Chapter 12

Ao Qingyuan drained the rest of his iced cola in one gulp. Wenren Yan looked at the slightly dejected Ao Qingyuan and suddenly said, "If I'm acting opposite you, I can do wire work."

Ao Qingyuan froze and looked at Wenren Yan.

Wenren Yan smiled. "Then, as a reward, can you give me a few signed photos? My friends were all excited when they found out I was acting with you. They're all your fans."

Ao Qingyuan couldn't help breaking into a bright smile. "No problem. How many do you want?"

Wenren Yan said, "You decide. I'll take however many you sign."

Ao Qingyuan frowned. "That's too hard. If I sign too few, I'll feel bad. If I sign too many, I'll get tired."

"Then sign one a day." Wenren Yan paused, smiling gently at Ao Qingyuan. "We'll be filming together for three months, anyway."

Ao Qingyuan's hand tightened slightly around the cola can. He subconsciously touched the back of his neck. The cool, damp sensation helped clear his head. After thinking for a moment, Ao Qingyuan said, "Then I want signed photos from you too."

Wenren Yan raised a brow. "I'm not a celebrity. I don't like taking pictures either."

Ao Qingyuan grinned happily. "I don't care. I can't be the one getting the short end of the stick."

Wenren Yan nodded. "Fair enough."

But he didn't want to give Ao Qingyuan signed photos. He felt his signature was useless—unless it was on a check or contract. After pondering for a moment, Wenren Yan said, "How about I write you one equation every day?"

Ao Qingyuan wailed, "I barely passed math on my college entrance exam! Is this how you top students bully people?"

Wenren Yan had no intention of bullying him. But seeing how strongly Ao Qingyuan rejected equations, he didn't press the matter. After thinking for a moment, Wenren Yan picked up an A4 sheet from the coffee table, folded it into a jumping frog, and handed it to Ao Qingyuan.

Ao Qingyuan looked utterly confused. "..."

Wenren Yan smiled. "I'll trade this for your autograph."

Ao Qingyuan fiddled with the jumping frog in his hand, curious. "...Why a jumping frog?"

With a completely serious expression, Wenren Yan said, "I can fold hearts too. So, do you want a heart?"

Ao Qingyuan shook his head. "Then I'll take the jumping frog."

Author's Note:

My stomach was acting up today, so the update was a little late.

Thank you to all the little angels who threw overlord tickets or gifted nutrient solution between 2020-05-20 11:14:56 and 2020-05-21 21:08:30~

Thank you to Blue Sky for 5 bottles of nutrient solution;

Thank you all so much for your support. I'll keep working hard!

Chapter 12

Ao Qingyuan came out of Wenren Yan's trailer carrying the jumping frog. The little assistant hurried over and asked curiously, "Just who is this Yan Shu? You seem to like him a lot."

Ao Qingyuan's ears twitched, and he handed the jumping frog to the assistant. "Keep this safe for me."

The assistant accepted the jumping frog with a baffled expression. Just as he was about to continue questioning him, Wenren Yan came down from the trailer too. The assistant promptly shut his mouth.

Wenren Yan had lived for over twenty years without ever acting before. Although he had no plans to develop a career in the entertainment industry, he was still somewhat interested in a completely new job.

What was more, this job let him act opposite Ao Qingyuan.

So, during the rehearsal, Wenren Yan was extremely serious. The two of them also had a bit of chemistry, and they actually finished a dialogue-heavy scene with long lines in one take. Even the crew, who had suffered through nonstop NGs all morning, perked up. It felt as though the morning's bad luck had finally turned around with Wenren Yan.

"As expected of someone personally recommended by Young President Yan. He's got real spark!" After the scene, the director looked at Wenren Yan and couldn't help sighing.

With Young President Yan as such a powerful backer, plus some talent and plenty of natural spark, if Wenren Yan were willing to enter the entertainment industry, he would surely become another formidable rival among the young male stars.

Wenren Yan took off the mask on his face, sweat streaming down his forehead. Ao Qingyuan sat beside him listlessly, squinting as he waited for the makeup artist to touch him up. As his makeup was being fixed, he looked at Wenren Yan enviously. "It's so nice that you don't need makeup."

Wenren Yan curled his lips and looked toward the ice cream truck parked outside the set. "Want some ice cream?"

Ao Qingyuan nodded. "This time, I want vanilla."

Wenren Yan smiled and gestured for the vendor to scoop Ao Qingyuan a vanilla ice cream, then ordered a plain one for the director as well. Ao Qingyuan took the ice cream and asked Wenren Yan in confusion, "You're not having any?"

Wenren Yan shook his head. "I don't like things with a strong milk flavor."

Oh.

Ao Qingyuan swallowed a scoop of ice cream in one bite. Expressionlessly, he thought, Fresh milk-flavored desserts are his favorite.

But after eating it, he would probably have to work out for an extra three hours at the gym that night.

Since both Ao Qingyuan and Wenren Yan were newcomers, and the day's schedule consisted of two large group scenes, the production coordinator had not arranged the call sheet too tightly. They had deliberately left plenty of time. But Wenren Yan exceeded expectations and finished in one take, while the extras who had kept causing trouble all morning barely made any mistakes. As a result, they finished the day's scheduled scenes in less than an hour. Director Chu Siming checked the time and simply called over several supporting actors who were resting at the hotel to film a few more scenes set in Nine Heavens Palace. As for the male and female leads, along with Wenren Yan, the second male lead, they could take the day off.

At the news, Ao Qingyuan, whose sweat-soaked clothes clung to his body and were ringed with salt stains from the sun, practically jumped three feet into the air. He happily rode back to the hotel in Wenren Yan's car and rushed into his room to shower. Afterward, with nothing to do, Ao Qingyuan knocked on Wenren Yan's door and asked if he wanted to play games.

This was probably the only way Ao Qingyuan had ever learned to take the initiative in socializing.

Wenren Yan didn't know how to play games. But he didn't want to reject the boy's attempt to get close to him. After thinking about it, he asked, "Do you want to go out for a walk?"

As a big boy who loved outdoor activities, Ao Qingyuan naturally didn't want to stay cooped up in the hotel every day and grow mold. But Hengdian was crowded and full of watchful eyes, and he had many fans. Going out would probably cause a crowd to gather and create congestion. It would only be more trouble.