Shen Qi had no idea why He Yining was there.
She still didn't ask.
But deep down, she was genuinely happy. He Yining was willing to set Cui Yuelan aside and come here to be with her, which showed he still cared.
Still, Shen Qi couldn't suppress her curiosity and asked He Yining, "Why didn't Miss Cui come with you?"
A hint of amusement flickered in He Yining's phoenix eyes as he smiled meaningfully. "Grandma really took a liking to her. She said she's getting old and hasn't been resting well lately, so she needs someone to copy some scriptures to burn before the Buddha. Lanlan volunteered to do it."
Copying scriptures...
Shen Qi was completely stunned.
Why did this scenario feel so familiar?
Oh, right!
It was a common trope in palace dramas!
A senior consort, displeased with a junior one, would order her to copy scriptures!
She never thought it would still apply today!
But could Cui Yuelan really have the patience to sit there copying scriptures she didn't understand at all?
After all, Buddhist scriptures were notoriously obscure and hard to grasp!
Otherwise, why would monks travel around preaching and explaining them?
Still, looking at it from this angle, the old lady of the He family was indeed on her side.
A warmth welled up in Shen Qi's heart.
Even though she had been as nervous as a quail when she first met the old lady.
She never expected the old lady to be so considerate of her.
At least she still had some meaning in the He family.
Seeing the softness in Shen Qi's eyes, He Yining's heart softened too.
He reached out and took Shen Qi's hand, speaking earnestly and firmly, "Xiao Qi, in my heart, no one can compare to you."
Shen Qi said nothing.
Just no one can compare?
But not the most important, right?
Still, she should be content, shouldn't she?
One shouldn't be too greedy.
After a day of rest, the crew started working intensely the next day.
Initially, the production had scraped together a few million in investment and was stretched thin.
So they had only hired small-time actors who had just graduated or had been drifting in the entertainment industry for years without making a name for themselves.
Later, Feng Manlun made a massive investment and became the big boss, improving everyone's situation.
Now the whole crew felt like nouveau riche, flush with cash.
But the actors were still the same!
The money came too fast, and there was no time to pick better talent.
The director wasn't unwilling to choose bigger names, but Shen Qi's words had put a stop to it.
Shen Qi had said, "When we didn't have this much investment, we were still planning to shoot it, weren't we? The amount of money isn't the main thing; what matters is that everyone has fun in this family."
Because of Shen Qi's words, He Yining, Fan Sheng, and Fan Li immediately decided: no changing the actors! They'd shoot with these people!
After all, they had money, so it didn't matter if the film flopped!
When the lead actors heard the news, they were so grateful to Shen Qi they practically worshipped her!
But not recasting roles had its downsides.
Namely, a shortage of extras!
No problem, if extras were lacking, the crew would fill in!
Even the chef had been roped in as an extra, and no one in the crew was idle.
But then, a few very important extras became hard to find.
These extras were supposed to play the grudges of the previous generation, and the lead actors couldn't exactly do it themselves, right?
Their ages didn't fit either!
So the director's gaze landed on the bosses.
What could he do? The bosses were all ridiculously good-looking!
They were several notches above the lead actors!
It would be a shame not to have them cameo!
But no one dared to ask them!
In the end, the director couldn't resist and went straight to Shen Qi to pitch the idea.
"Second Young Mistress, can I discuss something with you?" the director said, looking at Shen Qi with a fawning expression.
"Didn't we agree you'd just call me Shen Qi?" Shen Qi said, exasperated. "What is it? Are you asking me to handle someone else's styling? Minor characters have simple looks; the makeup artists can handle it."
"No, no, it's something else I want to talk about." The director grinned shamelessly. "We want to add some scenes."
"Then discuss that with the screenwriter. Why are you telling me?" Shen Qi looked at him, puzzled.
"Ahem, the screenwriter asked me to talk to you about it," the director said, throwing his screenwriter under the bus. "He wants to film the grudges of the previous generation, but none of the current actors can pull off that ethereal, commanding presence."
"And?" Shen Qi looked at him, confused. "You want me to help you pick actors?"
"No, no, that's too much trouble! Didn't we agree that even though the crew has money, we should still save where we can? How about you and the others cameo?" The director finally mustered the courage to say it.
Shen Qi's mouth fell open.
What?
Us, cameo?
Stop joking!
I don't mind, but those big shots? No way they'd agree!
Just as Shen Qi was about to refuse, He Yining's voice came from behind her. "Oh? Us, cameo? What roles?"
Was He Yining actually going to agree?
Was he that free?
"Well, it's like this. The screenwriter had a sudden inspiration and wants to add scenes about the lead actors' past-life grudges in the Heavenly Court. There's a couple and..." the director said cautiously.
As soon as He Yining heard "couple," he made a decision. "Fine! We can cameo!"
What?
Was I hearing things?
He Yining actually said he'd cameo!
My ears must be blind!
No, my eyes must be deaf!
No, I must be both blind and deaf!
Seeing Shen Qi's horrified expression, a ripple of laughter danced in He Yining's phoenix eyes.
It had been so long since he'd seen Xiao Qi so lively.
He felt addicted, unable to stop.
"I'll play the couple with Xiao Qi. Arrange the others however you like!" He Yining said casually.
When the director heard He Yining's words, he left in tears!
Sob sob sob... Even though he was the director, he was so moved!
The bosses were putting in so much effort!
Not only had they invested a ton of money, but they were also acting!
It was just too touching!
When word got out that He Yining had dragged everyone else into it, Fan Sheng and Fan Li could only shrug helplessly.
Feng Manlun said nothing.
So Shen Qi got a new task: designing the bosses' looks!
Since this part was a prequel and everyone was an immortal, the key was to emphasize an ethereal vibe!
Shen Qi holed up in her room and spent two days sketching, finally coming up with five brand-new looks for everyone.
When each person was fully styled according to Shen Qi's designs...
The entire crew was stunned again.
Hey, bosses. With you all looking this good, how are we supposed to compete?
Was this show about the lead actors or the prequel?
Especially He Yining, with his noble, celestial aura—he was about to steal the male lead's thunder!
Please give the male lead a break!
Shen Qi was the last to come out.
When she emerged in a long, bright red gown, the scene froze once more.
This was the look for the female lead's dark transformation in her past life.
Her red lips were luscious and tempting, her winged eyeliner exuding a seductive charm.
The bright red pendant on her forehead swayed with every step.
Shen Qi had always been delicately featured, a classic beauty.
In this getup, she instantly outshone the female lead too.
The lead actors were already resigned to their fate!
Why were the bosses all so stunning?
Sob sob sob... Once this show aired, the audience would probably only remember the cameo bosses!
Seeing their looks, the director's eyes gleamed like a wolf's, and he insisted on taking promotional stills of them!
Think about it—whose production had bosses doing promotional stills?
Yours didn't, right?
Ours did!
Your bosses weren't presentable, were they?
Ours were!
Your bosses weren't good-looking, were they?
Ours were!
Go for it, bosses!
When the screenwriter saw the five of them styled, he excitedly waved his keyboard. "I'm adding more scenes for you! More scenes!"
Shen Qi flicked her flowing sleeves and watched the photographer snapping away like he was on adrenaline. She couldn't help but ask the director gloomily, "Is this really okay? We're just cameoing; a few shots and we're done. There's no need for promotional stills!"
"We have to! Absolutely must! President He, could you please stand next to Shen Qi? Let me take a promotional still of you two, okay?" The director was so excited he could barely speak.
Oh man, he suddenly wanted to direct a whole show starring the bosses!
He Yining had never been so agreeable. He happily stood beside Shen Qi.
Shen Qi suddenly felt strange!
It hit her that she had never taken a proper photo with He Yining in her life.
Not even a wedding photo, let alone a normal, formal one together.
The photo on their marriage certificate was a composite.
It seemed He Yining had realized the same thing. As he wrapped his arms around Shen Qi's waist from behind, following the photographer's directions, he whispered in her ear, "Xiao Qi, don't you think this feels like we're taking wedding photos?"
Shen Qi's ears turned bright red.
Her makeup was already seductive, and the blush added a burst of dazzling charm.
The photographer loved this state and clicked away furiously.
"Stop messing around," Shen Qi could only reply.
The photographer suddenly called out, "President He, can you pick her up?"
Of course!
Absolutely!
He Yining immediately scooped Shen Qi up in his arms, and the assistant aimed the wind machine at them, blowing hard.
In an instant, their white robes and red skirt intertwined, fluttering gracefully.
Even though it was just a photo shoot, they both felt a fleeting illusion of flying through the sky.
As the photographer snapped away like crazy, he couldn't help but tear up with emotion. "This is the best promotional still I've ever taken, bar none! I'm going to win awards! I'm going to be the world's top photographer!"
Getting carried away, the photographer pushed further. "Can you get a little more intimate?"
The moment he said it, He Yining suddenly leaned down and gently kissed the pendant on Shen Qi's forehead.
Shen Qi's eyes widened in surprise as she looked at him.
Their expressions and angles were absolutely perfect!
The photographer didn't miss a beat, his shutter roaring as he captured the moment!
The onlookers' hearts were drowning in a river of sorrow!