Chapter 179 - Hot Water Bag

Zhang Dong sympathized with the actors, who were working hard in such weather. After finishing the scenes involving travel, he gave the crew an additional thirty minutes to rest.

This kind of consideration was rare in a typical film crew. It wasn’t that directors were unwilling to treat actors well, but renting all the equipment for shooting was calculated on a daily basis. Film crews with tighter budgets often tried to save on rental costs by scheduling back-to-back shooting sessions for the actors. As long as no one collapses from exhaustion, most other hardships are considered acceptable.

Of course, this was never an issue with the Ling Xiao film crew. Zhang Dong had always treated his actors with notable fairness, and the funding for Ling Xiao was far more abundant than any project he had worked on before. As long as the quality wasn’t compromised, Zhang Dong had no problem allowing the actors more time to rest.

The moment Chu Ziyu sat down, Chu Qianqian immediately handed him a coat. Along with it came a pink hot water bag.

The hot water bag was small, about the size of two adult palms. Printed on it was a white furry cat caught mid-yawn. From any angle, it was clearly something a girl would use.

“What is this?” Chu Ziyu’s voice was calm and indifferent, with a hint of curiosity but no discernible emotion.

Chu Qianqian touched the hot water bag to make sure it was still warm before smiling and answering his question. “It’s a hot water bag.”

She paused, realizing from Chu Ziyu’s glance that her words were redundant. Obviously, it was a hot water bag; he was likely asking about its color.

Looking at the pink bag, Chu Qianqian couldn’t quite tell whether Chu Ziyu disliked the color. But when she recalled his lips, which had been pale and almost purple from the cold earlier, her tone unconsciously softened with a hint of persuasion. “You were freezing just now, and I thought the coat alone wouldn’t be warm enough, so I found this hot water bag for you to help you warm up.”

“As for the color… Well, this hot water bag was given to me by Zhu-Jie¹, who’s Qi-Yue’s agent. She only had two, and both were pink.”

Noticing no sign of distaste on Chu Ziyu’s face, Chu Qianqian pressed on. “The color aside, it’s really quite useful. I just heated the water and brought it to you while it was still hot. Feel it-doesn’t it warm you up a bit?”

Chu Ziyu lowered his gaze. Under Chu Qianqian’s slightly anxious watch, he held onto the hot water bag for a while to warm his hands.

“She wasn’t lying. It really is warm, like all the cold in my body was instantly chased away.” Listening to the voice echoing in his mind, Chu Ziyu controlled his expression carefully, restraining any obvious reaction. After a long pause, the corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly, and he spoke softly, “It’s quite warm.”

Though subtle, Chu Ziyu’s faint smile was enough to leave Chu Qianqian momentarily dazed. That tone, that smile, the warmth in their exchange-it was so rare between the two of them.

So rare, in fact, that Chu Qianqian found herself falling silent. She didn’t have the heart to break the atmosphere.

It was unclear if Chu Ziyu was thinking the same thing, but neither of them spoke again. They simply looked at one another, mutually deciding, it seemed, to let the moment linger.

However, such a fragile harmony wasn’t destined to last long. While neither of them opened their mouths, an unexpected interruption shattered the moment.

“What are you two talking about? Not including me?” A vibrant, energetic voice echoed from behind Chu Qianqian. This time, though, it was tinged with rare traces of dissatisfaction. Of course, even stronger than the dissatisfaction was the unmistakable curiosity in that tone.

Just as Chu Qianqian was about to turn around to investigate, she noticed the stunned expression on Chu Ziyu’s face. Her heart skipped a beat as she guessed that Qingyi must have finished getting dressed and having his makeup done.

Intrigued, Chu Qianqian couldn’t stop herself from turning her head, and just like Chu Ziyu, she was instantly dumbfounded.

Ever since the introduction of cosmetics and the rise of the makeup artist profession, the idea that “makeup equals transformation” had become deeply ingrained in people’s minds. But it wasn’t until this moment that Chu Qianqian truly grasped the depth of that sentiment.

Standing before her, Qingyi no longer bore any resemblance to the person he had been an hour ago-save for his pair of lively, sparkling eyes.

The black wig was of exceptional quality, blending seamlessly with Qingyi’s real hair without the slightest hint of awkwardness. The only aspect that could be considered less than perfect was the deliberate dust-gray discoloration in his hair, making it look as though its owner had been rolling around in the dirt.

Qingyi’s clothes confirmed this suspicion. The color leaned toward gray, or more accurately, somewhere between gray and earthy brown-exactly the type of outfit often worn by commoners in historical dramas.

The fabric, already of poor quality, appeared coarse to the naked eye, and in many places showed visible signs of wear and tear, as if it had been worn for far too long. Rather than simply evoking the look of a “plain commoner,” Qingyi’s outfit immediately brought to mind the image of a refugee-one starving from famine, with a face gaunt and hollow.

His prominent cheekbones, sallow complexion, chapped lips, and skin that appeared cracked and dry from dehydration were painfully realistic. Especially around the collarbone area-where Qingyi’s naturally defined collarbones used to give off a clean, subtly seductive charm-they now seemed to underline how shockingly underweight he appeared, creating the unnerving impression of a “body held together by little more than a skeleton.”

It had to be said: the makeup artist who worked on Qingyi had extraordinary skill. Even though Chu Ziyu’s earlier appearance had given Chu Qianqian some forewarning, she still found herself startled. For a moment, she even doubted her own memory, feeling as though the vibrant and healthy Qingyi from before had been nothing more than her own illusion.

The makeup was just that convincing!

Thankfully, Qingyi quickly shattered her illusion.

“Well? Pretty realistic, isn’t it?” Although it was phrased as a question, Qingyi’s tone carried a self-assured certainty. “When I saw myself in the mirror, even I got spooked-hahaha…”

Not wanting to let the sound of Qingyi’s sudden, maniacal laughter mess with her thoughts, Chu Qianqian silently repeated to herself a few times, “Qingyi is healthy. Qingyi is healthy. He just snuck a bottle of yogurt yesterday!” Then, out loud, she cut him off. “Stop laughing. Laugh any more, and all that makeup is going to smudge.”

Sure enough, Qingyi froze mid-laugh, like someone had hit his pause button. His voice came out a little unsure, “Really? Will the makeup actually smudge?”

“Yeah. They probably used a lot of powder to set the makeup, right? Keep laughing, and you’ll see it start falling off,” Chu Qianqian replied earnestly.

Her expression was so genuine that Qingyi was immediately taken in. He pressed his lips together tightly and made a valiant effort not to laugh. Still, the struggle was obvious-his suppression so uncomfortable that he had to flutter his lashes to express his emotions instead.

Footnote:

1. Jie(姐):In Chinese, the term “Jie” (姐) is a respectful and affectionate way to address an older female friend, colleague, or sister.