Chapter 35: Intentional

Chapter 35: On Purpose

"What happened?"

As Bai Yuxi stepped out of the makeup room, the set was in chaos, with people crowded around the lotus pond, which should have been bustling with filming.

"Someone fell into the water!"

A crew member rushed past, running to help.

Bai Yuxi was about to follow when the crowd suddenly parted. A drenched young man, wrapped in a blanket, was being anxiously half-embraced and guided away by another young man.

She recognized the young man who had fallen into the water as the sixth male lead actor of the series, a newcomer surnamed Yu, and the unlucky fellow Qi Lian had set his sights on.

—Oh, and the youth holding him close as they walked out was his "wife."

Instantly, Bai Yuxi’s curiosity spiked, and she hiked up her skirt, jogging toward the back of the crowd.

As the person who fell was rescued and brought ashore, the crowd dispersed. One of the individuals involved, Qi Lian, stood by the lotus pond, talking to director Tang Sen.

"No big deal, just a small accident. Go take a break, and we'll continue after Yu Lanzhao changes clothes."

Qi Lian nodded. Tang Sen, seeing his displeased expression, didn’t dare say more and called for the crew to tidy up the set.

Once the surrounding crowd had moved away, Bai Yuxi slowly ambled over.

Qi Lian caught her in his peripheral vision, his face grim and silent, as he flung his prop sword to an assistant.

Bai Yuxi raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Who upset our Actor Qi?"

Qi Lian ignored her and headed straight for the dressing room. Bai Yuxi followed closely behind, unable to hold back a laugh. "Looks like our Actor Qi tried to pull a fast one but got burned!"

Qi Lian suddenly halted, shooting her a cold glare. His dark eyes swirled with visible coldness and anger, like a deep-sea current, piercingly icy.

Bai Yuxi sensed something was off and grew serious. "What happened?"

Qi Lian snorted coldly, almost gritting his teeth. "I underestimated him."

Earlier, by the lotus pond, during the final Ending Pose, Qi Lian had indeed deliberately lunged the sword a little farther. But he had calculated the distance carefully—the extra thrust wouldn’t actually injure anyone, just give Yu Lanzhao a scare.

Who told him to deliberately cozy up to the person he had his eye on before filming started?

What? Trying to stake a claim?

Well, he wouldn’t let him have his way. He wanted Yu Lanzhao to know that whoever Qi Lian set his sights on, he always got what he wanted.

Moreover, if an accident happened, it would be clear who Lin Shenshi cared about more.

Unexpectedly, Yu Lanzhao also happened to move forward a bit more.

At first, Qi Lian wasn’t sure if Yu Lanzhao had done it on purpose. But when Lin Shenshi rushed over anxiously and held him close, the young man secretly shot him a triumphant look. Only then did Qi Lian realize it was all deliberate!

This guy!

Not only did he stage a risky scene, but when Lin Shenshi shouted in alarm, he tumbled and fell into the lotus pond behind him.

The icy pond water in the dead of winter instantly soaked Yu Lanzhao’s clothes, and he took the opportunity to act helpless, making Lin Shenshi even more concerned.

This wolf in sheep’s clothing not only didn’t embarrass himself under Qi Lian’s provocation but instead seized the chance to rake in sympathy and pity. He really was...

"A scheming green tea bitch," Bai Yuxi accurately summarized.

Qi Lian gritted his teeth angrily. "Exactly."

"But," Bai Yuxi changed her tone, "who told you to try and steal someone else’s wife? This is what they call—what goes around comes around."

"Whose side are you on?" Qi Lian asked sharply.

"Yours, of course, my Actor Qi," Bai Yuxi said playfully, patting his arm. "But it’s rare to see you so defeated, so of course I have to enjoy a good laugh at your expense."

"Hmph."

Qi Lian brushed her off and strode forward, though not in the direction of the dressing room the crew had prepared for them, but instead...

"Where are you going?"

Qi Lian remained silent, his eyes dark, radiating an unapproachable aura.

Bai Yuxi, afraid something might happen, quickly followed.

*

The crew had pitched many tents near the filming site for actors and staff.

Depending on their status and fame, the treatment varied.

Top leads like Qi Lian and Bai Yuxi had spacious, comfortable tents for solo use. Minor actors like Yu Lanzhao had to share crowded "communal tents" with many others—poor air quality, noisy, and highly inconvenient.

No wonder people in the entertainment industry fought tooth and nail to climb the ladder.

Fortunately, today was an exception. When Lin Shenshi helped Yu Lanzhao back to their tent, it was temporarily empty. He quickly helped Yu Lanzhao sit down and wrapped the blanket tightly around him.

"Ah Zhao, wait here. I’ll go get a fresh, dry costume for you from the costume department."

"Mm." Yu Lanzhao nodded softly, his voice weak and small, like a bullied little animal curling up in a corner to lick its wounds.

Transparent water droplets hung from his long eyelashes, trembling slightly as the young man shivered from the cold.

Lin Shenshi’s heart ached, and he cursed Qi Lian inwardly.

How could he forget? In the original story, Qi Lian was notoriously wicked—outwardly kind and friendly, but black-hearted to the core!

On set, he would ignore the protagonist, but off set, he’d use his idol status to lure the protagonist to his home. Under the pretense of showering together to rest sooner, he’d strip the protagonist bare and forcefully take him in the bathroom without a word.

By then, the protagonist had already been "developed" by both Lu Yuan and Yin Yunxian, his body extremely sensitive. A few touches were enough to make him wet and pliant. Feeling the protagonist’s response, Qi Lian invaded his body while whispering viciously in his ear:

["I thought you were so innocent, but it turns out you’re just a promiscuous slut who’s been ridden by thousands."]

Listen to that! Is that something a rapist should say to his victim? As if the victim owed him!

["Then I don’t need to hold back with you."]

The brutal invasion was fierce and unrestrained, with no regard for the fact that the protagonist had a full day of filming the next day. No matter how the protagonist cried and begged, Qi Lian gripped his waist tightly, driving himself deeper into the softness.

"........"

Lin Shenshi cursed Qi Lian another eight hundred times inwardly, wiping the water droplets from Yu Lanzhao’s eyelashes before standing up to fetch the change of clothes. Just then, someone lifted the tent flap and walked in.

Seeing who it was, Lin Shenshi felt as if he’d been struck by lightning.

Qi Lian stood tall and straight, blocking all sunlight at the tent entrance. His handsome, captivating face was half-hidden in shadow, his expression unreadable.

Lin Shenshi instinctively sensed the approaching danger and stepped sideways to shield Yu Lanzhao.

Just as he thought the man was about to cause trouble, a light female voice came from behind Qi Lian: "Why are you blocking the door? Hurry up and go in."

It was as if something invisible had been broken. Sunlight streamed in through the tent flap as Qi Lian moved aside, all trace of his earlier ominous aura gone, making it seem as though it had all been Lin Shenshi's delusion.

Bai Yuxi entered with a smile and asked Yu Lanzhao, "Are you okay?"

Yu Lanzhao lifted his eyelids, flicked an almost imperceptible glance toward Qi Lian before responding with a faint smile, "I'm fine."

"That was really dangerous just now..." Bai Yuxi chatted warmly, but both Yu Lanzhao and Lin Shenshi gave absent-minded replies, their attention entirely focused on the silent Qi Lian nearby.

The man stood with half-lowered eyelids, slouched lazily against the tent's central support pole. One long leg was crossed casually over the other, which was braced slightly to the side.

Since they were still filming, he was still wearing pale, moon-white robes in an ancient style with a light green silk ribbon tied around his waist. Though the color scheme matched Yu Lanzhao's outfit, it projected a completely different aura and sense of intimidation.

Lin Shenshi felt the air grow heavy.

What was Qi Lian doing here? Did he intend to make a move on Yu Lanzhao right in the film set?

In the original novel, Qi Lian rarely made his moves on the protagonist on set, but it wasn’t unheard of.

Once, it also happened in a rest tent. Outside, snow was falling heavily, while the air inside was thick with heat. The protagonist was still in costume, the hem of his robe pushed up to his waist, his slender arms struggling to support himself on the edge of a table.

Thin fabric hung halfway in the air, revealing glimpses of pale, trembling legs.

A glistening liquid trickled down from between his thighs, dripping onto the ground to form a dark, wet patch.

Every time someone passed by outside the tent, Qi Lian would feel the tightening around him and thrust more viciously, forcing the protagonist to bite back his moans. He would then sneer mockingly:

"Slut, getting excited already?"

The protagonist shook his head, but Qi Lian was dissatisfied with his reaction.

"What? Not satisfied with me? Thinking of someone else again?"

No matter how the protagonist tried to explain or defend himself, he would be forced into another round of punishment without another word.

It could be said that Qi Lian was a top who was complete scum, who only cared about his own pleasure, and the protagonist suffered greatly because of him.

Now that Qi Lian had suddenly shown up, Lin Shenshi was breaking out in a cold sweat.

At the moment, Yu Lanzhao was soaked, and the scent of his magnolia perfume must have grown even fainter. They couldn’t stay in the same room any longer.

During a lull in Bai Yuxi's chatter, Lin Shenshi quickly interjected, "I was just about to go get Ah Zhao's change of costumes from the wardrobe department. Why don’t we go together?"

"—Actor Qi?"

His gaze shifted to Qi Lian, who was standing nearby.

Hearing this, Qi Lian lifted his eyelids and stared directly back at him, his expression unreadable.

Lin Shenshi nervously clenched his fingers.

This invitation was a gamble. If Qi Lian stubbornly stayed behind, he couldn’t let Yu Lanzhao keep wearing wet clothes. But if he left Yu Lanzhao alone with Qi Lian...

Scenes from the original novel’s sex scenes flooded his mind again.

Lin Shenshi: "……"

—No matter what, he had to drag Qi Lian away!

Every second of waiting felt infinitely prolonged. Though only a second or two passed, it felt like an eternity. Just as Lin Shenshi could barely stand the wait, Bai Yuxi suddenly broke the silence:

"There’s no need for both of you to go get the costumes. Manager Lin, you—"

"Fine, I’ll go with you."

Qi Lian cut her off.

His tall frame pushed himself upright from the support pole, and he headed outside first.

The moment the man agreed, the weight on Lin Shenshi's chest finally lifted. He completely failed to notice Bai Yuxi’s sympathetic expression or the look of sheer panic that flashed across Yu Lanzhao's face.

Bai Yuxi sighed to herself: *No amount of good advice can stop someone determined to steal another’s lover. Looks like someone's going to be wearing horns today.*

Yu · green-faced · Lanzhao stood up.

Wrapped in a blanket, he grabbed Lin Shenshi, who was about to follow Qi Lian out.

"Xiao Shi, there’s no need to trouble Actor Qi. I’ll go with you."

The boy’s hand was ice-cold, and his damp hair was still dripping. Lin Shenshi quickly pushed him back into the tent. "No, it’s too cold outside. You’ll catch a cold."

"Xiao Shi..." Yu Lanzhao said, his voice tinged with a plea, but Lin Shenshi still shook his head.

"Ah Zhao, be good. Didn’t you promise to listen to me?"

Yu Lanzhao’s words caught in his throat. He pouted and looked pitifully at Lin Shenshi.

Usually, Xiao Shi would have given in immediately at the sight of this expression, but today, he firmly refused to let him come along.

Anxiously, Yu Lanzhao turned to Bai Yuxi. "Ms. Bai, could you please go with them?"

Bai Yuxi, snapped out of her people-watching, was caught off guard: "Huh? Oh, sure."

She didn’t mind—she had nothing better to do while waiting for her scene. Since she couldn’t stop it, she might as well join the fun.

The three of them left the tent together. Bai Yuxi followed behind, eager to see just how Qi Lian planned to ruthlessly drive a wedge between the couple, but a warning glare from Qi Lian shot her way.

Bai Yuxi: "......"

*Well, I guess I won’t get to see the whole show.*

Yu Lanzhao’s hope of relying on her had failed before it even began.

*Little manager, you’re on your own.*