Liang Shi handed over his phone. The machine-translated text read: 【Hello? I'm awake now. Are you asleep? We need to talk.】
It's a very simple and clear sentence.
Without her earlier words as a prelude, it's hard to say what they would have talked about in the middle of the night.
The light shone on Xu Qingzhu's eyelashes, casting a shadow on her eyelids. Xu Qingzhu said in a tired voice, "Just play her voice message, I want to hear it."
Liang Shi: "?"
"I won't let go." Liang Shi's voice was a little hoarse. "What's so interesting about that? Go back to sleep."
Xu Qingzhu: "...You're so stingy."
Liang Shi tapped the screen and sent a message: 【What's up?】
Xu Qingzhu asked her, "Can I see it?"
Liang Shi placed her phone in the middle without any hesitation, and Xu Qingzhu's head naturally rested on her shoulder, half of it hanging loosely, without any weight.
After hesitating for a moment, Liang Shi moved closer to Xu Qingzhu so that she could rest her head on him more comfortably.
The two leaned back together on the sofa.
Xu Qingzhu's voice was tired, and when she lowered it, it sounded like she was pleading, "Just lower it for a moment."
Just then, Gu Yixue sent a second voice message, 20 seconds long.
Liang Shi: "..."
She switched to text again and answered firmly, "No."
As it turned out, Gu Yixue's voice was a mix of Chinese and English, and the text translation couldn't accurately convey her meaning. Xu Qingzhu watched with a smile, reached out and pressed play, and then pressed Gu Yixue's hand to turn up the phone volume.
Gu Yixue said on the other end, "Are you available recently? Are you filming 'Yu Guang'? I have a role that would suit you..."
The rest of the conversation was in English. He was talking to someone, speaking rather impatiently, and the gist of it was: "Do you have to bother me with such a small thing? If she wants to come, she can come; if she doesn't, then forget it."
As soon as the voice message finished playing, Gu Yixue clicked "recall".
Xu Qingzhu listened and laughed, sincerely praising, "Her voice is so magnetic! Is this director named Quella? Can I follow her? What works does she have?"
Liang Shi: "..."
Liang Shi, in a fit of desperation, played the previous voice message for her as well.
When Gu Yixue said "Hello," her tone rose at the end, carrying a subtle hint of flirtation, but it wasn't intentional.
After listening, Xu Qingzhu let out a soft breath and gently nudged Liang Shi with her arm, "If you're filming, can I visit the set?"
Liang Shi: "..."
She asked in a muffled voice, "Are you going to see me or to see Quella?"
"It's for you," Xu Qingzhu replied without hesitation, "and you can see Quella too."
Liang Shi's mood improved for a brief second, but then Xu Qingzhu said, "I don't know her either, I'll have to ask you to introduce me."
Liang Shi: "..."
She tapped the top voice message again; it was sent to her by Gu Yixue last night when she was drunk, her voice hoarse and a little sleepy.
It is indeed very catchy.
Xu Qingzhu's eyes lit up after hearing this, and she bumped Liang Shi's arm with even more force, causing Liang Shi to gasp in pain. He then bit his lip and called out with a hint of threat, "Teacher Xu~"
Xu Qingzhu said lazily, "Hmm? Play it again."
Liang Shi: "..."
She turned off the screen, swiped her finger across it, and asked in a low voice, unwilling to give up, "Is it really that good?"
Xu Qingzhu nodded: "Don't you think her voice when she's drunk... is very sexy?"
The two were already very close, and as they talked, they unconsciously moved even closer, so close that Liang Shi's breath was exhaled onto Xu Qingzhu's hair, and the heat passed through her hair and landed on her skin.
Xu Qingzhu felt a little itchy and shrank her neck, but she retorted without backing down.
Liang Shi denied it against his conscience, saying, "I don't think so."
“But I think,” Xu Qingzhu nudged her, “Teacher Liang, let’s play it again.”
Liang Shi took the remote and turned on the TV. "Let's watch a movie."
Xu Qingzhu said, "It's time to go to sleep."
“You just heard her talking, and you didn’t say you wanted to sleep.” Liang Shi said, “Why do I have to sleep while watching a movie? I’m taking you to see her movie.”
Xu Qingzhu: "...Okay then."
Liang Shiqi gently pinched her waist.
Xu Qingzhu grabbed her hand. "What are you doing? Are you bullying me?"
"No," Liang Shi said, "your waist is too thin."
"Why don't you give me a hug?"
Xu Qingzhu moved closer to her, the atmosphere was just right, her voice was low and alluring, and Liang Shi had a sudden thought. He stretched out his long arm and hugged her waist, his hand just landing on her lower abdomen, and the two were instantly close together.
It felt like hugging a block of ice.
Liang Shi said in a low voice, "Why are you so cold?"
Xu Qingzhu didn't care, saying it was just a matter of her physical condition.
Liang Shi hugged her even tighter, and the movie playing was "The Messenger".
Shortly after the opening credits began, the words "Director: Quella" appeared, and just before the movie started, a subtitle in the lower right corner read: "All the text used in the opening credits of this film is handwritten by director Quella. Thank you to all the cast and crew members."
Xu Qingzhu then remarked, "This character '人' (person) is also beautiful."
Liang Shi exclaimed, "It's alright, I guess."
Xu Qingzhu watched it with the intention of simply appreciating it. Liang Shi then received another voice message from Gu Yixue, who asked, "Are you busy? Want to make a call?"
You can tell from the few messages she sent that she is a decisive and efficient person.
She has a cheerful personality, yet also possesses a mysterious air, which may be related to her captivating appearance.
Liang Shi showed Xu Qingzhu his phone, and Xu Qingzhu paused the TV and gestured for her to make a call.
Liang Shi first sent her a message: 【Okay.】
Just as Liang Shi was about to make a voice call, Gu Yixue called. He answered in a panic, only to find out it was a video call.
Gu Yixue was still wearing a black tank top, revealing her toned forearms and beautiful collarbones. She wasn't the type to glow with fair skin; she had normal yellow undertones. However, her features and figure created a strong visual impact, exuding a natural and innocent sexiness and charm.
In the video, her hair is casually clipped back with a hair clip, and there's a blue cocktail in front of her. Her home has a natural wood-colored decor and warm lighting, which doesn't seem to match her personality at all.
When Liang Shi saw this, he subconsciously looked at Xu Qingzhu and found that she had already sat up and looked quite serious.
"..."
Gu Yixue hadn't expected there to be other people with Liang Shi, but it didn't matter. She cut straight to the point, "You've checked my information, haven't you?"
Liang Shi nodded: "Quella?"
"Hmm." Gu Yixue said, "Just call me this when you're filming. I'm going to film 'Heart's Journey' next. The script is finished, but it still needs some adjustments. Do you want to act in it?"
Liang Shi nodded, "Of course."
Gu Yixue asked her, "What kind of role do you want to play?"
"I'll act in whatever comes my way," Liang Shi said. "I'm not picky."
Gu Yixue: "Hmm? Aren't you going to ask? What if it's just a minor supporting role?"
"Playing a small supporting role in your movie must be pretty good, right?" Liang Shi chuckled. "Director Quella."
Gu Yixue raised her glass and swirled it. "Looks like you've done your research quite thoroughly."
Talented people are often arrogant, but this arrogance is not annoying.
Moreover, Gu Yixue's behavior can no longer be called arrogance; it's simply confidence in her abilities.
Liang Shi said to her, "You can arrange it as you see fit. Capable directors can often find suitable roles for actors."
Just like Gu Yixue is now filming, she doesn't have to worry about money at all; there are plenty of people who want to invest.
Moreover, she has absolute say. Even if investors offer hundreds of millions, she won't accept it if they try to force people into her company. If investors want to make money, they have to listen to her. Otherwise, Gu Yixue will simply abandon the project, and no one will benefit.
Gu Yixue smiled after hearing her words, "You'll play the female lead."
Liang Shi: "!"
"The one next to you..." Gu Yixue only said one sentence before changing the subject, "Your girlfriend?"
"My wife," Liang Shi said, "I'm married."
At first, he sounded hesitant and unsure, but as he spoke more and more, Liang Shi was able to introduce himself quite naturally.
Anyway, I didn't lie, did I?
"Quite pretty," Gu Yixue asked. "Is she an actress too?"
"No," Xu Qingzhu answered herself, "I can't act."
“Being beautiful is a performance in itself,” Gu Yixue laughed. “If you want to act, you can come to me. I like beautiful people.”
Xu Qingzhu was touched by her smile and agreed, "Okay, then thank you in advance."
Liang Shi: "..."
"By the way," Gu Yixue said to Liang Shi, "You should film 'Yu Guang' first, and we can talk in detail after you're done. I need to rest."
Liang Shi: "...Okay."
“Heart's Journey” has two female leads. Gu Yixue fixed her gaze, then smiled, a smile that was somewhat mischievous but not unpleasant. “I plan to use all newcomers, so your partner will be the same as you.”
“Okay, I’m fine with anything,” Liang Shi said.
“The emotions in ‘Heart’ are very complex, so… you’d better get to know your co-star first. I want a result as soon as I start filming, and I don’t want to do more than twenty takes.” Gu Yixue said, “You two should get to know each other during this time. I don’t want a dull or unresponsive relationship.”
When this was mentioned, Gu Yixue naturally became serious, and Liang Shi replied, "That's fine."
“I’ll give you her WeChat,” Gu Yixue said. “Her name is Sun Chengcheng. She graduated from the Department of Media and Performing Arts. The biggest role she’s ever played was a minor part in her graduation play.”
"What's your name?" Liang Shi asked in surprise.