CHAPTER 67

"Ruan Qing called me, and that's how I found out she's your manager now."

He Chenying was wearing a light blue coat, her long hair tied up, with a few strands falling against her cheek. "I was a bit surprised."

It wasn't just Xiaoyuan, ever since she learned that her idol had the same manager, she felt that He Chenying seemed more approachable, gentler, and even more radiant when she stood in front of her.

This was likely Xiaoyuan's first private interaction with He Chenying, and there was no sense of distance between them, their conversation flowed naturally.

There had been a heavy snowfall in Bincheng [Bin City] the night before, leaving a good amount of snow on the roads. The cold in the north was completely different from that in the south, the northern wind felt like a dry hand rubbing against her face. Xiaoyuan shrank her neck a bit, stuffed her hands in her pockets, and smiled shyly, "I also think it's a bit sudden..."

It really was somewhat unexpected. She hadn't anticipated that such a prominent industry veteran would become her agent, and her friendly attitude was rare. On the second day after she arrived in Bincheng, He Chenying came over for a meal with the director and screenwriter of the "Huo" film, politely saying that her artist was still young and inexperienced, asking them to be understanding and take care of her.

From He Chenying's words, it could be inferred that Ruan Qing had probably asked He Chenying to look after her, making Xiaoyuan even more embarrassed.

He Chenying looked at her with a gentle smile. "You performed well just now. It's rare to see Huo Bijun praising someone. I don't think Ruan Qing needs to worry."

Being praised by her own idol made her too shy to handle it. She lowered her head and changed the subject, "By the way, Sister Chenying, why are you here?"

"I brought my child to celebrate the New Year with his dad." He Chenying replied.

Child? Xiaoyuan remembered that her son should be around ten years old now.

"He played games all the way on the plane and ended up falling asleep in the hotel." He Chenying suddenly remembered something and added, "The little guy is actually a fan of yours."

Xiaoyuan blinked.

He Chenying continued, "He really likes Zui Xiaoyao [Drunken Wanderer]' and finishes his homework every week just to watch it."

Boys around ten years old do tend to be fond of martial arts dramas, but Xiaoyuan was still a bit puzzled. "Isn't he a bit young for that? Can he really watch it?"

"With parental supervision, I watch it with him every week," He Chenying laughed. "Before I knew it, I finished the whole series as well."

"We both really like Ling Yao."

Xiaoyuan also laughed along, even feeling a bit silly for it, and raised a hand to cover her face.

He Chenying's gaze fell on the back of her hand, exclaiming, "What's this on your..."

Xiaoyuan had noticed her fingers and the back of her hand itching for the past couple of days, scratching her hand. "...It might be a little allergic reaction to the local environment."

The lively sounds on set indicated that the crew was serving lunch, interrupting their brief chat.

"Alright, go eat." He Chenying smiled, "The weather is too cold, make sure to eat while it's hot."

Xiaoyuan responded and saw Cai Juan and Tiantian holding lunch boxes and a thermos, already waiting for her. She could only say, "Well then, see you later, Sister Chenying."

She walked over to Cai Juan, and after standing still, waved to He Chenying before leaving.

He Chenying smiled lightly and waved back.

Huo Bijun walked over, "Ruan Qing's new artist seems to have some talent."

He Chenying shot him a glance. "She called me to make sure you wouldn't act like a tyrant on set."

Huo Bijun casually said, "Hmph, you saw it just now, she wasn't intimidated." He brushed his hair back. "Of course, I still have to give some leeway to the younger generation."

He Chenying shook her head with a smile, "You, you're not her match."

Huo Bijun was taken aback, incredulously asking, "Huh? What are you saying?"

Ignoring him, He Chenying turned and walked away.

"Hey, hey, hey," Huo Bijun chased after her a few steps. "That's too much! You're looking down on me!"

He Chenying smiled, pressing her lips together, and continued walking forward.

Huo Bijun shouted, a bit annoyed, pointing at himself, "I'm the father of your child! I'm your husband! You're really not giving me any face!"

After all, he was a double Golden Award-winning actor and a well-known director! How could this woman say he couldn't outperform a young actress?

"Correction: ex-husband!" He Chenying turned back and smiled.

Huo Bijun: "..."

He stood there, speechless, hands on his hips, and let out a cold snort. Who was afraid of whom? He refused to believe it, just wait and see.

Tomorrow was New Year's Day, and there would be no filming in the afternoon and evening, so the entire crew had a holiday.

Xiaoyuan, Cai Juan, and Tiantian returned to their place for lunch. In the evening, the crew had a group dinner to eat hot pot and celebrate the New Year together.

The nighttime temperature in Bincheng dropped to minus seven to eight degrees Celsius, making it the perfect night for a group to enjoy hot pot together.

Northern hot pot was much more extravagant than that of the south. The crew had rented a venue, with each table featuring a red copper pot. The broth was made with water, scallions, ginger, and goji berries, along with a few slices of ginseng for flavor. They mainly cooked lamb, complemented by cabbage, vermicelli, tofu, and dipped in sesame sauce.

They also ordered a few hearty dishes like grilled meat, three-flavor braised dishes, and oil-braised prawns.

Drinks included beer, Baijiu [white liquor], and cola.

Outside, heavy snow fell, and the north wind howled, while inside, a group of people enjoyed their meal with great enthusiasm, their faces glistening with oil, creating a lively atmosphere.

......

Huo Bijun didn't attend, he spent New Year's Day privately with He Chenying and their child. Apart from him, the other main creators of the crew were present, all drinking merrily and enjoying themselves.

Xiaoyuan couldn't drink alcohol, so she had iced cola instead. She didn't particularly like lamb either, and after eating for a while, she felt full. Perhaps the room was too warm, she noticed her hands becoming increasingly itchy and uncomfortable.

She returned to the hotel early, and after taking a shower, she found her fingers were red and swollen, both itchy and painful. Realizing something was wrong, she searched online and confirmed that she had developed chilblain.

Cai Juan, worried that she might not adapt to the northern weather, had brought all the warm clothing she could think of but had forgotten to bring chilblain ointment.

Xiaoyuan scratched her hands incessantly, feeling so uncomfortable that she was on the verge of tears, unable to focus on the script.

Tiantian could only apply aloe vera gel on her, while Cai Juan opened a delivery app to find a nearby pharmacy to search for for chilblain ointment. However, buying medicine online was quite troublesome, they needed to provide symptoms and a doctor's prescription. After fiddling with the app for a long time without success, Cai Juan said irritably, "I'll just go to the pharmacy myself."

He put on a down jacket and prepared to leave, while Xiaoyuan's eyes welled up with tears. "Cai Juan, I'm counting on you."

If this chilblain wasn't treated properly and became severe, it could crack open. Female stars' hands were delicate to begin with, and if scars were left, it would look terrible.

Cai Juan comforted her, "Don't worry, I'll be back soon. Tiantian will stay with you."

Xiaoyuan wailed, "Tiantian, hold my hand, I don't want to scratch it anymore."

Tiantian was both anxious and heartbroken, unsure of what to do.

Cai Juan returned after about five minutes. He held a small plastic bag and said, "Wow, as soon as I got downstairs, I ran into He Sanjin [Three Golden He]'s assistant, who gave us two tubes of chilblain ointment."

Tiantian: "!!!"

Xiaoyuan was so surprised that she sat up straight, "..."

"Wow, Sister He Sanjin is so thoughtful." Cai Juan opened the ointment touched, "Hurry up and apply it."

Xiaoyuan dazedly received it, and Tiantian had already taken the ointment to apply it for her.

"Ah, I don't even have her phone number, so I can't thank her." Xiaoyuan said with a hint of regret.

"Me neither, I've already asked the assistant to pass on my thanks." Cai Juan sighed, "It really came at just the right time, I hadn't even gone through the front door yet."

"Miss Xiaoyuan is truly loved by everyone!"

"Exactly! Wow, even the Oscar-winning actress He Sanjin likes you!" Cai Juan winked at her and cleared his throat. "Not that you have to be with... um, you know who, right?"

Xiaoyuan was speechless, "..."

After joking for a while and applying the ointment, Cai Juan reminded her a few more times before taking Tiantian and heading out, telling her to rest early.

The small lamp by the bedside was on, and Xiaoyuan lay in her warm bed, listening to the howling northern wind outside. For a moment, she found it hard to fall asleep.

She unlocked her phone, scrolled through her contacts, reached the end and scrolled again, paused for a moment, and continued to scroll through WeChat.

She wasn't sure what she was looking for, but she suddenly remembered that all her past communications with Wei Zhuang had gone through Assistant Gao.

Signing contracts, renewing contracts, meetings, goodbyes—everything was very brief.

Xiaoyuan opened Assistant Gao's WeChat chat and sent a message: "Happy New Year, Assistant Gao."

Then she scrolled to Xiang Zhishi's WeChat and called him. Xiang Zhishi had gone to Pengcheng to spend the New Year with his mother in the recuperation center.

"Is shooting going smoothly?" he asked on the other end.

"...Yeah, it's going pretty well." Xiaoyuan said.

She hadn't shown her brother the script this time, not wanting him to worry too much.

After hesitating for a moment, she finally spoke up, "Is she doing well?"

Xiang Zhishi laughed, his voice filled with joy and comfort. "She's doing well. Although she still doesn't remember me, she chatted with me for a long time."

Xiaoyuan felt a lump in her throat, unsure of what to say.

"After you finish filming, find some time to come visit." Xiang Zhishi said softly.

"..." Xiaoyuan murmured, "No... it's fine like this."

Xiang Zhishi was silent for a moment before saying, "Tonight, mom and I watched 'Zui Xiaoyao,' and we'll continue watching it tomorrow."

"She watched it very attentively and seemed to really enjoy it."

A faint smile crept onto Xiaoyuan's lips, but her eyes gradually welled up with tears.

After hanging up the phone, she still couldn't fall asleep for a long time. On the table lay the script, that thick stack of papers she had flipped through in the darkness, resembling a monster standing there, seemingly waiting for the chance to pounce on her and tear her apart.

She slowly shrank back, pulled the blanket up higher, and covered her face.

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