He just loves spoiling me

Later, Ye Qing heard that the You Family couple really had divorced. The most bizarre part was that, since the nanny and the driver had both been deceived, those two ended up getting together.

He had to marvel at what a tangled mess the whole affair had become.

But none of that had anything to do with Ye Qing anymore, because he had joined the production.

On the day filming began, he saw not only Gu Ze, but Xie Quan as well.

Xie Quan held much the same status in the industry as Gu Ze, except that Gu Ze always ranked ahead of him whenever awards were decided. Everyone assumed they were on bad terms, but watching them stand together, Ye Qing thought their relationship looked perfectly fine.

Sure enough, you can't trust rumors in this industry.

Gu Ze had no idea what had popped into Ye Qing's head this time. He walked over with Xie Quan to greet him.

Xie Quan smiled, his voice warm and gentle. "Hello. You must be the one playing my younger brother."

"Hello, Mr. Xie." Indeed, Ye Qing played Xie Quan's younger brother in the drama.

"My little brother certainly is handsome."

"You flatter me, Mr. Xie."

Xie Quan and Gu Ze were both gentle by nature, but their gentleness was very different. Gu Ze was gentle only with people he accepted, whereas Xie Quan treated everyone that way.

Ye Qing knew Gu Ze would be in this drama, but he still had no idea which character he was playing.

It wasn't until after the opening ceremony, when Ye Qing saw the production's Weibo post, that he found out.

Filming for "Darkness of Dawn" has officially begun! Welcome Lu Yan @Gu Ze, Li Jia @Tong Ru, Mo Feng @Xie Quan, and Mo Hua @Ye Qing. Stay tuned, everyone!

As soon as the announcement went up, fans of all the actors flocked over, most of them delighted that their idols were finally filming another drama.

But some people noticed Ye Qing, too.

"Wow, this guy is so handsome! How come I've never seen him before? Did he just debut?"

Some of Ye Qing's fans explained in the comments.

"No, our Qingqing debuted a while ago. If you like him, go check him out!"

Others were interested in the plot. "I wonder what this drama is about?"

"Don't worry. If Gu Entertainment is producing it, it's bound to be good. And it's an original script, too! I'm even more excited now."

Naturally, there were haters as well. "With a lineup like this, how did Ye Qing get in?"

Ye Qing himself felt incredibly lucky to be part of it. So many of the cast were big names in the industry with excellent acting skills.

Li Jia was the female lead, though the actress playing her hadn't arrived that day. The director was also one of the country's best.

Ye Qing was genuinely thrilled to act opposite people like them. He would definitely give it his all.

The director had even apologized to him earlier over the incident with that producer, blaming himself for having trusted the man too much.

Ye Qing knew he couldn't blame the director. After all, you could know someone's face without knowing their heart. Besides, the fact that the director was willing to apologize to a minor actor like him was enough for Ye Qing.

It was the first day of filming, and the first scene had to be completed in a single take as a good omen for the rest of the production.

Since they were filming a scene between Gu Ze and Xie Quan, Ye Qing grabbed a little stool and watched from the sidelines.

Even after the two finished their scene, Ye Qing remained spellbound for a long time. He had always thought his acting was pretty good, but their performances made him realize how much he still lacked.

The moment they finished, Ye Qing darted over to them, his eyes sparkling. "Wow, Brother Gu, you were amazing! I was completely mesmerized."

He had known Gu Ze was a brilliant actor, but he'd never truly experienced it before. Only now, watching him perform in person, did he understand just how good he was.

Gu Ze had received plenty of praise before, but Ye Qing's compliment made him especially happy.

Watching them from the side, Xie Quan spoke up helplessly. "Little brother, you're supposed to be my brother. Why are you praising someone else? You've hurt my feelings."

Naturally, Xie Quan was referring to their roles in the drama. "You were amazing too, big brother."

"No, it's too late now. I don't need it anymore."

Gu Ze couldn't stand watching this any longer. "What do you mean, your brother? He's my little brother too."

"What's wrong with my little brother praising me?"

"Oh, so you're getting carried away now, Gu Ze?"

Watching the two bicker, Ye Qing once again marveled at how unreliable rumors were.

But then he noticed someone staring at him. When he looked over, he realized it was Yu Hang, a young star who was currently riding a wave of popularity.

Wanting to get along with everyone, Ye Qing took the initiative and smiled at him. To his surprise, the man tipped his chin up and walked away.

Ye Qing was furious. What kind of attitude was that?

Look at him sticking his chin up. His neck isn't even long. Is he afraid people won't notice how short and stubby it is?

Does he think he's a swan or something?

Hahaha, now that's hilarious.

Gu Ze thought, Sometimes these thoughts really do come out of nowhere.

Still, Ye Qing was a little puzzled by Yu Hang's attitude toward him, so he asked his assistant as soon as he had a moment.

"You didn't know, Brother Ye? You auditioned for the same role. He didn't get it, so he settled for another one."

"Weren't the auditions supposed to be confidential? How would I know?"

"Sister Li found out afterward and specifically told me. People in the industry say he's not a very nice person, so you should be careful, Brother Ye."

Ye Qing summed it up. "So he just wasn't good enough? And he still has the nerve to treat me like that?"

His young assistant said, "Some people just don't make any sense."

"So basically, he's not a good person?"

"Uh, you could say that."

"All right, got it."

But sometimes, even when you didn't go looking for trouble, trouble came looking for you.

That evening, someone cornered Ye Qing in the restroom. Yu Hang looked him up and down.

"You're not even that good-looking. How did you get in?"

Ye Qing wasn't the type to take insults lying down. "Sure, but at least I'm better than you and your face full of pimples."

Whatever else might be true, his face certainly had no pimples.

Yu Hang looked at Ye Qing's face and grew even angrier. "Hmph. Who knows what shady tricks you used to get in?"

"I'm telling you, I've seen plenty of people like you. If you know what's good for you, leave the production right now. Otherwise, don't blame me for getting nasty."

"Oh? And how exactly are you going to get nasty?"

Yu Hang raised his chin again. "I'm telling you, you can't afford to cross me. You'd better hand the role over to me."

"But the penalty for breaking my contract..."

"I'll pay it for you." Yu Hang smiled. He'd known these minor celebrities were easy to intimidate. A few words and they gave in.

"Well, that's just..." Ye Qing drew out the words. "Wishful thinking."

"Who do you think you are, threatening me?"

"You think I'm scared of threats? Take a good look at yourself. You say I'm nothing special, but have you looked in a mirror?"

"Y-you think you can do whatever you want just because you've latched on to Emperor Gu? Sooner or later—maybe sooner than you think—he'll stop paying attention to you."

God only knew how jealous he'd been that day when he'd seen Ye Qing chatting with Gu Ze. He'd desperately wished he could be the one standing there.

That was why he wanted Ye Qing gone. Maybe then he would be next.

"Wow, what a shame for you. Emperor Gu just loves spoiling me."

"That's right, I'm riding on his coattails."

"He just likes me. He just loves spoiling me. What can I do? It's such a sweet burden." Ye Qing was infuriating enough to drive someone to an early grave.

"Y-you... I'll be waiting for the day Emperor Gu throws you aside." He wanted to see whether Ye Qing could still be so arrogant then.

"Don't worry. That day will never come." Ye Qing hadn't spoken. The voice belonged to a third person.