The result of working too hard was that the next morning when Gu Chenyan left, Qiao Shu couldn’t get out of bed to send him to the airport.
He didn’t even know when Gu Chenyan left.
Qiao Shu: “…”
Rubbing his sore back, Qiao Shu looked at the note on the bedside table, emotions difficult to express.
【Take care of yourself】
These five short words made Qiao Shu’s nose a bit sour. Gu Chenyan had just left, and he was already thinking about him.
Qiao Shu suddenly regretted being too wild last night. Otherwise, he could have gotten up today to send Gu Chenyan to the airport.
But after regretting it for a while, Qiao Shu felt that if he hadn’t been wild last night, after sending Gu Chenyan off and coming back, he would probably regret not having a little fun on the last night.
Qiao Shu: “…”
A tangled choice.
After some contemplation, Qiao Shu thought that having a wild night was the more sensible option. So, his mood perked up again for making the right decision.
He lay in bed for a while, getting up only when he couldn’t bear the hunger in his stomach, and then he dressed.
His body had already been cleaned; Gu Chenyan had taken him to the bathroom to clean up last night.
Thinking about this, Qiao Shu smiled sweetly.
He had the hotel butler bring breakfast, and after freshening up, he sat at the dining table with his phone.
When Gu Chenyan was not around, Qiao Shu, who had a bit of an internet addiction, was accustomed to eating while checking his phone.
The message he sent to Yu Qiong last night received a reply only after eight in the morning.
Yu Qiong: Are you awake?
Yu Qiong: Call me when you wake up. We’ll discuss it in detail over the phone.
Yu Qiong: There have been some sudden changes in the company’s regulations. Be mentally prepared.
Qiao Shu blinked.
Looking at Yu Qiong’s messages, he suddenly had a bad feeling.
He quickly finished a bowl of porridge, took a few bites of pickled vegetables, and then made the call.
Yu Qiong answered quickly.
Yu Qiong: “Qiao Shu, it’s bad news.”
Qiao Shu’s heart skipped a beat, and he cautiously asked, “Sister Qiong, what bad news?”
Yu Qiong: “You know about the recent change in leadership at the company, right?”
Qiao Shu: “I know.”
Not long after Qiao Shu joined the “Sword of the Martial World” drama crew, there was a sudden change in the company’s top management. The original boss fell ill and went abroad for treatment, leaving the company under the management of his son.
With such a significant event, Qiao Shu naturally heard about it.
Yu Qiong’s tone was somewhat grim: “The new boss held an impromptu meeting last night and made some changes to the company’s regulations.”
“One of them is that artists cannot date or get married during the contract period.”
Qiao Shu: “???”
“I remember it wasn’t written in the contract. Isn’t this a violation of the contract by the new boss?”
Yu Qiong: “Yes.”
“But the company finds it easy to deal with artists who don’t comply.”
“Currently, in the company, there’s more than just you who is in a non-public relationship. One of the almost first-tier actresses is Han Xiaxia. She originally planned to register her marriage with her boyfriend next year.”
The Big Star Entertainment company where Qiao Shu is doesn’t hold much sway in the industry. The previous boss was a respected and senior artist in the industry.
Because the old boss had experienced the hardships of being an actor and had been exploited by the company before, when he established Big Star Entertainment, he set relatively lenient terms. This resulted in the company adopting a more relaxed attitude, and as a consequence, its development was quite laissez-faire.
As a result, the company currently has only one first-tier artist, who is in a semi-retired state.
Han Xiaxia’s almost first-tier status in the company definitely holds weight.
Yu Qiong: “Han Xiaxia is not in the company, but her situation is known to her manager. Last night, things didn’t go well. There was an argument between the two sides and Han Xiaxia even called threatening to terminate the contract. In the end, they compromised, and the regulation changed to not allowing the public disclosure of dating or marriage status to fans.”
Qiao Shu: “…”
Yu Qiong: “The new boss plans to follow the strategy of flow companies, focusing on promoting artists with high popularity in the company’s future development.”
When Yu Qiong initially entered the entertainment industry as a manager, her goal was to nurture outstanding artists rather than those with mere superficial popularity.
Apart from this, many other rules have been changed, almost contradicting the original intentions of the old boss.
However, this is not what angers Yu Qiong the most.
The most infuriating part is that the new boss directly hinted during the meeting that they should arrange for their artists to find wealthy sponsors.
This is basically asking them to act as pimps! Engaging in the disgusting business of procuring clients!
After the meeting, still filled with anger, Yu Qiong learned from several colleagues that in the days since the new boss took office, several artists in the company had already been subjected to unspoken rules.
Both men and women.
All of them succumbed to the temptation of interests, being naive and young.
Finally, Yu Qiong said, “Qiao Shu, put your matter on hold for now. To avoid the company finding out and targeting you, it’s not wise to confront them now, especially after the new boss was embarrassed by Han Xiaxia last night. A few managers on our side are currently trying to contact the old boss.”
Qiao Shu: “Okay…”
After hanging up the phone, Qiao Shu felt a bit down.
He had planned to surprise Gu Chenyan publicly, but how did the company suddenly change its direction?
This part is not covered in the novel, as it primarily focuses on Jiang Jiayu, and while Jiang Jiayu and the original main character are friends, they work in different companies.
As for terminating the contract…
Even though Qiao Shu acquired a 5% stake in the Gu’s Group after marriage, the termination fees still made him, a former commoner, feel distressed. Moreover, Yu Qiong and the others are still working hard.
So…
Let’s wait and see.
Feeling a bit unhappy, Qiao Shu opened Gu Chenyan’s WeChat, scrolling through their past chat records. After reviewing them, his mood improved.
Qiao Shu: Have you arrived in Haicheng?
Qiao Shu: I’ve had breakfast. Take care of yourself in Haicheng too.
Qiao Shu: (Piggy hug)
Estimating that Gu Chenyan might be busy and hasn’t replied, Qiao Shu tapped the screen.
Then he sat there lost in thought.
During lunch, Gu Chenyan still hadn’t replied. Qiao Shu pouted and dialed the director’s number.
The mealtime in the “Sword of the Martial World” crew was always fixed because the director believed that without a full stomach, they wouldn’t have the energy to shoot good scenes. Especially with the addition of a skilled chef to the crew.
The director answered promptly.
Qiao Shu: “Director, it’s me, Qiao Shu.”
Director: “Qiao Shu, how’s your recovery going?”
Qiao Shu: “I’m already well. I want to return to the crew early. I can set off for the set this afternoon.”
Previously, the director felt guilty and granted Qiao Shu a week off. Even Tang Ting, who had more scenes than him, got two days off to adjust after that particular scene.
The director was delighted: “Perfect timing!”
Qiao Shu: “???”
The director: “Before, both I and Screenwriter Xu felt that the mountain village scenes here weren’t perfect enough. We were struggling with how to improve it. The night before last, Screenwriter Xu had a dream, and when he woke up, he was bursting with inspiration. He modified the script yesterday, adding several scenes for you. If you hadn’t mentioned it, I was about to call you back.”
Qiao Shu smiled: “That works out well.”
The director continued: “But you need to be prepared. Two of the added scenes are high-difficulty fight scenes. The original night scenes are also changed to rain-night fight scenes.”
Qiao Shu joked: “Don’t worry, this time I’ve prepared 999 Cold Medicine.”
The director also laughed: “Alright, come back this afternoon, and then take some time to go through the new script.”
“I’ll rearrange the scenes here.”
The car for the journey had been arranged by Gu Chenyan long ago. Ou Yinan and Lu Yue, holding Qiao Shu’s luggage, joined him in the car heading towards the set.
The crew was currently located in a somewhat remote mountain village on the outskirts of Yancheng. The road conditions there were not great, but thanks to the well-performing car arranged by Gu Chenyan, Qiao Shu suffered much less. However, getting out of the car still made him a bit dizzy.
Lu Yue: “Qiao Qiao, have some water to ease yourself.”
Qiao Shu nodded.
He took the thermos flask opened by Lu Yue and drank some warm water, feeling somewhat relieved.
The three of them walked towards the village together.
The village was called Gu Village, and fittingly, it had a long history. The buildings were old-fashioned, making it a perfect setting for filming ancient villages.
There were few young people in the village, mostly elderly and children. Ou Yinan found an elderly villager to ask for directions, and they headed toward the location of the film crew.
“Camera! Camera! Keep up!”
“The horse ran away!”
“Start over!”
Even before getting close, Qiao Shu and the others heard the director shouting loudly through a megaphone and the sound of horses neighing.
As they gradually approached and saw dozens of black-clad individuals riding horses, Qiao Shu understood which scene was being filmed.
The male lead discovered collusion between the first mountain villa and the demonic cult. He infiltrated the first mountain villa to find evidence but was discovered by the villa’s master, who had long been aware and was setting up a trap.
The male lead fell into the trap and almost lost his life, but was rescued by the female lead who arrived in time. The two quickly escaped and were pursued by assassins from the first mountain villa and members of the demonic cult along the way. Eventually, both were seriously injured and exhausted, collapsing in a forest. They were then picked up by a hunter from a nearby mountain village.
This scene was the later part where the demonic cult finds them and massacres the village.
As it involved a large cast and many horses, the difficulty of shooting was quite high.
The three stood in a corner and waited for over an hour. As the evening approached, the scene of the demonic cult entering the village finally concluded.
Qiao Shu approached: “Director.”
The director, busy reviewing the shooting effects, looked up: “You’re here.”
“Wait for me for two minutes.”
The director watched the footage repeatedly, ensuring there were no other issues, and then waved to call over a staff member.
Director: “Xiao Qiao, you go with him to the village and get settled. Come over to me and screenwriter Xu during dinner. We’ll discuss the scenes. Go back to ponder on it tonight, and we’ll start shooting tomorrow.”
Qiao Shu: “Okay.”
Filming in the village meant staying in the old houses there. Most of them were built with stones and mud, with only a few houses made of bricks.
The villagers preferred not to rent out the brick houses, so the entire crew stayed in those old houses.
The crew only did a simple cleaning of the houses. If they wanted to be comfortable, they had to clean it thoroughly themselves.
Ou Yinan went to fetch water, while Lu Yue found a cloth to wipe the house. Both insisted that Qiao Shu shouldn’t do any work, so he decided to grab the script and read while sitting aside.
Soon, it was dinner time.
Qiao Shu asked Ou Yinan and Lu Yue to stop, and the three of them went to have dinner together.
The chef team’s skills were as excellent as always, and the crew members were as excited as if they had taken chicken blood when mealtime arrived.
Tang Ting and Cheng Yunchuan saw Qiao Shu approaching and waved, inviting him to join them.
Tang Ting: “Qiao Qiao, why did you come back early? You only rested for a few days.”
Cheng Yunchuan also expressed concern: “How’s your recovery? You scared us that day.”
Qiao Shu smiled: “I’m doing well.”
“Everyone’s here.” The director walked in from outside, approached the three, and naturally took a seat at their table. “Wait for screenwriter Xu to come, and we’ll discuss together. This time, it’s mainly about revealing the details of your characters naturally in the scenes.”
The new scenes were not complicated. After a meal and more than half an hour later, they finished discussing. The director then took Tang Ting and Cheng Yunchuan to continue shooting night scenes.
Qiao Shu returned to the temporary residence.
“Qiao Qiao.” Lu Yue, who had returned early to continue cleaning, came back with a troubled expression, “There’s no shower here, and the toilet is the old kind.”
Qiao Shu was puzzled, “The old kind?”
Lu Yue explained, “Just… there’s no toilet.”
Qiao Shu: “…”
It was almost similar to the situation back in the deep mountains, except now they had a house and beds. Going from luxury to simplicity was easy, but the reverse was challenging. Fortunately, Qiao Shu had a good mindset. Although he had just come out of a luxurious hotel, he quickly accepted this setting.
Until bedtime, Qiao Shu didn’t receive a reply from Gu Chenyan.
Qiao Shu: “Is he so busy?”
He felt a bit concerned.
Qiao Shu: Even if work is busy, you should pay attention to rest.
Qiao Shu: Good night.
The messages were sent.
Late at night.
The phone placed under Qiao Shu’s pillow vibrated, but in his deep sleep, he remained unaware.
In the darkness, Qiao Shu pursed his lips, wrapped in a heavy blanket, and turned over with some difficulty.
Haicheng.
Gu’s Group.
Gu Chenyan finished the last meeting and returned to his office, looking weary and dusty. In this deserted moment, a hint of fatigue was evident between his brows.
Originally intending to continue dealing with a few documents, he noticed a familiar gift box on the sofa as he entered the office.
Chen Wenyuan came in with a cup of coffee.
Noticing where Gu Chenyan’s gaze fell, he said considerately, “Do you want to send it to Young Master Qiao?”
The gift was the game console Gu Chenyan bought for Qiao Shu in Qingcheng. He had forgotten about it that day due to rushing off to Yancheng, but the driver eventually found it. Chen Wenyuan had Secretary Wu retrieve it and place it in Gu Chenyan’s office.
Gu Chenyan: “No need.”
“I’ll send it over next time.”
He withdrew his gaze and walked to his desk. As he turned on his computer, his hand hesitated briefly before he took out his phone.
The phone, silenced and forgotten amidst a day of meetings, saw the light of day again.
Skipping over the unimportant missed calls and messages, Gu Chenyan opened WeChat. With a glance, he found the chat box with Qiao Shu.
Looking at the messages, Gu Chenyan’s lips curved into a relaxed smile.
His slender fingers tapped on the phone screen.
Gu Chenyan: Okay.
Gu Chenyan: Qiao Shu, good night.
Gu Chenyan: (Piggy Hug)
Author’s Note:
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution for me between 01:22:14 on 2021-01-24 and 04:06:46 on 2021-01-25~
Thanks to the angels irrigating nutrient solution: Memories of Summer 50 bottles; yunn 20 bottles; Mushroom Su 10 bottles; Little Zhang is also very bad today. 6 bottles; Super obedient me 5 bottles; Silent at the Edge of the Leaves 3 bottles; Little Yingying, Ran. 2 bottles; Youkai Nettle, Night Spirit Snow, Strawberry Ice Sand without Ice, I am, Decayed Clothes 1 bottle;
Thank you all very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!
⌈Weekend chapters: 0⌉ ⌊Progress: 1/2 ⌋
