Getting even

Hearing this and seeing how unusually serious Shen Zeyu looked, Bai Yi panicked and hurriedly said, "Of course I do! How could I not think of you as a friend?"

Shen Zeyu asked angrily, "If you think of me as a friend, why didn't you tell me the truth about coming here to work as a double? If you think of me as a friend, why didn't you just tell me that having me stay at your place for those few days was causing you trouble?"

Bai Yi lowered his head. "So you found out."

"Found out what? That I kept you from doing your part-time work? That I went all this time like an idiot before finally catching on? That you came here because of me?"

Shen Zeyu had only realized it that day. Bai Yi was so strapped for cash—how could he possibly spend all day sitting at home after falling out with his agency? And since Bai Yi hadn't dared to look at him when they spoke that day, he had realized this filming job might not be an ordinary one either.

So after telling Lu Yu that he had something to do and wouldn't be back that day, he had secretly followed Bai Yi the whole way. Getting into the production set had taken some effort, though, which was why he had arrived a little later.

Hearing Shen Zeyu call himself an idiot made Bai Yi even more anxious. "No, you didn't keep me from my part-time work. My last job had just happened to end around then. And I came here of my own free will. It had nothing to do with you."

Shen Zeyu shouted, "How could it have nothing to do with me? If I hadn't kept you from finding another part-time job, why would you have come here and let people bully you?"

People spoke in anger without considering whether their words would hurt someone, and Shen Zeyu's words struck Bai Yi right where it hurt.

Bai Yi lost his temper too. "Yes, you're right. I'm always the one getting bullied." Whether it was that incident at the bar or this one, he was always the one being bullied.

Hearing Bai Yi say that, Shen Zeyu was momentarily at a loss. "That's not what I meant. I meant that if you need money, you can tell me. I can lend it to you."

"But Zeyu, you can lend me money for a while. Can you lend it to me for the rest of my life? You know I need a lot of money. Once I borrow from you, our relationship might not be this uncomplicated anymore. That debt would weigh on me like a mountain, until I couldn't breathe. It would only make the gap between us grow wider." Bai Yi crouched down and held his head in both hands, his voice carrying a faint tremor of tears.

"But Bai Yi, aren't we friends?" Shen Zeyu didn't quite understand. To him, friends didn't need to worry about all these things.

Bai Yi's muffled voice reached him. "But I also want our friendship to stay free of those complications. I can work hard and earn money myself."

Shen Zeyu fell silent. He had never lacked money since transmigrating here, and somehow that had made him forget that he, too, had once worked desperately to earn money, just like Bai Yi did now.

In the end, he simply hadn't understood Bai Yi well enough.

Shen Zeyu sighed softly. "I haven't been considerate enough, and I haven't understood you. But Bai Yi, I also hope you can trust me, trust our friendship, and let me help you."

Bai Yi thought, It's not that I don't trust you. I just can't get past my own pride.

After Shen Zeyu led Bai Yi inside, Lu Cizhou ordered his people to surround the set and prevent anyone from leaving.

The sight made Li Wei panic, but when he thought of the man backing him, he stepped forward to confront Lu Cizhou. "Who are you? How dare you interfere in my business?"

Lu Cizhou never bothered with people like him. If Shen Zeyu hadn't said the matter wasn't settled yet and no one could leave, he wouldn't even have wanted to get involved.

Seeing Lu Cizhou ignore him, Li Wei grew furious again. "I'm warning you. I can make you pay for this."

At that, Lu Cizhou finally lifted his eyes to glance at him, while Mo Chen, standing nearby, gave Li Wei a thumbs-up. Brave man. He had never seen anyone dare speak to Lu Cizhou like that.

Just as Li Wei was about to say something else, his assistant hurried over with a phone. "Li Wei, General Manager Zhang wants to speak to you."

Seeing his assistant's expression, Li Wei had a bad feeling. Sure enough, he had barely uttered a word before General Manager Zhang launched into a tirade. "You useless idiot! Of all the people you could have crossed, you had to pick Lu Cizhou! Are you trying to get me killed? Let me tell you, whatever we had ends today."

"General Manager Zhang, wait." Before Li Wei could finish, the other man hung up.

Li Wei immediately panicked, all his earlier arrogance vanishing. He didn't know who Lu Cizhou was, but he knew that anyone who could make General Manager Zhang wary was definitely not someone he could afford to offend.

Li Wei hurriedly addressed Lu Cizhou in a servile tone. "I'm sorry, Mr. Lu. I failed to recognize who I was dealing with. Please be magnanimous and don't hold this against me."

Only then did Lu Cizhou speak for the first time. "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to. Wait."

Hearing that, Li Wei couldn't help thinking, Who could have known Bai Yi knew someone so powerful? If I could turn back time, I would never have deliberately made him go into the water.

No matter how much Li Wei regretted it now, he couldn't change the fact that he had deliberately bullied Bai Yi.

After an unknown length of time, Bai Yi and Shen Zeyu came out one after the other, neither looking particularly happy.

Seeing them emerge, Li Wei strode over to Shen Zeyu and Bai Yi and apologized loudly. "I'm sorry, Bai Yi. I don't know what got into me. I shouldn't have deliberately messed with you."

Having never encountered anything like this before, Bai Yi didn't know how to handle it. He turned to look at Shen Zeyu, but Shen Zeyu deliberately averted his gaze.

Bai Yi thought for a moment. "Since you deliberately messed with me, you can have a taste of your own medicine."

After a moment's thought, Li Wei understood that Bai Yi wanted him to go into the water too. He gritted his teeth and agreed. As long as they let the matter go, he would do it.

And so, the entire crew watched Li Wei jump into the water over and over in his shirt. Only after he had endured the same as Bai Yi did he nervously climb out and approach him. "Is that enough?"

"Yes."

Li Wei was delighted. "Then, as for what happened between us..."

Before he could finish, Shen Zeyu spoke up. "Wait. I'm not done with you."

"W-weren't you here to get even for him? He already said that was enough."

"I am here to get even for him. He thinks that's enough, but I don't agree. Didn't you insult me just now too?"

"Then what do you want?" Me and my big mouth, Li Wei cursed inwardly.

"It's simple. Leave this production, and from now on, wherever Bai Yi is, stay well away from him."

Hearing such a simple demand, Li Wei immediately agreed.

Even if he lost this role, he could find another production. As for Bai Yi, he was a nobody. There was no way they would cross paths again.

But it never occurred to him that with a friend like this, Bai Yi could hardly remain a nobody.

Besides, after he had offended Lu Cizhou, how could his agency possibly keep promoting him? In the entertainment industry, where news traveled so quickly, what major director would dare hire an actor like him?

Of course, all that would come later. For now, Li Wei was still feeling pleased with himself.

Seeing that everything had been settled, Lu Yu hurriedly threw himself at Shen Zeyu. "Papa!"

Shen Zeyu answered him and picked him up.

Lu Cizhou walked over slowly. "Shall we go home?"

Shen Zeyu nodded.

He glanced at Bai Yi, and Mo Chen, perceptive as ever, said from beside them, "Don't worry, brother-in-law. I'll take him home."

Shen Zeyu: ...Thanks.

Seeing that the two men were about to leave, Bai Yi caught hold of Shen Zeyu. He wanted to say something but didn't know how. In the end, Shen Zeyu spoke first. "Let's both take some time to calm down."

Bai Yi's eyes reddened again at once. What did that mean? Did Zeyu not want to be friends with me anymore? The thought made him panic even more, and he couldn't hide the distress on his face.

Seeing Bai Yi like that hurt Shen Zeyu too, but for the sake of a friendship that would last, he hardened his heart and left with Lu Cizhou.