CSGM - Chapter 108
Chapter 108: Getting Along Peacefully
Her palm was warm, and Ren Zhi could feel it through the layer of her costume.
Ren Zhi slowly looked up and met Chu Xi's smiling gaze. The warm air in the dressing room seemed to swirl between them.
Jin Yuan watched them from the side, forcefully suppressing the urge to bite her hand in excitement!
Ah, seeing is believing! The CP she shipped was real!
Quickly opening the "ChuChu dong Ren" Super Topic page, Jin Yuan furiously typed out a post:
【Our Xixi and Teacher Zhizhi are super sweet again today! Nothing is more satisfying than ChuChu dong Ren! /[Flower] Xixi only has eyes for her wifey, she's totally love-struck!】
Even though she had been blatantly favored by Chu Xi many times, Ren Zhi still felt a little unused to it.
Chu Xi probably saw her as her best friend, a close confidante. But what about her?
Sometimes, when Chu Xi hit her with such a direct approach, Ren Zhi couldn't help but feel her heart fall into disarray.
Being gay was the original sin.
This sin made her worry that she would lose control and let some improper feelings surface.
Ren Zhi forcibly suppressed these extra thoughts, refusing to dwell on the enjoyment and emotion she felt. She chatted normally with Chu Xi.
"I never realized you had this kind of emotional intelligence."
"Emotional intelligence? What emotional intelligence? This is something you can figure out just by using your brain."
Ren Zhi let out a soft laugh.
She could feel that Chu Xi was making a special effort to consider things for her, which put her in a good mood.
Compared to the Chu Xi she first met, who seemed to disregard others' feelings, this version of Chu Xi was much more likable.
So Ren Zhi said, "I'm very satisfied."
Chu Xi grinned smugly. "Hehe." She felt a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.
As Ren Zhi helped her wrap a clean, new gauze bandage, she seemed to be pondering something.
"I think others will slowly come to be satisfied with you too."
Chu Xi wasn't bad; it was just that some of the senior actors liked to view people with prejudice.
When it came to others, Chu Xi was unconcerned, smiling dismissively.
"Does that matter?"
What did other people have to do with her? Since arriving at the set today, she hadn't seen a single actor with an IQ over 120, aside from Ren Zhi.
A bunch of idiots.
Speaking of which, Chu Xi didn't think she needed the approval of idiots.
Chu Xi said, "Let me tell you something."
Ren Zhi: "Hm?"
Chu Xi: "In this world, the vast majority of people are foolish idiots. The so-called 'minority obeys the majority' just means letting things proceed according to the idiots' ideas."
Jin Yuan, standing to the side: Eh-?
What Xixi said made sense! She quietly nodded her head.
As expected of the super-intelligent Xixi. So this is how smart people think!
Then, Jin Yuan saw her super-intelligent Xixi get a flick on the forehead.
The "thwack" was crisp, and Chu Xi cried out in pain, "Ow… What was that for?"
Ren Zhi retracted her hand. "Don't look down on others."
Chu Xi winced.
Ren Zhi said, "Whether other people are satisfied with you has nothing to do with IQ. This is a workplace for acting."
Chu Xi: "My acting is fine, too."
Ren Zhi chuckled and began to explain some of the ways of the world to her.
She could even be frank and share some minor gossip, but she had to make a disclaimer first-
"Don't repeat this outside." Ren Zhi also glanced at Jin Yuan. "You too, Jin Yuan."
Jin Yuan nodded vigorously, very obediently.
Ren Zhi: "When the role of Junior Sister Meng Wenzhao became available, some colleagues on the crew wanted to recommend their friends for it. They even spent a lot of effort trying to arrange things with the director's team. But then you got the role, and your… status isn't as high as their friends'. Of course they'd be unconvinced and unhappy."
In other words, everyone felt that whether by connections or popularity, it shouldn't have been Chu Xi's turn.
Chu Xi: "Tsk."
Just another form of impotent rage. She couldn't even be bothered to comment on it.
Whatever.
Ren Zhi said, "But your acting is quite good. Keep it up, you can do it. From what I can see, at least the director is pretty amicable toward you now."
Chu Xi: "This crew is so troublesome. If it weren't for working with you, it wouldn't be interesting at all."
Ren Zhi said, "It's not as bad as you think. The actors in this cast are all pretty decent. It would be better if you could get along with everyone peacefully."
"Oh." Chu Xi nodded, indicating she understood. Didn't Producer Ren just want the crew to be harmonious and loving?
Just like on Our Restaurant, she didn't like to stir up trouble. She just wanted to work together as a team and focus on the job.
"OK, I'll win them over in a week." Chu Xi made an "okay" gesture.
Ren Zhi was stunned and looked at her.
She just said to get along peacefully. How did that turn into winning them over?
Chu Xi chuckled. "What are you looking at? Worried I can't do it? Impossible. Just you wait."
Although she was a newcomer who had joined midway, it would be easy to make the others see her for who she really was.
At least, her self-assessment was: she had the looks, the figure, the acting skills, and the brains.
Because parts of the script had seasonal requirements, the Jade-Carving Ballad crew arranged to film the outdoor scenes first, afraid that the fleeting, icy early spring would pass them by.
Over the next two days, they reshot three scenes. During a break, Chu Xi went to the hospital to have the cast on her finger changed, telling Jin Yuan she didn't need to accompany her for such things.
Anyway, she had a ride to hitch. She took Ren Zhi's nanny van to and from the set every day.
When Jin Yuan learned of this, she was moved to tears.
Her CP was progressing by leaps and bounds, much faster than she had imagined. Xixi was going home with Teacher Ren Zhi every day. They had already reached the cohabitation stage!
Who could understand? Anyone who didn't believe in ChuChu dong Ren was in for it, wuwuwu!
On the third day, the scene to be reshot was the first reunion between the righteous leader Meng Wenzhao and her junior sister, Guihai Yue, who had become the master of the Garden of a Myriad Flowers, after many years.
The location was a small bamboo hut built as an outdoor set, which served as the protagonist Meng Wenzhao's usual residence, Qin Heart Residence.
Playing the present-day Meng Wenzhao, Chu Xi now had a green zither on her back.
However, looking at her own makeup and costume—she once again looked like she had been seriously injured after a bloody battle. There was even a blood pack on the table waiting for her to put in her mouth.
Chu Xi complained, "Why am I either getting injured or on my way to getting injured?"
Ren Zhi explained it using the plot: "Because there are many villains in this martial world, but very few powerful good people like you. You're a public enemy."
To translate—
With great power comes great responsibility, and the probability of injury goes up, up, up.
Fine.
But in the script, the Little Junior Sister Guihai Yue, whose title was "The Butterfly that Casually Alights in the Thicket," was also quite capable.
Reading the script's description, Chu Xi even felt it was a bit unfair.
How come she was beaten to the point of vomiting blood and being half-dead, while her little junior sister could descend gracefully amidst a sky full of falling flower petals, holding a floral umbrella, and drive off the besieging enemies to rescue her gravely injured self?
With that level of coolness, who was the real protagonist?!
Ren Zhi smiled. "This is an ensemble drama."
Meaning the spotlight couldn't be hogged by the protagonist alone.
If all the famous scenes were forcibly arranged for the protagonist, then that kind of script would be deliberately promoting the lead actor, not the story itself.
The main characters appearing in this scene were: Senior Brother Zuoqiu Ling, Second Senior Sister Xie Mi, Third Junior Sister Meng Wenzhao, and Little Junior Sister Guihai Yue.
To put it simply, it was a scene of internal strife among fellow disciples, a mix of love and hate.
To achieve their goals, Senior Brother Zuoqiu Ling and Senior Sister Xie Mi joined forces to besiege and kill their junior sister Meng Wenzhao, who opposed and obstructed them. However, Meng Wenzhao had sent a message to her other junior sister, Guihai Yue, in advance, to wait for her rescue at the moment of certain death.
Because of this scene, Chu Xi met two new actors from the crew today.
She had just been complaining that there wasn't a single actor on set with an IQ over 120, and now she had met one.
Name: Zhuang Yuge.
IQ: 130.
That was quite high.
For an ordinary celebrity, this was a rare number, so much so that she took a few extra glances at Zhuang Yuge.
—She had a rather ethereal temperament, a palm-sized face, soft features, and otherworldly eyes. Among the pure and innocent type of female stars, she should be considered part of a group with outstanding natural advantages.
Zhuang Yuge played the Little Junior Sister Guihai Yue. That character was detached from worldly desires, indifferent, and world-weary, which perfectly matched her temperament and eyes.
Moreover, she was young, and her face was full of collagen.
Chu Xi searched her name on Baidu.
She was only twenty-two this year but had already played supporting female roles in several hit dramas. She was last year's newcomer queen among actresses. Indeed, one should become famous early.
Oh… Chu Xi saw something interesting.
A graduate of a 985 university, XX Aviation University?
So she was something of a top student. No wonder her IQ wasn't low.
This person probably had a good temper too, Chu Xi speculated. Otherwise, how could she accept being affectionately called "Octopus Bro" by her fans?
Her fans said her personality was as plain as a chrysanthemum?
That was her public persona, then. Whether it was true or not, she would only know after interacting with her.
The other person waiting in the dressing room was the actor playing Senior Brother Zuoqiu Ling, named Zhou Yu.
Name: Zhou Yu.
IQ: 105.
A bit low, but for a normal celebrity, it was passable.
Zhou Yu's features looked much more mature. The advantage of his facial features was his small mouth, but the disadvantage was his small eyes. To describe it disrespectfully, his eyes had a hint of a rat-like quality.
But Zhou Yu's face shape and height were fine for costume dramas. He looked to be about 1.9 meters tall, which fit the script's description of the senior brother as tall and robust.
It was just that… his posture was a bit hunched. When Chu Xi looked at him, he was playing on his phone, and his forward head posture was a bit more obvious compared to other actors with upright postures.
Chu Xi also looked up Zhou Yu's information on Baidu.
His Baidu Baike entry was quite inspirational. It turned out Zhou Yu started as a singer—strictly speaking, not even a singer, but someone who used to live stream himself singing on the street.
He became popular through singing and found some opportunities to enter the entertainment industry. Despite not having formal training, he worked his way up to the second male lead in a popular drama and still maintained his old profession of live streaming.
His Baidu Baike entry also mentioned the honor of having the top live stream data in his time slot.
It seemed he was a late bloomer and also quite popular.
Zhou Yu's fans promoted him as a straightforward, frank, and guileless boy from the Northeast.
Chu Xi was noncommittal about this but found it a bit amusing.
She wouldn't comment on whether it was right or wrong, but… if Zhou Yu, with an IQ of only 105, truly had no worldly cunning, then how did he manage to rise from a street live-streaming singer to a popular actor?
Chu Xi held no ill will toward either of them. In fact, after reading their Baidu entries, she could understand their thoughts.
Zhuang Yuge was a new-generation actress of substance, seemingly just one step away from skyrocketing to fame. Meanwhile, Zhou Yu, with his huge fan base, was hailed by his fans as "The 'Yu' in the 'C-ent universe' is Zhou Yu's 'Yu'."
Both were popular actors, so it was perfectly reasonable for them to feel uncomfortable about being billed below her in this drama.
Chu Xi could understand.
When the reshoots began, the other actors' solo shots didn't need to be redone. Only the scenes involving interaction with the protagonist Meng Wenzhao—that is, the new actress Chu Xi—needed to be remade.
Bit by bit, Chu Xi erased the traces of the blacklisted A-list actress from this drama, gradually integrating herself into the story.
Filming this scene wasn't easy. Meng Wenzhao was struck by her senior brother's palm and then stabbed by her senior sister's sword. Although she still cherished their bond as fellow disciples, her evil senior brother and sister showed no mercy in their attacks.
—Chu Xi had spat out the entire blood pack.
After bleeding for over an hour, the director finally shouted the words she had been long awaiting: "Cut!"
As Chu Xi got up from the ground, she sighed, feeling a bit sorry for the character she was playing.
Apparently, this character got injured the most in the entire drama. The day before yesterday, she was poisoned by the alliance leader; today, she was stabbed by her senior sister; tomorrow, she would be buried in the mountains by her senior brother…
This was too much.
Using the small bamboo hut set, Chu Xi still had many solo shots to reshoot.
The director let her rest for fifteen minutes first. As for the other actors, they were to wait on standby for instructions.
Fifteen minutes?
Chu Xi glanced at the time and, still in her costume, ran out with brisk steps.
She ran to the entrance of the scenic area outside and bought four fragrant, hot bamboo-tube rice portions. Looking from the top of the tubes, she could see the peas and bits of cured meat inside.
A few scattered tourists turned their heads to look at her curiously.
Those in the know understood she was filming; those who didn't might have thought she had time-traveled.
She paid no mind to these gazes. After buying the food, she returned to the set, gave one portion to Ren Zhi and one to Jin Yuan, and quickly devoured the remaining two herself.
Jin Yuan's eyes widened.
OvO: Xixi looks so cute when she pounces on her food like a hungry tiger!!
And Xixi even bought her a bamboo-tube rice! It smells so good!!
She was going to take this tube home as a family heirloom!
Wuwuwu…
In her emotional state, Jin Yuan suddenly remembered something—
"Xixi, if you wanted to eat this, you could have just asked me to buy it. You didn't have to go yourself."
She was the assistant, after all!
Chu Xi glanced at her with a smile in her eyes. "You and your short legs… I'm just teasing you. I only suddenly craved it after I finished filming, so I went myself."
In reality, Jin Yuan was 165cm, which wasn't short for a girl.
(You should know, the author of the Jade-Carving Ballad script is said to be only 155cm tall!)
But her goddess Xixi was 176cm. Comparing the two, it didn't seem wrong for Xixi to call her "short legs," did it?
In this first-class dressing room, besides Chu Xi, the waiting Zhou Yu and Zhuang Yuge were also sitting inside.
The aroma of the bamboo-tube rice wafted through the air, fragrant and appetizing, making Zhou Yu turn his head and swallow.
He asked in his straightforward Northeastern accent:
"Chu Xi, where'd you buy this?"
"Go out from the small fork in the road. The Wufu Snack Shop at the west gate of the scenic area is the closest. They also have cured pork ribs and grilled sausages," Chu Xi told him.
Zhou Yu immediately asked his assistant to go buy some. He also asked Zhuang Yuge.
"Yuge, do you want some? I can get some for you too."
Zhuang Yuge was busy with her own things, her face full of concentration, and she had the self-awareness of a celebrity.
She refused, "Oh, thank you, Brother Yu, but no thanks."
Greasy foods like grilled sausages and ribs were generally forbidden for female celebrities by their managers.
Zhuang Yuge sat at the dressing table, where a pile of mechanical parts was scattered. In her hand, she held a drone frame, unassembled, with its circuit board and wires exposed to the air.
Her attention seemed to be entirely on this small drone.
It was said that when Zhuang Yuge was bored while filming with the crew, she would pass the time by playing with the drone she brought.
Oh, sometimes she would even modify and build the drone herself, but the others in the crew couldn't join her in that.
They didn't understand it at all. She was a top student who graduated from a 985 science and technology university, so of course she was proficient in these things.
The others on the crew felt that since they hadn't studied the professional skills, how could they possibly tinker with drones?
Chu Xi observed her focused gaze and her frequent state of deep thought, discovering that Zhuang Yuge had a very steady personality, a typical trait of a top student.
Able to immerse herself in one thing and find her own enjoyment.
During her fifteen-minute break, Zhuang Yuge sat motionless at the dressing table for the entire fifteen minutes, assembling the drone, completely absorbed in her task.
Meanwhile, Zhou Yu scrolled through Douyin, looked at online gossip, and chuckled happily a few times.
Just as Chu Xi was called out to start work, Zhuang Yuge happened to finish assembling the drone. Using the dressing table as an airfield, she controlled its ascent and descent, performing a simple test flight.
A faint "buzz buzz buzz…" sound filled the air.
Chu Xi paused in her steps, about to say something, when the director's assistant came to hurry her along again.
Just then, Zhou Yu got up from his chair and looked toward Zhuang Yuge, exclaiming excitedly, "Wow, Yuge, you've got a talent for this stuff! Is this another new one you built?"
Zhou Yu's boisterous voice suddenly filled the dressing room. Chu Xi figured it wasn't a good time to interrupt, so she followed the assistant out.
Zhuang Yuge test-flew the drone in the dressing room for a while, with Zhou Yu acting as her hype man. He even borrowed the remote control to play with it for a bit.
It seemed there were no problems with her newly assembled drone.
In the equipment room on set.
Chu Xi's solo shots took two hours to reshoot, after which the director gave her another fifteen-minute break.
This time, when she came down from the wire rig, Jin Yuan was waiting for her with a very unpleasant expression.
Puffing her cheeks, the young girl's thoughts were written all over her face.
With this "I've encountered something unhappy" look, Jin Yuan came over to meet her, handing her water and a towel to wipe her sweat.
Chu Xi smiled. Only two hours had passed, why did she look like this? She figured there wasn't much to do on set anyway.
"What are you unhappy about?" Chu Xi asked curiously.
Jin Yuan mumbled a few words before quietly piecing together a sentence, asking, "Can we go rest in Teacher Ren Zhi's dressing room?"
"Sure, let's go."
Chu Xi led her to the place she mentioned.
Ren Zhi's dressing room was exclusively for her, but sometimes when Chu Xi knocked, one of the Four Little Flowers assistants would let her in.
As for others, they were not to be disturbed unless necessary.
Xiao He opened the door. She welcomed the two in and said, "Are you looking for Sister Zhi? She had to go back to the hotel for something. She'll be back later."
"We're not looking for her, Sister He. We'd just like to sit here for a bit," Jin Yuan said sincerely.
Her words made Xiao He pause for a moment.
"Huh? Sis-Sister He? Haha, you can just call me Xiao He. Everyone's used to calling me that."
There was no need for all the "sister" this and "sister" that; they were all around the same age.
Chu Xi made herself at home, found a chair, and sat down, calling to Jin Yuan, "Have a seat, don't be a stranger."
Jin Yuan sat down with a conflicted expression, a trace of gloom in her eyes.
Chu Xi: "What's wrong with you?"
Jin Yuan furrowed her brow. "Xixi, do you think Zhou Yu has a problem with you?"
"Oh? What makes you say that?"
From her tone and the content of her words, Chu Xi guessed that something must have just happened.
"Huu…" Jin Yuan let out a breath, saying unhappily, "While you were filming just now, Zhou Yu started a live stream."
Live streaming was how Zhou Yu got his start, Chu Xi knew that.
She raised an eyebrow, guessing, "Oh, a live stream. Did he badmouth me?"
Perhaps Zhou Yu said something about her during the live stream, and judging by Jin Yuan's reaction, that was likely the case.
And in Jin Yuan's subjective view, she was very protective of her, which was why she was upset.
After thinking through the plot summary herself, Chu Xi chuckled. It seemed fans were all like this. If there was even the slightest disturbance concerning their idol, they would treat it like a hurricane.
How silly.
"He didn't badmouth you, he was so 'green tea'…"
After saying the word "tea," Jin Yuan seemed to realize she had misspoken and that it was too harsh. She bit her lip and quickly corrected herself.
"He was throwing shade at you during the live stream just now. It sounded intentional."
"Shade about what? Tell me the details."
Chu Xi found that this little Jin Yuan really needed some training. She couldn't get to the point in three sentences.
"Wait a minute." She paused midway to handle another matter.
"I'm adding you to a WeChat group. When you have free time, you can join everyone for some intelligence training."
A new member, Jin Yuan, was added to the group with the Four Little Flowers and Chu Xi.
Jin Yuan was overwhelmed by the favor. After conscientiously changing her group nickname, she turned back and showed Chu Xi the screen recording of Zhou Yu's live stream—
"Brothers and sisters, got some free time on set, gonna stream for a bit…"
That was Zhou Yu's opening line. Jin Yuan didn't waste any time and fast-forwarded the progress bar.
"I've never even heard of this actress before."
"I originally thought the best part of this drama was our two great female leads."
"I don't even know who she knows."
"I won't say much more."
"Family, the film crew is really complicated, seriously, sigh…"
Zhou Yu switched between a joking tone and heavy sighs.
But the content was more or less the same, overtly and covertly insinuating that Chu Xi was someone who got in through connections!
And he did it on a live stream, letting a bunch of his fans join him in complaining.
When Jin Yuan saw the screenshots of this male green tea's live stream in her own Super Topic, she was furious.
It was his own ignorance that he hadn't heard of Xixi! Xixi clearly got into the cast based on her own abilities. Why did he have to make it sound like Xixi got in through connections and had wronged him in the process?!
Under another Milkshake's complaint post on Weibo, Jin Yuan posted a bunch of snarling emojis.
How infuriating!
But after hearing it, Chu Xi was unconcerned and even said, "That's it?"
Xiao He, however, said from the side, "That's so mean. How could he say something like that on a live stream?"
Jin Yuan: "Right?!"
The two assistants quickly formed a united front.
Chu Xi looked at their shared indignation and chuckled, comforting them both.
"So he said it. What are you two so angry about?"
Jin Yuan pressed her forehead, a little impressed. No wonder she had never seen Xixi come out to clarify any of the negative rumors about her before. It turned out she truly didn't care at all!
So. He. Said. It.
No! How could it be just "so he said it"?!
Jin Yuan: "I'm so mad!"
Xiao He patted her shoulder. "Yeah, I get you."
Chu Xi thought about it logically—
Zhou Yu subtly dissed her on his live stream, implying she got in through connections. If she really did, then Zhou Yu was just throwing a fit of impotent rage. A mere crew worker who couldn't do anything but run his mouth.
If she didn't, then after he said it, wouldn't the truth eventually come out and slap him in the face? Zhou Yu was just foolishly creating a future problem for himself.
So what was there for her to be angry about? Wasn't Zhou Yu the one at a disadvantage in this situation?
However, looking at Jin Yuan's fuming expression, her brain was probably devoid of logic right now.
She was completely ruled by her emotions.
So Chu Xi thought about it carefully and said:
"Alright, don't be angry. If you can't get over it, I'll let you use my account to start a live stream, and you can throw some shade right back at him."
An eye for an eye. It was fine to let Jin Yuan throw a few punches to vent her frustration.
Jin Yuan was almost stunned by her words.
What was Xixi saying…?
Why did she feel like she was being indulged?!
Was it her imagination?
No!!!
Ahhhhhhhhh—
Xixi was smiling at her so gently!!
Jin Yuan felt like her soul was leaving her body.
How was the life of an assistant that her parents had inquired about for her completely different from her actual experience as an assistant?!
Weren't assistants supposed to be the ones serving tea, carrying shoes, and holding bags?
Xixi was truly different from everyone else!!!
"Alright, now that you've said your piece, I'm going to the dressing room next door for a bit."
Chu Xi stood up and said.
"Okay, sure!"
Sitting in her chair, Jin Yuan tremblingly took out her phone and typed:
【Wuwuwuwu, Xixi is the most fan-doting idol in the entire world! Being a Milkshake in this lifetime is such a blessing!!! Oh my heavens, dear God, if I were a trumpet, I would recommend my best, best, best idol to the whole world! I would shout until your ears ring—everyone come and be a fan of Xixi!!!】
Xiao He laughed at her. "Hehe, Sister Xi is great. She's even better to Sister Zhi."
Xiao He had discovered that Chu Xi was very good to Sister Zhi, to them, and to this new assistant. It turned out she was only cold and curt to strangers she didn't know well.
There were three minutes left until the break was over.
Within these three minutes, Chu Xi spent one of them waiting for Zhuang Yuge to return from the restroom.
When Zhuang Yuge pushed the door open, blowing on her hands that she had just washed with cold water, Chu Xi turned her head at the sound.
Zhuang Yuge looked up and saw her too. In the split second their eyes met, their thoughts seemed to magically connect.
An intuition made Zhuang Yuge ask, "Are you looking for me?"
Chu Xi had wanted to tell her during the last break.
"Yeah, that's right. There seems to be a problem with your drone's propeller."
She pointed to the small drone on Zhuang Yuge's table. She had heard earlier that the sound of the propeller spinning wasn't quite right.
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