Chapter 70: World Two [40]

Jing Ke had no intention of avoiding suspicion at all. After the relaxing day off ended, she went to the filming location with Shao Qing the next day, just as usual.

The one who felt a moment of hesitation was actually Shao Qing herself. Seeing the hickeys on Jing Ke’s neck, now strikingly obvious, Shao Qing couldn’t help but straighten her collar before leaving, trying to hide the marks as much as possible.

But it didn’t do much good. Jing Ke’s skin was naturally pale, so any mark was exceptionally noticeable. And once the indoor temperature rose, she took off her jacket, revealing no fewer than five of the eight deliberately made bites with glaring clarity.

The first people in the film crew to notice something was amiss were the artists’ assistants hanging out in the rest area, playing on their phones. Over the past few days, they had all figured out Jing Ke’s identity. So, upon seeing the marks on her neck, they couldn’t help but widen their eyes, their fingers flying across their screens. The private group chats were probably hitting 99+ messages any minute.

However, these assistants weren’t very bold. None of them dared to go and ask Jing Ke how the marks got on her neck, much less ask if the person who left them there was Shao Qing.

What the assistants knew, the other actors and staff working on set naturally saw too.

Director Li and others, who already knew some of the inside story, had expressions that read, “Just as we thought.” Lead actors like Ji Yumeng were only mildly surprised.

They weren’t surprised that Jing Ke and Shao Qing had that kind of relationship, but that the former made no effort whatsoever to hide it.

In the entertainment industry, people who are physically intimate without emotional involvement are a dime a dozen, and there are even plenty of on-set couples. Relationships that are as sweet as honey during filming, then turn into those of strangers the moment shooting wraps are countless.

But considering that Jing Ke, a boss, was willing to spend a great deal of time accompanying Shao Qing on set, they gradually began to understand.

If it wasn’t just a fling, then it was genuine feelings. Who would have thought that this Moneybags boss was actually a love-struck fool?

The gossip-loving staff were very tempted to pull out their phones and snap a photo, but they were just as aware that Jing Ke was an investor in the film crew.

Furthermore, Jing Ke’s daily schedule was basically no different from the participating artists. If a photo or information leaked, finding the culprit would be far too easy. They could still distinguish between what was more important—gossip or their livelihood.

Thus, the understanding that Jing Ke and Shao Qing’s relationship was not ordinary subtly imprinted itself in the minds of the crew members, and their reactions slowly transitioned from faces full of shock to complete calm.

Oh ho, another day of Boss Jing showing up to work with hickeys. Looks like they must have had a very pleasant night together yesterday.

–

Time flew by in a blink, and it was March. The indoor scenes were filmed very smoothly, and the overall schedule was about five days ahead of Director Li’s estimate.

After the indoor scenes wrapped, the crew began to relocate, moving to a scenic area that wasn’t very famous but had excellent views to shoot the exterior scenes.

“Jianghu Road” was positioned as a martial arts drama, so once the filming location changed to exterior shots, it meant a whole lot of fight scenes were coming.

Director Li had very high demands for her work. It was no secret in the industry—it had long become a defining trait of hers—that she disliked actors using stunt doubles. Many actors who had collaborated with Director Li would even market themselves as dedicated professionals after their works aired.

The male lead had only been finalized in January. With just a bit over a month of preparation time, his performance on the wire work was somewhat poor. A simple shot of him using his lightness skill to mount a horse took half a day of repeated filming.

Luckily, the final result was just barely passable, enough to stop Director Li from going completely black-faced.

The male lead had relatively more interactions with the female lead. His first meeting with the second female lead, however, was a fight where they clashed before understanding each other, with misunderstandings only cleared after the battle.

When they filmed their fight scenes individually, the process had its ups and downs but was generally smooth. But once the three were brought together, Director Li couldn’t help but frown.

In the established martial prowess, the female lead was slightly weaker than the second female lead, but the male lead was supposed to be equally matched with the female lead.

But when the male lead faced off against Shao Qing, his entire aura inexplicably fell short. Although every move and stance was technically correct, he simply lacked that sense of being evenly matched.

“Cut, your sword thrust is too weak. It needs to be sharper. Put some strength into it,” Director Li said with a furrowed brow, wanting the male lead to adjust his state.

“Okay, Director Li, I’ll adjust,” the male lead’s attitude was quite good, and he earnestly tried to execute the movements according to Director Li’s intention.

But for some reason, the result still seemed to fall significantly short.

“Stop for a moment. No wires for now. Let’s see you two exchange moves directly on flat ground,” Director Li said, trying to find the reason for the visual disharmony.

Shao Qing had no objections. After taking off the rig attached to her body, she thrust her unsharpened sword directly at the male lead.

To convey that sense of being equally matched, Shao Qing deliberately slowed down her movements, giving the male lead plenty of time to react.

Even so, the result still felt lacking something to Director Li. “No, the feeling is still wrong. Xiao Xiao, you observe from the side for a bit. Martial Arts Director, come demonstrate. Spar a few moves for Xiao Xiao to watch.”

“Director Li, the Martial Arts Director might have had a bad stomach an hour ago. He’s still in the restroom,” the Assistant Director ran over to report.

“A bad stomach? Then…” Director Li hesitated, her gaze sweeping over the rest area. She considered having her good friend, Yu Hongjun, step in temporarily for a demonstration.

But as luck would have it, Yu Hongjun’s scenes for the day had long been finished. After lunch, she had disguised herself as a tourist along with Jiang Qingyi and gone off to explore other parts of the scenic area. She was nowhere to be seen.

“Director Li, why not let Jing Ke give it a try?” Shao Qing proactively suggested. “When I was practicing before, Jing Ke always sparred with me.”

“Boss Jing?” Director Li hesitated. She had actually seen Shao Qing and Jing Ke practice together before.

But Jing Ke was both an investor and the male lead’s boss. If she came over to demonstrate, wouldn’t it strike a blow to the male lead’s fragile little heart?

Very considerately, Director Li thought about it from the male lead’s perspective for three seconds, then put on a smile and headed towards the rest area.

“Need me to demonstrate something?” Jing Ke, suddenly receiving a task, was a bit confused. “What role do I need to play, the main villain?”

“No, no, the male lead. Just the first direct fight scene between the male lead and the second female lead,” Director Li briefly showed the script, looking at Jing Ke with a hint of expectation. “Boss Jing, would you mind giving a demonstration to your employee?”

“Sure, but I don’t know the lines. Can I just jump right in?” Jing Ke wasn’t unfamiliar with the script, but she truly knew nothing about acting.

“Yes, just convey that feeling of being evenly matched,” Director Li explained. “It’s the feeling that matters—evenly poised, where both sides shine.”

Jing Ke nodded. She picked up the male lead’s long sword, quickly tied her hair back with a red hair tie she wore around her wrist, and walked onto the filming area.

“Okay, all units ready. Action!” Director Li called out.

As the clapperboard sounded, Shao Qing, immersed in her role, moved first, just as the script dictated.

Jing Ke didn’t know how to play the male lead, but she knew exactly how to receive Shao Qing’s moves. Without much thought, her body simply acted on its own.

Slash, chop, thrust, block, flick, parry. The unsharpened long swords in their hands constantly clashed in the air. The presented scene made Director Li involuntarily clench her fists.

Though Jing Ke was dressed in modern attire, she didn’t look the slightest bit out of place when exchanging blows with Shao Qing. The overwhelming CP chemistry made the cameraman instinctively start chasing both of them with the lens.

Yes, this feeling! If only Boss Jing could act in this too, the fight scenes in this drama would be absolutely outstanding! Director Li couldn’t help but scream inwardly.

Their confrontation ended with their sword tips pointed at each other’s throats, gazes meeting mid-air. Although both wore frowns, they also held an acknowledgment of their opponent’s skill.

“Excellent! Fantastic, this is exactly the feeling!” Director Li couldn’t help but slap her thigh after the demonstration ended, her gaze landing on Jing Ke with a fervor that could almost burn.

“Boss Jing, can I save this as material? If we release it at the right time, it might even become a trending topic!” Director Li said, three or four promotional strategies already popping into her head.

“Whatever works. Just arrange it as you see fit, Director Li,” Jing Ke immediately sheathed her sword, not objecting to being exposed to the public eye.

After savoring the footage once more, Director Li’s gaze fell on the male lead, whose face was wreathed in worry. She spoke earnestly, “Xiao Xiao, you now understand the feeling I was looking for, right? I won’t demand a one-to-one replication. Just having seventy percent of Boss Jing’s flair will do.”

The male lead nodded with great difficulty. “Director Li, why don’t you film some other scenes first? I’ll mull this over and try my best to learn my boss’s style.”

Director Li didn’t refuse. She patted the male lead on the shoulder, then called the extras over, planning to move the next scene up in the schedule.

Jing Ke, who had served as a textbook example, had no particular reaction. She took advantage of the break to feed Shao Qing two pieces of pre-cut fruit for energy, then returned to the rest area to tinker with her laptop.

However, soon after sitting down, Jing Ke’s excellent hearing picked up some incredibly excited “whispered conversations” from the assistants’ area.

“Damn, I didn’t expect Boss Jing to be that amazing. She just grabbed a sword and went up, and after the fight ended, she wasn’t red-faced or out of breath. Her stamina seems fantastic too!”

“If that’s the case, then why is Boss Jing always the one on the bottom? I’ve actually been observing every day, and Teacher Shao’s neck has never had hickeys, not once. Boss Jing has shown up with them no fewer than five times now, or was it six?”

“Maybe Boss Jing just likes to enjoy herself more? I heard being on the bottom is more comfortable.”

“No, no, maybe Boss Jing is just more considerate, knowing Teacher Shao has to shoot, so she doesn’t leave marks in obvious places.”

“Wow, Boss Jing, she’s so devoted. I haven’t seen pure love in the entertainment industry in so long!”

Boss Jing: …

Sometimes, Jing Ke felt that having hearing that was too good wasn’t necessarily a blessing. If she couldn’t hear these words, it would actually be quite nice.

Jing Ke didn’t have any strange competitive urges. Doing that kind of thing was fundamentally about mutual pleasure; there was no need to care about who was on top or bottom.

Though being on top didn’t necessarily mean being the active party either, after all, as the number of times increased, the unlocked play styles became more varied too. =w=

–

After Jing Ke gave a demonstration for the male lead actor, the filming of the fight scenes went much more smoothly, and Director Li’s smile grew brighter and brighter.

Just as the fight scenes were nearing a perfect conclusion, Shao Qing received a call from Sister Ke.

“Hmm? Director Hu needs me to fill in for someone urgently?” Shao Qing was surprised upon receiving the call. “I thought Director Hu became the director of one of the unit dramas for the tribute film after Director Hua got into trouble?”

“Yes, calling it ‘filling in’ is really just giving you a chance to appear in the tribute film. Director Hu probably still hasn’t let go of the incident where she was forced to replace you due to investor demands before, so she wants to make it up to you,” Sister Ke said.

“I know you’re still filming with Director Li’s crew, but the role you need to fill is not a lead. It’s just the third female lead in the unit drama. Director Hu said the shooting can likely be wrapped up in a week. The character is a Young Mistress who starts out a bit domineering but later proves to be of strong revolutionary stock.”

Sister Ke concisely summarized the character’s setting. “Director Hu is a bit pressed for time. Can you negotiate with Director Li? Including the round trip, it’ll take no more than ten days. Showing your face in a tribute film will be great for you and can increase your exposure during this period.”

As an agent, Sister Ke was absolutely qualified. A tribute film was an existence that artists would fight tooth and nail to be a part of. Some currently popular young starlets couldn’t even land a third female lead role in a unit drama.

To say she wasn’t tempted by a tribute film would definitely be a lie. It was something many A-list stars would act in for free. Since it was delivered right to her doorstep, Shao Qing found it very hard to refuse.

But Shao Qing was also a little hesitant. Could ten days really be enough to transform her from a female swordswoman into a Young Mistress?

If she couldn’t embody the essence of the character, then juggling productions would do her more harm than good, and it would also betray Director Hu’s trust.

“Didn’t you always say Director Hu was the talent scout who recognized your potential? She definitely knows your skill level. If she believes you can finish filming in seven days, why not give it a try?”

Hearing Shao Qing’s thoughts and estimation, Jing Ke analyzed the situation rationally. “The filming for ‘Jianghu Road’ is going very smoothly. After you finish the final fight scene tomorrow, you were originally scheduled for three to five days off. If you ask Director Li to push your scenes back a bit, you can smoothly squeeze out the time.”

Jing Ke added, “Since you’re tempted, then act on it. How will you know if you can do it if you don’t try?”

With Jing Ke’s support, Shao Qing made her decision very easily. Without a moment’s delay, she went to discuss it with Director Li.

Upon hearing it was for a tribute film, Director Li agreed very readily, even joking, “I have no problem on my end, but ten days is the absolute max. Any more, and maybe Boss Jing will have to give me more investment.”

“Don’t worry, Director Li, I’ll go quickly and return quickly,” Shao Qing guaranteed. “If I exceed the time limit, I’ll pay for the delay losses out of my own pocket.”

“Alright. Once the fight scenes are done tomorrow, I’ll also be releasing some behind-the-scenes clips. Have you considered going public with Boss Jing?” Director Li asked.

“if you don’t plan on it yet, then I’ll steer public opinion towards you two being just good friends. If you do…” Director Li smiled, giving Shao Qing a knowing look.

Shao Qing blinked. “Jing Ke and I have no intention of hiding it. Besides, we have quite a lot of CP fans online. Director Li, just post whatever you like. If the opportunity is right, we’ll probably go public then.”

Director Li nodded. After taking two steps forward, she turned back around. “Just a heads-up, the one who replaced Director Hua as Chief Director is Director Zhang. He’s a bit old-fashioned. If you run into him, it’s best not to openly state your relationship with Boss Jing. It might cause some minor trouble.”

Homosexuality wasn’t exactly a novelty in the entertainment industry, and the relevant authorities hadn’t said they would ban artists who liked the same gender. It was just that some directors from the conservative faction were relatively averse to this community and wouldn’t allow such individuals in their productions.

Shao Qing nodded, earnestly noting Director Li’s words. “Okay, thank you for the warning, Director Li.”

“Don’t mention it. Boss Jing has served as a demonstration prop so many times; this is just a small token of thanks,” Director Li said, waving her hand dismissively.