Chapter 17: Congratulations, You

At this point, Fang Hong didn't care about money—he was deliberately cultivating Yu Xian's directing skills within limited resources, pushing him to grow as fast as possible.

With no capital to let him practice, he could only teach him hand-in-hand, while personally guiding him.

Since Liu Tianxian wouldn't arrive until nine, and time was needed for makeup and costume changes, Fang Hong gave the crew time to adjust and didn't rush filming—by lunchtime, they'd only shot a few shots.

The meal boxes cost ten yuan each; with nearly a hundred people in the crew including extras, one meal consumed over a thousand yuan, three meals wiping out three thousand.

Just the food alone cost as much as an ordinary person's monthly salary.

The meals had three dishes: two vegetarian, one meat. The vegetarian ones were shredded potato and tomato scrambled eggs; the meat was shredded pork with green peppers—just enough for them to lick off the meat bits.

No big chunks of meat—strength doesn't allow it!

If you wanted soup, it was seaweed soup or egg drop soup.

Chen Zhixi meticulously accounted for every expense—no kickbacks ever occurred.

With this budget, where would the money come from for kickbacks? The food was poor, but still far better than the Beijing Film Academy cafeteria; the crew were mostly simple folks, not picky eaters.

"I watched your acting today—you were in good form."

Fang Hong walked over to Liu Tianxian with his rice bowl, glancing at the seafood delicacies in her dish.

Fuck, her living conditions are amazing.

This girl didn't eat with the rest of the crew—she cooked her own meals, paying for them herself.

The crew can't afford this!

"Really?"

Liu Tianxian glanced at him, eating daintily—never taking a whole bite, always dividing each piece into several.

She chewed and said: "You used to say my lines sounded weak and lifeless."

How long ago was that? Still remember? Fang Hong frowned: "Did I say that?"

Liu Tianxian gave him a sidelong look—you're pretending! She'd once thought everything he said was true; now she knew she could believe only half, and the other half needed question marks.

"Oh, I've been too busy lately—forgot a lot of things. People must improve, right? Congratulations—you've improved." Fang Hong said, reaching for the large shrimp in her bowl.

"Snap!"

Liu Tianxian swatted his chopsticks away with her own—she knew he had an agenda.

No reason for kindness—either a thief or a seducer.

"You're so ladylike, eat so little, and you can't finish it anyway—why not share it with others? Consider it a good deed." Fang Hong said.

"That makes sense."

Liu Tianxian nodded slightly, then called out to someone else: "Hey, you—what's your name again? Yu… something? Come here."

She'd heard Fang Hong call him during filming, but didn't know his full name.

Yu Xian had been squatting quietly eating, glancing over occasionally; hearing the goddess call, he jumped up and hurried over. "Sorry, I didn't know your full name," Liu Tianxian said politely.

"No problem, I'm Yu Xian," Yu Xian said, nervous as the goddess spoke to him.

He always felt this way around pretty girls.

"Here—take this shrimp, this crab."

Liu Tianxian dumped all the seafood into Yu Xian's bowl.

It overflowed—so much it couldn't fit in his box.

Yu Xian was stunned, babbling: "Enough, enough! You gave me all of it—what will you eat?"

"It's fine, I'm full," Liu Tianxian said.

Hearing this, Yu Xian was deeply moved—his admiration for Liu Tianxian soared.

Fang Hong watched, thinking: Pathetic kid—she gave you this much and you're already bought.

I once took you to a brothel! No—wait, a foot massage! Liu Tianxian was just playing around; she didn't hold any grudge against Fang Hong—she just found it amusing.

If she had a grudge, she wouldn't have given these delicacies to Fang Hong's best friend—she'd have given them to someone else. Giving them to his best friend meant he could sneak some too.

So Fang Hong understood this—he didn't show annoyance, just joined Yu Xian to share the meal.

The students nearby were envious—they wanted to eat too.

But the portion was limited; giving it to one and not another would be unfair, so only the two of them could enjoy it.

Yu Xian ate with grease on his lips, grabbing the giant shrimp: "Hey, you think Liu Tianxian likes me?"

"I'm curious—what made you develop this delusion?" Fang Hong asked, surprised.

"Look—she never gives good food to anyone, not even you, the head of the crew—only me. Doesn't that mean she likes me?" Yu Xian analyzed.

Fang Hong feigned realization: "Hmm, maybe there's some logic… but I advise you not to fantasize."

"Huh? Why?" Yu Xian was confused.

"The gap between you two is too wide—she's just being polite." What Fang Hong didn't say: not only was there a huge status gap, their personalities clashed too.

Women like Liu Tianxian? Most men can't handle them—you need to actually connect with her, mentally aligned.

Besides, if Liu Tianxian truly liked someone, she wouldn't treat them with such politeness.

Simple: politeness means distance!

Yu Xian said nothing—his thoughts were already drifting.

Fang Hong didn't care—he was chasing Liu Tianxian? Maybe a few years ago it'd have worked; now it was nearly impossible. For all her laughter with others, she was crystal-clear-headed—hard to fall for anyone on impulse.

Without some skill, tactics, and personal charisma, it was hopeless.

This was just a small interlude—the filming continued.

Fang Hong slouched around the classroom, bullying classmates or sleeping in class, perfectly portraying the bad student.

He didn't look like he was acting—he looked exactly like that kind of person.

Liu Tianxian, the good student, loved meddling—often poking him with her pen from behind; naturally, the two clashed.

But one thing changed their dynamic.

One day, Liu Tianxian forgot to bring her textbook to class and was scolded by the teacher; Fang Hong secretly passed her the book, sparing her from punishment, and their relationship changed from then on.

The next morning, seeing that the film crew started work at seven, Liu Tianxian didn't dare to make an exception—she arrived at seven too.

She didn't stay in the hotel arranged by the crew; as always, she couldn't afford it.

People of that status need a five-star hotel suite with security—daily expenses add up to at least ten thousand yuan; who could pay for that?

So she just went home to stay—after all, it was right in Beijing!

Liu Tianxian knew Fang Hong was struggling, so she never once raised any demands regarding her pay.

This girl was quite considerate, and Fang Hong noticed it all.

"Liu… Miss Liu, this is breakfast I bought for you." Yu Xian had psyching himself up for a long time, gathering his courage.

Liu Tianxian stared blankly at him and waved her hand to refuse: "No thanks, I already ate breakfast."

"I already bought it—just eat a little more." Yu Xian pushed it forward, his expression nervous.

He had mustered up courage for a long time, fantasizing for a long time, before finally taking this step—he hadn't slept at all last night.

"Really no thanks, thank you!"

Liu Tianxian smiled politely, then stepped past him and walked away—she realized she could no longer give anyone the wrong impression! This left Yu Xian deeply disappointed; he had thought she might accept, but she refused so bluntly.

From then on, Liu Tianxian ate in the crew's minivan and no longer appeared in public.

She feared someone might misunderstand—or like Yu Xian, form the wrong idea.

Liu Tianxian was quite sensitive, but it wasn't her fault; after so many experiences, in this circle, even an unintentional gesture could offend someone.

(End of Chapter)