After Reuniting with My Aloof Movie Queen Childhood Friend - Chapter 23.1

The venue and costumes were rented by the day. The leads had arrived late at night, and using them for only a few hours would be too wasteful.

But Ji Youyi wanted to utilize this precious time, so she had planned a parallel-universe series of videos titled “Three Female Leads Transmigrating Together to Modern Times.”

She had scouted the location in advance, rented fill lights, and borrowed Fang Ruohan’s DSLR; all that was left was for the actors to be in position.

Just as Ji Youyi was about to get into the car, she was pulled back by Wen Yang.

Wen Yang held her right hand, her voice tiny. “Director Ji, I want to sit next to you.”

The young girl looked tearful and utterly pitiful. Ji Youyi naturally couldn’t bear to refuse.

However, making someone else sit in the front felt like treating Meng Xingshu as a driver, though when Ji Youyi heard Meng Xingshu say she happened to be free and wanted to come learn, she was indeed very glad to have a free driver. But she couldn’t show it!

The crew’s budget came first, and a free driver absolutely must not run away. Just as Director Ji was about to comfort Wen Yang with a “next time for sure,” a cool, white hand suddenly brushed onto her shoulder.

Ji Youyi looked up, meeting the slightly darkened brows of Meng Xingshu. “It’s wet here. Won’t it affect the shooting?”

Today, in order to fit the character of Ning Li, Ji Youyi had specially borrowed a milky-yellow T-shirt from Fang Ruohan, printed with a lively cartoon pattern, exuding the essence of midsummer.

At this moment, as she looked over, she indeed found a small damp patch on her left shoulder, soaked into a deep yellow by the tears. It didn’t look obvious, but it would certainly affect the visual presentation on camera.

Wen Yang was momentarily at a loss. “Director Ji, I’m sorry. What should we do now?”

“It’s fine.” Meng Xingshu stared intently into Ji Youyi’s eyes. “There’s a hair dryer in the car. Do you need it?”

At the same time, two people were speaking to Ji Youyi. Reason dictated that she should address them in order.

However, Wen Yang’s two sentences seemed to have both been answered by Meng Xingshu, and…

And the fingertip resting on her shoulder was soft, a pleasant fragrance drifting to her nose with the movement of the other party raising her hand.

Meng Xingshu stood right before her, looking at her with a gaze that seemed caring yet nonchalant. From touch to smell to sight, her presence was so intense that it was impossible to ignore.

Ji Youyi truly found it impossible to turn her head away from Meng Xingshu’s gaze to look at Wen Yang.

She smiled and nodded at Meng Xingshu. “That would be wonderful. Thank you, Teacher Meng.”

The corners of Meng Xingshu’s lips curled up slightly as well. “You’re welcome. I’ll get it for you.”

“Teacher Li,” she turned and tossed the car keys to Li Zhulan, “I’ll have to trouble you to drive in a moment.”

Having said that, she clasped Ji Youyi’s left wrist and led her onto the back seat first.

“Ah… eh?”

Li Zhulan held her laptop under one arm and clutched the car keys she had just caught. Looking at Wen Yang, who followed with slightly dimmed eyes, and Li Anran, who sat in the front passenger seat trying hard to suppress a laugh while holding her phone, her inner world was in a state of shock.

She had clearly been trying to reduce her presence to secretly observe and gather material for her new writing, so why was she dragged onto the stage again!

She indeed howled on Weibo every single day, “I want to drive so badly, I want to drive so badly, I want to drive so badly,” but, but, but the car she wanted to drive wasn’t this kind of car!

And wait, how did Teacher Meng know she could drive…?

Ji Youyi was completely oblivious to the inner thoughts of the other four. In Director Ji’s view, today’s shoot was practically perfect.

The minor incident with the clothes was quickly resolved. The writer wrote a good script, the actors performed well, the locations were entirely free, and the driver was free too, even though Li Zhulan drove the entire way. Sitting in the middle seat of the back row, Ji Youyi had to look left and right while chatting, making her head spin slightly.

The shoot took over three hours. At midnight, the three crew members got off at the hotel, and Meng Xingshu took back the car keys, sitting in the driver’s seat.

Ji Youyi was also sharp enough to switch to the passenger seat, speaking sweetly, “Teacher Meng, I’m so sorry for keeping you out so late.”

“Not at all.” Meng Xingshu smiled faintly. “I should be the one saying thank you. I learned a lot today.”

From the corner of her eye, Meng Xingshu could capture the way Ji Youyi turned her body to speak to her, her smile bright, her clear eyes looking straight at her.

Only the two of them were in the car. Her voice, smile, gaze, entire focus, along with her shallow breathing, belonged to her alone.

Meng Xingshu looked ahead and slowed the car down.

The night was peaceful and long, and Director Ji’s late-night mini-classroom continued its session.

She had recently been teaching Meng Xingshu how to transition into a producer.

Producers and directors were both core roles within a crew, yet they possessed fundamental differences.

One was the commander at the creative level, while the other was the leader at the management level.

Simply put, a director needed to utilize all resources within the crew to fulfill their artistic expression, while the producer was the person who provided those resource guarantees.

Setting up the crew, calculating costs, executing production, everything from recruiting people and pulling in investments to distribution and promotion required the producer’s operation.

A director could righteously shout at a producer: “I don’t care, I want that! Without it, I can’t shoot!”

Meanwhile, the producer could only swallow their anger and think of ways to make it happen, at most cursing the other’s ancestors eighteen times over in their heart.

Although there were indeed some producers who held the authority to fire a director, the cost was too high and involved too many complications, making it a rare occurrence. Most of the time, they were just “getting by together, what else can we do.”

Take Thousand Gold Bone for example. If this drama had a producer, there would have been no need for Ji Youyi to look for the filming location owner herself.

What? The location won’t let us shoot?

Wonderful. This director is going home to sleep, call me when the producer resolves it.

Ji Youyi couldn’t understand why Meng Xingshu would want to do such a thankless job.

Ji Youyi didn’t enjoy being a producer. Before transmigrating to this world, she had never served as a chief producer either. Coupled with the barrier between television and film, she actually didn’t understand television production thoroughly.

But that didn’t stop her from speaking with great eloquence. In any case, Meng Xingshu definitely understood it even less, otherwise, why would Meng Xingshu say “alright” no matter what she said?

With the student learning so earnestly, the teacher naturally grew bolder in her teaching. The two individuals from film backgrounds had a delightful conversation regarding a television project, chatting all the way until they entered the door.

Meng Xingshu interrupted with a question: “Do you want to have a late-night snack tonight?”

“Yes!” Ji Youyi possessed immense faith in the items from Starling’s cafeteria. Not only were they delicious, but eating them wouldn’t cause her stomach any discomfort either. She absolutely refused to allow herself to miss a single meal.

Looking at Ji Youyi’s eyes, which instantly filled with radiance, warmth seeped into Meng Xingshu’s gaze. “Then sit down first. I’ll go get it.”

“No need, no need!” Setting her bag aside, Ji Youyi rolled up both sleeves and chased after Meng Xingshu into the kitchen. “Teacher Meng, let me do it!”

The ceramic lid was opened, and a warm, sweet fragrance wafted out. The food inside the stewing pot was clear and crystalline, appearing to be bird’s nest. Ji Youyi didn’t care much about food, making it somewhat difficult for her to distinguish ingredients.

Just as she was about to carry it away, a hand reached out from her side, catching her fingers. “It’s a bit hot. Let me do it.”

Having just rushed over eagerly to snatch the chore, Ji Youyi only now realized that she stood extremely close to Meng Xingshu.

Their sleeves practically brushed against each other, and the other party’s perfume had rubbed off onto her.

With her claw pinned, she felt like a snake caught by its vital spot, responding with a compliant couple of “oh oh” sounds, though murmurs arose in her heart. If it’s hot, I should be the one doing it even more. The movie queen’s fingers are as delicate as jade, clearly far more precious than mine.

Secretly inhaling Meng Xingshu’s scent, she wanted to unobtrusively increase the distance between them, only to find that the other party had no intention of letting go.

Meng Xingshu held her hand, bringing it before her eyes to examine it carefully for a few seconds. “Your nails have grown.”

“Oh, really?” Ji Youyi’s heart felt an itching sensation. While responding as if nothing were amiss, she craned her neck to peer over.

Around the time she transmigrated, Little Ji must have just gotten a manicure not long ago. During the filming of Thousand Gold Bone, her nails hadn’t grown much and fit the character, so Ji Youyi hadn’t paid attention since.

Hearing Meng Xingshu mention it now, she finally noticed that the newly grown natural nail already formed a small segment, looking rather conspicuous.

Meng Xingshu released her hand and asked, “Will it affect the shooting?”

Considering this issue, Ji Youyi instantly entered work mode, her expression turning solemn. “It will.”

She turned and left the kitchen immediately, pulling out the materials shot tonight and reviewing them clip by clip on the sofa.

Fortunately, the main characters of the video were the first and second female leads. She hadn’t left much room for Ning Li to perform, and coupled with the nighttime lighting conditions, no flawed frames had been captured.

Ji Youyi looked at her own fingers. They looked a bit ugly, and looking ugly meant spending money, which caused her some worry.

Large crews often hired professional nail artists, generally grouped with the makeup and styling teams, receiving decent wages. Small crews, on the other hand, typically didn’t pay attention to these details. For instance, in the project Ji Youyi went to for a styling session this morning, the actors brought their own manicures, not needing or often wanting to be arranged by the crew.

Ji Youyi had never fussed over her appearance since growing up. She knew this stuff wasn’t hard to do, but it required tools…

She was unwilling to spend the money, so she could only ponder about finding a crew to freeload off of tomorrow morning.

While thinking, Ji Youyi pulled out her phone, intending to check the casting notices, when Meng Xingshu’s faint voice rang out.

“Want me to help you touch them up?”

Ji Youyi’s eyes lit up instantly. “Is it convenient?”

She believed Meng Xingshu had already grasped the essence of a producer, free of charge, please note, free of charge, solving problems for the director.

Meng Xingshu gave an “en” sound, picked up her phone, and sent a message.

In less than a minute, Fang Ruohan, wearing a bathrobe with her hair disheveled, came out carrying a toolbox.

The box was opened, and Fang Ruohan tapped it. “See if you can use these.”

“I can, I can.” Ji Youyi immediately praised her. “Fangfang, you’re amazing. You always have everything.”

Fang Ruohan winked at her proudly. “Exactly. Please call me Magic Little Fang.”

Even though she hadn’t understood at all why Teacher Meng had asked her to buy these things last week.

“Calling you this late, did I disrupt your sleep?” Ji Youyi pressed her hands together in front of her face, acting cute. “I’m sorry, baby.”

Amused, Fang Ruohan pointed at her hair. “No, what time is it anyway? I was playing games with Lin Shan. See this hair of mine? It was blown apart by her anger. I was dying to come out and get some fresh air. If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back first, okay?”

Watching the direction Fang Ruohan left in, Ji Youyi asked curiously, “Does Fangfang live on the first floor? How are your dorms assigned?”

She had assumed that as Meng Xingshu’s assistant, Fang Ruohan ought to live next door to Meng Xingshu, but Meng Xingshu lived on the second floor.

Meng Xingshu was selecting tools, and upon hearing the question, she said, “Because she’s too lazy to climb the stairs.”

Fang Ruohan, who hadn’t walked far yet, was filled with questions. Wasn’t it because the first floor consists of guest rooms?

However, she was a highly professional assistant, capable of bowing out gracefully to leave ample private space for her boss, while simultaneously adapting to echo her boss’s words.

“Yes, that’s exactly it. Lin Shan and I are the two laziest dogs in the entire company. When the dorm rooms were being divided, the two of us strongly requested that we must live on the first floor. Teacher Meng possesses noble character, so she generously conceded.”

Ji Youyi was struck by realization. “So that’s how it is.”

How envious. She didn’t want to climb stairs either. Although the villa was equipped with an elevator, living on the first floor would definitely be more convenient.

Meng Xingshu glanced at her and asked, “You want to live on the first floor?”

As a non-Starling employee staying for free, how could Ji Youyi have the right to be picky? She was instantly filled with righteousness. “Of course not! I am extremely satisfied with my current room!”

As long as it was free, she would even be fine living in a cellar!

Meng Xingshu’s tone was casual. “I want to live on the first floor too. When I get a chance, I’ll ask President Lin about it.”

She cleaned the tools and extended her hand toward Ji Youyi. “Give me your hand.”

Her palm faced upward, quietly waiting. The previously lighthearted chatting atmosphere suddenly congealed with the movement of Meng Xingshu extending her hand, as if the air was flowing slower.

Slender, beautiful fingers curved naturally, resembling joints of jade bamboo.

Ji Youyi fell quiet in a second, silently placing her hand on top. Watching the other party gently prop up her fingers, lowering her eyes to focus intently on trimming, a strange sensation welled up in her heart.

Ji Youyi discovered that she still couldn’t interact normally with Meng Xingshu, which was actually quite strange.

Although Meng Xingshu had a cold aura, they had known each other for some time, and Ji Youyi also knew that she was actually a very gentle person internally.

In particular, they had finally developed a new relationship, evolving from a melodramatic prime time drama into business partners. Reason dictated that everything was progressing toward a better direction…

But why was it that every time she came into contact with Meng Xingshu, she would inexplicably feel… nervous?

Ji Youyi’s mind was a mix of blank patches and confused thoughts, unable to figure it out. She wasn’t even clear on whether this feeling was actually nervousness.

It must be because Meng Xingshu is too beautiful, this point was something Ji Youyi could be certain of, as it was the most distinct trait about Meng Xingshu.

She quietly observed Meng Xingshu, her gaze sliding from the slightly lowered long eyelashes sequentially toward the bridge of her nose, lips, jawline, hands…

No!

Her gaze beat a hasty retreat, landing on the sofa. Ji Youyi rebuked herself in her heart. Comrade Little Ji, this is too impolite! How can you just stare at someone’s face like that?

After a few seconds of reflection, her eyeballs uncontrollably drifted back anyway, starting another round of the cycle.

Having trimmed the nail surface, Meng Xingshu drew a cotton pad to wipe Ji Youyi’s hand. “Your nails are too thin to be stripped, so I’ll keep touching them up for you for the time being. Later on, when you don’t need to appear on camera anymore, we can gradually clip them short.”

Ji Youyi was still spacing out and didn’t make a sound.

Meng Xingshu took out the base coat from the box, glancing at Ji Youyi in the process. Her gaze paused slightly, her voice softening. “Did I hurt you?”

“No!” Ji Youyi hurriedly covered it up, defending herself with an earnest air. “Are you looking at me because my expression is too serious? I was just feeling it with my heart.”

“Mm, how does it feel.” Meng Xingshu accepted the excuse, lowering her head to continue working on Ji Youyi’s nails, her already gentle movements becoming even more cautious.

The base coat was lightly brushed onto the nail surface. Ji Youyi tilted her head to savor it carefully. “Cool and refreshing, what a magical feeling. Grinding the nails just now looked quite fun, but it tickled a bit. This one is very comfortable.”

Meng Xingshu’s brushing motion slowed by half a beat before quickly resuming.

She brushed the coat on with a normal expression, placed Ji Youyi’s hand inside the curing lamp, and raised her eyes to look at Ji Youyi again, only to see Ji Youyi staring at the machine with a face full of novelty.

With a half-smile, her tone was casual. “First time doing it?”

“Yeah.” Ji Youyi was still looking down to study the machine. “The process is actually so complicated. Luckily I don’t…”

Almost the instant the words left her mouth, Ji Youyi realized she had made a slip of the tongue. However, her reaction was swift; she simply swallowed half a syllable before transitioning with absolute fluency, “…particularly like getting manicures. I find it troublesome, so I do it rarely. Fortunately, we have a professional like Teacher Meng stepping up today. Thank you so much!”

Beaming with smiles, she unleashed a torrent of extravagant praise upon Meng Xingshu to express her overwhelming gratitude.

“You’re welcome.” Meng Xingshu was picking out a suitable nail polish for her, her body leaning slightly sideways, her expression remaining relaxed the entire time. She did not seem to notice any subtle anomalies.

Ji Youyi secretly let out a sigh of relief.