The production crew really spared no expense this time. Every scene in the drama was authentic; if a location did not exist, they built one from scratch. It seemed the entire budget went into the sets. The male lead starring opposite Cheng Luo was a newcomer who had not even graduated from school yet. Upon meeting Cheng Luo, he was incredibly respectful and polite, which left her with a very favorable impression of him.
In the Wind Forest continued the world-building of the previous installment. Cheng Luo played the female lead, Feng Ling, a disciple of Qingmen Pass. Born with extraordinary natural talent, she and her brother, Feng Tang, were selected to join Qingmen Pass to practice cultivation. After mastering her skills, she descended the mountain to save lives and heal the wounded.
The male lead, Lan Mo, played by Lin Qingze, was the son of the Sect Leader of Qingmen Pass. He had been a profligate and stubborn youth since childhood. Fortunately, his martial arts skills were decent, so the Sect Leader turned a blind eye to his behavior. This time, the Sect Leader ordered him to descend the mountain with Feng Ling, hoping he would learn from her. Eventually, the two would face many hardships together, and Lan Mo’s attitude toward Feng Ling would shift from disdain to deep admiration.
The first scene to be filmed took place at Qingmen Pass. Lan Mo, hearing he had to go down the mountain to study with the “goody-two-shoes” Feng Ling, was extremely reluctant. In front of the Sect Leader, he mocked Feng Ling relentlessly before storming off in a rage.
“Alright, is everyone ready?” the director asked from behind the monitor.
Everyone nodded. With a shout of “Action!”, the camera focused on the house nearby.
“What! You want me to go down the mountain for experience with this nerd? I won’t do it! Just let Er Niu go with me!” Lin Qingze portrayed Lan Mo’s petulance with near perfection.
“Presumptuous! It is not your place to make the decisions here! Do as I say.” The actor playing the Sect Leader was a veteran in the industry; his voice was resonant and powerful, commanding instant respect.
It was Cheng Luo’s turn. Her costume for the day was very sleek, and with her hair tied in a high ponytail, she looked exactly like a reliable senior sister of a sect. She spoke with poise and dignity.
“If he is so unwilling, it is fine for me to descend the mountain alone. Please rest easy, Master!”
The Sect Leader cleverly shifted his tone when addressing his favorite disciple. “Feng Ling, I trust you completely. Consider this a favor to your Master, help me teach this unfilial son a lesson and let him learn well from you along the way.”
The veteran actor’s performance was flawless. The director watched the monitor with great satisfaction, hoping the first shot of the production would be a “one-take” success to start things off right.
“Master, you flatter me.”
“Then I shall leave it to you.”
Seeing the two of them arranging his life as if he were not even there, Lan Mo’s anger flared. He roared, “Who gave you permission to control me! I go if I want to go, and I stay if I do not! No one decides for me!” With that, he strode out haughtily, slamming his shoulder hard into Feng Ling as he passed.
According to the script, Feng Ling was a martial arts expert and should have remained steady and unmoved when bumped. However, when the actor actually collided with her, Cheng Luo had not expected him to use so much force. Her shoulder let out an audible, strained sound, and she stumbled.
“Cut!” The director’s voice rang out, tinged with displeasure. “Cheng Luo, what happened? This should not be happening.” He had not expected the first smooth take to fail because of her.
Cheng Luo endured the sharp pain in her shoulder, merely rubbing it with her hand as she said apologetically, “I am sorry, I was not prepared just now.”
Before she could finish, she was interrupted by another voice. “I am sorry, Director! It is my fault! I was too immersed in the scene and used too much force. It is only natural that Teacher Cheng Luo could not stand her ground.” He bowed several times, radiating the earnestness and naivety of a college student.
“Ah, alright then. Cheng Luo, is your shoulder okay?” The director did not want to make things difficult for the newcomer and was ready to move on.
Cheng Luo shook her head, but Lin Qingze raised his hand as if he wanted to say more. Cheng Luo quickly stopped him. “Director, let us do another take quickly.”
The second take went much better; the impact was not as forceful. However, because Lin Qingze lacked acting experience, his performance the second time was not nearly as good as the first. Fearing that more takes would only worsen the quality, the director held his breath and let it pass.
During the lunch break, while Cheng Luo was eating under the sunshade, a hesitating figure approached. It was Lin Qingze, holding something in his hands.
Cheng Luo looked up, puzzled. “What is it?”
“Teacher Cheng Luo, I am so sorry about earlier! I actually heard your bone crack. I am truly sorry.” As he spoke, he gave a ninety-degree bow. He held out both hands, offering two ice packs.
Cheng Luo did not know whether to laugh or cry and urged him to stand up. “Get up, quickly. If someone takes a photo of this, they will think I am bullying you.”
“I will only get up if you forgive me!”
“I am just getting old; my bones are brittle. It has nothing to do with you.” Seeing this young man, who was over 180 centimeters tall, refusing to look up, she felt defeated by his persistence. She hurriedly said, “I forgive you, I forgive you! Now stand up!”
Lin Qingze finally straightened his back. Because he had been leaning over for so long, his face was flushed red, looking like a monkey’s bottom. “Please take the ice packs.”
Cheng Luo did not dare refuse. Lin Qingze left, satisfied.
However, in a corner where no one was paying attention, a hidden camera had recorded the entire exchange.
After the afternoon shoot, before Cheng Luo even had time to change out of her costume, she was hurriedly called away by the director. Director Liu Jin sat in his chair, fuming. A phone lay on the table. Seeing Cheng Luo enter, he said in a low, heavy voice, “Look at this! What is going on? Who allowed news from the set to be leaked? Cheng Luo, you know my rules.”
Confused, Cheng Luo looked at the phone. She saw several hashtags featuring her name sitting prominently at the top of the trending searches.
#ChengLuo and C-Ent’s New Innocent College Student CP, I am shipping it!#
#Who understands Lin Qingze’s blushing face? He really fell for the ‘Big Sister’#
#Lin Qingze, you cannot even hide your crush anymore!#
#I approve of this marriage for Cheng Luo; the Nation’s Little Sister can finally date!#
“…”
She clicked on a tag at random and saw a nine-photo grid of her and Lin Qingze. The photos were incredibly clear. There was also a fairly long video clip, though it had no sound.
Cheng Luo had no idea how these trending searches appeared. The incident had only happened at noon, yet they were out before evening. Moreover, she knew Director Liu Jin loathed it when actors tried to manufacture “CP” (Couple) hype or stir up publicity during filming, turning the set into a chaotic mess. Because of this, he had been known to replace actors mid-production, which made many performers quite afraid of him.
“Cheng Luo, explain this to me. What are these photos about?” Liu Jin hoped for a clear explanation, because in this crew, he could fire anyone except her.
“Director, the photos are real, but the claims are all false.” Cheng Luo recounted the entire event from start to finish.
Liu Jin nodded. “Did you leak these photos?”
“Of course not!” Cheng Luo said decisively. “I only want to focus on acting. Besides, my company does not allow me to engage in CP marketing. You know that.”
Cheng Luo’s current company was very small. She was essentially the only recognizable actor they had. However, the company treated her very well, with only one strict condition: no CP hype and no dating. Cheng Luo had signed that agreement in black and white. During the promotion of the first season of In Clouds and Rain, she was the only actor without a male partner for exactly this reason.
Hearing this, Liu Jin remembered. “Then who do you think leaked it? By the way, where is that kid Lin Qingze? I have been waiting for him for so long!”
Cheng Luo had guessed she was not the only one summoned, but Lin Qingze was nowhere to be found.
Director Liu Jin waved his hand, telling her she did not need to wait and could head back. He reminded her to focus on her acting, not to worry about nonsense, and promised he would not treat her unfairly. Cheng Luo agreed.
Not long after she walked out, her assistant, Xiao Xi, came running toward her breathlessly, holding up a phone. “Hah! Sis! Nono has called eight or ten times. Please call back quickly!”
Seeing the assistant so out of breath, Cheng Luo told her to rest. Just then, the phone rang again.
When she answered, the other side did not react immediately. Cheng Luo spoke first, and only then did Nono say in disbelief, “Mommy, are you done being busy?”
“Yes, what is the emergency?”
“Oh.” Nono became bashful. Cheng Luo guessed then that it was not an emergency; after all, what could happen that Zhai Qing could not handle?
Cheng Luo lowered her voice and repeated, “Nono, what is it? The assistant sister ran a long way to bring me the phone just for you.”
Hearing this, Xiao Xi quickly waved her hand and mouthed: “Sis, I am fine!”
“Sorry for troubling the assistant sister. I actually wanted to ask, does Mommy have a new boyfriend?”
Nono’s voice got smaller and smaller toward the end. Cheng Luo listened intently for a while before grasping the meaning. Her expression turned quite colorful. “Zhai Ningnuo! Who told you that!”
Suddenly being called by her full name, Nono got scared and murmured, “I saw it on the iPad. I did not do it on purpose. Mommy, do not be angry.”
Hearing her daughter’s trembling voice, Cheng Luo realized she had frightened her. She softened her tone immediately. “I am sorry, did I scare you? Mommy is not angry, just a bit shocked.”
“Is what they say online true?”
“Of course not. I will always be Nono’s Mommy, and I will not have a new boyfriend. I will come to see you as soon as I have time.” Cheng Luo used a lot of sweet talk to make her daughter laugh again, promising to take her to the amusement park next time.
Once the call ended, Xiao Xi asked, “Sis, who do you think is behind the trending search? Should we arrange some posts to suppress it?”
Cheng Luo stopped her immediately and repeated what Director Liu Jin had said. The young assistant finally felt at ease.
Lying on the hotel bed, the more Cheng Luo thought about it, the more suspicious it felt. Nono was only four years old; how could she open Weibo by herself and recognize so many characters? Someone must have been gossiping to her. The more Cheng Luo thought about it, the more convinced she became. Losing all desire to sleep, she grabbed her phone and typed furiously.
Zhai Qing, who had just gone on a business trip today, had been too busy to check his phone all day. To his surprise, he received a message right before bed.
[Cheng Luo]: What is wrong with you? Why are you talking nonsense to our daughter? How could she understand those things? Do not lead her astray. My business has nothing to do with you anymore!
Zhai Qing: ???