CH 64

The Science and Technology Park is very close to the Starlight Farm, it only takes a few minutes to drive there. Qu Zhi sat in the passenger seat and turned his head to look at Zheng Baozhu beside him, "Why did you think of coming to pick me up after work?"

Zheng Baozhu replied, "I just felt like coming."

Qu Zhi chuckled and said, "Although I don't mind having dinner together, you don't need to come in person from now on. Just wait for me at home."

Zheng Baozhu glanced at him and made a left turn at the previous intersection, "If I'm out filming in the future, I won't have time to pick you up even if you want me to."

Qu Zhi thought that what she said was not wrong and changed his statement, "Then should I still wait for you at this time tomorrow?"

"Hahaha," Zheng Baozhu laughed as the car continued on its way. Before the song in the car finished, they had already arrived near the hotel. Zheng Baozhu parked the car in the garage, unfastened her seatbelt, and asked Qu Zhi, "But if I go to pick you up every day, will it affect you?"

Qu Zhi also unfastened his seatbelt and looked at her, "It won't affect me much, but it might affect the mental health of my colleagues."

"Ha!" Zheng Baozhu chuckled and pretended to think carefully, "Then maybe I shouldn't pick you up anymore?"

Qu Zhi said, "That's also fine, but if I miss a meal because of that, how will you compensate me?"

"Wow, you are a research scientist, yet you are shameless like this," Nonetheless, she liked it, "Alright, then tell me, how would you like to be compensated?"

Qu Zhi thought for a moment, slightly opened his arms, and looked at Zheng Baozhu, "How about you hug me?"

Zheng Baozhu didn't expect him to make such a request and couldn't help but find it amusing, "You, a high-end talent who studied abroad, still like to be hugged like a little kid?"

Perhaps Qu Zhi was used to being cold and indifferent, so he didn't change his expression even when Zheng Baozhu mocked him, "Do you not want to hug me?"

"No, too weird, hahaha."

Qu Zhi also raised an eyebrow in response, "Don't want to hug? I don't like your answer. You have a chance to say it again."

"Alright, alright, I'll hug you, I'll hug you," Zheng Baozhu leaned over and wrapped her delicate arms around Qu Zhi's lean waist. Her face naturally rested against his chest and she felt the powerful heartbeat resonating from his body.

Men's physique and strength were indeed very different from women's. Zheng Baozhu was used to hugging other women, and when she did, she only felt their fragrant scent, but now, hugging Qu Zhi, she could sense his masculine demeanor and strength.

Being held in his arms made her feel extremely safe.

"Hugging you feels really good," Zheng Baozhu commented. Qu Zhi's soft laughter came from above as he released his arms and embraced Zheng Baozhu, "Hugging you is not bad either."

"Just not bad?"

"I haven't hugged anyone else, so there's no comparison."

"...You can be quite talkative."

Zheng Baozhu looked up at Qu Zhi, her eyes sparkling with a smile, which made Qu Zhi's heart flutter. Unable to resist, he slightly lifted her chin and leaned down to kiss her.

At first, Zheng Baozhu was a bit stiff, but she was soon entranced by Qu Zhi's charm. She couldn't understand why a logical and straightforward guy like him could be so skilled. Was this just a natural instinct of men?

While Qu Zhi continued to explore Zheng Baozhu's mouth, she gently pushed him away, and Qu Zhi leaned his forehead against hers, softly asking, "What's wrong?"

Zheng Baozhu glanced at the wall and said, "I suddenly remembered that there are surveillance cameras in the garage."

Qu Zhi fell silent for a moment, then chuckled softly, "Then let's go back to the room."

Zheng Baozhu took out two face masks from the car and handed one to Qu Zhi. Qu Zhi didn't really want to wear it and said, "I'm not a male celebrity; no one knows me."

Putting on her own mask, Zheng Baozhu looked at him and replied, "It's not about that. It's just that, right now, my lipstick is all over your lips."

Qu Zhi looked at his reflection in the rearview mirror and indeed found some lipstick on his lips. He gently wiped it with his thumb, trying to remove it, but instead, the lipstick smeared onto his cheek, making it even more noticeable.

Zheng Baozhu watched him from the side and blinked playfully, "With this look, you're very... suitable. It suits you very well, you know."

Qu Zhi just quietly glanced at her. Seeing that he didn't say anything, she got even more enthusiastic, "I have many shades in my room; I can let you try them and see which one suits you best."

Qu Zhi suddenly leaned closer, his low voice carrying a hint of danger, "It depends on the method you use to help me try them."

"...!" Zheng Baozhu quickly pushed him away, opened the car door, and escaped from the car. Once she was away from Qu Zhi's presence, she finally let out a long sigh of relief.

Sigh, men really can't handle teasing.

Qu Zhi put on the mask and got off the car. They returned to Zheng Baozhu's room and tidied up a bit before sitting down to have dinner. Zheng Baozhu held her bowl and ate while scrolling through Weibo to keep up with the industry trends.

Qu Zhi watched from across the table, "Don't use your phone while eating."

"Okay, okay," Zheng Baozhu lifted her head and smiled at Qu Zhi, "It's fine for me to look at you, you're much better-looking than my phone."

Qu Zhi nodded, "That's the truth."

Zheng Baozhu silently mocked him in her heart as her phone vibrated again. She looked down and saw a message from Meng Yaxin, "It's Meng Yaxin, could be something important."

Opening the message, she saw that Meng Yaxin had sent an electronic invitation.

Meng Yaxin: Wei Yu is having his wedding at the Deinu Grand Hotel next Saturday. Will you and Qu Zhi come?

Meng Yaxin: They asked me to check with you, thinking that you might be 'sensitive' about it.

Meng Yaxin: Li Huixin has been hinting about it in our group chat, after all, there were rumors that Wei Yu was the man you couldn't get.

Zheng Baozhu: ...Ugh!!

Meng Yaxin: Hahaha, don't be angry. After all, you have Qu Zhi.  I suggest you both go; you can either enjoy yourselves or mock them. 

Zheng Baozhu: I'll ask Qu Zhi.

She raised her eyes and looked at Qu Zhi sitting across from her, "Meng Yaxin said that Wei Yu will have his wedding next Saturday. They asked if we want to go."

Qu Zhi replied, "I don't mind. Are you available that day? If you want to go, I'll accompany you."

"I'm not sure right now, so I'll tell them we're not sure yet," Zheng Baozhu replied to Meng Yaxin's message and then stopped paying attention to her phone, "Time flies so fast; our high school classmates are already getting married."

"Because they are older than you," Qu Zhi remarked.

"...Yeah, that's true. After all, I started high school at the age of fourteen."

"Wasn't Wei Yu the man Li Huixin mentioned, the one who rejected your love letter?" Qu Zhi suddenly asked, causing Zheng Baozhu to almost choke on her food.

"Cough, I told you last time; he was the one who wrote me a letter, and I rejected him, but then he turned the situation around!"

"Yeah, it's clear he's got a thick skin," Qu Zhi's voice revealed no emotions, "After doing such a thing, he still has the face to invite you to his wedding and ask you for a wedding gift."

Zheng Baozhu: "..."

Gosh, thinking about it, attending his wedding is such a loss!

"But if I don't go, will everyone assume that I had a secret crush on him, that's why I couldn't attend his wedding?" Zheng Baozhu thought more and felt it could be possible, "No, although I couldn't clarify them back then, I can't let the rumors spread again! I want to show them that Wei Yu is beyond my reach!"

Qu Zhi sat across from her and watched for a while before he couldn't help but burst into laughter. Zheng Baozhu saw him shaking with laughter and kicked him under the table, "What are you laughing at? Am I wrong?"

"You're right," Qu Zhi laughed, "I support you."

"Hmph!"

"If you decide to go, inform me. I'll accompany you."

"Okay, okay."

Although Zheng Baozhu wasn't happy with Wei Yu or how Li Huixin spread the rumors intentionally, she still thought it would be unbecoming to make a scene at their wedding. So she came up with a compromise and decided to go with Qu Zhi, showing them a low-key but resplendent appearance.

Qu Zhi's usual casual attire was not bad, but this time, they were preparing to buy two sets of formal dresses to wear to Wei Yu's wedding. As the spokesperson for JS, Zheng Baozhu was self-conscious, so she contacted the brand manager of JS and explained her requirements.

It's not strange to need formal dresses for attending a wedding, but they needed two sets, one for a man and one for a woman, and they also needed to be stylish... Sorry, the JS brand representative couldn't comprehend it without more context!

Though extremely curious, the representative couldn't directly ask, so he could only start by helping Zheng Baozhu choose the dresses, "I assume you'll be wearing the women's dress, right? We have all your measurements here, but we'll need the measurements for the men's dress. We'll make the necessary adjustments before the wedding according to the measurements you provide."

Measurements? Although Qu Zhi had hugged and kissed her, Zheng Baozhu hadn't mastered the skill of directly measuring sizes with her eyes and hands.

"I'll let you know once I have measurements. Can you help us select some styles in the meantime?" Zheng Baozhu asked.

"Sure," the representative replied, "Or you can bring your male partner directly to our store. We'll prepare the dresses for you, and after you choose the styles, we can help measure the sizes."

"Sure, thanks, Mr. Xie!"

"Don't mention it. Just let me know the date when you've decided."

"Okay, got it," Zheng Baozhu hung up and sent a message to Qu Zhi, asking him when he was available. Since Qu Zhi couldn't use his phone during work hours, she didn't wait for his reply and continued reading her script.

Gao Boyun had informed her that they would do the makeup trial tomorrow. She would also have to meet with the producer. Zheng Baozhu only received a part of the script, but she had read it repeatedly and loved it. Gao Boyun had only talked to her about the female lead's part before, but the male lead's storyline was also very captivating.

The male lead was a wealthy businessman who appeared gentle and humble on the surface but was actually very scheming and cunning. He was always entangled with various forces. Due to her father's favor in the past, he secretly helped the female lead after her family had bankrupted, and their paths converged from then on.

Although Zheng Baozhu was not familiar with the name of the screenwriter, she searched and found that he was behind several popular dramas. He was particularly skilled in writing political intrigue storylines and handled the relationships between characters better than many male screenwriters. Zheng Baozhu had high expectations for this drama.

It seems Gao Boyun still has a good eye for choosing scripts.

Of course, she also had to thank herself for being so beautiful; otherwise, she wouldn't have gotten such excellent resources.

"Baobao, the vlog you filmed during the magazine shoot is still there, right?"

Zhou Xiaonan had sent a message to Zheng Baozhu, so she picked up her phone and replied, "Yes, it's there. Do you want to release it?"

Zhou Xiaonan: Yes, the magazine is preparing two pictures, so they want you to release a vlog as a preview.

Zheng Baozhu: Okay, when?

Zhou Xiaonan: How about the day after tomorrow? I'll let you know the exact time. Get ready for it.

Zhou Xiaonan: Don't forget about the makeup trial tomorrow; I'll come to pick you up on time.

At first, Zheng Baozhu thought it would be fine to drive herself, as she had been doing before. However, Zhou Xiaonan criticized this thought, saying that now she wasn't just an extra at the Film and Television City. She needed to maintain a certain image; otherwise, people would laugh at her.

"And besides, even if you don't let your assistant accompany you, they will still receive their salary every month."

Zhou Xiaonan's words completely convinced Zheng Baozhu.

On the day of the makeup trial, Zheng Baozhu followed Zhou Xiaonan and an assistant. As soon as she got out of the car, she saw Lin Ziqin. Both of them knew he was auditioning for the male lead, so it wasn't surprising to see each other. They greeted each other and went inside together. Seeing them coming together, Gao Boyun started gossiping excitedly, "Are you two secretly planning something? If it gets caught on camera, won't your CP relationship be ruined? Well, it's not a bad thing; it'll increase the hype for our drama."

Zheng Baozhu reminded him, "But Director Gao, the drama you'll release first is 'New Moon Wuxin Sword', and I'm not the female lead of that drama. Shouldn't you hype the CP of the main leads during the drama broadcast?"

"..."

"It's truly heartbreaking, Baobao. You've only been in the entertainment industry for a few days, yet you're already so well-versed in these unspoken rules?"

"...Well, because I'm also an internet passerby."

Lin Ziqin chuckled and said to Zheng Baozhu, "Don't mind him; let's go to the makeup room."

"Okay," Zheng Baozhu followed Lin Ziqin to the dressing room, while Gao Boyun, the director, was left behind with little dignity.

Today, a costume designer had been assigned to take measurements for Lin Ziqin and Zheng Baozhu. Although Zheng Baozhu had not signed the official contract yet, it was almost certain. Gao Boyun had said that there would be many beautiful costumes for the female lead, and he wasn't lying.

Since she started out as playing extras, Zheng Baozhu was used to wearing costumes that had been worn by others. It was already quite good to get a clean costume. When she filmed as "Ye Ling", she had her own exclusive costumes, but they were not custom-made. Now that she had jumped to the lead role, she could have costumes custom-made, and so many of them!

No wonder everyone was striving so hard to climb up in the entertainment industry; the world of fame and fortune was indeed enticing.

When sitting together for makeup, Lin Ziqin and Zheng Baozhu also discussed the script. In the middle of the trial, the producer and several other crucial crew members came to take a look and exchanged greetings with them before leaving.

Makeup for men was simpler. When Lin Ziqin finished his makeup, Zheng Baozhu was still working on her eye makeup. Her character in the drama would have different looks, so her makeup would change accordingly. The one they were trying now was the early life of an innocent and carefree young lady.

Zheng Baozhu had a striking and radiant appearance, belonging to the type of beauty that had a strong impact. At first, Gao Boyun was worried that her temperament might not suit Ye Ling's cool and ethereal role. However, the final result turned out to be excellent.

Zheng Baozhu was highly adaptable, and with her acting skills, she could portray the character's essence effectively.

This time, playing the young lady from the Republican era was no exception. After the makeup was completed, she tried out her expressions in front of the mirror. Even without changing costumes, the innocent and lively charm was vividly presented.

"Not bad, not bad," Gao Boyun was very satisfied with the makeup and became delighted, "Looks great! Teacher Lin, what do you think?"

Lin Ziqin also thought it looked good, "Yes, Teacher Zheng's adaptability is indeed very strong. This role might be perfect for her."

The makeup artist asked, "Shall we try the later-stage makeup as well?"

"Sure, I'll have the production team come over to take a look first," Gao Boyun called over the several key creatives to see Lin Ziqin and Zheng Baozhu's makeup. Everyone was very satisfied. Lin Ziqin's position as a top actor was obvious, and his presence added to the hype. While Zheng Baozhu was a newcomer, she had exceptional physical features and was now on the rise, which the production team appreciated.

Since no objections were raised, the makeup artist began to redo Zheng Baozhu's makeup, mainly focusing on eye makeup and lip color. Lin Ziqin's makeup was not as complicated, he could leave after finishing it. However, he didn't seem to have any intention of leaving and stayed back to see Zheng Baozhu's later-stage makeup.

With the later-stage makeup, Zheng Baozhu transformed from innocent and youthful to calculating, just like the male lead. Her makeup became much more radiant compared to the early stage. This appearance suited her original temperament; however, Zheng Baozhu herself was a bit sweeter, while the character had a stronger presence.

After changing her appearance, when Zheng Baozhu presented herself to everyone, her gaze also changed naturally. Her bright eyes concealed many secrets, and when she smiled slightly at someone, she appeared alluring while hiding countless mysteries in her gaze.

"This look is also beautiful!" Gao Boyun got excited. He knew that Zheng Baozhu was his destined choice!

Zheng Baozhu also loved both makeup looks from today and enthusiastically sent two selfies to Qu Zhi.

Zheng Baozhu: Hey, this is your multi-faceted girlfriend! (For internal appreciation only, do not leak)

Qu Zhi quickly replied this time: I barely have enough for myself to keep, how could I share with others?