How could Xiao Luo mess up something so simple? Zhou Ziheng was so angry that he jumped up from the sofa and was about to send a text message to question Xiao Luo when Jiang Yin returned.
“What are you doing in my office? Is something wrong?” Jiang Yin put down the documents in her hands.
“Nothing.” Zhou Ziheng stood up. He thought maybe he should go back after all. He had promised someone, and he should keep his word. Backing out like this was completely dishonest. “Yin Jie, can I borrow your car? I need to go home.”
But Jiang Yin pulled out the chair across from her desk and said, “Hey, don’t go. I have something to tell you.”
“Huh?” Zhou Ziheng held his phone, looking reluctant.
“What? Is it urgent?”
“Not really…”
“Then sit down. This is important.” Jiang Yin sat down on her own, pulled out a few documents from the thick stack of files she had been holding, and pushed them toward Zhou Ziheng. There was no choice; Zhou Ziheng had to abandon his plan to go back and find Xia Xiqing. He sent a message to Xiao Luo, telling him to make sure to bring Xia Xiqing out, and then sat down in front of Jiang Yin.
“These are the scripts that have been sent over recently. There are just too many of them. We went through them during the meeting, so take a look at the remaining ones.” Jiang Yin poured herself a glass of water while wearing high heels. “The effect of this reality show is really unexpected. Many people contacted me after the trailer was released, and now the ratings for the first episode are so good. I really didn’t expect that.”
“You knew it, so you forced me to go.” Zhou Ziheng, flipping through the script, bluntly called out Jiang Yin.
Jiang Yin smiled and put down her cup. “I forced you? I see you’re quite happy about it now.”
“Who’s enjoying it?” Zhou Ziheng rolled his eyes, unwilling to engage in her teasing, and went back to reading the script. The scripts in his hands were vastly different, differing greatly in both story core and presentation style.
“I took a quick look. These directors are all good. Li Longli’s script is aimed at the New Year’s blockbuster season, featuring two veteran leading actors, Yu Feng and Shao Shihua, and it’s a comedy genre that audiences love. I think it’s worth considering, even though you’re not the lead. But this genre is new to you, so it’s worth a try. Zhang Bowen’s script is similar to his previous award-winning film Murder in Autumn, both being realistic-style suspense films with two male leads. I heard they’re in talks with Cheng Songming for the other male lead.”
Cheng Songming is an acquaintance of Zhou Ziheng; they collaborated on a film when they were young, with Zhou Ziheng playing his younger brother. He suddenly recalled, “Did Ming Ge’s *The Lost* win an award last time?”
“The script won an award, but it was nominated for Best Actor and didn’t win,” Jiang Yin sighed. “I think this time he’s aiming for Best Actor, so even though the cast and script are good, I’m still not keen on you taking it. Cheng Songming is clearly aiming for an award this time. His character is a blind murderer, which offers a lot of room for performance. Your role is a police officer, and I feel that the character itself doesn’t have much breakthrough potential. It’s basically just playing second fiddle to others.”
Zhou Ziheng nodded, “But my fans are always hoping I’ll play a police officer.”
Jiang Yin laughed, “That’s because they have a uniform fetish and think you look good in a uniform.”
“Doctors, pilots, soldiers…” Zhou Ziheng wore a helpless yet indulgent smile, “They post photoshopped images of me in various uniforms under my Weibo posts every day.”
“Look at you. If it weren’t for the fact that the current fan-pleasing persona is too cliché, I’d really give you one.” Speaking of which, Jiang Yin started teasing him, “What’s so hard about a uniform? Next time you go home, borrow one from your dad and wear it. Just Photoshop out the shoulder patches and stuff.”
Zhou Ziheng’s expression immediately turned serious, and he furrowed his brows slightly, “How can I just wear that?”
Jiang Yin burst out laughing, “Water meter warning, okay, let’s get back to the serious stuff.” She pulled out the bottom one, “And then there’s this one. In terms of the director’s credentials, it definitely can’t compare to the previous two. Kun Cheng is a rising director who has been making niche independent films. He’s very talented and young. Regardless of anything else, I think you’ll like this script.”
The male lead, Gao Kun, was born in the southwestern mountains. At sixteen, he was scammed out of his money while working, and in desperation, he sold blood to survive, but accidentally contracted HIV. Desperate and filled with a desire for revenge against society, he wanted to kill someone to vent his anger. He didn’t want to die alone, so one day he followed a girl, intending to harm her, but because of the female lead Lin Siyu’s actions, he abandoned the idea of killing her.
Lin Siyu is a disabled person with autism and severe hearing impairment. As they spent time together, they became each other’s only friends.
Overall, it is a story of mutual redemption. It blends elements such as HIV, migrant workers from the lower strata of society, people with disabilities, autism, original families, and domestic violence—all highly realistic themes.
“Has the female lead been decided yet?”
When Jiang Yin heard Zhou Ziheng ask this, she knew she was right—he was indeed interested. “No, the female lead is a big problem. First, there’s the age issue. Someone too young won’t have the acting skills to pull off this role, and someone with good acting skills would be too old to play opposite you. Plus, big names don’t want to do it.”
“They’re currently looking at the Film Academy to see if they can find a promising newcomer. However, I heard the screenwriter is still revising the script—it’s already been revised three times. The female lead role has undergone significant changes. In any case, prepare your own version, and I’ll take you there for an audition in a few days.”
Zhou Ziheng nodded. “Are all these schedules conflicting?”
“Cheng Songming’s schedule conflicts with this one. In my opinion, it’s better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix. If *The Chase* can capture the essence of the script, it will definitely be a hit both critically and commercially.” Jiang Yin walked over and patted his shoulder. “Maybe you’ll both be nominated at next year’s award ceremony.”
Jiang Yin’s assessment was correct. Although he was still young, when it came to winning awards, it was never too late or too early. He looked at the script again and, for some reason, felt that the writing style and dialogue were somewhat familiar.
“Who is the screenwriter?”
Jiang Yin’s phone rang. She glanced at it and answered immediately, flashing a professional smile. “Oh, he’s on his way…” After exchanging pleasantries and hanging up, she hurriedly urged Zhou Ziheng, “I almost forgot about the magazine. Hurry downstairs; I’ll have an assistant drive you there directly.”
Speaking of the magazine, Zhou Ziheng suddenly remembered that he hadn’t replied to Xia Xiqing yet.
Never mind, I’ll just pretend I don’t know.
On the way, Zhou Ziheng sent a message to Xiao Luo, asking if Xia Xiqing had arrived yet, but Xiao Luo didn’t reply either. He couldn’t help but feel anxious, but then he thought that if Xia Xiqing hadn’t gone, someone there would notify Jiang Yin.
After being stuck in traffic for half an hour, he finally arrived at his destination. As soon as Zhou Ziheng stepped out of the elevator, he saw Xiao Luo and the other staff members.
“Ziheng, you’re finally here.”
Zhou Ziheng walked briskly toward the tent while asking him, “Why didn’t you reply to my message?”
“Huh?” Xiao Luo was taken aback. “Oh, oh, oh. I gave my phone to Xiqing. He said his phone was dead, and he was bored during makeup and wanted to play games.”
Hearing this, Zhou Ziheng nearly stumbled, “You gave it to him? Who told you to give it to him?”
Xiao Luo was also startled. He rarely saw Zhou Ziheng so upset and wondered if the relationship between the two was as bad as people said online. That shouldn’t be the case. Xia Xiqing was gentle and polite, and everyone liked him…
“I’m asking you a question.”
“Oh, right. Xiqing had been waiting for a long time and was bored, so I gave it to him.”
Even his own assistant referred to him as Xiqing. Zhou Ziheng was truly amazed. This was bad. Xiao Luo must have seen all the messages he had sent earlier. There was no way to pretend he didn’t know now.
“Ziheng, over here.” The styling team led him into the makeup room, where a beautiful makeup artist named Shane happened to be coming out. She had a lip piercing on her lower lip, sparkling in the light. Shane had styled Zhou Ziheng before, so they were fairly familiar with each other and skipped the formalities. “Oh, Ziheng’s here. Perfect. I’ll go over the concept for this shoot with you first.”
Zhou Ziheng nodded and followed her inside. As soon as he entered the room, he saw Xia Xiqing sitting in front of the mirror. He was wearing a satin silk black shirt, which made his already pale skin look even whiter. A makeup artist was adjusting his makeup in front of him, while a hairstylist held a curling iron behind him, styling his hair.
Unlike his usual casual hairstyle, Xia Xiqing’s black hair, which reached his neck, was curled into a very slight arc, lazily half-covering his deep, exquisite side profile. His entire aura was influenced by the makeup and hairstyle, transforming from a carefree, dashing vibe to a refined, lazy one.
As he watched, Xia Xiqing suddenly turned his head, slowly blinking his eyes while tilting his lips into a smile.
For a moment, his heart skipped a beat.
Zhou Ziheng’s mind froze for a few seconds before slowly resuming its normal functions. He didn’t know what expression to use in response to Xia Xiqing’s smile, after all, they weren’t even friends, and their relationship was so strange that it exceeded Zhou Ziheng’s entire understanding of human interaction over the past twenty years.
Shane took out a few concept designs to show Zhou Ziheng, “These are from Lin Mo. The style this time will be more similar to… Have you seen Hannibal?”
Zhou Ziheng nodded. “Are you going for a horror special?”
“No,” Shane laughed. “It’s just a similar concept. You’re playing a bloodthirsty serial killer or something like that, so we might give you a more ascetic look. Hahaha, anyway, that’s always been your style.”
“A serial killer and a victim…”
Reality was completely reversed, which was extremely ironic.
“Pretty much.” The styling assistant pushed over a mobile clothes rack with a row of outfits hanging on it. Shane walked over, took a white high-neck sweater from it, then went to the accessories section to find a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and a pair of gloves that surgeons would wear during surgery.
Zhou Ziheng, who had just finished changing, sat down and heard the makeup artist next to him teasing Xia Xiqing about spoilers for Escape from Heaven.
“Come on, Xiqing, just tell me. I won’t tell anyone.”
Xia Xiqing smiled faintly, lifting his eyes to look at the makeup artist. “What can I do? If I tell you, you won’t watch the next episode.”
“I definitely will! I’ll watch it with my whole family.”
Seeing the gentle smile on Xia Xiqing’s face, Zhou Ziheng felt a bit unhappy. He tugged at the collar of his sweater and stared at himself in the mirror.
“Oh, Xiqing, what happened to your lips? I just noticed.” The makeup artist was about to apply lipstick but noticed a deep wound on his lips, “It’s already scabbed over.”
“Really? Hahaha, you’re definitely lying to me.”
“I’m lying to you.” Xia Xiqing lowered his eyes, “I accidentally bit myself.”
The makeup artist didn’t press further for the reason, but felt it was a bit tricky, “Shane, this wound has scabbed over. Should we apply color or not? What should we do for the post-production?”
Shane, who was discussing hair styling issues with Zhou Ziheng’s hairstylist, walked over to take a look and found it was indeed quite serious. “I’ll go get Lin Mo over here. He’s a perfectionist, but he’s a pain in the neck.” After saying that, Shane left the makeup room.
Since the boss had spoken, no one from the styling team dared to act rashly. Xia Xiqing, who was now alone, turned his face to the side to prevent his hair from touching his makeup. Two small silver clips were pinned to his head, making him look particularly cute.
This face, which everyone unanimously described as angelic, looked toward Zhou Ziheng in the mirror. After confirming that he was also looking at him, Xia Xiqing slowly opened his mouth, raised his upper teeth slightly, and gently bit his lower lip.
Once again, Zhou Ziheng felt the illusion of cardiac arrest. He averted his gaze and looked in the opposite direction.
Such a gesture was like a secret code, known only to the perpetrator and the victim.
To be precise, it was the perpetrator, filled with guilt, and the victim, who used the perpetrator’s excessive moral standards as leverage to blackmail them.
Soon, Shane burst in again, followed by the renowned photographer Lin Mo. To be honest, this wasn’t the first time Xia Xiqing had seen Lin Mo. They had met at a party during his time abroad and exchanged a few words, but so much time had passed that his memory was fuzzy. He only knew that, like himself, Lin Mo was someone with a reputation.
His appearance was slightly different from what Xia Xiqing remembered. Lin Mo was wearing a leather jacket, had a crew cut, and his neck was covered in tattoos whose patterns were hard to make out. As soon as he walked in, he spotted Xia Xiqing and smiled.
Xia Xiqing didn’t feel much toward him, but his usual pretense made him reflexively return the smile.
“I heard your mouth was injured?” Lin Mo walked over to Xia Xiqing. “Let me see how bad it is.” As he spoke, he reached out to pinch Xia Xiqing’s chin, but Xia Xiqing quietly stepped back and pulled at his own lower lip.
“It’s pretty bad.”
Shane suggested from the side, “Actually, you can’t tell if you retouch it.”
“Retouch what?” Lin Mo smiled, “Haven’t you heard the saying that a beauty’s wound is also a work of art?”
Zhou Ziheng, who was sitting nearby with his eyes closed, drying his hair, opened his eyes upon hearing this and furrowed his brows slightly.
“Alright, let’s change the concept. Your team has a special effects makeup artist, right? Go get him now and have him draw a wound on Xia Xiqing’s face.” Lin Mo tilted his head and examined Xia Xiqing’s face carefully, “Draw it on the right side, below the cheekbone.” Shane nodded and led the now-useless makeup artist away. Lin Mo walked to the tool cabinet, found a pair of scissors, and walked around Xia Xiqing twice while holding the scissors.
Xia Xiqing probably guessed what he was going to do.
The sound of the hairdryer stopped. The hairdresser couldn’t find the spray she needed on the makeup table, so she asked Zhou Ziheng to wait while she went to the car to get the toolbox. Zhou Ziheng nodded, watched the hairdresser leave, then turned his head, his eyes fixed on Xia Xiqing and the person beside him, his molars clenching unconsciously.
Lin Mo reached out and grabbed Xia Xiqing’s black silk shirt, cutting an opening below his ribs, then tugging at it with his hands. He made another cut at the shoulder, placing his fingers on the torn opening and pulling it apart. The sound of the fabric tearing echoed sharply in the quiet makeup room.
“Who would have thought that after all these twists and turns, we’d end up meeting again in the country.”
The word “reunion” was used so subtly, Xia Xiqing sneered inwardly, as if they had once been lovers.
“What a coincidence.” Lin Mo placed his hand on Xia Xiqing’s shoulder, his eyes fixed on the mirror, his fingers gently rubbing the exposed skin where the shirt had torn.
Xia Xiqing quickly furrowed his brows. This disgusting guy dared to flirt with him?
His patience had reached its limit.
Just as Xia Xiqing was about to explode, to his surprise, a hand grabbed Lin Mo’s wrist before he could react, lifting the hand that had been on Xia Xiqing’s shoulder.
Zhou Ziheng’s height and aura had a natural sense of oppression. Even without saying a word, just a glance from him was full of intimidation.
Lin Mo was taken aback. He really didn’t expect Zhou Ziheng to interfere like this, and he couldn’t help but laugh, “Ziheng, what are you doing…”
“We’re all in the same circle; many things are nothing new to us. But…” Zhou Ziheng’s chin tilted slightly upward, his gaze cold as ice as he looked down at Lin Mo, yet the corners of his mouth curved upward. His voice was low and slow, laden with meaning.
“My fan is inexperienced in the world; I feel it’s necessary to protect him.”
Author’s Note:
Xia · Naive · Xi Qing
Zhou · My Wife’s Shoulders Must Not Be Touched by Anyone · Ziheng
