Chapter 64: Really Want to Slap His Face?

Chapter 64: Really Wanted to Slap His Face?

Jian Ye stood with his legs together, assuming the poised demeanor of classical dance. He slowly raised his arms to shoulder level in the "flat shoulder hands" position, then began moving his feet in deliberate, measured steps.

The camera slid rightward from the door crack, stopping before the window, creating the visual effect of someone peering into the room from the hallway.

Jian Ye had an excellent sense for capturing the camera's angle. When he sensed it positioned at his side, he extended his left leg backward, toes pointed as he traced an arc on the floor, executing a grand 'daye bu' step with palms sweeping upward.

Everyone had expected Jian Ye to perform softer, more delicate poses—after all, his breakout video had featured the iconic image of him with a coquettish hip sway. But before they could react to their surprise, the young man lifted his lapel while pressing his palm downward, and as he turned his head, his lips curled into a faint smile. His clear, luminous eyes sparkled with vitality, brimming with a passion that seemed to make his entire body thrum with energy.

As the dance progressed, his movements grew faster—fluid spins and leaps left the onlookers marveling at the lightness of his form and his exceptional leaping ability.

How could someone look so breathtakingly beautiful dancing in an ordinary high school boy's uniform? Even those unfamiliar with dance could sense the elegance of traditional Chinese classical dance in his performance.

And Jian Ye had done it all dancing without musical accompaniment. Yet in his dance, there seemed to be a rhythm only he could hear, lending his steps a pulse of breath and rhythm.

No one dared make a sound, afraid of shattering this moment of exquisite tranquility.

It wasn’t until the director called out, "Why hasn’t Lin Zhirun entered yet? If he doesn’t go in soon, Luo Ying will have finished dancing!" that the spell was broken.

Mo Huan snapped out of his daze and was about to move into position when the director shouted, "Cut!"

Jian Ye also stopped and turned toward the camera outside the window. "Do we need to do it again?"

Director Wu waved the script in his hand. "Not you. We got everything up to that point. We just need to shoot Lin Zhirun walking in now."

"Xiao Ye, you really are a dancer. The moment you started moving, you came alive. That was excellent acting—your expressions were perfectly nuanced, and you perfectly conveyed Luo Ying’s love for dance."

The crew was stunned. In all their years working with Director Wu, this was the first time they’d heard him praise someone so effusively.

But they couldn’t deny it—Jian Ye’s performance had been mesmerizing.

Mo Huan had been utterly entranced, completely forgetting he was supposed to be acting. Time and again, he found himself unintentionally drawn to this boy.

Jian Ye’s professionalism also earned his respect. As a senior from the acting department, he couldn’t afford to embarrass himself or hold anyone back.

So when they resumed filming for the second take, they nailed it in one go.

Young Lin Zhirun fell in love for the first time—just one glance, and his feet refused to move.

From then on, he found himself whether intentionally or not, stealing glances at Luo Ying. This boy embodied every idealized quality he'd imagined in a first love—so much so that no words could fully capture it.

Yet someone so beautiful was an orphan. No one knew who had first spread the rumor, but soon, classmates who disliked Luo Ying began making jokes, until eventually the rumor had spread throughout the entire grade.

The reckless ignorance of youth became a shackle around Luo Ying’s neck, a bramble of thorns barring Lin Zhirun's path to that "beauty."

Malice in school always seemed to arise from nowhere, spreading rapidly through mindless bandwagoning.

Despite the cruelty of others, Luo Ying remained kind and sincere. Lin Zhirun thought, only Luo Ying could endure such things without losing his goodness.

He still waited every day until everyone had left, secretly watching Luo Ying dance alone in empty corners. But he lacked the courage to approach, and even less the strength to stop the malice of others.

Until one day, Luo Ying appeared after school, covered in bruises and cuts, his uniform torn and filthy as he walked through the rain.

That was the first time Lin Zhirun’s youthful blood boiled—like the fury of seeing one's favorite toy destroyed.

When a classmate moved to strike Luo Ying, he stepped forward fearlessly.

"Alright, let’s take five. The next scene is about Luo Ying being bullied. Hair and makeup, stay sharp. PAs, round up those background actors and have Director Fei prep them to get in the zone."

Director Wu delegated tasks, and the crew began preparing in an orderly manner.

Mo Huan snagged two water bottles and approached Jian Ye. "Xiao Ye, have some water. You must be wiped after that dance routine."

"Thank you, senior. I'm fine, not tired at all," Jian Ye replied politely as he accepted the water.

They’d barely started, and he wasn’t even playing the lead role, so the workload wasn’t heavy.

Today, they were shooting at S City’s First High, and Yi Siyu had come along, driving the car lent to him by Huo Kai.

Director Wu knew Jian Ye and Huo Kai were tight and assumed the person in the car was their big boss. He told the crew to let the car through whenever it entered the set in the future.

Veteran crew members got the hint—Director Wu’s words made it clear that the car belonged to someone important.

Jian Ye was filming on the fourth floor. Standing in the corridor, he propped himself on the railing and peered down, spotting the black car parked under the shade of a tree.

The windows had dark tint, making it impossible to see inside from the outside.

But somehow, even though he couldn’t see, he just knew the man inside was staring at him—as if they shared some unspoken connection.

He gave a pointed wave toward the car below, meant for one person only.

Had Jian Ye been in the car at that moment, he would have seen the man’s lips curling into a wide grin.

Yi Siyu watched Jian Ye in his high school uniform, wishing he’d met the kid earlier.

Still a college student, Jian Ye fit the role of a high schooler perfectly, looking even more fresh-faced and glowing.

Seeing Jian Ye like this, Yi Siyu didn’t find the wait dull at all—he could stay here all day.

Once the break and preparations were over, Director Wu barked through a bullhorn, and everyone returned to their positions, with the actors ready as well.

Among the extras playing rebellious students, Mo Huan recognized a familiar face and was surprised to see him trying acting.

"Xiao Chun?" Mo Huan called out his name.

This was a junior who had worked with him in the student council. Come to think of it, Xiao Chun had once confessed to him.

But Mo Huan didn’t dwell on it—plenty had confessed to him, mostly out of admiration rather than genuine feelings. He assumed Xiao Chun was no different, just caught up in the moment.

After being rejected, Xiao Chun never approached him again, so Mo Huan assumed the feelings had faded.

Mo Huan’s lingering discomfort vanished completely at the thought.

"Senior Mo Huan, do I pass for a delinquent?" Xiao Chun asked softly, his voice gentle as he gazed at Mo Huan. "I just wanted to see what acting was like, so I came. Back in high school, I was always the good student type. This is my first time playing a troublemaker—I’m not sure how to do it."

Mo Huan didn’t overthink it and reassured him, "Don’t worry, just let the character’s emotions flow. Don’t hold back, and don’t tense up when delivering lines—stay relaxed and natural. As for playing a bad student, try tapping into some anger and turning it into defiance and aggression."

"Anger? I rarely get angry, so this is a bit tough. Appreciate the tip, senior. I’ll try to figure it out."

Jian Ye watched the entire exchange between Mo Huan and Xiao Chun from the side, picking up weird vibes about the way Xiao Chun looked at Mo Huan.

He’d heard this was another senior from Yun Chuan’s dance department, but Jian Ye had never met or known him before.

Ever since entering the set, Xiao Chun’s sharp, upturned eyes had been fixed on Jian Ye. Seeing how effortlessly dazzling he was only fueled Xiao Chun’s resentment.

He admitted he was petty—he was downright bitter toward Jian Ye.

Earlier, Director Fei had said that all the delinquent student extra roles were taken. He managed to find an extra from a family in tough circumstances and struck a deal, paying to secure the spot for himself.

If he couldn’t land the role of Luo Ying, then he had to at least play the character who bullied Luo Ying in the film.

Xiao Chun flexed his wrists, hiding an icy smirk.

Playing a delinquent student later—he might as well be playing himself. He was ready to unleash all the resentment he’d bottled up these days.

"Camera A, Camera B, Camera C, get in position—rolling soon!" Director Wu called out.

The slate clapped. "Farewell to Midsummer, Scene 2, Take 1—action!"

Luo Ying sat at his desk, packing his bag. He wanted to hurry to the empty dance studio—it was the best part of his day.

But just as he finished, a book suddenly flew toward him. He instinctively dodged, and the book hit the floor with a loud smack.

Jian Ye tensed up. This extra… was really going for it.

When he looked up, he saw Xiao Chun, playing the leader of the delinquents, leering at him with open disgust—as if Luo Ying were trash, a pathetic loser, someone utterly revolting.

Jian Ye was impressed by how fast the other had gotten into character and decided to match his intensity.

He edged back a step, scooped up his bag, and turned to leave—only to be cut off by the heckling gang.

"Where you going, Luo Ying? Oh wait, should we call you ‘Pale-Face Luo’? Always waiting till everyone’s gone before you leave—got some shady business?"

Luo Ying didn’t want to engage. He sidestepped, but they blocked him again.

"Hey! What’s the rush? That eager to get out of school and get laid?"

"Look at that snow-white skin—like a damn girl. But hey, heard creepy old dudes are into you."

Luo Ying’s brow twitched at the crude remarks, but he stayed silent.

Then the ringleader sneered, "Orphan trash, what kind of clean life could you even have? People like you… should’ve had a mommy to teach ’em manners—"

"What did you say?"

Jian Ye’s vision went red as he glared. Admittedly, those words didn’t just sting Luo Ying—they hit too close to home with him too.

But he stayed grounded, leaning into the anger for the scene.

Even the mild-mannered Luo Ying couldn’t tolerate his parents being insulted like that.

The delinquent leader was thrilled to see Luo Ying bite back, fueling his own rebellious glee.

He snatched Luo Ying’s bag and hurled it out the window, then shoved the slender boy hard. "So what if I said it? You mad now? Thought you were good at taking it—why not keep enduring, huh?"

Every word was punctuated with a shove, backing Luo Ying into a corner.

Jian Ye’s shoulders ached from the force. Xiao Chun’s glare felt too real to be acting—it felt like…

Real hatred.

Was it his imagination? Or was the other just an incredible method actor, fully immersed in the role—hence the rough handling?

Since the scene did call for physical conflict, and Director Wu demanded realism, Jian Ye took it without a word despite the discomfort.

"Let me go."

The other person grabbed the boy's school uniform, and the boy began to resist.

Jian Ye intended to slide down with the force of the tug—this struggle was part of the script.

However, Xiao Chun went off-script, clenched his teeth, hand poised to strike the boy.

At that moment, Jian Ye finally saw the deep-seated malice in the other's eyes.

Was this guy seriously about to slap him?!

In a flash, he summoned the system.

[Jian Ye: Er Tong, exchange a skill card for me! The one called "Like Punching a Pillow"!]

A/N:

Jian Ye: Want to slap me? Then get ready to face the power of my Green Tea Points. Perfect timing—I was running low.