Xie Xi came to observe the filming and casually took a seat.
Staff nearby would occasionally glance in his direction. Logically, these people had seen plenty of celebrities, yet their eyes kept getting drawn to Xie Xi.
The director noticed but didn't call them out, as long as their work wasn't affected.
To be honest, people in the film industry had long wanted to collaborate with Xie Xi, but he had never wanted to cross over into acting. No one knew why he was taking the initiative to cooperate this time.
"Professor Ye, we'll do another take. Keep your eyes on the camera."
Hearing the director's instruction, Ye Qiusuo looked toward the camera behind You Feibai. She didn't particularly enjoy acting; the repetition was too high. The same line had to be delivered from this angle, then that angle.
Dislike aside, Professor Ye still performed her duty and repeated the scene diligently.
"I think Professor Ye is a bit like a machine. Every time the director approves a take, she can keep it exactly the same."
"You're only noticing now? She even keeps her intonation identical."
Acting is a complex thing. Even for a skilled actor like You Feibai, delivering the same scene and lines over multiple takes would inevitably have slight variations.
Xie Xi rested his chin on his hand, listening to the staff's hushed discussion as he looked at Professor Ye on set: If she were a machine, she'd definitely be the most beautiful and formidable one.
But... why did You Feibai seem so irritating to look at?
While Xie Xi sat on the sidelines finding someone irritating, there was someone else on the other end who found him displeasing.
Wan Yurou had finally succeeded in her audition, securing the female lead role and entering the crew of "The Lake." First, she saw Ye Qiusuo at the opening ceremony and learned she would also be acting in it. Then, before filming had even progressed a few days, Xie Xi showed up.
She truly, deeply disliked these two people. She always felt that when these two were together, it boded ill for her.
Xie Xi was an unrestrained character, as evident from the previous pool incident. What normal man would do something like that?
Wan Yurou's originally gentle and beautiful face darkened several shades in an instant. Her assistant beside her didn't know why but instinctively lightened her movements.
"Brother Xi, what role are you guest-starring as?" Zhang Dong asked curiously. It was also his first time in such a formal film set.
"No idea. An opera singer?" Xie Xi had no clue about the role; he just came when he heard there was an opening.
He picked up the script and, without looking, handed it to Zhang Dong. "Read it."
Zhang Dong complied and began reading, only to discover his Brother Xi was to play a male opera performer, specializing in female roles (dan). In the drama, the character was extremely popular and had close ties with the powerful. Later, he would be brought down by the male lead and others, losing his backing.
Xie Xi could accept the beginning, but upon hearing the later part, he turned to look at Zhang Dong. "I get trampled by You Feibai?"
Zhang Dong coughed. "It's more like... he takes you down. The protagonist can't stand the opera performer colluding with the powerful."
The big star Xie was somewhat displeased, but the role was set, and as a guest star, he had little say.
By the time Zhang Dong finished summarizing the plot and lines, Ye Qiusuo happened to finish her scene. She went into the dressing room to remove her makeup, changed back into her own clothes, and prepared to leave.
Xie Xi sat for a moment longer before getting up and saying goodbye to the director.
"Alright, you can come by more often these next few days. It'll be your turn to film soon," the director said with a smile.
Xie Xi nodded in agreement, pretending to be nonchalant as he walked toward Ye Qiusuo's direction.
Just then, Ye Qiusuo came out.
"Are you heading back? I'm leaving too. Need a ride?"
"I drove here." Ye Qiusuo opened her hand, revealing a new car key in her palm.
Xie Xi: "..." Does she change cars that fast?
Even so, Xie Xi still walked with Ye Qiusuo. There was only one parking lot nearby, so they were headed the same way.
"Don't I need to do any more tests?" Xie Xi asked. "What about the copying assignments?"
Zhang Dong, lagging behind, thought to himself: Who was it that kept procrastinating on writing them every day? Now that the course is over, your tone makes it sound like you still want to do them?
Ye Qiusuo glanced at him in surprise. "Your data collection is complete. No more tests or copying are needed."
"Oh."
They passed several trailers. One had its door open, with You Feibai still in costume standing outside, holding a cup of water. His assistant stood opposite him, seemingly in conversation.
You Feibai also saw Ye Qiusuo and Xie Xi. He gave them a slight nod before turning away, unscrewing the cap of his water and raising it to take a drink.
Xie Xi gradually fell back a few steps. He took out his phone and secretly messaged Zhang Dong: [Pretend the car broke down later.]
The moment she saw You Feibai lift his head, a passage suddenly surfaced in Ye Qiusuo's mind: You Feibai drank that water, and his throat immediately burned with pain. At that moment, Wan Yurou, who was passing by, supported him and called an ambulance...
His assistant was right there. Why would it be Wan Yurou supporting him and calling the ambulance?
Professor Ye couldn't make sense of the logic at all.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on logic. Ye Qiusuo quickly strode toward You Feibai, reached out, and snatched the water from his hand. Before she could explain, You Feibai spoke.
"Is there a problem?" You Feibai asked politely, but his handsome features had already darkened. His long-time assistant beside him recognized this as a sign of anger.
Ye Qiusuo looked up at him, took a step back, placed the water on the ground, and said, "There's something wrong with your water." With that, she turned and continued walking toward her car.
She showed no intention of offering any further explanation.
You Feibai was taken aback, then immediately recalled the deliberate car accident. He promptly instructed his assistant to pick up the water bottle, recap it tightly, and send it for testing.
When he looked toward Ye Qiusuo again, she was already gone.
"What was wrong with that water?" Xie Xi asked curiously.
Ye Qiusuo pressed her car key, turned to look at Xie Xi, and suddenly felt a bit better. "Someone drugged it."
"Drugged?"
"Someone tampered with his car before, causing the accident that damaged my car," Ye Qiusuo mentioned, though she wasn't happy about it. She had driven that car for years and was used to it. Moreover, if her reaction had been slightly slower, she would have been the one injured.
"Water bottles should never leave your sight; if they do, don't drink from them." Xie Xi frowned, his impression of You Feibai worsening once again. This was almost an unwritten rule in their circle. Otherwise, if an accident happened, there would be no way to undo it.
Ye Qiusuo was still waiting for him to ask how she knew the water was drugged, but Xie Xi showed no sign of asking.
"Brother Xi, our car broke down!" Zhang Dong popped up, shouting dramatically with a very pitiful tone.
Xie Xi: "..."
Though a bit exaggerated, the show had to go on.
"Could you... possibly give us a ride?" Xie Xi asked, lowering his eyes cautiously. "If it's not convenient, just dropping us in the city would be fine too."
Ye Qiusuo opened the car door. "Where do you need to go? I'll take you."
Xie Xi immediately walked around to the other side and openly took the passenger seat.
Zhang Dong then got into the back seat.
"Is it okay if I sit here?" Xie Xi turned to ask Ye Qiusuo.
"What?" Ye Qiusuo didn't quite understand his meaning.
Zhang Dong in the back seat covered his face and looked out the window: Brother Xi, you should have at least asked that before buckling your seatbelt. Now that the seatbelt's on, you're asking?
"Many people reserve the passenger seat only for their significant other," Xie Xi explained.
"I don't have that habit. You can sit there," Ye Qiusuo replied as she reversed the car out.
Xie Xi: ...That wasn't the answer he wanted to hear.
At the critical moment, it was Zhang Dong who knew what to ask: "Professor Ye, doesn't your boyfriend sit in the passenger seat? Or does your boyfriend usually do the driving?"
Ye Qiusuo: "I don't have that kind of friend."
Professor Ye wished she could split every day in two—where would she find the time for romance? Moreover, having been a child prodigy, she had always been surrounded by people with a significant age gap, with those a dozen years older being extremely common.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched Xie Xi's lips as he sat in the passenger seat, his eyes slightly curved as if holding a glimmer of starlight.
Ye Qiusuo drove the two directly to their residence before leaving.
Her car had been gone for quite some time, but Xie Xi remained standing motionless in the same spot.
Zhang Dong coughed several times. "Brother Xi, we should go in now."
So his Brother Xi was actually having a springtime flutter of the heart. Should he tell Sister Wei? But nothing's happened yet, so maybe it's okay not to tell.
Zhang Dong pondered hesitantly.
"Don't you dare tell Sister Wei," Xie Xi warned just before going inside, as if reading his mind.
"Okay, Brother Xi."
...
That water bottle had already been sent to a specialized agency for testing, which would take a few days. However, You Feibai's manager had already retrieved the surveillance footage from around the RV and confirmed that someone had indeed put something in the bottle. The assistant had been looking down at his phone at the time and hadn't been watching the water at all.
"This isn't the same man from before," You Feibai's face darkened.
The person adding something to the water bottle in the surveillance footage appeared, from the back, to be a woman.
The manager tried to reassure him. "We'll add a few more people around you. I've already spoken to the police; they'll continue the investigation and have pulled all the surveillance footage from the area."
As for the assistant, even though he had been with You Feibai for years, the manager still fired him.
When they went to film the next day, everyone noticed the increased number of assistants around You Feibai. The director, having received a call the night before, was also aware of the situation and came over to pat him on the shoulder.
You Feibai exchanged a few words with the director, then began looking around for Ye Qiusuo. He wanted to know how she had known the water was drugged yesterday.
After looking around without seeing her, he walked back over to the director.
"Director, isn't Professor Ye coming today?"
"It seems something came up at her company unexpectedly. She's rescheduled for the afternoon," the director said with a smile. "You're the second person to ask about Professor Ye."
When the contract was signed, Ye Qiusuo had mentioned to the director that her schedule might change, to which the director had agreed, so he readily adjusted the shooting schedule.
"The second?"
"Xie Xi asked earlier," the director said, pointing towards the person sleeping under a tree, covered by a military coat on a long bench.
You Feibai glanced towards the tree, only making out a completely covered human form. An assistant stood guard nearby, having somehow procured an extension cord to power an electric heater fan.
Quite comfortable, You Feibai thought, withdrawing his gaze without a ripple of emotion in his heart.
...
Xie Xi had gotten up too early and, failing to see the person he wanted to see, simply lay back down on the bench for a nap. He didn't wake up until past ten o'clock. Handing his eye mask and earplugs to Zhang Dong, he sat wrapped in the military coat, watching the people in the film set act.
"Brother Xi, shall we eat with the crew later or order takeout?" Zhang Dong asked, warming his hands.
"Takeout," Xie Xi said listlessly. "What time will she come this afternoon?"
"I asked the production assistant. Professor Ye is in the first scene this afternoon, which starts at two. I figure she'll probably arrive a little after one."
"Where's the script?" Xie Xi asked Zhang Dong. "Do I have any scenes with her?"
Zhang Dong rummaged in his bag, pulled out the script, and flipped through it. "Brother Xi, Professor Ye only has scenes with the male lead, Fang Zhouyue."
Xie Xi frowned with distaste. "What's so good about their scenes together?"
