He lay in the cramped, cluttered space he called home. Outside the window, voices drifted close by—neighbors upstairs talking, cooking, arguing, fighting. The man beside him was both righteous and wicked, luring him forward with nothing but his voice.
The boy was like prey that had fallen into a trap, scrambling for an exit, only to realize the moment they met had already sealed the ending.
“Kid, have you ever kissed anyone?” Lu Xianqing reached out and pinched his ear. When Qin Sizheng instinctively tried to raise his hand, a low voice pressed close to his ear. “No hitting.”
Qin Sizheng jolted, his cheeks flushing instantly.
Lu Xianqing shot him a cool glance. “Try to swing at me and you better watch your ass.”
Qin Sizheng froze. How could he talk like that?
Lu Xianqing flicked the script at him, eyes sweeping over him coolly. “It is a line. What, you think I am taking advantage of you and want to hit me? I have indulged you too much. Put that fist away.”
Qin Sizheng leaned in to look. Sure enough, the script clearly read: The man says, “Try to swing at me and you better watch your…”
“….” He had overthought it.
Lu Xianqing continued kneading his ear. Only after feeling the heat beneath his fingers and seeing it turn red did he withdraw, satisfied. In a low voice he went on, “Tell me you have never kissed anyone. Then ask me to teach you.”
Qin Sizheng stared at the script, took a deep breath, blinked, and said, “I do not know how. You… could you teach me?”
Lu Xianqing lowered his head. Qin Sizheng watched nervously as his lips drew closer, fists already clenched tight. But the expected kiss never came. Instead, it was a finger.
There was a faint callus on Lu Xianqing’s fingertip. When it brushed against his lips, the sensation was unmistakable.
Qin Sizheng felt awkward. Lu Xianqing studied his reaction and tapped lightly against his lips as though knocking on a door. “Open.”
Qin Sizheng parted his lips reflexively. The fingertip slid in at once, pressing lightly against his tongue. “Follow my hand. Focus. Do not drift.”
Qin Sizheng’s hands trembled. He wanted to say no, but Lu Xianqing beat him to it. “If you do not practice now, do you want Zhou Changjiang to scold you? Or do you want the entire crew watching you do take after take?”
No. He did not.
Qin Sizheng immediately opened his mouth again, following Lu Xianqing’s guidance, feeling the movement of that finger inside his mouth. Like a dance, he tried to match each motion—clumsy, but earnest in his effort to learn.
“Cooperate properly. When you look at the camera, do not stare deliberately. When you look for the camera, the camera will look for you. Slow down your blinking; that way it will appear harmonious on screen.”
“Look at me. I am your camera,” Lu Xianqing said.
Qin Sizheng forced himself to meet his gaze. That hand was like a sail cutting against the wind at sea—impossible to grasp, yet he dared not let go, afraid the waves would overturn him, so he could only chase it step by step.
He Xing had accompanied Lu Xianqing for psychological counseling. She stepped out to take a call, and when he did not come down for a long while, she headed back upstairs. Passing Professor Chu Wei’s office, she heard voices and glanced in.
An Ning whispered, “Sister Xing, calm down. Have a quick-acting heart pill first.”
He Xing’s heels struck the floor sharply as she strode to the doorway, face dark as a homeroom teacher catching students misbehaving. Inside, Lu Xianqing still had his hand in Qin Sizheng’s mouth, stirring about with a blatantly flirtatious expression.
“An Ning, slap me,” He Xing said, taking a deep breath and extending her hand. “Hard. With all your strength.”
An Ning replied, “There is no need. What you see is real. Just now Professor Chu came out of the elevator to greet him, said he had a class to teach, and he intercepted it.”
He Xing: ?
“Let alone volunteering to be a teacher—back then, no matter how many people begged him for guidance, he would not even lift his eyelids.” Seeing He Xing listening, An Ning pressed on. “Actually, Sister Xing, have you noticed something? Fourth Brother has been much better lately. He has not come out in the middle of the night looking for Yan Yan. He drinks less. Most importantly, he has not harmed himself in a long time.”
He Xing paused. It did seem that way.
“Go on.”
An Ning glanced into the room and lowered her voice, afraid they might hear. “You do not come often, so you would not know. I am with Fourth Brother almost twenty-four hours a day. I can see the subtle changes. It is like he treats Qin Sizheng as a kind of medicine. He has not sent those kinds of messages for a long time, no longer obsessing over just those hands. And there is something else.”
He Xing waited. An Ning seemed to struggle to organize her words. He Xing was nearly frantic.
“This time, in the script, he plays a patient with schizoaffective disorder.”
He Xing asked, “What kind of illness is that?”
An Ning said, “Simply put, it is similar to schizophrenia. The patient hears many voices in his head, cannot distinguish reality from an episode, and eventually descends into madness. It is a very terrifying illness.”
He Xing turned to look at Lu Xianqing. From this angle she could only see him with his head lowered, as if smiling, but his expression was unreadable.
An Ning continued, “In the past, once he had accepted a role for this long, especially something like this, his mental state would already have deteriorated before filming even started. The things in his house might have been replaced once over by now. But look at him now.”
He Xing felt as though someone had poured cold water over her head, snapping her awake. Although Lu Xianqing had been acting like a willful lunatic lately—ordering her around, arranging connections for Qin Sizheng, seeking justice for him—she had indeed forgotten that he had not shown suicidal tendencies in a long time.
Could Qin Sizheng truly possess such power?
Something Shen Qing had failed to accomplish for so many years—could he achieve it so effortlessly?
After thinking for a moment, An Ning suddenly looked up at He Xing. “Do you believe in the rib theory?”
“What rib?” He Xing was baffled, reaching out to touch her forehead. “Do you have a fever?”
An Ning pulled her hand away and explained, “In myth, they say a woman is made from a man’s rib. If you convert that idea, Qin Sizheng feels like the missing piece of Fourth Brother. Ever since he appeared, everything has fallen into place. Like… a destined bond?”
He Xing knocked An Ning on the head. “Have you read so much Qing Shan You Si that you have lost your mind?”
An Ning stuck out her tongue and covered her head, laughing. “You read the fan forum too? That post was written so well—‘You are the missing piece of my soul. Only when you arrived did I become whole.’”
He Xing snapped, “I was guarding the front yard and the backyard caught fire? You little brat. No matter how carefully you guard against outsiders, it is the insider who is hardest to defend against. You are the biggest mole of all.”
An Ning clung to her arm and wheedled, “Do not be mad, Sister Xing. You are happy that Fourth Brother’s mental state has improved too, right? I do not think Qin Sizheng is as bad as people say. The last time I drove him home, he kept thanking me. He is adorable. If Fourth Brother really likes him, do not act like a wicked mother-in-law and bully him.”
He Xing stared at her. “I am a wicked mother-in-law? I am practically his family’s servant. And you are hopeless. There is not even a Young Madam yet and you have already switched sides. Qing Shan You Si has you. What do I have? I have heart palpitations!”
An Ning pressed her lips together, shoulders shaking with laughter. He Xing smacked her forehead. “Stop laughing!”
“I am not laughing—ha—ha—I cannot help it.” An Ning clutched her stomach, then hurried after He Xing as she strode forward in a foul mood.
“In a moment, when that shameless thing finishes his lesson, you go pick him up. And Qin Sizheng does not have an assistant right now. You handle his transportation too. I will find him a new assistant soon.”
An Ning agreed repeatedly. He Xing looked as though she wanted to grind the heels of her shoes into the floor. “I am his agent, yet I have to manage someone else’s affairs, and I cannot let anyone find out. Even a triple agent would not have it worse than me.”
Suppressing her laughter, An Ning glanced back toward the classroom. Lu Xianqing had already withdrawn his finger from Qin Sizheng’s mouth.
“Remember this feeling. You can practice at home too,” Lu Xianqing said, pausing briefly before adding, “If you cannot find the right sensation, you can video call me. I will watch and guide you.”
Qin Sizheng’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
“Yes.” Lu Xianqing imagined him in front of a camera, biting his own finger while practicing. Unfortunately, the scale of this film was fairly moderate.
It would have been better if it were more daring.
He pulled out a tissue to wipe the moisture from his hand, then casually wiped Qin Sizheng’s lips as well. “Your performance just now was very good. Being immersed is the best acting. You have to let yourself sink into the plot.”
Qin Sizheng nodded, casting Lu Xianqing as Ding Chenhai and himself as Chu Jing.
“This is only the first step. Next, I will have you listen to the sounds from upstairs. I will tell you what they are doing and guide you to make the same kinds of sounds.”
Qin Sizheng closed his eyes and imagined it. He was pinned down by Lu Xianqing, forced to listen to the familiar voices from upstairs making strange noises, along with unfamiliar words.
He did not want to listen, yet his hands were restrained, unable to cover his ears. The invasion seeped in from everywhere, while the man’s voice lingered at his neck, coaxing him. “Listen carefully, good boy. They are your best teachers. Learn from them. Let me hear.”
Chu Jing could not make a sound. Neither could Qin Sizheng.
“Zhou Changjiang records live sound on set. Lines are part of it. You have to practice well.” Lu Xianqing reached out and gave his earlobe a firm pinch.
Still immersed in the scene, Qin Sizheng let out a sudden, sharp intake of breath, startling himself awake.
“That was good. Try it at home. You can record it and send it to me. I will see if it works. Otherwise, when it comes to—” Lu Xianqing stopped mid-sentence.
Qin Sizheng stared at him in confusion for a few seconds, then followed his gaze downward to himself. As if burned, he sprang up and darted behind the curtain.
He had actually reacted… just from his own imagination and Lu Xianqing’s voice.
He had just had a nosebleed, and now this… It was mortifying. And Lu Xianqing had been staring at him. Smiling.
Lu Xianqing curved his lips. “Embarrassed? That is normal. Many actors tape themselves up or use protection when filming scenes like this.”
How could Qin Sizheng not be embarrassed? In front of another man—his “acting teacher,” his “Fourth Brother”—he wished he could bury himself underground.
He did not even dare imagine what would happen on the day of filming if he reacted like this again. Would the entire crew see him like that?
The more he thought about it, the more flustered he became. His already unruly blood grew even more restless. There had been an awkward moment once before, when he got drunk at Lu Xianqing’s home. Fortunately, Lu Xianqing had not realized then.
This time, however, it was obvious at a glance. Qin Sizheng’s face felt hot enough to drip blood.
Lu Xianqing’s gaze darkened slightly. This child was far too easy to tease. Just a touch, a few suggestive lines about the scene, and he was already like this—yet he understood nothing, slow and shy.
If he were truly bullied, he might set himself ablaze before anything even happened.
Behind the curtain, the boy’s cheeks were flushed crimson, his eyes filled with humiliation, as though he wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
Lu Xianqing suddenly remembered his “birthday.” That abysmal tolerance for alcohol—drunk after barely a sip. He had fed him a few more mouthfuls, rashly borrowed a reward, and cleared away the overgrown thorns.
Back then, under the haze of alcohol, his eyes had lacked this lively, agile soul.
Lu Xianqing smiled faintly, propping his chin on his hand as he looked in the boy’s direction. If he signed him under his own banner, he would line up films and television dramas for him and personally teach him acting.
He would teach him bit by bit, starting with the smallest details.
Qin Sizheng could not calm down. Sweat beaded on his forehead. With Lu Xianqing silent and staring at him, it only made things worse.
“There is a lounge in the back, with a restroom,” Lu Xianqing said. “If you cannot calm down, change methods. Go.”
Qin Sizheng understood at once what he meant. “Then… turn around first.”
“Go. I will not look,” Lu Xianqing said, turning his head away.
Qin Sizheng took a deep breath and hurried past him into the restroom. The door slammed shut with a bang, then locked.
Lu Xianqing tapped his fingers lightly against the table, one beat after another as if counting time. When he heard the soft click of the lock behind him, his fingers stilled, and a trace of amusement lingered at the corner of his eyes.
“That fast.”
He pushed aside the image in his mind of the boy, so embarrassed he had nearly burrowed into a crack in the ground, yet forced to gather himself and face it anyway.
This script probably needed revisions. Someone who always wanted to protect others ought to find happiness in the place he knew best—happiness given by him.
Footsteps approached. Lu Xianqing instantly tucked away his emotions and turned back with a gentle smile.
There was no way Qin Sizheng could continue studying today. Seeing that he had reached his limit, Lu Xianqing did not press further. A long line catches bigger fish.
“Everyone reacts like that. On set, if a scene cannot continue, plenty of actors step away to calm down and then come back,” Lu Xianqing said, pausing before adding, “Even the senior actor you admire, Xu Jinhan, does. Feeling more balanced now?”
Qin Sizheng blinked. “Senior Xu does too?”
“…Of course. Any man would.” Lu Xianqing sounded faintly resigned.
Qin Sizheng glanced at him instinctively. That single look did not escape Lu Xianqing’s notice, and by the time Qin Sizheng tried to withdraw it, it was too late.
“What?” Lu Xianqing leaned closer, lowering his voice. “You like my movies and my gossip too? They say I cannot perform, so you were crazily prescribing kidney tonics for me on that variety show?”
Qin Sizheng immediately waved his hands. “No, no! That fruit can also clear internal heat!”
Lu Xianqing caught his hand and tugged him closer. The coolness of those fingertips eased some of the heat in his chest. “Very soon, you will find out whether I need that useless fruit.”
Qin Sizheng turned his head away and muttered, “I do not want to know whether you need it.”
Lu Xianqing chuckled and released him. “But next time on set, do not come out of the restroom so quickly. Someone might tease you for being too fast. Then your boxed lunch will be replaced with the mushroom-and-cooling-herbs special.”
Qin Sizheng muttered, “I did not even… do that.”
“Hm?” Lu Xianqing glanced toward the restroom, recalling the clear sound of running water. “You…”
He did not use cold water, did he?
One look at Qin Sizheng’s flustered expression confirmed it. Stammering, he avoided his gaze. “I—I am going home. I will come back tomorrow for class.”
Lu Xianqing grabbed his hand. Qin Sizheng turned back, only for Lu Xianqing’s fingers to brush lightly over his eyes. A low voice followed. “Review what your teacher taught you tonight.”
Qin Sizheng answered softly, “Mm.”
“Go.”
They headed downstairs together. Qin Sizheng pulled up his mask and hat, preparing to hail a cab at the entrance, but Lu Xianqing tugged the mask down. “No need. It is suffocating. Let An Ning drive you.”
Qin Sizheng started to refuse, but Lu Xianqing was already walking ahead. He had no choice but to hurry after him.
The moment An Ning saw him, she clutched her chest dramatically and leaned out the car window. “Kite Mama loves you! Do not smile, do not smile, I am going to faint—ah, only a kiss from my kite can save me.”
“…Sister An Ning.”
Lu Xianqing shot her a cold look. “Speak properly, or get out.”
“Fine,” she replied flatly, rolling up the window. Once they were both seated, she instructed the driver to head to Qin Sizheng’s place before turning around with an adoring expression. “What fate, to run into you here.”
Qin Sizheng studied her seriously. “Sister An Ning, do you struggle with memory loss?”
An Ning blinked. “?”
Lu Xianqing burst out laughing. Only then did Qin Sizheng realize his wording was off. “No, I mean—we just met two days ago, did we not?”
An Ning faced forward again, waving dismissively. “I cannot chat with a straight man.”
The driver chimed in with a grin, “Since you cannot chat with straight men, can you at least tell this straight man which way to drive? Straight ahead or turn?”
An Ning gave directions. “Turn left ahead. Take Qinghe Street.”
The drive was short, and they soon reached the entrance to Qin Sizheng’s residential complex.
Before getting out, Qin Sizheng thanked them all. Then he suddenly remembered something. “Fourth Brother, please wait for me a moment before leaving.”
Ten minutes later, he hurried back with a paper bag in hand. Pulling open the car door, he passed it in. “I did not prepare a gift for your birthday last time. This is to make up for it.”
Lu Xianqing paused. By the time he gathered his thoughts to speak, Qin Sizheng had already left.
An Ning turned around eagerly. “Fourth Brother, what did he get you?”
“That is none of your business.” Lu Xianqing shot her a look, then crooked a finger for her to lean closer. When she did so excitedly, he flicked her forehead. “Stop taking advantage of him.”
An Ning looked baffled. When had she taken advantage of anyone? Did he have to be this possessive?
Lu Xianqing reminded her, “Who were you calling ‘Mama’? Asking him for a kiss? Copy the word ‘restraint’ a hundred times when you get back.”
An Ning rolled her eyes. “What do you know? When we pick our little brother, we act like this. It is called being a ‘mom fan.’ Oh right, you would not understand. Aside from President Ye, no one dares call themselves your mother. You only have wife fans—wait, now you have daughter-in-law fans too!”
This time it was Lu Xianqing’s turn to look confused.
An Ning excitedly scrolled through Weibo and turned the screen toward him. “Look. That audition clip of the young general went viral. Since you play his father, now tons of people are fighting to call you ‘Dad.’”
Lu Xianqing swiped down. Sure enough—
【Fourth Brother—no, Fourth Dad—please marry your son to me! Or I can marry in! I want to defend the realm with him!】
【Dad, how do I woo your son? Teach me!】
【Dad, my dear dad, I am your long-lost daughter-in-law! The others are fake, I am the real one! Look at my username!】
Lu Xianqing glanced at the ID: Qin Sizheng’s Legitimate Wife on the Run.
“…Tell them their ‘dad’ is about to play the man who becomes their husband’s lover. He is going to kiss their husband. Let them learn how harsh the world is. I am their romantic rival, not their dad. They should get their roles straight.”
An Ning laughed. “Careful you do not end up like Jiang Zhen. I heard he was so furious he landed in the hospital. A perfectly good role slipped right out of his hands. Anyone would need a couple of days to recover from that.”
Lu Xianqing let out a soft scoff. “Zhou Changjiang replacing me? Ask him whether he plans to pay the breach-of-contract penalty in installments or all at once.”
An Ning: “……”
—
Qin Sizheng had been attending classes for several days straight. The official promotional shoot for Nine Swords was about to begin, and Lu Xianqing would also be there to play his “father,” so lessons were paused for a day.
Xu Zhao had found him a capable assistant and brought him over to get acquainted. The man had previously worked under Xu Jinhan, but after Xu Jinhan retired from acting, he went abroad for further study. He had only recently returned.
“Sizheng, let me introduce you—Shen Changfeng. He used to be Xu Jinhan’s assistant. Absolutely reliable.” Xu Zhao then turned to Shen Changfeng. “Sizheng is straightforward and a bit naive. You’ll need to look out for him. We cannot have another incident like those hand photos from before.”
Shen Changfeng nodded. “I understand.”
Qin Sizheng greeted him and, judging by his age, called him “Brother.” Shen Changfeng quickly waved it off. “Just call me Changfeng.”
Compared to Jiang Xi, he appeared far more dependable. Even though he had been away from the industry for several years, it was obvious he had once worked under Xu Jinhan—steady, efficient, and meticulous. Qin Sizheng felt very satisfied.
“Oh right,” Xu Zhao added, “how is Professor Chu? Teaching all right?”
Qin Sizheng looked confused. “Professor Chu?”
“The acting teacher I found for you. You did not skip, did you?” Xu Zhao looked utterly baffled. He had secured such a good project—how could the boy treat it so casually?
Qin Sizheng was equally confused. “The acting teacher you found for me was not Fourth Brother?”
Xu Zhao stared at him, both of them equally stunned. “You think I could invite Lu Xianqing? The professor I hired is a visiting professor at Jiangcheng Film Academy. His name is Chu Wei. He even acted in a pretty popular television drama before and won some award—I told you about him, did I not?”
Young. From within the industry. Popular. Award-winning.
Was that not Lu Xianqing?
The two of them were talking at complete cross purposes. Xu Zhao slapped his forehead. “Unbelievable… Fine, I will call Professor Chu and ask. Sizheng, if you need anything, go to Changfeng. I am heading out.”
Shen Changfeng asked, “Where is the schedule?”
Qin Sizheng handed it over. Shen Changfeng flipped it open. “Go change first. We should arrive early. The director for Nine Swords this time is Meng Zhen. He does not like people being late. Besides, with Fourth Brother there, it is better for us to wait an hour than to let them wait a single second.”
Just from that one sentence, Qin Sizheng could tell how thorough he was. He smiled. “All right, I will change.”
As Shen Changfeng scanned the schedule, he reflected that compared to his days following Xu Jinhan, this was practically leisurely. Still, he had a feeling—Qin Sizheng would become famous.
He had already become somewhat of a fan while overseas. As soon as he returned, he received a call from He Xing, and the two immediately hit it off.