“None?” Xie Yuchie’s face was filled with mockery, as if ridiculing Xia Chengxi for not knowing his place. “Small-time celebrities like you are a dime a dozen in the entertainment industry. Don’t blame me for being blunt! I’ve seen too many people like you, always trying to climb the ladder, only to end up with nothing in the end. But if you’re not like that, it’s best to stay away from Wenjin. Don’t try to latch onto him and end up dragging him down instead.”
Xia Chengxi’s clenched hands loosened and then tightened again. He took a deep breath and finally looked at Xie Yuchie calmly. “I only hold admiration for Mr. Shu and have never had any other thoughts. There’s no need for you to project others’ paths onto me. You don’t know me, so what gives you the right to assume I’m that kind of person?”
Xie Yuchie narrowed his eyes slightly and clicked his tongue. “Your actions are common knowledge. Do I even need to speculate?”
“I know what kind of person I am,” Xia Chengxi replied. “But now, I also know what kind of person you are. You’re a senior in the industry, and I had no intention of offending you. But since you’ve mentioned seeing so many people like me trying to climb up, I’d like to ask—what about you?”
Xie Yuchie was taken aback, not expecting Xia Chengxi to confront him so directly. His cheerful, sunny persona instantly twisted into something fierce and intimidating.
“I’d like to ask you—three years ago, when you were an idol star just like me, how did you manage to climb into Shu Wenjin’s bed and become a hotshot movie star? Was it playing hard to get, or feigning reluctance?”
Struck where it hurt, Xie Yuchie flushed with anger. “Xia Chengxi! Don’t push your luck.”
Xia Chengxi had no desire to continue the argument. Squabbling with another man over a man felt no different from a catfight.
His gaze drifted to the back, where he saw Sun Jiao returning to the hotel to fetch a book. He called out, “Over here! Why did it take you so long to get the book?”
The tension dissipated instantly.
After handing the book to Xia Chengxi, Sun Jiao was about to greet Xie Yuchie politely, but the usually amiable Xie Yuchie shot a cold glare at Xia Chengxi and walked away.
Sun Jiao tugged at Xia Chengxi’s sleeve. “Brother Xia, did you two have a fight?”
Xia Chengxi flipped through the book nonchalantly. “No, how would I dare to argue with him?”
Sun Jiao immediately relaxed.
“I just put him in his place,” Xia Chengxi said, rustling the pages loudly. “With people like him, if you don’t confront them directly, you’d be letting your conscience down.”
Sun Jiao’s lips twitched. “Aren’t you afraid he’ll make things difficult for you later?”
“Afraid of him? Just wait—one day, I’ll make him beg for mercy!”
To Sun Jiao, Xia Chengxi’s attempt at looking fierce and making bold threats seemed all bark and no bite, hardly convincing.
“Come on, let’s go eat.”
After satisfying their hunger, Xia Chengxi returned to the set in the afternoon to wait for his scene. The afternoon shoot was crucial for him—the climax of the entire series, where the character he played, after uncovering the truth, reveals his true colors, transforming from an innocent and kind young man into a sinister and ruthless villain.
For Xia Chengxi, this was a test.
But for Director Wang, it was an even greater challenge. He repeatedly reminded Xia Chengxi, “Xiao Xia, remember—forget the character’s previous personality. Right now, you’re a selfish and cruel villain. Think carefully about the mindset of such a person.”
Xia Chengxi nodded repeatedly, shedding his former innocent and kind demeanor. His eyes turned sharp, a sinister smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. His forced, insincere smile truly resembled that of a villain. But as soon as he delivered his first line, Director Wang cut him off.
“Eyes, eyes! Xia Chengxi, you’re a villain now—a villain who’s been pretending for eighteen years. For eighteen years, you’ve hidden your true identity and nature. Now that you’ve been exposed, you need to unleash the venom you’ve suppressed for all those years. You… do you even know what you look like right now?”
Xia Chengxi humbly asked for guidance, “What do I look like?”
Director Wang snorted, “Hmph! I’m super fierce!”
Xia Chengxi: “…”
Onlookers: “…”
Who would have thought? The usually serious Director Wang could be so unexpectedly cute.
Director Wang knew that Xia Chengxi probably couldn’t grasp the feeling right away. Gu Cheng had already given him a heads-up, and he couldn’t embarrass Xia Chengxi in front of everyone. He waved his hand dismissively, “Alright, alright, we’ll shoot this scene later. Go practice your expression in your eyes. If you can’t get it right, you’ll…”
He swallowed the rest of his words and said instead, “If you can’t get it right, go ask Shu Wenjin for advice. It’d be a waste not to use an award-winning actor like him.”
Shu Wenjin smiled gently, “Don’t worry, Director Wang, I’ll teach him.”
Xia Chengxi was terrified that Shu Wenjin would suggest rehearsing lines in his room that night, so he quickly retreated from the set, feeling utterly embarrassed.
In the dressing room, Xia Chengxi sighed while staring at the script, “Jiaojiao, how can I practice to get that sharp look in my eyes?”
Sun Jiao, munching on an apple and scrolling through Weibo, didn’t even look up. “How would I know? I’m not an actor.”
Suddenly, she remembered something, “But I think I heard my childhood friend say that you can practice your expression through your eyes.”
Xia Chengxi leaned in closer, “How?”
Sun Jiao put down her phone and explained seriously, “You just have to focus on a single point for a long time, all while thinking about what you want to express. If you practice long enough, you’ll naturally get it.”
Xia Chengxi frowned, looking skeptical, “Really?”
Sun Jiao stared at him in surprise, “Of course! My childhood friend told me this. He said it was from the famous director Wo Ziji Shuode, Mr. Wo. You mean you’ve never heard of it?”
Seeing the girl’s earnest and confident expression, Xia Chengxi felt he couldn’t lose face in front of her. He nodded thoughtfully, then resolved, “Alright, I’ll give it a try.”
“Go ahead.”
Xia Chengxi fixed his gaze on the door, not blinking, his mind filled with images of treacherous, venomous, and unpredictable villains. For some reason, Xie Yuchie’s image suddenly surfaced in his mind—along with the annoying words he’d said at noon.
His eyes gradually sharpened, and even his facial expression changed. He furrowed his brows, and a chilling aura seemed to emanate from him. When Shu Wenjin pushed the door open and met Xia Chengxi’s gaze, he instinctively took a step back.
Seeing it was Shu Wenjin, Xia Chengxi quickly blinked his red, sore eyes, which were tearing up from the strain.
“Brother Shu, what brings you here?”
Shu Wenjin was taken aback but quickly smiled, “I’m here for a touch-up.”
“Oh.”
As the makeup artist attended to Shu Wenjin, he glanced at Xia Chengxi a few times. Seeing Xia Chengxi still motionless, he couldn’t help but ask, “What are you doing?”
“Ah, the director told me to practice my gaze, so I’m giving it a try.”
“You’re practicing like this?” Shu Wenjin looked at his red, rabbit-like eyes, tears streaming down with every blink, and his deeply furrowed brow. “You’ll easily hurt your eyes this way.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. As long as I can master the gaze, it doesn’t matter.” After all, once he completed his mission, he would be leaving this world anyway.
Shu Wenjin watched as Xia Chengxi stared motionlessly at the door again. He wanted to say something but held back.
Xia Chengxi spent the entire afternoon staring until his eyes were red and tears flowed freely. Whether he had successfully practiced the gaze or not, Director Wang didn’t say anything the next day and approved the scene in one take.
Getting a scene approved in one take under Director Wang was a rare achievement, even for Shu Wenjin, the film emperor!
Xia Chengxi gleefully sent Sun Jiao a large red envelope.
The next scene was an interrogation after Xia Chengxi’s character was captured. The interrogator: Xie Yuchie.
Xia Chengxi looked up at the sky helplessly. Why were there always so many scenes where he got beaten up?
After being injected with a drug, Xia Chengxi felt weak all over, and his pain sensitivity doubled. Knocked to the ground by a punch, he lay there in a sorry state as Xie Yuchie grabbed his hair, forcing him to lift his head. Spitting out blood, he glared at Xie Yuchie with a shadowy gaze.
“Go ahead and kill me! If you kill me, you’ll never find the whereabouts of the new energy!”
Xie Yuchie sneered, a faint, almost imperceptible smile tinged with pleasure appearing at the corner of his mouth. “The new energy is crucial to humanity’s future. How dare you…”
“Cut—” Director Wang stood up and pointed at Xie Yuchie. “Xie Yuchie, what’s going on? He was your former companion. You should be showing heartbreak, trying to persuade him from the perspective of saving humanity. Again!”
Xie Yuchie lowered his head and apologized, then said to Xia Chengxi, “Sorry, my fault.”
“No problem.” Xia Chengxi took the towel and blood pack handed to him by Sun Jiao, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and tucked the blood pack back into his mouth.
“Action!”
“Go ahead and kill me! If you kill me, you’ll never find the whereabouts of the new energy!”
Xie Yuchie looked at him with profound sorrow. “The new energy is crucial to humanity’s future. How dare you work for the dark forces! You…”
“Cut! Xie Yuchie, what’s going on? Is it ‘dark’ or ‘dark forces’?”
Xie Yuchie froze for a moment and hurriedly apologized, “Sorry, Director Wang, I mixed up my lines.”
“Again!”
Xia Chengxi stared coldly at Xie Yuchie, resignedly taking the towel and blood pack again. He reminded himself not to get angry, not to get angry at someone with poor acting skills who couldn’t remember their lines.
The third take was cut again, this time because Xie Yuchie’s makeup had smudged. While he was in the makeup room for touch-ups, Shu Wenjin walked in, visibly displeased. “Enough.”
Xie Yuchie smirked coldly. “How rare, Film Emperor Shu. After all this time, the first thing you say to me is for someone else’s sake.”
“The one who offended you is me. When did Xia Chengxi ever offend you?”
Xie Yuchie strode away. “Fine, since Film Emperor Shu is personally pleading for him, of course I have to give you face. Don’t worry, I won’t make things difficult for him anymore.”
In the fourth take, Xia Chengxi was prepared for another NG, but to his surprise, it passed.
Xia Chengxi lay on the ground, stunned for a moment. Just as he was about to get up after hearing Director Wang call “cut,” a foot stepped directly on his fingers, even grinding the toes a couple of times.
Xia Chengxi winced in sharp pain, letting out a hiss. Xie Yuchie seemed to notice only then and withdrew his foot, helping him up. “Sorry, I didn’t see you. Is your hand okay?”
Xia Chengxi clutched his hand, sweat beading on his forehead, and gritted his teeth to say it was fine.
In the dressing room, Xia Chengxi released his grip. His long, fair fingers were flushed red, and the plump, delicate nail of his ring finger had turned dark purple. Sun Jiao gasped in shock. “How did this happen?”
“Someone stepped on it.”
“Who stepped on you? That’s so malicious!”
“Brother Xie.”
“Xie Yuchie?”
Xia Chengxi nodded, curling into a ball on the sofa like a wronged child. “Sun Jiaojiao, why does he always target me?”
Sun Jiao hit the nail on the head. “Probably because of that photo of you getting out of Shu Wenjin’s car. He’s holding a grudge. Wasn’t the earlier NG just him messing with you?” She fetched gauze and medicine. “Maybe you should go to the hospital.”
“Forget it,” Xia Chengxi grimaced in pain. “We’re behind schedule, and this is just a minor injury. It’s fine.”
Xia Chengxi lowered his head sadly. His ring finger had already been treated and bandaged. He stood up to head to the next scene. “At least the next scene doesn’t require showing my hands.”
As he pushed the door open, Shu Wenjin stood outside. Xia Chengxi froze and quickly hid his hand.
Shu Wenjin looked at him intently, seeming somewhat hesitant. “I’d like to apologize on his behalf. Please… don’t take it to heart. That’s just how he is, and he’s been in a bad mood lately.”
Xia Chengxi knew exactly who he was referring to. He kept his head bowed, masking his grievances behind a smile. Even with his careful composure, the tremor in his voice was unmistakable. “No, it’s fine. I understand. Brother Xie didn’t mean to.”
Shu Wenjin’s expression darkened slightly, but he nodded and praised, “You acted well earlier. The next scene is between you and me. Keep it up!”
Hearing this, a glimmer of light seemed to flash in Xia Chengxi’s eyes. He smiled shyly and nodded. “Mm! Okay.” Ah, with the system gone, no one gets to witness my acting skills. What a shame.
Sun Jiao watched Xia Chengxi’s retreating figure with a pang of sympathy. Just as she was about to follow him, a buzzing sound caught her attention. After rummaging through the sofa, she found Xia Chengxi’s jacket, his phone vibrating incessantly inside. The caller ID read “Gu the Turtle.”
Sun Jiao was taken aback. Answering politely, she said, “Hello, Xia is filming right now. I’ll let him know once he’s free.”
The voice on the other end sounded displeased, cold and detached. “Never mind, it’s not necessary. Who are you to him?”
“I’m his assistant. May I ask who’s calling?”
“Gu Cheng.”
“Mr. Gu!” How could Sun Jiao not have heard of Gu Cheng? The fact that Mr. Gu was calling Xia Chengxi now?
“How has he been lately? Is filming going smoothly?”
There must be some hidden connection here!
Without hesitation, Sun Jiao seized the chance to complain to the big boss. “You have no idea—Xia is constantly being bullied on set. The gossip and snide remarks are bad enough, but during filming, they even take it out on him for real. Just now, someone stepped on his hand so hard his fingernail turned bruised. It looked terrifying.”
Silence.
After what felt like an eternity—so long that Sun Jiao wondered if the signal had dropped—Gu Cheng’s voice finally returned. “I see.”
The call ended with a beep. Sun Jiao stared at her phone, stunned.
Had she misjudged? Was Gu Cheng not Xia Chengxi’s backer after all?