39 The Energy of Youth (1/2)

”Of course. Let me just go and get my bag,” Joann said with a mischievous smile as she turned around to reach for her bag. One was her friend and the other was her junior, this was a pairing that she would not mind.

Joann rummaged through her bag to find her make-up kit. She pulled the kit out and handed it over to Qing Qing, saying, ”Here you go.” Joann's hand was extended towards Qing Qing but her eyes were still peering inside her bag.

A frown formed at the space between her brows. As Qing Qing took the make-up kit away from her, Joann reached back into the bag to continue to rummage through it.

Very naturally, Qing Qing asked in a concerned voice, ”Sister Joann, what's wrong? What are you searching for?”

”My leather purse which contains my keys. It is missing. I can't find it,” Joann answered while she continued her search.

”Are you sure you have it on you to begin with, maybe you accidentally left it back at the house?”

”That is impossible. I drove here so I definitely had it on me because my keys are placed inside that purse, but it is missing now,” explained Joann.

”That is horrible,” exclaimed Qing Qing in horror as she turned her head left and right, making a show of looking around even though she knew very well where that purse was.

”Sister Joann, perhaps you should empty the contents of your bag on a table, it will be easier for us to look,” suggested Qing Qing.

Taking the woman's advice, Joann walked over to the nearby table and upended her bag. The contents of her bag clattered noisily as they were dumped into the open. There were receipts, packs of tissue, a wallet she used to carry her important documents, cards and money, snacks for the downtime between shots, as well as a protective talisman that was kept inside a red packet but the leather purse was nowhere to be seen.

Qing Qing helped Joann scour through the mess but she took her time with it. She needed to drag this out for as long as she could.

Soon enough, the director returned and with a clap, he announced, ”Alright, people! It is time for work! Everyone back to their places! Lights, camera…”

”Sister Joann, perhaps we should inform the director of your missing item. Maybe he will give us some more time or mobilize the whole crew to go look for it,” Qing Qing suggested.

”That won't be necessary. I do not want to drag the whole shoot's progress. Furthermore, my car has a double lock, it won't be stolen that easily on the off chance my purse was stolen. But I believe I merely have misplaced it somewhere. On top of that, my car is parked in the studio's underground parking lot. There are guards and security cameras so I am not that worried. Work is more important, we can continue to look after the shoot is over. In fact, someone might have found it while we are working, you can never know,” Joann told Qing Qing as she shoved the stuff on the table back into her bag.

'Everything is going as planned,' thought Qing Qing. She knew she could always count on Joann's professionalism.