Chapter 27: What kind of discount? Bone-breaking discount

In the afternoon, she had arranged to meet Ning Sheng to read the script, so after lunch, Shang Que didn’t stay long and left.

The meeting place was set at her home. Ning Sheng arrived a little earlier than the agreed time. She stood at the door wearing a mask and a cap, holding up a cup of coffee somewhat awkwardly. “Sorry to bother you. I brought a peach latte on the way. I don’t know if you like it.”

“As long as it’s not a hot Americano, it’s fine. Last time, someone brought me a hot Americano. I hadn’t eaten in two days because we were rushing a shoot, and after one sip, I nearly threw up stomach acid.”

Ning Sheng laughed at her wrinkled nose in disgust and agreed, “There was a time I was staying up late and not in good shape. I drank iced Americano every day to reduce swelling. I finally got used to it, and then one day I thought I’d try a hot one again, just to see—God, that taste was… indescribable.”

Shang Que pouted, “Might as well drink Chinese medicine. At least that’s covered by health insurance.”

After exchanging a few jokes at the door, Ning Sheng relaxed a bit. She changed into slippers at the entrance and walked in, saying, “Your place is really—”

She had meant to compliment it out of politeness, but when she saw the nearly empty living room, the words got stuck in her throat. It took several seconds before she found a word in her mind: “Really minimalistic.”

The living room wasn’t very big, and since it lacked furnishings, it appeared even more spacious. In the center was just a single armchair, a small round wooden coffee table, and not far away, a dining table with chairs and a double-door refrigerator. Aside from that, there was hardly any other furniture.

Shang Que explained, “When I first came back to the country, I didn’t have time to buy stuff.”

“But haven’t you been back for two or three years already?” Ning Sheng asked, puzzled.

“Yeah, so later it was just pure laziness,” Shang Que said frankly. “I don’t cook anyway, so as long as I can sleep here, it’s fine.”

“What do you usually eat then?”

“Sometimes I eat out, or make a salad.”

Ning Sheng had tasted one of her salads on a variety show—it could be considered one of the top two weapons of destruction, right alongside hot Americano. She looked at her with pity. “You didn’t spend your whole time abroad eating bland white-people food, did you?”

“Not really.” Shang Que shook her head. “There was a period where I actually ate quite well.”

“Delicious white-people food?”

“No,” Shang Que smiled, her eyes curving. “It was just homemade food. Back then, I met someone who cooked really well. I feel like the delicious food I had in those two years made up for a lifetime of bland meals.”

Ning Sheng didn’t think much of it. After a pause, she tested the waters and asked, “So if I’m thirsty right now…?”

“There are cups!” Shang Que pulled open the drawer under the coffee table, revealing dozens of neatly arranged, variously styled and beautiful cups. She took out a pink bunny cup and poured a glass of water for Ning Sheng. The two of them sat on the sofa and started discussing the script.

Last night, Shang Que had looked up the clips for the parts she had marked, and the issues were pretty clear. “Your eye contact is off. When the male lead is being flirty with you, your eyes are so firm, it’s like you’re joining the Communist Party.”

“R-Really?”

“Yes,” Shang Que pulled out her tablet and showed her the footage, explaining, “In school dramas, eye acting is less important. Most of the time, the characters just glance at each other and then look away awkwardly, so it’s hard to tell. But in the later office dramas, the chemistry between the leads is mostly conveyed through eye contact. These two male actors are bad—let’s not even talk about them—but this male lead is good at eye acting, and you clearly didn’t match him.”

Ning Sheng fell into deep thought.

Shang Que rested her chin on a stylus and flipped to another page. “But your eye acting in that modern romance with Lu Zhixu was spot-on. I watched ten episodes of it last night,” she said with a crescent-moon smile, teasing, “So sweet.”

Ning Sheng’s ears turned red, and she glared at her, “Shang Que!”

“What?” Shang Que said nonchalantly. “I meant the drama is sweet.” She tapped open an album, “Look here, in the scene where you two had a fight, but still sneak glances at each other, it really gave off a strong sense of romantic tension. Feels like you’d actually dated.”

Ning Sheng stared at the photo. In that scene, the two leads had just quarreled, and the female lead, feeling guilty, was supposed to secretly observe the male lead’s expression. In Lu Zhixu’s script, there was no direction for him to look back, but he had added that gaze on his own, and it had unexpectedly made that moment the most talked-about scene in the entire show.

Ning Sheng pursed her lips, a little lost. “Shang Que, I have a question. If two people break up but stay friends, does that mean they’ve let go, or do they want to get back together?”

Right after she asked, she seemed to snap out of it and gave a self-deprecating smile. “Forget it, why am I asking you? You’ve never even dated.”

“I have.”

Ning Sheng’s eyes widened. Forgetting her own question, she immediately turned toward Shang Que with curiosity and asked, “You’ve dated before? When?”

Raising her hand as if swearing an oath, she added, “Don’t worry, I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

Shang Que didn’t intend to hide anything and responded calmly, “Back when I was overseas.”

Ning Sheng thought for a moment and made the connection. “That person who cooked really well?”

Seeing Shang Que nod, she leaned in with gossiping interest. “So why did you two break up?”

“Because he was going back to the country, and I thought I’d stay abroad after graduation, so we split. I can’t handle long-distance relationships. I like the kind where, if you get mad, you can smack the other person right then and there.”

Ning Sheng nodded in understanding and continued to ask, “Did you see him again after coming back? Do you think there’s still a chance to get back together?”

“Probably not,” Shang Que replied. After all, the way she phrased the breakup back then had made the other party laugh in exasperation.

As for seeing each other again… it’d be better not to.

But Shang Que never expected karma would come back so fast.

*

Filming for the fifth episode of the variety show began. After the director finished his usual opening remarks, he beamed with excitement. “Today, we received a wedding invitation inviting all our guests to attend a wedding.”

However, everyone was already traumatized by the words “invitation” and “wedding.” Lin Jinyi asked warily, “This isn’t going to be another escape room, is it?”

“No, no, it’s just a regular wedding.”

Everyone said in unison, “I don’t believe you.”

【Hahahahaha the director’s credibility hit zero after that amusement park episode.】

【Because that episode was terrifying! After watching the livestream, I had nightmares for three days straight!】

【My first reaction was also ‘escape room’ or ‘murder mystery,’ but then I thought—surely the crew wouldn’t be that boring and repeat content.】

“It really is a normal wedding invitation,” the director explained desperately. “The couple getting married are fans of our show and wanted to invite you all to make their dream come true.”

The group reluctantly believed him and followed the production crew to the bride’s house. The place was decorated festively for a pre-wedding atmosphere. Red paper cuttings adorned the walls, and balloons and fake flowers were half set up.

When the guests arrived, a young woman ran out of the crowd happily. “Hi! I can’t believe you actually came! I’m Qi Lan. You can call me Xiaolan or Sister Lan. The wedding’s tomorrow, so please, sit down first. I’ll get you some water.”

Others in the room were likely the bride’s friends and relatives, all helping with preparations. Not wanting to stand idly by, Ning Sheng stepped forward and offered, “Is there anything we can help with?”

“Actually, yes,” Qi Lan frowned, looking troubled. “The makeup artist I booked suddenly canceled, and now it’s too late to find another.”

“Wedding makeup?” Lin Jinyi suddenly chimed in. “I can do that! I did it for my cousin before. Do you have all the makeup ready?”

“I think I have everything, but there’s still the hairstyling part.”

As soon as she said that, everyone present immediately sensed a mission incoming. They turned to look at the director, who awkwardly covered his face and coughed. “Well, since you’re already here, and they’re fans… we might as well help them out.”

【Hahahahaha I knew it wouldn’t be that simple.】

【Some shows pretend to be variety shows but are actually wedding planning agencies.】

Ning Sheng gave a resigned smile. “I’ll do it. I know how to braid hair, and I even brought a curling iron in my bag. You can take a look at the styles you like later, and I’ll see if I can recreate them.”

“That’s amazing!” Qi Lan clapped. “But we’re still missing an emcee.”

Jiang Yizhe looked excited. “I’ll do it! I can host.”

“Oh, and the wedding rings. The real ones are too expensive and might get lost, so we were planning to get simple gold bands instead.”

Qi Lan gave the couple’s ring sizes, which happened to match Shang Que and Lu Zhixu’s. So, the ring-shopping task fell to them.

That left Ji Jingchuan. He furrowed his brows and asked, “What about me? I want a task too.”

“Can you help my little brother wrap red envelopes?” Qi Lan said with a smile. “This kid doesn’t want me to get married. He said he’s going to board up all the doors and windows tomorrow, so our parents sent him to wrap red envelopes instead.”

Ji Jingchuan’s frown deepened. “What kind of logic is that? Board up the doors and windows?”

“He’s just throwing a tantrum,” she explained.

Ji Jingchuan said, “Just break the guy’s legs and the wedding’s off.”

“?”

【？？？？】

【The bride’s little brother just gave you a thumbs up.】

【Ji Jingchuan, you probably don’t have a sister. If you did, her future husband would be doomed.】

Shang Que glanced sideways at him, raising her eyebrows slightly but said nothing.

With tasks assigned, everyone went off to handle their part. After asking where the younger brother was, Ji Jingchuan stormed off, full of energy, to “help with the red envelopes.”

Lin Jinyi and Ning Sheng discussed hairstyle options with Qi Lan, while Jiang Yizhe was chatting with the bride’s parents about the wedding schedule.

As for Shang Que and Lu Zhixu, they took the program’s budget and headed to the most renowned jewelry store in Jinghai—Muninn Jewelry.

The large store could only be described as luxurious. The cool white ceiling lights shone through glass onto the gold and diamonds, casting dazzling reflections.

【Watching this livestream is dangerous. I just got blinded.】

【Please keep the camera rolling, I’ve developed an addiction to shiny things.】

【That diamond just now was blinding! Can’t it just magically appear on my finger?!】

The store was crowded. They wore masks and used concealed filming methods, so they didn’t attract much attention. They stood at the gold ring counter for a while before an attendant hurried over to help.

“Sorry about the wait,” the sales associate apologized. “The big boss came in for an inspection today, so everyone was in a meeting. We’re a bit short-staffed. What are you looking for? I’ll help you pick something out.”

Just then, a commotion came from the stairwell. The associate breathed a sigh of relief. “Looks like the meeting’s over.”

Shang Que turned to look. Leading the group was a man in a perfectly tailored black suit. His expression was cold and sharp, surrounded by a group of people treating him like the center of attention. As someone said something to him, he tilted his head slightly—and then, suddenly, his gaze froze midair. His beautifully shaped phoenix eyes narrowed slightly.

Shang Que’s eyelids twitched, and she quickly turned her head away. But in the next moment, he unexpectedly walked over and stood where the sales associate had been. He placed a hand on the glass counter, his long fingers lightly tapping the surface. His voice was clear but carried a hint of threat: “Buying wedding rings?”

Shang Que subtly warned him, “We’re live-streaming.”

“Live-streaming to buy wedding rings?”

Shang Que: …

【Holy crap—is that a super-hot jewelry clerk?!】

【That’s no clerk! Didn’t you hear them call him President Jing? That’s obviously the big boss the salesgirl mentioned.】

【What?! That young guy’s the chairman? He looks so young!】

【He is young! Only twenty-seven, I think. A few years ago, he came back to China and took down his scheming illegitimate brother and clueless dad in a business war—that was huge news!】

【I didn’t hear about that, but based on that face alone, I support him unconditionally.】

Shang Que had returned to the country late and naturally wasn’t aware of the news from a few years ago. It wasn’t until she saw Jing Ya that she realized—Muninn Jewelry—

“Muni” was the transliteration of “雾尼,” named after a raven from Norse mythology, symbolizing “memory.”

Lu Zhixu noticed the tension between the two and asked, “You two know each other?”

Shang Que: “We do.”

Jing Ya: “We don’t.”

They spoke at the same time, locked eyes, and both immediately changed their responses.

Shang Que: “We don’t.”

Jing Ya: “We do.”

【So… do they or don’t they know each other?】

【They could know each other… or not.】

【Regardless, there’s definitely some history here.】

Lu Zhixu nodded. “Let’s catch up another time. It’s getting late. Shang Que, let’s buy the rings first.”

Jing Ya gave them a once-over, then suddenly said, “You might as well go for diamond rings. You both look like you can afford it.”

He turned to Shang Que, his tone laced with sarcasm. “And since I do know Shang Que, I can give you a discount.”

Shang Que: “…”

Sensing the odd atmosphere between the two, Lu Zhixu deliberately smiled and asked, “Oh? What kind of discount are we talking about?”

Immediately, a dangerous glare swept across his face. Jing Ya replied coldly, “A bone-breaking discount.”