CHAPTER 447: CHAPTER 255 RUMORS

The recent turmoil had finally settled down, and coinciding with the winter break, there wasn’t much happening at school, so Shu Wan devoted all her energy to the shooting of "Fuxian".

One day, Shu Wan received a call from Liu Qing, who announced that the release date for "Qingcheng" had been set. Shu Wan was quite surprised, "Didn’t we just finish shooting two months ago? That was fast, wasn’t it?"

"Our subject doesn’t require much post-production," Liu Qing explained. "Besides, those post-production teams at the Film and Television City are simply amazing, with music, editing, and everything done so perfectly. I figured we’d try our luck in the competitive Spring Festival slot."

The Spring Festival slot has always been a battleground for films of all kinds, usually dominated by comedies, sci-fi, and animated movies. Youth films, let alone school-themed ones, rarely make an appearance.

But after consulting with the professional team at the Film and Television City, and considering the consistently high quality of "Qingcheng", along with the long-time slump of school-themed movies, it could be seen as an opportunity from another perspective.

"I’m okay with it, do you need me to help with promotion?" Shu Wan asked.

"Of course, you’re our main pillar," Liu Qing said, thinking of having Shu Wan and Fu Yang promote the film together. "When are you and Lin Yang free for some outdoor competition or something? I’ll call a few people from the crew to join."

"Alright, I’ll ask when I get back."

After seeing Liu Qing off, Shu Wan turned around to go back inside and continue filming.

But she hadn’t walked more than a few steps before she sensed something was off. Shu Wan glanced over her shoulder and caught a glimpse of someone surreptitiously following her in the periphery of her vision.

Without betraying her awareness, she continued walking, and the person at her right rear followed suit.

However, after turning a corner, Shu Wan seemed to vanish without a trace.

The middle-aged man following her looked around for a long time but couldn’t find Shu Wan. He had no choice but to make a call, "I’ve lost her, can’t find the person."

Whatever the person on the other end said had the middle-aged man nodding continuously, and after hanging up, he turned and left, getting into a nondescript black Volkswagen parked at the curb.

Once the car had driven off, Shu Wan emerged from the other side, her phone in hand with a video she’d just recorded of the car leaving.

Shu Wan sent the video to Li Si. "Help me check this out, who is this person?"

Li Si replied quickly, "Okay."

Elsewhere, Director Wei Jia had waited quite a while without seeing Shu Wan and had grown so anxious that he had come out to look for her himself.

"Shu Wan, are you done with your tasks? About that scene we discussed just now, could you go over it with me again?"

In front of others, Director Wei Jia was cold and reticent, but ever since working with Shu Wan on the set for a few days, if it weren’t for maintaining a professional image, he would have loved to spend every day with her.

There was no other reason; it was mainly because Shu Wan was like a treasure trove of inspiration.

Not only did she have an image and temperament that was one in a million, but her photography skills were also exceptional. And those who knew photography understood how to convey the language of the lens.

Wei Jia had stood proudly at the pinnacle of the domestic entertainment circle for so many years, feeling that each new generation of directors was not as good as the last, so he normally couldn’t be bothered to interact with them.

But artists are always loners, and a loner, in fact, needs a kindred spirit in art.

Shu Wan was the confidant Wei Jia had chosen beyond the limits of age.

"I think we could move the scene in the rain to the Lantern Festival setting..."

Shu Wan was talking to Wei Jia as she walked in.

Director Wei Jia listened more and more and felt that what Shu Wan was saying made sense, his eyes practically shining as he looked at her.

Shu Wan’s photography skills had been advancing lately and, having filmed quite a few scenes herself, she had lately been toying with the idea of directing her own films, naturally eager to discuss more with Director Wei Jia.

The two of them had been talking nonstop since they entered from the door until they reached the filming location, with Director Wei Jia still listening patiently to Shu Wan.

During this time, staff members tried to approach, but Director Wei Jia waved them away.

Worried that Shu Wan might be thirsty from all the talking, Wei Jia casually grabbed a bottle of water, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to Shu Wan. She took it, nodded, and then they both entered the room.

Once the door was shut, the actors exchanged glances, unable to help sending knowing looks to each other.

In truth, the interactions between Shu Wan and Wei Jia would be considered quite normal in many industries.

The problem was, this was the entertainment circle, a place where simply being a woman spontaneously gave rise to countless lurid rumors.

Not to mention, Shu Wan was a newcomer who had just become known. The fact that so many celebrities were playing supporting roles for her made it hard not to speculate.

Out of respect for Director Wei Jia, even if everyone had a lot of thoughts, they only murmured to themselves and didn’t voice them outright.

But with many people, chatter abounded; no one knew when these internal thoughts would spread as gossip.

In the "Fuxian" production team, Shu Wan was focused on improving her acting on one hand and learning how to direct films from Director Wei Jia on the other. Each day was fulfilling, so naturally, she didn’t pay attention to these matters.

It wasn’t until one day when Fu Siyu came to pick Shu Wan up from home that he gave her a hint, "Has anyone been saying anything bad about you in the crew lately?"

Fu Siyu rarely asked irrelevant questions. When he mentioned it, Shu Wan knew, "What have you heard?"

"People are saying you have a relationship with Wei Jia." Fu Siyu didn’t shy away from the truth, "They probably don’t dare say it in front of you and Wei Jia, but behind closed doors, it’s already spread."

"Are you jealous?" Shu Wan asked, somewhat helplessly, "You know, all that is just rumors."

"That’s not it." Fu Siyu wasn’t the type to be jealous over such baseless rumors, and he pulled Shu Wan into his arms, "Of course, I trust you, but I just want to hint that it’s time you gave me a status."

Shu Wan paused, not grasping Fu Siyu’s implication, "What status?"

"I’d really like it if, when we’re out, people referred to me as Shu Wan’s husband," Fu Siyu said with a twinkle in his eye, "rather than having to secretly listen to rumors about you with other people."

While Fu Siyu was speaking, there was even a barely perceptible tone of grievance in his voice. Shu Wan turned her head to him, "I’ve never minded going public about our relationship."

"Really?" Fu Siyu was visibly pleased, yet a little surprised, "But before, you’ve always been quite wary of this."

"Wasn’t that because you were always hiding it from the public?"

Shu Wan didn’t mind if others thought she was a gold-backed sponsor in the industry. If Fu Siyu had been willing to make their marital status known publicly, Shu Wan felt her path would have been smoother.

Fu Siyu paused, then smiled somewhat helplessly, "It seems we’ve both mistaken the other’s intentions."

He thought Shu Wan was unwilling, while Shu Wan thought he was the one who was reluctant, leading them both to keep it secret from each other.

If he had known Shu Wan didn’t mind, from the first day he saw her, the whole world should have known that he was Shu Wan’s husband.