ASFSODS 93

The next morning, Wen Chi got up and packed his luggage. After having breakfast with Sangsang and Jin Ge, they checked out of the hotel and went to the hotel arranged by the production team to check in.

Jin Ge glanced at their room cards. They were on the same floor but not next to each other.

Jin Ge asked, “When are we going to the set?”

Wen Chi looked at the chat history with Director Xu, confirmed it, and then said, “We need to be at the set by 2 PM.”

“Then there’s no rush. We can have a meal before heading over.”

Wen Chi hummed in agreement, yawned, and waved his hand, “I’m going to take a nap. Jin Ge, just call me when you’re going to eat.”

Jin Ge and Sangsang stood at the door of Wen Chi’s room, their suitcases still by their feet. Hearing this, Jin Ge said, “It’s rare for you to wake up so early and even have breakfast. You changed hotels and you’re going back to sleep?”

Wen Chi nonchalantly replied, “What else?”

Jin Ge: “…”

Jin Ge held back and said, “As long as you like it.”

Wen Chi glanced at Jin Ge’s expression and chuckled, “Then I’ll go take a nap.”

As soon as he said that, Sangsang immediately added, “Then I’ll go back to sleep too!”

Jin Ge, who rarely took naps after waking up, couldn’t quite understand the thoughts and actions of these young ones.

When Wen Chi arrived at the new hotel room, he couldn’t help but admit that the treatment at Director Xu’s production was really good. In most production teams, unless you’re a major star, you’ll usually get a twin bed standard room, but the rooms they were given were all single rooms, which meant they had their own space. It felt really great.

Although he said he was going to take a nap, Wen Chi actually didn’t sleep for long. After waking up, he played on his phone for a while. At 11:30, Jin Ge called to wake him up and ask him to open the door.

Wen Chi thought Jin Ge was calling him for a meal, but when he opened the door, he saw Jin Ge and Sangsang carrying several takeout bags as they walked in.

Wen Chi stepped aside to let them into the room, then closed the door and looked at them in confusion as they placed the bags on the small coffee table. “What are you doing?”

Jin Ge put his hands on his hips and said, “Eating.”

“Don’t you want to eat out?” Wen Chi flipped through the bags, finding rice, noodles—mostly carbs—but there was one light meal inside.

Wen Chi chose to selectively ignore it, picked up a box of fried noodles, and was about to take a bite when Jin Ge quickly pressed down on Wen Chi’s hand. “That’s not yours.”

Wen Chi blinked, confused. “What do you mean it’s not mine?”

Jin Ge placed the only light meal in front of Wen Chi. “You eat this.”

Wen Chi looked at Jin Ge with a bewildered and pitiful expression, his face showing signs of being emotionally struck. “You never used to treat me like this.”

“Bro, this is for your own good,” Jin Ge said as he gently held Wen Chi’s face, speaking in a very fatherly tone. “If you hadn’t secretly ordered fried skewers last night, I wouldn’t be making you eat light food.”

Wen Chi whispered, “How did you know?”

Jin Ge released Wen Chi and smiled. “Next time, if you’re going to sneak food, remember to throw the trash away afterward.”

Wen Chi obediently nodded, “Got it, I’ll definitely do that next time.”

Jin Ge: “…”

He looked at Wen Chi’s obedient and innocent face, feeling both frustrated and amused. If this were before, he wouldn’t have been so strict, but now that Wen Chi was joining the production, he had to keep an eye on his diet.

Wen Chi eventually ate the light meal, but Jin Ge still picked up some fried noodles and sweet-and-sour pork for him.

Not long after finishing the meal, it was time to head to the set. The script reading was scheduled to start at 1:30 PM. It would take about ten minutes by taxi from the hotel to the film base, so leaving now would get them there just on time.

The drivers around here often take celebrities to the film base, and when they see the destination, they remain calm, showing no excitement despite possibly driving a star.

As Wen Chi walked through the set, his eyes kept scanning the surroundings, clearly searching for someone.

“Wen Chi, come here.”

Hearing someone call his name, Wen Chi lifted his eyes and saw Director Xu not far away, waving at him while holding a small megaphone in his hand.

Wen Chi walked over. “Good afternoon, Director Xu.”

“Good afternoon,” Director Xu said, patting Wen Chi on the shoulder. He smiled at Jin Ge and Sangsang as a greeting, then led Wen Chi to the side and quietly asked, “When is Jiang Siheng coming?”

Wen Chi blinked, surprised that Director Xu would ask him when Jiang Siheng would arrive. He smiled vaguely and said, “I don’t know. How would I know when Teacher Jiang is coming?”

Director Xu looked at Wen Chi and said, “I watched your show, and I thought you two had a pretty good relationship.” After all, not everyone can have Jiang Siheng willingly and proactively bring them to see him.

“We do have a good relationship…” Wen Chi touched his nose.

Director Xu looked at Wen Chi for a few seconds, as if realizing something, then patted his shoulder again. “The script reading will be in the second room on the left down the hallway.”

“Okay, I got it.”

“Director Xu! Teacher Jiang is here.” Xiao Tang ran over excitedly from not far away, standing in front of them and whispering, “I saw him get out of the car.”

“Okay, okay.” Director Xu turned to Wen Chi, thought for a few seconds, and then said, “Wen Chi, help me get the data on my desk. Xiao Tang, go with him. Oh, and take a few extra minutes before coming back.”

After giving the instructions, Director Xu turned and left.

Wen Chi: “…”

Xiao Tang: “…”

Xiao Tang calmly said, “Teacher Wen, you’ll get used to it in the future.”

During the script reading at the set, agents and assistants don’t need to stay with the actors. They can walk around or hang out elsewhere, playing on their phones.

Seeing Director Xu leave, the agent approached Wen Chi and asked, “What did Director Xu just say to you?”

Wen Chi said with a blank expression, “He told me to take a few more minutes to get the data.”

Xiao Tang was holding back a laugh beside him.

Jin Ge looked completely puzzled.

Wen Chi and Xiao Tang walked towards Director Xu’s “temporary” office. Most of the staff in the production team had been working closely with Director Xu, so many of them were familiar with Xiao Tang. Some hadn’t seen Wen Chi before, so when they saw Xiao Tang’s assistant with a handsome and delicate-looking young man, laughing and chatting together, it was clear that they had a good relationship.

“Who is the person next to Assistant Xiao Tang?” A staff member holding a prop nudged the person next to them with their elbow, their eyes never leaving the two of them walking away.

“Wen Chi, didn’t you see him yesterday? He came to the set for an audition.”

“I took leave yesterday and wasn’t at the set. Which role did he audition for? Aren’t all the actors already cast?”

“There’s that one who got blacklisted for causing trouble.”

He paused for a moment, then quickly realized, “…Oh damn, I almost forgot.”

“Hey, I heard Wen Chi and Teacher Jiang have a good relationship. Do you think he might…?”

“I don’t know. Anyway, whether or not he’s investing in the production has nothing to do with me.”

They’re not actors. For the staff, the replacement of actors doesn’t really affect them, aside from possibly delaying the shooting schedule.

The person thought for a moment and agreed.

…

Jiang Siheng went straight to the film base as soon as he got off the plane. He had worked overtime at the company until around 1 or 2 AM last night, and this morning he even attended a company meeting with his father. After the meeting and lunch, he rushed straight to Huaixin City, not even having time to drop his luggage off at the hotel.

Jiang Siheng wore a baseball cap, with the brim pulled down low, revealing only his nose and chin. It seemed that due to lack of sleep, his mood was quite low, and even the usually talkative Xiao Pang remained quiet, walking quietly beside the man.

Unlike other actors, as soon as Jiang Siheng appeared at the set, he was greeted with polite hellos from many people. Everyone stopped what they were doing to greet him. Even though the man didn’t respond to them, they didn’t mind.

“Teacher Jiang, you’re here. We’ve all been waiting for you in the workroom.”

It was unclear which word in this sentence caught Jiang Siheng’s attention, but the man slightly raised his head, his cold eyes locking onto the person who spoke.

The young man in front of him had a handsome and delicate appearance, with soft black hair neatly styled. He had a small mole on the tip of his nose, a small face, and his looks fit the “puppy-like” type that many girls liked nowadays. When he saw Jiang Siheng glance at him, his fair skin flushed with a pinkish hue, looking shy.

Jiang Siheng only glanced at the young man for a second, then immediately looked away without pausing for more than a minute, walking straight past.

The young man was momentarily stunned but quickly followed him. Xiao Pang saw this at once and hurriedly reached out to stop him. “What are you doing?!”

Xiao Pang’s voice wasn’t loud, but the others nearby noticed the movement and all looked over in their direction.

The young man felt a bit embarrassed but still smiled and said, “I’m Xu Zhouwei, an actor in Ashen Cloud City.”

“Oh.” Xiao Pang lowered his hand. Since the young man was also an actor in the production, he couldn’t stop him from leaving. However, Xiao Pang still made a subtle effort to keep some distance between the young man and Jiang Siheng, making sure the young man didn’t get too close to him.

Xu Zhouwei stayed where he was, staring at the man’s tall figure. After a few seconds, he lowered his eyelashes, a hint of reluctance flashing in his eyes.

If the company hadn’t turned down Heart’s Confession 2 for him, maybe such a handsome and outstanding man would have been his.

The script reading was arranged in a room. As soon as they entered, there was a long rectangular desk, surrounded by many chairs, and several people were already seated inside.

They heard the sound of the door opening and turned their heads at the same time. A tall, straight-backed man walked in, his expression cool and distant. He gave the group a slight nod and said lightly that he was sorry for being late, then casually pulled out a chair and sat down, arms crossed and legs spread, his posture radiating indifference and laziness.

Right after Jiang Siheng came in, Xu Zhouwei followed behind, giving the impression that the two of them had just arrived together.

With Jiang Siheng’s arrival, the chatter in the room noticeably quieted.

“Were you with Jiang Ge just now?” the young woman sitting next to Xu Zhouwei asked him.

Xu Zhouwei lightly shook his head and smiled, “No, we just ran into each other on the way.”

The young woman glanced at Jiang Siheng, who had no expression on his face, and said, “I don’t know, but I feel like Jiang Ge is different from what people say online. He seems kind of hard to get along with.”

“No, Teacher Jiang is actually really nice,” Xu Zhouwei said, glancing at Jiang Siheng, then lightly laughing, “He’s just not fully awake yet.”

Although Xu Zhouwei’s words sounded perfectly normal, there seemed to be a hint of shyness in his smile, which made the young woman look at him with a meaningful gaze.

After a while, Director Xu walked in, holding the megaphone with his hands behind his back. Everyone stood up to greet him, but the only person who didn’t stand was Jiang Siheng. The man didn’t even look at Jiang Siheng.

Director Xu smiled at everyone as a greeting, then walked over to Jiang Siheng and slapped him on the shoulder. “What were you up to last night, doing some sneaky business that got you so tired?”

Jiang Siheng slightly opened his eyes, lifted the brim of his hat, and glanced at Director Xu. “You’re the one doing sneaky business.”

Director Xu sneered, “Take off your hat. Don’t fall asleep during the script reading later.”

Jiang Siheng took off his hat and casually placed it on the table. His hair was slightly messy from the hat, but it still couldn’t hide the man’s handsomeness.

Everyone was listening to Director Xu and Jiang Siheng’s conversation, a trace of envy in their eyes. Only Jiang Siheng dared to speak to Director Xu like this, and similarly, only Director Xu dared to treat Jiang Siheng this way.

“Director Xu, are we starting?” Xu Zhouwei asked.

“Wait a moment.” Director Xu took out his phone and sent a message to someone. “One more person hasn’t arrived yet. I just asked him and Xiao Tang to go grab some things for me.”

“Who else?”

“The actor playing ‘Wen Weiyang.'”

Upon hearing this, everyone had no choice but to continue waiting, while also curious about who managed to “scoop up” the role of ‘Wen Weiyang.’

Director Xu took the main seat at the center of the desk, then asked Jiang Siheng, “By the way, you’ve got quite a few scenes opposite ‘Wen Weiyang.’ Are you looking forward to seeing who’ll be playing that role?”

Jiang Siheng lowered his gaze, fiddling with his phone. His thumb tapped a few times across the keyboard before he replied in a cool voice, “Anyone’s fine, as long as they don’t hold up the crew’s progress.”

Director Xu nodded. Just then, his phone chimed. He glanced at it, then set it face down on the desk. “They’re here.”

Just after Director Xu finished speaking, the office door opened from the outside. Xiao Tang walked in first, followed by a handsome young man with black hair and brown eyes. He wore a simple, ordinary short-sleeve t-shirt and jeans, which did nothing to conceal his charm.

When the young man stepped inside and stood beside Xiao Tang, everyone instinctively looked at Jiang Siheng.

This young man… isn’t he the one who was Jiang Siheng’s CP in that dating show?

The young man’s attitude was neither humble nor arrogant, and his voice was clean and bright, like a cool breeze on a summer day. “Hello, everyone. My name is Wen Chi, and I will be playing ‘Wen Weiyang.'”

Jiang Siheng’s typing paused for a moment, and he suddenly lifted his head to look in the direction of the voice. He didn’t deny it, and for a brief second before seeing the young man, he thought he might have imagined it.

Director Xu glanced at Jiang Siheng, then at Wen Chi, his expression showing satisfaction as he nodded slightly. He cleared his throat and said, “Wen Chi, just place the materials here and sit down.”

Wen Chi hadn’t looked at Jiang Siheng since entering the room. His gaze had been directed towards everyone else. Upon hearing Director Xu, he nodded and said, “Alright.”

No one wanted to sit next to Jiang Siheng, so the only available seat was next to him. Wen Chi took a seat with the script in his hands and then turned to Jiang Siheng, giving him a slight smile. “Teacher Jiang, long time no see.”

Jiang Siheng looked at Wen Chi’s polite and well-mannered smile. Being close enough, he caught the slyness in the young man’s eyes, which made him feel both amused and frustrated, though he didn’t show it openly.

Jiang Siheng gave a slight nod. “Long time no see.”

When Xu Zhouwei saw Wen Chi, his expression froze for a moment. He hadn’t expected Wen Chi to be in this production. He knew Wen Chi—he was the one who had taken the variety show that Xu Zhouwei’s company had turned down.

A flicker of bitterness flashed in Xu Zhouwei’s eyes. It was Wen Chi who had taken Jiang Siheng away!

The others listening to their conversation couldn’t help but feel speechless. Weren’t they filming a show together just a few days ago? How could it be “long time no see”?!

Speechless or not, they still had to focus on the script reading. During the session, Wen Chi rarely looked at Jiang Siheng unless they had a dialogue together. Otherwise, he either looked at the other actors or focused on the director, assistant director, producer, and others.

Jiang Siheng’s voice was somewhat cold, and he rarely showed any other expressions. Director Xu didn’t have as high expectations for him as he did for the others, and it could even be said that he completely ignored Jiang Siheng.

The script reading started at 1:30 PM and continued until 7:00 PM, until everyone started looking a bit tired. Director Xu took a sip of tea to clear his throat and said, “Alright, that’s it for today’s script reading. Tomorrow, everyone be at the set by 8 AM for a makeup test.”

“Okay, thank you, Director Xu.”

“Thank you, Director Xu, you’ve worked hard. Assistant director, producer, you’ve worked hard…”

“My back is so sore from sitting, oh my god.”

“Me too, ouch, ouch, it hurts!”

“Aren’t we supposed to have eaten by now?”

“Want to grab a bite? The braised chicken I had yesterday was really good.” 

“Sure, sure.”

Wen Chi was also feeling a bit tired. He stretched and sent a message to Sangsang and Jin Ge, letting them know he was done. He then turned to look at Jiang Siheng, who was still talking to the director team. After thinking for a moment, Wen Chi picked up the script, stood up, and decided to leave first.

Just as he reached the door, Jiang Siheng turned his head and looked at him, his voice cold. “Wen Chi.”

Wen Chi’s foot, which had been about to step outside, paused. He turned around and saw Jiang Siheng, Director Xu, and the others looking at him. For a moment, he wasn’t sure what his next move should be.

He remained silent for a few seconds, then chose to stand obediently in place.

Director Xu gave Jiang Siheng a light slap on the arm, half-annoyed. “Don’t bully him just because he’s so well-behaved.” After saying that, he called for the others and left together.

The spacious office was left with just Wen Chi and Jiang Siheng. For some reason, Wen Chi couldn’t shake the feeling that his situation had become a bit dangerous.

Wen Chi watched helplessly as Jiang Siheng closed the door. When Jiang Siheng turned around, Wen Chi immediately smiled obediently. “Teacher Jiang, are you surprised? Are you happy?”

Jiang Siheng looked at him with a half-smile, slowly walking toward him. As he got closer, the young man instinctively took a step back.

Until his back hit the wall, leaving him with no way to escape.

Wen Chi placed one hand on Jiang Siheng’s shoulder, looking pitiful as he said, “You can’t scold me, alright. I didn’t tell you because I wanted to give you a surprise.”

Jiang Siheng immediately chuckled in frustration. “I haven’t said anything, and you’re already acting like I’m bullying you. What’s that supposed to mean, Wen Chi?”

“Well…” Wen Chi made a tiny heart with his fingers and said, “It means I love you?”

Jiang Siheng: “…”

Jiang Siheng sighed helplessly. It had been a few days since he last saw the boy. Now, in a space where only the two of them were present, he finally couldn’t resist pulling the boy into his arms, his hands tightly wrapping around Wen Chi’s waist. He buried his head in Wen Chi’s shoulder and neck, taking a deep breath.

Wen Chi blinked, staring at the ceiling for a moment, then turned his head to glance at the man’s ear. “Teacher Jiang, are you sniffing me?”

“Mm.” Jiang Siheng’s tone was lazy, like a traveler who had been away for a long time finally returning to their own territory, every nerve in his body relaxing. “You smell good.”

The man’s hot breath spread across the skin of his shoulder, and Wen Chi’s face turned red. He grabbed onto Jiang Siheng’s clothes with both hands. “Then, smell a little more.”

Hearing Wen Chi’s words, Jiang Siheng couldn’t help but laugh lightly. After holding him for a short while, he straightened up, pulling away a bit from Wen Chi. He looked at his lover, who was so close, and placed a hand on the boy’s cheek, gently rubbing the warm, soft skin with his thumb. “When did you get to the set?”

“Yesterday afternoon, I came for the audition. I passed, and Director Xu immediately had me sign the contract and join the crew,” Wen Chi replied honestly.

Jiang Siheng nodded, his eyes slightly lowered, seemingly lost in thought. After a while, he spoke again. “Director Xu is very strict with acting. In previous projects, he has made both men and women cry. Even sometimes, if my emotional performance isn’t on point, he’ll point it out publicly in a very harsh way.”

Wen Chi blinked. “Teacher Jiang, are you giving me a private lesson?”

Jiang Siheng smiled. “I suppose so. I can only tell you that, when filming, even if I’m beside you, I can’t interfere too much with the director’s decisions.”

“I know.” Wen Chi shook his head, then lowered it, gently bumping his forehead against Jiang Siheng’s shoulder and rubbing against it. “Don’t worry, Teacher Jiang. I’ll do my best, and I’m not afraid of being scolded. It’s not like I’ve never been scolded before.”

Jiang Siheng lowered his gaze, watching the black head on his shoulder. He said, “But privately, I can help you fight back.”

Wen Chi looked up, surprised. “Really?”

Jiang Siheng’s expression was serious. “Really.”

Wen Chi seemed amused by Jiang Siheng’s serious face, and he nodded with a smile. “Alright, then my boyfriend better help me fight back.”

Jiang Siheng looked at Wen Chi’s eyes, which were as beautiful as crescent moons, and a smile appeared in his own eyes. He leaned down slightly and kissed the boy’s eyelid. “Mm.”