Don’t Want a Divorce (8)
“Can you let me in or not?”
There are two days left until the press conference, and the news of 《Palace Wall Willows》 being scheduled has already spread. Immediately, a post appeared on the Douban forum (a popular Chinese social media platform), titled “Let’s Think About How Xu Sajiao (a Chinese term for acting cute or coquettish) Got Into This Invincible Lineup.”
Inside, it listed numerous works and beautiful photos of many big names, and at the very end…
Was none other than Xu Jiao and her cringeworthy meme faces.
The original poster was being cheeky and said at the end: “In my opinion, the works performed by Xu Jiao, whether in terms of popularity or quality, are not as good as these meme faces.”
A flurry of discussions followed—
“Do you guys know that GQL (Gong Qiang Liu – Palace Wall Willows) is about to make an official announcement? I heard there’s a historical romance line in it, and it’s actually between XJ and FQY? Taste it, just taste it carefully.”
“The original poster is talking about 《Palace Wall Willows》, right? Director Zhen’s latest drama. It’s said to be an original script, but no one knows who the screenwriter is. We don’t even know if the quality is guaranteed. Director Zhen’s vision is questionable. He actually invited Xu Sajiao. Maybe she got in through the back door via FQY?”
“Don’t state the obvious, everyone knows it. I’m just curious, isn’t it said that Director Zhen is extremely picky about casting? This… this can only mean that Feng Qingyu has a solid relationship with him, right? But isn’t Qiu Yongli supposed to be the lead?”
“Do you think our top star Yan Tian is dead? The lead role has to be our beloved Sixth Master Lu Xun okay? He won the Cannes Best Actor award last year, and Qiu Yongli isn’t even fit to carry his shoes.”
“Isn’t this thread discussing how Xu Sajiao got into this cast? How did it turn into a fight over lead roles? Can those fighting over lead roles move aside? Or can we just focus on bashing Xu Sajiao and her glue army (a term used to describe loyal and sticky fans)?”
“The glue 23333 (23333 is an internet slang for laughter, similar to LOL), just looking at her fans’ ability to cause trouble, it’s not ordinary glue, it’s 502 (a strong adhesive brand in China), just look at FQY’s experiences in the past two years, forced to do charity work, truly pitiful… We don’t even know if they will divorce in a year, and if they do, who will Xu Sajiao latch onto next? [Let me see who’s so lucky to be chosen by Sajiao.jpg]”
“F*ck, what you said suddenly makes me scared! Wait! I just remembered my idol is just an ordinary Beta, unable to meet the demands of an Omega’s estrus period (heat), hee hee hee! So lucky!”
“But what did the poor Alpha celebrities do to be noticed by Xu Sajiao?”
……
The news broke.
Within the small fan group of Feng Qingyu’s supporters, there were waves of ellipses, clearly showing their sympathy for their idol. However, this marriage policy is obviously state-mandated, and they can’t do anything about it.
In the end, the fan leaders discussed and came to a unanimous opinion: “Protect our Feng Qingyu! Do not let any Feng Jiao Ri Nuan fans post in the topic plaza! Do not give P fans (fans of the pairing) any attention! Let our Sister Qingyu be beautiful on her own!”
Compared to the mixed feelings of Jade Fans, Xu Jiao’s “Little Wives” were overjoyed, celebrating and wishing they could share this joy with the whole world.
Xu Jiao has participated in Zhen Tiao’s TV drama! That Zhen Tiao’s TV drama, which had a brutal audition process that eliminated many people! Our Jiaojiao is so proud!
The “Little Wives” couldn’t wait to announce this good news on their social circles, wishing to celebrate with the whole world. Xu Jiao’s acting has made great progress and received recognition from a famous director, even though it’s just a minor supporting role, their joy was as if Xu Jiao had won the Grand Slam of the three major awards (referring to the three major film festivals: Cannes, Venice, and Berlin).
In the end, it was Ni Hong who understood Xu Jiao’s intentions, and as a prominent fan, she spoke in the group:
“Low profile, we need to keep a low profile, being too ostentatious can easily make our rivals jealous!”
“Director Zhen doesn’t like actors who stir up trouble before the drama airs. We should just enjoy ourselves in our own space and not go out and attract negativity for Jiaojiao. Let her focus wholeheartedly on her work!”
Hearing the fan leader’s words, the “Little Wives” all responded with a uniform shushing gesture, obediently flooding the group with:
“Protect the best and most hardworking Jiaojiao in the world! [Heart][Heart][Heart]”
“Protect the best and most hardworking Jiaojiao in the world! [Heart][Heart][Heart]”
……
Soon, the day of the press conference arrived—
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
The cast of 《Palace Wall Willows》 included the two lead actors, two important supporting actors, as well as the director and producer.
The male lead, Lu Xun, and the female lead, Qiu Yongli, were the most popular stars of the year. In the summer, the TV dramas they starred in were huge hits. Lu Xun and another male star acted in a drama about the love and hatred in the AO entertainment circle, while Qiu Yongli starred in a legendary epic set in a futuristic interstellar world with another female star. Since the news of their collaboration broke, there had been a continuous stream of topics.
Compared to their primary romantic storyline, Feng Qingyu and Xu Jiao can also generate topics of discussion.
However, contrary to everyone’s expectations,
they found that Xu Jiao didn’t cause any trouble on stage. Even when the host deliberately asked her about her understanding of the script and her character, she surprisingly had something to say.
“The background of 《Palace Wall Willows》 is set in a very distant ancient past. As everyone knows, back then, it wasn’t like today, where humans have differentiated into six genders and attract each other through pheromones. In that era, there were only men and women.”
“The love between Empress Qi and Noble Consort Rong was seen as taboo in the eyes of people at that time. The more forbidden the love, the more intense it burns, like a moth to a flame, tragic yet unforgettable.”
As she said this, Xu Jiao’s expression was calm, unlike her usual self on shows where she would sometimes hand water to Feng Qingyu or whisper to her, drawing the camera’s attention.
When interpreting the script and her character, her gaze was very focused, as if she was completely immersed in the story.
This serious Xu Jiao suddenly felt unfamiliar to the viewers in the live chat.
【Did Xu Sajiao get plastic surgery? Why do I feel like she looks a bit prettier?】
【Did she hire a ghostwriter to write her speech today? Pretending to be literary, vomit】
【Did ancient humans only have romantic relationships between men and women? I’m so curious】
【Today’s Jiaojiao makes me like her just as much as always! Keep going! Act your own drama and let others be envious!】
【I don’t know why, but I actually started to look forward to her drama. Am I going crazy?】
Not only were the viewers watching the live stream drawn to her words, but even Feng Qingyu, who was beside Xu Jiao, unconsciously turned her gaze towards her. Hearing Xu Jiao describe Empress Qi and Noble Consort Rong, Feng Qingyu’s eyes softened a bit more.
The host smiled and asked, “People at that time liked to express their emotions through poetry, right? If you were to describe Rong Qing with a poem, which one would you choose?”
Feng Qingyu’s grip on the microphone tightened. She knew that Xu Jiao had entered the entertainment industry without even finishing high school and that she barely read books on a daily basis. The host’s request was rather tricky.
Zhen Tiao also turned his gaze towards them.
Just as Feng Qingyu was about to pick up the microphone, Xu Jiao smiled gently and slowly said, “Actually, one poem can’t fully describe Noble Consort Rong. I’ll talk about the early stages… ‘The clouds think of clothes, the flowers think of appearance. The spring breeze brushes the threshold, with dense dew. If not seen at the peak of Jade Mountain, it would meet under the moon at Yaotai.'”
This is from 《Qing Ping Diao: Part One》 (a famous poem by Li Bai, a Tang dynasty poet).
Every word and line describes Rong Qing’s unparalleled beauty.
After a pause, Xu Jiao continued, “And then…”
Feng Qingyu suddenly cleared her throat beside her.
Xu Jiao snapped back to her senses, realizing that she shouldn’t reveal too much and should leave some suspense for the audience. The slight wistfulness on her face instantly vanished, and she teased, “Not going to tell you.”
But there were still some viewers in the live stream who caught it clearly.
【I smell the scent of tragedy (虐的氣息 – often refers to emotionally abusive or tragic scenarios)】
【Strange, I suddenly really want to know if Xu Sajiao’s look is as described in that poem】
【I swear, I will only watch one episode. I’m not supporting Xu Sajiao, I mainly just want to see her acting skills flop and her getting face-slapped】
【I’ll definitely watch the first episode to see how you coquettishly rise to the top】
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
……
The press conference concluded smoothly.
Director Zhen achieved his promotional goals. Next, all the actors were to join the crew, and without stopping the horse’s hooves, they completed the opening ceremony and formalities on an auspicious day, followed immediately by the first day of filming.
Xu Jiao and Feng Qingyu were in the first scene.
Before filming, Director Zhen, standing behind the camera, said to Feng Qingyu, “It’s fortunate that it’s the two of you. If it were other characters, if it’s O, I’d be worried about locking you together in case of any accidents. If it’s B, I’d be concerned you wouldn’t feel anything.”
“Now it’s perfect, you two are wives, skipping the step of building rapport. It seems like it’s destined by heaven for you lovers to portray this.” He said with a smile.
Feng Qingyu, however, was sweating in her palms.
Prior to this, Xu Jiao had never rehearsed with her. If they messed up the first scene right at the start, the whole crew would feel like the beginning was inauspicious.
Perhaps Director Zhen thought this scene was the simplest, a piece of cake for them. But Feng Qingyu was a bit uneasy.
She wasn’t worried about her own acting skills, but rather about not coordinating well with Xu Jiao.
Moreover, this scene was to be performed in a cold water pool. The crew wouldn’t find a real hot spring for them just for a small set, as the cost would be too high. This meant that for as long as the scene took to shoot, they would have to endure the cold water.
For inexperienced newcomers, this scene was a bit tough.
She instinctively looked over at Xu Jiao in the makeup room next to her, only to find that person looking completely at ease, dressed in a silk gown, eyes closed as the makeup artist worked on her. There was not a hint of nervousness in her expression or actions.
When the makeup was done, Xu Jiao, dressed in thin clothes, put on a coat and walked over. Seeing Feng Qingyu, Xu Jiao smiled at her. She was unaware of how stunning her makeup was—
That smile was like the touch of spring extending its antennae, filling the room with the warmth and blossoming of spring.
Feng Qingyu met her gaze and suddenly felt slightly relaxed. If Xu Jiao wasn’t nervous, what was there for her to be afraid of?
……
“《Palace Wall Willows》, first take, first scene! Action!”
Qi Yunshang was in poor health. The Empress Dowager, sympathizing with her struggles, especially in this particularly cold winter, instructed the Emperor to take her to the Xínggōng (行宮 – temporary palace) to stay. There, the underfloor heating kept them warm, and the Xínggōng had various hot spring pools where she could soak in medicinal baths prescribed by the Imperial Medical Institute.
Upon hearing that the Empress was going, Noble Consort Rong went to the Emperor and whispered in his ear, her words full of blowing wind beside the pillow (吹枕邊風, meaning to influence someone close to you), and managed to persuade the Emperor to take her along as well, temporarily transferring the Phoenix Seal to the honest and straightforward Consort Ping in the palace.
It was late that day.
Qi Yunshang was soaking in a medicinal bath in a small hot spring pool, estimating that it was about time, she raised her hand to ask the maid beside her for a towel. But the hand that extended towards her wore luxurious long fingernail guards, adorned with golden floral patterns, indicating that the owner was of no simple identity.
Qi Yunshang’s expression shifted slightly, she turned her head back somewhat surprised, but her eyes were covered by someone. In the next moment, she felt ripples in the pool beside her, and another body slid down close to her like a snake.
The newcomer lowered their voice and gently asked her, “Guess who I am?”
Qi Yunshang first pressed her lips together, but after a while, she couldn’t help the corners of her mouth from curving into a smile. She gently and softly reproached, “Why are you still not asleep so late?”
This tone, rather than reproach, carried more affection.
Rong Qing loosened her hands, allowing Qi Yunshang to see her own clothes, wet from the water, faintly outlining her delicate figure in the dim light of the room. She raised her hand to wrap it around Qi Yunshang’s neck and whispered:
“Shh.”
“The Emperor is so enchanted by a little palace maid that he can’t find the north (找不着北, meaning confused or disoriented). In this cold weather, he wants to take her to see the plum blossoms bloom. You must not disturb His Majesty’s pleasure.”
……
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
Feng Qingyu’s gaze fell on her, noticing that the neckline of her clothes, soaked and heavy with water, was about to slip down, revealing the curves of her chest.
Suddenly, she slightly averted her gaze and continued with her lines: “Even so, you should be careful. It’s so late, why aren’t you resting? What are you doing here?”
Xu Jiao innocently blinked her eyes, “Empress, how domineering you are—”
“This Tangquan Palace, is it that only you are allowed to come and I am not?”
As she spoke, she raised her hand and pushed Feng Qingyu onto the smooth ceramic tiles beside them. Under the rippling water, she loosened her fluttering belt, and beneath the swaying hem of her clothes, her long, jade-white legs were clearly visible to Feng Qingyu.
In the play, this person was so graceful and captivating, far surpassing the vulgar methods used to seduce her in everyday life.
Feng Qingyu was momentarily dazed.
At this moment, Xu Jiao’s hand, which was placed on her neck, slowly moved down along the side of her neck, plunged into the water, stopped at her waist, and then shifted a few inches to the side. Simultaneously, that sweet scent, with a hint of coquettishness and a touch of dominance, lowly invaded Feng Qingyu’s ears.
The scorching breath was even more humid than the tone.
“Empress—”
She asked, “Can this place really not allow me to come in?”
