Chapter 46

After driving the Zheng family of three back home, Zhang Chengyuan conveniently had a more sumptuous meal at the Zhengs' house and stayed for a while. However, Xiao Shuijing, who hadn't seen Zhang Chengyuan for so long, naturally didn't want to part with him so easily and insisted on following him out to play.

Mr. and Mrs. Zheng couldn't persuade her otherwise and, given their great trust in Zhang Chengyuan, agreed to let Xiao Shuijing follow him for half a day, but she had to return the next morning to complete her school enrollment procedures with her mother. The school she would attend, which Mrs. Zheng had already arranged, was the same as Xiu Yan's — Kent Foreign Language School, located in the Guangjin District across the river from Gangnam, not far from ** Company, just a fifteen-minute drive away. This was convenient, as in four or five years, when Xiao Shuijing would join ** Company as a trainee, she wouldn't have to change schools. Oh, almost forgot to mention, in the year 2000, Xiao Shuijing and her sister Zheng Xiu Yan were both spotted by ** Company, but due to her young age, it was estimated that she would have to wait several more years before joining ** Company for training.

Zhang Chengyuan took Xiao Shuijing out and asked her where she wanted to go. Xiao Shuijing said, "Brother, last year we almost toured the entire Seoul. Where else is there to play? How about we go to your filming location? I want to see how TV dramas are shot."

How could Zhang Chengyuan let her down? He immediately called the production manager to confirm the shooting location for the day and then drove Xiao Shuijing there.

Since the TV drama started filming, Zhang Chengyuan and Ha Ji-won, the two lead actors, often had to travel back and forth between Seoul and Gangwon Province with the production team. These few days, they happened to be filming in Seoul, which is why Zhang Chengyuan could take leave to pick someone up from the airport and also agree to take Xiao Shuijing to see the TV drama filming.

When they arrived at the set, the crew was already filming. Ha Ji-won was also there, resting on the side, drinking mineral water while watching the veteran actors perform. Zhang Chengyuan held Xiao Shuijing's hand and walked towards Ha Ji-won, greeting the staff he met along the way in a low voice. The staff all looked curiously at the obedient and cute Xiao Shuijing, and some who were free even bent down to chat with her kindly. Soon, many people on the set knew that Zhang Chengyuan had brought a little sister to visit.

Ha Ji-won also noticed Zhang Chengyuan and Xiao Shuijing, waving to them from a distance with a warm smile. Zhang Chengyuan knew this was for Xiao Shuijing's benefit, as he and Ha Ji-won were very familiar and usually greeted each other casually, not as formally as today. He immediately quickened his pace towards her.

When he reached her, Zhang Chengyuan smiled and said, "Sister Ji-won, you've worked hard today. Are you tired? Do you want me to give you a massage?" Seeing him approach, Ha Ji-won's manager greeted Zhang Chengyuan and then smiled and moved away. After all, artists have their own circles, and when they talk, managers usually step back to show respect for the artists' privacy. Otherwise, with managers always watching, how could they make close friends?

Ha Ji-won looked at Xiao Shuijing and asked gently, "Little sister, what's your name?"

Xiao Shuijing was very smart. From the way Zhang Chengyuan spoke to Ha Ji-won, she sensed that this big sister must be very close to her brother. So she enthusiastically introduced herself, saying, "Sister, hello! I'm so happy to meet you! You can call me Shuijing or Jingjing; that's what my dad and mom call me."

Who doesn't love a six or seven-year-old child, especially one as beautiful and cute as Xiao Shuijing? Ha Ji-won, who was sixteen years older than Xiao Shuijing, felt a maternal love rising in her heart. She couldn't help but pick up Xiao Shuijing and rub her chubby little face with her own, thinking how wonderful it would be if she could have a daughter as beautiful as this in the future.

The three of them sat side by side on a long bench. Xiao Shuijing, sitting in the middle, watched the filming scene with great interest. The operation of various filming equipment fascinated her, and she stared without blinking for half a minute at a time. Zhang Chengyuan and Ha Ji-won sat on either side of her, protecting her with their bodies while discussing the progress of the filming and the gains and losses in their acting.

From a distance, the three of them looked like a warm and harmonious little family.

After a while, Ha Ji-won excused herself to rehearse lines with Yoon Hae-young, who played her sister in the drama. Upon hearing that Ha Ji-won was going to rehearse with other actors, Xiao Shuijing became interested and pulled Zhang Chengyuan to watch.

Actually, rehearsals are usually quite boring, far less exciting than the final TV drama. This was even more so for a child like Xiao Shuijing, who stood not far away and watched for only a few minutes before feeling very bored. She then asked Zhang Chengyuan to take her for a walk nearby. After wandering for about half an hour, the two returned to the original place to watch the filming.

At this time, Ha Ji-won and Yoon Hae-young were filming. Xiao Shuijing, seeing Ha Ji-won in a completely different outfit, was surprised and said, "Brother, is that Sister Ji-won? I almost didn't recognize her. She looks much younger, but she really looks beautiful, especially with that golden hair, which shines so brightly."

Zhang Chengyuan said, "Yes, what you said makes sense, but I think black hair looks better. Like Xiu Jing's hair, which is black and shiny, making her look especially beautiful, which I really like." As he spoke, he gently stroked Xiao Shuijing's black hair.

As an Easterner, Zhang Chengyuan felt very uncomfortable with the trend of young Koreans dyeing their hair in various bright colors. In his view, black was one of the two original colors of the world, mysterious and noble, beautiful and healthy, and how could Western hair colors compare to Eastern ones? Seeing that Xiao Shuijing admired Ha Ji-won's golden hair, he immediately tried to instill his own beliefs in her.

Xiao Shuijing happily said, "Really? Then I will take good care of my hair and keep it black."

After watching for a while, Xiao Shuijing said, "Brother, Sister Ji-won looks very sad, almost as if she's about to cry. Is the sister next to her bullying her?"

Zhang Chengyuan said, "That's acting, not real. But when acting, you have to make it look real."

Xiao Shuijing said, "Why does Sister Ji-won keep pretending to be sad? She's done it several times already."

Zhang Chengyuan said, "Because she's not satisfied with her performance and wants to do better. Sister Ji-won is very serious about her work, and both of us should learn from her."

Xiao Shuijing said, "Brother, do you want me to learn from Sister Ji-won and become an actor? Hmm, it sounds interesting. Then I'll listen to you and become an actor in the future."

Children's understanding is limited, and they can easily misunderstand what adults say. Zhang Chengyuan didn't know how to explain it to her and thought for a moment before saying, "Being an actor is very hard. If you're interested when you grow up, we can talk about it then. You might want to do something else. Like your sister, who wanted to be... an athlete when she was young, but now her biggest wish is to become a singer, and no amount of persuasion from your father could change her mind. What you want to do when you grow up is your decision, and you don't have to listen to me. Whatever you want to do in the future, as long as it's not bad, I will support you."

Zhang Chengyuan's experience in educating children was too shallow, and he said too much, making Xiao Shuijing more and more confused. She looked at him with bright, puzzled eyes and finally said, "I understand, brother, I'll listen to you."