Chapter Fifteen: Filming Concluded

“Ten boxes! Are you serious, sis?”

“Uh-huh~”

As the two stepped out of the supermarket, Zhang Qianjun began to grumble. The reason was simple: this fierce woman had swept every box of Okamoto 003 off the shelves. When they paid, even the cashier looked at Zhang Qianjun with astonishment.

Zhang Qianjun tried to reason with Kan Qingzi, saying, “Just because you can go ten times on the first day doesn’t mean you can keep up that pace every day. This thing doesn’t maintain a steady line; normally, it’s a downward slope.”

Kan Qingzi glanced sideways at the man, thinking to herself, You managed last night, and you kept pushing me this morning too? I’m going to stretch this out and see who ends up the boss!

“Well, you better pray you’re abnormal. You didn’t pamper me when I said no yesterday!” She finished, shooting him a half-challenging, half-disdainful look.

That was the last straw for Zhang Qianjun.

“Come on, back to our room.”

“In your dreams!”

The two bickered all the way back to the hotel, quickly tidying up before heading straight to the set.

After Wei Lai left the production, there wasn’t much filming left for *Better Days*. Due to the shaved-head scenes, the shooting schedule was basically split between the heroine’s long hair scenes and the bald scenes.

Approaching the set, Kan Qingzi suddenly felt a bit hesitant and tried to put some distance between them, but Zhang Qianjun tugged her back.

“This isn’t good. If we go in like this, everyone will know.”

“So what if they know? What’s there to hide?”

Kan Qingzi said it was “not good” but couldn’t wipe the smile off her face as they walked hand in hand onto the set.

Everyone on set saw them holding hands and most showed expressions that said, “Finally, these two aren’t pretending anymore now that filming’s over.” But a few other leading ladies did not look so pleased.

As for Zhang Qianjun, he didn’t care about any of that. In his mind, as long as it didn’t affect the movie, everyone else could do whatever they wanted.

“Boss Zhang, you’re finally here! If you didn’t show up soon, I was going to send someone to drag you here,” Liu Chang said with a look of mock grievance.

Zhang Qianjun frowned in confusion; he wasn’t late.

Liu Chang seemed like he had something to say but held back in front of Kan Qingzi. Zhang Qianjun didn’t press him either. In his view, if there was something to say, say it. If not, no need to chase it. After a quick word with Kan Qingzi, he went to change clothes and get made up.

Kan Qingzi had a night scene today—just pretending to be a corpse—so it was very relaxed. She planned to find a quiet spot to rest but was surprised when the director assigned her a folding chair with a canopy.

‘Is this what it feels like to have an assistant with a little star? Finally, a chair with a backrest,’ she thought happily, leaning back with sunglasses on.

Meanwhile, Zhang Qianjun was ready to shoot after makeup when Ma Sitong popped out, “You two are together now?”

Zhang Qianjun glanced at her and nodded, “Yeah, we’re together.”

Satisfied with the answer, the leading lady quickly got into character and prepared for filming.

“CUT!” Liu Chang’s voice rang out again, halting the shoot.

“What’s going on with you two today? At this rate, we won’t finish the scheduled scenes.”

“Sorry, sorry, my bad. I’m holding up everyone,” Zhang Qianjun quickly took the blame.

“Take a break. We’ll resume in 15 minutes.”

Following the director’s command, Zhang Qianjun found a nearby concrete block to sit on.

Drunkenness and lust have ruined me. From today on, I quit drinking!

After ten seconds of reflection, Zhang Qianjun entered fantasy mode, attempting to immerse himself in the role. Having studied acting for only a short time, his core skill was to empathize with the character, live the experience, and then perform. It had gone well before, but today he was especially out of sync. After a few minutes of mental rehearsal, still feeling off, he sought out Liu Chang for advice.

Liu Chang looked at him with disdain. “Do you even need me to explain?”

“Usually, on set, couples pair up with their scene partners. But you, the male lead, are with the antagonist female second lead. No wonder you can’t get into character!”

“We can’t even call ourselves a couple on set. She finished filming before I even started.”

“Forget that. After today’s shoot, kick your woman out. If she stays, this movie won’t get made.”

Zhang Qianjun clicked his tongue. Just slept and now I have to send her away? That’s harsh. I can’t do that.

“Director, give me three days with no scenes scheduled. The day after tomorrow, Qingzi will leave.”

“You better mean it.”

“Don’t worry.” Then he called over Li Kai. “Kai, book me an executive suite at the Hilton for three days.”

Li Kai looked puzzled. “What’s going on?”

“I’m sending my clingy one away.” He nodded toward Kan Qingzi.

“Wait, is this going to be charged to the production?”

“What do you mean production expense? That’s my money, my own! Don’t waste my breath—I didn’t even ask the production for extra nutrition fees.”

Luckily, Li Kai had witnessed many of Zhang Qianjun’s antics by now and was no longer surprised.

“Take it easy, the film’s not finished yet.”

“Relax.”

Just as Kan Qingzi was handed her wrap bouquet, Zhang Qianjun pulled her away again.

“What now? You quitting?”

“No, just spending the next few days with you. Come on, let’s go pack.”

“Pack what?”

“We’re moving. You don’t realize how loud you are, do you? It’s disturbing the crew’s rest. How can the movie be filmed like this?”

Smack! Kan Qingzi slapped his arm.

“That’s all your fault!”

Zhang Qianjun thought, Hah, little lady, you dare hit me! These next three days, I’ll show you what it’s like to overdraw a month’s worth of Super Saiyan power.

“Yeah, yeah, all my fault. Hurry up and pack.”

As expected, women always have a lot of stuff. Zhang Qianjun wondered how she could bring so much for just a month’s shoot in Chongqing.

At the Hilton, Kan Qingzi bent down to grab slippers but was suddenly lifted off the ground.

“Hey, hey, what are you doing?”

“You’re sticking your butt out at me. What do you expect?”

“I’m changing slippers! I haven’t showered yet.”

“We’ll shower together later.”

That night promised to be especially long.

———

Being with a woman inevitably meant shopping, though most of their outings focused on eating and drinking.

Kan Qingzi even bought Zhang Qianjun a Fendi belt, replacing his generic one.

Zhang Qianjun never cared for so-called luxury goods. He always thought they were just a tax on gullible people’s intelligence and that the real profit came from controlling women’s fashion trends.

He grumbled helplessly and, passing by Louis Vuitton on the pedestrian street, bought Kan Qingzi an age-appropriate Alamba monogram shell bag. Her eyes lit up like crescent moons with happiness.

If you said Kan Qingzi couldn’t afford it, that was impossible. The base model was over ten thousand yuan, and she could afford it if she really wanted. But having her boyfriend buy it made all the difference—especially since they had just started dating, and the romance was still fresh.

Seeing her so happy, Zhang Qianjun muttered, “Sure enough, a bag cures all ailments.”

He thought to himself that men in China rarely received such care. Once he made it big, he’d open a men’s brand—something like the domestic Uniqlo, cheap and practical.

Of course, Uniqlo’s prices kept rising each year, hardly cheap anymore. That would be a mistake to imitate.

The three days passed in a cycle of passionate moments, meals, shopping, meals, and more passion.

Kan Qingzi, who had originally planned to stay at the studio until wrap, happily returned to school instead.

———

Why was she so happy? Not because she’d used up all the boxes of Okamoto, but because she had received the key to Zhang Qianjun’s one-bedroom apartment and planned to start decorating as soon as she returned.

Zhang Qianjun said it wasn’t necessary since he planned to upgrade to a bigger place next year, but she insisted on decorating according to her own ideas.

“Be good, okay? Don’t let some new girl come along after I leave.” At the airport security checkpoint, Kan Qingzi held Zhang Qianjun’s waist tightly, reluctant to part.

“Come on, you know me. Have I ever reached out to anyone first?”

“You don’t reach out, but you make the first move! Don’t go helping some girl again.” Kan Qingzi said crossly.

“There’s no one else on set except the shaved-head heroine. Besides, Ma Sitong has her own background—famous enough to not go willingly be a homewrecker. Don’t think so lowly of people.”

“When women have a crush, they’ll do anything. I could—”

Mad! To stop the chatter, Zhang Qianjun silenced her with a breathless, damp kiss. Looking at the breathless beauty in his arms, he smiled.

“I’ll be back in half a month at most. Now hurry through security. It’s almost boarding time.”

He patted her bottom.

“Be good. Call me when you get there.”

As their worlds separated, Zhang Qianjun saw her little waving hand one last time. He waved back and turned away.

‘School girls are the best—young, pretty, sensible. Small joys make her so happy. Though she’s a bit jealous, it’s quite fun,’ Zhang Qianjun sighed, boarding the bus back to the city.

Back on set, ignoring the teasing, Zhang Qianjun switched into full work mode. Remarkably, the calm emptiness of his mind combined with the slight pale fatigue from rapid loss of his vital energy perfectly matched his character’s state. One scene after another flowed smoothly.

In the touching scene where the male and female leads laugh and cry through the glass, *Better Days* finally wrapped filming.

“CUT!” Liu Chang shouted through a megaphone. “I declare that after 66 days, all filming for *Better Days* is officially complete. Wrap!”

Cheers and wild shouts erupted like dozens of monkeys on set.

By the last days, except for the female lead, the entire crew were graduates or students from the Beijing Film Academy, many experiencing their first commercial film project.

Though the shoot had bumps and spats, everyone felt proud and excited when it was done. Finally, they had a real film project under their belt, an invaluable experience for most.

“Hot pot tonight! After that, royal bathhouse all the way!”

“Boss Zhang’s generosity! Jun Ge is awesome~”

Cheers echoed again.

“No illegal stuff, got it?”

“Ha! What a letdown~”

Ignoring the disappointment, Zhang Qianjun approached Ma Sitong.

“Sitong, you’ve worked hard this whole time. Your performance was recognized by everyone. Chang said you’re a Golden Horse Best Actress—he wasn’t joking. Sometimes my methods can be hard to accept; you’ve suffered.”

Ma Sitong looked at him, thoughts swirling. You say I suffered, but you don’t know how bitter it was standing outside your door that night, hearing the malicious second lead’s voice. Movies are lies; real life doesn’t follow movie logic.

“I’m fine. Everyone took good care of me, and you were accommodating too. Thank you for this chance. I believe this will be a great film.” She smiled softly and spoke the expected words.

Then she added, “I have an idea—when my hair’s grown out, how about we go to the seaside together?”

Zhang Qianjun looked at her bright smile, touched, but asked seriously, “Just as friends?”

Ma Sitong tilted her head and chuckled softly, “Yes, just friends.”

“Alright.”