Chapter 173 - Opening Ceremony

elieve it was just a misunderstanding.

Smiling faintly, Chu Qianqian decided to let the matter slide. She turned to Qingyi and said in a calm tone, “It’s nothing, just a misunderstanding.”

Meeting Qingyi’s puzzled gaze, she paused briefly, then shifted her focus to Chu Ziyu. Her tone softened slightly, as if trying to ease the tension. “I’ve never really liked papaya. I thought you would’ve known that.”

His hand paused almost imperceptibly, as if catching her gaze on him. Without looking up, Chu Ziyu kept his attention on the salad in front of him. His voice, as always, was calm. “I forgot.”

This simple “I forgot” left Chu Qianqian momentarily speechless but also brought her a sense of relief. At least it wasn’t intentional, and that was good enough.

Realizing her comments had brought an awkward silence over the table, Chu Qianqian decided she didn’t want to ruin their meal. Not having any interesting stories come to mind, she told a couple of jokes to lighten the mood.

She wasn’t particularly skilled at this sort of thing, but luckily Qingyi, the resident mood-booster, played along and pretended to be amused. He managed to liven things up considerably. While the atmosphere didn’t quite return to its initial lightheartedness, the dinner ended up being enjoyable overall.

Three days flew by in the blink of an eye, and before they knew it, the opening day had arrived.

As per tradition, the opening ceremony couldn’t go without burning incense and making offerings to the gods.

Since the main filming location for the TV series was on Changyun Mountain, the ceremony was held at the mountain’s summit.

When Chu Qianqian stepped out of the car with Qingyi and Chu Ziyu, the mountaintop was already bustling with people. But on closer look, she realized that most of them were members of the Film Crew, reporters, or models hired for the ceremony. The main cast had yet to arrive.

As their group moved forward, they ran into Assistant Zhang, who was hurrying along. He greeted them politely before quickly heading off, apparently preoccupied with something.

Chu Qianqian led Qingyi and Chu Ziyu to a quieter corner to stand. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to sit, but with everyone else so busy, taking a seat to rest while being unable to help might attract unnecessary resentment.

“We’ll just wait here for a bit. There are still forty minutes until the opening ceremony starts. If you’re bored, feel free to play on your phones,” she said.

“Qianqian, shouldn’t we go and help?” Qingyi asked, his voice tinged with excitement as he watched the bustling scene around them. Ling Xiao was a big-budget drama, and the scale of the production was far beyond what he had seen in smaller crews before. The lively energy of the set completely dwarfed the atmosphere in the last crew he was part of.

Chu Qianqian chuckled lightly and was just about to explain, but Chu Ziyu cut in before she could speak. “Qingyi, the people working in the main area right now are all members of the Film Crew, event planners, ceremonial models, or reporters. Look over there.”

As he spoke, Chu Ziyu pointed to a spot in a corner of the set. Following his gaze, Qingyi noticed several reporters standing there. Their cameras were constantly moving, capturing different angles. It was clear they were already taking plenty of shots.

“See? If we go up there now, we’ll just get in the way. Worse, there’s even a chance we might get caught on camera in an awkward or unfavorable position.”

While it was well known that reporters invited to these kinds of ceremonies usually had good relationships with the director or producers and wouldn’t publish unflattering images, avoiding the lens as an Artist had already become second nature to them.

Seeing the reporters, Qingyi immediately straightened his posture. His earlier eagerness to join in was replaced by a sense of exhaustion and hesitation. The thought of accidentally creating news fodder was enough to make him abandon the idea of getting involved.

Despite the waiting, the time wasn’t hard to pass. Simply standing aside and watching the busy staff at work was entertaining in its own way. Opening ceremonies were particularly unique-every director had their own preferences and habits, making the rituals vary from one set to the next.

In this regard, Zhang Dong was notably traditional. The ceremonial table had offerings set up properly-there was the statue of Guandi¹, roasted pig, and fruit, all arranged neatly. Everything was placed on the elevated platform. Nearby, the cameras were already covered with red cloth, waiting for the incense offering to be completed before unveiling them to capture the moment.

The sky was becoming increasingly overcast, and a faint sense of worry crept into Chu Qianqian’s heart. After all, rain during an opening ceremony was traditionally considered a bad omen.

“Qianqian, look!” Qingyi’s voice rang out beside her. She glanced down and saw that he was holding out his phone, showing her the weather forecast. The screen displayed “rainy weather,” a prediction that sent a ripple of unease through her. What would they do if it really started raining?

Looking over to where Zhang Dong stood, Chu Qianqian caught sight of Assistant Zhang gesturing toward the sky before leaning in to say something to Zhang Dong.

“Probably just talking about the weather,” Chu Ziyu’s voice sounded beside her. Chu Qianqian turned slightly and noticed that at some point, he had already moved to stand next to her.

Without paying attention to Chu Qianqian’s gaze, Chu Ziyu looked off at the cluster of buildings not far away. It was the series of palaces built on Changyun Mountain, and also the primary filming location for this project.

“Yeah,” Chu Qianqian nodded in agreement. “I wonder if Director Zhang will have the crew move everything inside later.”

There was a trace of concern in her voice. Chu Ziyu understood the implication behind her words. Less than half an hour remained, and even if they started moving the equipment now, they’d likely still be pressed for time. Besides, Zhang Dong didn’t look like he was feeling particularly cooperative about moving anything.

“Don’t worry so much,” a warm, gently magnetic voice called out from ahead. Following the voice, Chu Qianqian looked up and saw Xie Chen and Xie Lin approaching.

Because of the cooler temperatures and strong winds, both were dressed warmly. Xie Chen, in particular, wore an extra layer beneath his overcoat-a white turtleneck sweater paired with a coffee-colored coat. He gave off a vibe of warmth and quiet composure.

Recalling the calm and resolute man she had seen in the previous Film Crew, Chu Qianqian had to admit that this slightly more artistic and tranquil version of Xie Chen might actually represent his true personality.

Noticing her staring, Xie Chen rubbed the bridge of his nose, looking a bit embarrassed. “I’m a little sensitive to the cold, so I tend to dress a bit heavier,” he explained.

Chu Qianqian had already picked up on that. The slight bluish tinge to his lips and fingers made it obvious. He really did seem to feel the cold more than most.

Thinking of the cast lineup revealed during the official announcement, Chu Qianqian recalled that Xie Chen was cast as the adult version of Fu Zichu. She couldn’t help but note how fortunate he was-not only had he landed such a good role, but he had also managed to avoid filming during the coldest three months of the year.

Footnote:

1. Guandi(关帝):Guandi, also known as Guan Yu, is a revered historical figure from China’s Three Kingdoms period. He is worshipped as a god of war, loyalty, and righteousness. In various Chinese cultural practices and rituals, offerings are made to Guandi to seek protection, success, and integrity.