During the filming of the "honeymoon period," the atmosphere of the entire crew was different.

Ren Haichuan, fearing the actors would be easily affected, deliberately arranged for people to clear the set for every scene. Unfortunately, with fewer people on set, Jiang Chi became even more nervous. When he looked up and saw a messy crowd, he could still realize that he was filming. But after the set was cleared and there were fewer people, Ye Lan's presence was instantly magnified to an infinite degree.

Every time Ye Lan got close to him, Jiang Chi had to use a great deal of effort to keep himself lucid and remember that this was just acting.

...

"Pei Ran... why are you up so early?"

Ye Lan hugged Jiang Chi from behind, lowered his head to kiss Jiang Chi's cheek, and murmured half-asleep, "I want to eat xiaolongbao this morning..."

Jiang Chi dodged to the side. "What time is it? The xiaolongbao stall has long closed."

Ye Lan opened his eyes in dissatisfaction, kissed Jiang Chi's face again, and said, "Then let's have shumai."

"They've closed too," Jiang Chi said. "There are only a few breakfast places near our home... Or I could drive you somewhere else to eat?"

"Too lazy to move..." Ye Lan rested his head on Jiang Chi's shoulder and whined, "I'm really hungry..."

Jiang Chi resigned himself to his fate and asked, "What do you want to eat? I'll go make it for you."

"What do I want to eat?" Ye Lan opened his eyes, suddenly bit Jiang Chi's ear, and pushed him down onto the bed, laughing heartily. "What do you think I want to eat? Hmm?"

"Cut!"

...

Ren Haichuan didn't offer any comments and got up to speak with the screenwriter.

Sitting on the bed, Ye Lan gave a helpless smile. "Why are you so stiff?"

Jiang Chi was terrified. Recalling the scene just now, he said, "Was I really stiff? I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

"It's not serious, it's just that when I was holding you just now, I felt like you were frightened." Ye Lan stood up and asked, "Are you afraid of me? Or are you unwilling to shoot intimate scenes?"

Ye Lan thought back. "It was the same yesterday, during the scene where we were watching TV together, you didn't lean on me at all. What's wrong?"

No one wants to perform poorly in front of the person they like, and Jiang Chi was most afraid of showing weakness in front of Ye Lan. He hurriedly said, "I'm not unwilling! I'll adjust right away, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

"Why are you apologizing? I didn't say anything to you." Ye Lan suspected that he might have scared Jiang Chi last time when he was teaching him how to use his dantian for vocal projection. Otherwise, why would Jiang Chi be so terrified every time he mentioned details about filming?

Ye Lan paused and softened his voice slightly. "I'm not going to bully you, what are you afraid of? Just... be a little softer, a little more cooperative."

Ye Lan guessed that Jiang Chi was probably afraid of shooting intimate scenes. He turned his head to glance at Ren Haichuan, and taking advantage of the fact that Ren Haichuan wasn't paying attention, he lowered his voice. "I'll try my best to lead you and give you cues to make it easier for you to react to the scene. But you can't always be like this. In the future, when you film with female artists, are you going to let them lead you too? That wouldn't be appropriate, right?"

Jiang Chi was on the verge of tears. He wouldn't be like this with anyone else!

But... Ye Lan's words just now were a bit gentle. Jiang Chi couldn't bear to refute him and meekly accepted Ye Lan's goodwill, saying softly, "Thank you... Thank you, Brother Ye Lan."

Ye Lan chuckled and flicked Jiang Chi on the forehead.

"What's this old geezer doing..." Ye Lan waited for a long time, but Ren Haichuan didn't come over to yell at him, which made him feel rather uneasy. He frowned at Ren Haichuan, who was in a seemingly endless discussion with the screenwriter not far away. "You acted so shitty just now, and he's actually not coming over to scold you..."

Jiang Chi: "..."

One of the screenwriters, Sheng Qi, was marking the script with her head down. She said, "These are all interspersed flashback parts. After discussion, we also feel there shouldn't be too many lines, otherwise it will be difficult during post-production editing."

Ren Haichuan nodded. "That's exactly what I mean. I didn't think so before, but after actually filming for two days, I found a lot of problems. A few details need to be reconsidered repeatedly."

Ren Haichuan and the screenwriters had discovered several issues with the honeymoon period scenes. Ignoring everything else, they immediately notified the other editors to come over, working overtime to revise the script on the spot. The filming progress instantly slowed down.

It just so happened that the actors' conditions weren't great either. Needless to say about Jiang Chi, even Ye Lan wasn't perfect. The crew simply decided to slow down the pace a bit, proceeding steadily and striving for perfection.

The time Jiang Chi and Ye Lan spent waiting for their scenes in the lounge instantly increased.

"We've been filming intensely conflicting scenes for nearly three months, we've been tormented to death by you two, and now we're finally getting some sweet moments." With more free time, the Assistant Director would also steal a moment to chat. "But it's good that we're filming the 'honeymoon period' now. Teacher Ye and Teacher Jiang are already familiar with each other, so it won't be too awkward."

Ye Lan was holding a heat pack and wearing a coat while reading the script. He looked up, puzzled. "No, what's there to be awkward about? There would be no pressure even if we filmed it on the first day of joining the crew."

"A Film Emperor is a Film Emperor." The Assistant Director smiled and looked at Jiang Chi. "What about Teacher Jiang? Do you feel uncomfortable?"

Jiang Chi gave a dry laugh. "I... I'm not as professional as Brother Ye Lan."

"See?" The Assistant Director smiled. "This filming order is still reasonable. By the way, do you two teachers know Tong Yizhe?"

Ye Lan frowned. "Who?"

"We haven't worked together, but I've heard of him." Jiang Chi turned to Ye Lan and explained in detail, "Tong Yizhe, the one who was in Shu Mountain. He played a swordsman in it. It was a summer drama from last year, very popular when it aired."

Ye Lan still didn't know who Jiang Chi was talking about, wearing a look of confusion, as if to say, 'I'm not very familiar with your young idol circle.'

The Assistant Director smiled. "Not as popular as Jiang Chi, so I guessed Teacher Ye might not know him... Tong Yizhe is joining the crew today. He's the actor playing the bartender."

Jiang Chi had a sudden realization and understood.

In the drama, Zhan Ming hooks up with a bartender twice. The second time, he's caught by Pei Ran, which becomes the catalyst for their breakup.

"He auditioned for the role of the bartender three months ago and was cast then, but since he didn't have any scenes yet, he didn't join the crew. Aren't we modifying the honeymoon period script now? Director Ren was afraid of wasting time, so he moved his scenes forward." The Assistant Director smiled. "Actually, he should have come earlier. Director Ren is afraid that actors can't settle their minds, so he usually has people join the crew at least half a month in advance to get into character and adapt to the set's atmosphere earlier."

Speak of the devil, an assistant came over to find the Assistant Director and said, "Tong Yizhe is here."

The Assistant Director hurried off.

Tong Yizhe was two years older than Jiang Chi, but because he had a baby face, he looked even younger than Jiang Chi.

He was a bit shorter than Jiang Chi, not quite 1.8 meters tall. After getting his makeup done and changing into the bartender's uniform, he looked exactly like a college student on a work-study program.

Tong Yizhe was extroverted, loved to talk and laugh, and his looks were impeccable. In Ren Haichuan's words during his audition, he was "naturally alluring." He was also very humble. After joining the crew, he sat idly for several days without getting impatient, focusing intently on reading the script and his character's biography. This caused the Assistant Director and the others to marvel: Weren't young idols supposed to be unprofessional, unmotivated, and lacking work ethic? How come they're all working harder than the last?!

Of course, Tong Yizhe was a much smaller celebrity compared to Jiang Chi. He had been playing supporting roles since his debut. Except for a brief period of popularity when his drama became a big hit last year, his fan base had always been small. His saving grace was that he had some acting skills. After his first take on set, Ren Haichuan was barely satisfied.

At the nightclub bar, Tong Yizhe began filming his first scene with Ye Lan.

"Don't be too deliberate. This is your first time meeting Zhan Ming. He wasn't serious about it, and you didn't take it to heart either," Ren Haichuan said. "That last take was unnatural. Loosen up a bit."

Tong Yizhe was clearly a bit afraid of Ren Haichuan too, and he quickly agreed, "Yes, I'll pay attention."

"Another take."

Ren Haichuan sat back down in his seat.

Not far away, Jiang Chi watched Ye Lan and Tong Yizhe standing side by side, thinking to himself, 'it must be just like this when I'm acting opposite Ye Lan.'

Jiang Chi had no scenes today. Hearing that Ye Lan and Tong Yizhe were filming their first encounter scene, he couldn't resist coming over to watch.

In the shot, amidst several towering wine cabinets, the lighting was ambiguous and dim. Through the gaps between the various wine bottles, one could vaguely see Ye Lan being pushed into a corner by Tong Yizhe.

Ye Lan, half-resisting, was pushed against the wall by Tong Yizhe and smiled. "Not mixing drinks anymore? Don't you have to work?"

"In five minutes, my partner will take over my shift." The hand Tong Yizhe had on Ye Lan's shoulder slowly slid down, eventually coming to rest on Ye Lan's waist.

Tong Yizhe touched Ye Lan's waist with an ambiguous air, his voice growing softer, his breath fragrant. "See me off?"

Ye Lan pinched Tong Yizhe's chin with one hand, making him look up. Tong Yizhe raised his head to gaze at Ye Lan openly, smiled, and moved in to kiss him. After a moment's hesitation, Ye Lan covered Tong Yizhe's mouth with the back of his hand and pushed him away.

"I have an appointment, it's not convenient."

Tong Yizhe shrugged with a nonchalant expression, walked to the side, and continued to tidy the wine cabinet.

Ye Lan straightened his shirt, walked around the intricately decorated wine cabinets, and left.

"Cut!"

...

After repeating the scene four times, Ren Haichuan finally nodded. "Passed."

Jiang Chi breathed a sigh of relief.

'Thank god it passed.'

Jiang Chi felt a bit annoyed. Although he knew it was very unprofessional, seeing Ye Lan cheat on his character with his own eyes still made him a little jealous.

'I'm too deep into the role.'

Jiang Chi lowered his head and reflected for a moment, then picked up his backpack, preparing to return to the dressing room and escape this suffering.

In the past, every time they finished a take, Ye Lan would chat and joke with him to pass the time while they waited for set changes, lighting adjustments, and so on.

He really didn't want to see Ye Lan talking and laughing with Tong Yizhe like that.

'Would Ye Lan tell those blush-inducing jokes to Tong Yizhe too?'

Jiang Chi didn't dare to think any further and quickened his pace. Out of sight, out of mind.

"Where's Jiang Chi?" Ye Lan took the hot red tea Cen Wen handed him, scanned the area, and with his sharp eyes, spotted Jiang Chi's retreating figure. He strode after him.

Ye Lan grabbed Jiang Chi's arm and smiled. "Where are you going?"

Jiang Chi didn't expect Ye Lan to follow him and said awkwardly, "I... I don't have any scenes right now, just wandering around."

"Wandering around? Who are you kidding?" Ye Lan scoffed. He took a sip of tea. "I saw you come over before filming started. You were sitting in the southwest corner, right?"

Jiang Chi hadn't expected Ye Lan to have noticed him, and his heart uselessly fluttered with happiness.

"Just... looking around." Afraid that Ye Lan would press for more details, Jiang Chi stammered, "I didn't have anything else to do..."

Luckily, Ye Lan didn't dwell on it. He asked, "How was that last take?"

Jiang Chi was speechless. That was his scene with Tong Yizhe; why wasn't he discussing it with Tong Yizhe or Ren Haichuan, but asking him instead?

"It was... pretty good." Jiang Chi told the truth. "You both performed very well, the atmosphere was spot on."

"Then why were you running off? I..." As he was speaking, Ren Haichuan had someone call for Ye Lan again. Ye Lan responded to the person, handed the hot tea in his hand to Jiang Chi, and said hurriedly, "Hold this for me, I'll talk to you later."

Jiang Chi blankly held Ye Lan's barely-touched hot tea. In just a few seconds, the tiny bit of unhappiness in his heart vanished into thin air.

Jiang Chi coughed, criticizing himself. His thoughts and actions just now were unprofessional and undedicated to the extreme! Ye Lan was an artist, dedicated to his craft; it was just acting.

Besides, Ye Lan had told him long ago that he never takes advantage of others while filming. Ye Lan was a man of his word, how could he possibly go back on it?!

Jiang Chi, who had been taken advantage of countless times, happily held Ye Lan's hot tea and sat down, waiting for Ye Lan to finish filming and tell him what he was going to say "later."