Strike Back, Proud Goddess! Chapter 147 - Chaos

Although Xiao Jing didn’t know why Qiao Liang was so nervous, he still went to check the hot spring. Ning Yan was waiting in the hot spring early. When he saw Xiao Jing coming, he lit a cigarette and went over to him, saying, “There you are.”

Xiao Jing hummed in response as he looked about the set and then asked, “Have you checked all around? The site’s been cleared?”

Ning Yan raised an eyebrow at his question. “Why are you being so careful? You really think your sister’s an international star? She’s just a newbie doing a TV commercial. Is it necessary to be so nervous?”

Xiao Jing tutted as he looked around at the staff nearby and replied seriously, “My sister has just been discharged from the hospital and she’s still weak. Besides, as you know, though she is a newbie, she’s the enemy of a former big star. We’d better be careful.”

Ning Yan looked impatient, but he still asked the staff to check again, after which he said to Xiao Jing, “The staff members here are all regular staff members of Qingcheng Entertainment. You can rest a.s.sured that there won’t be any problems.”

Xiao Jing hummed at his words. He gazed at the dark-blue natural hot spring water and asked, “How deep is the hot spring?”

Ning Yan turned his eyes to the water. “How would I know? It shouldn’t be too deep. Besides, we’ll only be shooting beside the water and won’t be getting in. Don’t worry.”

Xiao Jing walked to the waterside to take a look. The water was so clear that he could see down to the bottom, but it seemed like it could be a bit deep. The hot spring water was blue and looked beautiful. He thought that since guests would come here every day to enjoy the hot spring, there should be no danger. Perhaps Qiao Liang’s uneasiness was due to him being too nervous.

The audition worked out well. He Wanning called Ning Yan and told him that they were ready and asked him to prepare for the shoot and clear the site. Ning Yan hung up the phone and ordered the people who had nothing to do with the shooting to leave the site while complaining to Xiao Jing. “Your sister is really someone. She’s just going to shoot a TV commercial, yet we have to clear the site for her.”

Xiao Jing curled his lips in response. “My sister didn’t ask for it. It’s President He who’s afraid of information being leaked out, which will result in no sense of mystery for the commercial. Who do you think should be blamed?”

Ning Yan took a last puff of his cigarette before putting it out and throwing it into a trash can, following which he walked over to adjust the camera, saying, “Get out of here.”

As Tang Xi and the other people came to the hot spring, Ning Yan raised an eyebrow and blew a whistle when he saw Qiao Liang. “Oh, Qiao Liang, what brings you here?”

Qiao Liang glanced at him in greeting while He Wanning answered for him. “President Qiao came here to inspect the set as a major shareholder of OLS.”

The staff members who were surprised at Qiao Liang showing up were shocked again. President Qiao was always so mysterious. When had he become a major shareholder of OLS?

Ning Yan raised an eyebrow and looked at Tang Xi behind Qiao Liang, exclaiming, “Oh, look what I see. A real little fairy!”

Tang Xi greeted him and thanked him for his care. Still looking surprised, Ning Yan replied, “Why would you need my care? Only the care of a major shareholder like President Qiao matters. We all have to listen to him.”

Tang Xi was speechless. Ning Yan really had a sharp tongue… Tang Xi looked at Qiao Liang and said, “Thank you for your care, President Qiao.”

Qiao Liang raised an eyebrow and gave a subtle smile as he asked, “If I weren’t satisfied, would you quit the shooting?”

“President Qiao doesn’t have the say. I am in charge,” He Wanning said, after which he turned to ask the staff members to prepare for the shooting and then asked Ning Yan to do a test shoot.

Qiao Liang took a step back to stand by Xiao Jing. “Have you checked the hot spring?”

Xiao Jing answered with a nod, “Yes. Don’t worry. The water isn’t very deep.”

Qiao Liang didn’t speak but stared straight at Tang Xi who was auditioning.

After shooting a take, Ning Yan looked at Tang Xi with surprise. When he saw Tang Xi dressed up like a flower fairy, he didn’t feel anything. However, he was stunned by her beauty after she casually performed several motions according to the script. The look in her eyes touched his heart. He suddenly felt he had found a born actress.

Her acting skills were not acquired but born with her!

A single look of hers made him believe that she really was a fairy.

Ning Yan was satisfied with Tang Xi’s performance, uttering, “Okay, let’s get down to the shooting.” He took out the script and shouted, “Bring up the perfume.” Then he proceeded to give instructions to Tang Xi. “Later, there will be two extras frolicking in the hot spring who will leave. After they’re gone, you walk out of the maple trees—remember that you should look careful as if afraid of being discovered—then you pick up the perfume beside the hot spring, wear it and act as if playing with b.u.t.terflies, following which you’ll stand up and turn around twice… then jump into the water and play with the b.u.t.terflies and then…” He pointed to a swing on a maple branch and finished, “Play on the swing. That’s all.”

Tang Xi nodded, thinking she might seem a little silly performing those actions, but she felt it should be fine after the post-production effects were added.

The shooting formally began. Two actresses frolicked around in the hot spring before they left laughing. At this time, a girl wearing a half mask showed up behind a maple tree. She looked around carefully and walked out after confirming no one was around. After making sure there was n.o.body else again, she smiled with joyful eyes and walked forward step by step with her bare feet.

Every step she took was accompanied by a breeze in the woods, which blew her hair loose. Her hair covered her mask and her gorgeous face was half exposed. Everything seemed still as she walked to the hot spring.

She was like a real princess who had escaped from a castle, or like a fairy that had secretly descended to the mortal realm, full of curiosity about the outside world. Seeing the perfume bottle placed at the hot spring, she approached it with deliberate steps. All the staff members held their breath to see what she was going to do.

She picked up the perfume bottle, sprayed it gently and raised her face. Everyone could see the beautiful smile resting on her red lips. She looked at her fingertips in surprise, and then looked behind her. She raised her hand to gently blow at it, and then raised her face slightly to smile at the air.

It seemed as if she were playing with b.u.t.terflies…

Just then, a blue b.u.t.terfly flew over and surprised everyone present. A b.u.t.terfly?The creature flew towards the middle of the hot spring. Tang Xi gathered up her dress and chased after it. Wading into the water at a steady pace, she suddenly stopped and turned around, when countless b.u.t.terflies flew towards her.

Tang Xi, however, didn’t feel well; her mind became filled with images of the crash where her body was exploded into countless pieces, following which the deep blue sea swallowed her body—she was no longer herself and her body sank with a jerk.

Everyone cried out loud. Qiao Liang shouted, “Help!” and he rushed towards her…

But the b.u.t.terflies stopped all of them and no one could go near the hot spring. Xiao Jing shouted, “When did so many b.u.t.terflies appear?! What’s going on here?”

Tang Xi felt as if she were falling into the depths of the ocean, while the people around the hot spring were in chaos.