An Ning knocked lightly before poking her head in. “Fourth Brother, finished eating? Time to go back for makeup.”
Lu Xianqing stood, then paused after a couple of steps and turned back. “If you are free this afternoon, come watch me film. Sitting alone in your room will be boring.”
Qin Sizheng nodded. “Then I will wait at the set.”
“Go on.”
Because of Qin Sizheng’s injury, the afternoon schedule was adjusted to film the scene after Chu Jing’s death—when Ding Chenhai descends into madness, the biggest emotional explosion in the entire movie.
Qin Sizheng arrived early and waited on set. Shen Changfeng found him a sun umbrella and prepared a small electric fan, repeatedly asking if he felt unwell anywhere.
“I am really fine. Do not treat me like I am made of paper. I used to box—”
“Used to what?” Shen Changfeng asked.
“I mean when I practice boxing at home, I am used to it. This little scrape does not hurt at all. Do not fuss like I am delicate.” Qin Sizheng patted Shen Changfeng’s shoulder to reassure him and flexed his other arm in a mock weightlifting pose. “I am a tough guy.”
Shen Changfeng laughed. “All right, settle down.”
At that moment, Lu Xianqing arrived as well. The austere black-suit-and-white-shirt restraint from earlier was gone. Now his white shirt was yellowed and wrinkled, his hair messy, his makeup deliberately haggard.
Qin Sizheng’s heart skipped.
Even like this, he was mesmerizing—there was a kind of decadent beauty to him.
Shen Changfeng saw the look in Qin Sizheng’s eyes and understood most of it. The boy had probably fallen for Fourth Brother. It was hardly surprising. With Lu Xianqing’s looks and the way he teased so effortlessly, how could someone so inexperienced in love not fall?
Lu Xianqing beckoned. Qin Sizheng glanced around to make sure he meant him before walking over.
“Fourth Brother. Director Zhou.”
Zhou Changjiang said, “Stand beside me later and learn how Fourth Brother acts. The gap between you two is still rather large, but watching more will not hurt.”
Qin Sizheng’s eyes lit up. “Really? Thank you, Director Zhou.”
Zhou Changjiang shot Lu Xianqing a look, then added, “You had better explode completely in this scene. I want the audience crying within one second. If you fail, I will deduct one episode’s pay and count it as investment for this film.”
Lu Xianqing: “?”
Unaware that Chen Qiu had already been expelled from their shared room, Qin Sizheng assumed Zhou Changjiang was holding a grudge. He could not help smiling. “Director Zhou, then deduct mine instead. Do not deduct his.”
Zhou Changjiang was not truly planning to deduct anything and laughed at that. “Little A Jing, do you think your pay is comparable to his? He earns in one episode what you earn in an entire project. If I swap yours for his, I would be losing out. No deal.”
Qin Sizheng did not take offense and climbed along with the banter. “Then if Fourth Brother finishes in one take, can he get a raise?”
Zhou Changjiang lifted a brow in surprise and tapped him lightly on the head with the script. Then he turned and barked at Lu Xianqing, “A perfectly good kid and you have corrupted him.”
Lu Xianqing replied lightly, “The gold hairpin has not fallen into the well yet.”
Zhou Changjiang glared. “You are eager to fish it out sooner? When this film wraps, if you dare make a move, I will have you leave with nothing. Do you hear me?”
Qin Sizheng had no idea what coded exchange they were having. He looked confused for a moment before Yao Jinwei arrived. Zhou Changjiang explained her part for a while, then suddenly turned back. “A Jing, why not film the final scene too? You just lie there as a corpse. You do not need to move. Can you manage?”
Qin Sizheng had never intended to stop filming. He nodded immediately. “I can.”
Lu Xianqing muttered, “Making full use of everything. Not a bit of advantage left untaken.”
Zhou Changjiang checked his watch and calculated quickly. “Then go to makeup. Be quick. We start in twenty minutes.”
Modern drama makeup was simple. Qin Sizheng and Chu Jing were close in age, so no special contouring was needed. He was ready quickly.
“Even playing a corpse is not easy,” Zhou Changjiang reminded him repeatedly. “Lower your breathing. Keep your chest from rising too much. Do not be affected by your co-star.”
At the time, Qin Sizheng did not understand why Zhou Changjiang seemed more long-winded than usual. The moment filming began, he understood.
Ding Chenhai learned of Chu Jing’s death and walked step by step toward the body. He bent down, gathered him into his arms, and let out a soft laugh. “My A Jing, why are you sleeping here? You are asking for a beating.”
Qin Sizheng’s heart clenched instantly at that voice.
He was laughing, yet beneath it lay a thread of grief, like a thorn buried deep in flesh and blood.
He desperately wanted to open his eyes and see Lu Xianqing’s expression at this moment. It had to be breathtaking.
“Sir, A Jing he…”
Ding Chenhai seemed not to hear. His fingers gently wiped the blood from Chu Jing’s lips, stroking the wounds on his face. “How did you get so dirty? I look away for one second and you are covered in injuries.”
“I should have locked you up. Kept you under my watch. Let only me see you.” Ding Chenhai lowered his head and kissed the corner of his mouth, infinite tenderness and longing woven into the gesture.
“I will take you home. I will build you a cage. Then no one can hurt you again.” He lifted him—then suddenly collapsed to the ground.
A subordinate rushed forward to help but was flung aside.
“Get out!” His voice cut like a blade.
The subordinate retreated, shaken. “Sir, he is already dead.”
“He is not dead.” Ding Chenhai lowered his head and smiled at Chu Jing. His fingers traced from the corner of his eye to his brow, then slid down the bridge of his nose to rest on his lips. “He is just asleep. See? My A Jing looks so well-behaved when he sleeps.”
Qin Sizheng was ticklish. He forced himself to endure the discomfort as those fingers brushed over his brow, concentrating on being a “corpse.”
Then he felt a drop of water fall onto his eyelid.
He froze.
Was it raining?
“A Jing… Uncle Ding begs you. Do not leave me.” Lu Xianqing’s voice was hoarse, threaded with a choked note almost impossible to detect.
Only then did Qin Sizheng realize—
That was his tear.
His fingertips trembled. His eyelid burned where the tear had landed. Unable to open his eyes, he relied entirely on sound and sensation, as if constructing the entire scene in his mind.
Ding Chenhai, a man so powerful and so cold by nature, was now choking back sobs, begging someone not to abandon him. That helplessness nearly swallowed him whole.
“I will take you home. Do not be afraid. From now on, I will never let you leave me again.”
Lu Xianqing lifted him into his arms. He staggered two steps before finding his balance. When a crew member stepped forward to help, he barked them away and carried him home himself, one step at a time.
Qin Sizheng had never been held like that before. His whole body went stiff. Lu Xianqing leaned close to his ear and murmured, “Relax. I will not drop you.”
He finally let himself go slack, resting fully against Lu Xianqing’s chest. That previous film, Lusheng, had been restrained and oppressive, the kind of heaviness that quietly tightened around the heart. This one, however, was madness laid bare.
Ding Chenhai still refused to believe that Chu Jing was dead. His emotions were already this intense—how were they supposed to film the later breakdown? Qin Sizheng found himself looking forward to the coming explosion.
“Cut! Very good.” Zhou Changjiang did not bother commenting on Lu Xianqing. Qin Sizheng, playing a corpse, had performed adequately; there was nothing much to say. He turned instead to Yao Jinwei. “A Jing’s hands cannot touch water. We will shoot the bath scene and patch in the close-up later. Are you ready?”
Yao Jinwei smiled confidently. “Of course. I have already memorized all my lines. Do not worry.”
Zhou Changjiang disliked her attitude but said nothing more. “Fine. You do not need to keep up with Lu Xianqing perfectly. Just do not look too weak. Positions.”
Qin Sizheng ran excitedly to Zhou Changjiang’s side, not noticing that Lu Xianqing, left behind, ground his teeth lightly.
What? Acting with him was less exciting than watching from the sidelines?
“Do not make a sound later,” Zhou Changjiang said. After Lu Xianqing gave the signal, the slate clapped and filming began.
Qin Sizheng stared without blinking. Lu Xianqing closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, something inside had changed.
After Chu Jing’s death, Ding Chenhai had gone mad, visiting every place Chu Jing had ever been. He released all the dogs at home and stood staring blankly at the courtyard wall, imagining a young man leaping down from it.
He arranged everything to look exactly as it had on the day they first met, repeating that day over and over, trapping himself inside the nightmare.
“Mr. Ding? Are you home?” Yao Jinwei knocked. There was no response. She frowned slightly and called again, “Mr. Ding?”
She had come to provide psychological counseling. The moment she opened the door, the sight inside startled her so badly that she fell to the floor. Cages of every size were filled with clothes, and a man knelt by the window, backlit by the light.
She closed her eyes briefly to adjust to the darkness before realizing it was Ding Chenhai.
“Mr. Ding, are you all right?”
He did not answer. She drew in a quiet breath and stepped closer. “Mr. Ding, the dead cannot return. Please restrain your grief.”
“Get out. Do not disturb my A Jing.” Ding Chenhai’s voice was hoarse, threaded with icy tenderness that made one shiver.
“Let me help you.” She lowered her head, then jumped when Ding Chenhai suddenly looked up. His eyes were bloodshot, filled with destructive intent. Instinctively, she loosened her grip.
After a moment, she softened her tone. “Mr. Ding, can you tell me what A Jing was like? He must have been a wonderful person.”
The hardness in Ding Chenhai’s gaze melted instantly. A faint smile curved his lips. He lowered his head and began to speak, like a weathered storyteller, recounting everything bit by bit.
At first he spoke with a smile. Then the smile faded. His voice tightened. Finally it broke, tinged with collapse.
“My A Jing is not dead, right? He is not dead.” He clutched Yao Jinwei’s hand desperately, begging her to grant him a lie, to weave him even a fleeting dream.
Moved by his performance, Yao Jinwei turned her head aside and drew in a deep breath.
Ding Chenhai tilted his head back, covering his face with both hands as he sobbed in agony. Qin Sizheng felt as though his heart were being crushed in a fist. Unable to bear watching any longer, he turned away.
“I know he is dead.”
“I did not even see him one last time. He must have been so helpless then. If he had never met me, he could have grown up freely and openly, without suffering so much. He must hate me.”
“Please, A Jing, take me with you.” Ding Chenhai’s voice bled with grief. “Do not leave me behind.”
The scene felt eerily familiar to Qin Sizheng. That overwhelming heartache surged over him like a flood. He grabbed at his collar, struggling to breathe.
He gasped harshly. His vision dimmed at the edges. He shook his head hard, trying to shake off the discomfort.
“What is wrong?” Zhou Changjiang heard the sound and turned, startled by Qin Sizheng’s flushed face and labored breathing.
“I am fin—” Before he could finish, he fainted. Zhou Changjiang had no time to catch him and went pale with fright.
—
When Qin Sizheng woke again, he was in the hospital. A needle was taped to the back of his hand. His vision swam and doubled; nausea rose in waves. His head throbbed, and even his heart felt sore.
He drew an uneasy breath and saw Shen Changfeng and An Ning in the ward. He immediately turned his head, searching—but Lu Xianqing was nowhere to be found. Disappointment flickered through him.
“Baby, you are awake!”
“What happened to me?” Qin Sizheng was still dazed.
An Ning was still shaken. “Do you not know what you are allergic to? Why would you eat things carelessly?”
Qin Sizheng was only allergic to mango. And he had not eaten any today.
Shen Changfeng was equally puzzled. “I know you are allergic to mango, so I did not get the mango pomelo sago. I also took away the one Teacher Xue sent. Where did you eat it?”
“I only drank the orange juice you brought. I did not eat any other fruit.”
An Ning guessed, “Could someone have mixed mango into the orange juice? Maybe it was such a small amount that you did not taste it. That would explain why it took so long to react.”
Qin Sizheng’s fingers tightened around the cup until they turned pale. His face did not look good either; large red patches still lingered on his neck from the allergic reaction.
Lu Xianqing’s furious expression was still vivid in his mind.
Shen Changfeng lowered his head. “If I had been more careful, this would not have happened. It was my negligence.”
Qin Sizheng forced a small smile. “Do not blame yourself. I am fine now, am I not? You are not a god who can foresee everything. Come on, smile.”
Shen Changfeng could not force a smile. Just then, the door was flung open. Xu Zhao rushed in like a gust of wind and threw himself to the bedside.
“How are you? Changfeng called and said you passed out from food poisoning and had to be resuscitated. I nearly lost my soul from fright. Are you okay?”
Qin Sizheng laughed at his exaggerated panic. “I am fine.”
Once Xu Zhao started talking, no one else could get a word in. Qin Sizheng tried several times to interrupt, but failed every time.
“First a falling set piece, now mango—this is poisoning! We have to investigate thoroughly!”
“I am going to talk to Zhou Changjiang. This must be investigated down to the last detail. Having someone like that hiding in the crew is terrifying. That is practically attempted murder.”
An Ning rolled her eyes at the side. When he was needed, no one knew where he had been. Now he showed up to lecture after the fact.
Ten minutes later, Qin Sizheng could not take it anymore and forcibly changed the subject. “How do you have time to come?”
Xu Zhao replied, “Your two junior apprentices are recording new songs. They do not need much from me for now. Something this serious happened to you—of course I had to come.”
Qin Sizheng nodded. Xu Zhao shot Shen Changfeng a look. An Ning saw he wanted to say something and stepped out as well. After everyone left, Xu Zhao finally spoke.
“Sizheng, I want to ask you something.”
He hesitated for a long time, as if it were difficult to say. Qin Sizheng said, “Just say it.”
“All right. Changfeng told me it was Fourth Brother who sent you to the hospital. I have been busy lately and have not paid much attention to you.” Xu Zhao thought for a moment, then decided not to beat around the bush. “What do you think of how I have treated you?”
“Why are you asking that?” Qin Sizheng did not understand. Xu Zhao thought he was playing dumb and felt a flicker of dissatisfaction.
A few days ago, Xu Zhao had taken someone to the recording studio. There he ran into Ming Fei, who had come to pick someone up.
What kind of person was Ming Fei? If he had been interested in the two young idols inside the studio, he could have simply waited for them to come out and asked for their numbers. Why would he lower himself to chat idly with Xu Zhao?
The only explanation Xu Zhao could think of was Qin Sizheng.
The ambiguous posts Jiang Zhen had made on Weibo did not require Lu Xianqing to respond, yet he had made a public show of mockery and even used Ming Fei Entertainment’s official account to issue a statement, stamping out the rumors completely.
“For all these years in this industry, I have treated you sincerely. I have never given up on you. If you have any intention of leaving, just say it,” Xu Zhao said.
Qin Sizheng was even more confused. “I do not plan to leave. Did someone say something to you?”
Seeing that he truly looked bewildered, not as if he were lying, Xu Zhao felt a trace of guilt and smiled. “No. I am just afraid someone might sweet-talk you into terminating your contract with the company. I do not want you to suffer a loss.”
Qin Sizheng suddenly remembered that Lu Xianqing had once asked him what he thought of Ming Fei Entertainment. It dawned on him that Xu Zhao must have assumed he was getting close to Lu Xianqing to curry favor and move to Ming Fei Entertainment.
Leaving aside the fact that he had no better prospects right now—even if he did, he would not go. He liked Lu Xianqing not because he was the great Film Emperor at the peak of his career. Even if he were a poor man on Xihua Street, he would still like him the same.
“Do not worry. Wherever you are, that is where I will be. I will not terminate the contract.”
Besides, even if he wanted to go, they might not even want him.
At that moment, Lu Xianqing had already returned to the set. He took the loudspeaker from beside Zhou Changjiang and called out, “Cut.”
Filming stopped immediately.
Zhou Changjiang turned his head. “Why are you back so soon? Is Sizheng all right?”
Lu Xianqing pulled out a chair and sat down. “He will not die for now.”
Zhou Changjiang knew from his return that the situation was not serious, but he suppressed his temper and asked, “Stop speaking in barbs. What exactly is going on?”
An Ning had already told Lu Xianqing about the mango mixed into the orange juice. He sat there lazily, his tone casual yet laced with anger. “Your crew is quite capable. Mixing mango into orange juice.”
Zhou Changjiang was baffled and told the assistant director to summon the person in charge of catering.
The staff member hurried over. Zhou Changjiang said, “List everything that was ordered for lunch today. Clearly.”
“It was the same boxed meals as last Friday, all from the set menu. For juice, we ordered orange, kiwi, and blueberry. No mango.”
“Yao Jie took leave today and ordered mango pomelo sago for everyone as an apology. Could it have been that?”
Zhou Changjiang immediately said, “Where is Yao Jinwei? Call her.”
The assistant director replied, “She went back to the hotel after filming. And the mango pomelo sago was ordered from a different shop at noon. It could not have been mixed with the orange juice. Besides, Shen Changfeng did not take that one. Everyone saw—he only took a cup of orange juice.”
Teacher Xue said anxiously, “Was it me? I gave my portion of mango pomelo sago to A Jing. I really did not know he could not eat it.”
The assistant director quickly reassured her, afraid her emotions would spiral. “It was not you. Shen Changfeng handed your portion to me. He even told me Sizheng could not eat it.”
Lu Xianqing propped his head on one hand and said coolly, “What about the set’s surveillance cameras? If you cannot find out, this production might as well shut down.”
Zhou Changjiang frowned. “What are you trying to do? Stop the entire crew and make them wait while you investigate—for one Qin Sizheng? Even if it was intentional, where would we even start? The surveillance cameras are not without blind spots.”
Lu Xianqing shot back, “So?”
Suppressing his anger, Zhou Changjiang scolded him in a low voice, “Do you know what halting production means? Who is going to take responsibility for the losses? I will investigate, but filming continues. Even if the King of Heaven himself came, we would not stop production for one Qin Sizheng. Calm down.”
Lu Xianqing glanced at him. “Fine. Terminate the contract. He Xing, calculate the penalty.”
He Xing, standing behind him, felt his eyelid twitch.
Zhou Changjiang stared. “What did you say?”
There was no hiding the sharp fury in Lu Xianqing’s expression. “Is this your first time working with me? What are these useless people even for? I treated the falling set piece as an accident and did not hold you accountable. Now the person in charge of meals cannot even prevent mango from being mixed into orange juice. Tomorrow, what—someone slips poison into it?”
“Qin Sizheng means nothing to you, is that it?”
“Have you lost your mind? When did I ever say he meant nothing?” The muscles in Zhou Changjiang’s face twitched. The assistant director, afraid the two of them might actually start fighting, hurried over to break it up.
“Both of you, calm down. Let us solve the problem first.”
Zhou Changjiang forced down his temper and said as evenly as he could, “Look at the timing. The kid has not even said anything yet and you are already stirring up trouble. Is this not messy enough?”
Lu Xianqing suddenly laughed. “If he does not speak up, that means nothing happened? Of course. Bullying a kid is only human nature. Director Zhou, I did not realize you were also the type to pick on the weak and flatter the strong.”
The two most powerful figures on set were clashing. No one else dared to interrupt, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.
Zhou Changjiang was not easy to provoke. Lu Xianqing was even worse. His reputation in the industry was sharply divided. Outsiders called him aloof, elegant, gentle. But those who had worked with him knew better—he was no different from a madman.
There were only two states with him: normal and not normal.
Zhou Changjiang was so infuriated by the barbed sarcasm that he felt close to a heart attack. He raked a hand through his hair and snapped, “Search your conscience and speak. Am I bullying him because his status is low? I personally invited him to this production—would I look down on him for that? In all my years in this industry, when have I ever disrespected someone over rank? Lu Xianqing, even protecting someone has its limits!”
The assistant director, ever the peacemaker, grabbed Zhou Changjiang’s arm. “Enough, enough, stop arguing. I am sure this was just an accident. Let us all take a step back. Sizheng is fine. Let it go.”
Before Lu Xianqing could respond, Zhou Changjiang shoved the assistant director aside.
“Let it go? We will investigate! Everyone drop what you are doing right now. If we do not find out how mango got into that orange juice, then this damn production is not filming another scene. Pull the surveillance footage. Let us make our Film Emperor happy.”
Lu Xianqing did not react to the sarcasm at all. “One day. Before he is discharged, that person will be out of this industry.”
Zhou Changjiang pointed at him in the air, grinding out through clenched teeth, “Did I hire you as an actor? Or did I hire you as my father?”
When the crowd dispersed, He Xing finally stepped forward, her expression wooden. “If you make this this big, Qin Sizheng is going to have a hard time in this industry. People will not dare resent you. They will resent him.”
Lu Xianqing turned his head slightly and let out a soft scoff. “I did not realize surviving in this industry depended entirely on swallowing every insult.”
He Xing was speechless.
“Still, you are right,” Lu Xianqing said after a pause.
Her face immediately said, See?
“So do not let him make enemies because of my temper. That will not benefit him. Zhou Changjiang is straightforward and does not hold grudges. If it were some petty director instead, who knows how many obstacles they would lay for Qin Sizheng later.”
He Xing seized the chance. “You are only working with him on one production. Do not stir up trouble for him.”
“Sign him under me, and your concerns disappear.” Lu Xianqing reached out and patted her shoulder. “He Xing Jie, have faith in yourself.”
He Xing: “I…”
Damn it.