As soon as Yan Ningke arrived on set, before he could say anything, Xiao Jingzhan pulled him around to meet all the main cast members.
Yan Ningke did not refuse his kindness, exchanging polite greetings with everyone in a gentle, courteous manner.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Yan Ningke, and I'll be playing Cheng Yin. I look forward to working with you all."
They all worked in the same industry, and Yan Ningke was not as obscure as he thought. Apart from a few veteran actors who rarely went online and found his face unfamiliar, most of the others had some impression of him.
A fourth male lead posed no threat to their standing, and the leading actors were generally quite agreeable.
And so Yan Ningke settled into the production.
With Xiao Jingzhan guiding him, he soon fit in.
Since he had replaced another actor midway through production, the first week was spent rushing to shoot his scenes.
Yan Ningke was usually the first to arrive and the last to leave every day, so exhausted that he fell asleep during video calls with Shao Ke.
At first, the calls always ended half an hour after he fell asleep. After that, they ended later and later each day.
Until one morning, Yan Ningke woke with a full bladder and went to check the time, only to discover in surprise that the video call was still connected.
The furnishings on the other side of the screen looked like a study.
Yan Ningke was just about to speak when he heard steady breathing and swallowed his words.
He chose not to hang up. He slipped quietly out of bed, went to the bathroom without making a sound, then returned, picked up his phone, and leaned against the headboard, silently watching the indistinct figure