Since that day he had applied a heat patch for Ye Lan, Jiang Chi felt that his relationship with Film Emperor Ye had unknowingly taken another step closer.

In the past, when waiting to film, Ye Lan would never talk much to him. The two would stay in their respective dressing rooms, only getting together when Ren Haichuan was explaining a scene to rehearse their lines. That was pretty much their only interaction outside of filming.

Even when rehearsing lines, Ye Lan was all business, without any unnecessary words. Jiang Chi was too embarrassed and didn't dare to start a conversation, afraid that Ye Lan would find him talkative and annoying.

But now, Ye Lan would proactively call Jiang Chi to his dressing room.

Ye Lan's dressing room was usually more spacious than Jiang Chi's, and the conditions inside were much better—Ye Lan came to the set with at least two RVs every day. His two assistants could practically move everything Ye Lan used in a day to the set to deal with Film Emperor Ye's various whims and discomforts.

At first, the two assistants were also quite surprised by Jiang Chi's frequent visits to Ye Lan's dressing room and RVs. Ye Lan was originally quite resistant to outsiders entering his personal space. Outsiders didn't know, but his personal assistant knew just how difficult the outwardly polite and courteous Film Emperor Ye was to serve in private. Ye Lan probably had some self-awareness, knowing that he was a far cry from the gentlemanly image he and his team had crafted for him, so he was very careful about protecting his privacy.

But Jiang Chi was an exception. On the set, besides Ren Haichuan, he was the only one who was always called over by Ye Lan, coming in and out of Ye Lan's dressing room.

"The assistants are all in the RVs, and it's boring being in the room by myself." After calling Jiang Chi to his room, Ye Lan stood up, gave his chair to Jiang Chi, yawned, and sat down on the other side. "You... why is your script so thick?"

"I've clipped some of my own annotations and a mini-biography inside." Jiang Chi picked up Ye Lan's jacket, which was spread on the chair, folded it, and set it aside before sitting down. He said, "I went to ask before I came over. We should be able to start filming in another hour."

"Ugh..." Ye Lan looked at the time, helpless. "We're going to be fucking filming until midnight again."

Jiang Chi smiled and comforted him, "In two more days, we'll be going to Pingnan. There will be almost no more outdoor scenes... I heard the conditions there are pretty good. The filming location isn't far from the hotel, and the air is much better than here."

Ye Lan gave a half-smile. "Don't get happy too soon. We'll be with the crew all day then. Right now, we still have a bit of our own time and can occasionally go out with friends. Once we get there, it'll be like being in solitary confinement."

But Jiang Chi didn't mind. As long as he was with Ye Lan, he was happy to do anything. The hotel in Pingnan had been booked long ago. He had checked; he and Ye Lan were staying on the same floor, with just one room separating them.

"Rehearse our lines?" Jiang Chi looked at the slight redness at the corners of Ye Lan's eyes. "Did you not rest well last night?"

They had wrapped up filming a little after eleven last night. After getting home, it wouldn't have been past midnight, so it wasn't too late.

"Do I look pale?" Ye Lan looked in the mirror and rubbed his neck. "After wrapping up last night, a friend dragged me out to have fun. I didn't get home until three in the morning and came over after sleeping for less than two hours."

Ye Lan called his assistant for coffee. Jiang Chi sighed internally. He hadn't known before, but after this period of interaction, he discovered that his idol's schedule was extremely unhealthy. He always stayed up late at night for one reason or another and still had to get up early for filming the next day. His lifestyle habits were also bad; he smoked and liked to drink.

Fortunately, he was blessed by the heavens. Despite tormenting his body like this, the thirty-two-year-old Ye Lan's figure and skin remained firmly at their peak. Compared to when he first debuted, aside from losing a bit of youthful awkwardness and gaining a bit more charm in his demeanor, ten years hadn't diminished this man's good looks in the slightest. Tempered by the years, he had become even more captivating.

For the scenes in Pingnan, Ye Lan had been growing his hair out. Usually, when filming, the makeup artist would comb his hair back so it wasn't noticeable. Now, without any hair gel, his slightly long bangs hung down, half-covering his eyes, adding a sudden touch of sexiness.

"Ahem..." Jiang Chi shook his head, forcing himself to refocus his attention. He suggested, "If you're tired, I can call my assistant over. I'll rehearse my lines with him while you watch?"

Ye Lan smiled. "No need... I left my script at home. Let me see yours."

Jiang Chi nodded and handed his script to Ye Lan.

Ye Lan flipped to the scene they were about to film, glanced at it, and then closed the script—both of them had already memorized their lines long ago and could recall them with a moment's thought.

When the assistant, Cen Wen, brought the coffee, the two were rehearsing their lines back and forth. Cen Wen didn't dare to interrupt. She placed the coffee to one side and stood there, waiting to see if Ye Lan had any other requests.

"I've noticed..." Ye Lan looked at Cen Wen. Cen Wen quickly handed him the coffee. Ye Lan took it but didn't drink, his brows furrowing slightly. "Is it because this is just a rehearsal and not a formal performance? Your line delivery is..."

Ye Lan didn't continue.

Jiang Chi's heart tightened... His line delivery really wasn't good.

When filming idol dramas, it could still be fixed with post-production dubbing, but now, with the requirement for live audio recording, he could only rely on his on-site performance.

It was fine when acting in steady, stable scenes, but once it came to scenes with large emotional fluctuations, Jiang Chi would occasionally fail to deliver his lines properly. Sometimes his voice was too soft, and sometimes it would crack.

Ye Lan took a sip of coffee, took out his phone to play with, and seemed to have no intention of continuing their rehearsal.

Jiang Chi sat awkwardly in his chair, instantly becoming tense and uncomfortable.

Was Ye Lan... disappointed in him?

Being scolded a hundred times by Ren Haichuan in front of everyone couldn't make Jiang Chi feel as concerned and pained as this one hesitant glance from Ye Lan.

The excitement and enthusiasm from being called over to rehearse lines was doused by this basin of cold water, chilling him to the bone.

There was nothing more depressing and sad than disappointing the person you like and having them look down on you.

Why... am I so useless?!

Ye Lan looked down at his phone, slowly drinking his coffee.

Jiang Chi was on pins and needles, feeling that he was completely superfluous and in the way here.

"Brother Ye Lan, I..."

Jiang Chi took a light breath.

He had put in so much effort... finally getting the chance to be in the same shot as Ye Lan, was it just to let Ye Lan know how terrible he was?

Jiang Chi mustered a great deal of courage and said in a low voice, "Can I try again? My line delivery is indeed not good, but I'll do my best! I'll do my best to keep up with your acting..."

Ye Lan looked up, paused for a moment, then closed the webpage on his browser. Cen Wen was standing behind Ye Lan, and with her sharp eyes, she saw that Ye Lan was using his phone to search for Jiang Chi's filmography since his debut.

Ye Lan nodded. "Alright, again."

Jiang Chi pinched the corner of his clothes. He had just recited one line when Ye Lan frowned and interrupted, "Stop."

Jiang Chi felt as if he had plunged into an ice cellar; his entire heart went cold.

Ye Lan tossed his phone aside, leaned his upper body forward slightly, and pressed a hand on Jiang Chi's lower abdomen.

Jiang Chi: "!"

Ye Lan said lightly, "Say it again."

Jiang Chi's heart was pounding nervously. He tried his best to calm his breathing, concentrated, and recited the line again.

Ye Lan sneered, "The muscles in your lower abdomen are all loose... You're not using your diaphragm for these lines, just shouting with your throat? During the actual filming, aren't you afraid of your voice cracking and breaking?"

Jiang Chi quickly sank his breath, took a deep breath, and recited the line again.

"Don't take such a huge breath. Do you need to strike a pose before you recite your lines?" Ye Lan's long fingers were still pressed against Jiang Chi's lower abdomen as he frowned. "Again."

Jiang Chi held his breath, raising the air from his lower dantian to his upper dantian, and recited the line once more.

Ye Lan let go of Jiang Chi, leaned back in his chair, took a sip of coffee, and smiled. "Much better."

Jiang Chi let out a long sigh of relief—his back was soaked with sweat.

Jiang Chi belatedly started to feel embarrassed. He secretly glanced at Cen Wen, and only relaxed a little when he saw her expression was normal. He said sincerely to Ye Lan, "Thank you, Brother Ye Lan. I... I'll definitely practice properly in the future. I haven't really practiced my lines since graduation. I've been too complacent."

Ye Lan chuckled. "It's like that nowadays... But if you want to develop in a good direction, it's best to have higher standards for yourself."

Jiang Chi quickly nodded in acceptance. "Yes."

The assistant director knocked on the door and said with a smile, "Is Jiang Chi here again? The makeup artist has been looking for you for a while. It's time to go back for makeup. We'll start filming in a bit."

Jiang Chi quickly agreed. He was about to walk out when he thought for a moment, then, with a slightly red face, said sincerely to Ye Lan, who was looking down at his phone, "Thank you for teaching me, Brother Ye Lan."

Ye Lan didn't look up, just smiled and waved his hand, telling him to hurry and get his makeup done.

Jiang Chi felt a great sense of relief and left happily.

Before the dressing room door was fully closed, Jiang Chi heard Cen Wen laugh from inside, "Why were you so strict just now? You scared Fresh Meat Jiang so much his face turned pale."

Ye Lan seemed to think his assistant was being unreasonable and said speechlessly, "When did I scare him?!"

Outside the door, Jiang Chi wanted to cry but had no tears. So that was just Film Emperor Ye's normal state? He himself had been scared enough to pee his pants, okay?!

But... Jiang Chi touched his own stomach, feeling a little shy.

Ye Lan was so close to him just now!

The way Ye Lan had pressed his palm on his lower abdomen, his sharp gaze making him repeat his lines—just recalling it was enough to make his legs go weak.

That suffocating sense of pressure had almost been too much for Jiang Chi to escape from.

Jiang Chi shook his head hard, cursing himself for being a masochist, and hurried back to his dressing room.

Inside the room, Cen Wen held back her laughter. "Do you not know how scary you are when you put on a serious face? Jiang Chi seems to respect you a lot. When you were ignoring him just now, he was so restless. He looked quite pitiful."

Ye Lan didn't reply. He put the empty coffee cup on the table. Noticing that Jiang Chi hadn't taken his script, he picked it up casually.

As expected, the script was filled with notes stuck here and there. Ye Lan flipped through it, and when he reached the last page, his fingertips paused.

On the last page of Jiang Chi's script, next to all sorts of messy annotations, a line of small characters was written:

Lying late at night, I listen to the wind and rain; iron horses and a frozen river enter my dreams.