The weather in early November mornings in Shanghai has already become a bit chilly, with occasional breezes carrying a bone-chilling touch, signaling that winter is not far off. Liu Qing glanced at her watch, noting it was already half past eight. She looked back at the towering residential buildings behind her, pouted her lips, and thought to herself, "Why hasn't this guy come down yet?"
After a while, a well-proportioned young man around 17 or 18 years old emerged from the building, squinting and yawning, stretching languidly as he approached Liu Qing. It was none other than Jiang Cheng.
Liu Qing, with a pout, remarked, "Why are you so lazy, sleeping until now? The sun is already high up!"
Jiang Cheng replied with a tone of resignation, "Hey, hey, hey, it's as if I love sleeping in. Yawn! Please, I didn't finish filming until two o'clock last night. To keep up with the schedule, I haven't had a good sleep in a week. Including the previous week of working on the music, it's been more than two weeks! Can't I sleep a bit longer? Even greedy landlords aren't as harsh as you!"
"No way! Sister Cai told you to get to Hengdian early! The press conference for the completion of the filming is at one in the afternoon!" Liu Qing said, unyieldingly.
Jiang Cheng feigned distress, "If it's the end of filming, then so be it, but why do I have to go? I'm not a member of the [Legendary Fighter: Yang's Heroine] crew!" Of course, he wasn't completely unaware of Sister Cai's intentions. If Jiang Cheng were an obscure newcomer like Hu Ge, no one would insist on his attendance at this press conference, and no one would pay attention to it. But now, Jiang Cheng is a super newcomer, whose popularity rivals that of top idols, and is unmatched.
It was Sister Cai's style to utilize such a great opportunity, and the reason was legitimate – the show was produced by Shanghai Tangren, and as an artist under Shanghai Tangren (and one their top male stars), it made sense for him to support the event.
But this was tough on Jiang Cheng. Returning from the music studio, he had only rested for a day before he and Hu Ge resumed their intense filming schedule. During their break, the crew continued filming scenes without their characters. Upon their return, they focused on scenes that involved them. Hu Ge was okay since he was just a supporting actor with not too many scenes piled up. But it was harder for Jiang Cheng, the second male lead, whose scenes were as numerous as those of the lead actor. The volume of work accumulated over the week was overwhelming!
Left with no choice and not wanting to hinder the progress of the entire crew, Jiang Cheng clenched his teeth and filmed around the clock, resting only five or six hours a day, with all three meals on set. Fortunately, his hard work was not in vain, as he caught up with the others within a week, without delaying the shooting schedule.
But his spirit was truly worn out. He had planned to rest properly today as he had no scenes, but then he was informed of his required attendance at the press conference for the completion of "[Legendary Fighter: Yang's Heroine]" to support the show.
This was really demanding!
"Alright, stop complaining. You can sleep more in the car later. Besides, I'm just an assistant. Why are you complaining to me?" Liu Qing rolled her eyes and said.
Jiang Cheng was speechless, finally remembering that she was his assistant. But what kind of assistant was so overbearing? If it weren't for her generally not interfering with his personal life and managing his schedule well, he would have asked Sister Cai to replace her long ago.
Of course, this was just a mental complaint. Over the past few months, the two had developed a deep bond, despite their constant bickering, their relationship was actually very good.
Jiang Cheng wasn't unwilling to go to Hengdian. He hadn't been there before and was looking forward to visiting. But he was resentful about Sister Cai not letting him get enough sleep. Now he understood why artists often mentioned sleep deprivation when talking about their hardships. People with regular schedules couldn't appreciate how precious good sleep could be.
Before, when Jiang Cheng was at home, he set his own schedule and never lacked sleep.
When he first joined Shanghai Drama Academy, without any professional engagements, his schedule was like that of an ordinary college student, without sleep deprivation. But ever since he started filming "[Autumn's Concerto]," he had to juggle between school and the set, with very little rest. After a week of catching up on filming, just when he thought he could rest, his plans were thwarted. How could Jiang Cheng not feel resentful?
But regardless of his feelings, he had to go. Sister Cai was right. Moreover, attending the press conference was not just to boost "[Legendary Fighter: Yang's Heroine]," but also to indirectly promote "[Autumn's Concerto]." With the latter nearing completion in two weeks, it was an opportunity to garner public attention – a win-win situation.
So, no matter what, he had to attend this press conference. Especially since it was arranged by the company, and Tangren had been good to him, it was hard to refuse. Although he complained verbally, he quickly followed Liu Qing to the nanny van sent by Tangren.
"Oh, by the way, did you ask for leave on my behalf?" Jiang Cheng suddenly remembered as he approached the car door.
He had classes at the academy today. Even though he had been busy filming and pressed for time, he managed to squeeze in time to attend classes on time. He wasn't just aiming for a degree but genuinely wanted to learn and fill gaps in his acting knowledge. More importantly, he enjoyed his time with his classmates at the academy, a respite from the outside world's chaos. During this period, besides Hu Ge, Jiang Cheng also became close with Yuan Hong and Sun Xiao. He got along well with other classmates too and met Han Xue, known as the 'class beauty' of the acting class. In fact, the quality of girls in the acting class was generally high, all of them being beauties, but Han Xue stood out with her calm and distinct demeanor. She later became a celebrity, so Jiang Cheng paid extra attention to her, resulting in...
"Don't worry, I've already asked for your leave. You don't have to worry about your credits," Liu Qing replied irritably, thinking this guy was sometimes too earnest, always striving for perfection.
Upon entering the car, Jiang Cheng immediately drew the curtains, dimming the interior. Satisfied, he curled up in the back seat and fell into a deep sleep.
Liu Qing watched the sleeping youth, his innocence and naivety like that of a child, his face devoid of the maturity that usually belied his age, revealing the simplicity and immaturity characteristic of boys his age. She then remembered that this young man was only seventeen and a half, but the burdens on his shoulders were extraordinarily heavy.
At this age, most people should be carefree, enjoying the best and only high school life; but he had long passed that stage, even beyond the typical college phase, already bustling in society, facing various hardships like an adult.
"Indeed, the price of fame is beyond what others can imagine, especially for a prodigy who gained fame at a young age!" Liu Qing watched the sleeping Jiang Cheng and sighed, then the driver started the car, heading towards Hengdian...