“I thought the moment I walked in, you would still be asleep.”
Xu Dongming glanced at Bai Mao, who was already washed, dressed, and neat from head to toe, and tossed out a casual tease.
He reached over and lifted the suitcase Bai Mao had packed, dragging it toward the door without waiting to be asked.
Bai Mao strolled after him at an unhurried pace, hands in his pockets, and explained, “I haven’t been pulling all nighters for academic research lately.”
Since Mr. Yu had stopped coming over, Bai Mao no longer had anything to occupy his nights. Naturally, he could only sleep. With early sleep came early mornings, and on top of that, Aunt Wang made a lovingly prepared breakfast every day. Bai Mao was determined not to miss even one meal.
Only thinking of this made him sigh softly. “I do wonder when the next research session will be scheduled. It has been so long I’m starting to miss stretching my muscles.”
Hearing the small note of regret in his tone, Xu Dongming let out a helpless laugh.
He had absolutely no idea what academic research had to do with stretching muscles, but he still could not stop himself from muttering, “You young people are really something. After a full day of classes you still have the energy to study that boring stuff at night. Someone my age can’t keep that up. If I stay up one night, I need two or three days to recover.”
Bai Mao’s eyes curved. “It is not boring.”
Their benefactor had impressive learning ability, and the two of them often changed positions. How could that possibly be boring?
Xu Dongming was puzzled. “Is academic work boring?” After a moment of thought, he nodded as if convincing himself. “Well, that makes sense. You are good at studying. Different from someone like me who never enjoyed learning.”
The smile on Bai Mao’s face deepened. His voice was muffled as he said, “Brother, it isn’t what you think.”
Once they made it downstairs and settled in the car, Xu Dongming kept his hands on the steering wheel and stole a few glances at Bai Mao. Only after gathering his courage did he finally speak, looking slightly guilty. “Xiao Bai, I need to tell you something ahead of time.”
Bai Mao had just buckled his seatbelt. His hand paused. “What is it?”
Xu Dongming bit down lightly and said, “This time, after we get to the set, I won’t be able to stay with you the entire time. The company dumped two new artists on me again. I am really stretched thin.”
He looked sincerely apologetic. Even his tone carried embarrassment. “I am really sorry. Every time you joined a production before, I stayed with you throughout. But this time, the atmosphere in this crew is not great, and it is precisely now that I cannot stay.”
From the way he spoke earlier, Bai Mao had thought something serious had happened. He had not expected it to be only this.
He waved his hand with a faint smile tugging at his lips. “Brother Dongming, you don’t have to worry about me. I have backing now. I can handle everything.”
Hearing this, Xu Dongming’s worried frown loosened slightly. A laugh finally escaped him. “I found two assistants for you. One is a kid from my hometown. He is honest and hard working. Anything you need done, just tell him. The other one is picked by the company. Clever and talkative. He can handle all the social interactions. They are already waiting for you at the airport. When we get there, you can get to know each other.”
“Alright.”
Bai Mao nodded without hesitation.
He did not want Xu Dongming to worry too much, so he smoothly changed the topic. “How are the two new kids?”
Xu Dongming sighed helplessly. “Seventeen or eighteen. They just entered the industry and are full of youthful pride. They feel everyone is beneath them. If the resources they get are even slightly lacking, they immediately pull a long face and think I am secretly trying to suppress them to get favors.”
He had not been in the industry long and had never successfully cultivated any well known artist. Within the company he was practically a transparent bottom tier worker.
The promising newcomers were always snatched by other agents the moment they entered the company. The leftovers that filtered down to him were never the best seeds.
And no matter how well he treated these young artists, once they gained even the slightest popularity, they would switch agents immediately on the grounds that his resources were insufficient.
Although Xu Dongming could understand their decision, he still felt a lingering heaviness.
So many years had passed, and only Bai Mao had stayed with him peacefully. Even after becoming popular from the talent show, he still had not left.
Xu Dongming’s eyes reddened faintly.
Sometimes, while Bai Mao was sighing sentimentally, he would say that Xu Dongming, along with his long-legged benefactor and Mr. Yu, were all his noble patrons. But in truth, was Bai Mao not also Xu Dongming’s greatest blessing?
While they were talking, the car arrived at Beicheng Airport.
The two assistants were already waiting. One of them smiled shyly. “My name is Yang Zhiming. Brother Bai, you can just call me Xiao Yang.”
The other looked much sharper. “Hello Brother Bai. My surname is Bao, my name is Bao Shi. Sounds kind of odd. I do not even like saying it. You can just call me Big Bao. Anything you need, just tell me.”
Xu Dongming did not leave right away.
He followed Bai Mao and the others all the way to Hengdian, then accompanied Bai Mao as he greeted the director and the lead actors one by one.
The director and the two leads seemed to have already been informed. Everyone on set knew about the connection between Bai Mao and Mr. Yu. Their attitude toward Bai Mao was extremely warm and polite.
Seeing this, Xu Dongming finally relaxed.
On the same day, after the opening ceremony, the production officially began filming. For the sake of achieving a lucky beginning, the first scene chosen was a very simple first meeting between the male and female leads.
The male lead was played by a film emperor, and the female lead by a top trending starlet. Both had stable acting skills, and the scene passed in one take, earning a round of applause.
Xu Dongming took advantage of the break to log into Bai Mao’s social media, repost the production team’s announcement, and then make sure the hotel and all other arrangements were in order before finally taking a flight back.
The first day without Xu Dongming…
Bai Mao ordered a feast of barbecue takeout and ate happily with his two assistants curled up in the hotel room.
He reminded them, “Once filming starts we have to maintain our figures. No more indulgent eating. I am only cheating this one time. And you two just ate with me. We are all tied to the same fate now. Anyone who rats us out loses their bonus.”
Lose their bonus?
Both assistants immediately nodded like pecking chicks.
The film emperor and the top actress were always flying nationwide for work, which was normal for them. When they were away, the production prioritized the supporting roles.
On the second day of shooting, Bai Mao had three scenes. One in the morning and two at night.
He got up early to prepare according to schedule, finished his styling, and sat on a small stool watching others films.
Most of the budget had gone into costumes, props, sets, and later promotion. Other than the two leads, who received higher pay, most of the supporting cast had been chosen from among newcomers in order to cut costs.
This naturally meant that acting quality varied greatly.
The second female lead was just like Bai Mao, also from a talent show background, known for her sweet and innocent image. The moment she arrived on set, her lack of filming experience became painfully obvious.
She kept missing her marks and forgetting her lines. One simple scene took nine takes.
At first, the director was patient. Later, his voice rose until it sounded like sparks were jumping from his throat.
The assistant director, who was more gentle, stepped in to smooth things over and tried to persuade him. The two almost got into an argument. After they finally calmed down, the assistant director clapped his hands and said, “Alright. Everyone take a short break and tidy your state. Lingxiu, come here. I will go over it with you again.”
Lingxiu was the character name of the second female lead, Xie Wantong.
Xie Wantong glanced around, her eyes pausing briefly on Bai Mao. She felt as if everyone had witnessed her embarrassment. Her face flushed bright red as she walked toward the assistant director.
The assistant director’s temperament was mild. After soothing her emotions, she indeed performed better. Two more takes, and the scene finally passed.
“The next scene is Zhuo Yuanli entering the palace to meet the emperor and accidentally encountering the Princess of Xihe. Bai Mao, get ready.”
Bai Mao stood up.
He had finished his styling long ago. The wig glued to his head had been making his forehead ache during the long wait. Now that it was finally his turn, he quietly exhaled in relief.
He picked up the fierce looking half mask beside him and put it on, revealing only his clear, beautiful eyes and sharply defined jawline.
Because most of the cast were newcomers, the director chose to film according to the chronological storyline to help them enter character more easily.
This scene was simple. Zhuo Yuanli walking in the palace and bumping into the heroine.
Since the actress playing the heroine was absent, Bai Mao had to perform alone. Her shots would be added later.
Bai Mao had filmed both web dramas and television series before, so he was no stranger to hitting his marks or finding the camera. During his first take, the background actor delivering lines stumbled, and the scene had to be reshot.
The second attempt went far more smoothly, completed with a clean take.
A scene finished so neatly and without fuss at last improved the expression on the director’s face.
The staff members scattered around also let out a silent breath of relief. They had been preparing themselves mentally for another long, exhausting day of overtime. They did not expect this newcomer called Bai Mao to be so reliable and steady.
They had spent enough time on countless sets to tell with one glance that his acting was genuinely good.
Their impression of him rose significantly.
The director, still thinking about the trouble he had stirred earlier while trying to set Bai Mao up, was now aware of Bai Mao’s backing and clearly wanted to smooth things over. He was not stingy with praise and said loudly in front of everyone, “Good work, Bai Mao. The rest of you should learn from him. You are newcomers, yes, but that does not give you the right to waste everyone’s time.”
The second female lead, Xie Wantong, instantly felt that the director was pointing at her without naming her. Her face heated again, flushed to the point of burning. She was so embarrassed she almost wanted to run away from the set immediately.
“Bai Mao, come here for a moment,” the director called.
With an even expression, Bai Mao walked over.
Little Yang and Big Bao instinctively moved to follow him, but Bai Mao shook his head and said, “Wait here.”
There were people everywhere in the studio.
Perhaps to show his sincerity, the director did not attempt to avoid the crowd. He only lowered his voice slightly and said, “I owe you an apology for what happened earlier. I hope you can understand. I am only an employee. Everything I do has to match the wishes of the investors. One of them made it very clear that he disliked you, so my position was difficult. You see that girl Xie Wantong, right? She is someone the investors shoved in. Cannot scold her, cannot pressure her, what else am I supposed to do?”
His gaze drifted toward the second female lead.
With a faint, polite smile, Bai Mao answered, “I understand.”
The director nodded quickly. “As long as you understand. Let us put the previous matter behind us. Do well in your scenes. This role suits you perfectly.”
He continued, “When the lead actors are all here in a few days, we will arrange a small gathering. I will invite Mr Ying, and you call your person as well. We can talk things out. If there were misunderstandings, we will clear them. We all work in the same circle and run into each other constantly. Better to talk and ease it out.”
Call Mr Yu?
Bai Mao lowered his eyes, the smile on his lips fading gently. “Mr Yu is busy. He may not have time.”
A proper canary was not supposed to cause trouble for its benefactor after the benefactor had already handled everything.
Bai Mao had no intention of dragging Mr Yu over for something so trivial.
The director chuckled, saying, “We have time. It all depends on Mr Yu’s schedule. Ask him for me. See when he can drop by the set.”
He added another sentence after a pause. “As an investor.”
Bai Mao froze for a moment.
Mr Yu invested in this drama?
Was it because of his role?
His mood grew complicated.
Yu Xiangchen had not mentioned this at all.
Not wanting to say more to the director, Bai Mao simply brushed it off with a few vague sentences and turned to leave.
His impression of the director had never been good.
The investor named Ying Yimiao truly disliked him because of Bai Sheng, but the production team had not needed to target him so deliberately. Summoning him and Xu Dongming to sign a contract, then changing their minds again after they arrived, claiming they would no longer sign.
If they wanted to cater to the investor, then they should have been prepared to offend him as well.
And now they wanted to see Mr Yu? Who knew what petty schemes they were spinning in their heads.
Absolutely impossible.
When he returned to the resting area, Bai Mao had barely sat down when Little Yang immediately handed him a cup of water.
“Brother,” Big Bao said, frowning slightly, “I checked the schedule. Your morning scenes are already done. Your next scene is not until after seven thirty in the evening. Should you really keep the wig on?”
He had seen Bai Mao scratch the edge of the wig several times earlier. It was clearly itchy.
Bai Mao shook his head. “It is fine. This wig is difficult to take apart. Usually we do not remove it.”
Big Bao said earnestly, “Let me massage your scalp a little. It helps with the itch.”
Bai Mao laughed. “It is alright. If it gets too itchy, I will call you.”
Before long, Xie Wantong walked over.
“Hello, I am Xie Wantong.”
Her eyes lingered on Bai Mao’s face. Her cheeks were tinged with pink as she sat down on the small stool beside him. “I watched your talent show before. I really liked you. I did not expect you to look this handsome even in an ancient costume.”
Bai Mao replied politely, “Thank you.”
Although he was somewhat distant, Xie Wantong did not seem discouraged.
She stuck out her tongue lightly, speaking in a soft, sugary voice. “I actually debuted through a talent show too. I wonder if you saw my season? It was pretty popular. I was trending several times. This is my first drama since debuting. Even though we all came from similar paths, my acting is nowhere near as good as yours. If I do not understand something later, can I ask you? We can help each other.”
Bai Mao glanced at her.
Xie Wantong had a delicate, sweet appearance. Her makeup was impeccable.
Her eyes were enlarged by colored contacts, making her irises appear bright and round. A layer of soft pink dusted her cheeks. When their gazes met, she immediately shifted her eyes away, looking shy and almost flustered.
Bai Mao said slowly, “For acting, it would be better to ask the director.”
“…Alright.”
Receiving a polite rejection, Xie Wantong was about to try another topic when she saw Bai Mao call his assistant over for a massage. He looked ready to rest, so she had no choice but to leave.
Lunch was boxed meals. The afternoon passed with him scrolling on his phone. Once his evening scenes were finally completed, Bai Mao let out a breath of liberation and hurried straight to the makeup artist to have everything removed.
“Brother, someone sent you a message while you were filming,” Little Yang said, handing him the phone.
Bai Mao unlocked it.
The benefactor: Have you returned to the hotel?
Wonderful.
Afraid the makeup artist would glimpse the screen, Bai Mao immediately pressed the phone against his stomach.
His lips could not help but curve upward.
As soon as his makeup was removed, he practically dashed out of the dressing room, preparing to return to the hotel. With bright, sparkling eyes, he typed, “I just finished taking off my makeup and am heading back now. Are you coming to see me, Mr Yu?”
He directly sent the hotel address and room number to Yu Xiangchen.
Beicheng.
Yu Xiangchen frowned.
After regaining control of the body today, he finally checked the message history between Bai Mao and that other person. Only then did he realize that Bai Mao had gone to Hengdian to film.
Ever since discovering that the other guy actually had someone he liked, Yu Xiangchen had been secretly reluctant to let him find out anything about what was going on between himself and Bai Mao.
The distance between Hengdian and Beicheng was not insignificant. A trip there required three hours on the road. By the time one went back and forth, there was hardly any time left to do anything except hurry from place to place.
It was absolutely impossible to continue like this.
Yu Xiangchen thought for a moment.
With a very serious expression, he sent Bai Mao a message: “It is too far. I am not going.”
Then he added, very solemnly, “Perhaps you know about video chat.”
✦ ✧ ✦
Cresvynia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
This is your completely normal and non-suspicious request to buy coffee.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · A Nightmare or Reality?Chapter 2 · Yu family’s BanquetChapter 3 · I know your Secret..Chapter 4 · Becoming A Stand-InChapter 5 · Real IntentionChapter 6 · Yu XiangchenChapter 7 · Moved into new houseChapter 8 · Why he’s so perfect?!Chapter 9 · Role stolenChapter 10 · Four Times a WeekChapter 11 · Wrong Message?Chapter 12 · Flower protectorChapter 13 · Study MaterialChapter 14 Part 1 · I don’t have that kind of worldly desireChapter 14 Part 2 · I don’t have that kind of worldly desireChapter 15 · Four thousand yuan has arrived in AlipayChapter 16 · In the River?Chapter 17 · Boss like him, People would ready to do OvertimeChapter 18 · Does Mr. Yu have two faces?!Chapter 19 · Now we can begin to express our gratitude.Chapter 20 · Split Personality!Chapter 21 · Mr. Yu is busy and may not have time to comeChapter 22 · Call duration: 0:12Chapter 23 · He’s not Worth itChapter 24 · Mr Yu on film setChapter 25 · You can consider me if you decided to leave Mr. YuChapter 26 · Big Sister has unique hobbyChapter 27 · Really? I’m actually the young master of the Bai family?Chapter 28 · Bai Sheng is Pitiful?Chapter 29 · Someone took a picture of themChapter 30 · Your little one is hereChapter 31 · Mr. Yu asked me if I had a stiff neckChapter 32 · The little lucky butterfly’s wings flutteredChapter 33 · Mr. Yu, you came here just once at the beginningChapter 34 · The door wasn’t lockedChapter 35 · You’re an adult nowChapter 36 · Are rooms still available by scrambling?Chapter 37 · I’m definitely going to watch this variety show!Chapter 38 · Who asked Bai Sheng for money to support Bai Mao?Chapter 39 · How many zeros are there?Chapter 40 · You have to be careful with your methodsChapter 41 · Let’s get MarriedChapter 42 · I’m obviously just coveting your body!Chapter 43 · Does what we’re doing count as Sneaking?Chapter 44 · You want to change rooms?Chapter 45 · Isn’t Bai Sheng’s scheming way too deep?Chapter 46 · Mr. Yu in front of me has become calm and composedChapter 47 · You care a lot about Yu Yutian?Chapter 48 · Bai Sheng has found someoneChapter 49 · How to fall in loveChapter 50 · Uncle Long LegsChapter 51 · Bai Mao, I’m a little scaredChapter 52 · I simply told them the truthChapter 53 · That was far too mercilessChapter 54 · Your fans mention it in your fan forumChapter 55 · In your dreamsChapter 56 · Hello, UncleChapter 57 · Verified account had repliedChapter 58 · Maomao, you don’t need to be afraid of themChapter 59 · What a headacheChapter 60 · It’s a bit… tragicChapter 61 · I’m waiting for you at homeChapter 62 · That’s just too much!Chapter 63 · Is this watch really that expensive?Chapter 64 · Tian CityChapter 65 · They’re easy to get along with.Chapter 66 · Want to have a relationship with marriage in mind?Chapter 67 · Is this the joy of being someone’s “little uncle”?Chapter 68 · Has the protagonist finally figured it out?Chapter 69 · I miss youChapter 70 · That whole family is something else.Chapter 71 · Then comfort meChapter 72 · What about sincerity?Chapter 73 · There’s also 10% of the company’s sharesChapter 74 · So called conservativeChapter 75 · I thought you’d be walking with a limpChapter 76 · They’ve been brainwashedChapter 77 · We got marriedChapter 78 · CongratulationsChapter 79 · You already knew it was me?Chapter 80 · You look very good in a shirtChapter 81 · Did you used to like Bai Sheng?Chapter 82 · I never liked himChapter 83 · Uncle is super niceChapter 84 · Extra 1Chapter 85 · Extra 2Chapter 86 · Extra 3