Playing a Scene

Si You's explanation coincided with what some netizens were saying. "I came to borrow a computer."

It was perfectly reasonable. After all, he had just finished his livestream.

But honestly... that wasn't important.

What mattered was that he and Jiang Tingxu were in the same room. That alone was material.

The production team kept up with current trends. Quite a few people online were secretly shipping the "Jiang-Si" CP now. The cameraman heard the director's instructions through his earpiece, cleared his throat, and asked, "Movie Emperor Jiang, are you willing to lend your computer to Si You because you think your partner is pretty good?"

Si You watched coldly from the side, thinking, Keep digging. Dig deeper. Are you people afraid I won't die fast enough?

Jiang Tingxu shot him a glance.

The cameraman felt a little intimidated.

"Si You and I are a CP," Jiang Tingxu said. "I don't think there's much point to that question."

[Another day of the production team being inhumane. Are they targeting Si You, or dragging our Movie Emperor into this?]

[Jiang Tingxu won't put up with that.]

The production team spoke up again. The cameraman braced himself and said, "It seems Movie Emperor Jiang is very satisfied with Si You."

So they were forcing the pairing? Ginger Powder fans picked up their keyboards...

"Yes, very satisfied," Jiang Tingxu said.

The Ginger Powder fans sat back down again.

After countless fan wars and rounds of filtering, the Ginger Powder fans who remained were a particularly distinctive bunch in the entertainment industry. They never interfered with any of Jiang Tingxu's choices. Asked why, their answer was unconditional support. Jiang Tingxu was responsible toward himself, his team, and even his fans. Much of the mud thrown at him had later been proven, with time, to be completely fabricated. As a result, in an industry so filthy that truth and falsehood were hard to distinguish, as long as Jiang Tingxu nodded, the Ginger Powder fans would simply follow him.

"Si You has performed very well this season. I think everyone can see that," Jiang Tingxu said mildly. "So there's no need to drag controversial topics onto us." He was tall and slender, and when he looked at the cameraman, his eyes were lowered, creating an invisible sense of pressure. "Any more questions?"

The production team told them to wrap up. If they kept pushing, the Ginger Powder fans might start sending their regards to the show.

With Jiang Tingxu blocking for him, Si You breathed a sigh of relief. To show his gratitude, he sat at the dining table and peeled half a sweet potato for Jiang Tingxu.

Si You had noticed long ago that Jiang Tingxu liked sweet potatoes but hated their skins. Since boiled sweet potatoes were difficult to peel, Jiang Tingxu was usually too lazy to bother and would just look at them.

Si You had plenty of patience. By the time Jiang Tingxu came downstairs after drying his hair, Si You had just finished peeling it. He placed it directly on the empty plate in front of the man. "Eat."

[??? Wait! Song Yalin and Shao Ancheng next door haven't even gotten this far. What are you two doing?!]

Jiang Tingxu glanced over. Si You's fingers were long and clean, and he was slowly wiping them with a tissue. Jiang Tingxu generally disliked anyone else touching food that went into his mouth, but this half sweet potato had been peeled so exquisitely that there was not a single dent in it. Smooth and tender yellow, it looked perfect. Jiang Tingxu picked it up and took a bite. It was fragrant and sweet.

"Brother Jiang, Brother Si You." Xue Boyu had slipped away while Jiang Tingxu was answering the cameraman's question. He had gone back to his room to admire what he had filmed for a while, only arriving late now.

Si You waited until Xue Boyu sat down before asking, "What were you filming us for just now?"

Xue Boyu said, "Nothing... I just thought you two looked good in the same frame."

"You're a looks addict?"

Xue Boyu said, "More or less."

Si You had known a few extreme looks addicts in his previous life, so he understood them somewhat. He assumed Xue Boyu was the same type and did not think in the direction of shipping a CP at all.

It was still early after dinner, and Fei Chang suggested playing cards. Jiang Tingxu politely declined. "I have something to do. You guys have fun."

Si You stood up as well. "I'll go upstairs and make up the bed."

"Sure." Fei Chang was big-hearted. "Then hurry up. I'll save you a spot."

Si You answered, but the moment he and Jiang Tingxu moved, the cameraman moved too. Jiang Tingxu found it amusing. "Didn't we agree that the guests' wishes would be respected inside the rooms, and that you wouldn't film freely?"

Jiang Tingxu had always valued privacy. Hearing that, the cameraman did not follow them again.

Once they reached the second floor, Si You lowered his voice. "Movie Emperor Jiang, why don't I just go back to my own room..."

"Scared?" Jiang Tingxu asked.

"No." Si You found it troublesome, but he was not afraid. Besides, he was the one benefiting from Jiang Tingxu in this matter. He was mainly worried about bringing Jiang Tingxu negative consequences.

"I'm not scared either," Jiang Tingxu said. "Your room isn't fit to live in right now. I asked the staff earlier, and they really can't clear out another room. Make do in mine for a few days. Once the weather clears, you can move back."

Si You truly could not refuse that big bed. He answered quietly, "All right. Thank you, Movie Emperor."

Jiang Tingxu looked sideways and could see Si You's obedient, long eyelashes. This man had an extremely deceptive face—exquisite and naturally likable. Before, he had used it poorly, wearing what seemed like three pounds of makeup on his face and acting affected, completely ruining his reputation. Jiang Tingxu did not know whether Si You had finally come to his senses or what, but in any case, he had been reborn. Jiang Tingxu had never told anyone that he really liked the wildness Si You showed during livestreams, the way he feared nothing and would even fight ghosts without hesitation.

Si You returned to his room and tidied up the crude sofa bed. Then he gathered a few clean clothes. When he opened the door, he warily scanned the hallway. Only after confirming that no one was there did he knock on Jiang Tingxu's door.

"Come in." Jiang Tingxu had not shut it all the way.

More than half the wardrobe was empty. Si You picked a corner and hung up his clothes. When he turned around, he found Jiang Tingxu slowly scrolling through an iPad. He casually asked, "What are you looking at?"

Jiang Tingxu did not hide it. "A script."

The moment Si You heard that, his feet seemed nailed to the floor.

If Si You had been given another chance, he definitely would have read more scripts in his previous life. Now, let alone getting a good script, even landing an acting job was extremely difficult.

Jiang Tingxu seemed to sense something and looked up. "What's wrong?"

Si You knew it was rude to say this, but he could not stop himself. "Can I... take a look?"

Jiang Tingxu was somewhat surprised.

Si You hurriedly said, "It's fine! I was just asking."

Jiang Tingxu thought for a moment and extended the iPad toward him. "You can, but you have to keep the content confidential."

Every accommodation Jiang Tingxu offered was also a silent test.

Si You took it as though he had obtained a treasure.

The expression on his face could not have been faked. It gave Jiang Tingxu the impression that Si You actually loved acting, but the truth was that Si You had only filmed one idol drama after first becoming popular. He had gotten the role of the gentle second male lead. Out of curiosity, Jiang Tingxu had clicked into it, then exited in less than three seconds. The lines were awful, the expressions were awful, and the acting was worse than awful.

So seeing that kind of emotion on Si You was, in a sense, "unscientific."

After roughly flipping through three pages, Si You began to understand.

It had an ancient setting, and what he was reading was a scene between the male lead and the fourth male lead.

The male lead was Lu Tu, Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince. He had ranked first in all three levels of the imperial examinations and was one of Qiyun Kingdom's greatest talents in a century. Yet the kingdom's fortunes had turned ominous, decline was beginning to show, small neighboring states were stirring restlessly, powerful nobles within the court were colluding with one another, and a flood had left the people destitute. Amid all this, Lu Tu exhausted himself as he maneuvered through every crisis, eventually restoring an age of peace and prosperity.

It leaned toward the style of a serious historical drama, carrying a weighty sense of history.

The script was also titled Journey.

The fourth male lead was the sixth prince of Qiyun Kingdom. His birth mother had been a lowly palace maid who died of hemorrhaging on the day she gave birth. The sixth prince was then taken in and raised by Noble Consort Lan. But Noble Consort Lan already had a son of her own and paid little attention to the sixth prince. Because of his birth mother's death, she believed he carried a fate that brought harm to his relatives, so she never grew close to him. The sixth prince struggled to grow up amid the oppression of palace servants and the discrimination of the other princes. When he was fourteen, Junior Tutor Lu Tu rescued him in the snow after the crown prince deliberately made things difficult for him.

From then on, the sixth prince held the junior tutor in the highest respect. He also tasted the power of authority, later entering the struggle for the throne and walking farther and farther down a crooked path. The two went from being part teacher and part friend to severing their bond and facing each other with swords drawn.

It was clear that the screenwriter had real skill. The logic between every word and line could withstand scrutiny, and the descriptions were bold.

"If I'm not mistaken..." Si You said softly, "the sixth prince has feelings of admiration for the junior tutor, doesn't he?"

Jiang Tingxu raised his brows slightly, not expecting Si You to notice that. "Yes."

"You must be the male lead," Si You said. "Has the fourth male lead been decided?"

"No." Jiang Tingxu shook his head. "The script was only just finished. The director is still selecting."

Si You pursed his lips as a bold idea surfaced in his mind.

"Movie Emperor," Si You asked, "can I act out a scene with you?"

Jiang Tingxu said, "...Which scene?"

Si You pointed at random. "This one."

Jiang Tingxu took back the iPad. After seeing it clearly, his expression became unreadable. "Are you sure?"

Si You did not answer.

Jiang Tingxu thought he was merely joking around. Yet the next second, a low, smiling voice sounded in the room. "The Junior Tutor wants to uncover the truth behind the Lin City flood. You want to know why a Transport Commissioner suddenly died, and even more, where all the disaster relief silver went. But you and I both know there are very few people capable of accomplishing such a thing right under the imperial family's nose. I'll help you, Junior Tutor. How about it?"

The visitor's tone was casual, carrying a hint of deliberate ease. Yet the nervousness and unease hidden beneath it did not escape Lu Tu's notice.

The lines were clear, and the control over the emotions between each word instantly stirred Jiang Tingxu's nerves.

His gaze darkened again and again before finally settling into calm gentleness.

Lu Tu held the world in his heart, was exceptionally intelligent, and was also a gentleman.

Jiang Tingxu only needed to immerse himself slightly to interpret that temperament perfectly.

"Does the sixth prince know what he is saying?"

"Of course." The sixth prince, Yun Si, smiled faintly. Though his birth mother had been of humble status, she had once caught the emperor's eye. Her beauty had been anything but ordinary, and Yun Si had inherited ninety-nine percent of it. The reason the crown prince bullied and humiliated him was because he wanted to see a pear blossom drenched in rain on Yun Si's face.

As the two immersed themselves in their roles, everything around them gradually changed. It was late at night, in a study, candle shadows swaying and making Yun Si's beauty seem otherworldly.

Lu Tu asked softly, "What does the sixth prince want?"

"To be honest, I'm investigating the truth behind my mother's death. For that, I need a small piece of leverage against Consort Ning's elder brother."

The moment Lu Tu heard this, he knew there were hidden circumstances surrounding that year's events. But... he sighed. The court was full of treacherous currents. Consort Ning had a son and a daughter, was deeply favored, and her maternal family had extensive ties with the three great noble houses. Yun Si had no leverage at all. Once he became involved, his chances of survival would likely be slim.

"Forget it," Lu Tu said. "It's late. I'll have someone escort—"

He suddenly fell silent.

Si You made a motion of loosening his clothes and removing his outer robe. His gaze was focused, yet seemed soaked in mist. Invisible threads tightened around the neck in the air, as though something damp and sticky had unfurled toward them.

Yun Si truly had no backing, but he had known since childhood that this face of his drew affection and envy alike. That counted as leverage too, did it not?

Everyone liked him. What about Lu Tu? Did he like him?

Thinking this, Yun Si pressed his lips together and smiled softly. He had not possessed much in this life, but if it was for Lu Tu...

"Sixth Prince." Lu Tu picked up the fallen outer robe from the floor and draped it over Yun Si's shoulders again. "I have taught you that only when a person first loves himself can he earn the respect of others and find peace in his heart and soul. You need not do this. This is not leverage."

All traces of tenderness were shattered in an instant. At last, several hints of embarrassment and anger appeared on Yun Si's face, and even his voice trembled unconsciously. "You think I'm lowly too, don't you?"

How childish, Lu Tu thought. He gently hugged Yun Si and sighed. "This subject has never thought so."

Lu Tu was a gentleman beneath the pines, unwavering in temperament, with a heart of jade that endured endless polishing.

It is I who am despicable, Yun Si thought.

The scene ended there, but the two maintained their embrace. Both were immersed in their emotions and did not separate.

"Brother Jiang!" Seeing that the door was not closed and that a new task had been issued, Xue Boyu got excited and pushed the door open without thinking.

Si You jolted awake as if from a dream!

Xue Boyu said, "..."

Uh...

Well...

Hehe!

Xue Boyu suppressed the corners of his mouth and asked quietly, "What are you two doing?"

Si You said, "..."

Jiang Tingxu said, "..."