The following days, Xie Xi's filming went surprisingly smoothly. Aside from occasionally not meeting the movement requirements set by the instructor, his eye expressions were on point. The most brilliant part was the scene where the opera singer stood on stage performing an unfinished piece.
That scene was specifically scheduled for the evening. The flickering candlelight illuminated the stage. Dressed in a red opera costume, the singer seemed to pour all the joys and sorrows of life into his song, his words trailing off as if holding back, half-hidden by his flowing sleeve.
The recorded vocals were Xie Xi's own voice. He had been learning opera these past few days, and with his prior foundation, singing a few lines wasn't difficult.
Xie Xi stood on the stage, his long sleeves layered, turning as his robe fell, his gaze landing on the audience below. She wasn't there.
But for a moment, Xie Xi seemed to see Ye Qiusuo in the audience, standing quietly by the camera, watching him.
As he sang, the look in Xie Xi's eyes began to change.
"Not bad at all," the director murmured to the person beside him.
This scene was a long take. The opera singer stood on stage singing a few lines; the object of his gaze in the audience was the patron he sought to win over, his eyes shifting with ambiguous intent. The very next moment, the male lead schemes to have him dragged off stage.
It was a difficult scene to shoot. The director was fully prepared, but he never expected Xie Xi to nail it in one take. When it came time for the extras to rush the stage and seize the singer, most of them were still looking up, listening to Xie Xi sing, and didn't react in time.
"Move, hurry up!" the director urged them in a low, anxious voice.
Only then did the group snap out of it and rush onto the stage to grab him.
It was the first time a scene was completed in a single take. The director walked over to Xie Xi and praised him profusely.
Xie Xi reverted to his usual lazy nonchalance, the ambiguous aura that had enveloped him moments before vanishing without a trace.
"Brother Xi, some water?" Zhang Dong held a small electric heater fan pointed at Xie Xi with one hand, while offering a thermos with the other. Inside was hot honey and pear juice.
Seeing this, the director said no more and went over to You Feibai to discuss the next scene.
Xie Xi took it and drank a few sips, then asked Zhang Dong, "Did you ask the production assistants..."
Zhang Dong cautiously glanced around, and seeing no one was paying attention, whispered, "Professor Ye's final scene is the day after tomorrow. She's not coming tomorrow."
Tonight was Xie Xi's final scene, but Ye Qiusuo didn't have any night scenes and had left early. Her last scene was also the day after tomorrow, so their schedules completely missed each other.
Xie Xi frowned, racking his brain for any reason he could find to come back the day after tomorrow.
"Brother Xi, maybe you should go remove your makeup first."
Xie Xi still had the stage makeup on his face.
"Mm."
After changing back into his own clothes, before his makeup was fully removed, someone knocked on the door.
Zhang Dong went to open it and was startled to see the person outside. "Professor Ye?"
Hearing these three words, Xie Xi immediately stood up, not caring that his makeup wasn't fully off.
"You..." Xie Xi was taken aback upon clearly seeing the person at the door, his heart beginning to race erratically. "Why are you holding flowers?"
Ye Qiusuo walked in and handed him a bouquet. "For you. Wrapping... happy." She paused, adding the last two words.
The flowers were just ordinary ones, mostly conveying good wishes. If they had been roses, Xie Xi's heart would have done more than just race erratically.
Xie Xi took them, still happy inside. His Professor Ye had given him flowers.
"Why the sudden flowers?" Xie Xi couldn't help asking.
Ye Qiusuo looked at the several people in the makeup room, her gaze lingering on Zhang Dong for a moment before she said, "I thought it was customary to give flowers when someone wraps filming."
She had heard it from Zhang Dong before and thought it was something everyone gave to departing actors.
Ye Qiusuo wasn't familiar with the customs and intricacies of film sets. Having just left the company and passing by a flower shop, she remembered Zhang Dong mentioning that today was Xie Xi's last day of filming, so she bought flowers and brought them over. But walking through the set just now, she hadn't seen anyone else holding flowers.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Dong immediately looked down and started fidgeting with his hands. He had deliberately been vague, never expecting Professor Ye not only to believe it but also to actually buy flowers.
Seeing his assistant's reaction out of the corner of his eye, Xie Xi knew exactly where the problem originated. His feelings became slightly complicated.
"Professor, we're taking group photos later. Want to join?" Xie Xi proactively invited.
The two of them went out together. Just then, the director came over holding a bouquet—this was the proper way for the crew to send off an actor wrapping their role.
"Hey, how come..." The director came over cheerfully with the flowers, only to find Xie Xi already had a bouquet in his arms.
Not giving the director a chance to say more, Xie Xi reached out, took his flowers, thanked him, and then said they were going for the group photo.
The director, somewhat bewildered, turned around to call everyone for the photo.
Ye Qiusuo was like an NPC who had completed her task. After delivering the flowers, she simply stood in an available spot for the group photo with everyone.
Xie Xi turned his head and saw she wasn't beside him. While smiling and talking to the person next to him, he slowly shifted over and called for Zhang Dong across the way to take a photo of them.
"Professor, shall we take a photo together?"
"Okay." Ye Qiusuo stood beside him, looking quietly at the camera.
Before they could take more than a few photos, someone else gathered the courage to ask for a photo with Xie Xi, so Ye Qiusuo moved aside.
"I'll head back first."
Xie Xi wanted to ask her to stay a bit longer but felt it would be taking up her time. In the end, he could only watch Ye Qiusuo leave.
"Xixi, look over here!" a staff member taking photos called out.
Xie Xi glanced down at the flowers Ye Qiusuo had given him, and when he looked back at the camera, the expression in his eyes was exceptionally soft.
...
The next day at nine o'clock.
"Have you called the police?" Ye Qiusuo turned her head to ask Zhao Guiyin.
"Already done. The police will be here in half an hour," Zhao Guiyin replied cautiously. Early this morning, Ye Qiusuo had told him to call the police, saying someone at the company was stealing technical data. She hadn't said more, but he guessed it was related to Zhang Chengjue.
After all, with a whole wave of personnel changes at the company, Zhang Chengjue was the most suspicious.
Ye Qiusuo went to her office and carried on with her work as usual, not at all like someone who had just had the police called.
In contrast, Zhao Guiyin, sitting at his desk, couldn't settle down.
Half an hour later, when the company's operations were basically underway, the police arrived.
"Assistant Zhao, please go greet the police and take them to the 12th floor," Ye Qiusuo pressed the intercom and said to Zhao Guiyin in the outer office.
"Yes." Zhao Guiyin immediately stood up, a hint of secret excitement in his heart.
Given Tianqiu Tech's reputation, seven or eight police officers arrived at once, all seemingly experienced with economic cases.
Zhao Guiyin led the police to the 12th floor. One officer behind him, observing the layers of security checkpoints, couldn't help but remark, "Your company is this strict?"
"It's a tech company. Some things involve confidential matters, so we have to be cautious," Zhao Guiyin turned and explained with a smile.
The group's movement caused quite a stir. When Zhang Chengjue came out and saw them, his expression changed, but he quickly calmed down. "Xiao Zhao, what's going on? Why are you bringing the police up here? The things here aren't meant to be shown publicly." Zhang Chengjue specifically pointed at the body camera on one officer.
"President Ye instructed that the officers should come to the 12th floor," Zhao Guiyin said politely but distantly.
Hearing 'President Ye,' Zhang Chengjue's face showed a trace of panic. He looked toward the elevator. "I'm not feeling well today. I'm going to leave early and go to the hospital."
Zhao Guiyin stopped him. "Manager Zhang, if you're leaving, should we record the half hour you worked today?"
Tianqiu had two modes for taking leave: one by the day, and one calculated by the hour.
"No need to record it, consider it a day's leave for me." Zhang Chengjue waved his hand, not wanting to deal with Zhao Guiyin, and walked straight towards the elevator door.
'Ding—'
The elevator door in front of Zhang Chengjue opened, revealing Ye Qiusuo standing inside, looking at him.
"..."
Ye Qiusuo stepped out, and Zhang Chengjue instinctively took a step back.
"I'm not feeling well, I'm heading back first." Zhang Chengjue smiled at Ye Qiusuo and tried to step into the elevator.
Ye Qiusuo reached out to block him: "There's something that needs your involvement to handle. Please wait a moment."
Zhang Chengjue's expression darkened. He glanced at the group of police officers, clenched his fist, and turned around: "What needs to be handled?"
Ye Qiusuo was holding a tablet. She walked towards the police and said to the one in charge, "We wish to report that someone within the company has stolen technical data, causing severe impact on our company."
She handed the tablet to the police officer; it clearly contained all the evidence.
Zhang Chengjue's heart skipped a beat. He suppressed the impulse to snatch the tablet and smash it. It might not be him; he had cleaned up meticulously at the end. No one knew his ID card still retained those access permissions.
Yet, the very next second, when the police asked who the person was, Ye Qiusuo pointed directly at him.
"Qiusuo, what is the meaning of this? Framing me?" Zhang Chengjue asked sharply.
Ye Qiusuo glanced at him and said to the police, "All the evidence is inside. Thank you for your trouble, officers."
As he wasn't convicted yet, the police didn't handcuff Zhang Chengjue, only asked him to follow them.
Zhang Chengjue refused to move, his face contorted with agitation: "I know the last project was my mistake, but you can't just slander me like this. I have a stake in this company too; I'm a shareholder here."
"When a shareholder commits a serious error that damages the company's interests, their shares can be used to compensate for the losses. After your conviction, your shares will be removed," Ye Qiusuo looked at him and said calmly.
Zhang Chengjue suddenly calmed down: "From the moment you agreed to let me come back, you had already planned this, didn't you? Waiting for me to make a mistake so you could take my shares!"
The police asked him to return to the station with them. Zhang Chengjue was forced into the elevator, and Zhao Guiyin went down with them to see them off.
Ye Qiusuo watched the elevator doors close and lowered her eyes: It wasn't from the time she agreed to let Zhang Chengjue return that she had planned this. Rather, from the very beginning, when he colluded with other shareholders to conceal his series of actions and quickly invested in the convalescent mushroom project, she had already prepared to take back the shares in Zhang Chengjue's hands.
Even if Zhang Chengjue hadn't made this mistake, she had other methods to get them back. It just depended on whether she was willing.
Previously, the company had always been managed by Zhang Chengjue. It wasn't that she couldn't do it; she simply didn't want to waste time here.
...
There was still one final scene left to shoot at the film set. Ye Qiusuo woke up early in the morning to a world of white outside her window.
It was snowing.
She hurried to the set, where the director was quite pleased.
"I was just thinking this scene needed snow. If there wasn't any, we'd have to add it in post-production. This is perfect."
"The actors will have to bear with it in a moment."
In this scene, Pei Jinxi is reported and framed by a student, imprisoned, and later dies, though the death scene isn't shown in the drama. The final shot is of Professor Pei leaning against the iron-barred window, catching a snowflake in his hand, staring outside as he smiles absently.
Ye Qiusuo wasn't good at controlling this emotion and couldn't fully achieve the complex, shifting mood the director wanted.
After several NG takes, the director finally settled on a camera angle and called it a wrap.
Ye Qiusuo's part was also finished. She removed her makeup, changed into her own clothes, and was just about to push the door open when she heard people standing outside talking.
"The other night, she came running over late to deliver flowers, saying it was to celebrate Xie Xi's wrap-up. It's hilarious; she couldn't even find a better excuse to curry favor."
"She stole the director's job, and the director wasn't even angry?"
"No, the director probably didn't notice."
Ye Qiusuo was about to open the door when the discussion outside suddenly stopped.
