Chapter 17.1
As soon as they returned to the private booth, Zhan Lun complained that he had also prepared to pay, only to be beaten to it by Ning Yang.
Xiang Qingwei glanced at Ning Yang, then smiled. "Didn't we agree that I'd treat you?"
"Heh heh, you're treating us, we're paying!" Zhan Lun grinned toothily once again. "Ning Yang's treating us today, and I'll treat you next time. I know a really good restaurant! Next time, I'll take you there."
He stared at Xiang Qingwei with eyes glistening, his words carrying a tone of both hope and inquiry.
However, the hope and inquiry were as clear as day to Xiang Qingwei.
"Sure," she replied with a smile. "If there's a next time."
Of course, whether there would be a next time and when it would occur was entirely up to her.
Regardless, Zhan Lun was already quite pleased with her response, as if she had already given her consent. His face was filled with joy; if he had a tail, it would undoubtedly have started wagging by now.
"Can we go now?" Ning Yang suddenly asked.
"Sure. You two still have practice this afternoon, so I'll take you back now." Xiang Qingwei grabbed her purse and stood up.
Xiao Wu parked the car in front of the studio, and Ning Yang walked over and got in the passenger seat. Xiao Wu glanced at him, then saw Xiang Qingwei and Zhan Lun get in the back seat.
"Back to the dance studio," Xiang Qingwei said.
Xiao Wu started the engine.
"Rest well tonight. Tomorrow morning, I'll take you to see the producer of the show, Miss K," Xiang Qingwei instructed Ning Yang after dropping the three off at the dance studio.
"Mm," Ning Yang responded.
With her instructions given, Xiang Qingwei had Xiao Wu drive her home.
She basically flew every day this past week, so it was a relief to finally return home and rest. She dropped onto her bed, rolled around a little, and rubbed her face on the soft, five-thousand-yuan pillowcase, letting out a satisfied sigh.
There was nothing more comfortable than her own nest, not even the most luxurious hotels.
Xiang Qingwei lay there for a while, thoughts consumed by Ning Yang and Lili's situation at the dance studio. Unable to find peace, she sat up again and called Xiao Wu, asking him to hurry up and recruit an assistant through HR.
After hanging up with Xiao Wu, she gave Ling Jiayi's assistant, Xiao Dong, a call to check on Ling Jiayi's situation.
"Filming went by pretty smoothly, but Jiayi's been in a bad mood lately, and..." Xiao Dong trailed off.
Xiang Qingwei's senses immediately heightened. "What happened? Is everything all right?"
"Jiayi didn't want us to tell you..." Xiao Dong's tone was pained.
Xiang Qingwei frowned, her voice stern. "What happened?"
Xiao Dong didn't dare keep it from her any longer. "We had to shoot a scene where the character falls into the water yesterday, and Jiayi ended up staying in the pool for an entire night.
Then he caught a fever today; it was 38 degrees, but he refused to go to the hospital or take any medicine. He also wouldn't let me or Xiao Mei tell you..."
Xiang Qingwei felt a headache coming on. "Give me Ling Jiayi's phone."
"Wait a moment, please," Xiao Dong said. "Jiayi is still filming."
"Never mind, wait until he's done filming, then have him take his medication. I'm heading over now." Xiang Qingwei hung up.
Ling Jiayi had been quite sensitive lately, and now on top of that, he was running a fever, so Xiang Qingwei decided she'd pay him a visit to ensure he was all right.
The drive from the city to the Shishan Film and Television City usually took about fifty minutes, but due to traffic, it ended up taking twice as long today.
By the time Xiang Qingwei arrived, it was already 4 p.m., a muggy and hot hour.
Ling Jiayi was in the middle of filming a fight scene on the rooftop.
Standing on a tile, Ling Jiayi wore a set of black robes, with a sword in hand and a wire tied around his body. From afar, his fluttering clothes made him appear otherworldly, like an exiled immortal.
"Director Gou, how's the filming going?" Xiang Qingwei walked beside the director, who was glued to the monitor, and handed him an iced coffee.
Director Gou instinctively received the coffee before looking up, noticing Xiang Qingwei beside him, and immediately stuttering, "Ah, not bad. When did you arrive?"
He felt slightly uneasy.
The weather was unbearably hot, so he hadn't bothered maintaining his image at the filming site and had instead opted for a navy blue tank top and a pair of flowery shorts beneath.
It was...far too rustic.
Director Gou felt his face burning slightly.
"I just got here," Xiang Qingwei replied, completely oblivious to Director Gou's attire or his unease, still smiling.
Someone else noticed the newcomer's keen eyes and swiftly brought over a chair for Xiang Qingwei. After expressing his gratitude, Xiang Qingwei sat down next to Director Gou to watch the monitor.
The camera zoomed in on Ling Jiayi's profile, showing his face from the rooftop. His features were immaculate, and every angle was picture-perfect, but no matter how many times one watched, his pallid complexion under the heavy foundation always came as a shock.
Before filming officially began, he lowered his head to adjust his costume, looking exhausted.
Xiang Qingwei's body leaned toward the monitor without realizing, accidentally bumping into Director Gou's shoulder. The director flinched away as if he'd been electrocuted.
Xiang Qingwei was startled by this reaction and turned to look with an apologetic expression. "My apologies." He leaned back to avoid accidentally touching Director Gou again, assuming the director didn't like physical contact.
Director Gou's face flushed red. "I-I didn't... I didn't mean to."
"I understand; it's a reflex, not personal." Xiang Qingwei sympathetically explained, "You don't like physical contact with others, do you?"
Red-faced, Director Gou nodded reluctantly.
"Director, the actors are ready," the assistant director reported.
Director Gou cleared his throat. "Let's begin."
The assistant director walked to the side, holding a loudspeaker. "Everyone, take your places! Jiayi, remember to maintain your posture when you jump down! Let's get this in one take! Action!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Ling Jiayi, who had been lethargic moments ago, transformed into his character. Clad in black, his face held a cold, murderous aura as he exchanged blows with the assassins pursuing him. Then, with a spin, he took a few steps forward and leapt into the air, soaring from the roof down to the courtyard below.
Xiang Qingwei stared intently at the scene playing out on the monitors. He watched Ling Jiayi descend from the sky, sword in hand, before landing elegantly on the ground.
"This take is great." Director Gou nodded in satisfaction.
Staff members rushed forward to remove Ling Jiayi's harness as soon as he was grounded.
As soon as the machines were turned off, Ling Jiayi reverted to himself. Before he noticed Xiang Qingwei, the prop sword was taken away by a staff member, and he lowered his head, fatigue evident in every inch of his body.
After bidding Director Gou farewell, Xiang Qingwei made his way toward Ling Jiayi.
"Miss Weiwei!" Xiao Mei called out in delight as she approached to offer him water.
Ling Jiayi's head snapped up, following Xiao Mei's gaze, and his eyes locked on Xiang Qingwei as she made her way toward him. His gaze was unwavering, as if she would disappear if he blinked.
The last safety buckle was removed from his harness. Ling Jiayi stood still, staring intently at Xiang Qingwei as she approached.
Xiang Qingwei didn't speak as she reached out to touch his forehead upon seeing him.
Her hand came back to her with sweat, and a feverish heat.
Ling Jiayi remained silent, staring at her unblinkingly, his gaze filled with an unnoticeable hunger and longing deep within the depths of his eyes.
"Has he taken his medicine?" Xiang Qingwei asked Xiao Mei, frowning.
Xiao Mei glanced at Ling Jiayi, guilt written all over her face, and said, "Jiayi refuses to take it..."
Xiang Qingwei shot a glare at Ling Jiayi, then turned to Xiao Mei and said, "Get the thermometer."
"I can't take the medicine right now, I still have more scenes to shoot later," Ling Jiayi finally spoke up, his voice lacking its usual energy and vigor, betraying his weakened state.
At first, she thought he was throwing a childish tantrum, but it turned out that it was all for the sake of the performance.
Xiang Qingwei's heart softened, and she wordlessly led him over to a chair, where she sat him down. She took a thermometer from Xiao Mei and handed it to Ling Jiayi. "Take your temperature."
Ling Jiayi obediently accepted the thermometer, opened his shirt layers, and placed the thermometer under his armpit, fixing his gaze on Xiang Qingwei the whole time.
Her heart softened further at the sight of his teary eyes. She wiped away the sweat on his face with a paper towel, then felt his forehead, asking, "Are you feeling okay?"
Her gentle voice made Ling Jiayi's nose sting. "I'm fine," he answered, his voice also stinging.
The more he acted like this, the more Xiang Qingwei's heart ached and yearned. She pressed the back of her hand to his face, staying by his side as he took his temperature.
After taking the thermometer out, Xiang Qingwei spun it a few times in shock; it had already reached 38.6 degrees Celsius. She turned to Xiao Mei. "Get me the fever medicine."
Xiao Mei quickly searched through her bag.
"We still have a few more scenes to shoot today, so let's eat after we finish, okay?" Ling Jiayi said.
"I'll go tell Director Gou that we're stopping for the day." Xiang Qingwei took the medicine from Xiao Mei and handed it to him. "Take this fever-reducing medication, then go back to the hotel and sleep." She softened her voice. "Nothing is more important than your health. Take the medicine, alright?"
Ling Jiayi's eyes glistened, and the corners of his eyes slowly lifted. "Mm-hmm. I'll listen to you."
He put the pill in his mouth, took a sip of water from Xiao Mei, and swallowed them together.
Seeing that Ling Jiayi finally took the medicine, Xiao Mei sighed in relief, then turned to Xiang Qingwei with even more admiration than before.
She and Xiao Dong had nearly worn out their vocal cords trying to convince Ling Jiayi to take the medicine, but Xiang Qingwei had done it with just a few words.
No wonder Xiao Dong said that Ling Jiayi listened to no one but her.
"You sit here and rest for a bit. I'll go tell Director Gou," Xiang Qingwei said as she walked toward him.
Even Director Gou was unaware Ling Jiayi had a fever, and he felt quite embarrassed after being informed. "It must have been caused by the water scene we shot yesterday. No wonder he looked fatigued today after every take. How is he now? Should we take him to the hospital?"
"No need to worry, Director. He insisted on finishing the remaining scenes before taking any medication, but the fever was quite high, so I didn't dare let him continue. I've forced him to take some medicine; it should be fine once his temperature goes down. However, he may not be able to complete the remaining scenes today," Xiang Qingwei guiltily explained.
Director Gou quickly responded, "No problem, no problem! Health comes first. I'll rearrange the shooting schedule for the rest of the day; it shouldn't affect anything too much. Have him return to the hotel and rest up."
"Thank you, Director," Xiang Qingwei said. "I'll take him back now."
"Call me if you need any help," Director Gou offered.
"Okay," Xiang Qingwei responded, noticing Director Gou had changed into a more comfortable T-shirt and jeans at some point; it certainly looked much more refreshing than his previous Hawaiian shirt and floral pants.
On set, everyone called him "Director Gou," which made him seem much older than his actual age. If one only heard the title without seeing the man, they would undoubtedly imagine Director Gou to be a forty- or fifty-year-old old man.
In reality, he was only thirty years old, and because he had a clean, refined appearance with clear and innocent eyes, he looked no older than twenty-five. However, his lack of concern for personal grooming often made people overlook his good looks.
After greeting Director Gou, Xiang Qingwei returned to Ling Jiayi, ready to take the man back to his hotel.
To everyone's surprise, Ling Jiayi knew his etiquette; he asked the hair and makeup team to remove his wig, then changed his clothes, before personally thanking Director Gou for letting him visit the set.
Xiang Qingwei had no choice but to accompany Ling Jiayi back to thank the director.
When Ling Jiayi approached Director Gou, he stood as if he couldn't keep his balance, half leaning on Xiang Qingwei. "I'm sorry for causing trouble for the crew."
Director Gou's gaze lingered on their overlapping bodies for two seconds, then he said, "You fell ill for the sake of the movie; I should be the one apologizing. Go back and rest at your hotel."
On their way back, Ling Jiayi suddenly grew weak, pressing most of his body weight onto Xiang Qingwei.
Xiang Qingwei noticed that Ling Jiayi's face was pale, sweat rolling on his forehead, yet he allowed the man to press into him the whole way back to the hotel within the studio grounds.
Once inside the bedroom, Xiang Qingwei poured him a glass of water and watched as he drank. "Why don't you lie down and rest for a bit?"
"I'll go remove my makeup first; it's uncomfortably hot on my face." Ling Jiayi struggled to get up, attempting to walk toward the bathroom.
"Stay put, I'll do it," Xiang Qingwei replied, walking toward the bathroom herself.
Once inside, Ling Jiayi, who had been complaining of weakness, suddenly dropped onto the bed with enough energy to roll over.
Xiang Qingwei retrieved a bottle of makeup remover and cotton pads from the bathroom counter, returning to the bedroom, only to find Ling Jiayi lying still on the bed, already stripped of his costume and wig. Without their imposing airs, he looked no more than a feverish young man in need of care.
"Stay still," Xiang Qingwei instructed.
Ling Jiayi's whole body squirmed like an insect as he obediently lay flat on his back. He was always exceptionally well-behaved when he was sick.
A faint smile tugged at Xiang Qingwei's lips. She sat on the edge of the bed, dipped a cotton pad in the makeup remover, and began to remove Ling Jiayi's makeup. Her motions were practiced; this was something she had done many times before.
Ling Jiayi hated wearing makeup, complaining that it felt uncomfortably hot on his face, and disliked removing it even more. In the past, after returning home from late-night shoots, he would plop onto the bed and fall asleep immediately, forcing Xiang Qingwei to remove his makeup herself.
Over time, he'd grown used to this routine, always complaining that he was too tired and making her remove his makeup for him as soon as he lay down.
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