After A Secret Marriage Agreement With A Rival Omega - Chapter 25

Chapter 25

◎Jian Jixing’s hand, like a warning, landed on her thigh.◎

Jian Jixing walked out of the tent, and the cold air rushed in. She pulled the felt curtain tight.

Given Sheng Ruxi’s pickiness and her complete ignorance of life here, she definitely wouldn’t get up to close the curtain.

Her kindness was for naught, and Jian Jixing didn’t want to care about Sheng Ruxi anymore, whether she was in pain or cold.

She wanted to see if, when Sheng Ruxi was uncomfortable, her imaginary alpha could save the day and create conditions where everything went her way.

Jian Jixing scoffed, not knowing what she was competing with.

Fortunately, the cup of milk tea was placed by the stove, so if this highness suddenly wanted a sip, it wouldn’t have turned into a block of ice.

Jian Jixing was so angry—angry at Sheng Ruxi’s inconsiderateness and also angry at herself for being so weak. She knew going into the tent was asking for trouble, but she still thought, “What if?”

And sure enough.

Jian Jixing stood outside the tent for a while, and only left after she heard no movement inside.

She thought for a long time about whether to send Sheng Ruxi a message on her phone to tell her about the creative exchange meeting for the shoot later, but in the end, she didn’t.

How could she expect her to attend the internal meeting in her current state? It was a pipe dream.

She returned to the large tent area, where many people were sitting warmly together. Gu Shengci saw her looking upset and knew that Jian Jixing hadn’t been treated well by Sheng Ruxi.

She handed Jian Jixing a cushion that could be unfolded into a blanket: “You should warm up too. Don’t think you’re so tough just because you’re an alpha. You can’t afford to fall ill.”

She had seen how busy Jian Jixing was.

Jian Jixing was originally given time to take a shower, but she insisted on boiling milk tea and looking for the medical team. Gu Shengci even thought something had happened to her.

Jian Jixing just nodded, saying nothing, and sat woodenly by the fire. At this moment, Xie Ruizhang felt it was her time to shine and came over, saying, “Forget it, Director Jian. Isn’t Ruxi always like this? Before you came, she was the same with me. No matter how much I tried, she wouldn’t budge.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Xie Ruizhang noticed Jian Jixing’s expression had changed back to its previous state, and it was frighteningly cold.

What? Had she said something wrong again?

Gu Shengci pulled on Jian Jixing and then told Xie Ruizhang, “Please say less, if you want to live until the next route handover.”

The next county experience route after Shanmi was Xie Ruizhang’s responsibility. She was learning within the team to ensure a smooth transition. This was probably Xie Ruizhang’s personal wish to work with Jian Jixing.

Now, whenever Jian Jixing thought of Sheng Ruxi, she could only remember Sheng Ruxi saying that she could fantasize about someone else’s face while in bed.

Even at a time like that, could she imagine it was Chu Wu’s face? Great, just great. So, she was just a clumsy substitute.

Jian Jixing felt utterly helpless, even coldly thinking that no matter what, Sheng Ruxi, who was under contract, would have to stay here, no matter how much she hated her.

“So, will she come to the work meeting later?”

Before a shoot, Jian Jixing’s habit was to have the actors present for a creative meeting, similar to a script reading.

Now that she was the director, she would naturally follow her own rules. After the creative meeting, all the crew members would establish initial rapport and reduce the time needed for working out kinks.

Jian Jixing replied bluntly, “I don’t know.”

“Even if she doesn’t, you have to get her to come. She’s your female lead now, after all. And tomorrow, we’ll start filming behind-the-scenes footage. It has to be updated on the official account every day. It won’t look good if you two aren’t getting along.”

Jian Jixing sneered, “Is our not getting along a new thing? The audience would probably think we’ve been possessed if we started playing nice on set.”

Gu Shengci: “…”

When Xie Ruizhang tried to come over again, Jian Jixing directly pulled two people in front of her, remaining silent.

Just thinking about Sheng Ruxi made her mad. What did she do in her past life to owe this highness?

Xie Ruizhang said awkwardly, “The weather’s been bad these past two days. Will it be unsafe? If you hadn’t happened to pass by Old Zhang today, who knows what would have happened.”

Gu Shengci looked at Jian Jixing with interest: “Happened to?” At a time like this, there weren’t so many coincidences.

Tsk, why hide her intentions so deeply?

Jian Jixing said faintly, “We can film more interesting things in bad weather.”

Besides, they had a security and medical team with them. Because of the large gathering of people here, there were mounted police nearby, which might make it safer than in the city in some respects.

Of course, the premise was that people didn’t seek death and listened to instructions.

Someone like Sheng Ruxi, who loved to throw tantrums, needed special attention and protection to prevent her from doing anything during breaks from filming.

The promotion this time was a collaboration with the government and was for charity. Everything they experienced and saw along the way would become a product to help the local area, which naturally might include a few exposure events, the specifics of which would be arranged according to the situation.

Even though Sheng Ruxi wasn’t here, her name was still the center of discussion.

Jian Jixing heard most of the crew members whispering about how beautiful Sheng Ruxi looked when she got out of the pickup truck.

That old, broken-down pickup truck was no longer an ordinary pickup but a vehicle specifically for a western off-road film!

Xie Ruizhang thought for a moment: “If Ruxi really doesn’t want to film, I have someone to recommend. Fang Le is also an option. Her agent has already told me that she can…”

Jian Jixing suddenly looked up, her dark, long eyelashes casting a clear, sharp shadow in the light.

“That’s who you want to promote. If you want to stay here, be quiet and don’t try to put just anyone in my team.”

“If you work with me, you have to follow my rules, including time and arrangements.”

As soon as Jian Jixing’s words fell, a clear, sweet voice appeared from outside.

“The tyrant of the set?”

A pair of fair, jade-like hands lifted the tent curtain, and a faint fragrance wafted in, mixed with the sound of the cold rain.

The previously noisy area fell silent for a moment, and everyone’s eyes shifted to Sheng Ruxi.

Jian Jixing looked over as well.

The light was bright and soft. If you didn’t look closely, it was hard to see the redness at the corners of Sheng Ruxi’s eyes when she took off her sunglasses, as if they had been rubbed.

She pursed her lips and then spoke coldly again: “You’ll soon discover that sometimes these four words can be a term of praise.”

No one dared to say more. The two were too confrontational and unyielding. It was hard to know who to call out to make them stop being so aggressive.

Sheng Ruxi didn’t move an inch, standing by the door, and greeted everyone inside with grace and poise.

But she just didn’t move. She was still holding the retro-looking enamel mug. Jian Jixing saw that the liquid level had changed slightly and knew that Sheng Ruxi had taken a couple of sips and then stopped drinking.

But she had drunk some, after all. Fine.

Jian Jixing decided to temporarily ignore Sheng Ruxi’s angering words and actions before getting to work.

She leaned back casually, reached over to the next table, took a single camping chair, and placed it beside her. At the same time, she put the cushion she was holding onto it, without saying a word.

Gu Shengci wisely moved to the side.

Seeing that she had a place to sit, Sheng Ruxi discreetly showed a look of satisfaction and walked toward Jian Jixing.

The cushion was very soft, and the pattern was the same as the one she had seen in the pickup truck.

Sheng Ruxi glanced at Jian Jixing, placed the ginger milk tea on the table, and even pushed it toward Jian Jixing.

Jian Jixing was no longer sitting lazily, keeping a slight distance from Sheng Ruxi. In front of everyone, it was obvious that the atmosphere between the two was not harmonious.

Gu Shengci felt that there was a strange, tangled feeling between the two of them. Every time, she thought it was about to break, but when it was truly on the verge of breaking, it was still connected.

Even without a single glance, she felt a sticky connection between them. Was it because of the special weather?

The hail outside had stopped, but the rain was still falling, and the temperature was still very low. If it continued like this, it would be a muddy mess tomorrow. It would also be difficult to get good footage if the rain didn’t stop. The number of open peach blossoms would also be affected by the rain.

Xie Ruizhang asked with concern, “Is Ruxi feeling better? You got so soaked in the rain outside. I was afraid your omega body couldn’t handle it, and you were almost late.”

Sheng Ruxi said, “Did I miss it?”

“That’s not what I meant. I just want you to be a little more serious about your work. Our working environment is like this. If you–“

Sheng Ruxi unhappily pushed the mug further toward Jian Jixing. No reaction, huh? She was being bullied like this, and Jian Jixing still hadn’t said anything, huh? Jian Jixing, Jian Jixing, isn’t your wife’s face your face?

Xie Ruizhang carefully chose her words and finally said, “Everyone knows that our Director Jian actually hates working with ‘flower vases’ the most.”

Jian Jixing was annoyed. There was a lot of liquid in this cup; was she not afraid of spilling it? She casually took it and placed it on the iron rack.

The anger from Sheng Ruxi was now directed at Xie Ruizhang.

She looked at Xie Ruizhang and said directly, “Are you questioning me?”

Questioning why she chose a flower vase to collaborate with? For the sake of traffic? What a joke. Jian Jixing had never been that kind of person.

Cen Jing was now completely unable to go to the plateau, and the project was a collaboration with the government, with a strict schedule that couldn’t be delayed. Since she took on this job, she had to do it well.

The task was not easy, and Jian Jixing didn’t have much time to worry about Xie Ruizhang’s ulterior motives. It would be a blessing if she could get Sheng Ruxi to be even a little bit obedient.

“Even if she has a thousand flaws, her appearance is a strength that cannot be ignored, and she knows how to use this advantage correctly, so she is not a ‘flower vase’.”

Xie Ruizhang was speechless. In terms of looks, Fang Le really couldn’t compare to Sheng Ruxi. It wasn’t that Fang Le wasn’t good; it was simply that Sheng Ruxi’s beauty was on a different level. So when it came to the authority of appearance, no one would argue once Sheng Ruxi’s name was brought up.

Xie Ruizhang felt that before Sheng Ruxi arrived, Jian Jixing, although she spoke little, was still a normal person. But ever since Sheng Ruxi came, Jian Jixing had started her indiscriminate attack mode.

Was it all because of Sheng Ruxi?

Sheng Ruxi raised an eyebrow, a smile she couldn’t suppress appearing on her lips. At least Jian Jixing was sensible.

With Sheng Ruxi’s arrival, the team was complete, and the creative process officially began.

Over the course of half a month, the work was divided into three parts: upper, middle, and lower, with five days of filming at each key scenic spot. Starting tomorrow morning, the cameras would not stop, recording their journey and experiences along this special peach blossom route. Of course, the protagonist would be Sheng Ruxi.

Sheng Ruxi already knew how to present her part and was listening with little interest. There were many experience projects along the way, but Sheng Ruxi couldn’t do every one of them personally. This promotional video was mainly to show the local customs and the beautiful peach blossoms.

When they discussed whether to innovate the content, Sheng Ruxi listened in for a bit. The screenwriter, Yang Chang, proceeded with the original plan, mentioning Cen Jing’s previous arrangements.

The fire in the stove was burning brightly, and with so many people, it felt very warm inside. Sheng Ruxi occasionally saw people adding the dung blocks she had seen in the tent to the fire. It was strange; there was no smell when they burned.

She stared at it for a while.

Sheng Ruxi, relying on her natural talent, was never a student who followed the rules when she was in school. If it weren’t for the year she was always competing with Jian Jixing, she wouldn’t have bothered to listen in class.

This continued to the present.

She would listen at times and not at others. But she saw that Jian Jixing was very focused and serious. Sheng Ruxi took out her phone and found Jian Jixing’s chat box.

After arguing with Jian Jixing, she sat in the tent for a while, and then Gu Shengci added her to the group chat, where she learned about the creative meeting.

Even though she had cried, she still had to wipe her tears and come.

Jian Jixing not only brought her milk tea but also ointment for her swollen eyes. Sheng Ruxi applied the medicine while cursing Jian Jixing through her tears, not knowing if it was from pain or anger. When she came out again, the milk tea had turned warm, and the spicy ginger flavor wasn’t as strong.

But Sheng Ruxi had never liked the taste of ginger since she was a child. She just hated ginger.

As soon as she saw that cup of ginger milk tea, she thought of Jian Jixing’s words, “You better hate me forever.”

She would forever hate the taste of ginger, and she would also forever hate Jian Jixing.

Reluctantly, she took two sips. Jian Jixing should be able to see it, and if she was sensible, she wouldn’t be angry with her anymore.

The cushion she was sitting on was very soft, and Sheng Ruxi was sure that she was the only one who had this cushion. Her mood improved, and she shifted her gaze from the pile of cow dung to staring at Jian Jixing, a little lost in thought.

“I think there might be a lot of couples who come to see the peach blossoms on this special route, so in the middle section, we can focus on highlighting the sweetness between couples,” Xie Ruizhang suggested. “Perhaps we can add another actor for Ruxi to have a scene with. The role would be small and wouldn’t steal the show.”

Yang Chang hesitated for a moment, his gaze shifting between Jian Jixing and Sheng Ruxi before landing on Xie Ruizhang: “This… we’ll start looking for someone now?”

It wasn’t impossible.

But it depended on Sheng Ruxi’s opinion.

Sheng Ruxi was still watching Jian Jixing, and the whole group was just awkwardly waiting. They were a little uneasy; when the two “big shots” weren’t talking, no one else dared to express their opinions freely.

Sheng Ruxi said casually, “Is that so? But I’m a ‘flower vase,’ and I’m not very good at emotional scenes.”

Xie Ruizhang knew that Sheng Ruxi was mocking her for what she had said earlier, and she was a little choked up.

Although Sheng Ruxi had twice won the Golden Sycamore Award, it was well-known in the industry that she rarely took on romance roles. At an age that was perfect for it, she never even acted in youth idol dramas.

Both of her award-winning films, Mountains and Rivers and Rosewild Path, had some romance, but it was a small part. Someone with a motive once specifically compared Sheng Ruxi’s handling of other emotions with her handling of love, and they noticed a subtle difference.

However, the slight flaw didn’t overshadow her strengths. Her performance in romantic scenes was not bad; it was just not as good as her other performances, but it was still far above the passing grade. It was only when compared to her own acting skills that she seemed to fall short.

During that time, because Sheng Ruxi didn’t like to take on films with a high percentage of romance, it was rumored that this was her weak point.

Others would not dare to bring this up to Sheng Ruxi, but Xie Ruizhang was too outspoken and didn’t think about the consequences. She even made Sheng Ruxi say it herself, which made the atmosphere awkward.

The screenwriter, of course, looked to Jian Jixing for her opinion, but Jian Jixing had not yet spoken. She was thinking.

Xie Ruizhang had already seen Jian Jixing frown, but she didn’t understand Jian Jixing’s true meaning and continued to suggest, “Director Jian, what do you think?”

Jian Jixing glanced at Sheng Ruxi and found that Sheng Ruxi looked indifferent. She also met her gaze with interest, as if she was waiting to see what Jian Jixing would say. Jian Jixing could already see from Sheng Ruxi’s sly eyes that she didn’t want to act in a romance scene.

Xie Ruizhang comfortably began to explain the entire middle section’s filming content to the screenwriter, which included the two main characters meeting by chance, their several coincidences after getting to know each other, and their agreement to enjoy the flowers together.

However, the theme of love, even if it was a cliché, was indeed attractive and one of the most successful types in terms of commercial value. If the official goal was to attract traffic in the early stages, then setting the middle section as a romance line was not a bad idea.

However, the weight and role, as well as the screen time, should not overshadow the main theme. The character could just be a side profile, a back view, or not even appear on screen. This would also be good for Sheng Ruxi.

This highness didn’t want to act, so she wouldn’t. Jian Jixing also felt that this was a travel experience show, not a love story between her and her wife. Why would they need so much of a romantic plot?

Just as Jian Jixing was about to speak to modify the plan, Sheng Ruxi suddenly let out a light laugh.

It was very soft, but Xie Ruizhang’s words came to a halt for no reason. The screenwriter, Yang Chang, was anxious, not knowing what opinion Sheng Ruxi wanted to express. She was already ready to make changes at any moment.

Jian Jixing frowned at her: “What are you laughing at?”

Sheng Ruxi casually rolled up the schedule in front of her, tapped the edge of the table a couple of times, and looked up at Jian Jixing: “Are you blinded by the word ‘commercial’? Is love the only thing left to film?”

Jian Jixing vaguely remembered that day at her house when Sheng Ruxi stood in front of her and told her mother with pride that she was the most successful and youngest commercial film director.

Now she was “blinded.” She had to admit that Sheng Ruxi’s acting skills at that time were indeed impressive, so much so that she was willing to believe it.

Jian Jixing didn’t argue. She just raised an eyebrow and said, “Love is indeed an important part of a person’s life.”

“Not mine.” The smile on Sheng Ruxi’s face was faint. She pushed the rolled-up paper, and it landed gently beside Jian Jixing’s hand. “Don’t be shallow.”

Plop. The milk tea in the enamel mug re-boiled, with many small bubbles surging up and then bursting upon meeting the cold air.

Jian Jixing finally stopped looking at Sheng Ruxi. With a blank expression, she opened the cap of her black pen and casually drew a messy circle and an ‘X’ on the paper. Yang Chang immediately understood Jian Jixing’s meaning—Director Jian chose the original plan and not the one Xie Ruizhang suggested.

Xie Ruizhang didn’t quite understand, but Jian Jixing had already started talking about the filming plan for the next section of the route, so she could only suppress her urge to ask questions.

She just felt that Sheng Ruxi was too spoiled when she was around Jian Jixing. This kind of spoiledness was different from what she had seen in Sheng Ruxi before, and she didn’t know how to describe it.

Jian Jixing put the heated milk tea back between herself and Sheng Ruxi. Sheng Ruxi didn’t refuse, and even occasionally blew on it. Jian Jixing was a little relieved.

Throughout the entire process, she didn’t hear Sheng Ruxi sneeze. It seemed that warming up had helped.

She wanted to signal for Sheng Ruxi to finish drinking, but her phone rang. Jian Jixing never looked at her phone when she was working, so she didn’t move. But someone was kicking her leg under the table.

Jian Jixing looked down and saw it was Sheng Ruxi’s sneakers.

It was rare to see Sheng Ruxi in sneakers, and they weren’t spotless. She found it funny but still indulged Sheng Ruxi’s wish and looked at her phone.

Little Green Bean: [Emoji of a man drinking medicine].jpg

Little Green Bean: [You drink it. It’s so spicy].

Jian Jixing realized that when Sheng Ruxi knew she was wrong and wanted to apologize, she never did it herself. She always let emojis do the work for her.

But when she thought of Sheng Ruxi’s slightly red eyes when she first arrived, Jian Jixing knew that Sheng Ruxi could still separate her personal emotions from her work.

But

This didn’t mean that everything was okay just because she sent an emoji to act cute.

Jian Jixing didn’t reply, she just looked at Sheng Ruxi’s shoes again. She thought Sheng Ruxi should change her shoes. These weren’t suitable for walking on the grass and weren’t warm enough.

She didn’t reply, but Sheng Ruxi didn’t intend to let her off the hook. She reached out and pulled on Jian Jixing’s clothes. To avoid being noticed, Sheng Ruxi had to pull her chair closer to Jian Jixing.

Jian Jixing still didn’t move.

But she felt that Jian Jixing was the one who needed this ginger tea more. She had been here for so long, and she hadn’t seen Jian Jixing drink any water. There wasn’t even a cup in front of her, while she herself was holding an enamel mug like an old-timer.

Yang Chang was reporting the content and ideas for the second half of the shoot to Jian Jixing, who was listening intently.

Suddenly, Jian Jixing’s phone on the table began to vibrate crazily, buzzing like an electric motor.

Someone was frantically sending her messages.

Yang Chang’s words instantly got stuck. He ‘uhh’-ed for a long time and then said, “Director Jian, you seem to have an urgent matter…”

There were no messages.

Only a mischievous little vixen was attacking her with emojis, wanting her to immediately become the man “drinking medicine.”

Jian Jixing picked up the enamel mug and chugged it down, then looked up, her gaze not shifting at all, with a smile on her face: “It’s just an alarm reminding me to drink water. You continue.”

Sheng Ruxi found it amusing and was feeling smug. The next second, her sly expression instantly disappeared—Jian Jixing’s hand, like a warning, landed on her thigh.