The filming of “Palace Love in a Fallen City” was progressing smoothly. As the New Year approached, everyone was working frantically to meet deadlines. In the final week, Xi Tang was transferred to Group B for outdoor scenes at Mountain One. In the howling winter wind, her hair would be covered with a layer of dust by the time she returned from work each day.
Every day was spent filming outdoor scenes, supplementary shots, and scenes with extras. She never returned to the studio during this period.
Meanwhile, the studio itself had been rather tumultuous.
Zhao Ping Jin visited several times, sitting inside the photography studio. His face—one that could captivate anyone—combined with his aloof and cold demeanor naturally created an electrifying presence. Historical palace dramas had many female actors, and every day someone would “accidentally” trip over electrical cords, knock over ladders, or topple light reflectors. Finally, a young actress took the opportunity to approach him and strike up a conversation, only to be coldly rebuffed. Afterward, Wu Zhen Zhen finished her scene and, with a darkened face, called the company executives. The next day, the scriptwriters killed off that palace maid’s character. It was said that before leaving, the actress created a huge scene, making the entire crew howl and wail in a dramatic spectacle.
With such a jade-faced golden Buddha sitting there, the company had to send someone to entertain him.
Director Wang arrived.
Zhao Ping Jin sat calmly on the sofa in the break room, discussing A-share market trends with Director Wang.
Director Wang chatted with him for a long time with a fawning smile, his bald head dripping with sweat. The conversation meandered without direction before finally circling back to the topic of female celebrities.
Zhao Ping Jin suddenly asked with apparent casualness, “That Miss Huang I met that night, isn’t she in your crew? Why haven’t I seen her?”
Upon hearing this, Director Wang laughed heartily, not taking it seriously: “You mean Xi Tang? She doesn’t have scenes to film, so she’s working as a crew assistant at the outdoor location. She’s quite diligent and hardworking.”
Zhao Ping Jin continued casually: “Does she have a price?”
Director Wang was startled: “What?”
Zhao Ping Jin’s thin, pale face revealed neither sincerity nor insincerity, only a faint hint of mockery: “Didn’t you say that in this circle, there’s no female celebrity money can’t buy? I think she’s not bad.”
Director Wang responded with bewilderment: “You must be joking, Mr. Zhao. With Zhen Zhen already there, how could you be interested in Huang Xi Tang? Huang Xi Tang looks decent, but beautiful girls are a dime a dozen in this industry. Not to mention, her figure is far inferior to Wu Zhen Zhen’s. Plus, she’s not that young anymore, skinny as a bean sprout. How can she compare to the vibrant eighteen or nineteen-year-old girls?”
Zhao Ping Jin frowned and asked: “How old is she?”
Director Wang waved dismissively: “How would I remember? She’s been with the company for two or three years, probably twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven. In this industry, if you haven’t landed major roles by that age, you’re already considered old.”
Zhao Ping Jin neither agreed nor disagreed, only saying lightly: “Age doesn’t matter.”
Director Wang was secretly anxious. Huang Xi Tang wasn’t someone he could proudly present. In the company, she was destined for grunt work. She could manage to put on a soft, coquettish facade when necessary, but her temperament was truly difficult. She could easily offend people and implicate the company. Old Wang was somewhat troubled: “I’m just afraid we can’t serve you properly and might embarrass the company. This girl is quite rigid. Last time, Yin Nan—our company’s previously most popular male actor—at some party or other, everyone had a few drinks, and Yin Nan, such a handsome guy, kissed her. She was like wood, completely unresponsive, her face as stiff as stone, tsk tsk.”
Zhao Ping Jin’s expression wasn’t pleasant.
Director Wang mysteriously said: “Let me tell you something, this is just internal company information. She doesn’t date.”
Zhao Ping Jin asked impassively: “What do you mean?”
Director Wang said: “I heard from some stylists that she’s a couple with that Hong Kong woman.”
The Hong Kong woman was Ni Kai Lun.
Zhao Ping Jin stood up, feeling a bit of a headache: “I have a meeting this afternoon. I’ll be going now.”
Director Wang stood up with him, seeing that he no longer pursued the topic, and sighed with relief: “Should I have Zhen Zhen see you out?”
Zhao Ping Jin had already picked up his coat and was walking out: “No need.”
On the day of the wrap, the entire crew was jubilant. Everyone was preparing for a dinner gathering that evening. Xi Tang was in the theater organizing and counting props to return to the props company while hearing a few actresses and makeup artists chatting as they changed clothes.
Several young actresses playing palace maids, who had always been on good terms with her, whispered in her ear: “Xi Tang, I heard Wu Zhen Zhen throw cups in the makeup room.”
Xi Tang smiled and asked: “What happened?”
Little Ning pouted mysteriously: “They broke up.”
Xi Tang responded with a smile: “Who?”
“Wu Zhen Zhen and that rich, handsome boyfriend.”
The young girls were already gleefully gossiping.
“How could that be? Didn’t he keep visiting the set?”
“Yes, it’s strange. He came a few more times later.”
“But each time he visited, he didn’t seem very happy. He barely looked at Wu Zhen Zhen, appearing completely disinterested.”
“His accent sounded like he’s from Beijing.”
“So handsome, but also so cool.”
Just then, Sister Hui, who played the empress’s head maid, walked in. Xi Tang even performed opposite the head maid in this drama; the final cup of poison that killed her character was drunk under the head maid’s watch. Xi Tang looked up with a smile: “Sister Hui.”
Sister Hui smiled back at her, then joined the discussion, speaking with experience: “Judging by his bearing and manners, he comes from an extraordinary family background.”
“Hehe, sister, how can you tell?”
“Those young men from high-class families are completely different from the nouveau riche who play with female celebrities using their small fortunes—Wu Zhen Zhen has much better taste than you girls.”
“Really?”
“How did they break up?”
“How else? Tired of the old, fond of the new.”
“He got bored and wanted a change of flavor.”
“How many female celebrities in this circle have their dreams come true?”
“Let me give you girls some advice: if you like acting, then focus on your craft honestly. Otherwise, switch careers after a few years. Don’t always think about taking shortcuts. Those men are deeply hidden, with girls rotating through their lives like lanterns. Sister has seen plenty—few have good endings.”
Xi Tang listened for a while; those words felt like whips lashing against her. She quietly finished filling out the form and silently left.
The young girls chirped: “Tsk, sister, don’t be such a killjoy.”
Sister Hui watched the figure in white clothes and blue pants at the doorway, then suddenly smiled leisurely and changed the subject: “Let’s not talk about men. Speaking of being deeply hidden, we have one in our crew too, with very good acting skills. If given the chance, she could become famous.”
“Hehe, is it Zhen Zhen?”
“Didn’t you hear what sister said? A minor actress!”
“Wu Zhen Zhen’s acting is just average, everyone can see that. But there’s one person even I can’t see through clearly.”
“Who? Who?”
“Sister, is it me?”
“Don’t be silly, what does this have to do with you? Didn’t your mother’s fortune-telling say you’d never be famous?”
“Get lost!”
“Alright, young ladies, in this profession, beneath all the glamour are knives. What’s so good about it anyway?”
At the evening gathering, Wu Zhen Zhen, who had wrapped up her scenes and left the group two days early, also returned. Beneath her removed coat was a black tight-fitting sweater that accentuated her shapely figure. A sparkling gemstone necklace adorned her chest. With exquisite makeup and a beaming smile, she clung to the producer’s arm, still proud as a princess.
Those few young girls could only sit at the end of the table, watching silently.
Finally, everyone embraced in farewell. Wu Zhen Zhen specially came around, saw Xi Tang, and still smiled, though her smile held a hint of strangeness.
By six in the afternoon, Group B completed filming, and Xi Tang took the night train back to the company.
The next day, she went with Ni Kai Lun to see clothes for the awards ceremony at a sponsor’s place.
Ni Kai Lun was the supervisor of the company’s agency department. She had caught the best era, as the entire mainland entertainment industry had developed vigorously like a gushing well over the past decade. Following this path, she had accumulated connections and methods that made her a big sister figure in the entire circle. She had several stars of various prominence under her management, even the company’s most senior Lin Xin Hui was managed by her.
Ni Kai Lun had been Xi Tang’s agent before, but that was a long time ago.
Back then, Ni Kai Lun had just entered this profession, unable to speak Mandarin fluently. With an unknown source of vision and courage, she had traveled from Hong Kong across half of China to head north. At that time, Xi Tang was still in her senior year of university. Ni Kai Lun took her to film her first movie, an independent film by an emerging young director called “Orange Youth,” which participated in European exhibitions and went to Cannes, France.
That was Xi Tang’s first time abroad. After getting tired of Western food, she and Ni Kai Lun hid in the hotel eating instant noodles from cups.
She missed Zhao Ping Jin, calculated the time difference precisely, and called to wake him up, unable to help crying.
Zhao Ping Jin laughed at her from the other end. Having just woken up, his deep, pleasant voice carried a hint of lazy nasal tone: “Be good, don’t cry, get on a plane and come back soon.”
Later, during her first-ever international trip to the beautifully picturesque French Riviera in southern France, she didn’t play for a single day. As soon as work ended, she packed her luggage and headed straight to the airport to return to China.
All because she missed someone too much.
That was a long time ago.
She followed behind Ni Kai Lun, who strode confidently with her designer bag, looking more like an assistant. The store manager, accompanied by a sales lady, came out smiling to greet them: “Miss Ni, here to see the gowns?”
There were only a few brands of formal dresses in the city. The company prioritized Lin Xin Hui’s selection, followed by Wu Zhen Zhen, with the rest depending on popularity and screen time, waiting for Ni Kai Lun’s arrangement.
Ni Kai Lun nodded: “Has Miss Lin tried them on?”
The store employee led them into a spacious fitting room, pointing to a row of hanging gowns: “Miss Lin chose that one.”
Ni Kai Lun walked over: “Hmm, let me see the costume photos…”
Xi Tang sat on the sofa waiting, inadvertently looking up to see a pearl gray tulle dress deep on the wall, with a row of small round pearls studded along the straight neckline, exceptionally beautiful.
She had good taste.
Ni Kai Lun had walked over at some point and said to her: “Try it on.”
The sales assistant said quietly: “This piece has already been reserved by Miss Zhang.”
Zhang Zhi Yin was the female lead from a rival company; media often compared her to Wu Zhen Zhen.
“Didn’t she already choose the new Valent style? Is she hoarding two dresses?” Ni Kai Lun said indignantly.
The sales assistant smiled apologetically: “Miss Zhang’s company said it’s better to be prepared…”
Ni Kai Lun advocated for her: “She can at least try it on, right?”
Xi Tang said softly: “No need.”
Later, Ni Kai Lun chose a pure white printed gown for Xi Tang. When paying, Xi Tang took out her credit card, but Ni Kai Lun held her hand: “Let me handle it.”
Xi Tang refused: “I can’t allow that.”
Ni Kai Lun lowered her voice: “You only have a few episodes this month, not even enough to cover the cost of this dress.”
Xi Tang blushed, knowing she spoke the truth. Big-name celebrities had manufacturer sponsorships, but for minor stars like Xi Tang who rarely appeared on screen, when they had a rare opportunity to attend a ceremony, they had to pay out of pocket to look good. And such expensive clothes typically only got worn once.
Taking advantage of her moment of hesitation, Ni Kai Lun had already signed the bill.
Ni Kai Lun linked arms with her. She understood Xi Tang best—they had fought, they had argued, but with all the company’s tactics and tricks, Xi Tang wouldn’t cooperate, and Ni Kai Lun had no way to make her, so she knew better than to try persuading her: “The next drama might bring a turning point.”
She was referring to the little nun role in that upcoming drama. Xi Tang had already started memorizing the script; the character was quite likable, and she understood its potential, so she put in extra effort in advance.
The two went to look at jewelry next, where a gloved attendant brought out a diamond necklace.
Ni Kai Lun hung it around Xi Tang’s neck, then exclaimed: “Clothes make the person!”
Xi Tang looked in the mirror. Her entire being glowed brilliantly, even her face seemed illuminated. No wonder women needed jewelry—on the red carpet, female celebrities competed fiercely for attention; without these treasures, how could they secure even a small piece of media coverage?
Ni Kai Lun looked again and again, strongly persuading her: “Have dinner with Zheng You Tong, stir up a couple of rumors, get better resources, then take on two more dramas. I guarantee by next year, you’ll be wearing these big stones.”
Xi Tang pursed her lips and took off the necklace herself.
The store attendant raised her eyebrows, then said: “Miss Ni, several pieces from your favorite brand just arrived by air from Paris.”
Ni Kai Lun immediately showed interest: “I’ll try them on.”
As the two turned around, they saw a figure.