Three Combs: Chapter 18.1

Emerald Mayblossom8-9 minutes 02.07.2023

Jiang Tiao changed her wallpaper to the “wedding picture” of her and Fu Ting Chuan.

It is like it is fresh from the oven or why else would her face start to heat up whenever she looks at it.

Thanks to this picture, Fu Ting Chuan changed from the male god who she worships to the person she can romantically fantasize about. These days, before going to bed, while going through posts about Fu Ting Chuan on her small account, she would imagine her and Fu Ting Chuan falling in love….In the end, she would roll around on the bed, feeling ashamed.

After the nth time looking at the picture, Jiang Tiao turned off the phone and sighed as she put her hands on her cheeks.

Don’t think too much, be calm.

Yuan Yang walked to her side, “What are you doing standing here? Teacher Zhang will come on set today. She’ll be here at around nine. I have to step out for a while so her makeup will be handed to you. She will be filming her part today so pay more attention to her. She is my goddess.”

“Zhang Qiu Feng?” Jiang Tiao’s voice raised a pitch at the end.

“Yes, why?” Yuan Yang is taking his own cosmetic bag with him. He must have an appointment for a big red carpet event.

Jiang Tiao shook her head, “Nothing, I’m only asking. She is also my goddess.”

Adult Taiping is coming on set. That means there are not many scenes left to film for Young Taiping and Xue Shao.

After Xue Shao’s death, Young Taiping grew up to be Adult Taiping which is to say, the people playing opposite Zhang Qiu Feng are not Fu Ting Chuan’s Xue Shao or Tong Jing Nian’s Young Taiping. It is those men who appear in the middle or later stages of Princess Taiping’s life, Wu Youji, Zhang Yizhi, Li Dan, Li Longji...

Jiang Tiao once looked through the script of “Taiping.” From what she read, Xue Shao and Adult Taiping only had one scene together. It is also Fu Ting Chuan’s last scene. After that, he is killed.

Even though there are still quite a few romantic scenes between him and Tong Jing Nian, according to her past experience in drama productions, she can calculate that, at most, they will be able to finish their scenes in half a month.

Especially since Fu Ting Chuan has very few NGs.

Xue Shao will soon be killed off.

Jiang Tiao picked up the wooden comb from the dressing table. For the first time, she felt that it is very heavy.

**

Jiang Tiao’s idea was quickly approved. Because there is too little intersection between the scenes, Director Tong decided to divide the group into two in order to hurry up the progress. Group A is for Young Taiping’s scenes and Group B is for Adult Taiping’s scenes. He is responsible for Group A while the assistant director, Old Jiang, is in charge of Group B.

As important leaders in the makeup department, Jiang Tiao and Sun Qing are not able to work shifts anymore. Instead, they have to work on the front lines every day.

What’s even more saddening is….Jiang Tiao is divided into Group B.

The more you don’t want to see someone, the more you see him everywhere. But if you miss someone, the less likely you will ever see him.

Missing him and wanting to see him. This is the feeling she is feeling right now.

In the near future, she and Fu Ting Chuan would only be able to bump into each other in the morning and evening in the dressing room.

Zhang Qiu Feng was quite satisfied with Jiang Tiao’s makeup style for Adult Taiping. After the death of Xue Shao in her youth, Jiang Tiao specifically arranged for her eye makeup to be more charming.

However, in her later stages, after Princess Taiping gained power and her personal life is in disorder, her eyebrows became more prolonged and sharp, and her eyeshadow became redder, like a firecracker that will go off any minute.

It really fits with the status and character of Princess Taiping.

Naturally, it is not a bad thing to gain appreciation from the main actress and become the exclusive makeup artist for Zhang Qiu Feng.

But Jiang Tiao isn’t completely excited.

She found that Goddess Zhang and Fu Ting Chuan are familiar and cordial with each other. Whenever they sit together to get their makeup done, they would talk about trivial matters in life and work.

Of course, there are some common topics shared between the Film Emperor and Movie Queen.

Later, as she listens in on their conversation, she found out that Zhang Qiu Feng and Fu Ting Chuan have a mentor-disciple relationship.

No wonder they were so similar. Even if they acted together before, their harmonious manner and appearance are too compatible.

Moreover, she feels that after Zhang Qiu Feng came, Fu Ting Chuan barely looks at her anymore….

Whenever she puts on his makeup, he would either closes his eyes or talk to Teacher Zhang.

There is an instance when the empress arrives, and Zhen's eyes can’t tolerate any of those nobodies.

One day, before going to sleep, when Jiang Tiao realized what she is thinking, she couldn’t fall asleep that night.

What is she thinking…..is she jealous? Is she having unrealistic goals? Could it be that she is starting to see Fu Ting Chuan as a man rather than a god?

Many times she has imagined pulling Fu Ting Chuan by the collars and asking him why.

His care for his fans must have given her too much useless hope.

The more one yearns, the more disappointment there will be. The higher the expectations, the deeper the feeling.

When intimate, there will be demands. When crossed paths, there will be longing. This is not good.

During her most melancholy and bitter time, Jiang Tiao’s great aunt came to visit.

To make matters worse, her “relative” that came to visit her hasn’t been very friendly.

Whenever her period comes, her lower abdomen would always feels uncomfortable. But this time, it is different. The pain was unbearable like a hand pulling at her stomach.

When she was helping Zhang Qiu Feng with her makeup, she couldn’t stand the pain anymore and squatted down as she squeezes her stomach, trying to ease the pain.

In the middle of filming, Xu Che would come to Group B from time to time to worship Goddess Zhang. It seems that Zhang Qiu Feng is his real boss and that actor Fu in Group A is only a decoration.

Each time he comes over, he would praise the goddess nonstop. Whenever Old Jiang sees him, he would get annoyed, “Xu Che, why are you here again?”

“I came to watch Teacher Qiu Feng film!” He loudly proclaimed.

Director Jiang massaged his forehead, “What about your Teacher Fu! Wouldn’t Fu Ting Chuan will deduct your salary?”

“I’ll go back after I see Teacher Zhang. It’s not like it is affecting his work.” Like a dog, he gazes up at Zhang Qiu Feng, his tail wagging.

Director Jiang sighed and said no more.

Every day he would come and stay for a quarter of an hour. Then he would get up, pat his buttocks and leave.

Why go back? It’s to report to his master.

Today, he saw Jiang Tiao crouched over so he came over and joined her.

“Teacher Jiang, what’s wrong?” He asked.

Jiang Tiao’s face was twisted in pain, “Nothing, my stomach hurts.”

She couldn’t openly tell someone of the opposite sex that her aunt came.

“You’re relative came?” Xu Che quite understands women. Besides childbirth, the only reason for this type of pain is menstruation.

Jiang Tiao didn’t expect him to understand the situation perfectly. She frankly admitted, “En.”

"Are you ok?"

“Today’s the first day, I can endure it. It won’t kill me.” Although Jiang Tiao said this, she remembered during her university days, when she was watching a show, she heard a loud bang from the door. There was a girl lying outside, having fainted from the pain. That scene scarred her so that she even remembered it to this day.

Xu Che looked at her hand and asked, “Why haven’t you been wearing the gloves recently?”

When he said this, Jiang Tiao felt another wave of pain wash over her. “Okay….it hurts……”

It’s really terrible. Xu Che didn’t ask her anymore and only said, “You take it easy now.”

……