She Gives Too Much (GL) - Chapter 11

Chen Xi stood among the crowd, her attire distinct from the brown, short-sleeved outfits worn by the other extras playing grooms.

As a maidservant, she at least wore a navy-blue pleated skirt paired with a gray padded jacket, her hair secured with a wooden hairpin.

For some reason, the production crew seemed to favor filming winter scenes during the summer months. Chen Xi stood under the scorching sun, wearing long sleeves and tucking her hands into her sleeves, feigning a shivering chill.

She had barely put on any makeup that day, just a light lipstick and a quick eyebrow touch-up. Even the extras’ supervisor was worried she’d steal the spotlight from the lead actress by being too photogenic.

Qian Qian sighed, pulled out her compact mirror, and checked her reflection.

I’s my fault for accidentally being too pretty and making everyone else feel insecure, she thought.

The main actors were already in position for the scene: a classic damsel-in-distress scenario. The female lead is ambushed on her way back to the capital. All her unimportant companions are killed, and just as she’s about to be captured, a masked male lead rides in to save her.

This kind of cliché never gets old. It’s cheesy, over-the-top, and utterly addictive.

The assistant director shouted through a megaphone, calling the extras to their positions.

Chen Xi and the others pressed their hands against their lower abdomens and stood beside the carriage as instructed.

“Action!”

As the director called out, Li Zhi, seated behind him, lifted her pen and glanced up. Today, she could clearly sense the tension in the air. Everyone seemed stiff and unnatural, their expressions strained except for the director’s.

Everyone knew Li Zhi was famous for her “Iron-Faced Li” reputation. Though young, she was exceptionally meticulous in her work, which was why she personally came to inspect the set. As the largest investor, her influence outweighed even the director’s.

Li Zhi glanced at the monitor in front of the director.

On the screen, a horse-drawn carriage slowly approached from the distance. Leading the procession were servants and guards in long-sleeved robes, followed by the carriage itself. Flanking the carriage were serving maids and attendants, with servants in short brown tunics bringing up the rear.

As this orderly procession leisurely entered the forest, they were immediately targeted by desperate bandits who had accepted an assassination bounty.

Li Zhi’s gaze swept across the scene, briefly lingering on the maids.

For a large-scale historical drama, the quality of props and costumes was crucial. Cheap, flimsy fabrics like thin gauze would ruin the illusion. The director clearly prioritized quality, and the costume and makeup team’s taste was impeccable.

Logically, there was nothing that needed further attention. Yet Li Zhi’s eyes kept returning to the maids beside the carriage.

As the female lead was a noble lady who had been raised in the countryside before being brought back to the capital, it was impossible for her to have only one attendant.

Besides the two personal maids inside the carriage, eight more accompanied it outside. They were arranged in four rows of two, walking alongside the carriage as it moved forward.

These eight maids wore plain attire, their only head ornaments being simple wooden hairpins. Yet one maid stood out with her exceptional beauty and refined demeanor. Even a fleeting glance was enough to leave a lasting impression.

She was like a white crane standing among chickens—utterly out of place and impossible to ignore.

Li Zhi initially thought she must be mistaken. Gripping her pen, she looked up from her notes toward the filming set.

That figure… that face…

It seemed something strange had infiltrated her investment project.

Why did the third maid in the second row on the left look so strikingly like Chen Xi? It wasn’t just an eight-tenths resemblance; it was an exact match.

This was Li Zhi’s first time seeing Chen Xi in ancient costume. Even in coarse, drab clothing, her natural beauty shone through. She was like a radiant pearl, its brilliance undiminished regardless of the string it was strung upon.

Li Zhi held her pen, quietly observing the extra who was earnestly playing her role. She had no intention of giving her any special treatment.

The two had agreed on three rules: to pretend not to know each other in public. Li Zhi, having set the rules herself, certainly wouldn’t forget them.

The scene shifted, now depicting bandits hijacking a carriage and slaughtering its occupants.

The carriage rolled smoothly forward, but suddenly the atmosphere grew tense, birds scattering wildly. Then, a dozen or twenty figures in black night attire leaped from the trees, launching into a merciless massacre without a word.

The extras outside the carriage were the first to fall.

Chen Xi, playing a maid, screamed with the other maids, clutching their heads as they scattered in terror, only to be cut down one by one.

Chen Xi’s scene required her to be stabbed in the abdomen, shoved backward, and left to lie motionless on the ground until the scene ended.

Today seemed to be her unlucky day. As she stumbled backward, her foot landed on a hidden rock. When the bandit shoved her, her foot twisted on the rock, causing her to lose her balance.

Instead of gently collapsing as planned, she crashed heavily to the ground.

As Chen Xi clutched her stomach and fell to the ground, Li Zhi gripped her pen tightly and sat up abruptly, her thin lips pressed into a firm line and her eyes dark with concern.

She hadn’t seen the stone; she only saw Chen Xi among the extras who had fallen, seemingly the one who had taken the worst fall and was in the most pain. Even from that distance, Li Zhi could feel Chen Xi’s sharp intake of breath.

The assistant beside her noticed Li Zhi’s movement and leaned in to whisper, “President Li?”

“Cut!”

The scene ended.

Only then did Chen Xi let out a soft “ow,” stretching out on the ground, unsure whether her back or ankle hurt more. But letting out the sound seemed to ease the pain a little.

“I’m so sorry! Did I push too hard just now?” The extra playing the robber knelt beside Chen Xi, apologizing profusely.

When he had pushed her, Chen Xi had fallen straight back, landing with a painful thud.

“It’s okay, it’s not your fault,” Chen Xi said, struggling to sit up. “I just stepped on a stone.”

Chen Xi’s ankle wasn’t seriously twisted, but the real pain came from the jarring impact of her back hitting the ground. It felt like all her internal organs had been knocked out of place.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” the other extra said, letting out a relieved breath.

Being an extra wasn’t easy. Their treatment paled in comparison to the leads, and if they got injured, like twisting an ankle, they were on their own.

Seeing she was alright, the extra rejoined the group to wait for the next scene.

Chen Xi remained crouched on the ground, unmoving. Li Zhi rested one hand on the armrest of her chair, her gaze fixed on Chen Xi. She looked ready to stand up at any moment.

Just when Li Zhi thought Chen Xi was too hurt to move, she saw her bend down, grit her teeth, and dig the rock she’d tripped on out of the ground. With a grunt of effort, she hurled it into the distant bushes.

Oh, ho!

Chen Xi brushed the mud off her hands, lifted her horse-face skirt, and bent down to fill the stone pit with dirt using her toe.

Li Zhi withdrew her hand from the armrest, leaned back in her chair, and watched Chen Xi walk into the crowd of extras. Only then did she quietly tell her assistant, “It’s fine now.”

The woman who had fussed over a minor lip bite in the mirror for ages the other day had taken a hard fall today without uttering a word.

Li Zhi twisted the papers in her folder, a strange mix of emotions churning within her.

It was nearly eleven in the morning, and the sun was growing increasingly harsh.

Li Zhi’s seat was in the “director’s tent,” a shaded area created by a large umbrella in the open space, with a standing electric fan behind her. Even with these measures, the heat was stifling.

If she found it unbearable sitting here, she couldn’t imagine how the extras squatting in the shade of the trees must feel.

The director was rehearsing lines with the lead actors. Two more scenes were scheduled for later: a fight scene with the male lead and a damsel-in-distress rescue scene.

Li Zhi turned to her assistant, who immediately leaned in to listen.

She whispered, “Get cold drinks for everyone.”

The assistant nodded, “Yes, President Li.”

About ten minutes later, every member of the film crew received a bottle of cold drink. Everyone got one, including the extras. Those who were particularly good-looking even received two.

The crew members secretly rejoiced, convinced that the investor must be very pleased with today’s filming. Why else would she treat them to drinks?

Chen Xi had never heard of Li Zhi treating the cast and crew before.

To her surprise, Chen Xi received two bottles of water—one for her ankle and another for her face. Her long, beautiful eyes narrowed comfortably, instantly satisfied.

The film crew is so kind, she thought. I wonder which lucky star I’ve been blessed by today to get cold drinks from the set.

Especially since the ice pack had completely relieved the pain in her ankle.

For the next scene, Chen Xi lay back down on the ground, playing dead again. Once the scene of the male lead fighting the robbers was filmed, the extras’ work for the day was done.

The following scene involved the female lead thanking the male lead, sparking a small flame of romance that would lay the foundation for their future epic love story.

Chen Xi changed back into her own clothes. While the other extras left, she squatted under the shade of a tree, canvas bag in hand, watching the filming.

The female lead’s maid helped her step down from the carriage.

The female lead lowered her head shyly as she dismounted, the hairpins and golden hair ornaments swaying gently with her movements, glittering dazzlingly in the sunlight.

The sunlight reflecting off the golden hairpins momentarily blinded Chen Xi. She squinted slightly, suddenly remembering her mother’s words.

It was winter, and Chen Xi was basking in the sun, leaning against her mother’s lap.

Her mother gently stroked Chen Xi’s long hair, her eyes soft and smiling. “My Qian Qian is so beautiful,” she murmured, “she’ll definitely become a big star someday.”

“A big star, a big star! Qian Qian’s gonna be a big star!”

Back then, Chen Xi truly believed her mother would see her become a big star.

As if her eyes had been burned by the light, Chen Xi snapped back to reality, lowered her head, and blinked gently.

Her phone suddenly vibrated in her bag.

Puzzled, Chen Xi pulled it out to check. It was a message from the Young Miss.

“Where are you?”

Chen Xi replied:

“Working a part-time job outside. I’ll be back at school soon.”

“Are you free tonight? I’ll pick you up from school.”

After sending the message, Li Zhi glanced at the person sitting under the tree in the distance.

The other person tilted their head, a smile on their face as they typed.

A second later, a notification popped up on Li Zhi’s phone. She glanced down at it.

Chen Xi had replied:

“Okay!”

Chen Xi put away her phone, took one of the two bottles of water, and tucked the other into her bag. She brushed the dirt off her pants and headed back to school.

She had a date with the Young Miss that evening. She needed to go back, take a fragrant bath, do her skincare routine, and put on some beautiful makeup.

Li Zhi couldn’t leave yet. She even ate her boxed lunch with the film crew and chatted with the director for a while.

As the investor, Li Zhi could have easily gotten Chen Xi cast as the second female lead. But doing so would have been unfair to the other actors and disrespectful to Chen Xi herself.

Besides, what kind of investor would go out of their way to offer resources?

Li Zhi set down her lunchbox, picked up a bottle of mineral water, and took a small sip. She casually mentioned to the director, “Good actors aren’t just about popularity. Some of the extras and minor actors actually have a lot of potential.”

The director, focused on his meal, didn’t catch her meaning. “Right now, popular actors are still the most sought-after.”

Li Zhi paused. “Even popular actors need investment to get dramas made, don’t they?”

The moment he heard “investment,” the director’s ears perked up. It was as if his meridians had suddenly been unblocked, and enlightenment struck him on the spot.

“President Li, do you have any actors in mind? If they’re lacking opportunities, my crew still has a few roles we haven’t cast yet.”

“I’m not trying to push anyone on you,” Li Zhi said earnestly. “I just think some of the extras are quite good.”

“I’m really not trying to pull any strings,” she insisted. “I just believe in giving people a chance.”

And she truly meant it.

The director nodded vigorously. “I understand, I understand.”

You’re not pulling strings, you’re absolutely not pulling strings. You’re just walking straight through the front door.

The director knew what he was doing. He decided to take another look at the extras to see if any of them had decent acting skills. Since Li Zhi hadn’t mentioned any names directly, she wasn’t trying to force anyone into the role.

Whether someone got the part would depend entirely on their talent.

Li Zhi picked up her lunchbox again, and out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a photo Chen Xi had just sent her.

Receiving Chen Xi’s message so soon after her conversation with the director made Li Zhi’s eyelashes flutter with a sudden, inexplicable guilt.

After all, she hadn’t directly asked for the role for Chen Xi. If Chen Xi found out, she might be upset.

Li Zhi unlocked her phone and tapped to open the photo.

It showed two pairs of panties with completely different styles: one black with lace trim, the other a red thong with string ties.

“Which one does the Young Miss like? I’ll wear it for you tonight.”

A crew member happened to pass by, and Li Zhi quickly turned off her phone, her ears flushing crimson.

Great, now I feel even more guilty.

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