The photos from the opening ceremony of Chapter 54, "The Ballad of Yunshui," received negative reviews; a reshoot is recommended. ...

After a good night's sleep, Zhu Qingzhi woke up to find Wen Qi had already left. A sticky note on the dressing mirror bore his neat handwriting: "Wife, could you please pick out a fountain pen for me?"

She had already left Wen Qi's pen on the table. After he finished writing the sticky note, couldn't he just take it? Did he really have to make her choose another one? It was so annoying.

But she smiled, clearly not disapproving of Wen Qi's little attempt to get attention. Zhu Qingzhi reached out and peeled off the sticky note, casually folding it into a paper crane and placing it on the windowsill as an ornament.

Sunlight filtered through the dappled shadows cast by the greenery. She reached out and touched it, gently shaking it. Then, the quiet morning was shattered by Dani's "deadly ten-hit combo."

The following time seemed to be fast-forwarded. Zhu Qingzhi was practically pushed into the elevator and shoved into the van. However, for the first time, she didn't sleep in the car; instead, she was intently scrolling through her phone.

Dani, who was communicating with the crew, turned around by chance and saw her like this, and was a little surprised: "Did you get enough sleep last night?"

Upon closer inspection, she noticed that Zhu Qingzhi was shopping early in the morning, and she was even buying fountain pens. Her expression froze for a moment. "I think you're still half asleep."

Dani felt that what she said was ambiguous, but Zhu Qingzhi didn't care at all, because all she could see was the pen and all she could think about was Wen Qi.

Dani suddenly felt she could be a rapper too, but she still kindly reminded her, "Katrina is making her official announcement next week, so you better be careful."

Zhu Qingzhi was on the Month website, carefully browsing the details of each fountain pen, her expression so focused it was as if she were studying a script. Then, as if she had discovered a new continent, she exclaimed, "Wow! Dani, did you know that fountain pens can now be engraved with your own lettering?"

Dani: "......"

Watching Zhu Qingzhi so engrossed in the important matter of "choosing a fountain pen," she silently clutched her chest, feeling like she needed an insulin injection.

Never mind, she won't interfere with legally married couples.

At that moment, the van slowly came to a stop, the door opened, and the crisp winter air mingled with the unique din of the film set. The production assistant's voice was loud and urgent: "Actors, go directly to the ceremony venue!"

Zhu Qingzhi put away her phone, looked down and checked her clothes. At Director Zheng's request, she was only wearing a simple black sweater and dark trousers, with no makeup and a ponytail, looking as clean and fresh as a college student.

She got off the bus only after confirming that everything was correct.

At the film and television base, a red carpet was laid out, and incense burned brightly. The opening ceremony for the film "Yunshuiyao" was held in a lively atmosphere.

Director Zheng led the main cast and crew in offering incense and praying for blessings. Afterwards, the red cloth covering the camera was unveiled, and everyone shouted "Good luck with filming!" before taking a group photo.

The subsequent group interview went relatively smoothly, however, due to Yang Qing's appearance, a reporter asked a pointed question.

"The 'Yunshuiyao' project involves a huge investment. Is there any influence from capital on the casting direction? For example, Chaoxing?"

He cleverly avoided mentioning Zhu Qingzhi's name, but his probing gaze was fixed squarely on her, the unspoken message of which was perfectly clear to all the media and seasoned veterans present.

The atmosphere on set instantly became awkward, but the casting director was prepared and immediately grabbed the microphone with a smile: "Thank you to our media friends for your attention to the casting of the production team. I can responsibly tell you that all castings were determined before the investors entered the scene, and the process was open and transparent."

Yang Qing then calmly replied, "Chaoxing only invests in projects and never interferes with creative work."

Immediately, several investors who had appeared also expressed their opinions, while Zhu Qingzhi maintained a smile throughout, as if the issue had nothing to do with her.

The group interview was supposed to end there, but unexpectedly, a reporter grabbed the microphone and said to Zhu Qingzhi with a smile, "Excuse me, I have one last question for you, Qingzhi."

Polite, but not much.

However, Zhu Qingzhi was in a good mood. After giving Dani a "don't worry" look, she very patiently cooperated and said, "Okay."

"Hello Kiyoshi, there are many intimate scenes in the original work, and your previous works have never touched on such topics. Will you cross the line this time and give your first on-screen kiss?"

The question was so direct that all the actors on stage looked at Zhu Qingzhi. Shen Rou looked thoughtful, while Zhang Siyue frowned, as if the question had offended him as well.

Zhu Qingzhi raised an eyebrow slightly, revealing a sly smile: "Such an important thing as a first on-screen kiss should of course be reserved for the big screen to have a sense of ceremony. If I spoil it now..." She looked playfully at Director Zheng, "Director Zheng will be the first to object."

Director Zheng didn't expect Zhu Qingzhi to react so quickly. It's true that birds of a feather flock together; the young couple always manage to trick him.

With his usual serious expression, he simply responded into the microphone: "Please focus more on the work itself."

After he finished speaking, he stood up, and the host, showing great tact, announced the end of the group interview.

After that, the actors went to the dressing room to get their makeup and hair done, while the crew members were busy setting up the set and lighting. The investors' representatives exchanged a few words with Director Zheng before leaving by car.

Before leaving, Yang Qing specifically sought out Dani and emphasized, "Report everything, big or small," before departing.

Watching Yang Qing's retreating figure, Dani couldn't help but sigh inwardly. The way Director Yang cared about Zhu Qingzhi was just as much as she, as his agent.

What if something goes wrong here...? She suddenly became a little worried.

Upon entering the dressing room, Dani placed the coffee on the table, intending to reprimand Zhu Qingzhi for her recklessness—how could she answer reporters' questions so casually? One wrong move and it would be headline news.

But Zhu Qingzhi sat obediently in the makeup chair, her head down, intently typing on the keyboard. When she glanced at the screen, she found that it was displaying the Month fountain pen customization page.

Would you call this being love-struck?

Dani was about to speak when she suddenly realized that the makeup artist who was tidying up the brushes was still there, so she swallowed back the words she was about to say.

She stood to the side with her arms crossed, watching Zhu Qingzhi repeatedly confirm the style and engraving details, submit the order, and make payment. The screen light reflected on her serious profile, making Dani momentarily forget what she was supposed to scold.

At this moment, Zhu Qingzhi put away her phone, took a sip of coffee, and smiled, "Thanks for the treat, Dani. Don't worry, I never fight an unprepared battle!"

She's not stupid. She had expected someone to ask this question. Asking it early is better than being asked it again later, when there's no one to blame.

Dani was clearly taken aback by her words and retorted irritably, "Prepare? What have you prepared? Are you planning to drive me crazy and then inherit my Alipay Huabei account?"

Zhu Qingzhi laughed even harder, and joked along with the conversation: "I don't want that, I want to inherit a fortune."

At this moment, the makeup artist finished tidying up her tools and went out to double-check the makeup and styling. Only the two of them remained in the room. Dani immediately leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Have your boss, Mr. Wen, inquire about Chaoxing."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Qingzhi froze. Oh no, she had forgotten to report it.

"You shouldn't have the heart to harm others, but you can't be without the heart to guard against others." Seeing her blank expression, Dani nudged her shoulder in exasperation and said more bluntly, "Yang Qing is too concerned about you. I suspect there's something fishy going on. In any case, investigating Chaoxing wouldn't be a bad thing."

Zhu Qingzhi's silence at this moment was deafening; she even dared not breathe.

Dani pinched her cheek in exasperation, continuing to fulfill her duties as an agent, "Did you hear me?"

Under Dani's concerned gaze, Zhu Qingzhi put down her coffee, picked up her phone, opened the chat window, and earnestly sent a belated report: 【Sister Dani~, did you know? Chaoxing belongs to Wen Qi!】

Dani's bewildered gaze drifted to the screen, and now it was her turn to fall silent.

At this moment, the makeup artist opened the door again, and Dani could only remain silent.

*

After a long day, Ms. Zhu collapsed onto a chair, using her last bit of strength to open WeChat. The next second, she almost jumped up from the chair.

Following Gu Qiao's barrage of 99+ unread messages, she was surprised to encounter another heavyweight chatterbox.

Wen Qi's profile picture also had 99+ red dots, with pictures and text showing his "transparent" day in great detail.

Not only did she not have time to open and read it carefully, but she also didn't finish her voice reply, "I just saw it..." before she was called away by the stage manager in a hurry, "Director Zheng is looking for you!"

"In this scene, Si Yue, tone down your emotions a bit more." Director Zheng stared at the monitor, ruthlessly issuing instructions. "Qingzhi, cooperate a bit, let's get one more take."

Zhu Qingzhi blinked and replied very obediently, "What about me? Director Zheng, should I also tone it down a bit?"

Director Zheng then looked up from behind the screen, his gaze sweeping over her, his face clearly saying, "Now you know to ask for my opinion? Weren't you quite clever when you were shifting the blame this morning?" Zhu Qingzhi immediately transformed into a mascot, revealing an even more obedient smile.

As the saying goes, one cannot hit a smiling face, and Director Zheng had no choice but to sigh briefly and wave his hand, saying, "Keep it up."

The script supervisor had just yelled "Action!" when Director Zheng's phone, which was lying to the side, lit up. It was a message from Wen Qi: "Director Zheng, does your crew have inhuman work hours? It seems my wife has been permanently conscripted by you."

Director Zheng glanced at the time and raised an eyebrow. It had only been less than five hours since filming began, and Wen Qi had already come to interrogate him?

Looking up at Zhu Qingzhi, who was already immersed in her role, Director Zheng suddenly had a mischievous idea and took a picture of her with his phone.

He sent the photo to Wen Qi with the message: "[One hostage is currently being held. A ransom must be paid first.]"

Wen Qi was hosting a multinational video conference when his phone vibrated, and he glanced down at it.

In the photo, Zhu Qingzhi's bright, shy yet focused gaze at Zhang Siyue is like the newly sprouted grass of early spring, exceptionally clear under the cool light of the conference room.

His gaze sharpened slightly, his fingertips hovering above the screen, the silver-white ring on his ring finger particularly eye-catching.

In fact, since the beginning of the meeting, the overseas partners had raised this question in a teasing manner. Although Wen Qi casually brushed it off with "it was a gift from my wife," anyone could see that he was deliberately showing off.

After all, Wen Qi was in a good mood today and was unusually patient, not pressing him too hard on the proposal.

Seeing a slight freeze on his expression, the executive reporting on the screen paused, and Yang Qing leaned slightly towards him, whispering a reminder: "President Wen?"

"Continue." When he looked up, his expression had returned to normal, but his slender fingers were rapidly tapping the screen: [Overexposed, reshoot recommended.]

Upon receiving the reply, Director Zheng chuckled, ignoring Wen Qi's nitpicking, and continued staring at the screen. For the sake of investment, it was best to wrap up work as soon as possible.

Wen Qi's mood was not as relaxed as Director Zheng's. He pondered for a few seconds, then picked up a pen, wrote a line in his notebook, and pushed it to Yang Qing.

"I will be following the groundbreaking ceremony for the West City Elevated Road project the day after tomorrow."

Yang Qing's ever-present polite smile finally began to falter.

This project was finalized at the beginning of the year. It's located in the southern part of the city and isn't very large. Normally, the Wen family wouldn't get involved in projects like this. I don't know where Mr. Wen found the tender notice from, but he sent it to me and told me to win it at all costs.

He knew Mr. Wen was doing this for his wife, but was there really a need to rush things? They had only been apart for less than a day.

Yang Qing pursed her lips, took a deep breath, and tried to make a final effort, replying, "Katrina's endorsement event is in four days," before handing the notebook back.

If President Wen skips work again, the board of directors will definitely cause a huge uproar, and cleaning up the mess will be a real hassle.

Wen Qi's gaze lingered on that line of text for a moment, his fingertips tapping lightly on the smooth tabletop, producing an almost inaudible sound. Yang Qing could even see a fleeting hint of impatience flash across his calm, expressionless eyes.

Then, Yang Qing saw Wen Qi pick up a pen and, below the line of reminder, write two words in a powerful, penetrating stroke: "So?"

Yang Qing: "......"

Okay, he understands. It seems the only way is to start with his wife.

-----------------------

Author's note: Kiyoshi [evil grin]: Hehe.

Wen Qi [pitifully]: Hmm.

Yang Qing [frightened]: Damn!

Dani [frightened]: Oh my god.

Director Zheng [eating melon seeds]: Watching the show.

Ah Mei: [Lemon][Lemon][Lemon][Clapping][Clapping][Clapping][Empty bowl][Empty bowl][Empty bowl]