Category: Male God is Chasing My Brother (Page 8 of 12)

Chapter 49 – Blow Xiao Mo’s face

An Xumo’s whole person directly froze.

And brother, to touch……

He didn’t even dare to say that word completely. An Xumo was knocked unconscious by the gift that fell from the sky. The gift tied with a butterfly knot not only jumped into his arms, but also automatically untied the bow, and shouted “Surprise!” lifting the lid.

When he was eight years old, An Xumo once had a dream. He dreamed that someone remembered his birthday, the housekeeper brought up a cake with candles, his classmates laughed and sang him a birthday song, his uncles and aunts who had always been unsmiling,¹不苟言笑: serious in speech and manner; reticent; taciturn (idiom); doesn’t laugh with words, describes a solemn attitude. and the other elders of the family, finally gave him a pleasant face and said happy birthday to him.

That was the deepest wish in An Xumo’s memory, and the drop after waking up also made him slowly learn to stop being delusional. As the mark grew, he knew more and more, and he no longer had such unforgettable²刻骨铭心: lit. carved in bones and engraved in the heart (idiom); fig. etched in one’s memory; unforgettable expectation

However, the words An Xumo heard now is more than the wish buried deep in his heart since childhood……

More like wishful thinking.

But An Xumo knew that he was not dreaming.

—— He had never given birth to such a bold idea even in his subconscious.

When An Xumo froze, Zhou Jinchen had already leaned over and brought the mineral water on the table. He unscrewed the cap of the Evian bottle, took a sip, and put the bottle back.

An Xumo’s vacant sight also moved along with Zhou Jinchen’s movements. After the latter placed the water bottle on the table, he saw the boy staring at the water bottle blankly.

It wasn’t until Zhou Jinchen handed over the orange juice on the table that An Xumo was forced to come back to his senses. He hurriedly took the juice. “Thank, thank you.”

Zhou Jinchen saw him receive the juice before continuing to explain, “You haven’t performed before to be able to endure the risk, and the contrast with Lin Rui in the same frame will be apparent. He will not lower his level because of you, and if he doesn’t cooperate, it’s easy to steal all your shots.”

“So I suggested to Ma Lao to replace the kissing scene. If there’s something you can’t do, I will teach you.”

He still speaks in a straightforward and reasonable tone, and you can’t hear any comforting tone. Yet, for An Xumo it’s very clear, this is already an exception for Zhou Jinchen——for so many days together in the same crew An Xumo has been watching on the set, he naturally understood that. In addition to Ma Lao, his brother has never explained the plot to other actors.

But as a matter of fact, An Xumo is no longer in the mood to consider the exception this time.

If it could be concealed just now, An Xumo’s face could not even be hidden now. His face was completely red that he could only bury his head lower and lower in Zhou Jinchen’s line of sight. Lower and lower.

“Thank you, brother.”

“……”

Zhou Jinchen looked at An Xumo, who almost buried his head in his chest and talked to him, and his sight lingered again in the person’s red-stained ears.

He said faintly, “In front of the camera, this is work.”

“……hmm.” An Xumo answered in a low voice but still did not raise his head.

He repeatedly recited “acting is work, work is work” three times in his heart before he could finally speak in a normal tone, “I understand. I will try my best.”

It was already ten o’clock in the evening. After Zhou Jinchen left, only An Xumo was left alone in the room. He held the unopened bottle of orange juice and repeatedly constructed his mind——

The kissing scene is also work. You should perform well and try your best to play this role.

But……

An Xumo rested his forehead against the juice bottle, a slight coolness passed along his skin.

How is it possible to calm down? The purpose of his work was originally to see his brother……

An Xumo inwardly lamented.

Heavens bless him, don’t let him lose sleep tonight. He can’t start filming tomorrow with dark circles under his eyes ah.

–

Even though he tried to sleep, An Xumo still slept a little less than usual and woke up before the alarm clock rang in the morning.

Fortunately, after staring at himself in the mirror for a while, An Xumo finally breathed a sigh of relief. He’s still smooth at the moment and no dark circles had surfaced yet.

Before the crew started to work, the make-up artists styled An Xumo. What he is going to shoot today is an indoor play at the Ballet Theater, and there are several places in the film where the performance shots will be used. This scene is quite professional, but for An Xumo, it should be considered as the easiest one. It is also to take care of his first time acting that the crew arranged the scene ahead.

After putting on a white vest, gymnastic pants, and soft-soled shoes, An Xumo went to the theater stage with the other extras. The first thing he had to do was to shoot a group training scene so he also wore training clothes.

When the theater scene started, the filming in other studios also continued. Therefore, the person who was here to direct was not Ma Lao, but his son Ma Zechi.

Ma Zechi is thirty-six years old, he grew up with Ma Mingcheng between film and camera. He has filmed a series of excellent works, including 《The Scarecrow》, and had faintly taken the lead among the new generation of young directors.

However, there is one more interesting point about Ma Zechi——apart from his equally excellent directing talent, Ma Zechi and his father, Ma Mingcheng, have almost nothing in common in terms of personality.

Ma Mingcheng has an eccentric character and a hot temper. In his early years, he dared to challenge the producer directly. Due to his personality, he seldom makes detours. Ma Zechi, on the other hand, is just the opposite, it’s difficult for others to see slowness in him. Unless it touches his bottom line, Ma Zechi usually smiles and can get along with the crew. The father and son are together, but Ma Zechi takes care of his father a little more.

If it were not for Ma Zechi’s temper, as a well-known director who has developed a reputation, he would not have followed the crew of 《Different Roads》. It’s not uncommon for fathers and sons in the industry to travel together, but compared with other juniors who always wants to escape the influence of their elders, Ma Zechi’s choice is really rare.

However, when discussing the second generation of stars, the industry has long been unanimously recognized. Over time, Ma Zechi’s achievement will never be less than those of his father.

Therefore, even if Ma Lao did not personally come for the same shooting at different locations, the quality of the filming process will not be reduced.

When he was delivering papaya rib soup to Ma Lao, An Xumo had once talked with Ma Zechi before. After that, he kept getting along with the crew, and Ma Zechi had a good impression of An Xumo. Before the filming of the stage scenes, he explained several main points in advance.

“The first thing you have to shoot this time is your dance practice shots. You are responsible for making the ballet dance well.” Ma Zechi said. “The camera position has been adjusted but in order to enrich the footage, I may stop at any time and let you start over. You pay attention, keep dancing well, and don’t get interrupted.”

An Xumo: “Okay.”

“Then again, you can’t just dance, you should pay attention to where the camera is. It will actively chase you, but you also have to think about showing yourself at the most appropriate angle for the camera.”

Ma Zechi finished speaking, then the conversation changed, “But you have to remember that you must not look at the camera. In today’s scene, there’s no need for you to look at the camera part.”

Showing it to the camera without making the audience aware of the existence of the camera is a problem that new actors often have trouble with, that is why Ma Zechi specifically reminded him.

He knew that An Xumo had previous stage experience, but idols only have to do the first half, and if An Xumo really behaved like in an MV, today’s progress would definitely become difficult.

However, after the cameras were in place after the clapperboard sounded to start the shooting, Ma Zechi found that his worries seemed……a little superfluous.

There are two rows of dancers on the stage, and there are three ballet pairs of man and a woman in front. An Xumo and his partner are arranged in the middle position, which is convenient for the camera, but Ma Zechi watched from the stage. Nonetheless, it gave birth to an idea that even without his arrangement, An Xumo would be able to stand out from the crowd.

For the sake of the shot’s quality, today’s accompanying dancers are all ballet dancers borrowed from City S Ballet, and their professional quality is absolutely excellent. Ma Zechi knows that An Xumo is not a professional ballet so he had specially reserved some time to give the boy who performs for the first time more opportunities to adjust.

But now it seems that he is worrying too much.

The infectious music reverberated through the scene, and although the tracks of these scenes would be replaced later, the crew carefully chose the live radio. The bright beams of light are concentrated on the center stage. The graceful and dynamic dance performed by the handsome and young dancer is pleasing to the eyes. The light rendered a hazy silhouette for his lean, slender body, and his elegant movements allowed the audience, who knew nothing about dance, to appreciate the leaping, vibrant beauty.

As the camera zoomed in, the young dancer’s face was handsome and beautiful with impeccable eyes and eyebrows. The extremely pixelated camera will magnify the face several times, and there’s no place to hide any flaws and defects, but what is magnified in An Xumo’s face is an incomparable delicate beauty.

His light brown eyes are clear and transparent, like an expensive diamond flowing in brilliance, but also like a rare amber that is dynamic and clear. The curved outlines of his eyes make them appear a bit large, giving rise to a rare and innocent childishness. An Xumo’s nose is exceedingly beautiful and small, and the overall appearance of his facial features are extraordinarily exquisite.

The most unforgettable thing that makes people unable to move their eyes is the slightly visible beads on his upper lip which are sweet and stunning with a seductive and sexy atmosphere. These two kinds of temperament are perfectly blended, which is the ultimate beauty that is tempting to pick up but difficult to touch.

There are always some people who are born with looks alone, which is enough to attract the attention of the public.

Ma Zechi suddenly understood why his father would shoot An Xumo to play Bai Qingchi on the spot.

The boy’s usual performance previously was quite introverted and shy. Ma Zechi could not even believe that he was an astonishingly hot rising star some time ago if he had not been introduced. Yet now that the camera is on, Ma Zechi can come to a conclusion on the spot——he can definitely play this important supporting role.

The biggest difficulty with Bai Qingchi’s role is not vulnerability, but to arouse the audience’s sympathy——he must be beautiful enough to make everyone who sees him feel good about him. Only in this way, when Bai Qingchi is hurt, the viewer will feel sorry, heartache, and sorrow.

There is no doubt that An Xumo meets this standard a hundred percent.

Chapter 48 – Don’t kiss Lin Rui, kiss me

Jie Jie: Hi! I posted tomorrow’s chapter in advance and will be posting the next chapter on Wednesday (⌒▽⌒)☆

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The hotel where the crew stayed in is a large chain business hotel in the country. In addition to good accommodation, other facilities are also developed. The seventeenth-floor rooftop mentioned in the text message, An Xumo had followed the crew before, it’s actually a semi-open-air and semi-enclosed high-level platform with several single sofas indoors and you can watch the stars outdoors in the open air.

Today, the crew did not have night scenes so the work is over after filming the indoor part. When An Xumo arrived with the script, it was not yet nine o’clock. He stepped on the steps and pushed open the door. At a glance, he saw Zhou Jinchen not far away.

The interior part of the room is well-heated and the man’s coat was resting on the armrest of the sofa, wearing only a black turtleneck sweater. He should have just taken a shower, the hairstyle during the day has disappeared and his body has regained the usual lingering breath that belongs to an adult man.

When An Xumo saw his brother at a glance, he couldn’t help but soften his voice.

There was no one else in the room when An Xumo came in. Zhou Jinchen was flipping through the script in his hands, and there were two bottles of drinks on the high table in front of him. One of which was mineral water and the other was an orange-flavored juice. When the man heard the movement at the door, he raised his eyes and looked over. There was still a little distance between the two, but An Xumo clearly saw the fine, bright spots in the other’s eyes.

“Brother Jinchen,” An Xumo called out softly.

Brother’s eyes are so beautiful.

The two single sofa seats were very close together that when An Xumo sat down, he could even reach out and touch Zhou Jinchen’s coat. He sat up straight with some restraint and laid out the script in his hand on the flat table in front of him, waiting for Zhou Jinchen to speak.

“Have you read the new script?” Zhou Jinchen’s voice has always been low and carried a sense of coldness, but perhaps, it was because the temperature in the room is relatively high today that listening to his voice, An Xumo felt his tension gradually eased down.

“En.” He nodded.

Zhou Jinchen put the script in his hand aside, his ten fingers crossed on his lap, and he said to An Xumo, “Tell me your understanding.”

An Xumo froze for a moment and asked, “Is it the understanding of the newly revised scenes……?”

“No,” Zhou Jinchen said. “For this character.”

An Xumo sorted out his speech and said, “Bai Qingchi is a character who seems to be somewhat vulnerable on the surface. Whether he is learning ballet or being disgusted by his parents because of Zhao Jiujiu’s harassment, he’s always in a state of hurting. However, he always adhered to his ideals and bottom line, which is why he adopted a foster son who also dreamed of dancing and chose to come forward and give the final evidence.”

This is An Xumo’s previous consideration of the role of Bai Qingchi. He himself made a lot of notes on the script as if doing a reading comprehension in senior high school, analyzing every word and every action of Bai Qingchi. This time, Zhou Jinchen asked him about his understanding and he chose a part of the most certain content and briefly described it.

Sure enough, after listening to his answer, Zhou Jinchen didn’t raise any objections. “This pair of contradicting words is the most basic and fundamental part of Bai Qingchi’s character. After you start acting, you have to grasp the middle point between vulnerability and strength. You can neither feel sorry for yourself nor look unaffected in the slightest.”

“I understand.” An Xumo carefully wrote down what Zhou Jinchen had said.

An Xumo’s understanding of the role did not deviate. Zhou Jinchen said a few words then casually mentioned a few random lines which An Xumo also responded skillfully.

“For the specific acting method, there will be the director to guide you when you start filming tomorrow.” Zhou Jinchen said. “You just understand what they’re saying.”

“Okay.” An Xumo nodded obediently again.

It is the director’s job to guide the scene and explain the performance, so Zhou Jinchen did not overstep his authority. In fact, this is not the first time he called out An Xumo to analyze the plot. Since the last time, he said the reason of “reading the script” in front of Lin Rui, Zhou Jinchen, and An Xumo will discuss the issues related to the plot from time to time.

Although the man’s words weren’t much but his correction during the time always hit the nail on the head,¹一针见血: lit. to draw blood on the first prick (idiom); fig. to hit the nail on the head; to be accurately right about something and for An Xumo, he also received a lot of help on the mental aspect.

The acting teacher had previously mentioned to An Xumo that the manner of observing other actors is feasible, but copying other people’s line of thought is a dead end. Mainly as a newcomer, once someone influences his ideas about acting, there is a great possibility that the newcomer will be limited to a fixed routine, and it will be difficult to have his own thinking ability for himself.

An Xumo only remembered these words from his teacher before, and it wasn’t until he started discussing the script to Zhou Jinchen that he really understood the meaning of these words——An Xumo was able to perceive that his brother had never interfered him with his own ideas. He always let An Xumo speak first then point out the mistakes and expanded on his shortcomings.

This is the first time he was able to work with his brother in filming, from An Xumo’s personal emotions, in his career, it was a blessing.

It was the same with today’s conversation, Zhou Jinchen’s reaction was the same as usual but it made An Xumo’s state much better.

If there was no new kissing scene, An Xumo would be able to wait with a piece of mind for his first shoot tomorrow.

——But the problem is, he still has a kissing scene.

The part that should be discussed was basically over. Seeing that the other party does not have the intention to continue speaking, An Xumo hesitated for a while then said, “Then, about Bai Qingchi, his emotional part in the scene……”

Zhou Jinchen raised his eyes to look at him: “En?”

An Xumo summoned up his courage and said, “It’s the newly added scenes, the emotional scene between him and the two main characters……how to comprehend this? I don’t think the script is clearly written. In the end, who does Bai Qingchi like……”

Because it was difficult to directly mention the 37th kiss scene, he had to cover it up casually with something else, and the more An Xumo said, the more his voice grew smaller, and in the end, he got stuck in embarrassment.

Fortunately, Zhou Jinchen did not mind and said directly, “Don’t think about this issue first. What’s clear now is that for Bai Qingchi, whether it’s Ling Sihang or Ye Qisheng, what they did is no different from Zaho Jiujiu, Bai Qingchi is still also hurting.”

An Xumo was stunned and said, “……hurting?”

“En. That’s why Bai Qingchi finally chose to expose the evidence,” Zhou Jinchen said, “and not let any of the murderers escape.”

An Xumo opened his mouth. “That’s why Bai Qingchi is here……to hand over the evidence?”

“I,” he stumbled, “I thought it was because he liked Ling Sihang and wanted to save the person from coming out……”

Zhou Jinchen looked at him and the room was suddenly quiet.

Despite saying Bai Qingchi likes Ling Sihang, it’s difficult for An Xumo to be justified. Once the character content is peeled off, this sentence becomes, and he likes……

People who are secretly in love are always worried that their feelings will be seen by the other party.

After a long silence, he only heard Zho Jinchen say, “What you said, Mr. Tao had also thought about it.”

Mr. Tao is the scriptwriter of 《Different Roads》 and the changes have been carried out by him and Ma Lao these days.

“Bai Qingchi’s role is still being adjusted and Mr. Tao wants to find the most suitable setting for the role, including his experience and his emotional choices.” Zhou Jinchen looked at An Xumo, “Therefore, what you have to do now is to act the role that was determined previously, as for the rest, you’ll have to wait for their deliberation.”

An Xumo breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly replied, “I will.”

He remembered that when he told him that the 37th scene was a kissing scene, Zhou Jinchen’s reaction was also a little hesitant. When answering him, his brother always used the words “will change” and “under adjustment” in this way, it seems that there may be a change for the better in the end.

An Xumo just put down his heart a little when he hears Zhou Jinchen say, “You brought the new script?”

An Xumo hurriedly nodded his head and moved the script in front of him in the direction of the two men.

“Good,” Zhou Jinchen said. “There are a few scenes of Bai Qingchi that will be drastically changed. You can skip them first.”

An Xumo paused for a moment, then hurriedly turned to the table of contents page, waiting for Zhou Jinchen to say the scenes that were going to be changed.

In fact, in his mind, his brother’s reaction over the past few days also made An Xumo a bit suspicious. Zhou Jinchen gets along well with the other actors in the crew, but because of his own personality, he can’t really blend in, and the sense of distance between them will always exist.

An Xumo saw all these things, so when his brother really took the trouble to help him with the script, even the crew began to hear rumors that Zhou Jinchen publicly said in front of the media that he liked An Xumo very much. An Xumo’s first reaction wasn’t delight but worry.

Today’s getting along together is also the same. His brother is only responsible for playing the leading role, but he will remind him in advance of the changes in the scenes of the other characters.

He did not think he would be special to this extent.

An Xumo used to have nothing before, so he didn’t have to worry about losing. But now there is a long-awaited gift tied with a fiery red bow falling from the sky,²从天而降: lit. to drop from the sky (idiom); fig. to appear unexpectedly; to arise abruptly; out of the blue; to drop into one’s lap. An Xumo is not sure that if he really held the gift in his arms, someone will suddenly inform him that this is illegal proceeds, and will confiscate it immediately.

He can only hold it for one more second.

An Xumo tried to regain his mind, listening to Zhou Jinchen’s words, and began to outline the script. “Thirty-four, thirty-seven, thirty-nine, and forty-one.”

“……there’s thirty-seven, right?” An Xumo nervously confirmed it once again.

Zhou Jinchen’s answer was direct and straightforward: “The kissing scene with Ye Qisheng? Deleted.”

An Xumo almost couldn’t control his expression.

“Really?” He paused for several seconds before he dared to ask, his light brown eyes opened wider, round, and stealthy like a cat.

“En.”

An Xumo’s heart, which had been raised for many days, was finally eased down. It would be great to make sure it was deleted. While he was celebrating his good fortune, he heard Zhou Jinchen say, “I suggested that Ma Lao and Mr. Tao to delete it.”

“……”

An Xumo secretly pinched himself.

……surprisingly, it was not a dream.

He guessed carefully, “Is it because it doesn’t quite fit in the plot?”

“More than that.” The man’s voice was like the waves of the sea at night, moistening An Xumo’s eardrums a little in this quiet and warm room.

An Xumo heard his brother say, “In addition, this is a scene that requires an emotional outburst, with your current acting skills, to film a kissing scene with Lin Rui, you will definitely be compared with him with an obvious gap.”

“The screen will magnify everything, and the effect of the film will be dire for you.”

The side of his face burned into pieces, even the tips of his ears were burning.

An Xumo didn’t know whether he should be embarrassed or happy, he replied softly, “Thank, thank you, Brother Jinchen.”

Zhou Jinchen looked at him.

An Xumo added in a low voice, “Thank you, brother.”

It was only then did Zhou Jinchen took his eyes back.

An Xumo raised his hand to rub the side of his face, his hands and feet’s temperature has always been relatively low. Yet now, the contrast is more obvious when he is scalded by the temperature of his side face.

However, it did not occur to him that what he had just experienced was nothing compared to Zhou Jinchen’s next words.

Outside the window is a deep dark night and bright lights, and there is a gentle warm light inside the room. The black turtleneck sweater perfectly came out of Zhou Jinchen’s broad shoulders and narrow waist, but the man’s words attracted more attention than his figure and appearance.

“So I suggested to Mr. Tao that the actor necessary for this kissing scene should be changed to me and you.”

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The author has something to say:

To explain, in practical terms, it’s impossible for idols, who have never acted before, to act skillfully on their first time. Because there is no plot such as rebirth and soul exchange set in the text. The foreshadowing can be arranged in the preparatory part before the play, including professional teacher for acting class, Ma Lao’s firm temperament, the crew’s fondness and care, Wang Xiangming and the other actor’s good impression and tips, as well as the elder brother to help with the script. These are all to give special attention to Xiao An’s first acting so that An Xumo can have a good performance in the film and smoothly attract fans, instead of becoming a shame of pushing too hard in a blockbuster film and ended up being ridiculed by the crowd.

That’s why this part of Xiao Mo before filming is written in such detail. After that, Xiao Mo starts filming and it will be very smooth~

Chapter 47 – The kissing scene was knocked by my brother

Once these questions came out, the scene suddenly seemed a bit awkward.

However, even if it was awkward, no one took the initiative to ease the atmosphere. Everyone was staring at Zhou Jinchen, waiting for him to answer this abrupt but completely powerful question.

Lin Rui on the side froze slightly for a moment and subconsciously looked at the man beside him.

Nonetheless, his identity is different from that of a reporter. No matter how he thinks in his heart, he considers the problem from an actor’s standpoint. Lin Rui has made his debut for many years, when he first won the film emperor in his early years, he faced no less difficult questions than Zhou Jinchen. Thus, he had also experienced this kind of question, knowing that he would be more appropriate to answer than Zhou Jinchen.

Yet, when Lin Rui just wanted to help solve the situation, he heard Zhou Jinchen say, “If I really have to say it, I actually only have one choice.”

Everyone’s attention was focused on Zhou Jinchen, even Lin Rui didn’t have time to hide his eyes. Some media couldn’t wait and even pressed, “Who is it?”

Zhou Jinchen’s expression still did not fluctuate much, but the answer he gave made everyone ignore his expression, “An Xumo.”

There was a momentary silence around.

In stark contrast to the quiet atmosphere was the ecstasy within the journalists in the scene. They simply did not know whether to see Lin Rui’s current expression first or continue to ask Zhou Jinchen the reason why. The reporter who asked this question even wanted to leave the meeting directly and send the news to their headquarters to be the first to send the news out.

What exciting news! He even thought of the title—— “Powerful confrontation against Film Emperor’s discord! Zhou Jinchen bluntly stated he didn’t like Lin Rui and would rather choose to cooperate with An Xumo”.

But before the media at the scene were too happy about this shocking secret for too long, Zhou Jinchen had already taken over, “Mr. Lin is my senior, I’m An Xumo’s senior. I can only assess Xiao An. As for my cooperation with Mr. Lin, I have to wait for Mr. Lin to evaluate it.”

“So, I only have one choice.”

The crowd in the room was stupefied again.

This was an excuse, right?

Can they just cut off the second half and just write the first answer?

However, considering the strong public relations and legal capabilities of the agency team behind Zhou Jinchen, the reporters present had to shelve this rather risky idea for the time being.

……heat is important, but safety is more important.

Someone who wanted to continue digging took advantage of the trend and asked Lin Rui, “What does Mr. Lin Rui think about this cooperation?”

Lin Rui had long returned his usual gentle elegance, he smiled at the words, “Me? Does this question still need to be asked? Jinchen is a very attractive young actor. In my eyes, he almost became the most attractive actor.”

A reporter curiously asked, “Why is it almost?”

Lin Rui pointed to himself, “Because in my eyes, the winner of this title is myself and he is a little bit worse than me.”

There was a sudden burst of laughter around

As soon as Lin Rui eased the atmosphere, the reporter who initially asked this sharp question was not reconciled to it. He squeezed in again and exclaimed, “Since Mr. Zhou said that only seniors are qualified to evaluate the collaboration, I would like to ask Mr. Lin Rui to answer as a senior. Which of the two younger generations do you think more highly of, Mr. Zhou or An Xumo?”

Lin Rui quietly glanced at the reporter, obviously dissatisfied with the way this person asked questions.

Although he did have a different opinion between Zhou Jinchen and An Xumo, this kind of question obviously cannot be directly put on the surface. At that time, if there is news of discord breaking out, not only the three of them will be affected, but even Ma Lao will be unhappy——in a previous movie directed by Ma Lao, the fans of the male and female lead clashed because of promotion problems, which eventually turned into a fan war. Many media have also carried out continuous reports on this matter. Although Ma Lao did not say anything on the surface, in all of his subsequent films, the publicity has become more and more rigorous, and he never worked with the two leading actor and actress again.

Therefore, Lin Rui can’t be the rafter.¹出头椽子: Its a metaphor for people who dare to come forward when encountering things and doesn’t consider personal safety. I really had a hard time on how to explain this part. On the bright side, he must maintain a good relationship with the people he is dealing with.

Nevertheless, although he was dissatisfied with the reporters’ trap-like ways of asking questions, Lin Rui is not easy to attack in public. He really wanted to make a few tai chi²打太极: shirk responsibility, which might be equivalent to “make excuses” and “avoid the topic of discussion” moves to muddle through the question, but Zhou Jinchen on the side said, “This question is highly confidential, Brother Rui can’t answer you.”

The reporters present didn’t understand, and they looked at Zhou Jinchen in confusion. Some were still thinking, did they just easily let go of pursuing Zhou Jinchen’s question too easily to let the other party find out another such far-fetched reason?

But Lin Rui who was robbed of his answer understood.

He quickly smiled and said, “Yes, this is one of the biggest suspense in Different Roads, I can’t reveal it now.”

There are some reporters who have not figured out the situation, but others quickly reacted and asked, “Mr. Lin, is it true that in the movie, the characters played by Mr. Zhou and Xiao An are chasing you?”

Lin Rui showed a meaningful smile, “This question will be known when the movie is released.”

–

The question, what kind of emotional experience did Lin Rui’s character played in the film, had successfully aroused the appetite of the media. While the outside world stirred up the love triangle in the film and piqued the curiosity of the public with vague and warm descriptions, An Xumo who knew the content of the script in advance was not happy at all.

The day before Bai Qingchi’s filming began, Tang Tang finally helped him get the revised script from Sister Liu. After the brand new script was opened, it was clearly written in the 37th scene that——he has to film a kissing scene with Lin Riu.

Moreover, it was also the kind that was broken by Zhou Jinchen on the spot.

An Xumo propped up his forehead and looked at the cover of the script for five minutes before he had to accept the reality and re-read the script from the beginning.

After the revision, the script has changed a lot of details. The more elaborate on the spot performances in the previous filming was also added, and a lot of differences can be found afterwards. However, overall, the main character around the changes is Bai Qingchi, the male four. He was originally a secret thread, waiting for the final jigsaw puzzle but suddenly, he was given richer settings and actions.

The most obvious plot is that this role which was initially related to Ye Qisheng’s uncle, Zhao JiuJiu, has now become an important turning point in the lives of the two protagonists.

In the movie’s plot, in order to keep the police from noticing but also not to see each other and remember the terrible nightmare of that day, Ling Sihang and Ye Qisheng planned to pretend to break apart from being close friends to sworn enemies. In the old version of the script, the cause of this separation was originally a competition between the two people vying for the only recommendation.³recommendation for school admission. Ye Qisheng was successfully selected while the unsuccessful Ling Sihang chose to study abroad and planned to emigrate with his family.

However, in the revised script, the excuse for the separation becomes extreme jealousy when the rivals in love met each other——Ling Sihang and Ye Qisheng both fell in love with the cold and slim ballet dancer, Bai Qingchi, and the scene of Ye Qisheng and Bai Qingchi kissing was broken by Ling Sihang. Disheartened, Ling Sihang decided to go abroad. After separating from his best friend, Ye Qisheng did not continue his relationship with Bai Qingchi. On the contrary, because he felt guilty about his best friend, he no longer gave in to homosexuality but chose to marry and have children.

The plot can be rounded back, and the second method clearly has more conflicts. After all, Ling Sihang’s secret love in the main plot is too hidden that it’s not revealed until the end of the movie. With the addition of the element of a romantic rival, the film can vaguely express Ling Sihang’s feelings for Ye Qisheng in advance. This kind of sour but invigorating triangle inside and outside the play is more able to touch the audience’s mood.

Thinking about it, when all the audience followed the police’s reasoning of investigating the case and thought that Ling Sihang made a clean break with Ye Qisheng because the person he likes, Bai Qingchi, was snatched away from Ye Qisheng. However, the movie simply and rudely told everyone in the end that——the person Ling Sihang liked was Ye Qisheng and in order to protect his good friend and secret love, Ling Sihang did not only cooperated with the play but also went abroad for many years and never returned home. In the end, he even took the blame for Ye Qisheng’s crime.

This is a blunt knife grinding meat, the more you think about it, the more painful the story is.

Taking the role of Ling Sihang is actually a very good opportunity for Zhou Jinchen. The comparison between superficial indifference to everything and in contrast to forbearing deep love inside immediately makes this character three-dimensional, and Zhou Jinchen’s acting skills can also fully support this setting.

However, this additional scene for An Xumo is really not a good thing.

If it was just a kissing scene with Lin Rui, An Xumo, who acted for the first time, perhaps, maybe he might be able to cope with it. But when he films the kissing scene in front of Zhou Jinchen, he will be knocked against by his brother in the scene……

An Xumo took two deep breaths before trying to keep himself calm on the surface and pressed through Tang Tang’s phone number.

“Hello?”

Tan Tang had just said half a word when she heard over An Xumo say in an extremely serious voice: “If I quit the crew now, what will be the consequences?”

“……ah?” Tang Tang was stupefied at first, then said in a tough dialect, “What are you talking about, who are you? Why are you holding Xiao Mo’s phone?!”

“Tang Tang, it’s me.” An Xumo’s voice trailed off, “I’m kidding, it’s nothing. Please don’t take it seriously.”

Tang Tang was really startled. After all, in her eyes, even if her own artist strips, the appearance is certainly not naked, but full of two big words written all over: Dedication.⁴敬业: two words in raw. How could such An Xumo suddenly give birth to the idea of quitting the crew?

An Xumo naturally doesn’t know this strange thought in Tang Tang’s mind. After pacifying her for a while, he finally calmed down Tang Tang.

When the phone was hung up, An Xumo’s inner turmoil still ebbed and flowed, like a bubble under a transparent film that could not be dissipated no matter how hard he tried.

He stared at the script for a while before resigning to his fate, flipping through the cover, intending to memorize his new lines——tomorrow is the official start of filming for Bai Qingchi’s scene. An Xumo had no desire to tarnish his performance, even if it was difficult to accept.

There were not many line changes in the first few scenes, and An Xumo still had a few days to familiarize himself with the extra scenes. But for him with a good memory, one night was enough for him to memorize his lines.

Yet, when he opened the script, the phone on the table rang.

The text message alert tone made An Xumo subconsciously look up. He initially thought it was an advertising text message from the operator and did not pay much attention to it. However, when he saw the name on the screen, An Xumo quickly sat up straight and hurriedly reached out and took the phone over.

The screen showed a brief content.

“188xxxx0608: Rooftop outside the 17th corridor, come over.”

It wasn’t An Xumo’s private phone that received the message but in the work phone. In order to prevent accidental leakage, but also to keep the real name from being seen, An Xumo did not add a note to his brother.

188xxxx0608 is exactly Zhou Jinchen’s mobile phone number.

When An Xumo was about to click on the details to check, the phone in his palm vibrated again.

The second message prompt appeared from the top of the screen.

“188xxxx0608: Bring the script.”

The script?

An Xumo’s hand trembled.

After the revision……is there a new script for the kissing scene?

•·················•·················•

The author has something to say:

An Xumo: I can’t act……

Zhou Jinchen: I’ll teach you.

An Xumo: I don’t know how to read the scriptTAT

Zhou Jinchen: I’ll help you.

An Xumo: I can’t do a kissing sceneQAQ

Zhou Jinchen: I’ll kiss you.

An Xumo: ∑( °△ °|||)︴

Lin Rui: ??? (black question mark.jpg)

Chapter 46 – Who to choose between Lin Rui and Xiao An.

Jie Jie: Merry Christmas! Here are 2 chapters as my special gift for everyone! Enjoy! I hope everyone would have a great day! ♡＼(￣▽￣)／♡

•·················•·················•

Unlike An Xumo’s friendly close contact, Zhou Jinchen’s fans did not get close to bother him.

After giving a circle of gifts, the Royal Guards finally waited for the opportunity to get in touch with Zhou Jinchen. This group of fans, who had just been so generous, now seemed a little nervous. Even when handing over the gifts to Zhou Jinchen, they discussed for a long time before they went up together.

Just looking at their performance in front of Zhou Jinchen, it’s really difficult to connect with the heroic image of those who just carried baskets and laid out gifts.

When An Xumo sent his fans back, he heard Tang Tang say, “Tsk, this is the difference between girlfriend fans and mother fans, ah.”

The media set visit organized by the crew is not yet over, and it looks like the interview will continue for a while. An Xumo’s next arrangement is to wait for the group lunch hosted by the crew, so there is nothing to do now.

Hearing Tang Tang’s words, An Xumo was a little confused, “Mother fans? Most of the people who came today are young people, right?”

“Mother fans does not refer to the age, but the mentality. The mother fan looks at their idol like a mother to her child. What the artists do is right and good, and they will always support unconditionally.” Tang Tang said, “Like Xiao Mo’s, most of your fans are mother fans.”

“……” An Xumo was silent for a moment, “Is that so?”

“Yes, ah.” Tang Tang continued to explain, “Brother Zhou’s situation is different where most of his fans are girlfriend fans. I remember that he seems to be one of the artists with the highest number of fans……and there are also some daughter fans.”

“……daughter fans?” An Xumo was filled with confusion.

“Yes. Girlfriend fans and daughter fans, these two groups are just as the name implies.” Tang Tang enthusiastically gave An Xumo social education, “One is to regard their idol as their ideal lover, and the other is willing to support their idol wholeheartedly. Among them, girlfriend fans are the strongest group in terms of fighting power. Many companies also tend to promote an image of attracting girlfriend fans to artists when positioning them to help develop more of such fans.”

An Xumo listened and frowned slightly.

He was a little puzzled: “If you’re an actor……don’t you use your acting skills to attract fans?”

“You have to grasp both hands firmly.” Tang Tang said, “Acting is a job an actor must do well, but actors like Brother Zhou will attract a large number of fans for their personal charm outside the play. These two concepts are not contradictory.”

Tang Tang gave An Xumo a whole lot more social education about how companies consolidate and develop fans before turning the topic back, “However, it’s only natural that Brother Zhou doesn’t have much mother fans. If it were me, I wouldn’t be able to imagine Brother Zhou needing pampering and care.”

An Xumo gently licked his dry lips. He couldn’t help but look up at Zhou Jinchen who was not far away, confirming that the other party was standing there before retracting his eyes.

Tang Tang said she couldn’t imagine it, but An Xumo didn’t have to imagine. The memory of his brother lying in bed with a pale face that year was still incredibly new.

This is the only traumatic memory that he left behind of his own accord and did not deliberately try to avoid it.

An Xumo said softly, “No matter how strong a person is, there will be times when they need to be taken care of.”

“Yes, there will be.” Tang Tang nodded in agreement.

“But the stronger the person is, the less they are willing to expose their wounds. They would rather heal their own wounds without anyone knowing.” Tang Tang shrugged, “Like Brother Zhou, it’s as if he never needs anyone else to rely on. Anyway, I can’t figure out what kind of person would make Brother Zhou take the initiative to reveal his vulnerable side.”

An Xumo thought about it and found that he couldn’t seem to imagine it either.

In the past, he just used to look for energy from his brother, but he did not think about the matter of how the other party would replenish their energy.

Will, there be someone……providing energy to his brother?

An Xumo raised his head and took another look at his brother in the crowd who was surrounded by countless people and still had a calm expression.

He had some itchy feeling in his heart, like the frozen earth and the start of melting snow.

An Xumo said in a low voice, “He probably……need someone who is as good as him, right?”

–

Unlike An Xumo who has not yet started acting, Zhou Jinchen, as the lead actor, has to deal with most of the attacks from the media. After meeting with the fans, the assistant helped to put away the gifts fans sent, and Zhou Jinchen continued to participate in the individual interview session.

However, interviews like this, especially interviews with the crew being filmed are often somewhere between a waste of time and pointless questions.

“Mr. Zhou Jinchen, how does it feel to work with Ma Lao?”

—Ma Lao is an excellent director. I have benefitted a lot from working with him.

“How do you feel about your scenes with Film Emperor Lin?”

—The process of collaboration is good and the results are worth looking forward to.

“Have you encountered any difficulties during the filming process?”

—No, the cast and crew were very considerate and provided strong support.

This kind of question doesn’t even need to be asked, and the reporter can make up the answers themselves.

Moreover, Zhou Jinchen has made his debut for many years. He has rich experience facing the media and his interview has already reached the point where not one drop of water can leak. For questions he did not want to answer, no matter how he’s asked, it’s impossible to get answers.

Compared with the interview with the film emperor Zhou Jinchen, who only expressed his gratitude to the crew once, the media who came to visit the set are more inclined to get good information when interviewing newcomers.

For example——the new actor who made his debut as an idol, but received resources from a great director within half a year, An Xumo.

Judging from the video of An Xumo’s previous interview, his reaction in the interview was obviously a bit green.¹inexperiencedAlthough An Xumo has also avoided several trap questions set by the interviewer, the veteran reporter with a keen eye can tell that he has only received short-term expedited interview training, and is not really at ease.

Hence, even if An Xumo only plays a supporting role and can’t compare with Zhou Jinchen’s heat, reporters are still looking forward to getting breaking news out of him.

An Xumo’s popularity lies here and there are so many points he can dig out——even how many times he NG-ed in filming the first scene, he can directly write an eye-catching manuscript out.

Unfortunately, when the media arrived at the scene, they were suddenly told that An Xumo, who had already joined the group, would not be interviewed.

After all, the media who came to visit the set were invited by the production to cooperate. Even if they have regrets, no one would really start a conflict with the crew. At most, they would just secretly mutter to themselves.

Ultimately, no one is sure whether the newcomer is so protected because he has a background.

Nonetheless, although they can’t interview the person himself, they can still make an indirect approach to the others.

After someone finished asking questions about the double lead actor, a reporter then asked, “Mr. Zhou, is there any difference in the feeling of working together for the second time compared to the first time?”

Zhou Jinchen: “For the second time, with deeper conception, you will have more tacit understanding.”

The reporter asked slyly, “Thus, your relationship with the new actor is so good?”

Zhou Jinchen: “En?”

The reporter said, “This is also the second time that you have worked with An Xumo. What I just asked was how you feel about getting along with An Xumo.”

After he asked this, he followed up with another question about Lin Rui, which naturally made people think that the second collaboration referred to Lin Rui. Zhou Jinchen will certainly not give a bad evaluation of his senior. At this time, the reporter said that he was asking about An Xumo. Once Zhou Jinchen answered his assessment of An Xumo, he could obviously compare Zhou Jinchen’s attitude towards the two.

It’s important to know that in previous interviews, in addition to necessarily show respect to his seniors, Zhou Jinchen rarely answers the evaluation of other artists. He neither intends to praise others against his will nor does he want his criticism to be taken out of context to induce public opinion.

By now, the question about An Xumo has been placed in front of him. Zhou Jinchen is bound to give an answer whether negative or positive, and there is something to write when compared with Lin Rui’s answer. Even if Zhou Jinchen really avoids answering——not answering is also an attitude.

The other reporters around also lit up and stared at Zhou Jinchen waiting for an answer.

Yet, no one expected that Zhou Jinchen glanced at the reporter and actually said, “My answer is An Xumo.”

The reporter was not willing to be fooled, “But An Xumo hasn’t started filming yet, how is there tacit understanding between you…….”

Zhou Jinchen said, “We’ve been in contact daily. He has been in the group for a long time and we met at the gym.”

The reporters suddenly found a new focus.

This is the first time Zhou Jinchen has publicly expressed goodwill towards his juniors!

“May I ask, have you been working out together all the time?”

“It seems like you two have a very good relationship in private, isn’t it?”

“Mr. Zhou do you exchange fitness tips with An Xumo? Do you do any exercises together?”

One stone stirred up a thousand waves. Zhou Jinchen’s words made the media flare up directly.

Zhou Jinchen was about to speak when someone behind him suddenly reached out their hand and placed it on his shoulder, “Still not done yet? It’s so lively.”

Zhou Jinchen gestured with the person who came, “Brother Rui.”

The reporters present were also familiar with the new person and greeted him, “Mr. Lin.”

Lin Rui’s hand is still on Zhou Jinchen’s shoulder. He also has a height of one meter and eighty tall, but he did not look too lofty. He smiled towards the crowd and pointed to Zhou Jinchen, “You guys continue. I just came by to say hello.”

A reporter took the opportunity to say, “We’re asking Mr. Zhou how he feels about the second cooperation.”

Lin Rui looked at Zhou Jinchen and pointed to himself, “With me?”

Zhou Jinchen said, “It was your part just now.”

Then it’s not the question now. Lin Rui quickly reacted and laughed, “Oh, yes. I almost forgot. It’s also Jinchen and Xiao An’s second time working together.”

A reporter rushed to ask, “Then, does Mr. Zhou feel any different from working between the two men?”

If this question is still considered mild, another question that was asked before Zhou Jinchen opened his mouth can be called blatant—

“Who do you prefer to work with the second time, Teacher. Lin or An Xumo?”

Chapter 45 – Because Xiao Mo will shine

As one of the only few major directors in China, Ma Mingcheng has garnered public praise in maintaining a record of double success at the box office for three consecutive films. But in fact, he is like all well-known directors, he can’t ensure that every film he makes will sell well.

Nonetheless, there is one thing that is certain——every film that Ma Mingcheng made will attract extraordinary attention.

Besides the director, the actors of this drama are also very famous. Ever since Zhou Jinchen won the Film Emperor award for 《The Scarecrow》 at the Wutong Awards, his collaboration with Lin Rui has been a hot topic in the media. Just at this time, 《Different Roads》 started, the two Film Emperors were once again on the same stage. With Ma Lao’s name and the two lead actors, it quickly burned up an unimaginable amount of heat.

The attention paid by the outside media for 《Different Roads》 was enough to describe as attracting all people’s attention.

Therefore, when the majestic convoy arrived,  An Xumo really experienced what Zhou Jinchen meant by “noisy.”

The studio which has been crowded with people on weekdays is even more full this time. If not for the temporary makeshift shed prepared in advance, one would fear that the scene will be crowded to the degree of being shoulder-to-shoulder.

The 《Different Roads》 is a film with an original plot. The script and the main characters are highly confidential. In order to not reveal information about the cast and crew, the crew will arrange for this event which is called a set visit. This will take place in a temporary shed outside the set.

Although it was an official media event, the media who came to visit the set are selected in advance to cooperate, and even though Ma Lao still maintains his usual attitude, he is tight-lipped regarding questions about the plot and concerns with the schedule can’t be determined. Only a few dull questions were answered, yet the situation at the scene is still extremely lively.

If the crew hadn’t specified the range of people to be interviewed, I’m afraid that An Xumo will also be surrounded that even a drop of water would not leak out.¹水泄不通: lit. not one drop can trickle through (idiom); fig. impenetrable (crowd, traffic); Describes that it is very crowded or very tightly surrounded as if even water cannot leak out.

It’s a new movie that can get a numerous amount of clicks even if only the title of the movie is written in the headline.

Compared to Ma Lao’s royal team who had long been accustomed to this scene, and other actors who have made their debut for many years, An Xumo’s on-set experience is much more limited. However, it is comforting to know that An Xumo is not the only person who was surprised.

There are many actors in the crew who have been in the business for many years, and they are no stranger to this kind of interview, but it really caused a little commotion in the whole crew which opened the eyes of many experienced actors and staff. It was the commotion brought by fans.

For this set visit, the crew contracted a total of two bus convoys. The first convoy carried media workers, and after they finished most of the interviews, the last two buses entered the studio.

What the people did not expect was that behind the same types of bus was followed by a black off-road vehicle.

The crew did not notice the off-road vehicle at first, it wasn’t until a group of fans called out and came down from the last bus. They started to move things down from the large off-road vehicle in an orderly manner which gradually attracted the crowd’s attention.

Each bus had forty-five people and there were nearly thirty people with uniform badges on their arms surrounding the off-roader, most of whom were girls. They almost look thin and unable to fight with their shoulders. However, when the onlookers looked over curiously, they are one person and one big basket, directly unloading everything from the car.

“…….”

Qian Lingyuan who was standing next to An Xumo, couldn’t help but be curious, “Didn’t they say that the fans were visiting the set, what are they doing?”

Qian Lingyuan is also a veteran actor who plays as Ye Qisheng’s uncle, Zhao Jiujiu in the movie, that is, the deceased in the second murder case. He has also acted in many movies, but it’s his first time to see such a scene.

An Xumo was also a little confused about the situation. The fans on the latter two buses added up to a total of eighty/ninety people, but it seems that they were obviously different groups coming for different actors.

This group of nearly thirty people should also be fans of the same artist. An Xumo reacted when he thought about it, people who can have this kind of crushing level of fan base……

He quietly glanced at Zhou Jinchen who was sitting beside Ma Lao and was being interviewed by the media.

An Xumo’s guess wasn’t wrong. After the small group unloaded their things from the off-road vehicle, they soon revealed their identities as “Royal Guards.”

They were divided into two waves, one was carrying a large bag of things to distribute to the cast, and the other set up a long table on the spot in the studio. All kinds of tools came into sight one after another as if going to a battle, each segment was orderly. In less than five minutes, a space was actually opened up and a long table had been set up in the originally crowded shed.

The table was neatly filled with various dessert drinks, with Zhou Jinchen’s cartoon head stickers on the bottles and bags. Although the packaging was mostly covered by stickers, at a glance, from the appearance of the food, you can easily see those signs that belong to a certain two-tailed mermaid coffee brand logo.

When the people who set up the food were busy, the girls who gave the gifts were not idle. They gave things according to each person’s identity and preferences. All the actors who were officially announced by the official 《Different Roads》 received a custom gift bag with their names on it. The gift bag also had the cartoon sticker of Zhou Jinchen on it which contained gifts prepared by the fans.

In addition to the different kinds of high-grade tea that were all in the gift bags, there were extra things in each gift bag. Lin Rui received a high-luxury brand tie clip and cufflinks of the same brand, Ma Zechi received a Montblanc fountain pen and a storyboard, while Qian Lingyuan received a high-grade thermos cup.

The most exaggerated gift belonged to Ma Lao——when Mazechi helped to check the gift, he actually took out a wild ginseng with lush roots from the gift bag.

Ma Lao has never been the character of listening to people talk about gifts and affection. Otherwise, with his current status, anything he wants will be handed over. He consistently does not accept gifts, but Ma Zechi was really touched when he saw the wild ginseng.

After a serious illness from a year ago, the old man has not been well. If not, Ma Zechi would have not come to the crew to help him. Although all kinds of tonics and treatments have not been cut off, this wild ginseng was really rare. If it wasn’t for Zhou Jinchen’s fans, it would not be possible for others with money to buy it.

In the end, it was Ma Zechi who stepped in and discussed with the fan who came out with the ginseng and bought it at the market price. However, they really accepted Zhou Jinchen’s favor.  Even Ma Lao saw it and talked to Zhou Jinchen in a low voice for a long time.

In addition to the famous actors and actresses in the cast, all the staff present that day also received special gifts. Not to mention the media that rushed to report, fans do these things mainly to give their own artists a good impression of the media. Several journalists have already acquainted with the fans. Basically, every time Zhou Jinchen has an event, these big fans will come along to support.

The Royal Guards have been supporting for several years and are now well versed in it. But most of the crew working with Zhou Jinchen for the first time will inevitably be scared by the situation.

An Xumo also received a gift bag. In addition to the scented tea, there was also a hairband used for dancing, and…….a bag of small dried fish.

What does this mean?

An Xumo can’t help but have some doubts. The people who gave him gifts were not only the Royal Guards but also his own fans. There were about seven or eight fans who came to An Xumo. One of the girls saw the small dried fish and could not help but laugh, “They actually adopted it……”

The gifts were taken away by Tang Tang and the letters sent by fans were also given to her. Next was the public get together. Several girls explained to An Xumo, “Film Emperor Zhou’s fans came to ask us about the gifts you might like, we shared the list of prepared gifts and did not expect them to really choose the dried fish.”

They were a little nervous at first, with this gift as an opportunity, they smoothly opened up the conversation as well.

“We also sent a fish-shaped brocade cotton blanket. Momo can use it when filming on the set.”

“Yes, yes, ah. Take care of yourself.”

“Momo, are you used to filming with the crew?”

Being surrounded by several people, it took An Xumo a while to get used to it. Fortunately, the fans who came were friendly and everyone was aware of the crew’s confidentiality before they came. After a few simple conversations, the fans took photos and signed autographs in turn, and An Xumo quickly completed his task.

The last one in line was a girl with a shy smile. When An Xumo helped her take a picture with her phone and returned the phone, the girl spoke to him, “Momo, I don’t know if you’ve seen Weibo, I’ve compiled gifs about you on it before.”

An Xumo has not yet reacted, but Tang Tang had already thought about it, “Ah yes, that 900HD gifs are packed and organized, aren’t they?”

The girl nodded, “Yes, it’s me.”

An Xumo also remembered and said to the girl, “Thank you for all the energy you put into me.”

The girl waved her hand and said with a smile, “No need to be so polite, Momo. We will do this because we like you and you deserve our love.”

An Xumo froze as he remembered the words Tang Tang had just said.

“The seniors take care of you because you are worth it.”

The fans at the side who hadn’t dispersed yet also echoed, “Yes, yes. We all like Momo very much.”

A young lady said, “Although we usually like to call Momo little kitten, but to us, you are more like a star that belongs to us.”

The girl who made the gif whispered, “Because Momo will shine.”

In an instant, An Xumo thought a lot.

He suddenly understood what Tang Tang had said before, the reality of²真实感: the feeling that sth is genuine; a sense of reality; in the flesh.“being liked by many people.”

An Xumo smiled gently, “Thank you.”

He thought that apart from his brother, he seems to have found another reason to be an artist.

Chapter 44 – An Xumo’s little dark cloud

In the early morning of the next day, it was still a busy day of filming. As usual, An Xumo woke up early and went to the set to watch.

However, unlike the previous days, there were two special events today.

First, the visit that Tang Tang mentioned to An Xumo on the phone last night. Second, the actor Wan Xianming, who has already filmed all his parts, will leave the group.

The character played by Wang Xianming is the same as the perpetrator of the first murder, Xiong Shouzhen. Although he is the original creator of the story in the film, he does not appear in many scenes, and only appears in a few flashback shots from ten years ago. In addition to the fact that the entire film is only a hundred minutes long, you can imagine the length of time Wang Xianming was left behind. In less than ten days after he joined the crew, he was officially finished with all his work.

The schedule of the crew has always been tight, so there’s no way to hold a farewell ceremony for Wang Xianming alone. They just bid goodbye to him after a few scenes in the morning.

An Xumo also followed.

Although Bai Qingchi’s part had not officially started filming yet, and there is no interaction between the two characters, the relationship between An Xumo and Wang Xianming has made obvious progress when the crew just started. An Xumo was easily liked by the elders. He helped Wang Xianming find his glasses twice, and the two became familiar with each other. Before he left, Wang Xianming especially took care of An Xumo, telling him to relax and make a good film.

Wang Xianming’s role in 《Different Roads》 was not much, but he is a certified veteran actor who has proved his strength having played several famous supporting roles, and many years ago, he won the Best Supporting Actor Award at the Wutong Awards. This time he played the extremely vicious drug addict and murderer in the movie and his explosive performance in the few scenes really scared An Xumo.

It was only then that An Xumo realized there would really be someone who could show such viciousness with obvious murder intent with one look and action.

However, outside the film, Wang Xianming is a very nice plump uncle. At first, he had no impression of An Xumo, but later, he saw that the young man was hardworking and diligent. After the two of them gradually interacted, he never failed to mention An Xumo. Whenever An Xumo went to him with a script, he would always answer his questions.

An Xumo was not the only young actor in the cast, but he was the only one to receive such treatment.

After bidding farewell to Wang Xianming, An Xumo couldn’t help but feel a little sad. When Tang Tang came over, she saw her artist, who rarely recite the script while watching his brother, staying under a tree where there were not many people in a daze.

“Xiao Mo,” Tang Tang called out.  “Xiao Mo, what’s wrong with you?”

Only then did An Xumo came to his senses. He looked in the direction of the studio’s door and said, “Uncle Wang has left the crew and just sent him out.”

Tang Tang also knew about the senior actors taking care of An Xumo. She comforted him by saying,  “It’s alright. You still have plenty of opportunities to make movies and there will always be a chance to meet again in the future.”

“En.” An Xumo responded. He wrinkled the tip of his nose, “I just feel that my seniors take good care of me. I kind of, I don’t know how to respond to that.”

Starting with Zhang Zhiwei and Yan Xiangyan on the first variety show, more and more people began to show goodwill towards An Xumo. The trainees who had surrounded An Xumo and the water armies who intentionally bought black materials did not make much of an impact in An Xumo’s heart. However, in the face of these seniors who took care of him, An Xumo felt a little……at a loss.

He didn’t know how to repay their kindness.

Nevertheless, Tang Tang laughed. She patted An Xumo’s shoulder and said, “It’s good to keep this kind of thing in mind because there will always be opportunities to help your seniors in the future.”

“In that case,” An Xumo was a little hesitant, “I’m always worried about what I owe……”

Over time, Tang Tang also noticed the peculiarities of her own artist’s in dealing with the attitudes of others towards him. She patiently explained, “Most of those old generations in the circle have also climbed up bit by bit with the help of others. It’s only natural that they would take care of the younger generation.”

An Xumo asked, “Are all seniors like this towards their juniors?”

Of course not, Tang Tang thought. This circle is a place where they eat people without spitting the bones.¹吃人不吐骨头: ruthless; vicious and greedy. Nonetheless, there’s no need to say these words to An Xumo, she’ll just keep an eye on him.

Tang Tang said, “Xiao Mo, you have to understand one thing. The seniors will take care of you because you are worth it.”

An Xumo was stunned, “I’m worth it?”

When Tang Tang saw his reaction, she knew he didn’t understand what was going on. She was both angry and amused, “How many young artists do you think would be willing to stop their high salary activities and voluntarily enter the crew to observe and act? Xiao Mo, in a movie like 《Different Roads》, the actors are paid on a daily basis. The artists have to rack their brains to reduce the amount of time between the actors on the film and try to concentrate on everyone’s scenes into the tightest time frame. The days after you joined the crew, let’s not mention that you were not paid, even the lunch boxes were paid separately.”

“These days, you not only did not ask for 《Different Roads》’s pay but also turned down a lot of business activities, with your current price, people who know a little about the industry can figure out how much money you’ll lose if they think about it. If not, why would people be so surprised that you’ve been on the set all this time? In other people’s eyes, you’re actually exchanging a high salary for the opportunity to learn how to act, and very few young idols would choose to do that. That’s why they look at you differently.”

An Xumo really does not know about this. He was still a trainee when he signed with Jin Dian, and the contract he signed at that time was actually the cheapest artist contract. After his debut, he did not have much financial freedom, all the money he earned went to Tang Tang and the company to manage. It’s just that the company is willing to spend money to give him resources because he earned more money back, but the money that really fell into his hands wasn’t much.

However, An Xumo himself does not much have a desire for money. It’s enough that he can eat well and can afford to buy his brother’s various magazines, posters, and Blu-Ray movies. Now Tang Tang devotes herself to feeding An Xumo with all kinds of tricks every day. Since they are in the same company, An Xumo can directly get some limited edition products from Zhou Jinchen, so he really has no more place to spend money.

Tang Tang saw that An Xumo was a bit unresponsive for a moment, and felt that she was a bit too straightforward. She continued, “Of course, the seniors taking care of you has something to do with your hard work and humility. This is also the reason why you are liked.”

Tang Tang didn’t think that there was anything wrong with her words. An Xumo did work very hard, so much that the people passing by could not resist but want to help him out.

This was An Xumo’s good fortune, and it is something he deserves.

An Xumo’s reaction was once again beyond Tang Tang’s expectations.

He looked somewhat evident but he did not seem to be comforted. Tang Tang thought she had said something wrong and thought about it repeatedly.

Only when Tang Tang could not help but ask the question, An Xumo said, “As long as you work hard……you can win other’s favor?

Tang Tang did not pay attention to An Xumo’s expression and explained, “It’s an effort in the right way, not the kind who benefits oneself at the expense of others.²损人利己: harming others for one’s personal benefit (idiom); personal gain to the detriment of others. People who see such efforts will have a good impression.”

An Xumo smiled lightly and said softly, “This is the first time I learned about this.”

“Ah? What did you say, Xiao Mo?” An Xumo’s voice was a little low, Tang Tang thought she had heard wrong, “Isn’t that human nature……..”

She was halfway through her sentence when she suddenly realized something.

In addition to human nature, there are some exceptions. There were some people who, no matter how much they change themselves, there is no way to avoid the malice imposed on them by the outside world.

Even if Tang Tang didn’t know the details of An Xumo’s background, she could still guess the general context by looking at his expression right now.

The boy looked like a dark cloud that had turned gray, with a soft core inside, but dark and heavy from the outside that rain could fall at any time.

Tang Tang stretched out her hand again and gently patted An Xumo’s shoulder. She did not speak again and just quietly comforted him.

After being patted twice on the shoulder, An Xumo looked over and saw Tang Tang, he finally couldn’t help himself but lower his body slightly.

Tang Tang: “?”

An Xumo: “I’m afraid you can’t reach it.”

Tang Tang: “…….”

Forget it. Learning to irritate people is progress.

Tang Tang knew An Xumo was trying to change the subject, so she tacitly didn’t bring it up again. Nevertheless, before she could open her mouth, An Xumo asked again.

“Will the activities I put off these days would delay a lot of income?”

Tang Tang was stunned for a moment before she reacted. She didn’t think that her artist would listen to the matter in his heart. She hurriedly explained, “It’s fine, even if it’s just an investment. I have also mentioned to you this before that if you perform well in Different Roads, even if you double the amount of the activities you put off, the subsequent benefits and impact will be less than this movie.”

An Xumo looked a little more relaxed as he said, “I’ll have to trouble you these days, Tang Tang.”

Tang Tang waved her hand and said, “It’s fine.”

She also has someone behind her back, so she doesn’t have to worry about doing things. Zhou Jinchen personally suggested that her artist join the crew ahead of time. If there’s great resistance, Tang Tang is also confident that he can solve the problem.

There’s was just one thing, Tang Tang looked at An Xumo and sighed in her heart. Brother Zhou forbade her to expose the relationship between the two brothers. She could only say a few words, make lesser mistakes, and had never mentioned anything to other people.

It’s a good idea to have a big thigh to lean on and enjoy the shade while holding the big thigh to handle the work.

At present, a thick thigh can only be hidden in the heart for a while to refresh herself.

Tang Tang here was just a little complacent, and the thigh she was talking about came over by himself.

When the man approached, Tang Tang actually hadn’t noticed, but as soon as she saw An Xumo beside her standing upright and earnest, she guessed who the visitor was.

“Brother Jinchen,” An Xumo called out. “What’s the matter?”

Zhou Jinchen said, “It’s time for the visit, and the crew has to gather.”

“Okay,” An Xumo replied. “Should we go there now?”

“Mm.”

An Xumo walked right behind Zhou Jinchen. He was actually still a little confused as to why his brother came to him personally. However, halfway through the walk, Zhou Jinchen took the initiative to speak.

“It might be noisy later.”

An Xumo didn’t think too much of it, “Mm. I’m ready.”

Nonetheless, it wasn’t until the shuttle bus to transport the visitors arrived that An Xumo understood the real meaning of noisy.

•·················•·················•

The author has something to say:

I’ll show you the real power of fans!

Xiao Mo’s mental illness and personality have a lot to do with the environment in which he grew up _(:3」 ∠)_ Fortunately, he can now work hard to get back what he deserves.

Chapter 43 – Just like a sweet dream

Jie Jie: There might be a lot of typos/grammar errors. I wasn’t able to have my friend proofread it (ノ▽〃)

•·················•·················•

It took less than a second from the cramping pain in his right arm to the time he fell forward. An Xumo should have been able to make an instinctive reaction of self-protection but his mind was so occupied by the man standing not far away, that he didn’t have the time to withdraw his straightened left arm and just jumped forward.

The yoga mat was only one person’s wide, and in front of An Xumo was the hard wooden floor. When he fell over, he looked like he was going to knock his face directly on the floor. Even without much height, the force of such a direct collision cannot be underestimated.

It happened so fast that An Xumo didn’t even have time to react. He slammed straight to the floor, his body made close contact with the wooden floor, making a “peng” sound.

He subconsciously closed his eyes tightly and only after a while did he slowly recover his reaction.

After all, the area of force on the front of his chest was relatively wide. Even if he fell directly straight down, he didn’t feel any sharp pain, but it is a bit uncomfortable. The face is different, with the bridge of the nose and the chin being the easiest places to get hurt, these two places would definitely bear the brunt of such an unbuffered movement.

However, what really made An Xumo freeze for a long time was not the sharp pain he had expected, but the temperature coming from his chin.

His face was being firmly supported by someone’s hand.

The man who caught An Xumo was Zhou Jinchen, who had just pushed the door and came in. He was originally standing not far from the door, but the gym itself was not very spacious. He was able to rush over in time and reach out his hand to cushion An Xumo’s face.

Zhou Jinchen stood on one knee beside An Xumo, looking down at the boy lying on the ground and whispered, “Are you hurt?’

“No, no.”

An Xumo was supported by the palm of his hand and didn’t directly hurt his face. But he could confirm that he had just clearly heard the sound of his palm hitting the wooden floor.

He hurriedly got up from the ground and sat back down on his yoga mat, his eyes are still on Zhou Jinchen’s right hand.

“Thank you, Brother Jinchen. Is your hand alright?”

Zhou Jinchen slowly retracted his right hand, looked at him, and said, “There is no one else now.”

An Xumo called out in a low voice, “Brother.”

Zhou Jinchen moved his wrist, “It’s nothing serious.”

He looked at the person, “What happened to your face?”

An Xumo said blankly, “Huh?”

“It’s very red,” Zhou Jinchen said. “You’re not really hurt?”

An Xumo couldn’t say anything but shook his head desperately.

The temperature on his chin did not disappear as the man’s palm moved away, but instead, like a cluster of ignited flames, it burned into a raging fire from a seed the size of a star. The blazing heat burned An Xumo’s senses and thoughts to a pulp, burning his cheeks, ears, and even his neck with it.

Zhou Jinchen was still looking at him. In An Xumo’s current condition, his expression was not very convincing.

It’s just that An Xumo can’t say anything properly now, even explaining and covering up has become incredibly difficult.

The room fell silent for a moment, leaving only the yoga music playing gently on the phone.

Zhou Jinchen got up from his half-kneeling position, turning around, and walked towards the door. An Xumo, who was sitting on a yoga mat, looked up at him blankly and realized that the man was also wearing a workout outfit. It seems that he also came to exercise.

Zhou Jinchen wore a pure black workout outfit. Although the clothes were loose, and even the waistline can’t be clearly seen, this outfit still looks particularly eye-catching on a well-proportioned man.

An Xumo finally didn’t think he was dreaming anymore.

He could never imagine such a wonderful and concrete scene.

Zhou Jinchen turned around and came back holding the water bottle An Xumo had just placed at the door. He walked over and handed it to An Xumo.

An Xumo quickly reached out his hands and took it, “Thank you, brother.”

Zhou Jinchen watched as he tilted his head up and took a sip. He waited until the boy lowered his head to wipe the water droplets from his chin and said, “You have to be careful.”

An Xumo didn’t react for a while, “……what’s the matter?”

Zhou Jinchen glanced at the yoga mat underneath the other party’s body, “Don’t do overly difficult movements, lest you get injured before acting and delay the filming progress.”

An Xumo recalled his own action when he fell down from the mat. He couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed.

Zhou Jinchen was assured, but wrinkled his brow, “Your face is red again.”

An Xumo simply wanted to hide himself under the yoga mat. He finally calmed down with great difficulty and seriously explained that he wasn’t really hurt.

After his repeated reassurance, Zhou Jinchen let the issue go.

When the man saw that he was fine, he turned and went to the open space beside the treadmill to do some stretching. An Xumo quietly breathed a sigh of relief and got up from the ground to get his phone which was stuck on the wall.

There was no one in the room earlier making An Xumo feel comfortable playing music. But now that his brother was also in the gym, he was too embarrassed to continue playing the music like this.

An Xumo found a pair of wireless earphones from his chest pocket, putting the charging case aside, and inserted the earphones in his ears.

The music was automatically transferred to the wireless earphones. An Xumo was supposed to turn up the volume, but it’s as if the demons and gods were at work,¹鬼使神差: demons and gods at work (idiom); unexplained event crying out for a supernatural explanation; curious coincidence. he turned off the volume, muting it.

With a soft “plop”, Zhou Jinchen switched on the treadmill. He stood on the treadmill and was less than three meters away from An Xumo on the yoga mat.

An Xumo was listening to the sound of running from his brother’s side while doing new moves. The rapid heartbeat gradually subsided and the heat on his face slowly receded.

He suddenly remembered an incident from a long time ago.

During a group outing in senior high school, a boy was sitting next to a girl he had a crush on. The boy kept his earphones on and didn’t talk to her, while the girl kept talking to her friend across the aisle. It wasn’t until the guy in the front row pulled his earphones off which revealed that he hadn’t even turned up the volume on his earphones.

An Xumo didn’t understand why everyone mocked at that time, nor did the two people who were mocked blushed. In group activities, no one took him along and no one would ask him. After such a long time, An Xumo suddenly understood the feeling of worrying about being discovered and couldn’t help but listen to the other person’s voice.

The slight sourness with a lot of sweetness, like a cream cake drizzled with strawberry jam, one person quietly eats heartily.

The two of them were exercising in the gym without disturbing each other in harmony. It took a long time for the peaceful atmosphere in the gym to be broken by the ringing of An Xumo’s phone.

Zhou Jinchen, who was doing leg muscle training, glanced his way at the sound. An Xumo, who was raising his head on the wall to do flexibility exercises, withdrew his leg and raised his hand to tap on the earphones twice to answer the call.

“Hello?”

An Xumo’s breath was still slightly unsteady.

“Xiao Mo, it’s me.”

Tang Tang’s voice came over.

“Tomorrow at noon is the crew’s opening time.²开放: to be open ²to the public] Arrangements have been made for the media and fans to come over for a visit. I let you know in advance that your fans will also come.”

“Okay.” An Xumo responded. He thought for a moment then said, “Do I need to prepare anything?”

In addition to the fact that he still has not made much contact with his fans, An Xumo was not yet famous during the promotion of 《Dance to the Top Show》 and the 《Sunny Weekend》 was done by a few permanent residents. The time is not yet ripe for the fan meeting. Even picking up at the airport and other activities, the team decided to keep An Xumo low-key to avoid being plastered by sunspots and did not disclose flight information.

“It’s fine. Xiao Zhang and I will be there. We will help if something happens.” Tang Tang said. “Besides, tomorrow’s main target should be Brother Zhou and Lin Rui, as well as Ma Lao and the others. We don’t need to worry too much for the time being.”

After a few brief conversations, An Xumo hung up the phone. He was about to go back and continue his workout, but he saw Zhou Jinchen coming over, and standing in front of him, nudging his ear.

An Xumo hurriedly took off his earphones, “What’s the matter, brother?”

“It’s ten o’clock.”

Zhou Jinchen’s breath was steady, but An Xumo, who has sharp eyes, still saw traces of sweat on the side of his face. The outline of the man’s face was already perfect, but when he looks at it in close range, he looks even more aggressive.

An Xumo tried hard to concentrate before he heard the second half of his brother’s sentence, “Don’t stay too late.”

Although Bai Qingchi’s part has not yet started filming, An Xumo has been following on the set these days, and Zhou Jinchen had naturally seen his performance. Tomorrow, he would have to get up early in the morning to film again, and only then would Zhou Jinchen come over to remind him.

An Xumo realized that he had unknowingly spent nearly two hours with his brother.

“Are you leaving, brother?”

Zhou Jinchen nodded his head.

“Let’s go together then?”

It was only after the words came out of his mouth that An Xumo realized that he had been abrupt. However, before he could remedy the situation, Zhou Jinchen gave an “um” and made his way to the side and stood aside to wait for him.

From the moment An Xumo grabbed his jacket and water bottle and was about to leave, he still felt somewhat erratic and surreal.

Six months ago, An Xumo was still counting the days he did not see his brother as a trainee. Even half a month ago, when he saw Zhou Jinchen, he couldn’t even come forward to say hello.

Now, they can actually see each other for more than eight hours a day, discuss scripts, and exercise together.

An Xumo had never been so grateful for his original decision.

Fortunately, he gave up his daily life and put all his eggs in one basket³[孤注一掷迈入了: to stake all on one throw; putting everything in doing one thing.to enter the entertainment industry.

Even if he only looked at how they get along after joining the crew, An Xumo felt that he had already earned enough money.

The two of them left the gym together and headed to the crew’s area. This was the first time that An Xumo realized clearly that the distance was so close.

When they arrived at An Xumo’s room, Zhou Jinchen’s room was still some distance away. An Xumo waved goodbye and tried to naturally say, “Good night, Brother Jinchen.”

Zhou Jinchen not only nodded in response as he had expected but also replied.

“Good night.”

An Xumo swiped his card to enter the room, inserting the room card in the wall switch, and the bright light came down, landing on the thin boy’s shoulders.

It was the most beautiful dream he could imagine.

•·················•·················•

The author has something to say:

The filming process of 《Different Roads》 is the stage when the elder brother changes his mind, so the writing may be more detailed. About the elder brother’s illness, as well as his attitude towards Xiao Mo will be in this period.

I write it out in between so it might seem a little bit slow, but I hope you don’t mind _ (: 3 ” ∠) _

After all, the outline has already been written and I would not dare change it easily. I would like to thank everyone in advance for their tolerance (putting palms together)

Chapter 42 – My younger brother’s waist is soft and easy to push down

Jie Jie: Long chapter ahead~ I was planning to make it into two parts but it didn’t seem right, so here it is! (o´▽`o)

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Zhou Jinchen, who was seated opposite him, didn’t open his mouth to answer this question. An Xumo stared blankly at the other party then lowered his head and flipped through the top part of the script.

On the page with the cast list printed on it, two characters were listed firstly side by side:

Ling Sihang — as Zhou Jinchen — Ye Qisheng — as Lin Rui.

An Xumo stared at the words Ye Qisheng and Lin Rui three times and checked back and forth, still not believing his own eyes.

He raised his head to look at Zhou Jinchen, stumbling over his words, “From the start, they didn’t say that there will be a kissing scene……”

Although he has no experience in acting but isn’t this kind of thing usually notified to the actors beforehand? To confirm whether the actor can accept it or not……

Zhou Jinchen’s face was not clear, but An Xumo was so shocked by the news that he didn’t pay as much attention to his brother’s expression as before.

Zhou Jinchen said, “During the filming process, there will be various reasons combined and the script will be revised.”

Although he asked this question, An Xumo also realized that even if he knew he was going to do a kissing scene at the beginning, he would consider it from a comprehensive perspective. In other words, it’s impossible for him to give up such an opportunity to follow the big lead.

But, but……

An Xumo whispered one of his biggest concerns, “I, I might not do this……”

No matter, whether on-cam or off-cam, he has never experienced this.

He can learn other acting techniques seriously, but the kissing scene is……

Even if he can put down the pressure in his heart and work hard to complete the act, the kissing scene is definitely not a scene that can simply be watched in action. Especially at Ma Lao’s request, An Xumo must show the character’s emotional state as much as possible.

How would he know what kind of psychological state he will be in during the kiss? An Xumo wanted to cry without tears. Watching the progress of the official shooting in the morning, even if Zhou Jinchen and Lin Rui both took the Film Emperor, Ma Lao asked every scene to be repeated at least three times.

An Xumo’s voice could almost be described as pitiful. It was hard for him to collect himself and turn the script from the initial cast listed to the 35th scene, but the words were so overwhelming that it was hard to distinguish them.

An Xumo abandoned himself to despair and directly turned to the 37th scene. He wanted to see what happened, but before the page number was reached, the script in his hand was taken away.

Zhou Jinchen directly closed the script he took, “Don’t think too much.”

He called over his assistant again and told him to take the script away. When he looked back, An Xumo’s eyes were still glued to the fading script.

“…….”

“Learn the basics first,” Zhou Jinchen said. “Your role hasn’t started, and the script hasn’t been finalized yet.”

An Xumo’s mood slowly recovered a bit. He didn’t want to cause Zhou Jinchen any more trouble, “I see. Thank you, Brother Jinchen.”

While they were talking, the other actors who had gone back to get snacks also came back one after another, ready to start filming in the afternoon.

Before starting to work, An Xumo still went over the plot of 《Different Roads》 in his mind.

–

《Different Roads》 is a commercial drama film. The main plot connecting the film together is the three murder cases with similar criminal methods, and each murder case was exactly ten years apart. The film opens just after the third murder case occurred. While investigating the third case, the Lin Cheng Police discovered the strangeness of the second case. Therefore, Ye Qisheng, as the family of the victim in the second case, and his childhood friend Ling Sihang, took the police’s attention.

The two best friends, who have sworn to stay away from each other since the early years, are forced to reconnect because of the police investigation. As the investigation progressed, the police managed to catch the culprit of the third murder case. Because of this, the second murder case made no progress and was temporarily put on hold.

Ling Sihang and Ye Qisheng were released smoothly. However, at this time, the police discovered that the perpetrator of the third murder case turned out to be the son of the first two crimes. He claimed that his father had only committed the crime once, and accurately pointed out the difference between the second case and the crime committed by the father and son.

The police regained their suspicion on Ye Qisheng and Ling Sihang, but they never found enough evidence to convict them. The relationship between the two was like water and fire, deflecting their confessions, but subtly clears the suspicion of the other party.

After all, the paper couldn’t contain the fire. The police found a breakthrough from Ye Qisheng’s slip of the tongue and discovered that these pair of friends who seemingly broken up have not really broken up. They finally found the key evidence to arrest Ling Sihang.

Ling Sihang finally admits that he was indeed responsible for the murder.

Ye Qisheng’s uncle, Zhao Jiujiu, was in debt because of drug abuse and as if possessed, he planned to kidnap his sister’s child to extort money from her. The target was Ye Qisheng, but during the kidnapping, Zhao JiuJiu, who had abducted Ye Qisheng, was discovered by Ling Sihang. Ling Sihang wanted to save Ye Qisheng but accidentally used the murder weapon prepared by Zhao Jiujiu in the process of resistance, and killing him.

During the kidnapping of Ye Qisheng, Zhao Jiujiu would threaten him that if no one came to pay the ransom, he would kill Ye Qisheng by imitating the unsolved case ten years ago. As a result, Zhao Jiujiu himself was killed. In a panic to escape from the police, the two boys used the tools that Zhao Jiujiu had prepared to disguise the murder scene as an imitation of the murder.

The police at that time were really misled by the imitated murder scene and treated the case together with the outstanding unsolved case ten years ago, regarding it as a serial murder case. The progress of the case was slow and both Ling Sihang and Ye Qisheng were never suspected.

However, the shadow of having killed someone with their own hands cannot be washed away as easily as bloodstains. Even though the two men have anonymously turned in the real killer, Xiong Shouzhen, who took drugs with Zhao Jiujiu and bragged about his crimes ten years ago, and because of the financial dispute between the two, the police determined that the two murders were the work of Xiong Shouzhen.

But the process of the warm body becoming cold under the palm of the hand is accompanied by nightmares every night. Ling Sihang and Ye Qisheng finally decided to pretend to break relations and never see each other again. This way, they can avoid the suspicion of the police, and secondly, they don’t have to be reminded of their dark experience by the sight of each other.

Under the witness of the people around them, their relationship quickly soured and they eventually parted ways as Ling Sihang’s family moved abroad.

It wasn’t until Xiong Shouzhen’s son committed the third crime that the police returned to this point and finally apprehended the perpetrators of all three cases.

However, just when everyone thought it was over, the ballet dancer Bai Qingchi, who was harmed by Ye Qisheng’s uncle, Zhao Jiujiu, gave new evidence. The police confirmed that Ye Qisheng was the one who killed Zhao Jiujiu and Ling Sihang was the one who cooperated with him. Ye Qisheng deliberately made the slip of the tongue that caused Ling Sihang to be caught by the police, and he wanted Ling Sihang to confess his guilt on his behalf.

Ling Sihang finally admitted that he really took the blame, not just because he wanted to protect his friend.

The other reason is……he fell in love with Ye Qisheng a long time ago.

These two former friends eventually made different choices. Their once sincere friendship has finally fallen into silence.

–

The role An Xumo playing is the ballet dancer, Bai Qingchi, who was persecuted by Zhao Jiujiu. His appearances in the film are not too many, he is the last piece of the puzzle when the film is deciphered, which is why he is ranked as the male four in the cast.

In the script before the revision, An Xumo, Zhou Jinchen, and Lin Rui did not have much interaction. He played a small character that was not very eye-catching in the early stage. Although the various scenes were imaginably beautiful, but the overall exit scenes were not too many. He was responsible for dancing in the early stage and was responsible for delivering the last piece of evidence in the later stage, which was buried in the secondary plot.

Thus……An Xumo is puzzled. What kind of changes did Ma Lao make to the script in order to get him to film a kissing scene with Ye Qisheng played by Lin Rui?

The two main characters in the film have their own romantic relationships. Ye Qisheng married early and had children, while Ling Sihang remained single because of his secret love for Ye Qisheng. Bai Qingchi, played by An Xumo, was misunderstood by people around him for practicing ballet all year round. After Zhao Jiujiu destroyed his stable life, he was driven out of his home by his parents who didn’t understand him since he was a child. In the movie, he adopted a young boy who likes dancing and lived with him.

Isn’t Ye Qisheng heterosexual? An Xumo thought in distress, this is the reason why Ling Sihang couldn’t ask for it, and never expressed his feelings. Although from his point of view, watching his brother play the role of a secret admirer of Film Emperor Lin, his heart will feel a little subtle, but if he and Lin Rui do a kissing scene……

Alas, can the script be revised again, ah?

The filming in the afternoon went smoothly, but for An Xumo who was watching, the process of memorizing was somewhat difficult. He couldn’t stop thinking about the new script for the 37th scene. He had to make a huge effort to focus his attention on remembering it.

After the several scheduled scenes in the afternoon were played, the crew wrapped up without a delay. However, because of the night scenes, the dinner was quite tight. Several actors did not change their costumes and even took advantage of the time after dinner to touch up their makeup.

When An Xumo finished his meal, he was standing in a place where he would not get in the way, while nibbling on a beef jerky. Liu Longfei, who was passing by, saw him. He smiled and came over to greet him, “Xiao An!”

“Assistant Director Liu.”

An Xumo nodded towards the man and when he saw Liu Longfei’s eyes on the beef jerky in his hand, he lowered his head and pulled one out of his pocket and handed it to the man, “Want some?”

“Just call me Brother Liu,” Liu Longfei smiled, but did not refuse. “Then, thank you, Xiao An.”

He took the beef jerky, directly opening the seal with his teeth, and bit off a small half of the beef. Before he could chew a few more times, Liu Longfei’s expression lit up, “Hey, it’s delicious!”

Tang Tang prepared a special product for An Xumo which she had sent someone to buy from Hucheng, where the authentic beef is much tastier than the ones sold in the market. Seeing that Liu Lonfei liked it a lot, An Xumo handed over another stick and the two of them chatted about the brand of the beef jerky. An Xumo timely asked, “Brother Liu, do you know about the new script changes?”

He just spoke casually and didn’t really expect to ask anything. Unexpectedly, Liu Longfei’s expression suddenly became serious. He looked around and confirmed that no one was paying attention to their side, and then he said to An Xumo, “I was just about to talk to you about this. Come here, Xiao An.”

An Xumo was a little confused, but he went to a lounge next to him with Liu Longfei. After seeing that no one was around, Liu Longfei said to An Xumo, “Xiao An, your role as the male four has changed a lot.”

An Xumo thought to himself that he knew and he had been struggling with this all afternoon.

Liu Longfei continued, “You know the original situation, 《Different Roads》 is a dual male lead movie. Except for the two main characters, the roles of the other characters are similar. Bai Qingchi is already considered one of the important roles. But even if he could be ranked as the male four, he still wouldn’t have too many scenes.”

An Xumo nodded, “I know.”

He had a faint guess, could it be……the change also increased the roles of the male four?

As expected, Liu Longfei said, “But ever since the casting, Ma Lao has been working with the screenwriter, Mr. Tao, to discuss the script revisions. As a result, they’ve changed it up to now but they’ve added a lot of scenes for the male four.”

An Xumo was confused, listening to Liu Longfei’s tone, why does this not feel like a good thing?

“Xia An, I’m a little worried,” Liu Longfei sighed. “Brother Liu is straightforward, don’t mind it. I mean, you are acting for the first time and sometimes it’s not a good thing to add too much drama to your character.”

An Xumo immediately thought of the kissing scene in the 37th scene.

This is definitely not a good thing for him. If the filming really started and An Xumo has NG-ed, Ma Lao will certainly not have a good impression of him either.

“Moreover, I also asked Zhiwei about it, he also found it a bit strange,” Liu Longfei said. “Generally speaking, the scenes of each character’s part are basically fixed before the filming starts. Although there will be changes later, except for uncontrollable accidents such as personnel changes requiring replacements, most of them are minor adjustments.”

“If it’s really a drastic addition or deletion of a scene,” Liu Longfei’s voice was slightly hesitant. In the end, he brought it through vaguely, “there will always be a reason.”

An Xumo was slightly at a loss.

When Liu Longfei saw the boy’s expression, he only knew that the other party didn’t understand, but he couldn’t say much. If it wasn’t because of Zhang Zhiwei’s relationship, coupled with An Xumo’s own excellent qualifications and understanding, if it were any other person, he wouldn’t have said so much.

“Last time, the investor who wanted the male four, not only did they not remove from investing, they also never stopped negotiating with the crew……”

Liu Longfei vaguely mentioned half a sentence, and he did not continue to say more. He gently patted An Xumo’s back and said, “Anyway, Xiao An, these days you should learn the senior’s acting and techniques. It’s your first time acting. Ma Lao will definitely be a little more understanding of you. But Ma Lao’s standards are quite strict, you must be mentally prepared.”

An Xumo nodded and only then did Liu Longfei walk out of the lounge with him. The clapperboard was ready and started to prepare for the filming, and An Xumo also found a suitable place to watch.

The last investor……

Naturally, An Xumo still remembered this incident but at that time, his mind was mostly focused on Zhou Jingchen and with Ma Mingcheng’s casting, An Xumo didn’t think about it anymore.

Assistant Director Liu came to tell him about this, is it because of the investor that Ma Lao and the scriptwriter added male four scenes? An Xumo thought, he is acting for the first time. Not only will his acting look green,¹青涩: underripe; (fig.) young and inexperienced. but his mentality will also certainly not be stable as that of a veteran actor. When the time comes, if something goes wrong on the scene……

It will affect Ma Lao’s impression of him. If thinking about the disadvantages, he might even……not let him continue.

An Xumo moved for a while.

Is this the reason why Assistant Director Liu specifically came to mention him? The investor first urged to add more roles for the male four, and when he was not up for the task, they would replace him with their chosen actor. Therefore, Assistant Director Liu repeatedly told him to make sure An Xumo performs well.

As An Xumo thought about it, his eyes fell on Zhou Jinchen in front of the camera.

The scene they are going to film tonight is the one where Ye Qisheng’s uncle, Zhao Jiujiu, kidnaps Ye Qisheng and is found by Ling Sihang. Zhou Jinchen, followed behind and hid in the dark, staring at Qian Lingyun, who plays Zhao Jiujiu.

In the outdoor scene at night, there is always a lack of light. Even if someone is on the side to do the lighting, it still seems difficult for the crew to shoot. However, Zhou Jinchen’s facial outline is relatively three-dimensional. After Ma Lao watched it a few times, he specifically told the camera to let him take a silhouette shot. At present, the effect is also very good.

An Xumo looked at the serious Zhou Jinchen then took another look at the contents of the camera on display.

My brother is really good-looking, he thought to himself. In order to see his brother for a little while longer, he won’t be discouraged to give up this opportunity.

–

With a good start on the first day, the filming schedule for the next few days also went smoothly. Even the always demanding Ma Lao had a new record of getting through two takes with no problems.

An Xumo continued to use himself as a backup camera and learned a lot these days. Since he was watching the whole process, he spent more time on the set than any other actors, and the other actors had a chance to take a break.

There is only An Xumo, as long as the scene is playing, and the camera began to operate, he is always there.

With so many people on the set, An Xumo’s performance was naturally seen by everyone. Many people didn’t like him at first because he was an idol and had no experience in acting, except for dancing, which might fit the role a bit.

Like An Xumo, there are a lot of people who have starred in various movies and TV shows. However, the number of characters who have really managed to spread out of the circle and let passers-by boast along with them can be counted on one hand. The role that idols play is more about the usefulness of their own traffic to boost the box office and ratings.

There is nothing wrong with this kind of thing. Just like when they learned that An Xumo would be joining the movie, many people, due to An Xumo’s own traffic, would not show it on the surface even if they were muttering in their hearts. However, there will be private discussions, and some people wanting to bet jokingly on how many NG strips An Xumo will use up.

However, after the crew officially started shooting, and An Xumo who had been watching the scenes for several days, the voices quickly subsided and were no longer mentioned again.

His efforts were seen by everyone, from the extra films in the morning and catching up on the night scenes. No matter what shots were taken, An Xumo would always be watching and listening to the director carefully when he was talking about other people’s scenes. 

Moreover, the boy looks good and is really sensible. He speaks with a warm voice and can accurately call everyone’s name. Even when he was not filming, he would come forward to help when he sees work nearby.

Acting is not only the talent but also the attitude of the actor himself. An Xumo’s performance on the set these days really can’t make people feel resentment with him. Not only was he not resented, but in less than a week, all the crew members over the age of thirty-five had basically praised him.

In Tang Tang’s words, An Xumo is more likely to evoke motherly instincts and fatherly affection.

An Xumo didn’t pay much attention to this, his mind was still on acting. He also felt a little tired from remembering a lot of things for a long time, but every night when he recalled it again, there will always be new gains and progress, and his mood is getting more and more relaxed.

That night, Ma Lao finally did not arrange late-night acting and the crew finished up early after a busy week. A few actors gathered to play fight the landlord, and also invited An Xumo, who had gradually become familiar over the past few days.

An Xumo wanted to go but he had yoga and fitness plans in the evening, and there were already enough people to play fight the landlord, so he declined the invitation.

These days are tight, and An Xumo’s fitness time had been compressed a lot. Finally, with a little more time, he wants to strengthen his exercises so that when the filming of Bai Qingchi starts in a few days, his body will no longer need to meet the requirements of a ballet dancer.

Because it was a long day, An Xumo didn’t stay in his room but went to the gym in the hotel. The hotel is relatively large in scale with four gyms in total. The crew specially reserved the one closest to their room for the cast to exclusively use.

However, despite the crew’s careful consideration, not many people actually go to the gym. The daytime filming was exhausting enough and there weren’t many roles in the movie that requires physical fitness. The few times An Xumo came to the gym, he was the only one in the room.

It was the same at this time. An Xumo used his room card to open the gym permission, and put his water bottle on the wooden table beside him as he entered. He had already changed into slim-fit workout clothes for training. His young and long body shape was on full display, the curving of his calves is so beautiful that one can’t take their eyes off of them.

An Xumo familiarly stuck his phone on the bracket on the wall. He did fifteen minutes of warm-up before pulling out his yoga mat from the corner and turning on special background music for yoga.

The location of the gym was only one floor lower than the room they were staying in. As seen from the glossy glass, there is a brightly lit film and television studio outside the window. There were stars gleaming in the distant sky, and a crescent moon hung in the corner of the sky, which was enough to make one feel tranquil.

In the melodious and gentle music, An Xumo bent backward with his hands behind, his body in a complete arc, and pressing his palm directly against the soft cushion on the floor. Because of these movements, his sport’s top has been pulled above his navel, his waist fully exposed, making two attractive arcs.

An Xumo exhaled gently, his white flat abdomen tightly stretched. He slowly raised his right hand supporting the ground and handed over the weight of his upper body to his left hand, and then he bent his right foot back and slowly touched his right toe with his right hand.

The degree of difficulty of this movement is a bit high, but with An Xumo’s soft waist, and the pressure to perform the movement is not too great. After successfully touching the toes for five seconds, An Xumo returned to the position of both hands and feet on the ground and then began to switch to the left hand and foot to continue this movement.

When he placed the cushion earlier, An Xumo chose a position against the wall where he could only see the corner of the wall and not the door when he was so far back. It wasn’t until he finished five sets of movements and began to stretch sideways with one hand on the floor that An Xumo, who was in this position with his hand straight, saw the figure standing not far from the door when he turned his head.

“…….”

An Xumo froze in the middle of doing the movement, the music on his phone continued, obscuring his awareness of the sound of the door opening.

In surprise, the right arm, which had been supporting on the ground for a long time, suddenly felt a stabbing pain like an electric shock. An Xumo’s arm weakened, and his body which was sideways and in a lower waist position suddenly fell forward.

•·················•·················•

The author has something to say:

Xiao Mo’s waist, it’s a treasure (cough

More fat! Cross the waist xd

The additional scenes of male four will be explained later along with the relationship between the male four and the two male leads after the show. Does anyone want to guess the relationship of these three men after the change? Wah-3-

Chapter 41 – What is the 37th Scene

When he woke up the next morning, Ma Lao gave an order to officially start shooting.

The filming time was set from the protagonist’s teenage years, and the main actors continued to use yesterday’s look. An Xumo was still watching carefully, but he could clearly feel the difference between today and yesterday.

“Cut! No, Ling Sihang, your eyes are too blank. Look at Ye Qisheng, keep an eye on him! It’s a scene between the two of you, which may only be a few seconds when we cut it out. You have to use those few seconds to make people see the relationship between the two of you. Again!”

The volume of Ma Lao’s voice was already relatively loud, coupled with his loudspeaker; his voice could be heard throughout the set. He was repeatedly stuck with a scene he filmed yesterday for five times. Not to mention the two leading actors, even a group of extras on the set were a bit scared.

However, when the scene record hit the board again, everyone in the shot regained their most serious demeanor, and there was almost no difference from the first shot.

The flashback scene of the main character talking in the classroom had been shot for seven times. Only after the seventh time that the scene was over did Ma Lao finally felt satisfied. Everyone outside the camera was busy preparing for the next scene.

Today’s rhythm is obviously much faster than yesterday, and the atmosphere was no longer as laid-back as yesterday. An Xumo, who was watching from the side, was inevitably affected with tension. He was a little startled when he heard Ma Lao yelled for several times, “Cut! Again.”

Nonetheless, in his opinion, it was the experience of watching slowly that made up for his lack of acting.

An Xumo has already been long familiar with the script. After reviewing yesterday’s scene, he also did a simulation scene that he would be shooting today in advance. In fact, An Xumo’s imagination could be described as lacking, but it was this advanced simulation that made him fully realize the gap between himself and the real actors.

For example, in the scene where Ling Sihang and Ye Qisheng are gossiping in the classroom, what An Xumo thought was that the two people finished their lines separately then supportively show some appropriate expressions. However, Zhou Jinchen and Lin Rui used a lot of body language during the filming, reflecting the character’s personality in detail — when listening to Lin Rui’s lines, Zhou Jinchen has been spinning his pen indifferently. And then, when Ling Sihang was about to be surprised by what Ye Qisheng had said, he grasped the spinning pen, letting the tip mark a long trace on his finger.

The scene was shot four times and Zhou Jinchen scratched his hand four times. An Xumo helped to pass the wet wipes to erase the pen marks.

However, there are some free-play parts that are corrected by Ma Lao. Whether desirable or undesirable, the actor’s thoughts about their role are revealed in their performance, turning the thin line of the scripts into three-dimensional images for the camera. In this observation, An Xumo quickly absorbed all kinds of knowledge like a sponge.

He used to know too little, but he could learn a lot. As a top director in China, Ma Lao’s process of filming on set can be directly used as a classic example. For An Xumo, meeting a director like Ma Lao for the first time was indeed stressful, but as a result, his starting point was much higher than that of other actors.

It’s like an exam, and what An Xumo has accumulated now are real exam questions and detailed standard answers. Although there are a lot of steps he still doesn’t understand, as long as he can memorize them, there will always be a time when he can get through them.

Fortunately, An Xumo is best at memorizing.

To this day, An Xumo still remembers the sweet taste of the first piece of toffee his brother gave him. As he grew up, the malice around him became overwhelming that An Xumo had to learn to focus on things that wouldn’t hurt him. That’s how he got his admission notice. When he was practicing dancing, he could imitate his teacher’s movements just by looking at them once.

Now, when he watches the filming, as long as An Xumo watches carefully, he can record the entire scene in his mind, including the actor’s subtle processing of expressions, and every little gesture used to show their personalities.

He was the second backup camera on the set.

The morning shooting was spent in repeated and intense reshoots. Fortunately, various situations have all been anticipated during the previous coordination. When the last scene passed, it was five minutes before the scheduled lunch time.

Everyone finished their work and prepared to have a rest. The actors changed out of their tops and put on their own clothes to avoid their costumes getting dirty in the lounge. An Xumo quickly stopped Sister Liu in the crowd and instantly expressed his wish before sending out the lunch boxes.

“You want a new script?” Sister Liu was slightly stunned.

“Yes,” An Xumo nodded. “I heard that the script has been changed, I wanted to see the new copy.”

“It’s like this.” Sister Liu held the thing in her hand under her arm, clasping her palms together, and explained to An Xumo, “Ma Lao often changes the script before making a movie, so we have a limited number of new prints. We only give them to actors who have changed their parts; otherwise, we print them in every change. The next time it was changed again, the previous batch will be scrapped.”

An Xumo hesitated, “I know Sister Liu, but I heard that……it seems to include my part in the revised script.”

“Oh, that’s right Xiao An.” Sister Liu patted his shoulder, “Your male four is one of the few roles that Ma Lao has been making changes to, and still hasn’t been finalized. Only a few actors you’re in the scenes with have gotten the revised script.”

“For now, your part hasn’t officially started filming and the final scene hasn’t been settled yet. We’re going to wait for Ma Lao to confirm before giving you the new script.”

With this matter at hand, An Xumo is not in a position to ask further questions. He smiled at Sister Liu and said, “Okay, I will just wait. Thank you, Sister Liu. I’m sorry to bother you!”

“No bother, no bother.” Sister Liu waved her hand, laughing, “Xiao An’s mouth is sweet, and looks good when he smiles, how can it be said to be disturbing.”

An Xumo was fiercely praised and couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed. He helped Sister Liu bring back the lunch box before taking his share and going to the rest area.

Before leaving, Sister Liu added, “Oh, hey, Xiao An, if you really want to get familiar with the new script, you can also try to find the two main actors, as they both have the latest and most complete script.”

An Xumo replied, “En. Thank you, Sister Liu.”

“Sister Liu’s friendly advice ha, Xiao An you’d better go and try to find Mr. Lin Riu,” Sister Liu kindly advised. “Although the age difference between you and Mr. Zhou Jinchen is smaller, he may be a little colder in private.”

An Xumo smiled again and said, “Okay, I know.”

When he turned around and walked away, Sister Liu took back her eyes. She weighed the warm box of rice in her hands, and said to herself, “What a lovely cub, oh. Don’t be scared.”

An Xumo did not hear Sister Liu’s feelings, but he still has a general image of his brother in the eyes of the public.

Some media reports have posted on the internet about their impression of Zhou Jinchen, and the report was quite widely shared. The report interviewed many audiences of different age groups, ranging from senior citizens in their 70s or 80s to elementary school students in their 7 or 8 years old. A large number of samples were selected from each group.

It’s not necessary to watch it for those citizens who are around forty and below, and the fan situation is basically crushed. The problem is that, although Zhou Jinchen acted in many movies, he hasn’t played in many classical melodies. His popularity does not spread among those over fifty. The tester directly took Zhou Jinchen’s gifs to the interviewees, surprisingly, nearly half of the aunts and uncles didn’t have a good impression of him.

“He looks too fierce. This baby looks good, but it’s not good to pinch¹to pinch (with one’s fingers); to knead; to make up. at first glance. If he comes in the door, It’s sure to be, hey, wife!” (Hey: teaching fiercely)

The audio of this interview was released as a clip to be cut into the collection as highlights. As soon as the video report came out, Zhou Jinchen’s fans almost died of laughter at that time. Since Zhou Jinchen himself did not have a Weibo, the Royal Guards went to the studio Weibo to line up. The messages read, “Brother Jinchen, hey wife?” and “Wife, clocked-in and wait for training!”

Sister Liu’s son is about the same age as An Xumo. Naturally, her attitude towards Zhou Jinchen was a little different. But in the end, An Xumo could not bypass his brother to ask Lin Riu for the script. Holding his lunch box, he went to find Zhou Jinchen, who was about to eat.

It was noisy as people came and went on the set. However, Zhou Jinchen was standing in the temporary makeshift resting shed, looking like it would be no problem to film in the shed right away. He has always been the one who can’t be buried in the limelight, with a long, slender body, and an outstanding temperament which can be seen at a glance among many people.

What’s more, the person looking for him was An Xumo.

Once raw, twice cooked,²一回生二回熟: unfamiliar at first, but well accustomed soon enough [idiom] An Xumo took the initiative to greet several actors gathered together and found a seat next to Zhou Jinchen. After their lunch, the others went to get the snacks distributed by the crew. Only then did An Xumo have the opportunity to talk with Zhou Jinchen.

“Brother Jinchen.”

As soon as An Xumo called out, Zhou Jinchen put down his chopsticks, turned his head, and asked, “Are you full?”

An Xumo suddenly felt as if he had become a hungry tiger that needed to be remembered for every meal. He smiled embarrassedly and said, “I’m full.”

Zhou Jinchen didn’t say anything and just looked at him. An Xumo was guilty of looking at him. In the end, he honestly took out the beef stick from the big side pocket.

There were five flavors, cumin flavor, grilled flavor, and of course, the most original flavor without much flavoring. An Xumo wore a specially prepared spacious clothes today. He showed his full inventory to his brother, “Tang Tang prepared it for me in advance.”

Zhou Jinchen glanced at it and said, “Called me for something?”

An Xumo said, “Brother Jinchen, will you be using your script now? I want to take a look at the part about Bai Qingchi and learn about the new changes made in advance.”

An Xumo thought that this should not be too much to ask. He won’t take up too much of the other party’s time. He only needs to read it once and write it down, then go back to his own script to change it.

He didn’t expect Zhou Jinchen’s expression to move slightly, but he didn’t agree to it right away.

An Xumo didn’t know what was going on. Seeing Zhou Jinchen’s hesitation, he hurriedly added, “It doesn’t matter not reading the script. You use it first, Brother Jinchen. I can’t delay you.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jinchen frowned and said, “I don’t need it.”

An Xumo still wanted to say something else, but Zhou Jinchen had already raised his hand and summoned his assistant. He took his own script from the assistant and handed it to An Xumo.

“Bai Qingchi’s scenes have been revised a lot, mainly from 35th to the 40th scene and the part after 78th.”

Zhou Jinchen’s deep voice was faint, and he could not hear any ups and downs.

An Xumo thanked him and was about to turn to the 37th scene to read it, but he heard the man near his side adding another sentence.

“The 37th scene includes a kissing scene between Bai Qingchi and Ye Qisheng.”

“Me……and who?!”

•·················•·················•

The author has something to say:

Xiao Mo thinks he’s a hungry tiger in the eyes of his brother, but the truth is…… [Cat’s Paw]

In addition, there seems to be no accurate answer to the exact content of the 37th scene……

As for who Xiao Mo is going to have his first kiss with on the television screen, listen to the bag announcement [panda head holding up a windmill.jpg]

On the question about the ship, there will certainly be. Xiao Mo asks for a kiss and his brother gave him several kisses, plus, cough. The time has come to wait for my ship’s ticket, ha. 

Chapter 40 – Minors are not allowed to drink

Jie Jie: Hi! I plan to change the update schedule for this month. Instead of the usual Sundays and Wednesdays, it will be Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays＼(≧▽≦)／

•·················•·················•

His brother has always been very popular, and An Xumo had known this for a long time.

Zhou Jinchen has been good looking since he was a child, and has a strong learning ability. He can always complete all the tasks assigned to him satisfactorily. In addition to satisfying his parents and elders, he can also give his peers a strong sense of security. With his excellent personal qualifications and the Zhou family background, no matter where he went, Zhou Jinchen was always welcomed by everyone.

What’s more worth mentioning is that no matter how many awards he receives, Zhou Jinchen was never arrogant, which led many people to conclude that when he was young “this son will become a great person.”¹此子可成大器: The original meaning of this word is to be able to become a person with high talents and the ability to do big business in the future.Later on, when he entered the entertainment industry, this quality became even more valuable. After becoming an overnight sensation based on his looks, Zhou Jinchen honed his acting skills. In the entertainment industry, where the overall situation is more impetuous, he walked on the most stable route.

However, these are only appearances from an outsider’s perspective.

In An Xumo’s opinion, his brother is not the kind of person who is “indifferent to fame and fortune” as people praised him. If he is such a person, he probably wouldn’t appear in the entertainment industry. Zhou Jinchen really doesn’t care about other people’s opinions of him, and the chasing and obsession of other people don’t have much magic power for him.

An Xumo also has a bit of this tendency, but his reason is more about focusing on his brother. Nonetheless, for Zhou Jinchen, An Xumo could not even find such a target.

Frankly speaking, in the beginning, An Xumo didn’t understand that his brother would enter the entertainment industry. After a serious illness at the age of twelve, Zhou Jinchen’s character became more and more lonely and cold. An Xumo had not even seen his smile again a few times.

It wasn’t until later when An Xumo saw his brother’s smile and vivid emotions again on that screen, that he slowly placed his doubts. Even if he didn’t understand the actual operation, An Xumo had heard some vague news about the Zhou family using Zhou Jinchen’s identity to conduct various capital operations in the film and television industry. As a result, it allowed the Zhou family’s main business to gain a lot of benefits.

After all, Zhou Jinchen is considered as one of the Zhou family’s heirs.

It’s just that as they spent the last half-year together, An Xumo became more and more certain of one thing— if the fans still like and support him, then those feelings from people around him have become a burden to Zhou Jinchen.

Han Ming is an example, and for Lin Rui, even if An Xumo still didn’t know why his brother said this to him, he is certain that Zhou Jinchen’s tone was never meant to show off.

As the knocking continued outside the room, An Xumo looked back at Zhou Jinchen. When the man had said nothing, he got up and opened the door.

The man standing outside was indeed Lin Rui with two cans of beer in his hands. Lin Rui greeted An Xumo with a smile, “Xiao An, good evening.”

An Xumo replied with “Brother Rui” and stepped aside to let the man in. Lin Rui walked in the room with beers in his hands and immediately saw Zhou Jinchen sitting on the sofa.

Lin Rui tossed a can towards Zhou Jinchen, who caught it with his hand. Lin Rui said, “They were just playing games. This is part of the prize, and I smuggled it out.”

Zhou Jinchen put the can on the table, “They’re fighting with drinks?²他们在拼酒: It’s to fight with others to see who drinks a lot and is not drunk.We still have to shoot tomorrow.”

Lin Rui laughed, “No, it’s just for playing cards. In Ma’s book,³Edited. Thank you for the help in the comments, chuchu! it’s one beer per person. I thought we can’t afford to waste it.”

His attitude is always familiar and his expression looked very natural.

Even though An Xumo was sure that Zhou Jinchen would not joke with him, looking at Lin Rui like this made him wonder—it seems like Lin Rui did not look like Zhou Jinchen rejected his confession at all.

An Xumo subconsciously looked at Zhou Jinchen again. The man’s expression was already clearly different from the coldness just now. He looked……An Xumo thought to himself, “My brother looks like he entered in a state of acting.”

It’s just like the Zhou Jinchen who was always perfect in front of the camera during the recording of《Sunny Weekend》.

Lin Rui walked over and sat on the single sofa next to Zhou Jinchen. There were only three seats in the room, and An Xumo sat right across from Zhou Jinchen. Lin Rui took out another can of beer from his jacket’s pocket and handed it to An Xumo, “Here, this is Xiao An’s share.”

An Xumo had never drank before, but he was not in a position to refuse a senior directly, so he reached out and took it.

Lin Rui asked, “Does Xiao An drink?”

An Xumo honestly shook his head, “I’ve never tried it before.”

Lin Rui was about to continue but Zhou Jinchen on the side looked up at An Xumo and said, “You’re underage, don’t touch it.”

Lin Rui was stunned, then laughed, “Look at me, I forgot all about this. Is Xiao An only seventeen years old?”

An Xumo placed the can on the table and nodded his head.

“It’s nice to be young,” Lin Rui smiled and shook his head. He looked at Zhou Jinchen, “It seems that Jinchen and Xiao An have a good relationship.”

This time Zhou Jinchen did not use the variety excuse again and said, “Xiao Mo is young, take care of him a little more.”

Lin Rui opened the ring of the can with his finger. There was a soft “peng” and the sound was amplified in the somewhat quiet room. Lin Rui took a sip of his beer and asked in a natural tone, “Did Jinchen came here today to check on Xiao An’s condition?”

Zhou Jinchen said, “It’s his first time acting, I came over to help with the script.”

They asked and answered each other, leaving no room for An Xumo to speak. He just held the blue pen in his hand and listened quietly. After the two of them chatted for a few sentences, they started a new topic, but after a short time, Zhou Jinchen received another call.

The phone call was from Xin Zimai. Zhou Jinchen motioned to the two of them and got up to answer it to the sink.

After the bathroom door was closed, Zhou Jinchen’s voice could still be faintly heard in the room, but the specific content could not be heard clearly. An Xumo and Lin Rui were the only two people left in the room, and Lin Rui continued to drink his beer. An Xumo was about to take the script on the table. Unexpectedly, Lin Rui glanced at the script but he suddenly smiled, “Xiao An, are you and Jinchen going smoothly with the script?

They haven’t checked the script yet, so how could it go smoothly? In addition, the male four, Bai Qingchi, and the main character, Ling Sihang, did not have much interaction. An Xumo went through the script only to find three scenes in which they appeared together.

An Xumo thought about it and tried to be as natural as possible, “I haven’t started on it yet, but I just asked Brother Jinchen a few questions.”

Lin Rui rubbed the tip of his nose with his fingers and smiled, “So it’s like this. I thought you two would discuss the content of the 37th scene first.”

The script contained less than 60,000 words and An Xumo had already read it by heart. He was slightly hesitant, “The 37th scene……it doesn’t seem to have my part in it?”

“Ah, yes,” Lin Rui explained, turning the beer can in his hand. “You came early, and the logistics side was waiting for the actors to formally join the group before sending out the new script. You can ask tomorrow to see if the new script is ready.”

An Xumo didn’t think there was anything wrong. He just nodded and said, “Okay. Thank you, Brother Rui.”

Lin Rui laughed and said, “You may not be clear about Ma Lao’s character. He used to make temporary changes to the scene, and he had changed the script many times. When he was making a movie before, he almost quarreled with the scriptwriter.”

An Xumo said, “Ma Lao strives for perfection, but also for the best film effect.”

Lin Rui half-joked, “En, maybe the 37th scene will be changed at the end.”

An Xumo didn’t know what the 37th scene was, he couldn’t say anything more. Fortunately, Zhou Jinchen had already finished answering the call from the sink. He opened the door and walked back into the room.

The two people sitting looked up; Zhou Jinchen said to An Xumo, “It’s too late. I’ll go back first. I’ll watch on the set tomorrow.”

An Xumo nodded hurriedly. He thought that tonight’s business was going to end this way but Zhou Jinchen added, “If you have any questions, come see me tomorrow night.”

This tone of his, not to mention Lin Rui, did not even imagine being instructed by An Xumo.

Zhou Jinchen’s cold personality in private is inversely proportional to his current heat. If he had not been protected by the Zhou family, he would have to be forced down by his seniors with unremarkable evaluation.

Even though he has improved a lot since then and no longer offends his colleagues, because of his bearing, Zhou Jinchen has never been a considerate and warm-hearted person.

As soon as he said that, Lin Rui immediately stopped drinking beer. He squeezed the round beer forcefully and subconsciously tightened his fingers.

However, An Xumo knew that this was probably something Zhou Jinchen said deliberately to Lin Rui, he didn’t make any speculations and only nodded, “Thank you, Brother Jinchen. I know.”

Zhou Jinchen turned to Lin Rui again, “Go back first. Just now, Xiao Ma sent a message to let those who have a play tomorrow go to bed early.”

Today’s unofficial shot is going well. If nothing else, it will officially start tomorrow. Lin Rui didn’t want to say anything else; he got up and planned to leave with Zhou Jinchen.

But Zhou Jinchen turned around and walked back, standing behind An Xumo. He raised his hand and held the back of the sofa, lowering his head, and said, “Give me the beer.”

He had showered when he returned and was now wearing a light-colored hooded sweatshirt. When he stretches his hand forward, his tight white waist is unintentionally exposed.

The beer can in Lin Rui’s hand was a little flatter.

Unconsciously, An Xumo turned and handed Zhou Jinchen’s opened beer to the other party. As a result, the man did not stop there. He raised his chin slightly and signaled, “Other one.”

An Xumo handed over the can he had never opened in front of him.

Zhou Jinchen took the two cans of beer and planned to leave, but An Xumo suddenly mustered up the courage to say, “Brother Jinchen, just have a bottle tonight.”

When Zhou Jinchen stopped and looked over, An Xumo became nervous afterwards but he still managed to explain, “Tomorrow, I have to film.”

Zhou Jinchen glanced at him and said faintly, “I won’t drink it. I’m taking it away to confiscate it from you.”

There was a sudden creak of metal inside the room. When the two men talking looked over, they saw Lin Rui smiling and saying, “Jinchen, let’s go. It’s late to disturb Xiao An’s rest.”

Only then did Zhou Jinchen and Lin Rui leave the room together.

After sending the two film emperors away, An Xumo quickly breathed a sigh of relief. He put the back of his hand against his hot face, looking straight at the corner and emptied his eyes for a while before hurriedly taking out his phone.

More than forty minutes……An Xumo calculated, plus during the day, he had spent more than ten hours with his brother in one day.

……it was like a dream.

An Xumo threw himself on the bed, making the mattress bounce a few times. The soft white blanket wrapped around him and his whole body was warm.

He buried himself in the pillows for a while, kicking his dangling calves. Only after he was happy did he get up from the bed and go to the bathroom to cool his feverish face.

In the bright light of the bathroom, An Xumo splashed several handfuls of water on his face and looked up at the brand new mirror without scratches. The water droplets slid down his delicate face line and fell on the sink with a “drip”.

An Xumo looked at himself in the mirror and suddenly remembered a question.

What was the 37th scene after changing the script?

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The author has something to say:

Take a wild guess! What is the 37th scene?