Return of the Goddess

As Rolling Good Fortunes was slated to premiere during the Chinese New Year period, the entire crew was busy for quite some time. At times, Ning Xi had to work till the wee hours in the morning in order to complete the night scenes.

A celebrity’s biological clock was seldom fixed. Ning Xi took two sips of bitter coffee, and pushed aside her sleepiness as she raised her head for the make-up artist to touch up her make-up.

The next scene was about the female lead falling into the water. The male lead, who had aquaphobia, had jumped in without much thought, sunk all the way to the depths of the water after struggling, and was eventually rescued by the female lead instead.

In order to film this scene, the production crew had specially rented a luxurious venue, with a grand house, a field, as well as a swimming pool, in order to recreate the scene of a lavish dinner party.

It was a very chilly autumn night. Ning Xi donned her evening gown, and layered it with a thick shawl. She rubbed her forehead, as she felt quite dizzy. However, in order to prepare for this scene, the crew had already put in a significant amount of effort, so if something happened to her now, then the production team’s efforts to put together the set would be in vain.

She got Xiao Yang to bring her two flu tablets. After eating it, she saw Xiao Yang’s look of concern and pinched the latter’s cheek. “Don’t worry, I’m fine.”

“Teacher Ning, Director Lin is asking you to go over.” A crew member walked over, and when he saw the medication and water in Ning Xi’s hands, he asked in concern, “Teacher Ning, are you sick?”

Both the scenes tonight were critical scenes. If Teacher Ning fell sick, would they be able to film these scenes?

“Just a mild cold.” Ning Xi smiled at the crew member, then stood up and walked towards Director Lin.

Watching her reaction, the crew member didn’t dare to ask further, and only followed behind her.

“Ning Xi, come here. I want to speak to Gao Li and you about this scene.” Director Lin waved Ning Xi over. “This scene is where the two leads’ feelings for each other are elevated. In order to achieve that effect, we’ll try not to use body doubles. When you enter the water later, you have to try your best to overcome your fear of water, and try to bring that breathtaking yet comedic effect to life. Can you both do that?”

Ning Xi eyed the clear pool of water, and nodded.

Gao Li was originally a B-lister who wasn't very popular, and to be able to act as the male lead in Lin Shujie’s movie was already a blessing. Not to mention that this was simply jumping into a pool; even if he had to jump into a rubbish dump, he would also gladly do so!

“Don’t be scared. The lifeguards are by the poolside, there won’t be any accidents.” Lin Shujie saw that both leads were cooperative, so he nodded with satisfaction. “Make your preparations, we’ll start filming shortly.”

“The extras and supporting cast, get ready.”

“Second female lead, get into position. The others, take note of your positions and the people around you. Don’t slip up!” Lin Shujie sat behind the monitors, then raised his hand, “Ready, action!”

The filming conditions of present were already much better. In the past, filming was carried out with only one or two cameras. Sometimes, in order to achieve the desired effect, actors had to refilm the same scenes at different angles. Nowadays, numerous cameras would roll together in order to capture all the angles. However, to do so, the requirements on the actors’ positions and movements became stricter.

“Splash!” The female lead dropped into the pool; the jet-black hair was spread apart like kelp, and her skirt flowed elegantly in the water like that of a vibrant, blooming flower.

This scene depicted the male lead’s point of view of the female lead falling into the water, which was automatically visualized more beautifully.

Ning Xi felt that her ears and nose were filled with water, and she almost started struggling.

The moment when she fell into the water, she felt that the entire world became silent. Through the water, she even saw the clear and somewhat distorted figure of the moon.

Lin Shujie had never thought that Ning Xi would acclimatize herself to the scene so quickly. Even when veteran superstars had just fallen into the water, they would unconsciously struggle.

This was not about professionalism, but about one’s natural instincts.

A person with such self-control really exceeded the limits of that of a normal person. When he saw the beautiful scene even before post-production, he heaved a sigh of relief.

At this time, the lifeguard had already brought Ning Xi up, allowing her to breathe.

In the next scene, Ning Xi had to frantically struggle in a sorry state; this was the point of view of the supporting actress.

Such a contrasting visual would bring out laughter, as well as the nature of the characters.

“Cough.” Ning Xi held her nose, took a deep breath, and started on the next scene.

It was so much easier to act in a frantic and pathetic state in the water, so the scene was completed very quickly. When she came out of the water, she shuddered uncontrollably for a few times.

The production crew immediately brought over a hot bowl of soup to dispel the chill. She only barely managed to take two sips when nausea overcame her.

Worried that Ning Xi might not be able to stand the cold for a prolonged period, the filming continued. Gao Li’s acting was outstanding; after collaborating with Ning Xi for close to a month, there were some sparks of chemistry, so the next few scenes were filmed smoothly.

By the time filming was completed, Ning Xi’s face was frozen and pale. Even after changing into a new set of clothes and drying her hair, she didn’t look any better.

The set assistant was leading the crew to clear out the set when he saw a man in a suit blocking him. He looked up; wasn’t this the boss of Chang Enterprises, Chang Shi Gui?

Was he here … to bring Ning Xi home to rest?

“Mr Chang, Teacher Ning is removing her makeup in the resting area. You can look for her there. The set assistant smiled and pointed Chang Shi Gui in a general direction.

“Thanks.” Chang Shi Gui thanked him, then went towards the direction pointed out.

The set assistant looked at his towering back view and sighed. Chang Shi Gui really treated Ning Xi well; Ning Xi had worked many late nights, but he was always here personally to pick her up.

For a president whose income exceeded five to six figures a minute, he could simply instruct others to pick Ning Xi up. Yet, he was willing to go through this trouble personally at night, what else could this be, but true love?

Chang Shi Gui had just reached the entrance of the resting area when he heard some shouts from within.

“Teacher Ning! Are you alright?!”

“Bring a blanket over.”

“Teacher Ning has fainted. Somebody, help!”

“Bam!”

The slam from the door shocked everyone. When they turned, they saw Chang Shi Gui striding over expressionlessly.

“Mr Chang …” Xiao Yang saw how dark Chang Shi Gui’s expression was, and suddenly shrunk back in fear.

Chang Shi Gui didn't look at her. He touched Ning Xi’s forehead; it was alarmingly hot. “She’s having a fever.”

Everyone in the room shivered uncontrollably. Chang Shi Gui didn't say much, but why did they feel so afraid?

He bent down and carried Ning Xi, then told the two bodyguards who had followed him in, “Get the car, we’re going to the hospital now.”

Xiao Yang was stunned for a moment, then rushed to pick up Ning Xi’s handbag and followed them out.

By the time Lin Shujie heard the news that Ning Xi had fainted, Chang Shi Gui had already taken her away.

“Call Ning Xi’s manager and assistant. Tomorrow, the leads will accompany me to visit her.” Lin Shujie recalled that Ning Xi didn’t look too well in the midst of filming. At that time, he thought that it was just because she was too cold, so he didn’t notice or realize that she had taken ill.

A while later, Lin Shujie received a call from Zhang Qingyun.

Zhang Qingyun apologized to him, saying that Ning Xi had caused everyone worry, and that she had been sent to the hospital. After running checks, the doctor said it was a common cold and fever, and she had fainted because she didn’t have sufficient rest. He then assured them not to worry.

After hanging up the call, Lin Shujie heaved a huge sigh of relief. The most important person in this movie was the female lead Ning Xi; if anything untoward happened to her, then the production couldn't continue.

Of course, the most important thing was that Zhang Qingyun knew how to handle the issue. He didn’t dwell on the matter, or insinuate that this was the crew’s responsibility.

Sometimes, celebrities would drag production crews down when they got into trouble. At times like these, how could the production crew defend themselves?

===============

The hospital walkway was very long; Ning Xi couldn’t see the end of it. But when she raised her head, she saw the words, “Emergency”. When the light extinguished, someone was pushed out.

“My condolences, on the loss of your loved one.”

Ning Xi stared at the man lying on the bed in a daze. There were still remnants of blood on the man’s face, and the spectacles that he always wore disappeared.

“Daddy …”

She desperately wanted to get close to the man, but the nurse had covered his face in a white cloth.

“Daddy!”

She leapt forward, but fell by the stairs. Many people gathered around her and started pointing at her.

“How pitiful; was the person who jumped down the building just now her mother?”

“This young lady is still underage …”

Ning Xi looked around blankly, and when the door before her opened, her mother was lying outside in a pool of blood. A policeman came over, and placed her into a body bag.

“Daddy, mommy …”

Ning Xi struggled to get to her feet, but her wrist was suddenly held by a warm hand.

She suddenly opened her eyes, and all she saw was a white wall, and a drip bottle that was hanging on an IV holder.

“Don’t move, there’s still a needle on your hand.”

Ning Xi didn’t move; she just turned her head and saw Chang Shi Gui’s face.

“Shi Gui?” She blinked, and after a moment, she recalled that she was still at the set previously. “Why am I in the hospital?”

Chang Shi Gui pressed the call button by the bed, then reached out to touch her forehead. After confirming that her temperature had stabilised, then he bent down to kiss the corner of her forehead and said, “You fainted yesterday.”

Ning Xi wanted to sit up, but she realized that she was aching all over.

“What’s wrong?” Chang Shi Gui noticed her movement, so he tried to help her sit up, and propped up a pillow to allow her to rest more comfortably.

Ning Xi pointed sheepishly towards the direction of the restroom; she actually needed to use the toilet.

Chang Shi Gui chuckled at Ning Xi’s awkward look. He helped her up from the bed, took down the drip bottle, then led her to the toilet. After hanging the drip bottle at the toilet, he said, “I’ll wait for you outside.”

You might be outside, but it’s still awkward for me.

Ning Xi bit her lip, but when she saw Chang Shi Gui’s worried expression, she eventually complied without a word.

Just let the awkwardness slide; she was at least grateful that she was in a VIP ward with a private toilet. It would have been even worse if it were a shared cubicle.

When she was done and flushed the toilet, she heard Chang Shi Gui knocking from outside.

“Xixi, may I enter?”

“Yes.” Ning Xi coughed dryly. She just needed to … slowly get used to this.

Even though her fever had subsided, she was still giddy and weak all over. Chang Shi Gui helped her back to the bed and said, “The doctor has instructed that you can’t eat anything too oily or heavy now. I’ll get you some porridge later?”

Ning Xi felt that she didn’t have much of an appetite, but she still nodded her head.

A few minutes later, someone brought their food in. It was a luxurious family bento.

“You are having this too?” Ning Xi noticed that Chang Shi Gui had scooped out two bowls of porridge, and was surprised.

“Your appetite isn’t good, so if someone eats with you, you’ll be able to eat a little more.” Chang Shi Gui placed a spoon into her hand. “I know that you probably don’t have an appetite now, but at least eat some food. This way, you’ll be able to recover faster.”

Ning Xi grabbed the spoon, and scooped a mouthful of tasteless porridge into her mouth, smiling wordlessly.

As sweet as words might be, it couldn’t beat the most practical and simple physical company.

After they were done, another person came in to bring their dishes away. The nurse also came in to change the drip bottle for her. Chang Shi Gui noticed that she was bored and couldn’t sleep, so he handed her a phone. “You can play with it for a while, but not for too long.”

This is Chang Shi Gui’s personal phone. The lock screen wallpaper was Ning Xi’s photo as Fairy Qingyan. When she unlocked it, the wallpaper was a picture of her sitting on a sofa reading her script, although it wasn’t sure when Chang Shi Gui had secretly taken such a photo.

She launched Weibo and logged into Chang Shi Gui’s account. She turned to Chang Shi Gui and saw that he was still buried in his work documents.

“Shi Gui.” She curled her finger towards him. Chang Shi Gui put down his documents and walked towards her. “You’re not used to this phone?”

Ning Xi smiled, then pulled his tie and brought their heads together.

“Click.”

Once the photo was taken, Ning Xi grinned widely. “Today’s a good day, I’m going to take over your Weibo account.”

Chang Shi Gui laughed involuntarily, then ruffled her hair. “Sure.”

“Aren’t you afraid that I’ll spout nonsense on your Weibo?” Ning Xi looked at him from the corner of her eye.

“My entire being is already yours, what’s a Weibo account compared to that?” Chang Shi Gui couldn’t help himself as he placed a kiss on her lips. “You can post whatever you want.”

Ning Xi clutched her chest, feeling her heart beating uncontrollably fast.

When this normally serious-looking man said something sweet, it was really out of this world.

Chang Shi Gui: My Xixi is the most, most, most, most beautiful! [Picture attached]

Netizen 1: Yes, yes, yes. Your Xixi is the most beautiful. Everything the boss says is correct.

Netizen 5: Wooooo! I’ll raise a toast to this display of affection!

………

Netizen 1356: As I’m enjoying this huge slice of PDA, I’m also declaring that this Weibo picture was definitely not taken by Boss Chang. Look at the picture. One of Boss Chang’s hands is on Ning Xi’s waist, while the other is by the bedside. Where did he get a third hand to take a photo?

Netizen 1367: What third hand, that’s gross.

Netizen 1566: Goddess Ning, is it really good for you to be so narcissistic and also share your PDA? Just because you are using Boss Chang’s phone doesn’t mean that we don’t know you were the one who posted this.

Netizen 3294: Is the Goddess Ning in hospital? The bedsheets and pillows seem to be for medical use. Is Boss Chang taking care of you?

Netizen 3739: Instead of telling his girlfriend to simply drink more water when she’s sick, he’s chosen to look after her personally. What a good man! Goddess Ning, may you recover soon.

Netizen 4321: The President must be standing at the side right now, watching Goddess Ning play with his phone with a gentle expression. When I imagine this scene, I can feel myself immediately gushing.

Ning Xi scrolled through the comments, then laughed as she posted another post.

Chang Shi Gui: I’m fine, please don’t worry, my dears. The weather is becoming cold, everyone please watch your health and don’t fall sick. Love you all! Smooocchhh! (づ￣3￣)づ

Netizen: Looking at the Goddess posting such a moe expression on Boss Chang’s Weibo gives me the jitters.

Not to mention, this sourness from just watching the happiness dripping all over the post!

Single people are human too; you can choose to not love, but can you not hurt others?!