Chapter 57

Back at the hotel, Jing Li took a long, comfortable bath to wash away the fatigue from traveling and striking poses for photos. He settled onto the sofa with a pillow in his arms and video called Ji Yunzhang.

Ji Yunzhang had returned to the Ji Residence that afternoon and was strolling through the garden with Grandpa Ji. Grandpa Ji could still walk—he hadn’t deteriorated to the point of immobility—but he was getting on in years and had his illness, so Su Manzhi always insisted he use a wheelchair to avoid any falls.

When Grandpa Ji saw it was a video call from Jing Li, he urged Ji Yunzhang to pick up right away. The butler stepped in to support Grandpa Ji, guiding him slowly to a nearby chair and helping him sit down.

Custard Bun trotted over, flying disc toy clamped in its mouth, and rubbed against Grandpa Ji’s legs. Grandpa Ji patted its head and picked up the disc to toss it for play.

Amid the excited yips from the custard-colored pup, Ji Yunzhang answered Jing Li’s call.

He was dressed in a linen shirt that day, its hem fluttering in the breeze and lending him an even more relaxed air.

The moment Jing Li saw him, his lips curved into a smile.

He raised his free hand and waved it like a beckoning cat in that adorably cute gesture, one that never failed to fill Ji Yunzhang’s eyes with warmth and amusement.

“Got the costume photos done?” Ji Yunzhang asked in a gentle tone.

“All finished. I’ve been back at the hotel chilling for a bit already.” Jing Li rested his cheek on his hand and blinked at him. “Teacher Ji, want a sneak peek? I got a copy from the photographer.”

“High school didn’t have uniforms for me back then, but the school clothes were pretty similar to the movie’s—blue-and-white tracksuits. I love them; they’re so comfy to wear.”

As he listened, Ji Yunzhang couldn’t help picturing Jing Li as a high school student on campus. He didn’t turn down the offer. “Show me.”

“Mm-hmm, sending them right over.”

Ji Yunzhang strolled to the edge of the lake and leaned against the safety railing. The sunset had painted the sky in fiery hues, and beneath that glow, his features took on an even softer cast. “Met the other actors yet? They treating you alright?”

“Not yet. Director Xie said we’d do proper intros at dinner tonight with the main cast. This afternoon, I only ran into Pei Yingxing’s on-screen partner.” Jing Li made a point to separate himself from his character.

He let out a sigh. “He seemed kind of scared of me.”

His cheeks puffed out in the cutest way as he went on. “I’m this good-looking—what’s he got to be scared of?”

Shifting for a more comfortable spot with his chin propped on the pillow, he answered his own question. “Le Xiaoxiao said he might just be shy, though. Makes sense.”

Ji Yunzhang’s gaze sharpened ever so slightly. His fingers drummed lightly on the railing a few times before he asked offhandedly, “What’s his name?”

Jing Li didn’t suspect a thing. “Shen Chenshu.”

Ji Yunzhang gave a faint nod and smoothly changed the subject. “What time’s call tomorrow?”

“Got to be on the film set by six.” Jing Li scrunched up his face. He’d grown so used to sleeping in; early mornings were pure torture. Pursing his lips, he couldn’t hold back. “I really do want to retire.”

The corner of Ji Yunzhang’s mouth quirked up. “You quitting?”

“Not yet.” The words came without a second’s pause as he gazed intently at Ji Yunzhang, his eyes alight and shining. “I want to climb to the top and stand side by side with you.”

Ji Yunzhang smiled and reached through the screen to brush Jing Li’s cheek, his voice soft and steady. “I’m looking forward to it.”

Dusk deepened as the final traces of light on the horizon vanished into inky black. Ji Huahong and Qin Zhiyun arrived home. Jing Li heard their voices and glanced at the time, startled to realize they’d been talking for over an hour.

After a few more words with Ji Yunzhang, he ended the call, changed into fresh clothes, and headed downstairs to the private dining room for dinner with the cast.

Meanwhile, Ji Yunzhang phoned An Jiaming and asked him to look into Shen Chenshu.

He didn’t want Jing Li running into any trouble.

~~~

At seven that evening, in the hotel’s second-floor private room.

Shen Ru had swapped seats with the actor who’d originally been next to Jing Li. She greeted him with a bright smile, clinked her glass lightly against his, and took a sip of wine. “Thanks for the gift—Jia Yuan and I both love it.”

Jing Li had brought presents for everyone not in A City. He’d had Le Xiaoxiao wrap them up and ship them out via courier.

“Glad you like it.” Jing Li beamed.

Even though they’d all met virtually during the script read-through, Xie Jun still made formal introductions, presenting Jing Li and Shen Chenshu to the group and everyone to them.

The actor playing the shou lead was Chen Feng, a talent signed to Xingxiu Entertainment. He was a true acting fanatic, pouring his heart into perfecting his craft. Jing Li had watched the movie he’d starred in—his skills were top-notch.

The actor in the gong lead role was Cheng Qinxuan from Yunfeng Entertainment. He’d quit school after high school and clawed his way from background extra to supporting parts. Last year, he’d snagged the Huaxing Award for Best Supporting Actor. At twenty-seven, he was the oldest of the younger bunch.

Joys of the Human World revolved around relationships between men, so it didn’t feature many young women with substantial roles. The only young girl who showed up that evening was playing the sister of the protagonist Lin Ye. Her name was Xu Linlin.

She had started out as a child star and had just turned sixteen the previous month. She was a high school freshman, and her scenes were concentrated in May. Once she wrapped up, she would head back to school for final exams.

The other supporting roles were filled by familiar veteran actors, including Best Actress Xu Miao and Film emperor Zhang Yao. It was a truly star-studded cast.

Everyone was quite curious about Jing Li. After all, his sudden marriage announcement with Ji Yunzhang, followed by Ji Yunzhang making an exception to appear on a variety show, had shocked the entire entertainment industry.

But while their curiosity was real, they kept it discreet. They only asked questions in private, never making a show of it in public.

The cast greeted Jing Li and Shen Chenshu warmly.

Such dinners naturally involved alcohol. Xu Linlin, being a minor, was given a soft drink, but everyone else had at least a little.

However, with night shoots still ahead that evening, no one overindulged. Xie Jun made sure of it—everyone knew to sip sparingly. Jing Li only took two sips himself.

Young people hit it off easily. By the time the dinner broke up, Jing Li was already thick as thieves with Chen Feng and Cheng Qinxuan. Xu Linlin, a die-hard Yunjing CP fan, made a beeline for him as her first order of business, begging for a CP autograph alongside Ji Yunzhang. When he agreed, she bounced off happily, waving goodbye as she left with her agent.

Shen Ru watched Jing Li chatting with Chen Feng and Cheng Qinxuan but didn’t join in. Instead, Xu Miao and Zhang Yao came over to talk with her.

Jing Li, Shen Ru, and Shen Chenshu all stayed on the twelfth floor. They parted ways with the others in the elevator, and when they stepped out, Shen Ru headed to her room right by the elevator. She turned at the door, gave Jing Li a wave, and went inside.

That left Shen Chenshu and Jing Li alone.

No one spoke. The walk down the hall was silent.

They reached the guest room. After Jing Li unlocked the door, he turned to Shen Chenshu and said, “Bye.” Shen Chenshu just murmured an “Mm,” standing stiffly at attention like a soldier on duty.

Jing Li: “…”

He stepped inside and shut the door.

Outside, Shen Chenshu let out a long breath. He stared at Jing Li’s door with a complicated look for a long moment before finally heading to his own room.

~~~

The next morning, Jing Li arrived at the film set right on time. After makeup and costume, he waited off to the side.

This morning’s scene marked the first appearance of Pei Yingxing, the character Jing Li was playing. His entrance was a bit undignified—he came sprinting down the street, chased by a stray dog.

In the end, he dashed into an unfinished building to hide, only to stumble upon the dire straits of Lin Ye and his sister, who were temporarily crashing there.

Xie Jun was holding a quick meeting with the director of photography. Jing Li ran through his lines one more time, then heard Xie Jun call his name and walked over.

“What’s your personal best for a thousand meters?”

Jing Li understood why he was asking. “Four and a half minutes.”

“Barely passing?” Xie Jun remarked. “That’s a little slow.”

Jing Li’s athletic ability wasn’t nearly as sharp as his artistic talents—in fact, it was downright poor. He couldn’t argue the point, so he just smiled.

Xie Jun asked next, “You afraid of dogs?”

“Nope.”

“I mean, being chased by one.”

Jing Li shook his head. He glanced at the handsome retired military dog standing obediently by its trainer and turned the reassurance back on Xie Jun. “Xiao Qi’s a good boy. Super well-behaved, follows commands to a T, and doesn’t bite.”

Catching the subtext—that Jing Li was the one comforting him—Xie Jun paused, then chuckled. “As long as you’re not scared, we’re good.”

He signaled the departments to prepare. “Let’s do a trial run first.”

Jing Li nodded and took his mark. The trainer brought over Xiao Qi, the retired military dog, and gave it its instructions.

Xie Jun settled in front of the monitors. Once everyone was ready, he called out, “Scene twenty, take one. Action—”

The slate clapped.

Pei Yingxing bolted madly amid the dog’s furious barking. He had no idea why he’d picked a fight with Fu Bo over nothing and bet him like an idiot. Instead of taking the perfectly good car at home, he’d ridden a bicycle—and of course, halfway there, he’d hit a nail and blown a tire. And to top it all off, he’d run into this stray dog.

Help! He was terrified of dogs!!!

He’d never run this fast in his life. His heart felt like it was about to explode. He wanted to curse Fu Bo out, but he could barely catch his breath, let alone yell.

Spotting the unfinished building ahead, he didn’t think twice—he just charged straight inside. He dashed up the stairwell and nearly collided head-on with Lin Ye, who was heading upstairs. There was no time to wonder what Lin Ye was doing here; pure survival instinct sent him ducking behind the man.

“Help! Ahhh!”

Lin Ye: “?”

Then Lin Ye spotted the stray dog and instantly got it.

He chased the dog off. When he turned back around, he gave the cowering Pei Yingxing a flat, expressionless look.

Pei Yingxing blinked up at him with huge eyes and flashed a grin. “Thanks.”

Lin Ye said nothing and headed upstairs without a backward glance. Pei Yingxing’s mind started racing again as he followed, brimming with curiosity. “Lin Ye, what are you doing here?”

Lin Ye didn’t answer, but his footsteps came to a halt.

He stood at the top of the two-story staircase, looking down at Pei Yingxing with a chill in his expression. “Don’t follow me.”

Pei Yingxing was still worried the stray dog might not have gone far and didn’t dare head outside. He touched his ear and cleared his throat lightly. “Aren’t you going to school? We could go together…”

Before he could finish, a girl came down from upstairs. She had her hair in a ponytail and was wearing a school uniform, with a hearing aid in her left ear. “Bro, breakfast…”

She froze at the sight of the unfamiliar Pei Yingxing and stared at him, wide-eyed.

~~~

Xie Jun didn’t call cut until the entire scene wrapped. Only then did he summon Jing Li and Xu Linlin over to watch the full playback from start to finish.

It was his directing style—never pointing out flaws right away, but guiding the actors step by step so they could spot the issues and reflect on them themselves.

Once they’d finished watching, he spoke up, starting with Jing Li. “What does Pei Yingxing think of Lin Ye?”

“A lone wolf, a fighting pro, one of the school bullies,” Jing Li replied thoughtfully. He went on to break down Pei Yingxing’s mindset. “He’s a bit envious of Lin Ye—thinks he’s cool, fearless, doesn’t care about anything. Deep down, he wants to rebel too, just to get a little more attention from his parents.”

Xie Jun nodded in approval. “How long have Pei Yingxing and Lin Ye known each other?”

“Less than a week, officially. Before that, it was all just rumors.” They’d only ended up in the same class after the sophomore-year class split.

“And now, where do you think your performance fell short?” Xie Jun cut to the chase.

Jing Li got it immediately. “I came on too strong—too familiar, too fast.”

Xie Jun nodded with satisfaction and turned to Xu Linlin. “What about you?”

Xu Linlin was about the same age as Xie Jun’s daughter. They’d collaborated twice before, and though Xie was demanding, he rarely raised his voice on set. She wasn’t intimidated by him at all.

She glanced at Jing Li, a touch embarrassed. “My eyes were too goo-goo.”

Xie Jun chuckled. “Aren’t you a Yunzhang-Jing Li CP fan? How’d you end up making googly eyes?”

“Because he’s too good-looking! Being a face-con doesn’t stop me from being a die-hard Yunjing CP stan.”

Xie Jun teased, “Want five minutes to get your fill first?”

Xu Linlin’s eyes lit up. “Can I? Yes, please!”

Jing Li: “…”