CH 25

In the entertainment industry, being a "second-generation star" is no longer a novel concept. The sons, brothers, and sisters of certain famous individuals continue to emerge, and unless you achieve more fame than those famous figures, the label of being someone's son, brother, or sister will follow you forever.

Zheng Baozhu hoped that in the future, when people mention or introduce her, they won't think of her as "Su Ming's niece".

When Qu Zhi heard this, he slightly tightened his grip on her injured ankle, and then said with a light smile, "You have integrity."

"Of course," Zheng Baozhu elegantly reclined on the sofa and started envisioning her future. "Think about it, once I become even more famous than my aunt, people won't call me Su Ming's niece. They will introduce me as 'Zheng Baozhu's aunt'. A complete reversal, isn't it exciting?"

"..."

Qu Zhi remained silent for a moment, "Yes, who said that a sparrow cannot aspire to be a phoenix."

"..."

Zheng Baozhu raised the back of her hand and playfully tapped Qu Zhi's arm, "Who are you calling a sparrow?"

Qu Zhi smiled and stepped back without answering. Zheng Baozhu looked at the seemingly hidden smile on his face and suddenly felt a bit uneasy, "Qu Zhi, just be honest with me, what kind of big move are you planning?"

Qu Zhi looked at her and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Don't pretend," Zheng Baozhu fixed her gaze on him, "You carried me up to my room and applied medicine, and considering your recent behavior, I have reasons to suspect that you are planning something big. If you have a move, just show it to me, stop scaring me like this."

Qu Zhi loosened his grip, looked at her, and a hint of annoyance showed between his slightly furrowed eyebrows, "Zheng Baozhu, it's true that we've never gotten along since we were young, but think about it, every time you were in trouble, did I not help you?"

"Um..." Zheng Baozhu was momentarily speechless. Qu Zhi was right; he had always been there to help her in difficult situations. After all, he was the one who scared away the little dog that was frightening her.

Wait a minute... Zheng Baozhu suddenly remembered something, "Back then, when I was two yuan short in buying those fish, you didn't lend me the money!"

Qu Zhi raised an eyebrow, "I told you at that time those little fish were dyed artificially and wouldn't survive for long. Some unscrupulous shopowners thought of this idea to deceive elementary school students."

"I don't care about that. Anyway, you didn't lend me the money!"

"Heh, if I had lent it to you, you would have blamed me when the fish died."

Zheng Baozhu: "..."

That was undoubtedly true. She would have definitely held him responsible if the fish died.

Awkwardly clearing her throat, Zheng Baozhu glanced at Qu Zhi beside her, "But you dare to say that in front of the shopowner without fear of getting beaten."

Qu Zhi replied, "I'm just a primary school student. If he had beaten me in front of a bunch of students and parents at the school gate, he would have completely ruined his business."

"..."

Zheng Baozhu fell silent. So, primary school students were this powerful? Then she should have told the shopowner back then, 'I'm a primary school student, so you should give it to me for free! And buy me an ice cream too!'

"Okay, don't get your feet wet tonight, and don't walk too much these two days," Qu Zhi closed the bottle of medicine and stood up from the sofa, "I'll head back now."

"Okay," Zheng Baozhu nodded and thanked him, "Thanks."

Qu Zhi responded with a low "Hmm" and picked up his coat before leaving Zheng Baozhu's room. After he left, Zheng Baozhu raised her right foot and tested it slightly. It seemed to be much better than before.

The medicine worked well.

Wearing slippers, she hobbled to the wardrobe and changed her clothes, then freshened up a bit before lying down on the bed to rest.

Her phone, placed on the bedside table, lit up. Zheng Baozhu picked it up and checked it.

Wow, Cen Tingting had been sending messages for the past hour and even made two phone calls in between.

"..."

Zheng Baozhu glanced at the incoming messages and replied with a slight exasperation, "Aren't you active enough in the CP group? Why not just leave it altogether?"

Cen Tingting: You finally replied! My goodness, how long has it been! Is it even useful for you to reply now? Everything that needed to be done has been done!

"..."

She couldn't quite understand what Cen Tingting was saying.

Zheng Baozhu: I put the phone on silent on the set; I forgot to switch it back. I haven't seen any messages.

Cen Tingting: So, what were you two doing just now?

Zheng Baozhu: I twisted my foot, Qu Zhi helped me apply some medicine.

Cen Tingting: Just that? Is Qu Zhi not capable enough?

Zheng Baozhu: ...

She couldn't figure out whether Cen Tingting wanted to eat her keyboard or not.

Zheng Baozhu: Going to bed early tonight. 

Cen Tingting: Are you sleeping alone or with someone else?

Zheng Baozhu: ...With my big bunny doll :)

After sending this message, Zheng Baozhu put her phone on [Do Not Disturb] mode and covered herself with the blanket to sleep.

The next day, the supporting actors were set to assemble at 8 AM. Zheng Baozhu naturally took a taxi to the location. Her makeup was the same as the day before, but she didn't have to dance anymore. Zheng Baozhu had a leisurely day, sitting in the resting area most of the time, wrapped in her down jacket. She only went out to shoot a scene or two when required.

Staying on the set, Zheng Baozhu had nothing else to do, so she casually scrolled through Weibo, played some games, and checked her friends' updates when needed.

Qu Zhi's moments were posted out of boredom.

His moments had no creativity, always filled with pictures of his beloved plants. Zheng Baozhu opened the photos and enlarged them. Surprisingly, he took good care of them. They had bought these plants together at the flower market. Zheng Baozhu's money plant was barely holding on, but Qu Zhi's Chinese money plant looked flourishing.

...Indeed, the Chinese money plant was way more impressive than the money plant!

She closed the pictures and noticed her mother's avatar appearing below Qu Zhi's moments, indicating she liked it.

Zheng Baozhu smiled.

Then she watched as the two of them shared their new planting experiences in the comments.

...While Zheng Baozhu silently criticized them, she copied their words into the notes app, planning to save her struggling money plant.

When it was getting dark, the director released Zheng Baozhu. She happily packed her things and waited outside for the crew's car to pick her up. While standing there, a man wearing a black down jacket and a black mask approached her. Zheng Baozhu glanced at him and then looked down at her phone.

"I'm the director of [New Moon Wuxin Sword]. Are you interested in auditioning for our crew?" The man spoke, sounding quite young.

Zheng Baozhu was somewhat surprised as, during her time at the Film and Television City, many people had come up to her with various claims. Some said they were assistant casting directors for a crew, some said they were from a talent agency, and some even claimed to be talent scouts. In this place, there were all kinds of people, so Zheng Baozhu had learned to be cautious and refused those who seemed unreliable.

But this man was different—his confidence stood out!

Among all the people who approached Zheng Baozhu, the most boastful were those who claimed to be casting directors, and their crews were relatively unknown small productions that Zheng Baozhu had never heard of. However, this man directly introduced himself as the director, and he mentioned the movie name, [New Moon Wuxin Sword].

Even if one didn't watch Wuxia dramas, they would have definitely heard of this name. Since the 1980s, this work had been repeatedly remade, and many well-known actors had played its roles. Even Zheng Baozhu's aunt, Su Ming, had played the lead role in one of its versions.

While it may not be the most classic version, it was indeed a significant one. Even to this day, whenever this work was mentioned, it was impossible to avoid referring to Su Ming's version.

This young man actually approached her with such a big opportunity?

Zheng Baozhu couldn't help but wonder if he was too amazing.

"Are you interested?" The man asked again when Zheng Baozhu remained silent, "Although the main roles have already been cast, we are still recruiting actors for some supporting roles."

Zheng Baozhu tilted her head and rubbed her reddening nose due to the cold, "Are you serious?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" The man seemed to suddenly realize something, "You don't think I'm a scammer, do you?"

"Oh no, of course not," Zheng Baozhu laughed twice, "It's just that there are quite a few scammers around here, and you seem so young..."

"Aren't you young too? Can't young people be directors?"

"Well, that's true."

"Let's exchange contact information then," The man took out his phone, "Send me your actor profile, and once the audition schedule is confirmed, I'll notify you."

"Okay," Zheng Baozhu thought that adding each other on WeChat was no big deal. Since the existence of WeChat, she had come across men asking to add each other for various reasons.

Perhaps this person just wanted to connect via WeChat?

Ah... is this what they call a modern-day dilemma?

After scanning his WeChat, she casually asked, "For casting supporting roles, does the director have to personally handle it?"

"I didn't come here specifically to look for actors. I just happened to see you while meeting someone else," the man said.

"I see," Zheng Baozhu replied. The man left after saying that.

On her way back, she checked the director's moments. It seemed all related to the preparations for the drama and didn't look like those of a scammer. While scrolling, she noticed he had posted a new status.

Gao Boyun: To prove that I'm not a scammer, here's a photo. [Image]

The photo was a picture of him with Lin Ziqin, probably taken just now on the set.

Zheng Baozhu lightly raised her eyebrows as she thought about his earlier comment about meeting someone. Did he mean he met Lin Ziqin?

After some consideration, she sent a private message to Gao Boyun.

Zheng Baozhu: Director Gao, I also took photos with Lin Ziqin. [Image]

Zheng Baozhu: We can take a photo together too. [Picking Nose]

Gao Boyun: ...

After a while, Gao Boyun sent the chat record between himself and Lin Ziqin to Zheng Baozhu. He only shared the part that didn't involve Lin Ziqin's private matters. Zheng Baozhu took a look and found that Gao Boyun had shown the photo they took together to Lin Ziqin, and surprisingly, Lin Ziqin remembered it.

Zheng Baozhu: Director Gao, there's no need to do this. I believe you.

Gao Boyun: Heh, aren't you worried that the Lin Ziqin on the other side is fake?

Zheng Baozhu: [Picture]

Zheng Baozhu: I just searched your name online, and it's clearly stated in the encyclopedia!

Gao Boyun: ...Oh.

Zheng Baozhu smiled, realizing that chatting with young people should be more relaxed. After looking up Gao Boyun's information, she understood how he was able to become the director of [New Moon Wuxin Sword] at such a young age.

The reason was simple: his father was the renowned director Gao Tianming. :)

Now, not only were there second-generation stars in the entertainment industry, but second-generation directors were also starting to emerge.

However, Gao Boyun couldn't be considered a newcomer; he had previously directed a web drama. Though the production had limited investment, it still made some waves online. Perhaps because he delivered a decent performance despite the low budget, his father gave him the opportunity for this new take on a big IP.

[New Moon Wuxin Sword] was undoubtedly a major IP with its inherent popularity. Just by shooting the drama, it would attract attention—both criticism and praise. Such projects are generally out of reach for ordinary people. It was apparent that Gao Boyun secured this project with his father's support. Moreover, the drama had a significant investment, and Gao Boyun was likely there to discuss the male lead role with Lin Ziqin.

If he could secure Lin Ziqin, Young Director Gao could be considered to have a bright future ahead.

After confirming the legitimacy of the project and the director, Zheng Baozhu naturally began to take this opportunity seriously. Even though only a few supporting roles were left, transitioning from an extra to a supporting role represented a qualitative leap! Not to mention that this was [New Moon Wuxin Sword]!

Zheng Baozhu felt that her previous actor profile might be a bit outdated, so she had a new one professionally taken, which she then sent to Gao Boyun.

Gao Boyun: I thought you wouldn't send it to me. [Picking Nose]

Zheng Baozhu: I updated my profile! Yesterday's data can no longer match the present me!

Gao Boyun: ...Okay.

Zheng Baozhu: Thank you, Director Gao, for giving me this opportunity!

Gao Boyun: ...Young people are indeed adaptable. 

Zheng Baozhu: 

"Miss Baozhu!" Liang Huihui ran over to Zheng Baozhu, who was sitting by the window, having lunch. Zheng Baozhu lifted her eyes from the phone screen to look at Liang Huihui, "What's up?"

Liang Huihui said cheerfully, "Didn't Xiao Yu help me put the necklace and scarf on the second-hand website for sale? Well, the necklace has been sold, and I've already received the money! It's over three thousand yuan!"

"Wow, that's great!"

"Hehe!" Liang Huihui smiled happily, "I thought about it; I didn't go to the group dinner last time. So this time, I'll treat everyone to a meal and karaoke! Are you available tonight?"

Zheng Baozhu nodded, "Yes."

"I'm not working the night shift tonight, so let's go tonight." Liang Huihui said, adding, "I've also invited Mr. Qu!"

Zheng Baozhu: "..."

Once she said that she knew this meal won't be just a simple one!

However, since Liang Huihui was treating, and she wanted to invite Qu Zhi, Zheng Baozhu couldn't object. Besides, with Qu Zhi's busy work schedule, he might not be able to attend.

However, Zheng Baozhu's hopes were destined to be dashed. At the dinner that evening, Qu Zhi appeared on time at the hotpot restaurant.

"..."

Zheng Baozhu looked at Qu Zhi sitting beside her and couldn't help but say, "I noticed that Dr. Qu's 'overtime' is very flexible. It's very considerate of them not to let you work overtime whenever someone invites you out."

"..."

Qu Zhi remained silent for a moment before saying, "We consider this as being flexible and adaptable."

"Heh," Zheng Baozhu smirked, waiting for the hotpot to start boiling. She couldn't help but notice how Liang Huihui had cleverly placed Qu Zhi next to her; it was as if she was fueling the CP fans' hearts.

"I've booked the KTV next to this hotpot place. Xiao Yu and the others sang here last time, and they said the sound system is excellent," Liang Huihui said while brushing the meat.

It had been a long time since Zheng Baozhu last sang karaoke, and the KTV Liang Huihui mentioned was a new one she hadn't been to yet. After brushing the meat, she said to Liang Huihui, "You should keep the money for yourself and use it for gatherings like this, going out to sing and eat with friends is great."

"Yeah!" Liang Huihui placed the brushed meat into a bowl, "I haven't heard Miss Baozhu sing yet, why don't you have a duet with Mr. Qu later!"

Zheng Baozhu & Qu Zhi: "..."

There's absolutely no need for that.