TSBDRA 37: Cute

Xu Xishuang chose the villain role for two main reasons.

The first reason was that, in the other script, the protagonist was the captain of the Special Operations Team—a role heavy on action scenes, requiring a lot of physical effort and carrying a high risk of injury. Although he had been practicing yoga lately and his health had improved somewhat, he still couldn’t handle that kind of physically demanding role.

In contrast, the villain role with code-named “X” and the mastermind behind the scenes had only appeared intermittently throughout the cases. He was the commander issuing orders and didn’t need to do anything personally.

This character usually disguised himself as a gentle and refined unmarried language teacher, and it wasn’t until the very end—when his identity was revealed—that he had a few mild action and escape scenes.

The second reason was simple. Xu Xishuang was more interested in this villain role. He wanted to challenge such a dramatically contrasting character, even though he knew he would probably be cursed out horribly when the show aired.

The filming location for the Who’s Standing Behind the Door crew was at a newly opened film city built specifically for modern dramas. From a distance, it looked like a miniature city, with all kinds of shops and facilities.

Xu Xishuang glanced at Yan Yushan, who had gotten off the car with him, hesitating to speak.

Why was this guy still following him? Could it be that Yan Yushan was also here to audition? Didn’t he say he didn’t have any projects recently?

Sensing Xu Xishuang’s suspicious gaze, Yan Yushan turned his head slightly, coughed a little guiltily, and pretended not to notice Xu Xishuang looking at him.

Following the address given by the director Cheng Tianwen, Xu Xishuang found the crew’s main set—depicted as the headquarters of the Special Operations Team in the drama—and reached out to push the door.

…It didn’t move.

Xu Xishuang frowned and pushed harder. He refused to believe his strength had declined so much from being pregnant that he couldn’t even open a glass door.

Yan Yushan paused for a second, then stepped up and casually pulled open the glass door next to Xu Xishuang.

Yan Yushan didn’t say “It’s a pull, not a push.” After nearly a month of getting to know Xu Xishuang, he had a hunch that if he said that out loud, Xu Xishuang would probably ignore him for the next two or three days.

Xu Xishuang was like a cat—a proud creature. Cats could make mistakes confidently, but you weren’t allowed to point them out. Otherwise, you would end up with a furious puffed-up kitten and miss out on days of cuddle privileges.

As Xu Xishuang walked past him without even glancing, Yan Yushan—taller by a head—lowered his gaze and caught sight of Xu Xishuang’s slightly red ears, and chuckled softly.

Cute.

To avoid censorship due to military or political content, Who’s Standing Behind the Door was set in a semi-fictional world. The Special Operations Team was similar to a criminal investigation unit in real life but had its own unique office space. Past the front desk where reports could be made, the working area for the team members had already been mostly set up. Each workstation had a neat stack of thick files.

Xu Xishuang and Yan Yushan took the elevator to the second floor. The large conference room there was the site for today’s audition.

Though called an audition, the role had already been internally confirmed for Xu Xishuang. The contract had been signed. Director Cheng Tianwen only sent the script to him. When he learned Xu Xishuang chose the villain’s script, he was overjoyed, saying again and again that Xu Xishuang was exactly the “X” in his mind. If Xu Xishuang didn’t take the role, only then would he look for someone else.

Cheng Tianwen had been waiting outside the conference room early. When he saw Xu Xishuang arrive, he jumped up, hurried over in a few large strides, and grasped Xu Xishuang’s hand. “Hello, hello! Xiao Xu, you really are striking, I’m looking forward to working together…”

Halfway through his sentence, he stopped. His eyes twitched as he noticed the tall, imposing figure standing next to Xu Xishuang—someone impossible to ignore.

While Cheng Tianwen was stunned, Xu Xishuang quietly withdrew his hand from the director’s grasp.

“Boss Yan,” Cheng Tianwen greeted with a smile, “Ah, no—Producer Yan…”

Producer? Xu Xishuang’s brow twitched.

He looked at Yan Yushan with a half-smile. So that’s why this guy agreed so quickly—he had been waiting for him here.

If Yan Yushan was the producer of this project, then he could watch Xu Xishuang around the clock.

Yan Yushan shook hands with Cheng Tianwen briefly, speaking to both him and Xu Xishuang at once, “I’m not really the producer. I just invested a bit of money. Director Cheng can just call me Xiao Yan.”

Yan Yushan added, “The producer is actually my agent, Kong-jie. She couldn’t come today, so I came on her behalf to see the casting.”

Ever since Yan Yushan’s debut, his career had been managed by one person—Kong Xia—who didn’t take on other artists. Over time, she also took charge of production tasks to prevent any mishaps. While she was the official producer, Yan Yushan was the project’s biggest investor. The entire crew practically treated him like royalty, afraid to cause the slightest disturbance.

Cheng Tianwen had no objections to the three actors Yan Yushan placed in the project. They were all competent and hardworking. But when he heard Yan Yushan had come to evaluate Xu Xishuang, he panicked—worried that Yan wouldn’t approve. “Xiao Yan, I really think Xu Xishuang is the best choice for the role of ‘X.’ We already signed the contract, and didn’t we agree that I’d pick the two main leads?”

Lately, Cheng Tianwen had been swamped with production work and had no time to browse the internet. He didn’t know that Xu Xishuang and Yan Yushan had already publicly declared themselves as friends. He thought they just happened to meet on the way and had no idea they had come together—let alone that Yan Yushan was here specifically for Xu Xishuang.

“You misunderstood,” Yan Yushan said with a smile. “Director Cheng, I’m just here to observe. Of course, I won’t interfere with your casting decisions.”

Only then did Cheng Tianwen breathe a little easier. He opened the conference room door and let them in. Today wasn’t an official audition, it was just the three of them in the room. Cheng Tianwen and Yan Yushan sat on one side with chairs, leaving the other half of the room open for Xu Xishuang to perform.

Xu Xishuang stood across from Yan Yushan and gave him a deep, meaningful look.

From his eyes, Yan Yushan could tell Xu Xishuang planned to settle scores with him later, and he felt a little guilty.

He hadn’t told Xu Xishuang earlier about his involvement in the production because he was afraid that if Xu Xishuang found out, he would reject the offer and take another project. To ensure his safety, he waited until after the contract was signed—when it was too late to back out—before revealing the truth.

“Xiao Xu, try this scene.” Cheng Tianwen opened the script and pointed to a page. “Since Film Emperor Yan is here too—Xiao Yan, could you read with him?”

“No problem,” Yan Yushan nodded.

As an investor, he had read the script and was familiar with the scenes. He reviewed the lines, got a sense of the flow, then stood beside Xu Xishuang.

Cheng Tianwen picked a scene between the Special Operations Team’s captain and “X,” who was disguised as a language teacher. Since Xu Xishuang was playing X, Yan Yushan naturally played the captain.

Through his sharp intuition and investigative skills, the captain finally began to suspect the seemingly innocent teacher. He visited an old bookstore that the teacher often frequented, intending to chat and observe him.

“X,” knowing he was close to being exposed, maintained his persona flawlessly, showing no cracks during their conversation.

Xu Xishuang picked up a stack of paper from the table to serve as a book, put on his non-prescription glasses prepared for the role, and began “reading,” adjusting the golden wire frames with his finger.

With his fair complexion and slim figure, Xu Xishuang embodied the stereotypical image of a scholar. Dressed in a loose white shirt, he already had a physical advantage. His acting sealed the rest. As he stood there with a slight hunch, gently brushing his fingers over the “pages,” brows furrowed—he instantly became the mild-mannered teacher.

With the glasses, he had an extra layer of charm. Yan Yushan pushed away inappropriate thoughts, took a step forward, and shifted his aura.

As the captain, he was used to analyzing everyone around him. His gaze was sharp and unkind. And since he already suspected the teacher, his stare carried a trace of challenge. Anyone else being stared at like that would’ve started a fight on the spot.

As Yan Yushan approached, the air grew tense. But Xu Xishuang, as if oblivious, slightly smiled, adjusted his glasses again, and asked softly, “Sir, you’ve been looking at me for some time. Is something the matter?”

“No,” realizing he might’ve been too forward, Yan Yushan softened his voice and forced a smile. “I was just wondering—what’s that book you’re reading? Looks interesting. You seem really absorbed.”

“Just a random collection of writings. Not that interesting.” Xu Xishuang answered gently. “The good ones are on the shelf next to us. If you’re interested, you can check them out. I’ll be leaving now.”

The aisle in the old bookstore was narrow, and two adult men standing together made the space feel even tighter. Hearing that, Yan Yushan stepped aside to make room.

But just as Xu Xishuang was about to walk past, Yan Yushan subtly stretched out his foot and tried to trip him.

He wanted to see—was this teacher really “X”? That infamous, deadly, skilled “X”? If so, he’d react quickly. If not…

Xu Xishuang stumbled. The papers flew from his hands. His body lurched forward.

Yan Yushan’s expression changed drastically—panic flooding in—he immediately caught Xu Xishuang, pulling him into his arms. Forgetting the scene entirely, he placed a hand on Xu Xishuang’s belly, urgently asking, “Are you okay? Did you get hurt?”

Xu Xishuang: …

Yan Yushan was so tall that his feet left the floor. He was practically suspended in mid-air. He really wanted to tell him he was fine and that he had been acting. If Yan Yushan hadn’t suddenly grabbed him, he would’ve regained his footing just fine.

“I’m fine,” Xu Xishuang said softly, brushing Yan Yushan’s hand away from his belly. “Let go.”

Yan Yushan’s palm was warm—almost hot—against his abdomen. It was comforting, but also a bit too intense. Xu Xishuang felt like even the tips of his ears were burning.

Yan Yushan took a few more seconds to confirm he was really okay before finally letting go. He bent down to pick up the scattered papers and reorganized them.

In the script, the captain also caught X before he fell, and this moment helped him conclude that X wasn’t skilled in combat—slightly easing his suspicions. But their embrace wasn’t supposed to be this close or this touchy. Watching from the side, Director Cheng was completely stunned.

Yan Yushan and Xu Xishuang turned to look at him. Director Cheng opened and closed his mouth several times before finally forcing out a line, “G-Great performance!”

Seeing Cheng Tianwen’s rapidly shifting expression, Yan Yushan seemed to realize something. He returned the papers to the table and took the initiative to explain, “I forgot to mention—Xu Xishuang and I are friends. I came to the audition today not just to help Kong-jie check out the actors, but also to support a friend.”

It was the first time Yan Yushan had explained their “friendship” in front of someone else like this. Xu Xishuang touched his ear and lowered his eyes slightly.

“Oh, oh, I see.” Cheng Tianwen nodded repeatedly. “That explains it. Xiao Xu’s acting is excellent—really, nothing to criticize.”

Xu Xishuang looked up and smiled at him. “Thank you for the compliment, Director.”

Looking at the two standing before him, Cheng Tianwen suddenly felt like he had caught on to something but he wasn’t sure. After all, Yan Yushan’s hint hadn’t been that clear.

So he tentatively asked, “Um, Xiao Yan, to be honest, we haven’t locked in the other main role yet—the Special Operations Team captain. I was thinking, since you and Xiao Xu are friends, you’d have great chemistry. You have the schedule too, right? Would you consider taking the role?”

Yan Yushan instinctively turned to look at Xu Xishuang.

But Xu Xishuang slightly turned his head, avoiding his gaze.

Why was he looking at him? If he wants the role, just take it. It’s not like his opinion would stop him.

Cheng Tianwen’s gut feeling grew even stronger. He opened his mouth to say never mind if Yan Yushan didn’t want it, but then heard Yan Yushan’s smiling voice, “Sure, I’ll take it.”

Director Cheng immediately sighed in relief. Honestly, when he first took a liking to this script, Yan Yushan had been his first choice for the captain. But since Yan Yushan was an investor, Director Cheng hadn’t dared to bring it up. Now, it felt like a windfall—he’d secured two strong leads in one go.

In a great mood, Cheng Tianwen enthusiastically invited the two to dinner.

“Thanks for the invite, Director Cheng, but we’ll pass,” Yan Yushan said as they shook hands. “Once we’re on set, there’ll be plenty of time to eat together.”

Yan Yushan knew if they went, there’d be drinking involved. Xu Xishuang couldn’t drink now, and it wouldn’t be easy to refuse. It’s better to skip it altogether.

“Right, right,” Cheng Tianwen agreed. “I’ll walk you out…”

“No need,” Yan Yushan declined again. “We came by car. You go ahead—we won’t hold you up.”

So Cheng Tianwen stayed put, watched them leave, and sent Yan Yushan the digital version of the script.

Yan Yushan walked behind Xu Xishuang in silence as they entered the elevator and descended, moving through the set together.

Neither spoke the entire way. Yan Yushan glanced at Xu Xishuang’s cold expression and felt he was probably holding back his words, ready to settle things once they stepped outside.

To avoid three days of cold shoulder treatment, Yan Yushan decided to confess early and hopefully lighten his sentence, “I didn’t tell you earlier because I was afraid you’d overthink it—think I gave you the script as a backdoor in.”

Xu Xishuang didn’t stop walking. He had indeed suspected that before, but after seeing Director Cheng’s obliviousness, he had dismissed the thought.

“So I came with you today to be honest about it,” Yan Yushan tugged at the hem of Xu Xishuang’s white shirt, gently making him stop, voice sincere. “I’ve confessed. Don’t be mad, okay?”

He had originally planned to reveal everything once Xu Xishuang was already on set. But then he figured, if he did that, Xu Xishuang might ignore him the entire shoot.

Besides, by coming today and coming clean, he not only gained forgiveness but also landed the lead role—now he could stay close to Xu Xishuang every day, acting and living together on set.

Hearing this, Xu Xishuang widened his eyes in disbelief. Yan Yushan actually had the nerve to act like confessing slightly earlier made it okay? This guy had deliberately kept the truth from him and now had the audacity to ask him not to be mad?

Xu Xishuang pressed his lips together and kept walking, organizing his thoughts. He was about to start confronting him but when he looked up and saw the glass door in front of him, his expression froze, and he swallowed the words.

…Right. That.

He quickly looked away, trying to forget the embarrassing moment when he couldn’t open the door. He didn’t want Yan Yushan to remember it either—he just wanted to move past it. “Mm… not mad. Let’s go.”

Erase the glass door from existence!

Yan Yushan had prepared a whole internal speech to calm an angry Xu Xishuang—but he said he wasn’t mad?

He was stunned. He helped push open the glass door and walked out with Xu Xishuang, watching his expression to confirm he wasn’t upset but deep in thought.

So what was Xu Xishuang thinking about?

It wasn’t until they were back in the car and driving home that Yan Yushan finally pieced it together.

…Could Xu still be thinking about the glass door? It wasn’t that big of a deal. Was he really that prideful?

Then he remembered how, the morning after their wild night, Xu Xishuang had buried his face under a hospital blanket in shame and the murderous look in his eyes afterward.

Yeah, Xu Xishuang really was prideful.

Yan Yushan suddenly had the urge to tease him about the door—just to see his flustered reaction—but after considering the consequences, he wisely dropped the idea.

Xu Xishuang had no idea that Yan Yushan had just danced on the edge of danger. He was also sneaking glances at Yan Yushan, seeing his calm face typing on his laptop—clearly busy with work and probably not thinking about the door incident. He felt a little more at ease.

Once home, Xu Xishuang told Xiao Wang that he would be joining the production soon. Xiao Wang rushed upstairs to pack, filling two big suitcases. When there was no more room, he stuffed the rest into Yan Yushan’s luggage, asking him to bring it along since they would be staying in the same hotel—probably even on the same floor like last time.

On the day they joined the production, although their relationship was “officially” just friends, to avoid gossip and another wave of rumors, they each took separate vans to the set.

When Zhao-jie found out that the other lead was Yan Yushan, she had mixed feelings. She was happy they could ride his popularity, but worried Xu Xishuang would be criticized, especially since he was playing a villain. Who knew what kind of backlash would come when the show aired?

“It’s okay, Zhao-jie,” Xu Xishuang said. “I don’t care if people curse me. If they do, doesn’t that just mean I played the role well?”

“And besides, there aren’t many direct scenes between me and Yan Yushan. There’s no heat to ride. If anyone’s gaining popularity, it’s probably the members of his action team—not me.”

Zhao-jie agreed, then added, “Your health’s not great and acting’s tough. Take care of yourself. Tell Xiao Wang to help you eat better. Oh right—according to your usual pace, you’ll take a 2–3 month break after this drama, right? I won’t book you anything else.”

Xu Xishuang thought for a moment. “Actually, I’ve already accepted a job after this. It’s a relatively light travel variety show.”

The one Yan Yushan had promised to get him in the beginning.

Zhao-jie paused. “You picked a travel show yourself? Well, that’s great. Proactive participation is a good thing.”

After Xu Xishuang hung up, Xiao Wang asked tentatively, “Xu-shuang, you’re not gonna tell Zhao-jie?”

That you and Yan Yushan are dating?

“Later,” Xu Xishuang replied.

He would tell her about the pregnancy and his relationship with Yan Yushan after the baby was born.

Xiao Wang was holding back hard. “Okay, got it.”