His sweetheart made the first move

If anyone else had said that, Chu Yilan would have punched his mouth crooked.

But now, Chu Yilan merely turned his head. "All right. Get some rest."

Shen Lian obligingly yawned. "I do need some rest. It's been ages since I last filmed fight scenes. Today was a blast, but now my back and waist are killing me. Shame you didn't see it. I looked really cool."

I did, Chu Yilan thought.

They chatted a little longer before ending the video call. Chu Yilan slowly put down his phone and sat lost in thought for a while.

He really was awkward. He clearly longed for something, yet refused to say it, constantly denying it even to himself. But once Shen Lian called, kissed him, and whispered sweet nothings, the tension lodged in his chest dissolved all at once, leaving him feeling light as air.

Chu Yilan shut down his computer and took a shower. He rarely stayed in the room adjoining his office, but this time, once he lay down, he slept comfortably.

In the middle of the night, fierce winds howled and rain poured down.

Shen Lian burrowed deeper beneath the covers, thinking groggily how wonderful it would be to have tomorrow off so he could sleep in.

Yet the moment his alarm rang, Shen Lian got up.

Same routine as always: wash up before the crowd arrived.

Still not fully awake, Shen Lian sat on a stool outside, waiting for the makeup artist and scrolling through his phone out of boredom.

When the commotion first started, Shen Lian paid it no mind, until several crew members hurried toward the area where the leads were resting.

Shen Lian frowned and stood.

Apparently, last night's heavy rain had blown away the waterproof panels on the roof, leaving two rooms leaking. Zheng Ge's had suffered the worst.

Zheng Ge's assistant was busy making calls. With that grave expression, anyone who didn't know better might have thought Zheng Ge had drowned.

Shen Lian had often encountered emergencies like this while filming in his previous life, especially on shoots that required specific locations. There was nothing to do but make do.

"Mr. Shen." Sun Binghe's voice came from behind him.

Shen Lian turned to find him carrying a piping-hot breakfast and a cup of milk.

"You went out to buy this in this downpour?" Shen Lian asked in surprise.

"No. I had it delivered."

Dai Tong had rules for the actors, but was less strict with assistants. Although it still wouldn't be good if he found out, Sun Binghe had plenty of ways around that.

Damn, soup dumplings, too! Black truffle and shrimp, and fresh pork and shiitake mushroom. One bite sent juices bursting everywhere.

Sun Binghe had only bought enough for one, so Shen Lian had to polish it off at lightning speed.

Then he downed a cup of hot milk. Bliss.

Full and satisfied, Shen Lian smiled at Sun Binghe. "Did Master Chu arrange this, too?"

Sun Binghe thought it over. He and Shen Lian were now on the "same side" and had agreed not to sell each other out, so exchanging a little information should be fine. Shen Lian had a conscience. If he knew, he might put even more care into looking after Boss in the future.

So Sun Binghe nodded. "Yes."

At that very moment, Chu Yilan, who was in a meeting, felt an inexplicable flutter of unease.

Shen Lian waited more than twenty minutes before Zheng Ge emerged with a whole entourage escorting him. Only once the lead arrived could everyone else get on with filming.

Shen Lian glanced over. Didn't Zheng Ge look perfectly fine?

The moment Zheng Ge looked up, he saw Shen Lian and that assistant sitting some distance away, completely unbothered.

Zheng Ge had always considered Shen Lian's change an act of "putting on a brave face," but even acting couldn't account for this degree of change.

The envy, inferiority, and resentment Shen Lian had once shown upon seeing him seemed to have vanished like a gust of wind. It wasn't that Zheng Ge treated Shen Lian as a foil, but such a transformation left him with an uncomfortable feeling he couldn't ignore.

"Zheng Ge is looking at you, Mr. Shen," Sun Binghe said.

Shen Lian said, "Ignore him. He's just itching for trouble."

Dai Tong came over with a coat draped around him, looking as though he had just woken up. "How is it? Can it be fixed?"

"The crew said they'd do their best, but Zheng Ge's bedding is soaked." His assistant looked troubled.

"It's fine." Dai Tong hurriedly called people over. "We have hot-air blowers on set. Hang everything up. A day of airing it out and blowing it dry should do the trick."

That seemed to be their only option.

With Dai Tong, even knives raining from the sky couldn't delay filming. The leads got ready one after another, and another busy day began.

Sun Binghe was a capable chronicler.

[Boss, Mr. Shen's sideways flipping kick was really impressive. Would you like a video or photos?]

Chu Yilan: [Does your phone only support one or the other?]

[Understood, Boss!]

[Boss, Mr. Shen is performing better than anyone else. The director doesn't even bother with him anymore. He's busy tearing into an actor called Wei Fanchen. That actor's assistant bad-mouthed Mr. Shen yesterday, too.]

Chu Yilan: [Why didn't you tell me?]

[I chewed him out until he cried. He cried really hard. Now he takes a detour whenever he sees me. Boss, should I chew him out again?]

Chu Yilan suddenly remembered Sun Binghe's sharp tongue. [Never mind. Just do what you normally do.]

Still, Chu Yilan had his doubts about the statement that "the director doesn't even bother with him anymore."

Was that really because he was doing well, rather than because he was so terrible that the director had given up on him?

But judging by the photos and videos Sun Binghe sent, Shen Lian truly was stunning.

By the end of the day, Shen Lian felt he could have lost three pounds.

Outside, the rain had pattered down all day.

Aside from Wei Fanchen, who hung his head, all the leads had made decent progress. Soon, however, a new problem arose.

Zheng Ge's room was still leaking, and his bedding hadn't dried.

His assistant was running around in a panic, saying Zheng Ge had an old injury and couldn't be exposed to cold or damp, and so on.

Wei Fanchen had a bellyful of anger with nowhere to vent it. When he spotted Shen Lian, the corners of his mouth suddenly curled up.

Sun Binghe noticed and straightened slightly.

"Shen Lian, judging by the roof layout, your room should be the driest. Why don't you swap with Zheng Ge?" Wei Fanchen said.

At those words, everyone around them fell silent.

Shen Lian narrowed his eyes and looked at Zheng Ge.

Zheng Ge happened to be looking at him, too, still wearing that pure, innocent expression, as though he were wonderfully easygoing and unpretentious. Yet he said nothing. What was that supposed to mean?

"Your room is dry, too," Sun Binghe said. "Why don't you swap?"

Wei Fanchen said, "Who gave you the right to speak here?"

"What, is it illegal for assistants to speak? How come I never received that notice?" Sun Binghe smiled faintly. "Mr. Wei Fanchen, is it? If you put the effort you spend targeting other people into filming, your acting wouldn't be so awful."

"Pfft!" An assistant director couldn't hold back a laugh, then hurriedly covered his mouth.

"You..." Wei Fanchen trembled with rage.

"Enough. It's only a small matter. Please don't fight over me." Zheng Ge turned to Sun Binghe after speaking. "As Shen Lian's assistant, you shouldn't speak to Fanchen that way."

"Mr. Zheng," Sun Binghe said politely, "acting morally superior won't conceal the filth inside. Before you play the good guy, you should take a look at what you've done yourself. Wouldn't you agree?"

In other words: Who the fuck are you trying to fool?

Forget everyone else-even Shen Lian didn't dare make a peep.

"All right, all right." Director Dai appeared just in time. "Well, I'll bunk with Assistant Director Li. He doesn't smoke or drink, and his room is clean. Zheng Ge, you can move into mine."

Zheng Ge didn't respond right away. Sun Binghe's rebuke had left him stunned.

The crowd dispersed. Perhaps because Sun Binghe had been so intimidating while ripping into them, no one dared get on his bad side now.

Even then, Sun Binghe was far from satisfied. He immediately turned around and messaged Chu Yilan: [Boss, Zheng Ge's room is leaking and unfit to sleep in, so he tried to take Mr. Shen's.]

Shen Lian was a little surprised when Chu Yilan called. His sweetheart had actually made the first move.