Chapter Sixty-Three
The filming set was so quiet that only the faint sliding sound of cameras moving on tracks could be heard.
Ji Qinghe leaned back slightly, his eyes lowered as he watched Fu Xi surrounded by multiple camera setups with intense focus.
It wasn’t until someone lightly tapped his arm that Ji Qinghe glanced sideways, shifting his gaze away. Seeing it was Qiao Xin, he instinctively scanned behind her first. Not spotting Shen Qianzhan, his expression remained neutral as he slightly lowered his eyes, waiting for her to speak.
Qiao Xin had come to relay a message from Shen Qianzhan. Before she could speak, the walkie-talkie hanging from the assistant director’s belt hissed softly, emitting a faint crackle of static.
Ji Qinghe glanced at the device, as if annoyed by its untimely interruption. He politely leaned down slightly to match Qiao Xin’s height. “She’s looking for me?”
“Zhan-jie asked me to bring you over to rest.” Qiao Xin didn’t need to stand on tiptoe as she gestured toward Shen Qianzhan, who was sitting behind the monitor screens. “The script requires multiple camera angles for this shot, and it’s unclear how long it’ll take. Zhan-jie is worried you might get tired…”
Ji Qinghe followed the direction of her finger and happened to lock eyes with Shen Qianzhan, who had been watching the situation from afar.
Shen Qianzhan clearly hadn’t expected him to suddenly look her way. Her eyes darted away, trying to appear nonchalant, but her instinctive evasion gave her away. In the end, she shot him an annoyed glare before turning her attention elsewhere.
Ji Qinghe’s lips curved into a faint smile, suddenly finding her poorly concealed little actions rather charming. As he lowered his gaze, he noticed Qiao Xin sneakily eyeing the corner of his mouth. He reached up and touched the wound there, chuckling softly before motioning for her to lead the way.
Seeing him approach, Shen Qianzhan suddenly grew nervous. Her casually crossed legs became uncomfortable, and she sat up straight, leaning back against the chair cushion. She even stole a glance at the empty seat beside her, wondering if she should move farther away. Just then, the planner arrived with a laptop to show her some photos.
Unaware that the seat next to Shen Qianzhan was reserved for Ji Qinghe, the planner boldly plopped down and eagerly brought the laptop screen closer. “Producer Shen.”
Completely unaware that she had taken the boss’s seat, the planner suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. She rubbed the back of her neck, looking around suspiciously, but found nothing out of the ordinary. Slightly reassured, she said, “We’ve selected a batch of photos from the opening ceremony. Could you take a look and see if any adjustments are needed?”
On the laptop screen was an enlarged high-definition group photo.
She stood at the very center, flanked by Shao Chouxi and Su Zan. Fu Xi and Song Yan stood on either side, as if facing off in a duel—two kings refusing to acknowledge each other.
Shen Qianzhan touched the bridge of her nose, took the cursor, and zoomed in repeatedly to examine the details of her face. “Has the photo been edited?”
Remembering the earnest advice from her predecessor on how to interact with Shen Qianzhan professionally, the planner immediately blinked sincerely. “We just added a layer of lighting and brightened it up a bit. Zhan-jie, you, Teacher Fu, and Teacher Song were in such great condition that no editing was needed at all.”
Shen Qianzhan glanced at the unclosed photo-editing software icon in the toolbar but said nothing.
She continued scrolling to the next photo.
After reviewing nine photos in a row, she offered some perfunctory suggestions for improvement. Just as she was about to wrap up, her mouse slipped, revealing another photo from the opening ceremony in the gallery.
It was a shot from the moment the red cloth was unveiled to mark the start of filming.
Shen Qianzhan and Ji Qinghe stood on either side of the camera, each holding one corner of the red cloth.
She had been standing slightly forward and hadn’t noticed Ji Qinghe behind her to the side. Only now, seeing the photo, did she realize his gaze was fixed on her. While everyone else was smiling brightly at the camera, he stood out with his cold, detached expression.The planner saw Shen Qianzhan staring at the photo, fearing she would find flaws and make a big deal out of it, and quickly explained, "In this opening photo, Mr. Ji isn’t looking at the camera, and Young Master Su’s expression isn’t well-managed either."
Yes, he wasn’t looking at the camera.
That gaze seemed to fall on her through the screen.
Shen Qianzhan only felt a slight warmth behind her ears, as if about to burn up. Before she could react, a figure loomed behind her. Ji Qinghe leaned down, took her hand controlling the mouse, and flipped through two pages: "Send these two to my email later." As he spoke, Shen Qianzhan felt a weight on her shoulder—his left hand pressed down, resting on her slightly slender shoulder.
Shen Qianzhan turned her head, her gaze sweeping from his face to Qiao Xin. Seeing the latter hesitant and troubled, she wondered how long Ji Qinghe had been standing behind her.
The planner sensed the tension, and the chair beneath her suddenly felt uncomfortably hot.
She picked up her laptop, trembling as she stood up and retreated.
"Let’s go with what we have so far," Shen Qianzhan glanced at the young planner and added, "Have Mr. Fu and Song Yan’s agents seen these?"
"They have," the planner quietly glanced at Ji Qinghe, whose hands rested on the side of the chair, and whispered, "What about Mr. Ji’s... requirements? Are they satisfied?"
Halfway through her sentence, the planner was kicked under the table.
The young workplace rookie, understanding what the kick meant, immediately fell silent and lowered her head.
Shen Qianzhan wasn’t as sensitive. She noticed Qiao Xin and the planner’s subtle exchange but didn’t react, simply waving her hand to dismiss them. Once they left, she patted the armrest of the chair, signaling Ji Qinghe to sit. "A single scene requires multiple shots. Standing there watching isn’t as good as sitting in front of the monitor screen—four camera angles for a full view."
Ji Qinghe remained silent, but his gaze lingered on the tips of her reddened ears.
The next second, Shao Chouxi’s shout of "Cut!" seemed to reverse the flow of air. The entire space, as if a play button had been pressed, shifted from stillness to gradual liveliness, and the world suddenly resumed its motion.
Instructions for moving props and touch-ups echoed through the walkie-talkies.
The set bustled like a large central hub, with everyone revolving around the core.
This busyness lasted until noon.
The crew took a short break as the production manager and crew assistants delivered boxed meals for everyone.
Qiao Xin picked up four meals, including Su Zan’s. Worried that Ji Qinghe might not be used to the food, she made a few extra trips to order some side dishes, serving them right on time.
Not daring to openly set up a private meal, she moved the boxed meals into the workspace.
Shen Qianzhan had little appetite. While reviewing the budget handed to her by the finance department, she mindlessly took a few bites, hastily finishing her lunch. Just as she was about to leave, a flurry of footsteps mixed with the sound of chairs being dragged came from outside, as if a group of people had arrived.
Now, it was harder to leave.
She glanced at her watch. Seeing that it was almost time for the afternoon shoot, she calmed herself and returned to her seat.
Little did she know, this decision would lead to trouble.
Outside, people sat scattered around the long table, chatting casually. Thinking the place was secluded and offered a clear view of everything, and seeing no one around, they began gossiping in hushed tones.
At first, the topics were normal—either fawning over Fu Xi or discussing Song Yan’s beauty. But as more people joined in, the conversation took a turn.
"I don’t think Song Yan is all that special. She doesn’t even look as good as in photos, does she?""Is Song Yan's appearance not good enough? Your standards for beauty must be too high. If I had a face like hers, I'd wake up laughing from my dreams every day."
"Maybe you've seen too many beauties, so your standards are high. Our producer is absolutely stunning—she has the figure and the looks. I just can't understand why someone with such superior qualities doesn't step in front of the camera. If she entered the entertainment industry, Xiang Qianqian wouldn't stand a chance."
Qiao Xin, who had been eavesdropping and accidentally bit her tongue, had tears in her eyes.
Sisters, this topic is way too sensitive! The person in question is right here!
However, Qiao Xin's silent screams were useless. The conversation outside had already strayed from comparing appearances to last night's opening banquet.
"Producer Shen didn't return to the hotel last night, right? I went to deliver a hairdryer to the room next door this morning and saw her planning assistant leave with the driver. They didn't come back until just before the opening ceremony."
"It seems she got drunk and stayed at Jichun Erwan..."
"Do you remember the consultant by Producer Shen's side?"
"Of course, I remember. He doesn't seem like her usual type—a bit more sophisticated."
A burst of laughter erupted outside.
Qiao Xin's face turned pale. She cautiously glanced at Shen Qianzhan and Ji Qinghe's expressions. Seeing Shen Qianzhan sitting gloomily in her chair without a word, her heart sank.
This is bad, really bad.
"Not to mention, the consultant arrived in the same car as Producer Shen this morning."
As soon as these words were spoken, another round of suggestive, ambiguous laughter followed.
Suddenly, someone slammed the table, their tone slightly raised, as if displeased: "Who cares if she didn't come back last night? Are you her parents?"
The girl who had been criticized choked back a retort and defended herself, "Why are you taking it so seriously? We're just chatting."
"Chatting, my ass."
After this exchange, chairs and tables were shuffled, and the people outside scattered in twos and threes.
Shen Qianzhan remained seated, unmoving. Apart from her unpleasant expression, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Ji Qinghe, on the other hand, looked as calm as ever, as if the person being discussed wasn't him. He even had the presence of mind to help resolve the situation: "Go find out who was outside and take down their names."
Qiao Xin, like a drowning person clinging to driftwood, immediately responded, "I'll go."
Su Zan, catching Ji Qinghe's glance, put down his chopsticks and followed: "Me, me, I'll go help."
Once only he and Shen Qianzhan remained in the studio, Ji Qinghe stood up, took a paper cup from a box, filled it with warm water from the dispenser, and handed it to her.
Shen Qianzhan didn't take it.
Seeing her reaction, Ji Qinghe guessed he was being unfairly blamed. After a moment of thought, he asked, "Do you want to hear the solution or my current thoughts?"
Shen Qianzhan looked up, her displeasure clearly visible in her eyes, making no effort to hide it.
She was smart. When Ji Qinghe instructed Qiao Xin to go out and take down names, she had already guessed what he intended to do. The solution was simply to find a reason to fire them in a few days and replace them. It would be clean and leave no room for criticism.
She already held the power of life and death over everyone in the crew. Hiring and firing were just a matter of her word. Gossiping behind her back was nothing new to Shen Qianzhan, and she didn't need to waste brainpower thinking of a solution.
What interested Shen Qianzhan was Ji Qinghe's reaction to hearing others discuss him as if he were her subordinate.Throughout the entire crew, aside from Shao Chouxi, Su Zan, and Qiao Xin, no one knew he was the investor of "Time," let alone that he was the executive president of Endless Year. They only saw him as a watch restorer, chosen by her as a consultant because of his striking looks.
Thinking of this, Shen Qianzhan, who suddenly felt a bit more at ease, slightly raised an eyebrow and gave him a haughty sidelong glance: "A devoted admirer."
Ji Qinghe didn’t refute it. He lightly pushed the bridge of his nose with a bent finger, as if tacitly agreeing.
Shen Qianzhan suddenly remembered the moment when Qiao Xin went to find him, and he instinctively looked behind her, searching for her.
Women tend to be soft-hearted, and Shen Qianzhan felt she was particularly womanly in this regard—her anger came quickly and left just as fast, even allowing her to selflessly reflect on her own mood swings.
Her taking her anger out on Ji Qinghe was indeed somewhat unreasonable.
She was the one who slept with him, and she was quite satisfied with the quality. The after-sales service was also impeccable. If only...
She secretly glanced at Ji Qinghe, a thought growing wildly like weeds.
If it developed into a long-term, stable friends-with-benefits relationship, it seemed... pretty good, didn’t it?
OpenNovel