Song Wenye's eyes flickered slightly. He was rarely not amused by Chu Xiaxing, instead he looked calm and serious, as he confirmed again, "Are you really not short on money?"
"How could I be short on money?" Chu Xiaxing was truly exasperated by his question. She sighed helplessly, then stated decisively, "I'm not short on money, I'm not short on money! Even if you want to do charity work, you don’t need to start with me!”
Song Wenye was quiet for a moment, his gaze as deep as a still pool. He calmly countered, “How could you not be short of money? You didn’t earn much from your last directing gig. Add in the deposit for this new project, after paying off your external debts, you’ve barely anything left. Plus, you still have living expenses...”
Chu Xiaxing's tone had been impatient just now, but hearing him calculate so meticulously, her eyes wavered, and she was momentarily shaken. To be honest, Chu Xiaxing had also forgotten about Chu Xiaxin's debts and hadn't paid attention to her income and expenses. She had long reached the stage of financial freedom; who would stare at their income and expenses every day? She was never sensitive to numbers anyway!
She stared at him in disbelief. "...Why do you calculate so clearly?"
She used to think Song Wenye was particularly easy to fool, after all, he had never raised any objections to the production budget. Now it seemed he just didn't want to do the calculations.
Song Wenye had initially suggested giving Chu Xiaxing a higher director's fee for 'Distant You in My Heart' because he sensed that Chu Xiaxing might be struggling financially. He wanted to solve the problem in this way but was politely refused due to her principles.
His gaze shifted to her jacket, and he sounded just like a disapproving teacher, calm but stern. “You’re wearing a current-season runway piece right now. It costs nearly the same as your contract deposit.”
The coat Chu Xiaxing was wearing was given to her by Chu Qiuyi. It was the type that could be worn by both men and women. The appearance looked simple and understated, with no exaggerated logos at all. It was very convenient to wear when working on set, but this happened to be a brand that Song Wenye often chose. Others couldn't see the details, but they couldn't escape Song Wenye's eyes. It could only be blamed on the two having similar clothing styles.
The director's fee was paid in stages according to the time agreed upon in the contract. It was impossible for Chu Xiaxing to receive the full amount now, so being able to buy this piece of clothing was also strange.
Chu Xiaxing took a deep breath. She looked at the blurry streetlights outside the car window and innocently changed the subject, "Ah, don't you think it's a little stuffy in the car? Should we ventilate it a bit?"
The clear car window slowly lowered, but Song Wenye didn't shift the topic. He continued to analyze, "Your income shouldn't be enough to support your expenses. How could you not be short on money?"
Chu Xiaxing now felt that it wasn't the car that was stuffy, but Song Wenye who was making her feel suffocated. She gave up and said, "Short, short, short, I'm short on money. I didn't even realize I was so short on money..."
Song Wenye had practically broken down her income and expenses for her. What else could Chu Xiaxing say? Should she say that she inherited her previous life's estate?
Song Wenye said calmly, "How much money do you still owe?"
"I don't owe anything."
She had already had Han Chuning settle Chu Xiaxin's old debts, and she would never leave any possibility of a scandal.
Song Wenye's expression softened slightly upon hearing this, and his gaze also became gentler. He said patiently,“You’re much more talented than the woman just now. Maybe she receives many lavish gifts now, but your future is far brighter. Even if she lives a glamorous life now, her future situation may not be better than yours..."
Zhou Xuelu and others relied on their outstanding looks and would usually receive all kinds of brand-name items. They lived quite luxuriously in their social circles, as if they never had to worry about money, but Song Wenye knew that it was a superficial bubble that would shatter like a dream with the slightest touch. He didn't want Chu Xiaxing to go astray.
Chu Xiaxing, faced with moral education, leaned back in her chair with a hopeless expression and sighed, "President Song, how about we make a deal? Just don't bother with me, okay? Can you let me live and die on my own?"
Chu Xiaxing truly had unspeakable difficulties, because Song Wenye was a genuinely good person, and she couldn't strongly refute his words. But she really couldn't explain her income either.
Others noticed that Chu Xiaxing's food, clothing, and daily necessities were quite exquisite, and they looked at her with tinted glasses, but she didn't really care. It was just that Song Wenye wanted to push her back on the right track. She also couldn't directly say that she was different from Zhou Xuelu and that the gifts she received were from her family, not that Chu Xiaxin had many relatives.
Song Wenye frowned and said, "You can also get everything you want now through your efforts in the future."
Chu Xiaxing was extremely frustrated. She gave up and said, "But I don't want to work hard anymore. My thinking is decadent and backward, and I'm also extravagant and materialistic. I just want to gain without working hard every day. Please don't try to reform me. Wouldn't it be better for you to do something else with this time?"
Song Wenye: "..."
Chu Xiaxing couldn't possibly change her lifestyle. She felt that more and more doubts would be revealed in the future. She couldn't pretend to be poor in front of Song Wenye for the rest of her life, so she might as well cut off his thoughts now.
Song Wenye's eyelashes were like dark crow wings. He was quiet for a few seconds, then gently lowered his eyes and said, "Can't you change immediately?"
Chu Xiaxing said decisively, "I can't change. I just like this kind of life!"
Hearing this, Song Wenye stopped trying to persuade her. He nodded expressionlessly and finally slowly started the car, seeming unwilling to waste any more words.
Just when Chu Xiaxing thought he had completely given up, Song Wenye said calmly, "Okay, then I'll get you a supplementary card in a few days. You can follow your lifestyle for now, just don't hang out with them anymore, and focus on filming in the future."
Song Wenye believed that blocking was worse than guiding. Problems had to be solved little by little, and changes had to start from the smallest details.
Chu Xiaxing: "?" What's that supposed to mean?
Song Wenye's tone was very much like–Don't worry about things outside anymore, just focus on your studies in the future. She was honestly a little lost.
However, when she wanted to bring up the topic again, Song Wenye was like a gourd with its mouth sawed off, never mentioning the clash of ideas in the car.
After the two finished their meal, Song Wenye didn't mention the topics of being short on money and consumption habits, so Chu Xiaxing also forgot his casual suggestion until she received the sent supplementary card at the film set. Song Wenye sent the item directly to her workplace, safely delivering it into Chu Xiaxing's hands.
Inside the meeting room, Chu Xiaxing stared at the supplementary card with a headache. She originally thought it was a work document, but who would have thought that Song Wenye would really send it. She rubbed her temples and said speechlessly, "Ningning, can you help me check how supplementary cards work?"
Han Chuning didn't suspect anything else. She honestly searched and reported, "A credit card supplementary card is relative to the primary card. The supplementary cardholder can only be the primary cardholder's parents, spouse, children, etc..."
Chu Xiaxing was immediately shocked and said, "No way? But what if the conditions aren't met at all? Can the supplementary card still be processed?"
Chu Xiaxing and Song Wenye's relationship didn't fall under the category of parents, spouse, or children at all. She didn't want to be his mother, nor did she plan to recognize him as her father!
Han Chuning hesitated and said, "Supplementary cards aren't checked strictly now? Actually, if the primary cardholder has no objections, it shouldn't be a problem to process it, as long as the primary cardholder agrees. Do you want to apply for a credit card?"
Chu Xiaxing: "I don't want to. I'll change his contact name first. I'm completely convinced by him..."
Han Chuning glanced at the contact name Chu Xiaxing was editing. She couldn't help but ask curiously, "Sister Xiaxing, which new master did you meet? I thought you were interested in Taoism. Why did you change the contact name to Buddha?"
Chu Xiaxing didn't want to see Song Wenye's name at all now. She directly changed his name to 'Buddha' and complained, “Feeding oneself to the eagles, throwing oneself into hell–if that’s not the Buddha, I don’t know what is.”
Chu Xiaxing put Song Wenye's supplementary card aside. She didn't have the energy to deal with this matter now and planned to think about the ridiculous supplementary card after she finished her work at the film set. Because of Song Wenye's inexplicable behavior, Chu Xiaxing had also been annoyed with Zhou Xuelu recently. Who told Zhou Xuelu's appearance to be the trigger for everything.
Zhou Xuelu roughly guessed the reason for Chu Xiaxing's bad mood. She asked dryly, "President Song shouldn't have said anything that day, right?"
Zhou Xuelu knew that Song Wenye couldn't tolerate any nonsense. She felt inexplicably weak when facing Chu Xiaxing at this time and was also a little uneasy.
Chu Xiaxing had claimed to be extravagant and materialistic in front of Song Wenye. She put on another stern face towards Zhou Xuelu and frowned, "You don't have any unclear entanglements outside, do you? I don't care about your past, but if it's revealed after the series is released, don't blame me for being impolite."
Chu Xiaxing felt that Zhou Xuelu wasn't bad at heart, but the young girl might have done foolish things in the past. If it affected The Immortal Doctor of the Great Song Dynasty later, it would be a loss outweighing the gains, and she definitely couldn't use her anymore.
Zhou Xuelu said aggrievedly, "No, really no! I've never done anything out of line. I used to like to have a little fun, but I haven't left the house this week and have been memorizing the script at home every day!"
Chu Xiaxing said coldly, "You better not have."
It was necessary for Chu Xiaxing to warn Zhou Xuelu in advance that she had to be more disciplined after filming and that she had to cut off many things from the past, otherwise there might be trouble in the future.
Zhou Xuelu simply took out her phone and hurriedly proved herself, "If you don't believe me, check my phone. I'm definitely a person with a sense of propriety. If I say I'm going to memorize the script, I won't mess around..."
Chu Xiaxing immediately refused, "No, don't show me your phone. It makes me look like your boyfriend, which sounds very strange."
Zhou Xuelu: "..."
Chu Xiaxing wouldn't completely believe Zhou Xuelu's words. She preferred to observe her actual actions. After all, Zhou Xuelu was transitioning from an amateur to an actress. She needed to correct some of her past bad traits, otherwise, no matter how good her talent was, it would be useless and would only be like a shooting star that quickly passed by, never having the light of a fixed star.
People have to learn to restrain themselves in order to gain many things.
After The Immortal Doctor of the Great Song Dynasty officially started filming, Chu Xiaxing's attitude towards Zhou Xuelu on the set was lukewarm. In addition, Zhou Xuelu lacked experience in joining a film crew for the first time, so she was often severely reprimanded by Chu Xiaxing on the set and often had to be taught acting skills.
This made Zhang Anluo feel very happy. She felt that Director Chu was indeed not biased and that Zhou Xuelu was indeed still a newcomer.
Zhou Xuelu was dizzy when she first joined the film crew. She wasn't even used to the schedule. The actors had to put on makeup and change clothes at five or six in the morning, and then work continuously until the daylight disappeared. Occasionally, they had to shoot night scenes, which was as regular as military training. Now, after finishing work every day, she just wanted to lie on the bed and didn't even have the strength to flip through her phone. She was well disciplined.
Zhou Xuelu used to be a person without clear goals. Now, she was forced to be arranged by the film crew's life and no longer lived in a muddled way like in the past. Instead, she gradually threw away many distracting thoughts in her mind.
Zhang Anluo initially watched Zhou Xuelu's jokes with schadenfreude. She occasionally had to pretend to intercede for her, telling Chu Xiaxing not to be too harsh on her.
However, Zhang Anluo gradually couldn't laugh after two weeks. After Zhou Xuelu adapted to the film crew's life, she was like a fish in water. Not only did her acting skills slowly improve, but she was also super good at handling things!
“Director, you must be exhausted! My family sent over some local specialties. I'll cook them tonight and we can try them together?" Zhou Xuelu no longer hung out in social circles. She began to learn how to mingle with the film crew and naturally brought over the set of social skills, showing concern for Chu Xiaxing standing beside the monitor.
Chu Xiaxing stared intently at the playback and said lightly, "I have to watch the footage tonight. The platform will be visiting the set in a few days, and we have to discuss the reception."
Zhou Xuelu said obediently, "Then I'll cook it and send it to the editing room? Or I'll have Jingjing take it to your room."
Chu Xiaxing was still immersed in the filming footage. She replied concisely, "Either way is fine."
Zhou Xuelu was not discouraged by Chu Xiaxing, who was focused on her work. She had always been a tolerant and resilient person, just like she had carefully researched when she wanted to hang out in social circles in the past. Now that she wanted to mingle with the film crew, she also arranged everything in a comprehensive manner, completely putting the skills she used to deal with rich second generations on Director Chu, being neither restrained nor flattering, and grasping the measure just right.
Zhou Xuelu took the initiative to pick up Chu Xiaxing's water glass and kindly suggested, "Director, there's no water in your cup. I'm going to get water anyway, so I'll make you a cup of green tea."
Chu Xiaxing: "Ah, thank you, thank you for your hard work."
"..." Zhang Anluo stood aside with a complicated expression. She looked at Zhou Xuelu, who was constantly flattering the director, and felt annoyed, becoming more and more upset.
Zhang Anluo: Do you still need to brew green tea? Your tea flavor is strong enough even without brewing!