Substitute Lover [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 39

They were so close.

Just a little bit more, and she would touch the long-awaited red lips.

Warm, soft, and moist.

Ji Fan paused half an inch above her lips, her tall nose almost touching hers.

Her breath lingered and intertwined.

A warm body fragrance.

But the next second, Ji Fan’s long eyelashes trembled, and she closed her eyes tightly as if enduring something.

Her lips left, and she gently lowered the mosquito net she had hooked.

If she really kissed her and then got into bed with her, how would Jiang Cha feel?

She would think she had no self-control.

And she would become even more guarded against her.

Ji Fan sighed softly.

She curled up on the sofa and wrapped herself from head to toe in a blanket, fighting against the faint buzzing sound in her ears in a daze, and finally fell asleep in the gentle night breeze.

Moonlight fell quietly on Jiang Cha’s long eyelashes, and her long eyelashes fluttered slightly. She opened her eyes.

She was clearly not sleepy at all.

She had just noticed a slight vibration on the bed. Ji Fan seemed to be sitting by her bed, as if she wanted to come in and sleep with her.

There was still the touch of a fingertip on her lips.

Slightly cold.

Why? She hadn’t thought of herself as Luo Yan for so long, why did she want to do it again?

Jiang Cha turned her gaze and her pupils reflected the woman curled up on the sofa.

Her eyes were icy cold.

••••

When Ji Fan woke up, Jiang Cha was already gone.

She didn’t know what time she got up.

Was she deliberately avoiding her, even in her schedule, afraid that they would say a few more words?

Ji Fan looked at the neatly folded quilt on the bed, her eyes slightly cold.

She had breakfast and went to the company with her bag.

Xu Qingzhu came to find her halfway.

“I have some news about the thing you asked me to check.”

Xu Qingzhu’s father was a famous journalist in the industry. When Jiang Cha’s affair was exposed, Ji Fan casually asked her to help look into it. She didn’t have much hope at the time, but she didn’t expect to find any clues.

Ji Fan stopped her pen with interest and raised an eyebrow, “Oh?”

Xu Qingzhu curled up on the soft sofa, took a lozenge from Ji Fan’s desk with one hand, and propped up the cold metal glasses frame with the other hand, pinching the thin bridge of her nose.

“The person in charge of following Jiang Cha is a paparazzi.”

Paparazzi?

That’s a wide range.

Among entertainment reporters, there are those who cover press conferences, film festivals, award ceremonies, those who are responsible for following, interviewing, and publishing articles, and those who specialize in following celebrities’ private lives and publicizing any scandals.

Many reporters have good relationships with each other. Since Xu Qingzhu’s father was a big shot in the industry, the person he found out about should be right.

Colleagues know each other better, so the credibility is higher.

Ji Fan put down her coffee cup, pursed her red lips, and lowered her eyes slightly, “Which company is she from?”

“The paparazzi works for a company called Taozi Entertainment, a new media company that hasn’t been around for a long time. It has completed five rounds of financing within three years, and the financing scale is quite large.”

She had heard of Taozi Entertainment. Although it was not under her control, it did have some fame. There were rumors that the CEO of Taozi Entertainment had a lot of background and had extensive connections in the circle.

Ji Fan pondered slightly, “Does that paparazzi have a contact number?”

“Yes.”

Xu Qingzhu opened her phone, her index finger trembled, and she sent the paparazzi’s phone number to her.

Ji Fan lowered her head and saved the contact information.

Xu Qingzhu peeled off a lozenge, put it in her mouth and sucked it, and laughed, “Strange, you actually like to eat lozenges? Although I like them too.”

Ji Fan’s long eyelashes were still, and her expression was a little stiff.

After a moment, she picked up the light green tin box, turned it over and looked at the production date, and said apologetically, “It’s okay, it’s edible. It’s almost a month before it expires.”

Xu Qingzhu was almost choked.

Ji Fan sighed, her long eyelashes fluttered down, and she said softly, “Jiang Cha gave me the candy. I couldn’t bear to give it to you.”

That was a year ago.

She had worked overtime for too long and her throat was a little hoarse. Jiang Cha cared more about her than she did, so she carefully stuffed a box of lozenges into her coat pocket when she went out.

But at that time, Ji Fan couldn’t even look at it, so she took it out and threw it on the desk.

Until they got married and started arguing about a divorce, they hadn’t eaten a single one.

“Hmm?” Xu Qingzhu smiled, “Xiao Jiang and I have similar tastes.”

Ji Fan didn’t answer.

She just thought of her previous guess and couldn’t help but ask another question, “Is there anyone behind that paparazzi?”

“She said no. I asked her, and she said that she was originally in charge of secretly taking photos of celebrities, and it wasn’t someone’s order, it was just her job.”

Ji Fan raised an eyebrow, not quite believing it.

“She said she didn’t target Jiang Cha, and that she had taken secret photos of many more big stars than Jiang Cha.”

“Is that so?”

Ji Fan frowned, seeming to be a little disdainful. “She specializes in secretly taking photos of celebrities?”

Xu Qingzhu couldn’t help but laugh, “What’s with that expression? Every profession is not easy. She said that once, in order to take pictures of two rumored celebrities kissing at home, she climbed a tree and squatted on the big tree opposite their bedroom for three whole days.”

Ji Fan: “…”

Ji Fan laughed, “Indeed, it’s not easy.”

Ji Fan was wearing a large-collared black shirt made of silk, soft and lustrous. Two dark gold large buttons hung in the middle, cinching her waist and highlighting her slender and straight waistline. A pair of rose gold earrings with a black base adorned her white earlobes, dazzling and mysterious.

But Xu Qingzhu’s gaze fell on her snow-white neck and collarbone.

A row of mosquito bites.

“Hahaha,” Xu Qingzhu laughed, “It’s obvious that you were kicked out of bed by someone and bitten by mosquitoes all night.”

Ji Fan: “…………”

••••

On Monday, she went to the set to film.

Jiang Cha arrived early. The photography, lighting, and art departments were still busy. Among a group of staff and extras, she saw Song Baiwei.

Tall and slender, she was wearing a pure white dress with a slightly gradient ink-colored hem, from pure black to light gray, giving her a unique scholarly air. Her long hair was casually draped over her shoulders, and she didn’t seem to notice Jiang Cha, but was quietly and slowly gesturing to the art director.

The dress was made of fine gauze, with a black satin ribbon tied around her waist, making her slender yet delicate. Her profile was quiet and focused, and a ray of light fell on her, making the curve of her profile appear translucent.

She was slender and had a scholarly air.

Jiang Cha took a simple breakfast of white porridge and eggs from the coordinator. Her appetite was not very good, so she ate lightly.

She sat down on a small bench, took out the script from her bag, and flipped through it carefully while nibbling on a bun.

“You’re so early.”

It was a young girl who greeted her.

She naturally moved a small bench and sat beside her, smiling and asking, “You celebrities, are you under a lot of pressure?”

Huh?

Jiang Cha couldn’t help but laugh.

She was naturally outgoing, and when she met a girl who was even more outgoing than her, she felt a natural closeness.

“It’s okay, I think I can handle it.”

The girl immediately laughed, her eyes shining as she looked at her, “You’re so beautiful. You’re much prettier than in the drama.”

“Huh?”

This was the first time Jiang Cha had been praised so directly, and she suddenly lowered her head, her snow-white cheeks flushed, and she was a little embarrassed.

“I really like you.”

The girl took out a pen and smiled, “Can you sign me an autograph?”

Jiang Cha bit her lip and couldn’t help but laugh.

“Where do I sign?”

The girl pulled up her loose white T-shirt and said, “On the clothes, okay?”

She pointed to the position on her waist and said, “Here. Sign ‘Nice to meet you’ by Jiang Cha, okay?”

Jiang Cha’s red lips curved, and she wrote a clear and slender signature with a black pen.

The girl stood up happily, thanked her, and left satisfied.

Jiang Cha always felt that the girl had a natural air of superiority, but it was hard to dislike her.

She didn’t know what her job was on the set.

The scenes in a movie aren’t filmed in the order of the script.

Sometimes, due to various factors like weather or location, they might film the later scenes first, and then when it rains or snows, they would re-film the earlier scenes. The final product is completed through post-production editing.

Jiang Cha’s scene today was in the middle of the script and was filmed indoors.

The basic set was in place, but if Song Baiwei was picky and found something unsatisfactory or not delicate enough, she would communicate with the art director herself and ask her to add something.

The set refers to the place where actors perform, but generally, only part of it is used for filming. Therefore, in this seemingly retro and luxurious manor, there were actually countless sets that were built separately and specifically prepared for film shooting.

There were all kinds of scenes, such as hospitals, bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms, interrogation rooms… It was very mixed, like an artificial model, and the layout changed completely with every turn.

“Jiang Cha?”

Song Baiwei turned around, her clear eyes looking at Jiang Cha, and she smiled lightly.

“Good morning, Director Song.”

Jiang Cha was wearing a clean and simple white shirt. She had fair skin and a naturally pure and innocent temperament. Her long, dark and shiny hair was draped over her shoulders, her red lips curved slightly, and her eyes were smiling, filled with a delicate light.

Her temperament was like the morning sun, clean and beautiful.

Song Baiwei greeted the art director and then turned to walk over: “Just right, let’s go over the script together.”

She took Jiang Cha into the office where the monitor was placed.

On the set of a movie, there is usually a TV camera next to the main camera. The director usually doesn’t stay on the set but judges the movement through the monitor. They can immediately see the situation on the set on the monitor and even replay it.

She turned around and gently closed the door:

“Sit.”

“Are you ready for this scene today?”

Song Baiwei picked up the script from the table and looked down, “Come on, show me first.”

This scene was where Yu Ye was completing a mission on behalf of her sister but was targeted by the enemy, who suspected that there was a traitor inside.

Jiang Cha had memorized her lines very well, but she was still a little stiff.

“No.”

Song Baiwei finished watching and threw her two words.

Jiang Cha lowered her head helplessly, fine sweat beaded on her fair forehead, and her long lashes lifted, her clear eyes looking at her anxiously, a moment of panic, and then she lowered her eyes, seeming as nervous as a taut string, ready to break at any moment.

Song Baiwei smiled softly and comforted her:

“It’s okay, let’s do it again.”

Jiang Cha sat quietly on the sofa against the wall, lowered her head, and her long eyelashes trembled, as if she was still uneasy.

“It’s like this. In this scene, Yu Ye is in a very dangerous situation, and her identity as a spy may be exposed. Think about it, that expression can’t be too calm. On the one hand, she has to disguise herself and try to leave this dangerous manor; on the other hand, she has to maintain the same image as her sister before, so as not to arouse suspicion.”

Jiang Cha nodded gently.

It was a very subtle state.

The facial expression must be realistic and rich, and it can’t be too stiff, otherwise it will be obvious at a glance that she is a fake.

On the other side.

Ji Fan was carrying a white thermos, filled with hot soup.

Jiang Cha got up early, and she heard her parents say that Jiang Cha ran away without even eating breakfast, so Ji Fan brought the soup her mother made.

“Where is Jiang Cha?”

The set was messy, with a bunch of cameras and reflectors, and a bunch of tangled black cables underneath. A few extras dressed in long robes and gowns squatted on the side, eating breakfast, nibbling on buns and drinking porridge.

Seeing Ji Fan coming, a young man immediately raised his head and pointed the way enthusiastically, “The wife is in Director Song’s office.”

He smiled and gestured:

“Go inside and turn left at the second door.”

The word “wife” pleased her very easily.

“Thank you.”

Ji Fan said politely.

Her beautifully shaped red lips pursed, the corners of her lips curving slightly upwards.

Through the office door, Song Baiwei’s voice trembled gently.

“Exchange sincerity with sincerity…”

Song Baiwei’s voice was gentle and patient, as if she was coaxing.

Ji Fan’s cold white fingers tapping on the door paused.