CH 40

Qu Zhi and Zheng Baozhu both turned to look in the direction of the voice. A young woman wearing camel-colored clothing, holding a small plate of fruits, looked at Qu Zhi with surprise.

She was beautiful and her makeup was well done. Qu Zhi didn't say anything, but Zheng Baozhu recognized her and called out, "Li Huixin?"

Li Huixin seemed to have just noticed that there was another person sitting here and looked over, "You are...?"

"..."

Zheng Baozhu fell silent for a moment, raised her lips slightly, and smiled, "I'm Zheng Baozhu. We were high school classmates."

"Oh... Zheng Baozhu, I didn't recognize you," Li Huixin also smiled, "I didn't realize it was you."

Zheng Baozhu smiled, "It's okay, you might have a bad memory. Also, the person across from me isn't Qu Zhi; you mistook him."

Li Huixin: "..."

Qu Zhi glanced at Zheng Baozhu in silence without saying anything. Li Huixin laughed twice, breaking the awkward atmosphere, "You're quite humorous, haha. How could I mistake Qu Zhi, our school's talented student?"

She casually placed the fruit plate on the table and looked at Qu Zhi, "When did you return to the country?"

Qu Zhi replied, "I came back not long ago."

"Why didn't you contact us, your old classmates?"

"Too busy."

The waiter came over to serve the dishes and said to Li Huixin, who was the person blocking the table, "Excuse me, could you move a bit? We need to serve the dishes here."

Li Huixin glanced at the dishes they ordered and smiled at Zheng Baozhu, "Please move inwards."

Zheng Baozhu smiled and scooted in, "Are you eating alone here?"

"Of course not, my friends are sitting inside," After saying that, Li Huixin added with a smile, "But since I ran into old classmates, let's chat for a while."

"Oh," Zheng Baozhu nodded with a smile.

Li Huixin at Qu Zhi opposite her, "Qu Zhi, where are you working now?"

"At the Science and Technology Park."

Li Huixin thought for a moment and asked, "Is it the Science and Technology Park near Starlight Park?"

"Yes."

"Wow, so you're really a scientist?" Li Huixin continued chatting with him, "I remember your parents are also involved in research, something related to nanotechnology? It's a coincidence; a few days ago, I went to see a doctor and the doctor told me they are using nanotechnology. Your parents' research is truly benefiting humanity."

Zheng Baozhu absentmindedly picked up the lemon water on the table and took a sip, casually saying, "Actually, Qu Zhi's parents' research is in aerospace."

"..."

Li Huixin turned her head to glance at Zheng Baozhu and smiled again, "By the way, Zheng Baozhu, do you still remember Wei Yu? Back then, the rumors about you and Wei Yu were all over the place. Do you still keep in touch with him?"

Zheng Baozhu's eyebrows twitched as she looked up at Li Huixin, asking, "Which Wei Yu?"

"You know, the one you wrote a letter to, but I heard he rejected it."

Zheng Baozhu hesitated for a moment, about to say something, but Li Huixin continued, "Everyone was so surprised at the time; nobody expected him to refuse. But Wei Yu is one of the best-looking guys in our school, apart from Qu Zhi. It's normal for him to be a bit arrogant."

Zheng Baozhu: "..."

This was simply beyond absurd.

"Li Huixin, I thought someone like you, who had been a class monitor, would have your own judgment. Your brain shouldn't be that dumb. I didn't expect you to be unable to distinguish rumors. No wonder we changed class monitors in the second semester."

Li Huixin: "..."

Right, the class monitor was changed in the second semester, and it was you, Zheng Baozhu. :)

Li Huixin smiled at Zheng Baozhu, "Sigh, let's not bring up these past matters since you don't like them. But Wei Yu is getting married soon; will you come to the wedding?"

"We'll see when the time comes," Zheng Baozhu drank some water disinterestedly, looking at Qu Zhi across the table, "Why aren't you grilling yet?"

"..."

Qu Zhi, who was listening to gossip, reluctantly picked up the barbecue tongs and started grilling.

Seeing that they were ready to eat and had no intention of inviting her, Li Huixin didn't want to force herself to stay any longer. She took out her phone and said to Qu Zhi, "Let's add each other as friends. It's good to stay in touch if anything comes up."

Qu Zhi replied, "Aren't we all in the class group chat? If there's anything, we can just talk in the group."

"Okay, then," Li Huixin smiled and stood up, "I'll head back to my friends; they are waiting for me over there."

"Sure."

Li Huixin picked up the fruits she brought, not even looking back, and left.

Zheng Baozhu looked at the departing figure with fruits and frowned, muttering, "She actually took the fruits away! Well, I'll go get them myself!"

After informing Qu Zhi, she ran to the self-service area to get fruits and snacks. She went back and forth, carrying several plates back, and the table was almost full.

"That's enough; can you eat all of this?"

Zheng Baozhu considered it for a moment, feeling that Qu Zhi's words made a lot of sense.

Finally, she settled down.

Qu Zhi's first batch of grilled pork belly was ready. He evenly distributed it into their bowls and asked, "You wrote letters to Wei Yu too? You had quite a rich high school life."

"Ew!" Zheng Baozhu wrapped the grilled pork with lettuce and couldn't help but make a disgusted sound, "Who wrote a letter to him? It was he who gave me the letter, and I rejected him! Unexpectedly, he is so good at distorting the truth, spreading rumors about me!"

In high school, people didn't have much entertainment, so gossip like this was what they loved to hear. By the time Zheng Baozhu heard from Meng Yaxin about this incident, the rumors were already everywhere.

Fortunately, a few days after this incident, there was a monthly exam, and everyone's attention was quickly occupied by the exam results and the subsequent parent-teacher meeting.

After hearing her explanation, Qu Zhi lightly nodded, "That makes sense."

Zheng Baozhu glanced at him, "What makes sense?"

"...Nothing," Qu Zhi cleared his throat, placed some marinated pork belly on the grill, and said, "The rumors might not have been spread by Wei Yu himself; it could be other classmates taking things out of context and spreading them."

"But he still didn't come out to explain," Zheng Baozhu finished eating the lettuce-wrapped pork belly, "Exactly as I said, men are not good people."

"..."

Qu Zhi flipped the skewers while saying, "The grilled food you're eating right now was grilled by a man."

"Oh, thank you."

"..."

After finishing the grilled food, the two went to the dessert heaven on the first floor to buy some sweets and then returned directly to the Starlight Farm. When Qu Zhi entered the hotel, he paid special attention, and fortunately, 0-4 was no longer there.

He left all the local specialties given by Aunt Xiao at Zheng Baozhu's door and planned to go back to his room. Zheng Baozhu looked at the bags and parcels at the door and stopped him, "Are you really giving everything to me?"

Qu Zhi turned around and looked, saying, "Aunt Xiao said they're all for you."

"..."

Zheng Baozhu was speechless, "You don't have to be so polite."

"It's fine; it doesn't make much difference if you eat them or I eat them."

"..."

Really?

While Zheng Baozhu was still pondering this question, Qu Zhi had already returned to his room. She could only carry all the local specialties given by Aunt Xiao back to her own room.

After opening the dessert she bought from Starlight Department Store, Zheng Baozhu sat down and messaged Meng Yaxin: I bumped into Li Huixin while having barbecue just now.

Meng Yaxin: Ah, you went out for barbecue with Qu Zhi? I've also decided, I'm having barbecue tonight too!

Zheng Baozhu: ? Is that the main point?

Zheng Baozhu: No, how did you know I was with Qu Zhi?

Meng Yaxin: Really? Don't tell me you haven't seen the hundreds of messages in the group chat today?

Meng Yaxin: Cen Tongtong is even selling all the keyboards in her home on her WeChat Moments.

Zheng Baozhu: ............

After leaving the group, she indeed saw the chat records that Cen Tongtong sent.

She then on Cen Tongtong's profile picture again and saw her WeChat Moments where she was selling her keyboards.

".........."

Zheng Baozhu was utterly speechless. Cen Tongtong liked to play games and write novels, so she collected a lot of keyboards, separating them for gaming and typing. Whenever she saw a nice keyboard, she couldn't help but place an order. Over time, she lost count of how many keyboards she had at home.

Oh, no, wait! Just now, after counting on her Moments, there were a total of seventeen keyboards, and so far, not a single one had been sold.

Heartbreaking.

Zheng Baozhu: I told you guys to leave the group, but you guys just don't listen. :)

Meng Yaxin: You mundane folks wouldn't understand the joy of shipping CP. You said you met Li Huixin just now?

Zheng Baozhu: Yes :)

Zheng Baozhu: Do you think Li Huixin likes Qu Zhi? I feel like she's somehow dissatisfied with me.

Meng Yaxin: She is indeed dissatisfied with you, but it might not be because of Qu Zhi.

Meng Yaxin: I was in the same class as Li Huixin in our freshman year. You didn't know, right? She was the class flower back then!

Zheng Baozhu: And then?

Meng Yaxin: Then in sophomore year, we were divided into different classes, and you became the class flower.

Zheng Baozhu: ..........

Meng Yaxin: That's not all. You also snatched the position of the class monitor from her!

Zheng Baozhu: ? Isn't the class monitor elected by the students' votes?

Meng Yaxin: Go ask those defeated presidential candidates abroad if they remember the ones who voted against them or the ones who replaced them.

Zheng Baozhu: ...Alright.

As she was chatting with Meng Yaxin, Gao Boyun suddenly sent her a message.

Gao Boyun: Next week, you may need to join the team earlier. Can you adjust your schedule accordingly?

Zheng Baozhu: Yes, as a boss, my time is more flexible. [ok]

Gao Boyun: Oh, if President Zheng says so, then I'm relieved.  I've made some modifications to the script. I'll send you the revised version and I'll notify you once the joining time is confirmed. 

Zheng Baozhu: Sure, Little Director Gao. 

Gao Boyun: ......

He felt this actress was quite arrogant. :)

The production team quickly sent Zheng Baozhu a new schedule, moving the date forward to next Wednesday. This time, joining the crew was different from her previous roles where she could go home after filming. The production team required her to stay on set throughout the filming period and she would also have to stay in the hotel arranged by the crew.

Because of the sudden notice, Zheng Baozhu used all her time to prepare snacks and other necessities for her stay on the set. She also brought some clothes, but mainly for sleeping, as she would be in costumes during the shooting, and there wouldn't be many opportunities to wear regular clothes.

While preparing these things, she also went through the revised script. Apart from one major scene change, everything else was just minor adjustments, and there were no major issues. Moreover, this time, Ye Ling's character was a skilled divine doctor with fewer lines.

Zheng Baozhu quickly memorized her lines and attended one last class with Teacher Ge. After that, she would be confined to the film set, and she wouldn't be able to attend classes for a while.

The day before departure, Zheng Baozhu was packing the things she would take with her when her phone suddenly started ringing. She picked it up and found that Meng Yaxin had added them to a new group.

Zheng Baozhu: ? What kind of group is this?

Meng Yaxin: Look at the group name! [My Daily Filming Journey with Top Stars]

Zheng Baozhu: ..........

Meng Yaxin: When you're on set, remember to take more photos of Lin Ziqin for me!

Cen Tongtong: Lots of handsome photos!

Zheng Baozhu: ....I understand the logic, but why is Qu Zhi also in the group?

Qu Zhi: I was about to ask the same question.

Meng Yaxin: It's more fun this way. [doge]

Zheng Baozhu rolled her eyes. It seemed that Meng Yaxin still had too much free time on her hands. She ignored them, put down her phone, and continued packing her things.

The next day, when she came out of her room with her luggage, she happened to run into Qu Zhi. Zheng Baozhu was a little surprised. It wasn't even bright outside yet and Qu Zhi was already leaving for work so early?

Since she hadn't done her makeup, she was fortunate that she wore a mask.

Looking at Qu Zhi approaching, she asked him, "Are you going to work this early?"

The Science and Technology Park was only a walking distance away from the hotel. Wasn't Dr. Qu a bit too diligent?

In response to her question, Qu Zhi calmly nodded, "Yes."

They walked together to the elevator door, and Qu Zhi glanced at her luggage, "Can you manage it alone?"

"It's fine. Director Gao has already arranged the room for me. I'll head directly to the set and join them after work," Zheng Baozhu replied, dragging her luggage as they both entered the elevator.

Qu Zhi pressed the button for the lobby and looked at Zheng Baozhu, "Did the director personally arrange your room?"

"The production team has other people in contact with me, but many things are directly communicated by Director Gao," Zheng Baozhu smiled at Qu Zhi, "Maybe he likes me more."

Qu Zhi: "......"

Didn't you find anything strange about that? :)

"I have to tell you..." Zheng Baozhu leaned closer to Qu Zhi and whispered, "Director Gao is the son of Gao Tianming; Gao Tianming was very close to my aunt."

"Oh," Qu Zhi cleared his throat awkwardly, "He knows your aunt is Su Ming?"

"Yes," Zheng Baozhu nodded as the elevator door opened, "Well, I'm leaving now."

With her luggage, Zheng Baozhu hurriedly went out, and the driver of her car, seeing her with the luggage, got out of the car and opened the trunk, helping her put the luggage inside. Qu Zhi stood at the door, watching her get in the car, and only returned to the restaurant after the car drove away.

At the film set, Zheng Baozhu first went to the makeup room to change into her costume and then dragged her luggage to find Gao Boyun. Her role was the first love interest of the male lead. She didn't have many scenes with the other main characters, so the production team divided the filming into two groups. Today, the main cast was here, as they planned to shoot the part where the male lead comes to find Ye Ling.

In the original story, this scene portrayed Ye Ling as heartbroken because she loved the male lead, but he brought another woman with him. If filmed according to the original story, it would be more challenging. However, the revised script removed any romantic feelings between Ye Ling and the male lead, so there would be no heartbroken portrayal. This scene was relatively easy for Zheng Baozhu and was suitable for her first day on the set.

As Zheng Baozhu arrived, everyone turned to look at her. Gao Boyun noticed her presence and called for a break, walking over to her, and observed, "You look good, this appearance looks even better outdoors."

Zheng Baozhu obediently replied, "Thank you for the compliment, Director Gao."

Gao Boyun glanced at her luggage and said, "I see you don't have an assistant. Let's put the luggage in my car. I won't be responsible if anything happens to it while you're on set."

"Oh, thank you, Director Gao!" Zheng Baozhu was about to ask where his car was when Gao Boyun called a crew member over to help her with the luggage. She felt a little embarrassed about the situation.

"Greetings, Teacher Lin. Come and see our Ye Ling," Gao Boyun called Lin Ziqin over as well. Zheng Baozhu looked at Lin Ziqin; he was wearing white attire today, which somewhat matched the set. Lin Ziqin had acted in ancient dramas before, but he hadn't worn white in any of them. Usually, he was dressed ethereally, but this time, he exuded a bit of a heroic vibe.

Lin Ziqin had a good posture, always standing straight, which gave him an elegant demeanor. Combined with his handsome face, it's no wonder he had so many fans from his ancient drama roles.

When Lin Ziqin approached, Zheng Baozhu greeted him, "Hello, Teacher Lin!"

"Hello to you too," Lin Ziqin replied, looking at her, "I remember you. You were a foreground extra in my previous drama, right?"

"Yes, yes, Teacher Lin has a great memory!"

Gao Boyun interjected, "It's probably because she's beautiful. Teacher Lin naturally remembers her."

Lin Ziqin glanced at him, "Isn't that what you're saying about yourself?"

Listening to their playful banter, Zheng Baozhu didn't say anything and simply stood on the side. Gao Boyun then turned the conversation back to Zheng Baozhu, "Lin Ziqin, take a look at our Ye Ling. What do you think?"

"Good," Lin Ziqin looked at Zheng Baozhu and replied, "We will be working together for a while, so I hope Teacher Zheng will take good care of me."

"I will, I will. Teacher Lin, please take good care of me too."

After exchanging pleasantries, Gao Boyun asked Lin Ziqin to continue shooting. Zheng Baozhu's scenes for the day were not extensive, so she spent most of her time waiting. Waiting, however, wasn't the most challenging part; the real challenge was the cold weather.

Her costume had three layers, but each layer was thin and didn't provide much warmth. Even though she had warm packs inside during costume changes, the effect was limited. Sitting in the chilly resting area, Zheng Baozhu hugged her thermos and took a small sip of hot water.

Drinking hot water was a way to stay warm, but it was inconvenient to use the restroom on the set. Zheng Baozhu didn't want to keep running to the restroom, especially since she was wearing such a bright white outfit.

After lunch, Gao Boyun resumed filming the scene where the male lead persisted and asked Ye Ling why she refused to go with him. Zheng Baozhu thought, "Why don't you consider her feelings?"

According to the script, she shot the scene with Lin Ziqin several times. Finally, Gao Boyun expressed his satisfaction, "This take is good."

After Gao Boyun's approval, Zheng Baozhu and Lin Ziqin approached the monitor to review the footage. After watching several shots, Zheng Baozhu couldn't help but say, "Director Gao, you made me look so beautiful! A divine director!"

Even Lin Ziqin couldn't help but comment, "Indeed, you really know how to shoot Zheng Baozhu."

Gao Boyun replied, "I know how to shoot everyone. Don't you think you look good in the shots I took?"

Zheng Baozhu chimed in, "Lin Ziqin also looks handsome!"

Lin Ziqin, who stood by, received many compliments on his appearance before, but Zheng Baozhu's praise still made him slightly flustered, "Thank you."

Gao Boyun chuckled and told Zheng Baozhu, "Your performance and delivery have improved since the last time I saw you. You're more natural and have your own style now. Looks like the time you've spent learning hasn't been in vain."

"I must improve. If I fail, it's not just my reputation at stake."

"Alright, you're done for now. Go take a rest."

"Oh..."

As Zheng Baozhu was about to leave, Lin Ziqin called her back, "You can rest in my area; there's a small heater there to keep you warm."

Zheng Baozhu was taken aback; she could hardly believe her luck, "Really?"

Although she wasn't in the industry for long, she had climbed up the ranks from an extra, and she understood how strict the hierarchy was on a film set. Even accidentally touching the belongings of an actor with such a status could get her severely scolded.

She still remembered that in Lin Ziqin's previous set, the crew had reminded them thousands of times not to sit in Lin Ziqin's chair accidentally.

Lin Ziqin responded nonchalantly, "Why not? Bring your chair over."

"Okay, thank you, Teacher Lin! You are such a kind person!" Zheng Baozhu had been freezing all morning, so now she was ecstatic to be able to use Lin Ziqin's heater. She moved her chair cheerfully. Gao Boyun looked at Lin Ziqin with a playful tone, "Hey, has Teacher Lin received the 'Good Person Card'?"

Lin Ziqin gave him a glance, "Hurry up and start shooting. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can leave work."

"Haha, are you the director, or am I the director? Are you ordering me?"

The shooting resumed quickly, while Zheng Baozhu sat by Lin Ziqin's heater. She snapped a photo and sent it to the group chat [My Daily Filming Journey with Top Stars].

Zheng Baozhu: Wah, Lin Ziqin is such a kind person! He even let me use his heater! [Picture]