That morning, Shen Xuanrun got up early to have his makeup done. His makeup artist was the same young woman as before, Xiao Xu.
After finishing his makeup, Xiao Xu suddenly said to Shen Xuanrun:
"Keep it up! I believe in you. Everyone in our crew knows the truth about what's happening online. It has nothing to do with you. The netizens will find out the truth sooner or later!"
He hadn't expected anyone in the crew to believe him and offer him comfort. People in this industry generally stayed out of muddy waters whenever they could keep themselves clear.
"All right, I understand. You must have stayed up late last night, right? You've got dark circles. Don't stay up late anymore."
Wow, Shen Xuanrun is so gentle! I'm going to be his fan from now on!
"Okay!" Xiao Xu said excitedly.
Today, they were filming the scene where Lin Jiexuan met Zhao Ziru in the library.
Without telling the old master in the opera troupe, Zhao Ziru had his senior sister cover for him and slipped off to read at the library, which had been newly built at the time. While looking for a book, Lin Jiexuan spotted Lin Ziru tucked away in a corner of the library. They were reading the same book, hit it off immediately, and became friends. After that, they often arranged to read together.
In the morning, they would first shoot Zhao Ziru's scenes with the old master and his senior sister. His scenes opposite Lin Jiexuan wouldn't be filmed until the afternoon.
Before filming, the director specifically sought out Shen Xuanrun.
"Remember, just keep it casual. Keep your expressions under control, and whatever you do, don't give me a crooked smile. Keep your face away from the camera as much as possible. Shots of your back will do," Cheng Hao instructed worriedly.
Shen Xuanrun... Director, is that polite?
"All right, everyone, get ready! Action!"
The moment those words fell, the look in Shen Xuanrun's eyes changed as he stood in the middle of the set. The innocent, lively, playful, and restless Zhao Ziru came vividly to life.
Cheng Hao's eyes lit up.
Zhao Ziru found his young senior sister, tugged at her sleeve, and shook it as he said, "My dear senior sister, my wonderful senior sister, help me one more time. I'll only read for an hour. I'll be back soon!"
The actress playing his young senior sister was taken aback for a moment, but quickly reacted and poked Zhao Ziru's forehead with her finger.
"Fine, but just this once."
"Cut! Take a break and get ready for the next scene."
Cheng Hao found Shen Xuanrun and said cheerfully,
"Hahaha, Little Shen, you've improved a lot! That girl Chen Wei really wasn't lying to me. But watch your positioning next time. Don't keep your back to the camera!"
"...Well, Director Cheng, you were the one who told me to keep my back to the camera more," Shen Xuanrun said deliberately.
"Huh? Hahaha, no need to do that next time. Hahaha." The bumbling Cheng Hao could only laugh awkwardly. He had been so delighted that he'd forgotten all about that.
Soon, afternoon came. The people on set were busy carefully arranging the scene, and no one noticed a person in a hat quietly approaching Shen Xuanrun with a bottle of liquid, about to splash it at him.
Deng Yingying, who kept stealing glances at Shen Xuanrun, saw him and screamed in fright,
"Watch out!!"
The liquid was about to splash onto Shen Xuanrun's face. Fortunately, Little Li, who had previously been a bodyguard, had noticed the sneaking man from the start and had been keeping his guard up.
When he saw the man take out the unknown liquid, he immediately grabbed the clothes Shen Xuanrun had taken off and left nearby, shielded Shen Xuanrun with them, and kicked the sneaking man away.
Seeing that he'd been exposed, the man stopped trying to hide. Lying on the ground, he said to Shen Xuanrun, "You scumbag, get out of the entertainment industry!! Why doesn't someone like you go x!!!"
Someone soon called the police, who came to the set and escorted him out under restraint. Tests soon confirmed that the bottle contained sulfuric acid, frightening many people in the crew.
Cheng Hao looked at Shen Xuanrun worriedly and said,
"Are you all right? Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine, Director Cheng. Don't worry. Let's keep filming this afternoon's scenes," Shen Xuanrun said calmly.
Cheng Hao wanted Shen Xuanrun to rest, but when Shen Xuanrun firmly refused, he had no choice but to resume filming.
Lin Jiexuan walked between the library shelves, searching for Don Quixote. He distinctly remembered the librarian saying they had a copy. Then he spotted the young man tucked away in a corner of the library. The young man quietly held a book, oblivious to the wind and rain outside. The setting sun fell across his face, gilding it with a layer of golden light.
Only after turning the final page did the young man emerge from the world of the book and notice a young gentleman from a wealthy family watching him.
When the young man closed the book, Lin Jiexuan realized that he was holding the very copy of Don Quixote he had been looking for.
"Hello, I'm Lin Jiexuan. So you read Cervantes's Don Quixote too. I really like this book as well."
"Hello, I'm Zhao Ziru. I'm just reading it casually, but I think this book really is quite good," Zhao Ziru said sheepishly, rubbing his head.
"Cut! That's all for today. We're done."
Cheng Hao quickly came over to Shen Xuanrun.
"You were in great form today. Good work. Oh, right, someone posted the sulfuric acid attack on you on Weibo. Be more careful from now on."
"All right, I understand. Thank you, Director Cheng."
"They've also identified the person who threw sulfuric acid at you. He's a diehard fan of Jiang Yi. After being deceived by Jiang Yi's statements, he found a spot with no security guards and secretly climbed over the perimeter wall."
"I understand. Thank you, Director Cheng."
After returning to his accommodation, Shen Xuanrun opened Weibo to take a look.
#Sulfuric acid thrown at Shen Xuanrun on set# had gone viral. Beneath it was a photo of Jiang Yi's diehard fan being taken away by the police.
Poor Yiyi: Haha, serves him right. This is karma, isn't it? After all those awful things he's done.
Shen Xuanrun, leave the industry!: So Shen Xuanrun is still filming with the crew. Who on earth gave him that confidence? He really deserved it. Does he have no self-awareness at all?
Casually watching the drama: If Shen Xuanrun did those things, he was certainly in the wrong, but isn't throwing sulfuric acid a bit too much? That stuff can disfigure someone.
Yiyi's official girlfriend: Get lost, hater! Too much? What Shen Xuanrun did was too much. As if getting our boy's opportunities stolen wasn't enough, he also got him betrayed by his manager. Our boy was so upset, yet while the whole internet was condemning him, he still had the nerve to stay on set and film. Heh, how shameless!
Jiang Yi's wife: So has Shen Xuanrun been disfigured? What satisfying news! He can't even be eye candy anymore, can he?
Shen Xuanrun gave a cold laugh. Jiang Yi really knew how to stir up trouble. Getting him cyberbullied wasn't enough; he wanted him disfigured too. What a fine scheme.
Suddenly, Shen Xuanrun received a call from Shen Qianxin.
"Brother Xuanrun, Xinxin misses you so much!"
"I miss Xinxin so much too!" Hearing Little Xinxin's soft voice, Shen Xuanrun practically melted.
"But Xinxin heard the maid at home saying that you seemed to be in some kind of trouble. I asked them, but they wouldn't tell me. What happened to you?"
"Don't worry, Xinxin. I'm fine." Shen Xuanrun smiled until his eyes curved into crescents.
"Then when are you coming back? I want you to tell me stories. Grandpa's stories are too monotonous. They aren't interesting at all."
"All right, once I finish filming, I'll tell Xinxin some new stories!" Shen Xuanrun said, gratified. Hehe, Little Xinxin has already started missing my stories.
"Okay, then. I'm going to sleep. Good night, Brother."
"Good night, Xinxin!" Listening to Little Xinxin's sleepy voice, Shen Xuanrun really wanted to reach through the phone and pinch her chubby little cheeks.
That night, Shen Xuanrun dreamed of Shen Qianxin.
"Brother, it's raining!" Little Xinxin said, lively and adorable.
"Yes, a shower of rain can make the air a little fresher."
"But this snail is getting rained on. It's so pitiful (இдஇ; ). Brother, let's leave the umbrella for it!" Little Xinxin's devilish voice rang out.
Shen Xuanrun startled awake from his dream. It was broad daylight. Little Xinxin is so scary! Boohoo.
It seemed the revolution had yet to succeed, and comrades still needed to keep working!