CH 21

Although Qi Sheng said he would treat Zheng Baozhu to dinner, but she wasn't sure if she would have time tonight.

Yesterday, she received her first acting gig, and the notification to join the rehearsal was for 4:00 PM. Zheng Baozhu had never attended rehearsals this late; usually, she would finish by the evening if she went early in the morning. Today might end up being a late night for her.

She asked Qi Sheng to reschedule the dinner for tomorrow and then took a cab to the film studio.

On the way, Zheng Baozhu was still wondering about the nature of this production. Why would they assemble so late? Upon arriving at the hotel where they did makeup, she finally understood that it was a horror film production!

She never imagined she would be so unlucky that she would land a minor role in a horror film! And it was one of those Chinese-style horror movies, the type she feared the most! Even the actor who had special effects makeup scared her so much last time that she got fired from the set.

The film they were about to shoot was titled [Wedding Feast]. Zheng Baozhu would be playing a guest attending a banquet, but before the banquet ended, she would meet a chilling fate.

Perhaps to set the mood for the actors, the staff had been intentionally or unintentionally discussing the old mansion where they were filming. According to them, previous crews that shot there had encountered strange occurrences.

Zheng Baozhu's heart raced when she heard this and couldn't help but ask, "What kind of strange occurrences?"

The makeup artist surnamed Zhang hesitated for a moment and then sighed, "Forget it, I shouldn't scare you."

Zheng Baozhu: "..."

Now she was even more scared!

After getting into character, the sky outside had turned dark. This time, she didn't have to take a bus with other extras to the filming location; the crew arranged a separate car to transport the featured actors to and from the site.

The upgraded treatment for being a featured actor brought a little relief to Zheng Baozhu's nerves.

On the way, she distracted herself by taking selfies with her phone. Her role today was that of a Republican-era university student, and the hairstylist gave her two braids, making her look innocent and pure.

Upon arriving at the filming location, Zheng Baozhu immediately spotted the old mansion that the makeup artist had mentioned earlier. It was already quite dark outside, but the set didn't have many lights on, leaving the mansion silently standing in the night, looking eerie.

Dry ice machines were also prepared on set, likely to create a foggy atmosphere later.

Zheng Baozhu's nerves were on edge; it felt like she had stepped into a highly realistic escape room.

Summoning up courage, Zheng Baozhu went to the wardrobe truck and collected her outfit—a short top paired with long bottoms, complemented by a pair of black leather shoes, giving her a complete student look. After changing into the costume, Zheng Baozhu noticed that the crew's suona team had also arrived, and there were plenty of paper money and white wax candles prepared on the scene...

Suddenly, making money from this gig seemed less appealing.

"Let's have a meal first, and after that, we'll start shooting," the crew's staff pushed the boxed lunches over. Zheng Baozhu chased after them and got one. Whether it was because of the special treatment for featured actors or because the crew sympathized with the trauma she was about to experience on set, this boxed lunch was the most luxurious one she had ever had since she started as an extra...

And this made her feel even more uneasy!

After finishing the meal, Zheng Baozhu was called over to start shooting. The set lights were really bright and expertly positioned, creating an unsettling atmosphere in the composition. Although the scene was set at a wedding banquet, there were white lanterns hanging around instead of the typical red ones...

Zheng Baozhu and a few other actors followed the director's instructions and sat down at their designated spots, pretending to eat. Everything was going smoothly, and suddenly, the main light on set went out without any warning, plunging the scene into darkness. At the same time, the sound of loud suona instruments came from the courtyard, and paper money rained down from the night sky.

Zheng Baozhu was left stunned.

Several extras were scared and ran out when the lights went off. Everyone looked genuinely terrified. The director's voice came from the side, "Great, this shot was perfect, everyone's reaction was so real."

Zheng Baozhu: "......"

Yes, the reaction was so real that she almost lost it.

After the main light went out, it never came back on. The scene was illuminated only by two dim lights and the white lanterns hanging inside the house. Zheng Baozhu's scenes were not finished yet; she had to deliver lines when the bride appeared.

As they were getting ready, the bride was brought out, supported by two maids with eerie makeup. Just one glance at that scene from a distance gave Zheng Baozhu a bone-chilling feeling. She knew she had to face them directly and deliver her lines...

She thought she had never experienced anything as intense even in the escape room missions she participated in. :)

With the actors in their positions, the director quickly started shooting again. The bride suddenly appeared in the courtyard after the paper money was scattered, and no one knew where she came from. She wore a red veil on her head, stood on tiptoes, and her posture looked extremely peculiar.

Zheng Baozhu's heart kept pounding. The makeup on the two maids was so terrifying that it triggered a psychological fear in her. Nevertheless, when the director signaled her to go up, she could only muster the courage to step forward.

"Wen Wen!" She rushed forward, holding the bride's hand and shaking it hard. "I'm Xiao Ling, do you remember me? Why did you suddenly stop coming to school? You never mentioned anything about getting married!"

While speaking, the two maids kept staring at her, their faces lifeless and devoid of any expression. Zheng Baozhu didn't dare to look at them. After delivering her lines, the two maids received instructions from the director and approached her, one on each side, lifting Zheng Baozhu and dragging her away from the courtyard.

"Let go of me!" Zheng Baozhu struggled as she was dragged out of the frame.

"Cut! Let's redo the shot with her being dragged away!"

Zheng Baozhu: "......"

After today's shoot, the director might discover that each of his featured actors had changed into two people because they "cracked" open. :)

Zheng Baozhu's scenes were completed before 8:30 PM. The director didn't keep her waiting on set and he let her go home directly.

This turned out to be an unexpected delight for Zheng Baozhu. She started work at 4 o'clock today, and by 8:30 PM, they were already done! If it weren't for the terrifying scenes they shot, she would consider it a perfect day!

She was given a separate car to go back to, which would take her directly to Starlight Farm. During the ride, the driver played a few festive songs, trying to wash away the memories of the set.

She really didn't want to have nightmares tonight. Help!

As they were approaching Starlight Farm, the car stopped at a junction, waiting for the traffic light. The car was still playing [Good Fortune Comes], sounding lively and festive. Zheng Baozhu adjusted her hair and caught a glimpse of Qu Zhi through the rearview mirror.

He must have just finished work. This road was a must-pass route from the Science and Technology Park to the hotel. When Zheng Baozhu saw him, he was moving several shared bicycles parked on the blind road to the designated parking area behind.

Zheng Baozhu was stunned for a moment. It was already pitch-dark outside, and this area was not in the city center. At this time, there weren't many people on the road. Why was Qu Zhi performing here? Who was he doing this for?

There were three bicycles parked on the blind road and Qu Zhi was moving them one by one. When the car Zheng Baozhu was in drove away, he was arranging the last one. Zheng Baozhu turned her head, watching Qu Zhi's figure getting smaller through the car window.

Back at the hotel, Zheng Baozhu applied a face mask and took a bath before crawling into bed. She thought she would keep thinking about the paper money, the bride, and the eerie maids from the set. But once she lay down, she realized that she couldn't stop thinking about Qu Zhi?

It wasn't her fault; it was because Qu Zhi was too strange! He was actually clearing the blind road? Had he gone bad by maintaining his set persona for so long?

Zheng Baozhu tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. Qu Zhi's image haunted her mind and wouldn't leave.

...Forget it. Zheng Baozhu forced a smile, thinking that it was better to think about Qu Zhi than the eerie maids from the set.

That night, Zheng Baozhu indeed had a nightmare and couldn't escape it. Since she couldn't sleep well at night, she stayed in bed longer and didn't wake up until 10 o'clock. She didn't have any work to attend today and didn't need to go to the Film and Television City.

When she went downstairs, Qi Sheng was already there, testing the robot. Xiao Yu came over and smiled, "Miss Baozhu, Mr. Qi said the robot can be put to use today. I tried it myself just now, it's so much fun!"

Zheng Baozhu smiled and walked over to take a look at the cute robot, its appearance and the childlike voice used in the speech system made it even more endearing.

"It's basically ready now, it can officially start working today," Qi Sheng said to Zheng Baozhu, "If you encounter any issues during use, you can contact me."

"Okay," Zheng Baozhu nodded, "How about this, I will have little guy send me my lunch today at noon?"

"Sure!" Xiao Yu immediately agreed, "I'll have it send the lunch to you at lunchtime!"

Qi Sheng tidied up his things and asked Zheng Baozhu, "Miss Baozhu, have you decided where to go for dinner tonight?"

Zheng Baozhu thought for a moment and said, "You've all been eating at my place lately and you might be tired of it. Let's go to a different restaurant tonight."

"Alright, where do you want to go?"

Zheng Baozhu replied, "To my other restaurant."

Qi Sheng: "......"

Sure, that works.

As he was about to return to the company, a delivery guy came in holding a bouquet of flowers. Qi Sheng paused for a moment, looking curious. The delivery guy held the flowers and said to the receptionist, "This is for Ms. Zheng Baozhu."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Baozhu raised her eyebrows slightly in surprise, "For me?"

The delivery guy looked at her and asked, "Are you Ms. Zheng Baozhu?"

"Yes, the flowers are for me?"

"Yes, please sign your name here."

Zheng Baozhu signed her name on the receipt and took the flowers. There was a small card on the bouquet, and she picked it up to read. It had something written on it, signed by Tan Yao.

Zheng Baozhu: "......"

Tan Yao had been showing up at Starlight Farm a lot lately. He said it was because the end of the year was busy at the company and his father kept him tied to work. His presence didn't have much to do with Zheng Baozhu, anyway; whether he stayed in the room here or not, he still had to pay for it on time.

What she didn't expect was that despite being tied to work, he still found the opportunity to send her a bouquet of flowers.

Xiao Yu curiously craned her neck, wanting to see what was written on the card. Qi Sheng also stood beside her curiously and asked with a smile, "The flowers are beautiful. Who sent them to you?"

Zheng Baozhu replied, "Tan Yao."

Upon hearing Tan Yao's name, Xiao Yu immediately made a teasing comment, "Mr. Tan Yao again? I told you, he must be interested in you!"

Zheng Baozhu glanced at her and was about to take the flowers upstairs, "Alright, stop guessing randomly. Maybe he just likes sending flowers to people? Please remind me to have the robot bring my lunch later, I want to try it."

"...Okay," Xiao Yu replied, but couldn't help but worry about Qu Zhi again.

Not only Xiao Yu was worried, but Qi Sheng also felt concerned. When he returned to the company, he told Qu Zhi about Tan Yao sending flowers to Zheng Baozhu, "When I was leaving the hotel just now, I saw Tan Yao send Miss Baozhu a big bouquet of roses! Even the receptionist noticed that he's interested in her."

Qu Zhi was currently testing the robot's obstacle avoidance ability with his colleagues. Upon hearing Qi Sheng's words, he paused slightly and then focused back on the robot, "Oh."

Qi Sheng approached him, asking, "Why aren't you worried at all?"

Qu Zhi replied, "I am worried. Professor Luo didn't give me much time left, so maybe you should leave the lab first?"

Qi Sheng: "......"

"No wonder Miss Baozhu isn't interested in you. You're really wasting your looks," Qi Sheng shook his head and sighed as he walked out of the lab.

Qu Zhi's gaze flickered as he lowered his head to record the data on the form.

In the evening, Qi Sheng left work before Qu Zhi. He went directly to Zheng Baozhu and suggested going to a restaurant in the city together. Zheng Baozhu had been shuttling between the Film and Television City and Starlight Farm, and at this moment, she realized that she hadn't been to the city for a long time!

The last time, Bunny's store called and said they had new arrivals, she hadn't found time to go and see!

After dinner, she might as well go shopping at Starlight Department Store.

"Oh, by the way, I also invited Old Qu, but he has been working overtime recently, so I don't know if he can make it today," Qi Sheng mentioned to Zheng Baozhu as he sat in the front passenger seat.

Hearing Qu Zhi's name and remembering last night's incident, Zheng Baozhu nodded and glanced at Qi Sheng in the rearview mirror, "Qi Sheng, you and Qu Zhi attended the same university, right?"

"Yes, we had the same teacher, but I graduated two years earlier than him," Qi Sheng replied, feeling a bit puzzled. Why did Miss Baozhu suddenly inquire about Qu Zhi today? It seems that she's not completely disinterested in him!

Zheng Baozhu asked him, "So, what kind of person do you think Qu Zhi is?"

"Sharp-tongued, holds grudges, not easy to deal with," Qi Sheng said, "I used to think he was a Scorpio, but later found out he's actually a Virgo!"

Zheng Baozhu agreed with his assessment, "I think so too."

Qi Sheng glanced at her and added, "Of course, he also has his own good qualities. He's intelligent and patient, which makes him well-suited for research work."

Zheng Baozhu chuckled, "Research work can bring fame and recognition."

"It's not entirely like that. If he only wanted fame in academia, he wouldn't have returned to the country. Look at how much overtime he puts in every day; he's no different from an ordinary office worker," Qi Sheng admired Qu Zhi's dedication to research, "In fact, with his abilities, he could excel in many fields, but he chose to work on guide robots. He genuinely wants to do something for the people with disabilities."