ASFSODS 100

Wen Chi sat in the chair, slightly raising his head, the scent of cosmetics filling his nose, a bit pungent.

“Teacher Wen, here you go, this is the blood packet.” The prop master handed a blood packet, about the size of a pinky finger, to Wen Chi.

The prop blood packets used in film and television productions are usually made with water, honey, and edible red dye, and they can be held in the mouth without causing harm to the body.

Wen Chi took the blood packet and examined it in his hand. Today was his last day on the set.

Suddenly, he felt a bit lost. This was his first time staying in this film set for over a month, and for a moment, he didn’t know what he would do after leaving. What he had said yesterday to Director Xu about going back to rest and lying down for a few days was just empty words.

As he was lost in thought, the makeup artist stepped aside, looking at the boy in the mirror and nodding with satisfaction. “The battle damage makeup on Xiao Chi looks good.”

Wen Chi raised his eyes to the mirror. At that moment, his makeup and hair were completely finished. The boy in the mirror had delicate features and a face covered in scars, yet his face didn’t appear grotesque. Instead, it added a sense of vulnerability and a desire to be protected.

This was Wen Weiyang after the battle at the villa, and also the last version of Wen Weiyang.

Wen Chi stood up, and the costume designer and stylist stepped forward to make a final adjustment before letting him go.

Just then, Jiang Siheng, who was also done with his makeup and hair, walked in. The other actors in the makeup room, upon seeing him, put down what they were doing and turned to greet him.

Wen Chi found it amusing when he saw a hint of helplessness in his boyfriend’s eyes. Although Jiang Siheng had told them before not to greet him with too much formality, the entertainment industry is still a workplace. When it comes to more senior figures, the respect and manners that come with a higher status should not be neglected. If people were to use this as a topic to criticize, it wouldn’t be pleasant for anyone.

Jiang Siheng nodded in acknowledgment. Having been on set for so long, everyone knew he wasn’t here to see them.

“Are you ready?”

They heard Jiang Siheng ask.

“Just a moment.” Wen Chi noticed the stylist straightening up and stepping back. “Alright.”

Jiang Siheng handed Wen Chi the fruit he had cut, and the two walked out of the makeup room side by side.

The door to the makeup room closed behind them. After a while, someone whispered, “I really envy Wen Chi. Jiang Ge treats him so well.”

“Well, they were a ‘couple’ before, so it’s normal for them to have a good relationship.”

“I’ve watched Heart’s Confession 2, and they seemed so real in it. Could they really be dating?”

“Not sure. If they are, then they are. Let’s not gossip, we might get into trouble.”

“To be honest, I don’t think Wen Chi deserves Jiang Ge.”

The people who hadn’t joined the conversation weren’t uninterested, but rather afraid to speak up in case they said the wrong thing. They just leaned in to listen.

When the last remark was made, everyone turned to look at the person who spoke.

Xu Zhouwei sat on the sofa at the back, facing the gazes from everyone. He raised his head and smiled calmly, “Isn’t it so?”

The person who had first brought up the topic awkwardly laughed, “Haha, I don’t know.”

Xu Zhouwei didn’t seem bothered by the act, letting out a soft chuckle, “Isn’t it? Their status difference is too vast. I believe Jiang Ge’s parents and his fans wouldn’t want him to be with Wen Chi.”

One of the female actors, paused from applying lipstick, glanced at Xu Zhouwei with her seductive eye makeup and sneered, “You’re neither his parent nor his fan. How would you know if they don’t like Wen Chi?”

Wen Chi had been in the film crew for over a month, and apart from Xu Zhouwei, he got along well with everyone. After all, who wouldn’t like a polite and well-behaved boy?

So when they heard Xu Zhouwei’s words, which on the surface seemed like analysis but were actually putting Wen Chi down, most of them felt some discomfort.

Xu Zhouwei noticed the shift in the others’ attitudes and stopped speaking. He stood up and left the makeup room.

As soon as Xu Zhouwei stepped out, the female actor sighed, “Sigh, even if Jiang Siheng’s parents don’t approve of Wen Chi, they won’t approve of him either. A toad wanting to eat swan meat.”

Her words were pointed, and everyone knew exactly what she meant.

Wen Chi, who had already arrived at the set, was unaware that the people in the makeup room were discussing him. He stood beside Jiang Siheng, holding the script and reading it. This was his final scene, and there couldn’t be any mistakes.

The crew was still setting up the scene. Jiang Siheng noticed two crew members carrying a large wooden post and grabbed Wen Chi’s wrist, moving him to another spot.

“What are your plans after filming wraps up?”

Wen Chi turned his head to look at Jiang Siheng, then raised his hand and held up three fingers. “The third one.”

Jiang Siheng: “Huh?”

Wen Chi lowered his hand and said, “You’re the third person to ask me this.”

Once the scene was set, Director Xu called everyone to gather. Wen Chi handed the script to Sangsang and walked over with Jiang Siheng.

The scene to be filmed today was about Xie Suiyu and others checking into the villa, noticing the strange behavior of the villa’s owner, and conducting a series of investigations and tests. Wen Weiyang arrives at the villa midway and gets involved in the events there. He and Xie Suiyu’s group are then locked in a secret underground room and unable to escape.

Since they were no longer friends, Wen Weiyang constantly mocked Xie Suiyu and the others. After much difficulty, they manage to leave but are discovered by the villa’s owner. A fierce battle ensues between Xie Suiyu’s group and the villa’s trained assassins.

The assassins had been modified by the villa’s owner, making their bodies nearly indestructible. Later, Zhou Mian discovered their weakness just as she was about to warn everyone. However, Xie Suiyu, entangled with the assassins and the villa’s owner, was too distracted to notice the strange man wearing a black mask. Just as the masked man was about to thrust his hand through Xie Suiyu’s heart, Wen Weiyang stepped in front of him.

Wen Chi turned his head and found Jiang Siheng staring at him intently.

“Teacher Jiang? What’s wrong?”

Jiang Siheng shook his head but then asked, “Could you call me something else?”

Wen Chi responded effortlessly, “Jiang Siheng.”

“…”

Jiang Siheng chuckled in frustration. “Fine.”

This scene had a fight sequence, and some moves required wire work to be executed. When Jiang Siheng saw Wen Chi raise his hand, signaling for the crew to get him ready with the equipment, he slightly furrowed his brows.

The crew member, under Jiang Siheng’s gaze, froze for a moment, unsure whether to continue or not. His hands remained still for a while.

To be honest, he was starting to break into a cold sweat.

Wen Chi glanced helplessly at Jiang Siheng, then turned to the crew member with a smile, “You can continue, don’t mind him.”

Crew member: “…Oh, oh.”

Wen Chi’s body was a bit fragile. The first time he did wire work on set, he looked at himself in the mirror when he got back that night and found his body covered in bruises. At that moment, Jiang Siheng’s brows were furrowed so tightly that he could’ve squished a fly between them. But this was part of the job, so he couldn’t tell Wen Chi to stop doing the wire work.

Once the crew finished, they quickly left. Wen Chi glanced at their fleeing back and couldn’t help but smile.

Actors’ fight scenes have dedicated stunt coordinators who teach them. In addition to ensuring the actions are fluid, they also need to be visually appealing. It’s impossible for a fight scene to just be a chaotic mess with random sword swings from the start.

“Alright, prop team, lighting team… whatever group needs to prepare something, get it ready for me!”

…

Wu Congyan frowned, dodging another attack from an undead assassin. The undead had the clear advantage in numbers, and if they didn’t find their weaknesses soon, it was only a matter of time before they would be at a disadvantage.

His gaze sharpened as he saw an undead assassin charging from the right rear of Jiang Huayuan. Feeling overwhelmed, he could only shout a warning, “A-Yuan, watch out from behind!”

Jiang Huayuan caught the movement from the corner of her eye, and with a quick push of her toes off the ground, she dodged the undead assassin’s attack.

Xie Suiyu didn’t speak. He was testing the undead’s weak points, attacking every part of their bodies, but there was no sign of blood.

“Why do I feel like there are more and more of these monsters?!” Zhou Mian’s face was full of frustration.

Jiang Huayuan’s once delicate makeup and hair were now a little messy. A wound had appeared on her neck, the pale skin marred by an unknown gash. “It’s not that the monsters are multiplying, it’s that we haven’t killed a single one.”

It was because of this that they had the illusion that the undead assassins were endless, a never-ending battle.

“So what do we do? Are we supposed to just keep fighting them forever?”

Xie Suiyu glanced at Wen Weiyang, who had somehow been caught up in this conflict. The latter had remained silent, but Xie Suiyu could tell that Wen Weiyang was already getting impatient.

…

“Alright, cut! Makeup artists, touch up their makeup and hair.”

Wen Chi exhaled, messing with his slightly disheveled hair. He turned and met the gaze of the actress playing Jiang Huayuan. After a brief pause, he smiled.

The actors playing the undead assassins were all extras with a certain level of martial arts training. As soon as Director Xu called “cut,” their movements were smooth and precise.

In fact, the fight scene had already been filmed three or four times. On the fourth take, Director Xu finally seemed satisfied and called for a break. He then walked over to discuss the upcoming scenes with Wen Chi, Jiang Siheng, and the others.

While listening, Wen Chi casually took the blood packet and script that Sang Sang handed him. Director Xu noticed this, looked at Wen Chi, and asked, “You know when to bite into the blood packet, right?”

Wen Chi nodded, “Mm, I know.”

“Good, then everyone can get ready.”

Wen Chi turned and looked at the actor playing the man in the mask. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Please go a bit lighter later.”

The actor playing the masked man gave a helpless smile. “I’m not really going to shove my hand through your heart.”

He paused, then added, “But I can do it.”

…

Zhou Mian seemed to want to confirm what she had just seen and thought. She deliberately led three or four undead assassins toward her. When Xie Suiyu saw this, he couldn’t help but yell in anger, “Zhou Mian, are you crazy?!”

Hearing Xie Suiyu’s words, the others glanced at Zhou Mian from the corner of their eyes.

Zhou Mian, shifting from offense to defense, seemed to ignore Xie Suiyu’s comment and tried to gently lift one of the undead assassin’s hair that hung by his ear.

“Not good!”

Wen Weiyang suddenly interrupted Zhou Mian’s train of thought. Zhou Mian turned her head to look, her gaze sharpening as she became incredulous. “The man in the mask… A-Yu!!!”

Xie Suiyu’s eyes widened slightly. The appearance of the masked man was completely unexpected, and they hadn’t even known he was at the villa.

The undead assassins seemed to follow the orders of the man in the mask. Several of the undead, who had been entangled with Jiang Huayuan and the others, turned and charged toward Xie Suiyu. At the same time, the man in the mask suddenly reappeared in front of Xie Suiyu, the distance between them barely an inch.

A twisted, malicious smile spread across the face hidden behind the mask. It seemed as if he had already imagined the beautiful sight of Xie Suiyu’s death.

As his sharp, knife-like fingers pierced through the warm, life-filled chest, the masked man didn’t show the excitement from before. Instead, the eyes visible behind the mask flickered with a trace of surprise.

Wu Congyan’s eyes widened in disbelief as he watched everything unfold before him. “A-Yang?!!!”

Wen Weiyang, who had somehow appeared out of nowhere and stood in front of Xie Suiyu, seemed to have heard someone calling his name. The pain in his chest was overwhelming, but it was just that—pain. What truly hurt was the sensation of it. He used every ounce of strength to slightly turn his head, as if trying to look back at Xie Suiyu’s expression.

“Xie Suiyu, I don’t want to hate you anymore… It’s fine if I die. If I die, I can reunite with my family. I won’t have to hate you anymore…”

…

Wen Chi quickly bit into the blood packet in his mouth, and “blood” started to spill from the corner of his lips, spreading down to his neck.

Following the script, “Wen Weiyang” was supposed to die in front of “Xie Suiyu,” leaving Xie Suiyu frozen in place. It wasn’t until “Wen Weiyang’s” body slid to the ground that Xie Suiyu, like a marionette with its strings cut, remained motionless.

However, during the recent shot, as Wen Chi followed the script and let his body naturally fall toward the ground, unexpectedly, a pair of hands wrapped around his waist, steadying him.

Huh??? This doesn’t match the script?

Wen Chi turned in surprise to look behind him, and Jiang Siheng was there, his gaze restrained as he looked at him. Wen Chi couldn’t tell if it was just his imagination, but it seemed like he saw a hint of red around Jiang Siheng’s eyes.