Chapter 27
Because they had played too hard last night, both of them were late in the morning.
Ruan Chi was not flustered at all. He lazily moved only his fingers and sent a message to Director Yang:
[Start filming at noon today.]
Zong Mo also lay back down to enjoy a second sleep.
And sighed at the perks of being a golden canary.
The costume fitting should have been done before the drama started filming. Usually, they would try several different makeup and styling options. Perhaps Ruan Chi was quite confident in Zong Mo’s female attire, so he skipped this step, allowing him to wear precious pants for a few more days.
What’s meant to be cannot be avoided. Preparing for the filming of the second episode, Zong Mo finally changed into women’s clothing.
The wig was still long, wavy, golden-brown hair. After all, this was for a drama, not for fooling an old man. The makeup artist carefully applied a full set of makeup on him.
His facial features were already three-dimensional. With eye makeup, his eye sockets became deeper, and his nose bridge higher, though the shape was made a bit more delicate. The contour of his face was the most important part. He didn’t know what magic the makeup artist had used, but they had actually managed to soften the lines of his contour to be as gentle as a girl’s.
His eyebrows were dyed the same golden-brown as his hair color, and a matte dusty rose lipstick was applied. He no longer looked like a heavily made-up, glamorous vixen, but rather like a mixed-race beauty with a high nose and deep-set eyes.
Zong Mo: ?
Makeup can not only change your head but also your gender?
His figure was not easy to conceal, but to stage the scene of Su Mo seducing the Long Aotian, how could he not wear a dress? It turned out that money could indeed do whatever it wanted. When Zong Mo looked in the mirror again—
He was in a long black velvet dress with a square neckline that revealed most of his collarbones. He wore a black lace choker around his neck to hide his Adam’s apple.
The dress had a high waistline, which cinched in a narrow waist. As for his flat chest, he was a supermodel; flat was normal.
Zong Mo: …
In his next life, he’d better not be a golden canary.
Su Mo’s carefully orchestrated first “chance encounter” with Shen Shi was in the office. This was also Su Mo’s first appearance.
In the script, Su Mo pretends to twist his ankle and fall, and the passing Shen Shi catches him in his arms in time.
Extremely Mary Sue, bursting with boyfriend power.
Zong Mo asked doubtfully, “CEO Ruan, can you catch me?”
Ruan Chi replied confidently, “Could I possibly let you fall?”
Zong Mo: …
He had a sudden idea and suggested, “How about I catch you? It might be funnier.”
Ruan Chi: “Do you think this is a comedy?”
Zong Mo thought in his heart: Isn’t it?
But he had no choice but to let it go.
Pretending to twist his ankle and fall was the most difficult scene Zong Mo had encountered so far. He had seen a game on TV before where people would fall backwards stiffly and be caught by others.
It seemed simple, but in reality, everyone found it difficult to overcome their innate distrust of others.
This scene required him to fall backwards. Although he didn’t have to fall stiffly, he just couldn’t do it. He would stabilize himself before he even needed to be caught.
Zong Mo: …
With one NG after another, the pressure from Ruan Chi grew lower and lower. “Zong, Mo.”
Director Yang had worked with Zong Mo for over a month and had some affection for him. He interjected, “Zong Mo’s performance has been quite good before. He’s never had so many NGs.”
Zong Mo: Is Director Yang really helping him or is he just adding fuel to the fire?
“You only NG when you’re filming with me?”
There was no key point that Ruan Chi couldn’t grasp.
Zong Mo became even more nervous. This was so hard for him.
Ruan Chi added, “Do you know how much my one hour is worth, Zong Mo?”
Zong Mo: ?
Isn’t it just falling! Could it be harder than making money?
Zong Mo steeled himself, completely gave up struggling, and just fell.
Ruan Chi caught him. He felt unexpectedly heavy, but it was acceptable.
His lower back was supported, but his body was still falling. In his panic, Zong Mo quickly grabbed Ruan Chi’s wrist with his other hand.
Ruan Chi: ?
Using both hands to wrap around a big man’s waist and stop him from falling was not a difficult task for the former Gong #2, Ruan Chi.
But the script didn’t require them to both stand firm. Instead, he was supposed to be pulled down by Zong Mo, with his catch acting as a cushion so as not to hurt him.
Originally, Ruan Chi should have been on top of Zong Mo, supporting himself with both hands on the ground, their breaths mingling at an ambiguous distance.
But Zong Mo didn’t know what he had done in the nick of time. Instead, he had pulled the Ruan Chi in front of him behind him, becoming his own human cushion.
Zong Mo completely lost his balance and pressed his full weight onto the human cushion, firmly and without mercy.
Ruan Chi immediately shouted angrily, “Cough, get up! You’re so heavy!”
Even with the scene going like this, he could still continue acting. He pushed Zong Mo away, quickly stood up, patted his clothes, straightened his hair, and said in a stern voice, “Which group’s artist are you? You should lose some weight.”
Zong Mo: ?
CEO Ruan was disgusted by him for being fat?
With his height and build, how could he not be heavy!
Otherwise, how could he serve CEO Ruan so comfortably?
Ruan Chi’s frown lingered for a long time. He didn’t even spare him another glance, just straightened his buttons one by one, smoothed out the wrinkles in his clothes, and then turned and left heartlessly.
Su Mo’s long-awaited reunion with CEO Shen, and he was actually told he was too fat.
Because the entire drama only had eight episodes, the pace was very fast. In just the short second episode, Su Mo “coincidentally” ran into CEO Shen twice.
Very deliberate.
Zong Mo held a cup of coffee, poised and ready, and couldn’t help but snicker to himself, which was both acting and genuine.
Next, he was supposed to pretend to lose his grip and spill this cup of coffee on the Ruan Chi in front of him, using the excuse of washing his clothes to advance their relationship.
“Zong Mo,” Director Yang called out, “you’re smiling too much. Tone it down. You look a bit like a pervert.”
Zong Mo: …
Regardless, his CEO Ruan had finally arrived, walking with his head down, lost in thought, seemingly completely unaware of what was about to happen.
Just as the two were about to pass each other, Ruan Chi’s brow furrowed. He promptly stepped back, causing the coffee to spill onto empty air.
“Cut.” For the first time, Director Yang’s anger was directed at Ruan Chi. “What are you doing? Why did you dodge?”
“It’s too dirty,” Ruan Chi said nonchalantly. “Let’s just delete this part of the plot.”
It’s good to be your own boss. You can even change the script on the fly as you please.
Zong Mo was genuinely envious.
“Uh, how about this,” Director Yang chose to compromise. He called Ruan Chi over, and the two of them whispered for a while.
“Let’s do it again.”
Presumably, Director Yang had persuaded Ruan Chi, and the plot remained unchanged. But Ruan Chi had changed into a different suit. The color and style were not much different, but the texture seemed slightly different. Zong Mo didn’t pay much attention, focusing all his concentration on preparing to spill the coffee.
Zong Mo once again walked down the hallway holding a full cup of coffee. Ruan Chi came towards him from the front, walking hurriedly, completely oblivious to him.
Zong Mo—now Su Mo—got ready and, full of anticipation, went forward to stage the accident.
But Shen Shi suddenly looked up, shooting him a cold glance. Su Mo was slightly startled, the coffee on the verge of spilling but not yet spilled.
Unexpectedly, Shen Shi, who had always treated him like a plague, strode forward, raised a large hand, and knocked his arm, sending the coffee flying!
Zong Mo, who was drenched in the face with coffee, was stunned.
Why did the coffee that was supposed to spill on Ruan Chi’s shoulder end up all over his own face?
He subconsciously closed his eyes. When he opened them again, what he saw was Ruan Chi’s fierce face, showing no pity for the fairer sex.
“Did the company sign you so you could come here and drink coffee?!”
Zong Mo: ?
Zong Mo froze on the spot. Ruan Chi strode away.
He turned his head to look at Ruan Chi’s back, and only after a long moment did he realize this wasn’t CEO Ruan, but CEO Shen.
His CEO Ruan would never be so directly and crudely fierce. His CEO Ruan’s fierceness was a knife hidden behind a smile, every strike fatal; his words were barbed, every word piercing the heart.
He wouldn’t scare him into a daze, but he might scare him into falling ill.
“Cut!”
Zong Mo, his face covered in coffee, was about to go to the bathroom to wash up, but the bathroom was already occupied by Ruan Chi, who skillfully added a solo scene.
He wiped his face with a tissue while peeking from outside the door. Ruan Chi was continuing the drama of having personally hurt his white moonlight, his hand clenched into a fist, punching the wall hard, full of regret!
Zong Mo: …
So dramatic.
But the trace of forbearance revealed in his crimson eyes was heartbreaking to watch.
When Ruan Chi came out of the bathroom, that thin veneer of vulnerability vanished without a trace. Seeing his sorry state, he even curled his lips in a teasing smile.
Zong Mo: …
The props team had a few spare cups of coffee. While Ruan Chi and Director Yang were discussing the scene, Zong Mo quietly brought another cup over.
He silently walked up behind the two, who were oblivious to his presence, and hesitated slightly.
A small cup of coffee was about a hundred milliliters, enough for one person, but a bit too little for two.
This was a one-time opportunity. Zong Mo couldn’t help but regret that he hadn’t brought two cups of coffee, to kill two birds with one stone.
In the end, he decided to let Director Yang off the hook for now. He abruptly splashed the coffee cup towards the back of the well-dressed figure.
Ruan Chi: …?
Zong Mo avoided Ruan Chi’s gaze and presented his achievement to Director Yang, “Director Yang, how’s this for a behind-the-scenes blooper?”
Ruan Chi was probably so angry he was speechless for a moment and didn’t even try to wipe the coffee off his back.
But Director Yang’s reaction was even bigger. He said in astonishment, “Because the scene was changed to you getting coffee spilled on you, Ruan Chi just changed his suit to haute couture…”
Zong Mo: …
Even if he was ignorant, he knew that haute couture clothes couldn’t be washed. Even plain water could ruin them, let alone dark coffee.
Perhaps because of his hard work promoting the show during the live stream, Ruan Chi didn’t make him pay for it.
The two scenes opposite each other ended without any real danger, and they even got a blooper out of it.
Zong Mo was reasonably satisfied and secretly decided that next time, he would wait until he wasn’t wearing clothes to splash him.
The web drama was filmed and broadcast simultaneously. Besides the couple’s emotional scenes, they also had to follow the plot in order.
Most of the time, Zong Mo just watched Ruan Chi film, watching him slap faces all the way through.
Not just spilling coffee, but also splashing water while reprimanding people, and throwing documents in their faces—all were common occurrences.
The supporting characters were beaten down by his physical and psychological face-slapping and fled in disarray, while not a single extra wrinkle appeared on his high-end suits. It was incredibly satisfying, an excellent stress reliever.
The third episode had another scene between the two of them. Ruan Chi was tired of filming the plot-driven scenes and requested to work overtime at night to film this scene in advance. The sooner he got the cross-dressing over with, the better. Zong Mo was naturally happy to oblige.
This scene was where Su Mo fails to climb into bed and his gender is revealed. It was filmed directly in the hotel they had booked out.
CEO Shen was discussing business in the hotel restaurant downstairs and inevitably had a few drinks. But, a wine glass that gets a close-up from the camera for several minutes is, of course, not going to be that innocent.
That’s right, Su Mo had drugged the wine.
A truly despicable method.
Originally, an assistant was supposed to take CEO Shen upstairs, but CEO Shen’s driver got into a dispute with someone outside. The assistant went to check on the situation, and just happened to see a passing company employee, Su Mo, and entrusted him with the task.
Such a good wingman, not even afraid of being fired by his sober boss the next day.
Su Mo achieved his goal, got CEO Shen to the bed, and tried to get handsy.
Zong Mo first took off Ruan Chi’s suit jacket.
Even though it was acting, this was a first. Usually when they did their business at home, Ruan Chi undressed himself.
But it was a bit difficult to undress someone lying flat. The proper act of undressing turned into fumbling and groping. Ruan Chi, probably unable to stand being groped, rolled over and pulled his own arm out of the sleeve.
Zong Mo: …
He continued. The next step was to unbutton the shirt.
Ruan Chi’s cheeks were flushed crimson. It wasn’t the effect of makeup; just a couple of drinks would make his face flush, and the redness was very natural.
And very lewd.
He only needed to unbutton two shirt buttons. Then, Ruan Chi was supposed to grab his hand and size him up with hazy, drunken eyes.
Drunk, he would mistake the person before him for the young girl Su Mo, and then flip over to pin him down.
The moment his hand landed on the flat chest, he would immediately realize something was wrong and sober up instantly.
The scene would end there, intercut with a flashback of Shen Shi’s first meeting with Su Mo.
But Zong Mo felt that for Ruan Chi, not ad-libbing or changing the scene on the spot was a rather impossible thing.
He couldn’t fathom Ruan Chi’s thoughts, so he first followed the script, unskillfully undoing the first button.
It was the first time in two lifetimes he had unbuttoned someone else’s shirt, and the subject was none other than his CEO Ruan. It felt as if he were doing whatever he pleased to a fierce tiger that had lost its power to resist. Certain parts of him couldn’t help but stir restlessly.
To avoid a filming accident, Zong Mo gave himself a sharp slap, trying to knock the filthy thoughts out of his brain.
Ruan Chi: ?
The slap, added here, wasn’t abrupt. Director Yang didn’t yell “cut.” The blow wasn’t hard and the sound wasn’t loud, but Ruan Chi, on the bed, heard it clearly.
Ruan Chi opened his eyes in confusion, moving his own part of the scene forward.
He grabbed the cross-dressing master’s wrist and, with a single pull, pinned him down on the bed.
But he didn’t immediately touch his chest. As expected, he was going to ad-lib again. He stopped a few dozen centimeters above Zong Mo.
He first undid the shirt buttons Zong Mo hadn’t finished, and then undid a third one that wasn’t in the script.
He was still wearing a tie, but the scene was supposed to end after two buttons were undone, so it didn’t need to be dealt with.
But after undoing the third button, he seemed to find the tie bothersome. He tilted his head back and loosened it, revealing a semi-circle of red marks below his collarbone. It was unclear if it was from an allergy or the tie being too tight.
He lowered his head again, his gaze fixed on the Zong Mo below him. With a hint of drunkenness, he blinked a few times in slow motion over several dozen seconds before slowly finding his focus.
Zong Mo: ?
He knew perfectly well that Ruan Chi wasn’t drunk. This was all acting.
His acting was even lewder than the real thing.
