TF01 33

This film was shot under a closed set.

Since only a rough outline of the plot had been released, and all media interviews were strictly refused during filming, the secrecy surrounding it only made people more curious. In the end, this was just another publicity stunt, but compared to past marketing strategies that relied on gossip and scandals, Ying Ming found this method much more comfortable.

When Shi Yi called him and said he wanted to visit the set, he was surprised.

But he quickly realized that Shi Yi probably had a reason.

“Will it put me in a tough spot?”

He asked directly, knowing that neither he nor Shi Yi liked beating around the bush. Shi Yi hesitated for a moment. “It shouldn’t.”

“Alright, call me when you get here, and I’ll bring you in.”

Ying Ming agreed without fuss, gave Shi Yi the filming location for the next day, and hung up.

Some of the scenes they were shooting were set outdoors rather than confined to a soundstage. This inevitably led to occasional spectators gathering to watch, but since there were only a few outdoor scenes, they had prioritized filming them early. After that, the rest of the shoot would be fully indoors.

When Shi Yi arrived, Ying Ming was in the middle of filming a heated argument with Wang Yiqi.

The director wanted the scene to be intense, pushing them to the point of physical confrontation if necessary.

Because of that, Ying Ming didn’t hear his phone the first time it rang.

It wasn’t until a break between takes that he checked his phone, saw Shi Yi’s missed call, and realized he had already arrived.

“Shi Yi, where are you?”

“A bit east of the intersection, at the spot you mentioned yesterday.”

“Alright.” Ying Ming signaled to an assistant nearby. “I’m going to pick him up.”

The moment he spotted Wang Le standing next to Shi Yi, he immediately understood why Shi Yi had come all this way.

Shi Yi gave him a small, helpless smile. “We’ve been friends since we were kids, couldn’t help it…”

He already felt awkward about doing this, and now that it involved Ying Ming, it felt even more uncomfortable. Fortunately, Ying Ming didn’t make things difficult for him. He just smiled knowingly and led both of them toward the film set.

Although it was a closed set, the restriction mainly applied to media rather than completely barring visitors from approaching the crew.

Some of Wang Yiqi’s fans had also dropped by the set before. As long as they didn’t cause a commotion or disrupt filming, the director and crew would usually turn a blind eye.

But there was no way Shi Yi’s presence could be brushed off like that.

Especially with Wang Le standing next to him.

When Wang Yiqi saw them approaching, he looked like he had seen a ghost. When he noticed Ying Ming walking with them, his expression twisted even further, as if the ghost had suddenly started talking to him. He took a step forward, grabbed Ying Ming, and blurted out, “Did you take the wrong meds?”

Before Ying Ming could respond, Wang Le quickly stepped in. “Yiqi, I need to talk to you about something…”

Ying Ming pulled his sleeve free from Wang Yiqi’s grip. “Since you were the one who started this, you should at least give him an answer. Playing dead isn’t going to cut it.”

Reject him or accept him, whatever it was, it was better to say it clearly than to keep dragging things out.

With Wang Le clinging to his arm, Wang Yiqi couldn’t even vent his frustration at Ying Ming properly. He could only glare at him, full of resentment. “What the hell do you know? It’s not like I don’t want to make things clear.”

He simply couldn’t.

But before he could get the rest of his words out, Wang Le pulled at him, trying to lead him away. Seeing more and more people noticing them, Wang Yiqi didn’t want to make a scene, so he reluctantly went along. As they moved, he turned back and shot a sharp glare at Shi Yi.

There was no way this had nothing to do with him.

Shi Yi caught his look and raised a brow. “Still as hot-tempered as ever.”

It was just an observation, spoken so flatly it barely had any tone at all. Ying Ming glanced at him, chuckled, and said, “If someone set me up, I’d be even angrier.”

He didn’t know exactly what kind of mess Wang Yiqi and Wang Le had between them, but judging by Wang Yiqi’s attitude, he clearly wanted nothing more to do with it.

“Then why did you agree to help me?” Shi Yi asked. Back at the intersection, Ying Ming could have easily refused.

“Some things are better dealt with quickly than left to drag on. Since you came to me, someone else could have brought him to see him too. It was only a matter of time.”

Ying Ming lit a cigarette, took a couple of drags, and leaned against the railing with Shi Yi. They watched Wang Yiqi and Wang Le talking from a distance. They were too far away to hear the conversation, but it was obvious that it wasn’t going well.

Ying Ming shook his head. “Your friend is really stubborn.”

“I’ve never understood why he insists on this so much,” Shi Yi said. “Then again, maybe it’s because I was never part of that world to begin with.”

Shi Yi couldn’t understand why Wang Le was so fixated on Wang Yiqi. There were men everywhere—why hang himself from just one tree?

Ying Ming chuckled. “It’s just a personality thing. It’s got nothing to do with being in or out of the scene. Straight couples fall in and out of love just as hard.”

“Well, that’s never gonna be me.”

Shi Yi shrugged and leaned back against the steps. “Going crazy over love just seems ridiculous.”

Ying Ming glanced at him. “Maybe you just haven’t met someone worth going crazy for.”

“Oh? So you have?”

“I wish.”

Blowing out a long stream of smoke, Ying Ming smiled, a little amused, a little unreadable. “Sometimes, letting yourself go crazy makes life feel a little more real.”

Shi Yi shrugged again. “You don’t need to go crazy to live a real life. There are plenty of other ways.”

They hadn’t spoken much before things seemed to fall apart between Wang Yiqi and Wang Le. The assistant director called for the actors to get into position, and Wang Yiqi took the opportunity to shake off Wang Le and head in their direction. Ying Ming glanced at Shi Yi. “If you’ve got time, try talking some sense into your friend. This isn’t worth it.”

Then he stubbed out his cigarette and joined Wang Yiqi to resume filming from where they left off.

Wang Le stayed frozen in place. Shi Yi didn’t go over either. Since he was already near the set, he leaned against the side and watched the shoot.

The moment the director called action, Wang Yiqi grabbed Ying Ming and shoved him aside. “Fuck you! How long are you gonna drag this bullshit on over some trivial crap? What, are you a fucking woman? We were just fooling around—if it’s fun, we play longer, if not, we leave! You think you’re the only damn person in the world? You really think I have to put up with your shit every damn day?”

It was actually Shi Yi’s first time seeing Wang Yiqi act.

Didn’t feel all that different from his usual self, to be honest. Same punchable attitude, same way of talking.

Ying Ming staggered back a few steps from the shove, frowning as he listened. Then, without a word, he threw a punch.

From where Shi Yi was standing, he couldn’t tell if the hit was real or staged, but Wang Yiqi sold it well, nearly toppling over. He clutched his face and stared at Ying Ming in disbelief. “Are you fucking crazy?”

“If I was really crazy, I’d be using the knife in my pocket instead of my fist. Wanna try me?”

The director called cut.

Wang Yiqi had retreated too far just now, stepping out of the frame. The director called both of them over to explain what kind of emotions would be most appropriate for the scene. Shi Yi watched from the side. Ying Ming’s profile was serious, a stark contrast to his usual demeanor.

In the script’s structure, this scene was about Ying Ming’s character confronting Wang Yiqi after finding out he had been fooling around with multiple lovers. The two hadn’t officially broken up yet, but this was their most intense conflict so far.

Shi Yi watched as they reshot the scene seven or eight times. By the time Ying Ming’s character exploded, his voice was already hoarse.

Oddly enough, the hoarseness made the performance even better.

That raw, almost voiceless intensity was striking, even to Shi Yi, who hadn’t read the script at all. It was compelling, though seeing Wang Yiqi in the scene still made him feel a little off.

Wang Le seemed determined to stay put.

Even when the director called for a break, he didn’t look like he planned to move. As soon as the break was announced, Wang Yiqi disappeared into the makeup trailer, leaving it to the assistant director to fetch him later.

Ying Ming and Shi Yi exchanged a glance. Neither had the energy to untangle this messy emotional drama.

Shi Yi, however, found himself getting a little curious. Leaning against the side, he struck up a conversation with Ying Ming about the movie. “You got the script on you?”

“I do.”

“Lemme take a look.”

He said it so naturally that Ying Ming couldn’t help but chuckle. “The script isn’t supposed to be shared publicly.”

“This doesn’t count as public, does it? Not like I’m leaking it to the paparazzi.”

Shi Yi was completely unbothered, his tone casual. “So that scene just now, was that it? You guys finished it?”

The two had yelled everything they could, thrown punches, and before the director called the final cut, the atmosphere had been a mess.

Watching a shoot felt completely different from watching a finished movie. Just as emotions built up, they would get cut off and reset. Lines were repeated so many times that even Shi Yi was starting to memorize them.

Ying Ming took the bottle of mineral water Shi Yi had opened for him, drank a sip, then stretched his stiff arms. “Not yet. There’s still a kiss scene later, though I’m not sure if we’ll be filming it.”

Shi Yi paused. “Kiss scene?” He repeated it, looking a little surprised. “Between who?”

Ying Ming chuckled. “Who else have you been watching? Of course, it’s between me and Wang Yiqi.”

Today’s most challenging scene was actually this one, but the weather wasn’t exactly cooperating. The sky was slightly overcast, and it was unclear how the director planned to handle it.

Ying Ming spoke about it like it was nothing, but to Shi Yi, it sounded anything but normal. He frowned. “You two have been breaking up for half the day. How the hell does it suddenly turn into a kiss scene?”

That was way too fast.

Ying Ming casually explained, “We didn’t actually break up.” Just then, the makeup artist called him over for a quick touch-up. He turned back and gave Shi Yi a quick nod before heading off. Shi Yi leaned against the side with a frown, watching as Ying Ming finished getting his makeup adjusted and moved into position. Wang Yiqi’s assistant had also pulled him out of the makeup trailer.

While they were setting up, Shi Yi slipped away from the crowd and went to find Wang Le.

“You’ve seen him now. So? Did you two sort things out?”

His tone carried a hint of irritation, though he didn’t seem to notice it himself.

Wang Le looked dazed, clearly shaken. He lifted his head to glance at Shi Yi, then shook his head. “No. He won’t listen to my explanation.”

The man standing across from him let out a dry chuckle. “So what’s your plan now?”

“I want to wait until he finishes filming and talk to him again.” Wang Le’s stance was firm, like he had already made up his mind.

Shi Yi’s irritation flared up even more. He frowned, then said bluntly, “Suit yourself. Wait here all you want. I’m leaving.”

He didn’t bother seeing Wang Le’s reaction and turned away.

He had no interest in watching the rest of the shoot.

He didn’t even say goodbye to Ying Ming.