After releasing her hand, Liu Zhongran introduced, “This is Qiao Shu. Get to know each other—you’ll be working together on this drama for the next few months.”
Jiang Tu nodded. “Hello, Jiang Tu.”
Qiao Shu’s lips twitched slightly as she stood up to shake his hand. “Hello, I’m Qiao Shu.”
The moment their hands touched, a tingling sensation coursed through Qiao Shu’s heart. What was happening? Did Jiang Tu carry an electric charge?
Suddenly, both of them let go at the same time.
Zhang Qian and Fang Zheng exchanged nods, both aware that this drama was scheduled to film for over a hundred days. Since their artists were now partners, it was only polite to exchange pleasantries.
Qiao Shu felt somewhat distracted. If she had known the male lead of this drama was Jiang Tu, she wouldn’t have taken the role. Filming with Jiang Tu would come with immense pressure—he was a top-tier star, while she was just a nobody. With his massive fanbase, wouldn’t she be torn to shreds by criticism?
“Qiao Shu?”
Qiao Shu looked bewildered. “Huh?”
Zhang Qian nudged Qiao Shu’s waist with her elbow and whispered, “If you have no objections, sign the contract.”
Qiao Shu picked up a pen to sign her name. Instead of her usual messy signature, she wrote in neat, elegant cursive.
Jiang Tu glanced up at Qiao Shu. They were separated by the table, but a faint scent of roses lingered in the air, a fragrance that suited her perfectly.
After the contracts were signed, Liu Zhongran called an assistant to lead Qiao Shu and the others to their respective dressing rooms.
In Qiao Shu’s dressing room.
“What’s wrong? You seem distracted.”
Qiao Shu shook her head and looked into the mirror, reaching up to touch her hair. “Cut my hair short.”
The stylist ran her fingers through Qiao Shu’s long hair, a flicker of surprise in her eyes. “Are you sure?”
Qiao Shu nodded.
Zhang Qian frowned. “Why not use a wig? Your hair is in such good condition—it’d be a shame to cut it.”
Qiao Shu’s gaze was resolute. “The female lead has short hair during her university years. Cutting it will make it more authentic.”
Zhang Qian sighed. Qiao Shu had mentioned wanting to cut her hair short more than once—she was too lazy to blow-dry it. Now, she was getting her wish.
After her makeup was done, Qiao Shu stared into the mirror. The look was both familiar and strange, as if she had traveled back to her high school days. Back then, she had always kept her hair short. It wasn’t until university, when filming roles required it, that Qiao Shu grew her hair out.
On the set.
When Qiao Shu arrived, there were quite a few people inside. Several individuals were seated on the rest chairs, including the important supporting actors and the second female and male leads.
They had already finished their individual promotional photoshoots and were now waiting for the leads to finish so they could all take a group photo together.
Qiao Shu spotted a very familiar face—Xu Yili, who had debuted as part of a boy band. He had been gaining a lot of popularity lately.
Qiao Shu froze for a few seconds. Was Xu Yili the second male lead in this drama?
After a moment, Qiao Shu regained her composure and politely nodded in greeting to the group.
Xu Yili gave a slight nod in return. The girl in front of him wore a white floral dress that revealed a section of her fair calves, paired with white shoes and white socks.
Qiao Shu withdrew her gaze and turned her attention to Jiang Tu, who was already shooting his promotional photos. The man wore a white shirt, one hand tucked into his pocket, his expression gentle. Messy strands of hair fell across his forehead, and his every movement exuded an air of cool elegance.
Qiao Shu was momentarily stunned. His appearance was the very embodiment of Chi Ye—perfectly suited to the character.
“Capturing Light and Shadow” was written by Liu Zhongran’s wife. It was said to be a romance novel that hadn’t yet been published on any platform.
The photographer in charge of shooting Qiao Shu started immediately upon her arrival, taking several consecutive shots.
Qiao Shu hoped to get it right in one go, as applying makeup and changing outfits were too troublesome, but she still had to align with the protagonist’s image.
After shooting two sets of photos, Qiao Shu ultimately chose the first set. Jiang Tu also shot two sets.
“Great! The director has decided on this set. Next, we can take photos of the two teachers together,” the photographer’s voice rang in her ears. Qiao Shu walked toward the photographer and said, “Thank you for your hard work.”
Jiang Tu lowered his gaze to adjust his cuffs. His movements were deliberate and unhurried, yet they exuded an air of elegance and nobility.
Qiao Shu was stunned for another two seconds. She couldn’t afford to get lost in his good looks any longer! She admitted Jiang Tu was handsome, but she wasn’t that kind of person—she wouldn’t allow herself to act like a fangirl.
During the shoot, Qiao Shu and Jiang Tu had zero chemistry. Qiao Shu recalled the time they took their marriage license photos at the civil affairs bureau, which had only happened a few days ago.
Tilting her face slightly to look at Jiang Tu, Qiao Shu honestly felt the poster shoot was overly intimate.
The photographer shared some tips with Qiao Shu:
“Teacher Qiao, imagine the feeling of reuniting with your long-distance boyfriend after not seeing him for a long time.”
How could she imagine that when she had never had a boyfriend?
Qiao Shu’s cheeks flushed. She had never been this close to a male actor before. She had never filmed romantic scenes, and the only supporting female role she had played was one of unrequited love.
Jiang Tu wrapped his arms around Qiao Shu’s waist, his gaze fixed on the girl before him, filled with deep affection and intensity.
Qiao Shu’s waist was soft and slender. Once again, Jiang Tu caught a whiff of that faint rose fragrance.
“Relax,” Jiang Tu’s deep, dark eyes were inscrutable. “Lift the corners of your lips slightly and look at me with affection.”
Qiao Shu’s breath hitched. Help!
Why was Jiang Tu coaching her—
This was so awkward!!
The crew on set seemed excited, with some even secretly taking photos with their phones.
After finishing the joint photoshoot with Jiang Tu, the photographer took a few solo promotional shots of Qiao Shu.
While the leads were busy with their promotional photos, unbeknownst to them, both had already made it to the trending topics list, occupying the first and second spots.
#Jiang Tu Spotted at the Filming Location of “Catching Light and Shadow”#
#Qiao Shu as the Female Lead of “Catching Light and Shadow”#
#Jiang Tu as the Male Lead of “Catching Light and Shadow”#
Popular marketing accounts posted a blurry GIF of Jiang Tu shooting the promotional poster for “Catching Light and Shadow,” though it was still recognizable as Jiang Tu himself.
[Let’s look forward to Jiang Tu together.]
[Looking forward to Jiang Tu.]
[Fans are super, super excited for Jiang Tu.]
[Who’s the female lead? Never heard of her. Is she some obscure, low-tier actress?]
[I checked the female lead’s Weibo. She’s really pretty. Looks like it’s going to be an ultra-sweet romance.]
[Female lead @Qiao Shu v, here’s the link for everyone.]
After someone tagged Qiao Shu’s Weibo in the comments, curious netizens flocked to check out her profile.
Qiao Shu’s Weibo only had around a hundred posts, set to display only the last six months, leaving just over a dozen posts visible.
A few were advertisements, and a few were selfies, showing that she rarely posted. The likes, comments, and reposts were pitifully low.
A few days ago, Qiao Shu had posted a nine-grid promotional update—six professional photos and three selfies.
Now, her latest Weibo post had gained a surge of comments and likes, with some praising her and others criticizing her.
[OMG, she’s so pretty!]
[Hopefully, it’s not a silicone face or a catfish. Acting alongside Jiang Tu might give her a bit of a boost.]
[Her nose is so perfect—are we sure it’s natural? And are those legs even real?]
[She’s so obscure, she doesn’t even have a fan club.]
【Like a vase, acting skills need further observation.】
【The name is quite pleasant, although highly recognizable, judging by appearance alone, there doesn’t seem to be potential for stardom.】
【Such a beautiful lady, followed, turned into a fan, I believe she will definitely become popular!!】
Because of these trending topics, Qiao Shu gained tens of thousands of followers, and some even took the lead in creating a celebrity super topic named after “Qiao Shu.”
The super topic is linked to the celebrity herself, so whenever Qiao Shu goes online, her activity status will be visible.
Zhang Qian was overjoyed in her heart—Qiao Shu had made it to the trending list, her little unknown star’s first time on the hot search.
Zhang Qian took a screenshot with her phone to commemorate the moment. She had a feeling that Qiao Shu would become an overnight sensation because of this drama.