The martial arts instructor heaved a sigh of relief and began telling the two of them the plan heâd come up with. As they both came from a martial arts background, all it took was a little bit of explaining before they caught on. Shortly after, the second take began.
Due to what Shen Jingbin had said, Shen Jingchen had set aside his phone and sat to watch with his arms crossed over his chest. All of his attention was now focused on Shen Jingbin and Xue Sijia, so he didnât notice Zhao Chengning and Xuya when they quietly came in.
"Heh, Brother Chen, you look so engrossed," Xuyaâs sudden appearance behind him frightened Shen Jingchen.
Zhao Chengning walked over and sat on the chair that Shen Jingbin had previously occupied, and asked, "Has it been long since they started?"
"They just started filming."
Zhao Chengning frowned. "I remember you guys waking up pretty early to come here; whyâre you guys only starting now?"
Shen Jingchenâs lips curled, and he gestured at Xue Sijia.
"Miss Xue over there is very self-important. She was late and took her time with her makeup, so weâve been waiting for her till now."
Xuya suddenly cut in, "I heard some people talking about how Xue Sijia became the female lead even though she was originally just a supporting character. Whatâs Little Jingâs role now?"
Shen Jingchen snorted. "There are two female leads now."
Xuya immediately became anxious. "What the f*ck, is she really that shameless? Brother Ah Ning, arenât you going to do something about this?!"
After he said that, both Shen Jingchen and he turned to look at Zhao Chengning at the same time.
Zhao Chengning casually crossed his legs, leaned back into his seat, and said indifferently, "Donât mind them, people arenât able to realise the true beauty of a person without a point of reference. Donât you think that placing Miss Xue alongside Little Jing as the female lead is the cruelest thing that can be done?"
Both Xuya and Shen Jingchenâs gazes turned to look at Xue Sijia at the same time, and then shifted to Shen Jingbin, before turning back to glance at one another.
How two-faced.
It might have been due to Zhao Chengningâs presence, but Xue Sijia behaved herself and didnât pull any more tricks for the rest of the shoot till they took a break at almost one oâclock. Following that, Yiju sent someone over to invite Xue Sijia, Shen Jingbin, the Director, and others over for a meal.
"Thereâs no need; sheâs eating with me," Filming had just ended when the person-in-charge came in. As sheâd walked straight towards to the Director, she didnât notice Zhao Chengning and company seated to the side. It wasnât until Zhao Chengning stood behind her that sheâd realised there was a deity in their midst.
"A-alright, Mr... Mr Zhao," The person-in-charge stammered out in reply.
Zhao Chengning nodded at her in response and brought Shen Jingbin away with him.
The person-in-charge patted her chest as she watched the departing figures of these four people who were splendid in both appearances and temperaments. She then turned to the Director and shot him a questioning gaze, "What happened?!"
The Director shrugged, "Donât look at me; Iâm just as clueless as you are."
After lunch, Zhao Chengning returned to work. Meanwhile, Shen Jingbin, escorted by her brother and Xuya, returned to Yiju to resume filming.
Theyâd made a very satisfactory amount of progress so far. After managing to complete the most challenging action scenes in the morning, if nothing went wrong, theyâd be able to finish filming the promotional video in around two days.
However, when the dayâs filming was almost done, an important figure suddenly appeared in the studio.
"M-Mr Long?" A tall figure silently entered the green room. The stage supervisor who was standing by the entrance was the first to notice him. Due to her shock, she fumbled over her words.
Long Dinghai turned to the flushed stage supervisor and put his finger to his lips before he strode in.
Xuya and Shen Jingchen were sitting in the corner closest to the exit. When they heard the commotion that the stage supervisor was making, they both turned to look towards the entrance.
Noticing their gazes, Long Dinghai halted his footsteps and turned to walk towards them instead.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"Very pleased to meet you, Young Master Xu. This person is...?" Long Dinghai greeted them as he got closer.
Even though he was a hedonist, Xuya still had basic manners when he met new people. He stood up and shook Long Dinghaiâs outstretched hand.
"Mr Long, Iâve heard a lot about you. This is my friend, Shen Jingchen."
Shen Jingchen stood up as well and said, "Mr Long, itâs nice to meet you."
"The son of A Cityâs Shen family?" Long Dinghai asked as he arched his thick brows, a smile appeared on his lips as he looked at Shen Jingchen.
Shen Jingbinâs expression remained the same. "Mr Long is truly experienced and knowledgeable; I never expected you to even know about someone as unimportant as me."
"Master Shenâs far too humble. If youâre unimportant, then wouldnât people like us be Jane and John Does?"
Shen Jingchen laughed in return.
Long Dinghaiâs gaze shifted to the two people who were currently in the midst of shooting, and asked, "Is that your sister? Iâd heard that in terms of both appearance and demeanor, the level of excellence that the Shen familyâs Young Master and Miss in A City exhibit is something that only comes by once every hundred years. Now that Iâve seen the two of you myself, I find that your reputation is truly well-deserved."
"Mr Longâs too kind."
"Hehe, Young Master Shen, youâre the one whoâs being too humble."
Xuya, whoâd been sidelined, suddenly cut in, "Whatâs Mr Long here for?"
"Oh, Iâm here for a visit. I never expected to run into Master Shen and Master Xu here... How about this; let me play the part of host and treat Master Shen and Miss Shen to dinner. Allow me to extend my hospitality to you as a resident of B City."
"No need to trouble you, Mr Long. Ah Ning and I can receive the two of them. Youâre a very busy man, so weâd feel bad if we took up your time," Xuya said.
"So theyâre Mr Zhaoâs guests. In that case, I wonât disturb you anymore," Long Dinghai said in surprise. He then gave them an apologetic smile before he turned and walked towards Xue Sijia.
When he passed by Shen Jingbin, he gave her a very gentlemanly greeting.
Shen Jingbin glanced at him. Though she politely reciprocated his greeting, caution still bred in her heart.
That person was a classic example of a smiling tiger â the type of person who hid their evil intentions behind a wide smile. She had to be careful when she dealt with him in the future.