Chapter Sixty-Five
Whether Ji Qinghe could handle it remained unknown, but Shen Qianzhan soon faced the consequences of her unrestrained words—she didn’t even get a single bite of that entire table of dishes.
On the way to the Spring River film set with Su Zan, Shen Qianzhan regretted more than once why she had talked so much. If she had spoken less, wouldn’t the braised lamb, stewed bamboo shoots, and lotus leaf chicken all have ended up on her plate?
—
A violent conflict had broken out on Xiao Sheng’s film set.
This originally had nothing to do with Shen Qianzhan, but midway, she received a call from Song Yan’s agent, informing her that Song Yan had been accidentally injured and taken to the hospital. Immediately afterward, an overwhelming flood of gossip and entertainment news seemed to have been coordinated, hitting the headlines in real time.
From the moment Shen Qianzhan received the news to her arrival at the Spring River set, it was already eight in the evening.
Most of the signs of the brawl had been cleared away, with only scattered fragments of mechanical equipment and damaged props piled in a corner, not yet discarded.
A crew member had been left at the shooting location. Shen Qianzhan had dealt with him during the Wuxi snow disaster earlier in the year and recognized him at a glance.
As she spotted him, he also saw her and hurriedly patted his pant legs as he approached. “Producer Shen.”
Shen Qianzhan nodded and first asked about Xiao Sheng. “Where’s Producer Xiao?”
The crew member had been specifically left behind by Xiao Sheng to wait for Shen Qianzhan and her group. Upon hearing her question, he reported in detail, “Producer Xiao accompanied the two directors to the police station to give their statements.”
Shen Qianzhan asked again, “Was anyone injured?”
The crew member’s face instantly turned as bitter as if he had eaten coptis. “Ms. Song was accidentally injured, and someone has already accompanied her to the hospital. We were so close to wrapping up—what a mess this is.” Perhaps having held it in for a long time, once he started talking, he couldn’t stop complaining. “Spring River hasn’t gone smoothly since filming began. After the New Year, we encountered the snow disaster and had to shut down for over half a month, losing tens of thousands. Just as we were about to wrap up, the director and supervisor actually got into a fight, and it even made the news…”
Shen Qianzhan patted his shoulder to comfort him. “These things can be resolved.”
“I only found out something happened here after receiving a call from Song Yan’s agent. It originally had nothing to do with me. Our General Manager Su was worried and asked me to come take a look, to see if there’s any way we can help.”
The crew member led her to the scene of the incident and showed her around.
It wasn’t the bloody scene Shen Qianzhan had imagined, with blood all over the ground. The floor was clean, with nothing more than a shattered thermos flask and spilled boiling water.
“I was smoking under the tree at the time and ended up in the shot, so I was chased over there.” The crew member pointed to the row of roadside trees. “By the time I realized the film crew was causing trouble, those guys were already fighting. The injuries weren’t serious—it was just a minor conflict. But who knew they’d knock over a candlestick and a light stand, accidentally injuring Ms. Song Yan. By the time Producer Xiao arrived from the hotel, Ms. Song Yan had already been rushed to the hospital. I heard she was injured in the face…”
His voice grew softer and softer, until it was barely audible, and he didn’t even dare to look at Shen Qianzhan’s expression.
Everyone on the Spring River set knew that Song Yan would immediately join the cast of Time after wrapping up here.
The supervisor had also accommodated Song Yan by consolidating all her remaining scenes into a few days of filming. Because of this, other actors had been dissatisfied, and there had already been a dispute earlier.
Although today’s incident stemmed from a conflict between the director and the supervisor, it wasn’t entirely unrelated to Song Yan.However, the intricacies within were beyond his ability to articulate clearly. As just a crew member, saying too much would come across as stirring up trouble, needlessly inviting trouble upon himself.
At the moment, there was only one critical matter: Song Yan had injured her face, which would not only delay the filming of "Spring River" but also hinder Shen Qianzhan's progress.
Shen Qianzhan naturally noticed the crew member's evasiveness.
Xiao Sheng was likely quite displeased with her interference, which was why he had left a crew member who had been smoking 300 meters away at the time of the incident to explain the situation to her.
She understood, though.
After all, in her mind, Xiao Sheng was nothing but a petty, hypocritical man who never quite grasped what was truly important.
Though inwardly displeased, she showed no sign of it on her face. Using the excuse of checking on Song Yan's situation, she turned and went outside to make a call.
Seeing her leave, Su Zan glanced around and handed the crew member a cigarette. "This is quite a tricky situation. We were originally expecting Teacher Song Yan to join the crew on Saturday."
The crew member accepted it, flattered, and forced a dry laugh. "No one could have anticipated an accident like this."
As the crew member lit his cigarette, Su Zan leaned in to borrow the lighter. "You've been with 'Spring River' for a while now. Haven't you noticed any friction between the director and the producer before?"
—
After stepping outside, Shen Qianzhan made a call to Qiao Xin by the roadside.
Before leaving, she had arranged for Qiao Xin and the life producer to visit Song Yan in the hospital to assess her injuries. By her estimate, the two should have already arrived at the hospital by now.
Unfortunately, things weren’t going as smoothly as Shen Qianzhan had imagined.
Qiao Xin hadn’t been able to see Song Yan, nor had she spotted Song Yan’s agent. Even the phone was unreachable, making it impossible to contact Song Yan’s team at all.
After a few seconds of thought, Shen Qianzhan said calmly, "Come back first. I’ll figure something out."
After hanging up, she contacted Fu Xi’s agent and learned that Fu Xi had already finished today’s shoot and returned to the hotel. Without beating around the bush, she asked, "Is Teacher Fu with Song Yan right now?"
After a few seconds of silence on the other end, the agent clearly decided there was no point in hiding it from Shen Qianzhan and promptly provided an address.
Shen Qianzhan waited for Su Zan to finish gathering information before heading out. Without rushing to learn the truth, she pulled him into the car and headed back to the hotel.
Instead of going straight to their destination, she instructed the driver to take a detour. They stopped at a newly opened milk tea shop at the street corner to buy two cups of milk tea, then went to the snack street to pack up a serving of fried noodles. Along the way, they made several stops—buying a bag of candied chestnuts here and some duck neck there. It all seemed as leisurely as a spring outing, with no sense of urgency whatsoever.
Su Zan was utterly baffled by her actions. Even after entering the hotel, he persisted in questioning Shen Qianzhan. "Are we just going to leave it at that?"
Shen Qianzhan pressed the elevator button. "What do you suggest we do?"
Provoked by her nonchalant tone, Su Zan instantly raised his voice. "Do you know what that crew member told me? When the producer scheduled Song Yan’s scenes, some actors were unhappy and caused a scene on set. Xiao Sheng didn’t intervene—he even tacitly allowed it. That’s why the director and the producer clashed today, and Song Yan got hurt by accident. If Song Yan’s face is really injured, how are we supposed to keep filming?"
Just as he finished speaking, the elevator arrived.
Someone stepped into the elevator and lightly tapped the brim of Su Zan’s backward-facing baseball cap. "Who are you yelling at?"
The tap sent a buzzing sensation through Su Zan’s head. When he steadied himself and saw it was Ji Qinghe, his fiery temper instantly cooled by more than half. "M-Mr. Ji."
He explained, "I wasn’t yelling at Qianzhan. We were just discussing something..."Ji Qinghe lowered his chin slightly, glanced at him briefly, and did not take the bait.
It wasn't until the elevator descended and returned to the hotel lobby.
Su Zan watched as the two of them walked out as if they had planned it, and his usually clever little brain finally clicked. He hurriedly followed a few steps, catching up: "Sister Zhan, are you pulling a disappearing act?"
"The crew's car is too conspicuous, it's inconvenient." Shen Qianzhan handed him half of the snacks she had bought on the way: "I'll be back soon, we'll talk when I return."
After saying this, she walked a few steps away, then turned back: "Don't sneak any bites."
Su Zan, holding her snacks, immediately turned ashen-faced.
Who! Sneaks bites!
Who sneaks bites!
He angrily tossed back the handful of chestnuts he was holding and turned to leave.
—
Arriving at the parking lot, Shen Qianzhan first checked her surroundings for anyone watching.
Fearing she might be followed and risk exposing Fu Xi and Song Yan's whereabouts, adding fuel to the fire, she remained cautious the entire way.
After reaching the hospital.
Ji Qinghe stayed in the car while Shen Qianzhan went upstairs alone to visit.
Song Yan's injuries were not severe; she had only been hit on the shoulder by a light stand. The small cut on her face had only bled a little and would heal after a few days of rest.
Seeing that Song Yan was fine, Shen Qianzhan finally let go of the worry that had weighed on her all night.
On the way there, she had imagined several possible outcomes.
If Song Yan's injuries were too severe and she couldn't adjust her schedule, they would inevitably have to regretfully replace the actress. No matter how reluctant she was, she couldn't hold back the crew's filming progress. But as long as there was even the slightest chance, she didn't want to face such a choice.
Fortunately, Song Yan's injuries were minor, and none of her backup plans were needed.
Seeing Song Yan looking exhausted, Shen Qianzhan didn't want to disturb her further. Using the excuse of needing to return to the crew for a meeting, she walked out of the hospital room with Song Yan's manager.
Song Yan's manager felt deeply apologetic about the accident happening just as they were about to wrap up and join the crew. After repeatedly apologizing, she promised to quickly negotiate with the crew to reschedule the dates.
Having rushed around all night, Shen Qianzhan felt a great sense of relief after confirming Song Yan's condition, but exhaustion immediately set in. After asking Song Yan's manager to stay, she went down to the underground garage alone, opened the car door, and got in.
The BMW's doors had automatic sensors. After she got in, the ambient lights from the doors to the console suddenly lit up, connecting into a seamless glow.
Ji Qinghe had been resting with his eyes closed but opened them at the sound of movement.
Shen Qianzhan had been sitting motionless in the passenger seat since getting in, not saying a word. Her gaze seemed fixed on some empty space beyond the windshield, lost in thought.
Her expression was as if all her energy had been drained, leaving only a beautiful but hollow shell.
Seeing her unusual mood, Ji Qinghe didn't start the car immediately. He reached over and turned on the overhead reading light, using its glow to study her carefully: "Is the situation bad?"
Shen Qianzhan snapped out of her thoughts and reached for her seatbelt: "Not serious."
She clicked the buckle into place, turned to look at him, and the two silently stared at each other for a moment. Suddenly, she unfastened the seatbelt she had just put on, leaned across the center console, and reached out to hug him: "I'm a bit tired."
Originally, tonight was supposed to be about a little romance, a little wine, and taking care of some small matters—a perfect evening.
But then an incident happened halfway through. Not only did she have to rush around, but she was also exhausted and hungry, and now she had to deal with the headache of Song Yan delaying her entry into the crew.
She felt inexplicably down, and holding him made her feel a little better.
But her pride got the better of her. Not wanting him to see how fragile and vulnerable she was at that moment, she deliberately reached out with her mischievous hands and pinched Ji Qinghe's chest muscles as she leaned in.Yet he seemed to read her mind. Without a word, he reached over and turned off the reading light above her head.
The ambient lights in the car flickered, shifting from bright white to a dim purple. He turned off the engine and raised his hand to cover her eyes. "I'll give you half an hour. For these thirty minutes, you don’t have to run around for anyone or take care of others."
Shen Qianzhan blinked. In the pitch darkness, a few faint rays of the dim purple ambient light seeped through his fingers.
Her heart suddenly felt heavy, then soft. She reached out, took the hand that was covering her eyes, and brought it to her lips.
She looked at him, as if puzzled. "Apart from being good-looking and eating little, I don’t have any other virtues. Ji Qinghe, what exactly do you see in me?"
Shen Qianzhan didn’t need him to answer and continued on her own. "I have a bad temper. If someone annoys me, I won’t hesitate to act. I’ve even wondered if I have a hidden tendency toward domestic violence."
"If I were a scheming green tea type, I would’ve charmed you long ago, coaxed you into starting a company for me, and spent your family fortune every day just for fun."
In the end, she sighed with genuine regret. "It’s a shame, really. I’m just too principled."
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