After asking the question, Qu Yanting felt as if Lu Wen had dragged his IQ down. It was true what they said about being influenced by the company you keep.

In their freshman year, before Qu Yanting had even gotten to know all the students in their department, Ren Shu already had a girlfriend, a girl from the dance academy. They broke up at the end of their sophomore year, and Ren Shu got blind drunk, hugging the bed ladder and raving, "Yanting! I'll never fucking believe in love again!"

Qu Yanting rephrased, "What I mean is, do you prefer the looks-based type or the acting-based type?"

"I like both," Ren Shu answered. "It's best if they have both looks and acting skills."

Qu Yanting let the topic drop. Exhausted from the all-night shoot, his brain wasn't working right. He really couldn't guess who Lu Wen was hinting at. But on second thought, what did it matter if he guessed? He was in no position to meddle.

After the final shot, Ren Shu yelled, "Good, cut!"

The lights came on, and the room was suddenly bright. The work was finally done. The staff hurried in to clean up, and the stunt double got up from the top bunk, creating a scene of chaotic liveliness.

Lu Wen was still sitting on the chair, motionless.

"Xiao Lu?" the cinematographer called to him. "Not wrapping up yet? What's wrong?"

Qu Yanting followed the voice and looked over. Lu Wen had his back to him, making it impossible to see his expression. A vertebra protruded slightly from the back of his neck, indicating his head was bowed very low.

Lu Wen empathized deeply with this scene. Ever since he was young, this was how he had remembered the mother he had never met. After another two or three seconds, he raised a hand to wipe his face, got up from the chair, his eyes red-rimmed.

Qu Yanting guessed what had happened but pretended not to know, joking, "Did you fall asleep just now?"

Lu Wen took the excuse offered to him, replying with feigned vagueness, "Yeah... I'm dead tired."

After the most chaotic few minutes passed, most of the camera crew had left, clearing up some space. Sun Xiaojian squeezed in to help Lu Wen remove his makeup and change his clothes.

Moving to the bedside, Lu Wen forgot his sorrow and asked with a theatrical fussiness, "Changing here?"

It was too late. Going to the dressing room or the trailer was too much trouble. Changing here meant they could leave right after. Sun Xiaojian was most annoyed by fussy people and said, "We're all grown men, are you shy?"

Lu Wen couldn't stand being goaded. He immediately pulled off his tank top. "I'm afraid everyone will get jealous when they see my killer body."

As he spoke, he glanced toward the wall. Ren Shu was letting out a long yawn, his eyes squinted shut. Qu Yanting closed his script and was looking down at his phone. Not a single person was paying attention to him.

After finishing his yawn, Ren Shu said, "If I had known it would go so smoothly, I wouldn't have had you come over and stay up all night with us."

"It's fine." Qu Yanting was messaging his driver, asking him to wait at the entrance of the alley.

Ren Shu was bone-tired. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it, using nicotine to combat his fatigue. He had only taken two puffs when a production assistant ran in and asked, "Director Ren, are you leaving now?"

"Nonsense." Ren Shu was baffled by the question. "Or should I stay behind and clean up?"

The production assistant said awkwardly, "We had five drivers for the night shoot. One went to drive Teacher Tao and hasn't come back yet. He has the keys to car A2-3..."

Ren Shu was assigned car A2-3. He was speechless. "Call him, tell him to hurry back."

"Can't get through..." the production assistant said. "He's not answering voice calls either."

The worst thing that could happen during an all-night shoot was the drivers or logistics staff getting too tired and messing up. Ren Shu's temper flared, and he was about to lash out in his raspy, smoke-filled voice when Qu Yanting placed a hand on his shoulder.

Qu Yanting guessed the other cars had already left, and it would be difficult to hail a car at this hour, otherwise the production assistant wouldn't have come to get an earful. He said, "Don't wait. Take your Porsche back."

Ren Shu had forgotten he had a car. "I'll take you first, then."

Qu Yanting shook his head. The round trip would take until dawn. He told Ren Shu to go straight back to the hotel and rest. He could wait a little longer and contact the hotel for a car.

By the bed, Lu Wen had just pulled up his pants. Sun Xiaojian was trying to shield him, but with a "swoosh," the rascal unexpectedly darted away.

He yelped, "Fuck! I'm exposed!"

Sun Xiaojian had already darted over to the screenwriter and director. Having been eavesdropping for a while, he had spotted the perfect opportunity to suck up. How could he miss it? "Screenwriter Qu, if you don't mind, would you like to ride back with us?"

This was the most convenient arrangement. Qu Yanting didn't want to drag things out and agreed, "Sure, let's go together then."

It was four in the morning, a cold and dark time. The set was gradually emptying out. The old street outside the residential complex was as dim as the night, with a few pale yellow streetlights dotting the darkness.

Qu Yanting went back to the break room to get his files, which took a few minutes. When he came out, the place was deserted. He turned from the complex onto the street, then walked to the alley entrance. As he got closer, he noticed a person standing at the base of the wall.

Lu Wen had been standing there for ten minutes. Sun Xiaojian had taken his bag to the car to tidy up first, ordering him to wait here and escort Qu Yanting through the tiny alley where you couldn't even properly stage a mugging.

"Waiting for me?" Qu Yanting asked.

Lu Wen replied, "If not for you, should I be waiting for a romantic encounter in the Mountain City?"

Qu Yanting couldn't help but admire Lu Wen's stamina. After a full day and night of shooting, he still had the energy to banter. But he was tired and silently started walking.

Lu Wen fell in behind Qu Yanting as they entered the narrow alley. It was pitch-black all around, with a faint draft blowing through. He kept his hands in his pockets, too used to being waited on to think of turning on his phone's flashlight.

Qu Yanting didn't mind either. The darkness was calming.

The footsteps were somewhat scattered. Lu Wen had long legs and a large stride, catching up to Qu Yanting in a few steps, then slowing down to fall behind again, repeating this cycle.

Qu Yanting shifted slightly to the side and said, "You go ahead."

"No." Lu Wen was afraid he'd completely leave the other man behind if he went first. "The leader walks in front. I'll cover the rear."

Qu Yanting found his choice of words amusing. "Am I a leader?"

"Yeah." Lu Wen couldn't resist bringing up old scores. "I was kicked out for sitting in the leader's car by mistake. Soon, the leader will be riding in my car."

Qu Yanting hadn't expected this day to come either and could only let Lu Wen hold his grudge.

They continued forward. Just as they were about halfway through, a crisp sound echoed in the alley. The toe of Qu Yanting's shoe had hit a piece of broken porcelain from the broken flowerpot blocking the path. He stumbled, lost his balance, and pitched forward.

Lu Wen didn't even have time to cry out. His body moved faster than his brain. He lunged forward, reached out, made contact, and forcefully pulled Qu Yanting back.

Thump, a dull sound.

It was too dark. Lu Wen didn't know where he was grabbing Qu Yanting, nor was he sure if it was Qu Yanting's shoulder that had bumped against his chest.

They were pressed against each other with no space between them. Qu Yanting couldn't move. Lu Wen was at his right rear, his arm wrapped horizontally across his waist, holding him, grasping his arm.

Lu Wen dipped his head slightly, and his chin brushed against the hair on the back of Qu Yanting's head. He moved his head away, his low voice spreading beside Qu Yanting's ear, "Leader, are you steady?"

Qu Yanting grunted in affirmation. His arm was released, and the arm restraining him slowly withdrew from his waist as Lu Wen stepped back to create some distance.

Lu Wen took out his phone, turned on the flashlight to illuminate the path for Qu Yanting, and at the same time bent down, picked up the shard, and tossed it into the flowerpot. Then he lifted the pot with one hand and moved it to the base of the wall.

He said, "Let's go. Be careful."

Qu Yanting said, "Thanks for that."

Lu Wen's reliability lasted only five minutes. He yawned and said, "No need to thank me. I'm so sleepy I could die. Let's go, leader."

The nanny van was parked at the other end of the alley. The back row was filled with two large bags of spare clothes. Sun Xiaojian was in the second-to-last row. Lu Wen and Qu Yanting got in and sat side by side in the first row.

Perhaps due to exhaustion, the atmosphere in the car was heavy. Qu Yanting closed his eyes to rest. Lu Wen spent the entire street ride untangling his earphone cable.

Sun Xiaojian was a schemer. When the car stopped at a red light, he lunged forward, grabbing the back of the seat to speak. "Screenwriter Qu, do you get carsick? I have motion sickness medicine."

Qu Yanting didn't even open his eyes. "No need."

Sun Xiaojian asked, "Screenwriter Qu, what did you think of Lu Wen's performance in the two scenes tonight?"

Qu Yanting replied, "Not bad."

"I'm relieved to hear you say that." Sun Xiaojian seized the opportunity, tooting his own horn. "I don't know anything about acting, but from an audience's perspective, I found Lu Wen's performance incredibly moving. I almost cried."

Lu Wen was mortified. "Then cry. Just stop talking."

Sun Xiaojian ignored him. "That second scene, where Ye Shan quietly looks at the photo. It was simply incredible. Silence speaks louder than words. Screenwriter Qu, I'm not just exaggerating, our Lu Wen definitely has limitless potential."

Qu Yanting recalled the shots one by one. That part of the scene had no lines because Ye Shan's guilt and pain had already been fully displayed during the conflict with Mother Ye. When looking at Father Ye's photo alone, all he felt was longing and peace.

Lu Wen's performance in the first scene was about "letting go." In the second scene, he stared at the photo without blinking, calm, content, and finally shed a single, quiet tear. That was "reining it in."

Qu Yanting gave his honest opinion: "Not only was it handled very well, it was also very sophisticated."

For once, Lu Wen wasn't cocky. As a minor actor who didn't come from a professional academy and lacked experience, what would he know about reining in or letting go? He was just missing his mom, and he believed Qu Yanting understood that too.

Suddenly, he said, "Ye Shan shouldn't be blamed."

Qu Yanting's eyelashes fluttered as he slowly opened his eyes.