The Bottom Lead Makes His Entrance!

Ning Shile froze for a moment.

Ning Shile hadn't expected Zheng Ye to shield him with his body. Zheng Ye clearly could have run. "Are—are you trying to get yourself killed? Get up!"

The pounding hooves drew closer. He could even distinctly feel the horse leap over them.

Though his eyes were covered, Ning Shile still sensed a vast shadow sweep overhead. Then Zheng Ye let out a muffled grunt, his body sagging against him.

"Zheng Ye!" Ning Shile pulled free of Zheng Ye's hand.

He saw that Zheng Ye's eyes were squeezed shut, his teeth clenched as though he were holding something back.

Ning Shile panicked. "How—how are you feeling?"

"...I'm fine." Zheng Ye's voice trembled slightly. He took a deep breath and waited for the wave of pain to pass before saying, "It'll be better... in a moment."

The set descended into chaos. More than a dozen trainers rushed over immediately, but these were animals, after all. They wouldn't stop just because someone called out.

Extras scattered across the set as several horses galloped around it, filling the air with noise and commotion.

"Let me help you up first." Ning Shile got to his feet and reached out to support Zheng Ye.

Once the horses were under control, the director immediately ran over and helped lift Zheng Ye. "Are you two all right? I'll call an ambulance."

"No need," Zheng Ye stopped him.

The horse hadn't actually stepped on him. Its hind leg had merely kicked his back as it leaped over him. The force had been heavy enough to hurt.

But it wasn't anything serious.

"How can you say that?" Ning Shile was the first to object. Frowning, he gripped Zheng Ye's wrist tightly and said in earnest, "I'm going to the hospital with you."

"All right." Zheng Ye glanced at his wrist and nodded.

Seeing how young these two were, the director figured they were working as extras to scrape together a living, which made him feel even guiltier.

Thinking Zheng Ye might be refusing a hospital visit because of the cost, he took a business card from his pocket and handed it over. "Go get checked out. If there's any problem, call this number. I'll take full responsibility."

Ning Shile accepted the card and nodded.

Still worried, the director also asked for Ning Shile's phone number so he could follow up.

Ning Shile helped Zheng Ye into a room to take off their costumes. The clothes had been easy to put on, but getting them off was another matter.

It took Ning Shile ages to undo his costume and remove it. When he looked over, Zheng Ye was still wearing those heavy clothes.

His back seemed to hurt. Every time he raised an arm, his brows drew together, and a thin sheen of sweat covered his forehead.

"...I don't know what you were thinking." Ning Shile walked over with a stern face and began helping Zheng Ye undress.

If Zheng Ye really had been trampled because of him, how was he supposed to explain it to Zheng Father and Zheng Mother? Just remembering Zheng Mother's apology made Ning Shile feel unbearably guilty.

Everything was perfectly fine. Why did I have to come join in and play an extra?

"Why did you throw yourself over me? Weren't you afraid of getting trampled?" Frowning, Ning Shile untied the cords on Zheng Ye's armor, removed it, and tossed it aside as though venting his anger. His tone was reproachful, but the worry and guilt in his eyes were impossible to miss.

"I was," Zheng Ye answered softly.

"Then why did you do it?" Ning Shile tugged harder, furious.

He would rather have been the one hurt than let it be Zheng Ye!

His tug pulled Zheng Ye half a step forward, almost bringing Ning Shile entirely into his arms. Lowering his head, he explained, "I was afraid you'd get hurt."

Ning Shile paused at those words and looked up at him.

They were mere inches apart.

Their breaths mingled. Zheng Ye didn't avert his gaze, looking straight at Ning Shile instead.

Something shifted in his gaze. His eyes traveled from Ning Shile's face to the bridge of his nose, then settled on his lips.

Soon, their breathing grew shallow, and an intimate tension slowly unfurled in the air.

In the cramped space, they drew closer and closer, as though gradually...

Zheng Ye's throat tightened. As if bewitched, he lowered his head, his heated gaze fixed on Ning Shile's lips as he slowly leaned in.

Ning Shile's heart raced, his eyes widening. [!]

[What the hell is this old geezer trying to do!!!]

The sudden surge in volume instantly snapped Zheng Ye out of it.

What... what was he doing?

Panic flickered through Zheng Ye. He hurriedly reached out and touched Ning Shile's hair. "There's something caught in your hair."

"Really...?" Ning Shile rubbed his hair haphazardly.

[That scared me to death! I thought he was going to kiss me!]

Ning Shile quickly tossed the things in his hands aside and took half a step back, putting some distance between himself and Zheng Ye.

Seeing his reaction, Zheng Ye felt a pang of regret.

What on earth was I doing? If Ning Shile hadn't suddenly spoken, I... might really have done something.

What's wrong with me?

By the time Ning Shile and Zheng Ye left Hengdian, it was already evening. The weather was cold, and it was dark by seven or eight.

Zheng Ye brought the car around and stopped in front of Ning Shile.

Only after getting in did Ning Shile suddenly remember. "Oh, right. What about the photos you took for me? Let me see."

Zheng Ye unlocked his phone and handed it over.

His photo gallery was practically empty. It contained only three pictures, all of Ning Shile, taken that day.

Ning Shile was dumbfounded.

Does this guy not even save reaction memes? He's got no sense of fun at all.

He tapped on a photo.

Immediately, a high-definition, enlarged, zoomed-in photo of his own broadly grinning face filled the entire screen!

The framing was remarkably precise. His hair touched the top edge, his chin rested against the bottom, and not even a sliver of his neck showed.

Ning Shile: "..."

Ning Shile stared at his own wide-eyed face on the phone. Three seconds later, he slowly, heavily, and bewilderedly shifted his gaze away.

"This... is the group photo you took for me?"

Zheng Ye nodded. "Yes."

"..." Faced with Zheng Ye's unwavering gaze, Ning Shile couldn't tell whether he'd expressed himself poorly or Zheng Ye had taken the wrong picture. With difficulty, he asked, "Then why is it just my giant face?"

Zheng Ye looked puzzled. "Didn't you tell me to take it however looked best?"

[?]

Ning Shile held up the phone, utterly baffled. "This looks good?"

Looking at the screen, Zheng Ye nodded earnestly. "It does."

[...]

[You win.]

Ning Shile gave up arguing and looked down, swiping through the other two photos. Those were at least recognizable as group shots, though they were slightly blurry and out of focus.

"Send me the last two." Ning Shile handed the phone back to Zheng Ye, remembering to add, "Make sure you send the originals."

Zheng Ye took the phone. Why did he only want the last two and not the first?

Zheng Ye sent Ning Shile the last two pictures. Seeing that he wasn't checking his phone, he resolutely sent the first one too.

Mm. The first one looks best.

After sending the photos, Zheng Ye put his phone away in satisfaction and pressed the accelerator.

They drove out of the studio grounds and onto the main road.

They had hit the evening rush hour. The navigation route was red with congestion from end to end, so Zheng Ye switched routes, intending to take a back road to the hospital.

This road was a longer detour and fairly remote, with overgrown weeds along the way and not a single streetlight.

Yet Ning Shile found it strangely familiar. Why... did it feel as though he'd read a description of this stretch in the original novel?

Ning Shile opened his notes and scrolled until he found that page.

[On the silent road, only a bright moon hung in the sky. A cool breeze stirred the shadows of the trees as the car's wheels rolled over the concrete, speeding past.]

[After sitting for too long, Zheng Ye's old lower-back injury had flared up, so he decided to see a doctor at the hospital after work.]

[Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the woods. Zheng Ye's attention wandered for a moment, only for someone to dart out in front of him!]

What was he reading?

Zheng Ye instinctively glanced at Ning Shile. When he looked back, a figure riding an electric scooter suddenly appeared.

!

Zheng Ye's pupils contracted. He immediately wrenched the steering wheel and slammed on the brakes.

Bang!

Despite that, the car still collided with the scooter.

Alarmed, Zheng Ye hurriedly unbuckled his seat belt. "I'll go check," he said, rushing out of the car.

The car had indeed hit the rider. Though Zheng Ye had taken emergency evasive action, a wheel had still caught the scooter's rear seat, throwing the rider to the ground.

The young man wore a white turtleneck sweater. His black pants were torn, with faint traces of blood seeping through. Sitting on the ground, he kept sucking in breaths through the pain.

"I'm sorry." Zheng Ye quickly approached and crouched beside him. "It was my fault. I'll take you to the hospital."

"How are you feeling? Can you still move?"

Zheng Ye reached out, but he didn't know where to touch him and was at a loss.

The young man's eyes reddened with pain, but he endured it and shook his head. Looking up into Zheng Ye's eyes, he said guiltily, "It was my fault. I was riding too fast."

The instant the young man raised his head, Zheng Ye's breath caught.

As their eyes met, Zheng Ye felt his heart give a violent throb. A sensation he'd never experienced before swelled inside him, spreading from his heart through his entire body.

At that moment, everything around them seemed to stand still.

[Neither could dodge in time, and they collided.]

[Zheng Ye immediately got out to check the other's injuries, but the moment he saw him, his heart began to race and his blood surged, as though he'd fallen in love.]

[And the young man told him his name: Su Jinyu.]

Ning Shile's grip tightened as he read that line. His gaze went blank for a moment before he flung open the car door in a panic and ran out.

In front of the headlights, Su Jinyu sat on the ground clutching his leg, while Zheng Ye crouched helplessly before him.

"You..." Zheng Ye's voice was a little hoarse. "What's your name?"

The young man paused, seemingly unsure why he was asking. After a moment's hesitation, he still answered softly, "Su Jinyu."

The instant he finished speaking, the dark streetlights suddenly lit up.

They even came on one after another, from the first to the last, flooding the once dark, chilly lane with light.

And the two of them were crouched right in its glow.

Ning Shile couldn't describe what he felt. He merely pressed his lips together and looked away.

Of course. He's the protagonist... how nice.