“In ancient times, a life-saving grace like this would require repaying with one’s body!”
Outside the set, a white car pulled over to the side, and the door slowly opened. A young woman in her twenties stepped out from the back seat.
She first craned her neck to look around the set, but after scanning the area, she seemed unable to find her target. So she took out her phone, swiped a few times, and found the contact.
The phone rang for a while before it was answered, and the person on the other end immediately snapped: “My dear ancestor, what is it now? I’m busy.”
The girl dragged her suitcase with one hand and held her phone with the other as she walked forward: “I’m here.”
There was a two-second silence on the other end of the line before the voice replied: “Got it. Come straight in.”
Beep—the call was abruptly hung up.
The girl looked at the disconnected screen but didn’t seem bothered. Happily, she pulled her suitcase forward.
However, when she reached the entrance, someone raised a hand to stop her: “Hello, unauthorized personnel are not allowed inside.”
The girl’s cheerful steps came to an abrupt halt as she stared at the security guard in disbelief: “Didn’t anyone tell you I was coming?”
Because she asked so naturally, the guard began to doubt himself and turned to check the memo to see if there was any mention of a special visitor today.
But after flipping through the memo twice, he found no relevant record.
So he could only dutifully repeat: “Miss, no one mentioned…”
The girl looked as if she had been struck by lightning. She took out her phone and dialed the number again.
This time the call connected a bit faster than last time. Before the person on the other end could even finish saying “Hello,” the girl interrupted, “Didn’t you say you’d send someone to pick me up? I’m being stopped at the entrance and not allowed in.”
After hearing what was said on the phone, the girl handed her phone to the security guard. The guard’s eyes widened as he listened, then he discreetly sized up the girl before returning the phone and opening the gate.
“Sorry, I didn’t know you were…”
Before he could finish, the girl had already dashed off, leaving behind only an eager, cheerful silhouette.
On set.
Lin Shen and several other actors were gathered together as Director Jiang was explaining the scene to them.
Suddenly, a clear, bright voice rang out.
“Cousin!”
Director Jiang stopped explaining and turned toward the source of the voice.
Everyone else on set also paused, their gazes focusing on the girl.
She wore a light pink dress, her long hair casually draped over her shoulders. A sweet smile graced her face, and she showed no discomfort under the spotlight, allowing everyone to look at her freely.
Director Jiang looked at her, then behind her, and his first question was, “Where’s Xiao Zhao?”
The girl answered naturally, “I asked him to help me with my luggage.”
“Where to?”
“To the hotel, of course.”
Director Jiang nearly choked. “I sent him to guide you, not to carry your luggage. The hotel is so close by, why didn’t you drop off your luggage first before coming here?”
The girl’s eyes wandered around as if searching for someone. “Because I wanted to see my husband as soon as possible.”
Finding no one, she asked, “Where is my husband?”
Director Jiang was confused. “Who is your husband?”
“Lu Jing, of course.”
“Cough, cough, cough!”
Lin Shen, who had been standing silently nearby, began coughing violently upon hearing this, startling the actors beside him, who quickly patted his back. “Lin Shen, what’s wrong? Why are you coughing so suddenly?”
At the same time, Director Jiang gasped sharply and quickly observed Lin Shen’s expression. Only after confirming that he was likely just startled and choking did he relax slightly.
“Jian Shuyu, don’t shout nonsense on set!”
Hearing her full name, Jian Shuyu realized that such a title was indeed inappropriate for this occasion.
She bent down, clasped her hands in front of her chest, and bowed apologetically to those around her. “Sorry, sorry, I got too excited just now. I’m a fan of Actor Lu. I’ve liked him for many years.”
No one paid much attention. Everyone was in the entertainment industry, and even if they hadn’t been called that themselves, it wasn’t unusual for celebrities to be called “husband” by fans in public. They were already used to it.
Only Lin Shen’s expression was a bit unnatural, a feeling hard to describe stirring in his heart.
This feeling was the same as when he usually saw Lu Jing’s fans calling him “husband” on Weibo. Even though he knew it was just a way for fans to express their affection, whenever he saw or heard those two words, his heart would still involuntarily tighten.
It was like when he was a child at his grandmother’s house, and his beloved kitten suddenly became especially close to someone else one day. Seeing the kitten play with that person, he secretly felt sad for a long time.
Director Jiang stole a glance at Lin Shen, inwardly groaning in distress, wishing he could kick his cousin right back to her mother’s place.
Jian Shuyu, however, was completely unaware that she had nearly been sent packing. She was still happily asking the onlookers questions about Lu Jing.
Jian Shuyu quickly got along with everyone, and the atmosphere on set became lively and harmonious.
Director Jiang, his face dark with exasperation, was just about to interrupt when suddenly everyone looked behind him.
“Movie Emperor Lu is here.”
Director Jiang turned around and saw Lu Jing walking unhurriedly toward them, dressed in a black shirt and casual pants, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, broad shoulders and long legs.
His gaze first passed over the crowd, meeting Lin Shen’s in midair, before sweeping briefly around. “Why is everyone gathered here?”
From the moment she saw Lu Jing, Jian Shuyu’s eyes lit up, her expression excited, completely immersed in the dream of meeting her idol, unable to extricate herself. A surge of excitement rushed to her head, and she stared at Lu Jing with blazing eyes, blurting out:
“Hu—”
“Ahem, ahem, ahem!” Director Jiang coughed so violently that one might suspect he had a thousand-year-old phlegm stuck in his throat.
Jian Shuyu changed her words mid-sentence: “—Brother’s friend, Movie Emperor Lu, hello!”
Lu Jing cast a puzzled glance her way.
Both Lin Shen and Director Jiang sighed in relief simultaneously.
Director Jiang stepped between them and introduced, “This is my cousin, Jian Shuyu. She’s here to visit.”
“Cousin, I’m not here just to visit,” Jian Shuyu explained to Lu Jing. “I studied directing in college. Since I’m free anyway, I thought I’d come learn from my brother during the holiday.”
Director Jiang: “One after another, they all say they’re here to learn from me, but none of them actually care about that. It’s all just an excuse!”
After saying this, Director Jiang shot a resentful glance at Lu Jing.
Lu Jing pretended not to see it.
Just then, someone ran over from the side: “Director Jiang, the lighting adjustments are done. Would you like to check them yourself?”
“Yes, I’ll go right now.” Before leaving, Director Jiang deliberately glanced at Jian Shuyu, as if to say, “Don’t cause any trouble.”
Jian Shuyu pouted. Seeing him walk away, she quickly pulled out a small notebook and pen from her bag and handed them to Lu Jing. “Movie Emperor Lu, I’ve liked you for so long. I grew up watching your dramas and have seen every single one of them. I’m so happy to see you today. Could you give me an autograph? Thank you!”
Lu Jing took them, signed, and handed them back. “Thank you for your support over the years.”
Without waiting for Jian Shuyu to respond, he turned his head toward Lin Shen. His tone was casual, but his eyes held a hint of something provocative. “The script has been finalized. Contact me after you finish shooting today, and we’ll find some time to rehearse our scenes.”
The role Lu Jing was playing had not been publicly announced, so others didn’t know what scenes he and Lin Shen would be rehearsing, but Lin Shen knew very well.
Everyone looked at Lin Shen. The tips of his ears flushed with a faint, barely noticeable pink, but he maintained a calm expression on the surface. “Okay.”
The filming didn’t take too long. After confirming the lighting was fine, Director Jiang returned, sent Jian Shuyu aside, gave the actors a final rundown of precautions, and officially began shooting.
During the shoot, Jian Shuyu had nothing to do, so she found a low stool to sit on and stared intently at Lu Jing.
As she watched, she gushed, “He looks even better in person than in retouched photos.”
After a while, she took out her phone and snapped a few private keepsake photos. Suddenly, Weibo pushed several notifications related to Lu Jing.
She tapped in and saw the report:
[Wang Yilin attempted to injure Lin Shen with a knife in the early morning. Lu Jing intervened bravely.]
The video wasn’t surveillance footage. It was clear the recording was taken from some distance away, likely by a local night owl who happened to glance out the window and witness the scene.
Shortly after this post went up, the comments section was already buzzing.
[Oh my god, that’s so dangerous.]
[I heard the video of Lin Shen repeatedly NGing on set was leaked by Wang Yilin.]
[Who is Wang Yilin? So obscure I’ve never heard of him. Now I know—what a stupid, malicious person. Just looking at him feels dirty.]
[Lu Jing is so handsome!!]
If she hadn’t seen this post, Jian Shuyu would never have imagined that the two people who had just been discussing their upcoming scene in front of her had experienced such a terrifying incident not long ago.
Soon after this post, many influential bloggers shared related news, but the focus shifted to “Wang Yilin attempted to injure someone with a knife in the early morning,” with much less emphasis on the connection between Lin Shen and Lu Jing.
Due to her professional background and family circumstances, Jian Shuyu had a decent understanding of the entertainment industry. It wasn’t hard to see that someone was deliberately steering the narrative. That person likely only wanted to expose Wang Yilin’s actions without dragging Lin Shen and Lu Jing into it too much. Public relations were already in place, but unexpectedly, a passerby had also witnessed the scene, recorded it, and uploaded it online.
Even so, it was clear that the person’s team reacted extremely quickly.
Online discussions about Lin Shen and Lu Jing dwindled significantly, with more attention directed at condemning Wang Yilin and calling for his complete ban from the industry.
Jian Shuyu rewatched the video repeatedly and thought about the recent series of events. Deep inside, her innate soul for shipping couples was ignited: “In ancient times, such a life-saving favor would require offering oneself in marriage!”
Lin Shen finished work at eight in the evening. Stepping out of the shot, he took his phone from Xiao Xu and sent a message to Lu Jing.
Lin Shen: [I’m done filming.]
Lu Jing replied quickly: [Go straight back to the hotel.]
As they approached the room door, Xiao Xu suddenly asked, “Brother, have you checked Weibo? About Wang Yilin confronting us with a knife early this morning.”
Lin Shen nodded. “I saw it.”
Xiao Xu said, “Film Emperor Lu is absolutely head over heels for you! The moment he rushed over was just too cool! After provoking Film Emperor Lu, Wang Yilin can forget about ever stepping foot in the entertainment industry again. But Brother, you need to be careful—watch out for him coming back for revenge.”
“Mhm, I know.” Lin Shen rang the doorbell and said to Xiao Xu, “Hurry back and rest. You’ve been busy all day too.”
Xiao Xu returned to his room, and the door in front of Lin Shen was opened from the inside.
Lu Jing stepped aside to let him in, his voice low and deep. “Want to shower first?”
“After that, we can go over the script together.”