The Relationship Had Changed Again

Si You had not acted opposite anyone in a long time, and Jiang Tingxu was the kind of person who, with only the slightest prompt, could draw someone deeper into the scene.

The lingering rush of that cathartic release surged up his spine in wave after wave, flooding his mind with a numbness that left his limbs weak.

Jiang Tingxu noticed Si You's slightly heavy breathing and gently wrapped an arm around his lower back.

He was just about to say, "It's okay now," when Xue Boyu pushed open the door.

The atmosphere turned awkward for a moment.

Si You was temporarily unable to answer Xue Boyu's question, but Jiang Tingxu replied in a low voice, "Running lines."

To Xue Boyu, that sounded like an excuse.

What kind of acting did Jiang Tingxu have? What kind did Si You have? Them running lines together was like a kindergarten kid discussing Stirling's theorem with a top student from an elite university—utter nonsense from start to finish.

Xue Boyu said, "...All right."

Si You: "..." Your tone could have been even more perfunctory.

Jiang Tingxu released Si You and simultaneously took a step back, restoring a safe distance between them.

"What did you come looking for me for?" Jiang Tingxu asked.

"Ah, Brother Fei Chang and the others asked Brother Si You to come downstairs and hang out. Also, a new task has been issued."

The locations for Spring Action tended toward old towns and farmland, with the focus on letting the guests experience life and return to basics. One could tell from the previous tasks: digging wild vegetables or selling fruit. This time, it was even more down-to-earth—they were having the guests help several farming households till their land and plant potatoes.

The conditions of these farming households were quite difficult. The young people in their families were gone, leaving behind elderly people with an average age of sixty-five. Without help, they would not be able to harvest many potatoes to eat during the winter.

By the time Si You and Jiang Tingxu came downstairs, Fei Chang was already clearing the table.

Fei Chang laughed. "Why didn't you wait until I was old before coming down?"

Si You quickly said, "Sorry. I'd accumulated some clothes to wash, and I thought it would be quick."

Xue Boyu pressed his lips together, looking a little pleased and proud. He was the only one who had brushed against the truth.

Jiang Tingxu had repeatedly stressed that they were running lines, and Xue Boyu had reluctantly believed it, but that did not stop him from shipping them.

Their transportation was still several electric tricycles borrowed by the production team, and staff members would lead them to the fields.

Same old arrangement: Si You and Xue Boyu sat in the back, while Jiang Tingxu drove.

Before getting on, Jiang Tingxu glanced at Si You. His gaze was calm and restrained.

These days, there were few things that could make Jiang Tingxu lose himself in a role. One reason was the lack of truly good scripts; another was that, unless his scene partner was a veteran actor, something was always missing. Yet just now, in that room, for one fleeting moment, Jiang Tingxu seemed to truly see Yun Si, the Sixth Prince—the beautiful, gloomy youth who desperately longed to be loved yet was painfully sensitive, who intended to offer himself to Lu Tu to achieve his goals. His robes slid from his shoulders to the floor. He still had his underpants and boots on, but Jiang Tingxu somehow seemed to see the youth's pale, slender ankles.

Through expression, dialogue, movement, and countless other elements, the acting built layer by layer, extending a certain image into the viewer's mind. It was vivid and coolly composed, yet it set the viewer's blood trembling. That was not something an ordinary actor could possess.

Something was off about Si You, Jiang Tingxu thought.

He had met several promising young actors who had graduated from professional programs, but none had this ability. Then he thought of Si You's performance in that idol drama—it was completely different from what he had just seen. Even if Si You had deliberately hidden his talent under pressure from his former company, or had turned over a new leaf and honed his skills, there was no way he could have achieved this effect in such a short time.

Indeed, the heights Jiang Tingxu had attained in this life were no less than what Si You had achieved in his previous life. Acting skill could not be polished up overnight; Si You, too, had struggled through harsh circumstances again and again.

Jiang Tingxu analyzed it calmly and suddenly felt that Si You was shrouded in mist. If he reached out and pulled hard enough, perhaps he would drag out another soul.

The thought gave Jiang Tingxu an inexplicable shudder. The front of the tricycle veered slightly and bumped over a rock.

"Ow!" Xue Boyu's butt lifted off the seat, and he lurched sideways into Si You.

"Ow..." Si You let out a second soft groan. Xue Boyu might only have been nineteen, but his frame was no joke. That collision hurt.

Jiang Tingxu immediately stopped the tricycle.

"What happened?" he asked, turning around.

Si You rubbed his shoulder and smiled. "Nothing. Boyu didn't sit properly."

Their eyes met, and that subtle sensation returned, as though a faint current had passed through their souls.

Si You had already gained a deep understanding of Jiang Tingxu's acting after watching My Way, but Jiang Tingxu's deeper understanding of Si You had come only just now.

In fact, Jiang Tingxu had released fewer works in recent years because he had begun to feel exhausted. It had nothing to do with age or experience. Rather, after reaching a realm beyond what others could imagine, he could no longer derive any pleasure from acting, the thing he loved. That was terrible for an actor serious about his craft. Yet when he had acted opposite Si You just now, flames had burst from Jiang Tingxu's chest, nearly burning both him and Lu Tu, that character, into a single mass.

A resonant note from a zither rang out in Jiang Tingxu's heart.

After seeing My Way, Si You had once plucked a string in Jiang Tingxu's direction. Jiang Tingxu had not known it, but now he vaguely heard it.

The two of them fell silent again for a long time.

Xue Boyu looked at one, then the other, and quietly reminded them, "The camera's still filming."

"Ahem." Si You coughed lightly twice and looked away first.

Jiang Tingxu gave Xue Boyu an indifferent glance.

Xue Boyu: "!" Brother, I'm doing this for your own good!

"Jiang, the Movie Emperor." A staff member jogged over. "Is there a problem?"

"No. Boyu isn't used to it yet. I'm waiting for him to adjust," Jiang Tingxu said.

Xue Boyu said, "I'm used to it now!"

So I'm taking the blame? Brother Jiang, you clearly stopped because you heard Brother Si You hiss softly.

This area had undergone development. A winding road ran upward between two mountains, then curved downward toward another place. The farmers' land had also been rearranged in a mountain hollow, most of it terraced fields following the slope. From a distance, the workload looked substantial.

Jiang Yao could not count on Zhang Jianlin at all. Gritting her teeth, she thought, I'll plow the damn two miles myself!

Si You and the others were the least worried, since they were currently first in redemption points.

The production team's rules were simple: points would be awarded according to the area of potatoes planted. The land was very dry, relying on the autumn rainy season for water. Every swing of the hoe sent dust flying, and they had to dig deeper to find even a trace of moisture.

Everyone rolled up their pant legs. Watching the yellow ox in the neighboring field work with its tail swishing, Si You sincerely asked the production team, "Don't we have one?"

The assistant director said, "No!"

[Hahaha, Si You's dreaming big. There's no way they'd provide you with tools in this situation.]

[Wuwuwu, the background is all dusty and gray, but my husband is still so handsome it makes me dizzy.]

[Um... are there really places this difficult?]

When Si You was young, his grandfather had taken him in for a while. After retiring, the old man began pursuing his old dream and lived a life of "picking chrysanthemums beneath the eastern hedge." He cleared out a patch of land in front of the courtyard to grow fruits and vegetables. Si You had wielded a hoe alongside him. He was clumsy at first, but as he did it more often, he became skilled.

An old man sat on a dirt slope smoking a pipe, squinting as he smiled. Si You was planting potatoes in his field.

Zhang Jianlin had just dug up a shovelful of dirt and nearly scattered it onto Jiang Yao. The viewers cursed at the sight, but when they turned around and saw Si You moving smoothly and unhurriedly, Zhang Jianlin could not help becoming anxious.

Things had developed in a way that had exceeded everyone's expectations. It was as if Si You had grown radar all over his body, always able to dodge a little whenever a crisis came.

Once Zhang Jianlin's sense of imbalance rose up, he had trouble controlling it. "Si You, I heard you came from Dust Creek Mountain. No wonder you're so skilled at this kind of work."

The Dust Creek Mountain area was famously barren and poor. The young people had all left, leaving only the elderly and children behind. Forests stretched in every direction, and towering mountains blocked their view of the outside world. By the time many cities had developed mature infrastructure, they had only just gotten electricity.

No matter how much this world progressed, there would always be places technology could not reach. But that did not mean civilization had regressed. It was more a kind of unadorned authenticity exuded by the land itself.

The original owner had always avoided discussing this topic, feeling it was a stain on him. But Si You did not mind. "Yes, I've farmed before."

People might scatter in all directions, but they could not forget their roots. Si You did not think coming from the mountains was anything shameful. A lack of knowledge could be remedied, lost money could be earned back, and the meaning of life lay in constant learning. The difficult thing was maintaining peace and open-mindedness, not standing somewhere anyone could reach and looking down on those who came later.

Si You's tone was frank, leaving Zhang Jianlin unsure how to continue.

[Sure enough, sincerity is always the ultimate move.]

[Exactly. How nice it is to admit it so openly. Before, he kept hiding it and even lied about where he was from. It was pretty pointless.]

[I'm really starting to like Si You now.]

[Am I the only one who thinks Zhang Jianlin is such a jerk?]

After being baked by the sun and then hit by the wind, Si You began coughing again. Jiang Tingxu told him to rest for a while by the edge of the field.

In the past, Si You would certainly have refused several times, but his relationship with Jiang Tingxu... seemed to be different now.

Si You did not refuse and sat beside the old man.

"Do you only eat potatoes?" Si You asked.

The old man pointed at his ears and shook his head. "Can't... can't hear clearly."

Si You pointed at the field and raised his voice. "DO YOU ONLY EAT POTATOES?!"

The old man continued shaking his head. "There are peach trees. We sell peaches, trade them for rice, trade them for money."

"Where are your children?"

The old man only smiled.

The wind had chilled Si You to the bone, and his throat itched terribly. The sickness lingering in his body had built up for a long time without breaking out. Given the chance, it immediately had to trouble him a little.

The next second, a jacket was draped over him.

Si You looked up and saw Jiang Tingxu frowning slightly. "Put it on."

It carried a faint scent of pine. It smelled quite nice.

Si You pulled it tighter around himself. "Mm, thank you."

Then the man pressed the back of his hand to Si You's forehead. Jiang Tingxu said softly, "You're fine. No fever."

Everyone: "..."

Xu Ke thought that, as expected of the Movie Emperor. The way they fed people sugar was more effective than him being glued to Fei Chang every day—it sweetened everyone up in an instant.