Zhou Chang Jiang couldn’t hear their whispers and thought Qin Si Zheng was struggling with the scene. He suppressed the scolding he had been about to give and said, “Xiao Qin, don’t be nervous. Right now, just think of Ding Chen Hai as a child having a nightmare—hug him and comfort him.”
After a pause, he added, “Earlier, you were right—treat him like your son. Imagine you have a child of your own. Hold him like that and comfort him. If that doesn’t work, I can have him call you ‘dad’ to inspire you—want me to do that?”
Qin Si Zheng waved her hands frantically. “No, no! I can get into the feeling myself!”
“Three minutes to adjust your emotions. Let me know when you’re ready.”
The little sting in her chest disappeared instantly. Right now, what mattered was passing this scene—being the lead’s man was secondary. If she failed, she wouldn’t even have to jump off the rooftop; Zhou Chang Jiang and Lu Xian Qing would scold her to death.
Calm down, get into character!
About three minutes later, Qin Si Zheng didn’t wait for Zhou Chang Jiang to call out; she said herself, “Director Zhou, I’m ready.”
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Good. Clear the stage.”
Lu Xian Qing held Qin Si Zheng. He slightly tilted his head to avoid her scorching breath and murmured, “Who… are you?”
Softly, he said, “I am Chu Jing.”
“Chu Jing…” She repeated the name as if she didn’t remember, “Chu Jing, my…?”
Chu Jing wasn’t as tall as her. When holding her, he had to lift his head, his neck brushing against her chin, making her shiver slightly, yet she managed to stay calm. He gently patted her back, speaking softly like comforting a child, “Don’t be afraid, it’s just a dream.”
“A dream?” Ding Chen Hai asked in confusion, a slightly muffled nasal tone, clutching Chu Jing as if trying to grasp something lost.
“Yes, a dream. The nightmare is over. Don’t be afraid.” Chu Jing’s voice was warm, his touch gentler now. He found it hard to believe someone who once threatened others’ lives could be so fragile.
Was it just a sign of extreme insecurity? Not trusting anyone, unable to believe warmth existed.
Chu Jing felt a pang of pity. He patted her more lightly now, asking softly, “What kind of nightmare did you have?”
“None of your business, go away!” Ding Chen Hai shoved him aside. Chu Jing accidentally bumped into a cabinet, pain making him gasp, “You’re insane! I’m trying to help you. No wonder you have no friends—just deal with it yourself.”
Ding Chen Hai suddenly grabbed his hand and yanked him back into his embrace. Before Qin Si Zheng could react, a kiss landed abruptly, followed immediately by a fierce bite. Qin Si Zheng froze on the spot.
He didn’t know how to kiss!
What was he supposed to do?
Lu Xian Qing held his lips gently and murmured, “Hit me.”
Qin Si Zheng was stunned for a moment, recalling that in the script, Chu Jing had paused briefly, then immediately pushed him away and slapped him. But Lu Xian Qing didn’t pull back to soften the blow—his slap landed with full force, ringing sharply in the air!
Qin Si Zheng’s hand went numb; he froze completely.
Zhou Chang Jiang hadn’t called cut, so Qin Si Zheng had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue the scene. Lu Xian Qing licked the corner of his mouth and smiled at him. “Yes, I have no friends, no family. I’m a monster. And you’re afraid of me.”
Chu Jing clenched his fists, anger and embarrassment written all over his face. “I’m not… you… how could you kiss me on the mouth?! Pervert!”
Ding Chen Hai tilted his head back, letting out a desolate, soft laugh. “Mm, I am a pervert.”
Chu Jing’s tightly clenched hands loosened slightly. He wiped his lips forcefully and said, “I… I don’t like men. If you do that again, I won’t be so polite next time!”
“Cut! The emotions were perfect this time. Both performed very well, especially A Jing—your slap was solid, very convincing,” Zhou Chang Jiang said, then turned to the assistant director. “That slap was real, right? It rang out so clearly. Xiao Qin, brave.”
The assistant director frowned. “Brave, yes, but in this industry, who dares really slap Fourth Brother? He’s bound to get angry. Could it cause trouble for A Jing? Qin Si Zheng, that’s risky.”
Zhou Chang Jiang thought for a moment. “Should I praise him, give him some credit?”
The assistant director urged, “Do it quickly! Don’t let him bully A Jing. There’s a lot more scenes to shoot. If he really holds a grudge, it’ll be awkward.”
Yao Jin Wei frowned from the side. “Isn’t this just hitting each other for the scene? Isn’t it normal to get scolded if it’s not done well?”
Chen Qiu replied, “Of course it’s normal to get scolded if the scene isn’t right. Yao Jie is correct.”
Yao Jin Wei glared angrily at him, deliberately speaking loudly: “Fourth Brother is so professional—he went all in for this scene. That slap from Si Zheng shocked all of us.”
Zhou Chang Jiang was still discussing with the assistant director, but she cut in first. He decided to go along: “Let’s praise A Jing and Fourth Brother. Filming is about dedication—if it’s real, our crew should promote this professionalism. Any similar scenes later should also be real.”
Yao Jin Wei’s face turned pale. What a joke! She had several scenes coming up where she’d get hit—was everyone going to slap her too?
“Director Zhou, this kind of scene doesn’t need to be real, right? Can’t we just use positioning?”
Zhou Chang Jiang scoffed, annoyed at her slowing things down. “What kind of scene is this? If you look down on my work, don’t take the role. My scenes must feel real. Didn’t you just praise Fourth Brother for being professional? What, now you’re saying you’re not professional?”
Yao Jin Wei clenched her teeth, swallowing her frustration, and spat out, “I am professional!” before turning and walking quickly away.
The assistant director couldn’t help but chuckle. Zhou Chang Jiang snorted coldly, “Spoiled. Come to my crew and don’t take the work seriously—always scheming and stabbing in the dark. What do you think this is, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agency?”
Meanwhile, Qin Si Zheng still felt guilty. Zhou Chang Jiang’s sudden praise had left him bewildered, and he couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss.
It came too fast, too suddenly. When it landed, Qin Si Zheng was completely stunned—he had never been kissed before and didn’t know what it felt like.
His lips went numb, then it hurt, and then a feeling he couldn’t describe washed over him, as if all his senses had been cut off except for that tiny spot on his lips, hyper-sensitive to the extreme.
His hands were restrained, and every breath he drew was filled with Lu Xian Qing’s scent. His lips were held and bitten, giving him a panicked sense that he might be torn apart.
So that was a kiss scene. He had no idea this was just a fleeting touch, not a kiss that required him to reciprocate. The real, heart-revealing kiss would be much more difficult.
Qin Si Zheng thought long and hard and decided he should apologize to Lu Xian Qing.
“Fourth Brother, sorry… did I hit too hard?”
Lu Xian Qing didn’t want to affect his mood, so he followed Zhou Chang Jiang’s earlier words and fibbed, “I always go all in for scenes. Being slapped isn’t new to me. Besides, it wasn’t hard—you’ll feel fine soon.”
Qin Si Zheng hesitated. “Really?”
Lu Xian Qing, calm and unfazed, continued, “Of course. Questioning my professionalism? Didn’t Zhou Chang Jiang just praise your acting? Consider it a small chance to settle personal grudges—how does it feel, Dad?”
Hearing this, Qin Si Zheng relaxed and boldly replied, “Great.”
Lu Xian Qing: “…hiss.”
Qin Si Zheng quickly changed his answer to a completely unconvincing, “Very guilty.”
Lu Xian Qing rubbed his head helplessly. “You’re so spoiled.”
“All right, let’s break for lunch,” Zhou Chang Jiang said, glancing at his watch, a little irritated. They had planned to film Qin Si Zheng’s second competition scene this morning, but because Yao Jin Wei slowed things down, only a bit had been completed.
Qin Si Zheng stepped outside, but as he turned, his wrist was grabbed. A cool fingertip pressed on his pulse, and a very low voice, audible only to him, said, “Don’t rush. Take me with you.”
Qin Si Zheng paused, then realized—he had forgotten that Lu Xian Qing was night-blind, given how natural his earlier behavior had seemed.
“Mm… it’s a little dark in there. I can’t see clearly. Let them turn on a light.”
Lu Xian Qing noticed him still making excuses and smiled. “Stop pretending. Didn’t you already know I’m night-blind, Security Brother?”
!!!
Qin Si Zheng’s eyes widened. When did he find out?!
Lu Xian Qing heard his sudden intake of breath and almost pictured his shocked expression. He couldn’t help but laugh. “There are still security guards in the village? Whose palms are so delicate? Besides, even if I can’t see, my ears aren’t deaf and my nose isn’t broken.”
Qin Si Zheng blushed, realizing he hadn’t kept it a secret at all—he had known all along.
“Then… you… you knew back then. Why didn’t you expose me?”
Lu Xian Qing smiled. “I saw you having fun, so I didn’t have the heart.”
Qin Si Zheng’s ears burned even more. “I wasn’t having fun! I thought… I thought you didn’t want anyone to know about your night blindness. You’re so proud; I figured you’d feel bad if people found out you were sick.”
Lu Xian Qing’s mind filled with question marks. When had he ever felt bad? But seeing her misunderstanding, he decided to play along, lowering his voice in mock grievance: “So don’t tell anyone, okay? I don’t want anyone to know about this condition. I’m afraid they’ll look down on me.”
An Ning came back with their meals. Seeing the two still talking inside, she leaned closer to listen and nearly threw the food at his head.
Night blindness… and he talked about it like it was impotence. She’d been criticized for worse and never reacted like that.
Drama queen. The title of Best Actor was well deserved.
Qin Si Zheng, too concerned with feeling sorry for him to think otherwise, quickly nodded: “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone!”
Lu Xian Qing exhaled in relief. “Can you really promise?” He paused, then added, “Pinky swear.”
Qin Si Zheng immediately held out his hand, hooking pinkies with him. An Ning, watching, was nearly speechless. If you want a shortcut, just say so—pinky swear? Could they really do that?
Not wanting to interrupt this sweet scene, An Ning let it be, but since everyone else had gone to eat, she finally picked up her stick to scatter the lovebirds.
“Actor Lu, it’s time to eat.”
“I know,” Lu Xian Qing replied, then whispered to Qin Si Zheng, “Will you lead me out?”
Qin Si Zheng’s ears were still hot. He inhaled lightly and carefully held his hand, guiding him out of the pitch-black room covered by blackout panels. The moment they stepped out, An Ning was standing by the door. Qin Si Zheng quickly let go as if burned.
“An Ning Jie, Fourth Brother can’t see very well. I’ll help him a bit—you know about his eyes, right?” Qin Si Zheng asked cautiously, hinting at what she surely already knew as Lu Xian Qing’s assistant.
An Ning looked fondly at him. “Sweetie, you don’t need to explain. I understand completely.”
Qin Si Zheng felt that what she understood wasn’t exactly what he had tried to explain.
Lu Xian Qing, calm as ever, toyed with his fingertips, still savoring the touch of their hands. An Ning felt uncomfortable watching, but when she heard him cough softly, she finally understood his gaze.
She secretly gave him an OK sign from behind.
“I’ll go eat first,” Qin Si Zheng said. But before he could step forward, An Ning exclaimed, startling him. “Ah! Wh-what’s wrong?”
She practically lunged at him, flapping her hands in mock panic. “Fourth Brother, why is your face so red? Do you know how much it would cost to insure that face? If it gets hurt, how will I explain it to Xing Xing Jie? She’d skin me alive—I’d die such a miserable death!”
Qin Si Zheng’s brow twitched. “An Ning Jie, I slapped him. I’ll explain it to He Xing Jie.”
An Ning continued her pretend crying. Lu Xian Qing, a little irritated, said, “Enough crying. A slap won’t kill you. Acting is about reality—if you don’t tell her, it won’t be a big deal. Just put something on it to ease it.”
An Ning fretted, “You said I’m clumsy. What if it gets worse? How will I explain to Xing Xing Jie?”
Lu Xian Qing replied, “Cover it with makeup. No one will notice.”
Seeing An Ning so distressed, Qin Si Zheng said, “Then I’ll help. I know how to do it.”
An Ning immediately held his hand. “Thank you, sweetie. You’re such a good person.”
Watching her tears vanish, Qin Si Zheng felt a little tricked—but seeing Lu Xian Qing’s expression, he realized he hadn’t been targeted, so he lowered his head. “An Ning Jie… are you teasing me?”
An Ning laughed and carried the joke. “Am I? Just spoiling the fans?”
Lu Xian Qing jumped in at the right moment. “An Ning just bought a lot of things. Let’s eat in my makeup room. Afterward, we’ll go over the afternoon scenes.”
Shen Chang Feng noticed Qin Si Zheng hadn’t returned and came to find him. Lu Xian Qing asked, “Are you coming too?”
Shen Chang Feng quickly declined. “No, thanks.”
An Ning winked at him. “Chang Feng Ge, are the crew’s boxed meals good? I haven’t eaten yet—come with me.”
Shen Chang Feng: “…Fine.”
Qin Si Zheng followed Lu Xian Qing to his makeup room. He had heard from Shen Chang Feng that Lu Xian Qing enjoyed the best treatment in the crew, but he hadn’t expected it to be this luxurious: fully equipped, even with a massage chair.
His private clothes were neatly hung, the table stacked with thick scripts, and a box of some unknown medicine, which Lu Xian Qing quickly put away.
“That girl An Ning… leaves things everywhere,” Lu Xian Qing said, tossing the box into a drawer. “Wash your hands first, then eat. You’ll have time to rehearse more lines afterward.”
Qin Si Zheng hurried off and messaged Shen Chang Feng to prepare an ice pack, which would arrive in about half an hour.
By the time he returned, Lu Xian Qing had already opened the lunch boxes, sitting to one side and playing on his phone. He seemed completely oblivious to Qin Si Zheng’s presence. Qin Si Zheng had never seen him so absorbed; even calling his name didn’t get a response.
“Fourth Brother?”
Still nothing.
Qin Si Zheng stepped closer and saw the screen—Jiang Zhen’s name glaring back at him. He was looking at Jiang Zhen’s Weibo?