Chapter Forty-Nine
37℃, the humid heat felt like a damp blanket hanging over the city. — 6:15, 14th floor of the film crew's hotel.
Nan You swiped her card to enter and pulled open the blackout curtain. "Get up, we're leaving in 40 minutes."
Xu Li mumbled from under the covers, "Why are mornings in Changsha spicy?" Nan You shoved an iced Americano into her hand, "Because chili peppers are the alarm clock."
Xu Li finished drinking, sobered up, and went into the bathroom. Nan You made a final confirmation to her assistant Xiao Jiang in the living room: "Keep Huoxiang Zhengqi Water in the car, 20 ice packs for outdoor shooting, and 6 bottles of mosquito repellent."
Today, we're filming a scene of female students marching during the Republican era on the exterior of Taiping Street. Xu Li is wearing a blue cloth short-sleeved shirt and a black skirt, carrying an oil-paper umbrella.
After the director yelled "Action," 200 extras crowded onto the cobblestone path, sweat streaming down their temples. After the fifth take, Nan You rushed up, took Xu Li's umbrella, and casually placed an ice pack on the back of her neck: "Cool down, don't get heatstroke."
Xu Li whispered, "Sister Nan, your hands are as cold as ice packs." Nan You replied expressionlessly, "The coldness is what keeps you from fainting."
The crew's boxed lunch consisted of five dishes and a soup, with stir-fried pork with chili peppers being the standard. Xu Li picked out all the chili peppers and only ate white rice and steamed eggs. Nan You took the meat back from her plate: "We'll be doing wire work 12 meters this afternoon; I won't have the energy if I don't eat meat."
Xu Li: "...Then I only want half fat and half thin." Reshooting on the Orange Isle Bridge using wire work, a panoramic long shot. Xu Li was pulled 12 meters high, the wind blowing her skirt into a flag shape.
Nan You picked up a walkie-talkie under the bridge: "Wind speed 2.3, OK, actors can start." One take. After landing, Xu Li swayed a couple of times, and Nan You reached out to steady her, handing her a glass of salted soda: "Take a sip, don't gulp it down." They wrapped up and went back to the hotel.
After taking a shower, Xu Li lay on the bed memorizing her lines for tomorrow. Nan You sent a voice message to the finance department from the living room: "The extras will be paid 1.2 times the normal rate for overtime today. Remember to use the expedited process."
The lights were blinding in a bar on Jiefang West Road, and a DJ was playing techno. Lu Yi and Tan Yuze sat in a booth. Lu Yi lost a game of dice and pushed his glass away, saying, "I'm not playing anymore, it's boring." Tan Yuze shook his soda, "Then let's listen to music."
Lu Yi took out his phone and opened the live stream—it was behind-the-scenes footage of Xu Li being suspended by wires that afternoon. In the video, Nan You looked up at the sky, her hands always in her pockets, her knuckles white. Lu Yi chuckled: "This woman, even her nervousness is so subtle."
Tan Yuze didn't reply, but simply turned down the volume so that the drumbeats wouldn't drown out the wind noise coming from the phone. On the screen, Xu Li landed, and Nan You immediately put a towel over her head.
Lu Yi suddenly stood up: "Let's go, I'm going back to catch up on my sleep."
Tan Yuze left the remaining half-bottle of soda water on the table and followed him out. (Hotel corridor for the film crew)
Light shone through Xu Li's door.
Nan You swiped her card to go in and turned off the lights: "Go to sleep, I'll wake you up at 5 a.m. tomorrow." Xu Li's voice was groggy: "I've never seen Changsha's nightlife before."
Nanyou pulled the blackout curtains shut tightly: "I'll grant you a night off after you finish filming." The air conditioner hummed softly in the room, keeping the noise of Jiefang West Road outside 14 stories below.
The blackout curtain wasn't fully drawn, and a ray of sunlight pierced Xu Li's face like a knife. She rolled over and reached for her phone—Nan You, 9:30 AM: "Are you up yet? Studio shoot for the new endorsement at 2 PM, don't be late."
Nanyou 9:45 "Makeup and hair will be at your place at 12:30, reply quickly." Nanyou 9:58 "Xu Li???"
Nanyou 10:00 "You're gone?!" Nanyou 10:02 6-second voice message—"Are you trying to kill me?! Why aren't you answering the phone?!"
Xu Li instantly snapped to attention, sat up abruptly, her voice still hoarse with the spiciness of Changsha: "It's over, it's over..." She called Nan You back first.
As soon as the call connected, the other end bombarded me with: "Send me your location, I'll be there in 20 minutes! The makeup and hair team is already in the underground parking garage, you can just brush your teeth and wash your face!"
Xu Li rushed into the bathroom while speaking on speakerphone: "I didn't land until 3 a.m. yesterday—" Nan You's voice was icy: "Who told you to stay up until 4 a.m. for the wrap party?"
"I'm giving you two options: First, come downstairs in your pajamas with no makeup, and I'll do your makeup in the car; second, open the door yourself in ten minutes, and come upstairs with your hair and makeup done. Choose!"
"I choose option two!"
“Great, don’t skimp on toothpaste, the new endorsement is a toothpaste ad.” [10:27 The doorbell rings wildly] Nan You, dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans, enters carrying two bags of breakfast and a bag of dresses.
Behind them followed the makeup and hair styling trio, their suitcase wheels clattering like a death knell. Nan You shoved an iced Americano into Xu Li's hand: "Drink this first, it'll reduce the swelling."
Turning to the makeup and hair department: "Use her own cushion foundation for the base makeup; the brand wants a 'no-makeup' look. Use lipstick shade 004, the same color as the toothpaste packaging." Xu Li, with a toothbrush in her mouth: "Can I eat a steamed bun first?"
"No, close-up shots will make your face look rounder. I'll order you some spicy hot pot after we're done." [11:50 Makeup and hair complete] Xu Li grinned at herself in the mirror: "Your teeth are so white."
Nanyou fastened the last earring, raised her hand to check her watch: "Depart at 12 o'clock, arrive at the studio at 12:30, rehearse at 1 o'clock, start shooting at 2 o'clock."
"I'll review the script again on the way here. The client is here today." Xu Li sighed, "Is the wrap-up break over just like that?"
Nan You opened the door and said in a nonchalant tone, "The industry you chose, weekends are legendary." Before the elevator doors closed, Xu Li suddenly said, "Nan You, thank you for not making me put on makeup in my pajamas in the car without any makeup."
Nanyou pressed B1, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible: "I can't bear to see you photographed looking bad."
Three days later.
The variety show is called "Summer Rush!", and the rules are simple: two teams compete to answer questions, and if someone answers incorrectly or fails to answer, the water bucket above their head is poured over. The air conditioning inside the studio is set to 18°C, but the water jets are freezing cold.
Xu Li wore a mint green sun-protective shirt, the cuffs were tightened, and the hood was neatly buttoned up. Nan You stood at the sidelines, holding a towel in her hand, her gaze fixed on the center of the stage—where eight buckets were set up, like a row of suspended cold weapons.
In the first round, Xu Li's team won three questions in a row. The bucket remained unmoved, and she smiled like a cat that had gotten a bargain, turning back to give Nan You a "V" sign.
The opposing team failed to answer the fourth question.
"Whoosh—"
The bucket flap was released, but the water flow veered off course, as if split by the wind, with most of it splashing straight towards the victory zone.
Xu Li was standing at the very edge, and before she could dodge, she was drenched. Water streamed down her hat brim, and tiny droplets clung to her eyelashes. She froze for half a second, then pulled her hood back, her hair plastered to the sides of her face, like a stray cat just caught in the rain—her ears even twitched.
The audience burst into laughter.
The host deliberately dragged out the words: "Oh dear, even the winner is favored!" Nan You clicked his tongue in the audience and strode onto the stage.
Ignoring the cameras, she quickly and gently wrapped the towel around Xu Li's head. The moment the towel was on, Xu Li heard her very low voice: "If you're cold, just say so. Don't force yourself."
The sound was drowned out by the audience's screams; only the two of them could hear it. Xu Li sniffed and whispered, "It's alright, not too cold." Nan You didn't reply, but simply pulled the towel down a little to cover her reddened earlobes, like stroking the fur of a ruffled kitten. Recording continued.
Xu Li returned to her original position with wet hair. Nan You casually pulled the hood back up and tied the drawstring in a knot to prevent her from being "accidentally injured" again.
As the camera panned across the screen, a flood of comments appeared on the screen:
[The agent went on stage to present a towel! So cute...]
[Xu Li was so well-behaved after getting soaked, like a kitten seeking shelter from the rain!]
[Nanyou: My artists, no one will get cold]
After the show wrapped up, Nan You draped a dry jacket over Xu Li's shoulders and said casually, "Next time you wear sun protection clothing while swimming, I'll change you into a diving suit."
Xu Li shrank into her coat, water droplets still clinging to the tip of her nose, her voice muffled by the towel: "A wetsuit... that's fine too, at least it won't let in any wind."
The fluorescent lights were a stark white, and the exhaust fan whirred. Xu Li's sun-protective clothing was dripping wet, leaving a small patch of damp floor. Nan You tossed her a dry sweatshirt: "Change into this. We're at the airport in ten minutes."
Xu Li pulled down her wet hat with trembling fingers: "Weren't we staying in Changsha tonight?" "I changed my ticket." Nan You roughly dried the ends of her hair with a towel. "There's a toothpaste commercial shoot at Hongqiao at 6 a.m. tomorrow, so we're leaving tonight."
[23:15 Nanny van] The air conditioning was set to 28℃. Xu Li was holding a thermos, which contained the hot ginger tea that Nan You had asked the stage manager for. She sipped it slowly, water still dripping from her hair, which fell onto the chest of her sweatshirt, creating dark polka dots.
Nan You covered her legs with a thin blanket: "Don't sleep by the window, you'll catch a cold." Xu Li hummed in agreement, but slid down and nuzzled her head against Nan You's shoulder.
Nan You didn't move, only raising her hand to adjust the air conditioner vent to the side. [23:40 Airport VIP Channel] Late at night, few people were around, and ground staff held up boarding passes in the distance.
Xu Li wore a mask, only her tired eyes were visible. During the security check, the metal detector beeped – it was the zipper of her coat.
Nanyou reached out to brush her wet hair aside and let the security officer scan the back of her neck.
Nan You frowned as her fingertips touched the cold skin: "Your body temperature is 35.8 degrees Celsius. Are you sure you're not cold?"
Xu Li whispered, "There's a blanket." [The flight departs the next day] The cabin lights dimmed. Xu Li curled up in her window seat, the blanket pulled up to her chin.
Nanyou adjusted the seat back to its lowest position and tucked a U-shaped pillow into her seat.
As the plane lurched, Xu Li groggily grabbed Nan You's wrist. Nan You let her hold it, and with her other hand, she pulled up tomorrow's schedule:
"06:30 Toothpaste reshoot → 11:00 Variety show post-production dubbing → 15:00 Brand live stream."
She turned off the screen and glanced at Xu Li: her wet hair was half-dry, with a few stray hairs sticking up in a small tuft on her forehead, like a completely dried kitten. Nan You sighed silently and pulled the blanket up a little more.
[Smooth Cruise] A flight attendant passed by and quietly asked if she needed a hot drink. Nan You shook her head and lowered her voice: "Give her a cup of hot water, with two slices of lemon, but no sugar."
Xu Li coughed softly in her sleep and shrank deeper into the blanket. Nan You lowered her eyes and put the hand that was gripping her wrist under the blanket. Her fingertips touched her palm, which was frighteningly cold.
Nan You frowned, unfolded another layer of the air conditioning blanket, and covered them together. The plane pierced through the clouds, the navigation lights flashing intermittently. Xu Li's breathing gradually evened out. Nan You leaned back in her seat, closed her eyes, and silently murmured:
"Don't get wet anymore, little cat."
The variety show immediately went viral and became a trending topic as soon as it aired.
#Ahhh I'm really going to become a fan of her# Topped the trending search list, and exploded on both the entertainment and overall lists. Clicking into the entry, the real-time square was full of the same 15-second GIF—in the shot, the ice bucket tilted, and Xu Li was drenched from head to toe.
She instinctively flipped her hood back, revealing water droplets on her eyelashes and a slightly red nose from the cold, but she smiled at the hosts with her eyes crinkled, like a cat suddenly peeking out from the rain.
The next second, Nan You rushed onto the stage with a large towel, wrapped it around her expressionlessly, and tied the hat string tightly.
The screen was instantly filled with comments:
#This woman shattered my myth of never being a fan of celebrities#
#Help! She seems to know she's cute!#
#Is the manager's action too fast, just instinct?#
#Xu Li's small "hiss" after being drenched - awsl# Data team backend.
GIF shared over 1.2 million times
The individual topic has garnered 830 million views.
Fan growth: +470,000 (within 6 hours of the variety show airing). The brand's response: The official Weibo account for the toothpaste endorsement immediately posted a video featuring the same "smiling in the rain" pose.
The meme, captioned: "[Teeth so white they practically glow, even when wet~]", flooded the comments section with requests for the same shade, 004. Marketing accounts followed up at 1:15 AM with a highly-rated summary:
[Summary of Xu Li's Variety Show Skills]
1. He's a complete gaming disaster, but he loses gracefully.
2. Her first reaction after getting wet is to compose her facial expression; she's a born idol.
3. The agent went on stage to hand out towels, his cold face contrasting sharply with the sweet girl's demeanor.
End with the hashtag: #FinallyAFemaleCelebrityWithARealLifeInChineseEntertainment.
2:00 AM.
Nan You sat in the waiting hall of Hongqiao Airport, her phone ringing incessantly.
She scrolled past a popular comment she had just come across that said "I'm totally shipping them," and clicked "Report - False Information" without any expression.
Then he looked up at Xu Li, who was sitting in the chair opposite him, drying her half-dry hair with a towel: "You've gained 2.47 million followers, are you happy?"
Xu Li sneezed, her voice soft and nasal: "I'm happy, but can we not get wet next time?" Nan You shoved the thermos into her hand: "I'll bring you a raincoat next time." Outside the window, the takeoff indicator light for Night Flight flashed.
The trending topic continues to gain momentum—#Ahhh I'm really going to become a fan of her#, with a new little tag quietly appearing at the end:
[910 million reads, 1.28 million discussions]
Lu Yi had just finished leg training and was slumped in the stretching area scrolling through his phone.
A notification popped up at the top of the screen—#Ahhh I really want to be a fan of her# Fei clicked on it, and a 15-second GIF played automatically: the ice bucket being poured, Xu Li lifting her hat, and Nan You rushing onto the stage.
Lu Yi clicked his tongue, wiped his sweat with a towel, and casually handed the video to Tan Yuze, who was using an elliptical machine next to him.
"Look, your wife is trending again." Tan Yuze slipped and almost lost his footing.
He took the phone; the video stopped at the last frame—Xu Li was wrapped in a towel, only her eyes visible, the corners of her eyes curved upwards. Tan Yuze didn't speak, turned the speed down to the lowest setting, and watched it three times.
Lu Yi chimed in, "The comments are all saying 'I want to pet it,' it's hilarious." Tan Yuze paused the video, locked the screen, and tossed the phone back into Lu Yi's arms: "Boring."
Lu Yi raised an eyebrow: "You say you're bored, so why are your ears red?"
Tan Yuze picked up the water bottle and stood up, saying indifferently, "It's hot." Lu Yi came out after taking a shower and found Tan Yuze standing in front of the locker with his phone lit up.
The screen hovered over the trending topics section, fingertip hovering above the "Save Video" button, but no one pressed it. Lu Yi flicked him with a towel: "Save it, it's not shameful."
Tan Yuze then swiped away, opened the pinned WeChat message, and found only two words in the input box: "[White teeth?]" After thinking for a moment, he deleted them word by word and stuffed his phone into the cabinet.
Lu Yi suddenly remembered something and turned his head to ask, "By the way, they're going back to Shanghai next week to film their group variety show. Do you want to go visit them on set?"
Tan Yuze stared at the floor number, his tone calm: "It depends on the schedule." The elevator dinged as it arrived on the first floor.
As the door opened, he added in a low voice, "...go when you have time."
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