Two days later, Shang Xueyan woke up before five in the morning. Today he had to go to the set of The Wind Rises to shoot. The agreed arrival time was eight o’clock in the morning, but Shang Xueyan lived quite far from the production team. If it didn’t rain and there was no traffic, it would still take at least nearly two and a half hours of commuting.
He went to the bathroom to wash up, but as soon as he stepped inside, he backed away a few steps. Beside the toilet, there were pale yellow water stains giving off a foul stench. On the beige floor, a man’s smelly socks and dirty pants were carelessly tossed aside.
Shang Xueyan endured it for three seconds, then turned around wooden-faced and left the bathroom.
“Bang,” “bang,” “bang.” He pounded on the door with a stiff expression.
About half a minute later, an irritable male voice came from the cramped room partitioned off from the living room. “Who is it?”
Shang Xueyan kicked the door.
The man who had just lain down threw off the crumpled, greasy quilt and climbed out of the single bed. He opened the door, his breath reeking as he spoke. “Banging on my door in the middle of the night, you”
“If you use the bathroom as your personal trash can again, don’t blame me if I come looking for you with a knife next time.” Shang Xueyan said expressionlessly, his tone cold.
Shang Xueyan had a very handsome face in the traditional sense, sharp brows and bright eyes, radiating heroic vigor. His eyes had distinct double eyelids, and his pupils were pitch black. Yet when his eyes were filled with coldness and ferocity, it was actually somewhat hair-raising.
A chill ran down the man’s spine, and he instinctively glanced at Shang Xueyan’s hands. Shang Xueyan wasn’t holding anything.
“Now go clean it up.” Shang Xueyan said icily.
“Why should I clean it up? What proof do you have that it was me”
Shang Xueyan turned and walked away. The man thought he had gotten rid of Shang Xueyan, cursed under his breath, and turned to close the door.
Shang Xueyan came out of the kitchen holding a fruit knife.
The man was a coward who bullied the weak but feared the strong. Seeing the other approaching with a knife, the smug look on his face vanished instantly. Shang Xueyan lowered his eyes and asked expressionlessly, “Is the bathroom going to be cleaned?”
The man licked his lips and caved. “I’ll do it. I’ll do it right now.”
The Wind Rises production was a millennial-era startup drama spanning over a decade. The minor role Shang Xueyan was playing this time was an employee at the female lead’s company who had always regarded her as a role model.
Shang Xueyan met the director, changed into his costume, and went to the set to wait for his scene.
An actor a few years older than him chatted with him for a while, then said, “How about I tell your fortune?”
Shang Xueyan was amused. “Brother Xu, you know fortune-telling too?”
“Liuyao, tarot, Bazi, physiognomy I’ve got it all.” Brother Xu raised an eyebrow proudly.
Shang Xueyan looked eager and interested. “How do you do it? What do I need to do?”
Brother Xu said, “Give me three numbers under a hundred.”
Shang Xueyan reported a few numbers.
Brother Xu noted them in his mind, counted on his fingers with great flair, then stared at Shang Xueyan’s facial features.
Shang Xueyan asked expectantly, “When will I make a million? Is there any chance I’ll become a huge star in this lifetime?”
Brother Xu said mysteriously, “Soon. You’ll make a million very soon. Becoming a huge star will take some time, but you carry purple in your fate destined for a life of wealth and splendor.”
Shang Xueyan wasn’t entirely convinced. In this life, he had no father, no mother, and no older brother. His close friend from his past life, who had once held high rank and honor, was now tens of thousands in debt for medical bills in this one. On top of that, there was a troublemaking boss lurking around, and he had no idea when he’d finally manage to terminate his contract.
“Also, I calculated that your romance star is on the move you should be meeting your true love very soon.” Brother Xu furrowed his brow in thought, then a smile spread across his lips. “Within a week no, I’d say within three days, you’ll cross paths with your destined one.”
“Thanks, Brother Xu.” Shang Xueyan said, his voice drained of energy.
He had zero interest in romance. All he wanted was to make money.
As soon as he said that, the director called him over to rehearse the scene. Shang Xueyan immediately stood up from his small stool and walked toward the director.
After the first scene wrapped, since they weren’t changing locations and still had to shoot the plot happening at this spot, Shang Xueyan went to the costume department to change outfits.
When he returned to the set, he noticed dozens of milk tea cups placed on the open ground. A member of the props team told him that the male lead’s friend had come to visit and brought refreshments for the crew and cast.
Shang Xueyan was just about to go pick out a cup of milk tea when, before he could even get close, he suddenly saw two young men walk out of the door diagonally across from him. One was the male lead of Shang Xueyan’s current production, and the other unexpectedly, was Jiang Lan.
The two were chatting about something, both wearing smiles on their faces.
Jiang Lan was talking with Zheng Ming as they stepped through the glass door, when his peripheral vision caught sight of Shang Xueyan not far away. His unfinished sentence paused, and his brow furrowed.
What rotten luck.
Shang Xueyan walked away.
Brother Xu slurped his mango milk tea noisily through the straw. Seeing Shang Xueyan sit down beside him empty-handed, he asked, puzzled, “Why didn’t you grab a milk tea?”
“I’m on a diet lately.” Shang Xueyan said with a smile.
“What are you looking at? Do you know him?” Zheng Yu followed Jiang Lan’s gaze.
Jiang Lan’s lips twitched stiffly before he said, “Shang Rong and I are from the same company.”
Shang Rong had once starred in a short drama that gained a fair amount of traction, but the gap between short dramas and full-length series was obvious. Combined with his lack of exposure over the past two years, very few people in the industry knew who he was.
Zheng Yu thought about the look the two had exchanged just now and asked, “Do you not get along with him?”
Jiang Lan let out a sigh, moping for a long moment before saying helplessly, “Actually, when I first met him, we got along pretty well. But later I found out he likes to hit people he has violent tendencies. And you see how good-looking his face is, right? Well, he’s pretty terrible when it comes to relationships. I heard he even tricked some young girl into getting an abortion…”
Jiang Lan probed further: “Brother Zheng, what role does he play in your production? An extra?”
“Not exactly an extra he has over a dozen scenes, and the character is pretty well-written too.” Zheng Yu said with disgust.