Gao Qian ended up returning right as shooting wrapped up for the day. Xia Ruyun didn’t mind, but Gao Qian ended up apologizing three separate times. As it turned out, another one of her clients had an emergency. Some reality show had gotten its funding pulled so the actor needed Gao Qian to find him some more work... or something? Then he got hurt?
Xia Ruyun had pretty much tuned it out halfway through...
Such troublesome work.
Patting Gao Qian’s shoulder, her gaze softened as she noticed her manager’s heavy eyebags. Frowning, she brought a hand to her chest and vowed to never transform into a needy client who’d make Gao Qian swamped with work all day.
After a few seconds of hesitation, she slid her cup of coffee over to Gao Qian while avoiding eye contact. Motioning for Gao Qian to take it, she acted deaf towards the oncoming protests. Only after enough pestering did she crack her mouth open. “Don’t worry, I haven’t sipped it.”
“That’s not the point, Xia Ruyun,” Gao Qian sighed as she massaged her eyebrows. A sigh slipped through her lips as she watched Xia Ruyun look away while whistling. “Keep the coffee. Isn’t there a social event tonight, some bonding activity Zhang Jingsong is hosting between all the actors and actresses? You need the energy. After all, I bet you still haven’t had a substantial conversation with anyone in the cast yet. Don’t isolate yourself!”
Flinching like a child being scolded by her mother, Xia Ruyun just wilted before turning away more. A second later, she pushed the coffee a little closer to Gao Qian without uttering another word.
Gao Qian shook her head and pushed the coffee back. “I wasn’t originally planning on going with you, but since I missed today’s shooting I can make the time to go with you, how about that?”
“U-Uh... uhm, no need!” Xia Ruyun sat back up and turned back forward post-haste as guilt over making Gao Qian do more work flooded her heart. “I can handle it!”
Faced with an unimpressed stare from Gao Qian, she laced her fingers together. “How about this... I promise I’ll make a friend, if I don’t, then you can come to all the rest.”
“... Fine?” Raising an eyebrow, she shrugged and sighed. “Sure. Okay, sounds good. Just take care of yourself. I’m here if you need.”
Beaming, Xia Ruyun pushed the cup of coffee towards Gao Qian one last time.
Victory!
Gao Qian, on the other hand, could only roll her eyes as Xia Ruyun stood up with a smug expression and strutted off. She shook her head as a faint smile danced across her lips. Her furrowed eyebrows relaxed as she watched the slight bounce in Xia Ruyun’s steps.
Sometimes Xia Ruyun seems like such a puppy... Even more so now that she’s opening up. She’d actually held a full conversation today!
Plus, this coffee tastes quite nice.
---
Xia Ruyun’s rest in the hotel room didn’t last long. Dinner ate a chunk of time, social media ate another chunk of time, and slugging-out on the bed ate the last chunk... Thus, before she knew it, she had to begin prepping for the evening get-together.
Twirling in the mirror, Xia Ruyun scanned over herself. She smoothed out the slight folds in her dress before leaning in closer and patting her face. Too lazy to sit down in the bathroom and apply her makeup there, she chose to do it where she was. Why move when she had a perfectly serviceable mirror already in front of her? Anyway, because the evening party, according to Zhang Jingsong, did not necessitate extravagant formalities, she kept her makeup to a minimum and ended off with a paler lipstick color.
The rose red could be saved for a more formal occasion...
Turning her head left and right, she checked herself over one last time with a slight smile.
Good enough.
She walked to the door, slipped on a pair of sneakers, and grabbed her purse. The door locked behind her with a beep as she stepped out and took the elevator down to the third floor.
Zhang Jingsong, in his infinite wisdom, had rented out one of the conference halls in the hotel for the cast bonding session. Palms sweaty, she allocated ample time to find the venue, but after arriving with a surplus of time, out came the phone. She tapped her chin and swiped through five different apps, settling on the cast’s main messaging app after a couple awkward seconds. Retreating to a corner—still within sight of the door—she opened up the cast’s group chat. The gentle bustle from the hotel’s lobby filled her ears as she scrolled through the recent messages.
[Just a reminder everyone, our gathering will start at 6 pm. We’ll do some casual chatting, but I have some catering lined up for 6:30 pm, so no need to eat before coming. Also, please message me individually if you have a diet restriction.]
[Thumbs-up]
[Thumbs-up +1]
[Thumbs-up +1]
...
[Thumbs-up +1]
[We’ll be there soon! All of us staying in the other hotel have gotten on the shuttle together.]
[I’m going to be late, so don’t wait for me.]
[Nobody cares, Wu Linjie.]
[You care though, you put in the time to respond.]
A pang of sympathy struck Xia Ruyun’s heart.
I know that’s one of his friends but... he didn’t deserve that, no need to be rude... Or is this some social banter thing I’m too out of touch to understand?
Sure, he was a little awkward at times—dotted with incidents where he accidentally violated people’s boundaries—but... certain actions spoke for themselves. He never hesitated to pitch in from the side with some advice if it came to mind. She’d seen him alone in the refreshments booth pouring out cups of tea, eight at a time, to bring for his friends.
As long as Li Feiling wasn’t around—or on his mind—Wu Linjie was... quite the endearing junior.
After stroking her chin for a few moments, Xia Ruyun decided to shelve her thoughts. Her current relationship with Wu Linjie wasn’t one where she could give him... character guidance.
Glancing up, she froze for a second after noticing the door into the venue sat wide open. Somehow, she had missed any announcement, or the sound of the door opening. She put away her phone, picked up her bag, and slipped into the venue, looking around to see how many others had arrived before her.
“Hey, Xia Ruyun! You’re here early~!” A woman’s voice greeted her from behind. Whirling around, Xia Ruyun froze when she saw who was speaking to her before scratching the side of her face with an awkward smile.
Short-brown hair with a slight curl at the end? Decently... tall? Around my age?
... Who is this again?
Returning the handshake and stammering a “Y...Yeah, left a little sooner,” she struggled through the ensuing conversation with not more than three words leaving her mouth at a time. She hoped her experience as an actress gave her the necessary acting skills, but the smile the woman gave her at the end of the conversation made her stomach turn.
One (probably) successful social interaction later, she wandered the hall while keeping her head down. People filed in after arriving by shuttle, so the medium-sized room soon filled with chatter. Actresses and actors surrounded tall tables, chatting while clinking together some glasses filled with champagne.
The fact everyone wore sneakers did kill the mood a little though.