After Being Scummed – Chapter 22

You are a goddess, always very beautiful!

In late December, Yin Bai, accompanied by Zhang Yu, traveled to the capital city to participate in an ice sculpture exhibition. After the exhibition ended, she took a flight to the city where Zuo Jingyou was located.

It was already the end of winter, and the city of Jincheng, situated on the border between north and south, was extremely chilly, enveloped in cold and damp air. Although Yin Bai enjoyed watching the snow, her true love was still the sunny and warm southern weather.

So, as soon as she stepped off the plane and headed to the underground parking garage, she was taken aback by the cold wind blowing in her face.

In the chilly underground garage, Yin Bai hunched her shoulders, gripping her cane, shivering as she repeatedly sneezed, “Achoo!”

Beside her, Zhang Yu was opening the luggage, pulling out Yin Bai’s black down jacket and quickly draping it over her. “BOSS, they say the weather in Jincheng is very cold. I told you to bring your down jacket before boarding the plane, but you didn’t listen. Did you catch a cold when you got off the plane? What are we going to do if you get sick later?”

Yin Bai shook her hands while trying to put on the down jacket, still somewhat disgruntled. “Isn’t the weather in Jincheng supposed to be less cold than in the capital city? Who would have thought that once off the plane, this cold wind would feel even more piercing than in the capital!”

Zhang Yu sighed and said to Yin Bai, “How can you compare this damp cold with dry cold? Alright, hurry and bundle up. The car will be here soon. Dress warmly, don’t catch a cold!”

Yin Bai understood all too well how much suffering getting sick could be. She quickly zipped up her down jacket, stood in a sheltered spot, and waited for their car to arrive.

The car arrived promptly, and accompanying the chauffeur was Zuo Jingyou’s assistant, Yang Yi.

Feeling the cold, Yin Bai settled into the back seat and remained silent, not wanting to speak. Yang Yi sat in the passenger seat, turned to look at Yin Bai, and kept explaining things to her incessantly.

They talked about how originally Teacher Zuo was also supposed to come, but she got caught up with filming and such.

Yin Bai didn’t mind these minor details. “It’s alright; I came here mainly to see how the production team is doing.” After saying this, she paused for a moment, thought of something, and dismissed Yang Yi, saying, “I’ll take a rest for a bit. If there’s anything, you can communicate with my assistant.”

Yin Bai said this and had Zhang Yu hand her an eye mask. She leaned back in the rear seat and closed her eyes.

Seeing that she wanted to rest, Yang Yi spoke in a hushed tone and discussed matters with Zhang Yu. Zhang Yu had everything arranged, including the hotel where Yin Bai would be staying, the gifts for the crew members, and the preparations with the chef and catering truck, and so on and so forth…

But they had to coordinate the timing with Yang Yi in advance to ensure that it wouldn’t disrupt the work of the production team.

The two of them whispered to each other throughout the journey, and after an hour and a half of driving, they finally arrived at the film and television city.

Zhang Yu and Yang Yi escorted Yin Bai to the hotel, where she checked into the previously reserved presidential suite. Yin Bai, who had been jostled on the road all the way, felt quite dizzy. Since Zuo Jingyou was still filming, she decided to take a refreshing shower and enjoyed a peaceful nap.

When she woke up, it was already evening. Yin Bai called for hotel service, had a light meal, changed her clothes, and then picked up her cane, leading Zhang Yu to the film and television city.

Zhang Yu had the driver take them to Zuo Jingyou’s film set. After getting out of the car, the production team quickly came to greet them and guided Yin Bai to find Zuo Jingyou.

When Yin Bai arrived, Zuo Jingyou was in the midst of filming. She was wearing a black down jacket, standing in front of the camera, replaying the previous shots while discussing the scene with a male actor beside her.

Directors and actors are two somewhat distinct roles, so at this moment, Zuo Jingyou didn’t appear as glamorous as usual. She wasn’t adorned with intricate makeup this time; instead, she casually tied up her hair, revealing a smooth and flawless forehead along with a charming pointed chin.

Zuo Jingyou, almost makeup-free, wore a pair of black-framed glasses, held a script in her hand, and listened to the suggestions of a male actor nearby. She occasionally tapped her chin, looking like she was genuinely attentive.

Yin Bai stood in the shadows, noticing a few strands of hair falling loose from Zuo Jingyou’s temple, swaying with her nodding movements. Strangely, she felt a sense of disarray combined with exquisite beauty.

This person was exceptionally good-looking.

Could it be that this is what someone who is seriously committed to their work looks like at their most beautiful?

Yin Bai’s mind was filled with countless random thoughts, thinking that a saying was indeed true: “The laboring people are the most beautiful!”

Meanwhile, Zuo Jingyou had already communicated effectively with the male actor. She lightly tapped the script and calmly said, “Let’s shoot it one more time!”

At her command, the entire crew sprang into action. Yin Bai, leaning on her cane, gazed at the rejuvenated film crew and then turned to the production staff, saying, “Let’s not disturb Teacher Zuo for now. I’ll go over once they finish shooting.”

The production staff felt that Yin Bai, as a significant investor, was quite considerate and not an unreasonable tycoon. So, they happily agreed.

Yin Bai and Zhang Yu found some small chairs in a corner and sat down. By the time Zuo Jingyou had finished shooting her scenes for the evening, it was already 8 o’clock at night.

The weather was indeed too cold, and the progress of their production crew was much faster than expected. There was no rush at the moment. Thinking of Yin Bai back at the hotel, Zuo Jingyou announced that they were done for the day.

When all the scenes for the production crew were completed and after secretly observing Yin Bai sitting in the corner for the whole evening, Zuo Jingyou finally led Zhang Yu out.

At that moment, Zuo Jingyou was still reviewing the previous footage when she heard the production staff mention that the investor had arrived. She lifted her head from the camera to look in the direction of the production staff.

In the dim lighting, she saw Yin Bai in a gray-blue coat, wearing a black knitted hat and leaning on a cane, slowly making her way towards her. The production staff and Zhang Yu followed closely on either side of her, making Yin Bai’s entrance at this moment appear as if she were on some important mission.

Combined with the hazy lighting, it truly looked like exactly that.

Zuo Jingyou’s lips curled into a faint smile as she set aside the script and approached Yin Bai, wrapped in her down jacket. “How did Chairman Yin come over?” The weather was so cold, and she had assumed Yin Bai would stay at the hotel, only visiting the set tomorrow.

Yin Bai greeted her, “I arrived early, but I saw you were filming, so I didn’t want to disturb.”

Yin Bai continued, “You’re amazing at acting, and you’ve chosen a great cast. The on-set energy is so strong. I think it’s really impressive!”

She finished speaking and gave Zuo Jingyou a thumbs-up.

Zuo Jingyou narrowed her eyes and chuckled, “You really love to compliment people. You watched only a few scenes, and now you’re calling me amazing? If you had come earlier, you wouldn’t have had to endure the cold wind for so long.”

Yin Bai leaned on her cane, looking at Zuo Jingyou with a smile. “It’s okay; watching you work is quite interesting. Besides, people need encouragement from one another.”

“When it comes to criticism, let the great film critics handle it. As friends, we should always offer praise and support, no matter when!”

This was their wisdom as children, but unfortunately, most adults didn’t understand these principles. They always preached to each other with the idea that “good medicine tastes bitter, advice may be unpleasant to the ear.”

But, come on, adults need encouragement even more!

Zuo Jingyou smiled and said to Yin Bai, “Then I’ll thank you for your encouragement.”

The two of them chatted for a while, and then Zuo Jingyou introduced Yin Bai to other members of the production crew, such as the cinematographer, assistant director, lead actors, and so on.

Although Yin Bai had invested in quite a few films for Xiao Nian in the past, she had rarely visited film sets to avoid any suspicion. Facing so many enthusiastic people for the first time, one might expect her to feel uncomfortable.

However, whether it was due to the cold weather that day or the patience and attentiveness of Zuo Jingyou and her colleagues, Yin Bai, who was naturally timid, felt somewhat more composed.

After exchanging greetings with the crew members, Zuo Jingyou continued to ask Yin Bai, “Have you had dinner?”

Yin Bai confessed, “I had a little bit, but I’m hungry now! Do you want to take me out to eat?”

Yin Bai’s tone was filled with genuine excitement, prompting Zhang Yu, who was nearby, to sneak another glance at her.

Boss, were you that hungry? Is it really necessary to be this happy?

Zhang Yu couldn’t help but think, imagining that if her boss were a canine, she might be wagging her tail right now!

Zuo Jingyou, too, was infected by Yin Bai’s enthusiasm and nodded with a smile. “Sure, I’m the host, so I should treat you to dinner.”

“What would you like to eat?”

Zuo Jingyou led her forward while contemplating, “How about… hot pot?”

Yin Bai was delighted, “Hot pot sounds great, especially in the middle of winter.”

Their dinner plans were settled so easily. Yin Bai got into the car with Zuo Jingyou, and they headed towards the hot pot restaurant.

During the drive, Yin Bai sat beside Zuo Jingyou, counting on her fingers as she talked about the ice sculptures she had seen and the places she had visited in the past few days. She also mentioned that someone had invited her to go to a hot spring, but since she didn’t know the person well, she had declined.

When Yin Bai chatted with acquaintances, it often consisted of trivial and unimportant topics. Zuo Jingyou listened quietly, occasionally offering a word of agreement.

Zhang Yu sat across from them and suddenly found this scene to be very familiar.

Right, it was just like when the two kids from the neighboring house came over to play with Yin Bai. Wasn’t this the same dynamic?

The two children used to pester Yin Bai with various school-related trivia, such as which classmate pulled their hair, who received praise from the teacher this time, or who got a little red flower as a reward, and so on and so forth…

At those times, Yin Bai would respond with a series of casual “Mm-hmm” and “Oh, I see”…

It seemed like they were discussing everything, but in reality, it was just an adult’s way of showing affection to children.

But in this role reversal, Yin Bai had become those children that she usually dealt with in this kind of passive listening.

Recognizing this, Zhang Yu sighed inwardly, “Our boss really does adore Teacher Zuo!”

Well, who wouldn’t love someone so gentle, caring, patient, and attentive?

Of course, Zhang Yu also understood that Yin Bai’s affection was simply a form of friendship, without any ulterior motives.

As they chatted along the way, Yin Bai suddenly noticed that Zuo Jingyou’s eye sockets were red, and there was a hint of a bluish tint beneath her eyes. Yin Bai expressed her concern, “Have you not been getting enough rest lately? Your dark circles look quite severe!”

Zuo Jingyou paused for a moment, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed. “Ah, is it really that serious? Do I look disheveled?”

She lightly bit her lip and continued somewhat ruefully, “If I had known you were coming, I would have put on some makeup today.”

Yin Bai quickly reassured her, “It’s okay. You’re a goddess, always looking good no matter when. You don’t look disheveled at all!”

Across the table, Zhang Yu raised her head and looked at her BOSS, who appeared so composed and full of banter. She couldn’t help but think that if Yin Bai could speak so naturally when facing Xiao Nian, they might already have kids, and there would be no breakup at all!

Her BOSS was, in essence, an adorable, quirky adult pretending to be a grown-up.