Xi Tang finished smoking and walked in, glanced at her phone, then looked at Zhao Ping Jin who was cooking breakfast in the kitchen.
She didn’t say anything.
In the afternoon, Zhao Ping Jin looked through her photo album on her phone again.
Indeed.
Xi Tang had deleted that photo.
He felt a bit uncomfortable.
At around four o’clock, Ni Kai Lun came to pick her up to record a TV program. Xi Tang changed into a large turtleneck sweater, packed her things, and walked out of the room.
Zhao Ping Jin heard and came out from the study. He appeared to be working, with a pen still between his fingers. He wore a dark gray shirt, and above the stiff shirt collar, a dark red tooth mark on his neck was particularly noticeable. His face looked a bit pale as he pointed to the bank card on the coffee table: “Buy new clothes and jewelry to replace the damaged ones yourself.”
Xi Tang obligingly lowered her head, picked up the gold card from the table, and put it in her bag: “Thank you, Mr. Zhao.”
At that moment, she sensed Zhao Ping Jin behind her, quietly letting out a sigh of relief.
Xi Tang smiled silently.
She knew how important it was to be considerate. People like him kept female celebrities as mistresses simply for comfort and feared most getting entangled with clingy companions.
Ni Kai Lun sat in the driver’s seat.
As soon as she saw her open the car door, she glanced at her: “Fought?”
Xi Tang’s face was expressionless: “What is there to fight about?”
Ni Kai Lun seemed quite interested: “Weren’t you two fine at the wedding banquet last night? The photo posted on Weibo this morning showed such a passionate and ambiguous emotional state—even the most professional PR writers couldn’t craft that.”
Xi Tang responded listlessly: “Boring.”
“The comments are quite lively.”
“I’m not looking.”
Ni Kai Lun spoke while driving: “He’s good at photographing you. All the photos he posted are beautiful. Even the company’s publicity team asked me who the photographer was.”
Xi Tang pouted: “Then pay him for it.”
Ni Kai Lun offered careful advice: “Don’t be upset. With him, aren’t you just after the money? Think of it that way and you’ll feel better.”
Xi Tang hadn’t slept well. In the morning, she looked in the mirror and saw her skin was particularly pale, which made her dark circles appear even heavier. She wore a pair of sunglasses that covered nearly half her face and turned to Ni Kai Lun with a forced smile: “What you said is the same as what he said. You two should date each other.”
Ni Kai Lun let out an exaggerated groan: “Well, thank you very much! Besides good looks, I don’t see what’s so great about that Zhao guy.”
Xi Tang turned away and buried herself in silence.
Ni Kai Lun drove, turning her head to look at her.
Xi Tang suddenly felt a bit emotional: “Mommy, when I was nineteen, I first met you at the company in Beijing. It was Zhao Ping Jin who took me there.”
Ni Kai Lun certainly remembered what she looked like when they first met. Over the years, she had interviewed many newcomers, but none were as unforgettable as Huang Xi Tang had been at first sight. Even as an unpolished jade, she was already so beautiful that one couldn’t look away. Along with the boyfriend behind her, the handsome couple walked into the company together, and everyone thought they were filming a movie. Ni Kai Lun said: “I remember. A big Buddha sat on the sofa in my office, as if I was going to sell you off.”
Xi Tang laughed lightly: “After signing the contract and coming back, Zhao Ping Jin told me that your manager was quite beautiful. I was even jealous of you for half the day.”
Ni Kai Lun couldn’t help but laugh too, memories of the past floating in her mind. She said casually: “Do you know what I thought when I first saw you two?”
In all these years, Ni Kai Lun had never discussed this with her. Xi Tang asked: “What?”
Ni Kai Lun was straightforward: “That you’d break up sooner or later.”
Xi Tang turned her head and glared at her.
Ni Kai Lun’s voice was characteristically calm: “The moment you walked in, I knew you would become famous. When a young girl becomes a female celebrity, her perspective, wealth, and social relationships quickly undergo dramatic changes. If the boyfriend is poor, conflicts arise due to the inequality in status, and they eventually break up. If the boyfriend is a rich young master, it’s even more troublesome. Female celebrities work day and night, have no fixed place to stay, and once they start filming, it’s two or three months away, sometimes unable to make the relationship public. An arrogant, handsome boyfriend with high self-esteem—you were destined to not be able to keep him.”
Xi Tang looked outside the car. Traffic was moving slowly on the elevated bridge. So many years ago, Ni Kai Lun had already seen through their fate.
“If one day I go crazy, you have to hold me back.”
“I can’t.”
“Please.”
Her manager gave her the thousand and first instruction: “Love isn’t reliable. You must focus on work.”
It had snowed all night in Beijing.
In the morning, the whole world was a sheet of white. Outside the ornate buildings, the royal garden of the prince’s mansion was like a palace of jade and snow. The stone path was covered with a thin layer of ice, and a layer of white remained on the car roofs outside the courtyard. The tree branches in the yard were bent by frost and snow. Several actors’ assistants were playing in the yard—when they shook the branches hard, fragments of snow scattered down.
This was the production team of “The Last Princess,” in their final few weeks of filming. The crew had moved to the Chun Qin Prince’s Mansion in the Western City District. At just past four in the afternoon, in the temporary studio set up in the Yin’an Hall, the actors had dispersed for a break, and the prop team was moving equipment around the set.
Xi Tang was going over lines with Yin Nan in the makeup room when assistant Xiao Ning came in and said: “Sister Xi Tang, someone is looking for you outside.”
Xi Tang looked up: “Who?”
Xiao Ning reported the name: “A Miss Ouyang.”
Xi Tang stood up and said softly: “Brother Nan…”
Yin Nan waved at her: “Go ahead, you know the lines better than I do.”
Xi Tang smiled slightly at him. Still wearing her costume, she picked up her skirt and walked out, seeing Ouyang Qing Qing standing at the door with a smile, holding two boxes.
Xi Tang led her toward the crew’s rest area in the west wing: “Qing Qing, come in.”
Qing Qing asked while walking: “Am I disturbing your work?”
Xi Tang smiled and said: “Not at all. We just finished the last scene. Now we’re changing sets. This place is all cultural relics, so the prop team and art department are rearranging the studio, which will take a while.”
The two walked to the rest area. This was a room temporarily set aside by the crew. All furniture and furnishings could not be touched, so the actors could only place a folding chair on the floor. Makeup and props were spread out in large boxes, creating a mess in the room.
Xi Tang found a large pot of red date tea that Xiao Ning had prepared for her, poured a cup for Qing Qing, and said apologetically: “Our working environment is too chaotic.”
Qing Qing warmed her hands on the cup: “It’s fine.”
Then Qing Qing remembered and handed her the dessert boxes she was carrying: “Oh, I almost forgot. This is from Zhou Zhou for you. Today his driver delivered several packages, and when he came to our house, the driver was going to continue to your place. I said I was going over in the afternoon, so I saved him the trip.”
Xi Tang paused, her smile a bit forced: “What is it?”
Qing Qing continued smiling: “Hibiscus cakes. His housekeeper’s ancestors were old bannermen, and the desserts she makes are more authentic than any old-branded shop in Beijing. She makes some now and then. There were several kinds, but he specifically picked this one for you, probably knowing you like it.”
Xi Tang was slightly moved inside, but her face remained calm and undisturbed. She just smiled and said: “Thank you.”
Qing Qing responded frankly: “Thank him.”
Xi Tang’s smile became a bit stiff. She paused for a few seconds, then suggested: “Let’s take a walk in the garden.”
Qing Qing smiled and said: “That sounds good. Among all the royal gardens in Beijing, this one is the most beautiful.”
The two walked slowly along the corridor by the lake. The southern sightseeing area was surrounded by rocks and water. The winter trees had lost all their leaves, leaving only bare branches with bits of snow hanging on them.
Xi Tang made small talk: “What brings you here?”
Qing Qing answered with a smile: “I came with a colleague. We just finished work, so I thought I’d stop by to see you.”
Qing Qing had always been quite concerned about her: “I thought you were still in Huairou. I didn’t expect you’d already returned to the city. How come you haven’t been out lately?”
Since that argument after returning from Wu Zhen Zhen’s wedding banquet, for nearly half a month, Zhao Ping Jin had not contacted her again.
Xi Tang’s expression returned to a smile: “I’ve been quite busy here. This venue is extremely expensive, so since we’ve come in, work has hardly stopped.”
Qing Qing looked up at the pavilion on the peak at the southwest corner, not doubting her words: “Yes, we’re going to hold an exhibition at the Soong Ching Ling Residence for the New Year.”
Xi Tang calculated that getting approval to use this prince’s mansion for TV drama filming had been extremely difficult. They could only film for three days. The lead actors rested only two hours a day, and the production team filmed in shifts without interruption. Including preparation time, they would finish just in time in late December, when the mansion would be used for something else.
Qing Qing enthusiastically said: “If you want to come and see it then, I’ll save a ticket for you.”
Xi Tang thought for a moment and answered diplomatically: “I’m not sure if I’ll still be in Beijing by then.”
Qing Qing looked back at her and pulled her to sit down on a bench by the corridor.
Qing Qing held her hand and didn’t let go: “Xi Tang, I’ve always considered you a friend. Now that you’re back in Beijing, honestly, I’m quite happy.”
Xi Tang’s lips maintained a gentle smile: “Qing Qing, I’m very grateful for your kindness.”
Qing Qing spoke candidly: “Even if Zhou Zhou doesn’t bring you out, we can still meet.”
Xi Tang looked at her, her gaze gentle, but she shook her head slightly: “Qing Qing, you know, without Zhao Ping Jin, we wouldn’t have any chance to meet again.”
Qing Qing looked into her eyes, where clarity and coolness were frightening.
Qing Qing joked, half-serious: “How could that be? Xi Tang, now that you’ve become a big star, you won’t ignore me, will you?”
Xi Tang also smiled: “I won’t.”
Qing Qing immediately said: “That’s good. I’ll invite you out when you’re free.”
Xi Tang was still smiling, but again shook her head slightly. Her voice was soft and gentle, yet carried a stream’s clarity: “Qing Qing, our worlds are quite different.”
Qing Qing leaned on the railing, her pure round face unchanged. She had married right after graduation, and after all these years, her appearance seemed to remain as it was in her early twenties. Xi Tang couldn’t help but envy her a little. Qing Qing continued chatting: “I’m the only girl in my family. When I was little, there were only boys like wild monkeys in the entire military compound. I never had many girlfriends. When you left Beijing, you didn’t even tell me. I even asked your classmates.”
Xi Tang felt a bit apologetic: “Yes, things were so hectic at that time, I didn’t get a chance to tell you.”
Qing Qing tentatively asked: “Zhou Zhou had already gone abroad at that time. Why didn’t you stay in Beijing and continue filming?”
Xi Tang said softly: “My mother was sick, so I had to go back.”
Qing Qing asked concernedly: “Is Auntie’s health fine now?”
Xi Tang smiled politely at her: “She’s fine, very well.”
Ouyang Qing Qing was naturally a perceptive person, and Xi Tang’s unwillingness to discuss further was already very obvious.
Qing Qing changed the subject with a smile: “I haven’t seen you come for dinner recently. Zhou Zhou always comes alone, rushing in and out, barely saying two words.”
At the mention of him, Xi Tang didn’t know what to say, so she gave a vague answer: “He’s probably quite busy.”
Qing Qing nodded: “I think his company is currently competing for a global energy project. The risk seems quite high—the initial investment capital is too large. Even Lang Qi said that Zhou Zi was a bit aggressive this time. Last weekend, Lu Xiao Jiang’s fiancée returned to China and was brought out to meet everyone formally. He didn’t arrive until nearly ten, quickly wolfed down half a bowl of rice, and left.”
Unable to comment on Zhao Ping Jin’s affairs, Xi Tang could only smile: “How is Lu Xiao Jiang’s fiancée?”
“She’s quite nice.”
“Xi Tang—” Qing Qing finally asked: “Do you still have feelings for Zhou Zhou?”
Xi Tang was stunned for a second. She still had a smile on her lips but remained silent for a good while, before saying softly: “Between him and me, the choice was never mine.”
Qing Qing’s mother was a schoolmate of Mrs. Zhou, and they often had tea together at the Peninsula, so she naturally knew that the Zhao family was preparing for a wedding.
Their affairs were indeed not something she could question. Qing Qing finally stopped asking: “I saw your production team’s news. You’re playing the role of the eldest princess?”
Xi Tang seemed much more relaxed discussing this: “Yes.”
Qing Qing sighed a bit: “I’ve read the original novel. The eldest princess has quite a tragic ending.”
Xi Tang whispered to her: “The screenwriter rewrote it. The ending is good now.”
Qing Qing glanced at her and smiled: “That’s wonderful. Now I can rest easy.”