The alarm clock rang. Qu Yanting got up from the bed, his movements slow.

One, he was sleepy. Two, his lower back was sore from leaning against the headboard to revise the script last night. He went to the adjacent bedroom. The door was wide open, and the woolen blanket on the bed was humped in a lump.

Morning mist filled the air outside the window. Qu Yanting called out, "Time to get up."

The person on the bed didn't react. Qu Yanting didn't waste any more words, walked to the bedside, and directly kicked the bed.

A muffled groan came from under the blanket. Ruan Feng rolled over and emerged with a bedhead, "What time is it..."

"Just five-thirty. Leave early to avoid being seen." Ruan Feng became a bit more awake, sat up to get dressed, and laid out his plan clearly: "I'll go back first, grab some breakfast, then head to the set. I can still catch a nap before work starts."

Qu Yanting suppressed a yawn. They hadn't seen each other for a while, and last night they'd chatted about trivial matters until past one. Then he revised the script, sleeping only two hours in total. After Ruan Feng left, he also planned to go back to sleep for a bit.

Pulling on a hoodie, Ruan Feng asked, "Are you coming to supervise the scene today?"

Qu Yanting refused, "Not going."

Ruan Feng was displeased. "Why?"

Today's shoot was for an ordinary scene, and the set would be crowded, so Qu Yanting didn't want to go.

Ruan Feng said, "You didn't supervise my scene yesterday, and you're refusing me again today. Are ordinary scenes not worth watching? As the second male lead, what major scenes do I even have? Besides, didn't you write all of it?"

Qu Yanting had a headache. "Stop nagging."

"How about you supervise the male lead's scene and check on me while you're at it? I'm in the same group as Lu Wen today. You came all this way, isn't it right for you to see my performance?"

Ruan Feng said, "I'm your—"

"You're my ancestor." Qu Yanting couldn't handle it and surrendered, "Got it. I'll go over after sunrise."

Ruan Feng swallowed the latter half of his unfinished sentence, pleased. He got dressed, quickly washed his face, and put on a mask and hat, ready to leave.

Qu Yanting reminded him, "Be careful."

"Yeah," Ruan Feng said. "Even my fans won't recognize me now."

Qu Yanting suddenly remembered something. "Right, don't let your fans hang around the set. If they obstruct the filming, it'll be on you."

Ruan Feng promised to handle it and quietly left the hotel.

Qu Yanting straightened his back, went into the bathroom to wash up, and found a sock Ruan Feng had left behind in the laundry basket. He wasn't surprised or disgusted. He picked it up and washed it clean in a few quick scrubs.

The sky brightened inch by inch. Group A had changed locations; today's shoot was at a high school in Chongqing. The campus was large and beautiful. Since it was the weekend, no one was in class.

In the drama, the younger brother Ye Xiaowu, Qi Xiao played by Xian Qi, and Lin Jie played by Ruan Feng all attended this school, which was a key municipal high school.

An RV was parked in a corner of the athletic field. At the door, Sun Xiaojian was chatting with a newly hired assistant, explaining some important points. The other person was named Li Dapeng; he had been a crew assistant for three or four years and was listening and taking notes very diligently.

Inside the vehicle, Lu Wen was eating breakfast.

He hadn't slept for half the night, his mind filled with thoughts of Qu Yanting and Ruan Feng.

Seeing that scene at the building entrance, he'd felt that Qu Yanting and Ruan Feng's relationship was unusual. Last night, in the dead of night, Ruan Feng had snuck into Qu Yanting's room, which made him unable to help but think of the rumors about Ruan Feng.

Ruan Feng, 26 years old, a graduate of the drama academy. In his first year after debuting, he took on minor roles everywhere. In his second year, he made a comeback as a male lead, and his career took off uncontrollably after that.

Musicals, popular variety shows, mainstream galas, films by veteran Hong Kong directors, endorsements for famous brands—good resources others could only dream of were commonplace for Ruan Feng.

After becoming famous, Ruan Feng's background received much attention, but the media dug up very little, and to this day, there is no substantive information.

There were many rumors circulating. All sorts of speculations led to the conclusion, both inside and outside the industry, that "someone is backing Ruan Feng." As for the sponsor backing him, they had not only the financial power to throw money around and the connections to manage the media, but also a mystery that kept their true identity hidden.

In short, the rumors could be summarized as: ordinary background, heaven-defying resources, mysterious backing, and a powerful sponsor.

Lu Wen wasn't particularly interested in Ruan Feng's scandals, but how could he have expected to stumble upon this huge piece of gossip that everyone was curious about—Ruan Feng's sponsor?

What shocked him the most was that the sponsor's true identity was actually Qu Yanting!

Qu Yanting was gay!

A famous screenwriter behind the scenes, a fresh young idol in front of the camera. That's right. With Qu Yanting's wealth and connections, backing someone was a piece of cake. He lived a reclusive life, wasn't that exactly what being secretive was all about?

Lu Wen took a bite of a boiled egg. My god, these two people who seemed completely unrelated were actually in that kind of relationship. When he left in the morning, the door to 6206 was tightly shut. Just one glance made it feel so damn ambiguous.

Perhaps Qu Yanting's trip to the set was specifically to see Ruan Feng.

Or perhaps, Qu Yanting's participation in the investment was also for Ruan Feng.

Lu Wen couldn't control himself. The more he thought, the more ideas came. He suddenly remembered Qu Yanting humiliating him, saying his actor's fee was less than a third of Ruan Feng's. His pride had been hurt then, and now he was so angry he chugged a mouthful of yogurt. Who would want to compare themselves to a kept little lover lavished with money!

Sun Xiaojian came up and asked, puzzled, "Why are you so huffy? Is it that bad to eat?"

Lu Wen answered vaguely. He was afraid Sun Xiaojian had a loose tongue and didn't dare to share such explosive gossip. He was bursting to tell someone, and when he inadvertently glanced out the window, he saw an ultra-luxurious large RV driving over from the other end of the track.

"Who's that?" he asked.

Sun Xiaojian said, "Xian Qi's RV is over there. Who else could it be but Ruan Feng."

Lu Wen asked again, "How come the specs are different?"

Sun Xiaojian said, "His is a private RV. He also has a personal assistant, bodyguard, and stylist."

Lu Wen understood. "Oh."

Sun Xiaojian, afraid Lu Wen would feel imbalanced, said, "He's always been this extravagant all these years, you know. We won't compare with him. It's not like you can't afford it anyway."

Lu Wen understood. He couldn't help asking, "About Ruan Feng... you know too?"

"Of course, it's an open secret in the industry," Sun Xiaojian said. "Actually, there are lots of people with sponsors, so many that it's not worth discussing. But Ruan Feng's sponsor is hidden too well, so it makes people curious. No one can guess which deity it is."

The image of that Buddha, Qu Yanting, appeared in Lu Wen's mind. Outside, Ruan Feng's RV came to a steady stop, parked side-by-side with his, their windows facing each other.

Suddenly, Sun Xiaojian said, "According to rumors, Ruan Feng's sponsor is a man."

"...Wow." Lu Wen feigned surprise. "So he's gay."

Sun Xiaojian said, "It doesn't matter if he's gay or not."

Lu Wen said, "What do you mean?"

Sun Xiaojian imparted his wisdom. The point of the unspoken rules was money and resources. A big shot takes a liking to you, and you also want to be promoted. A deal is thus made. Sexual orientation and all that is not important at all.

Lu Wen couldn't understand. "Is it worth it?"

"Anyway, the temptation is huge," Sun Xiaojian said. "Designer brands, luxury cars, arranged. Want to work with a certain big star, arranged. Want to try a certain drama, arranged. They'll shower you with resources from all aspects—film and television, fashion, advertising."

"That's just too awesome." Lu Wen couldn't help but blurt out, "Why isn't he in Zeng Zhen's movies?"

Sun Xiaojian didn't catch the hidden meaning. "That's why Ruan Feng's sponsor is a deity. Ruan Feng has a lot of resources, but the key is that they're suitable for him. The roles he plays are especially like they're tailor-made. That's why his rise to fame was so smooth, without provoking public dislike."

It sounded like the sponsor was closer than his own father. Lu Wen's thoughts went astray. "Why is no one willing to back me?"

Sun Xiaojian was speechless. "You're a rich second-generation kid. Can't you just ask your own dad?"

Lu Wen said shyly, "I was just saying."

"Saying is all you can do." Sun Xiaojian rolled his eyes at him. "If you were asked to sleep with a big shot, would you be willing?"

A gale-force wind blew through Lu Wen's heart. Scenes played out in his mind like a movie: late at night, a suite, an eager Ruan Feng, a dripping wet Qu Yanting after a shower... Further than that, his lack of experience limited his imagination.

He stopped himself just in time, grabbed the script, and got out of the vehicle.

Lu Wen strolled to the southeast corner of the athletic field where the first scene was being filmed. The director's monitor was already set up. He vaulted onto the parallel bars and lay down to go over his lines.

Before long, Ruan Feng, having finished his nap, also got out of the luxurious large RV.

He was wearing the same school uniform as Lu Wen. He ran over, full of youthful energy, and ducked between the parallel bars to greet him, "Morning. Memorizing lines?"

Lu Wen grunted "Mhm." Ruan Feng looked up at him and said, "You have dark circles today. Didn't sleep well?"

"You can say that again." Lu Wen gave a dry laugh. "A little insomnia."

Ruan Feng said, "I didn't sleep well either."

He was picky about pillows and took his own everywhere. Last night, he'd used the hotel's pillow and tossed and turned for a long time before falling asleep. Hopping onto the parallel bars, he muttered, "I didn't fall asleep until super late. Tossing and turning in bed left me with no energy."

Lu Wen shivered upon hearing this and almost fell off the bars.

He changed the subject. "Uh, want to run lines?"

When Qu Yanting arrived at the set, he saw Lu Wen and Ruan Feng sitting side-by-side on the parallel bars, sharing a script. Perhaps it was due to their temperaments, but even though they were seriously running lines, they looked more like two slackers putting on an act.

Ren Shu called out in his booming voice, "I thought you weren't coming today. Perfect timing, come take a look at the angles."

Lu Wen looked up at the sound and saw Qu Yanting walk over to Ren Shu's side. He wasn't grabbing his hair. He was wearing a loose-fitting sweater, a chunky knit in smoke gray, projecting just the right amount of gentleness.

The space beside him emptied as Ruan Feng jumped off the parallel bars.

Lu Wen instantly understood. Qu Yanting hadn't come to supervise the scene; he'd come to visit Ruan Feng. He didn't move. After being brutally humiliated yesterday, he didn't want any contact with Qu Yanting.

But, this corner was only so big. As the camera moved closer, the people naturally walked over too.

Ren Shu adjusted the camera. "Lu Wen, look over here."

Lu Wen couldn't avoid it. He dawdled, looking at the lawn, the focus knob, and finally lifted his gaze to the camera, inadvertently looking past it and seeing Qu Yanting's eyes.

Those eyes were still bright, but also tired. The bluish tint under them was as obvious as his own dark circles. Suddenly, Qu Yanting looked over, neither contemptuous nor fond, just faint and emotionless.

Lu Wen felt uncomfortable all over. He gripped the bar tightly, picking at the paint with his fingernails.

While looking at the camera, Qu Yanting bent over slightly, winced in pain, and furrowed his brow. Ren Shu asked with concern, "What's wrong? You look drained too. Are you unwell?"

He could have had a good sleep, but he was forced to come supervise the scene. As Qu Yanting answered, he glanced at Ruan Feng. "Didn't sleep well. My back hurts."

Lu Wen sucked in a breath. He understood it all. That glance from Qu Yanting held a hint of complaint, his voice low. On the surface, he was answering Ren Shu, but in reality, he was flirting with Ruan Feng.

Ren Shu pressed, "How did your back get sore?"

Qu Yanting said, "The bed was soft. I sat for too long."

Lu Wen's palms broke out in a sweat. One tossed and turned until he had no energy, the other was tossed around until his back hurt... Wasn't it precisely because they did it for too long!

He shot a look at Qu Yanting. A great screenwriter, an investor, looking so refined and reserved, with the air of a winter plum blossom in the twelfth lunar month. But in reality, he was secretly sleeping with a fresh young idol, and speaking in subtext out in the open.

He couldn't take it anymore. He jumped off the parallel bars and said, "I'm going to touch up my makeup!"

Ren Shu retorted, "Touch up what? Your face is as red as a monkey's butt."

Lu Wen rushed back to the RV in one go, went straight to the fridge, twisted open a bottle of mineral water, and chugged half of it.

"What's wrong with you?" Sun Xiaojian asked.

Lu Wen said, "Unspoken rules are one thing, but to be so wild about it!"

Sun Xiaojian said, "You think it's easy? Glory in public might mean a prolapsed anus in private."

Lu Wen looked utterly stunned and was speechless for a long moment before he could finally speak—

"Damn it, the entertainment industry is really so dirty."