Chapter 116: Banquet
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Feng Tangtang saw Xi Mo appear at the filming site and was very surprised. She quickly ran over and said, “Ruanruan, how come you're here today too?”
Xi Mo sat on the chair, raised her eyes slightly, and said, “I’ll stay here until the wrap-up party day, then go back with you all.”
Feng Tangtang was so excited. “That’s great! Wait a moment, I’ll go get you a hot drink.”
“Okay, thank you, Tangtang.” Xi Mo smiled.
Before, when she had to act as Ruan Yesheng, she always had to copy Ruan Yesheng’s smile, but she did it unwillingly. Now her smiles often came from the heart. Maybe it was because the friends around her gave her real warmth she could feel. Her smiles also became real.
When Tangtang came back with the hot drink, Xi Mo drank while watching Ruan Yesheng acting with the other actor.
Sometimes, she would lower her head and look at the content on her tablet.
The fruit store owner still sent her the hotel’s nearby surveillance on time.
She thought that prop master Yang Zhen’s sudden disappearance, and the details when he left the hotel, must be shown in the surveillance. So she picked out the footage around that time and brought it on her tablet.
Watching surveillance footage required a lot of patience. Xi Mo carefully searched, and finally found Yang Zhen at 7:35 in the morning that day.
The footage showed Yang Zhen pushing a large suitcase and walking out of the hotel with his coworker. The two of them were going to the filming site for an outdoor shoot, so naturally both brought suitcases. Nothing seemed unusual.
Xi Mo pressed pause. Yang Zhen’s figure froze on the screen.
He wore a black hoodie with the hood up, looked about thirty years old, and had an average build.
The suitcase was the largest size, also black.
Xi Mo played the footage again. When Yang Zhen left the hotel, he had to go down the steps. He struggled a bit to lift the suitcase down. A hotel staff member nearby offered to help, but Yang Zhen waved his hand and refused.
In the end, he carried the suitcase down by himself.
Xi Mo stared at that suitcase for a long time. Her thoughts turned cold and her mind drifted elsewhere.
…A suitcase that big could easily fit a curled-up adult.
Ding Qihong was short and looked thin and haggard. With her build, it would be no problem to fit her inside.
Suppose Yang Zhen was her accomplice. On the night the hotel rooms were searched, he had hidden Ding Qihong in this suitcase. Then, when the police knocked on his door, he calmly dealt with their questions. Even if the police were sharp, they would not think to check his suitcase right away.
The next morning, Ding Qihong hid in the suitcase again and was taken out of the hotel by Yang Zhen.
Although the night before she had been chased from behind by Gu Qisong and her escape route was limited, she was most likely forced into a floor she had not planned for due to lack of options.
But that was only the most probable scenario. It did not mean there were no other possibilities.
What if Yang Zhen was her accomplice, and by coincidence, Ding Qihong ended up on the same floor he was staying on, entered his room, and worked with him? That possibility would also make sense.
As Xi Mo thought about it, her brows furrowed.
If this guess was right, then the reason for Yang Zhen’s disappearance could only be one of two things: either he was deliberately hiding to avoid attention and faking his disappearance, or he had known too much and was silenced by Ding Qihong.
No matter how you looked at it, it all pointed to Ding Qihong. After the incident, the police would definitely review the hotel’s surveillance footage. Cui Jiayu must’ve already seen these clips. If Xi Mo could come up with these deductions, Cui Jiayu surely could too. That was probably why she came to the crew asking about Yang Zhen.
After sorting everything out, Xi Mo put away her tablet and looked back toward the set.
Ruan Yesheng came over during her break.
While Feng Tangtang was away, Xi Mo showed her the surveillance footage about Yang Zhen and shared her theory.
After listening, Ruan Yesheng nodded. “It’s possible. Although Gu Qisong was chasing closely that night and Ding Qihong didn’t have many options, it’s still possible she ended up on Yang Zhen’s floor. His room was on the highest floor. That would explain everything.”
Xi Mo’s logic was always clear. “Ding Qihong’s a sanitation worker, Yang Zhen is the props guy on the crew. They don’t seem to have any connection. But if they really worked together, they must’ve had prior contact and shared the same purpose. We need to investigate their social ties.”
“To investigate that, the police have to do it,” Ruan Yesheng said softly. “Cui Jiayu.”
Xi Mo fell silent.
Now that both Yang Zhen and Ding Qihong had disappeared without a trace, they could no longer continue the investigation, nor was it convenient for them to do so. But Cui Jiayu was biting down on this case so hard, she probably would not give up.
After a moment, Xi Mo said, “Maybe the only one who can really figure out the whole story is Cui Jiayu.”
“Why do you care so much about Ding Qihong’s case?” Ruan Yesheng asked her.
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s just intuition. Besides, Zhang Yuning’s death was just too strange.” Xi Mo casually glanced at the noisy set and kept talking with Ruan Yesheng.
It was not filming time. The crew were walking here and there, people moving about everywhere, and the sound of equipment being carried rang out from time to time.
Someone stood in the middle of all this noise, watching them whispering together from afar through the crowd.
Then that person tugged down their cap and turned to leave.
Ruan Yesheng had filmed for three days straight and finally wrapped up. She was the female lead of the drama. Her wrap up meant the whole production had wrapped. The moment Lin Qitang said the words “that’s a wrap,” the entire set erupted. People brought flowers, gave their congratulations, and the atmosphere was lively—it felt like an early New Year celebration.
And the next day’s wrap up party pushed that joy to its peak.
Because it would be streamed live, the wrap-up party had been in preparation for days. Everything was set up in perfect order. Last night, the official Weibo finally released the detailed livestream schedule. Many fans were already camping out early in the appointed stream room. Even though the screen was still black, it could not stop their enthusiasm. Message after message floated across the black screen.
The craziest ones were, of course, Xi Mo’s and Yan Mu’s fans.
“Crew, hurry and open the door! Let me see my goddess!”
“Yan Mu Protection Squad, First Unit reporting at lightning speed! Open up!”
“Aaaahhhhhh waiting for ten o’clock! Crew, you must be on time!”
This drama was full of stars, and many of the actors brought their own traffic. Ding Pei’s fans had also shown up early. Every celebrity had their own fan support, but very few mentioned Ruan Yesheng.
The ones who camped early were diehard fans. Casual viewers had not arrived yet. By comparison, the name “Ruan Yesheng” seemed like the most unnoticed background.
Around nine o’clock, even Shen Qingbie’s fans barged into the livestream room.
There was no other reason—just that Shen Qingbie had reposted the production crew’s official livestream promo around that time. She did not say anything, just posted a cute emoji.
And that was enough to blow up Shen Qingbie’s fanbase.
Before, Shen Qingbie had also shared posts about the Sui Ting crew, and she even posted some photos when she visited the set. But fans all thought it was because of Yan Mu. After all, most of the selfies on set were taken with Yan Mu. This time, Shen Qingbie pulled this move, and fans did not think too much about it. They just thought Shen Qingbie was helping promote for Yan Mu again.
“Qingqing reposted the Sui Ting livestream promo! Could it be that Qingqing will also watch the livestream?”
“Ahhh really? I’m gonna go wait too. Round it up, it's me watching the livestream together with Qingqing!”
So the fans no longer cared that Sui Ting was led by Xi Mo. They all followed Shen Qingbie’s footsteps and went to the livestream room.
That stirred up big trouble again. They started fighting.
Xi Mo’s die-hard fans started questioning: “Is your quiet girl in this drama? What are your fans doing here joining the fun!”
Shen Qingbie’s die-hard fans clapped back: “We’re not watching your Queen Xi, bleh bleh bleh. Is this livestream room opened by your Queen Xi’s fans? We’re coming in and there’s nothing you can do! Hey, we came in again. Hey, we left again. Hey, we came in again!”
Luckily, there were more rational fans: “Guests are guests. Isn’t it good to have more support? Every time you make a scene like this, don’t you think it’s embarrassing? Think for yourselves—if you act like this, will the goddess and Qingqing be happy? This kind of behavior doesn’t count as real liking. It’s just selfishness.”
"It doesn't matter which side's fighting, just get out—you're making a fool of yourselves."
"Don't bother with them. A lot of them aren't even real fans. They're just here to stir up trouble on purpose."
The livestream moderators came out to keep order. They banned who needed banning. Bit by bit, when the troublemakers saw they couldn't make any waves, they slowly backed off and finally quieted down.
The wrap party was held on the third floor of another hotel. The venue was big and the lights were shining bright. A stage was set up at the far end, and behind it, a projector screen kept playing the concept trailer for Sui Ting. The crew and guests were already seated at the banquet tables below, waiting for the official start at ten.
Right at ten o'clock, the livestream screen finally moved. The camera switched to the stage at the wrap up party.
The livestream chat lit up in an instant. The hype shot straight up, and with the official account’s reminder, more people rushed in by the second.
Fans were screaming in the comments: "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh it's here it's here! It's finally here!"
The host said a bunch of standard opening lines and shared some promotional info about the show. Then, standing on stage with a smile, the host said, "Let's welcome the main cast and crew of Sui Ting!"
Lin Qitang walked in front, leading the main cast onto the stage. Every actor was dressed in glamorous clothes and had flawless makeup. The camera gave each of them a close-up shot, and whenever a close-up appeared in the livestream, the comment section exploded in cheers.
The actors stood in line one by one. Lin Qitang, as the director, stood in the center. Ruan Yesheng and Yan Mu stood on either side of him. As for Xi Mo, in this cast full of well-known actors and traffic stars, she could only appear as Ruan Yesheng. For the first time in her life, she stood third from the left—counting backwards.
She used to always be the absolute center.
“Let’s welcome our Deng Sui, Xi Mo!” With the host’s shout, the spotlight and camera zoomed in on Ruan Yesheng. On the big screen behind them, clips of Deng Sui’s scenes played in a loop. She looked charming and full of spirit.
Ruan Yesheng faced the camera with a graceful smile. But deep inside, she sighed again. Xi Mo was just too popular. Every time she showed up as Xi Mo, she could truly feel Xi Mo’s high status in the entertainment circle.
She was a true leading lady. Her ranking in the cast was clear, and even most of Yan Mu’s fans accepted that.
“Ahhhhhhhhh goddess is so beautiful!!!!!!”
Xi Mo’s fans were seeing these scenes of Deng Sui for the first time. They were screaming in the comments while sending gifts like crazy.
The gift effects never stopped. Among them, one fan with the username “Do You Know What Is Dang Dang Dang Dang Dang Dang?” stood out the most. This fan was way too generous. All those expensive gifts at the top of the list? She was sending them like she didn’t even need to think.
“Do You Know What Is Dang Dang Dang Dang Dang Dang?” crushed the gift leaderboard and shot straight to number one. Fans also noticed that this user only started sending gifts after Goddess Xi showed up, and only sent gifts whenever Goddess Xi was on screen.
Right away, everyone realized this person was one of Xi Mo’s rich fans and guessed they probably owned a mine or something.
Their fan circle suddenly got such a flashy fan, and even though nobody recognized the username, Xi Mo’s fans were all hyped up. They felt proud.
This “Do You Know What Is Dang Dang Dang Dang Dang Dang?” was their goddess’ fan! All the other stars at the event got overshadowed!
The host handed the mic to Ruan Yesheng and said, “We all know, Xi Mo, that you used to only act in movies. This is your first time filming a TV drama. So, what feels different between working on Sui Ting and your past movies?”
Ruan Yesheng smiled brightly and said, “TV dramas have more episodes, so they move slower. The filming is more detailed, and the emotions build up more slowly. But movies are short, so the pace is faster. When emotions change with the plot, the impact is stronger. When I filmed movies before, there were a lot of intense scenes packed together. Each one was hard to shoot, and we had to film many takes. But with a drama, there are more scenes of daily life, so the filming feels more relaxed.”
The host went around interviewing the cast one by one. Every actor got a chance to speak. Finally, it was Xi Mo’s turn.
“Next up is our Ding’e, Ruan Yesheng!” The host walked over to Xi Mo.
The camera cut to her. As soon as the close-up appeared, some people in the comments were asking who this was, saying she looked so pretty. But many others who had seen her on hot searches these past months already knew she was Ruan Yesheng, and they started explaining it to everyone.
Funny thing was, at first, hardly anyone was talking about Ruan Yesheng. But now, all of a sudden, a bunch of people started sending gifts one after another. They did not say much, maybe just dropped a warm greeting here and there.
But everyone could tell—they were all Ruan Yesheng’s fans. They came just for her. Looking at the gift rankings, her fans might not have shouted the loudest, but their gifts had quietly climbed near the top of the leaderboard.
The bystanders were all talking: “Ruan Yesheng is really amazing. She quit the industry before, and we all thought her popularity faded away. But now that she's back, there's still so many gifts coming in.”
“Good wine, even if left in a corner for a long time, is still good wine.”
Ruan Yesheng’s fans saw those comments and started sending gifts even more often.
Yes.
Such deep, long longing had been brewing over time. How could they not feel excited?
The host really understood the mood too. Smiling, he said, “We’re livestreaming right now, and lots of Ruanruan’s fans are here today. Let’s take a look at the livestream room.”
The stage’s screen changed and showed the livestream interface.
Xi Mo and Ruan Yesheng turned at the same time, looking toward the projection screen behind them.
Those messages, along with the flashing gift effects, passed right before their eyes.
“Ruanruan, we miss you.”
“Ruanruan, we’re waiting for you.”
So short.
But so in sync, like they all shared the same heart.
As Ruan Yesheng kept watching, her eyes got a little wet. She lowered her head slightly, barely holding back her feelings, and tucked that hard-to-notice wave of emotion deep in her heart. She kept up the perfect smile on her face.
Xi Mo also watched in a daze.
Right then, that fan named “Do You Know What Is Dang Dang Dang Dang Dang Dang?” started sending gifts again. Just like before, all of them were the most expensive kinds of affectionate gifts.
The rich fan from the mine showed up once more, and the gift effects exploded all over again.
All the other fans were stunned, especially Xi Mo's fans.
What was going on? Wasn’t this “Do You Know What Is Dang Dang Dang Dang Dang Dang?” a Xi Mo-only fan?
Could it be they were actually a double fan of both Xi Mo and Ruan Yesheng?
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Meanwhile, Shen Qingbie was on break in her own crew. She had started resting before ten, sitting by herself and watching her tablet. Her assistant saw that her eyes never left the screen, so she didn’t bother her. She just put a cup of hot water on the small folding table beside her and said, “Sister Qingqing, please have some water.”
“Oh, okay.” Shen Qingbie waved her hand, telling her to go: “Go on, go on. Just leave it here.”
She took a break from her focus and looked up at her assistant, smiling as she said, “You too, drink more hot water.”
Assistant: “…”
The assistant glanced at her for a moment. As she walked away, she thought to herself that ever since Sister Yu An wasn’t around, Sister Qingqing seemed kind of different. Before, Sister Qingqing used to be a bit reserved, but now she talked more, was more lively, and was clearly treating the people around her better.
Shen Qingbie took a sip of water, full of heroic spirit, and kept using her alt account “Do You Know What Is Dang Dang Dang Dang Dang Dang?” to send gifts.
Xi Mo was her idol, so of course she had to send.
Ruanruan was her good friend, so she had to send too.
Send to both, send to all. Money wasn’t a problem.
She saw a lot of people in the live chat asking who this “Do You Know What Is Dang Dang Dang Dang Dang Dang?” was. Turns out they were a double fan of Xi Mo and Ruan Yesheng.
Out of all possible combos, why be a double fan of these two? One was a top-tier Movie Queen, the other had left the industry for years. They did not seem to have much connection. This kind of fan combo was really unheard of.
But someone pushed back: “How can they have no connection! Xi Mo and Ruan Yesheng were college classmates, okay!”
Shen Qingbie was very pleased with herself. Hmph, even if you all think so hard your brains explode, you’d never guess who “Do You Know What Is Dang Dang Dang Dang Dang Dang?” really is.
After the projected screen showing the chat faded, the host followed the schedule and asked, “Ruanruan, how do you understand the role of Ding’e?”
Xi Mo paused, her eyes passing over the actors beside her to look at Ruan Yesheng, who stood at the center, and said, “Ding’e is Deng Sui’s shadow, and also Deng Sui’s light.”
Author’s Notes:
Silly Qingqing, your name gives you away. “Do You Know What Is Dang Dang Dang Dang Dang Dang?” Exclusive for chatterboxes. [. ]
Pay attention! There is really going to be a big turning point! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
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