“…?”
Although Jin Si knew his younger brother was a fool, he really didn’t know he could be this foolish.
A faintly flushed expression appeared on his face, tinged with a strange look.
“What did you just say? I didn’t hear clearly—say it again.”
Jin Yi was shocked.
Wait… wasn’t his brother supposed to have eyes and ears everywhere, reading minds? Today he actually had to repeat it?
Something was off with his brother!
Still, Jin Yi cheerfully repeated himself.
“Brother, didn’t you say to Sheng Ge that the little umbrellas and nutrient drinks you use are pretty good? I’ll send some to Nie Luo and Fan Qing.”
Eh-hei!
It felt strangely nice, repeating something like that in front of his brother.
Almost… like his brother was just a normal person for once?
Jin Yi thought quietly to himself: he really was a silly little brother.
Jin Si looked at him with a hint of pity.
“If you really want, I could maybe spare some for you.”
But… as a peace offering? An apology?
Silly kid… these things, whether sent to Fan Qing or Nie Luo, would it even matter?
Of course, Jin Si wouldn’t tell Jin Yi that.
Seeing a foolish younger brother act foolish was, after all, quite entertaining.
Plus, he got to watch Fan Qing’s little performance—why not?
Jin Si scribbled a string of numbers for Jin Yi.
“Go get it yourself at the villa.”
Jin Yi took it, eyes flickering oddly.
“…Brother, you didn’t leave it at home?”
Daily necessities… why put them at the villa?
He didn’t understand.
Jin Si gave him a lazy sideways glance.
“Kids don’t need to know everything. Go get what’s yours.”
Jin Yi: …Hmph, rare!
Just as he was about to sneak off, he glanced at his brother.
“…By the way, Brother, have you been feeling better lately? You look pretty healthy today.”
His brother’s face… was glowing, ruddy with health!
Seeing this little face so red, Jin Yi commented.
Jin Si’s gaze grew strange. He stared at Jin Yi for several seconds before making a peculiar sound from his throat.
Indecipherable, but somehow… pleasurable.
“…Guess.”
Something was off.
Jin Yi instinctively stepped back, feeling it. Something was wrong.
He didn’t know what, but his instincts screamed: don’t ask again!
With a small “Eh-hei,” he rubbed his nose and backed to the door.
“Alright, I won’t guess. Brother, your good health is the important thing! The best thing ever! Well, I’m off now!”
With that, he opened the door and bolted out.
He ran fast—what a pity.
Jin Si, his face flushed, felt a brief pang of regret.
He glanced back at the spoils he had just claimed, sighed.
He had wanted his silly younger brother to gain a little insight…
But… this was enough.
Soon, the silly kid would make a fool of himself with Fan Qing anyway—quite entertaining in its own way.
Fan Qing had no idea if Second Young Master Jin planned to prepare a “surprise” for him. He had just left the company, carefully packed the clothes he’d received, and headed to the film set.
Not for any other reason—though Yuan Jing hadn’t been in real danger, Nie Luo was on set!
It was the perfect excuse to check in without it seeming weird.
And… maybe, just maybe, those clothes could come in handy tonight.
With that hopeful thought, Fan Qing arrived at the set, his mood floating on air.
Unfortunately, the moment he arrived, everyone assumed he was there because of Yuan Jing’s incident.
The director, a little flustered, immediately approached him with an apologetic expression.
“Manager Fan, I’ll make sure to give you and Yuan Jing a proper explanation for this incident.”
He felt genuinely guilty.
He had been quite satisfied with Yuan Jing’s performance, which made him all the more anxious about what had happened.
If Fan Qing hadn’t arranged for a bodyguard to be there early, Yuan Jing might really have been in danger on their set.
The director didn’t know about the relationship between Nie Luo and Fan Qing. His worry stemmed entirely from Yuan Jing’s reaction.
The incident had occurred about three hours earlier.
“Cut! Yuan Jing, come here.”
At that, everyone smiled kindly.
Yuan Jing, a bit shy, quickly perked up and ran over to the director.
“Director, did I mess up anywhere again?”
Being a newcomer, NGs were common for him.
The director appreciated his proactive attitude and even made room for him to watch a monitor.
“Take a look at the shot here. See if you can spot any problems yourself.”
Yuan Jing sat down, though mostly hovering half in the air, craning his neck to see the screen.
After a while, he spoke uncertainly:
“Is… it because of my positioning? If I stand here, the camera doesn’t frame my face right, and it blocks Nie Ge a bit?”
The director’s eyes lit up, as if he’d found a gem.
“Exactly, very perceptive! Now, tell me—if you had another chance, how would you move this time?”
Yuan Jing studied the screen seriously, deep in thought.
Scenes like this were routine on set. Most actors had a soft spot for Yuan Jing: despite being a newbie, he was smart, eager to learn, humble, and courteous. Every time he NG’d, he apologized sincerely to his co-actors, which made him hard to dislike.
So when the director offered pointers again, the actors all smiled warmly.
The kid was trying hard; hopefully, he’d make fewer mistakes in the future and wrap up filming sooner.
Meanwhile, no one noticed a crew member sneaking someone into the set.
The person lingered, observing Yuan Jing for nearly half an hour before quietly disappearing.
Almost no one noticed her—almost.
Once Yuan Jing had learned the scene, filming was about to resume…
Until a figure suddenly emerged from the corner and grabbed him.
Yuan Jing blinked, puzzled—who was this?
He looked familiar, yet not quite.
Before he could process it, the person spoke.
“Stop filming. Your prop’s been tampered with.”
“Ah?” Yuan Jing froze.
The director, standing nearby, also looked shocked.
“Tampered with?”
The person produced a pair of gloves seemingly from nowhere and held the prop Yuan Jing was about to use.
The director frowned—who was this? How dare they touch props on set?
Before he could scold, the person squeezed the prop lightly… and it broke.
“You…”
Then, a strange liquid oozed out of the prop, leaving the director dumbfounded.
“What is this?”
“A substance harmful to the skin,” the person said confidently, sniffing it briefly.
Looking at Yuan Jing, he added, “It was meant for you.”
Cold sweat ran down Yuan Jing’s back.
He suddenly realized—it was the bodyguard Manager Fan had arranged for him a few days ago!
And this prop… he was supposed to press it against his face in the next scene!
Who was malicious enough to do this?
Without thinking, Yuan Jing grabbed the bodyguard’s… arm.
“Ah! Thank you, big brother bodyguard! Thank you, Manager Fan, for saving my life!”
He had known it—the bodyguard Fan Qing had arranged wasn’t just for show; he was here to protect him.
It was incredibly reassuring—he instantly felt completely safe.
The director, still stunned about who had placed the dangerous substance, was surprised by Yuan Jing’s words.
“What does Manager Fan have to do with this?”
Upon hearing this, Yuan Jing explained Fan Qing’s arrangement in detail.
Afterward, he was visibly moved.
“Wow, Manager Fan really gives such a sense of security. Without the bodyguard here, my face—no, my life—would have been ruined!”
He squeezed the strong bicep of the bodyguard instinctively, feeling comforted just by touch.
The bodyguard, usually inconspicuous, froze, cheeks slightly flushed as he glanced at Yuan Jing’s hand.
“…Your hand?”
“Oh, oh, o-oh.”
Yuan Jing immediately let go.
Damn… it actually felt pretty good to hold!
Fan Qing had just left the set when he received the director’s praise and bewildered questions.
“…So if it weren’t for you, Manager Fan, the crew might really have been in danger this time.”
The director shook his head, still marveling.
“I didn’t expect your company to care so much about the health and safety of your talents. Truly rare.”
…Looks like Yuan Jing had completely melted him with that naïve gush.
Fan Qing forced a calm smile, blending an air of profound thought with a faint whiff of a shrewd businessman.
“Well, it’s not too bad. The bodyguard’s fee will still be deducted from Yuan Jing’s pay.”
The director, who had been glowing with gratitude moments before, froze instantly.
He met Fan Qing’s eyes.
“Really?”
Fan Qing nodded, completely unfazed.
“Of course, it’s all transparent and clearly listed.”
The director immediately withdrew all prior admiration, praise, and emotion. His eyes now shone only with sympathy for Yuan Jing.
That bodyguard looked so professional… the price must have been… substantial.
The director quickly recalled what little he knew about such fees.
Yikes.
Had he really believed it?
Fan Qing caught the director’s slightly reproachful gaze, and for a moment, considered explaining…
The company was actually quite generous when it came to future money-makers, right?
…Nah.
He abandoned the thought, glancing around instead.
“Oh, by the way… where are they? Yuan Jing? Is Nie Ge here? Since I’m here, I might as well greet him.”
“Oh, them? Yuan Jing almost got into trouble, so I gave him a half-day off to rest and recover. Nie Luo was scheduled for scenes with Yuan Jing anyway, so I let him rest half a day too. He just left half an hour ago… Wait, you’re leaving now?”
The director stared blankly as Fan Qing turned to leave.
“Yeah, I’m going back to personally calm him down!”
Fan Qing’s steps were brisk; in no time, he was out of the studio.
A half-day off!
What a godsend!
The director was left dumbfounded.
“…He really does care about Yuan Jing, doesn’t he? That’s… actually pretty good.”
Meanwhile, Fan Qing, carrying the clothes, rushed home. He even had time to pick a set to wear on the way—one of which was the pair of pants Second Young Master Jin had seen.
The door knocked.
Nie Luo opened it and froze at the sight of Fan Qing at the threshold, undoing his coat buttons.
“Ah… Qing…?”
Pupils dilated.
Nie Luo’s gaze followed Fan Qing’s hand downward.
Before he could react, Fan Qing had swept him up at the entrance.
He guided Nie Luo’s fingers to feel the special design Second Young Master Jin had seen, a scarlet-tipped tongue brushing lightly over his dry lips, coat casually tossed aside.
“Brother, I heard you were scared today. Since you have a half-day off, I came to… help you relax.”
Nie Luo’s mind went blank, fingers brushing against the metal chains, spinning his thoughts into a haze.
All he could do was nod along, forgetting everything else he intended to say.
Amidst the daze, he followed Fan Qing’s lead, a mix of effort and slight bewilderment.
Where did these clothes even come from? He had never seen them at home!