She woke up at four o'clock, arrived at the location on time at five, but filming hadn't started even by eight. The second female lead was there, but the male lead hadn't shown up; the scene of watching the sunrise was delayed until the sun was well up in the sky, and finally, the male lead arrived.
The current heartthrob, a mainstay of this youth idol drama, was reportedly begged by the producer to join the cast. Arriving three hours late, he didn't even utter a word of apology, merely saying, "Accidentally slept in, let's shoot it tomorrow."
Qiao Xin smiled with remarkable tolerance, "Filming can be exhausting, sleep is important. Shooting tomorrow is just as well."
Unable to shoot the sunrise scene, they continued with the other scenes. Shen Li could clearly sense that Qiao Xin had become more amiable, or rather, was fitting perfectly into her sweet little darling image, even speaking in a softer voice. Though she still had Shen Li running errands, she was noticeably more polite.
Qiao Xin quickly finished her two scenes that morning, and, even after receiving her box lunch, showed no sign of leaving. In fact, Shen Li was also curious about the upcoming investor. From Brother Zhang's tone, it was clear there were some unspoken rules at play.
"Look at our lady here, and the lead actress over there. It seems they're competing not just for men in the script, but here as well," an assistant spoke up during the meal, unable to hold back.
Shen Li nodded in agreement. The lead actress had no scenes scheduled today, but there she was, sitting on set. Clearly, she was clued in and ready for a showdown with Qiao Xin both on and off screen.
When the silver Ferrari appeared on set, Shen Li was momentarily taken aback; that car looked so familiar.
As the car door opened, Fang Ze stepped out. Dressed in light casual wear and black sunglasses, he approached amid the admiring gazes, smiling. The lead actress and Qiao Xin both froze in astonishment, with more than a hint of pleasure visible on their faces— if they were to be pursued, they'd prefer someone easy on the eyes. Someone like Fang Ze: young, handsome, and wealthy, come on, very welcome to make a move.
Shen Li instinctively turned away, looking for a place to hide; she believed Qiao Yue wouldn't bother ordering her around at this moment.
Today was the day of an alumni gathering, so why was Fang Ze here? Regardless of the reason, she had no desire to face Fang Ze at such a time.
The former apprentice, now the investor approaching film stars with unspoken rules, and she was just the stars' little nanny; the gap was too wide, and she felt too ashamed to show her face.
The producer hurried forward to greet him; Fang Ze only smiled and ignored him, continuing to walk straight toward the set. The producer had no choice but to follow, and seeing Fang Ze heading towards Qiao Xin, he said with a smile, "This is Qiao Xin, the second lead actress of our drama, a popular pure jade star."
With the producer's introduction, Qiao Xin smiled and stood up gracefully, giving Fang Ze a modest smile. Yet, when she turned to look at the lead actress, her eyes were full of triumph; the handsome investor had taken a liking to her.
As Fang Ze drew closer, although Qiao Xin wanted to maintain her dignity, her look of triumph grew stronger. Just as Fang Ze drew near, Qiao Xin stepped forward to meet him.
But as Qiao Xin took that step, Fang Ze walked straight past her, smiling, "Shen Li..."
Shen Li, having just walked a few steps away and feeling the urge to dash off, was too embarrassed to run upon hearing her name called. She had no choice but to turn around, managing a strained smile, "Ah, Fang Ze, what brings you here?"
She was genuinely curious about how Fang Ze had become an investor.
"About three months ago, a friend showed me a script, I found it interesting, so I invested," Fang Ze said with a smile. The truth was that he had been drunk that day and made an offhand remark, which the other person remembered. To him, it didn't matter much—a city idol drama, not too costly.
Shen Li was speechless; this was the lifestyle of the wealthy elite—multimillionaires for whom writing a mere check was all in a day's work.
Fang Ze said with a smile, "I didn't expect such a coincidence, you're actually working as an assistant for the cast of the drama. I knew you were going on location today, so I came specially to see how you're doing. Are you adapting well?"
"I... am just a temporary assistant," Shen Li said, lacking the energy to even make a sarcastic comment. She had heard of people visiting actors on set, but visiting an actor's assistant?
She added, "Isn't there a class reunion today? Why did you come here instead?"
"The reunion was really just to see you. Since Suo Luo said you wouldn't be attending, I lost interest in going," Fang Ze said. Then, suddenly turning his head, he asked Qiao Xin beside him, "Is work finished for today?"
Poor Qiao Xin was completely stunned, in fact, not just Qiao Xin, the entire crew was dumbfounded. Hey, what's going on? Investors pursuing small-time actors is one thing, but pursuing their assistants...
Brother Zhang reacted quickly, immediately saying with a smile, "Today's shooting is over, and Miss Shen has finished her work."
Qiao Xin shot Brother Zhang a fierce glare, though she tried to hold back, her eyes were filled with resentment. She knew Shen Li didn't have good intentions by coming here as an assistant; it turns out she had already hooked up with the rich young master, and now she was using this opportunity to climb the ladder at her expense.
Brother Zhang gestured to Qiao Xin to behave, the boss was interested in Shen Li after all, and it was clear they were old acquaintances.
Fang Ze said with a smile, "This isn't a good place to talk. Come on, let's go eat."
"I've already eaten," Shen Li quickly said, pointing to the food box next to her as proof, and forcing a smile, she added, "I may have finished work, but there are some matters at home that I need to take care of this afternoon."
As she spoke, Shen Li turned to grab her bag, intending to leave. She had told Fang Ze that she had a boyfriend; she thought she had made it very clear. Why was Fang Ze still seeking her out?
"Shen Li..." Fang Ze stepped forward, gripping her arm, and the smile vanished from his face as he said seriously, "In the four years abroad, I thought it through very clearly—I really like you a lot, and I want to marry you."
The world he lived in was much more complex than Shen Li's, a world of wealthy men that is more promiscuous than one might imagine; many just casually fool around under the guise of being in a relationship. But his feelings for Shen Li were different; she was his first love, and it had persisted until now. Especially after seeing Shen Li again, he was certain—he wanted to marry her.
As soon as the word "marriage" left his lips, there was a collective gasp from the crew, and they looked at Shen Li differently. It was common for rich heirs to play around with young stars and models, but marriage...
How many female celebrities would try everything to marry into a wealthy family and become a lady of leisure. Quite a few people knew of Fang Ze's status—media heir with a fortune of several hundred million. Young and handsome, marrying into his world would be a dream for many.
"I have a boyfriend..." Shen Li said, looking both apologetic and extremely embarrassed. With so many eyes on them, it was really too awkward to say these things. Involuntarily, she lowered her head. She added, "I'm truly sorry."
"If you marry me, I will never let you work as someone's nanny," Fang Ze couldn't help saying, reflecting on a lot after Shen Li had rejected him that day.
Before coming here, he had considered that he had never seen Shen Li's boyfriend, but he had one clear advantage—he was very wealthy.
"This... this isn't about money," Shen Li said, pulling away from Fang Ze. "I need to go."