“The best couple to ship is still you and Film Emperor Lu!”
The next day.
After Lin Shen finished his makeup, the makeup artist left the restroom. As soon as the door closed, Xiao Xu put away his phone and walked over to Lin Shen. “Bro, guess who I saw when I went out this morning?”
Lin Shen sipped his soy milk. “Who?”
“Film Emperor Lu’s assistant,” Xiao Xu said, “Brother Ren!”
Lin Shen wasn’t surprised. There were only four people living on that floor. Since Lu Jing and he left at the same time, the only person Xiao Xu could have seen was Ren Chen.
“Hmm,” Lin Shen took another sip of soy milk and asked lazily, “So what?”
Xiao Xu pulled a chair over and sat down in front of Lin Shen. “That means there are more than just the three of us living on that floor.”
Lin Shen politely responded with an “Mhm,” waiting for him to continue.
“So when you and Film Emperor Lu are in the hallway…” Xiao Xu’s voice gradually trailed off, his tone becoming mysterious.
Lin Shen: “Hmm?”
After stealing a glance at Lin Shen, Xiao Xu continued, “…when you’re in the hallway, uh, you know, you should be more careful. After all, there are more people around.”
He spoke quickly, especially the “uh, you know” part, which came out vague and sticky.
Lin Shen suddenly started coughing violently, his face quickly turning red. Xiao Xu hurriedly took the soy milk from his hand and placed it on the table, patting his back repeatedly. “Bro, don’t get excited, don’t get excited.”
Finally stopping his cough, Lin Shen leaned back in his chair and waved his hand, signaling Xiao Xu to stop patting. “Next time you help someone pat their back, you can use a little less force.”
Xiao Xu: “My grandma says patting harder feels better.”
Lin Shen: “Did she also tell you that patting too hard might accidentally send someone to another country?”
Xiao Xu looked utterly innocent. “No.”
Lin Shen: “…”
Picking up his soy milk again, Lin Shen decided to drop the topic. “Spend less time online from now on. Don’t always think about unhealthy things.”
Xiao Xu lowered his head dejectedly. “How is patting someone’s back harder unhealthy?”
“…” Lin Shen resisted the urge to give Xiao Xu a look reserved for fools. “Not the patting, the thing before that.”
Xiao Xu thought for a moment, then understood and explained, “As an artist’s assistant, shouldn’t I care more about what young girls like these days?”
Lin Shen: “So what conclusion did you reach?”
Xiao Xu said proudly, “They love shipping CPs the most!”
“…” Lin Shen knew he wouldn’t say anything useful. “It’s you who loves shipping CPs, right?”
Xiao Xu squirmed a bit but still straightened his chest, determined to maintain his momentum. “CP fans are highly dedicated, productive, and purely adorable. What a great group!”
Lin Shen looked up at him. “Have you gotten into shipping CPs lately?”
Xiao Xu’s face flushed red. “The fanfic writers in the supertopic are so good at creating content. Every story they write and every illustration they draw hits me right in the heart.”
Lin Shen guessed that what he was reading probably wasn’t entirely wholesome. Judging by his facial expression and demeanor, those stories and illustrations were likely R-rated.
“Be careful in the future. Don’t let anyone know which celebrities you’re shipping, to avoid unnecessary trouble.”
An assistant being overly fixated on other celebrities could upset some fans. It was fine if they liked national heartthrobs like Lu Jing, but if they were into more controversial young idols or internet celebrities, things could get messy.
Xiao Xu understood this perfectly well. “Don’t worry, bro. I’ll make sure no one finds out.”
“And besides, bro, even though I ship couples online, in my eyes, the best pairing is still you and Actor Lu!”
Lin Shen nearly choked on his own breath. “You can even ship that?”
At least the online ships had fanfic writers creating content. Since Xiao Xu started working with him, Lin Shen and Lu Jing had barely met a few times. How could that even be shippable?
Xiao Xu straightened his back even more. “Every time you two make eye contact, there’s this subtle tension. Every little gesture you make is like a handful of sugar to me. Come on, fake sugar on screen can’t compare to the real sugar fed to you by the actual people in real life!”
Lin Shen was about to ask when he had ever fed Xiao Xu any sugar when someone knocked on the door. It was a staff member coming to notify him to head to the set.
With an outsider present, Lin Shen had no choice but to swallow his unasked question.
It had rained the night before, leaving the ground slightly damp, with puddles of water collected in some low-lying areas.
Lin Shen arrived relatively early. He found an inconspicuous spot to stand and casually watched the staff busily moving various equipment around.
As he was looking, the director appeared in his line of sight. The director seemed to be giving instructions to someone beside him before turning and stopping in place, as if waiting for someone.
Before long, another person appeared in Lin Shen’s view.
Lu Jing was wearing a deep blue shirt, its hem tucked into black trousers that accentuated his slim waist and long, straight legs. With every step, he seemed to walk with an air of confidence, carrying an aura all his own.
Many people on set stopped what they were doing to look over. In an instant, countless gazes focused on Lu Jing as he made his way step by step toward the center of the set, surrounded by filming equipment.
Lu Jing lowered his head to listen to the director, who gestured with his hands as he spoke. Lu Jing nodded, and the director smiled, patting him on the shoulder before heading behind the camera.
Lu Jing followed him.
The director stopped a crew member and exchanged a few words. Not long after, the crew member brought over a chair and placed it next to the director’s.
Lu Jing naturally settled into his chair, and the director followed suit, signaling everyone to prepare for work.
Throughout, Lu Jing did not glance at Lin Shen once, but Lin Shen knew that Lu Jing was aware of his presence.
After sitting down, Lu Jing suddenly and without warning scanned the entire set.
Everyone thought he was observing the surroundings, but only Lin Shen understood he was looking for him.
Holding his breath and staying still, Lin Shen kept his gaze fixed on Lu Jing, motionless in the corner.
The set was bustling with people, props, and equipment scattered everywhere, so it would be perfectly normal if he couldn’t be found.
Moreover, Lin Shen’s position was far from conspicuous.
Sure enough, just as their eyes were about to meet, Lu Jing’s gaze shifted away, looking toward a more distant spot.
Lin Shen shifted his feet slightly, his eyes dimming a little.
In his line of sight, Lu Jing suddenly stood up, took a step as if to leave, then seemed to remember something, retracted his movement, and pulled out his phone.
He lowered his eyes, unlocked the screen, and began typing, likely sending a message to someone.
Lin Shen watched him, wondering, who was he messaging?
Not long after, Lu Jing put away his phone, exchanged a few words with the director, and strode in the direction he had just been looking.
At the same time, Lin Shen’s phone vibrated once.
Lin Shen opened WeChat to find a message from Lu Jing.
Lu Jing: [My parents are on set.]
Lu Jing: [Move to a different spot. The branches there are too low.]
Lin Shen was first surprised that Lu Jing’s parents had come to the set, then turned to look at the branches behind him.
The spot where he stood had several trees clustered together, not particularly tall. Perhaps someone had casually touched them during idle moments, leaving some branches bare without leaves, exposed and uneven in length, posing a risk to anyone passing by carelessly.
This corner was usually deserted, and such details were rarely noticed.
So, Lu Jing had not only found him but also observed his surroundings.
Lin Shen shifted his feet again, and his phone vibrated a few more times.
Lu Jing: [Come to my dressing room after the shoot. It’s next to the director’s.]
Lu Jing: [My parents are there too. Don’t be nervous when you see them.]
Lin Shen typed a single “Okay” and hit send. Xiao Xu approached from the side, calling him to prepare for the shoot.
Lin Shen was already very familiar with today’s scenes, having memorized the lines thoroughly, so the filming went relatively smoothly, with several takes completed in one go.
He had something weighing on his mind, which aligned closely with the emotional state of the character he was portraying. The director was very pleased with his performance, praising him repeatedly during the shoot.
Lin Shen smiled and thanked the director, but his thoughts remained preoccupied.
The morning passed quickly. After wrapping up work, Lin Shen held his phone with some concern, debating whether to go to the dressing room in his current outfit or return to change first.
Since losing his memory, he had no recollection of Lu Jing’s parents and didn’t know whether they liked him or felt otherwise. The thought of meeting them unprepared filled him with anxiety.
Moreover, meeting them suddenly at the workplace made Lin Shen feel that everything was terribly ill-timed.