Chapter 033: The Costume

"Dream of Brocade" had been filming for two or three months now. All the cast members who were supposed to be here had arrived long ago. With a cast of over a hundred, it was a mixed bag of people, but on the surface, there had never been any open conflicts—a feat that could be attributed entirely to the director, Qian Fu.

Song Wan returned to the set, but since she wasn't needed for the first scene, she headed to the resting area.

Ling Yang was lying down on the other side. When he saw her approaching, he greeted her and then promptly closed his eyes.

Hua Yu, witnessing this, couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Even if she hadn't known before, two or three months were enough for her to see the distant reserve between Ling Yang and Song Wan.

Song Wan, however, didn't mind at all. She simply sat down on the lounge chair next to Hua Yu. Hua Yu immediately reached for a lunch box on the small table beside her. "I figured you wouldn’t have time to eat, so I saved this for you."

She had thought she’d have to go hungry for the afternoon shoot, so when Song Wan saw the lunch box, she was genuinely delighted. "Thank you so much, Yu-jie."

"What's there to thank me for?" Hua Yu gave her a playful glare. When Song Wan opened the box and no steam rose up, she frowned. "I've kept it in my bag all this time, but it's gone cold. Maybe you shouldn't eat it—why not buy something outside or order delivery?"

Song Wan pulled out her chopsticks and waved her hand. "No need. The food’s still slightly warm."

The lunches for the crew were all ordered from a small restaurant within the film city. The dishes were simple but tasty. Song Wan had always liked them, especially the vegetarian meals from this place. Most of the vegetables were stir-fried in rapeseed oil, making them flavorful and convenient to eat, and being only warm didn’t affect the taste much.

Clearly, Hua Yu knew her tastes, for she had brought her a vegetarian lunch box.

Picking up a large piece of vegetable with her chopsticks, Song Wan popped it into her mouth and chewed, eyes narrowing with happiness. "Besides, I was busy just now and haven’t even felt hungry. I must’ve gone past the point of hunger," she said, blinking.

"By the way, Yu-jie, I remember the first scene is yours. Why aren’t you filming?"

Song Wan's eating habits had been honed over years of filming—elegant and quick. But after her rebirth, the body she now inhabited had an especially small mouth. Every bite puffed her cheeks out like a hamster, making her look particularly cute and giving others an appetite.

Hua Yu always found it hard not to laugh when watching her eat. "This scene was supposed to be between me and Jin Yue, but…" Hua Yu paused, then continued with apparent indifference, "Jin Yue fell ill, so the scene was pushed back a few days. They brought forward a group scene instead."

Most of the main characters in the film were spies or assassins, so scenes with large crowds didn't involve their roles. At that moment, Director Qian was shooting that group scene on another set.

Song Wan paused mid-bite. "Fell ill?"

She remembered that when she had left at noon, Jin Yue looked perfectly healthy—her complexion rosy, not a trace of illness.

Hua Yu's smile faded a little. "Qi Shao came by at noon."

Song Wan froze, momentarily forgetting who that was, then realized, "Her boyfriend?"

If Qi Shao had come by, that explained everything.

The two said no more. Song Wan quickly finished her lunch, leaving the box to the side, then turned to Hua Yu. "Yu-jie, our scene is next, right? Should we rehearse?"

The upcoming scene had Liu Ya bringing Liu Wan to gather intelligence on the enemy, only to unexpectedly encounter the male lead, Qi Yang, who recognizes them.

Hua Yu paused, then glanced over at Ling Yang. "Ling Yang, Song Wan and I are going to rehearse. Want to join?"

She didn’t really expect him to participate; she was just being polite since it was technically a three-person scene. She certainly didn’t expect him to accept Song Wan’s suggestion.

Ling Yang stiffened, but surprisingly rolled over and got up. "Of course, let’s get familiar with the scene so we won’t have any NGs later."

His expression, however, made it clear he was forcing himself.

He had spent nearly all these months holed up with the "Dream of Brocade" crew, and his agent hadn’t scheduled any other jobs for him. For a newly crowned Best Actor, it was highly unusual. Online, people were starting to speculate he was being suppressed, which made him even more anxious. Having been refused help by Song Wan before, and with her witnessing his embarrassing moments, he still hadn't quite gotten over it. But with his career as it was, he couldn’t afford to be willful.

Song Wan had no idea about the tangle of thoughts in Ling Yang’s mind. She was surprised when he agreed to rehearse, glancing at him in mild astonishment.

Ling Yang turned away awkwardly, but soon turned back, offering Song Wan a warm smile. "You wanted to rehearse, right? Why are you looking at me?"

Hua Yu’s eyes flickered with amusement. "You’ve refused to rehearse with us before, haven’t you?" She pulled Song Wan closer. "Since our esteemed Best Actor is finally willing to lower himself and rehearse with us, we’d better make the most of it."

Ling Yang laughed. "It’s just rehearsing—how could you possibly exploit me?" He turned to Song Wan. "Isn’t that right?"

Song Wan only smiled and didn’t answer.

She wasn’t foolish; she could tell how abrupt Ling Yang’s attitude change was. There was no way she’d blindly accept the olive branch he was offering.

Ling Yang’s hand tightened on the script, but he quickly relaxed and smiled. "Enough talking, let’s rehearse. Song Wan will need to get her makeup done soon."

Song Wan had been away from the set at noon, so she hadn't gotten into costume yet, but Hua Yu and Ling Yang were already in theirs. Still, Song Wan wasn’t in a hurry—the group scene involved so many characters that it was bound to have numerous retakes. It would be a while before Director Qian was satisfied.

Song Wan nodded. "Let’s rehearse once, then I’ll go get ready."

...

Jin Youqian walked ahead, his back broad and upright, wide shoulders and a narrow waist—all in all, an impressive figure. His stride was always measured; the pace never changed, nor did the rhythm. But He Feng couldn’t help feeling that today, Jin seemed to be walking a bit faster than usual.

Remembering Jin’s earlier odd behavior, He Feng dared not ask questions, but he was convinced his observation was correct.

Since they had left the hotel not long after Song Wan, they arrived at the set just as she was eating.

He Feng glanced at Jin Youqian’s expression and tentatively asked, "Boss Jin, would you like to say hello to Miss Song?"

Jin Youqian hesitated for a moment, tempted, but seeing how quickly she ate—obviously in a rush—he lowered his head in thought, then shook his head. "No, take me to see Qian Fu."

Since he was visiting the set, he had to play his part thoroughly. First, he needed to meet the film’s director.

He Feng nodded. "Alright, I’ll ask the crew staff."

...

Because the upcoming scene wasn’t a complicated one and didn’t require elaborate set changes, Song Wan went straight to the costume room after rehearsing.

The lead actors’ costumes were stored together. Song Wan quickly found the one she needed for the next scene. She checked it over; everything seemed as it had been in the morning. With the costume in hand, she headed for the changing room.

A crew member who had been watching her ever since she entered the costume room finally couldn’t hold back. "Miss Song Wan."

Song Wan stopped and turned. "Xiao Li, what is it?"

Xiao Li’s gaze was complicated, but at last, as if making up her mind, she pointed at the costume in Song Wan’s hands. "Aren’t you going to check the costume again?"

Song Wan was puzzled. "I just looked it over. It’s exactly as it was this morning."

Xiao Li seemed anxious, but insisted, "Really, Miss Song, you should check it again."

"Check again?" Song Wan frowned and raised the hanger, turning it around twice. "I don’t see anything wrong."

"Check one more time—more carefully."

Song Wan paused, then looked at Xiao Li seriously. "Did you notice something? Or did you see anything?"

Xiao Li pressed her lips together. "No, I didn’t see anything."

Song Wan sighed to herself, realizing Xiao Li probably didn’t want trouble. She didn’t press the issue. "If not, you should go."

But Xiao Li remained where she was. "Miss Song, please just check once more."

Song Wan nodded, spread the costume out on a chair, and began a thorough inspection. The first time, she found nothing.

But Xiao Li’s anxious, worried expression didn’t seem feigned, so she examined the costume again, more carefully.

She turned the costume inside out, checked every seam, but still found nothing, and her brows furrowed.

There had to be something wrong with the costume—so why couldn’t she find it?

A thought struck her. Narrowing her eyes, Song Wan grabbed the costume and tugged hard along the seam.

At first, nothing happened. She began to wonder if Xiao Li was playing a prank, but then, with a tearing sound, the top split open at the side, falling into two pieces.

Song Wan stared in shock for a moment before her expression darkened. Xiao Li had already slipped away.

The costume was completely ruined—utterly unwearable.

But it was a blessing to have discovered the problem before filming. If the costume had torn midway through shooting…

Song Wan took a deep breath, her thoughts churning as she tried to figure out who might have sabotaged it. The handiwork was subtle, in a spot not easily noticed. If Xiao Li hadn’t warned her, she would have made a fool of herself today.

There was no way to cover this up—she couldn’t sew and needed to report it to the director immediately.

Carrying the ruined costume, Song Wan rushed out and quickly found Director Qian at another set. She scanned the area and easily spotted him.

Qian Fu was watching the monitor intently when he suddenly felt someone tap him. He hated interruptions during shooting and turned with a scowl, only to find Song Wan holding the costume at her wrist, standing beside him.

Knowing she wouldn’t disturb him for nothing, Qian Fu was surprised. "Song Wan? What are you doing here? Have you finished discussing the contract?"

Song Wan had regained her composure, but her unmade-up face was serious. "Director Qian, the costume is damaged."