Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Lu Yan was startled. He had previously taken Gu Xu's phone number but hadn’t contacted him. Logically, Gu Xu shouldn’t have his number.

He thought for a moment and replied, "I’m filming on set. What’s up?"

Gu Xu responded naturally, "There’s no water. I wanted to ask if I could borrow some."

Since when did the apartment’s water pipes become so unreliable?

Lu Yan was too tired to type, so he just called.

Gu Xu sounded surprised, "Yeah?"

"Did your water pipe also burst?" Lu Yan thought about how he was covered in foam and wondered if Gu Xu was in the same state. He couldn’t help but chuckle, "I’m not sure if the property management has fixed my pipe yet. You can go in and check; you know the password."

"Got it," Gu Xu sensed the fatigue in his voice and after a moment of silence, asked, "Are you really tired?"

"It’s fine. I’ve been filming all day. I’ll be okay after some sleep."

Just as Lu Yan finished speaking, the doorbell rang. He got up and said, "Hold on, I’ll get the door."

Xiao Liu stood outside, holding a package, proudly saying, "Bro Yan, I saw some crayfish being sold outside. I tried it, and it’s really good! I brought you a big portion, spicy. Give it a try."

He walked into the room, placed the crayfish on the table, and kept talking, "I was looking for some nourishing soup, but there aren’t any good ones nearby. They’re all loaded with pepper and MSG. I told An Ge you’ve been losing a lot of weight lately, and he said since filming will take a few more months, I should get some pots and pans to cook in the hotel. But I can’t cook! Maybe I’ll see if I can find a chef to cook for us for a few months."

Lu Yan covered the phone’s microphone and whispered, "I can just eat takeout. No need to go to all that trouble. Go back to sleep; we’ve got an early start tomorrow."

Xiao Liu saw he was on the phone and quickly left the room, "I’ll head back then. Night, Bro Yan!"

As soon as Lu Yan closed the door, he heard Gu Xu say, "Your stomach’s not great. Stay away from spicy food."

Huh? How did he hear me even though I covered the microphone? Lu Yan responded, "I won’t eat it. I’ll toss it in a bit," as he opened the plastic bag.

The sound of running water came from the other end, probably Gu Xu already in the bathroom. He chuckled, "I heard you opening the bag."

Lu Yan stopped and said sheepishly, "I was just about to throw it out."

"Where are you filming?"

Lu Yan answered truthfully, "In J City, a pretty remote place."

They chatted a bit more before hanging up. Gu Xu turned off the water and stepped out of the bathroom, wearing a neat gray suit, clearly not there to take a shower.

Lu Yan’s home was designed in black, white, and gray tones. With the owner away, the house felt lifeless.

As he was about to leave, he passed by the trash bin near the door and caught a glimpse of something bright red inside. It was a wedding invitation, torn in half, lying quietly.

Gu Xu stared at it for a moment, then bent down to pick it up and glanced at the end of the invitation.

"Zhou Ming and Liu Mingyi cordially invite you."

The next day, Lu Yan was woken up by the doorbell. He squinted as he went to open the door.

Xiao Liu stood outside, "Bro Yan, if you don’t get up soon, we’ll be late. I bought breakfast. Let’s eat before heading to the set."

Lu Yan nodded and turned to go into the bathroom. Xiao Liu walked into the room, placed the beef noodles on the table, and looked at the trash bin in confusion, "Bro Yan, didn’t you like the crayfish? Why did you throw the whole bowl away?"

Lu Yan, with a toothbrush in his mouth, mumbled, "My stomach isn’t great. Let’s buy less spicy food in the future."

Although Xiao Liu had been by Lu Yan's side for so many years, Lin An was the one who usually handled Lu Yan's meals on set, so Xiao Liu had never known about Lu Yan's stomach issues. He hurriedly apologized, "Sorry, Bro Yan, An didn't tell me."

"It's fine, just be more careful in the future."

When they arrived on set, Chen Jing was discussing the scene with Shi Qing. Seeing Lu Yan, she walked over, "How are you feeling today?"

Lu Yan smiled, "When am I ever not on top of my game?"

"You're so full of yourself!" Chen Jing tapped his head lightly with a rolled-up script, "We're shooting the love scene today."

Lu Yan asked, "Wasn't that scene supposed to be next week?"

Chen Jing walked away without answering. Shi Qing approached, "You haven't checked Weibo yet, have you?"

"Not yet, why?"

"Tang Ming's in hot water; we need to replace him."

Tang Ming was cast as the third male lead, a loyal guard by the general's side, a pretty likable character. The competition for this role was reportedly pretty intense.

Lu Yan sat still while the makeup artist did her work, casually opening Weibo to check it out.

The trending topics were all about "#Tang Ming Drugs#", "#Tang Ming Taken by Police#", "#Drug Team Scores Again#"... There was also a set of photos on Weibo's trending page showing Tang Ming being taken into a police car. Although the images were pixelated, no one had come forward to clarify after several hours, making it pretty much a done deal.

These days, the biggest no-no for entertainers is getting mixed up with drugs. Once discovered, no amount of PR can clean it up, and netizens will spontaneously boycott. With this incident, not just this movie, Tang Ming's career is pretty much over.

The absence of the third male lead meant his scenes couldn't be filmed as planned, and his role had quite a bit of screen time. Chen Zhong always had him at his side in battle scenes, so they had to bring forward the shooting schedule for other scenes.

No wonder Chen Jing was on edge today, her yelling could be heard all over the set, even clearly audible in the makeup room.

Shi Qing came in and sat down beside him, "Don't slow me down later, I don't want to be scolded by Director Chen, he's especially fierce today."

Lu Yan laughed, "Don't worry, I've done love scenes before."

"Oh?" Shi Qing's eyes twinkled as she leaned in to whisper in his ear, "Do you get turned on when you shoot them?"

The makeup assistant blushed, thinking to herself, I didn't hear anything, and your industry is really messed up.

Over the past week, Lu Yan and Shi Qing had become quite familiar. After learning he was gay, Shi Qing started with some snarky comments, then began teasing him from time to time, as if she found some amusement in it.

So he had gotten used to her teasing, coolly responding, "That depends on your skills, Sister Qing."

As soon as he finished, he received a slap on the shoulder, Shi Qing angrily said, "I told you not to call me sister!"

*

Kui Ji's character setting was different from those pure and innocent characters in other TV shows and novels. She was the type who sold her body but not her art, having seen countless men, every smile and frown could bewitch.

As for Chen Zhong, he was a man of integrity, chaste and self-disciplined, never having touched a woman in over twenty years.

So the love scene between Kui Ji and Chen Zhong was all about Kui Ji seducing and tempting Chen Zhong.

Lu Yan was still in his armor, while Shi Qing wore a bright red, sheer gauze. The set was colorful and vibrant, with a large bed in the middle, Kui Ji's boudoir for entertaining guests.

Chen Jing had a stern face as she addressed the two, "This scene is quite important, both of you better do it well!"

"Nothing much to say to you, Xiao Yan, control your expressions, Shi Qing, be more flirtatious."

Shi Qing nodded, "Don't worry, I'm best at that."

Chen Jing: ...

Lu Yan remained silent...

Director Chen cleared her throat and told the staff nearby, "Okay, let’s clear the set."

Shi Qing called out, "Hey, no, why clear the set?"

Director Chen: "How are you going to film if we don’t clear the set?"

"I’m not showing anything inappropriate; I’m fully clothed." Shi Qing's red lips curved into a smile, "And if you clear the set now, people might think Lu Yan and I are actually doing it. What then? I care about my reputation!"

Lu Yan could almost see the words on Shi Qing’s face: ‘Let’s see if Lu Yan reacts.’

With Shi Qing saying this, Director Chen couldn’t argue further and waved her hand, "Do what you want; it’s not like I’m the one filming."

"War Song, Scene 24, Take 1! And… action!"

Shi Qing, barefoot, smirked, her eyes brimming with seduction, her fingers hooked onto the belt of Lu Yan's armor, leading him to the large bed.

She gently removed Lu Yan’s armor while he, visibly flustered, struggled to stay composed, saying, "Miss, this isn’t appropriate."

"General, since you’ve entered my Kui Hua Pavilion, you are Kui Ji’s chosen one tonight." Shi Qing’s breath was as fragrant as orchids, "Don’t worry, Kui Ji will introduce you to the most exquisite pleasures in this world..."

...

Two crew members stood by the set entrance, whispering to each other.

"Wow, Shi Qing is incredible—so sexy."

Another girl gulped, ‘I can’t handle it; Lu Yan is way too hot...’

On the bed, Lu Yan lay still as Shi Qing straddled him, his eyes dazed, cheeks flushed, lips slightly parted, as if holding back something, yet with a hint of pleasure.

His hands clenched the sheets, veins faintly visible on his pale skin, showing the well-defined muscles on his hands due to the force.

The girl covered her face, ‘Lu Yan looks like he’s saying, ‘Take me now.’ I can’t handle this; I need to leave or I’ll get nothing done!"

As she turned to leave, she noticed a tall, sharply dressed man standing behind her, watching the filming just like them.

The man was strikingly handsome, with deep, intense eyes. The girl immediately realized and blushed, "Are you here to audition for Qiu Rong? You’re early—the audition’s this afternoon."

Gu Xu shook his head, ‘Just here to visit.’ Then he quietly walked into the set.

The girl glanced at his back and elbowed her friend, ‘Did you see his face? So hot, oh my God! Who do you think he’s here to visit?"

"Probably Shi Qing! Doesn’t she have a ton of rumored boyfriends?"

"Cut! And that’s a wrap!"

Shi Qing: "No way, Director Chen, I don’t think I nailed that scene."

Director Chen asked, "Are you the director or am I? Go change! Get ready for the next scene!"

Shi Qing got off Lu Yan and whispered in a voice only they could hear, angrily, "I think you’re not just gay, you’re broken, right? No reaction at all?"

"This is so frustrating, if people find out about this, where will my face be?"

Lu Yan: ...

Shi Qing got up and went to Director Chen, "Director Chen, I think our show needs another bed scene, what do you think?"

Chen Jing shot her a glare, but before she could speak, a deep male voice chimed in from behind, "Is this movie of yours a porn flick?"

Shi Qing looked up and saw Gu Xu standing behind Chen Jing, a sneer on his lips. Great, now even the hot guys are ganging up on her?

"Who are you!"

Lu Yan was about to head to the makeup room when he noticed the person standing there and paused in surprise.

He walked over, "Gu Xu?"