Chapter 38: Filming 1

Back at the hotel, Nan Chu stayed in her room. Having already memorized the script, she didn't bother reviewing it, choosing instead to take out her jade and continue practicing her carving.

In the evening, after Jiang Han finished work, he initiated a video call with Nan Chu to ask if she had received the flowers. That afternoon, he had ordered a bouquet to be delivered to her hotel, complete with a card congratulating her on joining the production. As Jiang Han ate his dinner, he chatted with her on video while Nan Chu read a book. Only after Jiang Han went to sleep did Nan Chu hang up.

Just as she was preparing for bed, she received a call from Zhuang Wenqi.

"Are you asleep yet?"

"I was just about to."

"The company feels you have gained some traction, so we’ve upgraded your benefits. We’ve assigned an assistant to you who will arrive at your hotel tomorrow. I’ll send her profile to your WeChat in a moment. If you aren't satisfied with her, just let me know and I'll arrange a replacement."

"Alright."

After hanging up, Nan Chu received the documents. The assistant was a recent college graduate named Liu Qin, twenty-one years old, from Qinghai. After reviewing the information, Nan Chu turned in for the night.

The next morning, Nan Chu practiced martial arts in her room, ate a light meal, and freshened up. Once she was ready, she received a friend request from Liu Qin and accepted it. Liu Qin messaged her with an estimated arrival time. Since many of Nan Chu’s scenes were scheduled for the night, she didn't need to head to the set during the day. As it was raining, she decided to stay in the hotel.

Liu Qin arrived shortly after two in the afternoon. "Hello, Sister Nan Chu. My name is Liu Qin. I’ll be your assistant from now on."

"Nice to meet you," Nan Chu nodded.

*I didn't expect Nan Chu to be even prettier in person than on television,* Liu Qin thought to herself, rambling internally. *No wonder all the male guests on 'Twenty-One Days of Romance' liked her. If I were that good-looking, I’d have plenty of handsome men fawning over me too.*

After dinner, Nan Chu took Liu Qin to the set. The scene for tonight involved her character chasing the male lead, an act that would ultimately lead to the female lead saving him. Once in costume, Nan Chu was hoisted up on wires, and filming began.

In the scene, the male lead and his men were building a fire when Piao Xue—played by Nan Chu—appeared like a phantom, dressed in black and veiled. In an instant, she took down two of the male lead's men. The director was highly satisfied; Nan Chu’s movements were impressive, and she hit her marks perfectly, entering the frame with precision.

After dispatching the guards, Piao Xue attacked the male lead. While the male lead was a skilled fighter, Piao Xue was stronger. After four exchanges, the male lead’s arm was slashed. The director had braced for a retake, but the fight choreography flowed so smoothly that they nailed it on the first take. The male lead’s remaining men held Piao Xue back to allow him to escape. He fled on horseback, but once Piao Xue finished off the guards, she used her light-body technique to give chase. Upon reaching a cliff, she forced the male lead to fall. Determined to confirm his death, Piao Xue detoured to the base of the cliff, where she found the male lead’s blood-stained clothes. She realized he had escaped and spent a few days searching the area, but finding no trace, she finally departed.

With the night shoot finished, Nan Chu took a car back to the hotel. She called Jiang Han immediately. "You don't need to send flowers every day. There are too many; I have nowhere to put them."

"Then I'll send them once a week."

"That works."

"Did the night shoot go well?"

"Very well. We finished on the first take."

"My girlfriend is truly amazing."

"Did your work go smoothly today?"

"Of course," he lied. In reality, things were difficult; another shareholder had been actively opposing his decisions. However, he didn't want to worry her. They chatted for a while longer before hanging up.

After the call, Nan Chu opened her phone to check the show *Experiencing Different Lives*, which aired the episode she recorded today. The comment section was filled with vitriol: "This show is an eye-opener. A sixty-year-old man leaving his wife for his first love? What a waste of his wife’s years." "These children are unfilial for supporting their father’s remarriage. What does that make their mother?" "Oh, don't censor it, show us the mistress’s true face! I’m ashamed to even be compared to her!" "Are all mistresses this shameless?" "She deserves to be childless."

Most of the comments were insults, with only a few praising Fu Qiu and Nan Chu. When the segment where Nan Chu read palms aired, internet trolls appeared, claiming it was all scripted. Nan Chu received numerous notifications from people asking for readings, but she ignored them, closed her phone, and went to sleep.

The next morning, Nan Chu stayed in her room to carve jade, as she had no scenes and didn't plan on going out.

"Sister Nan, what would you like for lunch?" Liu Qin asked.

"Don't worry about me. Just order something for yourself."

*Wait, she’s not eating?* Liu Qin thought, annoyed. *Doesn't that mean I have to pay for my own meal?*

"I'm dieting. Go ahead and eat on your own."

"Alright, then." Liu Qin left the hotel, looking sullen.

Nan Chu pulled some compressed food rations from her storage and ate them, then returned to her jade carving. She spent the entire day working before video calling Jiang Han in the evening.

The next day, she had a daytime shoot that finished in less than an hour. It wasn't even 10:00 AM yet, so Nan Chu prepared to head straight back to the hotel.

"Sister Nan, shouldn't we go out and look around?" Liu Qin asked. *Staying in the hotel every day is so boring,* she thought.

"No. If you want to go shopping, feel free to go on your own," Nan Chu said. "I don't enjoy shopping."

*If Nan Chu doesn't go shopping, how am I supposed to take advantage of things?* Liu Qin had assumed that being an assistant meant she would meet other celebrities, get autographs to sell, eat expensive food, and maybe even get her hands on the clothes, bags, or shoes the stars didn't want. She also hoped to stumble upon juicy gossip she could sell for profit. Instead, she found following Nan Chu to be incredibly dull; she couldn't get any perks, couldn't see any other stars, and certainly couldn't get her hands on any private information.

Liu Qin didn't care about the non-disclosure agreement she had signed, thinking she could easily leak information without being caught.

*Once this production is over, I'm replacing Liu Qin,* Nan Chu thought to herself. *She isn't suited to be an assistant at all; she lacks initiative and is only interested in what she can gain.*

Nan Chu returned to the hotel, and Liu Qin retreated to her own room. Once inside, Liu Qin began complaining about Nan Chu to her friends and created anonymous social media accounts to spread rumors that Nan Chu was ugly. Suddenly, a malicious smile spread across Liu Qin’s face as an idea struck her.