Did you remember what happened last night?
“Acting is about being able to hold back and let go. This part is too over-the-top, let’s do it again.” Yu Zhifu coldly cut off the monitor screen.
Gu Fanzhou released his arms from around Xian Sui and simultaneously withdrew his gaze from him, as if the intense look just now was merely an illusion on the other person’s part.
Xian Sui’s lipstick had smudged in several places from the kiss, and the makeup artist stepped in mid-scene to touch it up for him. Taking a few deep breaths, he couldn’t help asking Gu Fanzhou, who had slipped into the public dressing room at some point and was standing right behind him, “Brother Gu, was I really that embarrassing when I got drunk last night? Are you upset with me?”
“Why would you think I’m upset?” Holding the script in his hand, Gu Fanzhou sat down in the empty seat beside Xian Sui.
“You were so forceful just now, my mouth hurts, and this part isn’t even in the script.” Xian Sui initially wanted to touch his own lips, but remembered his freshly applied lipstick and held back. He had checked his reflection in the mirror for quite a while earlier, and there still seemed to be a few spots where the skin was broken.
Gu Fanzhou met Xian Sui’s gaze. “You think I’m abusing my position to settle a personal score?”
“No,” Xian Sui hurriedly waved his hands. “I didn’t mean that.”
Gu Fanzhou didn’t seem inclined to dwell on the issue further. “Did you remember what happened last night?”
“No.” Xian Sui said sheepishly. “I was just guessing that I must have caused you a lot of trouble.”
“Think carefully about what kind of trouble it was.” Gu Fanzhou’s tone suddenly dropped. “If you can’t figure it out, there’s no need to apologize.”
“Brother Gu.” Only then did Xian Sui realize he had said the wrong thing and wanted to throw out some excuse to plead for mercy. However, he couldn’t recall a single fragment of what happened when he met Gu Fanzhou after getting drunk, and in the end, all he could do was pitifully call out those few instances of Brother Gu.
Clearly unimpressed with this routine, Gu Fanzhou left the dressing room without a word. The moment Xian Sui chased after him, break time was practically over, and it was time to take their positions for filming.
Uncharacteristically, neither Xian Sui nor Gu Fanzhou was in a good state for this scene, and it took two retakes before Yu Zhifu finally gave the passing nod. Gu Fanzhou didn’t bite Xian Sui’s lips this time, but instead pressed down on them quite forcefully, a familiar, quintessential kissing style belonging to Gu Fanzhou that Xian Sui knew all too well.
After filming wrapped, Gu Fanzhou left the set quickly, leaving Xian Sui with no excuse to stop him. Changing out of his costume, Xian Sui mulled things over and intercepted Xie Tangqing on set to ask about what happened at the bar. The other answered quite concisely: “You were drunk, and Brother Gu came to send you home.”
“Didn’t I make a fuss, like hitting people or vomiting on anyone?”
“No, you were very obedient and were taken away by Brother Gu without putting up much of a fight.”
As for whatever happened afterward, asking Xie Tangqing probably wouldn’t yield any answers either. As Xian Sui got into the car, he was still staring at his phone, hesitating whether or not to contact Gu Fanzhou. In the end, he locked the screen, shoved it back into his pocket, and asked before his assistant started driving, “Tell me, what should I do if I make someone angry?”
“Apologize, I guess? If all else fails, buy a gift and visit them?” The assistant pondered for a moment, but his expression quickly turned worried. “Who did Xian Sui-ge offend? Are we about to run out of good days?”
Xian Sui: “That was probably putting it mildly.”
Gu Fanzhou didn’t seem to lack anything at all. Xian Sui had even sneaked into Gu Fanzhou’s superfan community and looked up information compiled by major fan accounts; apart from acting, he had no other hobbies or interests.
“Then what should I give as a gift?” Xian Sui lifted his gaze from the phone screen.
“Tailor it to his preferences,” the assistant leisurely started the car. “If you’re not sure, buying flowers is usually a safe bet.”
Xian Sui immediately searched online for what kind of flowers to send as an apology, then had his assistant pull over in front of the nearest flower shop to buy a fresh bouquet of yellow roses. With more filming scheduled for the afternoon, Gu Fanzhou should be resting at the hotel arranged by the crew, so he had his assistant turn the car around and finally park downstairs at the hotel.
Clutching the bouquet of yellow roses to his chest, he paced back and forth at the entrance for ages before finally gathering the courage to take the elevator upstairs.
Remembering Gu Fanzhou’s room number, Xian Sui walked straight to the location and rang the doorbell. Someone opened the door almost immediately. Gu Fanzhou was draped in a bath towel, his muscular chest half-exposed in the opening, and his palm on the doorknob was slightly damp. “Come in.”
Just as Xian Sui was about to step inside, before he had even crossed the threshold halfway, he saw Cheng Lian appear in Gu Fanzhou’s room out of nowhere. Cheng Lian was also wearing a bath towel and asking Gu Fanzhou where he should put something, forcing the latter to turn back and attend to him: “Don’t move, I’ll get it for you.”
In an instant, Xian Sui felt as though he had lost all motor function. He stood frozen on the spot, gazing blankly forward, utterly unaware of where his eyes had actually landed. Cheng Lian greeted him naturally, but he failed to process it.
The same hotel room, two people in bath towels, and to top it all off, the original novel’s protagonist gong and shou, Xian Sui couldn’t stop his mind from running wild with associations.
“Teacher Xian?” Cheng Lian thought perhaps he had unwittingly committed some mistake. “Apologies, it seems I’ve never officially greeted Teacher Xian properly since joining the cast.”
“Xian Sui, come in.” Sensing that something was wrong with the other man, Gu Fanzhou attempted to pull him firmly inside, but Xian Sui instead shoved the bouquet of yellow roses casually into Gu Fanzhou’s hands. “Brother Gu, these are from a fan. I won’t disturb you any longer.”
Before Gu Fanzhou even had time to react, Xian Sui turned and hurried down the corridor. When he got back into the car, his assistant asked how it went, but Xian Sui remained evasive throughout.
Before filming began, Xian Sui had run into Gu Fanzhou in the lounge. Staring at the pack of cigarettes in front of him, he weighed his options and ultimately decided against smoking, as he didn’t want to pick up the smell.
“Do you know what the language of yellow roses is?” Gu Fanzhou confiscated the untouched pack of cigarettes from in front of Xian Sui and asked.
Xian Sui pressed his lips into a tight line and said nothing.
“An apology for love,” seeing that Xian Sui gave no response, Gu Fanzhou deliberately leaned closer and continued, “A love that has passed, waiting for love, jealousy, unrequited love.”
“I didn’t mean it like that,” Xian Sui couldn’t help speaking up.
Gu Fanzhou raised a hand and feigned casualness as he brushed Xian Sui’s earlobe, which had grown hot from embarrassment. “Did I say I admit you sent them?”
Xian Sui fell silent again.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Gu Fanzhou seemed somewhat displeased with Xian Sui’s attitude. “Why won’t you tell the truth?”
“Because the truth doesn’t matter.” Xian Sui purposefully avoided Gu Fanzhou’s eyes.
“Whether it matters or not isn’t up for you to decide.”
“We haven’t finished filming Peach Blossoms Unseen yet, and I don’t want things to get awkward between you and me, Brother Gu.” Gu Fanzhou’s clothing hem was nervously twisted in Xian Sui’s grip.
“Is that so?” Their conversation once again broke down in discord. Dropping those words, Gu Fanzhou turned and pushed the door open, walking out. “I see.”
Outside the lounge, the crew had already finished preparations, and Xian Sui changed into his costume to begin filming. In this scene, Fu Minglou conceived the idea of going into business and brought Jian Shuyu to tour a storefront he had set his sights on.
“What kind of business do you want to start?” Holding Fu Minglou’s hand, Jian Shuyu wandered around the currently empty and unfinished shop space.
“Haven’t decided yet,” Fu Minglou kissed the back of Jian Shuyu’s hand. “Once the business gets running, you’ll be one of the owners here. You won’t need to stay in the City of Night anymore, nor will you have to worry about having nowhere to go.”
“Shuyu hasn’t studied much and doesn’t understand business.”
“It’s my first time learning how to do business too. If there are issues, I’ll just have to consult my former classmates,” Fu Minglou met Jian Shuyu’s gaze. “We’ll figure it out together, step by step.”
Leaning lightly into Fu Minglou’s embrace, Jian Shuyu murmured, “Minglou, I never thought anyone would ever do this for me in the past.”
“You can think about it now.” Fu Minglou caressed Jian Shuyu’s face.
Pressing his cheek against Fu Minglou’s chest, Jian Shuyu raised his eyes to look into the other man’s face. He didn’t know whether this endeavor would turn out to be auspicious or ill-fated, but either way, he was determined to accompany Fu Minglou through it.
Afterward, Fu Minglou sent Jian Shuyu back to his quarters, kissing him lingeringly in the car for a long time before Jian Shuyu finally stepped out. “See you in the City of Night.”
Jian Shuyu knew that Fu Minglou had been rather reluctant lately to visit him at the City of Night to cater to other patrons, but within the city walls, meeting each other at the City of Night was the safest option.
Turning the car around, Fu Minglou drove all the way back in the direction of the Fu estate. Old Master Fu was waiting inside the courtyard once again, though this time Madame Fu had also made a rare appearance out of bed, allowing Old Master Fu to brew tea for her nearby.
“Minglou,” Old Master Fu handed the teacup to Madame Fu’s lips. “I hear from your mother that you want to go into business?”
“Yes.” Fu Minglou had nothing to deny, stepping forward to neatly arrange the shawl over Madame Fu’s shoulders.
“Having drive and ambition is a good thing,” seeing that Madame Fu had finished most of her tea, Old Master Fu set the teacup down. “However, we are living in troubled times. Whatever you choose to do and however you choose to do it, you must think it through thoroughly before deciding. Acting rashly will only bring more losses than gains.”
“Father is right.”
“Minglou, is your money enough?” Madame Fu grasped her son’s hand, and Fu Minglou quickly patted the back of her hand to reassure her. “Don’t worry, Mother. I worked odd jobs while I was studying, and I still have enough savings to get by.”
“If you ever need anything, just say the word to your mother.”
“Minglou knows what he’s doing; you don’t need to fret over this,” Old Master Fu chuckled lightly before instructing a servant to escort Madame Fu back to her room.
As soon as Madame Fu completely vanished from sight, Old Master Fu abruptly struck Fu Minglou across the face with a slap. “Is this any way to behave? If you actually had genuine ambition, that would be one thing, but to reduce yourself to this over some mere dancing girl?”
Before he finished speaking, a second blow landed. “Did you think I didn’t know what you were up to at the City of Night?”
Before Gu Fanzhou could even deliver his next line, Yu Zhifu called cut, explaining that shooting a slap scene from this angle made it prone to revealing the trick, and they would need to change camera angles and retake it.
Both of Meng Qiao’s slaps just now had been faked with camera angles. Hearing Yu Zhifu’s words, Gu Fanzhou immediately waved a hand. “Teacher Meng, please go ahead and make the next take a real hit.”
Yu Zhifu cast a glance at Gu Fanzhou; it was rare for an actor to request to be actually hit, but coming from Gu Fanzhou, she wasn’t surprised in the least.
“Little Gu, are you sure about this?”
“No problem at all. Whenever Teacher Meng is ready, we can roll. I’m good whenever.”
For the retake, Meng Qiao’s two slaps landed solidly on Gu Fanzhou’s face, immediately turning his cheek bright red. Yet Gu Fanzhou uttered not a single word of complaint; instead, it was Meng Qiao who checked on him to see if he needed to apply any medicinal ointment.
His assistant immediately rushed over beside him, and some of the crew members even hurriedly fetched ice cubes, all of which Gu Fanzhou politely declined one by one.
The preceding sequence didn’t involve Xian Sui, but Gu Fanzhou’s own shooting schedule had only begun not long ago.
Normally, even when filming ended, Xian Sui would linger to observe and learn. However, when Gu Fanzhou instinctively scanned the set in a circle, he couldn’t find Xian Sui anywhere.
“Xian Sui,” Gu Fanzhou turned his face to ask a crew member who had just walked over, “where is he right now?”