In the silence, Bai Cha let out a cold laugh.
"Me, jealous of her? What does she have that I could possibly envy?"
Bai Cha pointed at An Ya's nose, his finger trembling uncontrollably. "This woman has no acting skills and no brains. All she did was find a sugar daddy, and now she's lording it over us! I'm jealous of her?"
He Li chimed in, "Exactly! Don't you know perfectly well how you got the female lead in this movie?"
Meng Tian pressed her lips together and said nothing.
An Ya laughed in fury.
"Yes, I found a sugar daddy. What, with a face like yours, nobody's willing to keep you?"
"You-"
"And do you really think this pure, innocent little flower, Bai Cha, got where he is today through his own hard work?"
An Ya spat.
"You sell your ass to old men. Doesn't that make you no better than me?"
Everyone froze at those vulgar words, then looked embarrassed.
An Ya suddenly laughed again.
"Oh... you like men, right? Let me guess... don't tell me you like Gong Yao? Ha, hahaha-what a scandal! Guess what would happen if your fans and your sugar daddy found out-"
"You-"
Bai Cha charged at An Ya, and the two began grappling.
The scene instantly descended into chaos.
It took everything Gong Yao and Tao Lele had to pull them apart, and even then, both kept hurling abuse at each other without a shred of dignity.
Only then did the crew snap out of their daze and step forward to escort the two away separately.
Utterly exhausted, Gong Yao sat down on the edge of the bed, then glanced at Li Qing, who had stood by and watched.
Li Qing: "?"
The way he seemed completely oblivious made Gong Yao laugh in exasperation. "Why were you fanning the flames again? Was keeping An Ya under control not enough work for me?"
Li Qing blinked and reminded him, "You asked first why Bai Cha tried to kill An Ya. I only offered my theory afterward. Strictly speaking, you were the one fanning the flames."
Gong Yao: "..." He had no comeback.
Li Qing gave a slight shrug, showing no intention of continuing the subject.
Outside, Director Li was chewing people out, telling the two assistants to hurry up and calm their actors down. There were still several shots to redo.
Then he motioned for the set crew to reset the scene.
The nearby crew members looked at Gong Yao sitting grim-faced on the bed where someone had nearly died. Not one approached, afraid of getting on the star's bad side.
With no other choice, Director Li began frantically signaling to Li Qing with his eyes.
Li Qing, who had been about to leave, drew his foot back.
"Get up for a moment." Li Qing picked up the pillow from the floor and touched Gong Yao's knee. After a pause, he politely added, "Mr. Gong Yao."
Gong Yao raised his eyes to him-for the first time, all warmth vanished from his face as he looked at Li Qing.
"I need to tidy this place up," Li Qing added, his brows creasing slightly. He clearly thought Gong Yao was in the way.
"...I thought you might comfort me a little."
"?"
"Can't you tell I'm upset?" he asked unhappily.
Li Qing nodded. "Everyone can tell. That's why nobody dares come over to tidy up, and Director Li sent me instead."
"..." Gong Yao lost all will to be angry and flopped backward. "So shouldn't you comfort me at a time like this?"
Li Qing was baffled. "Mr. Bai Cha and Ms. An Ya are the ones involved in the dispute. Why should I comfort..."
He glanced at the anxious Director Li and decided to stop getting to the bottom of it. Instead, he said, "All right. How should I comfort you?"
Gong Yao: "..."
He rolled over and sat up. "Forget it."
Then he stood aside and watched Li Qing tidy up.
Even after Li Qing finished cleaning the set, Gong Yao still had not said a word.
Li Qing walked out of the room they were filming in, and Gong Yao followed him.
At last, Li Qing turned back and gave him a puzzled look.
Hands in his pockets, Gong Yao looked off to one side, expressionless.
Li Qing turned away again and took a few steps.
Gong Yao followed once more.
Li Qing: "..."
"Mr. Gong Yao, is there something you want to say to me?"
"..." The corner of Gong Yao's mouth twitched. Then his expression abruptly turned serious, and he made a shushing gesture.
A moment later, he quickly and quietly pulled open the little door to the Tool Room beside them and drew Li Qing inside.
Li Qing: "?"
Everything before him went dark. As the door closed with a soft click, cautious footsteps sounded outside.
Li Qing's vision gradually adjusted. He raised his eyes toward Gong Yao, who stood mere inches away-
His golden left eye reflected a faint glimmer in the darkness, and he was staring into Li Qing's eyes.
"It's Yu Xiaohe," Li Qing said softly, sounding a little puzzled. "Why are you hiding from her?"
Gong Yao said, "Instinct."
Then he reached up to scratch his head-and bumped the metal cabinet beside him with a faint clatter. He immediately pushed its wobbling door back into place, bracing his hand beside Li Qing's ear.
Li Qing instinctively frowned, then slowly relaxed his brows.
Gong Yao always had such a powerful presence that Li Qing could not help growing wary whenever he drew close.
Yet here and now, in this cramped space, Gong Yao lacked that indescribable aura powerful males always gave off. Instead, he carried a faint scent of mint.
While Li Qing was momentarily distracted, Gong Yao's reason caught up with his instincts and supplied an explanation:
"Don't you think it would be weird if she saw us together? Look, I'm supposed to like her a little, and you have a crush on her. If she saw the two of us, wouldn't she get the wrong idea...?"
Not at all. Li Qing could not begin to understand the convoluted workings of Gong Yao's mind.
Just then, faint voices came from the room behind them.
"Heh, I really did guess right. Bai Cha really can't keep his cool."
Both Li Qing and Gong Yao held their breath.
The voice continued:
"But I honestly didn't expect him to hate An Ya so much. Could it really be what that crew member said-that Bai Cha's jealous of how close An Ya is to Gong Yao?"
"...Sister Meng Tian, you don't have any issues with Bai Cha, do you?" Yu Xiaohe asked. "You only want to go after An Ya. There's no need to drag him into this."
Meng Tian's voice took on an arrogance and disdain utterly unlike her usual manner. "What's there to pity about someone who gets ahead by relying on others? Don't you enjoy watching dogs tear into each other?"
Yu Xiaohe said nothing.
Meng Tian issued her orders coldly. "Gather more evidence of An Ya and Gong Yao being together, then find a way to let Bai Cha know. If he dared attack An Ya once, he'll dare do it again."
"...But Gong Yao and An Ya aren't-"
"What, you think you can stand on your own now? Have you forgotten who gave you a hand when that filthy old creep tricked you? Who got you this supporting role in the movie?"
"I... didn't mean that."
Yu Xiaohe's voice grew quieter.
"I'll keep a close eye on them."
Meng Tian gave a flat "Hmph," and then the click of high heels passed the Tool Room's door.
"...Well, well." Gong Yao raised one eyebrow.
Li Qing: "..."
Did this round's bosses really have to plot out loud somewhere with such terrible soundproofing?
"You don't seem surprised at all, Mr. Li." Gong Yao leaned forward slightly, looking into Li Qing's eyes.
"Neither do you."
Gong Yao pressed his lips together, his mood unreadable, and said flatly, "...Not a single person on this film crew is as simple as they seem. I knew all that haunting business was a lie."
"Perhaps," Li Qing replied noncommittally.
But whether this Dungeon Instance was haunted no longer mattered.
Even if no ghosts intervened now, these players would find ways to kill one another.
Only at this moment did the game finally begin in earnest.
Gong Yao straightened, suddenly looking somewhat dispirited.
He listened for a moment, then opened the little door to the Tool Room.
"Forget it. Whatever their reasons... I just don't want to see anyone get hurt. You be careful too, Mr. Li."
Watching him walk out, Li Qing suddenly spoke. "When you followed me earlier, you actually wanted to ask why I stood by and watched when Mr. Bai Cha attacked her, didn't you?"
Gong Yao stopped and gave a low "Mm-hmm," then added, "I was going to ask, but I didn't really want to hear the answer. Forget it."
Gong Yao turned sideways to look at Li Qing.
"Mr. Li, haven't you heard that saying? Don't test people's hearts lightly."
Li Qing nodded. "I have. But you can still ask me, because for me, the answers about the past are fixed. No matter how you test them, they won't change-"
"No, you don't understand," Gong Yao said, his head aching. "...Just think of it as being about me. Say I don't want to test my own heart."
Without waiting for Li Qing's reply, he walked away.
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