Jiang Chi stayed at his father's house for only one day. The next day, he flew to another city for a promotional event. He only rested for two days in between. Less than a week after the Lantern Festival, it was time for him to return to the crew.

On the day he returned to the crew, Geng Tian specially set aside the entire day to accompany Jiang Chi.

Jiang Chi knew he was busy around the New Year and felt a bit embarrassed. "It's not my first time joining a crew, and I'm already familiar with everyone. I don't even need to greet them when I get there... and I won't have time to. I have a scene today as soon as I arrive."

Geng Tian, feeling guilty, gave a dry laugh. "Why be so polite with me? I haven't visited you on set much. Coincidentally, I don't have much to do these two days, so I'll go with you. It's not long until you wrap up filming. If I don't go now, I won't have the chance."

Li Weili was sitting in the front passenger seat playing on his phone. Hearing this, he turned his head and smiled. "Brother Geng, don't worry! We're doing great on the crew. The production is willing to spend money; the hotel we're staying at is better than any before, and the staff is well-equipped. It's very professional. It's just... the conditions on set fluctuate. During the coldest period, we happened to be filming outdoor scenes all day. We were freezing to death."

Geng Tian smiled. "It's good enough that the hotel is decent. When people like Ren Haichuan film movies, shooting is the top priority. If the set is in some wasteland, forget about choosing a hotel; you'd have to stay even in a farmhouse."

Li Weili sighed. "I used to think filming movies was so high-end. When the conditions are bad, it's not even as good as when Brother Jiang first started out filming TV dramas."

"What do you know." Geng Tian glanced at Li Weili. "The bigger the director and the higher-level the team, the less they'll try to please the actors. You have to put up with any condition... It was quite cold a while ago. It's been tough on you two."

Li Weili shook his head while playing on his phone. "It was tough on me! Brother Jiang has someone looking out for him... The crew usually prepares the best lounge for Film Emperor Ye, with heating, hot drinks, and beautiful women. Film Emperor Ye always asks Brother Jiang to go to his lounge; it's spacious and warm."

Geng Tian's heart skipped a beat, and he looked at Jiang Chi uneasily.

Jiang Chi was looking down at his script and didn't reply, but the corners of his mouth held a hint of a smile. It was clear he was secretly happy.

Geng Tian started to panic.

He had come this time, supposedly to visit the set, but actually to find a chance to confirm if Jiang Chi knew about the Starlight matter.

Now, hearing from Li Weili about how Ye Lan and Jiang Chi were getting along, he was ninety percent sure that Jiang Chi knew.

When those two were together... could they have already talked it out?

Geng Tian was flustered. He turned his head to carefully examine Jiang Chi's expression but became uncertain again. Having known him for years, he knew Jiang Chi wasn't the type to suppress his temper and feign civility with him.

Geng Tian prayed inwardly, clinging to a sliver of hope, and decided to follow the crew for a day to see how things were before doing anything else.

The group went to the hotel first. A bellboy came to help with the suitcases. Li Weili got out of the car to handle Jiang Chi's luggage at the hotel, while Jiang Chi and Geng Tian went directly to the film set.

The set wasn't far from the hotel. When Jiang Chi arrived, he didn't see Ye Lan. He heard from a crew member that they were filming a supporting actor's scene over there. Jiang Chi nodded, looked around, and asked, "Where's Teacher Ye? Is he in the lounge?"

"Right here."

Ye Lan's voice came from behind. Jiang Chi turned his head and saw Ye Lan, wearing a pair of huge sunglasses and a very cool-looking overcoat, walking over with his assistant.

Ye Lan hooked his sunglasses down a bit, looked at Jiang Chi, and said with satisfaction, "You really have grown a year older. You've learned to be good. You know to look for me first thing when you come to the set."

It was embarrassing enough that Ye Lan had heard him looking for him as soon as he got back. Now, being teased like this by Ye Lan, Jiang Chi felt a little shy and stammered, "Brother Ye Lan... Happy New Year."

"The first month of the lunar year is almost over, and you're still wishing me a happy new year?" Ye Lan smiled. "Have you looked at the scene for later? I'll tell you a secret in advance: Ren Haichuan has been on a short fuse these past few days, yelling at anyone he can get his hands on. Your first scene back is a major one. If you don't act well, he'll chew you out."

"I have, I have." Jiang Chi had mulled over this scene in his mind many times and had discussed it with Ren Haichuan before. But having not seen Ye Lan for several days, he still wanted to talk with him more. Jiang Chi pursed his lips and tentatively asked, "But maybe my understanding isn't quite on point. Could you... could you run lines with me?"

These past few days alone on set, Ye Lan had been either filming or bickering with Ren Haichuan for fun. It was dull and boring. Now that Jiang Chi was here, he was in an excellent mood and became more talkative. He took off his sunglasses, handed them to his assistant, and smiled. "What? Are you asking me to give you some special tutoring?"

Jiang Chi looked at the people around them, his ears gradually turning red... 'These people probably think I'm being really shameless, right?'

But he really, really missed Ye Lan.

He had started missing him on the day of the Lantern Festival and had been missing him for so many days. If it weren't for the promotional events he couldn't cancel, he would have returned to the crew long ago.

Jiang Chi brazenly nodded. "Mhm."

Let them say he was riding on coattails.

"My special tutoring isn't so easy to get." Ye Lan looked at Jiang Chi contentedly and smiled. "Call me Daddy."

Jiang Chi: "..."

Jiang Chi thought of that password-protected red envelope he never ended up claiming. His two ears, bit by bit, turned completely red against his will.

'Ye Lan couldn't possibly... really make him call him... that in front of so many people... right...'

Ye Lan burst out laughing with a "pfft" and reached out to vigorously ruffle Jiang Chi's hair. "Just teasing you. Look how scared you are... Go get your makeup done first, before Elder Ren comes over and chews you out for not being in the right state of mind." After saying that, Ye Lan went back to his own dressing room.

Blushing, Jiang Chi scratched his hair. He quietly let out a sigh of relief, yet his heart felt a little tingly. Li Weili wasn't around, and he didn't want to trouble a crew member, so he went to find the makeup artist himself. He looked up and saw Geng Tian staring at him with a pale face. He froze for a moment, then hurriedly explained, "Don't misunderstand, don't misunderstand. Brother Ye Lan wasn't bullying me. He... he just likes to joke like that, really."

Geng Tian shook his head weakly. He didn't need Jiang Chi's explanation; even if he were blind, he could see that Ye Lan obviously wasn't bullying Jiang Chi.

That's why he was even more terrified...

Unaware of the underlying situation, Jiang Chi comforted Geng Tian with a few words before going to get his makeup done.

In the dressing room, Jiang Chi met the new actor playing the bartender, He Yi.

Jiang Chi politely greeted He Yi. He Yi quickly stood up and smilingly exchanged a few pleasantries with Jiang Chi.

Just as Cen Wen had said, He Yi and Tong Yizhe were not cut from the same cloth at all. He wasn't old, but he wasn't flighty. He was quiet and calm, but it was said that during his audition, he was very bewitching and alluring. It seemed his acting skills were excellent.

He Yi was also getting his makeup done. He would occasionally chat with his wife via voice message. After putting down his phone, he smiled at Jiang Chi. "My wife is a huge fan of yours. I just told her you've joined the crew, and now she's nagging me to get an autograph from you."

"Really?" Jiang Chi quickly smiled. "Of course, of course. What is your wife's surname? I'll write a little more."

Jiang Chi borrowed a pen from the makeup artist and signed a personalized message for He Yi on the spot.

Before joining the crew, He Yi had heard about the Tong Yizhe incident. The internet was flooded with true and false rumors. Some people said Jiang Chi had a bad temper and couldn't tolerate a male actor of the same age who was better-looking than him in the same crew, so he had pushed Tong Yizhe out. There were all sorts of rumors. He Yi had initially been apprehensive, but he hadn't expected Jiang Chi to be so easy to talk to. In contrast, Ye Lan, with whom he had already filmed a few scenes, was always cold and aloof. But he was a film emperor, so it was normal for him to be unapproachable. He Yi didn't take it to heart.

After his makeup was done, Jiang Chi happily went to look for Ye Lan for his "special tutoring." Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Before he even reached Ye Lan's lounge, he heard a crew member say that the scene over there was already finished. The director, cameramen, and others had already moved to the next location, and he was being told to go over as well.

Jiang Chi was filled with regret, but there was nothing he could do. He could only follow the crew member to the filming location.

"Jiang Chi's here?"

After not seeing him for several days, the wrinkles between Ren Haichuan's brows had deepened. It was clear how difficult the past few days of filming had been. He looked up at Jiang Chi, and without a single extraneous word, asked, "Are you ready?"

Jiang Chi took a light breath, glanced at Ye Lan who had also just arrived and was sitting to one side looking at the storyboard, and nodded. "I'm ready."

This scene was the one where Jiang Chi walks in on Ye Lan flirting with the bartender.

It had been filmed once before. Although the setting had been slightly modified, the lines were basically unchanged. There wasn't much to say. The difficult part was for Jiang Chi to immediately adjust his state of mind, get into character quickly, and release the repressed emotions of this scene.

Ye Lan's flirting scene with the bartender had long since been completed. The focus of the day's shots was mainly on Jiang Chi. Ye Lan and He Yi were basically background props with no close-ups, making it much easier for them than for Jiang Chi.

The set was ready. The two background props, Ye Lan and He Yi, were leaning against the door of a wine cabinet, their actions ambiguous.

The previous bedroom door, bathroom door, fitting room door, and today's wine cabinet door—throughout the entire drama, Ren Haichuan had various doors appear in shots numerous times, using them as symbolic allusions to invisible elements like "coming out of the closet" and "deep in the closet," marking them in the plot.

Jiang Chi stood less than ten meters away from the two, separated by a pane of glass.

According to the timeline, at this point, Pei Ran and Zhan Ming have only been together for three months.

The various moments of their honeymoon period seemed like only yesterday.

Zhan Ming had been absent-minded recently and wasn't as passionate toward Pei Ran as before. Pei Ran had always thought it was because Zhan Ming's work was gradually getting on track, leaving him overwhelmed.

It was at this moment that he walked in on Zhan Ming having an affair with someone else.

"The Scum, Scene 21, Shot 1, Take 1! Action!"

Ye Lan pinned He Yi against the wine cabinet, asking with a smile, "Didn't you say I'd definitely be drunk after three glasses? Well? Am I drunk or not?"

He Yi frowned in pain from Ye Lan's rough action, then his lips curved into a smile. "You're not. So you were doing it on purpose? Young Master Zhan, where are your hands going?"

Ye Lan's hand had already slipped inside He Yi's shirt. He Yi suddenly arched his back, begging for mercy with a smile...

The camera slowly panned up. Amidst the sound of their playful laughter, it moved from above Ye Lan and He Yi's heads all the way to the room's ceiling. The camera then pivoted one hundred and eighty degrees, panning back down from the ceiling to cut to Jiang Chi on the other side. It slowly moved from a wide shot to a medium shot, then to a medium close-up, finally settling on a close-up of Jiang Chi.

Jiang Chi's eyes trembled slightly. It was unclear how long he had been watching.

A few seconds later, his eyes moved violently, and his whole being was like someone waking from a long dream.

Jiang Chi slowly, incredulously, looked at the pieces of furniture before him.

This was Zhan Ming's home, not his.

It never was.

This was Zhan Ming's heart.

He had never once walked into it.

Pei Ran had been living in a pipe dream for over a decade, and today, he had finally woken up.

Jiang Chi looked at Ye Lan and thought, 'This is the person I've loved for nine years. This is the person I've loved for nine years.'

'If he really fell for someone else, if he really fell for someone else...'

'There's nothing I can do.'

Having a secret crush on someone is too hard.

You have to be ready at any moment to withdraw without a trace.

The camera continued to slowly push in. Jiang Chi turned and slowly walked out of the room.

The camera followed Jiang Chi's footsteps out of the Zhan family's main door. End of scene.

The director could have called "cut" here.

Something unexpected happened on set.

Ren Haichuan hadn't expected Jiang Chi's performance to be even better than before. He was stunned for a moment and forgot to call "cut." Unexpectedly, in the shot, Jiang Chi suddenly turned back around.

Tears welled up in Jiang Chi's eyes, but he didn't cry. He looked at the camera with forbearance for several seconds.

A moment later, Jiang Chi clenched his jaw tightly. Veins popped on his forehead and neck as if he were struggling with some intense pain.

'If the door is left open like this and someone else sees... Zhan Ming will be finished.'

Jiang Chi took a few steps back and gently closed the Zhan family's door.

Leaving the camera with a silent and oppressive door.

"Cut!!!" Ren Haichuan stood up, his eyes shining. He slammed the script down forcefully and said in disbelief, "Absolutely brilliant!"

Outside the door, Jiang Chi couldn't pull himself out of his emotions. He squatted by the entrance, tears streaming down his face.

Ren Haichuan had no time for him. He excitedly had someone call the on-set screenwriter over to discuss the plot. The various departments didn't know if this take counted as a pass, so they all waited in place, not daring to speak.

Li Weili wasn't there, so there was no one to even wrap a coat around Jiang Chi. Jiang Chi leaned alone against the cold wall of the stairwell, trembling all over as if on the verge of collapse. He pressed his eyes tightly, forcing himself to calm down immediately.

"It's only been a few days. How did your acting improve so quickly?"

Jiang Chi's eyes snapped open.

Ye Lan's voice brushed past Jiang Chi's ear.

He unzipped his down jacket, pulled Jiang Chi's entire body into his embrace, and chuckled lightly. "Here's a hug from a film emperor, a reward for your extraordinary performance just now."

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