Chapter 37: Wrapping Up

Chapter 37: Wrapping Up

Some were joking around, others were checking their reflections in the mirror.

Chen Moubai remained silent, once again feigning ignorance of the chat messages.

After all, the matters concerning the two aforementioned members were genuine.

With the game underway, he no longer glanced at the chat, as non-members couldn't view the footage of his performance, redirecting his focus to the gaming interface instead.

True to their arrangement, Chen Erbai bid farewell to his companions precisely at midnight that night, signing off right on schedule.

Days of late nights and early mornings saw the production team's time fly by; within the cycle of life and death portrayed on set, an entire month had silently slipped away.

As the end of the month neared, the atmosphere within the crew grew increasingly tense, the staff's eyes reflecting a lifeless aura tinged with the joy of imminent liberation.

Liberation was imminent, yet it made no difference to Master Chen, who toiled daily.

On the eve of completing all shooting tasks, Master Chen continued his studies alongside his study partner as usual, entirely unaffected.

Having filled his first notebook, he had switched to a new one, still costing eight yuan and ninety-one fen, a purchase boasting exceptional value for money.

During a break, Zhou Jing put down his pen, flexed his wrist, and remarked, "I heard the director has already arranged the wrap party for tomorrow evening."

According to the shooting schedule, barring any mishaps or excessive NGs, they should be able to finish filming all the scenes by afternoon. With the party scheduled for the evening, there would be ample time to rest and catch some sleep after wrapping up.

He turned to look at the lanky figure beside him, topped with unruly hair, and asked, "Can you hold your liquor?"

Drinking was an inevitable part of wrap parties, the only variable being the quantity consumed.

And this individual didn't appear to have a high tolerance.

Chen Moubai clearly couldn't handle alcohol. His capacity was so low that even the slightest sip left him visibly affected, making it impossible to discern his limit anywhere.

He lazily twirled the pen in his hand and said, "Sister Qian advised me to adopt an alcohol allergy persona, so I'll just have some fruit juice tomorrow."

Zhou Jing: "...?"

It was the first time someone openly discussed creating a persona in front of him, showing no intention of concealment. His brow twitched as he said, "Keep things like this under wraps, don't mention it to others."

The person next to him ruffled his hair and propped up his face, saying, "We're all friends; it's fine telling you."

This was said quickly, and Zhou Jing paused in the middle of stretching his wrist, glancing over.

The person next to him happened to look over at that moment, their gazes meeting under the tangle of messy hair and light-colored irises. He saw the other person raise the corner of their mouth and smile. "If you tell anyone, I'll spread the story about how you were crying in your blankets because of bad reviews in the middle of the night."

"..."

The story of his insomnia due to comments had become increasingly exaggerated in this person's mouth. Zhou Jing, feeling oddly touched for a brief moment, immediately snapped out of it. He wiped his face and said, "I was just having trouble sleeping back then."

The scruffy one said, "Was that so?"

The video continued, and the friendly exchange during the break came to an end.

The next day, when they started working again, the production team exuded an unspoken joy from inside out, with fewer mistakes made by the crew than usual.

Miracles happen on days off, and by that afternoon, due to fewer errors and the actors being in great shape, all the shots, including those previously deemed unsatisfactory and needing reshoots, were completed. The production team wrapped up an hour earlier than scheduled, officially concluding the shoot.

Unlike the previous production team, this was Chen Moubai's first time following a project from start to finish, witnessing the atmosphere on set after the last shot was taken.

There was a palpable sense of vitality amidst the stillness, as if life itself had burst forth. This time, the crew packed up their things at an unprecedented speed, seemingly eager to return home for a long nap.

The third male lead's buddy squatted down on the spot, emitting sounds of liberation, waiting for a car to pick him up and take him back for a marathon sleep session.

Chen Bai also squatted down, pulling out his phone to send a message to his good neighbor.

The good neighbor replied promptly, followed by a call.

He answered it, hearing the familiar voice on the other end asking when the wrap party would likely end that night.

"It should be around nine or ten o'clock."

The buddy was still engrossed in surfing the web, and as Chen Master prepared to stand up by leaning on his legs to move elsewhere, his buddy waved a hand, indicating it was no bother. So, he squatted back down.

"Do you want to go back... Of course, I do. I even want to play a couple of rounds of flying chess back home."

With one hand holding the phone, he picked up a leaf casually, poking the ground with its tip before slightly lifting his head. "...Pick me up tonight?"

The buddy who was surfing the web beside him turned to glance over.

A phone call wasn't long, just a few minutes, then it was hung up.

Master Chen stowed his phone back in his pocket. The buddy beside him asked, "Is someone coming to pick you up tonight?"

He nodded, "A friend happened to be free, so he said he'd come pick me up."

Good Neighbors had wrapped its previous segment of work half a month ago. Their team had moved around several locations, and this old district was their last shooting spot. Including the time spent at other locations, they had been filming back and forth for nearly half a year.

To have endured such tension for half a year, it was truly not easy to finish filming.

The third male lead's buddy let out an envious sound, feigning a wipe at his eye, "I wish I could leave too."

Most of them were sure to be stuck tonight. Once everyone, including the driver, had a drink and a sleep, the earliest they could depart would be tomorrow morning.

Chen Moubai smiled slightly.

When the production crew's vehicle arrived, those who had just said they didn't want to stay at the hotel jumped on board right away, eager to return and rest.

After returning to the hotel, Master Chen didn't rest. After a shower, he began his meticulous operation.

Meticulous operation referred to disassembling the computer.

Again using the same cardboard box and bubble wrap from when he arrived, all the components were returned exactly as they were, with neither surplus nor shortage of materials.

He didn't have much stuff. After dismantling the computer and packing his clothes casually, everything was ready.

The wrap party that night was held at the hotel, just a lift ride downstairs.

Not only the production crew members but also the rarely seen investors and journalists invited by the crew attended the wrap party.

The wrap party followed a similar format to ordinary banquets: speeches by the main creative team, followed by the classic gratitude segment, and a touch of small interaction thrown in.

Chen Moubai received another bouquet x1 and red envelope x1 from the director.

It was no longer working hours tonight, so other crew members could come forward for photos. He stood like a human, self-walking billboard, used for check-in photos, taking pictures one after another with each person.

Finally, after a series of procedures, they could sit down and begin the banquet. The leads, main creators, and investors sat at one table. The person who had firmly established their alcohol allergy persona had their drinks intercepted by their agent, and a well-intentioned study partner, out of friendship, also blocked a glass for him.

At the table, some chatted and laughed while others quietly ate their dishes.

The wrap party turned into a drinking session, and by the end of it, several people at the table needed support to leave.

At this moment, Chen Moubai became even more aware of her money-making partner's exceptional business skills.

Despite the investors being almost knocked out by alcohol, she remained sober, able to walk on her own, and her speech was still coherent. Apart from her slightly red face, she appeared to have no signs of drunkenness.

Though not drunk, the considerate Chen Erbai still escorted her to the room's door, and before she could open it, he pulled something out of his pocket to hand over.

It was a red envelope, not as grand-looking as the one given by the director, but still appealing.

He said, "I heard from Zhou Jing that assistants should also receive red envelopes during the wrap party."

The agent, whose brain was filled with alcohol, thought for a moment before remembering that some actors did indeed have this custom.

She just didn't expect this practice to be adopted by this eighty-nine-yuan-one.

With a heart filled with an indescribable awe, the agent accepted it. After a quick count, she found there were three. She said, "There's one too many."

The person standing opposite her smiled, "It's for you."

He continued, "My friend is coming to pick me up, I'll be leaving shortly, and I won't have time to give this to Brother Liu and the others. Could you, Sister Qian, please pass on the other two?"

Holding the red envelopes in her hand, Gao Qian was momentarily stunned, then she laughed along, wrinkles appearing at the corners of her eyes. Without saying much else, she only reminded him to be careful on the road and to send a text when he arrived.

Chen Bai nodded, waved, and said goodbye.

After bidding farewell to his money-making partner, he went straight back to his own room.

His good neighbor arrived about fifteen minutes later.

A knock came from the door, neither light nor heavy, two knocks in total. The person sitting on the sofa got up to open the door.

It was his good neighbor, who looked like a home invader minus a handsome face, dressed the same as always.

The carton box left by the door and the bag containing clothes were promptly taken by the good neighbor, leaving Chen Moubai suddenly relieved, needing only to carry the flowers given by the director.

The bulky cardboard box that he had to hold tightly in his arms seemed to magically shrink in size once in the hands of the good neighbor, exuding an inexplicable feeling of smallness and lightness from its square shape.

With everything already here and confirming nothing was left behind, he lowered his head to close the door.

A "snap" echoed in unison with the sound of him closing his door, accompanied by the opening of the opposite room's door.

He turned to look over, meeting the gaze of the person from across the way.

Quite coincidental, it was probably his study partner who had just returned from the wrap party.

Chen Moubai nodded once as a greeting.

Zhou Jing maintained his posture with one hand on the doorknob, giving a few more glances at the flowers held by the person opposite and the paper box and bag in the stranger's hand, saying, "Are you leaving today?"

Chen Bai nodded, smiling as he turned to look at the person beside him, saying, "My friend came to pick me up today."

The friend's dark eyes, hidden beneath the shadow of his cap brim, swept over them.

Zhou Jing, he had seen him when that ambiguous rumor surfaced before.

With only a glance, he retracted his gaze, his dark pupils as usual, simply saying, "Hello."

His voice was like cold jade clashing, causing people's nerves to involuntarily tighten.

—An intense sense of pressure, yet strangely familiar.

Zhou Jing met the other's sweeping gaze, nodding after a pause, saying "Hello".

The encounter was simple, ending quickly. Afterwards, they parted ways.

The person preparing to leave continued towards the elevator, their voices growing fainter.

"There's an alcohol smell, did you drink today?"

"No, Sister Qian and my friends helped me avoid it. She can really hold her liquor..."

Zhou Jing stood at the door, watching the two figures in the corridor walk further away together.

The friend didn't look back at him again, his profile lowered, even if it was hard to see clearly, but still able to distinctly feel the focus of his gaze remained on the person beside him.

Leaving aside other matters for now, this friend... seemed somewhat off.

—

Xu Sinian led the group into the car.

It had been quite a while since Master Chen had once again taken the passenger seat in Hao Linju's vehicle.

The crucial cardboard box containing the computer was placed in the backseat, while the slightly less important but still significant bouquet was secured by the rear seat belt, safeguarded even against sudden braking.

"Since it's late today, shall we stay at Yulin Road for the night?"

As the vehicle cruised along the suburban expressway, the dark silhouettes of trees swiftly receded on both sides. Xu Sinian cast a sideways glance at the person beside him and said, "The place has been cleaned over the past couple of days; we can move in directly."

Chen Bai had no objections.

He hadn't returned to the old urban residential building in a long time. If he were to sleep there tonight, he would need to clean up anew.

Yulin Road was closer to the film city, allowing them to arrive earlier and rest sooner.

Some didn't make it until they reached Yulin Road, already peacefully dozing off en route.

Upon reaching their destination, Chen Erbai was awoken by Hao Linju.

This time, Hao Linju remembered to undo the seatbelt as he woke the person up. Unobstructed by any hindrance upon waking, Chen Erbai floated out of the car and straight to the ground.

The responsibility of moving the cardboard box fell once again on Comrade Old Xu's shoulders, while Chen Erbai held the flowers, tasked with operating the elevator.

After his previous visit, he had conveniently memorized the floor number here.

The elevator ascended and then stopped, revealing the familiar door.

Xu Sinian lifted his hand slightly to unlock it.

Master Chen stood by, watching as he unlocked and changed the lock, shaking his head in regret from a professional standpoint: "I can't open this lock."

Xu Sinian: "..."

He consoled that it was indeed a pity.

As the door opened, he stepped aside to let the others enter first before closing the door behind him.

Setting the cardboard box securely on a side cabinet, he bent down to retrieve slippers from the shoe cabinet. With his other hand, he casually took the bouquet being held by the person beside him, saying, "Give it to me first."

Chen Bai handed over the flowers, changed into slippers, and looked around the room.

Something felt different about this place compared to his last visit, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the previously drawn curtains were now open, allowing the city lights to flood in through the floor-to-ceiling windows. A water glass had appeared on the living room table, and a familiar coat was draped over the sofa.

He recalled that during his previous visit, there were no slippers like these for him to wear.

Although the room remained tidy, it no longer felt like a model apartment; there was now a hint of lived-in warmth. Turning his head, he asked, "Have you been staying here recently?"

Xu Sinian bent down to place the bouquet on the table, replying, "I stay here when I don't have work."

Implying that he would be residing here for the foreseeable future. Chen Bai smiled. "Looks like we're neighbors again."

He and the new landlord had already reached an agreement and signed the contract; all that was left was for him to move in.

The only change was from being side-by-side neighbors to being above and below each other.

Not bad, they could still bake cookies together whenever they had free time.

His considerate good neighbor acknowledged this and led him to the guest room where he would be staying tonight.

The guest room was a suite, complete with an en-suite bathroom and a balcony. The floor-to-ceiling window faced the cityscape across the river, and the evening breeze gently lifted his hair.

The bed was freshly made, and all the daily necessities he would need were provided. Chen Erbai gave his thoughtful good neighbor a thumbs up.

It was getting late, so the considerate good neighbor left him alone in the room after showing him in, giving him space to freshen up and rest early.

Chen Bai washed up, but didn't rest. As the king of late-nighters, he wouldn't think of sleeping until well past midnight.

He had accepted a school drama project that his agent had mentioned before, completing the contractual procedures, and the full script was now in his hands. This was the perfect time to review it.

The script leaned towards an ensemble cast, telling the story of a group of high school students. The role he had taken on this time was a departure from his previous ones. Whether it was A Huai or Si Yang, although they were quite different, they could be summarized as frail figures with limited vitality.

In contrast, his current character, Xu Yifan, was brimming with energy. He skipped classes to play ball, scaled walls to surf the internet, and basically did everything except study.

Xu Yifan's parents named him hoping that his life would be smooth sailing, but reality proved to be more complicated and harsh. With his parents divorced, he lived with his mother, who was with a wealthy man, ensuring that he never lacked food or clothing. Every month, he received a generous allowance as if to appease him.

The wealthy man didn't approve of him, nor did he wish to return home. Instead, he spent every night wandering outside, gaming in internet cafes, and was respectfully addressed as 'Brother' by friends who stuck around purely for his money.

Living a disheveled life, yet managing to get by. The upheaval occurred on a winter evening, when the internet cafe he frequented was raided by school authorities; he was discovered and escorted home personally by a teacher.

In front of the teacher and school administrators, his mother's wealthy boyfriend struck him down with a harsh blow.

His mother broke up with the rich man and moved into the cheapest old alley near the school, taking on multiple jobs that stretched from dawn till late at night.

Without money, his former friends scattered like chaff, even turning on him, claiming his past demeanor was too haughty, plotting to ambush him in the alley as an act of revenge.

The next day, he went to school bearing injuries, only to be scolded by unaware teachers for fraternizing with unsavory characters. During the evening self-study session, he learned that his mother had collapsed from exhaustion at work and was already hospitalized. Adversity piled on, his life plummeting to rock bottom.

Humans are creatures that must hit rock bottom before they can bounce back.

He reported his former friends to the moral education department, Xu Yifan ignoring the skeptical glances and pitying looks of others. By day, he tried to catch up on his studies with the help of the male and female leads, while at night, he played video games as a proxy player to earn money, returning home to attempt cooking and care for his ailing mother.

There were setbacks and misunderstandings along the way, but fortunately, everything turned out well in the end. He passed the college entrance exam and got into a university he never dared dream of attending, continuing his education with financial aid. His mother found a stable job, and all seemed to be looking up.

"..."

Night winds blew through the window into the room, where only the sound of pages turning could be heard. The person lying in bed casually placed a pen behind his ear, his eyes aching from reading. He buried his face in the script, attempting a quantum entanglement reading method.

The quantum entanglement reading method proved ineffective, so he rolled over and continued flipping through the pages.

At two o'clock in the morning, the person in bed finally put down the script on time, closing his eyes.

"..."

Perhaps it wasn't suitable to read scripts before sleep.

The next morning, sunlight streamed in through the window left uncurtained, illuminating the tired eyes of the person lying in bed, who looked more exhausted than before going to sleep.

The script's content swirled in his head all night. Rising from the bed, Chen Moubai mechanically washed up, finally regaining some clarity after splashing water on his face. He opened the door to his room.

His good neighbor was already awake, lounging in the living room in casual attire, appearing more relaxed than usual.

Approaching with messy hair, the person on the sofa noticed him and said, "You're awake."

Then added, "Your cup is on the table; use that one to drink water."

So, Chen Erbai turned halfway and proceeded to his daily morning ritual of drinking water.

The cup was white; after finishing his water, he glanced at it again and noticed a cartoon dog with big, round eyes printed on it, which looked rather adorable.

Holding the water cup, he turned around with a tilted head, looking at his good neighbor quietly seated in the living room, asking, "Did you pick this?"

His good neighbor replied, "I thought you might like it."

Indeed he did.

Chen Moubai smiled slightly. "I do like it."

Breakfast was already in the insulated box on the table, ready to be eaten upon waking up. The good neighbor sitting in the living room got up to join him for breakfast.

Sitting down and squinting as he sipped soy milk, the person with tousled hair felt a wave of comfort, all traces of fatigue vanishing. He glanced at the jacket his good neighbor had casually placed beside his seat and asked, "Are you going out today?"

The good neighbor rubbed his brow. "I'm picking up Xu Lang from school at noon."

Previously, it was an afternoon dismissal, but this week, likely due to exams, they were letting out early at noon.

If not picked up personally, this person would take the opportunity to slip away.

It was only now that Chen Bai remembered it was Friday, the day high school students were off.

Recalling the script they briefly entangled over last night, and the potential filming location mentioned by his agent before, he asked, "Where does little brother go to school?"

Xu Sinian answered, "No. 1 High School."

The person sipping soy milk furrowed his brows slightly, swallowing the soy milk in his mouth, saying, "My next production seems to be at No. 1 High School."

His good neighbor looked at him, asking, "Would you like to come along and take a look?"

---

No. 1 High School

An ordinary exam, an exhilarating holiday.

The joy of the holiday overshadowed the unease akin to opening a mystery box after the exam, filling the classroom with an atmosphere of holiday bliss.

Only one person sitting at the back slowly laid their head on the desk, their open eyes devoid of any emotion related to joy.

Beside him was his friend, who was hastily packing his bag while turning to ask, "You're not looking happy about the early vacation. Why is that?"

Xu Lang shifted his position and said, "I'm going to my brother's place during the break."

His friend responded, "Didn't you say before that you wanted to visit your brother?"

The desk was too low for someone tall to comfortably lie on it. No matter how he tried, Xu Lang couldn't get comfortable, so he sat up again and said, "It's different now."

Back then, Erbai was still around. Now, there was only his brother. Spending all day facing that poker face wasn't as appealing as staying in school.

Incidentally, he still didn't understand why so many people liked his brother.

His friend didn't grasp what was different, so he skipped the topic and brought up a rumor he'd heard today, saying, "I heard that the top hundred students in the grade will have a summer camp or something this year, and they'll have to stay on campus for extra classes during the summer break."

Xu Lang replied, "Isn't that just asking for trouble?"

His friend agreed, quickly finished packing his bag, said goodbye, and took off running out of the classroom.

The bell had rung quite some time ago. Staying any longer would still mean facing that poker face. Tossing two books and his homework into his bag, Xu Lang slung it over his shoulder and slowly made his way out of the classroom.

Sure enough, by the time he slowly wandered from the classroom building to the school gate, there weren't many people left near the gate, only a few stragglers walking out.

There was temporary parking beside the school gate. He wasn't surprised to see the car he'd rather not see parked there.

Inside the car sat a person, with the brim of their hat pulled down low, hands resting on the steering wheel. Instead of the usual expressionless gaze in his direction, they were looking elsewhere.

"..."

Something felt odd.

Noticing something amiss, Xu Lang paused in his steps and followed the other person's line of sight, which led him to a Jianbing stall.

...A Jianbing stall?

Past the peak business hours, the Jianbing vendor was squatting to one side, chatting merrily with someone.

The person talking to the vendor also wore a hat, seemingly familiar with him, slightly lifting it to look over and waving.