Chapter 55: “Coincidental Encounter” at the Airport

November 5, 2021kaychandra

Chapter 55: “Coincidental Encounter” at the Airport

The opening ceremony of ‘Cultivation’ was a grand affair, probably because the subject matter was related to gods and demons and so on. The incense table was especially elaborate, with roasted whole suckling pig, roasted whole sheep, and whole chicken and duck, as well as beautifully plated imported fruits. They were all tied with red silk and placed on the incense table like money was no object.

The media was stunned by the crew’s tycoon behavior before the start of the shooting. Many productions with insufficient funds for their opening ceremonies could only set up a few plates of fruit. One or two chickens and ducks would be very good. There really weren’t many like ‘Cultivation’, which created a heavenly atmosphere for the opening ceremony.

As the general director of the film, Director Jiao was the first to offer incense, followed by the producers, scriptwriters, and other creators.

The journalists were used to this order, but even if these behind-the-scenes people were big names, they didn’t have much news value. What they were interested in was the row of artists behind the creators.

It was no wonder they were so excited. The artists who came to the opening ceremony were all powerful and famous. The rising stars such as Mi Yue and Chen Wen were nothing. The popular fresh meat Zhao Yikun and Chen Yi were nothing either. Even Gongxi Qiao, who had recently become a national sensation, wasn’t much compared to the several film emperors and film queens.

Both Dai Ni and Ma Qian had won film queen awards. Dai Ni had won two film queens by now. In addition, although Ma Qian only got the Thousand Flowers Award this year and was over 40, she had power and reputation, and many people in the circle had to respectfully call her “big sister.”

In addition to the two film queens, the crew also had a film emperor. The actor, Ji Yuming, was also a strong actor and was recognized inside and outside the circle as the most popular older-generation male god among female viewers.

These artists could boost the box office of any movie, but ‘Cultivation’ brought all these people together. It was clear how attractive the movie that the Xi Group invested in was to these artists.

The camera shutters sounded non-stop, and the cameras of the major media gave each artist a close-up shot in turn. They were secretly feeling emotional. They had heard that many artists were scrambling to get a role in ‘Cultivation’. Now, everyone standing there had status, ability and a strong background.

“Hey, what role are you playing this time?” After the incense ceremony, Zhao Yikun awkwardly walked up to Gongxi Qiao with a somewhat unnatural expression. He was obviously not used to taking the initiative to greet people.

“When the shooting starts, you’ll know.” Gongxi Qiao put his index finger against his lips in a shushing motion. “There are reporters coming over to interview.”

“Tch.” Zhao Yikun curled his lips. He inclined his head and saw that there really were a few reporters coming over, so he just had to squeeze a smile on his face.

As a popular male artist, Gongxi Qiao was surrounded by reporters in no time. However, Director Jiao had already issued a gag order not allowing artists to disclose the content of the script before the shooting started. Gongxi Qiao equivocated[1] with the reporters for a long time, but they couldn’t get any useful information from him.

The reporters were a little discouraged. Qiao Shao was getting better and better at equivocating these days.

Gongxi Qiao’s side was lively, but Director Jiao’s side was surrounded by reporters in an airtight crowd.

“Director Jiao, there are so many excellent actors in the cast. May I ask who the lead actor is?”

“You will know when you enter the cinema.”

When the reporters heard this answer, they gnashed their teeth with hatred. Although everyone in the circle knew that Director Jiao always enjoyed being mysterious, they were still undeterred and wanted to pry open Director Jiao’s mouth in the hope of grabbing some exclusive news. “May I ask, are there any artists of the younger generation that you are particularly optimistic about?”

“Yes, ah.” Director Jiao nodded and answered under the glittering eyes of the reporters, “the young artists in our crew. If I didn’t think highly of them, I wouldn’t have chosen them. Don’t you think that’s the truth?”

The reporters choked at his self-congratulating and boasting behavior and were a bit speechless. But who were they? They were entertainment reporters who never gave up. They went wherever there was news. The tougher the opponent, the braver they were.

“Gongxi Qiao made a big splash at the International Art Exchange this time. Will you give him extra scenes because of that?”

“The script was written a long time ago and can’t be changed lightly. However, I personally appreciate Gongxi Qiao’s talent. He is very suitable for the role I’ve assigned to him.”

When the reporters heard this, they were in high spirits. Director Jiao finally took the initiative to mention the role.

“As for what role Gongxi Qiao is playing……” Director Jiao said with a smile, “you will know when you walk into the cinema. I believe that you won’t be disappointed then.”

Hehe, if they had to wait until the movie was released to find out, why bother with so many words?

But, although the reporters didn’t get too much useful news, the list of participating artists alone was enough for them to write a lot of eye-catching press releases. They could write several articles about Gongxi Qiao alone, not to mention the many other popular artists present.

It was no wonder that the reporters paid special attention to Gongxi Qiao. In terms of status in the circle, Gongxi Qiao was indeed not as good as several film emperors and film queens, but his social status was nevertheless outstanding. Looking at the entire entertainment industry, who else could participate in an international art exchange conference representing the country? Even those parents who were opposed to their children chasing after stars were full of praise when they mentioned Gongxi Qiao. What other artists could compare with that?

So, Gongxi Qiao’s ranking wasn’t great, but he was popular. He had a lot of buzz, and he had national support. That was enough for the media to focus more attention on him.

In fact, not only were the journalists very polite to Gongxi Qiao, the entire crew of ‘Cultivation’ was. Who didn’t know that the investment boss of this drama was Xi Qing. What kind of relationship did Xi Qing and Gongxi Qiao have?

He and the big boss were iron buddies. These so-called film emperors and film queens weren’t worth mentioning compared to Master Xi.

After the opening ceremony, Director Jiao began to clear the scene and asked all the journalists to leave. After there were no more people other than the crew, he said, “Everyone has signed a confidentiality agreement before entering the crew. All of you are big names in the industry. You all have professional ethics and I trust you, so I’m just mentioning it in passing. It’s getting late now, so let’s all go back to rest and meet at the airport tomorrow at 8 a.m. I hope no one will use being late as an excuse to give up their roles.”

Gongxi Qiao saw Director Jiao smiling as he said the warning words, and a smile appeared on his own face. Directors in the circle had different styles. This Director Jiao probably belonged to the smiling tiger[2] faction.

After Director Jiao finished his speech, the artists left in their nanny cars in twos and threes. There was no telling if Director Jiao’s words had an effect, but everyone looked very serious.

Because he had to leave the capital for a month or two, Gongxi Qiao went back to his parents’ place for dinner before driving back to his villa.

The assistant had already prepared everything for the trip. Gongxi Qiao only packed some personal clothes by himself.

The next morning, he had just changed his clothes when his assistant arrived to pick him up.

Gongxi Qiao had three assistants, but because of the flight arrangements, only one assistant could take the same flight with him. The other two had to wait for the next flight.

Perhaps Chen Ke wanted him to get acquainted with the new assistant as soon as possible, so this time it was the new assistant Jiang Long on the same flight with him.

In Gongxi Qiao’s opinion, Jiang Long was taciturn, tall and straightforward, suitable to be an assistant. In fact, the first time he saw Jiang Long, he understood why he didn’t want to be a male nurse.

Which hospital would be willing to use such a tall male nurse? If patients saw a nurse like this they might immediately transfer to another hospital the next day, and a reporter would jump out on the third day saying that a certain hospital was threatening patients with violence.

Nowadays, doctor-patient relationships weren’t particularly harmonious. This kind of muscle-bound man wasn’t suitable to be a nurse.

Jiang Long put the already packed suitcase into the trunk. He walked back to the living room and said, “Qiao Shao, if I may ask, is there anything else to prepare?”

“No,” Gongxi Qiao shook his head while giving the other person a serious look. After sitting in the car, he teased, “Jiang Long, with your physical quality and character, you shouldn’t have gone to medical school. You should have gone to a military academy.”

Jiang Long’s body stiffened for a moment. Then he said with a stern face, “I accidentally missed the military academy’s application time.”

Gongxi Qiao’s face was regretful. “That’s quite a pity.”

“Put your seatbelt on.” Chen Ke, who was the driver, sighed helplessly. It was really a pity that Jiang Long had a knife-like face with his taciturn and shy personality.

Gongxi Qiao arrived at the airport before the entire crew arrived. He went up and greeted everyone before finding a seat.

“Xiao Qiao, why are you here?”

When he heard the familiar voice, Gongxi Qiao looked up in surprise and saw Xi Qing standing next to the sofa. He glanced around and saw that there were only a few passengers in this VIP lounge, except for their crew.

He moved to the side and patted the empty seat beside him. “I’m going to a filming location with the crew today. Are you going on a business trip?”

Xi Qing nodded. “I’m going to a branch for an inspection. How long will you be on location this time?”

“If things go well, I’ll be back in a month or so.” Gongxi Qiao took the drink brought by the waiter, whispered a thank you, and continued, “I heard that this movie has more than one location. It’s still up to the crew to make arrangements.”

Although most of the crew members present didn’t know who the person sitting with Gongxi Qiao was, they saw that he was dressed in a suit and had bodyguards with him, so they knew that this was no ordinary person. They heard that Gongxi Qiao had friendships within the circle of young masters of the Imperial Capital’s prestigious families, so no one came forward to bother them blindly.

“Boss.” Producer Zhou just walked out from the restroom and saw the big boss sitting beside Gongxi Qiao. He busily tugged at his clothes and went forward to greet him, “Big boss, you’re here too?”

“Manager Zhou.” Xi Qing nodded slightly towards Producer Zhou, then said, “Xiao Qiao is young, so I’m asking you to take care of him in the crew.”

“Please don’t worry, our whole team loves Qiao Shao. We will definitely take good care of him,” Producer Zhou smilingly answered. After standing in the same place for a while, seeing that the big boss seemed to have nothing more to say to him, he sagely found a seat in the corner and didn’t bother the big boss as he bid farewell to his good friend.

The artists who didn’t know who Xi Qing was quickly guessed who he was when they saw Producer Zhou acting like this.

Because he was sent from the Xi Group’s headquarters, the entire crew was very flattering towards him. Even Director Jiao had to treat him with respect. The only person who could make this producer call him “Big Boss” was the president of the Xi Group.

After Xi Qing’s identity became clear, seeing the way Gongxi Qiao and Xi Qing were talking, the people here had a new perspective on Gongxi Qiao’s identity. As insiders, they had long been accustomed to facts being exaggerated, so they only 70% believed that Gongxi Qiao was good friends with Xi Qing. However, now they 100% believed it.

“Call me if you need anything,” Xi Qing looked at the time and knew Gongxi Qiao was getting ready to board the plane, so despite his reluctance, he could only prepare to leave, “no matter what time it is.”

Gongxi Qiao smiled and nodded.

Xi Qing sighed and looked at Jiang Long who was sitting with a straight back on the other side, then stood up and said, “Take good care of yourself. I’ll be going first.”

He took a few steps, then walked back uneasily. “When you encounter something you can’t handle, be sure to tell me in time.”

“I will, don’t worry.” Gongxi Qiao patted his shoulder. “I’m a big man. Do you think I can’t take care of myself? Don’t worry.”

Xi Qing had to turn around and walk outside. After a few steps, he turned around to look at Gongxi Qiao again. The corners of his lips twitched, but he didn’t speak.

“I have my personal phone with me. You can also call me when you’re free.” Seeing that he still couldn’t bear it, Gongxi Qiao smilingly made a call-me gesture.

Xi Qing nodded expressionlessly and finally left.

After Xi Qing left, the artists who were previously very restrained, finally let go of their inhibitions and even talked a lot more with ease.

Director Jiao coughed dryly and said, “Everyone has arrived. It’s about time. Let’s get ready to board the plane.” Looking at President Xi just now, his relationship with Gongxi Qiao was really extraordinary.

After boarding the plane, Gongxi Qiao’s seat was next to Ji Yuming’s. Facing this senior in the entertainment industry, Gongxi Qiao was very respectful. Ji Yuming also had the intention to make friends with Gongxi Qiao, so after a few words of conversation, both of them intentionally became closer.

“Xiao Qiao, you haven’t been to the location over there yet, right?” Although Ji Yuming was already over forty years old, his temperament was very good, his speech was humorous, and he didn’t make anyone feel that he was arrogant. “You should prepare your mind. The first time I went over there to shoot scenes for two months, I lost a full ten pounds when I came back. I craved meat so much I drooled when I saw it.”

“So scary?” Gongxi Qiao widened his eyes. “Brother Ming, I never thought you would drool over meat.”

Ji Yuming was a well-known powerhouse actor in the circle. His performances as emperors, princes, or high-ranking officials were always powerful. His role as the emperor of the Tianjin Dynasty was rated as a classic and was recognized as the best “Tianjin Dynasty Emperor”. He wasn’t only a good actor, his private life was also very clean. He loved his wife and daughters and had a strong sense of family responsibility. He was basically the model of a good man.

It was said that the entertainment industry was a big dye vat. People who went in clean would come out stained. However, there were some clean artists, and Ji Yuming was representative of this type of artist.

Amused by Gongxi Qiao’s expression, Ji Yuming said, “I’m telling you this to prepare your mind, not to scare you. It’s summer, the time with the most mosquitoes and insects. Remember to spray more insect repellent every day when filming. Otherwise, you’ll be disfigured before the filming is finished. When your face is put on the big screen, it’ll be horrible.”

“Old Ji, if you say more, our Xiao Qiao will be scared away by you.” Director Jiao, who was sitting in front of them, stuck his head out from his seat. He didn’t feel ashamed of his eavesdropping behavior, and laughed instead. “Anyway, you’re master and disciple in the film. What kind of a master are you?”

“Giving the disciple a precautionary vaccination first is what the master should do.” Ji Yuming patted Gongxi Qiao’s shoulder. “Xiao Qiao, don’t you think that’s the truth?”

Gongxi Qiao covered his face. “As long as my face isn’t disfigured. I have to rely on my face to eat.”

Director Jiao and Ji Yuming were amused by his behavior.

When the others saw Gongxi Qiao laughing and talking with Director Jiao and Ji Yuming, they were a little envious. However, they understood in their hearts that Gongxi Qiao’s status wasn’t comparable to theirs. It was normal for the director to value him.

The artists sitting near the three of them were secretly shocked. Film Emperor Ji and Gongxi Qiao were playing master and disciple?

Did that mean that …… The lead actor was Gongxi Qiao?

Chen Yi took the orange juice from the flight attendant’s hand, thanked him and put it in front of Dai Ni. He lowered his voice and said, “Did you hear that? Qiao Shao might be the lead actor of the movie.”

“I already guessed it.” Dai Ni picked up the orange juice and took a sip, whispering in Chen Yi’s ear, “President Xi and Xiao Qiao are very close. I heard that two days ago, at the birthday banquet of the young master of the Xue family, Xiao Qiao was also present. He and the young masters of the Xue family and Xu family address each other as brothers.”

Chen Yi was smart enough to hear the deeper meaning in Dai Ni’s words. Gongxi Qiao actually broke into the noble upper-class family circle?

“Xiao Qiao’s a good person. You can try to make friends with him.” Dai Ni blinked. “I believe you will agree with me after you get acquainted with him.”

“Is he better than me?” Chen Yi glared at Dai Ni sourly.

“My own man is unique and doesn’t participate in comparisons.” Dai Ni’s pretty fingers hooked Chen Yi’s index finger, “How can you be jealous of this?”

Chen Yi gripped her entire hand with his other hand and nodded in satisfaction. “That’s more like it.” After saying this, the misgivings he had in his heart towards Gongxi Qiao also gradually disappeared. Since Ni-Ni was willing to take the initiative to talk to him about this, it meant that she had no other thoughts about Gongxi Qiao. He was relieved.

No man would have good feelings about his potential love rival, and he was the same.

T/N

Equivocated: The actual phrase was “played Tai Chi” but I’m not 100% sure what that means in this context so this translation is my best guess at the meaning.Smiling tiger: Somebody who is kind on the outside but ruthless on the inside.