Chapter 39 Hubby’s Flying Back () for You

Chapter 39: Hubby Makes a Dash Back for You

"Cut!"

On set, Chen Shuyang delivered his final line with a poker face, and the director called cut with satisfaction.

"Alright, that’s it for now. Let's break for lunch and continue this afternoon!"

Chen Shuyang nodded to the director in thanks, then hauled his heavy costume along as he followed his assistant to a tent.

The lead actors had their own large trailers and didn't eat with everyone else. Chen Shuyang didn't even rate a trailer—his assistant had only been assigned yesterday—so he ate box lunches with the extras.

With the morning scenes wrapped up, the director and screenwriter exchanged glances and nodded as they watched Chen Shuyang walk away.

"Not bad," the director said. "He really sells it."

"Exactly," the screenwriter agreed. "Our boss Tan has never acted or directed before, but he sure knows how to pick talent. This robot act is way too convincing."

This was a xianxia time-travel drama, and Chen Shuyang played the supporting male lead—an android who traveled from the future.

"Like a real robot," the two remarked as they reviewed the footage. The director pointed at the screen, "Look, his eyes don’t even move. Where did they find such a talent?"

The wooden-faced robot picked up his lunch and found a small folding stool to sit on.

Assistant Xiao Zhang also carried the same box lunch, and the two sat side by side.

Thinking Chen Shuyang might feel bad, Xiao Zhang comforted him, "It's alright, Brother Chen. Just hang in there a little longer. The agent said our RV will arrive tomorrow, and then we can eat on our own."

"The crew's food is pretty good," Chen Shuyang said.

Xiao Zhang: "What?"

Within minutes, Chen Shuyang had already polished off half the box. He even glanced around while eating the other half, looking to see if there were any extras for seconds.

Xiao Zhang: "o.o"

"Brother, we're actors now," he hesitated. "The crew's food is greasy and salty. We can’t eat like this, or we’ll look bloated on camera."

"Chen-laoshi!" someone called from a distance—it was the male lead’s assistant.

Xiao Zhang immediately put down his meal, stood up, and wiped his mouth. "Wang-ge, hello! What brings you here?"

Chen Shuyang nodded slightly and continued eating.

"Teacher Zhu sent me over," Wang-ge said with a smile. "He noticed Chen-laoshi just joined the crew and was worried he might not be used to things, so he invited Chen-laoshi to eat in our trailer. It’s a good chance to get to know each other."

Xiao Zhang was flattered. "Oh, how kind of you! Brother Chen, Brother Chen..." He nudged Chen Shuyang, lowering his voice, "Hurry up, the male lead is inviting us to eat. Quick!"

Chen Shuyang shied away, uncomfortable with the physical contact.

"No need," he said to Wang-ge. "I’ve already finished eating. Thank you."

With that, he walked toward the trash bin to toss his meal box.

His tone was polite, but his face had a naturally aloof expression. When he spoke without emotion, he came off as arrogant and punchable.

Wang-ge’s expression tightened.

Xiao Zhang looked embarrassed. "S-sorry, Wang-ge..."

"It’s fine, it’s fine." Wang-ge maintained a polite smile, glanced at Chen Shuyang a few more times, and returned to his trailer.

Just as he finished throwing away his trash, Chen Shuyang’s phone rang. He picked it up and saw it was Zhou Yu calling.

"Well, look who's calling," he answered. "What made you think of calling me?"

Zhou Yu got straight to the point. "You know your brother is visiting the set today, right?"

"I know," Chen Shuyang said. "But he’s visiting the leads, not really related to me."

"What does it matter if they’re leads or not? They’re all actors, it’s all the same!" Zhou Yu sounded anxious.

Chen Shuyang grew curious. "What are you trying to say?"

"Brother-in-law, you have to help me."

Chen Shuyang raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Zhou Yu said mournfully, "Your brother’s ignoring me."

·

Lin Yunshu didn’t respond to Zhou Yu all morning.

No matter how many calls Zhou Yu made, they were all rejected. No matter how many messages he sent, none were answered.

Zhou Yu was frantic, worried he’d gone too far.

After all, Lin Yunshu was thin-skinned and didn’t take teasing well. Under normal circumstances, Zhou Yu could’ve pestered him relentlessly.

But now, with miles apart, Zhou Yu was at a loss. He had no choice but to resort to seeking help from Chen Shuyang.

"Everyone, attention!" someone shouted from a distance. "Our benefactor is treating us to coffee!"

The quiet set instantly came to life.

"Thank you, benefactor!"

Chen Shuyang turned and saw a black sedan parked at the road entrance to the studio.

The door opened, revealing a pair of long, slender legs in dress pants, followed by Lin Yunshu’s strikingly beautiful face, clear even from a distance.

He was soon surrounded by a crowd.

Lin Yunshu smiled and greeted them, standing out noticeably among the actors with his tall, slender figure and distinct presence.

Chen Shuyang didn’t join the crowd like the others. Instead, he raised his phone and took a photo.

The casually taken picture wasn’t very clear, but the sunlight was just right, creating a halo effect around Lin Yunshu. His head was slightly lowered, a faint smile playing on his lips.

It could easily pass as a perfect fan photo.

Chen Shuyang proudly sent it to Zhou Yu.

Strangely, the alpha, who would usually squeal like a fanboy, didn’t reply this time.

The chat window remained cold and quiet, like a stone dropped into a deep pond, without even a ripple.

·

Lin Yunshu had dropped by to visit the male and female leads on set.

The male lead had just signed an endorsement deal with Cassi earlier this year, and today Lin Yunshu also brought the brand’s PR team to do a quick interview with him.

He’d brought flowers for the main cast. Since the male and female leads were busy shooting a promo video, Guo Shengyao handed the flowers to their agents first.

The third-billed male and female leads were free, so Lin Yunshu handed the flowers personally to them.

Chen Shuyang took the flowers and said politely, "Thank you, Teacher Lin."

Keeping some distance was both a way to protect Lin Yunshu and himself, to avoid any gossip or people talking.

Lin Yunshu understood and smiled at him, nodding, "You're welcome. Good work today."

Guo Shengyao also passed out coffee to them.

Not far away, the male and female leads were shooting a hand gesture dance, interacting very intimately.

The crowd gradually dispersed, everyone taking their coffee and getting back to work.

Lin Yunshu watched the leads' promo shoot from a distance and asked offhandedly Chen Shuyang beside him, "Are you adjusting well to filming?"

"It's alright," Chen Shuyang said. "It’s not bad."

Lin Yunshu smiled. "Are the actors easy to get along with?"

"Pretty good," Chen Shuyang thought for a moment. "The male lead is very friendly, especially loves chatting with everyone on set."

Lin Yunshu nodded; he had heard about this too.

Zhu Mo, the male lead, had an excellent reputation in the industry—always eager to help. Whenever he filmed or attended events, staff on site would share good stories about him.

He had always maintained a clean-cut image as the national boyfriend, and in recent years, no one had been able to shake his status as a top-tier star.

"By the way, what’s going on with you and Zhou Yu?" Chen Shuyang suddenly asked.

Lin Yunshu was surprised, finally glanced at him, then looked away. "Why ask that?"

"He called me," Chen Shuyang said.

"When?"

"Just... not long ago. He said you were angry and asked me to help smooth things over."

Chen Shuyang threw Zhou Yu under the bus completely.

Lin Yunshu: "..."

"So what actually happened?" Chen Shuyang rarely showed a curious look. "For someone with your personality to get angry at him, that’s unusual."

Seeing Lin Yunshu stay silent, Chen Shuyang had a sudden thought, and he grew serious. "He didn’t do anything to betray you, did he?"

Lin Yunshu was startled and quickly glanced around, lowering his voice. "No, don’t be ridiculous."

"Then why are you angry?" Chen Shuyang didn’t understand.

Lin Yunshu nervously rubbed his neck, looking away. "I’m not angry. He’s just talking nonsense."

The hand dance seemed to be finished. The male and female leads wrapped things up, laughing and chatting. A young girl was moving a big light stand, and the male lead jumped in to help while still joking with the female lead.

The set’s BTS crew captured the moment.

Lin Yunshu quickly went over with his team.

"Teacher Lin!" The male lead greeted him warmly. "Sorry, we were just filming a video and didn’t get a chance to say hello."

"It’s fine, it’s fine," Lin Yunshu smiled and shook his hand. "Let me introduce you—this is from our brand’s promotional team..."

The two groups began making small talk, and Chen Shuyang slipped away.

He hadn’t gone far when sudden shouts rang out behind him.

Chen Shuyang whirled around and saw a cardboard box falling from a ladder, heading right for Lin Yunshu.

Chen Shuyang’s heart jumped, and he took off running. But he was too far away—even flying wouldn’t have been fast enough.

At the last second, the male lead, who was closer, reached out and forcefully shoved the box aside, preventing it from hitting Lin Yunshu.

The box crashed to the ground with a loud thud, splintering into pieces, scattering extra props and stuff inside.

The actress was frightened, her face drained of color.

The male lead jumped in to calm everyone down.

Chen Shuyang let out a sigh of relief, stopped in his tracks, turned, and walked away. As he left, he texted Zhou Yu:

[A box almost hit him. The male lead pushed it away.]

·

That evening, by the time Lin Yunshu returned home, the sky was already dark.

The living room was pitch black. He didn’t turn on the main light, only the floor LED strips, and in the dim, warm glow, he picked up Yu Shu and carried her inside.

Feeling somewhat tired, Lin Yunshu massaged his sore neck as he walked.

The house felt empty. He first cleared Yu Shu’s daytime dishes and prepared some fresh food for her before slowly settling onto the sofa.

He let out a long sigh, closed his eyes, and pressed firmly into the sore, heavy muscles of his neck and shoulders, adjusting his breath as he massaged them.

Yu Shu ate some cat food and immediately came to play, jumping and darting around him.

One of her toys had rolled under the sofa. The gap was narrow, and after struggling for a while, Yu Shu couldn’t squeeze in. Her short legs couldn’t reach it either, so she resorted to tugging at Lin Yunshu’s pant leg.

Lin Yunshu opened his eyes, saw the little cat anxiously circling, and smiled helplessly. He got up and used a hanger to fish for the toy under the sofa.

Suddenly, a very faint sound came from outside the door.

Lin Yunshu froze, staying in his kneeling position, and glanced slightly behind him.

The front door remained shut.

Just as he thought he’d imagined it and bent down again, the keypad lock beeped, followed by the door swinging open.

A tall, familiar figure appeared in the doorway, Zhou Yu’s clothes lightly fluttering in the breeze.

In the dim light, Lin Yunshu couldn't clearly see Zhou Yu's expression, but he could sense his weary gait and the pheromones entwining him like vines.

Lin Yunshu was so startled he forgot to stand up.

Zhou Yu walked straight over and crouched down behind Lin Yunshu.

He bent over, casting his shadow over Lin Yunshu, his chest pressing against Lin Yunshu's back through their clothes, with their skin separated only by clothing.

Lin Yunshu tilted his head back, eyes slightly wide. "You really—"

Zhou Yu grasped his chin and bit down on his glistening, parting lips.