Extreme Pampering-Chapter 35 - Not painting landscapes or birds and
Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Not painting landscapes or birds and flowers, but painting her.
Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Not painting landscapes or birds and flowers, but painting her.
A few days later, Shen Zhiyi officially joined the crew. The crew had already been filming other characters’ parts before her arrival, so they concentrated all her scenes together. As a result, they needed to rush through these days. Fortunately, her grasp of the script was deep, and the filming went smoothly.
After a scene was finished, Meng Fansheng and the screenwriter started discussing the lines they had just shot. At that moment, the ordered lunch arrived, accompanied by Wang Feifei.
She took the initiative to greet everyone with a smile, “Today’s crew lunch is treated by Zhiyi. Zhiyi is inexperienced, so please everyone take good care of her.”
It was not uncommon for actors to treat the crew, but some recognized the logo on the lunch boxes and realized that the food came from a private kitchen that normally did not deliver. Understanding how pricey the meal was, everyone thanked her with smiles.
The portion delivered to Shen Zhiyi was different from the others’; she knew at a glance that the dishes were from the cook at Huating, and looked bewilderedly at Wang Feifei.
Wang Feifei blinked and explained softly, “He arranged it, your lunch was delivered from Huating.”
“He really cares about you enough to manage even these crew-treating details. Or is it that he has a reliable secretary?”
Wang Feifei chatted casually, but Shen Zhiyi felt troubled that Pei Yu cared so much. These many thoughtful details were hard not to overthink.
She stopped halfway through her thought. Maybe, as Wang Feifei said, it was all arranged by Secretary Qin.
If so, was Secretary Qin so proficient and thorough because he had done this many times before?
With her chopsticks suspended, Shen Zhiyi suddenly lost her appetite and decided not to think about it any further.
After spending most of the day on set, Director Meng treated her to a dinner in the evening, as a welcome for Shen Zhiyi, who hadn’t been able to make it on the first day of filming.
Although they had only worked together for one day, hearing is deceptive, seeing is believing, and everyone’s view of Shen Zhiyi started to change—after all, a low-maintenance colleague is a good colleague, right?
The dinner went on till late at night, with the atmosphere in the private room exceptionally lively. This was the first time Shen Zhiyi wasn’t ostracized. A slight smile touched her face—not that the crew members she had worked with before were particularly harsh, but back then she was tied down to Huo Heng with rumors flying everywhere. Many looked at her through prejudiced lenses. Given her minimal scenes, there was no time to understand each other, so she was merely nodding acquaintances with anyone.
“Zhiyi, there’s another dinner next door, Song Ran asked me to call you over to join. Will you go?”
Shen Zhiyi didn’t answer immediately, and the actress nodded in understanding, “Then I’ll decline for you, saying you can’t make it.”
She smiled, “Thank you.”
The actress waved it off, indicating it was nothing. She returned a while later with a displeased look, “Is Song Ran going crazy with drink? Why is she cursing people at random, it’s sick.”
Sure enough, it wasn’t long before Song Ran actually came over in a drunken frenzy, unable to be restrained by her friends.
“Shen Zhiyi, come out!”
People inside the room turned their heads as they watched. Director Meng, being older, had already returned to the hotel to rest, and the assistant director came out to mediate, sensing that the situation was not right.
Not wanting to involve others, Shen Zhiyi stood up, “Let’s talk outside.”
They didn’t go far, just stood in the corridor. Song Ran, probably truly drunk, didn’t pretend and asked directly, “Did you complain to Secretary Qin?”
“What?”
Shen Zhiyi hadn’t yet grasped which Secretary Qin she meant.
“Qin Fangru!”
Song Ran took a drag on her cigarette, irritated, “Xun Zhouxing was beaten into the hospital by his dad! They say it’s because he affected some business. What business can such a playboy affect? Isn’t it you who complained to Qin Fangru on purpose to screw him over?”
It was this kind of trouble again. Shen Zhiyi really felt her luck attracted trouble—why did every mess have to involve her?
“Song Ran, do you know what you’re saying?”
After a moment of silence, Song Ran cursed resentfully, “He stopped my card! He himself goes to the hospital and still has to mess with others, he’s taking it out on me!”
“That means you weren’t beaten enough,” Shen Zhiyi said tiredly, uninterested in probing what had happened to Xun Zhouxing. She warned Song Ran, “Whether it’s you or Xun Zhouxing, you both have nothing to do with me. Don’t bother me.”
“Then tell me,” Song Ran stared at her directly, “is your backer really Qin Fangru?”
“Do you know what you want to do?”
Shen Zhiyi looked at her indifferently, “Want to expose it? Or do you think that if I can hook up with Qin Fangru, you can too?”
Seeing through her, Song Ran stopped pretending and laughed tremblingly, “The latter, I suppose. I’m not any worse than you, am I?”
Those men play with women just for the novelty, right? If Shen Zhiyi could, so could she.
Shen Zhiyi also laughed, but it was a mocking laugh, “You and Xu Xia are truly cut from the same cloth.”
Even your thoughts and methods are the same.
Song Ran was stunned, “What do you mean?”
Why suddenly mention Xu Xia?
Shen Zhiyi didn’t want to elaborate, “Song Ran, I actually have a bad temper too. No matter what you do, don’t provoke me, okay?”
Her gaze was serene, her demeanor nonchalant, and her tone was not harsh, yet Song Ran felt regret and sobered up considerably.
“…I’m sorry.”
Shen Zhiyi walked past her and returned to the private room, smiling at everyone, “Shall we order more dishes?”
They continued until most people were drunk before they left. Xiaodong offered to take her back to the district where she rented, but Shen Zhiyi leaned from the backseat, “Let’s go back to Huating.”
The commute was time-consuming and inconvenient, but she still wanted to return to Huating.
When she arrived at Huating, it was indeed quite late. She was so sleepy she could barely keep her eyes open. After Shen Zhiyi had a glass of water in the kitchen, she went upstairs but inexplicably opened the door to the master bedroom.
The study was still lit, and Shen Zhiyi was more curious than before, “What are you doing?”
Pei Yu lifted his eyelids, not expecting her to come over. He was slightly startled before coming to his senses, covering the painting with Xuan paper and walking over to hug her, “I was just adding a few strokes.”
His body was warm, mixed with the faint scent of agarwood. Shen Zhiyi, embraced by him, naturally extended her arm around his neck, her eyes still on the desk, “Is it the same one you were painting at the vineyard a few days ago?”
“Yes.”
Pei Yu walked a few steps towards the bedroom, realizing something was amiss. He looked down and indeed met her gaze. She blinked, her curiosity apparent, “What have you painted?”
She liked fine-brush traditional Chinese painting, yet she had not expected Pei Yu to be skilled in it. Her curiosity piqued, she wondered if he had painted a landscape or birds and flowers.
Seeming hesitant, Pei Yu pursed his lips, “Want to see?”
Shen Zhiyi immediately nodded, then added, “If I’m allowed to see it.”
“There’s nothing you’re not allowed to see.”
With a tone of resignation, Pei Yu hugged her and went back, lifting the Xuan paper covering it, “It’s not finished yet.”
The black and white ink painting was simple in its lines, faintly outlining shapes on the paper.
It wasn’t a landscape or birds and flowers, it was a painting of her.
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