Throughout the whole night, Yin Kairui dreamed over and over again that Shan Shan had wet the bed.
In his dreams, not only did she wet the bed, but she would also run after him everywhere wearing those damp, soaked trousers, refusing to leave him alone.
So when Yin Kairui woke up, the very first thing he did was reach under Shan Shan’s covers to check if the bedding was wet.
Thankfully, everything was dry. She hadn’t wet the bed at all.
Yin Kairui breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Seeing that Shan Shan was still sleeping soundly, he sent a message to Wen Yiting and quietly left the room.
Yin Kairui’s dedication to his work was known by everyone in the industry.
He was the most senior cast member and easily the best actor in this entire production. Even when he was forced to reshoot scenes over and over again because of mistakes made by others, and even when the sweltering heat made working conditions unbearable, no matter how frustrated he might feel, he could regain his composure in a split second and slip right back into character.
He was also one of the very few actors who insisted on performing all his own stunts and fight sequences without using a body double, and he was skilled enough to record his own dialogue and lines perfectly without needing voice actors to dub for him.
But even Director Luo never imagined that Yin Kairui would be this dedicated.
Just yesterday, he had been lying in the hospital recovering from what he claimed were minor injuries, yet today he had voluntarily asked to return to the set and begin filming his dialogue and dramatic scenes.
While they would still have to rearrange the schedule to work around his limitations, having him able to film at all was far better than having him absent entirely!
Still, Director Luo couldn’t help but feel concerned. “Are you absolutely sure you’re up to this? Dialogue scenes don’t require you to hang from wires or perform difficult stunts, but you’ll still have to move around and act out physical interactions, and you’ll need to stand for long periods of time. Will your body really be able to handle it?”
“I feel much stronger and more energetic today,” Yin Kairui replied with a smile. “And you know me well enough to know that I would never push myself beyond what I can manage, don’t you?”
“Alright then,” Director Luo said, though he still added a word of caution. “But you must look after yourself properly. If you feel even the slightest bit unwell or in pain, you tell me immediately, and we’ll stop filming right away.”
Director Luo and Yin Kairui had known each other for many years. Yin Kairui’s very first feature film had been directed by Luo, and that project had earned both of them major industry awards and widespread recognition.
Now that they were working together again on a television drama, it was partly because the script was truly exceptional, but also because Director Luo was the chief director. Both men trusted each other completely and believed in each other’s abilities.
In the original story, Director Luo would have had no choice but to write Yin Kairui’s character out of the production entirely. This was only because his injuries had been so severe that he would have needed months to fully recover, and the entire filming schedule could not be put on hold for just one person.
But even then, Director Luo had always believed that the rumors claiming Yin Kairui had improper relationships with his fans were completely false. He was one of the very few people who had openly spoken out in Yin Kairui’s defense and offered him encouragement during that difficult time.
Director Luo and the scriptwriter carefully selected several scenes, finally choosing three dialogue sequences where Yin Kairui’s costume and appearance would remain almost identical throughout. He explained everything clearly and reminded him, “Go over your lines and familiarize yourself with the scenes first. You’ll need to be ready for makeup and styling in about half an hour. And tell the wardrobe team to fasten your belt loosely so it doesn’t press against your injuries or cause you pain.”
“Understood,” Yin Kairui replied.
As Yin Kairui went off to prepare, Shan Shan who had been sleeping soundly in bed suddenly sat bolt upright. Still half-asleep, she instinctively reached out to the side as if trying to cling to someone. “Brother…”
But the space beside her was empty.
Her already round eyes grew even wider with confusion and alarm. She raised her voice and called out, “Brother? Where are you? Brother!”
“Your brother went to the film set early this morning,” Wen Yiting said. She had been sitting in the living room just outside, and the moment she heard Shan Shan calling, she had pushed open the door and come in.
“I want Brother,” Shan Shan said, looking utterly miserable and upset. “If I’m not with him, bad things are going to happen to him, I just know it!”
Wen Yiting, who had seen firsthand just how attached and clingy this little girl was, said, “Alright then. After we’ve had breakfast, I’ll take you to see him, okay?”
“Can we go eat breakfast at Brother’s place?” Shan Shan asked hopefully.
“…I suppose that works too,” Wen Yiting agreed.
She helped Shan Shan wash up, get dressed, and put on a pretty little backpack, then took her out to the car and drove toward the film and television studio.
The hotel and the car had been comfortably air-conditioned, but the studio facilities didn’t have the same level of climate control. The moment Wen Yiting opened the car door, a wave of scorching hot air washed over them. She immediately picked Shan Shan up and strode quickly inside, heading straight for a small preparation room.
Inside the room, Yin Kairui was sitting on the floor, his face twisted in pain as he drew in sharp breaths to cope with the ache. Standing beside him, the makeup artist looked deeply worried and anxious. “Teacher Yin! I’m so sorry! Are you alright? Did you hurt yourself badly?”
Seeing this scene, Shan Shan’s eyes went wide. She quickly scrambled down from Wen Yiting’s arms and ran over on her short little legs. “Brother! Brother, what happened? Are you hurt?”
Yin Kairui first raised a hand and pressed it gently against Shan Shan’s forehead, stopping her from throwing herself onto him as she usually did. Then he turned to the makeup artist and said, “The chair was broken. It has nothing to do with you.”
“I should have checked it properly before you sat down,” the makeup artist said, looking upset with herself.
Yin Kairui was tall and had long arms, so as long as he kept his hand pressed lightly against Shan Shan’s forehead, she couldn’t get close to him no matter how hard she tried. She waved her arms and legs in the air in frustration, unable to reach him, and soon her eyes filled with tears. “Brother… let me take a look at you, please?”
It had only been a short while since she had last seen him, yet the dark, ominous haze gathering above his head had already grown much thicker and darker.
If she hadn’t stayed with him and slept beside him last night, something far worse than falling and hurting his tailbone would almost certainly have happened to him today.
“I’m fine, really,” Yin Kairui said quickly. He could tell that if he didn’t reassure her soon, she would start using far more strength, and he really didn’t want to be pinned to the ground by a small child in front of other people.
“Does it hurt a lot?” Shan Shan asked, her face full of concern.
“Just a little bit,” Yin Kairui said awkwardly. “That’s why you mustn’t jump on me or touch me right now, okay?”
Seeing Shan Shan nod obediently, Yin Kairui finally lowered his hand and stood up. A sharp twinge of pain shot through him, making his face twitch slightly.
Because Yin Kairui had refused to let her touch or treat his tailbone directly yesterday, Shan Shan had channeled her healing power through his wrist instead. She only had a limited amount of spiritual energy available to her at any one time, so she had only been able to heal part of the injury. A dull, lingering ache had remained, though it hadn’t been severe enough to stop him from moving around normally. But falling down hard just now had made the pain flare up sharply again.
“Oh no… your costume is torn,” the makeup artist noticed immediately as he stood up. “I’ll go get you a spare outfit right away. Please wait here, I’ll be back in just a moment.”
As soon as the makeup artist left the room, Yin Kairui let his expression twist with pain and drew in several deep, sharp breaths.
But with Wen Yiting and Shan Shan both watching him, he felt too embarrassed to rub or press the sore area to ease the discomfort. Instead, he walked awkwardly over to the sofa and sat down carefully, leaning his whole body to one side to avoid putting any weight on his tailbone.
“Brother… let me help you heal it…” Shan Shan said, looking heartbroken as she hurried over to him.
“I’ll feel better after I’ve rested for a while,” Yin Kairui said quickly, cutting her off immediately.
Director Luo had a rule that security cameras were installed in all preparation and makeup rooms, and the only truly private space was the changing room. Yin Kairui had decided long ago that he would keep Shan Shan’s special abilities a secret, and he certainly wasn’t going to let her speak openly about them in a room that was being recorded.
“But Brother, you’re clearly in pain!” Shan Shan said, her small face scrunching up like a bun as she fretted over him.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up with an idea. She raised her small hand toward him. “Then… can Brother hold my hand instead?”
Auntie Wen was right there in the room, so she couldn’t speak openly about spiritual energy or healing powers. But she didn’t have to say anything at all she could just do it quietly, couldn’t she?
Shan Shan felt very proud of how clever she was.
Still feeling the throbbing ache in his lower back, Yin Kairui reached out his hand. “Fine, fine… if it makes you happy.”
Shan Shan immediately grabbed hold of his large hand, and warm healing energy began to flow from her palm into his body.
After a full night’s rest, her spiritual energy had not only fully recovered, but she also found that she was able to channel even more power than before.
By the time she had finished treating him, the pain in Yin Kairui’s tailbone had vanished completely, and he felt as good as new. Shan Shan, however, placed her hands on her stomach and realized that she was feeling even hungrier than before.
She wanted to eat. She wanted to eat so much food.
The expression on her face was so easy to read that Wen Yiting immediately pulled two small buns out of her bag. “Eat these first to fill your tummy a little bit. Uncle Liu will be here very soon with all the food we bought especially for you.”
Shan Shan nodded obediently and ate the buns, followed by some chocolate and a small carton of milk.
But this was really only a light snack. It was enough to stop her stomach from growling, but nowhere near enough to satisfy her real appetite.
Shan Shan sat there staring eagerly at the door, waiting patiently. The moment she heard someone knock, she moved faster than Wen Yiting could react and ran straight to open it. But the first thing she saw was a woman wearing a pale pink traditional costume.
And more importantly
She smelled absolutely terrible.
Shan Shan’s face filled with pure horror. She quickly slammed the door shut and turned away, making a sound as if she was about to be sick.
“Shan Shan! What’s wrong with you?” Wen Yiting asked, alarmed. She hurried over and gently patted Shan Shan’s back to help her calm down.
“Auntie… now I smell bad too…” Shan Shan said weakly, looking completely drained of energy and life.
Being exposed to that foul scent from such close range had been so strong that Shan Shan felt as if her very soul was being driven right out of her body.
“Why would you smell bad?” Wen Yiting asked, confused.
“The person outside… she smells really bad,” Shan Shan explained. “She was standing too close to me, and I thought the smell had gotten onto me and made me stinky too. But it’s gone now, thank goodness.”
“The person outside?” Yin Kairui narrowed his eyes, immediately thinking back to the night before when Shan Shan had also claimed he smelled bad. “Sister Wen, take her and stand further back, please.”
Shan Shan, who still felt weak and unwell, allowed herself to be carried away. Once he was sure they were standing a safe distance from the door, Yin Kairui pulled it open.
The woman standing outside had clearly not expected the door to open on its own without another knock. The angry, bitter expression that had been twisting her features hadn’t even had time to fade away, and she quickly lowered her head to avoid meeting Yin Kairui’s gaze.
Yin Kairui frowned deeply. “Zhuang Qinqin? What are you doing here?”
By the time she raised her head again, her expression had shifted completely, and she looked innocent and surprised. “Senior Yin… you’re still here? I’m so sorry… I thought you had already finished your makeup and styling and left.”
“Even if I had finished, this preparation room is assigned for the use of the next male actor on the schedule,” Yin Kairui said coldly and bluntly. “And I’m warning you right now you had better stay as far away from me as you possibly can!”
Zhuang Qinqin’s face turned pale and her expression became hurt and wronged. “Senior Yin… why do you seem to misunderstand me so deeply? I really have nothing but respect and good intentions toward you…”
“There is no misunderstanding at all,” Yin Kairui said, his voice sharp and impatient. “Is there something wrong with you? Do you actually enjoy forcing yourself on people who clearly hate you? Do you really like being treated with nothing but contempt and rudeness? If that’s the case, I suggest you go see a psychiatrist and get your mind checked out immediately!”
Brother is being so fierce!
Shan Shan’s eyes went wide. She twisted and turned in Wen Yiting’s arms, whispering quietly into her ear so no one else could hear. “Auntie… I want to see who that person is standing outside, please.”
She suddenly remembered exactly where she had encountered this terrible smell before. It was exactly the same scent that had clung to Yin Kairui’s body last night.
The only difference was that last night, the smell had lingered on him and required him to wash thoroughly to get rid of it, but this time, the scent didn’t seem to be able to attach itself to anyone else at all it only came from her.
Wen Yiting had no idea what Shan Shan was planning to do, but she moved closer to the door and adjusted her position so Shan Shan could see clearly. The moment Shan Shan laid eyes on Zhuang Qinqin standing outside, her eyes grew wide with shock and tears began to well up. Then she opened her mouth and started crying loudly.
Hearing the sound of crying coming from behind him, Yin Kairui assumed that Shan Shan had been so overwhelmed by the terrible smell that she had burst into tears. This made him feel even more disgusted and annoyed with Zhuang Qinqin. He slammed the door shut firmly. “What’s wrong with her now?”
“I really don’t know,” Wen Yiting said, looking equally confused. She thought back to what had happened just moments earlier and said uncertainly, “It seems… it seems she started crying the moment she saw Zhuang Qinqin.”
“Waaaaah…”
Shan Shan cried and cried, one hand clutching her nose tightly to block out the smell, while the other reached out and twisted her body around as if trying to get away. She moved so suddenly and forcefully that she nearly slipped and fell right out of Wen Yiting’s arms.
Yin Kairui instinctively reached out to steady her, and in an instant, Shan Shan had wrapped herself tightly around him. She clung to his neck with one arm, wrapped her short legs firmly around his waist, and continued crying at the top of her voice. “I saw her! I saw that bad woman! She and that bad man told terrible lies about Brother and said he did bad things… and then everyone believed them and they hurt you and killed you! Waaaaah… please don’t die, Brother! Stay far away from her, okay? Don’t ever go near her or stay with her again!”
Completely stunned and deafened by the sound of her crying right next to his ear, Yin Kairui felt lightheaded and dazed, and he didn’t catch a single word of what she had just said.