After taking Ye Lan home, Jiang Chi got out of the car to smoke a cigarette, using North City's dry, cold night wind to cool his face.

A drunk Ye Lan was like walking hormones. After spending half an hour with him in the car, Jiang Chi's head felt a little dizzy.

After being in the cold wind for a while, Jiang Chi sobered up a bit. He patted his face, got in the car, and headed home. It was already past two, so he needed to rest immediately.

Tomorrow's scene was very important. At a critical moment, he absolutely couldn't screw up.

Fortunately, he had no scenes the next morning. In the afternoon, there was an outdoor scene for Ye Lan which didn't involve Jiang Chi. In the evening, the two of them had a scene together. Nevertheless, Jiang Chi still went to the set early the next day.

Most of the crew members were out on location. A few scattered stagehands were moving things on set. The lighting director and the Assistant Director were adjusting the lights, and their two lighting stand-ins were already in position. Seeing Jiang Chi arrive, they stood up to greet him. The Assistant Director came over with a smile, "Jiang Chi, you're really early. Director Ren and Teacher Ye probably won't be here for another hour. Would you like to do your makeup first? But..."

The Assistant Director said with difficulty, "I'm so sorry, your dressing room isn't ready yet. We're a little short-staffed here, and Director Ren will be here soon. It's still a mess, everyone's in a hurry, and we can't find a suitable room... Can I have them set up a temporary partition for you here with a curtain? I'm really so sorry..."

Jiang Chi's assistant, Li Weili, frowned upon hearing this and said, "There are people coming and going here..."

Jiang Chi, however, didn't mind. He said, "It's fine, I'm the one who came early. No need to set up a partition, let's not affect the lighting. Just have the makeup artist come over. I can watch the stand-ins' blocking here and familiarize myself with it beforehand."

The Assistant Director let out a sigh of relief, pressing his palms together. "I'm so sorry. I'll definitely prepare it for you in advance next time. Hey, you... go, hurry and call for makeup. Teacher Jiang is already here."

The Assistant Director hurried off to get busy again. Jiang Chi smiled at Li Weili, "Alright, what's there to be angry about? Have you forgotten the time I used to do my makeup sitting on a haystack?"

"How can that be the same?!"

Li Weili had been with Jiang Chi for three years, and had watched him go from an 18th-tier nobody to an A-lister, step by step. Jiang Chi had exploded in popularity this year, and his own treatment had improved a lot along with it. He was used to being fawned over. Coming here and seeing that people didn't really treat Jiang Chi as a big deal, he had long been holding in his anger. He muttered in a low voice, "The conditions are so inconsistent. When they're bad, there isn't even a break room. Now they're having you do your makeup right here. What's next..."

"Don't talk nonsense." Jiang Chi gently chided Li Weili and said in a low voice, "It's normal for conditions on set to vary greatly. It's not like we're shooting in a studio. We shoot wherever the location is, so the conditions will naturally be inconsistent."

Li Weili said indignantly, "Then why did they prepare Film Emperor Ye's first..."

"Shh..."

A set of footsteps came from the hallway. Jiang Chi quickly gave Li Weili a look, and Li Weili immediately shut his mouth.

Ren Haichuan and Ye Lan had arrived.

A set with these two big shots present and one without them was two completely different spaces. As soon as the group entered, the movements of all the staff on set instantly doubled in speed. The two stagehands who had been hiding behind a curtain, snickering and chatting, instantly fell silent and began checking the schedule with serious expressions. Jiang Chi's makeup artist came over at a trot, pushing a makeup case, apologizing profusely to Jiang Chi while calling for an assistant to help.

Ren Haichuan was discussing the scene with Ye Lan as they walked. His brows were tightly knitted and he spoke quickly. His voice wasn't particularly stern, but Ren Haichuan himself was the type who commanded respect without being angry. Jiang Chi always felt nervous whenever he listened to him discuss a scene.

In contrast, Ye Lan was much more composed than Jiang Chi. He wore a pair of huge sunglasses, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, looking completely relaxed. He would nod from time to time, occasionally let out a laugh, and offer a few words in response.

Jiang Chi pretended to be looking down at his phone, but his peripheral vision was fixed on Ye Lan.

Watching Ye Lan listen to the director discuss the scene; watching Ye Lan hand the cigarette butt to his assistant and take the coffee his assistant had just bought for him; watching him banter with Ren Haichuan with a straw in his mouth, then laughing out loud after being scolded by him; watching him wave a hand at Ren Haichuan, gesturing to talk later, and then walk over alone...

Walked over?!

Jiang Chi instantly became alert.

He didn't quite dare to look up. In his peripheral vision, Ye Lan approached step by step, stopping when he was a meter away.

Jiang Chi remained outwardly calm, secretly swallowing.

"Why are you doing your makeup here?" Ye Lan smiled as he looked at Jiang Chi. "What's wrong, little one? We just got a little familiar last night, and now you're being shy again?"

"No, no." Jiang Chi gestured for the makeup artist to wait, stood up, and said reservedly, "I was just... just thinking about the scene. I didn't notice you'd arrived."

Ye Lan looked around, took a sip of his coffee, and asked, "Where's your dressing room?"

Jiang Chi explained briefly, saying, "It's perfect, actually. Watching everyone work here is better than being bored in my own dressing room."

"You're certainly good-tempered." Ye Lan smiled and said to Jiang Chi's makeup artist, "Go to my dressing room. What's the meaning of doing it here?"

The makeup artist was stunned for a moment, then quickly bowed in thanks. "Thank you, Teacher Ye, thank you, thank you. Teacher Jiang?"

Jiang Chi's tongue got tied. Prompted by the makeup artist, he stammered, "Will... will it bother you? I actually..."

"Bother me how? My dressing room is big. It's just right for Director Ren to come over and discuss the scene." After saying this, Ye Lan walked off on his own. Suppressing the little thrill in his heart, Jiang Chi followed Ye Lan, one after the other, to his dressing room.

The two were supposed to go over their lines while getting their makeup done, but unexpectedly, the crew had a pre-scheduled interview. Ye Lan was called away, leaving Jiang Chi alone in the dressing room to read the script.

Jiang Chi sat in the makeup chair, looked around Ye Lan's huge dressing room, and let out a soft breath.

Jiang Chi picked up the script.

He had been flipping through the script for months, and its corners were already frayed. On the shaky cover, which looked like it was in danger of falling off, were two large characters: The Scum.

"The Scum," originally titled "Who Hasn't Liked a Few Scumbags When They Were Young," took its meaning from the decade-plus emotional entanglement of the two male leads in the story.

In the movie, Ye Lan played Zhan Ming, and Jiang Chi played Pei Ran.

At the beginning of the movie, the teenage actor playing young Zhan Ming cornered a classmate who had torn up Pei Ran's workbook in an alley. Without saying a word, he smashed a beer bottle directly over the person's head.

In the story, Pei Ran, played by Jiang Chi, and Zhan Ming were childhood friends. Pei Ran was gay through and through and had liked Zhan Ming since he was young. As a child, he did his homework for him and covered for him with the teacher. When they grew up, he took drinks for him and settled his ex-girlfriends. He looked after Zhan Ming diligently and devotedly. Unfortunately, Zhan Ming was fated to be a womanizer; he was a passionate man. Over more than ten years, people came and went from his side without end, but it was never Pei Ran.

Pei Ran had tried to give up hope several times, but Zhan Ming was genuinely good to him. He fought for him in school and planned for him after they started working. From childhood to adulthood, whenever something concerned Pei Ran, Zhan Ming was always the first to step up.

An accident led Zhan Ming to discover that Pei Ran was gay. Out of novelty and impulse, Zhan Ming, who only thought with his lower body, proposed to Pei Ran: "Since you like guys anyway, why don't you try it with me?"

At that time, Zhan Ming didn't know that Pei Ran had been in love with him for many years.

This "trial" lasted only a few months.

After seeing Zhan Ming being intimate with another boy with his own eyes, Pei Ran completely realized what a huge mistake he had made.

Pei Ran, gentle on the outside but strong on the inside, resolutely cut off all contact with Zhan Ming.

The scene to be filmed tonight was one where, many years after their breakup, Zhan Ming finally finds Pei Ran, who had moved far away, and begs him to get back together.

Jiang Chi had already memorized the lines until he knew them by heart. There weren't many words; the focus was on the emotional performance. In the story, this was their second meeting after reuniting.

There was less of the shock and anger from their first meeting, and more restraint and forbearance regarding their past feelings. Jiang Chi was the main focus of this scene.

Ren Haichuan and Ye Lan, having finished the brief interview, pushed the door open and walked in. The two were still discussing something in low voices. Ren Haichuan's brows were slightly furrowed, while Ye Lan looked unconcerned, smiling in surprise, "Their schedule clashes with mine, are they crazy?"

Ren Haichuan: "..."

Ren Haichuan couldn't be bothered with Ye Lan and walked directly toward Jiang Chi. Before Jiang Chi could exchange pleasantries, Ren Haichuan said, "Let's talk while you get your makeup done."

"In your heart," Ren Haichuan sat to the side, calmed his mind, and said slowly after a moment of silence, "you still like him. You like him, and you also hate him. Because you like him, you in turn hate yourself for being so pathetic."

Jiang Chi nodded.

"In a bit, your emotions need to be very expressive, but I'm not asking you to simply express anger. The source of your pain and madness is that even after everything that has happened, you still can't control your feelings for him. You're fighting with yourself." Ren Haichuan looked into Jiang Chi's eyes. "You've had a crush on him for over ten years. Have you ever had a crush on someone?"

Sitting to the side, Ye Lan looked over with great interest. Jiang Chi's face instantly turned red, and he nodded.

"Good." Ren Haichuan pointed at Ye Lan and said, "Imagine he's the person you have a crush on. In a moment... the anger is directed at him, but the grief and indignation are directed at yourself. The latter is the main point, alright?"

Jiang Chi took a light breath and said, "Understood."

Ren Haichuan looked at Ye Lan and said, "I just talked to you about your part. This scene is Jiang Chi's focus, an emotional turning point. Pay attention, don't steal the scene. Just express your part well. You don't need to be brilliant."

Ye Lan smiled. "What are you saying? Me, steal the scene?"

Ren Haichuan looked at Jiang Chi. "I'll be blunt. You can't match Ye Lan's acting right now, so when it's your key scene, he has to hold back a bit. Don't overthink it, just perform well."

If he were talking to another 'fresh meat', Ren Haichuan would never say such a thing. Not only would it offend the person, but who knows how many people would twist his words and start rumors behind his back. Having spent a considerable amount of time with Jiang Chi, Ren Haichuan knew he was a sensible person, so he spoke more and more frankly.

Jiang Chi naturally understood and said sincerely, "I understand what you mean. The gap between Brother Ye Lan's acting skills and mine is too big. I can only do my best."

Ye Lan was long accustomed to being praised, but hearing this sentence made him feel inexplicably comfortable for some reason. He picked up the script and flipped through it, suddenly interrupting, "The kiss scene later... are we doing it for real?"

Jiang Chi: "..."

Which book said that you don't remember anything from before you sobered up?!

Ren Haichuan's brows knitted together, his tone unfriendly. "What's wrong? You want to use a camera angle to fake it?!"

"Of course not." Ye Lan leaned against the makeup table, hands in his pockets, and licked his lips. "Just asking you, when I force a kiss on him later, should I French kiss him or not?"

Jiang Chi roared silently in his heart, 'What is Film Emperor Ye doing?!'

Ren Haichuan said with a cold face, "Decide for yourself based on the situation."

Ye Lan burst out laughing. "How embarrassing. What if I happen to use my tongue later? It would look like I did it on purpose."

Ren Haichuan gave Ye Lan an incredulous glare, wondering where this flirtatious streak of his came from today. Out of sight, out of mind, Director Ren turned and left.

A smile played on Ye Lan's lips. He turned to look at Jiang Chi, suppressing a laugh. "What should we do? Director Ren didn't say whether to French kiss or not... What do you say? This is your main scene. I'll listen to you."

Listen to him listen to him listen to him...

Jiang Chi's head was spinning. With a bright red face, he tried his best to stay clear-headed, his voice barely audible. "You... you can decide."

After saying those few words, Jiang Chi was so ashamed that even his ears turned completely red.

"I say... hahaha, alright, I'll stop teasing you." Ye Lan couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing. "I won't bully you. At most, I'll just bite you a couple of times later, nothing more."

Ye Lan sat down in his own makeup chair, sizing up Jiang Chi's little face, which looked like it was about to die from shame and indignation, and laughed silently to himself.

He had discovered yesterday that this little 'fresh meat' Jiang Chi was just too interesting.