He Mingchen walked into the private room with large strides, only to find the room dim, filled with lounge-style, provocative music, and the overpowering, heavy scent of alcohol. As his eyes adjusted to the lighting, he saw several scantily clad male models dancing and writhing in the center of the hall, while on a nearby sofa, someone was surrounded by a group of similarly underdressed models.
The man’s brows furrowed tightly as he rushed forward, only to realize that the person leisurely enjoying a drink on the sofa was not Ji Xing, but Brother Hu.
“Oh, you are here.” Brother Hu opened his mouth to take a grape fed to him by one of the models.
“Where is he?” He Mingchen scanned the room, but did not see Ji Xing anywhere.
“Do not be so tense. This is a perfectly legal establishment; they do not do anything illegal here.” Brother Hu tipped the models and dismissed them all, finally bringing some peace to the room.
“That kid of yours was too boring. I brought him here to broaden his horizons, but the moment he walked in, he just curled up with a fruit platter. Once he was full, he got sleepy. The waiter was afraid he was a minor, so he did not dare offer any service. Later, seeing that he was sleeping quite soundly, I had someone move him to the lounge.” Brother Hu gestured toward a door at the back of the room.
He Mingchen walked to the door and looked through the glass, seeing Ji Xing fast asleep, curled up on the sofa.
“You are back quite early,” Brother Hu remarked.
“Why did you not tell me you were coming to the production crew?”
“I was just passing by and thought I would come meet this protégé of yours.” Brother Hu popped a grape into his mouth. “I like to think I am a good judge of character, but this kid is hard to read. Either he really is that dim-witted, or he is an incredible actor.”
“I told you not to interfere,” He Mingchen said coldly.
“I am not interfering. If you do not believe me, ask him.” Brother Hu grabbed a tissue to wipe his hands. “I have some free time these days, so I plan to stay with the crew for a while to keep you company.”
He Mingchen’s gaze sharpened, but then he heard the door behind him open.
“Why is it so quiet?” Ji Xing poked his head out from the lounge, asking with sleepy eyes, “Where are the models? Why did they all leave?”
He Mingchen turned to face him and asked in a low voice, “Do you want to see those models? I can have them brought back for you.”
Ji Xing:
Help! Why did He Mingchen suddenly come back?
There was clearly nothing official between them yet, but at this moment, Ji Xing felt the guilty sensation of being caught red-handed while out indulging in debauchery. Fortunately, He Mingchen did not explode; he just stared at him for a moment before looking away.
In the car on the way back, Ji Xing sat side by side with He Mingchen in the back seat.
The man remained silent, radiating a chilling aura that scared Ji Xing so much he did not dare take a full breath.
“Why do you keep such a straight face? Look at how you have scared little Ji.” Brother Hu, who was in the passenger seat, tried to lighten the mood. He turned around, but upon meeting He Mingchen’s gaze, he quickly shut his mouth.
Until the car arrived at the hotel, no one spoke another word.
“Come to my room in a bit,” He Mingchen said coldly.
“Ah?” Ji Xing’s face paled, and countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
He Mingchen would not be so stimulated that he triggered the madman persona from the original novel, would he?
According to the original plot, in this situation, the other party would go absolutely insane. At best, he would inflict some minor punishments, and at worst, he would keep him up crying and begging for mercy, accompanied by scenes that would not pass censorship.
Just thinking about the plot points from the novel made Ji Xing want to call the police.
“I…” Ji Xing felt like crying.
Then, he heard He Mingchen add, “I was not talking to you. You go back and get some sleep.”
“Oh!” Ji Xing felt as if he had been granted an amnesty. He did not even wait for the elevator, rushing directly to the stairs to run up to his floor for fear that He Mingchen might change his mind.
“Haha, tell you what, this kid is actually quite cute.” Brother Hu was halfway through his sentence, looking at Ji Xing’s retreating figure, when he suddenly realized He Mingchen had been talking to him.
Two minutes later, in He Mingchen’s suite.
“Look at you! I am not just saying this,” Brother Hu said, feeling guilty and deciding to take the offensive. “Little Ji looks like he has just turned eighteen. How could you bear to lay a hand on him? Is this not a case of an old ox eating tender grass?”
He Mingchen’s gaze turned cold. He replied in a low voice, “First of all, I am not yet thirty; I am only a few years older than him. Secondly, you knew he was young, and you still took him to see male models?”
“They were just legal male waiters, dancing and chatting, nothing else.” Brother Hu offered a sycophantic smile. “I actually wanted to test him, but his self-control is truly remarkable. A male model with eight-pack abs was showing off his physique right in front of him, and he did not even glance at him.”
He Mingchen’s brows arched almost imperceptibly, and his mood visibly brightened.
“I think it is a bit abnormal. What man is not interested in beauty? Unless he is not interested in men.” Brother Hu changed the subject. “I am starting to doubt whether he is even gay. He Mingchen, be honest, you did not force him, did you? We do not do illegal or immoral things here.”
He Mingchen shot Brother Hu a dark look. After a long pause, he spat out one word: “Get out.”
Ji Xing had been nervous about the male model incident all night. When he saw that He Mingchen was acting normal the next day, he finally relaxed. He realized that the He Mingchen in this world was not as crazy as he had imagined, perhaps because that part of the original plot had not started yet?
After that day, Brother Hu indeed stayed with the production team.
However, his arrival did not cause any trouble for Ji Xing; instead, he made sure the trainees got to eat cake every day. Ji Xing did not know where the cakes were ordered from, but they were sweet yet not cloying, soft, and delicious, leading Ji Xing to secretly look forward to the afternoon tea sponsored by Teacher Hu every day.
That day, it was Ji Xing’s group’s turn for makeup testing.
The trainees went to the studio early in the morning, waiting in turns to apply makeup and take their character headshots.
Ji Xing’s character was a young master from the Republic of China era. The costume department paired him with a dark brown vintage suit and styled his hair into a slicked-back look. With his fair skin and clean, cold temperament, the look made him appear exactly like an innocent, pampered young noble.
“Oh my, this styling is perfect!” Brother Hu looked at He Mingchen. “Not bad, right?”
“Mm.” He Mingchen, standing to the side, was noncommittal, though his Adam’s apple, partially hidden by his high-collared shirt, bobbed slightly, as if he were concealing some emotion.
“I keep feeling like something is missing. See if you agree?” Brother Hu observed Ji Xing.
He Mingchen looked at Ji Xing, his gaze traveling from the youth’s brows down to his chin. The young man had a delicate nose, slightly red thin lips, and a distinct but not sharp jawline with a perfect curve. It was just a pity that his beautiful collarbones and thin frame were completely wrapped up in the suit. Aside from the small patch of skin visible at his neck, nothing else could be seen.
Was something missing?
He Mingchen appeared to be thinking, but in reality, his gaze had already become slightly unfocused.
“I know what it is! It is missing something right here!” Brother Hu reached out and tapped Ji Xing on the chest, asking the staff in charge of costumes, “Find him a brooch or a pocket watch or something to try out.”
“We might need to ask the prop master for a pocket watch. As for brooches, we have a few here. See if any of these work, Teacher?” The costume staff member brought over a box. Brother Hu picked out two to try, but was not satisfied with either.
He Mingchen whispered something to his assistant. Shortly after, the assistant brought over a small square box.
“Try this.” He Mingchen took the box, his slender fingers brushing against it almost unintentionally, and then handed it to Brother Hu.
Ji Xing’s gaze landed on the box, and his heart skipped a beat. Immediately after, he saw Brother Hu take out a brooch. The brooch was shaped like a ginkgo leaf, exactly the same as the wrap gift the He Mingchen from before he transmigrated had given him.
“This one will do.” Brother Hu pinned the brooch onto Ji Xing’s suit.
Ji Xing looked down at the brooch. For a moment, he had a strange illusion, as if the two worlds were vibrating in resonance through this single piece of jewelry. Unfortunately, while the brooch remained the same, the He Mingchen in front of him…
Ji Xing could not help but feel a little sad. Since transmigrating, he had been worried about his current situation and had not had the time to reflect on everything from his previous life. But at this moment, he suddenly thought of the past, and of the He Mingchen who had given him that gift.
I wonder if Teacher He noticed after I disappeared.
He could not help but wish that the He Mingchen in front of him and the one he knew were the same person; if that were the case…
But he knew that was impossible, so he forced himself to put away his unrealistic fantasies.
After the makeup test, they were to officially enter the on-site shooting phase, moving from the studio to a film base.
Ji Xing had assumed the shooting would proceed in the order of the script, as it was only a short film with few scenes. Unexpectedly, the coordinator in charge of the location told him that they would be filming the car accident scene today.
“There is only one set of shots for this location. It is too much trouble to build our own set, so I coordinated with a Republic of China-era film crew to borrow their set to film this scene.” The coordinator told Ji Xing, “Do not worry, it is just a simple car accident scene. Just follow the instructions of the action coach, and there will not be any danger.”
Ji Xing was a bit nervous. He had seen car accident scenes filmed on set before; actors had to wear wires and take a fall, which did not look simple at all. But as an actor, he would have to go through this eventually, so he could only try his best to adjust his emotions.
“Wait a moment, they have not finished using the set. It should be at most half an hour,” the coordinator said.
Ji Xing sat on a folding stool to wait. Not far away, He Mingchen was communicating with the cinematographer about camera angles. This time, the mentor was wearing multiple hats, responsible for performance guidance, directing, and artistic supervision, so he had a lot on his plate.
Seeming to sense Ji Xing’s gaze, the man suddenly turned to look toward the sidelines. Ji Xing was startled and hurriedly looked away, crouching on his small stool, afraid to lift his head.
Just then, a commotion broke out from the neighboring crew.
Many staff members waiting on the sidelines heard the noise and headed over. Ji Xing did not know what had happened, but seeing others go, he followed along. He did not want to disrupt the production, so he did not get too close, just standing on the edge of the crowd to watch.
Before long, medical staff emerged from the neighboring shed carrying a stretcher. Although he did not know what kind of injuries the person on it had sustained, Ji Xing vaguely saw blood on the person’s clothes.
In the film industry, on-set injuries occurred from time to time, so it was not surprising. Yet, for some reason, Ji Xing’s eyelid kept twitching, and he had a bad premonition.
“Ji Xing, you have a scene to shoot soon, and you are still watching the excitement?” Chen Feng, from the same group, had just come out of the crowd.
“What happened? Did someone get hurt?” Ji Xing asked.
“You could say that,” Chen Feng said. “Remember Xiao Huang from Teacher Pei’s group?”
“Did he not ask for leave to go to the hospital for appendicitis surgery?” Ji Xing had not seen Xiao Huang many times, but he knew him well. The first time he went to train with Pei Yun’s group, it was because Xiao Huang had heatstroke, and his later substitution was because of the appendicitis surgery.
“That time he said it was appendicitis, but he did not even have surgery. He stayed in the hospital for a week and came back. The production team saved his spot, and he was still in Pei Yun’s group. Who knew that the first day of filming, something else would happen.” Chen Feng spoke in a tone that suggested he enjoyed the drama. “If you ask me, it is just not in his cards to be on this show. The more he pushes it, the more things go wrong.”
Ji Xing frowned, not agreeing with Chen Feng’s judgment of others.
“Is he seriously hurt? Is he okay?” Ji Xing asked.
“I do not know if he is okay, but the little one is definitely gone.”
Ji Xing was stunned, not quite understanding what Chen Feng meant.
“He tried to hide the fact that he was pregnant. Today, he fell while on the wires and miscarried on the spot.” Chen Feng said, “I do not get it. If you are pregnant, just rest well. Why insist on going on the show? Now he is definitely not going to make it.”
Chen Feng kept rambling on without a hint of pity, but Ji Xing had long since stopped listening to what he was saying.
Miscarriage, pregnant…
These two words circled in Ji Xing’s mind for a long time, yet he seemed unable to process them.
Xiao Huang is a man. How could he be pregnant?
Does this world’s setting allow men to get pregnant?
Oh no!
Ji Xing suddenly thought of something.
He looked down at his own lower abdomen, and in an instant, a sense of foreboding washed over him.