Chapter 69: World Two [39]

Director Li hadn’t set a specific release date for “Jianghu Road.” However, based on the lead actors’ schedules, filming needed to wrap up by June at the latest before entering the promotional phase.

For the original Shao Qing, five months to film a drama was a relatively relaxed arrangement. But with the subsequent script revisions, her screen time was now comparable to the Female Lead played by Ji Yumeng.

Director Li thought it over, called the lead actors for a brief meeting, and finally cut down some of the Male Lead’s scenes, attempting to craft a Dual Female Leads drama, a format relatively rare in the market.

“I have no objections. I trust Director Li’s judgment,” the Male Lead was the first to voice his support.

The actor playing the Male Lead was no fool. Having noticed that his own boss would rather ignore her company to act as Shao Qing’s personal assistant, he realized Shao Qing’s importance in his boss’s heart. So, he didn’t mind having some of his scenes cut at all.

Ji Yumeng did ponder for a moment. Her screen time hadn’t actually changed much. Character-wise, the pairing of the rare Female Official and the Female Swordswoman was a good combination. They weren’t antagonists but rather complemented each other.

“I don’t have any objections either. Working with Teacher Shao feels fantastic,” Ji Yumeng said truthfully.

Ji Yumeng didn’t look down on the Male Lead, whose acting was above average, but people can’t help comparing. Shao Qing had started preparing almost three or four months in advance, and being a naturally gifted performer, her acting skills far surpassed the Male Lead’s.

Ji Yumeng found the effortless, natural synergy she shared with Shao Qing very comfortable. Moreover, scenes with Shao Qing rarely required many retakes, meaning they could save several hours of rest time each day.

With both lead actors expressing their stance, the rest of the cast naturally had no objections either.

Shao Qing, as the main beneficiary, didn’t put on a show of false modesty, pretending she only accepted because she couldn’t refuse. Instead, she very directly announced she would be treating everyone to afternoon tea for the next week. Whatever they wanted to eat, they could order freely, as thanks to everyone.

“I might need to hold back on the afternoon tea. My weight hasn’t really dropped since joining the crew,” Ji Yumeng said, unable to resist pinching her stomach beneath her official’s robe.

The abdominal muscles she’d painstakingly trained couldn’t be ruined by delicious afternoon tea showing up every day.

“Teacher Ji, you’re already very slim. An occasional indulgence is fine. If pastries are a no, then have more fruit,” Shao Qing said with a smile.

“I stay thin by controlling my diet. My goal is to look lean in clothes but toned without~” Ji Yumeng said with a laugh. “But losing weight can wait a bit. After I’ve finished milking Teacher Shao’s generosity, then I’ll control my weight.”

Shao Qing returned the smile. “That works too. You’re most welcome to take advantage of my generosity.”

Shao Qing felt similarly to Ji Yumeng; she also found acting with her a great experience. If the number of takes could be even fewer, she might just squeeze out time every day to tease Jing Ke a little.

–

Due to the need to adjust the script again, Director Li granted the crew an early day-and-a-half break. They could rest today and tomorrow, with filming resuming sharply at nine the morning after.

This unexpected break gave the already restless Shao Qing an opportunity. Using the excuse of going out for a cheat meal, Shao Qing took Jing Ke to try a Western restaurant and incidentally made her drink half a bottle of red wine.

Shao Qing didn’t actually intend to get Jing Ke drunk; she just wanted to add a little spice, testing whether the stunned goose would become a bit smarter after some alcohol.

The hotel where Shao Qing and Jing Ke stayed frequently hosted production crews booking monthly. Thus, it did an excellent job of protecting guests’ privacy. Without a room keycard, one couldn’t even access the elevator.

And Jing Ke, never short on money, never spared any expense for herself or her girlfriend. She paid out of her own pocket to upgrade their room to the most expensive luxury suite, further reducing the chance of any paparazzi sneaking in.

While being coaxed to drink, Jing Ke had actually already sensed something, guessing that Shao Qing intended to initiate something during the next day’s rest.

Regarding this, Jing Ke felt a bit nervous. She was somewhat hesitant to take the initiative, afraid that if she did, Shao Qing would once again bring up those previous questions, leaving her completely unsure how to answer.

By the time they returned to the hotel suite from the restaurant, it was already past eight in the evening. This was a suitable time for nocturnal activities, rather than a time to immediately go to bed.

The suite had more than one bathroom. Normally, they used the same one.

But tonight was clearly an exception. Though neither Jing Ke nor Shao Qing explicitly said anything about it, upon returning to the room, they tacitly chose separate bathrooms to wash themselves clean.

The suite’s design was quite ingenious. Once the main lighting was turned off, only the relatively dimmer bedside lamps and ambient lights remained.

When the light fell on fair skin, it added a hazy, ethereal quality, also fostering an atmosphere more conducive to ambiguous intimacy.

Shao Qing proactively looped her arms around Jing Ke’s neck. This time, Jing Ke didn’t need any reminder from her girlfriend and had already obediently leaned in to kiss her.

With prior experience, Shao Qing also showed her aggressiveness, kissing Jing Ke until she pushed her down beneath her, even pulling open Jing Ke’s already loosely tied sleepwear.

“Jing Ke, you know what I’m going to do, right?” After gently nibbling Jing Ke’s collarbone twice, Shao Qing asked, bracing her hands on the mattress.

“Mm, I know. I’m prepared,” Jing Ke was very proactive and also very self-aware.

If she didn’t know how to take the initiative, she might as well just lie back and wait.

Shao Qing narrowed her eyes slightly. Although she’d already gained the upper hand, lacking any practical experience, she was actually somewhat nervous.

As an odd sense of competitiveness arose within her, Shao Qing had no intention of showing any weakness now. She decisively drew upon the theoretical knowledge she’d crammed beforehand and began putting it into practice.

Adequate preparation was essential; it would make the subsequent intimate contact more comfortable and harmonious.

Shao Qing’s movements were indeed a bit clumsy, but she had been training her body daily recently. Both her physical strength and stamina were well above average.

Practicing swordplay for two hours every day without fail had also allowed Shao Qing to develop abdominal muscles by January.

Not a six-pack, but a four-pack was no exaggeration.

Jing Ke felt she wasn’t usually someone whose emotions could be easily swayed, but Shao Qing was clearly the exception.

Her unpredictable, somewhat erratic manner left Jing Ke completely off guard, and just like that, she was completely handled by Shao Qing during her first experience.

As for whether she was truly handled, or just playing along to please her girlfriend, there was no need to scrutinize that detail.

Anyway, the result being good was all that mattered. After achieving victory in the “campaign” twice, Shao Qing contentedly lay down, allowing herself to experience pleasure once as well.

Not having to work the next day meant they could be this willful, with plenty of time for exploration and discovery. Afterwards, they could even soak together in the large bathtub, relaxing their taut muscles.

Shao Qing wouldn’t deny that some strange thoughts had surfaced during the act. But after reaching that ultimate experience, she simply tossed those questions to the back of her mind.

Ex-girlfriend, ex-girlfriend—that was already in the past. Jing Ke’s current girlfriend was her. The person she liked was her. The person sleeping beside her was her.

As a person, you just have to look forward, not dwell on the past!

–

Because filming would resume the day after tomorrow, Jing Ke hadn’t left many marks on Shao Qing’s neck or any area above it. Her bites were mostly below the collarbone, where she also experienced the satisfyingly springy texture of abdominal muscles.

Considering it was their first time and she wanted to be gentle, Jing Ke’s actions were relatively restrained. Having fallen asleep around midnight, the two of them smoothly woke up the next morning at nine.

“What time is it?” Habitually prone to nibbling by now, Shao Qing bit Jing Ke’s collarbone as soon as she opened her eyes.

Compared to Shao Qing’s clean, unblemished neck, Jing Ke’s neck sported no less than eight distinct hickeys.

All of these were deliberately planted by Shao Qing to mark her territory. Unless Jing Ke opted to wear a scarf indoors, whatever hairstyle she chose would inevitably reveal one or two.

“Nine-oh-seven. If we get up right now, we should still make the hotel’s breakfast buffet,” Jing Ke said, looking down at Shao Qing.

Jing Ke added, “We can sleep a bit more, too. We can just go out for lunch later. Today should be sunny.”

“Let’s sleep more. I don’t want to get up.” Shao Qing stretched out, lying flat on the bed, and stared at the ceiling with squinted eyes.

Her wrists felt slightly sore. Had she overused them last night?

“Then sleep a bit more.” Jing Ke pulled the blanket up slightly, acting very compliant.

“Jing Ke,” Shao Qing suddenly called out.

“I’m here,” Jing Ke responded.

“Don’t you get bored just revolving around me all the time?” Shao Qing asked.

Jing Ke asked, slightly puzzled, “Why would I be bored?”

“At the set, you can’t do anything else. Every day, you just sit on the side, watching us film. If the shooting doesn’t go smoothly, you have to watch the same thing over and over again many times.”

Jing Ke blinked. “Isn’t that interesting? You can see everyone improving bit by bit, and watch the plot develop visually, firsthand.”

“But you can’t participate in it. You can only be an observer,” Shao Qing said.

If she had to put herself in those shoes, Shao Qing figured she could manage being a spectator for ten days or half a month, no problem. But for four or five months? That would be way too boring.

“No, I won’t find it boring.” Jing Ke paused before continuing, “Actually, before I developed Self-Awareness, for a very long time, my perception was just murky and chaotic, as if submerged in boundless darkness, unable to find an exit.”

Jing Ke continued, “I could endure that vast, endless darkness. I certainly wouldn’t find such a vibrant scene as this boring.”

Shao Qing turned her head to look at Jing Ke. The profile of her face fell into Shao Qing’s dark, ink-colored eyes. “Is that the experience from the time you were with Xu Yin?”

“Perhaps. Different spaces, the flow of time is also different.” Jing Ke smiled and quickly brushed past the topic. “Shao Qing, what should we eat for lunch? A fancy meal, or a bite at a nearby noodle shop?”

“Hmm, a local snack, I guess. I haven’t had noodles in quite a while. Let’s go eat a bowl of beef noodle soup with extra beef,” Shao Qing played along, changing the subject.

–

This wasn’t Shao Qing’s first time filming here. While she didn’t know every restaurant in the area like the back of her hand, picking out a noodle shop that was tasty enough was very simple for her.

Considering it was a shop renowned for its thirty-plus-year-old legacy, Shao Qing got Jing Ke out of bed and headed to the noodle shop at ten o’clock. They successfully managed to grab a seat before the lunch rush.

Coincidentally, not long after they sat down, Yu Hongjun, wearing a mask and baseball cap, and Jiang Qingyi appeared as well.

Jing Ke and Shao Qing had chosen a relatively good position—a table tucked away in a discreet corner of the shop. Unless someone came right up close to peer at them, it was impossible to see clearly who was sitting there.

A table seating precisely four people. After a brief exchange of glances, the four of them ended up sharing the same table.

“I didn’t expect you two to come here to eat as well. Seems the owner’s cooking skills can’t be hidden anymore,” Yu Hongjun said with a smile. She sat down next to Shao Qing, opposite Jiang Qingyi.

“It was already impossible to hide several years ago. The second time I came here for filming, this shop was recommended to me. My personal record is eating noodles here for five days straight at noon,” Shao Qing said, pulling out two paper napkins to pass over.

The noodle shop’s specialty was, of course, the noodles. Upon seeing the word “signature” attached as a prefix, Yu Hongjun and Jiang Qingyi also ordered the beef noodle soup with extra beef.

After chatting for a while, Yu Hongjun noticed the ambiguous marks on a certain boss’s neck.

The weather hadn’t exactly warmed up yet. There shouldn’t be that many mosquitoes around, right?

Pausing briefly in surprise, Yu Hongjun couldn’t help glancing at Shao Qing sitting beside her. Seeing that Shao Qing’s neck was clear of marks, she raised an eyebrow slightly.

So it wasn’t a mosquito problem, but rather because today was a day off.

Understanding dawning, a knowing smile tugged at the corner of Yu Hongjun’s lips. Her gaze flickered towards Jing Ke, now unconsciously tinged with a hint of teasing.

Who would have thought that the seemingly so formidable Boss Jing would be the relatively submissive one in this relationship, having been kissed so fiercely?

Jing Ke sensed Yu Hongjun’s gaze and met it with her amber-colored eyes, engaging in a brief clash of glances laden with unspoken meaning.

“The noodles are here. Four bowls of beef noodles, all with an extra double portion of beef added,” the serving staff arrived carrying a large tray. Setting it down, they placed four identical bowls of beef noodle soup onto the table.

“Thank you,” Jiang Qingyi, seated on the outside, politely thanked them, helping to move the bowls further in.

“All the extra condiments are self-serve. The condiment bar is right over there,” the staff member said with a smile. Though a flash of admiration crossed her eyes, she professionally left right away.

Naturally, shops near the Film and Television City weren’t cheap. However, with the added bonus of good flavor, a slightly higher price was perfectly acceptable.

“So delicious.” Jiang Qingyi’s eyes lit up upon sipping the first spoonful of broth before tasting the beef. “What do you think? If the flavor is good, we can patronize this place every rest day.”

Yu Hongjun spoke, her gaze towards Jiang Qingyi exceedingly gentle. “Mm, okay,” Jiang Qingyi didn’t refuse. The expression in her eyes seemed even more animated than before.

Seeing this, Yu Hongjun, while confirming the correctness of her own decision, couldn’t help but glance towards Jing Ke with a sense of gratitude.

If Jing Ke hadn’t suggested that Qingyi make a cameo appearance, she might not have been able to bring her along so smoothly.

Boss Jing was truly a good person. She was bound to be together forever with the one she loved.