“Orange… Sister Huan, you’ve worked hard filming. This is… a letter we all wrote together, for you.” The girl’s eyes sparkled, her entire being seemingly in a dazed state, struggling to form coherent sentences.
“Thank you, I’ll read it. Everyone can still call me Orange like before, call me whatever you’re comfortable with.” Lin Chenghuan accepted the bouquet with a warm, approachable smile.
The crowd burst into laughter briefly before someone exclaimed, “Huanhuan is so beautiful! She looks even better in person than on screen, and so slim!”
“Yeah, goddess-level beauty, such elegance.”
“Her smile is so sweet…”
Lin Chenghuan’s smile stiffened slightly. Don’t describe me with such terrifying words, or I might break character, she thought to herself.
Glancing at Lu Zhiwei standing beside her with amused eyes, Lin Chenghuan noticed the fans following her gaze and finally recognizing her companion: “CEO Lu!”
Lu Zhiwei removed her mask and nodded with a smile. “I came with her, but I dare not steal her spotlight. You all chat happily.”
Another wave of laughter swept through the group as they presented their gifts and snacks, which were collected by Li Xiaoyi and others before casual conversation with their idol began.
After answering some questions about her comeback and current filming projects, Lin Chenghuan earnestly advised her fans to focus on their studies and work, not to visit her too frequently, and to always prioritize safety.
Though she knew fan visits would never truly stop and her advice might be futile, she felt compelled to say it. During the casual chat, the topic occasionally shifted to Lu Zhiwei, with many mentioning how hilarious the blooper reel of her laughing during filming was.
“CEO Lu is Sister Huanhuan’s boss both on and off screen! What incredible fate,” a cheerful girl remarked with a laugh.
“Off screen now, we’re not boss and employee but friends,” Lu Zhiwei replied with a smile.
“Wow!” The crowd reacted with surprise and admiration. Lin Chenghuan offered a faint smile without any false modesty, nodding in agreement. “Having known Sister Wei for so many years, you could say we’re close friends.”
The two continued chatting casually with everyone before Lin Chenghuan and Lu Zhiwei posed for group photos with the fans, bringing the meeting to a satisfactory conclusion. They then returned to the set carrying the gifts.
“Sister Huanhuan and CEO Lu are actually this close! They’re definitely not estranged or just putting on appearances,” they could faintly hear someone comment as they walked away.
“The Lin-Wei shippers must be over the moon now. I’m starting to ship them too.”
“Hehehe…” What sounded like a CP fan finally dared to let out a gleeful chuckle among the solo fans.
Hearing these discussions, Lin Chenghuan found it quite amusing and glanced at the person beside her. Meeting her gaze, Lu Zhiwei felt a ticklish sensation in her heart, she had become much closer to her than before, whereas previously she wouldn’t have openly appeared with her in public.
In the current environment, even if they were truly together, going public would be difficult for their careers, necessitating discretion. If they were to publicly acknowledge their relationship for each other’s sake, wouldn’t that mean Lin Chenghuan had lost her senses? Such a future was better left unconsidered for now.
Soon, they returned to the set and distributed drinks to the crew. This time, Lin Chenghuan’s fans had specifically bought the orange juice brand she endorsed. Thus, every available crew member ended up holding a bottle of orange juice adorned with Lin Chenghuan’s advertisement photo, creating quite an amusing scene.
At this moment, the director was still focused on shooting a particular scene, where Xu Sheng and a few maids were being drenched in the rain in front of the camera.
Xu Sheng was the type of actress who didn’t always get things right in one take, often requiring multiple retakes. However, her personality was so amiable that these adjustments were well within the director’s expectations.
Filming this kind of idol drama tailored to market tastes meant minimal pressure for everyone. The atmosphere was relaxed, and amusing behind-the-scenes moments were a constant occurrence.
In this scene, Xu Sheng had to portray a character reminiscing about the carefree days of wandering the martial world in rain and mist while wearing a straw raincoat, before impulsively rushing to the training ground to space out. After the shoot, having run back and forth several times, she immediately went to change.
Once she was done, she took a bottle of drink from her assistant, laughed for a while after seeing Lin Chenghuan’s face on the label, and went straight to find Lin Chenghuan herself.
“Huanhuan, we’re now strong artists who can calmly face the haters, huh? I laughed for ages when I first saw the slogan for this orange juice you endorsed.”
“Yeah, I’ve fully let myself go now,” Lin Chenghuan replied with a lifted brow and a smile.
“Seems like taking two years off really helped you cultivate your character,” Xu Sheng remarked casually before suddenly recalling a previous topic. “By the way, during those two years off, were you still taking body-shaping classes?”
“No, I stopped long ago. What’s the point of those?”
“Lucky you… I’m jealous.”
“Just working out on your own is enough to manage your figure,” Lin Chenghuan said lightly.
“Alright, I guess I still have to exercise. There’s truly no such thing as a free lunch,” Xu Sheng sighed regretfully, looking troubled. “I’d rather starve than run, it’s pure agony for me. So, my only options are dieting or body-shaping classes.”
“I think dieting is even worse. What’s the point of earning so much money if you can’t even eat your fill? That’s just emptier.”
“True, save me, someone please invent a camera that makes you look slimmer on screen…”
Xu Sheng was utterly despondent. Not far away, Lu Zhiwei glanced in their direction, and Lin Chenghuan thought to herself that all of this stemmed from that princess carry scene. If the script had called for her to carry the other person, she could’ve easily done it too…
Too bad the storyline was already set. It was a shame she couldn’t experience that feeling. As this thought crossed her mind, Lin Chenghuan suddenly realized she was entertaining some rather wild ideas. Amused, she also felt a faint stirring in her heart.
It had been a long time since she’d been in a relationship. Trying things out with Lu Zhiwei might be fun and it’d be a chance to tease her former boss a little… Maybe she could sort out her love life after wrapping up this drama.
During the break, everyone chatted at once, creating a chaotic yet joyful atmosphere. By evening, after the night scenes in the rain were finished, the director reminded everyone to guard against catching a cold, and the crew packed up and returned to the hotel.
Even after everyone had wrapped up, Fang Yuan still hadn’t returned, leaving no opportunity for her to seek out Lin Chenghuan again. Lu Zhiwei dropped by Lin Chenghuan’s room for some tea as usual and headed back to her own room to rest a little after 10 p.m.
The next day, Fang Yuan managed to make it to the set to watch the filming, but she was called away again by 4 p.m. When the same thing happened on the third day, Lin Chenghuan couldn’t help but wonder, was Sister Fang really that popular now?
That evening, when Lu Zhiwei came to see her again, a sudden thought struck Lin Chenghuan. She looked at Lu Zhiwei suspiciously, could it be that she was the one keeping Fang Yuan so busy these days that she couldn’t come to the hotel to meet her at night?
“Sister Fang has been incredibly busy these past few days, even more so than when we were in Beijing,” Lin Chenghuan remarked without a trace of emotion.
“Well, meeting bosses from various fields is beneficial. Building connections is quite important in the entertainment industry,” Lu Zhiwei replied with a light laugh.
“That’s true…”
Just as Lin Chenghuan was struggling to discern the truth, a sly glint appeared in Lu Zhiwei’s smile, making no effort to hide that it was her doing. Lin Chenghuan couldn’t help but smile along, Fang Yuan had clearly lost the first round.
A new day arrived, and on the film set, Fang Yuan finally couldn’t hold back and complained to Lin Chenghuan: “Huanhuan, I promise I won’t disturb your time together, so please ask President Lu to spare me…”
“Ah? How… how do I even bring that up to her?” Lin Chenghuan was at a loss, caught between amusement and exasperation.
“Forget it, I’ll go talk to her myself and apologize for keeping that news from her last time.”
“…” So she still hadn’t addressed the matter from before, no wonder.
That day, Fang Yuan finally had some free time and followed Lin Chenghuan back to the hotel. Once in the room, after a short rest, her focus immediately shifted to gossip.
“By the way, where is President Lu staying?”
“Two doors down.”
“Oh… so close.” Fang Yuan’s expression turned meaningful, tinged with excitement.
Two days later, the rain scenes for the crew finally wrapped up, and the rain effects team moved on to another production. Having successfully reassured her artist, Fang Yuan, who had been in Hengdian for several days, could now return to handle company matters.
After more than twenty days of filming, Lin Chenghuan finally had a full day off. On this sunny morning, she bid farewell to Fang Yuan and settled in at the hotel to rest.
Even in Hengdian, actors often use their free time to meet various people: dining, socializing, and networking, but Lin Chenghuan had no interest in any of that today.
After spending the afternoon gaming in her room, she browsed entertainment news and unexpectedly came across a story about a male artist signed under Xia Yao, whose relationship had seemingly been exposed.
This artist had only signed with Xia Yao in recent years. Though he was a former colleague of Lin Chenghuan’s, they weren’t particularly close. For artists, an unprepared relationship exposure is always risky, especially for a popular idol with a massive fanbase of devoted “girlfriends.”
Sure enough, clicking into the related topics revealed a flood of criticism, with countless fans turning against him. The artist had been marketed as career-driven and uninterested in personal relationships, making the backlash even more overwhelming.
It seemed Lu Zhiwei would have her hands full again, the PR department might not be able to handle this alone. Lin Chenghuan sighed inwardly, then recalled her own time under Xia Yao, when she had mishandled a role dispute and ended up with negative press, earning the nickname “Sour Sister.” The memory made her cringe slightly.
After dinner that evening, Lin Chenghuan sat on the balcony, enjoying the view but feeling somewhat restless. Before long, she spotted a familiar figure stepping out of a car downstairs, Lu Zhiwei had returned.
It seemed she didn’t have a night shoot today and could finally rest a bit more. Lin Chenghuan hoped the artist’s situation wouldn’t cause her too much stress.
[What a coincidence, I saw you,] Lin Chenghuan immediately messaged Lu Zhiwei.
Just as she entered the hotel, Lu Zhiwei saw the message and smiled happily, replying, [It really is a coincidence. See you in a bit.]
Lu Zhiwei returned to her room and hadn’t been tidying up for long when Lin Chenghuan came over. During this period, it had become a habit for them to visit each other after returning to the hotel. Having rooms close by certainly had its advantages.
“Finally, no night shoot today,” Lin Chenghuan began, noticing she seemed in good spirits and relaxing considerably.
“Yeah, that’s really nice,” Lu Zhiwei nodded.
“Will that matter with Chen Yuming give you a headache for a while?”
“It’s nothing for me to worry about, but the PR department is already in chaos.” Lu Zhiwei gave a slight smile and continued, “If Fang Yuan were still here, she’d be joining the meeting frenzy too. What a shame.”
Hearing that Lu Zhiwei was even in the mood to joke about Fang Yuan, Lin Chenghuan also laughed. It seemed she truly wasn’t bothered by today’s events at all.
“Back when you were handling my affairs, did it ever give you a headache?” Lin Chenghuan paused, unable to resist asking.
“No, the company signed you, and maintaining your personal image was just part of the job.” After saying this, Lu Zhiwei seemed to recall their past working days, a distant look flickering in her eyes.