This industry did not run on flattery and submission, but having good relationships never hurt. Not everyone had Lu Xianqing’s confidence.
He could afford not to fear smear campaigns or sabotage because of his status. But if Qin Sizheng wanted to go further, he would have to be twice as careful.
Resigned, He Xing went to clean up the mess. She found Zhou Changjiang and apologized first.
“Director Zhou, that is just his temperament. When he gets worked up, he stops caring about anything else. Please do not take it to heart.”
Zhou Changjiang looked away from the surveillance screen, still irritated. “That temper of his really needs to be managed.”
He Xing replied, “And who says it has not? He has improved a lot these past two years. He did not even bring up the set accident this morning. He knows it was an accident and does not make things difficult. If Sizheng had not fainted right in front of him this afternoon, he would not have reacted so strongly. Please do not hold it against him.”
Zhou Changjiang had dealt with He Xing before. He knew she was no simple character. On the surface she was criticizing Lu Xianqing, speaking respectfully and saving face—but every sentence subtly pointed back at him.
He decided not to play word games. “How is Sizheng?”
“Thankfully he was sent to the hospital in time. There was not much mango juice. The doctor recommended he stay overnight for observation and be discharged tomorrow. Please do not worry.”
“That is good.”
He Xing hesitated, as if wanting to say something more but unsure if she should. In the end, she swallowed it.
Zhou Changjiang said, “Lu Xianqing has already forced the crew to halt production. What is there you cannot say? You think I cannot see what he feels for Qin Sizheng?”
He Xing mentally cursed Lu Xianqing again before replying, “It is not about Fourth Brother. I was just thinking—food allergies can be minor or serious. Minor, and it counts as intentional injury. Serious, and it is poisoning. But Sizheng has insisted we not pursue it. He said he must have eaten something carelessly and does not want to affect filming or cause financial loss to everyone.”
The anger on Zhou Changjiang’s face eased slightly. “He really said that?”
He Xing paused, sighed softly, then continued, “Fourth Brother was right about one thing. His status is low. You may not care, but others might. Halting production for a day means losses for everyone. It is natural that he would feel uneasy.”
Zhou Changjiang understood that well. After a moment’s thought, he said, “Tell him not to worry. I will review the footage as soon as possible. If it was deliberate, I will issue a public statement. He should not be afraid.”
He Xing smiled. “Thank you.”
Once that matter was settled, she hurried to the hospital.
An Ning and Shen Changfeng were standing on either side of the door like guardian statues. He Xing found it suspicious. “Did Qin Sizheng kick you out? Why are you guarding the door?”
An Ning ran over, put a finger to her lips, and pulled her to the corner of the hallway. “Xu Zhao is here. He suspects my baby wants to climb higher and fly off to Ming Fei Entertainment. He is inside questioning him.”
“My baby?” He Xing echoed.
An Ning grinned. “Qin Sizheng. He is my precious now. My new favorite.”
He Xing reached out and flicked An Ning on the forehead with her index finger.
An Ning snorted, her face full of disgust. “That Xu Zhao—my baby has been in the production this long and he has not shown up once. When those black trending topics hit before, and that whole hand incident happened, he was as good as dead. All he knows is how to harvest profit. Now that my baby is finally showing some promise, he rushes over to leech off him.”
He Xing had never thought much of that tiny temple called Shengyu Entertainment. Hearing this, she gave a soft scoff. “As if he is worthy.”
A moment later, Xu Zhao came out of the hospital room. He gave Shen Changfeng a few instructions and left.
He Xing stepped back so he would not see her. Only after he was well out of sight did she approach, greet Shen Changfeng—who was still guarding the door like a door god—and push her way inside.
“Sizheng.”
The moment Qin Sizheng saw her, he hurriedly sat up. “He Xing Jie.”
“Lie back down. Fourth Brother cannot get away right now, so he asked me to come check on you.” She walked to the bedside. His face was pale, carrying a faint air of frailty that somehow made him even more appealing.
Good thing Lu Xianqing is not here, she thought to herself. Otherwise this would turn into a legal documentary.
“Anywhere still uncomfortable?”
“Not really. Just a bit of rash on my neck and hands. The doctor said it will fade by tomorrow morning. I am sorry for worrying everyone.”
They chatted idly for a while. When He Xing felt the timing was right, she began to circle around to her real purpose.
“After this film wraps, have you thought about your next step? It will not be released domestically, but once the news is out it will still help. You will have more bargaining power choosing your next job. It is a good thing.”
Qin Sizheng listened quietly. He fell silent for a long time, as if weighing something in his heart. Then, a little hesitant, he asked, “He Xing Jie… are you thinking of signing me?”
He Xing smiled inwardly. She had barely said a sentence and he already understood. Clearly not as naive as he looked. After enough time in this circle, who did not have a few calculations tucked away?
Only Lu Xianqing thought he was pure.
“There is that intention. How long is left on your contract? If you are interested, I can speak with your company once it expires.”
In truth, she had already investigated his contract thoroughly, but she pretended not to know, testing his stance.
Qin Sizheng’s contract with Shengyu Entertainment was practically a deed of indenture. Sixteen years left, and any single clause could make a person cry.
After a pause, Qin Sizheng said, “I am sorry. Thank you for your kindness, but I do not plan to terminate my contract.”
He Xing blinked, thinking she had misheard. “What did you say?”
“I said I do not plan to terminate my contract. Thank you for the offer.”
He did want to join Ming Fei Entertainment. If he and Lu Xianqing were in the same company, he could be his junior, grow closer, maybe even see him often at the office.
But Xu Zhao had treated him well.
In his previous life, when he died without anyone caring, it was Xu Zhao who handled his funeral arrangements. For that alone, he could not betray him and go elsewhere.
What Xu Zhao had said earlier in the room only strengthened his resolve. He could not be ungrateful.
“Xu Zhao has treated me well. I know Ming Fei Entertainment is very powerful, but my acting is not that good, and I cannot really sing or dance. I am far from your company’s signing standard, so I will not go. Thank you for thinking of me.”
He Xing’s mind filled with a single thought: What nonsense is this?
If Lu Xianqing wanted to sign someone, that was equivalent to holding Ming Fei Entertainment’s golden ticket. Not up to standard?
Still, his refusal genuinely surprised her. With a ladder placed right in front of him, who would refuse to climb? If he was not playing at the first level, perhaps he was playing in the stratosphere.
Retreat to advance?
After a moment, she asked again, “Do you know what signing with Ming Fei Entertainment would mean for you? Leading roles in major productions. Custom singles. Big-name collaborations. Endorsements on an entirely different level. Do you understand what I am saying?”
Qin Sizheng did not fully understand the mechanics of stardom. But to him, it was like boxing. He was not yet strong enough to stand on an international stage and have a referee raise his hand.
“I understand. That is why I am grateful.”
Now He Xing was certain—he was a little foolish.
“Fine. But my offer stands. If you change your mind, contact me anytime.”
He nodded. “I will remember.”
She stood. “Rest well. I will go now. If you reconsider, call me. Or have An Ning reach out.”
“All right.”
The moment she stepped out, she called Lu Xianqing.
“Calm down. He is not interested.”
Lu Xianqing sounded incredulous. “There are still people who look down on Ming Fei? Is it going bankrupt? Has the brand lost its appeal?”
He Xing rolled her eyes. “I think he just does not want to be entangled with you. Stop blaming the boss.”
Lu Xianqing gave a soft scoff. “Someone does not want to be connected to me? That is a joke. Wait until I seduce him. Let us see if he still refuses.”
He Xing had just taken a sip of water. She sprayed it out in a burst, grabbing tissues to wipe herself. “Do not you dare do anything illegal. I am warning you. Everything must be based on his consent.”
Lu Xianqing said lazily, “In Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, which young scholar was not convinced in bed? As long as he is convinced, who cares how? Draft the contract. Use my percentage. Negotiate with Ming Fei.”
He Xing took a steadying breath, forcing her voice to calm. “Your percentage? What percentage? The company does not even take a cut from you—you are practically just a name on paper. If Qin Sizheng signs, he will be lucky to get Shi Jianshu’s percentage. Stop messing around.”
Lu Xianqing replied, “Do you think I am like Ming Fei? I am planning to marry him properly in the future. That playboy act of his, toying with youngsters—how can he compare to me? He is a traditional scumbag. I am the model of devotion. Does he even deserve to be mentioned in the same breath?”
He Xing hung up on him.
Zhou Changjiang had been listening for quite a while and finally could not stand it. “Go outside to take your calls!”
“It is already hung up,” Lu Xianqing said. “Why are you yelling? If I was not deaf before, I will be now.”
Zhou Changjiang stared at the surveillance footage until he felt short of breath. “Can you at least try to be discreet in front of me?”
Lu Xianqing was typing when he heard that. He looked up, speechless. “You already know, so what is there to avoid? I cannot say it in front of him, I cannot say it in front of you either—are you even letting me live?”
Zhou Changjiang was full of question marks. “What kind of twisted logic is that? Do you have any shame at all?”
Lu Xianqing lowered his head and continued typing. After a moment, probably finding it too troublesome, he switched to a voice message instead. “An Ning said you are awake? Come on, send me a picture. Let me see your complexion.”
Zhou Changjiang took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
After a while, Qin Sizheng’s voice came through the receiver.
“It is really nothing serious. I heard from Sister An Ning that you had the whole production halted. Please do not make it into something too big. You should continue filming.”
Only when Zhou Changjiang heard Qin Sizheng speaking so obediently did he finally feel a little better. At least this one was well-behaved. The relief had barely risen in his chest before it nearly choked him again, because the man beside him continued, “How is it nothing serious? I saw your neck—it is all red. Let me see where else you have broken out in a rash.”
Qin Sizheng pressed his lips together. The redness had spread from his neck all the way down to his chest. How could he possibly show that? And if Lu Xianqing saw it, he would definitely misunderstand. Better not.
“There is nowhere else. Really.”
Lu Xianqing clearly did not believe him. “Pull your collar down a little and let me see. And your hand—I heard from An Ning it is as red as braised pig trotters. You call that nothing? Are you trying to fool me?”
Zhou Changjiang could not listen anymore and coughed heavily.
Qin Sizheng froze, his ears flushing red all of a sudden. He asked in a small voice, “Director Zhou is right there. Why did you not say so?”
Lu Xianqing replied, “He is not important.”
Zhou Changjiang exploded, “I am not important? I work like an ox and a horse for you here, and I am not important?”
Seeing that Qin Sizheng truly did not seem to have any major problem, Lu Xianqing finally felt reassured. He teased him a few more times before saying, “All right, rest a bit more. Once I am done here, I will go to the hospital to see you.”
Qin Sizheng hurriedly said, “Do not come!”
Lu Xianqing raised an eyebrow. “What? You dislike me now?”
Qin Sizheng lowered his voice. “No. It is just that there are so many nurses at the hospital asking me for autographs. Sister An Ning persuaded most of them to leave. The one who changed my IV really could not help herself, so I signed quite a few names. If you come, you will definitely be surrounded.”
Lu Xianqing said, “Do not worry. When I go, I will wear a hat. I will just say I am…”
“Say you are what?”
Lu Xianqing smiled and leaned closer to the camera, lowering his voice as if whispering a secret. “I will say I am your older brother.”
Qin Sizheng’s ears tingled. It felt as though he had truly leaned in close to whisper, leaving him at a loss.
Lu Xianqing chuckled softly. “What? You are not willing to call me older brother?”
Qin Sizheng still remembered that Zhou Changjiang was right there and felt too embarrassed to say anything, but Lu Xianqing insisted on an answer. “Hm?”
“…It is not that.”
“I cannot hear you. What did you say?”
Qin Sizheng drew in a soft breath. “When you come, you must be careful. I will ask Sister An Ning to meet you outside. Wear a hat and a mask. Do not let anyone recognize you.”
Lu Xianqing gave a quiet snort. “Am I someone who cannot be seen in public?”
“I am afraid you will be surrounded and unable to get away.”
Lu Xianqing thought to himself that when he had sent Qin Sizheng to the hospital earlier, it had already caused quite a stir. The doctors, nurses, and even the patients had nearly drowned him when they saw him carrying someone inside.
Chen Qiu also went to the hospital that afternoon. Wearing a hat and mask, he slipped in carefully, but was still recognized. After signing an autograph, he made a little shushing gesture to the nurse. “Big sister, please do not tell anyone.”
The nurse was utterly charmed, nodding frantically. “Qiuqiu, baby, Mommy loves you. You are so much thinner in person than on camera. Take care of your health.”
Chen Qiu nodded repeatedly. “You too. I will head in now.”
The nurse pointed him in the right direction. Chen Qiu found the ward and pushed the door open. “Ha! Yanyan, I am here!”
Qin Sizheng looked surprised. “How did you get here?”
Chen Qiu took off his hat and mask, letting out a long breath. “I was suffocating. It is such a hassle going out. I am always afraid of being recognized.”
Qin Sizheng asked him to sit. Chen Qiu placed the large fruit basket he was carrying on the table. “Yanyan, do you know how scary you looked when you fainted? My soul almost left my body. Thank goodness you are fine.”
“You are always making a fuss.”
Chen Qiu raised his brows dramatically. “I am concerned about you, and you call it making a fuss? You are heartless!”
Qin Sizheng could not help laughing. The heavy knot in his chest seemed to loosen a little under Chen Qiu’s teasing.
Chen Qiu noticed he was still holding his phone and leaned closer curiously. “Who are you talking to? Fourth Brother?!”
Qin Sizheng nodded.
Chen Qiu immediately straightened up and said in a serious tone, “Sizheng, what fruit do you want? I will peel it for you.”
“No need to trouble yourself. You can eat it.”
Chen Qiu did not dare look at the camera, yet he still felt as though he was being stared at. He laughed awkwardly and shifted to the side. “Then I will peel you an orange. You are not allergic to oranges, right?”
“I am not. Thank you.”
Chen Qiu looked aggrieved. “Why are you thanking me? We are good brothers. Peeling an orange for you and you thank me? That is too distant!”
Zhou Changjiang could not be bothered to speak. He stared at the surveillance footage frame by frame, trying his best to shut out Lu Xianqing’s voice.
Suddenly the door was pushed open. The assistant director came in, panting heavily. Bracing his hands on his knees, he pointed behind him. “Come and see—see if this is it!”
Afraid that things would escalate, Qin Sizheng hurriedly said, “Fourth Brother, there is really no need to go to such trouble. I will be more careful in the future.”
Lu Xianqing replied, “Rest well. Do not worry about anything else. I will come see you tonight.”
After more than three hours of reviewing surveillance footage, everyone’s eyes were twitching from the strain. At last, they found something.
When that loosened signboard had fallen, it had torn down a surveillance camera, which landed on the ground and was partially blocked by a wooden plank. At the time, everyone had rushed to check on Qin Sizheng’s injuries and no one paid attention. Later that afternoon, during repairs, the camera was lifted and reinstalled.
By chance, it had captured a woman pouring something from a bottle into the orange juice Shen Changfeng had set aside.
“Find out who this woman is!” Zhou Changjiang slammed his hand on the table and immediately ordered his people. Even if they had to turn the entire production crew upside down, they would find her.
Yao Jinwei arrived at the set late. She tripped over the threshold as she entered, and her assistant quickly caught her. “Sister Yao!”
Zhou Changjiang turned around. “Why are you only getting here now?”
Yao Jinwei looked pale and drawn. She pushed her assistant’s hand away and hurried over to Zhou Changjiang. “I was not feeling well at noon, so I went back to rest. I took some medicine and just woke up. I heard Sizheng had food poisoning? What was the cause?”
Zhou Changjiang briefly explained what had happened and then asked why mango had been ordered.
Yao Jinwei’s eyes widened in shock. “Director, you are not suspecting me, are you? I did not even know Qin Sizheng is allergic to mango! And I was not the one who ordered the mango pomelo sago!”
Lu Xianqing let out a soft laugh.
Yao Jinwei immediately turned her head toward him. She could not quite tell what he was laughing at, but she was certain he would not be easily fooled. Gritting her teeth, she spun around and snapped at her assistant, “Why did you not check first to see if anyone could not eat it before placing the order? If anything had happened to Sizheng, would you have wanted me to feel guilty for the rest of my life?”
The assistant quickly stepped forward. “I am sorry, Director. I ordered the mango pomelo sago. Sister Yao was taking leave today and was afraid of causing trouble for the crew, so she asked me to order desserts for everyone as an apology. Mango pomelo sago from Yu Province is very famous. A lot of artists like it. We have ordered it for the set before. I truly did not expect something like this to happen.”
Tears welled in Yao Jinwei’s eyes. Looking remorseful, she pulled the blame back onto herself. “It is all my fault. I should have asked clearly about everyone’s allergy history before telling my assistant to order.”
Zhou Changjiang’s head was throbbing from their bickering. He did not care to listen to who was or was not at fault. “Do not blame yourself. Once we find out who put that substance in, that will be enough. If you are not feeling well, go back and rest.”
Yao Jinwei shook her head gently. “No need. I will help look for the person.”
The assistant director reviewed the surveillance footage for a while but could not find clothing that matched hers, nor did they capture a clear view of the culprit’s face. There were too many people in the crew to compare one by one. Besides, they were not the only production filming at the location.
It would have been far too easy for someone to slip in unnoticed.
Yao Jinwei quietly let out a breath of relief. She walked over to Lu Xianqing and asked softly, “Fourth Brother, how is Sizheng now? He is all right, isn’t he?”
Lu Xianqing studied her for a few seconds.
A flicker of unease rose in Yao Jinwei’s chest. “Why are you looking at me like that? Do you suspect me too? I have worked with Sizheng before, but I truly did not know he is allergic to mango!”
Lu Xianqing looked away and said calmly, “It had better not be you.”