand.

They didn’t expect him to be so courageous, but the others weren’t so courageous. Several of them dawdled for half a day, but the production team didn’t give in. After all, they had confidence as a top variety show.

After they had all taken out a marble, sweat had broken out on their foreheads from fear. Yang Yun was scared shitless that she said they must not lose the next round. 

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In the afternoon, she barely had any scenes. Tomorrow, she’s participating in a variety show, but the schedule has already been negotiated with the production crew. But it seemed that even if she stayed, there would only be a few scenes left for her to film. 

This show was the top variety show in the country. No matter whether its rating or popularity, no other show could rival it. It was only because of her recent popularity that the show offered an olive branch to her. But at the same time, the episode this time had five regular members and five guests, either idols or those with capability. In terms of clout, she was the lowest in rank.

When she arrived at the quaint town where the show was filmed, Su Shen did not expect to run into Wang Cheng at the hotel. 

“Su Shen! What a coincidence, you’re also in this episode?” Wang Cheng took off his baseball cap and immediately walked from the hotel front desk to the entrance. 

Su Shen also smiled when she saw him and then asked Xiao Zhou to check in.  

By this time, a lot of staff members of the show and a few guests had already arrived at the hotel. Seeing the two of them chatting so closely, they all wondered who Su Shen was. After thinking for quite a while, they then remembered the trailer from two days ago. 

“Do you want to get dinner tonight? I’ll treat you!” Wang Cheng bumped her arm with a smile.

After a long drive, Su Shen was truly a little tired. She shook her head and said, “Not today; I’ll treat you next time.” 

“Promise then; you have to treat me to dinner next time, especially that steamed pork with rice flour*. I had others’ but it’s not the same taste as yours. What secret recipe did you use?” Wang Cheng followed her with curiosity. 

steamed pork with rice flour – fen zheng rou, search it up on Google if interested!  

When the elevator arrived, she walked in and glanced from the corner of her eye, “You already said it’s a secret recipe, how can I tell you?”

Her room was on the second floor. As her celebrity status was not as high as that of others, she stayed in an ordinary hotel room. For top stars like Wang Cheng, they stayed in a luxury suite. 

As she entered her room, Su Shen rested for a while and then called her Mom, telling her that she would go home for dinner the day after tomorrow. Just because she was busy earning money doesn’t mean that she should neglect her family.  

The regular members of this show were Zhang Qianqian, Yang Yun, Yuan Zheng, Zhou Jun, and Zhao Feng. Zhang Qianqian went the idol route and her acting was quite good, but she was never popular. Ultimately, because of this show, she blew up and rose to being one of the Four Dan actresses. As for Yang Yun, she was a child star and went the comical route, mostly filming bourgeois dramas. The other three regular male members all had a great variety show sense, and they all filmed movies, with only Zhao Feng filming modern dramas.

Apart from her and Wang Cheng, the other three guests were also well-known. For example, Deng Chun was a TV Emperor and Wang Chunxin recently won the Best Supporting Actress award. Ye Meng’s background was even more amazing. Although she was not very popular, her father was a well-known director. Despite spending so many resources on her, she was not popular. 

The online speculation about which best actor got arrested intensified online. All other matters in the industry were put on the sideline. Even the news of a B-list male actor having an affair did not cause much disturbance. No one knew when the matter would subside.

Early the next morning, Su Shen changed her clothes, got her makeup done, and went to the filming site. For this episode, it was an ancient theme, so she changed into a pink hanfu*. When she rushed to the filming site, the others had also changed into their ancient-styled costumes. Wang Cheng wore the uniform of an imperial bodyguard, wearing his hat comically.  

hanfu – traditional style of clothing for Han Chinese

After almost everyone arrived, the Director asked them to prepare for filming.  

Once filming starts for a variety show, it would continue to film all the way until the end. You also have no idea how the production team would edit in the post-production, so it was very likely that small things would be magnified. 

It was not until the cameras started rolling that the Director suddenly spoke, “Welcome to this quaint water town, everyone. Today, we are going to split into two teams to compete. Over there is a box, and those who draw out balls of the same color are automatically divided into a team. You guys will compete for clues through competitions, and then go into town to look for the unknown Master. For the team that first finds the Master, the production team will donate 100,000 books to rural towns in their names.” 

As soon as the Director finished his words, the group of people began to discuss in a murmur.

“As soon as I saw Su Shen, I knew that we’ll be in the same group. After all, our looks are on par!” At this moment, Yang Yun ran over grinning and held Su Shen’s arm. The others couldn’t help but chuckle. 

Seeing this, Zhou Jun pointed at her and teased, “Su Shen must want to refuse in her heart!”

After all, they were regular members of the show and knew how to liven up the atmosphere. Several other people also began to joke around, and when it was about time, everyone went to draw a ball.

As expected, Su Shen and Yang Yun as well as Wang Cheng, Yuan Zheng, and Deng Chun were in the same team. Yang Yun hugged Su Shen grinningly and chatted with her for quite a while. She was very friendly, and in less than two minutes, she said that she would add her WeChat once filming ended, and invited her to dinner.  

After dividing into teams, the Director spoke once again, “Okay, there’s ten beauties on stage right now. You have to find the one that can play the guzheng. The one that chooses the right person will get the first clue. Now, we will play rock paper scissors, and the winner gets to choose first.” 

When Su Shen saw the guzheng on stage, she felt a little sentimental. From where she was from, any young lady from a noble family would know a little bit of the guzheng and guqin*. But unfortunately, few people would learn it now.

guqin – a long zither with seven strings, plucked with the fingers

After playing the first round of rock paper scissors, it was Zhou Jun’s team who won. Whilst Yang Yun muttered, “I heard that the calluses of those who play this are very thick.”

“Not necessarily, there are two kinds of calluses on the left hand. The first is the callus formed when the pinky is plucked. The other is the callus formed when the index finger, middle finger, and right finger are plucked. But since you can wear fake nails now, it does not mean that the one who has the thickest calluses is the one that can play the guzheng.” Su Shen calmly explained, with her eyes falling on the candidates that were on stage. 

As her words fell, several other people looked at her with a strange expression, and Yang Yun couldn’t help but ask, “Do you know how to play it?”

Su Shen came to her senses when she heard that and noticed that the camera was pointing straight at her. She smiled at Yang Yun, “I know a little bit.”

“Usually those who know a little are actually very capable. Just like me, when people ask me if I can sing, I usually say just a little.” Yuan Zheng shrugged his shoulders narcissistically, and Yang Yun berated him jokingly. 

Three minutes later, Zhou Jun’s team finally picked someone. At this time, it was also Su Shen’s team’s turn. There were nine candidates left. But when Su Shen checked their hands one by one, she found that none of them was right. 

Director: “Ten seconds left!” 

“Hurry up, hurry up! Did you find the person?” Wang Cheng kept urging her. 

Su Shen shook her head. The others all cried out “ahh”. In the last few seconds, Yuan Zheng pulled the one with the thickest calluses out in a hurry.   

“AHAHAHA!” The other team laughed at them crazily. 

After seeing that they have selected their pick, the Director continued, “Next, we will invite them to play Lofty Mountains and Flowing Water*. Also, the team that chose the wrong person will receive an unknown punishment!” 

Lofty Mountains and Flowing Water – one of the top ten guzheng classics

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Playing the Guzheng*

Guzheng – it is a Chinese plucked zither

Su Shen did not mind Xiao Zhou’s complaint. It was best to leave this matter to Liu jie to handle. 

She noticed that after the movie trailer was released, she and Fan Meng were trending on hot search again. However, this time, she was not suppressed and attacked by netizens. 

Netizen A: I must not be the only one who’s actually impressed by Su Shen’s acting?!

Netizen B: Sure enough, being instructed by a famous director is different. Director Huang is simply a miracle, even Su Shen attained acting skills under him. [laugh] 

Netizen C: A passerby turned fan, looking forward to the full movie. Our beautiful Su Su [drooling]

Netizen D: The water army of the D-lister is here to wash the floor again. Front row, get out of the way! 

Netizen E: Is this the original voice-over? The last sentence gave me goosebumps. 

Netizen F: I see this kind of meaningless catfight each and every time. Regardless of how well the actors performed, we should wait for the movie to be aired before making a judgment. To tear each other apart like this, is it to be gossip for other films scheduled for the same time? ps: For passerbys, stop calling D-Lister this or that. For a best actress to fight with a D-lister, don’t you think it’s devaluing themself? 

Netizen G: Am I the only one caring about that kiss scene? Why isn’t it in the trailer? Is the production team trying to give us a surprise?  

Netizen H: A dud movie! With the female lead’s stiff ass face, Wang Cheng’s exaggerated acting, an unknown supporting female lead, and the tasteless love triangle plot, even Xie Yan’s first onscreen kiss can’t save this dud movie. [smiley face]

The movie would not be released until after next year’s Chinese New Year. At that time, there would be a multitude of films released. From Su Shen’s perspective, the female supporting character was pitiful, but this was only her perception. From the perspective of God, she was the villainess in the entire movie. The male protagonist had not done her any wrong and had even searched for her in private. After reuniting, he also advised her not to harm others. However, the female supporting character had already been overwhelmed by jealousy and continued her evil acts. 

All in all, the war scenes and description of the troubled times period were impressive. It may be that the screenwriter was not very adept in writing love scenes, hence why the depiction of the love triangle plot was crudely portrayed. She had to rely on her own understanding to act out the scenes, else the supporting female character was a villainess through and through throughout.    

After the trailer came out, many people said that this movie was ruined by her and Wang Cheng, and that Fan Meng’s stiff ass face could not be looked at. It was definitely going to be a dud. It could be seen that those antis were in fact water armies. The competition for movies airing around the spring festival was intense. Other production teams must have wanted to discredit the impression of this film to passerbys. After all, tearing down one film was still one film. In two months, this film will start pre-sale. 

After scrolling through the comments, Su Shen sent Liu jie a message to inform her about the matter with the script. Liu jie just said she would handle it. 

Her scenes today had not changed much, so Su Shen continued to shoot all day. When she returned to the hotel at night, the comments online were not just targeted at her but at the entire film. 

In particular, a marketing account had even posted an equivocal breaking allegation, saying that a certain young best actor from China was caught by a police raid at a brothel abroad. He had just been released on bail and had not returned to China yet.  

As soon as this news broke out, it caused an uproar.  

The scope of a young best actor from China narrowed down the list a lot, with several candidates. But those antis were pointing to Xie Yan. There were also others who said that Xie Yan was still in the country and had not gone abroad. However, Xie Yan’s whereabouts had always been concealed. This fact was used by those antis who began to throw mud at him wantonly. 

Netizen A: Dogs that can bite don’t bark. Some people’s persona was being low-profile, but they play around the most behind the scenes!  

Netizen B: Stop beating around, you marketing dog! Show your evidence!  

Netizen C: I feel like there is a conspiracy behind all this. Why did a large number of people say that it was Xie Yan as soon as the news broke out?

Netizen D: Movie hype?

Netizen E: Are you stupid, PP*? Which movie will use this to hype? It’s obvious that they are trying to splash dirty water. Since the trailer was released, the movie’s been ridiculed. It’s clearly a conspiracy by other production teams. After all, who doesn’t want a piece of the cake during the Spring Festival quarter! 

PP – Previous Poster of a thread forum 

Netizen F: Even low-profile people will be attacked; Yan ge, come out and slap them in the face!

The public opinion was so boisterous that it overwhelmed the hype of the trailer itself. Su Shen definitely did not believe that Xie Yan was such a person. Moreover, he was clearly having dinner with her yesterday, but this allegation was too coincidental. Breaking the news as the trailer got released?

Su Shen sent a message to Liu jie and asked; it took about five or six minutes before she responded.

Liu jie: It’s true that another film’s production crew is spreading libel against you guys’ film, but your production crew will also counterattack. But Xie Yan’s case is indeed a coincidence. From the news I got, Ma Yue was arrested by a police raid on prostitution rings abroad. As for why it’s all pointing to Xie Yan, you may not know but there’s a Hollywood blockbuster that has intentions to cast someone from China. It’s a Hollywood production, who wouldn’t want a slice of that cake?  

It sure was different among A-listers fighting for roles—with a breaking allegation the next moment. Even if Xie Yan clarified, he would still leave a bad impression behind. 

Su Shen didn’t think too much of it, and she was not in the position to catfight either. 

After taking a shower, Su Shen was about to go to bed when she logged onto Weibo and saw that Xie Yan’s swift and exceptional manager had taken action once again. He first showed Xie Yan’s flight ticket from Shanghai to Guangzhou this morning and then posted a lawyer letter. He had even exposed the user IDs of the most malicious anti-netizens, seemingly as if they were going to sue them.    

Xie Yan was still in the country and thus, those antis naturally backed off. But the public opinion did not reduce in the slightest, and people were still discussing which best actor got arrested.

When Su Shen got up and went to set the next day, the popularity of the matter online did not subside one bit and had even started a national discussion on whether it was Ma Yue or Zheng Tong. However, this was also beyond Liu jie’s expectations. She had planned to use the trailer to haul back the comments criticizing her poor acting, but she didn’t expect this to happen.

“Su Shen, come here.” The Director sat in front of the monitor and motioned for her. 

Su Shen just happened to finish changing into her costume, and she walked over while lifting her dress. The Director handed her another script, “What do you think of this?”

Early in the morning, many staff members were still following the spectacle online. Su Shen sat on the stool at the side and carefully looked through the script. She found that there were some changes, and although her scenes did not increase, they became more important. It resulted in her role becoming more prominent. However, Zhu Qinqin’s scenes were, as usual, many.

“It’s fine.” Su Shen closed the script and didn’t say much. After all, this was also the result that Liu jie fought for.

“That’s good. You can go, it’s almost time to start filming.” Seeing her agree, the Director didn’t say much more. 

Su Shen took the script and left. It’s quality rather than quantity that counts. Ultimately, the public would curse at the screenwriter, not her. 

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After listening to Liu jie’s long stream of consciousness, Su Shen simply closed her eyes and said indifferently, “You don’t need to say more, I won’t get a boyfriend so casually.” 

Liu jie: “……”

“A man should get married on coming of age, and so should a girl. This is originally heaven’s law and earth’s principle. Even if you tell your sister about this, I will also say this to her. Maybe your sister wants you to find a boyfriend more than you.” Liu jie said in earnest.

“That being said, Xie Yan is just interested in me because of my cooking. The two can’t even be mentioned in the same breath.” Su Shen’s voice suddenly trailed off as she spoke of this and didn’t know how to explain it. After a moment of silence, she told the person on the other end of the phone, “You said to hype a CP, I cooperated. However, I will handle my personal matters myself. I hope you can understand.” 

The person on the other end of the phone went quiet when they heard this and then said, “Alright, this matter was my fault. Remember to go on set tomorrow; you also have a reality show you have to participate in the day after tomorrow.” 

“Got it.”

Taking a deep breath, she hung up the phone. At this time, the condo was empty and strangely quiet. After sitting for a while, she went to get some clothes and took a shower. 

The crew usually start work at eight in the morning. With so many scenes, Su Shen had to go on set to get her makeup done in advance. Fortunately, this was a wuxia drama. If it was a historical palace drama, it would take at least three hours with the hair and headdresses. 

Early in the morning, the staff on set were setting up the scene with the assistant director directing the placement of things and the like. The other people who had come early were sitting on their stools eating breakfast, only Zhu Qinqin hadn’t come yet. 

After getting her makeup done, Su Shen sighed. The makeup artist when she shot the film had better techniques. When she became extremely busy in the future, she should ask her to be her exclusive makeup artist. 

It was not until 10 o’clock that Zhu Qinqin arrived in a hurry, saying that there was a traffic jam on the way. They had to wait for her to get her makeup done, which delayed the filming schedule once more. 

“Su Shen, come here.” Director Wang suddenly waved at her at this moment. 

Su Shen then walked over to the monitor with her prop sword in hand. When she neared, the director was still standing and pointed to a stool for her to sit on. 

“Here’s the thing, I think that some of the plot can be changed a little. You said you don’t film kiss scenes, but dramas these days must have a gimmick or two. It’s impossible to have no kiss scenes at all.” The director leaned on his chair with his hands crossed in front of his chest and looked at her beseechingly. 

Hearing this, Su Shen looked around at the busy staff around them and asked conscientiously, “Then what are your thoughts?” 

The director suddenly took a script from the table and handed it to her upon hearing her words, as if he had prepared it in advance, “There are some plot changes here. What do you think?”   

After taking over the script, Su Shen flipped through it and found that there was indeed a kiss scene. There was not only a kiss scene but also a large-scale sex scene!

But it wasn’t for her! But for Zhu Qinqin and Jiang Yin! 

She didn’t want to shoot this kind of scene anyways. However, the content of the revised script was much different from that of her’s. Most of her scenes had been deleted by more than half, whereas Zhu Qinqin’s scenes had been greatly increased. 

As the finale approached, the male lead mistakenly went to bed with the supporting female character, and then the supporting female character infatuatedly followed the male lead from place to place to look for the female lead. Later, the supporting female character died in order to save the male lead, and thus, the male lead felt greatly guilty towards her and even cried… 

In the next ten episodes, her role was to go back and forth into prison and show her face from time to time. 

“Director Wang, was… this prepared a long time ago?” Su Shen did not appear angry, because this matter was very fishy. 

Director Wang also helplessly sighed upon hearing this, “This was something a certain investor wanted to change. You get what I mean?” 

How could she not understand? This kind of absurd plot was a smash to a director’s reputation, and no director is willing to do so. But capitalism controls the production teams now, so that’s why there are so many dramas where the female lead’s role is less than that of the supporting female character. But Su Shen didn’t expect it to happen to her. 

Moreover, this person was shrewd. They didn’t change the script at the beginning but waited until she had filmed for two months already before suddenly changing it. Now she had to film even if she did not want to. 

“I don’t mind, but I don’t know about my manager.” Su Shen pursed her lips and appeared indifferent. 

It wasn’t bad, actually. With Zhu Qinqin’s acting, and now with the deliberately added scenes, she would definitely be cursed to death. But Jiang Yin had it even worse. When the drama airs, he would certainly be cursed as a scumbag. Whereas, for her, she would gain sympathy and draw a wave of likability.  

But Liu jie would definitely not agree. A heroine who was just padding could not be considered a heroine. 

“Well, show it to Liu Min first. This isn’t the final version, actually. We can adjust it slightly.” The director seemed to sympathize with her. 

Upon hearing this, Su Shen just stood up with the script in her hand and smiled, “I will tell her.” 

The director was somewhat surprised as he didn’t expect her attitude to be so good. It was common knowledge that getting their scenes deleted was the most taboo matter for an actor when filming. 

Holding the script, Su Shen was preparing to send Liu jie a message when she suddenly noticed that The Song of Troubled Times had released another one-minute trailer. But her Weibo was managed by Liu jie, and she had already reposted the trailer from the official account.  

Su Shen was about to take a look at the comments below it to see the reactions when she noticed a person suddenly stopped in front of her. 

“Is this the new script? The director sure cares a lot about you, seeing how hard you work each day. Now, you can finally have a good rest.” Zhu Qinqin said sarcastically with her arms crossed in front of her chest and a face with a thick layer of foundation. 

All the other staff looked at them furtively. Su Shen put away her phone and looked up to see a face that looked as if paint was brushed onto a wall, and smiled, “You gave me a fright. I almost thought I had stepped into a funeral home.”

“Cough cough…” Xiao Zhou, who was behind her, almost burst into laughter. 

Ignoring the eccentric Zhu Qinqin, Su Shen walked straight back to her dressing room. As soon as the door closed, she sat on the sofa and checked the reactions of the trailer.  

However, Xiao Zhou couldn’t help but stare at the door and complained, “What kind of script is this? The male lead unexpectedly fell in love with the supporting female character? This is too absurd!” 

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Deleting Scenes

“Cough cough!” 

Su Shen lightly coughed and cast a glance at the server. The latter was stunned and came to her senses, and quickly left while covering her mouth. 

Su Shen thought she would ask for an autograph or something. However, when she looked back, that server seemed to have already told all the other servers, and they all gathered around the front desk with their phones pointing at them. 

Great. This dinner could not be eaten. 

“Like I said, eating with you is risky.” Su Shen smiled helplessly, stood up, and fixed her hair to the front, which immediately covered half of her face. 

Xie Yan also stood up, lowered his cap, and walked towards the front desk.

Su Shen followed him, wanting to pay the check. But Xie Yan had already taken out his card. The eyes of the girl at the register were glued on Xie Yan, unable to tear apart. 

“He…Hello, the total is two thousand three…” When the girl took Xie Yan’s card and saw his hand at close range, her hand kept trembling. 

Su Shen didn’t bother fighting over the check, as it would only draw people’s attention over here. She just so happened to have three thousand in cash in her purse and planned to just leave it in Xie Yan’s car later.  

Seeing that the girl was looking at him in a fluster, Xie Yan pulled down his cap again and said softly, “Please hurry up, I’m in a hurry.”

When the girl heard his low, magnetic voice, she got fired up, and her movements immediately became quicker, “Ok… here’s… here’s your card.”

As for the other servers, they had been taking pictures from the side. Fortunately, they did not scream.  

As soon as he took the card from the girl’s hand, Xie Yan lowered his head again and immediately walked out with Su Shen.

As soon as they came out of the restaurant, a cold breeze hit them. Under the dim street lamp, the shadows of the two were drawn obliquely and long. Su Shen turned around. The man in front of her was tall, and his silhouette was particularly distinct in the night. Perhaps it was because his cap was pulled down, Su Shen could not see his eyes.  

“The photos they took just now…”

“I will have He Hua monitor the various social media platforms and won’t let these photos spread.” Xie Yan glanced at the busy road and suddenly said, “If you’re tired, take a taxi and go back first. It will take a while for Zhao Tong to drive over.” 

Su Shen also wanted to take a taxi and leave first, but she would not be able to give the money to him again. If she transferred the money to him, Xie Yan wouldn’t accept it either.

Before she could say anything more, she saw that Xie Yan had already hailed a taxi for her, and had already gone to open the door for her. 

“The bill just now…”

Seeing her wanting to say something yet paused, Xie Yan smiled faintly and said with one hand grabbing the car handle, “You can treat me another time.”

He was too close, to the point where Su Shen could see his eyes which were obstructed by his cap. Their eyes met, and she immediately recovered her senses, turned around, and got into the taxi. 

After reporting an address to the driver, the car immediately drove onto the road and disappeared into the night of endless traffic. 

Su Shen looked back and through the window, she could only see that the figure was getting smaller and smaller. 

She felt a bit stifled as Xie Yan was becoming more and more obvious now. 

She had no idea whether those servers captured her face or not. However, that server clearly did not recognize her. Although news of her and Jiang Yin had been the talk of the internet, it was all false. Her name was still not well-known.  

With that dinner ended up as a fiasco, Su Shen had no appetite to eat either. When she got home, she called Liu jie immediately. The other party quickly connected, and then came Liu jie’s insipid voice, “Finished so soon?”

Su Shen sat on the sofa with a pillow in her arms and said solemnly, “Why did you do this? How is this different from letting me eat with those big bosses? Or do you think it’s because Xie Yan looks better than those big bosses, so the nature of it is different?”

Su Shen’s tone was uncourtly, and she didn’t like how Liu jie was acting on her own liberty.

“Of course, the nature of it is different.” Liu jie, on the other end, suddenly snorted, “You’re not stupid, and I’m not stupid. You can’t fail to see what I can see.” 

Su Shen didn’t say anything more when she heard what the other end of the phone said. 

“For no reason, Xie Yan would run over to your house for dinner? For no reason, he would send you home? If he was so kind, why didn’t he send Fan Meng back? Don’t tell me that it’s a coincidence. All the coincidences are because of the willingness of the other party!”  

After Liu jie finished speaking seriously, she then eased her tone, “I know that Jiang Yin is also pursuing you. Although you and him are hyping a CP, have you seen me matchmake you guys in private before? Public matters are public, and private matters are private. I definitely won’t meddle with your private matters, but Xie Yan is different. He hasn’t had a girlfriend for so many years since his debut, not even an ambiguous significant other. Furthermore, he doesn’t sleep around. Just this alone is incomparable to many people in this industry. I feel that you two are a good match, so I wanted to set you guys up. Of course, if you think I’m meddling, then I will only focus on your career in the future.” 

Even when the voice on the other end of the phone came to a close, Su Shen still didn’t say anything. Yes, of course, she could tell that Xie Yan treated her differently, and that’s why she hadn’t wanted to get too close to him. Although she had never dated before, she also knew that she couldn’t simply go and date someone casually. Moreover, after seeing how messy the entertainment industry was, how could she dare to believe the love in this industry?

“In the beginning, I did want you to have friendly relations with Xie Yan, which would be helpful when you enter the silver screen in the future. However, at present, your popularity and fame are far from enough to support the resources that he brings you. Even if you do end up together with him, you still need to film dramas to accumulate popularity. It’s impossible to reach the sky in one step. If you don’t end up with him, I indeed will feel that it’s a pity, but you will still have to follow the original path no matter whether you guys are together or not. For the time being, your career path will not change. At most, you won’t hype CPs*.”  

CP – in case anyone forgot, CP stands for couple

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When the audio engineer saw her come in, they adjusted the equipment and sound for her before officially started recording. 

She didn’t have many scenes, and only a few scenes with screaming were a little muffled. As for the other scenes, they were fine and didn’t need to be re-recorded. After about half an hour of recording, she walked out of the recording studio only to find Liu jie and Xie Yan gone. 

After searching around, she finally found the two of them in a lounge. The film producer was also there. The three of them were talking about something, but only Liu jie was laughing. 

When she pushed the door open and walked in, Liu jie immediately waved to her when she saw her, “You’re done with recording?” 

After walking over, Su Shen nodded and took her black shoulder bag back from Liu jie. The former said to Producer Fang with a smile, “We’ll leave first then. As for the promotional tour  and anything publicity-related, we’ll try our best to cooperate.” 

Before, she was not well-known. Now, she’s becoming more and more popular, and engagements were endless. To participate in the promotions of the film, they indeed need to make time for it. But compared with this film, Liu jie knew which was the better choice. 

“En, Su Shen’s very great. Let’s collaborate again when we have the opportunity.” Producer Fang said courteously and looked aside at Xie Yan, “He Hua said you will be busy filming starting at the beginning of next year. We will go on variety shows to promote. You’re a leading actor, I hope you can still participate.” 

As his words fell, Su Shen glanced at Xie Yan and saw him sitting there quietly. He didn’t say whether he would participate or not. 

“Okay.”

Although it was just one word, it made Producer Fang’s eyes glimmer, “You… have time?”

Many movie stars would not participate in variety or reality shows. Xie Yan was one of them. It was rare of him to agree. At that time, the topic would be trending on the news. 

“There should be.” He said insipidly. 

“Alright! I’ll let you know the schedule at that time.” Producer Fang left with a smile after saying two sentences, seemingly afraid that Xie Yan would renege. 

When there were only the three of them left in the lounge, Su Shen turned to look at Liu jie, “We…”

“It’s a hard to come by chance for us to meet. Let’s have dinner tonight, I’ll treat.” Liu jie grabbed Su Shen’s arm and said with a smile. 

Xie Yan glanced at Su Shen, “Sure.” 

Su Shen: “……”

Liu jie’s thoughts, how could she not know? It was just that if she were to refuse at this moment, she would not give face* to Xie Yan. Forget it, it’s just dinner.  

face aka 面子 refers to a cultural understanding of respect, honor and social standing. Actions or words that are disrespectful may cause somebody to “lose face” while gifts, awards and other respect-giving actions may “give face”. -Source: China-Mike.com

Walking out of the building, the sky outside was dusky, with a rose-tinted hue illuminating over the building. Street lamps had been lit on the road with endless traffic. Pedestrians passed by in twos and threes. Su Shen’s long hair was parted in the middle and could cover up her face, while Xie Yan wore a black cap and deliberately lowered it. 

This area was part of the financial district. As such, there were not many restaurants except for one western cuisine restaurant standing among the many office buildings. It seemed that their business was pretty good as well. 

Liu jie had already arranged things with the server beforehand. When they came to a table near the corner, Liu jie suddenly received a call. Su Shen didn’t know whether it was true or false. Liu jie said something came up and had to leave immediately. 

“I’ll send you.” Su Shen got up with a forced smile. 

“No need, sit back down. You guys take your time. Today, Su Shen will treat. I’ll give you the money later!” Liu jie patted Su Shen on the shoulder and looked at Xie Yan with a smile before turning around and walked away in her high heels. 

In a blink of an eye, she was no longer in sight with only the sounds of the melodious and sweet-sounding violin dithering in the restaurant. Couples whispering and laughing in pairs. 

Su Shen felt rather awkward. If Xie Yan merely saw her as a friend, it would be fine, but that wasn’t the case. 

“What do you want to eat?” He pushed the menu to her. 

The restaurant was serene. When she saw those couples who were feeding each other, Su Shen didn’t dare to look up whatsoever. 

“Anything’s fine.”

“Likewise.”

The server at the side still wore a smile on their face. This was their first time seeing such guests with their heads down acting so furtively where their faces could not be seen in the slightest.  

Taking a deep breath, Su Shen looked up and took the menu. After glancing through the menu earnestly, she pointed to one of the many entrees, “I would like a sirloin steak.” 

With that, she looked at Xie Yan across from her and asked, “What would you like?” 

“Anything’s fine.”

Su Shen: “……”

“Then one filet mignon.” She handed the menu to the server with a smile. 

Inexplicably, the server felt that this woman looked familiar and took a look at her fixedly but could not remember who, so they left after taking the menu. 

Just at this moment, a violin piece just finished. The couple at the neighboring table left hand in hand, and the violinist went to another table again. Su Shen saw the piano on stage. In fact, she quite liked the piano. If she has time, she would like to go learn it. 

“I got tanned even though I didn’t go out lately.” Xie Yan looked at her fair and tender hands on the table and then looked at his obvious tan and couldn’t help but frowned. 

Upon hearing that, Su Shen looked at his hands and stretched her hand over. After comparing, she couldn’t help but laugh, “I’ll recommend you a men’s brightening cleanser, my Dad is using it, and it’s pretty good.” 

Looking at her eye-smile, Xie Yan gazed at her fixedly for a while before coming back to his senses and mumbled, “Do you think I’m too tanned?” 

Upon hearing that, Su Shen was stunned, “En?”

Xie Yan was rather peculiar. He appeared to be taciturn and aloof, but after getting to know him,  he was actually not that different from ordinary people. He also liked to eat delicious food and cared about his appearance. It was just that he didn’t like to express it. 

“You’re fine.” She said lightly. 

“Hello, this is the Lafite that you ordered.” Just at this moment, the server suddenly came by with two glasses of wine. 

Su Shen was taken aback. She didn’t seem to have ordered any wine. On second thought, it must’ve been Liu jie. 

“You want to drink wine?” Xie Yan arched a brow and stared at her. 

Su Shen didn’t know how to explain it. She couldn’t just say that it was Liu jie who ordered it, right? But why did she order only two glasses? 

But when he looked up, the server swept a glance and instantly widened their eyes, “Y-you’re…”

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Drinking Wine

Su Shen took a closer look, and as expected, found a man in a black coat speaking into a microphone; Xie Yan seemed to have gotten tanner again. 

“Su Shen, wait here for a moment. I’ll go and speak with the Director for a bit.” After saying that, Liu jie walked toward an office. 

Seeing this, Zhao Tong immediately and unrestrainedly chatted with her, “You’re so famous lately; I’ve been seeing news about you everywhere. Your asking price has gone up a lot, right?” 

Upon hearing that, Su Shen smiled helplessly, “Are you mocking me?” 

Compared to Xie Yan, her appearance fee was not even a fraction of his. Moreover, this kind of exposure was not one she wanted.

“I actually don’t understand. With your personality, you wouldn’t have done such a thing as hype. Did your manager force you?” As Zhao Tong spoke, he took a look at the direction in which Liu jie left.  

Upon hearing this, Su Shen pursed her lips and said in a clear voice, “No one can force me.” 

She was not so noble as to refuse all the hype. 

“Ah?” Zhao Tong was startled, and he glanced at her rather peculiarly, “You… voluntarily? Or… this isn’t a publicity stunt after all?” 

OMG! What’s his Yan ge gonna do!

“You think too much.” Su Shen smiled, “Forget it, let’s have dinner when there’s a chance.” 

As she said that, she was about to go sit in the lounge. But Zhao Tong hurriedly caught up from behind, “Let’s not wait for a chance. How about today? It’s already the afternoon, and you certainly don’t need to film tonight. Dinner at your house?” 

Su Shen: “……”

“No, no, don’t get me wrong. I didn’t mean just me going to your house. I meant together with Yan ge. Ah… that’s not right, anyways…”

“Okay.” Su Shen interjected his awkward explanation, and with a deep breath, “I have to go home to rest tonight, next time then.” 

While they were talking, the door of the recording studio opened from the inside and could see the person beside Zhao Tong at a glance. The person paused and immediately walked toward their direction. 

Today, Su Shen wore a white t-shirt and a denim skirt. Her long legs were fair and straight. She was particularly eye-catching standing there in a corridor where people came and went. Although she appeared innocent, her temperament showed a calm that one who had experienced countless events would have. It was like a contradiction, making people unable to understand what exactly had she experienced.

They hadn’t seen each other for two months. Xie Yan noticed that she had lost weight again. 

Su Shen also saw Xie Yan. Although he said he had a bad appetite, Su Shen noticed that he was even more buff.  

“It’s just you?” As he approached, his gaze fell on her face. 

Seeing Xie Yan, Zhao Tong immediately said he needed to go to the restroom and left clutching his stomach. 

“No, Liu jie went to deal with something.” Su Shen’s expression remained unchanged. When she saw that he had gotten a shade tanner, she couldn’t help but said, “You seemed to have gotten tanned again?” 

So, was Xie Yan preparing to change his image and go Li Hao’s man of steel route? 

Upon hearing that, the latter was taken aback for a moment. As expected, did she like those pure and fair xiao xian rou more? 

Xie Yan: “It’s you who’s too fair, not because I’m tanned.” 

She didn’t expect that he would compliment her. Su Shen smiled in correspondence. Seeing that there was no one in the recording studio, she pointed at it and said, “I’ll go in first then.” 

TL Note: In Asian culture, the idea that one has fair skin is still perceived as a beautiful feature. I hope everyone can understand that the idea of beauty differs from culture to culture and don’t take this to heart. We are all beautiful in our own skin, perfect the way we are. 

Seeing that she was about to leave, Xie Yan grabbed her arm subconsciously, “You…” 

“En?” She turned around. 

Their eyes met. After a moment of pause, Xie Yan said, “Would you like to have dinner later?” 

He added, “Outside.” 

Outside?

Su Shen blinked and pulled her hand back, “No, thanks. I…”

“Su Shen!”

Just at this moment, Liu jie suddenly came over. Seeing that they were talking, her gaze wandered between the two of them. As if she thought of something, she turned to Xie Yan and smiled, “What a coincidence. I heard that you recently accepted a film by Director Fang. Filming should start soon, right?”  

Su Shen glanced at Liu jie, wondering what she’s concocting again. 

“Starts at the beginning of next year.” Xie Yan said insipidly. 

Upon hearing that, a hint of glimmer flashed in Liu jie’s eyes, “There are more than four months left; you can have a good rest before then.”  

Hearing this, Su Shen completely understood what Liu jie was plotting. All this questioning was just to inquire about the other party’s schedule to see if they were really going to partake in that drama or not.  

“Let’s go, I have to go record.” Su Shen glanced at Liu jie, seemingly as if she wanted to say something. 

The latter patted her on the shoulder and said with a smile, “You have to go record, not me. Go on ahead.” 

Su Shen: “……”

Glancing at the two of them, she swallowed what she wanted to say and proceeded into the recording studio. 

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