At one o'clock in the afternoon, Ye Qiusuo arrived at the film set and was immediately pulled away for makeup and costume fitting. Xie Xi watched her go in with eager eyes but didn't follow. He still needed to maintain a bit of reserve.
However, upon seeing You Feibai knock and enter the room, and the people inside being ushered out, the big star Xie couldn't stay calm anymore.
"Are you ordering milk tea? I'll go ask the professor what she wants to drink." Xie Xi said to Zhang Dong before immediately getting up and heading towards the makeup room.
Zhang Dong: "..." There was really no need to pin it on him like that.
Xie Xi knocked on the door, growing even more unsettled because it was locked. He asked from outside, "Professor, can I come in?"
Both people inside recognized Xie Xi's voice.
Ye Qiusuo stood up to open the door, but You Feibai reached out and stopped her. "Professor Ye," he clearly didn't want her to open it.
Ye Qiusuo withdrew her hand. "You can say whatever it is directly."
She then opened the door and looked at Xie Xi outside. "What is it?"
Seeing her come out, Xie Xi immediately smiled, looking extremely handsome. "Zhang Dong is going to buy milk tea. What would you like?"
"No, thank you." Professor Ye really had no interest in such things.
"Everyone is getting one," Xie Xi insisted.
"...Anything is fine. The same as last time would work too."
Their voices weren't loud, but they were clear enough for You Feibai inside the makeup room to hear, stirring up an inexplicable emotion within him.
As a movie star, his profession involved studying and embodying different people's behaviors and expressions. How could he not perceive the subtle difference in Ye Qiusuo's attitude towards him versus Xie Xi?
"You... have something to discuss?" Xie Xi glanced inside and asked hesitantly.
Ye Qiusuo turned to ask You Feibai, "Filming is about to start. What did you want to ask?"
Xie Xi showed no intention of leaving the doorway, and Ye Qiusuo showed no inclination to close the door.
"How did you know that bottle of water was drugged? I watched the surveillance footage. You were still filming when that person put the drug in." You Feibai had watched the footage all night, and his eyes were still slightly red.
Ye Qiusuo gave a casual reason. "I saw someone tamper with your water while filming. Later, I saw a person wearing a wig and a skirt, but their bone structure seemed off—probably a man—hurrying past. It was among Li Yandie's fans before. You could ask her."
Li Yandie was the star playing the female lead and also the goddess in the hearts of male fans in the original story. That man had gotten angry before upon hearing rumors about the two of them, and hearing about You Feibai collaborating with Li Yandie made him snap.
Ye Qiusuo hadn't actually seen anything while filming, but she had seen that man wearing black stockings. It's just that men's and women's bone structures are somewhat different. She initially thought it was just a cross-dresser, but later understood. Combined with the surveillance footage You Feibai had previously sent her from the parking lot, mixing truth with fiction, this reason wasn't far-fetched.
You Feibai was silent for a moment. "Thank you."
"Perhaps you should be more careful in general." Ye Qiusuo simply didn't want to be implicated by him. Last time he crashed her car, although the compensation was quickly paid, buying a new car and getting plates took time. If he had drunk that water and something happened, as the lead actor, filming would be delayed, wasting her time again. At that time, Wan Yurou also wasn't nearby as the original story said.
Xie Xi, watching from the side: Suddenly felt a bit happy.
The three of them didn't stay long. The director was already calling for people over there. Ye Qiusuo simply went out directly, with Xie Xi following behind. When they were still some distance from Zhang Dong, Xie Xi specifically told him what milk tea to get.
Zhang Dong, true to his reputation as an excellent assistant, immediately acknowledged.
By the time he returned with a pile of milk tea, Professor Ye had already finished filming one scene and moved on to other matters.
...
The scene to be filmed this time was again a debate between teacher and student. The male lead, Fang Zhouyue, wanted to take his friends out to protest, but was stopped by Pei Jinxi. The students thought the teacher was ineffectual, while the teacher urged the students to act calmly and not recklessly take the lead. Thus, the two stood in the corridor debating.
Throughout the entire series, the character Pei Jinxi had an unusual influence on the protagonist. This scene should be the male lead's second ideological liberation, deepening his understanding of freedom.
Fang Zhouyue stood at the front, righteous and spirited. "If everyone turtles up here, if no one steps forward, our freedom will be crushed inch by inch."
"Freedom is not unorganized, arbitrary provocation. If you go now, you'll merely become a weapon for the enemy's propaganda." Ye Qiusuo's voice was cool and clear. Both her lines and expression perfectly matched Pei Jinxi's character.
As they went back and forth in their debate, Fang Zhouyue's imposing manner gradually dissipated.
You Feibai always practiced immersive acting. At that moment, it was as if he truly were Fang Zhouyue from that era, and his feelings toward the teacher grew increasingly complex with each exchange.
When the director called cut, Ye Qiusuo immediately left the camera area, picked up her coat, and put it on. Standing outside in the depths of winter was indeed quite cold.
Several of You Feibai's assistants—some bringing clothes, others handing him a thermos—swarmed around him, blocking everyone's view. He took the water, lowered his eyes, concealing the complex stubbornness within them.
—He hadn't completely come out of character yet.
"Professor Ye has really entered the entertainment industry now," Wan Yurou said with a smile, standing beside Ye Qiusuo.
From Ye Qiusuo's first day of filming, Wan Yurou had been watching her. She seemed to learn everything quickly and adapted well. The more she watched, the more uncomfortable she felt inside.
Ye Qiusuo glanced at her and could roughly guess what Wan Yurou was thinking.
"Don't you have scenes to film later? Shouldn't you rehearse in advance?" Ye Qiusuo looked back at You Feibai, surrounded by his assistants. The male lead and female lead just needed to get entangled; she was only here to earn some extra money.
Wan Yurou was about to say something when she was interrupted.
"Professor, come warm up over here." Xie Xi not far away waved at Ye Qiusuo, very enthusiastically.
The staff nearby were already used to it because Zhang Dong had explained it to everyone yesterday: Ye Qiusuo was Xie Xi's teacher, giving them the illusion that the two were close.
Ye Qiusuo hesitated for a second but ultimately walked over.
Compared to those two, she preferred sitting with Xie Xi.
"Zhang Dong will be here soon." Xie Xi got up to let Ye Qiusuo sit in the lounge chair, pulling over a small stool for himself to sit on. He also draped the army coat over her, bustling about.
Ye Qiusuo, with the army coat stuffed into her arms, was momentarily stunned. Smelling the familiar men's cologne on it, she then put it on.
"Zhang Dong bought this," Xie Xi said, pointing at the electric heater. His legs were too long, making sitting on the small stool awkward.
"Xie Xi," Ye Qiusuo called him.
"Hmm?" Hearing her call his name, the back of Xie Xi's neck instantly tingled. This time it wasn't from fear of being called on, but... anyway, the tips of his ears turned slightly red.
"When do you start filming?" Ye Qiusuo asked casually.
"The day after tomorrow or the next, depending on the director's schedule." Xie Xi's slender, clean fingers twisted together. He felt a bit inexplicably nervous; she seemed too close.
The day after tomorrow... by then, her scenes would be almost finished too.
Xie Xi's eyes darted around, finally deciding to start getting closer through praise. "You acted really well. That male lead was too impulsive."
"After all, they're kids in their twenties. It's hard to avoid being impulsive." Ye Qiusuo thought the script's conflict was well-set. College students, full of youthful vigor, whether in the past or now, are always the group most prone to impulsiveness and being easily provoked.
"...Teacher, you're also in your twenties." A sense of crisis arose in Xie Xi. Why did her words carry such a world-weary tone?
People in their twenties are still kids? Would she perhaps not like people in their twenties? When will he turn thirty? There are still several years to go!
The big star Xie was instantly filled with question marks.
"Hmm, I forgot." Ye Qiusuo's intellect developed too early, and her sense of time is different from others'.
Over there, Zhang Dong arrived with a car full of hot milk tea, bustling about as he distributed it to everyone. Finally, he came over holding two cups, handing them to Ye Qiusuo and Xie Xi.
"Brother Xi, I specially went to Huajing University to buy these two cups." Zhang Dong had brought them over in a thermos cup. It was a bit strange, but they were still hot.
As soon as Ye Qiusuo opened hers, steam was still rising.
A cup of hot milk tea warmed her right up.
After sitting for a while longer, the director called them over for reshoots. Ye Qiusuo handed the thermos cup to Xie Xi before going over.
"Brother Xi, give it to me. I'll wash it clean later." Only after Professor Ye left did Zhang Dong sidle over and say.
Xie Xi slowly screwed the lid back on and didn't hand it over. "I'll do it myself when we get back."
Zhang Dong: Alright then.
...
The news that Xie Xi had been going to the set early in the morning these past two days finally reached Wei Qi's ears. When she came over in the evening, she specifically asked, "Do you like acting? I can help you look for other roles."
In Wei Qi's mind, Xie Xi deserved the best. Since he wanted to act, he should at least get a male lead role.
"No need. Let's finish filming this one first." What Xie Xi was interested in wasn't acting at all. He lowered his head, carefully rinsing the milk tea stains from inside the thermos cup.
"That's fine too. After you finish filming, if you still feel like acting, tell Sister Wei." Wei Qi watched him washing the cup. "Why are you doing this yourself? Let the housekeeper do it."
This was a cup Professor Ye had drunk from. How could he let anyone else touch it? Xie Xi thought to himself, but on the surface he said, "Practicing life skills."
"Because of what happened on that reality show last time?" Wei Qi remembered the first episode of the program and wanted to laugh. Xie Xi was truly the type who couldn't tell one grain from another.
Reality show?
The big star Xie had been so focused these past few days on figuring out how to get closer to Professor Ye that he had almost forgotten about the reality show.
"Hmm, learning more." Xie Xi accepted this misunderstanding.
Once Wei Qi left, Zhang Dong, who had been pretending to play on his phone, looked up. "Brother Xi, you have to film tomorrow. I found some videos called 'The 21-Day Actor Crash Course.' Want to watch?"
Xie Xi refused. "That name sounds like a scam from the get-go."
Zhang Dong suddenly winked and made a suggestive face. "Brother Xi, maybe you could go ask Professor Ye for advice."
Xie Xi wiped the water off the thermos cup, thoughtful. "That could work."
That very night, Xie Xi was on WeChat, calling her 'Teacher' this and 'Teacher' that, saying it was his first time acting and he wanted to ask Ye Qiusuo for some experience.
Unfortunately, though, Professor Ye was up late busy with work and didn't reply at all.
The big star Xie fell asleep just like that, holding his phone and waiting for a reply.
It wasn't until the next day that Ye Qiusuo saw the messages on her phone—a full eight voice messages. She listened to them patiently.
"That character has some overlap with my usual life, so it was easy to act. For others, I might not be able to explain clearly." After earnestly explaining, Ye Qiusuo asked, "Didn't your agent help you find a tutor?"
Over on his side, Xie Xi was still asleep. Zhang Dong had to call him to wake him up before he rolled over to grab his phone. "What time is it?"
"Brother Xi, it's seven o'clock."
Xie Xi found his phone, and his first reaction was to check for messages. He happened to see the message from Ye Qiusuo. He half-knelt on the bed, phone held to his ear, hair disheveled, his expression extremely serious as he listened to the voice message.
