Distance Formula - Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Su Yanshi: Brother Nan, any luck with the assistant? I have a candidate.

Li Zhuonan: No, I’m almost worried sick. I wish I could come myself. Are you sure about this person?

Su Yanshi: I think so.

Li Zhuonan: Who is it? Someone from the industry?

Su Yanshi: Bai Biqing.

Li Zhuonan: !!!?

Li Zhuonan: Seriously, that’s no joke. Are you two that close? She’s willing to be an assistant? Don’t scare me.

Su Yanshi suddenly recalled a joke Li Zhuonan had made long ago, saying Bai Biqing could be her “Sugar Mommy.” But now, the direction seemed completely different.

She typed: Not kidding, really. She’s also in Shenhai City. After she found out I didn’t have an assistant, she…

This time, Li Zhuonan didn’t reply as quickly. Su Yanshi tapped on the back of her phone with her fingertip. Two minutes later, she received a message that sounded like giving up the struggle: 【Forget it. If you think she’s suitable, that’s fine. I’ll… coordinate the logistics with her.

Su Yanshi: Dog spinning in circles jpg.

Li Zhuonan, in a distant city, looked at his phone screen with a worried face, his eyes staring blankly into the distance. He muttered to himself, “Please, just don’t let her run off with the person.”

Bai Biqing put down her phone and looked at Su Yanshi. “Did you tell Li Zhuonan? He just contacted me.”

“Mhm, I think Brother Nan was surprised.”

Bai Biqing nodded in agreement. “Probably. He’s still addressing me as ‘You’ (formal) even now. But in a way, he should be my boss now.”

Su Yanshi looked slightly surprised. “Are you starting work already?”

The Beta deliberately sighed with disappointment. “Yes, since it’s temporary, what if he fires me?”

“How could he—” Su Yanshi said helplessly.

Bai Biqing thought of something. She said, “I saw that your scene today was introducing yourselves. Were the scenes filmed before based on the costumes and makeup?”

Su Yanshi shook her head. She took out the script and pointed it out to Bai Biqing. “No. Bai and Jiang had interactions in the previous days, but because the main perspective is Jiang’s, and Bai Yunyan’s character is a bit too reserved, they only truly got to know each other today.”

Jiang Yin checked into the homestay with her friends. Bai Yunyan only exchanged glances with her. Jiang Yin explored the entire homestay before running into Bai Yunyan in a leisure area. Bai Yunyan was looking at a painting. Jiang Yin casually walked over and chatted briefly.

Most of the conversation involved Bai Yunyan introducing the artwork. Later, Jiang Yin went out to have fun with her friends and could only meet Bai Yunyan again at night.

Bai Yunyan liked to stand outside alone at night. If anyone approached, she would leave. Jiang Yin guessed her pattern and didn’t bother her until she found her own bathroom broken that night, which gave her a chance to get close.

She was a person of action, her intent clear. She knocked on Bai Yunyan’s door, asking to borrow her bathroom, claiming hers was broken and the homestay couldn’t fix it until tomorrow.

Her motivation was strange; she should have gone to her friends, not Bai Yunyan. But when you look into Jiang Yin’s eyes, you’d realize—the expression of her affection was undisguised, candid, and passionate.

I like you.

For Jiang Yin, it was simple, generous, and never concealed.

“Actually, I don’t think the scenes in the homestay are difficult. It’s more about the friction and conflict after they get together. Whether two people are compatible is something you only know after spending time together. Their time before falling deeply in love is short, but even passionate love can’t withstand arguments. Without change, it becomes fragile.”

“I’m afraid I won’t pinpoint Bai Yunyan’s character accurately. I look through the script every night, looking at the spark between them, but the more I look, the more uneasy I feel, even though I think I get a little closer each time.”

Bai Biqing looked down at the dense notes in the script, breathing lightly. She agreed strongly with what Su Yanshi said and greatly admired her seriousness. She said softly, her voice slightly drifting, “Getting closer is a good thing. Isn’t even the ending of this film undecided? Maybe when you actually film that part, you will naturally be Bai Yunyan.”

Su Yanshi pondered for a few seconds. It was unclear if she had taken it to heart, but she only nodded and changed the subject. “It’s still early. I want to watch Hu Liyang’s scene. Do you want to come?”

Bai Biqing naturally accepted. “An assistant must stick to the boss. You don’t need to ask me.”

“Then… the boss is wondering whether to drive the RV or take a taxi.”

The filming location for Hu Liyang was a little far. Su Yanshi only had scenes when she was interacting with Hu Liyang. With nothing to do at the moment, she wanted to approach the film from a different angle to understand it better.

Bai Biqing paused for a moment. “I’ll find a car. Wait a second.”

“Take a taxi?”

Bai Biqing laughed lightly. She looked up, stopping her typing hands. “Of course not. I should have friends in Shenhai. Borrowing a car shouldn’t be difficult.”

Su Yanshi was speechless, feeling slightly hesitant to speak.

The homestay was on a small mountain. They waited in the RV at the foot of the mountain. Bai Biqing said she found someone, and the person arrived in less than ten minutes.

Even Bai Biqing looked at the chat box with some surprise, saying with uncertainty, “He’s here?”

Su Yanshi: “So… so fast.”

Bai Biqing opened the car door and indeed saw a car and a red-haired man by the roadside.

“Little Boss Bai~”

Bai Biqing turned her face away. “To be honest, I really didn’t want to see him.”

The red-haired man was Shi Fu, her high school friend. Since they were both in the same social circle, they had kept in touch.

Su Yanshi stood beside Bai Biqing and naturally heard what she said. Before she could ask, she heard Shi Fu’s slightly exaggerated voice: “Is this your new lover?”

The Alpha was stunned. Her face flushed uncontrollably.

But Su Yanshi didn’t want to respond to that comment.

Bai Biqing took a deep breath, trying to suppress her anger. She eased her tone. “No, a friend.”

Shi Fu regretted what he said immediately. He laughed cheerfully and slapped his forehead. “My brain didn’t catch up. My apologies, my apologies.”

“Little Boss Bai, here are the car keys.”

Bai Biqing took them. “That fast?”

Shi Fu smiled. “I was nearby. Rushed over as soon as I got your message.”

He wisely completed his task and prepared to leave. “I won’t bother you two. I’ll get going.”

“Goodbye, thank you.”

After the polite exchange, Bai Biqing turned to look at Su Yanshi. She teased, “What’s wrong? Are you mad?”

Su Yanshi shook her head slightly. She couldn’t pinpoint her emotion, but she really disliked Shi Fu’s frivolous remark, even though the person had only been there for a minute. “No. I’m just wondering how many lovers you have that he would call me that.”

Bai Biqing really liked the Alpha’s directness.

She patted Su Yanshi’s shoulder and walked toward the car. She explained, “They are all used to being wild; they talk without filtering. I haven’t had any. Don’t listen to his nonsense.”

Bai Biqing opened the passenger side door, motioning for Su Yanshi to get in.

The Alpha didn’t hesitate. After settling down, she continued to ask, “Little Boss Bai?”

She knew Bai Biqing’s family was wealthy but hadn’t inquired further. She hadn’t expected the title to be this. She somehow felt that being an assistant was still beneath her.

Bai Biqing heard her. She went around to the driver’s seat, sat down, and started the car. She said, “My family is quite well-off, which is how I got that title. I can tell you the details another day.”

“I have quite a few friends who aren’t too proper. I met them in junior and senior high. We were a wild bunch back then—fighting and skipping class. I did all of it. But I did build up quite a network.”

“I was just asking casually.” Su Yanshi pulled on her seatbelt, looking at her with surprise. “You fought?”

Bai Biqing hummed. “Address.”

Su Yanshi gave the location. She didn’t look away.

The Beta noticed and organized her thoughts to satisfy Su Yanshi’s curiosity. “With Su Shang, always causing trouble. I was rebellious back then. Smoking and drinking were learned then. But I don’t smoke much now, and I rarely fight. Looking back, I was a real troublemaker, the kind that wouldn’t follow rules.”

She glanced sideways. “Can’t tell?”

Su Yanshi shook her head sincerely. “I thought…”

“I thought you were a very gentle person, giving off a feeling of being easy to get along with. People really do change a lot as they grow older.”

Bai Biqing listened to her sighing, only smiling and not speaking. She followed the navigation, but her mind wandered.

She had many more—many more sides to her personality that hadn’t been revealed.

Yanshi, I really hope you can discover them little by little.

Spending time with you…

Bai Biqing exhaled. It really is interesting.

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