Ever since he was seventeen, Yuan Ye had always received a red envelope and heard Fang Shaoyi's simple yet heartfelt New Year's wishes, except for last year. 

Last year, he spent the first half of the New Year's Eve at home with Professor Yuan and his mother, but went to Old Tu's place for an all-nighter in the second half. Old Tu didn't want his girl to be around when he drank, so it was just the two of them. Yuan Ye was quiet that day, hoping the alcohol would numb his senses.

But his mind remained unusually clear that day. What he had gained and lost over the years, and what hurt him the most, were all constantly on his mind. 

That day, they didn't go all the way. Neither of them had thought about it, or maybe they just couldn't bear to. When they were recording the show, they had a wild and shameless moment of passion. 

At that time, everyone was holding back their emotions, and all kinds of feelings were twisted together, with no outlet for release. Moreover, it was already the last episode, and if nothing happened, it seemed like there would never be another chance.

But now was different. The person was right in front of them, and their feelings were gradually developing. They didn't want to use sex to drive the end or beginning of a relationship. Sex would quickly end this ambiguous stage, and then they would naturally come back together. But it still lacked a bit of solemnity. 

The two were separated by a distance that could almost be ignored. Yuan Ye's mouth curved into a gentle smile, his voice slightly hoarse: "Brother Yi, can I give you a hand?" 

Fang Shaoyi hummed in response with his eyes closed, then asked, "Didn't you want to be screwed?" 

Yuan Ye continued to smile, and "hehe"-ed in laughter for a while, then said, "I have a big mouth, you know that." 

Fang Shaoyi pinched his chin and bit down hard, then whispered, "All you can do is talk." 

Yuan Ye became honest at this point and said, "Mm, yes, I'm a coward." 

Fang Shaoyi lightly ground his teeth on Yuan Ye's chin, then turned off the light with a pat of his hand. The room was left with only a small night light on the bedside table. 

...... 

The wildness in Yuan Ye had been tamed, and he now behaved like a domesticated monkey. He no longer spoke harshly and considers his actions carefully. He gets along well with the crew and the director. Whenever he is around Fang Shaoyi, he automatically suppresses his sharpness and tries to remain calm.

The two young screenwriters in the crew also received red envelopes from Yuan Ye for the New Year. Little Gao was pleasantly surprised and said, "Brother Yuan Ye, you're too kind. Thank you for always taking care of us."

Yuan Ye smiled and replied, "Happy New Year! May the coming year be smooth sailing."

Yang Siran also spent the Spring Festival on the set. He works for Fang Shaoyi's company, and Yuan Ye gave him a red envelope too. When they bumped into each other in the hallway, Yuan Ye called out to him during mealtime and he asked, "What's up, Brother Yuan Ye?" 

Yang Siran was surprised when he caught the thick red envelope that Yuan Ye threw at him and said, "Keep going! You can do it." 

He blinked a few times and was so flustered that he couldn't even say thank you properly. He couldn't even remember to address Yuan Ye properly. 

Yuan Ye found his reaction amusing and told him, "Don't be so nervous." 

Yang Siran bowed to Yuan Ye to show his gratitude for the gift. 

Fang Shaoyi still hadn't fully recovered from his paint-induced headache, and his head was still a little dizzy. Yuan Ye felt angry whenever he thought about it. That Taiwanese actor had caused Yuan Ye's face to become black during the last few days of filming. 

Yuan Ye was frustrated that he couldn't be more straightforward in his dealings even when he was more than thirty years old. Maybe it was because both he and Fang Shaoyi were not this type of person, and neither were their close friends.

There were still two days before filming began, and Fang Shaoyi was sleeping in Yuan Ye's room. Yuan Ye was quietly doing some things on the side, not making any noise. After a while, Fang Shaoyi fell asleep, and Yuan Ye adjusted the temperature of the air conditioning and covered Fang Shaoyi with a thin blanket before leaving to get some fresh air. 

It was a bit chilly outside, and Yuan Ye took a deep breath as he walked with his hands in his pockets. His mind was empty, and he felt relaxed in this moment.

Yang Siran was wearing a hat and headphones as he jogged towards Yuan Ye from the opposite direction. Yuan Ye raised his hand to greet him, and Yang Siran stopped to talk to him, calling out, "Brother Yuan Ye."

Yuan Ye asked him, "Out for a run?"

Yang Siran nodded and said, "Yeah, I feel sleepy when I'm in my room."

At first, Yang Siran followed Yuan Ye's direction because they were talking, but when the conversation ended, it didn't feel right to turn back, so they continued walking together. Their combination may not have looked coordinated, but it was still quite alright.

Yuan Ye asked him, "What are you listening to?" 

Yang Siran took off his headphones as soon as Yuan Ye asked him about the music. He handed them over and asked, "It's just a melody without lyrics. Do you want to listen, Brother Yuan Ye?" 

Yuan Ye accepted the offer and put the headphones on. The piano melody was soothing and pleasant to the ears. Yuan Ye asked, "Who composed this piece?" 

Yang Siran hesitated for a moment before laughing and saying, "I did. It's not very mature, so please don't laugh at me." 

He then played another piece, and although Yuan Ye was not musically inclined, he found the melody to be enjoyable. He was surprised and asked, "Are all of these your compositions?" 

Yang Siran nodded and smiled, "Yes, they are. Actually, I studied music." 

This truly caught Yuan Ye by surprise. He turned to Yang Siran and asked, "Why are you signing with them then? They're all actors here. Do you like acting?"

Yang Siran zipped up his jacket all the way to his chin and glanced at Yuan Ye before shaking his head. "Actually, I didn't like acting at first. It made me feel uncomfortable. But I got used to it and working with Brother Shaoyi made it easier for us newcomers."

"Mm, he's a good mentor. Learn well from him," Yuan Ye replied.

Despite their odd pairing, they chatted for quite a while as they walked. When Yuan Ye returned, Fang Shaoyi was already awake and asked, "Where did you go?" 

After taking a stroll outside, Yuan Ye still felt chilly, while Fang Shaoyi was nice and warm. Yuan Ye stuffed his hand into Fang Shaoyi's coat, remembering their previous conversation and intentionally said, "Going out for a walk with a young man." 

Last time, he spoke about feelings with a youth at night, and was directly cleaned up by Fang Shaoyi. Now he still dared to tease about it. He was just trying to stir up trouble with his words. Fang Shaoyi also remembered and raised an eyebrow, asking him, "Talking about emotions again? Discussing the meaning of life?" 

Yuan Ye then stuffed his hand between Fang Shaoyi and the bed, enjoying the warmth and jokingly said, "Ah, talking about emotions with little Yang. Asking about my ex-husband's scandalous affair with a young male lover, discussing his future plans, you know, getting to know my competition better." 

Fang Shaoyi chuckled and didn't bother arguing with him. He lifted his arm and hugged the man, and Yuan Ye took the opportunity to press against him. Fang Shaoyi asked him with a smile, "Are you trying to scam me? I didn't even use any force."

Yuan Ye was indeed trying to take advantage. As soon as he touched Fang Shaoyi, he immediately fell down and now he was lying there laughing for a long time. He then said, "Every time you wake up, your body is always warm. I just wanted to share some of that warmth."

The two of them were in their thirties, but they still enjoyed playing with each other in a flirtatious way. If Ji Xiaotao were here, he would definitely be rolling his eyes at these two old men acting like young lovers. 

But for now, they didn't care about their age and just enjoyed each other's company. The short holiday flew by in the blink of an eye, and when it was time to start work, everyone felt a bit lazy. The night before, they had a long meeting in the conference room that lasted over three hours. 

Fang Shaoyi couldn't neglect his fitness routine, as he had daily tasks to complete. He had lost some weight during the days when he had a headache, and the fitness instructor adjusted his plan accordingly. 

Yuan Ye came back from the meeting and started organizing the script for the next day. They wouldn't have much time to make changes on set, so they wanted to make sure everything was perfect for the first day of filming after the holidays. They deliberately chose a scene featuring Fang Shaoyi and an experienced actor for a good start. 

On this day of filming, Geng Jinwei also came to visit. He had gone back to his hometown for the Spring Festival and stopped by to see them before returning to the company. 

After the filming, it was already dark outside. Fang Shaoyi changed out of his costume and had dinner with Geng Jinwei. Yuan Ye went to the director to make changes to the script, so he didn't follow them.

During dinner, Geng Jinwei said, "The investors for this movie want to make changes to the film, but the director said no."

Fang Shaoyi raised an eyebrow and asked, "Big changes? What are they changing?"

Geng Jinwei replied, "They want to add another character and storyline. You're still the male lead, but they want to add a male supporting role. However, I think Director Jiang and the producers can handle it. Otherwise, they might throw a tantrum and quit, and that would be a disaster."

Investors who don't cause trouble are rare, and Fang Shaoyi didn't take it too seriously. Jiang Linchuan's crew could handle it. Fang Shaoyi said, "The new investors from Lingdong are not very stable, but they won't cause too much trouble. Let them do as they please." 

Not every director can tolerate investors messing around with their work, and Jiang Linchuan was no exception. He didn't even bring up the matter, as it was simply unacceptable to him.

On the eighth day of the lunar new year, Ji Xiaotao returned with a large suitcase filled with lots of food that his family had sent. He shared it with the crew, then went to knock on the Yuan Ye's door. "Screenwriter Yuan! I've brought some warmth for you!"

Screenwriter Yuan's door was opened by the film emperor.

Ji Xiaotao and Fang Shaoyi locked eyes, and Ji Xiaotao couldn't help but wonder how far they had progressed in the ten days he was away. 

He had messaged them both during that time, but they never replied, finding him annoying. He hadn't seen Fang Shaoyi in his room since he returned to the set, but now he found him in Yuan Ye's room.

Inside, Yuan Ye shouted, "What warmth are you talking about? Bring it here and let me see!" 

Ji Xiaotao crawled in and placed a bag of dried meat next to Yuan Ye. He whispered, "Screenwriter Yuan...are you getting back together?" 

Screenwriter Yuan picked up a piece of dried meat and put it in his mouth, saying, "After the warmth is gone, just leave. Take your brother away too and leave me a piece of peaceful land." 

Ji Xiaotao didn't complain and turned to leave, saying as he walked, "I'm the troublemaker, not my brother. I'll leave him here!" 

After he left, Yuan Ye and Fang Shaoyi exchanged a glance and both laughed. Fang Shaoyi said to Yuan Ye, "You should go to bed early. I'm going back." 

Yuan Ye nodded and said, "Okay." 

However, before Fang Shaoyi could leave, Ji Xiaotao knocked on the door again. Fang Shaoyi went to open it and Ji Xiaotao came in, frowning as he asked, "Didn't He Han finish filming his scenes before the New Year? Why did I see his agent again?" 

Yuan Ye, who had been slouching on the table, suddenly sat up straight with raised eyebrows and asked, "He's here again?" 

"Ah, I saw him in the hallway," Ji Xiaotao replied. 

Yuan Ye said, "I guess his acting wasn't good enough. Maybe the previous scenes didn't pass, so the director called him back to fix them." 

"Don't be ridiculous. Does he want us to go back and smell more paint fumes?" Ji Xiaotao sneered. "With such a tight schedule, do they have time to come back and film more scenes?" 

"There sholdn't be time," Yuan Ye frowned, "but it's hard to say. I'll go take a look tomorrow."