Chapter 48

Chapter 48

In this shoot, Song Nian played the male supporting role of the female lead's early-deceased White Moonlight, a sunny and gentle boy-next-door type.

The character setting perfectly matched his own temperament, which is why the director took a liking to him at first sight.

He didn't have many scenes; it would take about half a month to finish filming.

The final promotional photos for the drama were ready. Since the temperament and styling were particularly fitting for the character, they sparked heated discussions online when released and won unanimous praise from netizens.

Song Nian knew this was only the first step to success, which meant he had to work twice as hard later to meet the audience's expectations.

Because the styling had raised the audience's expectations, he needed to use even better acting skills to portray the character and bring it to life perfectly.

If he could do it, he would take the perfect first step in the film industry; otherwise, public opinion would backfire and label him a "pretty face with no acting talent."

To better portray the character, besides staying late at the company to take extra lessons with the teacher, Song Nian also humbly learned from more experienced actors on set.

This drama wasn't a big production. Although the director was famous, they hadn't invited any extremely popular stars. The atmosphere on set was relatively harmonious, and everyone was happy to help newcomers, which helped him, a first-time actor, learn a lot.

Because he worked too hard, on the first day of shooting he couldn't make it back for lunch and also didn't get home until after ten o'clock in the evening.

As soon as he got home, he saw the light left on for him in the living room.

And the figure of someone waiting by the floor-to-ceiling window.

The indoor light was bright and warm, like a guiding lighthouse on the coast, casting a silhouette that made him feel incredibly safe.

Seeing him come home at this hour, Li Yanchuan frowned but said nothing, only telling him to finish the late-night snack and go straight to bed.

Even though he didn't mention it, Song Nian could guess that he must have been waiting for him all evening.

He even left a midnight snack, afraid he might be hungry.

On the kitchen stove, a warm, steaming midnight snack was bubbling with heat, fragrant and inviting—a wonderful comfort for anyone returning late.

Song Nian had rarely experienced such care and warmth before; what he had seen more often was an empty house and a cold dining table.

Even if there was a light left on late at night, it was usually he who left it on for others.

In contrast, Li Yanchuan was the one who took the initiative to leave the light on and silently wait for him.

The warm yellow light enveloped the living room, filling the room with warmth.

Song Nian felt a lump in his throat, and he couldn't help throwing himself forward, hugging Li Yanchuan and rubbing his face into his neck.

Like a little puppy seeking attention from its owner.

"You tired?"

Looking down at him, Li Yanchuan asked softly, one hand holding his waist and lifting him up a bit to keep him from falling, the other hand rubbing his head.

"A little, but I'm very happy because I learned a lot."

Song Nian looked up and gave him a sweet smile.

It was a contented smile, but it couldn't hide the fatigue.

Seeing this, Li Yanchuan frowned:

"Killing yourself for such a tiny paycheck? If you like acting, I'll find you—"

Hearing him starting to channel his inner CEO again, Song Nian quickly sat up and covered his mouth with his hand.

"If that's no good, I'll invest in your crew and improve the environment?"

Remembering how Song Nian had complained about the boxed lunch being just okay, Li Yanchuan – who had already given up the idea of customizing a script – thought for a moment and reluctantly made a different offer.

Unfortunately, he found his mouth covered again for his trouble.

"No need, I'm just a small supporting role. If you make such a big flashy show of money, what will others think?"

It's not like I'm the lead or anything; I'm only on set for about half a month. That would be a waste of money.

This won't work, that won't work either. Li Yanchuan thought it over and found that the only thing he could do was wait at home for the person to finish work, which darkened his expression even more.

"Alright, alright, don't worry. It won't be long before filming wraps up."

Moreover, the conditions on set weren't bad, just not good enough. Song Nian cupped his face and rubbed it, finally managing to soothe him after a while.

He thought it was over, but unexpectedly, Li Yanchuan actually came up with a new solution.

The next day at noon, just as Song Nian was about to go get the crew's boxed lunch, he learned that someone was looking for him outside.

When he went outside the set, he found that the visitor was actually Li Yanchuan's assistant.

"Mr. Song, CEO Li asked me to bring this to you."

Upon seeing him, the assistant stepped forward and led him to a car parked in the corner, handing him a three-tiered square lunch box.

This was a luxury van, parked unobtrusively in a roadside spot. It didn't look conspicuous, but its paint job and logo were telltale signs of its high price.

A bewildered Song Nian got into the car and opened the box, only to find it filled with delicious-looking dishes that were both fragrant and appetizing.

All were his favorites, still steaming hot.

"CEO Li said that if you don't like it, don't eat the crew's boxed lunch. He'll have the housekeeper cook and bring you meals every day. Just tell him or the housekeeper what you want to eat."

The assistant conveyed the boss's words.

"Thanks for going to the trouble."

Looking at the meal before him, Song Nian couldn't help but reveal a relieved and satisfied smile.

A casual remark about the bad food, and someone would go out of their way to make sure you had better meals. This feeling of being cared for was heartwarming.

It was as if a warm current flowed through his whole body, spreading a gentle warmth through him.

He felt that Li Yanchuan was becoming more and more considerate and attentive. Compared to his initial gloominess, he had changed a lot.

This was good, indicating that he had changed for the better and would definitely not go back to his old ways.

Taking a big bite of his favorite Mapo tofu, Song Nian sighed inwardly.

Every day after that, Li Yanchuan had his assistant deliver meals, and as Song Nian had previously mentioned, he acted very low-key and didn't make a big show of it.

At first, Song Nian thought: "I feel so bad, causing so much trouble for Aunt Wang and the assistant."

Then later: "Tomorrow I want lotus root and spare ribs stew – with extra ribs!"

Adding more meat wasn't for any other reason—aside from having a craving, it was actually because there was another mouth to feed.

After lunch, the assistant was about to clean up the lunch container, but Song Nian waved his hand, picked up the ribs he had set aside in the box, and got out of the car.

He walked into a small alley, looked around, didn't spot the familiar little figure, so he had to call out.

What came out wasn't a name, but a series of kissing sounds:

"Kiss kiss kiss—"

As his voice fell, a small white figure emerged from some corner.

It was a puppy.

"Come here, come here, I saved a lot of ribs for you."

Song Nian beckoned, and the timid puppy waddled over, tail wagging, as if they were old friends.

Actually, he had just happened to come across this puppy two days ago while taking a walk during lunch break to walk off his lunch.

The puppy was probably only two or three months old, maybe a mix of Bichon and Maltese, with its baby teeth still coming in. It was clearly still a pup, but it was here alone—whether abandoned or separated from its mother, no one knew.

The film studio was located in the suburbs, sparsely populated. A small animal with such weak survival skills couldn't survive here. Feeling sorry for it, Song Nian started feeding it some food now and then, and over time, they became familiar.

The puppy buried its head, munching noisily on the ribs, its smacking lips and wildly wagging tail showing how happy it was.

Seeing this, Song Nian couldn't help but reach out and pet its head.

Yeah, it felt nice—no wonder Li Yanchuan always liked ruffling his hair now, he thought to himself.

Just as the man and the dog were having a good time, Song Nian suddenly sensed eyes staring at him from not far away.

He followed his instinct and looked over, meeting the eyes of a child about twenty meters away.

The little boy looked around ten years old, standing frozen behind a tree in the distance, peeking out.

Seeing that Song Nian had noticed him, he shyly ducked back, but his eyes were still fixed on the puppy, as if he was very interested but too afraid to approach.

"Little buddy, is this your dog?"

Waving to greet him, Song Nian asked.

The little boy just shook his head timidly.

"Do you want to play with the puppy? Don't be scared. The puppy is very friendly. If you want, you can come and pet him."

Even though he was hiding, his big, bright eyes were still looking at the puppy. Song Nian understood and took the hint and invited him over.

Sure enough, the boy's eyes lit up instantly. After hesitating for a moment, he stepped out from behind the tree and trotted over with small steps.

Only then did Song Nian get a clear look at the child.

He looked like a mixed-race child—his high nose bridge and deep-set eyes showed foreign traits. He had naturally curly black hair, and especially his olive-green eyes made him look like a cute doll.

Simply put, he had the kind of looks that could make him a child model.

Such a beautiful child must come from a well-to-do family. If this were a novel, with that face, he'd be the main character for sure.

Suppressing the urge to pinch the child's smooth cheeks, Song Nian marveled silently.

The little boy crouched down, tentatively reached out a hand, wanting to touch the puppy's head but feeling a bit scared.

"It's okay, it doesn't bite."

Song Nian reached out and petted the puppy to demonstrate.

Seeing that, the boy gathered his courage and gently touched the furry head.

The moment he felt the softness, he let out an involuntary "wow."

"See, I wasn't lying, was I?"

Song Nian grinned.

"Thank you."

The child thanked him softly with a slight foreign accent, smiling shyly.

His Mandarin wasn't very fluent—must be a kid who grew up abroad, Song Nian guessed.

Just as the two of them were happily playing with the puppy, an anxious voice called out from behind:

"Xiao Chen?"

They both turned around. The person saw the child crouching there and, relieved, quickly walked over.

"You ran off suddenly and gave Grandpa a scare."

The elderly man scooped the boy into his arms, still shaken.

The old man looked nearly seventy, but still stood straight with a steady step. His black hair looked energetic, but gray was showing at his temples, as if something weighed on his mind.

From the looks of it, they were grandfather and grandson. Judging by the boy's appearance and the old man's understated but classy outfit, they were probably from a wealthy family.

Seeing how worried the old man was, Song Nian volunteered to explain how he had come across the little boy.

"This is Xiao Chen, I'm his grandfather. I took my eyes off him for a second and he ran off. Thanks for keeping an eye on him."

The old man said gratefully.

"No worries, it was nothing."

Song Nian waved his hand.

But he was also a bit puzzled—why would an old man bring a child to play in such a remote area? Unless they came here with a specific purpose, most people wouldn't bother coming to this film studio out in the suburbs.