Chapter Eighteen

During their time back on set, Lin Zhiyuan would call Su Xian briefly every day to chat about random things. At first, she was puzzled as to why Lin Zhiyuan always managed to call during her free time. Later, she learned that Allen would contact Qingqing to coordinate their schedules. Su Xian didn't feel monitored; instead, she felt a sense of happiness at being cared for. Both she and Lin Zhiyuan valued their work, and there really wasn't a better way to do things than this.

As the weather gets hotter, filming in winter clothes is the greatest ordeal for the actors. Su Xian returned to the RV and opened her lunchbox, but she didn't have much of an appetite. She only picked out the scrambled eggs with tomatoes and ate a few more bites of rice.

Su Xian put down her chopsticks and picked up her phone. Lin Zhiyuan had been visiting stores in Japan these past few days, and considering the one-hour time difference, he was probably eating right now.

"Sister Xiaoxian, Allen said he'll be busy until tonight," Qingqing said while washing the dishes.

Su Xian suddenly heard her phone vibrate. She subconsciously looked at her hand, but realized she had made a mistake. It was her work phone on the table that was ringing. Su Xian glanced at it and then pressed the answer button.

"Hey, Sister Lin."

“Hey, hey, perfect timing, Xiaoxian, check Weibo, someone photographed you smoking.”

"Don't hang up yet." Su Xian turned on the speakerphone, swiped the screen a couple of times, found the Weibo icon, and briefly recalled that during that time she only occasionally smoked a cigarette in her apartment or at home, and rarely in public.

Su Xuan opened Weibo, found the trending search terms, and clicked on them.

"This is on a film set, right?" Qingqing leaned closer. "The white top and jeans look like costumes from the show."

Su Xian watched the GIFs several times. One was of her standing at the entrance of a convenience store smoking, which was a short scene from "Dark Tide". The other was of her listening to the director explain the scene while holding a cigarette between her fingers, which happened during a break in filming.

"The proxy photographers are getting more and more capable these days." Su Xian exited Weibo and returned to the call interface. "What are the comments saying?"

"Isn't it just that you're promiscuous and have no manners? Why are women smoking too? You're obviously a heavy smoker."

"Why does no one care when so many male actors smoke? If you want to criticize them, go ahead. Smoking isn't some heinous crime."

"That being said, it still affects your image. You originally did it for the sake of filming, but now that it involves the plot of 'Dark Tide,' I think it would be better to make a statement."

"It wasn't a big deal to begin with, Sister Lin, you can handle it."

Su Xian hung up the phone, leaned back on the sofa for a short nap, and before leaving for the film set, Qingqing showed her her phone. Bai Lin acted swiftly; the studio's account had already issued a brief statement.

"The photos of Su Xian smoking circulating online today are all for the sake of the plot. Ms. Su Xian does not have the habit of smoking. This is to inform you."

The production team of "Dark Tide" quickly reposted the statement, confirming its content and issuing a warning to the paparazzi marketing accounts.

When I got back to my apartment that night, I called Lin Zhiyuan and talked about it. He joked, "So the first night I met you, I told you that smoking is bad and you should quit."

"When did you add a moon to the back of my lighter?" Su Xian decided to strike first.

"So you're admitting that the lighter is yours now?" Lin Zhiyuan's smugness was palpable even through the phone.

"When have I ever denied it?" Su Xuan felt guilty and quickly changed his mind. "And what was the story about the lighter you were going to tell us that night on the yacht?"

"Since you didn't want to listen then, you shouldn't expect to listen now."

Su Xian's curiosity grew stronger, so she softened her voice and said, "Tell me about it, I really want to hear it."

Lin Zhiyuan chuckled, "I was just saying that there was a very special fairy who didn't leave behind a glass slipper, but a lighter for the prince. The prince tried many ways to get the fairy's friend to bring her into the castle, but the prince didn't know if the fairy recognized him. He could only give her hints, but the fairy was always unmoved. The poor prince's infatuation was shattered into pieces."

Su Xian curled her lips into a wide smile and muttered under her breath, "Nonsense."

"My girlfriend is right."

After this series of rambling and teasing remarks, Su Xian's mood improved.

"If you encounter any trouble that you can't handle, please tell me, okay?"

"Um."

"I'll come see you next week after I finish my work these next few days."

"good."

Did you miss me?

"good."

"Sigh." Lin Zhiyuan sighed deeply, and Su Xian couldn't help but laugh.

"Forget it, let's go to bed early," Lin Zhiyuan said helplessly.

"good evening."

"Remember dreaming about me."

That's so domineering, even controlling dreams! Su Xian said goodnight again and ended the call. Although she didn't dream of Lin Zhiyuan that night, Su Xian slept very soundly.

Su Xian began to look forward to next week. First, she arranged for Qingqing to stay at a hotel with Bai Lin for a few days. Then, during her break, she ordered men's pajamas, slippers, and other items. The delivery was quick, and within two days, the apartment was almost fully stocked.

Almost every day, they had to leave before dawn to get their makeup done. Even someone as energetic as Su Xian sometimes couldn't keep up. She practically slept the entire time while leaning back in the makeup chair, and when Su Xian finally got to the set after changing her clothes, she was still a little groggy.

Today's filming location is still Mo Ling's mansion in the drama. Su Xian stands under the shade of a tree, holding a script in one hand and a small electric fan in the other. Unfortunately, on such a hot day, such a little breeze can only be considered a psychological comfort at most.

Director Xu continued to passionately explain the scene, "Later, Zichun, you overhear what Xue is saying, go around from behind the tree, and interrogate Xue about her identity. It should be a very urgent and unbelievable situation."

"Next, Su Xian, you..."

"Director Xu, Director Xu." The assistant director rushed over, glanced at Su Xuan, and whispered something in Director Xu's ear.

After the assistant director finished speaking, he looked up and glanced at Su Xian again. Director Xu still had his head down, so his expression could not be seen.

Su Xian was wide awake, and a sense of unease welled up in her heart.

"Um, Su Xian." Director Xu looked at her intently, his eyes crinkling with fine lines at the corners of his eyes. "Go and rest for a while. There are some things..." Director Xu paused, "...some things you'll have to see for yourself."

Su Xianxin's heart sank. She didn't bother answering Director Xu or saying goodbye to Liu Zichun; she turned and walked out. Even when filming wasn't in progress, the set was surprisingly quiet. A few scattered staff members stared at her, clearly not expecting her to appear.

Su Xian grew increasingly panicked, unable to figure out what had happened. She walked incredibly fast, the hem of her men's clothing almost out of her reach. Why was this mansion the film crew had chosen such a vast location? She'd been walking for so long and still hadn't left.

Su Xian saw a familiar figure running towards her in a hurry, just like her; it was Bai Lin.

"How will you pay..."

"What happened?" Su Xian interrupted her impatiently.

"Let's talk as we walk." Bai Lin grabbed her hand, still panting. "A few tens of minutes ago, someone went online and did a live stream, claiming to be your father."

Su Xuan stopped abruptly, unable to believe what she had just heard.

Bai Lin swallowed hard and continued as quickly as possible, "He said he was looking for you during his live stream, which happened to be during his morning commute, so a lot of people saw it."

“Let’s go back to the RV first.” Su Xuan was pulled along by Bai Lin, walking forward numbly. “This live stream quickly went viral on several major platforms, and Weibo even crashed…”

The sun overhead was blindingly white, Bai Lin's mouth opened and closed, and Su Xian's ears were filled with a buzzing sound.

It's ridiculous that she still has a father who is still looking for her.

With a "bang," Su Xian's heart skipped a beat. Qingqing closed the RV door, and Su Xian didn't know when she was sitting on the sofa.

"Watch the replay first."

Su Xian now held a cell phone in her hand, the black screen displaying the current time: 9:30 AM. She should have been on set right now, under the tree, being interrogated by Mo Ling about her true identity.

Her father disappeared almost 20 years ago after her parents' divorce, and it's uncertain whether he's still alive. If it's an imposter, that would be easy to solve. But if it really is her father, why is he looking for her? She remembers that when she was little, her father lost his job for some reason, and every time she wanted to find him, she had to go to a gambling den. Maybe her father owed gambling debts and knew she was a celebrity, so he wanted to ask her for money?

Or perhaps her father had his own reasons for missing her for many years but couldn't meet her. He saw her on TV by chance and came looking for her, just like those family reunion programs.

Su Xian kept her head down, watching the white numbers on the black screen tick by, minute by minute. This didn't mean the incident hadn't happened just because she wasn't looking at it. She lightly swiped her thumb across the screen to unlock her phone.