Spring Night of Misty Rain - Chapter 13

Shen Zeyu stood at the door for a good while until Qin Zhiyue walked up behind her with the cinematographer, Wang Po. Seeing her lingering at the entrance, Qin Zhiyue asked curiously, “Why aren’t you going in? Are they changing clothes inside?”

Shen Zeyu snapped out of her daze and shook her head. “No, they’re just busy. I was afraid of getting in the way.” She shifted her gaze to the woman behind Qin Zhiyue. “And this is?”

Wang Po was about the same height as Qin Zhiyue, with a baby face and a bun hairstyle that made her look quite adorable. However, she possessed a sturdy, muscular build that made her appear twice the size of Qin Zhiyue.

Dressed in light black sportswear, she held a Nikon Z7. As she followed Qin Zhiyue up the stairs, Shen Zeyu could see the firm definition of her arm muscles beneath her sleeves. She felt a wave of powerful feminine hormones emanating from her, as if even the floorboards beneath them trembled slightly.

Hearing Shen Zeyu’s inquiry, Wang Po glanced up at her briefly before quickly averting her eyes. She ducked her head into the collar of her tracksuit and whispered, “Hello… Teacher Shen… I am… Wang… Wang Po…”

She stuttered like a shy little mole.

Shen Zeyu looked at Qin Zhiyue with curiosity, waiting for an explanation. What happened to Chu Hua, Qin Zhiyue’s usual cinematographer? Why the sudden change?

Qin Zhiyue explained with a beaming smile, “I found this kid while I was in Fengchi. She’s a hidden treasure—very shy, but her shots are extraordinary. She has a real vision of her own; you’ll see for yourself soon enough.”

With that, she placed a hand on Shen Zeyu’s shoulder and nudged her toward the dressing room. “Come on, let’s go. They should be done with their makeup by now.”

Qin Zhiyue had a heavy hand, and Shen Zeyu was light. As the door opened with a creak, Shen Zeyu was shoved right into the room.

In an instant, every woman seated before a vanity mirror turned in unison to look at her. Shen Zeyu was frozen by their curious, scrutinizing gazes.

She was unable to move an inch, yet Qin Zhiyue decided to play a prank. From behind her, she shouted, “Alright, hands up!”

Without thinking, Shen Zeyu snapped her hands into the air, her entire body tensing up.

“Pfft—”

Xu Luosu, being closest to the door, was the first to burst into laughter. Her reaction triggered a chorus of cheerful giggles throughout the room.

“Hahaha!” Meng Fei laughed the hardest, slapping her thigh. “What do you mean ‘hands up’? Are we catching a pervert? Ayue, you’re so wicked!”

Embarrassed by their laughter, Shen Zeyu silently lowered her hands and stood there, feeling somewhat at a loss. Qin Zhiyue gripped her shoulders and poked her head out from behind her. “All the beauties here are the precious treasures of our production. If someone suddenly barges in, of course I have to make an arrest.”

Shen Zeyu’s eyes widened. She turned her head and looked at Qin Zhiyue in disbelief. Hey, how can you bully someone like this?

Qin Zhiyue ignored her. Having had her fun, she heartlessly pushed Shen Zeyu aside and walked toward her leads. “So, my leading ladies, is the makeup finished? Are we ready to shoot?”

Meng Fei held the final setting powder puff. Using her foot to spin the swivel chair, she turned Xu Luosu around to face Qin Zhiyue. “Makeup is set. See if anything is missing.”

“Hmm… let me take a closer look…” Qin Zhiyue stroked her chin, bending over to inspect Xu Luosu’s face.

Today, Xu Luosu was being styled for her role as the Evil Dragon, which required special effects makeup. Since the character was a Jiao (a flood dragon), Meng Fei had left her long black hair loose and fitted custom black-and-red dragon horns to her temples, paired with golden reptilian contact lenses.

Furthermore, she had dressed Xu Luosu in a jet-black “battle-damaged” Mamian skirt. Both the skirt and the top were torn and tattered, revealing skin marked with bloody streaks and vivid wounds. The look was designed to be tragic yet powerful—the quintessential “Beautiful, Strong, and Miserable” aesthetic.

Because Xu Luosu exercised regularly, her physique had much more definition than most women. The exposed skin, particularly on her arms and legs, was exceptionally pleasing to the eye.

Qin Zhiyue squinted and thought for a moment before offering her critique: “The styling is good, but it feels like it’s missing a little something.”

At this, Meng Fei stepped back slightly and re-evaluated Xu Luosu.

Tang Qingyue, who had already finished her own makeup, also focused on Xu Luosu and offered a small suggestion: “Is it because the makeup makes her features too aggressive? It might make her less likable to the audience.”

Qin Zhiyue shook her head. “That’s not the issue. According to the setting, Ye Lan has very little humanity; she doesn’t need to please the audience.”

Truthfully, because Ye Lan was played by Xu Luosu herself, Qin Zhiyue didn’t care if the audience liked her. Since the client was acting in her own project, the only thing that mattered was that she enjoyed it.

Standing beside Tang Qingyue, Xia Siqi offered her own advice: “It might be the costume. We could try switching to a white one.”

Her suggestion was immediately championed by the screenwriter. “Then try this one.”

At some point, Shen Zeyu had moved from the corner to the racks of clothes lining the room. She pulled out a white, linen-woven, round-collar robe embroidered with gladiolus flowers and walked toward them. “Put this on and we’ll see.”

Qin Zhiyue’s eyes lit up. She snapped her fingers and issued the order: “Change!”

Xu Luosu followed their consensus and took the garment to the fitting room.

A few moments later, a small Jiao dragon in a white robe stepped out, possessing a beauty that blurred the lines of gender.

Meng Fei’s eyes sparkled. She pointed at the painted scars on Xu Luosu’s face and shouted excitedly, “Give her battle damage! Add more battle damage!”

“I want to tear her clothes! Tear them!”

After her outburst, she didn’t forget to look at Xia Siqi. “Sister Siqi, these clothes can be torn, right?”

Most of the garments here were one-of-a-kind designs by Xia Siqi herself. Yet, Xia Siqi didn’t mind at all. She even pulled out a pair of scissors, her eyes gleaming as she made a few experimental snips. “Yes, they can all be torn!”

With her blessing, Meng Fei got back to work with renewed fervor.

As the two of them worked with heated enthusiasm, Shen Zeyu didn’t miss the chance to add fuel to the fire. First, she had Meng Fei remove Xu Luosu’s contact lenses, revealing her natural pitch-black eyes. Then, she ran downstairs to rummage through her belongings, returning with a pair of emerald ear clips which she fastened onto Xu Luosu’s full earlobes.

With a soft click, the two water-drop-shaped jade pendants dangled against her shoulders. Xu Luosu turned to the mirror, looking at herself in a bit of a daze.

The black-and-red horns remained, though one was whole while the other was snapped in half. The eerie gold pupils had been replaced by even more mysterious black ones. The tattered white robe added a sense of sanctity, evoking a feeling of pity.

Most beautiful of all was that dash of green hidden within her thick, dark hair.

The original gloominess had vanished, replaced by a stubborn, untamable defiance.

From a character-building perspective, the change was earth-shattering, yet it elevated the look to a whole new level.

Qin Zhiyue stood behind Xu Luosu, resting her hands on the girl’s shoulders. She nodded in satisfaction. “Great adjustments. Where did you find these ear clips? They’re stunning.”

Shen Zeyu stood to the side with a smile. “Just something from my collection at home.”

Hearing this, Xu Luosu instinctively reached up to touch her ear. Unused to ear clips, they pinched a little, but it didn’t dampen her good mood.

The corners of her lips curled up slightly, though her tone remained composed. “Since they’re to be used as props for the crew, Senior Sister can give me a price and I’ll buy them.”

Shen Zeyu replied nonchalantly, “No need. They’re a gift.”

Xu Luosu’s hand froze mid-motion. She instinctively looked up at Shen Zeyu.

However, Shen Zeyu was no longer looking at her. Instead, she turned her attention to Tang Qingyue. “Miss Tang, your styling might need a slight adjustment. Do you mind if I touch your face?”

Tang Qingyue was startled for a moment before laughing. “Not at all.”

“Pardon me…” Shen Zeyu said as she reached over and snatched the glasses right off Qin Zhiyue’s face. Ignoring Qin Zhiyue’s squawking protests, she placed the gold-rimmed glasses onto Tang Qingyue.

Tang Qingyue’s vision blurred instantly. Amidst the haze, she could feel everyone’s eyes fixated on her.

The room gasped in surprise. “Oh! It really does suit her. She has a completely different vibe with the glasses on.”

Only Qin Zhiyue was wailing, “This is an outrage, Shen Zeyu! Couldn’t you have taken your own glasses? I’m blind, I can’t see a thing!”

Retaliation. This is absolute retaliation!

But no one was listening to her. At that moment, Wang Po—who had been hiding in the corner like a mole—came to life. She raised her camera and began a flurry of clicking. “Let’s shoot… let’s shoot the look-test photos first!”

She spoke with a stutter, but her tone was electric with excitement. “Ignore… ignore Director Qin for now!”

Qin Zhiyue squinted her eyes, fuming. “Will someone please pay attention to me!”