Zhou Changjiang refused to take it lightly and asked repeatedly whether he was truly fine.
Qin Sizheng even moved his arm to demonstrate. “Really, I am fine. I reacted quickly. I had already dodged when the sign fell.”
Zhou Changjiang told Shen Changfeng to take him for treatment. Once he confirmed no one was seriously hurt, he stormed off to scold the set crew. If someone had actually been crushed, would they still be filming?
“I told you to build a dangerous building, not to make an actual death trap! If A Jing had not been here today, who could afford it if Teacher Xue and Chen Qiu were injured?”
“Forget lunch. All of you go check the set. Any loose screws—tighten them. Check the cabinets and the fans again too!”
Qin Sizheng’s elbow burned. As they walked toward the dressing room, he whispered to Shen Changfeng, “Smile. It really does not hurt. Stop frowning.”
Shen Changfeng said, “You are always so impulsive.”
Qin Sizheng grinned. “I am quick on my feet. Of course I should help. If Chen Qiu had tried to save her, both he and Teacher Xue would have been in danger.”
Chen Qiu, jogging up behind them: “…”
Shen Changfeng made him move the rest of his body to be sure nothing else was injured. Only after confirming did he relax. “Director Zhou said you should rest this afternoon. Fourth Brother will film scenes with Yao Jinwei first. They will wait until you feel better. Are you sure you do not want to go to the hospital?”
Qin Sizheng insisted it was unnecessary. The thought that Lu Xianqing would return in the afternoon made him secretly happy. Shen Changfeng had no idea what he was pleased about and scolded, exasperated, “Most people avoid trouble. You rush straight toward danger. Do you think you are Superman?”
“It was just lifting a hand. All right, I already did it. Stop scolding. If you keep scolding me I will turn stupid.”
Shen Changfeng was left half laughing, half annoyed. “I cannot deal with you. Rest. I will bring your lunch. If you need anything, wait for me. Do not get it yourself.”
Qin Sizheng nodded obediently. The moment he left, he eagerly unlocked his phone, intending to replay Lu Xianqing’s video. As soon as he opened it, a message popped up.
Lu Xianqing: 【What did An Ning send you behind my back?】
Qin Sizheng’s heart leapt. Even the sting in his arm vanished. He typed quickly with one hand. 【Nothing much, just a few random things. Have you finished shooting the cover?】
Lu Xianqing: 【Yes. First the lights broke, then the lens had issues. A lousy cover kept me busy all morning. My back is about to snap. Damn it.】
Qin Sizheng imagined him frowning impatiently while swearing. His chest felt warm. Even that curse felt like a tiny ember dropping onto his heart, slightly scorching.
When Lu Xianqing complained his back was about to break, Qin Sizheng wanted desperately to say, I will massage it for you. I am very good at it. But that would be too forward. He swallowed the impulse.
As he was typing, he accidentally tapped the video call button. He panicked and tried to hang up, but Lu Xianqing stopped him. “Try hanging up.”
Qin Sizheng pressed his lips together and greeted him first. “Fourth Brother.” Seeing that his complexion truly was not great, he suppressed his urge to chat and said, “You worked hard. Do you want to rest in the car? You still have scenes this afternoon.”
Lu Xianqing propped his head on his hand. “Talking to you counts as rest. Sleeping in the car is uncomfortable.”
Qin Sizheng told him about the morning shoot. Lu Xianqing listened with interest. “Did Zhou Changjiang scold my A Jing while I was gone?”
Zhou Changjiang had just walked in to check on Qin Sizheng’s injury. Hearing that line, he nearly tripped. “No one scolded your A Jing!”
Lu Xianqing showed no embarrassment at being caught. He gave a short snort. “My A Jing is this outstanding—were you dying to find a reason to scold him? It was mealtime and you still ran off to his dressing room. What were you doing?”
When Zhou Changjiang heard that tone, he realized Lu Xianqing clearly did not know about the earlier accident. The words slipped out before he could stop himself. “You did not tell him?”
Qin Sizheng hurriedly shot him a look, signaling him not to say anything. Zhou Changjiang understood at once.
Lu Xianqing watched the two of them exchanging glances as if hiding something from him and frowned. “What is it?”
Afraid he would worry, Qin Sizheng quickly said, “It is nothing. Director Zhou just wanted to go over something in the script with me.”
Lu Xianqing said coldly, “If you lie, I will not press you. Director Zhou, you tell me.”
Qin Sizheng immediately protested, “Who says I lie? I never lie.”
He would be returning to set soon anyway, so there was no point concealing it for just a few minutes. Zhou Changjiang decided to speak plainly. “There was a small problem with the set. When the signboard fell, it almost hit Teacher Xue. A Jing rushed over and saved her. He only scraped his arm a little. I came to check on him.”
Yet instead of turning grim, Lu Xianqing did the opposite—he smiled.
“Oh? My A Jing is that brave? I will bring you two lollipops later as a reward.”
Zhou Changjiang added a few more reassurances, promising that every part of the set would be inspected, down to the smallest screw, and that nothing like this would happen again.
Lu Xianqing said, “We will talk when I get back.”
Zhou Changjiang nodded. Qin Sizheng walked him out. When he returned, he had just started to share how filming had gone that morning when Lu Xianqing let out a cool, cutting chuckle. “Look at you, so capable. Why not save the world while you are at it? Must be a hardship for you to stay here filming.”
Qin Sizheng caught the barb in his tone. “Fourth Brother, are you upset?”
“How could I be? I cannot praise you enough.”
Now Qin Sizheng was certain he truly was unhappy. He explained earnestly, “I know I acted on impulse. But I am more agile than most. At worst I would get a minor injury, and that would be fine. If Teacher Xue or Chen Qiu had been hit, it might have been serious… Even if you scold me, I would still save them.”
Lu Xianqing was exasperated into laughter. He was not angry that Qin Sizheng had saved someone; he was distressed that he had been hurt. He had only been gone for one morning and something had already happened. Had he known, he would not have bothered shooting this ridiculous cover at all.
“Does it hurt?”
Qin Sizheng hurriedly said, “It does not. It really does not hurt at all. I cannot even feel it now. Look.” He shook his arm as proof—only to wince.
Lu Xianqing did not know whether to laugh or scold. “All right, stop moving.”
Qin Sizheng grinned. He was about to say something else when he suddenly looked up from the camera and immediately stood. “Teacher Xue, why have you come?”
The elderly woman had personally brought over a boxed lunch. She likely had not fully recovered from the shock; her complexion was still pale.
Her assistant stood beside her and smiled warmly at Qin Sizheng. “Teacher Xue came to thank you for saving her life. If you ever need anything from her in the future, just say the word.”
Qin Sizheng quickly replied, “I did not save you for a reward. Please do not take it to heart.”
Teacher Xue, worried he might misunderstand, hurried to explain as well. “I know you did not do it for repayment, but morally and emotionally I must thank you. Otherwise I will never feel at ease.”
Qin Sizheng accepted the boxed lunch. “Then I will eat this later and consider your thanks accepted. Let us not talk about repayment, all right? Is it not only natural for A Jing to protect Grandma?”
Teacher Xue’s heart softened even more at that. “All right, all right. Grandma will listen to you.”
It took Qin Sizheng quite some effort to convince her that he truly was not badly hurt. After seeing her off, Shen Changfeng returned with another boxed meal. Qin Sizheng grew anxious, glancing at his phone from time to time, afraid Lu Xianqing might grow impatient and hang up.
“You should go eat too,” he told Shen Changfeng.
“I took the mango pomelo sago. This one is orange juice. Drink it later.”
“I know, I know. Go on.” At last Qin Sizheng sent him off. When he looked down and saw the video call was still ongoing, he picked up the phone and realized Lu Xianqing had been waiting the entire time. A faint sweetness welled up in his chest.
He had been waiting. He had not found it bothersome at all.
“Fourth Brother, have you eaten?” Qin Sizheng asked.
“Not yet.”
Qin Sizheng turned the phone to show him the two boxed meals. “I will save one for you, all right? Which one do you want?”
“Either. Pick the one you want to eat and leave the other for me.”
Lu Xianqing was notoriously picky. His usual meals were painstakingly designed by a nutritionist to accommodate his difficult palate, and even then he still found faults.
An Ning, overhearing him, muttered, “Tyrant.”
Qin Sizheng ate the simpler meal Shen Changfeng had brought and left the more elaborate one for Lu Xianqing. With a scrape on his right elbow, he had to eat with his left hand, clumsy and awkward.
Lu Xianqing chuckled. “Whose child is this? Cannot even use chopsticks properly. So clumsy.”
Qin Sizheng pressed his lips together and muttered softly, “Uncle Ding’s.”
Lu Xianqing’s gaze darkened. “Hm?”
Qin Sizheng immediately changed the subject. “Fourth Brother, what is the name of the magazine you are shooting?”
“What? Planning to buy a couple copies to collect?”
Qin Sizheng nodded. “Of course. I have to support your magazine.”
Lu Xianqing laughed. “My magazines are hard to get, little one. Support? Do you think they are not selling?”
Qin Sizheng quickly denied that meaning.
“If you want my magazine, just tell me. I will sign one and have An Ning deliver it. Want a signed photo too? I even recorded a song once—only one copy in the world. Interested?”
Qin Sizheng suppressed his delight and tried to sound composed. “May I? I can have Shen Changfeng pick it up. No need to trouble Sister An Ning.”
An Ning burst into laughter. “Do not listen to him. A film once wanted him to sing the ending theme, and they discovered he cannot carry a tune to save his life. He sang completely off-key. They recorded it, but it was useless, so it is just sitting there.”
Lu Xianqing shot her a flat look. “Would you like to walk back?”
“No, I do not.” An Ning quickly turned her head and pretended to admire the scenery.
On Qin Sizheng’s end, he was laughing so hard he could barely close his mouth. He truly could not imagine that someone as flawless as Lu Xianqing could be tone-deaf and sing off-key.
The corner of Lu Xianqing’s brow twitched. “Stop laughing.”
“I am not, I am not.” Qin Sizheng hurriedly suppressed it, picked up his juice, and took a sip to hide the smile tugging at his lips. Inwardly, though, he could not help wondering whether that so-called one-and-only recording in the world could really be given to him.
If he asked Shen Changfeng to pick it up, Lu Xianqing would not refuse, would he? Or perhaps it would be better to go in person—then Lu Xianqing would find it harder to say no.
He would hide it at home and listen to it in private. He would never mock him for being off-key.
Chen Qiu had scraped his palm as well. After it was bandaged, he returned to the dressing room and dramatically threw himself at Qin Sizheng. “Wuwu, my Yan Yan, thank you for saving my life. Otherwise I would have been mashed potatoes by now.”
Qin Sizheng nearly tipped sideways from the impact. “Hey, do not move me. My chopsticks will fall.”
Chen Qiu let go, failing to notice the phone still on video call on the table—and failing even more to notice the shift in the other party’s gaze when he called out “Yan Yan.”
“Yan Yan, how did you even notice something was wrong? When you shoved me, I thought you had lost your mind and was about to yell at you. Thank you.” Chen Qiu was still shaken. The heavy iron sign had landed less than a foot in front of him. When it hit, the ground had trembled three times.
If it had struck his head, he would have died on the spot.
Chen Qiu was talkative; once he started, he did not stop.
Qin Sizheng worried that Lu Xianqing might find it annoying, so he hung up the call, planning to speak again later.
On Lu Xianqing’s side, the moment the call ended, An Ning turned around. As expected, his face had darkened. He had been gone for one morning, Qin Sizheng had gotten hurt—and now someone was hugging his shoulders and calling him “Yan Yan” so intimately.
“Well… please calm down. Chen Qiu probably thinks that is just my pet name for him, nothing else. And he was just saved; being a little affectionate is understandable.”
An Ning realized Lu Xianqing had begun grinding his teeth.
“I mean, like those ancient tales of heroes saving beauties—”
The driver laughed. “You should really stop talking. The more you explain, the worse it sounds.”
Lu Xianqing yanked his jacket over his head and went to sleep. As they were about to arrive, Qin Sizheng sent An Ning a message asking where they were.
An Ning replied: [Ten minutes to set.]
Qin Sizheng did not rest. He ran to the studio entrance to wait. When Lu Xianqing arrived, he saw Qin Sizheng’s hair damp with sweat, his cheeks slightly flushed, glancing outward from time to time—clearly waiting for someone.
“Not hot enough for you? What are you doing out here?” Lu Xianqing asked.
Qin Sizheng broke into a smile when he saw him. “Sister An Ning said you were almost back, so I waited a bit. I saved you a boxed lunch.”
An Ning silently swallowed the fact that she had already ordered food and changed her tune. “Thank you, darling. I was so busy I forgot to order. Otherwise Fourth Brother would have gone hungry.”
Lu Xianqing took the boxed meal and headed toward his dressing room. After two steps, he turned back. “No one is in my room, and turning on the air conditioner now will still be hot. May I eat in yours?”
“Of course.” Qin Sizheng quickly led him back.
Chen Qiu was sprawled on the sofa playing a game, his injured hand slightly clumsy.
“Yan Yan, you are back!” He flipped upright—then caught sight of Lu Xianqing standing behind him, cool and distant. He sprang off the sofa. “Fourth Brother!”
Qin Sizheng explained, “Chen Qiu, Fourth Brother’s dressing room has not had the air conditioning turned on, so he is eating here for a bit. You do not mind, right?”
How could Chen Qiu dare to say he minded? He hastily shut off his phone. “Please, Fourth Brother.”
“Yan Yan, could you pour me a glass of water?” Lu Xianqing asked.
“Of course.”
The moment Qin Sizheng left, Lu Xianqing turned his gaze to Chen Qiu. The latter felt a chill crawl up his spine. “Fourth Brother, please sit. Make yourself at home.”
“Your name is Chen Qiu?”
“Yes, yes.” Chen Qiu thought, We have even worked together before. You forgot me already?
Lu Xianqing sat on the sofa Chen Qiu had vacated, propped his head on one hand, and regarded him with a half-smile. “Mm. Qiu Qiu.”
Chen Qiu’s scalp tingled. “Fourth Brother, if you have something to say, please just say it. This is a little frightening.”
Lu Xianqing said lightly, “Yan Yan.”
Chen Qiu brightened. “You think Yan Yan is a nice nickname too, Fourth Brother? It is special, and cute to say. Yan Yan has a really good temper. I have never seen anyone like him. He is just a little too shy. Last night I asked him to shower together and he refused. Even for sleep he buttoned his pajamas all the way up. We are both men—what is there to be afraid of about going shirtless?”
He chattered on, utterly unaware that the man in front of him was turning green.
“It sounds nice, does it? Come here. Stand there and say it one hundred times. I will count for you.”
Chen Qiu froze. Even if it sounded nice, there was no need to say it that many times. And Qin Sizheng was not even here. Calling out “Yan Yan” to Lu Xianqing alone felt terrifying just imagining it.
Lu Xianqing hummed softly and added, “You are quite serious about filming. The production is not short on money. They cannot possibly mistreat you by making you share a room with Yan Yan. That would be too unfair.”
Chen Qiu was about to say it was not unfair at all—he liked Qin Sizheng. He liked sharing a room with him.
The thought surfaced, and he immediately understood. Lu Xianqing had not come here because his dressing room was hot. He had come to warn him.
Damn it. So roundabout that he had not even caught it at first.
And he had been rambling about how cute “Yan Yan” was, about living together, about showering together. He was finished.
“Thank you, Fourth Brother. I will move back tonight immediately.”
Lu Xianqing smiled at him in silent understanding. “Go on.”
When Qin Sizheng returned, Chen Qiu was gone. He looked puzzled. “Why did Chen Qiu leave?”
Lu Xianqing smiled. “Perhaps he felt restrained with me here.”
“How could that be?”
Lu Xianqing took the cup from his hand, still smiling. “Not everyone likes being with me, Yan Yan. Do you?”
Qin Sizheng blinked. “What?”
“Do you like being with me?”
“I do.” Qin Sizheng did not read into it. He simply thought Lu Xianqing meant spending time together.
Lu Xianqing finished the water in his cup, clearing his throat before finally feeling a little more comfortable. He rolled up his sleeves and prepared to eat the “loving boxed lunch” Yan Yan had saved for him.
Although he had removed his makeup, his hair was still styled from the magazine shoot, adding a sharper edge to his features. His presence felt charged, his restless hormones practically visible.
The air was hot. Qin Sizheng caught a trace of that cool fragrance on him, now warmed into something deeper. In his ears echoed the way Lu Xianqing had earlier muttered that single curse under his breath—tinged with irritation and lazy fatigue. It made Qin Sizheng’s heart feel warm and unsettled.
Lu Xianqing did not eat much, and he was notoriously picky. If something did not suit his taste, he would barely touch it.
“Please eat more carrots,” Qin Sizheng said. “They are good for your eyes.”
“It is congenital. Useless,” Lu Xianqing replied.
Qin Sizheng paused. Had he suffered from night blindness since birth?
Lu Xianqing set down his chopsticks. “Meal is done. Time to settle accounts. Give me your hand.”
The gauze was wrapped from his elbow down to his wrist. Qin Sizheng said, “It is really just a scrape. It looks worse than it is. It does not hurt much. Shen Changfeng was just worried it might scar.”
Lu Xianqing rested his hand lightly on Qin Sizheng’s wrist. “If it scars, I will cut your hand off.”
Qin Sizheng extended his arm obediently. “Go ahead. Then I can play a one-armed hero next time. Thank you, Fourth Brother, for broadening my career path.”
Lu Xianqing did not know whether to be angry or amused. He reached out and ruffled Qin Sizheng’s hair. Just as Qin Sizheng thought he had calmed down, that same hand suddenly dropped to his earlobe and pinched hard enough to disrupt his breathing.
“Please do not pinch me.”
“Do not pinch what?” Lu Xianqing asked, eyes slightly curved, danger flickering faintly within them.
Qin Sizheng’s heart raced. Leaning forward slightly in that posture, he could smell him more clearly—the warmth of his breath brushing against him like teasing.
“My ear.”
Lu Xianqing gave a soft laugh. “I thought you did not have ears. Turns out you do.”
Qin Sizheng had no idea which offense he was being scolded for, so he stood obediently, listening. An Ning happened to approach the doorway, saw the scene, and quietly retreated.
He Xing looked puzzled. “What is he doing now?”
“Giving a lecture,” An Ning whispered.
Meanwhile, Qin Sizheng felt as if needles were at his back. He quickly reviewed in his mind what he might have done wrong besides getting injured while saving someone. He did not think there was anything else. His performance that morning had been decent.
Did he know about the photos he had secretly exchanged with An Ning?
Lu Xianqing said, “Confess.”
Qin Sizheng pressed his lips together and admitted honestly, “I should not have hidden it from you and shared your photos with Sister An Ning. I will not do it again. I will delete them.”
The corner of Lu Xianqing’s mouth lifted before he suppressed it, deliberately asking in a cold tone, “Secretly looking at my photos?”
Qin Sizheng nodded.
“Are they good-looking?”
After a brief hesitation, Qin Sizheng nodded again.
“If they are good-looking, why delete them? If they are good-looking, you should set them as your lock screen. Look at them every time you unlock your phone. Or were you just humoring me?”
Qin Sizheng blinked. Huh?
Lu Xianqing sighed. “So you were lying.”
“Absolutely not!” Qin Sizheng hurried to explain.
“Then set me as your lock screen right now.”
Qin Sizheng immediately pulled out his phone and unlocked it, but one-handed operation was awkward. Lu Xianqing took it from him and swiftly set his own photo as the lock screen. Only then did he look satisfied.
“If you change it, I will beat you.”
“I will not change it.” Qin Sizheng felt delighted. With such a perfectly legitimate reason to use him as wallpaper, why would he ever change it?
When Zhou Changjiang heard that Lu Xianqing had returned—and had gone straight to Qin Sizheng’s dressing room—he hurried over.
Accidents on set were difficult to avoid, but Lu Xianqing had a notoriously volatile temper. When he lost control, who knew what he might do? It was better to come personally and explain.
He reached the door just in time to hear the tail end of that absurd exchange. His eyebrow twitched. Resisting the urge to kick the door open, he knocked politely.
“Come in.”
The moment Lu Xianqing saw him, he smiled. “Oh? Director Zhou, what brings you here?”
Zhou Changjiang shot him a sharp glare. “You know exactly why I am here. To explain this morning’s accident and apologize for the oversight.”
“What does that have to do with me? I was not the one who got hit,” Lu Xianqing replied.
Zhou Changjiang hated communicating with him. The man never spoke plainly. He turned instead to Qin Sizheng. “How is your hand? Still hurting? If anything feels wrong, we go to the hospital.”
“It is really fine. I know my own condition,” Qin Sizheng said quickly.
“Good.” Zhou Changjiang apologized again.
Lu Xianqing said lazily, “What is the use of apologizing?”
“Then what would be useful?” Zhou Changjiang challenged. He wanted to hear what outrageous demand would come next.
Lu Xianqing did not disappoint. He let out a soft scoff. “Tear down the entire set and rebuild it. Every time a screw is loose, rebuild it again. Keep doing it until they learn discipline.”
Zhou Changjiang nearly fainted at the tyrannical suggestion. “Just shut up.”
Lu Xianqing leaned back, propping his chin on his hand. He reached over and placed his hand on Qin Sizheng’s again. “With injuries like this, it will be at least ten days to half a month before he can wrap filming.”
Zhou Changjiang blinked. “?”
Lu Xianqing continued, “Director Zhou would not make someone film while injured, would he?”
Zhou Changjiang suppressed the urge to curse. “Do you think I am some exploitative miser? You think I am not anxious about his injury? Stop speaking in that sarcastic tone. You need discipline.”
Lu Xianqing shifted posture, resting his chin on his hand as he sighed dramatically. “Injured like this, and after finishing your little passion project that will not even make it into domestic theaters, how much work will be delayed? And I am not even allowed to say it. Filming this really takes the joy out of things.”
“I will personally raise his pay by five episodes’ worth. Is that enough?”
Lu Xianqing smiled. “Yan Yan, why are you not thanking Director Zhou?”
Qin Sizheng had not even processed what had happened. He blankly followed Lu Xianqing’s lead and said, “Thank you, Director Zhou,” which only made Zhou Changjiang storm out and slam the door behind him.