Chapter 27
Ever since Tang Xiyan found out about the relationship between Shu Yi and Qu Di, he couldn’t help but notice their subtle interactions when they thought no one was watching. He wasn’t sure if it was because he was preoccupied with the situation or if Shu Yi was intentionally doing it for his benefit.
In public, the two of them always maintained a certain distance, but Tang Xiyan had seen Shu Yi sneakily hold Qu Di’s hand under the cover of his costume’s large sleeves on more than one occasion. Qu Di would raise his head to glance at Shu Yi, but he wouldn’t pull away.
“Xi Yan, what are you thinking about?” Qu Di waved his hand in front of him, wondering why he suddenly zoned out.
Thinking about you.
“No, it’s nothing. Is everything set up?” He tugged at his equipment, seemingly secure. It was his first time doing rock climbing, about four meters high, and he was somewhat worried.
“The props master said everything is ready. We’ll slowly hoist you up shortly. This is just a trial run, so we won’t shoot any scenes. He’ll be there to guide you from below.”
“I know, you don’t need to keep repeating it. It’s annoying.”
Qu Di brought over the responsible person again to check for safety. After receiving assurance that it was absolutely safe, he ran off to the side. He kept furrowing his brows, and his gaze never left Tang Xiyan, even though there were safety mats below. He was still concerned about any possible accidents.
When Tang Xiyan’s feet left the ground, he found it somewhat amusing at first. However, as he reached a height of three meters, he began to feel nervous. His muscles tensed involuntarily, and he concentrated intensely.
“Start by trying to move a little. If it’s fine, we’ll continue to raise you higher.” The master responsible for this area shouted at him through a megaphone, as if he was worried that Tang Xiyan couldn’t hear.
Tang Xiyan cautiously moved his limbs. It was manageable, but he couldn’t make overly large movements. Being up there, swaying back and forth, made him feel quite insecure.
“Very good. Now, we’ll raise you to four meters, and that will be the height for the scenes where you fight with the enemies, which will be between three and four meters.”
They continued to lift Tang Xiyan, and a person beside him handed over the weapon. Initially, he thought it was manageable, but now it felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. He tried to relax a bit and swung it around. His movements were somewhat stiff, but it wasn’t a significant issue. Editing and stunt doubles could fix that. He was mainly shooting close-up scenes.
“Alright, we’ll lower you now.”
The weather was fine that day, although it looked like rain might be coming. While it was still a bit stifling, the breeze that occasionally blew helped alleviate the heat. However, when Tang Xiyan came down, he realized his entire back was soaked with sweat, even his forehead was covered in beads of perspiration.
Qu Di rushed over. “Are you okay?”
He glanced at Qu Di. Whenever Qu Di showed concern for him, he couldn’t help but feel a bit delighted, but he had to pretend to stay composed. “I’m fine.”
In the afternoon, it started to rain heavily, so the director decided to shoot a scene that required rain. There were no lines for the actors; it was just a distant shot of two people walking together in the rain.
The next day, the action scenes officially began, consisting of two sequences. The first involved Tang Xiyan facing a group of enemies, and the second had Shu Yi and Tang Xiyan.
Under the guidance of the martial arts instructor, Tang Xiyan quickly completed the first scene, retaking it only twice. The director was quite pleased with it, so he let everyone take a break before moving on to the next scene.
Shu Yi sat under a sunshade, reading the script, while Tang Xiyan, drenched in sweat, sat beside him. He took a towel from Qu Di and wiped his face. “Why didn’t I see you yesterday?”
Shu Yi replied without much interest, “I was watching Alpha rock climbing. I wasn’t interested. Besides, I was afraid you’d scream, and I’d be embarrassed if I were there.”
Tang Xiyan was momentarily speechless, but when he looked, he saw Qu Di trying to suppress a smile. This provoked his anger. “Don’t you dare laugh!”
Qu Di quickly stepped in to defuse the situation. “Actually, Tang Xiyan did quite well yesterday. Even the martial arts instructor praised his balance and adaptability.”
They didn’t speak much after that and immersed themselves in their scripts. Over the past few days, it seemed like Shu Yi and Tang Xiyan had reconciled. They occasionally joked and exchanged a few words, but there was an underlying tension. He had asked both Shu Yi and Tang Xiyan, and both claimed there was nothing wrong. Gradually, he began to think he might be overthinking it.
An hour later, the props department and martial arts instructor were ready. They touched up their makeup, and then they went on set. After the first scene, the director was satisfied, and the martial arts instructor provided guidance. They prepared for another take.
Originally, Shu Yi was supposed to jump down from the roof with a sword to attack Tang Xiyan, who would defend with a fan. Then, they would engage in a fight on the street, including acrobatic moves.
At first, everything went smoothly. However, when Shu Yi jumped up, Tang Xiyan suddenly lost control and bumped into him. Then, the ropes carrying both of them became entangled, and they crashed into the side of a building before coming to a stop.
Qu Di was nearly frightened to death the moment they collided. People around him began running toward them, and he snapped back to reality. He felt like he could barely stand, and he stumbled a few steps.
When they were lowered to the ground, both of them were conscious. Shu Yi was pale and drenched in cold sweat. He gritted his teeth and didn’t say a word. People dared not touch him and laid him down on a soft mat on the ground. The director quickly called for an ambulance.
Compared to Shu Yi, Tang Xiyan was in much better condition. He didn’t seem to be injured, just a bit dazed from the collision. He touched his head and found a bump. Worried, he glanced at Shu Yi and asked, “I’m fine… but he…”
“That’s good,” he said in a distracted manner. Tang Xiyan saw that Qu Di had sneakily glanced at Shu Yi several times but hadn’t said anything. His hands were tightly clenched together, clearly worried about Shu Yi but not daring to show it. His thoughts were obviously not on Tang Xiyan.
Tang Xiyan’s eyes darkened. Well, considering their current relationship, it was natural for Qu Di to prioritize Shu Yi. He couldn’t blame him.
Director Zheng asked everyone to step aside and began fanning Shu Yi. “Shu Yi, where does it hurt?”
“My… My waist,” Shu Yi replied, sounding like he was in a lot of pain. His back had collided with Tang Xiyan, and although the distance wasn’t too great, the impact was significant.
Shu Yi was taken to the hospital, and Tang Xiyan followed. After an examination, it turned out that there were no serious injuries, only some bruises. To avoid the press, Qu Di planned to leave through a back door. However, Tang Xiyan stopped him. “Why don’t we go check on Shu Yi?”
“If we don’t leave soon, we might not be able to leave later. I
‘ve already called Feige. Let’s go now.”
“No, you come with me to see him,” Tang Xiyan ordered.
Qu Di reluctantly complied and followed Tang Xiyan to the elevator. As they waited for it to arrive, Qu Di watched Tang Xiyan but couldn’t figure out what he was thinking. When the elevator arrived, they entered and stood side by side. As the doors closed, Qu Di finally spoke. “Do you know?”
Tang Xiyan was too easy to read. Upon seeing him remain silent, Shu Yi had guessed that Tang Xiyan knew about their relationship, and now he was probably desperately trying to come up with excuses to deny it.
As expected, after about half a minute, Tang Xiyan stuttered, “What could I possibly know? How could I know… You… Don’t talk nonsense.”
Indeed, the words sounded unconvincing, but Tang Xiyan was probably racking his brain to come up with various excuses to deny the truth.
He clearly didn’t say anything, yet he’s so eager to deny it. Qu Di hasn’t even confirmed that he knows everything, and isn’t it normal to ask before making assumptions?
“When did you find out?” Qu Di was somewhat startled. He thought he had hidden it well. How did Tang Xiyan know, and what about the others?
“I told you, I don’t know!” Tang Xiyan kicked the elevator, not too forcefully, as he was filled with anger. He had sacrificed his personal feelings for the greater good and brought Qu Di to see Shu Yi. Could he please just be quiet and stop asking!
The elevator fell silent, and with a “ding,” they arrived. Tang Xiyan was the first to step out. In that moment, he heard Qu Di say, “Thank you.”
I don’t want your thanks. What I want is you… but you don’t want me.
He quickened his pace toward Shu Yi’s hospital room. He had heard that the bump on Shu Yi’s waist was quite severe and caused a lot of pain. Luckily, there were no fractures, which was the only silver lining. Shu Yi would have to stay in the hospital for some time before being discharged.
The hospital room wasn’t crowded, with only Zheng Siyi, Shu Yi’s manager, Li Meng, and Shu Yi. The director had apparently gone to deal with the journalists outside, as this situation required his public response; otherwise, rumors would spread like wildfire.
Upon seeing the newcomer, Li Meng greeted Tang Xiyan and left to handle the public relations aspect, as well as to console the fans.
Tang Xiyan pulled a chair over and sat by the bedside. He observed Shu Yi and said, “You look like you’re not about to die.”
“Siyi, would you mind going to buy some fruits?” Shu Yi suddenly spoke.
Though Zheng Siyi was a bit puzzled, she left the room. Soon, it was just the three of them in the room.
Tang Xiyan glanced at Qu Di, who remained silent behind him. Frustrated, he stood up and left the chair that hadn’t even warmed up yet. He loudly exclaimed, “I’m going to check on Yu Zhiyuan. Qu Di, you stay here and comfort Emperor Shu Yi.”
Qu Di hesitated but wanted to follow Tang Xiyan. However, Shu Yi grabbed his hand. As Tang Xiyan walked out, he witnessed this scene, and a few steps later, he closed the door behind him.
T/N: Hey there! There is plenty more where that came from, so stay tuned! And stay healthy! Straighten your posture, so some stretches and drink some water before continuing hehe~
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If you like cats, check out Revenge of the Garfield
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What about the perfect, most non-toxic male lead ever? Laws of Love
How about MC nursing ML back to health? Forced into the Deep
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