Chapter 49

Xitang walked out of the Songzhuang horse ranch and saw Zhao Pingjin wearing a black down jacket and blue jeans, standing outside the fence and waving at her.

When Xitang received his call, she checked the time. Zhao Pingjin had indeed arrived a little after eleven, just as she had told him. She had deliberately pushed back the time when she told him earlier. By then, the morning horseback riding scenes had already been completed, and the crew was preparing to shoot the next scene: a sequence where her character and the second male lead, Dong Ge, practiced singing by the old Dongzhimen city moat.

In the script, the old moat outside Dongzhimen was described as tranquil and serene, shrouded in mist and smoke. But in present-day Beijing, such a spot was impossible to find. The director had moved the crew to the Chaobai River, an expanse of open wilderness. The river flowed sluggishly, and a row of misty trees on the bank lent the location a faint echo of the ancient capital’s charm.

Seeing her, Zhao Pingjin asked, “Finished shooting?”

Xitang nodded.

Zhao Pingjin, seeing that she seemed fine, didn’t pay attention to what scene she had just filmed. He simply handed her his car key. “Go to my car and grab the stuff I brought for your colleagues.”

Xitang walked along the row of vehicles parked by the crew. Villagers who had come to watch the filming stared at her curiously. She was well aware of how odd she looked, wearing a long white down jacket with her hair styled in two soft “butterfly wing” buns. An older woman in a blue cotton jacket stopped her and asked, “Young lady, which one of them is the celebrity?”

Xitang pointed to the enclosed set. “The celebrities are in there!”

The woman looked her up and down. “You’re very pretty. You must be a celebrity too, right?”

Xitang grinned. “Do I look like one?”

The group of older women answered in unison, “You do!”

Laughing to herself, Xitang fiddled with Zhao Pingjin’s key, pressing the button several times before finally locating his car. On the back seat were several large bags of coffee, still steaming hot.

She hadn’t expected him to be okay with storing such strongly scented drinks in his car. Years ago, she remembered eating ice cream in his car once. When some melted cream dripped onto the seat, he clenched his jaw and turned his head away, unable to bear looking, yet too indulgent to complain. He had been such a neat freak about his car and home, unable to tolerate even the slightest dust. And yet, because he had indulged her by letting her eat in the car, he had gone through cars especially fast during those two years. The old man in the family had even gotten wind of it. Known for his frugal, revolutionary lifestyle, he couldn’t tolerate seeing the younger generation being so wasteful. Zhao Pingjin had been summoned and given a stern dressing-down.

Now, though, it seemed like a lot of things didn’t matter as much to either of them.

She carried two bags with her left hand and started walking back.

After a few steps, she stopped, reconsidered, and turned back. Standing by Zhao Pingjin’s car, she lifted her foot and kicked one of the tires.

This wasn’t a sustainable solution.

Giving up, she picked up the coffee and headed back to the crew.

From a distance, she saw Zhao Pingjin standing by the river, chatting with another man.

Zhao Pingjin noticed her trudging back toward the set through the dirty, uneven snow, and frowned. From afar, he called out, “Why are you carrying it yourself?”

The snow was hard to walk through, and Xitang was already out of breath. “Who told you to boss me around?”

Zhao Pingjin gave her a helpless look. “If I’m bossing you around, can’t you boss your assistant around?”

Xitang glared at him and muttered, “I’m not as shameless as you.”

The two of them were clearly flirting, which made the man next to them laugh heartily. “This young lady looks so familiar. Zhao, aren’t you going to introduce us?”

Taking the coffee from her, Zhao Pingjin introduced them. “This is Huang Xitang. And this is Li Zhe, a well-known painter and curator.”

Xitang smiled politely and greeted him, “Mr. Li.”

The social circles in Beijing were rife with gossip about the romantic escapades of these wealthy young men. Li Zhe had naturally heard a bit about Zhao Pingjin’s affairs. With a teasing tone, he said, “Ah, I’ve heard so much about you. Truly stunning. No wonder even someone as aloof as Zhao here is willing to accompany you to work.”

Zhao Pingjin didn’t respond, though there was a trace of a smile in his eyes.

Embarrassed, Xitang said, “Please don’t tease me.”

She handed the bags of coffee to a passing crew member. 

When she turned back, she overheard Li Zhe saying to Zhao Pingjin, “Zhao, I asked about you the last time Langming was here. It’s such a rare sight to see you these days. Do you have some time later to come to my place and inscribe something for my studio?”

Zhao Pingjin lazily nudged at some buried snow shoots with his foot. “I haven’t practiced in years. I probably can’t write anymore.”

Li Zhe wasn’t about to let him off the hook. “Your calligraphy is priceless! Yet you always look down on us in the art world and won’t even write a couple of words. Come on, I’ll treat you to some fine tea. Drop by my place later.”

He turned to Xitang with a playful bow. “Good lady, may I borrow him for a little while?”

Zhao Pingjin looked at Xitang.

Carousing with friends was second nature to Zhao Pingjin, and Xitang knew she couldn’t control him. She nodded. 

Zhao Pingjin said to her, “I’ll be at Li Zhe’s studio. If anything comes up, just send someone to get me.”

Sitting on a folding chair, Xitang watched as the assistant director gave the male lead, Li Mowen, some instructions. She glanced at the time—it was 12:40.

During the break, she looked over from a distance at the set. Zhao Pingjin’s black car was still parked where it had been. Quietly, she let out a sigh of relief.

At least it proved that Zhao Pingjin was still staying around. Today, she had secretly observed his demeanor. He looked completely at ease and even had the leisure to drink tea and socialize with friends. It didn’t seem like he had anything urgent going on. Xitang silently hoped that he would linger at his friend’s place a bit longer.

Zhao Pingjin had half a pot of tea in Li Zhe’s studio, chatted for a while, and was then coerced into writing calligraphy. He ruined several sheets of fine jade-paper before finally producing one that was passable. Turning around, he saw Li Zhe standing to the side, arms crossed, smiling contentedly. The young assistants in the studio had already carefully collected each piece of paper, treating them like treasures. Zhao Pingjin had been sent by his grandfather to study calligraphy under Mr. Tian Jiqing since childhood. Tian was Li Zhe’s great-uncle. Later, Li Zhe became a curator for Fang Langming’s art exhibitions, and the two had shared a bond since their youth.

After bidding farewell to Li Zhe, Zhao Pingjin stepped out of the studio.

On the other side, Xitang came down from the riverbank. A thin layer of ice had formed on the Chaobai River. The water flowed slowly in the center. To capture a wider shot of the river and use its fresh, scenic beauty to highlight the budding romance between the young noblewoman and the musician played by Dong Ge, the production crew had built a wooden bridge extending into the river. Director Feng wanted to capture a sense of wind-swept drama, so Xitang, as the young noblewoman, could only wear a silk costume. She shivered violently as she came down to the riverbank. Li Mowen supported her as they crossed the wooden bridge and reached the shore. Xiao Ning, who was waiting there, immediately draped a down jacket over her shoulders and squatted down to help her change into snow boots. 

Xitang’s feet were frozen stiff as she took off her embroidered shoes and tried to squeeze her foot into the snow boot. Standing on one leg, she wobbled and hopped forward a few steps. Xiao Ning, worried she might fall, tried to grab her but missed, shouting anxiously, “Ah, ah, Sister, be careful!”

Suddenly, someone grabbed her firmly from behind.

It was Zhao Pingjin. He stood behind her and steadied her arm.

Xiao Ning looked up in surprise. “...Mr. Zhao?”

Having worked for Wu Zhenzhen for over a year, she naturally recognized Zhao Pingjin. Zhao initially didn’t want to acknowledge her but nodded reluctantly, given that she was Xitang’s assistant.

Zhao Pingjin wrapped an arm around Xitang’s waist, pulling her close to him. He bent down, directly removed her other shoe, and slipped her foot into the snow boot.

Xiao Ning stood nearby, frozen in place, her face filled with an expression of amazement that lingered for a long time.

Xitang gently told her, “I’ll take a break. Call me if you need anything.”

Xiao Ning tactfully left.

The two of them sat to the side. Xitang took out a thermos from her bag and poured hot tea, handing it to him.

Zhao Pingjin accepted it and noticed Xitang putting the cap back on. “Why aren’t you drinking?” he asked.

She smiled and said, “If I drink, I’ll need to use the bathroom. It’s too much trouble to take off and put on the costume.”

Zhao Pingjin looked at her. Her face was painted in red and white makeup, her delicate features exceptionally pretty. But her nose had turned pale from the cold. He frowned slightly and said, “You’re freezing like this, suffering so much. I’ve told you before—you should have continued your studies while acting. It’s fine to mess around when you’re young, but as you get older, you shouldn’t work so hard. Why do you insist on staying in this industry…”

The next second, he abruptly turned his head and stopped speaking.

Xitang’s heart trembled slightly. The two of them had often fought about this issue in the past. Whenever they argued, Xitang would angrily accuse him of looking down on her career. Yet deep down, she had always known that Zhao Pingjin was only looking out for her. But back then, their resentment toward each other burned so fiercely that it erased all the tenderness between them.

Seeing Xitang fall silent, Zhao Pingjin quickly adjusted his tone. He asked casually, “Have you had lunch?”

Xitang shook her head. “Not yet, in a little while.”

Zhao Pingjin glanced at his watch. It was already past one o’clock. He had business to attend to in the afternoon, so he told Xitang, “I have to go. I have something to do later.”

It would only take about an hour to drive back to the city from here. Xitang felt a bit anxious inside but didn’t let it show on her face. She casually suggested, “Why don’t you eat before you leave?”

Zhao Pingjin handed her the tea to warm her hands and stood up. “I’ll eat in the city. I’ll sit for a bit longer and leave once you start shooting.”

Xitang tilted her head and teased him with a grin, “Well, yes, the boxed meals on set surely wouldn’t do for Young Master Zhao.”

For once, Zhao Pingjin didn’t retort. He said gently, “I really do have something to do.”

Just then, the assistant director sent the script supervisor over to call her. “Ms. Xi, we’re ready for you.”

Zhao Pingjin helped her to her feet. “I’m leaving now.”

Xitang nodded and followed the script supervisor toward the cameras.

As she walked, she subtly reached into her coat pocket and felt for something. Today, she was wearing the white embroidered coat of the noblewoman’s costume. Underneath the down jacket, she carefully touched the pocket beneath the hem of the costume, making sure that a small, thin porcelain fragment was still hidden inside.

Zhao Pingjin watched as she entered the filming area. Then he turned and walked along the riverbank back to the road near the village. He could hear the production assistants shouting to clear the area as he passed. Xitang had likely started shooting. He got into his car and backed it out of the temporary parking area. As he turned the corner, he habitually glanced at his rearview mirror.

From behind the trees along the riverbank, he suddenly heard a piercing scream.

Zhao Pingjin was reversing when a chill ran down his spine, his eyelid twitching uncontrollably. He felt an icy shiver ripple through his entire body.

Immediately, he turned his head to look back. From a distance, he saw people on the riverbank suddenly scrambling in panic. Some were running toward the commotion, while others were shouting desperately, “Save them first!”

Zhao Pingjin slammed on the brakes, yanked the keys from the ignition, and bolted toward the riverbank. From afar, he saw the boom operator with a long pole extended into the river, trying to reach someone. In the water near the shore, a figure floated, holding up someone wearing white. A group of men on the shore lay down, desperately pulling the two people out.

The small figure in white was dragged ashore, soaking wet. A mixture of white fabric, blood, and black mud stained the ground, leaving a thin, vivid red streak behind them.

Zhao Pingjin ran with all his strength, his mind blank except for a loud buzzing. He dashed forward like a madman, a metallic taste rising in his throat.