HYAT - 59

The launch party was scheduled for the end of April.

At the beginning of the month, Shen Qianzhan went to Wuxi and signed a contract to rent the filming location at the film studio.

A few days later, she assembled the art team, and under Qiao Xin’s supervision, they began setting up the set.

In mid-April, the first thirty episodes of the script were finalized. Jiang Juanshan and Lin Qiao flew from Beijing to Wuxi to attend the launch party and join the crew to continue writing the script.

Shen Qianzhan sent the driver from Team A to pick them up at the airport. In the evening, after finalizing the account details, she and Qiao Xin waited in the hotel lobby to welcome the two scriptwriters.

After the script was green-lit, Shen Qianzhan was so rushed for time that Jiang Juanshan’s schedule consisted of nothing but writing the script, with little time for eating or sleeping.

Her exploitation was so severe that even the merciless Su Zan couldn’t stand it. He constantly complained in her ear: “Shen Qianzhan, you need to be a decent human being. Look at Lin Qiao’s dark circles; they’re almost reaching the center of the earth. Mr. Jiang, a man of such grace, has bloodshot eyes and a pale face. He doesn’t even look human anymore.”

Shen Qianzhan didn’t even lift an eyelid when she heard this: “If I hadn’t pushed him, could Mr. Jiang have delivered thirty episodes of the script in such a short time?”

Her original plan was to start filming in mid-May, so she had been pushing Jiang Juanshan hard. However, the combination of Jiang Juanshan and Lin Qiao was a pleasant surprise. Their teamwork was so seamless and efficient that they finished the script about half a month earlier than expected.

This made Shen Qianzhan feel like she had hit the jackpot every time she worked late into the night.

Putting aside the perfect synergy of this divine duo, the quality of the script itself was stunning to Shen Qianzhan. Even without a time limit, it was rare to find a story of such high quality.

How could Jiang Juanshan become famous at such a young age?

It was because of his skill and talent!

________________________________________

When the commercial van arrived at the hotel, Shen Qianzhan was on the phone.

Qiao Xin went out to greet them and led them to check in first: “Sister Zhan is on a work call. Let’s check in first and put away our luggage. Then we can all go for a late-night snack. There’s a late-night food stall near the hotel that has barbecue, congee, and everything else.”

Lin Qiao looked in the direction Qiao Xin was pointing and asked: “Sister Zhan has been very busy lately, hasn’t she?”

“She has,” Qiao Xin sighed. “She’s been working so hard lately, with endless tasks, endless meetings, and endless location scouting. When she gets back to the hotel at night, it’s one meeting after another. She’s busy until three in the morning every day.”

In Shen Qianzhan’s own words, she was working like a dog every day, so busy that her libido was gone, and she didn’t want to get laid or even get laid with the earth. All she wanted to do was drop dead and close her eyes.

After helping Jiang Juanshan and Lin Qiao check in, Qiao Xin specifically requested that their rooms be next to Shen Qianzhan’s so they could meet easily.

Lin Qiao, who was a few steps away, dropped her jaw in disappointment when she heard the word “meeting.”

After checking in, Qiao Xin led the two to their rooms to drop off their luggage.

They would be staying for an indefinite period. Shen Qianzhan would not let them leave until the final ten episodes of the script were finished.

Lin Qiao was so afraid that she would be living there for a whole month that she brought two suitcases filled with everything from daily necessities to bedding and sheets.

Qiao Xin was dumbfounded watching her put her things away. She finally got off the phone with Shen Qianzhan and immediately called Jiang Juanshan to go for a late-night snack with her.

The food stall was not far from the hotel, just around the corner.

Shen Qianzhan, already an expert, ordered a bowl of sampan congee, dozens of skewers of barbecue, a plate of golden cakes, and a few bottles of wine before coming back to sit down: “Thank you for making the journey. Was the trip smooth?”

“It was smooth,” Lin Qiao said, looking at her with admiration. “You’ve lost weight! Xin Xin said you sleep at three in the morning every day. How do you manage to stay so radiant and beautiful despite all the late nights?”

Shen Qianzhan knocked the wine bottle on the corner of the table and expertly opened it: “You little brownnoser, flattering me won’t get you any days off. You still have to write the script.”

She pushed the beer toward her: “Have some so you can sleep well tonight.”

Lin Qiao had trouble sleeping in new places. Every time she joined the crew, she would drink a little with Shen Qianzhan. If conditions allowed, they would have a late-night snack with beer. If not, they would open a bottle of red wine and talk about the new young heartthrobs in the industry. Over the years, this had become less of a habit and more of a ritual.

Lin Qiao clinked her glass with Shen Qianzhan’s and asked: “Where’s CEO Ji? Hasn’t he arrived yet?”

“He’ll only be here for the launch party,” Shen Qianzhan said, taking a sip of the spicy wine and taking a breath before asking: “Do you need to talk to him?”

Lin Qiao shook her head: “It’s nothing important.”

During the early stages of preparation, Lin Qiao and Jiang Juanshan had visited the Time Hall studio. Most of the time, when they hit a writer’s block, they would ask Meng Wangzhou for advice. She had hoped that when she joined the crew, she would be able to avoid this trouble, but it seemed CEO Ji was still nowhere to be found.

As they were talking, the barbecue skewers were served.

Shen Qianzhan, with a skewer of meat in her mouth, said: “You should have said it was important. That way, I’d have a reason to get him to come over earlier.”

Her voice was too muffled, and Lin Qiao didn’t hear her clearly: “Sister Zhan, what did you say?”

“I said,” Shen Qianzhan said, swallowing the barbecue meat, her tone calm and relaxed, “the consultant can go eat shit.”

________________________________________

As the end of the month approached, the set was almost complete, and the crew members had gradually arrived.

The producer laid out a detailed filming schedule. Everyone, from Fu Xi to all the supporting actors, except for Song Yan, was scheduled to start work.

Song Yan was still busy filming Spring River. According to her schedule, she was supposed to finish in the next couple of days.

Shen Qianzhan didn’t wait for Song Yan and had the producer schedule Fu Xi’s costume fitting first.

Shao Chouxi, ever since his recommendation for Ji Qinghe had failed, had been prejudiced against the male lead. While Shen Qianzhan watched the actors’ costume fittings, he clicked his tongue in disapproval: “It’s a little off, still a little off.”

Shen Qianzhan remained calm and didn’t even give him a glance.

When this man was being petty, he was usually very unreasonable. If she ignored him, he would eventually stop.

Fu Xi was handsome and had excellent bone structure, belonging to the same type of alluring man as Ji Qinghe. He was born to be in the entertainment industry. In terms of acting professionalism, he could handle three Ji Qinghes.

If he wasn’t even satisfied with Fu Xi, what was he going to direct?

________________________________________

April 30th, the launch party.

Shen Qianzhan had been up all night the night before, going over the accounts with the finance team until dawn. She woke up at one in the afternoon.

Qiao Xin must have been there in the morning. To make sure she would wake up, she had half-opened the curtains, and the afternoon sun streamed in through the gap like a basin of golden light, glaringly bright.

She fumbled for her phone under the pillow. When she saw the time, she ran her hands through her hair a couple of times and got up to wash her face.

The launch party was being held at Jichun Erwan in Wuxi, ten kilometers away from the film studio.

Su Zan had gone there in the morning to set up the venue and had sent her several messages with photos of the site.

She looked at the pictures while brushing her teeth. When she went back to her message list, her gaze lingered on Ji Qinghe’s chat. It was silent, with no new messages.

Qiao Xin had been in touch with Ming Jue to confirm the itinerary two days ago and had even called him last night to confirm the flight and arrange for a car to pick him up.

Logically, Ji Qinghe should have already landed. If all went well, he would be in the commercial van sent by the crew and on his way to the film studio.

After rinsing her mouth, she glanced at her phone again.

The phone vibrated with a buzzing sound and, with a smooth slide, slipped from the edge of the sink into the water.

Shen Qianzhan was stunned.

She stared at the phone sinking into the water for a few seconds and then quickly fished it out.

She was just in time. The phone was still working, even though it didn’t look too good.

On the wet screen, there was a message from the production assistant reminding her to leave for the hotel at five o’clock.

Shen Qianzhan held the phone and shook off the water. She didn’t even bother to dry it. After a few steps, she tossed the phone onto the big bed in the bedroom.

That scumbag, if he’s so good, he shouldn’t even talk to her tonight!

________________________________________

At three in the afternoon, Qiao Xin came to check if she was awake. She saw Shen Qianzhan sitting in front of the vanity mirror, drawing her eyebrows and applying lipstick. She called her on the phone: “Sister Zhan, is your phone on silent again? I tried calling you twice just now, but I couldn’t get through.”

Shen Qianzhan was busy making herself look beautiful. Only when Qiao Xin asked did she remember that she had thrown her phone on the bed. She lowered her eyes, looked at her half-finished eyeliner, and said: “My phone is on the bed. It fell into the water when I was brushing my teeth, and I haven’t touched it since.”

Qiao Xin said “okay.” After finding the phone, she checked it.

The phone screen lit up when she picked it up. She saw that there were missed calls from CEO Ji and said: “Sister Zhan, you missed CEO Ji’s call. Do you want to call him back now?”

Shen Qianzhan’s hands were as steady as a rock as she finished her eyeliner. She looked at her overly exquisite eye makeup for the day and was in a great mood: “No.” She twisted the cap of her lipstick. The matte lipstick glided across her lips. She pursed her lips and said softly: “I’ll just leave him hanging.”

________________________________________

At five o’clock, Shen Qianzhan, who had touched up her makeup twice out of anxiety, immediately got up.

Her movements were so quick that they startled Qiao Xin. She was fumbling with the charging cables and electronic devices scattered on the sofa and mumbled: “Sister Zhan, why are you as punctual as a cuckoo clock today...”

Shen Qianzhan walked to the door in a few steps: “Hundreds of people from the crew are going to the hotel in cars. If you’re a little late and I’m a little late, it’ll cause a lot of delays.” As she spoke, she opened the door but didn’t look outside. Instead, she turned to the full-length mirror in the entryway and scrutinized herself from top to bottom: “Su Zan is at the hotel, right?”

“Yes,” Qiao Xin said, sweeping everything into a bag. “Su Zan hasn’t left the hotel. He’s been arranging things there.”

Shen Qianzhan twisted her hips, looking at her graceful curves. She was very satisfied: “What about CEO Ji? What’s the arrangement for him?” Just as she finished speaking, the door, which was half-open, was pushed inward from the outside. Ji Qinghe stood in the doorway, admiring her calmly: “I’m right here. Why don’t you ask me yourself?”

Shen Qianzhan was stunned. Her hips were frozen in mid-twist, and she turned to look.

Ji Qinghe was wearing a simple, casual outfit and standing in the doorway. He lowered his eyes and scanned Shen Qianzhan from head to toe. When his gaze fell on the low neckline that exposed a patch of her fair chest, his eyebrows furrowed almost imperceptibly: “I only found out today that Producer Shen is also a hypocrite.”

The comment was so suggestive that Shen Qianzhan raised an eyebrow. Before she even realized it, her lips curled into a slight smile: “A hypocrite, too?”

“You wouldn’t let me show my shoulders, back, or face,” Ji Qinghe said, pausing. His gaze rested on her pale chest: “But you’re quite generous yourself.”

Shen Qianzhan followed his gaze and looked down. Under the low-cut silk fabric, her chest was a sight to behold, with a shallow cleavage hidden beneath her collar.

She tugged at her neckline perfunctorily. She looked back and saw that Qiao Xin had finished packing, so she stepped forward and walked with him down the hallway: “How did you know which room was mine?”

Seeing this, Qiao Xin, knowing her place, fell back a distance and walked behind them.

There was a bit of a walk from the hallway to the elevator. Shen Qianzhan, with her clutch in her hand, walked like she was on the red carpet at Cannes, her steps elegant and graceful.

Her feigned aloofness was endearing to him. Ji Qinghe chuckled softly and said: “I want to sneak into your room late at night, shouldn’t I scout the location in advance?”