September Brings Chilly Weather (Monthly Votes, Please)

But there was no time for pleasantries.

The others rushed over and surrounded them, especially Huang Xiaoming, asking if he was all right.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Huang Xiaoming's manager, Zhou Siwei, had nearly been scared out of his wits.

He was probably the person there who cared most about Huang Xiaoming. The moment he saw the crazed horse fling Huang Xiaoming off, he forgot to breathe.

He had been close enough to want to rush over and break the fall.

But his legs refused to move.

"I'm fine, thanks to Shen Qi..."

Huang Xiaoming looked toward Shen Qi again.

The stunt team had already lifted Shen Qi up and were getting ready to toss him into the air.

The fact that Huang Xiaoming was unhurt came as a huge relief to everyone.

Shen Qi, the man who deserved the most credit, had become the crew's hero.

"Fuck, don't throw me! I might puke all over you!"

Shen Qi hurriedly struggled.

I've already carried one man bridal-style today. If you guys lift me up and toss me around too, I'm going to have nightmares.

"Holy shit, you were incredible!" Laughing, Shi Feng came to his rescue and pressed his shoulder until his feet touched the ground. "What were you thinking back then?"

"I didn't have time to think. One second of hesitation would've been too late." Shen Qi still looked shaken. "I'm just glad Xiaoming's okay."

"Haha, I knew I was right about you. A golden-scaled dragon was never meant to stay in a pond..."

The more Shi Feng looked at Shen Qi, the more convinced he became that the kid was destined for greatness.

Now Shen Qi was not only the crew's savior, but Huang Xiaoming's as well.

The only pity was that he hadn't saved Liu Yifei.

If Little Dragon Maiden had fallen from the horse and Yin Zhiping had caught her bridal-style, then spun around with her on the spot, that image... It would have been absolutely outrageous.

It was the one regret in an otherwise fortunate turn of events.

"You're Shen Qi, right? Thank you for what you did."

After making sure Huang Xiaoming was all right, director Yu Min remembered to come thank Shen Qi too.

"You're too kind, Director. Anyone would've done the same..."

Shen Qi waved it off at once.

Even Zhang Jizhong, who had been somewhat displeased with Shen Qi, now wanted to hug him and plant a couple of kisses on him through his big beard.

He had disliked Shen Qi because Shen Qi had taken money he considered his.

He had arranged for Shen Qi to act in Migrant Workers. Anyone who knew how things worked would have declined a paycheck from that production.

But Shen Qi had brazenly taken five thousand yuan anyway.

Damn it. Even Huang Xiaoming pays his dues, but this kid clings to every cent and won't cough up a thing.

The contract had been there in black and white, though, so Zhang Jizhong could do nothing about it.

He couldn't exactly recast the role, could he?

If he did, the kid would still have played the second male lead while getting out of playing Yin Zhiping. That might end up doing him a favor.

He never could have imagined Shen Qi would prove so useful at the crucial moment.

That little grudge had long since vanished.

Now he had a headache over how to reward Shen Qi. A team had to reward and punish fairly if it wanted everyone's respect.

If Shen Qi saved the male lead and got nothing for it,

then the next time an actor was in danger, no one would be willing to help.

An ordinary crew member could be satisfied with a red envelope containing two thousand yuan.

But Shen Qi wasn't an ordinary crew member.

He was a supporting actor.

Did that mean they needed to give him more scenes?

How the hell were they supposed to work those in?

Surely they couldn't have the Quanzhen Sect and the Ancient Tomb Sect marry into each other again. That would finally settle the regrets between the two sects.

The Guo and Yang families could fulfill their ancestors' agreement too.

Fuck, this is The Return of the Condor Heroes, not The Return of the Miraculous Couple.

If he dared change it like that, Zhang Jizhong doubted he would live to see the series finish airing.

That old devil Jin Yong would come after him with a knife, too.

If Shen Qi knew what Zhang Jizhong was thinking, he would have shouted, Just give me a red envelope!

What good would more scenes for Yin Zhiping do?

Have him do it twice?

While the crew worried about that, Huang Xiaoming was even more troubled.

With an actor nearly hurt, the crew had called it a day.

Sitting in the car, he still felt a lingering chill.

"Tell me... if Shen Qi hadn't caught me, how badly would I have been hurt?"

"You definitely would've been injured. I just don't know how badly."

Zhou Siwei answered without hesitation.

He had seen it clearly.

When Huang Xiaoming fell, he had protected his head and face as best he could. But from that height and at that speed, there was no way he would have escaped without a scratch.

If he had landed at the wrong angle, he could have suffered a concussion or broken bones.

"Man, I really have to thank him properly. But how?"

Through the car window, Huang Xiaoming could see Shen Qi helping the props team pack up.

Quite a few people were gathered around him.

They would probably go out for dinner together that night.

It wasn't that Huang Xiaoming was unwilling to buy Shen Qi a meal. He just felt a meal wouldn't come close to repaying the favor.

"I noticed he doesn't even have a folding chair. He sits on an apple box when he takes a break... Why don't we get him a nice chair?" Zhou Siwei suggested.

For an actor, a folding chair was essential.

You could do without a car; the production would arrange one for you. But you had to have your own chair.

Because you couldn't just sit in someone else's.

"That's too small a gift, and it's something he'd use every day. Do we have any work we could put his name forward for?"

Huang Xiaoming rejected the chair idea.

Shen Qi had saved him by catching him bridal-style. Giving him a chair he would use every day on top of that would make it all too easy for people to get the wrong idea.

"We don't have anything especially good. Your roles overlap somewhat, and you might become rivals in the future."

Zhou Siwei wasn't keen on offering him work.

A small role wouldn't seem sincere.

A major role wasn't something you could simply hand over.

Huang Xiaoming wasn't yet in a position to dictate casting decisions.

If they really gave Shen Qi the chance to star in a breakout hit that would otherwise have gone to Huang Xiaoming, and Shen Qi became famous throughout the entertainment industry while Huang Xiaoming lost his own lucky break, that would be a joke.

As the saying went, "Refuse what heaven offers, and you'll suffer for it."

Gratitude was one thing. Giving away his good fortune was another.

"Then what do you think about giving him a car?"

An idea suddenly struck Huang Xiaoming.

Shen Qi clearly didn't have much money. He didn't even have an assistant, much less a car.

"That's too expensive, and it's a personal gift."

Zhou Siwei winced at the thought of Huang Xiaoming spending that much.

"But I can't just do nothing!"

Huang Xiaoming scratched his head.

Only when they arrived did they discover that Shen Qi wasn't staying alone.

Shi Feng from the stunt team was there too.

Drunk, Shi Feng lay on the bed and wailed,

"September's here, the weather's cool! A bachelor's got one bed all to himself! Life's so hard without a wife, my brothers! I think and think, and it makes me sad, oh, hey, yo..."

"Fuck, he can't hold his liquor. Did you need something, Xiaoming?"

Shen Qi knew perfectly well why he had come.

Chen Xin, the head of the props team, had treated everyone to roast yak that day.

The spooked horse had nearly caused a disaster, and Chen Xin was the one directly responsible.

If Shen Qi hadn't stepped in, Chen Xin would have been in serious trouble over this job. Whether he could find work next time would have been anyone's guess.

If Huang Xiaoming had fallen to his death, Chen Xin's career would have been over.

Of course he had to buy Shen Qi dinner.

He had also brought along several junior crew leads, including Shi Feng, who shared a room with Shen Qi.

Shen Qi hadn't refused.

Given his family's circumstances, he had no chance of taking the so-called "upper-class route" unless he sold his body.

The props team, camera crew, lighting crew, stunt team...

These people were valuable connections through and through.

Everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, and both hosts and guests had enjoyed themselves.

Despite everyone urging Shen Qi to drink, he hadn't gotten drunk. Shi Feng, on the other hand, was completely plastered.

Shen Qi had already heard plenty of his drunken rambling.

Besides singing, Shi Feng had muttered nonsense about "uniformed instructors," "heroes saving beauties," and "getting close by virtue of an E-cup."

Shen Qi could only marvel.

Who knew this guy, who looks so respectable, has a head full of dirty thoughts?

With Shi Feng in the room, Shen Qi went with Huang Xiaoming to the café on the second floor.

"Xiaoming, you've already thanked me. Don't dwell on it."

The benefits of saving him were already beginning to show.

The crew was grateful, and Huang Xiaoming remembered the favor.

"You saved my life. How could a couple of words settle that?"

Huang Xiaoming shook his head firmly.

"It wasn't anything like that. Even if I hadn't caught you, you'd only have taken a tumble..."

The more Shen Qi played it down, the more admirable his character seemed.

Especially since he was holding his coffee with his left hand, which he clearly wasn't used to using.

That little detail said it all!

Clearly, catching someone flying through the air hadn't been easy.

"Shen Qi, from now on, you're my brother! Anyone who gives you trouble gives me trouble. How about I give you a car as a welcome gift?"

Huang Xiaoming sounded more determined than ever.

Originally, he had intended to settle the debt with a car.

But now he felt that someone like Shen Qi was well worth befriending.

"Now you're looking down on me!"

Shen Qi sighed inwardly.

If you'd sincerely offered me a car, I'd have reluctantly accepted.

But you had to say you wanted us to be brothers.

We're brothers now, damn it.

How could I possibly take a car from you?

I can't accept it!