The Whole World Is Waiting for Me and My Ex-Girlfriend to Remarry (Entertainment Industry) - Chapter 7

That was the thing about Dong Huaci—when it came to dealing with Zhong Qing, she was just as capable as she had always been.

Zhong Qing’s makeup was finished. The revised look emphasized the handsome elegance of her brows and eyes, perfectly fitting the rumor that the greater the beauty, the more blurred the lines of gender in their features.

The first scene of today’s shoot took place in a special setting, so it had been specifically scheduled early in the morning in the green screen studio.

While Zhong Qing was filming, it happened to be Dong Huaci’s turn for makeup.

Dong Huaci had a solo scene first: General Qian receives a report from the female lead in the inner tent, ordering her to oversee the escort of the Seventh Princess for the peace-marriage.

This scene wasn’t handled by Director Liu Miao, but by another assistant director traveling with the crew.

However, by the time Dong Huaci emerged, she learned that Zhong Qing’s solo shot had been called to a halt several times. According to Qiao Yi, after being stopped, Zhong Qing’s state became noticeably worse with every subsequent attempt. Due to this situation, the assistant director decided to let the entire crew take a break to adjust.

Dong Huaci muttered under her breath, “I didn’t ask you to report on her to me…”

Qiao Yi immediately zipped his mouth, looking pitiful as if promising never to do it again.

The surroundings were noisy, but Dong Huaci knew Zhong Qing. Zhong Qing was someone who took criticism particularly to heart; she was prone to self-reproach and had immense pride. Being “cut” so many times in front of so many people certainly wouldn’t sit well with her. In their girl group, she had been the all-powerful leader carrying the team on her back—where had she ever experienced the grind of being a “poor student”? At this moment, she must be sitting far away from everyone, hiding while she adjusted her emotions.

The timing and location were perfect. Dong Huaci took the opportunity to sit a bit closer to the assistant director to eavesdrop on their discussion.

After listening for a while, Dong Huaci basically understood the situation. Zhong Qing was a typical acting novice, making typical mistakes: her emotions were too outward, and her movements were too deliberate—she was acting for the sake of acting. Dong Huaci was familiar with this cycle of mistakes because when she first transitioned into acting without professional training, she had bumped her way through the same path.

After listening, Dong Huaci pretended to read her script while secretly pondering how to give Zhong Qing a few pointers during their scene together later.

But unfortunately, given the awkward state of their relationship, it might not be appropriate to suddenly run over for a private chat.

Within ten minutes, it was time to restart Zhong Qing’s scene. Dressed in her red wedding gown, Dong Huaci chose a good vantage point for herself this time.

She hadn’t been wrong about the makeup she chose; the effect was indeed much better.

“Cut.” “Cut.” “Cut.”

The NG (No Good) count for this character was excessive. Although the assistant director was internally displeased, they maintained a calm expression and gave Zhong Qing some time to grow, deciding to move up the scene between Dong Huaci and Zhong Qing instead.

“You, go over it with her, help her find the right state.” The assistant director turned around quite thoughtfully, giving Dong Huaci a meaningful look.

Suddenly being called upon, Dong Huaci stood up, draped in layer upon layer of costume. The expression on her face at that moment could only be described as “tragic.”

Before officially filming the two-person scene, they had to run through it themselves once, then block it out in front of the director to ensure there wouldn’t be too many obstacles during the actual take and avoid wasting the crew’s time. Dong Huaci took the initiative to walk over to Zhong Qing’s side. She didn’t let her assistant help; she hitched up her heavy wedding dress, wearing slippers and clutching her script, and headed straight for Zhong Qing.

Zhong Qing naturally felt such a large commotion. She looked up and found it somewhat funny that Dong Huaci had made such a grand spectacle. Knowing there were no gossip cameras here, her cold guard against Dong Huaci softened significantly. She looked up at Dong Huaci: “There’s no problem between us, right? Didn’t we try it once before?”

Dong Huaci, still “scaling the mountains” of equipment, naturally replied: “There’s no problem. It’s just a rare opportunity for me to be the good student while you’re the poor, scolded little girl.”

Zhong Qing couldn’t help it; she looked down.

Dong Huaci finally crossed the various green screens and props to arrive. Fully armed in her costume, she prepared to sit down. She had specifically chosen a spot a bit further from Zhong Qing, but upon sitting, she discovered that Zhong Qing had looked down just to stifle a laugh.

“I was afraid you’d be embarrassed and specifically wanted to come comfort you,” Dong Huaci whispered. She and Zhong Qing were too familiar; she couldn’t keep up the polite act when they were in private, both in a decent mood, and completely safe from cameras. “Why are you still so arrogant?”

Zhong Qing lifted her face, suppressing her smile: “It’s fine. Anyway, I saw you make a fool of yourself last time too.”

Dong Huaci was indignant. Putting on a professional front, she ignored Zhong Qing’s jab: “Alright, for our next scene, we start one shot earlier than the point we rehearsed before. Flip through your script—yes, go back two pages. Let’s go over the lines first.”

Seeming to find this version of Dong Huaci quite fresh, Zhong Qing sat on the steps, tucked in her long legs, and flipped through the script, looking entirely cooperative and ready to follow orders.

Despite the thick ancient costume, Dong Huaci was still dazed by Zhong Qing’s movement of pulling in her legs—specifically the sliver of her calf that was exposed.

Zhong Qing still possessed… a natural attraction for her.

But then again, the same was likely true for her fans.

Dong Huaci grumbled inwardly. She thought back to the embarrassment at the awards ceremony. Although she didn’t complain out loud, it didn’t mean she hadn’t secretly checked the comments from Zhong Qing’s fandom. It was truly a dark and chaotic sight.

Zhong Qing, meanwhile, felt a bit strange. After all these years, she was sensitive to every one of Dong Huaci’s expressions. She naturally sensed that the woman beside her was experiencing some intense emotions, yet Dong Huaci didn’t take the bait and insisted on discussing the scene.

How did this person’s emotions still manage to infect her so easily!

Zhong Qing kept her face neutral and looked down at the script: “I found it. Teacher Dong, please continue.”

“I just watched your performance. After you receive the report from the female lead—since that plot point involves a conspiracy—you don’t need to be so emotionally expressive. Just be subtle. Give the feeling that you think the female lead has grown up, that she’s willing to take revenge; a bit of ruthlessness is fine, but the overall tone should be understated. To a General, killing someone is no big deal, let alone confirming information that sends a vicious antagonist to their deserved end. You don’t need to twitch your eyebrows or purse your lips so much—it looks too deliberate.” Once Dong Huaci started talking about acting, she became much more natural, unable to stop herself.

Zhong Qing kept her eyes on the script the whole time: “I actually thought you came to talk to me about our first scene together.”

Dong Huaci froze. She had forgotten. She was there to talk about their scene, not just to lecture her on the previous problem.

“But thank you anyway, Teacher Dong,” Zhong Qing said in her beautiful, cold voice, using the most calm and polite tone. “I’ve noted it. I’ll definitely pay attention next time and guarantee I’ll keep working hard.”

“You stole my lines,” Dong Huaci blurted out instinctively. As soon as she said it, she knew it was a mistake.

“I’ve noted it, I’ll definitely pay attention next time, and I guarantee I’ll keep working hard.” This was her famous “trifecta of perfunctory excuses” from back when they took dance classes as a girl group; it was a legend that persisted in their old company to this day. A youthfully invincible young girl with a top-tier attitude but bottom-tier learning speed—no matter how she was taught, she’d forget a few moves or dance in the wrong direction.

Dong Huaci didn’t know why Zhong Qing suddenly said that. It felt as if there were still lingering grievances. Thinking about what she herself had done to Zhong Qing in the past, her anger dissipated as quickly as it came. Now, it was her turn to twitch her eyebrows and purse her lips: “Then let’s go over it now. I just wanted us to… ‘grind’ together better.”

The word “grind” (meaning to work together/rehearse) sounded somewhat ambiguous in hindsight.

Sure enough, Zhong Qing smiled. She was never one to shy away, saying meaningfully: “I believe we ‘grind’ together very well. At least, we used to.”

Dong Huaci fell silent.

Zhong Qing continued, turning her head away: “You came back so late yesterday, yet you can still perform and teach people today. You seem so energetic.”

Dong Huaci didn’t know how it happened, but she couldn’t exchange ten sentences with Zhong Qing without a spark of an argument appearing, just like before. It almost felt better when they were awkwardly avoiding each other. “Who says I’m energetic? I was clearly…”

Zhong Qing: “Staying up late is bad for your health.”

“The last rehearsal—you were there too. Guan Feili invited me to dinner, a huge expense for a private room. If I didn’t go, wouldn’t she think I truly held a grudge against her? What kind of big shot am I to put on those kinds of airs? I didn’t know her before; what if she got upset because of that and started talking nonsense on short-form videos?” Dong Huaci inexplicably explained a whole lot to Zhong Qing. It was like an instinctive report; she had been so stifled by Zhong Qing’s control in the past that it had become a stress response. “And you? How did you know I returned to the hotel late? Were you stalking me? Do you care about me that much?”

Hearing Dong Huaci’s long explanation, Zhong Qing’s mood actually seemed to improve, as if she had gotten what she wanted. “I just happened to run into you and helped you call the front desk.”

After saying this, she stopped reservedly.

Now it was Dong Huaci’s turn for her face to flush red. She softly said, “Fine.”

Feeling the need to say something to break the tension, Dong Huaci set the scene aside and added thoughtfully, “Do you want to smoke? If it helps you adjust your state, I don’t mind.”

Zhong Qing laughed.

She turned her head lazily: “Is this your way of saying thank you? Do you actually believe those gossip media outlets saying I smoke in public? Or… have you learned to smoke?”

Well, my only way to learn about you now is through the gossip media.

Dong Huaci felt guilty, her eyes blinking. “I really don’t have any other channel to understand you. Or… should we add each other on WeChat?”

She then added as a cover-up: “Since we’re in the same crew and have scenes together, it’ll be more convenient. You can delete me after we’re finished, no problem.”

Zhong Qing fell silent again.

She lifted her eyelids, revealing a very restrained expression, which finally turned into a very unnatural, bitter smile.

She said:

“I don’t think I ever deleted you.”

As soon as those words were spoken, the traces of their past connection finally surfaced, making it clear that their ridiculous past romance wasn’t purely a fleeting illusion. It lived on in the few hidden Weibo posts, the subconscious choice of shower gel brands, and the detailed familiarity with each other’s preferences.

And also, in the contact sitting in the blacklist, the red exclamation marks that wouldn’t go away, and the chat history that couldn’t be brought to be cleared, no matter how much memory it took up.

Unexpectedly, Dong Huaci seemed to have been waiting for those words. She said earnestly:

“Then I’ll add you from the group chat in a bit, and we’ll be friends directly. That makes it much easier for us to communicate!”

It was terrifying; Dong Huaci possessed a kind of magic where, no matter the situation, she never let things stay awkward for long. Being composed in front of an ex-girlfriend wasn’t even her peak. In Zhong Qing’s memory, she could still see the scene of Dong Huaci calmly taking a mislabeled, non-discounted item from the cashier’s hand to put it back on the shelf, then picking up bread that was discounted after 5:00 PM and bragging to another teammate: “I saved five dollars and eighty cents today! Aren’t I a little genius?”

—Hey, it seemed she had started falling hopelessly in love with Dong Huaci starting from that very scene.

Seeing that Zhong Qing didn’t have a big reaction, Dong Huaci’s eyes crinkled into a smile again. She took Zhong Qing’s silence as consent and, confirming that Zhong Qing no longer smoked, she was elated.

For someone with Dong Huaci’s personality, having lacked money in the past made any other kind of embarrassment feel like nothing.

For some reason, seeing Dong Huaci smile so happily made Zhong Qing want to smile too. She curled the corners of her mouth, saying nothing, using the “victim’s right to remain silent” to its fullest extent.

Dong Huaci naturally understood the meaning behind that smile.

That was the thing about Dong Huaci—when it came to dealing with Zhong Qing, she was just as capable as she had always been.