Chi Ye’s warm fingertips gently pinched the girl’s puffed-up cheek as he chuckled softly, “Just teasing you.”
Yu Shujia swatted his hand away. “How boring.”
Suddenly, Chi Ye leaned slightly over Yu Shujia, his peach-blossom eyes brimming with endless tenderness.
Qiao Shu’s heart nearly leaped out of her throat—the next scene was the kiss between the male and female leads—
The crew held their breath. Was this a rehearsal? It felt more like they were dating without a care for anyone around.
Qiao Shu’s pink lips parted slightly. “Teacher Jiang—”
Jiang Tu glanced up, signaling her with his eyes.
Qiao Shu blinked her clear, bright eyes and tentatively asked, “Should we save the kiss for the official shoot?”
The entire crew: “…”
“Alright.” Jiang Tu pulled back, his slender fingers leisurely smoothing out the wrinkles on his clothes.
Qiao Shu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Her on-screen first kiss was still intact—it seemed it would be given to Jiang Tu.
Jiang Tu had filmed kiss scenes before. She didn’t know whether he used angles or actually kissed, but he was definitely more experienced than her.
This drama had many kissing scenes. After the female lead graduated from university, there was a bed scene, and another after marriage.
Zhang Qian’s brow furrowed slightly. Qiao Shu had never filmed a kiss scene. If they didn’t rehearse it now, what if they kept NG later?
“Teacher Jiang, shall we rehearse this part?” Qiao Shu moved closer to Jiang Tu, script in hand.
This scene was about the female lead forgetting to bring sanitary pads while going to take a shower and having to ask the male lead for help.
“Alright.” Jiang Tu was momentarily taken aback. As she drew near, he caught the familiar scent of roses.
Qiao Shu fell silent for two seconds. Why did Jiang Tu agree to everything? Was he like this on other sets too?
After rehearsing this scene, they began the official shoot.
Liu Zhongran stood before the camera. “If we can get it in one take, let’s do it. If not, we’ll try again.”
“Action!”
Once filming began, Qiao Shu and Jiang Tu naturally performed the earlier part of the scene. Next was the kissing scene.
Pinned beneath Jiang Tu, Qiao Shu reminded herself not to be affected by him—it was just acting.
Only then did Jiang Tu notice the girl’s ears, hidden beneath her short hair, were flushed red. And her short hair wasn’t a wig.
“Chi Ye?”
The girl’s soft, gentle voice reached his ears. Jiang Tu snapped back to attention, his large hand caressing her cheek.
“A kiss?” Without waiting for her response, Chi Ye lowered his head and captured her rosy, soft lips.
Caught off guard by the sudden kiss, Qiao Shu let out a muffled sound, instinctively parting her red lips. Her mind grew hazy—what was she supposed to do next?
The next moment, the lines from the script flashed in Qiao Shu’s mind. She wrapped her arms around the man’s neck.
The two on the sofa kissed as if lost in their own world.
Qiao Shu desperately wanted to say she couldn’t breathe. She remembered the male and female leads in the drama kissed for over ten seconds.
Just as Qiao Shu was about to reach her limit, Chi Ye released her, his thumb gently stroking her cheek.
“Why haven’t you learned to breathe yet?”
Yu Shujia’s cheeks burned as she changed the subject. “It’s getting late. Time to take a shower.”
Chi Ye pulled away, a faint smile curling his lips. “Alright.”
“Cut!”
Hearing the director’s voice, Qiao Shu felt as if she’d been granted a reprieve. Her heart was beating a little too fast, and she hadn’t fully recovered from the kiss scene—after all, this was her first kiss—
Jiang Tu glanced at Qiao Shu. The girl’s pale pink lips had been kissed into a rosy hue, and her cheeks were tinged with a faint blush. In contrast, aside from his slightly red ears, he appeared completely normal.
Liu Zhongran was reviewing the camera playback, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. He had expected some retakes, but surprisingly, it was done in one take. The kiss scene was shot quite well.
The following scenes were also completed in single takes.
After finishing the scenes in the rented apartment, it happened to be lunchtime. Qiao Shu returned to her dressing room to have her meal.
In Qiao Shu’s dressing room.
Zhang Qian picked up some food and placed it in Qiao Shu’s bowl. “Let’s hear it.”
Qiao Shu: “??”
“Your first on-screen kiss was given to Jiang Tu. How did it feel? What was it like filming with Jiang Tu?”
Qiao Shu: “Hmm… it felt pretty good.”
Zhang Qian choked back a laugh. “Don’t be cheeky. I’m serious. I have to say, you two acted very naturally.”
Qiao Shu felt inexplicably proud. “Of course. Who do you think I am? Scenes like these can’t stump me, okay?”
Zhang Qian chuckled in amusement. “Give you an inch, and you’ll take a mile?”
“Thank you, Qianjie!” Qiao Shu’s pink lips curved into a smile. “Those six months of acting classes weren’t wasted.”
Zhang Qian’s eyes dimmed slightly as she sighed. “Qiao Qiao, the company recently signed over a dozen new artists. I might not have time to accompany you on set anymore.”
Qiao Shu was taken aback. Was the company assigning new artists to Zhang Qian? Had she been promoted?
Zhang Qian read her expression. “No promotion. The company thinks it’s unnecessary for me to stay with you on set. With so many newcomers hired, they’re short on staff.”
Qiao Shu sighed. She had overthought it.
Zhang Qian continued, “By the way, the company has arranged a trainee assistant for you.”
“Alright,” Qiao Shu poked at the rice in her lunchbox with her chopsticks. “You’re still my manager, right?”
Zhang Qian rolled her eyes. “If I’m not, who is? Unless you become a star, I’ll always be.”
Qiao Shu: “…”
In the afternoon, Qiao Shu filmed scenes with the female supporting actress. There was a scene with Jiang Tu scheduled for around eight in the evening.
After finishing the afternoon’s filming, Qiao Shu’s new assistant arrived—a recent graduate in her early twenties.
“Hello, Sister Qiao. My name is Ou Yaya.”
“Hello!” Qiao Shu nodded, her gaze lingering on Ou Yaya. Her outfit and accessories were quite luxurious.
Ou Yaya met Qiao Shu’s eyes directly. If it weren’t for Jiang Tu being in this crew, she would never have taken on an assistant role.
Suddenly, the phone on the table vibrated. Qiao Shu glanced at it—it was that familiar string of numbers.
Qiao Shu picked up the phone from the table. “Yaya, could you step out for a moment? I need to take this call.”
A flicker of disdain flashed in Ou Yaya’s eyes. Asking her to leave? Whose call was it? Probably a call from her sugar daddy.
Qiao Shu’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. Ou Yaya’s eyes were filled with contempt. The days ahead weren’t going to be easy.
“Hello!”
“Qiao Shu! How far have things gone with you and Jiang Tu?”
Qiao Shu suppressed her impatience. “Sorry, Grandma. Jiang Tu and I are filming and can’t spare the time.”
“Qiao Shu, have you grown some nerve? I told you not to enter the entertainment industry, but you insisted. You have to copy everything Lianmeng does, you copycat—”
Qiao Shu rolled her eyes and hung up the phone.
What nonsense! Turning the tables on her.
She was copying Han Lianmeng?
Back in her senior year of high school, she had already made up her mind to enter the entertainment industry. It was Han Lianmeng who copied her!
Meanwhile, at the Han Family residence.
Han Lianmeng patted Grandma Han’s back soothingly. “Grandma, are Sister and Brother-in-law not coming back?”
Grandma Han’s chest heaved with anger. “She said she doesn’t have time and even hung up on me!”
Han Lianmeng’s eyes filled with regret. “It’s okay. Maybe Sister and Brother-in-law are just busy.”
“What a shame, all this delicious food going to waste,” Han Lianmeng continued to stir the pot. “Such a pity.”
Grandma Han took a deep breath and turned to Han Xing. “Han Xing! Can’t you do something about Qiao Shu?”
Han Xing rubbed his forehead helplessly. “Mom, Shu’er is all grown up now. I can’t control her anymore.”
“You’re her father. How can you not control her?”
Han Xing frowned. “Mom, do you think I don’t want to? She barely ever comes home.”
“Forget it,” Grandma Han picked up her chopsticks. “Maybe it’s better if she doesn’t come back. Out of sight, out of mind.”
Han Lianmeng dug her long nails into her palm. Why did Qiao Shu get to live so smoothly? She even married the man Han Lianmeng liked and became a wealthy socialite.
“Dream?”
Han Lianmeng snapped back to reality. “Huh? What is it?”
Grandma Han used serving chopsticks to put food on Han Lianmeng’s plate. “Eat more. Look how thin you are.”
Han Lianmeng really wanted to eat, but she couldn’t.
Like Liu Lin, she had a tendency to gain weight easily. Her manager was strict, and she rarely ate carbohydrates in her daily life.
If she ate this, her manager would scold her to death.