Chapter 034: At One’s Own Expense

The costume is damaged? Qian Fu hadn’t yet recovered from the filming scene and his expression was a little dazed. But very quickly, he erupted in fury: “The costume is damaged?”

Song Wan’s expression was grim as well. She handed the costume to Qian Fu. “When I went to fetch the costume, I didn’t notice anything wrong at first. Later, out of caution, I checked again and discovered that all the stitching along the side had been cut from the inside. At first glance, it looked fine, but as soon as you put it on and moved, it would split open.”

Qian Fu looked up from the torn fabric and met Song Wan’s shadowed gaze. The implication was clear—this was targeted at Song Wan.

Qian Fu was already known for his temper on set, and now, faced with this vexing problem, he flew into a rage, shouting at the assistant director, “We’re not filming. That’s it. Stop!”

The assistant director stood up in shock. “Director...?”

Qian Fu, agitated, kicked aside his chair and paced a few times before saying, “You keep an eye on things here. Something’s come up over there—I’ll go see if there’s a way to fix it.”

The assistant director glanced from Qian Fu to the newly arrived Song Wan, his gaze lingering on the costume in her hands, and his face darkened as well.

“Go ahead, Director Qian. I’ll take care of things here, don’t worry,” he said.

Qian Fu waved a hand. “Let’s go.”

With that, he strode toward the lounge, Song Wan hurrying after him.

Because they’d spent some time asking after Qian Fu’s whereabouts, by the time He Feng and Jin Youqian, led by the crew, hurried toward the filming site, they ran into Song Wan and Qian Fu returning halfway.

He Feng was astonished. “Miss Song?” His eyes then fell on Qian Fu. “Director Qian.”

With both groups meeting on the path, there was nothing to do but stop.

He Feng asked in confusion, “Weren’t you filming, Director Qian?”

Qian Fu’s chest heaved, clearly still fuming, but recognizing Jin Youqian at a glance, he forced himself to greet him: “Mr. Jin, what brings you here?”

Thinking of how rare it was for an investor to visit the set, only to encounter such a mess, Qian Fu’s anger flared even higher.

Jin Youqian’s gaze was mild as he nodded to Qian Fu. But when his eyes fell on Song Wan, they flickered. “I had some business nearby and thought I’d drop by the set.”

Qian Fu nodded, suspecting nothing.

Song Wan quickly stepped forward. “Director He, Mr. Jin.”

These two were to be her future superiors, after all; she couldn’t afford to ignore them.

Director He seemed unconcerned by Qian Fu’s disregard and smiled at her. “I didn’t expect you to be acting in this production as well.”

Song Wan didn’t reply, though inwardly she rolled her eyes. Now that they’d decided to sign her, she didn’t believe for a second He Feng hadn’t checked which crew she was currently with.

But there are some things you see through but don’t say out loud.

With both parties gathered, and He Feng, ever the diplomatic artist manager, smoothing over the atmosphere, the mood among the group remained harmonious.

Yet the matter at hand couldn’t be left unresolved. After a few words with Jin Youqian, Qian Fu spoke awkwardly, “Mr. Jin, I truly didn’t know you’d be visiting today, and I haven’t prepared anything to welcome you.” He hesitated. “Perhaps, if you’re busy, you could come back another day when you’re free? Give me a heads-up and we’ll be sure to host you properly.”

Jin Youqian glanced at him, his eyes lowering. “No need. Just resolve whatever needs resolving; don’t mind me.”

Song Wan’s heart skipped a beat—she hadn’t expected Jin Youqian to guess so quickly that something had gone wrong.

Qian Fu, having dealt with Jin Youqian before and heard of his reputation in the business world, wasn’t surprised. Still, now that things had been so openly exposed, he felt a little embarrassed. “It’s my own negligence that something like this happened in the crew.”

Inwardly, though, he imagined giving the troublemaker a thorough thrashing, and even that didn’t satisfy him. He resolved to root out the culprit and drive them from the set—such a menace couldn’t be tolerated.

“What happened?” Because Song Wan had greeted him but said nothing further, not even sparing him a glance, Jin Youqian’s tone held a trace of anger.

Qian Fu didn’t notice, but He Feng, familiar with his superior’s temperament, immediately began to ponder the cause of his annoyance. Somehow, his gaze landed on Song Wan.

Sensing his look, Song Wan gave him a puzzled glance, only to see He Feng blinking at her repeatedly, signaling toward Jin Youqian.

Was he telling her…to speak to Jin Youqian?

Regardless of her guess, the issue did involve her, and she had no intention of letting others speak on her behalf. She spoke up at once: “When I went to the costume room to get ready, I discovered the costume I needed for today was damaged, so I came to Director Qian to see if there was a spare…”

She hadn’t finished when Jin Youqian cut her off impatiently, “Have you found out who sabotaged your costume?”

Song Wan opened her mouth, momentarily at a loss for words.

She hadn’t wanted Jin Youqian to witness the crew’s disgrace, nor did she wish for the investor to form a poor impression, but he’d left her no room to gloss things over, cutting straight through her attempt at a cover-up.

Qian Fu had meant to step in for her, but recalling her connection to Mr. Jin, he hesitated and fell silent.

Ever since she’d decided not to pursue Jin Youqian, Song Wan had found every meeting with him awkward, always choosing silence where possible.

But now she had no choice but to steel herself and explain, “I don’t know who did it.” After a pause, she shifted the topic. “The immediate priority is to find a replacement costume…”

“All the costumes for this production were custom-made at my request. Where would a spare come from? I made it clear at the outset—no costumes are to be damaged, or the penalty is tenfold compensation.” Seeing her earnest explanation, for some reason Jin Youqian found himself annoyed.

No spare costumes?

Song Wan was taken aback, but didn’t dwell on it. “Strictly speaking, the costume isn’t ruined—just the stitching on one side. If we can have the original tailor sew it back in the same manner, it’ll be fine.”

If she weren’t worried about making a mess of it herself, she could just ask the director for leave and fix it on her own.

The only reason she brought this up with Jin Youqian was because he’d mentioned the costumes were his custom order—he’d surely know how to find the original tailor.

Jin Youqian lifted his eyes to look at her, discerning her unspoken question, his gaze unreadable. “Do you know how much a single set of these costumes costs?”

Having worked in countless productions, Song Wan was fully aware of the high value of these costumes—especially those for the main characters. The outfits for the leading lady in her days as a wealthy heiress, and for the male lead as the son of a marquis, were undoubtedly worth millions.

Each major character had at least ten different costumes. It was fair to say that the wardrobe budget for this film was beyond what most people could imagine.

“A spare costume…doesn’t need to be as finely made, does it?” Song Wan looked at Jin Youqian.

A spare is meant for emergencies, after all—just something to get through a scene or two. Audiences would hardly notice.

“Any film invested in by Imperial Capital Entertainment will never use inferior goods.” Jin Youqian’s gaze was calm, but anyone could hear the contempt and firmness in his tone.

If you have that much money, why not just make an extra set?

Song Wan suppressed the urge to retort, lowering her head to roll her eyes.

“As for the master who made these costumes…” Jin Youqian arched an eyebrow. “He doesn’t take orders from just anyone.”

Ever since the filming of “Tomorrow” was put on hold, “Silken Dreams” had become Imperial Capital Entertainment’s first major film project. Though not solely funded by them, the company’s reputation was at stake, and Jin Youqian wouldn’t allow the slightest carelessness.

To achieve authenticity and avoid any sense of cheapness, all the costumes were designed and made to order, with real embroidery painstakingly stitched by hand. If not for the fact that his family had worked with this master tailor for years, the craftsman would never have agreed to make such costumes—meant only for filming and never truly worn.

At this, Qian Fu became anxious. “Is it really impossible to ask for his help?”

Song Wan, too, felt panicked. Even if they rescheduled scenes to avoid using the damaged costume, eventually it would be needed. If it couldn’t be repaired…

Wait, they could ask another tailor—after all, it was only the seam, not the embroidery.

Jin Youqian shot her a glance. “Since I spent a fortune having these costumes made, I naturally have other plans for them after filming.”

Auctioning them off, of course—as if everyone didn’t know.

But as the wealthiest man in Jiuzhou, was it really appropriate to auction off the costumes from his own production instead of keeping them as mementos?

Something about it just felt off.

Song Wan secretly pursed her lips, inwardly distressed. If the costumes were to be auctioned, then they certainly couldn’t just be patched up any old way.

She looked down at the costume in her hands and sighed. “Mr. Jin, is there really no way to ask that master for help?”

“It’s not impossible.”

Song Wan looked up in surprise. “What would it take for the master to agree to help?”

Jin Youqian looked at her, the corners of his mouth quirking. “I can introduce you, and I won’t hold you responsible for the damage to the costume. But—you must come with me to the villa on Halfhill once.”

Song Wan was stunned, looking blankly at Jin Youqian.

“And—the cost of the repair will be borne by the crew, but the quality of the film cannot be compromised.”

What did that mean?

She turned to see Qian Fu’s anxious face.

Jin Youqian, still simmering, spoke slowly with a hint of malice. “By the way, you might not know, but this costume alone cost over three million, and the master detests having his work damaged. If you want him to repair it, you’d better be prepared for the price.”

Seeing Song Wan’s astonished expression, the frustration Jin Youqian had been holding onto evaporated instantly, replaced by an unexpected sense of satisfaction.