The second take was to directly shoot the car crash scene.

Lu Wen waited by the roadside. The aftereffects of the wire harness were lingering, feeling a bit tight, and the plastic wrap prevented the pores all over his body from breathing. He bent over, resting his hands on his knees to conserve energy.

The rain grew heavier. Qu Yanting was in the middle of the road checking the lighting. He held an umbrella in one hand and a megaphone in the other. "As soon as camera 3 is done, I'll give a hand signal, and you immediately turn on the HMI light."

The lighting group leader said, "Okay, I got it."

"When Lu Wen falls, the camera will get a two-second close-up," Qu Yanting instructed. "Make sure the silver reflector is positioned well."

A gust of wind blew by, covering Qu Yanting's face with a layer of water droplets. He wiped his face nonchalantly and continued, "Pay attention to the focus pull; the first take wasn't good."

The first assistant camera said, "Screenwriter Qu, I know."

After all the adjustments were made one by one, Qu Yanting walked toward the roadside. The rain had come down fast, and the puddle in front of the curb hadn't drained yet, measuring nearly a meter wide. He paused for a moment, estimating if he could jump over it.

Just then, Lu Wen extended his hand from the sidewalk.

Qu Yanting placed his hand on it. Both their hands were very wet and slippery, so they could only grip tightly. He was pulled over by Lu Wen's skillful tug, stepping onto the sidewalk as the edges of their umbrellas collided.

They let go, and Lu Wen took a step aside. The plastic wrap was constricting and uncomfortable, so he was slightly hunched over.

Qu Yanting came over to say a couple of things. The first was, "Scenes like this are always expected to go all night. We'll probably shoot many takes."

Lu Wen replied, "Mhm, I'm ready."

Qu Yanting said, "This scene is difficult in many aspects, but it actually has little to do with the actor. Don't feel any psychological burden."

Lu Wen nodded. "Since it's difficult in many aspects, then Teacher Qu, you shouldn't feel burdened either."

Qu Yanting was stunned for a moment. As the substitute director, his pressure couldn't be dispelled by a single word of comfort. But hearing these words from Lu Wen felt strangely refreshing, and he felt a bit more relaxed.

It was time for the actor to get into position. Lu Wen put down his umbrella and walked onto the road.

It might be hard to believe, but Lu Wen had almost never been caught in the rain. He was usually chauffeured everywhere, and on any day that wasn't sunny and pleasant, the driver would stick even closer. When he was a child, his children's raincoats went from size S to XXL; the moment he darted out to stomp in a puddle, his nanny would yank him right back.

Therefore, in his mind, getting soaked in the rain was equivalent to "suffering." Tonight could be considered a sacrifice for art.

Qu Yanting personally gave the command: "Everyone in position. Action."

A van sped toward him. The wind and rain couldn't drown out the drone of the engine. Lu Wen fell onto the road and looked up, two blinding beams of light shining right at him.

Wide shot to a close-up, push in for a tight shot, hold for two seconds.

Bang! A violent impact. The tires screeched as they skidded across the wet road surface, making a sharp noise.

Lu Wen's body felt light as he was lifted by the wire harness. His vision filled with a white light; the rain fell in dense lines, and beyond it was the thick darkness of the night. After a brief moment of dizziness, he slammed heavily onto a brown mat.

Qu Yanting gave a hand signal, and Kang Daning shouted, "Cut!"

Sun Xiaojian and Li Dapeng rushed over and helped Lu Wen up together. Before he could even stand steady, the van started, turned around, and returned to the end of the road.

Kang Daning yelled, "Take a breather, let's go for take three!"

His soaked clothes felt incredibly heavy, clinging to his body. Lu Wen walked back, tucking a loose piece of plastic wrap back into his sleeve. A gust of wind blew, and he felt a sense of desolation in his heart.

"Brother Jian."

"Yeah, what's up?"

"The company got me insurance, right?"

Sun Xiaojian coaxed, "They did. Just hang in there and focus on filming. When this scene airs, I'll have the publicity department get you a trending topic: Lu Wen, professional."

Nine and a half out of ten celebrities have been praised for being professional. It's boring.

Lu Wen said, "I want: Lu Wen, awesome."

After the second take, he still had the energy to joke around. They then shot the third, fourth, fifth... this "fall—get hit—slam down" sequence was shot a total of eight times.

After the eighth take, Lu Wen was lying face down on the brown mat, on the verge of throwing up.

Qu Yanting shouted, "Stop, that's a wrap!"

It was nearly three in the morning. The rain was growing more and more relentless, showing no signs of letting up. The staff moved the rain shelters, preparing to shoot the next sequence of shots.

Duan Meng pulled up the hood of his technical jacket, shouldered the gimbal and a black flag, and had just taken two steps when Qu Yanting came over to hold an umbrella for him.

"Screenwriter Qu, no, no, no..." Duan Meng refused repeatedly. "I can't let you do that!"

Half of Qu Yanting's body was getting drenched. He turned the umbrella handle, slightly nervous, but pretended to be calm and composed. "There's nothing to it. You all work hard."

Under another rain shelter, Lu Wen began to get his makeup done. The wounds were the same as the ones from the hospital shoot, but much more severe.

The makeup artist said, "Today's fake blood is a brighter color, and its consistency and composition are a bit different from before. Let's test it behind your ear first to see if you're allergic."

Lu Wen compliantly tilted his head and saw Qu Yanting walking toward them on the road.

A smear of cold fake blood was applied behind his ear. Last time it was his right ear, this time it was his left. The makeup artist said, "Oh, there's a small tattoo hidden behind your left ear. Is it a musical note?"

Lu Wen hummed in acknowledgment. It was tattooed many years ago. It was very small and hard to notice unless you were specifically looking for it.

The makeup artist asked, "Why a musical note?"

Lu Wen answered, "Because... I like music."

It seemed perfectly normal for a young person to like music. The makeup artist smiled and chatted, "Crossovers are popular now. Many actors dabble in the music industry for a bit. Have you ever thought about releasing an album or something?"

Qu Yanting walked under the shelter, catching the tail end of the conversation. His gaze scrutinized the makeup on Lu Wen's face.

Lu Wen twitched the corner of his mouth. "I..."

For some reason, Qu Yanting detected a hint of bitterness in Lu Wen's smile, as if it was a difficult topic to talk about. Partly to rescue him and partly for official business, he cut the conversation short. "Are you done chatting?"

Lu Wen avoided the makeup artist's question and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Qu Yanting sat down beside him. He needed to explain the character's movements to Lu Wen. They were about to film the latter part of the car crash scene: after Ye Xiaowu hits the ground, he rolls a few times and finally comes to a stop, at which point the frame freezes.

Once the makeup was done, Lu Wen, his face covered in blood, began filming.

This time, the brown mat was removed. Lu Wen's body lay directly on the road, on his side, one half of his face submerged in a layer of rainwater, pressed against the cold, hard concrete.

He gathered his strength, tensing all the muscles in his body.

As soon as Qu Yanting yelled "Action," Lu Wen rolled his body forcefully—fast and fierce. He bumped and scraped along the wet road, using his own physical strength to create the effect of powerful inertia after being hit and thrown to the ground.

Lu Wen gradually came to a stop. Dirty water had gotten into his mouth and nose, and he choked a little.

He couldn't count how many times he had rolled. Exhausted, he lay flat, his eyes lightly closed, channeling his immense fatigue into the helplessness of a dying person, slowly being devoured by a rising wave of pain.

However, before the seconds for the freeze-frame were up, Qu Yanting shouted, "Stop—one more take."

The rolling part was done; they just needed to shoot the final shot. Lu Wen lay still. Directly above him was the camera, and diagonally above was a lighting lamp. He had referenced some documentaries to study the state of a person before death.

He relaxed his body inch by inch, blinking his eyelids with difficulty. Between half-open and half-closed lids, his gaze began to lose focus.

"Stop—" It was Qu Yanting again. "Again."

The bloodstains on his face had been washed away by the rain. Lu Wen stood up, and the makeup artist and an assistant surrounded him for a touch-up. He let them apply the makeup, his mind dull, unable to figure out what was wrong with his performance at the end.

After the touch-up, the others moved away. Lu Wen saw Qu Yanting standing two meters away. He didn't know how long he'd been standing there, as if waiting for him.

Lu Wen walked over, ducking his head to get under Qu Yanting's umbrella. He said apologetically, "Teacher Qu, I didn't act well."

Qu Yanting asked, "How did Ye Xiaowu die?"

Lu Wen hesitated. Ye Xiaowu got into a physical altercation with Ye Shan, lost his balance, fell into the road, and died in a car accident. That was what the script said. He didn't understand why Qu Yanting was asking him this.

He answered, "An accident."

"Have you ever considered," Qu Yanting paused for a second, "that it wasn't an accident at all."

Lu Wen froze instantly.

Qu Yanting lowered the umbrella, shielding them from the driving wind and rain, and also hiding his and Lu Wen's faces. Above them was the patter of raindrops exploding on the umbrella's surface. He leaned forward and whispered, as if revealing a secret, "Actually, Ye Shan saw that van."

Lu Wen's breath caught. "What..."

Qu Yanting said, "Ye Shan intentionally pushed Ye Xiaowu to his death."

He had written it very subtly; it was almost unnoticeable in the script, and there were no direct shots to indicate this during filming.

Qu Yanting pulled back and raised the umbrella.

Two minutes later, they were filming the third take of the final shot.

Ye Xiaowu lay on the road, covered in blood. The shell of his ear was submerged in the standing water on the pavement, and blood gushed continuously from the fatal wound on his forehead.

His lips were slightly parted. His fingers splayed out on the ground, struggling, trying to grasp something but only managing to stir up murky ripples. His eyes were wide open to their limit, unblinking. The threads of rain fell like silver needles, stinging the corners of his eyes until they were crimson.

Fear and pain were no match for sheer disbelief.

Ye Xiaowu's death would become Ye Shan's lifelong secret.

The guilt for the rest of his life was real, the nightmares born from it were real, but in that split second when Ye Shan pushed Ye Xiaowu, the momentary hatred and malice were also real.

The camera zoomed in, and the close-up of his face froze.

Three, two, one. The seconds for the final shot ran out. Qu Yanting called out in a deep voice, "Stop—that's a wrap!"

Lu Wen squeezed his eyes shut in pain. The rainwater was dirty, and mixed with the fake blood, it poured into his eye sockets. He scrambled up, supported on his left and right by Sun Xiaojian and Li Dapeng.

The actor and the wardrobe and makeup teams could finally call it a day. Sun Xiaojian said with distress, "It's finally over. My god, first you were thrown around several times, then you rolled on the ground. I was exhausted just watching."

Li Dapeng said, "You've been soaking in the rain the whole time. You must be frozen."

Lu Wen couldn't see the path at all. His legs felt like they were filled with lead as he stumbled along, his steps uneven.

Back in the RV, it was instantly warm. Lu Wen rinsed his eyes clean and also dried his face and hair.

He collapsed onto the bed, completely exhausted. Sun Xiaojian helped him remove his shoes, socks, and clothes piece by piece. The plastic wrap was all tangled and tied around his body; it could only be cut off with scissors.

Stripped down to his underwear, Lu Wen lay spread-eagled, a position commonly known as "playing dead."

Li Dapeng wrung out a hot towel and said, "Don't catch a cold. Let me wipe you down."

Lu Wen lay on the bed like a piece of seaweed drying out. As the hot towel passed over him, sensation slowly returned. His thoughts, however, hadn't caught up; they were still stuck in the world of Ye Shan and Ye Xiaowu.

Sun Xiaojian brought him some hot tea and helped him sit up to take a sip.

The warmth spread through him, and Lu Wen became a little more clear-headed. He put his thoughts aside for the moment and thought of the others, saying, "Everyone worked hard all night. Order some hot soup and congee for everyone. It's my treat."

"My dear ancestor," Sun Xiaojian said, "where am I supposed to order that for you at four in the morning?"

Lu Wen sighed and lay back down, his body completely spent, entering a state of zoned-out emptiness.

Li Dapeng covered him with a blanket and said, "I'll cook something for you when we get back to the hotel."

Sun Xiaojian asked in surprise, "You can cook?"

"Of course, we assistants know how to do everything," Li Dapeng said with a laugh. "Actually, I bought some ginger and brown sugar in advance, and an old hen. When we get back, I'll make Teacher Lu a bowl of ginger soup and then stew a medicinal chicken pot."

"You're something else," Sun Xiaojian said. "You're a crew assistant, just helping us out. We feel bad having you do so much."

Li Dapeng was very down-to-earth. "It's part of my duties. Besides, the boss gave the order, how could I dare to slack off?"

"Thank you, Brother Peng." Lu Wen was lying on his pillow. Remembering the source of the kindness, he thanked the boss as well. "And thank you, Director Ren, for taking care of me."

Li Dapeng looked completely baffled. "Wait, what does this have to do with Director Ren?"

Lu Wen asked, "Didn't Director Ren give the order?"

"No, when Xiao Zhang assigned me to be your personal assistant, he repeatedly urged me to be meticulous. He said the person who personally requested it was—"

Lu Wen lifted his head.

Li Dapeng answered, "Screenwriter Qu."