Marry by Relying on Favor: Chapter 33 - Scandal
Chapter 33: Scandal
“Scene five, take four, actors in position!”
On the set in Hengdian, as Director Guo’s loud voice rang out, all the actors and extras, freshly touched up with makeup, hurried to their spots, anxious not to make any mistakes.
Everyone knew that the morning shoot was a crucial scene, featuring both the male and female leads as well as all three supporting female roles. Director Guo had high standards—none of the first three takes had passed. If he wasn’t nitpicking the actors’ facial expressions, he was complaining that they weren’t emotionally in the right state.
Even a smile had to curve at the precise angle to satisfy him.
As a result, “take four” became “take fourteen,” and even the famously beautiful Shu Tongyi was called out several times.
“Cut! You’re the fourth female lead, where’d you get so many lines? I told you to shed two tears, not wail like a banshee!”
“Cut! Duan Jinfan, are you running a sprint? Can’t you see Shu Tongyi can’t keep up?”
“Cut! He Qingchi, you acted that wrong. Do it again!”
“Cut! Shu Tongyi, did you forget how to walk—”
The set echoed with Director Guo’s exasperated shouting, and the line where he publicly questioned if Shu Tongyi had forgotten how to walk was particularly piercing.
The whole set fell silent.
After a moment, Shu Tongyi slowly turned around, ignoring her assistant who tried to help fix her makeup and costume, and walked straight toward the dressing room.
Even though Director Guo was fuming, all he could do was bark out: “Ten-minute break!”
……
The actors took their breaks where they could. Duan Jinfan took a bottle of water from his assistant, wiped his sweat, and said to He Qingchi, “Director Guo’s really blowing up today, even taking shots at Movie Queen Shu.”
Everyone knew that people around Shu Tongyi had warned the crew not to mention her leg in front of her.
For Director Guo to say something like that in front of everyone was basically a public slap in the face.
He Qingchi was worn out from the repeated takes and was about to respond when she heard Director Guo shouting her name, script in hand.
Without a word, she turned and walked the other way.
Duan Jinfan was still confused. “He Qingchi, I think Director Guo is calling you.”
But she didn’t stop walking. No way was she going to be the director’s punching bag again—especially not when he was holding the script, which clearly meant he wanted to coach her acting. Normally, she wouldn’t mind, but right now, walking over was basically volunteering to be scolded.
She looked for a crowded place to hide, but when she pushed open a door, she found that the dressing room only had one person: Shu Tongyi, and not even an assistant in sight.
Shu Tongyi was removing her prosthetic leg. Her lips were pale—likely from several hours of nonstop shooting without rest, and her body couldn’t handle it.
He Qingchi had not meant to see this. Now she was stuck, unable to enter or retreat.
After a moment, she calmly walked over to her own dressing table and sat down.
There had always been a tense aura between the two of them. Shu Tongyi placed her prosthetic to the side, her long gown covering the gap in her leg.
Then she looked up and locked eyes with He Qingchi.
If He Qingchi had shown even a flicker of disdain or pity, Shu Tongyi wouldn’t have been surprised. Who would pass up a chance to revel in someone else’s vulnerability? But He Qingchi didn’t. Her expression was neutral as she picked up her thermos and took a sip of water.
Shu Tongyi’s fingers clenched tightly in her palm. Being seen like this was like having an old wound violently torn open. She couldn’t suppress it any longer and burst out, “Get out.”
He Qingchi paused, thinking she’d misheard.
No one had ever dared speak to her like that since she was a child.
Shu Tongyi’s beautiful face held no trace of a smile. She stared straight into He Qingchi’s eyes: “I said, get out.”
He Qingchi wasn’t exactly the nicest person, but she was principled and reasonable.
Had Shu Tongyi asked politely, she would’ve left to give her some space.
But using that tone? She didn’t care if the woman had a disability—she wasn’t going to bow down to anyone.
She placed her thermos on the table and said lightly, “Let me know when Director Guo specifically assigns this dressing room to you alone, then you can talk to me like that.”
Shu Tongyi ignored her and muttered, almost to herself: “You’re laughing at me, aren’t you?”
He Qingchi thought this woman had been off since the shoot started—probably rattled by Director Guo’s bad mood. She hadn’t expected to walk in on her and was just trying to avoid drama. Too bad she stumbled right into it.
Her light-colored eyes remained calm as she looked at Shu Tongyi: “It’s not like I just found out about your prosthetic today. If I wanted to laugh, I would’ve done it ages ago.”
Shu Tongyi stared back.
After He Qingchi finished, her face made it clear she wasn’t even interested in pretending to care.
A few moments passed.
Shu Tongyi quickly regained her usual cold composure: “Even if you have the title, you’ll never truly be part of his world.”
He Qingchi instantly caught the key word: title. She stood up without hesitation and walked toward the woman sitting on the couch. Her high heels clacked—seven centimeters high—not fast, not slow, but unmistakably assertive as she approached Shu Tongyi’s seated figure.
“So you know that guy with the last name Meng, too?”
The sudden mention of a familiar name made Shu Tongyi’s expression change slightly. She pressed her lips together and asked in a low voice, “What are you talking about?”
“The one who’s been divorced three times. Wen Shuchen told me all about him,” He Qingchi said, smiling.
And judging by Shu Tongyi’s subtle reaction, He Qingchi was now more certain than ever.
If Shu Tongyi wasn’t among the people Wen Shuchen met with last night, then where did this information come from?
And how could she know so quickly—right after Wen Shuchen and the He family had finalized their marriage agreement—that He Qingchi had obtained an official status?
Shu Tongyi wasn’t someone who could be easily tricked into talking. Her eyes flickered with emotion. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The more stubborn she was, the more persistent He Qingchi became. And with Shu Tongyi’s prosthetic already removed, she looked as though she were trapped on that small sofa, unable to escape the “interrogation.”
It was a rare opportunity to see the elegant, aloof film queen’s composure crack. He Qingchi’s eyes curved slightly as she spoke slowly: “So it turns out Wen Shuchen met more than just a friend last night—he met someone named Meng... and you.”
Shu Tongyi’s voice dropped coldly. “I didn’t admit to anything. That’s your own assumption.”
“Which means you did see Wen Shuchen last night.” There was no trace of jealousy in He Qingchi’s tone—
Only confusion as to why this had to be hidden from her.
Even if he had met Shu Tongyi alone late at night, He Qingchi would have at least allowed Wen Shuchen a chance to explain—let alone if others had been present.
But the man had behaved entirely out of character, which only raised more questions.
He Qingchi wanted to dig deeper, but Shu Tongyi turned her head away, her face an expressionless wall warning others to keep their distance.
“So, you already know I have a title. Did Wen Shuchen mention me to his friends last night? What exactly did you talk about?”
Shu Tongyi seemed to block the question out, her face tangled with too many emotions. But she couldn’t get up, nor could she avoid the woman who was now just inches away.
When she didn’t answer or look at her, He Qingchi raised her overly pale fingers—based on the angle from the door, it looked like she was about to pinch Shu Tongyi’s chin.
And truthfully, that was her intention.
If no one had interrupted…
A crew member suddenly pushed open the door to announce that Director Guo was calling for everyone to resume filming—but instead, he froze at the sight before him, eyes widening in disbelief. There, on the sofa, the famous Movie Queen Shu appeared to be pinned down by He Qingchi, dressed in a form-fitting cheongsam—the pose looked… intimate, like they were secretly flirting.
Both women turned their heads at the noise.
The crew member stammered in panic as he backed out: “I didn’t see anything—nothing at all…”
Bang! The dressing room door slammed shut.
Neither of them had time to stop the panicked staffer. Within half an hour, the entire crew was buzzing with the news.
Some believed it, some didn’t—but there was no question that the scandal had instantly become the crew’s biggest gossip.
The movie queen and the little-known female lead—are they a thing?
The rumor spread like wildfire among the actresses. The one playing the third female lead slapped her thigh and exclaimed, “Mystery solved! I was wondering why a big star like Shu Tongyi would agree to play second to He Qingchi—turns out they have that kind of relationship!”
— “Director Guo did arrange for Shu Tongyi’s room to be right next to the female lead’s. No way that’s just a coincidence!”
— “But I’ve never seen the two of them interact. They barely even talk after shooting.”
— “Wouldn’t you avoid being seen together if you were them?”
The makeup artist, eavesdropping nearby, couldn’t resist chiming in: “I heard the staff say it was He Qingchi who had Shu Tongyi pinned down. Who would've thought she had that kind of dominant energy—even the movie queen turned into a little woman!”
— “Exactly! We underestimated He Qingchi.”
The actresses all nodded in agreement. They’d thought He Qingchi was just a pretty face with no background, handpicked by Director Guo for her looks. But now… it seemed she might have some serious connections after all.
After the afternoon shoot wrapped, both He Qingchi and Shu Tongyi had no scenes left that night.
Everyone on set subtly watched the two of them, hoping to catch some sort of confirmation. Outwardly, both women appeared indifferent—cold, even. It was hard to believe what the crew member had seen in the dressing room.
He Qingchi had also caught wind of the rumors, but she knew trying to explain would only make things worse. So she didn’t bother.
After changing out of her costume, she stepped out and saw Shu Tongyi was still there.
People around them kept sneaking glances, as if hoping something would happen between the set’s two hottest gossip subjects.
Shu Tongyi ignored the gawkers and said to He Qingchi: “Do you know how to drive?”
He Qingchi didn’t answer directly. “Why?”
Shu Tongyi pulled a set of keys from her bag and tossed them over. “I need to get my prosthetic replaced.”
“Where’s your assistant?” He Qingchi noticed the actress looked unusually pale.
Shu Tongyi hadn’t had her assistant around all day. She didn’t explain their absence, but simply said: “I don’t like people seeing my prosthetic. Drive me out of the set, and I’ll answer one question for you.”
It was a deal—and a fair one at that.
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