On Dai Tong's set, Shen Lian and Chen Mu finished their scenes almost at the same time.
Their characters were killed off one after the other. Each spat out a mouthful of blood, struck a pose, and heard "Cut!"
Dai Tong came over beaming, a hot towel dangling from his hand. Shen Lian had barely steadied himself before the towel was slapped over his face. Like an indulgent father, Dai Tong wiped off the fake blood for him. "Thank you, thank you. Wait for my good news. I'll definitely send some good scripts your way."
Shen Lian struggled to pull the towel down. "All right, all right."
Chen Mu went to the back to change. Shen Lian had told Chu Yilan roughly when filming would wrap, and right on time, Chu Yilan called. "No plans this afternoon, right? Come on, I'll take you to the apricot grove outside the city."
"One of your properties?"
"Zhou Yuanlin's," Chu Yilan said. "I hear they make the apricot blossom pastries fresh there. They're supposed to be delicious."
Shen Lian had something of a sweet tooth and often pestered Aunt Fen for desserts and little cakes at home. Chu Yilan remembered all of it.
Shen Lian loved hearing Chu Yilan say these everyday, homey things. He agreed without a second thought. "Sure. I'll come find you."
"Oh, bring Chen Mu along," Chu Yilan said. "Bing He said Kuang Chenghai would be there today too."
Their recreational gatherings were never purely for fun. There were always objectives and interests involved.
When Chen Mu came out, he immediately spotted Shen Lian waiting up ahead.
"Teacher Shen."
"Are you free this afternoon?" Shen Lian asked. "I'll take you somewhere and introduce you to a few people."
Shen Lian admired Chen Mu, not just for his acting but