Chapter 52

As soon as the holiday ended, Bai Ying followed the Xia Dao crew to the film base in the neighboring province. Work had a way of making people forget many things. During the break, Bai Ying had often recalled the dejected look on Xiao Lu’s face when he rejected him, and it made Bai Ying feel down too.

But once he got busy, all those worries were thrown to the back of his mind.

Life on set was fulfilling every single day. After the filming location shifted to the film base, all the actors gathered, and they basically shot from dawn till dusk with a packed schedule. Though busy, it wasn’t the kind of exhausting grind like Bai Ying’s previous jobs. The core crew was still the same group from Wenxiang Mountain, people he was already familiar with, and everyone was very friendly.

Filming the movie was also interesting. Bai Ying recorded a lot of behind-the-scenes footage on the side, communicated with the crew leads, and coordinated with the publicity company for promotions. He often saw the news he released climb the hot search rankings within days, then get reposted by fans into their groups. Bai Ying kept a low profile, screaming “Aaaah” alongside Xie Jin’s fans in the group chats.

Though Xie Jin was a strength actor, his popularity was nothing to sneeze at, and the crew wouldn’t waste that fan traffic. Much of the promotion revolved around him. Bai Ying suddenly had a bunch of alternate accounts: lurking in fan groups, super topics, support clubs… tracking fan reactions and verifying promo impact at all times.

Several times, Xie Jin sat next to him, and Bai Ying shared photos and videos of the little snake. As they scrolled, notifications from the fan group popped up at the top of his phone.

Bai Ying hurriedly set the group messages to do not disturb.

“You’ll have to change it back later. Such a hassle,” Xie Jin laughed by his ear. “And being my fan—is that something to be ashamed of?”

Bai Ying stammered to clear his name: “I-I’m just doing it for work!”

Not a fan at all… Though if Xie Jin became his owner, it wouldn’t be so bad for the little snake to support the film emperor.

Ever since he learned that Lu Changjun wanted to be his boyfriend rather than his owner, Bai Ying had given up on Xiao Lu. For the time being, he pinned all his hopes on Xie Jin. During the holiday, he had tested the waters by sending Xie Jin that photo Liu Qingzhang took of the little snake in the flower pile, and immediately got back: So cute.

The little snake’s beady eyes sparkled.

Human, you have no idea—it’s the little snake himself sending you these photos right now!

Bai Ying tapped out a message with the tip of his tail, one key at a time: 【Right? Super cute, huh? Don’t you want to keep it?】

Xie Jin played along perfectly: 【Yeah, so when can this little snake move into my place?】

Bai Ying felt victory was at hand; he almost wanted to move in the next second. He had some savings left—the little snake could bring his own thermostatically controlled glass tank.

But no, he couldn’t. His human job wasn’t finished yet. As a responsible snake, Bai Ying couldn’t just up and quit halfway through.

Heartbroken, Bai Ying typed: 【Not yet, but definitely next year!】

Xia Dao was set to hit theaters during National Day, backed by the lead actor and screenwriter’s connections—it would breeze through reviews. After release, Bai Ying still needed to handle some promo, but it wouldn’t drag on. By year’s end, when the hype died down, the project would be officially wrapped.

But it was only May now—seven months from year’s end. Even Bai Ying felt guilty typing “next year.”

Luckily, Xie Jin was understanding and didn’t ditch the snake over it. He just asked: 【Can I see more photos of this cute little snake then?】

Of course! Bai Ying snapped several selfies and recorded a bunch of videos. Unsure what angle made him look cutest, he mimicked online pet vloggers filming their snakes: coiling into a mosquito coil shape, tucking his flat head into his body, only peeking out with his black beady eyes at the camera to look docile, adorable, and approachable.

Though he already was docile, adorable, and approachable!

Bai Ying wasn’t used to photographing himself in snake form at first, but soon he got the hang of it. He curled his phone onto the stand and snapped away furiously, sending them straight to Xie Jin.

Look, the little snake napping on the pillow!

Look, the little snake gulping down water!

Look, the little snake draped over a squirrel plushie—he plays with himself, super independent! Where else could you find a snake like that?!

Bai Ying sent all these fully staged, zero-authenticity photos to Xie Jin and reaped a harvest of cutes. He gradually lost himself in the praise, shyly and smugly twisting into a pretzel. Even on set, he didn’t forget to send Xie Jin fresh snake pics.

Right now, after silencing the fan group, he distracted Xie Jin by showing him the latest shots to shift his attention.

The photos scrolled by, and Xie Jin found each one unbearably cute. But a hint of doubt crept into his eyes. After hesitating for a long time, he finally asked, “Xiao Bai, did your friend send you all these photos?”

“Yeah,” Bai Ying replied, completely oblivious to Xie Jin’s odd vibe.

Having acted since childhood and frequently in the public eye, Xie Jin had long mastered keeping his thoughts off his face. Even if his mind was in turmoil, his expression stayed naturally unchanged, just like now.

Xie Jin’s mind suddenly went blank. He wasn’t sure if what he’d noticed was real or if he’d imagined it, but the photos were right there in front of him, plain as day.

In films, the background environment was as crucial as the main subjects, hiding key details. Years of habit made Xie Jin, when viewing a photo, instinctively analyze the peripheral info beyond the subject.

And that’s where he spotted the issue.

In this photo, why did the ceiling behind the little snake look so much like the one in the hotel the crew rented? In that one, why was the orange the snake coiled around just like the fruit the hotel delivered daily? Thanks to their hotel’s rural aid program, Xie Jin had seen oranges of that exact size too many times lately…

And the shooting angles.

Xie Jin had noticed that early on.

As an actor, he was hypersensitive to lenses—he could tell at a glance if a photo was front-facing or rear-facing camera. Normally, when owners filmed pets without appearing themselves, they’d use the rear camera. But every photo Bai Ying sent—except the flower pile one—was front-facing.

Front-facing wasn’t impossible, just more awkward and troublesome. Which begged the question: why was the little snake’s owner so obsessed with front-facing?

Unless it wasn’t troublesome at all—but actually more convenient.

But when would using the front-facing camera be more convenient for filming a pet?

It couldn’t be the little snake photographing himself, right?

The thought made Xie Jin chuckle at first—it was too absurd. But as more photos piled up, some featuring their current hotel’s hallmarks, he couldn’t laugh anymore.

No way…

Bai Ying had no clue Xie Jin’s brain was short-circuiting from this outrageous hypothesis. He happily kept sharing with his prospective owner. As they reached the end of the album, Bai Ying said, “That’s all…”

Xie Jin’s throat bobbed as he struggled to find his voice. “Xiao Bai, did your friend take these recently?”

The hotel was booked entirely by the Xia Dao crew—no outsiders. But if Bai Ying’s friend stayed before they arrived… it was a stretch, but it could explain the photos.

Xie Jin clung to that rationale in his mind, but Bai Ying said, “Yeah, shot and sent yesterday!”

Fresh-out-of-the-oven little snake photos!

Xie Jin’s brain really did crash.

Bai Ying was the snake, the snake was Bai Ying… No, no—that was impossible. It wasn’t like they were filming Legend of the White Snake! Ignoring the weird angles, Xie Jin desperately sought the most plausible explanation. The little snake was with Bai Ying right now; maybe he’d snuck it onto set. Xie Jin had helped tidy Bai Ying’s room—no thermostat tank, but Bai Ying did say the snake hated glass boxes…

Still didn’t add up. Why would Bai Ying fabricate a fake friend? And most angles were bizarre, but one was normal, right?

In the end, Xie Jin concluded it must all be coincidences.

The hotel decor just happened to match, the fruit too, and Bai Ying’s friend just loved front-facing camera. Attributing everything to coincidence was forced, but it was the most logical explanation he could muster.

He wanted to probe Bai Ying for more on the snake and the friend, but Bai Ying suddenly stood. “The visiting fans are here.”

Xie Jin followed his gaze and sure enough, saw several girls, dressed unlike crew, being led in by staff.

He recalled his agent mentioning fan visits today, right around now. The support club had brought it up multiple times, but filming at Wenxiang Mountain had been inconvenient—treacherous roads, safety risks—so it got delayed until now.

Xie Jin had no scenes at the moment; he’d just wrapped a few and hadn’t changed out of costume yet, since more shooting was soon. He was just resting. Bai Ying grabbed his arm and pulled him from the chair. “Come on, let’s go!”

Xie Jin rose with the pull. “Xiao Bai’s coming too?”

“I’ll take photos for you!” Bai Ying said. “And help carry gifts!”

He saw the girls laden with bags—probably fan gifts for their idol.

Fan visits were also great promo material; Bai Ying had to tag along.

Xie Jin let Bai Ying drag him into a mutual fan-idol rush.

To film this role, Xie Jin had lost a lot of weight; his cheeks were noticeably thinner, cheekbones sharp. Fans’ eyes reddened as they stuffed snacks into his arms.

“Thanks for the thought,” Xie Jin said mildly, “but no snacks till shooting ends. Perishables like fruit and pastries I’ll share with staff—no waste of your kindness.”

Since debuting, Xie Jin had always been sincere and warm with fans while maintaining boundaries, fostering healthy relationships. Fans were loyal, but crazies were rare.

Bai Ying helped carry some stuff. The fans had noticed the handsome young man by Xie Jin’s side; one boldly asked, “Teacher Xie, who’s this?”

Another actor from the crew?

“I’m Teacher Xie’s assistant,” Bai Ying claimed.

“Mm,” Xie Jin smiled at him. “My little assistant.”

His gaze was exceptionally tender, his tone laced with a subtle intimacy. Sensitive fans froze, sensing something off.

Oblivious, Bai Ying dutifully played assistant: photographing Xie Jin’s fan pics, passing pens for autographs, carrying gift bags… until Xie Jin snatched the heavy ones, ruffling his hair. “I’ll handle it.”

“Oh.” Bai Ying nodded blankly.

Was it really okay for the film emperor to lug heavy stuff while he carried light chips?

Though the gift-receiving deviated from his vision, overall it was perfect! That night, Bai Ying eagerly logged into the support club’s small group to check feedback on the “fans and idol family bonding” visit.

Then he saw one of the morning visitors @-everyone in panic: 【Family! Emergency! Brother Xie seems to be dating!】

Bai Ying: Huh?

Dating who? How come he didn’t know?