Chapter Sixty-Two
When agent Nan You brought the newcomer to the "Chasing the Light" production team, everyone was reading the script together.
"Let me introduce you. Jiang Qianhuan, 21 years old, graduated from the Affiliated High School of Beijing Dance Academy and Berklee College of Music. She is an all-rounder in singing, dancing and songwriting. The company put her in our group to play the third female lead, 'Lin Qingye'—the lead singer of the band who has a crush on the male lead but hasn't confessed."
Nan You slammed her resume on the table: "This is the young lady's first time working, so please guide her, teachers."
Xu Li looked up.
Jiang Qianhuan wore an oversized sweatshirt, had her hair in a bun, and a row of sparkly earrings. She smiled, revealing her tiger teeth: "Hello, Sister Li. I really love your EP from last year, 'Anti-Tongue,' and I listened to it on repeat for two months."
The voice was soft, but refreshing and sincere, like a glass of lemon sparkling water.
Liu Jiatian (the second male lead) closed the script and lazily reached out his hand: "Liu Jiatian, the crew's unanimously 'noisiest'. Don't be afraid to act with me in the future, I'm quick-witted but soft-hearted."
Yu Yao (the music director) nodded in greeting, which was considered a formality.
Pang Dewei (director of photography) was adjusting the equipment, raising his hand to give an OK sign, but his eyes behind the lens were scrutinizing.
Assistant K sat next to Xu Li, handed her a thermos, and then looked at the newcomer: "Jin Xingze, the male lead. Today's first scene is with me. If you're nervous, you can rehearse it a couple of times beforehand."
Jiang Qianhuan bowed 90 degrees: "Thank you, Brother Ze!"
Xu Li was touching up her makeup when she heard the person at the next table humming a tune quietly; it was Bridge from "Anti-Tongue".
Jiang Qianhuan was writing sheet music in front of the makeup mirror, humming and tapping her feet to the beat.
Xu Li tapped on the partition: "The chorus goes on the minor seventh chord? The original is the major seventh."
Jiang Qianhuan's eyes lit up: "I want to write the feeling of unrequited love a bit more suspenseful. Da Qi is too 'certain'."
Xu Li raised an eyebrow: "Send it to me after you've finished revising it."
"Really?!" The little girl almost jumped up from her chair.
The director had the male and female leads and Jiang Qianhuan walk around the camera positions.
It was Jiang Qianhuan's first time being suspended by wires. She felt dizzy just three seconds after being lifted, but she gritted her teeth and didn't call for a stop.
Her legs went weak when she landed, and she almost knelt down. Xu Li grabbed her by the back of her collar and said, "Don't be stubborn. Find your balance first."
Jiang Qianhuan's nose was sweating, but she still smiled: "Sister Li, you looked so cool when you saved the day."
Xu Li chuckled: "Come on, I saved the machine position."
Jin Xingze loosened the bottle of mineral water and handed it over, whispering, "Pretty stubborn, just like you back then."
Xu Li shrugged: "So I have to be nicer to her."
Liu Jiatian invited everyone to have some skewers.
Amidst the smoky atmosphere of the food stall, Jiang Qianhuan, drinking beer for the first time, blushed after just two sips. She then picked up her guitar and played an original riff for everyone.
Yuyao took out her phone and recorded: "Give me the sample, I'll add it to the OST next week."
Pang Dewei pointed the camera at her and said, unusually, "Don't hide, that little bit of red on your face looks good on camera."
Xu Li, biting into a grilled squid, watched the little girl surrounded by a group of people. She was neither timid nor trying to steal the spotlight, showing an unexpectedly good sense of propriety.
Jin Xingze handed her a tissue: "Are you relieved?"
Xu Li squinted: "For now, let's observe for another month."
Jin Xingze laughed: "You're just being stubborn."
Jiang Qianhuan, holding her guitar, suddenly whispered, "Sister Li, my fan club hasn't even been established yet, and I'm already being called a 'resource-backed' actress by haters who say I got the role by bringing in investment."
Xu Li pressed the floor button and said in a calm tone, "Back when I was criticized as a 'parachute-in female lead,' I didn't even dare to ride the elevator alone."
"So how did you get through it?"
"Refine your skills to the point where they can't find any fault with them." Xu Li raised his hand and ruffled her bun. "When you can do it perfectly on the spot in one take, those criticisms will naturally subside."
The elevator doors opened, and Xu Li stepped out, turning back to add, "Tomorrow at 6 a.m. in the practice room, if you dare to be late, I'll confiscate your earring."
Jiang Qianhuan shrank her neck, but her eyes shone like stars: "Received!"
At the end of the hotel corridor, Tan Yuze leaned against the door and waited.
Xu Li tossed his coat to him: "The new guy is alright, not bad."
Tan Yuze led her into the house: "If you can say 'I don't dislike it,' then you like it."
"I wouldn't say I like it," Xu Li kicked off her high heels, "but at least—"
She thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "In this murky water of the entertainment industry, there's another person I can swim ashore with."
After the drama aired.
#Xu Li's phenomenal rise to fame#
#Lin Qingye's cut has surpassed 1 billion views#
#Jiang Qianhuan's debut EP sweeps seven charts#
The film crew wrapped up work at 2 a.m.
As soon as the nanny van door closed, Ken handed his phone to Jiang Qianhuan.
"Qianhuan, you've surpassed three million followers on Weibo! Brands are lining up until next year, and even high-end luxury brands have upgraded your title!"
Jiang Qianhuan, wearing an ancient costume wig, immediately dimmed the screen: "Shh, keep your voice down. Sister Li has been working non-stop for eighteen hours today and just fell asleep."
Xu Li, sitting in the front row, was huddled in her seat, her hat brim covering half her face, and her eyelashes didn't even move.
Jin Xingze turned the air conditioner up two degrees, turned around and gave Jiang Qianhuan a thumbs-up, whispering, "She's grumpy when she wakes up, don't make a sound."
"Who understands! I burst into tears the moment Jiang Qianhuan looked up during Lin Qingye's final crying scene!"
"The newcomers are killing it off! The Chinese entertainment industry finally has some actresses born in the 90s who can act!"
—"I heard the OST was written by Xu Li? Is she credited as the arranger?"
X·L is the initials of her real name!
The number of viewers in the live stream soared to 8 million, all watching for Xu Li, but today it's Jiang Qianhuan. The host asked, "Who is Qianhuan most grateful to right now?"
The live chat was flooded with comments: Jin Xingze! Liu Jiatian! Yu Yao! Pang Dewei! Xu Li!
Jiang Qianhuan, holding the microphone, suddenly looked off the camera—
Xu Li was leaning against the lamp stand, yawning, with her favorite strawberry milk in her hand.
“I am most grateful to…” Jiang Qianhuan paused, “to someone who helped me rehearse my lines at two in the morning, while pretending that he was just ‘looking around casually’.”
The comments section was instantly clear:
"It's Xu Li, right? Right? Right!"
"Help! The chemistry between the two female leads is killing me!"
Xu Li handed her the milk: "Little starlet, pay attention to your figure."
Jiang Qianhuan poked her straw: "Today on the red carpet, I shielded you from three 'outshining' press releases."
Xu Li raised an eyebrow: "Who asked you to block it?"
"It was my idea to block it," Jiang Qianhuan said with a smile, looking down. "I became famous so quickly, and everyone says I rode on 'Xu Li's' coattails. But I know—"
She looked up, her canine teeth flashing: "You gave me the wind."
Yuyao raised her glass: "To our Huanhuan, the rising starlet!"
Liu Jiatian pushed a contract over: "OST invitation, price based on top-tier level."
Pang Dewei pointed the camera at her: "Don't blink, this one will be in the VOGUE pages."
Jin Xingze spoke last: "Next week is the Golden Scale Award for Best Newcomer. Your name is already on the judges' memo."
Jiang Qianhuan downed her drink in one gulp, then turned around and shoved the trophy into Xu Li's arms: "Thank you for your kind words, I'll pass it on the first try."
[Backstage Corridor]
Reporters swarmed around her: "Qianhuan, what do you think of the nickname 'Little Xu Li'?"
Jiang Qianhuan stopped, the camera lights were so bright they made it hard to open one's eyes, but she smiled openly:
“Xu Li is my lighthouse. A lighthouse doesn’t need to be copied, but those who have been illuminated by her light will learn to shine.”
The flashes of light were continuous.
No one saw that she secretly made a "V" sign with her hand behind her back.
That was the first gesture Xu Li taught her:
"Leave the victory to the camera, and the ambition to the night."
Xu Li was scrolling through Weibo when she suddenly smiled and said, "You popular young actress, the trending topics say you stole my endorsement?"
Jiang Qianhuan leaned closer to look, her pupils dilating in shock: "I'll have the studio clarify this right away!"
Xu Li held her down: "What are you clarifying? The brand just emailed me saying they're promoting me to global ambassador—thanks to you."
Jiang Qianhuan was stunned.
Xu Li flicked her forehead with her finger: "Silly girl, internet fame is like the tide; it can lift you up, but it can also sweep you down. Remember—"
She reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind Jiang Qianhuan's ear:
"Don't be the foam on the crest of the wave, be the undercurrent on the seabed. It is the undercurrent that determines the direction of the tide."
Jiang Qianhuan gazed at the receding neon lights outside the window, then suddenly reached out and hugged Xu Li, her voice muffled:
“Then I will be the biggest undercurrent, and then—push you to a higher sea.”
Xu Li chuckled and hugged her back: "Alright, you popular young actress. Tomorrow at 6 a.m. in the practice room, if you're even a second late, nothing can save you."
At the end of the red carpet, the flashes of light resembled an artificial blizzard.
Jiang Qianhuan wore a black fishtail dress with a back slit that went all the way to her waist, but she had a small, almost invisible strawberry brooch pinned to her—Xu Li had casually tossed it to her when filming wrapped up last year, saying it was to "ward off bad romantic encounters."
As soon as she left, the live chat went wild:
"Help! That's a scar on her back? So cool!"
"What's wrong with your eyes upstairs? Those are character temporary tattoos! A souvenir to commemorate the wrap-up of 'Dark Surge'!"
"The battle between black and red is set, waiting for the charts to be dominated tonight."
Backstage in the dressing room, Xu Li was closing her eyes while the makeup artist applied eyelashes when her phone vibrated.
Jiang Qianhuan: Sister Li, I'm nervous.
[Xu Li: Turn the brooch three times; I've blessed it.]
Three seconds later, a photo was sent back from the other end—the little girl really did spin around three times and even made an ugly peace sign.
[Awards Ceremony Scene]
"Best Newcomer - Jiang! Qian! Huan!"
The camera cuts to her, but Jiang Qianhuan first looks towards the first row of the audience:
Xu Li, dressed in the simplest white shirt, gestured with his chin towards her, as if to say, "Go ahead."
At that moment, the applause from the entire audience became the background noise. She lifted her skirt and walked step by step onto the stage, each step punctuated by a heartbeat.
The award acceptance speech consisted of only three sentences:
"Thank you to the crew of 'Chasing the Light' for allowing me to meet the best co-stars and the best mentors."
"Thank you, Xu Li. She told me that traffic is a magnifying glass, not a fig leaf."
Finally, I thank myself for not losing that light in the long night.
From below the stage, Yu Yao let out a loud whistle, Liu Jiatian clapped his hands so hard they turned red, a rare occurrence, and Jin Xingze rushed onto the stage with his camera, shouting, "Don't go! The side lighting is amazing!"
[3 AM, in the celebratory RV]
Jiang Qianhuan shoved the trophy into Xu Li's arms: "Thanks for your kind words, I won."
Xu Li weighed it in her hand and suddenly laughed: "Do you know how heavy this trophy is? 3.2 kilograms, exactly the two kilograms you lost last year."
Jiang Qianhuan lunged forward to cover her mouth, but Tan Yuze grabbed her by the back of her collar: "Xiao Hua, mind your image, the paparazzi are still waiting."
Before he could finish speaking, there were three light knocks on the car window.
Nan You held up the tablet, her expression complicated: "Qian Huan, it exploded."
The top trending topic on Weibo: #JiangQianhuanXuLiLivingTogether#
The accompanying photo shows Jiang Qianhuan rushing into Xu Li's arms backstage at an awards ceremony, the angle making it look like they're kissing.
The public opinion sphere exploded instantly.
"I always said dual female leads are the best!"
"Isn't Xu Li involved in a love triangle?"
"The person upstairs is blind? Tan Yuze is smiling more kindly than an old father."
The public relations department was in a complete mess, but Jiang Qianhuan was curled up on the sofa eating ice cream while Xu Li wiped the chocolate off her mouth.
Nan You roared, "Can't you two tone it down a bit?!"
Xu Li looked up: "What's there to restrain? She won Best Newcomer tonight, not Best Unrequited Love."
Jiang Qianhuan raised her hand: "How about I come out of the closet? That way they won't have to guess."
"You dare!" Nan You lost three more strands of hair.
Tan Yuze, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "I have an idea."
He took out his phone and posted a Weibo message:
[Tan Yuze V: Let me introduce my fiancée @Xu Li, and her pet cat @Jiang Qianhuan.]
The accompanying photo is a group photo of the three of them.
Xu Li sat on a high stool, Jiang Qianhuan lay on her knees to sleep, and Tan Yuze covered the two of them with a blanket.
The server was under maintenance for twenty minutes, and when it was turned on again, the wind direction had completely changed:
"Help! What kind of divine family is this?!"
"I'm totally shipping them! It's my sister-in-law and brother-in-law!"
"Who says there's no true friendship in the Chinese entertainment industry?"
early morning.
Jiang Qianhuan, with her hair in a mess, pushed open the door and found Xu Li already stretching his legs.
"The trending topic has been removed?"
"It wasn't removed, but a new entry was added." Xu Li tossed her the phone.
#Jiang Qianhuan and Xu Li, master and apprentice#
The first post on the square was a video posted by Lu Yi.
When Jiang Qianhuan fell and cried during her first wire stunt, Xu Li scolded her for being "stupid" while applying medicine to her. When Jiang Qianhuan got stuck while writing a song for the first time, Xu Li stayed up with her until 4 a.m. When Jiang Qianhuan had her first kissing scene NG, Xu Li used his own face as a teaching tool.
...
Caption:
[Lu Yi V: Some people aren't shooting stars, they're star-makers.]
Jiang Qianhuan's eyes welled up with tears, but her phone was snatched away.
Xu Li used tape to stick the phone to the top of the mirror: "Little traffic star, it's time to practice your skills."
"Don't even think about getting down today if you don't do a 180-degree split."
Jiang Qianhuan groaned as she tried to pull her leg, but her fingertips touched a sticky note on the mirror—
It was Xu Li's handwriting: "Don't be afraid of the heights, I'll catch you on the ground."
Outside the window, dawn was breaking.
The two girls' shadows were stretched very long, like two trees growing side by side.
One is a lighthouse, the other is an undercurrent.
And the tide, right beneath their feet, was quietly changing direction.
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