“Chacha, my dear, I’m back!” Accompanied by a joyful shout, Ye Zi charged down from a base camp vehicle not far away, throwing herself straight at Chacha.
Rong Guang, holding the large water bottle, made way for Ye Zi. Seeing the visible surprise and delight on Chacha’s face, she couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
“Little Ye Zi, what were you doing just now?” Chacha and Ye Zi sat down hand-in-hand in an empty spot to the side.
Ye Zi sat down, gripping Chacha’s hands tightly like old friends reuniting, and said with teary eyes, “Photoshoots—those aunties posed me this way and that and took so many pictures. I’m finally free!”
“That’s so tough.” Chacha lovingly patted Ye Zi’s head and said, “Want some chicken feet? There’s spicy, pickled pepper, and five-spice!”
“I’ll have a five-spice one!” Ye Zi took one, unwrapped it, and began to gnaw on it with relish.
After sucking on the bone for a bit, Ye Zi finally had some flavor in her mouth. She looked up at Rong Guang and said, “Sister Guangguang, are you going to check out the set?”
“I need to.” Rong Guang nodded, handed the large water bottle back to Chacha, and after a moment’s thought before leaving, said, “Ye Zi, help me look after Chacha.”
“Don’t worry.” Ye Zi puffed out her chest. “Leave it to me—are you going to find Teacher Chu later? Could I trouble you to take a few pictures of Sister Chu for me? I like her so much!”
Rong Guang was taken aback. Only then did she remember that Ye Zi and Chacha had met because of photos. She smiled and said, “I… I’ll do my best?”
“Thank you so much!” Ye Zi’s face flushed red with excitement.
After Rong Guang left, Ye Zi excitedly pulled out her phone and said, “So, Chacha my dear, did you see the message in the group chat? The player with the tail number 5438 has been successfully eliminated and is banned from future participation!”
Zheng Jujia had directly sent a message to the entire group about the measures taken against Jiang Yuan and publicly disclosed her misdeeds.
In this industry, she was completely finished.
It wouldn’t take long. In this age of highly developed internet information, by the time afternoon rolled around, Jiang Yuan would receive a huge wave of termination notices.
If she was lucky, maybe she’d even get some severance pay?
“What a relief!” Chacha clapped her hands, then thought for a moment. “But Auntie Jiang Yuan still has accomplices trying to save her. The revolution is not yet successful, Coconut must continue to strive!”
“Chacha will strive too!” Ye Zi patted Chacha’s shoulder, lowered her voice, and they began to whisper and plot about important life matters.
Jiang Ruyi was practically fuming!
Jiang Yuan was her sister. Although just a distant relative, she was still much more useful than an outsider, and there was far less suspicion related to conflicting interests.
Because they could usually coordinate from the inside and outside, the two of them had it easy on the set. Their food, clothing, and expenses were all top-notch, and they lived quite comfortably.
And because of the convenience of Jiang Yuan’s own position, she could bring Jiang Ruyi many benefits, sometimes even influencing screen time—when other actors couldn’t make it for some reason, or after they frequently ran into trouble, her screen time would naturally increase.
Now that Jiang Yuan was fired, the production services department began to thoroughly investigate all the actors’ equipment. All the conveniences that came from Jiang Yuan were now gone!
And she, who originally had a small, private dressing room due to her connections, had just been in the middle of getting her makeup done.
However, when her makeup was only half-done, people from the production services department suddenly appeared and politely “invited” her out!
Being escorted out of her exclusive dressing room, disgraced and in front of a dozen or so gloating faces from all ranks, Jiang Ruyi’s expression was so ugly it looked like ink was about to drip from it.
Standing in a noisy corner of the set, Jiang Ruyi looked at the makeup artist before her, who was somewhat familiar and had taken good care of her. She managed to restrain her temper, suppressing her anger, and said in a pleasant tone, “Thank you, Brother Xiao Song, for telling me this. I’ll be careful in the future. It’s just a pity that Sister Yuan was framed like this…”
Mao Xiaosong looked at Jiang Ruyi’s beautiful face, a flash of infatuation in his eyes. He then said in a gentle voice, “Don’t be afraid. As for Jiang Yuan’s matter, I’ll help plead her case again. And regarding that Rong Guang, I’ve already warned them. From now on, you just need to focus on filming your scenes.”
Jiang Ruyi was taken aback. For the first time, she seriously sized up the makeup artist before her and hesitated, “You plan to…?”
“I’m a makeup artist.” A vicious glint flashed in Mao Xiaosong’s eyes. “If I tamper with the cosmetics, no one will ever find out.”
Jiang Ruyi thought of something, her eyes lighting up. She suppressed her excitement and said in a low voice, “What would happen? It won’t be too serious, right? I just want to teach her a lesson, so she won’t casually frame good people anymore…”
“Don’t worry, Ruyi.” Mao Xiaosong tentatively reached out and patted Jiang Ruyi’s shoulder, saying softly, “I know you’re a kind girl. Those things will have absolutely nothing to do with you—by the way, before Jiang Yuan left, did she say anything to you?”
“Say what?” Jiang Ruyi was stunned, genuinely confused this time. She shook her head. “No, she left too quickly. She didn’t have time to say anything to me. Was there something else?”
Mao Xiaosong finally breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s nothing, just small matters. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of these things for you.”
As long as Jiang Yuan hadn’t told Jiang Ruyi about the deal between them, it was fine.
Once he established a firm foothold here, he could logically apply for a transfer to be by Jiang Ruyi’s side as her makeup artist…
Mao Xiaosong’s gaze grew even gentler. “Ruyi, I know your makeup artists aren’t being very polite to you because of what happened today. Don’t be afraid, and don’t be sad. Once things settle down in a few days, I’ll apply for a transfer to your side. I’ll be in charge of your makeup from then on…”
Rong Guang slowly pulled back her foot.
Then, she expressionlessly lifted her foot and walked toward the set.
Tampering with cosmetics, or even drugging water, were things she had seen plenty of in her past life. She had even experienced it herself.
And it was only because she had experienced it herself that she was all the more vigilant.
Therefore, this time, if Chu Feiliang hadn’t taken the initiative to say she would act with her and share a dressing room, Rong Guang had planned to do all her subsequent makeup herself. Otherwise, Chacha wouldn’t have bought her that box of lard-based cream before.
Because even if she didn’t choose to do it herself, among the many actors on set who needed a personal makeup artist, very few would be specially assigned to her, so she could only rely on herself.
Besides, she didn’t trust others.
Whether she had overheard this conversation or not, it didn’t really make much of a difference.
The set.
“Yo, Guangguang’s here?” Zhang Nanchuan was happy to see Rong Guang. He waved her over and said, “Did you see the messages in the group chat?”
“I saw them.” Rong Guang nodded in thanks. “It must have been so much trouble for you, having to deal with these things so late last night…”
“Let’s skip the pleasantries.” Zhang Nanchuan snorted with a laugh. “Even if it wasn’t for you, these parasites would have to be rooted out sooner or later. Some people have been with me for too long, and seeing that I don’t manage things too closely, they think they can find loopholes. You’ve given me a push, so in a way, you’ve done me a big favor. Don’t overthink it, just focus on your acting.”
Rong Guang nodded gratefully. “I know. I came over this time specifically to look at the scenery and the camera positions of each unit, to familiarize myself with them in advance.”
Zhang Nanchuan’s face showed appreciation and satisfaction. He said, “I’ll find someone to show you around. After you’re done, go and prepare. In about…” He glanced at the time. “Three hours or so, it’ll be your scene with Xiao Chu. Get familiar with her beforehand. We’re picking up from the scene you rehearsed yesterday.”
“Yes.” Rong Guang didn’t stand on ceremony, knowing that the first scene with her co-star was crucial, as it would shape the entire crew’s first impression of her.
After touring the entire set, Rong Guang had a rough assessment in her mind.
There was a reason why The Eldest Princess crew was a huge hit.
Down to the smallest details, even the flower arrangements on the tables were fresh, specially bought from a flower shop, and replaced regularly.
Although they were just details, sometimes, it was these very details that determined success or failure.
Because Zhang Nanchuan had specifically instructed it, the script supervisor showing her around gave her a very thorough introduction.
Rong Guang later even took a look around the lighting department, and whenever she saw a camera being adjusted, she would go over for a look.
After going through the whole set, she pretty much had the lay of the land.
Just as she was about to go find Chu Feiliang, Chacha found her first.
“Sister Guangguang, you have a text message.” Chacha handed Rong Guang’s phone to her, blinking her eyes and saying, “It’s from Yuanyuan.”
Tang Yuan?
Rong Guang raised an eyebrow. Why was Tang Yuan looking for her at this time?
Just as she was about to unlock her phone to check, the battery died. After a flash, the screen went black.
Since it was a text message, it probably wasn’t anything urgent.
Rong Guang thought for a moment and asked, “Did you bring the charger?”
“I brought everything.” Chacha nodded, patting her basket cart. “It’s all in here, fully equipped!”
Arriving at the dressing room door, Rong Guang felt a little nervous.
The dressing room door wasn’t closed, but she didn’t feel it was right to just walk in without knocking. She straightened her clothes and quietly asked Chacha, “How do I look?”
Chacha tilted her head and looked her over. “Beautiful!”
Rong Guang’s expression relaxed, and she raised her hand to knock.
Voices came from inside, making her pause her hand.
“Sister Chu seems very happy today? She hasn’t stopped smiling all day.” The assistant looked at Chu Feiliang’s smiling reflection in the mirror and couldn’t help but ask curiously.
Chu Feiliang was clearly in a good mood. The makeup artist was applying her lipstick, so she couldn’t speak and just hummed a soft “mm.”
“What could make you so happy?” The makeup artist chuckled as well. Being close, she could see the smile on Chu Feiliang’s lips even more clearly.
Chu Feiliang glanced at her. The makeup artist moved her hand away and stepped back to look at the overall effect.
Chu Feiliang also looked in the mirror and smiled. “I ran into a little kitten, it was quite cute.”
“You like cats?” the makeup artist laughed. “I saw on Baidu Baike that your favorite animal is a dog, and that you even have a pretty big Labrador at home. Was that fake?”
Chu Feiliang just gave a light laugh and didn’t answer.
The makeup artist laughed along with her, knowing that most celebrities don’t like to answer questions involving their private lives. She quickly tried to smooth things over, “I guess you really can’t trust Baidu Baike.”
As she spoke, she looked at Chu Feiliang’s finger and said, “Tonight’s scene has a close-up of your hands, right? What happened to your hand, is it injured? Can it be filmed? Do we need to tell Sister Shi and cover it with something? Or should we tell the director to find a hand double?”
“No need.” Chu Feiliang looked at the finger, reached out, and tore off the bandage, revealing a perfectly intact finger underneath.
The makeup artist was stunned, subconsciously thinking it was a sprain.
Then, Chu Feiliang said, “It’s not injured. I wrapped it up simply because…”
Because it was always itchy.
She couldn’t help but recall the light puff of air Rong Guang had blown on it.
The morning light filtering through the window had spread evenly over Rong Guang’s body, completely melting away the slight chill, bringing with it an indescribable bright yellow and gentle warmth.
She still remembered Rong Guang’s trembling eyelashes from nervousness, her rapid yet cautious, scorching breath, the soft touch of her light, fragrant hair falling on her hand, and an indescribable feeling that was both ticklish and sweet, reaching straight to the bottom of her heart.
Chu Feiliang narrowed her eyes and, unable to resist, lightly scratched her finger a couple of times.
“What?” The makeup artist didn’t catch the last part of the sentence.
Chu Feiliang raised her head, and just as she was about to say it was nothing, she caught sight of the person in question out of the corner of her eye, timidly pushing open the door, her face as ripe as a honey peach.
At this moment, said person was staring at her with a pair of big, innocent eyes, her gaze clear and limpid.
Looking so nervous, she seemed even more pitiful.
She paused, and the desire to tease her arose once again.
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