Chapter 16: Gege, That’s Really a Shame

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Shi Qiu took a car back to the film studio. When he arrived, Jiang Fengmian had already finished makeup and was taking final look photos.

Most of the story’s timeline is in winter, so the makeup and costume team mostly dressed Jiang Fengmian in winter clothes. Though somewhat bulky, the winter outfits especially highlighted his clear and handsome features. The outfit where he simply wore a white shirt and black pants was particularly striking.

The director and a few others watching Jiang Fengmian thought he looked good no matter what. Jiang Fengmian was practically the lead actor himself, nothing looked out of place on him.

Shi Qiu approached director Chang Tianhe, glanced at the shots, then quietly said, “For the final confirmed looks, excluding the school uniform, let’s keep it to no more than three outfits.”

Chang Tianhe was in his forties, with a round face and slightly chubby figure. He turned to look at Shi Qiu in confusion, about to ask “Who are you?” when Yuan Lingzhu’s voice interrupted, “Shi Qiu, little brother? You’re here?”

“Teacher Yuan.” Shi Qiu smiled, eyes curved and bright with innocence and charm.

“What did you just say?” Yuan Lingzhu called him to sit between herself and Chang Tianhe. “No more than three outfits?”

The others glanced sideways at Shi Qiu who sat comfortably between the two of them.

In this production, the biggest power was director Chang Tianhe, and the second biggest was the screenwriter and original author Yuan Lingzhu. When Yuan Lingzhu spoke, others naturally had no objections.

“Yeah,” Shi Qiu nodded.

“Why?” Chang Tianhe asked.

Yuan Lingzhu understood immediately. “The male lead is from a poor family with three siblings. There’s no way he has that many clothes. One school uniform for the whole year is enough.”

Chang Tianhe came from a petite bourgeois background, and it was hard for him to grasp such details. Just as poor people might imagine emperors using golden hoes for farming, those with comfortable lives tend to have unrealistic ideas about poverty.

“The female lead can have more outfits, since her family is better off.”

Chang Tianhe nodded and kindly asked, “Which three do you think are most suitable?”

He thought all were suitable.

Every director had their habits and style. Chang Tianhe wasn’t the kind of bossy director who insisted on his way. He liked to discuss and brainstorm, so sometimes they produced masterpieces, other times they ended up with a mess.

Shi Qiu wasn’t shy either and directly picked three outfits. He knew Chang Tianhe was easy to talk to, so he was straightforward from the start.

Chang Tianhe looked over them and thought Shi Qiu had a good eye. He gave Shi Qiu a careful look—before, he only found it odd that Yuan Lingzhu kept dragging this assistant of Jiang Fengmian around. Now he thought Shi Qiu really had something special.

After all, being able to communicate openly and get things done well was beyond many people’s abilities. Yuan Lingzhu had said many times that Shi Qiu was insightful and thoughtful.

So Shi Qiu settled in between the two most influential people in the crew, accompanying them as they looked over the outfits.

“For the female lead, don’t use pearl hairpins. Change them to fabric ones. Pearls look too grown-up,” Shi Qiu waved his hand.

The stylist objected, “Hong Xinxue really suits pearl accessories. It makes her look purer.”

Hong Xinxue was the female lead, the show’s main draw, a 28-year-old second-tier rising star.

Chang Tianhe and Yuan Lingzhu agreed that Hong Xinxue’s current look was young and fresh, with a certain purity.

“She looks like a college student now, not a high schooler. There’s a difference between 18 and 16, between pure and youthful,” Shi Qiu pulled down his mask and raised an eyebrow at the stylist. “Look at her. Does she look the same age as me?”

Chang Tianhe and Yuan Lingzhu turned to look at Shi Qiu, immediately feeling the mature masculine aura hitting them in the face. Then looking back at Hong Xinxue, they thought she was indeed a bit too mature.

Hong Xinxue said nothing, only lightly touched her face. She had taken great care of her skin, and at 28 had plenty of collagen with no signs of aging. But from eyes and temperament alone, there was a clear difference from a high school girl.

Though she didn’t know who this boy was, she realized she looked older. She began doubting her own face.

The stylist silently swapped the pearl hairpin for a fabric one.

“Oh, that’s better. This feels right,” Chang Tianhe’s eyes lit up.

Hong Xinxue’s slightly insecure expression combined with the simple fabric hairpin and her long black straight hair suddenly gave off an innocent vibe she’d never had before.

“Shi Qiu, you really have some skill. How about I hire you as a consultant?” Chang Tianhe joked.

“How much will you pay me?” Shi Qiu blinked and asked.

Chang Tianhe was stumped.

Yuan Lingzhu laughed out loud beside them.

After Jiang Fengmian finished the shoot and was packing up, he saw Shi Qiu already getting along well with the director and others. Shi Qiu’s social skills were truly impressive.

“Gege, you’re off work?” Shi Qiu saw Jiang Fengmian walking over and ran excitedly to him.

“Mm, today’s tasks are done.” Jiang Fengmian fixed the crooked hood on Shi Qiu’s down jacket and smiled.

Hearing this, Shi Qiu felt embarrassed. As Jiang Fengmian’s assistant, he hadn’t stayed by his side all day—a big fail.

“Aren’t you tired, Gege? Let me hold your cup,” Shi Qiu said nervously, voice sweetening, eagerly circling Jiang Fengmian.

Chang Tianhe saw the difference between Shi Qiu’s attitude toward Jiang Fengmian and others, and asked Yuan Lingzhu quietly, “Are these two real brothers?”

“No,” Yuan Lingzhu shook her head quietly. “Shi Qiu adores his big brother. Likes him to death.”

Chang Tianhe’s eyes widened. He rubbed his chin beard and whispered, “No wonder he doesn’t want to do anything else but be Jiang Fengmian’s assistant. But that’s really underselling him…”

Though he’d only spent half a day with Shi Qiu and hadn’t talked much, many of Shi Qiu’s opinions and perspectives reflected real insight and experience. Chang Tianhe, having been in the entertainment industry for so many years, had seen plenty of stars who looked glamorous but were empty inside. Someone as good-looking, well-spoken, and knowledgeable as Shi Qiu was unusual—especially since he seemed quite young.

“Right? I think so too, but he just enjoys it. What can you do?” Yuan Lingzhu shrugged.

The two gossiped quietly while Shi Qiu and Jiang Fengmian packed up to go home.

The next day, Shi Qiu came determined to stick closely behind Gege as a good assistant and not wander off. But he saw an unexpected person.

Wearing a mask and gold-rimmed glasses on his nose, Zhong Xiyuan was following a middle-aged man closely, listening carefully.

Shi Qiu thought about yesterday’s events and felt bad luck. Seeing Zhong Xiyuan here annoyed him more.

While Jiang Fengmian went to shoot, Shi Qiu sat beside Yuan Lingzhu and asked, “Teacher Yuan, do you know who that person is? What’s he doing here?”

Yuan Lingzhu glanced at Zhong Xiyuan after Shi Qiu pointed him out. “I know him. Zhong Director’s youngest son. He’s interning at Qingxiang Media now, working as an assistant executive producer. Don’t provoke him; his family’s powerful.”

“Oh,” Shi Qiu murmured, lowering his head. He thought it wasn’t about whether he provoked Zhong Xiyuan, but whether Zhong Xiyuan would leave him alone.

Shi Qiu behaved today, sitting on a small stool watching Jiang Fengmian all day. Jiang Fengmian noticed Zhong Xiyuan was also here. Though Shi Qiu was physically present, his mind wasn’t—he kept glancing toward Zhong Xiyuan.

Zhong Xiyuan, however, kept to himself all day, never even looking this way. He followed the senior who was mentoring him, diligently learning the workflow.

Shi Qiu was on edge all day, afraid Zhong Xiyuan might act up in front of Jiang Fengmian. In the end, it was a false alarm.

Zhong Xiyuan seemed to be here just to intern.

Shi Qiu couldn’t figure out what this guy really wanted, but whether fake or real, it was good if he didn’t cause trouble.

When Jiang Fengmian finished work, Shi Qiu eagerly brought a thermos cup and cozied up to him, calling him “Gege” warmly every few seconds.

Jiang Fengmian took the cup and drank, wanting to ask about the hidden issues between Shi Qiu and Zhong Xiyuan. But seeing Shi Qiu’s eyes filled entirely with him, he hesitated.

“Gege, you worked hard today, and the shoot looks great. Once the official announcement is out, I’ll help manage your account. You’ll definitely gain lots of fans,” Shi Qiu smiled.

“Good.” Jiang Fengmian ruffled his hair. “Thanks for your hard work.”

“Hehe.” Shi Qiu held the thermos and followed Jiang Fengmian out.

After they left, Zhong Xiyuan glanced at the door and casually asked the middle-aged man mentoring him, “Zhang Ge, do you know the person who left with the male lead just now?”

“Oh, you mean Shi Qiu? He’s Jiang Fengmian’s assistant and manager,” Zhang Ge tapped his forehead. “I forgot to introduce him to you. Don’t be fooled by his young looks. Director Chang and Teacher Yuan both like him a lot and speak highly of him.”

“Is that so? He’s wasted as an assistant then,” Zhong Xiyuan pushed up his glasses and smiled.

“Right? But he…” Zhang Ge raised his eyebrows excitedly when talking gossip. “He’s totally devoted to Jiang Fengmian. Even when eating with the director, he openly said he just wants to be Jiang Fengmian’s assistant. You saw how attentive he is? Like holding a treasure.”

“I see.” The smile in Zhong Xiyuan’s eyes disappeared completely. He whispered, “That’s really a shame.”

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Translator note: 📌

Thank you for reading 💖 see you again in the next chapter, my lovely cherries 😘

📍Note: I’m pretty free lately, so I will be posting 3  to 4 chapters a day. Enjoy 🤭