Over the next few days, Han Chuning sorted through the belongings in Chu Xiaxin's apartment, settled her scattered debts, and inquired about her relatives and friends. Regrettably, Chu Xiaxin seemed to have no family or friends to speak of, leaving Han Chuning to handle the necessary ceremonial arrangements alone.
Chu Xiaxing had expected this, and she said helplessly: "Given what happened with her parents, it's understandable that her relatives and friends want to distance themselves."
If Chu Xiaxin hadn't been completely desperate, she wouldn't have borrowed money in such a confused manner. Having no one to turn to was only natural. Of course, this also meant she had nowhere to go. The studio apartment was rented by the company, leaving her with no real place to call home.
Ultimately, Chu Xiaxing and Han Chuning decided to hold a simple ceremony at home instead of the apartment. Han Chuning set up the ceremonial altar and arranged the offerings. Both Chu Xiaxing and Han Chuning offered incense to Chu Xiaxin, finally bringing closure to the matter.
Gazing at the incense altar, Chu Xiaxing looked at the family photo in her hand. In the photo, Chu Xiaxin was still a little kid whose height barely reached the knees. She sighed softly and found a frame for the family photo, placing it on the shelf where she kept her old photographs.
The shelf held all of Chu Xiaxing's old photos—wrap party shots from her time on film sets, pictures with friends at gatherings, and commemorative photos from her first award ceremony. After adjusting the other frames, Chu Xiaxing placed the family photo and whispered, "There you go, you can stay here with me for now."
Seeing this, Han Chuning walked over and comforted her: "Auntie, I'll visit her hometown when I have time. Maybe there are still people there who know her."
Although she couldn't find any contact information for Chu Xiaxin's friends and relatives, there might still be distant relatives in her hometown, where she could finally rest in peace.
Chu Xiaxing nodded. "Let's go together sometime."
With Chu Xiaxin's affairs settled, Han Chuning returned to study the management contracts, while Chu Xiaxing began preparing to join the film crew.
Manager Xiao Cheng seemed to hold a grudge over Chu Xiaxing's refusal to sign the contract. She would often make snide remarks whenever Xia Hong wasn't around. Not only did she not care about Chu Xiaxing's joining the crew, but she also sent a completely inexperienced assistant. Xiao Cheng's intention was to make Chu Xiaxing realize she couldn't accomplish anything without the company's team support, hoping this would pressure her into signing the follow-up contract.
If it had been the real Chu Xiaxin, she might have floundered like a headless fly, completely lost about how to handle joining the crew. However, Chu Xiaxing was extremely experienced in such matters. She remained perfectly composed, simply having her assistant make inquiries, and handled everything from makeup tests to costume fittings and meetings flawlessly, performing just as well as any seasoned actor.
What surprised everyone even more was the dramatic shift in Chu Xiaxing's lifestyle—she now wore priceless jewelry and accessories, shocking everyone around her!
Previously, Chu Xiaxin was drowning in debt, dressed plainly, and lived in company-arranged accommodation. But now she not only dressed exquisitely and wore expensive accessories, she rarely returned to her original residence. Her temperament and way of speaking were completely different from before, clearly showing the confidence of someone with powerful backing!
Outsiders didn't know that Chu Xiaxing was essentially inheriting her main account's equipment through an alt account—a young, impoverished girl's overnight transformation inevitably led to unsavory speculation.
The company staff were convinced that the new boss was lavishing money on Chu Xiaxing, but when the boss in question, Mr. Xia, heard these rumors, he found them utterly absurd!
Xia Hong: I'm clearly innocent, my reputation is being damaged, and besides, who would want to keep their father as a mistress!
Xia Hong had already felt that Chu Xiaxing was different from his impression of her, and now noticing her dramatic change in appearance and dress, he became even more certain she had fallen into moral degradation. He quickly reported to his friend Song Wenye, believing she had found a wealthy patron who was not only repackaging her image but also planning to buy out her contract.
Xia Hong anxiously said, "The way she talks is so worldly, nothing like the rumors at all. She's exactly like my father! When I face her, it's like seeing my dad!"
Song Wenye was silent for a moment, he felt helpless: "Why do you like to recognize others as your father so much?"
Song Wenye recalled that when he first met Xia Hong, the other party always accused him of being rigid and old-fashioned, and looked no different from his father. He couldn't understand how Xia Hong developed this habit of claiming fathers everywhere, and he didn't know whether Uncle Xia knew about this.
Xia Hong: "?" Wait, is that the main point of what I said?
Xia Hong was irritated by his friend's teasing. "Song Wenye, are you confused? Who was it that originally begged me for help!?"
Song Wenye corrected him: "Actually, it wasn't begging—you took the initiative to ask for it."
Xia Hong was angry, "If you do this again, I won't care! It was you who set up this mess in the first place!"
Song Wenye hadn't expected Xia Hong to lose control over a young girl. After pondering for a few seconds, he suggested, "Once I'm less busy, I'll find time to talk with her. She's about to join the crew anyway, so there shouldn't be any issues for now."
Song Wenye had been so busy with projects lately that he practically lived at the office, making it impossible to get away. Even this phone call with Xia Hong was squeezed into his schedule.
Xia Hong: "No, but what could you possibly discuss with her? Are you sure she'd listen?"
Considering their personalities, Xia Hong felt there was no point in Song Wenye trying to help Chu Xiaxing—they were completely different types of people. Song Wenye was too upright; his words wouldn't necessarily be pleasant to Chu Xiaxing and might even be annoying.
Song Wenye said calmly: "She will listen to you if you talk to her properly. I believe women should have their own careers. Relying on these methods isn't a long-term solution. She only took this path due to financial pressures. Given the right opportunity, she might find her way back."
Thinking of Chu Xiaxing's tragic circumstances, Song Wenye believed she had bowed to money out of necessity, just like the previous naked photo incident, which did not represent true depravity. Chu Xiaxing was about to join the crew, which meant she couldn't interact with her mysterious patron for a while, and with work keeping her fulfilled, her mindset might change.
Hearing his friend wanted to reform Chu Xiaxing, Xia Hong couldn't help but mock: "...So you're the light of righteousness? Are you trying to save a fallen girl?"
Xia Hong felt that Song Wenye was too optimistic. Once someone had experienced easy money, getting them to work honestly again was nearly impossible. How could Chu Xiaxin give up after tasting the sweetness of easy wealth?
Song Wenye: "What's wrong with that? Work is crucial for modern women."
Xia Hong clicked his tongue: "Work is only crucial for workaholics like you. Your ridiculous chicken soup can't even brainwash me, let alone a girl who's known nothing but poverty!"
Song Wenye: "So you're not a modern woman..."
Before Song Wenye could finish, Xia Hong sneered: "Are you saying only modern men wouldn't buy into your nonsense?"
Song Wenye looked calm: "I'm saying only modern wastrels wouldn't buy into it."
Xia Hong: "..." Thanks, I feel properly humiliated.
Song Wenye thought for a moment and said, "The contract transfer will take time. For now, follow her wishes and arrange for her to work with the crew. I'll resolve things on my end as soon as possible."
Following Song Wenye's advice, Xia Hong really didn't bother Chu Xiaxing and rarely appeared before her. Chu Xiaxing didn't like dealing with the company's people, and Xia Hong's only requirement was for her to work with the crew, making no other demands.
Since Xia Hong was just a wealthy playboy running a company for fun, he knew nothing about managing film crews and simply helped Song Wenye keep the shop, occasionally showing his face at the company. He privately wanted to investigate Chu Xiaxing's mysterious patron, but he couldn't find any clues after searching, so he could only keep his hands off for the time being.
The employees in the company were all slick people, and in their eyes, Xia Hong's avoidance of Chu Xiaxing looked like cold shoulder treatment and disgust. Combined with Xia Hong's increasingly rare appearances at the company, people like Xiao Cheng began stirring again, believing no one was backing Chu Xiaxing anymore, and began to act recklessly.
After the official launch of The Distant You in My Heart, the crew headed to a sparsely populated remote suburban area for closed shooting. Xia Hong only appeared at the opening ceremony and never visited the set again, causing the crew's attitude toward Chu Xiaxing to gradually shift.
On set, Chu Xiaxing was talking on the phone with her "mysterious patron"—she was at the filming location while Han Chuning was in the city.
"Auntie, I've already asked Uncle He to help with your contract matters. How are you doing in the crew recently?" Han Chuning had been busy dealing with Chu Xiaxing's contract and wasn't familiar with the situation on set.
Chu Xiaxing: "It's fine, just getting by."
Han Chuning was quite surprised: "Eh? It's rare for you to play a leading role, why are you just getting by?"
Chu Xiaxing: "This script is like you wrote it with your feet, what else can I do but muddle through?"
Han Chuning was amused: "You're overestimating me there, my toes can't type!"
Thinking about how none of The Distant You in My Heart's creative team had any reputation, Han Chuning could understand how Chu Xiaxing felt—facing unprofessional colleagues and shoddy production, it was indeed hard to feel creative enthusiasm.
Han Chuning comforted her: "Just bear with it. It's a historical issue. Don't quarrel with others in the crew."
Han Chuning was afraid that her aunt would get upset with this small crew and finally have conflicts with others. Chu Xiaxing used to be Director Chu, but now she was Chu Xiaxin, it was hard to guarantee that she wouldn't be targeted.
Chu Xiaxing argued righteously: "I'm not a child, who would fight with them? I'm an old person, I just go with the flow."
Han Chuning quipped: "That's debatable—your type of Buddhism is more like Fighting Buddha."
After chatting nonsense with her niece for a while longer, Chu Xiaxing had just hung up when the door to her room was pushed open.
"Sister, the director's way of addressing you changed so quickly," Assistant Li Jing returned with water from outside. She handed the thermos of hot water to Chu Xiaxing while muttering.
Li Jing was a newly hired artist assistant, mainly handling Chu Xiaxing's daily affairs. She was a fresh graduate with no understanding of the entertainment industry, having found this job through mass applications. When Chu Xiaxing asked why she wanted to be an artist's assistant, Li Jing actually answered that it was because other positions wouldn't take her, and only this company was willing to hire her.
She was clearly an incompetent workplace rookie, probably sent by Xiao Cheng to cause trouble. Fortunately, Chu Xiaxing was generally patient with children, and she had been teaching Li Jing the rules of film crews hands-on recently. Plus, Li Jing was obedient and hardworking, so they got along fairly well.
Chu Xiaxing disliked pretentious, cunning old hands, but was much more tolerant of inexperienced, naive youngsters. When Li Jing occasionally made mistakes or said something wrong, she wouldn't criticize her much.
Chu Xiaxing savored the aroma of the hot tea in her cup and asked, "How so?"
Li Jing complained: "When President Xia came for meetings, the director called you Teacher Chu, but now that President Xia doesn't come to the set, the director just calls you by name, and recently he doesn't even use your name..."
During the filming of "The One Far in My Heart," the director's way of addressing Chu Xiaxing had declined from "Teacher Chu" to "Chu Xiaxin," and recently to just "hey" and "you"—quite a fall from grace.
Li Jing had privately heard company veterans discussing the relationship between Xia Hong and Chu Xiaxing, but when she asked Chu Xiaxing about it, she was denied, so she decided to believe Chu Xiaxing. Being new to the workplace, she really couldn't stomach the director's attitude of changing his face like turning a book, thinking the other party was too unprincipled.
Chu Xiaxing asked with a smile: "You actually noticed the changes? Your understanding of human nature has improved."
Li Jing: "How could I not notice! He's being too obvious!"
Chu Xiaxing leisurely sipped her tea: "That's why he doesn't even qualify as a third-rate director."
She felt that directors from such amateur operations couldn't even be called directors, and the things he shot were not as good as the works of students from professional schools—otherwise, the project wouldn't have nearly collapsed initially.
Li Jing asked curiously: "What do you mean?"
Chu Xiaxing: "Third-rate directors can't direct but understand some social skills, so he doesn't even qualify as third-rate."
Li Jing hadn't heard this saying before and eagerly asked: "Then what about second-rate directors?"
Chu Xiaxing: "Second-rate directors can only direct but don't understand social skills, so their development will eventually be limited."
Li Jing concluded decisively: "Then first-rate directors must be good at both directing and social skills."
Chu Xiaxing shook her head and said calmly: "It's more than that."
Li Jing looked puzzled when she heard this. She looked at Chu Xiaxing blankly, waiting for her explanation.
"First-rate directors are directors both on and off set. Their lives are like good films, and good films are hard to summarize with common traits, just like success can't be replicated," Chu Xiaxing pondered for a few seconds, slightly lowering her gaze. "It also takes some fate, even the fate of times."
The works of first-class directors can no longer be simple stories, but must reflect the spiritual connotation of the times and the country. Just like film history likes to classify directors by era, their works have obvious historical traces.
When the times begin to change gradually, they may also slowly fall. This is the fate of the times.
Li Jing seemed to understand, sighing: "No wonder you're my sister, I can barely understand."
Chu Xiaxing: "That's because you're still a kid."
Li Jing muttered: "Actually, we're about the same age..."
Li Jing and Chu Xiaxing were similar in age, but Chu Xiaxing appeared much more experienced than Li Jing and had started working earlier, which was why Li Jing respectfully called her "sister."
Chu Xiaxing couldn't help teasing: "You calling me sister is already taking advantage—if Ningning knew, she'd be furious." After all, Han Chuning called her auntie, putting her at the bottom of the generational hierarchy.
Li Jing often heard Chu Xiaxing mention "Ningning" but didn't know what Ningning actually was. Chu Xiaxing had said The Distant You in My Heart's script was as bad as if Ningning had written it with their feet, leading Li Jing to imagine Ningning as some sort of creature that randomly stomped on keyboards.
Li Jing asked curiously: "Is Ningning your pet cat or dog?"
Chu Xiaxing: "Something like that."
Li Jing: "Oh, isn't it tiring to keep pets? I actually want to raise a cat..."
Chu Xiaxing thought about Han Chuning's living habits and described: "It's not too tiring, but she always makes her room very messy, and spends all day flopping on the bed like she has no bones, completely sprawled out."
Li Jing: "Hey, that's just how cats and dogs are!"
Han Chuning, who was far away in the city, sneezed. She touched her nose inexplicably, not knowing that she was being characterized this way by her aunt.