“Si Cheng, why are you blushing? What’s making you blush?” Jiang Wen laughed. Every moment of the scene was just right, but Si Cheng blushing like that at the end seemed a bit inappropriate.
Could Chuyu Yuan, the male lead, be someone who would blush casually in front of a brothel attendant?
Si Cheng felt wronged. This physiological response wasn’t something he could control.
Jiang Wen took a sip of water to moisten his throat and focused on watching the replay.
As the director fell silent, the once orderly set gradually descended into chaos — first with quiet exchanges, then escalating into louder voices.
“Oh my goodness…”
“The scene just now was too good-looking!”
“Honestly, I was almost stunned.”
“How did I not notice before that Xu Qiao looks so good? I can’t handle it.”
Jiang Wen, hearing the voices around him, didn’t get angry. His thoughts were entirely on the monitor.
The moment Xu Qiao lifted his head, there was a fleeting sensation reminiscent of a cinematic scene, almost like a film unfolding.
Amidst the noisy and chaotic background, those eyes, like black glass orbs, stared fixedly. It was as if the world had deliberately separated into two.
On one side, there was the tumultuous and mundane world, while on the other side, a picturesque and silent realm beyond the ordinary.
Damn, it was unmistakably a face crafted for the big screen. How had it been hidden until now, discovered by him, a director of small web dramas?
Jiang Wen sighed, truly wishing to light incense for Li Chengxuan, who had introduced Xu Qiao.
What a darn good person, delivering a treasure right to his doorstep. That buddy was really considerate.
Thinking back to when Li Chengxuan called and said, “Director Jiang, heard you haven’t found a suitable actor for your character Jin’er? Let me introduce you to someone, Xu Qiao. He’s definitely a good fit.”
At that time, Jiang Wen found Li Chengxuan’s words a bit odd. Now, thinking about it, he must have had remarkable foresight. It was indeed a good fit!
Coming back to his senses, Jiang Wen tapped the script, signaling for quiet around him.
He looked at Si Cheng. “Si Cheng, adjust your emotions. Take your time and let me know when you’re ready for another take.”
Si Cheng’s face still held a lingering flush. Upon hearing Jiang Wen’s words, he nodded. Taking a deep breath, he patted his face, striving to let the warmth dissipate.
After a while, he gestured to Jiang Wen, indicating that he was ready.
With everything in place, the script supervisor clapped the slate, and the characters moved once again.
Si Cheng didn’t blush this time, but his gaze was evasive, refusing to meet Xu Qiao’s eyes.
When Xu Qiao looked up at him, he visibly flinched. Subconsciously, his honey-colored eyes darted aside, avoiding any contact with Xu Qiao.
Jiang Wen stared at the monitor, his thick and unruly eyebrows knitted together.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Xu Qiao radiated brilliance, embodying Jin’er at this moment — the most popular attendant at the Drunken Joy Pavilion.
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After several retakes, the results were less than satisfactory.
“Let’s pause filming. Everyone take a break.” Jiang Wen removed his headphones. “Si Cheng, ponder the role again. Believe in your character, okay?”
Si Cheng apologized, his mood somewhat subdued.
He walked to the side and sat on a folding stool, pulling out the script he had flipped through numerous times.
Suddenly, a shadow fell upon the script.
Si Cheng looked up and saw Xu Qiao standing in front of him.
Long black hair, a thin red robe.
Si Cheng quickly stood up. “Brother Xu Qiao, I’m sorry. I delayed everyone’s work.”
As he spoke, he involuntarily lowered his head and, noticing Xu Qiao’s fingertips turning red from the cold, he paused.
On such a freezing day, portraying Jin’er, he was dressed in such thin clothing.
Si Cheng felt even more guilty. He hastily grabbed his down jacket placed nearby and handed it to Xu Qiao. “Brother Xu Qiao, please put this on first.”
Xu Qiao was momentarily stunned, then took the down jacket and draped it over himself, offering a grateful thanks.
Seeing Si Cheng still standing somewhat awkwardly nearby, Xu Qiao smiled. “Have a seat.”
Si Cheng nodded awkwardly and sat back down on the folding stool.
Xu Qiao half crouched down, his gaze slightly lower than Si Cheng’s. When he noticed Si Cheng attempting to offer the stool again, Xu Qiao shook his head.
“Look at me.” Xu Qiao spoke softly as he noticed Si Cheng bowing his head.
Si Cheng lifted his head. As he locked eyes with Xu Qiao, his fingers tightly gripped the script, his gaze trying to avoid contact again.
Xu Qiao’s voice was gentle and soft, adopting Jin’er’s tone. “You are Chunyu Yuan, the young hero in fresh attire and fury on horseback, the swordsman who dominates the martial arts world… the man I admire. There are so many men who admire me, but the one I have a fondness for is only you.”
Si Cheng’s ears perked up, his wandering gaze finally firmly fixed on Xu Qiao’s face.
Those were a pair of eyes filled with affection, crystal clear as if a pond with a few fish swimming within.
His body was positioned so low, the upward gaze giving the impression that he was wholeheartedly offering himself.
Passionate. Passionate yet humble.
Xu Qiao sighed. “I am lowly, I am the person you never bother to notice. You don’t even bother to harbor any feelings of disgust towards me because I am so insignificant.”
“Hmm?” Xu Qiao’s arms crossed over his knees as he tilted his head, gazing at Si Cheng.
Si Cheng’s throat moved twice. Looking at Xu Qiao, his gaze finally became resolute.
He nodded. “Hmm!”
At this moment, he was Chunyu Yuan.
Seeing Jin’er wouldn’t make Chunyu Yuan blush and panic. Because Jin’er was just a negligible speck of dust in his life.
Dust, swept away with no ripples to be stirred.
In the subsequent filming, Si Cheng seemed to have found his rhythm all at once. Efficiency started to rise, and after finishing this scene, Jiang Wen filmed several more, mostly in a single take.
By midnight, the night was deep, lights and props had undergone a change. The crew members all wore an undeniable fatigue on their faces.
Jiang Wen remained spirited as he checked the schedule. Today went smoother than anticipated, even filming a few more scenes than planned.
He gestured generously, “Alright, we’re done for today. Everyone, go rest!”
Hearing the director’s announcement, a collective sigh of relief swept through the crew as they began packing up.
“Normally, we’d go until two. Rare to wrap up this early.”
“Can catch some extra sleep when we get back.”
“See you tomorrow.”
Listening to the sounds of people around him finishing work, Xu Qiao yawned. Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he changed out of his costume, and wrapped himself in a warm down jacket.
Li Feifei had been waiting on the side, handing him a hot water bottle and opening a thermos. “Big Brother, have some ginger soup to drive away the chill. After that, let’s hurry back to the hotel and take a hot bath.”
In the cold winter days, Xu Qiao wrapped himself in several layers of thin gauze. After filming for so long, Li Feifei felt cold just looking at him.
Xu Qiao took the thermos, lifting it towards his mouth before pausing.
“What’s wrong?”
Xu Qiao gazed at the warm ginger soup inside, his tone lazy. “Prepare more ginger soup for tomorrow, share it with everyone.”
Li Feifei hesitated, scrutinizing Xu Qiao, thinking it was truly unexpected that his big brother had finally learned some social grace. He quickly responded, “Sure, tomorrow I’ll arrange for a few barrels to be delivered.”
Xu Qiao nodded, exchanged greetings with everyone, and walked out.
Many people watched Xu Qiao’s departing figure, exchanging a few conflicted glances.
Originally prepared for countless retakes with Xu Qiao, everyone was geared up for overtime.
Unexpectedly, he performed quite well, making everyone’s work much easier.
Rumors said Xu Qiao had a bad temper, but seeing him dressed so lightly in the freezing weather, filming all night without a single complaint, smiling politely at everyone, he seemed to be a dedicated and courteous actor.
Jiang Wen felt content, took out his phone, and after some thought, opened the chat with Li Chengxuan.
The last message was the one he sent not long ago:
【Li Chengxuan】Director Jiang, you might have heard something about Xu Qiao, but please bear with him.
Bear with what? As if Xu Qiao was so incompetent.
Despite preparing mentally and convincing himself that no one else could play Jiner, even if Xu Qiao’s performance was lacking, he must still bravely proceed with the shoot.
Yet, the reality was far from what was anticipated. Xu Qiao’s performance exceeded his expectations.
A pearl hidden in a clam, and now he was the first one to discover it.
As for Li Chengxuan, he vaguely understood what this person was thinking.
They were both part of the same group, and despite putting up a facade of love and harmony, there was inevitably competition and resource contention beneath the surface.
The role of Jin’er, no matter who played it, would face criticism. It wasn’t an easy task. Li Chengxuan introducing Xu Qiao here probably had some ulterior motives.
However, for a role that would inevitably receive criticism, it might not be the case for Xu Qiao.
His performance today…
Jiang Wen collected his thoughts and sent two words: “You there?”
Li Chengxuan quickly replied.
Jiang Wen dialed a number.
Li Chengxuan seemed unsurprised that Jiang Wen would call him. “Hello, Director Jiang.”
“Chengxuan, I’m calling you because I wanted to discuss something about Xu Qiao—”
Before he could finish, Li Chengxuan interjected, “Did Xu Qiao cause you trouble?”
Jiang Wen raised an eyebrow.
Li Chengxuan sounded sincere on the phone. “I’m really sorry, Director Jiang. I was the one who introduced him to you. If Xu Qiao is causing you any inconvenience, I apologize. Criticism about his lack of skill has been going on for a while, please bear with him.”
Jiang Wen’s expression was ambiguous. “I called to thank you.”
“What?” Li Chengxuan, puzzled, felt a foreboding sense of unease.
“Thank you for introducing Xu Qiao. He suits my preferences.”
“Uh…” Li Chengxuan hesitated, uncertain whether Jiang Wen was being sarcastic or not. He awkwardly chuckled. “What do you mean?”
Jiang Wen, with one leg crossed over the other, wore an expression of disdain. “He’s really good. I appreciate your introduction. Thanks a lot for this favor.”
Li Chengxuan: “…?”
Whoo, another chapter!
Li Chengxuan be prepared to get some good face slaps in the future (^ω^）
I hope he gets a new manager 😅 also it’s so sweet seeing him give a pep talk to the other actor
Let the face slapping commence!
Thank you for the update ☺️
Thank you for the chapter!
Li Chengxuan: He definitely made trouble happyJiang Wen: Definitely no trouble happy x2
Haha~ Thanks for the chap!
✨💖✨💖
Jiang Wen, that sounds so wrong 😭
Li Chengxuan might think of something else…
my username really resonates with me right now 😌
I love when green tea bitches get hit with the consequences of their own toxic plotting~ that that, you rotten white lotus!
Thanks for the chapter! Director is so evil, lol