Chapter 61

In the backstage of the auditorium, the crew members secretly poked their heads out to look toward the stage.

The scriptwriter sister muttered softly, “Are we still playing the video?”

The makeup artist shrank behind her. “Yeah, we’re all waiting to see it. Why hasn’t it started yet?”

The lighting teacher chimed in, “I even did my makeup…”

The scriptwriter sister said, “Speaking of which, aren’t we making a bit too much fuss about this?”

The makeup artist retorted, “How is this too much? Leng Xiang was bullied so badly by those haters. Shouldn’t we fight back? Besides, Director Jiang agreed to it, didn’t she?”

The props teacher nodded. “That’s right. Let’s see who dares to badmouth our Xiangxiang after this.”

The scriptwriter sister asked, “By the way, where’s Leng Xiang?”

Wang Linlin slapped her forehead. “I know where she is!”

…

In the auditorium.

Jiang Sisi removed the small USB drive dangling from her finger and handed it to the staff member, who operated it backstage for a moment before giving her an OK sign.

The entire auditorium remained unlit, illuminated only by the light from the large screen.

Jiang Sisi glanced at the scrolling barrage behind her and smiled. “Alright, alright, stop apologizing. I forgive you all on her behalf.”

“She’s probably watching, though I don’t know where she is right now.”

As she interacted with the netizens via the barrage, Jiang Sisi continued, “No, she’s got thin skin and a stubborn streak. I’ve never seen her admit defeat.”

“Does Leng Xiang know about this? Nope, how could she guess I’d pull off something like this behind her back? She’s probably hiding in shame right now.”

Leng Xiang stood at the very back of the auditorium. Her mood had finally settled, but hearing Jiang Sisi talk nonsense left her torn between laughter and tears. She lifted her eyes to look at Jiang Sisi on stage.

Was it her imagination? She thought she saw Jiang Sisi smile at her, the grin carrying an indescribable slyness.

The area around her was still pitch black—how had Jiang Sisi spotted her?

She heard Jiang Sisi continue, “Not only did I keep all this from her, but the crew prepared a gift for her too.”

The netizens grew curious.

“What gift?”

“A gift? There’s more?”

“Is today some special day?”

“I remember now—today’s Leng Xiang’s birthday!!!”

“Really???”

“Xiangxiang’s birthday today??”

Leng Xiang’s eyes widened as she froze in place.

Today… was her birthday?

Jiang Sisi signaled to the backstage staff. The barrage cleared again, the screen went dark, and when it lit up, a video began to play.

The video’s background showed various hotel rooms, clearly shot and edited in a rush, rough around the edges.

The cameraman, makeup artist, scriptwriter sister, lighting teacher, sound technician…

Nearly every behind-the-scenes crew member appeared.

Tan Ya said, “Miss Leng Xiang, happy birthday.”

Wang Linlin pushed forward. “Move aside! Move! Sister Leng Xiang!! Happy birthday!! Isn’t it a huge surprise? Bet you forgot it was your own birthday! But we remembered! The crew keeps records of everyone’s birthdays… Hey, Tan Ya, why are you covering my mouth? I wasn’t done! Let go!!”

Pei Shuang appeared next. “Dear roommate, happy birthday!”

The scene shifted.

The makeup artist said, “Sister Leng Xiang, happy birthday! Hahaha, bet you didn’t see this coming. It’s your twenty-sixth birthday, spent with our crew—what a fateful coincidence.”

The lighting teacher added, “Happy birthday to our little princess Xiangxiang. Keep smiling—don’t stay gloomy all the time. You look so much prettier when you smile.”

The scriptwriter sister chimed in, “Yeah, you’re so beautiful—smile more and shine bright. Ignore those online haters; we all know how great and adorable you are! Muah!”

The cameraman said, “Little lady, you’ve got stamina. I was exhausted from that running scene, but you kept going. Impressive—real potential. Want to try track and field?”

The camera wobbled wildly for a while as off-screen laughter erupted.

“You’re just weak! A big guy who can’t outrun a little girl!”

Next came the assistant director, sound technician, post-production staff, editor, and other crew members, one after another.

The scene shifted again. The next person to appear was Jiang Sisi.

Leng Xiang stared at the screen, holding her breath unconsciously.

Jiang Sisi must have recorded this hastily backstage. As the head of the press conference, she oversaw everything.

When the camera pointed at her, she was still reviewing documents. Sensing it, she looked up and smiled at the lens. “My turn?”

The camera bobbed up and down.

Jiang Sisi asked, “How long have the others gone for combined?”

A hand suddenly appeared in front of the lens, flashing a number.

Jiang Sisi: “Five minutes?”

The camera bobbed again.

Jiang Sisi: “Alright, then I won’t ramble. If it’s too long, she’ll get bored, and the reporters will too.”

Off-screen snickers sounded.

Jiang Sisi continued, “By the normal press conference flow, I should’ve said everything by now, so no repeats.”

“We didn’t start off friendly. Back when you were on my show, you were so arrogant it made me want to smack you. I couldn’t hold back.”

“And that incident a few years ago—honestly, if Song Limo hadn’t brought it up, I’d have forgotten. My bad, my bad. I apologize.”

Off-screen laughter exploded again. “Director Jiang, enough! No dredging up old dirt—get serious! We’re still recording!”

Jiang Sisi glanced off-screen, and it went quiet.

She went on, “These past few months, with you in my crew, I’ve gotten to know you, understand you.”

“So I don’t want the world misunderstanding you. I want everyone to like you.”

“You’re really great.”

Off-screen voices heckled, “Director Jiang, remember that KTV night? You still owe Xiangxiang a confession!”

Jiang Sisi shot another glance off-screen, but no one backed down.

“Confession! Confession! Confession!”

Jiang Sisi laughed and cursed, “Nonsense.”

The camera shook wildly.

“Everyone’s watching—it’s too much.” Helpless, Jiang Sisi thought for a moment. “No confession, then. How about a heart?”

She formed a heart with her fingers toward the lens, then smiled—gentle and lingering.

The video ended.

Leng Xiang covered her mouth, eyes wide as she watched to the end, tears welling in the corners.

For the first fifteen years, Liu Lingshu never celebrated her birthday. In the decade after she blew up, people remembered and partied for her. Once she fell from grace, only Shen Cheng still did.

She’d even forgotten her own birthday.

When had the crew filmed this? Prepared all this?

Unsure how to respond to such kindness, she stood frozen for a while until someone patted her back from behind.

She turned around.

Wang Linlin smiled at her, the rest of the crew beaming behind her.

Wang Linlin said, “Sister Leng Xiang, we finally found you. We’ve been looking everywhere.”

Leng Xiang wiped her eyes. She couldn’t hold back the swelling ache inside her.

“Thank you… thank you all.”

The nonstop surprises had her laughing through tears.

The scriptwriter sister whispered to the makeup artist, “Told you she’d cry. Pay up.”

Makeup artist: “She didn’t cry! No tears—I win, you lose!”

The music teacher said, “Don’t mind them—they’re always like this. Come on, don’t stay here. Leave the rest to Director Jiang. Let’s go celebrate your birthday.”

Every encounter was fated yet unexpected.

These past ten years of neglect, of never being truly treated well—perhaps all led to this moment.

Time was ultimately kind to her.

Meeting this crew, meeting Jiang Sisi—she was so fortunate.

Leng Xiang smiled through her tears and nodded.

…

In the venue.

The lights came back on. The reporters squinted against the sudden brightness, still dazed.

Once they recovered, flashes erupted wildly.

The crowd buzzed.

The barrage exploded anew.

“Happy birthday, sister!!”

“Wuwuwu, what kind of fairy crew is this!!!”

“I’m crying so hard! So loud!! My tears are worthless!”

“Fairy friendship! Fairy romance!!”

“What fairies are these!!”

“I knew Jiang Sisi’s crew had tight bonds, but not like this! I’m jealous! I want a team like that too!! Envy-crying!!”

“Director Jiang, does your crew need a gofer? I can fetch tea, run errands—anything!!”

“Never thought I’d be jealous of someone’s friendship…”

“Lemon tree bears lemons; under the lemon tree, you and me!!”

“Came for the drama… emmm, got slapped hard by the real deal. Face hurts, and it’s sour.”

“Drama-watching +1. Witnessed epic team friendship and romance instead…”

“Romance?? What romance??”

“Jiang Sisi and Leng Xiang!! Doesn’t matter—I’m shipping them!! Swallowed the key!!”

“I’m waving the Si Xiang CP flag high and won’t waver! Banging my head against the wall for Si Xiang!!!”

“CP name already??”

“Someone said Leng Xiang was a straight steel woman? Who?? Have you seen a straight woman like this?! This is peak sour romance!!”

“It’s super sour, but still… Happy birthday, Sister Leng Xiang!”

“Happy birthday!!”

“All I care about now: Is Leng Xiang here? For such a touching moment!”

“If she’s not, that’s too bad!!”

Jiang Sisi glanced at the back of the auditorium—it was empty now.

Someone must have whisked her away.

Jiang Sisi said, “She’s not here.”

Smiling at the reporters, she added, “Alright, now it’s free Q&A time. Anything else you want to ask me?”

The reporters: “…”

Well, she’d explained everything clearly, and the person was gone. What was left to ask?

A reporter raised a hand. “Director Jiang, any plans after wrap-up? New projects?”

Oh right—they could pivot like that!

“Teacher Jiang, will you return to Welcome to Star after wrapping?”

“Any spoilers on the movie you’re currently shooting?”

“What do you say about Youth Tour‘s box office success?”

The reporters’ gossip questions were now useless.

They fell back on standard topics.

“Youth Tour‘s success was expected. As for the current film, see it in theaters in a few months,” Jiang Sisi said. “After wrap-up, I’ll return to host Welcome to Star for a bit, but another show’s reached out—a romance variety show. Their pitch intrigued me; I’m considering it. Stay tuned.”