Chapter 286 - 272 running ads
"Adding scenes for Yadan?" Hearing that it was Yadan’s request, Zhao Chun eagerly took the note and started reading: "...During the male and female leads’ scene at the waterfall, add this dialogue. The male lead says to the female lead: ’How are you so fair-skinned, like the waterfall, dazzling enough to make my eyes blur.’"
The female lead replies: ’I was about to say the same about you—you’re always blushing like Guan Yu.’
The male lead responds: ’If I’m Guan Yu, then you must be Flower Fairy, even carrying the scent of flowers with you.’
The female lead laughs uncontrollably: ’Confucius’s mouth is growing sweeter!’
The male lead blushes: ’I’m being serious.’
The female lead stops teasing him, takes a small jar of essence oil out of her bag, and laughs: ’I call you a fool, but you refuse to admit it. I’m using Yan’s Whitening Essence Oil, a product that can give you smooth skin with a natural floral fragrance. Want to be beautiful? Use Yan’s. Want fair skin? Use Yan’s. Yan’s Whitening—it’s truly beautiful, truly white.’
The male lead says: ’Yan’s? That sounds amazing. I’ve heard that a lot of these products abroad contain complex ingredients; we should really look closely.’
The female lead responds: ’This isn’t foreign; it’s from a domestic brand called Yipin Xiangju. But you, you’re an architecture student—how come you’ve started researching skincare products? Do you even understand them?’
Yipin Xiangju is the name Tian Sangsang gave her shop. The movie wouldn’t be released so soon, but by the time it hit theaters, her shop would definitely be open.
"We must keep up with the times; no area can afford to lag behind," the male lead declared earnestly, studying the jar before carefully reading aloud: ’Yan’s Whitening Essence Oil, extracted from the essence of nature, rich in nutrients... features elegant rose flowers, deeply nourishes the skin, intensely brightens...’
After listing the ingredients, he nodded and said: ’Nature offers us infinite treasures. As long as we harvest them responsibly and use them wisely, they can bring endless benefits. This oil truly seems beneficial.’
’Also, the performance of this scene must hit the right balance,’ the note continued. ’Don’t overdo it, or it might come off as frivolous; don’t underplay it, or it’ll feel too pretentious. You’ll have to figure it out yourself. Consider this letter as me speaking in person. Yadan.’
After Zhao Chun finished reading, he remained silent for a long while, his eyes flickering before weakly glancing at Tian Sangsang: ’Was this really Yadan’s request? Feels more like you’re giving yourself extra scenes. And isn’t Yan’s your skincare product? I can’t shake the feeling there’s something a bit... promotional going on here, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.’
Tian Sangsang shrugged: ’Of course. Look at the handwriting—if not Yadan’s dragon-like scribbled "hairpin calligraphy," then whose?’
Only Yadan could turn "hairpin calligraphy" into whirlwind strokes. Zhao Chun rubbed his nose, unwilling to defy Yadan’s note, and earnestly said: ’This dialogue matches the personalities of the lead characters. It’s harmless, and doesn’t conflict with the movie’s theme—it’s a bit of playful chemistry between the leads. Alright, we’ll follow Yadan’s instructions.’
Tian Sangsang smiled joyfully: ’That was a thorough explanation!’
Zhao Chun sighed with a complicated expression: ’You look rather pleased with yourself.’
’Who wouldn’t be? With a friend like Yadan, how could I not be happy? Even in the script, she doesn’t forget to promote my products.’
In the second scene, the female lead is holding a Polaroid camera, admiring the scenery while taking photos.
This time, Tian Sangsang stood on the bridge.
Just as she pressed the shutter, Geng Hua—played by Zhao Chun—ran into her shot.
The moment was too fleeting to undo.
She grinned and waved the photo as she glanced over.
The male lead sat quietly on stream-side rocks, reading a book—a picture of pure tranquility, as if untouched by the world.
The female lead waved toward him, and the two exchanged dialogue, with the male lead expressing ignorance about ruining her photo.
After that scene wrapped up, Geng Hua picked up his book, slung his mud-stained pack, and ran off, his hurried silhouette disappearing.
The serene moment was abruptly interrupted by Zhao Chun’s voice: "Cut!"
Turning around, he asked: "Was that scene okay?"
"Perfect—boss, you nailed it in one take!" Yao Yu gave him a thumbs-up.
Lunchtime brought more good takes, with everyone performing smoothly—except for the occasional amusing "Cut!"
In truth, there were three moments in the movie that made Tian Sangsang feel awkward.
The first was when the female lead visited the male lead’s home only to learn he’d been summoned for questioning. Unable to accept the reality, feeling responsible for his troubles, she resolved to return to her country. Her distressed bolt was paired with comically dramatic music—a touch of era-specific charm intended to convey intense grief. She thought, maybe this was the only way to express the depth of anguish back then.
The second was when the leads reunited after five years, shouting each other’s names and charging toward each other from opposite sides of a river. Their joy was so unbridled that they staged a "Shirts Off! Take Them Off!" scene, throwing shirts skyward before plunging into the water and swimming to each other like students celebrating post-exam freedom.
Their love was so deep that not even rivers, lakes, or seas could keep them apart.
At that moment, Tian Sangsang mused: If the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl’s love is eternal, why couldn’t they just jump into the Milky Way and swim for a year or two? They might eventually meet.
The third awkward scene wasn’t due to background music or over-the-top acting—it was the kiss scene. Tian Sangsang didn’t think much of it—a peck on the cheek was no big deal. Despite being unmarried in her previous life, she’d dated several boyfriends, and they’d kissed and cuddled before. But her traditional upbringing kept her from taking things further.
How could she guarantee that the person she loved was her future husband? How could she be sure her current actions wouldn’t betray her future partner? If it were true love without regrets, well, marriage itself might not involve true love. Her past relationships hadn’t reached the level of profound love—just minor heart flutters and physical infatuations.
Now it was different. Their on-screen chemistry was unproblematic because they were portraying lovers. However, she and Zhao Chun weren’t an actual couple. Being so familiar with him made the sudden intimacy awkward; future interactions might feel strained. Nonetheless, for the movie, she accepted the discomfort. Zhao Chun probably felt the same.
After wrapping today’s scenes, the rest wouldn’t involve Tian Sangsang; her acting duties were done—editing was someone else’s concern.
On the way back, they encountered a foreigner.
A young man with blonde hair and blue eyes spoke clumsy Chinese: "Hello! Ni men hao a. I~want~ask~one~thing~where~is~Imperial~Stele~Pavilion~?"
"Hello, welcome to China." Zhao Chun greeted him warmly, extending his hand: "If you climb up from here, you’ll reach Imperial Stele Pavilion."
"Thank you, thank you!" The man hesitated briefly before shaking hands.
"Are you traveling alone?" Zhao Chun asked casually.
The foreigner paused. "You can call me Charles. Yes, I’m alone. Are you... actors?"