Chapter 650: Qianqian, You’re Playing Favorites

"Captain Qi, could I borrow Carmen for a couple of days?" Shen Yibin asked after parking the car at the mountain pass and finding Qi Jian. It would be rather inconvenient to go into the mountains without Carmen leading the way.

"No problem. Tourism hasn’t recovered yet, so we don’t have much going on. How about I bring Carmen and guide you into the mountains myself?" Qi Jian was very enthusiastic, though his eyes kept darting toward Turtle Immortal. It was hard to tell if he was just bored or worried that Turtle Immortal would clean out all the mountain’s treasures.

"That would be great! Things will be much easier for us with your help." Shen Yibin, of course, wouldn’t refuse. Qi Jian was an outdoorsman, and his help would make things much more convenient. "This is Director Kong, and this is Sun Qian. We’re here to shoot an MV for Sun Qian."

"I know who you are! I’ve seen your videos online," Qi Jian said. "Oh, and Director Kong, when is *Panda Hero 2* coming out? My kid’s been clamoring to see it." Both of them were public figures, so of course Qi Jian recognized them.

"You’ll have to ask Bin about that. It all depends on when Hah’Er is well-rested!" Director Kong wasn’t in any hurry. He was currently focused on meticulously polishing the script. His trip to Yunzhong City wasn’t just a vacation; more importantly, it was a chance to find a quiet place to really work on the script. Here, he could also exchange ideas with Shen Yibin and Hah’Er. With good food, good wine, beautiful scenery, and no shortage of beauties, it was far more comfortable and relaxing than Xiangjiang.

"I’ll go get my gear!" Qi Jian deftly packed his equipment and walked at the very front of the group, leading Hah’Er. Shen Yibin and Director Kong brought up the rear as the party headed deep into the mountains.

Many in the group were burdened with filming equipment and had little hiking experience, making the journey quite arduous. Fortunately, with Carmen leading the way, help from the two experienced outdoorsmen, Qi Jian and Shen Yibin, and a destination that wasn’t too far off, they successfully reached the valley Shen Yibin had picked out by lunchtime.

It was the cusp of winter and spring. The snow on the mountain peaks had yet to melt, but here in the valley, flowers were already in full bloom. Sheltered on all four sides, the mountains blocked out the cold air. A hot spring bubbled up from the valley floor, keeping the temperature naturally warmer than the outside. Numerous flowers, plants, and trees thrived here, making it feel like a hidden paradise.

"What a magnificent place! It’s even more beautiful than the photos." With Shen Yibin’s help, Director Kong climbed onto the highest rock in the valley. He surveyed the surroundings, extremely satisfied with the filming location. "Everyone, let’s take a break and get something to eat. Then, we’ll start prepping for the shoot!"

Of course, the food out here couldn’t compare to the meals back at the manor. Fortunately, the crew were all professionals with plenty of experience in outdoor shoots, so they adapted quickly. They took the dry rations from Shen Yibin and ate them with freshly boiled water. As for Hah’Er and the other animals, there was no need to worry. Xiaoliu just darted around the forest a few times and found a pile of food.

An hour later, everyone had eaten their fill and regained their energy. They began setting up cameras and calibrating equipment according to Director Kong’s instructions. Meanwhile, Director Kong took out the script and began explaining the scene to Hah’Er. As usual, he explained it to Shen Yibin, who then relayed the instructions to Hah’Er.

"Okay, I get it." Shen Yibin nodded after Director Kong finished speaking and began relaying the instructions to Hah’Er. "Alright, in a moment, you’ll go over there, pretend you just woke up, and head to the creekside for a drink."

"Mhm! Mhm!" Hah’Er hadn’t been on a film set in a long time and was thrilled to see the cameras. It nodded repeatedly, showing it understood and looking eager to get started.

Camera, lighting, and sound were all ready. Hah’Er ambled over to the spot Shen Yibin had pointed out, lay down, and pretended to be fast asleep. The moment Director Kong yelled, "Action!" the little guy’s eyes fluttered open. He stretched, rolled around on the ground twice, and then slowly got up and wandered toward the creek.

"Great! Excellent! Maintain this state," Director Kong cheered from behind the monitor. "Hah’Er hasn’t acted in ages, but his form is still perfect!" ’He’s a much better actor than many of those pretty-boy idols.’

Shen Yibin stood to the side and took out his phone. CLICK, CLICK. He snapped a few pictures of Hah’Er, and of Sun Qian, who was watching from the sidelines. He planned to post them to Weibo in a bit to generate some hype.

"Okay, that’s a wrap on this shot! Let’s set up for the next one!" Director Kong gave a thumbs-up. Everyone started preparing the next scene, and Hah’Er returned to Shen Yibin’s side.

For now, they only needed to film the visuals for the MV. The vocals would be recorded back in a studio and added in during post-production.

The second shot was Sun Qian’s turn. She appeared in the valley wearing a flowing white dress that looked ready to take flight. In the scene, she would inadvertently discover Hah’Er. The entire music video told the story of the two of them meeting, building a friendship, and eventually parting ways.

Watching Sun Qian and Hah’Er perform for the camera, Cheeky felt neglected. It landed on Shen Yibin’s shoulder and grumbled, "Qianqian is so biased. She writes a song for Hah’Er, but not for me. She should write a piece for me, and we should go shoot an MV in the Amazon rainforest!"

"I bet you’re just looking for an excuse to eat Amazonian fruit," Shen Yibin teased. "Besides, it’s not like Sun Qian hasn’t written songs for you. I’m pretty sure at least two or three on the album are about you. This is Hah’Er’s first."

Sun Qian’s new album had many songs celebrating friendship. It was obvious they were written for Cheeky, even if his name wasn’t explicitly mentioned.

Well, you couldn’t really blame Sun Qian. Cheeky’s full name was ridiculously long, after all. If she put his name in the song, there wouldn’t be any room left for other lyrics.

"Ten-minute break, then we resume shooting!" After they finished several shots in a row, Director Kong announced a short break.

"Qianqian! Qianqian! I’m hungry! I want you to feed me yummy treats!" The moment Cheeky saw Sun Qian return, it flew over to her, all its previous complaints forgotten as it started to wheedle.

’I knew it.’ Shen Yibin chuckled, sitting down on the ground and pulling out his phone. "Sun Qian, Qianqian, come look at the pictures I just took. Which ones do you think are good enough for Weibo?"

"You’ve worked hard, Mr. Shen. Here, have some water first." Qianqian handed him a bottle of water before taking the phone to examine the pictures. "Hmm... this one, this one, and this one here!"

"Alright, I’ll post these then." Shen Yibin opened Weibo, uploaded the selected photos, and started typing out the caption: "On set for the music video of the title track from Sun Qian’s new album, ’Panda’s Song,’ starring Hah’Er..."

"Okay! It’s posted!" Shen Yibin hit the send button.