Chapter 52: Sparks are flying between them.
The scenes filmed in the ward had been going on for a while and were almost finished.
Although the most ambiguous scenes in the entire film are not in the hospital room, the scenes in the hospital room are the most ambiguous in terms of density.
The PR team, of course, wouldn't let this opportunity pass, and they were already well aware of the logic behind creating on-screen couples—what audiences love to see is never a scripted performance, but rather those moments that could potentially come true off-screen. Even a half-second longer eye contact is enough to send fans into a frenzy.
After figuring this out, the staff began to put in their best effort every day, just to capture moments of interaction between the male and female leads off-screen, whether they were ambiguous, intimate, or joking. They would shoot and post these moments directly, and even just adding a hashtag would frequently send them trending on social media.
Sweet romance is something the public enjoys, and with an excellent image and top-tier popularity, the CP fans are having a blast.
They firmly believed in the principle that "if Wen Jia hasn't officially announced it, it's not a real relationship," tightly binding her to Song Yanlin and repeatedly pushing related topics to the forefront of public attention. For a time, major social media platforms were practically flooded with the names of Wen Jia and Song Yanlin.
Wen Jia is used to it. Creating on-screen couples is like an extra job for her. She has no obligation to do it, but not doing it will also affect her. Every day, she can only put on a smile even off-screen and cooperate with the publicity to capture moments.
So only she knows that Yu Jianshan's 'cut' wasn't the end; only when all the cameras shooting behind-the-scenes footage were removed would she be truly free.
Xu Yitang, observing everything clearly from the outside, would always tip off Xu Shaoting at these times.
"Brother, sister-in-law is seriously promoting a romantic pairing today too."
Xu Shaoting was satisfied when he saw the word "fried," and Xu Yitang would receive another substantial intelligence fee.
That day, after Wen Jia finished filming, the publicity team, as usual, conducted a live interview. Since the film is essentially a romance, the love story naturally became its biggest selling point, prioritizing popularity. Such interviews inevitably involved asking ambiguous questions.
To create the feeling of an impromptu interview, no special space was arranged. Wen Jia, wrapped in a blanket, sat on a lounge chair, holding a small microphone.
Just as Song Yanlin was about to join the interview, Shen Zhiyun stopped him. The two talked for a while, and he nodded repeatedly.
The publicity officer led the photographer closer, the camera swaying slightly, the noisy surroundings actually making the interview seem more real and natural.
"Teacher Wen, we're going to do a live interview now, so please say hello to everyone first."
Wen Jia raised her delicate face and smiled faintly at the camera. Even with pale makeup, her outstanding features could not be concealed.
"Hello everyone, I am actress Wen Jia. In the film, I play Feng Yingxue, a female painter suffering from ALS. I look forward to meeting everyone soon."
"As you can see, Teacher Wen has just finished a scene and hasn't even had time to change out of her costume. The scene you just saw was a scene between you and Song Yanlin. So, how does it feel to work with an old friend again?"
The PR team knew exactly what the viewers in the live stream wanted to see, so they deliberately emphasized the words "old friend" and "collaboration".
Wen Jia maintained a perfectly measured smile, her eyes gently fixed on the camera. "It was truly a pleasure to work with Teacher Song again. He is an extremely professional and outstanding actor with a deep understanding of his characters, and our scenes together sparked a lot of chemistry. Compared to a few years ago, we have both grown a lot, and this collaboration felt more like a process of mutual growth."
These were all answers provided in the interview transcript, and she spoke quite fluently.
Xu Yitang pricked up his ears, caught the key words, and secretly sent a message to his older brother on his phone:
"Brother, danger! Those two are sparking a romance!"
The comments section was practically overflowing with CP (couple) fans:
[Who understands? She calls him Teacher Song.]
Where is Teacher Song? Why isn't he with his wife?!
The implication is that a few years ago he was naive and clueless, now he's mature and resilient—who understands this kind of transformation?!
[Collision sparks?! Is that something you can talk about?! Please explain in detail how the collision occurred!]
...
"Filming intimate scenes usually requires overcoming psychological awkwardness. Was it because you were highly professional, or because you were familiar with and trusted each other enough that you were able to get into character so quickly?"
The question was very leading, and it hadn't appeared in the interview transcript before. Fortunately, Wen Jia reacted quickly and had already prepared her answer in her mind. Just as she was about to speak, Song Yanlin, as if he had a script, sat down next to Wen Jia and answered first:
"There's definitely still a bit of awkwardness, since we're so familiar with each other. But perhaps it's precisely because we were so familiar with each other that I can better understand the complex and unspoken emotions between the characters, and lend some of my real feelings to them. Would you call that a kind of cheating?"
After he finished speaking, he turned to look at Wen Jia, his gaze focused yet ambiguous.
The camera focused on Song Yanlin, so no one noticed Yu Kaiqing's eye-rolling that was practically flying off-screen.
After listening to Song Yanlin's words, Xu Yitang sent another message:
"Brother, danger! They've already slept together!"
Unsurprisingly, there was no response to either of these messages.
Xu Yitang had been lurking in the film crew for a long time and had started to get to know Wen Jia. However, she had not yet revealed her identity as the second young lady of the Xu family, and Wen Jia treated her with a normal attitude.
After the interview, she eagerly brought a glass of warm water and placed it in Wen Jia's arms. She tried to sit down on the chair next to her, but Yu Kaiqing grabbed her by the collar and pulled her away.
She, a woman of noble birth, had never been treated like this before. She immediately took out her phone and cried, "Brother, my sister-in-law's assistant is abusing me! I demand compensation for emotional distress!"
"Kaiqing, don't do this."
Upon hearing this, Yu Kaiqing looked heartbroken, as if she had been tricked.
Xu Yitang, having gotten the better deal, chuckled twice and swaggered down in the chair.
"Sister Wen, I'd like to interview you too."
Sister Wen gave a soft "hmm".
Xu Yitang cleared his throat, putting on a convincing act, but the question was just something he came up with on the spot: "Teacher Wen, what are your thoughts on the online description of you as a 'heartthrob for all ages'?"
"This is probably an exaggeration by a marketing account."
Xu Yitang immediately retorted, "Absolutely not, my whole family loves watching your shows."
"Really?" Wen Jia chuckled modestly. "Then I'm quite honored to be able to let everyone watch a show to relieve boredom during their leisure time."
Xu Yitang racked his brains but couldn't come up with any irrelevant questions, so he gave up and simply steered the conversation toward what he wanted to say.
"Teacher Wen, is it true that you have a boyfriend, as you said before?"
Wen Jia was usually very sensitive about being asked about her private life, but after spending so much time with Xu Yitang, she had basically figured out the girl's personality. She even felt a strange sense of familiarity with her at times, as if she had experienced something similar before. It was subtle, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it; she only knew that Xu Yitang didn't have any bad intentions.
"Really? Basically the entire crew knows," she said, smiling at her. "What, do I not look like I have a boyfriend?"
"Yes, yes, it's similar," Xu Yitang quickly admitted. "Then can you tell me how you and your boyfriend met?"
She wouldn't let such a good opportunity slip by; she wanted to get all the answers she hadn't gotten from Lin Youzhe. However, she not only wanted to know them herself, but also, with a keen business sense, she would sell them to her older sister and brother.
Wen Jia had a faint smile on her lips, her eyes slightly unfocused, lost in thought.
In some ways, she was an idealist, so her answer wasn't very practical:
"I met him... on a snowy day."
"Hmm?" Yu Kaiqing asked, a hint of doubt in her voice. She then turned her gaze towards him. "Didn't you meet him because he invested in your movie?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Shen Zhiyun, who was behind the three people, stopped flipping through the script, but she deliberately kept her eyes fixed on the screen and listened quietly.
Xu Yitang pursed her lips tightly, blinked her eyes, as if she had heard some incredible gossip and didn't know where to look.
Unable to speak, she could only perform her intelligence reporting duties: "Brother, it seems that sister-in-law has more than one boyfriend."
She now carefully crafts her words, sending everything related to Wen Jia, whether true or false, to Xu Shaoting. She exaggerates the truth and fabricates the lies, all to pique her older brother's interest and earn her a reward—a shrewd little swindler indeed.
Xu Shaoting knew she couldn't expect anything good to come out of her mouth, so he usually ignored her messages, reading them and forgetting them. However, this one clearly caught his eye:
"explain"
Xu Yitang: "I asked her how she met her boyfriend, and she said they met on a snowy day. Her assistant said they met by investing in a movie. I didn't understand either of her answers."
Inside the meeting room, the man laughed in full view of everyone.
Since Wen Jia joined the crew, Xu Shaoting has occasionally been lost in thought while working. The employees have gotten used to it and are happy to let him be, only taking advantage of the breaks to wait for him to finish his relationship.
Xu Shaoting turned off his phone screen and looked at the employee who had just finished speaking with a faint smile, "Excuse me, could you please repeat that?"
Seeing that her brother didn't reply, Xu Yitang knew there was more to the story and prepared to get to the bottom of it, "Did I hear something I shouldn't have? Are you two talking about the same person?"
Wen Jia flicked the girl's head. "Of course, unless I don't want to work in this industry anymore."
The three sat in a corner, each forming their own group, none of them noticing the pair of ears listening quietly not far away.
"Okay, next question: How is your relationship with your boyfriend? How does he treat you?"
The answer to both questions is, "Very good."
Before she could finish speaking, Shen Zhiyun frowned, seemingly displeased, and the light in her eyes was dimmed by her words. But she still managed to restrain herself, hearing Xu Yitang continue to ask:
"Hmm... So, what was your first impression of him when you saw him?"
Wen Jia had asked Yu Kaiqing this question before, word for word.
Yu Kaiqing, who was quite the character, quickly answered, "I know the answer to this question. My first impression is that he's handsome, my second impression is that he's rich, and my third impression is... that he knows how to play around with female celebrities, right?"
She chuckled twice and nudged Wen Jia's arm with ill intent.
Yu Kaiqing projected her own experience onto Wen Jia, and her answer was attributed to Wen Jia, which was almost entirely reckless.
She was thinking to herself that Eva didn't know who Wen Jia's boyfriend was anyway.
Xu Yitang almost choked on his water. "Playing with female celebrities??"
She simply couldn't bear to look at her brother, who was supposed to be abstinent and virtuous, and didn't get close to women, yet he was having affairs with female celebrities...?
The little girl didn't hear him at all and couldn't speak for a long time, as if she felt something was wrong.
Could her older brother and sister-in-law be in a sugar daddy-candy relationship...?
"No, don't listen to her nonsense. My boyfriend is very loyal."
Xu Yitang sighed softly.
Along with the sigh, a soft sneer also rang out from somewhere, a disdainful sneer.
But she wasn't quite sure. She glanced at Shen Zhiyun with a puzzled expression, and when she spoke again, she noticeably lowered her voice.
"So, does that mean I can assume that Ms. Wen's boyfriend is handsome, rich, and devoted?"
“I testify, yes.” Yu Kaiqing held up three fingers.
"No wonder he's the man who won over Sister Wen."
As Xu Yitang spoke, he took out his phone and sent a message to a small group chat of three people.
“I haven’t even said who pursued whom yet,” Wen Jia lifted her eyelids. “How can you be so sure that he pursued me?”
Under the watchful eyes of Wen Jia and Yu Kaiqing, she remained poised and confident, though she silently marveled at her own keenness. She could seize upon such an ordinary question and ask a counter-question; she and her elder brother were truly a perfect match.
"Generally speaking, it's usually men who pursue women, right? Besides, I can't imagine you, Teacher Wen, actively pursuing men with a face like that."
Wen Jia then began to laugh, unable to resist the girl's sweet words, and thus gave her the opportunity to continue asking questions.
"Since your boyfriend is so outstanding, have you ever thought about winning him over? Or... are you considering marriage...?"
Xu Yitang's words gradually faded away as the figure of the woman who suddenly appeared beside him materialized.
Shen Zhiyun slowly pulled her coat tighter and sat down in the empty chair. "What are you all talking about? I think I heard something about a wedding? Is Teacher Wen inviting us to his wedding banquet?"
Wen Jia didn't object; instead, she politely replied, "Not yet."
Shen Zhiyun nodded knowingly, "Then... have you met Shao Ting's parents?"
Her narrow eyes held a cautious scrutiny, like sharp, thin blades.
The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the corner instantly became tense. Xu Yitang and Yu Kaiqing both froze, not expecting her to so blatantly mention Xu Shaoting's name.
Hearing her affectionate use of the name 'Shao Ting', Wen Jia felt as if she had returned to that corridor, to that suffocating and unbelievable atmosphere.
She was truly unhappy, squinting at Shen Zhiyun while remaining silent.
"This is something you should really think about carefully," Shen Zhiyun chuckled, her tone carrying a hint of condescension as she reminded him. "After all, to enter into a family like that, you'll naturally have to give up something—maybe your career, maybe your freedom, maybe even your pregnancy. I doubt Teacher Wen would be willing to give that up, would she?"
Wen Jia raised an eyebrow and smiled, her tone indifferent: "What are you willing to give up? Career and relationship aren't a simple choice; at least he never makes me make that choice."
"So it seems you haven't met your parents yet?" Shen Zhiyun deliberately gave a considerate smile, but her eyes were sharp. "Once you actually meet them, you'll know why I said that. But if you do meet them, Teacher Wen can ask me if you have any difficulties, such as what gift to give, what to wear, or what to say. After all, Shao Ting's father is not easy to deal with."
Shen Zhiyun's tone was not calm, because she had too much on her mind.
The first time I saw Xu Shaoting in the corridor, he was completely focused on Wen Jia. He had never given her that kind of eager and focused look before.
The second time she saw him willingly accompany Wen Jia in front of the media, those ambiguous and intimate scenes in the car made her wonder if this was the same man who was taciturn and unwilling to even show up at their engagement party.
At the third welcoming banquet, I witnessed Wen Jia mentioning him, her tone casual yet unable to conceal her intimacy.
All of this made her realize that Xu Shaoting wasn't incapable of loving others, but rather that he understood love too well, which is why he knew how to give his love only to one person.
But that person was never her, Shen Zhiyun.
She did use some tricks to win Xu Shaoting's love, creating small ripples and even big waves, but she never got a second glance from him.
It was only later that she realized that Xu Shaoting was like an independent sailboat; the bigger the waves, the farther it would drift. These schemes were actually the root cause of why she kept pushing Xu Shaoting further and further away.
However, she realized her mistake too late and was unwilling to admit her own ignorance, so she transferred her resentment to Wen Jia.
She felt that Xu Shaoting shouldn't fall in love with a female celebrity, and that the Xu family wouldn't accept her identity.
This certainty seemed to have become her last lifeline.
Xu Bozheng became the last piece of shelter she could see in this emotional wasteland, a refuge belonging to the old order.
Wen Jia steadied her breathing, "Thank you for your kindness, Director Shen. However, shouldn't meeting the parents be about whether both sides are sincere and happy, rather than about dealing with someone? Isn't Director Shen overcomplicating things?"
Xu Yitang and Yu Kaiqing stood to the side, one calm and composed, the other fidgety and uncomfortable, but neither of them spoke, simply watching the battle quietly.
In this conversation, Shen Zhiyun was the newcomer and initiated the conversation, but she didn't seem to have the upper hand; her tone began to sound forceful and urgent.
"No, not really. I just remember my uncle telling me that it was a good thing I didn't become an actress but chose to become a director, otherwise he probably wouldn't have agreed to my marriage with Shao Ting." Shen Zhiyun tossed her short hair, revealing a section of her proudly held neck. "I just felt that he had some prejudice against celebrities like you, so I was worried that you would suffer. I meant well."
She gazed at Wen Jia with an open and honest expression, waiting for her answer.
"Since his father thinks so highly of him, why hasn't Director Shen married him yet?" Wen Jia's expression remained unchanged as she turned and smiled in response to her gaze. "Is it because you don't want to?"
Wen Jia originally didn't want to engage in these meaningless competitions among women, but she couldn't help it. During this period, she adhered to the principle of keeping to herself and only communicated with Shen Zhiyun about work matters. However, the latter always managed to subtly steer the conversation away from the topic, so she would subtly retaliate. Several times, Shen Zhiyun also took advantage of work to have the publicity team pair her up with Song Yanlin, but she saw through it all and refused these unnecessary attempts to seduce her.
Shen Zhiyun's sore spot was touched, and her face turned ugly. The usually quick-witted woman now had her mouth slightly open, but she couldn't utter a single syllable.
"Director Shen, I really hope that our differences stem from how to make a good film, rather than from us arguing over some personal matters."
Wen Jia wasn't one to hold a grudge, so she stopped there and mercifully refrained from adding insult to injury. She got up and led Yu Kaiqing into the film set to prepare for work.
Xu Yitang remained silent, only realizing at this moment how unnecessary his worries had been. After all, if they were to actually clash, Wen Jia probably wouldn't be at a disadvantage.
She typed rapidly, relaying Shen Zhiyun's words to Xu Shaoting verbatim.
-
Wen Jia had been wearing a thin hospital gown for many days, and with the snow falling, she finally caught a cold.
He coughed so much on set every day that he felt like he was going to cough his lungs out; his back looked thinner from all the coughing.
Wen Jia doesn't want to be a caged canary, but a magpie, only reporting good news and not bad. Every day when she talks to Xu Shaoting on the phone, she has to turn off the microphone and cough for a while before she can speak normally.
It's just that if she doesn't report it, Xu Yitang will.
As a result, the crew received boxes and piles of hand warmers, heaters, and other supplies every day, which were delivered to the set under the guise of Yu Jianshan caring for his employees.
Thanks to Wenjia, the staff got through the coldest period of the year.
Only Shen Zhiyun knew that this was not Yu Jianshan's style. She tried several times to get information out of Xu Yitang, but to no avail.
Xu Yitang eagerly went to Xu Shaoting to claim credit, and after a while, his treasury was overflowing.
The crew wrapped up early today, and when they left, Wen Jia felt dizzy and lightheaded. Since filming began, she had lost four pounds, and her thin body looked like a willow branch dried by the cold wind. Her cotton-padded coat was unusually large on her and was about to fall to the ground.
The cough was also more severe than before, and the person was coughing while shaking.
She looked like a feather being pushed along by the wind.
Yu Jianshan took off his headphones and heard her coughing all over the huge film set.
"You can either rest for two days first, and then start filming the scenes of the supporting actors tomorrow."
“Never mind… Director Yu,” Wen Jia said, her pale lips trembling, her words broken by coughing, “I tend to lose my focus when I rest… It’s been a long time since things went smoothly for a few days, and now it’ll affect the schedule again.”
Since she was so dedicated to her work, Yu Jianshan couldn't force her to rest. In the end, he patted her on the shoulder and said the same old thing: "Drink more hot water."
Back at the hotel, she burrowed into the bed, saying, "Kaiqing, I think I have a fever."
The suite was fully equipped with a first-aid kit, and Yu Kaiqing took her temperature with a thermometer.
"I do have a slight fever."
"...We're doomed."
After feeding her the medicine, Yu Kaiqing prepared to report to He Lingyi, "Auntie told me that if you catch a cold or have a fever, you should tell her so she can come and take care of you."
Wen Jia stopped him, saying, "Don't tell her."
"Then who should I tell? Should I talk to Chairman Xu...?"
Her lips curled down, and her voice was very weak, "And don't tell Xu Shaoting..."
Seeing her aggrieved expression, Yu Kaiqing felt a pang of sympathy for her. "You miss Chairman Xu."
Wen Jia lowered her thin eyelids, turned over and lay back on the bed, her back to her, muttering, "Is it that obvious..."
Yu Kaiqing tucked her in and looked at her helplessly, "You two aren't in the stage where you're chasing each other anymore, so why are you playing hard to get like this?"
“I’m afraid he’ll worry. If I tell him, he’ll definitely fly over to see me, but the company is busy, and he has to fly back early the next morning. He can’t sleep for four or five hours. Anyway, you’re not allowed to tell him.”
"Alright, alright, I won't say," Yu Kaiqing glanced at her watch, "Do you have an appetite now?"
She was lucky she didn't vomit; she had no appetite at all. She shook her head.
"Then you should get some sleep first. I'll go buy you some cough medicine and bring you food later."
As darkness fell, the suite remained dark, the only sound in the room being the evenly rising and falling of the body on the bed.
Wen Jia's cheeks were burning, but her body was ice cold. She curled up and hugged herself, but she couldn't retain any warmth and trembled involuntarily.
She couldn't fall asleep, nor could she muster any sleepiness; all she could hear were the words Shen Zhiyun had just spoken.
Although the thing Xu Shaoting said to her most these days was, "Don't believe anything Shen Zhiyun says."
But she still couldn't shake her tendency to be easily swayed. What sounded harsh just now, upon reflection, seemed to make some sense.
Xu Bozheng is an insurmountable mountain.
For a moment, only this thought remained in her mind. As she thought about it, she felt as if something was pressing down on her heart, making it hard to breathe and unable to move.
In a daze, I remembered Xu Shaoting.
If only he were here.
He will definitely help her move this mountain.
Poor thing, she's all alone now.
She had been lying in bed for two hours when the doorbell rang. She glanced at her phone.
At eight o'clock, Yu Kaiqing came to take care of her dinner time as usual.
"Come in."
She didn't even have the strength to get out of bed. Her face was pale and translucent, and only her lips could move. She weakly called out towards the door, but it was unclear whether Kaiqing heard her.
Fortunately, she had her room key, so she didn't have to struggle to get out of bed.
There was a rustling sound at the door, followed by the sound of the door being completely closed, and the room returned to silence.
"Kaiqing, could you please help me give this to Xu Shaoting..." She lay with her back to the door. Her voice was soft and hesitant, as if she had some concerns.
He promised that he would appear before her if she said she missed him. But that was in Linzhou, and in this situation, the two of them were separated by a vast distance, which was obviously unrealistic.
She and his inexplicable ex-fiancée had a falling out, and although she appeared resilient, she was actually quite aggrieved and missed him even more.
My heart is adrift, with nowhere to rest. I can no longer wear the mask of strength; all I want is to hear his voice, and my pillow is already soaked with sweat.
Wen Jia pretended to be strong, wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes. She dismissed the thought, "Never mind, help me call my mom."
There was no response, and perhaps afraid of disturbing her, the footsteps were quiet.
Less than five seconds later, Wen Jia felt the other half of the bed sink, and a strong arm gently pulled her slender, trembling body completely into its embrace. A hot, reassuring body pressed against her back.
She felt a kiss on her earlobe, and a familiar, deep voice sounded in her ear:
Why won't you call me?
-----------------------
Author's Note: Shen Zhiyun, just wait for Chairman Xu to explain things to you in person...
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