Chapter 54
The hand belongs to Nanyou's assistant, Xiao K.
Her wrist was slender, but covered with thin calluses, the result of years of carrying Nan You's makeup case. She knelt on one knee on the edge of the chair, supporting Xu Li's ankle with one hand, and using a wet wipe in the other to gently rub off the sand grains.
The movements were very light, like polishing a newly unearthed shard of black-glazed porcelain. "I thought you would fly back to Shanghai overnight," Xu Li said, her voice muffled by the glass as she pressed her head against the car window.
Little K didn't look up, but folded the dirty wet wipe into a square and replaced it with a new one: "Sister Nanyou told me to keep an eye on you to reduce the swelling. The flight is at six o'clock tomorrow morning, so you'll make it in time."
She spoke plainly, as if reciting an Excel spreadsheet.
When I reached the outside of my ankle, my fingertips paused for two seconds—there was a small, shallow scar the size of a fingernail there, which I had gotten from wire work on a period drama three years ago.
K unconsciously rubbed her thumb on it, making Xu Li flinch as if tickled, before she came to her senses. K pushed the luggage and swiped the room key to open two suites.
One room faces south, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the darkening sea; the other faces north, with curtains drawn and all cameras turned off.
As Xu Li swiped her card to enter the north-facing shop, Xiao K suddenly spoke up: "Sister Nanyou said that the paparazzi are all taking pictures of the sea tonight, so they won't be able to get any pictures of you."
Her voice was extremely low, as if she were leaking a company firewall. Xu Li turned around, and the corridor light cast a long, thin shadow of Xiao K, her toes pressed tightly together, like she was standing at attention.
"And what about you?" Xu Li asked.
"I'll sleep on the sofa," Little K said, pointing to the chaise lounge outside the door. "I'll wake you at five tomorrow morning."
Before dawn, Xiao K had already quietly folded up the blanket. She didn't turn on the lights, but used the light from the corridor's motion-sensor lights to straighten Xu Li's carry-on suitcase, with the wheels facing outwards and the handle against the wall—a method Nan You had taught her, making it easy for artists to grab and go.
After putting away the last charging cable, she heard the door click.
Xu Li was wearing a sweatshirt and disposable slippers, her hair was messy, and she had two "swelling-reducing patches" cut from face mask sheets hanging under her eyes.
"Let's go." The voice was muffled, but clear. Little K nodded, put the room key in her pocket, and casually folded the crumpled blanket on the chaise lounge into a square.
A small green dinosaur keychain peeked out from under the blanket—it came with Tan Yuze's iced Americano. Little K paused for half a second, then put it in her pocket as well, like removing an unnecessary clue.
As the airport announcements began, Xiao K finally spoke her second long sentence: "Sister Nanyou asked me to tell you that the trending topic has been pushed down to eighth place, and the brand is very satisfied with you. But—"
She paused, as if adding a line break in Excel, "She asked me to remind you to catch up on sleep as soon as you get back to Shanghai, because there's a skincare brand live stream at 3 PM this afternoon."
Xu Li pulled her hat brim down as low as possible, revealing only a single "hmm." As the plane climbed, the island below the window became a gradually shrinking puzzle piece.
K sat by the aisle, with Xu Li's iPad on her lap. Her screensaver was an unedited photo of the red carpet from last night—a woman barefoot on the sand, her earrings shattered.
Her thumb hovered over "Save," but she didn't click it.
The screen went dark, like shutting down a witnessing event no one knew about. The moment she landed, a voice message from Nanyou popped up on Xiao K's phone:
"Get her home safely, make sure she gets four hours of sleep, then send me her location." Little K replied with a "1" and then put her phone on silent.
At the exit, the van was already waiting. The driver was Lao Zhao. He gestured with his chin towards Xiao K: "Going straight home?" Xiao K didn't answer, but turned to look at Xu Li. Xu Li pulled her hat brim back, revealing her bare face, with the edges of the anti-puffiness patches under her eyes sticking up.
She suddenly reached out and gently ruffled K's hair—the movement was very light, like petting a cat that had just had a bath. "Don't sleep on the sofa tonight," she said, "come to my guest room, the bed is soft."
K froze, her ears slowly turning red, before finally managing a soft "Mmm." The car drove off the airport expressway; Shanghai was overcast, the wind carrying the damp, fishy smell of the Huangpu River.
Little K took the green dinosaur keychain out of her pocket and quietly hung it on the zipper of Xu Li's carry-on suitcase.
The keychain wobbled twice, like a belated heartbeat, finally returning to its rightful city.
The car stopped at the entrance of a narrow alley, where the plane trees dappled the sunlight into fragments of gold. Xu Li got out of the car, the wheels of her suitcase crunching over the fallen leaves with a crisp "snap".
Little K followed behind, her shoulders aching from the backpack straps, but she didn't utter a sound. The iron gate creaked open, and the courtyard was quiet except for the wind chimes swaying under the eaves.
Xu Li bent down and pulled out a spare key from the bottom of the shoe cabinet; the metal was cold. "Come in," she said, turning back to nod at Xiao K. "The guest room is on the second floor, on the left. The bedding was just changed last week."
Little K stood in the entryway, not daring to step on the Persian rug, only holding her backpack to her chest: "Sister Nanyou told me to watch you while you sleep."
“I know.” Xu Li kicked off her shoes and stepped barefoot into the living room. “Let me have a drink of water first.”... The kettle made a “glug-glug” sound.
Xu Li opened the refrigerator, inside which were neatly arranged rows of ice water, rows of face masks, and in the far corner lay three boxes of mung bean cakes—one of which had a sticky note attached:
Don't eat it, it's expired. —Brother
She wasn't home, so Xu Sheng came back here.
She chuckled, tore off the note, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it in the trash can. Little K stood by the island counter, her back ramrod straight, as if she were on a transport mission.
Xu Li handed her a glass of ice water: "You drink it, I'll sleep. Wake me up in four hours." Little K took it, her fingertips touching the condensation on the glass, and suddenly said, "Ah Li, last night on the red carpet... you actually knew he wouldn't go in, right?"
Xu Li didn't answer, but tilted her head back and gulped down half a glass of ice water, her Adam's apple bobbing. After a while, she put down the glass, her voice so low it was almost inaudible: "I'm afraid he'll go in, but I'm even more afraid he won't be able to get in."
...
Little K drew the curtains tightly shut, leaving only a slit to prevent the light from being too glaring. Xu Li sank into the soft down comforter, buried her face in the pillow, and said in a muffled voice, "There are earplugs in the bedside drawer. Wear them if you're worried about the noise."
K hummed in agreement but didn't move, remaining seated on the bench at the foot of the bed with her hands neatly placed on her knees. The room was so quiet that they could hear each other breathing.
Xu Li turned over, then suddenly reached out and pulled out an old Polaroid photo from the bedside table. The photo was taken three years ago in Hengdian in the summer. She, Tan Yuze, Leng Yuxuan, and Mu Mu were squatting on the set eating popsicles, their smiles so wide their eyes disappeared.
She shoved the photo into Little K's hand: "Keep this safe for me, don't lose it." Little K clutched the photo, her fingertips trembling slightly: "...Okay."
...
[13:55 Guest Room] Before the alarm clock went off, Little K woke up first.
She tiptoed downstairs, and the kitchen kettle started gurgling again. Xu Li, wearing pajamas and with her hair all messy, was taking mung bean cakes out of the refrigerator.
"Slept for three hours and fifty-eight minutes," Little K announced. Xu Li yawned, "Round it up to four hours." She opened the box of mung bean cakes without a label, broke off half, and handed it to Little K: "Want some?"
K hesitated for half a second before taking it.
The two squatted by the island platform, like two children sneaking a snack. The sweet red bean paste melted in their mouths, and Xu Li suddenly laughed: "If Nan You knew I was sneaking carbs, she would kill me."
Little K added in a low voice, "...I've already taken photos as evidence." Xu Li raised an eyebrow: "Send them to Nan You, and you can have half of the prize money."
Little K shook his head, stuffed the remaining half of the mung bean cake into his mouth, and puffed out his cheeks: "I'll save up the hush money myself."
The doorbell rang.
Xu Li went to open the door, and Xiao Zhao stood outside, carrying two iced Americanos and a bag of xiaolongbao.
"It's on the way," he said, his gaze passing over her and landing on Xiao K. "Nan You asked me to pick her up; the afternoon live stream is being moved up."
Xu Li stepped aside to let him in, and casually took the coffee: "What time is the live stream?"
"Four o'clock." Xiao Zhao glanced at her watch. "Half an hour on the way, an hour for makeup, perfect." Xiao K had already slung her backpack over her shoulder and was waiting in the entryway.
Xu Li stuffed the old Polaroid photo back into her pocket and whispered, "Don't give the photo to Nan You."
Little K nodded, then suddenly reached out and gave her a very light hug: "Ah Li."
Xu Li was stunned, then laughed: "Don't sleep on the sofa next time." Xiao Zhao's car slowly drove out of the alley.
Little K sat in the passenger seat, clutching the photo in her hand, watching the shadows of the sycamore trees flash by outside the window. Suddenly, Little Zhao spoke up: "Who looks the ugliest in the photo?"
Little K thought for a moment and answered seriously, "Leng Yuxuan, he has vegetable leaves in his teeth."
Xiao Zhao laughed out loud: "Xu Li, go back and tell him he can chase you to the next film set." In the rearview mirror, Xu Li stood at the gate of the courtyard, her pajamas billowing in the wind like a small sail.
She waved to the car, then turned and went inside.
The iron gate clicked shut, and the afternoon cicada chirping in Shanghai suddenly seemed distant. Xiao Zhao's car was stuck in traffic, the air conditioning making him feel cold.
Little K tucked the old Polaroid photo into her notebook, then suddenly remembered something and started typing furiously on her phone. Leng Yuxuan caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of her eye: "Tipping someone in the foot?"
Without looking up, Xiao K said, "Let Nanyou know I'm safe, and also ask to change Teacher Xu's live stream to a pre-recorded one tonight."
Xiao Zhao raised an eyebrow: "She'll agree?"
Little K pushed up his black-rimmed glasses and said seriously, "You have to agree, whether you like it or not. Teacher Xu has only slept for four hours since last night. If she keeps working non-stop, she will get puffy—I have the data."
She waved the Excel spreadsheet on her phone, which was filled with detailed records of Xu Li's sleep duration and facial condition the following day over the past three months.
Xiao Zhao chuckled: "Nanyou is most afraid of engineering assistants like you."
[15:55 Ruijin InterContinental Temporary Dressing Room] Nanyou is indeed on the verge of exploding.
"The 4 o'clock live stream has been changed to a pre-recorded broadcast? The brand has already bought the trending search terms!" Xiao K handed over the tablet, on which was a real-time monitoring of facial edema index, which was red to the point of being purplish.
Nan You choked, then gritted her teeth after three seconds: "Fine, record it! But the video must be delivered before 10 p.m. tonight, and the footage from the ELLE red carpet backstage must also be included."
Little K nodded: "I've already contacted the post-production team, and they've freed up the server room for me for two hours."
Nanyou rubbed her temples and suddenly asked, "Where's Xiao Zhao?"
“At the coffee shop downstairs.” Little K paused. “He said he could drive Professor Xu to the editing room and oversee the editing process there.”
Nan You narrowed her eyes: "When did he become our outsourced driver?" Little K didn't reply, but simply sent over a new itinerary—
[18:00-19:30 Rough cut in the server room]
[19:30-20:00 Xu Li eats + applies ice]
[20:00-21:30 Retouching + Color Correction]
[21:30-22:00 Online review of the film by the brand]
Nanyou stared at the note "Leng Yuxuan will drive at 18:00" and finally managed to squeeze out only one sentence: "Okay, but the gas cost will not be reimbursed."
Xu Li, wearing black-rimmed glasses and without makeup, stared at herself on the screen—the red carpet clip was frozen on the second she stepped barefoot on the sand, with the timecode 19:02:14 next to it.
Xiao Zhao brought in a glass of iced Americano and placed it beside her: "Take a sip, it'll reduce the swelling."
Xu Li didn't move, but pointed at the screen: "Leave three frames here for me to pause in breathing, don't cut too fast." Xiao Zhao leaned over to look, and the two of them rubbed shoulders together, neither of them moving.
Sitting in the back row of the office, Xiao K captured this scene in her phone camera, then silently deleted it—Nan You had repeatedly warned: No unofficial leaks allowed.
But she couldn't resist and encrypted the photos, saving them in a folder named "Backup," with the note: "[2025.07.20 17:45 The server room lighting is very good]..."
[21:58 Film approved] The brand representatives applauded in the video conference: "Perfect! Thank you for your hard work, Ms. Xu!"
Xu Li took off her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose: "Then I'll go back to sleep?" Nan You's voice burst out from the speaker: "Sleep? Sleep what! Even though the live stream has been changed to a pre-recorded broadcast, you can't stop posting on Weibo! Post three behind-the-scenes photos, and I'll send you the captions—"
Little K raised her hand: "I've written the copy and sent it to WeChat. You just need to review it, Sister Nanyou." Nanyou was silent for two seconds, then softened her tone for once: "...Little K, I'll give you a raise next month."
...
Xiao Zhao's car was parked at the entrance of Xu Li's alley.
In the back seat, Xu Li was already asleep, her head tilted towards the car window, still clutching the box of unfinished mung bean cakes in her hand.
Xiao K got out of the car quietly and walked around to the driver's window: "Teacher Zhao, thank you for tonight." Xiao Zhao put his index finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet.
Little K nodded, quietly slipped the old Polaroid photo into Leng Yuxuan's storage compartment, and ran into the night. Little Zhao glanced at Xu Li through the rearview mirror, then after a moment, turned up the air conditioning by two degrees and whispered:
Good night, happy wrap-up.
...The lights weren't on, only the humidifier by the bedside emitted a faint blue glow. Xu Li turned over, reached for her phone, and half-closed her eyes as she scrolled through Weibo.
The top trending topic: #XuLi's Stormy Black Swan Behind the Scenes# Clicking on it leads to a behind-the-scenes video posted by the brand's official account: In the video, she is barefoot on the sand, turning around and winking, with the caption:
"Thanks to Xu Li, the wind has a shape."
First comment:
[@Tan Yuze liked this Weibo post.] Xu Li stared at the ID, smiled, and placed her phone face down on her pillow.
The humidifier gurgled and gurgled, like someone saying from afar: Happy wrap-up!
This time, she heard it clearly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
