Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The director made a point to look out for Grandmother Qi.
Since it was her first day on set, Qi Chengzhi dropped by to see her.
He owed her one as she had been supportive of his relationship with Song Yu.
On that particular day, Song Yu was working overtime. Chang Lai would be picking her up after she was done with work and have her sent home. By then, however, the old lady would be done, and since Qi Chengzhi had nothing to do in the day, he decided to make a trip to the home earlier, by himself.
He parked the Range Rover at the entrance, got off, and entered the house. In the meantime, Aunt Liu was busy in the kitchen, getting everything ready. She prepared tea for the old lady, as well as a thermos filled with hot water, some snacks, and a bit of fruit.
“Young Master!” Aunt Liu was surprised to see him. “Why are you here today?”
“Since this is Grandmother’s first meeting with the cast and crew, I’ll send her.” Qi Chengzhi walked over with his hands placed on his pockets. His gaze swept across the various foodstuffs that nearly filled the entire bar counter.
“Does Grandmother want to bring all this with her?” Qi Chengzhi asked.
“Yes!” Aunt Liu smiled. “Madam’s afraid of getting bored and hungry while waiting for her turn, so she wanted to bring some snacks. Youxuan wants to follow too, so his snacks are packed in too. I suppose there will be water provided for the cast and crew, but you know how Madam doesn’t like drinking mineral water, especially from sources she doesn’t know. She prefers to boil her own water and make tea for herself.”
“Is everything ready, Xiao Liu?” The old lady sported the sunglasses that Song Yu gifted her, though it was not a good idea to wear it indoors. It obscured the light from reaching her eyes, and she nearly bumped into a chair as a result.
A fleece overcoat was draped over her arm—she feared that she might feel too cold when outside. She noticed Qi Chengzhi as soon as she entered the room, after which she looked left and right as if to look for something or someone. “Where’s my dear Song Yu?”
“She needs to work overtime today. She’ll come at night, after work,” Qi Chengzhi explained.
“And why did you come here today?” the old lady asked gleefully.
“Isn’t today the first day of your introduction to the cast and crew? I’ll send you there and take a look at things while I’m at it.” Although he looked unemotive when he spoke, Grandmother Qi felt overjoyed that he would do such a considerate thing for her.
“Oh, you little joker. When did you learn how to make people happy? You’re only doing this because of dear Song Yu, aren’t you?” Grandmother Qi rolled her eyes at him.
There was no denial on Qi Chengzhi’s part. He stretched out his hand and took everything that Aunt Liu had prepared.
“Since there’s lots of stuff, just put it all in the car. I’ll drive everyone there,” Qi Chengzhi said.
Qi Youxuan ran over with his backpack and stuffed all his snacks into his bag. He also took two bottles of freshly pressed fruit juice, placing them into the bottle pockets on either side of the bag.
It took no more than a ten-minute walk to reach the courtyard that the production team rented. Compared to the little park where Grandmother Qi frequented for plaza dancing, the courtyard was much nearer.
By car, it seemed like they reached there barely seconds after leaving the house.
A scene had just wrapped filming when they got there, and preparations for shooting the next one was ongoing. The cast were either rehearsing their lines, resting, or having a chat amongst themselves.
The director was watching the earlier scene through his camera when he heard one of his staff members shout rudely, “They’re filming inside. You’re not allowed to come in. If you want an autograph, wait outside!”
That staff member looked at the three of them—a man, an old lady, and a kid—and thought that the man was bringing an old lady and a little boy to meet with some celebrities.
The old lady looked just like any other old lady because she did not wear anything too fancy. Meanwhile, the kid’s clothes seemed to be from one of those small stores owned by foreigners. The man looked most proper out of the three, but then again, plenty of youngsters were absorbed in their vanity, so it was not out of the ordinary for them to wear branded goods.
At that point, many people began surrounding the courtyard. With camera in hand, they were all hoping for the chance to snap a photo of some celebrity.
Grandmother Qi’s mood turned sour after seeing the staff member’s attitude. Modern movies usually allowed actors and actresses to prepare their own clothing, which was why the old lady went there with ordinary store-bought clothes.
As for Qi Youxuan, the old lady may spoil him rotten, but when it came to clothes, she felt that it was a waste of money to buy branded clothing for him. Children grew nonstop, and it was especially so for Qi Youxuan, who increased not only in height but also in width. Now and then, he would need to get new clothes, and although the Qi family might not mind it if those clothes were all branded, it was still too much of a waste of money.
Spending money needlessly was unwise. What if Qi Youxuan’s values and morals were distorted?
The old lady took off her sunglasses and wanted to lecture the young fellow on judging people by their looks, but someone called out, “Young Master Cheng?”
Shu Li could not believe her eyes. She had wanted to look for the director, but midway through her walk, she heard the staff member shouting as though someone was trying to sneak onto set.
Veteran actors were aplenty there and many had their own loyal following, but in terms of personality and popularity, no one else could match hers.
She still had to maintain her image with her fans, so she went over intending to put on a show of being a mediator, thereby elevating her public perception. Perhaps she could even make the news with that little action of hers.
It came as quite a surprise to see Qi Chengzhi standing at the entrance.
Her eyes darted to the old lady and the chubby kid, after which she walked over while wondering to herself.
“Young Master Cheng, why are you here?” Shu Li did not hide her admiration. She looked at how straight he stood and how elegant he looked, and she just could not keep her eyes off him.
A simple nod from Qi Chengzhi and he said, “I’m sending my grandmother to film some scenes.”
“Film some scenes?” Shu Li was startled. She looked at the old lady and deduced that it was probably the grand matriarch of the Qi family.
“So, it’s you, Madam.” Shu Li allowed her dimples to make an appearance as she smiled sweetly at the old lady.
It was pleasing to see Shu Li smile, for she had a natural doll-like face. Though she may have been a bit late in making a name for herself, she looked very young for someone of her age, hence the large prospects in her line of work.
The old lady remembered that Shu Li was the lead actor in the movie, playing the role of daughter to the old lady’s character.
Previously the old lady did take quite a liking to her, but seeing how she looked at Qi Chengzhi made the old lady reconsider the earlier opinion.
“Madam, you’re filming? In the movie, you’re…” Shu Li thought for a moment before recalling that there was one empty space in the name list for actors—that blank column was for the role of the main character’s mother.
“Madam!” The director ran over. “Young Master Cheng.”
“He doesn’t know that you came to shoot a scene. Please don’t hold it against him,” the director said, before turning to chastise the young man.
Of course, the old lady did not take it to heart, but she commented nonetheless, “Everyone has their struggles. No matter what a person’s status is, it’s always best to show some respect to each other.”
“You’re right, you’re right.” The director then said, “Youngsters nowadays aren’t too understanding.”
He cautioned the young man once more and sent him off. “Madam, we’ll be shooting two scenes before you’re up. Let me bring you to the makeup artist.”
“Director, the next scene will be starting soon. You should go ahead. I’ll take care of Madam.” Shu Li volunteered.
The director looked at the time and thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement. “Alright. Madam, Shu Li will bring you over. She’s the lead in this movie and she’s your character’s daughter. This is perfect timing for you two to know each other better and work up some chemistry.”
The old lady told the director to get going, which he did after saying a couple more things.
“Madam, after you.” Although she was showing the way to the old lady, she feigned inattentiveness and walked beside Qi Chengzhi.
Ever since their acquaintance during the officiating ceremony for Qilin’s hotel project, she no longer had any contact with Qi Chengzhi. She attempted to get closer to him during the dinner, but he treated her rather indifferently, and at the end of the evening, Qi Chengzhi disappeared from the event completely.
She never expected the Qi family’s matriarch to have a role in the film, and since the chance was already in front of her, she did not want to let it slip by yet again.
Qi Chengzhi had money and looks after all. He was exactly the kind of man she wanted. Men like him were rare, and she must seize the opportunity now that it was dangling in front of her.
“Young Master Cheng, we’ve not bumped into each other since the dinner at Qilin. I didn’t expect fate to bring us together again. Such luck to have Madam play my mother in this movie.” Shu Li looked at his stern-looking side profile and could not resist imagining what it was like to be his girlfriend. She wondered if she would have the chance to see another side of him.
Qi Chengzhi did not respond; rather, it was his grandmother that looked unhappy.
Shu Li’s motivations for making her acquaintance were all too obvious.
The old lady was not one for having a sectarian bias, but she loathed modern-day celebrities. Be it in moral quality or otherwise, they were far more inferior to the celebrities of yesteryear.
A prime example was the one in front of her—a pure face but with impure intentions.
“I think you and I are the fated ones.” The old lady chuckled. “According to the age gaps in our characters, you’re much older than Chengzhi. He should be calling you auntie.”
Shu Li’s smile cramped up before she laughed dryly. “Oh, you’re so funny, Madam. I’ll be taking advantage of him then, wouldn’t I? I wouldn’t dare to do that.”
“Madam, why did you decide to act in the movie?” Shu Li had the feeling that the old lady did not like her that much.
It was only the first day that they met, and despite being unable to wrap her head around why she felt that way, Shu Li trusted her judgment. After all, mingling in such a circle required a sufficient amount of slyness, otherwise, nothing would have been left of her.
“It’s my interest,” she responded curtly.
The reply was not technically a frigid one, but Shu Li just found it hard to continue the conversation.
“Madam, this is the makeup room.” Shu Li introduced her makeup artist to the old lady. “Brother Jin, Madam will be playing the role of my mother. Please take care of her makeup needs.”
Other members of the cast had their makeup done by the director’s makeup artist. Shu Li was the only one who brought along her makeup artist and she had every intention of utilizing that to get on the old lady’s good books.
Naturally, Grandmother Qi did not refuse. She dragged Brother Jin’s hand and sat down on the mirror, saying, “Make me look pretty, young man. What’s important is that you cover up all my wrinkles.”
“Don’t you worry, Madam. Brother Jin is the makeup artist of choice for all those red-carpet stars. It wasn’t easy to convince him to tag along with me.”
“Oh, really? No wonder you look so beautiful onscreen, so much more beautiful than in real life,” the old lady said while smiling. When she saw that Shu Li was smiling awkwardly, she felt a bit embarrassed and covered her mouth quickly. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you don’t look good in person, I’m just saying you’re a natural onscreen.”
“Oh dear!” The old lady then waved her hands feeling slightly ashamed. “I’m making things worse! What I meant was, you look good in person, but even prettier on screen.”
“Hehe!” Unable to find a proper response, Shu Li could only laugh dryly.
“Speaking of which, my eldest grandson’s fiancée is really pretty. I think she’s even prettier than most celebrities, but she’s just too quiet. My eldest grandson is really protective of her and he doesn’t like it if she involves herself in people from this industry. Guys tend to take advantage of women when filming.”
Shu Li went blank for a moment. ‘Isn’t Qi Chengzhi the Qi family’s eldest grandson?”
‘Eldest grandson’s fiancée…”
‘I don’t remember hearing anything about marriage?’
On one occasion, during dinner, she heard rumors that Qi Chengzhi had a stable girlfriend. Not a lot of people had seen her before though, so Shu Li did not think to give it much thought.
During the dinner, one of the young masters from the Eight Great Families were present. Even though he was not one of the more prominent ones, many of the big bosses were respectful of him because of his status.
News of Qi Chengzhi’s relationship came from precisely that person, but he too, did not know any more than that.
He only heard whisperings that Qi Chengzhi’s girlfriend was an ordinary person, someone from the working class who did not seem to have any status at all.
Shu Li thought to herself that Qi Chengzhi must have gotten together with an ordinary girl just to try out something new and see what it was like to be with a normal girl.
Perhaps the girlfriend was also a scheming one that knew how to pretend; the only reason he let that girl be with him was that she may have let Qi Chengzhi see that she was different from the masses, someone who was absolutely not a gold-digger.
Surprisingly, even the old lady knew of that girl’s presence, and it seemed as though the old lady liked his girlfriend quite a bit. Were they already preparing for marriage considering she referred to the girl as her ‘eldest grandson’s fiancée’?
Nevertheless, Shu Li did not seem to care. As far as someone like Qi Chengzhi was concerned, Shu Li did not have too much hope that he would marry her, considering the status she had. Still, she would be undoubtedly elated if he did, and with that goal in mind, she had nothing to lose even if she used various underhand tactics and eventually failed in her quest.
Shu Li regarded his current working-class girlfriend as someone insignificant.
Appearance-wise, Shu Li was confident that she was better than the girlfriend, despite never meeting the latter.
In terms of reputation, she definitely far surpassed any average woman.
A man of Qi Chengzhi’s eminence would find it much more convenient to bring someone like her to business discussions.
There was nothing that the commoner could do for him, and she believed that Qi Chengzhi would soon get tired of that ordinary girl.
Even if they got married, what of it?
Would his circle suddenly have fewer celebrity women?
Shu Li could roughly interpret the old lady’s thoughts. It was likely that the old lady knew what Shu Li was up to, so she protected that girl and hinted at Shu Li to back off!
Shu Li did not believe that she was no match for an ordinary girl. The commoner might be prettier, but Shu Li definitely had more character than his current girlfriend.
All those thoughts were kept concealed in her heart, leaving nothing discernible on the surface of her expressions.
“Is Young Master Cheng married?” Shu Li continued smiling tenderly and exhibiting a very calm appearance. “Forgive me for not knowing, as I haven’t heard anything about it from anyone. I never read any reports either. Maybe it’s because everything was done quietly? In any case, I must congratulate you.”
The old lady let out a huff in her heart. Shu Li’s display of fakery was truly a testament to her good acting!
“We’re not married yet, only engaged.” Qi Chengzhi continued, “When I marry her, it will be the grandest wedding ever, not a low-profile one.”
Shu Li lowered her gaze, smiling.
“Speaking of my granddaughter-in-law, Chengzhi, where is my granddaughter-in-law?” The old lady knew the answer to that question but asked anyway.
Qi Chengzhi looked at his grandmother with a curious expression. She had asked about Song Yu’s presence back at home, and he did not believe that her memory was that bad.
It was clear that she was helping Song Yu shoo off a pesky vixen!
A hint of glee twinkled in his cold eyes knowing that his grandmother was protecting Song Yu.
He played along with her and said, “She’s working overtime today. She’ll come later tonight.”
“What do you mean working overtime? Just ask Chang Lai to pick her up for lunch. Let her boss give her less work to do.” The old lady made her stand known. Using her status to gain privileges was not something she did often, and she did not seem particularly confident when she uttered those words.
“I’ll call her later. She doesn’t like it when I bother her at work,” Qi Chengzhi explained just as a tiny smile was beginning to form on his face.
From Shu Li’s observations, she figured that her guess was correct—perhaps the girl’s aloofness was what made Qi Chengzhi so intrigued.
“Oh yes, do you have my granddaughter-in-law’s picture in your phone?” the old lady asked. She was unsure whether he really did have it, but it was more likely than not that young couples would have pictures of their significant others in their phone.
In fact, Qi Chengzhi not only had a few, he even created a special folder specifically for Song Yu’s pictures.
He found some pictures and handed his phone to his grandmother. She then showed it to Brother Jin. “Look! My granddaughter-in-law is pretty, isn’t she? She pretty enough that she doesn’t need makeup to look good.”
Shu Li felt as though the old lady was ridiculing her with every single sentence.
Brother Jin nodded. “She really is beautiful, and even in the business, there aren’t many like her. What’s most important is that her character stands out. You can’t pretend to have the kind of character that she has.”
Grandmother Qi was bubbling with happiness after hearing Brother Jin’s flattery.
“You should head back first instead of just standing around. I’ll be with Youxuan here, and when he’s had his fun, you can come pick him up,” the old lady suggested. She wanted Qi Chengzhi to leave as soon as practicable to prevent Shu Li’s constant flirting.
“Well, in that case, Young Master Cheng, is it okay if you leave your number? If Youxuan wants to go home, I can give you a call,” Shu Li used the moment to her advantage. She had been wanting to ask it since earlier but was afraid that it was too sudden and too obvious.
The opportunity was practically gift-wrapped to her, and it would be a shame for her not to seize the moment.
“I have a phone. I’ll just call my uncle when I wanna go home.” Qi Youxuan had been ignored since the beginning, but at that moment he fished out a Totoro-shaped toy phone. He held it in his chubby hands and showed it to Shu Li.
The fat boy just had to ruin her opportunity. Shu Li’s heart was thinking of only one thing: to tell that fat little kid to scram.
It just so happened that the fatty was Qi Chengzhi’s nephew, someone whom she should not offend at all costs. She suppressed her anger to the best of her ability and did not show the slightest expression of being displeased.
“Hey lady, don’t assume that this is a toy phone!” Qi Youxuan exclaimed.
“…” Shu Li felt defeated. She wanted to comment that the phone was a toy one.
After that, Qi Youxuan looked left and right and suddenly ran over to the makeup counter. His chubby hands held onto the chair and he tried dragging it with him, but he was too weak to lift the chair up. The friction between the chair legs and the floor made an ear-piercing screech.
Qi Chengzhi was hardly able to stand it. He asked, “What are you trying to do?”
Then he took the chair from the little boy.
Qi Youxuan’s fat little finger pointed to a spot near Shu Li. “Uncle, help me carry the chair there.”
Qi Chengzhi frowned and wondered what the chubby little boy was up to, but still, he carried the chair as requested.
The boy then placed his palms on the chair and climbed up.
Shu Li was not very tall, and when Qi Youxuan stood on top of the chair, he was roughly the same height as her.
