"How did you end up here?" Xie Xi asked. He had come to take some photos and didn't expect to see Ye Qiusuo when he was leaving.
"Filming."
Not only Xie Xi, but even Zhang Dong, who was driving in front, instinctively looked over at Ye Qiusuo.
"You're filming here?" Xie Xi was stunned, as Professor Ye wasn't part of the entertainment industry.
"Mhm, playing a professor." Ye Qiusuo glanced into the distance; she hadn't seen any taxis coming or going for a long time.
Xie Xi pushed open the car door on one side and looked up at Ye Qiusuo standing outside. "Do you want to ride out with us? It's very hard to get a taxi here at night."
The film and television city was in the suburbs. There were cars during the day, but by night, taxis became much scarcer, and even ride-hailing apps were hard to find.
"Are you heading back to the city?" Ye Qiusuo asked.
Xie Xi shifted over to the other side before turning his head. "Yes."
Only then did Ye Qiusuo get into the car. As soon as she entered, she caught a whiff of a light, masculine fragrance.
The door closed, and the car started moving.
"Professor, you have something here." Xie Xi leaned halfway against the armrest, looking at Ye Qiusuo. He extended his fair, slender finger and lightly tapped his own lips.
Professor Ye, who was usually focused solely on making money and working on projects, turned to look at Xie Xi's overly attractive lips. For a moment, she didn't process what he was saying, only thinking: What did he put on his lips? They're so red.
"Professor?"
Xie Xi's voice, tinged with confusion, sounded in the car once more.
Ye Qiusuo finally snapped out of it. "What?"
Xie Xi had no choice but to reach out and touch her lips. "There seems to be something here."
Ye Qiusuo frowned and leaned her head back, then wiped the spot with the back of her hand. It was the lipstick from the set earlier—a pale, slightly purplish shade. In the movie, this professor was not in good health. After filming wrapped, everyone removed their makeup. Professor Ye, without a dedicated assistant or makeup artist, had found some makeup remover and wiped it off hastily, not getting it all.
Xie Xi turned on the dome light and rummaged through a box his life manager kept in the car. He pulled out a clean cotton pad and handed it to Ye Qiusuo. "Use this to wipe it off."
There was no mirror in the back seat. Ye Qiusuo wiped haphazardly, feeling it was clean enough.
"The makeup here doesn't seem to be fully removed." Xie Xi pointed to the side of her face.
Ye Qiusuo then wiped a few more times based on feel, but Xie Xi still shook his head. Finally, he took out another cotton pad and leaned closer. "Let me help you."
As he leaned in, that light masculine fragrance became even more noticeable.
Professor Ye couldn't identify the scent, only finding it pleasant.
Xie Xi raised his hand and carefully wiped away the remaining makeup on Ye Qiusuo's face. Outwardly calm, his heart was actually starting to race again.
Even through the thin cotton pad, he could feel that her face was nice to touch, not at all like the stern impression she usually gave off.
"Professor Ye, you must thoroughly remove your makeup to avoid damaging your skin," Zhang Dong, who was driving, spoke up, breaking the slightly awkward atmosphere.
Xie Xi: "..." This assistant can be thrown away.
He could only withdraw his hand and retreat to his seat, leaning against the car window.
"Professor Ye, what are you filming here? Was the car accident with Movie King You yesterday here too? Are you both okay? From the pictures I saw, the cars were pretty badly smashed." Zhang Dong asked gossipily.
"Filming 'The Lake' here. The car was wrecked, but people are fine." Ye Qiusuo answered each question one by one.
Xie Xi, lazily leaning against the window, had his ears perked up sharp, memorizing everything she said.
"'The Lake,' Movie King You's film?" Zhang Dong suddenly remembered. "Professor Ye, so you're filming together."
With Zhang Dong the gossip hound along the way, Xie Xi learned quite a bit of news. This assistant was somewhat useful after all.
"You can stop here, thanks." Ye Qiusuo had them stop outside the residential compound and walked in herself.
Big Star Xie pressed against the car window, watching for a long time. Only when a passerby turned to look at him several times, seemingly about to approach, did he close the window and tell Zhang Dong to drive back.
...
Ye Qiusuo had no scenes the next day, so she went to buy a car, the same series as her previous one.
After getting temporary license plates, she could drive it temporarily, so Ye Qiusuo drove straight to the company.
As soon as she entered the building, she saw Zhang Chengjue waiting there.
Since the failed medical mushroom project last time, after his shares were diluted and he became a dividend-receiving shareholder, he hadn't been to the company for a while.
The first thing Zhang Chengjue said upon seeing Ye Qiusuo was, "Qiusuo, let's talk."
Ye Qiusuo stopped. "What is it?"
Zhang Chengjue observed her expression, thinking she seemed her usual self, which put him half at ease. "What happened before was my fault. I've been reflecting at home all this time. I was too impulsive and took such reckless measures." He completely avoided mentioning his previous attitude towards Ye Qiusuo and the matter of privately changing the ID card.
"So, I want to come back to work. You'll still be in charge of the company."
Ye Qiusuo stared at Zhang Chengjue for a moment. Just as he thought he wouldn't get a response, she smiled mildly. "Alright. Where would you like to work?"
Zhang Chengjue immediately relaxed. As expected, Ye Qiusuo didn't hold grudges; she only cared about projects.
"You're managing the company, and it wouldn't be good for me to take a prominent role. I'll start from my old position." Zhang Chengjue said, as if making a concession.
"Fine. Go register with HR." Ye Qiusuo agreed.
In less than a day, the news that Zhang Chengjue had returned to work at the company had spread throughout the entire office. Morale became unsettled. Those who had stayed on basically knew what had happened earlier and never thought Zhang Chengjue would come back one day.
Some with wandering minds began to think Ye Qiusuo was just a paper tiger, and her previous win was purely due to having more money.
Zhao Guiyin from the assistant's office heard the news and shook his head, sympathizing with the former boss for a second.
"Director Ye, should I... keep an eye on Director Zhang?" Zhao Guiyin asked in a low voice before Ye Qiusuo left the company.
Ye Qiusuo turned to look at him and said calmly, "No need."
...
Once familiar, twice at ease. Ye Qiusuo was getting somewhat used to going to the film set. All her scenes were scheduled upfront, so she had scenes to film every time she went.
"Cut!" the director called. "What's going on with the female lead? Where's her presence?"
This scene involved several students debating with the professor, mainly highlighting the progressive and open-minded thinking of the male and female leads.
You Feibai was okay; after all, he was a Movie King. Once he got the script and lines, he immediately became the student leader of that era. But the female lead was somewhat new, and she always lacked a bit of presence in this scene.
"I-I'll try harder," the actress playing the female lead said, somewhat avoiding Ye Qiusuo's gaze.
She was supposed to play a top student, but when the real professor on set looked at her, she felt insecure inside.
The professor's gaze was downright intimidating.
The director shot several takes back and forth, then shook his head. "Let Feibai coach you a bit. Don't let your eyes wander all over the place."
While the male and female leads discussed, the other actors naturally stopped. Ye Qiusuo went to the side to rest, conveniently near the director.
The director, meanwhile, kept taking and making calls.
"Schedule conflict? Alright, alright, we'll collaborate next time."
"On vacation? Can't come back? Oh, honeymoon. Okay, okay, congratulations."
Sitting nearby, Ye Qiusuo guessed they were probably trying to cast an actor for a role in the drama.
The director hung up the phone and let out a long sigh. He wanted this film to be perfect, which was precisely why he had sought out a real professor. Now, there was a vacant supporting role—a male dan (female impersonator) character. He had specifically arranged for a performance student specializing in opera to take the role. The student had excellent stage presence and captivating eyes, perfectly fitting the character. Unfortunately, the student had suddenly backed out, citing an international competition.
Finding an actor suitable for such a role wasn't easy, especially for just a supporting part. If it were a lead role, there would probably be plenty of people scrambling for it. The director was practically worrying himself gray.
Just then, his phone rang again. Ye Qiusuo glanced over at the director and noticed he was answering the call with a strange expression.
"Yes, there is such a role. Are you bringing a new talent?" The director gripped his phone and suddenly stood up. "Really? Of course, of course it's possible."
Ye Qiusuo watched as the director paced in a small circle, his voice excited. "Acting skills can be honed. If I get the camera angles and lighting right, that's half the battle."
An actor's performance isn't solely dependent on themselves; it also relies on the director's vision and framing. Otherwise, there wouldn't be cases where an actor wins awards under one director but gets panned in another project.
Had they found a suitable person?
Listening to the director's rambling, it sounded similar to the pitch he used when signing her on. The other person was probably also someone with no prior acting experience.
After the director finished that call, he gathered the male and female leads, and filming resumed, plunging the crew back into busyness.
...
"Did he agree?" Xie Xi sat across from his agent, asking with some nervousness.
"You can go." Wei Qi put down her phone and studied Xie Xi. "Why the sudden interest in acting?"
Xie Xi leaned back, feigning nonchalance. "I've been too idle lately."
"Don't you still have that reality show?" Wei Qi felt something was off.
"Lately, I feel like acting."
If Zhang Dong had been in the room, he would surely have connected the dots on why Xie Xi wanted to join "The Lake." Unfortunately, he was outside the office, and Wei Qi was also unaware that Professor Ye was part of "The Lake" crew.
For this role, Xie Xi didn't even need an audition. The director agreed immediately. Under the pretext of observing and learning, Xie Xi went to the film set the very next day.
He quietly approached the set. A crew member, upon seeing Xie Xi's face, simply waved him through.
Xie Xi looked around. Ye Qiusuo wasn't among those currently filming. After scanning more carefully, he finally spotted her squatting in a corner, a laptop on her knees, wearing headphones.
Moving closer, he realized she was in a meeting.
Xie Xi silently shifted to the side, moving out of Ye Qiusuo's camera view.
After about ten minutes, Ye Qiusuo finally took off her headphones, shut down her computer, and turned around. "What are you doing here?" She had already caught a glimpse of Xie Xi flashing past in her video call.
Xie Xi replied with a touch of reserve, "The director asked me to take on a role. It just happens to be in your crew. What a coincidence."
Ye Qiusuo stood up, holding her computer in one hand, and gave him a somewhat odd look. In the end, she didn't mention that she had clearly seen the director being approached about him. Perhaps his agent had actively secured the role for him.
"How many scenes have you filmed? I've never acted before. Could you guide me later?" Xie Xi followed behind her and even added, "...Teacher."
"I'm not very experienced with acting either," Ye Qiusuo said, slowing her pace to look at Xie Xi. "You could ask someone else to guide you."
"I'll just watch you all film for now," Xie Xi changed the subject. "Your company's watches are quite good."
Bringing that up, Ye Qiusuo said earnestly, "I still have to thank you for that impromptu advertisement during the show. Our sales shot straight up."
"I was just casually looking at it," Xie Xi said with surface-level humility.
He actually wouldn't mind landing an endorsement deal along the way.
"Mhm, you're a bit expensive. When our company has more money in the future, we could consider you for an endorsement," Professor Ye calculated meticulously.
Xie Xi: "..." He was a bit expensive?
