Blog

Visiting Him on Set

Su Shen immediately froze but quickly reacted. She continued to eat while answering, “Yeah, we collaborated on two productions before—pretty familiar.” 

Her tone was calm without any ups and downs. Seeing this, Mama Su could only hand over the phone to her, “Don’t get too close to these men. Everyone in the entertainment industry is messy.”

After taking her phone, Su Shen didn’t answer it immediately. Instead, she said to her mom in all seriousness, “You can’t tar with the same brush. I’m also part of the entertainment industry. Am I not a good person?”

“What kind of analogy is this? I’m saying most are. Do you think you can find a good needle in a haystack?” Mama Su placed her chopsticks down and became more stirred up the more she spoke about it.

Hearing this, Su Shen immediately countered, “Why do you not have faith in me? What if I can really find a good one?”

“You…”

“Alright, alright. Stop arguing. The phone’s still ringing.” Papa Su immediately waved his hand, indicating for the two of them to stop talking.

Seeing this, Su Shen could only answer the phone and specially turned the volume down to the lowest. As soon as she answered, a deep and mellow voice came from the other end of the phone, “Have you eaten?”

“En. Happy New Year! You’re one year older,” said Su Shen as she ate and mumbled. 

Xie Yan: “…….”

“How could you say that to someone!” Papa Su glared at her, “No manners!”

Su Shen: “……”

“When I come back, it’s necessary to let you see whether I’m old or not.” Xie Yan stressed.

Su Shen couldn’t help but blush. In order not to let her parents see her peculiarity, she kept her head down as she ate. She felt that Xie Yan had gotten corrupt. 

Perhaps knowing that she was thin-skinned, Xie Yan coughed again and said insipidly, “Do you miss me?”

Su Shen immediately felt her face burning and didn’t dare say anything. When her dad looked at her again, she then said into the phone, “I’m eating dinner right now. Talk to you next time, bye.”

After saying that, she continued to eat while being afraid that her parents would see her peculiarity as her ears were a little red. 

Papa Su took a sip of the baijiu*, and then picked up a piece of beef into his bowl. He suddenly looked up as if he remembered something, “Is this Xie Yan the actor that acted in Fleeting Time Like Water?”

baijiu – colorless Chinese liquor typically coming in between 35% and 60% alcohol by volume

At that, Su Shen was taken aback. She picked up the glass of water at the side and took a sip. She looked at the person sitting across from her curiously and asked, “You’ve seen it before?”

The film Fleeting Time Like Water was the one that Xie Yan worked on with Director Li. He played as a teacher in the olden days, but he fell in love with his own student. The film had won a lot of awards that year, but she didn’t expect that her dad had also watched it. 

“You think I only know how to work every day? We also have to keep up with the times.” Papa Su snorted, picked up his glass, and took a sip of baijiu. He clicked his tongue and said, “I’ve even heard that a film could earn him hundreds of millions. What about you?”

Su Shen: “……”

“I’m still just starting my career. When I become famous in the future, I can also make a lot of money.” Su Shen pursed her lips and continued to pick up veggies into her bowl. She didn’t know how much she had to work to reach Xie Yan’s level, and it was also possible that she would never reach it.

Although it was quick to earn money in the entertainment industry, the fastest way was not to shoot films, but to take part in commercial productions, or to accept endorsements. For example, Wang Cheng earned ten million for one endorsement right now. He only needed to shoot a commercial and take part in some events. Additionally, taking part in variety shows was even more lucrative. For Wang Cheng, a season of a variety show would earn him 20 million. The time for shooting an entire season would be no more than 15 days added up, and 20 million would be in his hands.

But it would be a short-lived career. Once one’s fame diminished, there would definitely not be as many brands seeking one to endorse them. So now, many stars would invest behind the scenes, or they would change careers to be a director or producer.

“It’s already not bad that you can support yourself.” Papa Su smiled. 

Hearing that, although Su Shen wanted to refute, she didn’t say anything more. Instead of words, she would prove it to him. She decided that she would buy an Aston Martin for her dad’s birthday when the time comes.

After dinner, she washed the dishes. The Spring Festival Gala was broadcasting live on TV, but Su Shen didn’t want to watch it, so she returned to her room to scroll on her phone.

By this time, the movie had been released for more than two hours, and the ratings online varied. However, the kiss scene between her and Xie Yan was ranked first on Hot Search again. But, this time, Xie Yan’s fans were calmer. After all, with the previous foreshadowing, the impact did not hit them so hard. Furthermore, ranked second on Hot Search were hers and Fan Meng’s names. 

Netizen A: That imperial concubine’s actually Su Shen!!! 

Netizen B: After watching the movie, I went to watch Su Shen’s previous works to calm down a bit. In the end, I could only come to the conclusion that Director Huang is really a wonder!

Netizen C: I used to dislike Su Shen since she didn’t have much fame yet liked to steal other people’s roles. But after watching this movie, I suddenly turned into a fan. Xiao jiejie’s acting is off the charts!!!

Netizen D: I unexpectedly ship Xie Yan and Su Shen’s CP. They’re too good-looking. [joy]

Netizen E: I cried when the imperial concubine died at the end. She was so pitiful. The male lead must’ve still liked her. Nevertheless, Su Shen’s performance was great. Fan Meng’s rigid face can’t be looked at anymore. [smiley face]

Netizen F: I just wanted to say when I saw that kiss scene, “Let go of that man, and let me do it!!!”

Netizen G: This is a huge leap forward for Su Shen, and I hope it can be maintained. After all, there are indeed too few starlets with the looks and acting now. [joy] 

The movie was released not a while ago, but the agency would still need to control the comments later because Su Shen knew that there would be people who wanted to slander her again. Fan Meng would definitely be one of them. No one would be willing to let their limelight be taken away by a supporting actress.

The next day, movie sales exceeded 200 million in 12 hours since the movie aired. Naturally, pre-sales were included in that amount. The other movies were also very popular during the Spring Festival. However, the producer of this movie had connections that enabled the airing times of the movie to be increased across the country. Although some people said it was unfair online, it was a capitalist market where there was no fairness at all.

On Chinese New Year, she was still on set. The director and producer had given them red envelopes. As one of the youngest in the crew, Su Shen received not a small amount of red envelopes, but she also had Xiao Zhou go and give some to the staff. You couldn’t go wrong with making a good impression.

In the afternoon, when Liu jie came over, Su Shen wished her a prosperous year, and she took out two big red envelopes with a smile to give to her and Xiao Zhou. Although it was not a lot, it was still a festivity.

“On the eighth day of the Lunar Year, there will be an award ceremony. You will walk the red carpet with the rest of the cast. Although you won’t win an award, you can still have a bit of exposure. There’re some directors observing you now. If the following movie does well, your reputation will only then be reversed.” Sitting on the sofa, Liu jie took a sip of her piping hot tea and said earnestly, “However, popularity is still the most important thing. Your followers on social media accounts are increasing every day. You can post some videos of you cooking or short quotes to attract more fans.”

She knew that Liu jie wanted her to go the personality and image route, but Su Shen didn’t have much time to post on Weibo. She practically ate takeout lunch every day; there was simply no time to even cook.

“Send me the schedule, I’ll take a look at it,” said Su Shen while reading the script and taking notes. 

There was a heater in the dressing room, so it was quite warm. Liu jie lazily leaned against the sofa in a red windbreaker, holding a cup of tea in hand, and glanced at her meaningfully, “Being together with Xie Yan, have you ever thought of going to the same agency as him?”

At that, Su Shen continued writing notes on the script, “It’s the same whether I go or not.”

Her tone was of indifference and seemed unconcerned. Liu jie stared at her for a while before putting down her teacup and standing up.

“Frankly, I don’t want you to leave. After all, I brought you to where you are at myself. However, your resources and access to better opportunities are definitely better if you follow Xie Yan. It depends on you.” After that, Liu jie picked up her bag and said, “I’m leaving first, remember to come back early.”

At that, Su Shen just uttered an “en,” and didn’t pay heed to Liu jie’s words. She knew that Liu jie certainly didn’t want her to leave, but there were some things that needed to be dealt with depending on the timing. When Starlight no longer suited her, Su Shen would definitely leave. But for the time being, she would not leave yet.

Filming wrapped up at 8:00 pm, and it was snowing heavily again. Su Shen asked for five days’ leave, and it would take four days to fly there and back plus layovers. In actuality, she could only stay with Xie Yan for a day only.

After returning to the hotel, she packed her luggage with summer clothes and some sunscreen. The next day, when He Hua came to pick her up early in the morning, Su Shen paid her new year’s respects and received another red envelope. It was so thick that she thought there was a lot of money inside, but found it was all ones after taking a peek at it.

“Why are you bringing so many zhacai* and Lao Gan Ma*?”

zhacai – a Chinese mustard green usually spicy, but there are non-spicy options too, long known to the rest as “Sichuan preserved vegetables”

Lao Gan Ma – a very well-known and popular brand of chili oil, can cook it with anything, but not spicy enough for me (TL – plum) ahaha 

Sitting in the back, Su Shen felt numb when she saw the large box of zhacai. Was he bringing this for Xie Yan to eat?

“Vegetables are expensive in Africa, and the filming site of their crew is pretty remote. They would only be able to have a meal of vegetables in four or five days. But you know that Xie Yan doesn’t eat meat, so he lives on these every day.” Even He Hua felt sad talking about it, but this was also what Xie Yan asked for.

Hearing this, Su Shen also felt somewhat rattled. Eating zhacai every day was not nutritious whatsoever. After driving for a while, she suddenly asked He Hua to stop the car and then went into a supermarket to buy some dehydrated vegetables. Although they were not as nutritious as fresh vegetables, it was better than nothing.

When they arrived at the airport, they sat for a 10-hour flight, then had a layover and switched to another plane before finally arriving at their destination the next day at 3:00 pm. As soon as they exited the airport, they felt the scorching sun burning their arms. There were many people at the airport from various countries. But as they got on the bus and arrived at the filming location of the crew, there were mainly Africans. The appearance of the petite and fair Su Shen was particularly conspicuous.

After sitting on a motorcycle for a while, they finally arrived at the filming site. From afar, they could see a huge forest. There were many tents pitched in front of a large open space in front of the forest. In order to prevent invaders, the crew hired many security guards. The security guards recognized He Hua and allowed them in after asking a few questions.

Su Shen broke into a sweat and could only wipe the sweat off her forehead with a tissue. As soon as she appeared, all the big men in the cast looked at her. She was really too fair, contrasting greatly against them tanned from being exposed to the sun for long durations of time.

“He Hua, why are you here again?!”

Just at this moment, a middle-aged man in a black tank top with a cigarette in his mouth suddenly came over. He was very tanned, perhaps because of the recent exposure to the sun. He looked coarse and rough, and people could hear him from miles away.

The other staff were checking the equipment. When He Hua saw who was coming over, he snorted impolitely, “I’m here to see how many arms and legs Xie Yan have left.”

As he said that, the staff passing by couldn’t help but laugh. When the man in the black tank top came near, he arched his thick eyebrow in disdain and said, “Whatcha mean by that? How can I cripple my leading actor?”

As he spoke, he took another smoke of his cigarette and looked at Su Shen. He then looked at He Hua with a smile, “This, your daughter?”

Su Shen: “……”

“My daughter’s only eleven! This is Xie Yan’s girlfriend!” He Hua was in an extremely bad mood, and on top of how hot it was, his temper became even more irritable.

Su Shen took a look at the middle-aged man and knew that he was the director of this film, Fang Kong, the leading figure of action films domestically.

“Xie Yan has a girlfriend?” All of a sudden, Fang Kong looked at Su Shen in surprise. Today, she was wearing a yellow dress. She was petite but very good-looking and fair. Even in the entertainment industry, her appearance was near the top.

“Why won’t Xie Yan have a girlfriend?” He Hua snorted and began to look around, “Where’s Xie Yan?”

Amidst the wide open space, there were staff moving props from time to time and a few actors drinking water. The sun above their heads would really bask them to death. Everyone in the crew was tanned, and Su Shen standing there was like a glowing candle.

Seeing that they were looking for Xie Yan, Fang Kong smiled. He then threw the cigarette butt onto the ground and stepped on it two times. Then, he turned around and looked at the forest behind him, “You guys go rest inside the tent first. He’s practicing skydiving over there. He’ll be back soon.”

Previous | Index | Next

The Movie Aired

After he finished speaking, Su Shen refused without any hesitation, “Thank you, but I’m not hungry.”

“Are you trying to avert suspicion?” Without changing his expression, Jiang Yin looked at her fixedly.

Su Shen didn’t let him in. She wrapped her jacket tightly and smiled, “It’s not to avert suspicion, but just that I’m a coward. It doesn’t feel good to be attacked maliciously. If you want to go, we can go in the daytime.”

“Moreover…” Su Shen held the door knob and glanced at him indifferently, “I already have a boyfriend.”

At that, Jiang Yin’s expression changed slightly. After a moment of silence, he looked at her and asked, “Xie Yan?”

They were all part of the same industry. Everyone knew what was going on. It was not strange for him to know. Su Shen didn’t deny it and just smiled.

Seeing this, Jiang Yin sighed, “I’ll go eat with Song Yan then. Rest early.”

Su Shen smiled and closed the door as soon as he turned around.

When she returned to her room, she wanted to call He Hua and ask if he had arrived in Africa yet. But after calling for the longest time, there was no signal over there. It could be implied that he must’ve found Xie Yan, because his phone had no signal either.

After having a good night’s sleep, they left the island in batches. Why in batches? It was because Yang Zhi and Mu Yao were on bad terms, so they definitely wouldn’t want to be on the same flight. Furthermore, Yang Zhi and Mu Yao disliked her, so they certainly wouldn’t want to take the same flight as her either. However, Su Shen didn’t think it was a big deal. She booked the earliest flight, and Wang Cheng was on it too, and so was Jiang Yin.

Coincidentally, they were seated not far away from each other. However, Wang Cheng and Jiang Yin vied for the same resources, so the two of them were not on great terms. Although their seats were close, they didn’t say a word to each other, whereas Su Shen just slept for the entire flight.

When they got off the plane, there were a lot of fans waiting outside the airport, most of them were Jiang Yin and Wang Cheng’s. These fans were very well-informed, and they were very clear about the flight time of their stars, so usually, artists would buy tickets momentarily. However, sometimes, it was difficult to avoid such a thing happening. 

“Wanna go eat?” Wang Cheng followed her and was about to pat her on the shoulder.

Su Shen blocked his outstretched hand with her sunglasses and said without looking back, “Take it easy there.”

Hearing this, Wang Cheng grinned and pulled some distance away from her. The arriving gate was full of crazy fans holding up signs and shouting crazily. He was afraid of implicating Su Shen, so he wore sunglasses and a cap, covering his face up as much as possible.

When Su Shen exited the airport, she took a look back and just saw Wang Cheng being submerged in the crowd. Luckily, she didn’t have as many fans as Wang Cheng, else it would be really uncomfortable to have one’s personal life exposed to the public at all times.

She got in the car, and it was 6:00 pm when she arrived at set. There was not enough time to eat dinner, and the Director asked her to prepare for a few pressing scenes.

Filming didn’t wrap up until 8:00 pm. Su Shen was so exhausted that her muscles ached. After returning to the hotel, she took a shower and was about to go to bed when she found that Xie Yan had suddenly posted a post on Weibo.

The kind of place where there was not even a signal to make a call, how on earth did he get internet access. He took a picture of a takeout box, which was full of pickles and veggies, with the meat all to the one side. He sat on a pile of rocks, with the sun shining down on him brightly, causing his hand that was holding chopsticks to be seen only. 

The photo looked very depressing, causing fans to be distressed. Li Hao, on the other hand, replied with a photo of him eating barbecue, seemingly taking revenge on him for posting his dinner on the Laba Festival.

Netizen A: AHAHA, Li Hao’s too wicked. Feeling sorry for our Yan ge [kiss]

Netizen B: OMG! You deserve it. [smiley face]

Netizen C: It turns out that hubby doesn’t like meat. [joy]

Netizen D: I really want to cry. How can they film with this kind of food? It will cause malnutrition. [pitiful]

Netizen E: Is it just me who noticed that Xie Yan got tanner again? [joy]

Netizen F: OMG!!! WANT TO GO COOK FOR HUBBY!!!

Netizen G: Sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. Who told you to show off your dinner, and now you’re showing shit. [joy]

When Su Shen saw the photo that Li Hao posted, she really wanted to laugh. It was true that he had gone out to drink with several men from the crew just now, but he unexpectedly had the time to provoke Xie Yan. However, Xie Yan’s life indeed looked pretty miserable.

Moreover,  he got tanner again.

Curling up in the blanket, Su Shen wanted to call Xie Yan, but there was still no signal over there. She could only send him a message, telling him to eat well.

But in less than two days, He Hua suddenly paid a visit to her set.

“Well, look at it yourself!”

A flash drive was suddenly thrown onto the table. Su Shen glanced at Xiao Zhou, and the latter immediately brought a laptop over and exited the dressing room after.

When it was just the two of them in the dressing room, Su Shen inserted the flash drive into the laptop and looked up at him, “Why did you come back so soon? How’s Xie Yan?”

He Hua leaned against the sofa, and it was distinct that he got a shade tanner. When he heard that, he chuckled, “If I don’t come back, you’ll be in trouble.”

Hearing what he meant, Su Shen didn’t ask more. When she saw the video on the flash drive, her complexion changed.

“That paparazzi have been following Jiang Yin for more than half a year. Who knew they would follow to your doorsteps? If I hadn’t stopped them in a hurry after getting wind of the news, you would’ve been dead!” He Hua lit a cigarette and took a deep breath. He then slowly exhaled a smoke ring, “Luckily, I’m familiar with the CEO of that studio. But, this was not free. They said that they want first-hand exclusive information when Xie Yan goes public with his relationship with you.”

Looking at the familiar scene, she could see that it was taken at the corner of the hallway. It was so far away that she couldn’t see it from her door. Unexpectedly, they were photographed.

Closing the laptop, she leaned against the sofa and took a sip of hot water, and said unhurriedly, “Thank you.”

He Hua had indeed helped her a lot.

“You just need to be more careful in the future. I’m supporting you as if you’re an artist of ours now. As you can see, if it was Starling Entertainment, they wouldn’t have done anything! He Hua leaned against the sofa and went about peddling the idea again.

With an insipid laugh, Su Shen glanced at him, “How’s Xie Yan?”

Seeing that she changed the topic, He Hua didn’t continue to pursue the matter. Instead, he frowned and inhaled a smoke, “I’m going to Africa on the second day of the Lunar New Year again. You can go with me.”

“He’s learning skydiving right now. He’s jumping from thirty meters high. He didn’t listen to me and even urged me to go. When I arrived, I saw that his arm was dislocated. Next time, his leg might be broken.” He slowly exhaled a ring of smoke, his tone full of helplessness.

Hearing this, Su Shen immediately frowned and her expression became all the more serious, “Okay, I’ll ask for two days off from the director around that time.”

This man was too reckless. He promised her to use a body double yet he did such a dangerous thing. What if something happened?

At that, He Hua couldn’t help but glance at her. He suddenly got up and smiled meaningfully, “Well, don’t tell him yet. We’ll give him a surprise then.”

Su Shen: “……”

After He Hua left, she put away the flash drive and informed Liu jie about this matter.

Liu jie only told her to be more careful and had no objection to her going to Africa. She just asked her to come back earlier and not delay too much of the filming. After all, she had to join another set afterward.

Naturally, Su Shen knew what she should do. She just wanted to take a look at him.

Filming went pretty smoothly the next few days, and it snowed heavily in the city. The movie finally aired on Chinese New Year’s Eve.

That day, Su Shen asked for leave and went home. It was just her parents at home, so it was impossible for her not to come back.

The snow was swirling outside, but it was warm as spring inside the house. There were twelve dishes on the long dinner table, including chicken, duck, fish, and all sorts of meat. Sitting at the table, Su Shen only dared to scoop half a bowl of rice.

“You’re already so skinny, yet you’re still dieting. Do you want to be skinny like a stick?” Mama Su glanced at her from the corner of her eye, frightening Su Shen to immediately fill her bowl with another scoop of rice.

“I remember you said that you have a movie to be released today?” Papa Su took a sip of wine and glanced at her.

Su Shen picked up some veggies into her bowl and nodded casually when she heard that, “Oh, nothing to see.”

It had only been aired for an hour, so the results hadn’t come out yet. If her parents saw her kiss scene with Xie Yan, they might make her retire from the entertainment industry.

“Look at what you’re busy with every day. You’re 25 already. When I was 25, I gave birth to your sis already!” Mama Su picked up a dish and glared at her with discontentment.

Looking down, Su Shen didn’t dare make a sound and just focused on eating.

Speaking of this, Papa Su put down his glass and looked at her seriously, “Your mom is right. I’m getting old, and this company still has to be inherited by you in the future. You can enter the entertainment industry for fun, but you still have to come back to inherit the company.”

“That’s right. The company belongs to you and your sister. You’d better retire from the entertainment industry as soon as possible and come back to learn how to run a company from your sister.” Mama Su said gravely.

Taking a deep breath, Su Shen was just about to say something when her phone suddenly rang. But just now, she had placed her phone on the wine cabinet as she was helping her dad take out a bottle of wine. Seeing this, Mama Su frowned and took her phone from the wine cabinet.

“Don’t tell me you have to attend an event on Chinese New Year’s Eve. Else, don’t ever come back!” Mama Su said very unhappily. She brought the phone closer as she saw something, “Xie Yan?”

After saying that, she turned to look at Su Shen and asked suspiciously, “A man?”

Previous | Index | Next

Calligraphy

This part of the beach had been reserved by the production team, and there were only a few people left after the site was cleared. After everyone gathered, it was obvious that Yang Zhi and Mu Yao didn’t want to stand together with Ma Li, which would highlight their inferior figure. However, Yang Zhi and Mu Yao didn’t get along with each other, yet they both wanted to stand at the center, so Ma Zhiqun was sandwiched between the two of them.

Just getting into position was a bloody storm. Ten people walked back and forth for more than five minutes before they finally confirmed their position. 

Su Shen wanted to stand with Zhang Jing, but she didn’t know when Jiang Yin came over. She had no choice but to run to the edge and stand with Song Yan.

The Director was probably used to these kinds of schemes between artists, so after the positioning was finally settled, he then asked for the cameras to be adjusted to position.

Director: “Okay, let’s welcome the new guests first.”

At that, Su Shen and the rest of the fixed members clapped their hands, all in a polite manner.

Director: “Today, your mission is to divide into two people per team, and each team would win clues through competitions to find the King of Coconuts on this island. The team that finds the King of Coconuts would be the final victor.”   

At that, the group of people began to discuss spiritedly again, especially Mu Yao and Yang Zhi. The two of them wanted to talk with Ma Zhiqun to steal the limelight, but Ma Zhiqun, who was standing at the center, didn’t want to offend anyone and swiftly talked with the Director.

Director: “We will divide into teams through girls choosing to team with a guy or not. Now, separate into boys and girls.”

At that, everyone, including Su Shen, didn’t expect that the production team would ask them to form teams like this. Wasn’t it arranged beforehand by the production team?

Despite this, everyone split apart into two groups and stood next to another. Yang Zhi didn’t want to stand next to Mu Yao, so Zhang Jing was sandwiched by the two of them, while Su Shen stood next to Ma Li. It had to be said that Ma Li’s figure was too superb, but Su Shen wasn’t afraid, because she was fairer than everyone!

Director: “Ma Li, step forward. Boys who want to team up with her can also step forward.”

At that, the boys on the other side looked at each other at a loss. After hesitating for a while, Jin Qingzhou, Ma Zhiqun, and Wang Cheng stepped forward.

“Actually, I really wanted to step forward, but Ma Li’s too tall! I can’t stand next to her!” Song Yan even stood on tiptoe to compare his height with that of Ma Li’s.

Everyone else couldn’t help refrain from laughing. Ma Zhiqun even extended his leg out, “I was very smart to put insoles into my shoe today.”

“AHAHAHA!” Seeing him make fun of himself, everyone else couldn’t help laughing.

Director: “Take off your shoes later.”

Ma Zhiqun: “……”

Everyone else laughed even louder, and so did Su Shen. Just at this moment, the Director urged Ma Li to select someone again.

It was super windy at the beach, blowing her hair to fly in the air. With a flick of her hand, she walked straight to Wang Cheng without hesitation.

Su Shen knew that Wang Cheng wanted to slap Yang Zhi in the face first.

“Why did you choose Wang Cheng?” Ma Zhiqun suddenly turned around and asked. It was a habit of being a host.

Ma Li looked at Wang Cheng insipidly upon hearing that and suddenly smiled, “He’s handsome.”

Hearing this, Wang Cheng seemed to be a little embarrassed and turned his head to the side because Ma Li’s figure was indeed too superb and too hot.

“So you mean Qing Zhou and I are ugly then?” Ma Zhiqun pretended to be angry and stood back into position.

“No, you guys are especially ugly!” Song Yan suddenly added oil to the fire!

“AHAHAHA….”

The production team also laughed. Ma Zhiqun acted as if he was going to beat up Song Yan, and after fighting with each other for a while, they stood back into position.

Director: “Okay, please step forward, Su Shen. Anyone who wants to team up with her can step forward.”

As soon as Su Shen took a step forward, the remaining four boys stepped forward in unison, and the camera was immediately aimed straight at them. Su Shen had a pretty good relationship with all of them, so it was not a big deal to team up with them.

“Oh~ Su Shen, who do you choose?” Zhang Jing kicked up a fuss.

Only Yang Zhi and Mu Yao looked at this scene expressionlessly, as if they didn’t care at all.

After pondering for a while, Su Shen walked toward Song Yan when everyone thought that she would go to Jiang Yin.

Song Yan was also puzzled. After all, he was not the most popular one. However, Ma Zhiqun, who was next to him, immediately added oil to the fire, “I got it. Su Shen must’ve wanted to choose the ugliest one out. What a good person!”

“Of course not. Su Shen obviously must’ve been charmed by my looks.” With a snort, Song Yan walked to the side with Su Shen.

While everyone was laughing and joking, only Jiang Yin looked at Su Shen subtly, as if he didn’t understand why she chose Song Yan. 

Simple. Since Song Yan had a girlfriend, he wouldn’t cause a scandal. Moreover, he was close with Su Shen, so there would be a tacit understanding between them when competing in games.

The following pairings were also beyond everyone’s expectations. Zheng Luo and Mu Yao, Jin Qingzhou and Yang Zhi, Jiang Yin and Zhang Jing, leaving Ma Zhiqun as the referee. 

This time, no CPs were paired up, with Zheng Luo and Mu Yao having a hint of a ship. The production team would surely cut their scenes and paint it pink during post-production.

Director: “Okay, now that the teams are formed, the first game would have the ladies ashore and the guys into the water. By answering questions, the team that gets it correct can swim forward for ten seconds. The team that gets the swimming ring in the middle of the water first will win this round’s game.” 

After saying that, the staff moved a few desks over, with a marker and whiteboard. Su Shen and the rest quickly found their seats and sat down.

The sea breeze stung quite a bit. It was the feeling of fine sand on the body. After adjusting the cameras, the guys stood by the sea, with a red line blocking them. 

Ma Zhiqun held the script card and quickly found the camera: “In ancient times, what were the three obediences and four virtues for women?”

This was simply a free point question. Without a thought, Su Shen quickly wrote something down on the whiteboard. When she raised her whiteboard, the other girls still didn’t even know what to write.

“Su Shen’s so fast!” Ma Zhiqun went to take a closer look, “Obedience to her father before marriage, obedience to her husband after marriage, obedience to her son in widowhood; the four virtues: fidelity, propriety in speech, modest in appearance, and skilled in needlework. Congrats, it’s completely right! Song Yan, you can rush forward for ten seconds!” 

At that, Song Yan immediately ran past the red line into the water, while the others were still puzzled.

“Su Shen, you must’ve been the representative of history class, right?” Zhang Jing couldn’t help from shouting.

Su Shen laughed, “My maternal grandfather was a history professor.”

“No wonder you can play the guzheng and the bamboo flute. Your grandfather must’ve wanted to nurture you into a lady!” Zhang Jing said admiringly. 

Mu Yao and Yang Zhi didn’t say anything. In a sense, they have had conflicts with Su Shen. Su Shen also knew that when she was being maliciously attacked, Mu Yao and Yang Zhi’s managers had definitely been involved. Ultimately, grudges have been made.

After ten seconds, Song Yan stopped, but he was still far from the swimming ring.

Seeing this, Ma Zhiqun continued, “The second question, who won the 36th Golden Flower Best Actress award?”

At that, Su Shen pondered for a bit, but she really didn’t know. Who would remember the number, most would only remember the year. But this time, Zhang Jing answered it correctly.

With a look, it could be seen that she guessed it. Contrarily, Yang Zhi and Mu Yao were not quite outstanding. Yang Zhi would still keep a smile on her face, but Mu Yao was expressionless.

The following questions, Su Shen answered a few correctly. But, Zhang Jing was also amazing. In the end, Zhang Jing’s team won and got a clue.

In the next few rounds, Su Shen won a clue as well as Yang Zhi. Mu Yao and Ma Li got nothing though.

When they set out to look for the King of Coconuts, Su Shen’s clue was the Yunqi Study. However, Jiang Yin and Zhang Jing kept following her, so she had no choice but to let her do as such.

With cameramen and several bodyguards following them, Su Shen and Song Yan asked people along the way and finally found the Yunqi Study.

“Hi, everyone.”

An old man in a Tang suit walked out of the study; he looked very kind. The study was filled with the scent of ink. Su Shen and the rest greeted him politely.

“Wow, Grandpa, is this your calligraphy?” Zhang Jing walked inside and was surprised to see Chinese scripts hanging on the wall.

The cameramen, who were following them, aimed the camera at the calligraphy on the wall. The old man took out a piece of paper with a smile and handed it to Song Yan, “This is a clue.”

There was a lot of calligraphy hanging in the study, and the Four Treasures of the Study* was even on the desk. There was a sense of classical heritage all around. It was hard to imagine that there would be such a place on such a small island. 

Four Treasures of the Study – an expression to denote the brush, ink, paper, and ink stone used in Chinese and other East Asian calligraphic traditions

“Su Shen, since your grandfather nurtured you to be a lady, had he nurtured you in these things?” Zhang Jing asked casually.

At that, Su Shen smiled. She came to the desk and looked at the old man, “Can I use these?”

She was referring to the Four Treasures of the Study. The old man naturally nodded. This was all set up by the production team, else they wouldn’t give such a clue to Su Shen.

Seeing that she really knew how to do calligraphy, everyone else all came over. They saw Su Shen pick up a brush, dipped some ink in it, and then placed it down on the writing paper. Following her stroke and writing style, a trace of surprise flashed through the old man’s eyes. He immediately took another look at Su Shen. He had thought that these kinds of girls only knew a little bit, but he did not expect her to have such a deep foundation.

Naturally, laymen would not be able to perceive this. But, Su Shen’s handwriting was indeed pretty. She was wearing a blue dress, her skin fair, and was leaning forward slightly. The expression on her exquisite face was of indifference. At this moment, the temperament that she gave to people was indescribable. Jiang Yin stared at her fixedly, regardless of the camera at the side.

As soon as she finished her last stroke, Song Yan exclaimed, “OMG! Su Shen, you’re too amazing!”

“You’re too amazing!” Zhang Jing said admiringly. She knew that it would take many years to learn this type of thing and to be at this level.

Su Shen wrote her own name on the paper and then also wrote Zhang Jing’s name on the paper upon hearing her words. The old man seemed to have wanted to chat with her a little bit more, but there was not much time left. They had to leave first, and they went to find the King of Coconuts according to the clue from the old man.

After searching for the longest time, they were beaten there first by Wang Cheng’s team. Thus, today’s victory went to Wang Cheng’s team. 

Although it was just a game, who didn’t want to win. However, no one showed any discontentment. It was already dark after the end of the show. Su Shen was packing up and preparing to go back to set early tomorrow morning.

It was just that in the middle of the night, there was suddenly a knock on the door.

She thought it was Xiao Zhou, but when she opened the door and saw the person outside, she couldn’t help but frown, “Do you need something?”

Jiang Yin was wearing an all black attire standing in front of her door with no cap on. A smile appeared on his face when he saw her and he said, “Would you like to go out for a late-night supper?”

Previous | Index | Next

Phone Call

After taking her phone, Su Shen saw that it was an unknown number at a glance, and even their location was unknown. These types of calls were clearly advertisements, so she hung up the phone without any thought.

In passing, she handed the phone to Xiao Zhou and said, “Don’t answer these types of unknown calls henceforth.”

Hearing this, Xiao Zhou naturally nodded, while Su Shen proceeded to go up to the rooftop.

Before filming, she sat on the edge of the rooftop while wearing a wire stunt harness. Looking at the people coming and going down below, their figures instantly shrank several sizes in her sight. If she fell, the lightest aftermath would be breaking at least one of her legs, and the most severe would be losing her life.

This kind of high-risk wire stunt was now controlled by machinery to avoid the accident of people accidentally loosening their grip. There was a lot of filthiness in this industry. Sometimes, if people thought that you were blocking their way, they would do anything to you. It was hard to guarantee that they wouldn’t do anything. At that time, if you were to break an arm or leg, your entire career would be completely ruined.

She contemplated at the edge of the rooftop for a while. It wasn’t until the Director shouted into the loudspeaker that she made an OK sign.

The Movement Director made a cameo as the fugitive, so he was naturally not afraid. When the Director shouted action, the fugitive flusteredly ran toward the rooftop. Seeing that he came to a deadend, he jumped down from the edge of the rooftop to the floor below without hesitation.

Su Shen followed closely behind. When she saw the huge difference in height, she didn’t hesitate and jumped down from the edge of the rooftop in half a second. The cold wind painfully blew against her face. Her waist tightened, and it was not until she was about to land that she quickly rolled onto the floor. She took out the gun from her waist and aimed it at the person running away in front of her, “Stop!”

“Cut!”

Immediately, Su Shen kneaded her shoulders as she walked down the stairs. Although it didn’t seem as if she had fallen super hard, rolling on the floor back and forth would put pressure on her arms nonetheless. She had thought that these action scenes wouldn’t be too dangerous, but she hadn’t expected that it would hurt so much. If she had to repeat this scene a few more times, she might not even be able to lift her arms. She didn’t understand why Xie Yan and the others liked to film these kinds of productions. In any case, she would never accept this kind of production ever again. Her arms and legs could not withstand it.

When she came down, the Director saw her coming over and smiled while smoking, “Not bad, this take passed. However, your expression needs to be more cold for the action scene later. You can be expressionless, but your eyes must be fixed on the fugitive. Got it?”

Su Shen nodded. Later, she would fight the fugitive, so she had to go back up to the rooftop, but her arms were still sore.

The action scene was already configured in advance. Normally, it was just fake fighting, but the Movement Director had told her to attack for real, with him restraining his strength. Su Shen knew that he must’ve thought that she didn’t have much strength, so even if she did hit him for real, it would just be a tickle to him. Thus, Su Shen listened to him and attacked him for real.

The whole action scene had to be filmed several times due to NGs. The following scenes were all pretty normal. When she returned to the hotel at night, Su Shen felt as if her whole body was about to fall apart. Sure enough, these kinds of action scenes were not as simple as she had thought. 

After taking a shower, she rubbed her shoulders with some medicinal wine. Just at this moment, her phone suddenly rang.

As soon as she saw that it was a call from Xie Yan, she immediately turned on the speaker, while she was sitting on the edge of the bed and rubbing her shoulders.

“Why did you hang up on me?”

There was a buzzing sound coming from the other end of the phone, seemingly the signal being bad.

Su Shen was taken aback and somewhat confused. But on second thought, she suddenly thought of that marketing number she saw at first. It wasn’t her fault. Who would use that kind of number unless it was a marketer?

“Your number was too strange, so I didn’t pick it up. Why didn’t you call using your own phone?” Su Shen rubbed her shoulders hard and frowned, sucking her breath in pain with a ssh.

Hearing her voice, the person on the other end asked solemnly, “What’s wrong?”

“I accidentally cut my finger while peeling an apple,” said Su Shen indifferently, putting away the medicinal wine.

If Xie Yan knew that she had filmed such a dangerous action scene, he would definitely force her to use a body double again.

After saying that, there was silence from the other end of the phone. From time to time, there was a buzzing sound transmitted, as if there was about to be no signal at any moment. Xie Yan’s voice was intermittent, and Su Shen couldn’t hear what he said for the longest time, so she went over to the balcony with her phone. 

“Say it again. I didn’t hear it clearly.” She said.

It was so cold outside, and Su Shen momentarily forgot to put on a jacket before coming out. Just at this moment, there were no more buzzing sounds from the other end, and Xie Yan’s voice was particularly clear, “Li Hao sent me a video of you jumping off a building.”

Su Shen: “……”

“What? Say it again, I didn’t hear it clearly.” She raised her voice on purpose.

The person on the other end of the phone was silent for a while before he said solemnly with his deep voice, “You can do low scale action scenes by yourself, but you must use a body double for such a dangerous action scene like today.”

Hearing the words from the phone, Su Shen was about to say something before the other party uttered, “If you give me lip service again, I’ll go find Director Zhou. We just so happen to know each other.” 

Su Shen: “……”

She sighed and leaned against the railing of the balcony. Looking at the still swimming pool below, she uttered a light “hmph”.

“Isn’t it also dangerous for you? Why don’t you use a body double?” Su Shen looked up and said in a light voice.

At this, the person on the other end said insipidly, “We’re different.”

“What’s the difference? I heard that He Hua’s going to visit you in a few days. If he tells me what dangerous action scene you’re doing again, I’ll…” After a pause, Su Shen said with all seriousness, “I’ll never cook for you again!”

After saying that, a buzzing sound came from the other end again. Su Shen realized that it might’ve been because his phone had no signal, so he used another phone to call her. However, when she thought of the fact that one of his arms had been broken before, she was a little worried that he would continue to risk his life.

It was not until there were not as many buzzing sounds that Su Shen said with utmost seriousness, “You can’t say one thing and do another, else…”

“Are you worried about me?”

The voice from the other end of the phone contained a hint of a chuckle. As a gust of cold wind blew, Su Shen immediately went inside to put on a jacket while snorting blushingly, “You can worry about me. Why can’t I worry about you?”

After saying that, Su Shen threw her phone onto the bed as if she got an electric shock. She covered her flushing face with her hands while telling herself not to be so shy. It was normal for a couple to care about each other.

“Then with reciprocity, I miss you a lot. Do you miss me too?”

The phone was on speaker. Although it was far away, the words transmitted were still very clear. Su Shen hugged her knees at the edge of the bed. Looking at the phone without saying anything, she felt that her face was burning hot. 

Both of them kept silent for a while. It was not until there was a buzzing sound, which indicated that the signal was bad, that Su Shen crawled to the side of the bed that her phone was on. Wrapped in a blanket and hearing the buzzing sound, she suddenly whispered into the phone, “I miss you a teeny tiny bit.”

After saying that, she immediately hung up regardless of whether the other party heard it or not. She then went to the bathroom and washed her face with cold water before getting into bed.

She didn’t know whether Xie Yan had heard her or not. She rolled back and forth in bed for more than half an hour before gradually falling asleep.

There were still a lot of action scenes the following day. However, Su Shen went to find the Director and decided to use a body double for some of the more dangerous scenes. The Director wasn’t surprised and just thought that she couldn’t withstand these types of high intensity scenes, so he had the Assistant Director go and have the body double that was prepared to come over. 

Xie Yan didn’t call her today. Su Shen just asked He Hua when he was going to go to Africa. When she knew that he would go the day after tomorrow, she asked him to look after Xie Yan and definitely not allow him to do any dangerous action scenes.

He Hua was going to visit because he was worried that something would happen to Xie Yan. He didn’t have any objections when he heard her words, as if he wished that Xie Yan would stop filming this movie already. The living conditions in the forest were poor, so he didn’t know why Xie Yan had to accept this movie.

Su Shen was also very busy. She went to record the second episode of the variety show on Friday. It seemed to be too cold in China that the production team set the filming location this time to be on a touristy island abroad. The island was very warm, and you could just wear short sleeves. 

Afraid that others would steal her limelight, Liu jie brought a stylist with her. It seemed that she didn’t trust the stylist from the production team.

The guests invited this time were Jiang Yin, Mu Yao, Yang Zhi, Ma Li, and Ma Zhiqun. Ma Li went the sexy route; her figure was splendid and was the subject of talk. Ma Zhiqun was a host of a variety show and had a strong ability to control the stage. The production team was also afraid that all these people together would cause chaos, so they invited him as a guest and to control the stage in passing.

Although the appearance fee for Jiang Yin and them were very high, the production team definitely wouldn’t fork out so much money. As a first tier TV station, many celebrities wanted to have a good relationship with them. For example, Mu Yao and Yang Zhi would have dramas broadcasted on Hunan TV in the future, so it was an exchange of resources. No one would be so stupid as to demand an exorbitant fee. Offending this kind of TV station was definitely not a good thing.

The island was very warm, so Su Shen only wore a long white dress. That afternoon, she arrived at the hotel. She saw Yang Zhi’s female assistant, who seemed to be going out to buy something. After checking in, Su Shen went upstairs with Liu jie.

There was no one else in the elevator, so Liu jie said, “This episode of the variety show would most likely be broadcasted after New Year’s. At that time, that movie should already have been aired, so if your performance in this episode is great, then it’s another topic of conversation. With the hype of your movie, it’s most suitable to improve your popularity.”

It was killing two birds with one stone. This would greatly increase her exposure. Moreover, a lot of high traffic celebrities appeared in this episode, so topics of talk were definitely not a worry.

“I know.” As Su Shen’s words fell, the elevator door just so happened to open.

They arrived at her room, with Liu jie staying next door. Wang Cheng was finishing his engagements, so he didn’t arrive at the hotel until dawn, else he would’ve definitely dragged her out to dinner.

The recording was at 9:00 am, but Su Shen got up at 7:00 am to get her makeup done. Liu jie said that with actresses being in the same frame, even if you didn’t do your best, as long as your appearance was good, you’ll steal half of the limelight.

Liu jie said that she needed to go the fresh and innocent route, and couldn’t act like a femme fatale. So, she asked her to change into a simple blue dress, put her hair into a bun and had some light makeup applied.

When she arrived at the beach where the recording was going to take place, everyone else had already arrived. Ma Li was wearing a low cut tank top with her chest bursting out and a pair of shorts, causing her figure to appear glamorous. Mu Yao was also wearing shorts with a white T-shirt, seemingly wanting to make her legs long and fair. However, her figure was not as good as that of Ma Li’s, and her chest was not as big as of her’s. Her legs weren’t as long as the other party and wasn’t as charismatic as Ma Li. Standing together, she appeared to be still an immature girl.

Yang Zhi wore a top that bared her midriff and a long maxi skirt. Before the recording started, everyone leaned against the beach chairs and sunbathed as if they were all on vacation.

Seeing her coming, Wang Cheng walked towards her with a ball in his arms. When he approached her, he said in a very serious quiet voice, “Why didn’t I know that you had been with Xie Yan for so long?”

Su Shen: “……”

She leaned against the beach chair, wearing sunglasses, and said insipidly, “It’s so obvious, yet you couldn’t see it. What can I do?”

From time to time, there were staff passing by. Wang Cheng, wearing a T-shirt and shorts, sat in the sand with a ball in his arms. He looked around and said with dissatisfaction, “No wonder I don’t have Xie Yan’s number, whereas you’re so close to him. He even went to film a drama for you. Not bad!”

Su Shen took off her sunglasses and glanced at him, “I heard that the production team wants you and Yang Zhi to be a CP?”

At this, Wang Cheng’s complexion immediately changed. He threw the ball onto the ground angrily and said with contempt, “Don’t mention her to me. She likes Jiang Yin and had specifically asked her manager to tell the production team to place her and Jiang Yin to be in the same team. I didn’t even want to be in the same team as her in the beginning. It was her who asked me to hype before, but now she dumped me. Isn’t this slapping me in the face!”

The hype between idols was very ordinary. Everyone has had a few CPs, but it was rare to see someone like Yang Zhi, who threw away someone after using them and then immediately ran to Wang Cheng’s rival to hype. No wonder Wang Cheng would be unhappy.

The Director over there was calling for everyone to gather around. Su Shen sat up and patted him on the shoulder to comfort him. With a smile, she said, “You can also slap her in the face.”

“What do you mean?” Wang Cheng leaned over and asked.

Su Shen stood up with a smile and stretched. “Let’s go. Your teammate, Mu Yao, is waiting for you.”

Previous | Index | Next