Our Tender Harmony

Time flew by on set.

Out of every ten days, Feng Wei would spend seven at the set with Chu Changfeng shooting scenes for Jiang Jinlong. Jiang Jinlong had the most scenes after all. For auxiliary scenes at other companies—mostly scenes for Zeng Xiaojing, Li Feiling’s character—he left most of them to his assistant director who led the second set.

Today, though, he headed straight towards the second set, coffee in hand. As the elevator brought him upward, he took a long sip of his coffee. A sigh left his mouth as his shoulders slumped.

“Sleeping enough, Director?” Xia Ruyun broke the silence in the elevator, sipping her own cup of coffee. “Your dark circles are… quite large.”

“I’ll live, the pay’s good enough for this project to last a long time, and it’s my job to bring the best product possible as repayment,” Feng Wei raised his eyes from the floor, meeting Xia Ruyun’s gaze. “Your eyebags are even more noticeable, though.”

I’d tell her to rest more but it’s what Chu Changfeng wants. For some reason.

He’s paying the bills so I might as well keep quiet.

“Yeah, it won’t affect my work though,” Xia Ruyun reassured as she downed the rest of her coffee.

The doors opened, and Feng Wei strode out, leaving only one word. “Good.”

The doors slid closed, and the elevator rose once more, carrying Xia Ruyun up one more floor. As for Feng Wei, the conversation faded from his mind as he began calling everyone to order to begin shooting for the day.

---

The second clash between Jiang Jinlong and Zeng Xiaojing happened during negotiations for the buyout of a restaurant chain. The result was clear.

A clean defeat for Zeng Xiaojing!

Financial news outlets were shocked.

[A wounded dragon is still stronger than a phoenix!]

[Jiang Jinlong soars, ultimate comeback! His company lives to see another day!]

[Zeng Xiaojing, incapable?]

While Jiang Jinlong’s company partied, celebrating the huge buyout, the atmosphere in Zeng Xiaojing’s company froze over. Executives shrank to their desks, like villagers afraid of execution. In Zeng Xiaojing’s office, the two masterminds sat in silence.

“Our information was faulty,” Zeng Xiaojing stared at the ceiling. A bandage wrapped around her wrist as she moved her pale lips. “It was as if Jiang Jinlong knew, and used it to lure us into a trap.”

Gong Huayi faced her boss with her head bowed. “I swear I didn’t change anything. Do you think it was faulty information?”

“It was reasonable information, maybe… outdated?” Zeng Xiaojing turned, staring out the window as her bright eyes dimmed.

“I can go talk to Du Ruolin again,” Gong Huayi sat upright. She hit her palm with a fist. “With more up to date information, we’ll easily outmaneuver Jiang Jinlong. One more deal that goes south and his company will enter a death spiral. They’re nothing but an empty shell right now with barely any funds.”

“Mn, that’s not wrong,” Zeng Xiaojing sighed. She uncrossed her legs, then crossed them the opposite way. “I have more hope for the various governmental investigations going on into Jiang Jinlong’s company. If they keep buying out other entities though, the government may just let his crimes slide under the rug. If he doesn’t manage though… that might be the final nail in the coffin.”

“Oh! Leader is wise, I can never match your genius,” Gong Huayi brightened, pulling out her phone. “Let me text Du Ruolin right now to schedule someth-”

“There’s no need,” Zeng Xiaojing cut her off. Cracking her neck, Zeng Xiaojing stood up. She grabbed her blazer off the back of the chair before coughing into her fist. With a few red specks now on her fist, she paused. After wiping it with a tissue, she strode towards the door. “I may be weakened after that fight with Jiang Jinlong, but I’ll go talk to her myself.”

“You… are you sure?” Gong Huayi stood up from her chair, following Zeng Xiaojing.

“Trust me,” Zeng Xiaojing’s mouth curled into a faint smile as she opened the door. “Everything will be fine.”

---

Later, as the scene broadcasted.

[Radar Technician: Sniff sniff my senses are tingling! Doomed ship incoming!]

[Love Me Heaven Love Me Hell: Chatter above me, are you a f*cking dog?]

[Radar Technician: A cultured dog, one who has studied the great arts of love]

[Scribe Of The Yellow Emperor: Presumptuous! A dog lacks eyes to truly understand love. You are the type to fall in love with a flower, not its roots. So, when autumn comes, you stand there lost! Pawing at the dirt hoping for a bone!]

[Eye For An Eye: Person above me writing some beautiful roasts… anyway. Isn’t the person playing Gong Huayi a newcomer? Any info guys?]

[Not Salmon: She seems to be a 22-year-old fresh graduate from A City’s acting school! She’s so pretty!! Older sisterrrrr type bark bark! Bark!]

[I Don’t Know Where to Go: That’s my wife you’re barking at! Back off!]

[It Should’ve Been ME, Not Him: Damn! How did someone beat me to the Civil Affairs Bureau!]

[My Favorite Yogurt Flavor Is Sunscreen: For a fresh actress, fans are nothing more than fresh grass with no roots! I will be the tree to start her fangroup! Gather under me!]

[Twerk and Werk Babi: She acts surprisingly well alongside Li Feiling, not overshadowed a lot. High potential newcomer?]

[The Marginal Margin: People found some of her old literary projects, they’re not bad at all]

[SleepingForShrooms: literally drooling for an actual good actress instead of one who lives off their looks, I live only to have three dimensional characters]

---

“I thought this was an office drama?” Wu Linjie leaned over, whispering to Ye Shuhua. After arriving half an hour prior, he stood off to the side with Ye Shuhua to watch Li Feiling. “How come Li Feiling looks like she just got out of battle? She looks worse than Yang Guiying from our last project… and that was a retelling of country unification.”

“It’s a fantastical office drama,” Ye Shuhua answered while replying to messages on her phone. “Sorry, an advertiser wants to switch the date of a shoot with Feiling, so I need to coordinate this.”

“No worries at all,” Wu Linjie laughed. He leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms as he watched Feng Wei run the scene again from the top. A few minutes through the scene though, he pulled his attention away from the scene as a makeup artist jogged up to him.

“Hi! Wu Linjie, right? I’m a really big fan, I loved your work in My Campus Flower,” The makeup artist scratched the back of her head. “I know it’s been a while, but do you mind signing this picture from that show…”

“My Campus Flower?” Wu Linjie raised his eyebrows. He took the picture and signed it with a flourish. After signing, his gaze lingered on the picture for a second before he handed the picture back. “My debut drama. You’ve really been watching for a long time, then.”

“Yes! It really helped me through school! It was such a sweet romance,” The woman gushed with a beaming smile. “I wish I found love like that back then, eughhhhh.”

“It was sweet, for sure,” Wu Linjie let out a quiet laugh, making sure it didn’t disturb the nearby set. After waving off the fan though, he leaned back against the wall with a sigh. “I was so young back then… how time flies.”

“You’re still young,” Ye Shuhua turned off her phone and slid it into her pocket. “Aren’t you only twenty-two this year?”

“I wish, I’m twenty-three already,” Wu Linjie slid his hands into his pockets. “This old man is already nearing death.”

“Oh, shut it,” Ye Shuhua rolled her eyes. “You’re even younger than Feiling, and she’s practically still a baby. At least to me, you all are youngsters.”

“I guess…”