TSBDRA 16: For the Kissing Scene, Use Camera Trick

On the day of the final exam, Yu Xiang and Xia Qinglang were assigned to stay after school for classroom cleaning.

Yu Xiang noticed Xia Qinglang had seemed distracted all day. Now that they were finally alone, he took the opportunity to ask what was wrong.

Xia Qinglang gripped the broom in his hands tightly. He didn’t know how to begin, but the semester was ending, and he would soon be leaving this place to attend his final year of high school in the city.

He had fought as hard as he could, but in the end, he couldn’t resist his parents’ decision. A look of pain flashed across Xia Qinglang’s face as he said softly, “I… I’m leaving next semester. I’ll be studying in the city.”

Clatter—Yu Xiang’s broom fell to the floor.

The sky outside grew even darker. Only one light remained on in the classroom. Yu Xiang stood shrouded in shadow, staring at Xia Qinglang, who stood in the glow of the light. He opened his mouth but couldn’t say anything.

He felt so close to Xia Qinglang yet so far away. Just one step forward, he could leave the shadows and stand in the light beside him but his feet wouldn’t move. His whole body felt powerless.

Yu Xiang stood there in a daze, thinking—if Xia Qinglang left, what would he do? Could the wishes they made together still come true?

“I’m leaving tomorrow,” Xia Qinglang said through gritted teeth. He kept his head down, unable to meet Yu Xiang’s eyes and so he didn’t notice the blankness in Yu Xiang’s gaze, the slight tremble in his body, or how off he clearly looked.

Right as he finished speaking, the school security cut the power. The last light went out, plunging the classroom into darkness and enveloping them both.

Startled, Xia Qinglang immediately stepped toward Yu Xiang, but Yu Xiang flinched back instinctively. The two froze in place.

Finally, Xia Qinglang moved first. He walked over slowly, picked up Yu Xiang’s broom along with his own, and placed them in the corner of the classroom. Then he turned and gently took Yu Xiang’s hand.

“Okay, cut.”

Yan Yushan’s voice rang out, and the lights in the classroom were switched back on, flooding the space with brightness.

Xu Xishuang blinked, adjusting to the sudden light, then quietly withdrew his wrist from Chi Siyuan’s grip. He walked over to Xiao Wang and took the thermos from his hands, sipping warm water.

Noticing Xiao Wang’s reddened eyes, Xu Xishuang asked, slightly surprised, “What’s wrong with you?”

Xiao Wang sniffled and said tearfully, “Wuwu, why do Xia Qinglang and Yu Xiang have to part ways? Can’t Xia Qinglang just stay? Poor Yu Xiang, wuwu, he just finally found his light!”

Xu Xishuang: …

As the actor playing Yu Xiang, Xu Xishuang turned away, deciding to let Xiao Wang process his emotions on his own.

Meanwhile, at the camera station, the assistant director was arguing passionately with Yan Yushan.

“It’s just one small scene,” he pointed at the script. “The kiss can be done with a camera trick—don’t cut it! The atmosphere’s built up to this point, it won’t work without the kiss.”

He was referring to the next scene between Xu Xishuang and Chi Siyuan. In the story, after taking Yu Xiang’s hand, Xia Qinglang gathers his courage to give him a farewell kiss. It’s selfish that he wants Yu Xiang to remember him, and he wants to remember Yu Xiang. If they ever met again someday, maybe…

He also knew that in an era where smartphones were just catching on and messaging apps were few, this separation might be permanent.

The impulsive teenage boy didn’t even know what a real kiss felt like. He just clumsily pressed his lips against Yu Xiang’s for a brief second—quick and light—but full of sincerity and the unspoken affection between them.

This scene was a major emotional climax in the film, and aside from the kiss on the nape earlier, it was their only intimate moment. It pushed their feelings to the forefront. The assistant director had loved this scene from the start and couldn’t understand why Yan Yushan wanted to remove it now.

He pleaded earnestly while Yan Yushan silently fiddled with the equipment—though his eyes couldn’t help but drift toward Xu Xishuang.

It wasn’t a particularly hot day, just overcast. Xu Xishuang was lounging in a folding chair provided by the crew, lazily fanning himself.

The fan in his hand was also crew-issued, handmade by a local craftsman. It looked like a clunky woven fan in anyone else’s hands—one step away from a monk’s prop but in Xu Xishuang’s grasp, it inexplicably carried a touch of elegance, like he was holding a sandalwood folding fan painted with bamboo leaves.

Yu Xiang’s character had already changed a lot. He had cut his long hair and brushed away his bangs. Xu Xishuang’s current hairstyle matched Yu Xiang’s so well that he no longer needed to wear a wig.

Soft black hair, long enough to cover his nape, fluttered in the breeze and then fell gently back against his snowy skin.

A few seconds later, Yan Yushan finally pulled his gaze away and said in a low voice, “We’re not cutting it. Use a camera trick.”

The assistant director took one look at his expression, rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then shouted for Xu Xishuang and Chi Siyuan to get ready and take their places before the daylight completely faded.

Chi Siyuan knew what was coming. During the break, he had been blushing the entire time, chugging cold water and avoiding looking in Xu Xishuang’s direction.

Now, standing there holding Xu Xishuang’s wrist, his mind was a whirlwind. Just thinking about kissing Senior Xu made his whole body heat up.

Chi Siyuan was sweating nervously. He had already rehearsed in his head exactly how he would lean in and kiss Xu Xishuang—when suddenly he heard Yan Yushan call his name.

“Chi Siyuan.”

He flinched. Memories of being scolded on set by Yan Yushan flooded back, and he instantly snapped out of his thoughts. He turned and asked cautiously, “Director Yan, did I do something wrong?”

Yan Yushan looked at him, his tone dangerous, “The kiss is a camera trick. Remember that.”

Meeting his gaze, Chi Siyuan instantly straightened up. “Yes, sir.”

Xu Xishuang, watching from the side, couldn’t help thinking how possessive Yan Yushan was. A typical Green River gong—he even had to control whether his partner kissed someone in a scene. So extra.

Still, he had no intention of actually kissing Chi Siyuan. Yan Yushan’s order saved him the trouble. He might’ve really frozen up otherwise. After all, he shared a role overlap with Chi Siyuan and kissing someone else’s official pairing right in front of them? Just thinking about it made his scalp tingle. 

After harshly instructing Chi Siyuan, Yan Yushan turned to Xu Xishuang and, suddenly gentle, asked, “Do you need a stand-in?”

Chi Siyuan: ?

Assistant Director: ??

Everyone else: ???

Xu Xishuang: …

He twitched the corner of his mouth. “No need.”

Yan Yushan nodded, saying no more, and started the shoot.

Then, right as Chi Siyuan leaned ever so slightly toward Xu Xishuang, not even close enough to touch—Yan Yushan called, “Cut.”

He walked over, clearly on edge. He knew Chi Siyuan was new to acting and might not know how to stage a fake kiss. What if he accidentally kissed Xu Xishuang for real?

So Yan Yushan stepped in personally, adjusting both their positions for the camera. From the right angle, it would look like a kiss. But from another? They weren’t even touching.

Satisfied, he withdrew and returned to his seat, ignoring the assistant director’s increasingly suspicious look, and resumed filming.

Xu Xishuang’s makeup artist rested her chin in her hand, watching this all unfold. She had already suspected something the day Yan Yushan applied makeup to Xu Xishuang’s neck. And now?

Honestly, Xu Xishuang was excellent, sure—but Chi Siyuan had also come a long way. His acting was solid, and he hadn’t made any recent mistakes. Yet Yan Yushan was treating the two so differently—it was blatant favoritism.

Besides, she was fairly sure she hadn’t imagined that ever since Xu Xishuang took a sick day due to his hand injury, Yan Yushan’s eyes had been glued to him. Like he was some rare, precious treasure, and if he looked away for one second, Xu Xishuang might shatter.

…Don’t tell me Yan Yushan actually likes Xu Xishuang?

She watched as the kiss scene wrapped and Yan Yushan immediately told them to separate. Her suspicions only deepened. She pulled out her phone and opened a CP fan group chat she’d joined not long ago. She typed a short summary of what she’d seen on set—carefully omitting any filming details—and described only the interactions between Yan Yushan and Xu Xishuang.

The chat exploded in seconds with a chorus of “AAAAA THEY’RE REAL OMG.”

She’d just typed, “Girls, I really think they might be real,” when the crew called wrap. She quickly sent the message and added, “We’re almost done filming! Once post-production starts, the marketing team will release behind-the-scenes clips. You’ll all get to see the stunning chemistry between Yan Yushan and Xu Xishuang!!”

Group chat: “YESS!!!”

She tucked her phone away and turned to see Xu Xishuang rising from his chair. He subconsciously rested his hand on his abdomen as he stood, only moving it away afterward. She couldn’t help but glance at him a few more times.

What was up with his stomach?

Come to think of it, Xu Xishuang hasn’t been in the best health lately. He was constantly sleepy and yawning. He had also asked her to switch to makeup safe for pregnant women—products with gentle, non-toxic ingredients. The effect was a little less striking, but with Xu Xishuang’s looks, it didn’t matter. He still looked flawless.

She’d also noticed that his skin had become much softer recently. Not that it had ever been bad before, but now it was smoother, plumper—just like how some women’s skin improves during pregnancy.

The thought made her laugh to herself. What nonsense. A man getting pregnant? I’ve clearly read too much fanfiction.