Chapter 10: Arrogant Big Star

The director seemed extremely pleased with Ji Xingci’s expression—gritting his teeth as if he wanted to throw a punch, yet unable to bring himself to do it once he locked eyes on the other’s face.

Somehow, the scene wrapped up just like that, in a total haze.

Ji Xingci stood up, utterly depressed. He simply couldn’t figure out why he hadn’t been able to land that hit!

Even more infuriating was…

When Lin Wu had kissed him…

Ji Xingci lowered his head. He found the whole thing strangely unsettling too.

Lunch break rolled around right after they wrapped the scene. For once, Ji Xingci stayed quiet, sitting alone in the corner. His hand drifted unconsciously to his stomach.

Truth be told, he had felt off. He’d just been too furious at the time, so he’d gone looking for the guy first.

But pinpointing exactly what was wrong? He couldn’t quite put it into words. His stomach, maybe. It didn’t exactly hurt—just a sour ache, a bit bloated.

Especially when Lin Wu had kissed him earlier… it had felt so warm, so hot.

“Young Master, what would you like for lunch?”

The assistant brought over a boxed meal, checking if he wanted any.

But the moment the lid flipped open and the aroma hit, Ji Xingci’s brows furrowed. Nausea hit him like a wave.

The assistant read his face instantly.

“I’ll grab you something else…”

“No need. I’m not hungry.”

Ji Xingci waved him off irritably. The assistant hesitated, then walked away.

A little later, Lin Wu plopped down beside him instead. He opened his own lunchbox and set it right next to Ji Xingci’s.

Ji Xingci arched a brow and shot him a look.

“You.”

Lin Wu: “?”

He’d been about to tell Lin Wu to scram. But halfway through, it hit him—he’d asked Lin Wu before to share half his meal.

Ji Xingci froze.

Was Lin Wu actually this obedient?

Did he tuck away every single thing you’d said to him and follow through?

Suspicion flickered across his face.

Still, Lin Wu had always been that close with Xu Qing—always eating side by side, never alone. Xu Qing wiping his sweat, handing him water, the works.

Was it just because Xu Qing wasn’t around that he was latching onto him now?

Even after he’d nearly decked the guy earlier?

Was Lin Wu this clingy with everyone?

He wasn’t some kid…

Ji Xingci’s mind raced through a thousand thoughts in seconds.

Lin Wu just sat there blankly, glancing at the food before meeting his eyes.

Ji Xingci had mulled it over forever, but somehow no questions came out. Instead, he snatched up his chopsticks and plucked a piece of meat from Lin Wu’s box.

Lin Wu’s gaze dropped to watch, calm as ever, just waiting.

He really had come to share his food!

Ha, what an idiot…

Ji Xingci scoffed inwardly, but a smirk tugged at his lips anyway. His chopsticks kept moving.

Stolen food just tasted better.

Lin Wu’s eyes flicked to his stomach but said nothing. He waited until Ji Xingci finished picking the meat before digging in himself.

And just like that, they spent the lunch break side by side.

Ji Xingci lounged with his legs kicked out arrogantly, lost in a daze. Lin Wu quietly ate with his head down. They barely spoke, but there was no blowup either.

Filming wrapped smoothly that day.

When Lin Wu got back, he deliberately skipped telling Xu Qing that Ji Xingci was back. So the next day, Xu Qing still didn’t show.

Ji Xingci’s mood looked even fouler, though.

The instant Lin Wu stepped in, those eyes zeroed right in on him.

Lin Wu paused. So did Ji Xingci’s stare.

Once he started moving again, the staring resumed.

Uh…

But there was no scene today where Ji Xingci clocked him.

Lin Wu pondered as he tidied up.

They were shooting intimate bed scenes instead—the passionate lovers phase.

Ji Xingci hadn’t even realized he’d been tracking Lin Wu the whole time.

He’d tossed and turned all last night, barely scraping together any sleep before jolting awake in a cold sweat at midnight.

Why did everything feel so awful… yet so hot, so swollen? His heart was pounding like mad.

He desperately wanted a cold shower.

As he approached the pool, a sudden wave of paranoia sent him bolting to the bathroom door for a peek.

Empty. Of course it was.

He’d beefed up security and added cameras, after all.

The impulse irritated him all the same.

He splashed water hastily, but it did nothing. He even tried taking matters into his own hands—worse than useless. Like scratching an itch through your boot. It only made the itch worse.

Furious, he kicked the covers off and stewed until dawn.

Bottom line: he was pent-up, exhausted, appetite gone. Mood in the gutter.

Once the set and lights were ready, the director called them to shoot.

Lin Wu had seen this coming—Ji Xingci wouldn’t take it well.

Sure enough, decked out in protective gear and perched on the bed, his face was a storm cloud.

Lin Wu was in the same boat. He looked bare, but he was geared up down below.

Not wanting to set Ji Xingci off, Lin Wu avoided his eyes and circled to the far side of the bed before lying down.

Ji Xingci whipped his head around, brows knitted tight.

“Don’t touch me.”

Lin Wu blinked blankly.

“…We’re shooting a bed scene.”

“I know! Just don’t touch me anywhere else.”

Lin Wu: “…Fine.”

He hadn’t anyway.

Cameras rolled.

Ji Xingci crawled under the covers, all reluctance.

The quilt rustled softly.

They hadn’t even brushed against each other yet, but the air under the covers heated up fast.

“Lin Wu, you’re too far apart,” the director called, eyes glued to the monitor. “Don’t look so stiff—get closer.”

“…”

Ji Xingci didn’t budge. Lin Wu sighed inwardly and scooted over.

His hand grazed the solid line of Ji Xingci’s waist. His knee bumped something too.

Ji Xingci went rigid.

Once they were tangled up in an embrace, the director piped up again—the lights were too harsh. He went off to tweak them.

They needed that nighttime glow where everything was still visible, so it took forever.

Lin Wu stared at the ceiling the whole time.

So… was this technically not filming, but still touching?

Lin Wu counted the seconds, bracing for Ji Xingci’s meltdown.

Except it never came. Ji Xingci stayed dead silent.

Lin Wu finally sneaked a glance. Ji Xingci was leaning on his arm… eyes closed.

“?”

Lin Wu tilted his head.

Then the director’s voice cut in.

“Alright, actors—action!”

Lin Wu moved.

He leaned in, arms wrapping tight around Ji Xingci’s waist, lips brushing his neck.

The rush of body heat washed over him. Ji Xingci startled like he’d been shocked, eyes snapping open.

In a flash, he seized Lin Wu’s wrist and slammed him down onto the bed with a thud.

Lin Wu’s hands pinned overhead, he blinked up wide-eyed, staring blankly.

Ji Xingci snapped back to reality.

Oh…

NG, obviously.

“Ji Xingci…” The director pinched the bridge of his nose. “What the hell was that?”

“I can do it.” Ji Xingci hurriedly released Lin Wu. When he looked up, he discovered a crowd of people staring at them.

Neither of them was wearing much.

A sudden wave of displeasure washed over him.

“You all, get out.”

The people standing in front lowered their heads one after another. The set cleared out in short order.

Ji Xingci lay back down. “Let’s go again!”

Lin Wu: “…”

The lights were indeed much dimmer now.

Lin Wu had no choice but to embrace him once more.

Ji Xingci’s muscles tensed up in an instant. Then, with visible restraint, he clenched his fists and looked down at Lin Wu.

Right now, he needed to portray…

Lin Wu was looking at him too.

Half of the young man’s head had burrowed into the blanket. In the dim light, his face appeared somewhat indistinct, though the vivid birthmark still stood out starkly.

Yet his body heat was warm. His palms were dry.

His eyes were dark and limpid, perfectly calm.

He gazed at Ji Xingci, then leaned in to kiss his ear.

“Xing He.”

Ji Xingci’s breath caught abruptly.

Lin Wu could sense it—at first, Ji Xingci resisted a little, his joints stiff as if rusted. But afterward…

He watched as Ji Xingci’s brows knitted tightly, his skin flushing red inch by inch. A fine sheen of sweat beaded across his body. He tilted his chin up, his lines gaining natural pauses and breathless gasps.

His body finally relaxed, everything flowing as smoothly as gears freshly oiled.

Not until the director called “Cut.”

Ji Xingci was still muttering something under his breath, head bowed.

“?” Lin Wu had been watching him when Ji Xingci suddenly snapped his eyes open, glaring ferociously.

“Get off!”

Lin Wu scrambled up and hurried away. His frame was slender, his skin fair, his movements utterly composed.

But Ji Xingci remained lying there, the tips of his ears burning red. He didn’t stir for a long while.

He cursed under his breath.

“Damn…!”

~~~

That evening, Lin Wu emerged from the shower at home and reached for a fresh T-shirt.

“Huh?”

Lin Wu turned around. It was Xu Qing.

“What’s that red mark on your arm?”

Lin Wu touched it and kept pulling on the T-shirt. “Is there?”

“Looks like… someone grabbed you.” Xu Qing was utterly puzzled.

“It’s nothing. Just from filming.”

“Ah?” Xu Qing blinked in surprise, then flushed as realization dawned on what kind of scene it must have been.

“By the way, did you recast Xing He?”

Lin Wu paused for a beat.

With such a direct question, he couldn’t lie. He had to tell the truth.

“No, Ji Xingci’s back.”

What? Xu Qing’s eyes went wide.

He instinctively glanced toward the mark again, but Lin Wu had already finished dressing.

“Why’d he grab so hard… Er, I mean, I thought he was done filming.”

“Mm. But he didn’t do anything out of line. Just normal shooting.”

Lin Wu eyed him. “Bro, you don’t need to come.”

Naturally, it was best if the protagonist gong and shou didn’t cross paths.

But Xu Qing didn’t reply.

What worried him most now wasn’t Ji Xingci bullying Lin Wu anymore. It was something else… some other intention!

The next day, Xu Qing showed up with him anyway.

Over the past few days, Ji Xingci had unusually arrived even earlier than Lin Wu.

The director was already briefing him on the day’s scenes. Nothing but more kissing and cuddling with Lin Wu, really.

The director had expected some pushback from Ji Xingci, but he listened with downcast eyes. His expression was one of clear reluctance, yet he said nothing.

Then, abruptly, the director noticed a shift in his gaze. The corners of his mouth tightened, his brows furrowed faintly, revealing the subtle displeasure he’d anticipated.

It didn’t seem to be about the script.

The director turned around.

There was Lin Wu, arriving.

And with him came Xu Qing.

Their heads were nearly touching as Xu Qing reached out to straighten Lin Wu’s collar.