Chapter Nine
Since returning from France, Su Xian has been staying at the film and television city. She has always been serious about her work, and this time, filming "Snow Abyss" with Shu Ying, she has put in even more effort. There is still some time before the intensive training scheduled by the crew, but as this is her first time filming a period drama, there is so much to learn.
This morning, I learned basic sitting, lying, and walking postures from the etiquette teacher. The male version of Xue exudes a fierce aura, displaying the power of the First Shadow, while the female version is more reserved, with a sharp edge hidden beneath a gentle exterior. One must maintain proper posture, but not overly stiff, lest one lose the natural, ancient charm.
In the afternoon, besides continuing her workout, Su Xian also found a dance teacher to learn basic movements and stretch her muscles to make her subsequent martial arts moves more fluid. In the evening, when the sun wasn't so strong, she learned to ride a horse. Having no prior experience, it was difficult for Su Xian to ride gracefully in a short time, so she could only try her best to ride better and appear more authentic on camera.
Su Xian's time was packed, but she felt she could manage. It wasn't until the martial arts training started that she truly struggled to keep up. She knew she was relatively simple-minded, and because she exercised frequently, spinning on wires wasn't difficult. The challenge was learning sword techniques. Sometimes she would throw a punch but forget to follow up with her feet, and sometimes she would step back but forget to retract her hand.
Chen Jun, who plays Xue's master in the drama, also trained with Su Xian. Because Chen Jun had acted in martial arts dramas before, she started training a little later than Su Xian. On the day she arrived, Su Xian was practicing a newly learned move that required quickly changing direction to perform a side slash and diagonal strike, then turning around to counter-stab, followed by a wire somersault and retreat.
Chen Jun's assistant brought over drinks in a cart, so Su Xian put down the stick she was practicing with and sat on the mat to rest.
"Looks like you'll have a long time to practice." Chen Jun handed a bottle of mineral water to Su Xuan.
"Thank you, Sister Jun." Su Xian unscrewed the cap. Although she was very thirsty, she didn't drink in a hurry.
"This seems to be our first time filming a movie," Chen Jun said.
"No way, I remember Xiaoxian's first drama, the one about the pianist, where she played the student version of your character, Teacher Chen Jun."
Su Xian took the towel from Qingqing's hand and wiped her sweat while saying, "When we were filming 'Für Elise,' Jun and I were in different groups and didn't have any scenes together."
Chen Jun nodded, "I remember when 'Für Elise' aired, there was a lot of discussion about you. You acted with great flair."
"It wasn't about being 'inspired' at all. I had just graduated back then, so I could only say that I was somewhat suited to the role. Looking back now, I realize how naive I was."
"Hey, everyone goes through this. But seriously, the script for 'Snow Abyss' is pretty good, and it's a rare opportunity with action scenes, so it all depends on whether you can live up to it."
Chen Jun has a straightforward personality, and Su Xian likes dealing with people like that, so she went along with her and continued talking.
"Well, so let's get the action scenes right first. It'll be a good opportunity to learn from Sister Jun this time."
"It's too early to talk about that. Right now, I'll learn from you first and master this action scene." Chen Jun smiled as she stood up to find the action director.
Su Xian firmly believed in the principle that diligence can make up for lack of talent. Qingqing filmed her practice videos not only to edit them into clips, but also to give her a reference. Back in her rented apartment at night, she continued to review the moves she had learned, adjusting her expressions in front of the mirror, again and again, day after day.
Muscle soreness is unavoidable; old injuries may heal only to be replaced by new ones.
"Hiss." Su Xian sat on the bed, and Qingqing was massaging her shoulders. She accidentally touched the spot where she had been hit by the sword during the day.
"Does it hurt?" Qingqing asked.
Su Xian gritted her teeth and exhaled, "It's okay."
Qingqing softened her pressure, and Su Xian knew she was afraid of hurting herself again. "Let's stop for now, I'm going to take a shower."
Su Xian entered the bathroom, turned on the shower, and the warm water flowed down her body, washing away her fatigue. After showering, Su Xian wrapped herself in a white towel and wiped the fog off the mirror. To make training easier, she had cut her hair short to her collarbone; her face was thinner, but her eyes were still bright. She turned around and glanced in the mirror, noticing several bruises on her slightly reddened shoulders and back.
She squeezed out some ointment, wrapped two fingers around her back and gently applied it. After wiping it off, she untied the towel, changed to another tube of Bactroban, bent down, and applied the ointment even more gently to the wounds on her thighs that had been chafed and broken from riding the horse.
"Does it hurt?" Qingqing asked. Her face resembled her mother's face in her memory.
She was in fourth grade then, having just moved with her mother to the unfamiliar port city. Not wanting to interfere with her mother's work, she told her mother she could walk home by herself after school. The walk home wasn't long, but on her first day after school, the little girl was chased halfway by a stray dog. She ran desperately with her schoolbag on her back, but tripped and fell, her leg bleeding profusely. She crouched on the ground, covering her head, crying and trembling with fear. Fortunately, an adult passing by waved a clothesline pole and chased the stray dog away.
When her mother came home from work and saw the dirt and bloodstains on her clothes, she couldn't help but get angry. Su Xian stood there, head down, not saying a word, tears once again covering the two dried tear tracks on her face.
Suddenly, her mother hugged her and started crying, "Does it hurt?"
Of course it hurts.
But she just shook her head and reached out her two little hands to wipe away her mother's tears.
As Su Xian grew up, she rarely cried. When she heard others ask her that question again, she would just smile and shake her head.
Even her mother doesn't have time to care about her own emotions, so who in this world truly cares about her? Other people's "Are you okay?" or "Are you alright?" are just appropriate emotional responses to what's happening at the moment.
In this world, no one can truly help anyone else; no matter how difficult things get, you can only get through them on your own. Humans are ultimately alone; she understood this long ago.
Su Xian pursed her lips, her fingers, dipped in ointment, rubbed across her reddened, broken skin, her eyes also reflecting the same redness.
Training camp, reading sessions, and costume fittings—Su Xian sometimes feels that completing a drama is like playing a video game. The preparation process is like fighting beginner monsters; only by improving your skills can you conquer the later levels.
Two days before the official start of filming, Su Xian returned to the port city to participate in business activities that had been scheduled in advance.
For her first gala appearance as a brand ambassador, Holmes borrowed their latest haute couture gown, demonstrating the brand's high regard for her. The black strapless gown, aside from the tassel design at the chest, was clean and simple, devoid of any other embellishments. After long hours of indoor training, Su Xian had lost weight and become fairer; the black dress made her appear even more slender and graceful.
Zheng Garden in the port city is an old garden with a history of over a hundred years. By the time it was passed down to Zheng Yu's father, it had been converted into a private club. The garden is not large, but it is very exquisite. When Su Xuan and Bai Lin were walking through the octagonal pavilion in the middle of the lake, they ran into Sister Wang, who had helped them make the connection with Holmes.
"It's rare to see even senior executives from the group here today." Sister Wang was clearly excited. "He rarely attends these kinds of events. Let me take you to say hello first."
The long dining table in the venue was already quite full of people, and there was only a slight commotion when they saw them arrive. Those who could be considered important Holmes clients attending the dinner were already used to big occasions, and even the most famous celebrities were just there to add to the atmosphere.
Su Xian had a smile on her face. Next to the only empty seat in the middle of the table sat a man in a black suit. He was turned to the side and was making a phone call.
Su Xian's heart suddenly raced. Her high heels clicked crisply on the bluestone floor. The man turned his head, said something in English, and then hung up the phone.
"Let me introduce you," Sister Wang said, standing between the two. "Mr. Heath, this is Su Xuan, the brand ambassador for Holmes in China."
"Su Xian, this is Mr. Heath, the president of the group's North Asia region."
Su Xuan suddenly remembered that Zhi Ran had mentioned Lin Zhiyuan's English name in his official documents: Fredric Lin Heath.
Lin Zhiyuan stood up. Although his smile was formulaic, the smile in his eyes was exactly the same as that night.
“Miss Su, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Lin Zhiyuan extended his hand to her.
The same sentence instantly pulled Su Xian back to that night on the yacht. Su Xian's ears were ringing, and she couldn't hear anything. The noisy venue was now empty except for her and him.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Lin.” Su Xuan answered almost instinctively, while shaking his hand. Today she was wearing 10-centimeter high heels, finally able to look him in the eye, and her makeup was flawless.
Su Xian felt a gentle, feather-like touch on her palm, but it was only for a fleeting moment before their hands separated; perhaps it was just her imagination. Lin Zhiyuan gestured for her to sit down, and Su Xian thanked him softly, taking a seat in the empty seat with her name on it.
Su Xuan looked around. Since it was her first time attending a Holmes appreciation banquet, she didn't recognize any of the important guests sitting at the table. She only recognized a few Holmes employees who were busy around her.
Unlike other popular celebrities who might meet wealthy fans at other brands' dinner parties to boost sales, Holmes has a stable customer base, and such dinner parties are their social arena. Su Xuan is merely a mascot to showcase the products.
Expanding her network and building relationships was Sister Lin's main task, while Su Xian's main task was to eat well. She was probably the only one in the room with this idea.
Su Xian laid out her napkin, and when she caught a glimpse of the square cufflinks on the suit jacket of the man beside her, her heart, which had finally calmed down, started racing again. Since that utterly ordinary greeting, she and he hadn't exchanged a single word.
Su Xuan felt inexplicably guilty. She was carrying a secret, but she had to pretend that he was a complete stranger, afraid that the social veterans at the table would discover something was amiss.
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