Chapter 106: Fat Girl’s Extortion
As soon as filming ended, the on-site environment instantly shifted from quiet to lively, with voices, props, and lights all brighter than during filming.
Only now could it truly be said that all the glamour had dissipated, with truth and falsehood blurring between the play and reality.
“Teacher Jiang, thanks for your hard work.” Xuan Xia said to Jiang Feng in front of her.
Jiang Feng was still maintaining the reclining posture from the scene, his eyes red, and he smiled at her.
Xuan Xia felt that his emotions hadn’t fully emerged yet, so she also froze in her posture, staying with him for a while.
For the filming effect, she was squatting.
Fortunately, her skirt was spread out, so squatting like this wouldn’t create any indecent scene.
Jiang Feng just stared at her like that, taking nearly five minutes before his emotions truly detached from the role.
Then he said to Xuan Xia, “Sorry. Thank you.”
After saying that, he sat up and reached out to Xuan Xia, wanting to pull her to her feet.
Xuan Xia smiled, didn’t accept his help, and stood up on her own.
Twisting her skirt, she said, “Then Teacher Jiang, I’ll head off work first. See you in the next scene.”
Jiang Feng withdrew his hand, nodded slowly, “Okay, see you in the next scene.”
Xuan Xia turned and ran toward Ji Ziyao.
As she got close, she asked, “What time is it? Am I late?”
“Almost eleven.” Ji Ziyao said, “No need to rush, if you’re late, you’re late.”
Xuan Xia thought she should still hurry.
Just as she was about to leave, she saw Zhou Shiqing walking toward her.
Xuan Xia slowed her steps, and when he got close, she asked, “Teacher Zhou, tonight…?”
It was so late, he should be staying in Hengcheng tonight, right?
In the end, Zhou Shiqing said, “The scene is just like that. I’m heading back.”
Xuan Xia deliberately ignored his first half-sentence and was about to ask where he was heading back to.
But Zhou Shiqing glanced at her and quickly added an explanation, “I’m not talking about you, you acted well, pretty good.”
This guy… mouthing off again.
Although he praised her, there was no need to praise and then step on her.
She had a face to save.
Xuan Xia had to defend Jiang Feng, “Teacher Jiang was very serious, very immersed in the role.”
He made so many notes on the script; Xuan Xia wasn’t surprised at all by his immersion.
Zhou Shiqing’s look at her was indescribable.
Fortunately, neither lingered on it; Xuan Xia hurriedly asked, “Teacher Zhou, when you say heading back, do you mean to Jiangshi or Yanjing?”
Zhou Shiqing said, “Jiangshi, back to Yanjing tomorrow morning.”
As a big star, his daily schedule was arranged very tightly. Any delay meant squeezing in more time later to make up for it.
Xuan Xia was surprised, “So you’re driving through the night?”
Zhou Shiqing lightly “mm”-ed.
“Then be careful on the road.” Xuan Xia thought of the afternoon incident and couldn’t help but express concern.
Zhou Shiqing seemed to appreciate it and originally wanted to say more, but now could only say, “Heading out first, we’ll chat after these couple days are busy.”
As for what to chat about, Zhou Shiqing figured she knew full well.
Xuan Xia did know, felt a bit helpless, and bid him farewell.
***
After removing makeup and changing out of her costume, Xuan Xia and Ji Ziyao returned to the film’s crew hotel.
During the day, Film City was incredibly lively with tourists, film crews, and all sorts of people. But late at night, the surroundings became dark and quiet.
On the way back to the hotel, Xuan Xia told Li Xinze the idea provided by Ji Ziyao, asking him to go around the streets tomorrow daytime and find a prop shop to make a batch of amulet covers printed with Changsheng Temple’s address.
Because Film City had many crews, driving business demand, the prop production industry here had developed very well.
Li Xinze agreed seriously and asked if Xuan Xia had any preferences or ideas that could be incorporated into the production.
Xuan Xia thought it was a great idea, and the two immediately started discussing.
Ji Ziyao watched the two of them with serious expressions, his expression quite complex.
The car soon arrived at the hotel entrance. As they just stepped out, about to head into the hotel, a cry came from one side.
Then a rough voice shouted, “How can you be like this? Making it seem like I’m bullying you. Clearly it was you who…”
Xuan Xia stopped in her tracks, suspiciously turning to look at Li Xinze, “Doesn’t this voice sound a bit familiar?”
After asking, the two looked together toward the source of the sound.
Unfortunately, they couldn’t see anything.
With suspicion, Xuan Xia told Ji Ziyao to head into the hotel first; she’d go check it out and come right away.
Ji Ziyao saw Li Xinze following behind Xuan Xia, shouted for her to hurry, and first took Yang Wanxiu inside to find Huang Ke.
Xuan Xia turned the corner along the hotel’s outer wall and saw a man and a woman tugging at each other beside the hotel.
The man wasn’t tall, with a skinny build, far less sturdy than the woman he was tugging with.
As for the woman, both her figure and clothes were familiar.
Wasn’t this Lu Mindan’s assistant, the fat girl?
At this moment, the fat girl was crying loudly, making anyone suspect she’d been bullied by the man in front of her.
“Qu Xingxuan?” Xuan Xia tentatively called out.
The person originally facing away immediately turned around.
Sure enough, it was Qu Xingxuan.
Why was he here?
Upon seeing Xuan Xia, Qu Xingxuan got extremely agitated and hurriedly shouted at her, “Come over quick.”
While shouting, he also looked like he was about to cry.
Xuan Xia: “…”
What was going on?
Only when Xuan Xia got closer did she see clearly that Qu Xingxuan was gripping the hem of the fat girl’s T-shirt and not letting go, wrinkling it into a bunch.
“Qu Xingxuan, are you harassing her?” Xuan Xia said, “Let go quick.”
“I didn’t! It was her!” Qu Xingxuan’s grievance was shouted deafeningly.
“Don’t yap, let go first, don’t ruin her clothes.”
Qu Xingxuan wanted to protest, but he saw Li Xinze, so he obediently released the fat girl’s hem and said to Li Xinze, “Brother Li, watch her, don’t let her run.”
Li Xinze didn’t really want to deal with him, so he really didn’t.
But fortunately, the freed fat girl didn’t run and just stood there crying loudly.
Xuan Xia looked at the fat girl, then at Qu Xingxuan, telling him to explain the situation.
Qu Xingxuan said angrily, “She smashed my phone screen. I asked her to compensate, and she turns around and plays the victim. Isn’t that infuriating!”
He raised his other hand; the phone screen in it was indeed cracked like a spiderweb.
Xuan Xia wondered if that was the case with the fat girl, but the fat girl’s tear glands were overactive, still not stopping.
She hesitated, then asked the two guys beside her if they had tissues to pass to the girl.
In the end, it was Qu Xingxuan, with an expression worse than death, who pulled tissues from his pocket.
“Don’t cry anymore.” Xuan Xia handed the tissues to the fat girl and said, “You should recognize me, right? We’re from the same company. If what he said earlier isn’t right, you can tell your side; I promise not to take sides.”
“I didn’t lie!” Qu Xingxuan jumped up.
Xuan Xia put her hand to her lips, shushing him.
He was shouting the loudest.
