The scene shifted to the emperor's bedchamber, where Mo Xingyu sat uneasily on the dragon bed.
Shi Wei finished his snacks and came running over. "Why do you look so pale? Not feeling well?"
"N-nervous."
"What's there to be nervous about?" Shi Wei let out an amused exclamation. "Are you scared of me hugging you?"
Mo Xingyu didn't dare say anything.
Shi Wei wondered how someone could be so innocent. If he was this nervous, how were they going to film later?
"Mo Xingyu."
"Hm?" Mo Xingyu looked up to see Shi Wei's handsome face. Though he was smiling, there wasn't a trace of a joke in his expression.
Shi Wei raised an eyebrow, smiling like a villain as he threatened, "Unless you want the whole world to see that photo of you watching a movie with snot streaming down your face, don't you give me any NGs!"
Mo Xingyu: ...
Great. He wasn't nervous at all now.
Now he was fucking terrified!
The young emperor, Zhao Qian, had been humiliated at court yet again. After returning to his bedchamber, he began smashing things.
Liang Fang dismissed the other servants and entered the bedchamber alone, watching the emperor vent.
"They've never treated me as the Son of Heaven! Every last one of them is just using me!" Zhao Qian glared furiously at Liang Fang and roared, "You are too, aren't you!"
Liang Fang simply walked toward him without a word. Zhao Qian hurled a vase at his feet, and the flying shards cut Liang Fang's face.
A bloody line immediately appeared on his fair face.
This was an accident!
Mo Xingyu's eyes jolted, but the director hadn't called cut, so he held his expression and didn't move.
I absolutely cannot let anyone know I cried watching a movie!
Zhang Zixiang stared at the monitor, his arms folded, without saying anything.
"Your Majesty asks whether this servant has used you. This servant dares to say yes." Liang Fang walked over the broken vase shards. "This servant has nowhere in this world to call home. Only by Your Majesty's side can I find food and warmth. Exchanging all my sincerity for Your Majesty's favor-how is that not using Your Majesty?"
Zhao Qian sneered, flicked his sleeve, and sat on the bed with his back to him.
Liang Fang walked over and gently wrapped his arms around the young emperor from behind.
"Liang Fang, you dare."
"Then this servant dares."
Zhao Qian gave a self-mocking laugh and didn't push him away.
The two, whose stations were as far apart as clouds and mud, became two little beasts licking each other's wounds here...
"Good!" Zhang Zixiang called.
Hiss! That hurt like hell!
Shi Wei touched his face. Sure enough, blood stained his fingertips.
"Aaah! You're really bleeding." Mo Xingyu scrambled to his feet to examine his wound.
Shi Wei rolled his eyes. "Yes, this is my actual blood, not paint."
"I'm sorry, Shi Wei!"
"Shi Wei, are you all right?" Zhang Zixiang hurriedly had someone come treat Shi Wei's wound. "You both did very well just now. Xingyu's improved too."
"Thank you, Director."
After removing his makeup and costume, Shi Wei had the wound on his face disinfected and medicated by a crew member, then prepared to head back to the hotel to rest.
Mo Xingyu waited outside, holding boxed meals and drinks. "Brother Shi, I got you two boxed meals."
Shi Wei was outraged. "...What do you take me for!?"
Mo Xingyu cautiously gauged his reaction. "Two aren't enough?"
"Of course not!"
Mo Xingyu hurried off to get another one. "Brother Shi, since you're free this afternoon, why not stay on set and help keep an eye on my performance?"
"You won't let me rest?"
"You're good to me, Brother Shi. You knew I was nervous, so you didn't actually hug me just now," Mo Xingyu said. "Stay here and be my guardian deity, Brother Shi."
A guardian deity?
Shi Wei immediately thought of the door gods pasted on doors every New Year to ward off evil.
I really am mighty and imposing.
After polishing off three boxed meals, Shi Wei sat in a corner and watched Mo Xingyu film.
Ji Hanchuan and the others returned from another location. Chen Yutong chatted with him as they walked toward the changing room.
Shi Wei pretended to read his script while sneaking glances their way.
Seemingly sensing Shi Wei's gaze, Ji Hanchuan raised his eyes and looked over.
Shi Wei: !
He whipped his script up, pretending nothing had happened.
This was their first meeting since he had accidentally kissed Ji Hanchuan.
As long as I'm not embarrassed, someone else will be... Shi Wei repeated this to himself several times, pretending nothing had happened as he began scrolling intently through his phone.
Only other people's gossip can calm me down.
To his surprise, the moment he opened Weibo, he came across gossip about himself.
A news item popped up.
"Breaking! Famous Actress Exposes Ji Hanchuan and Shi Wei's True Colors!"
Shi Wei's fingertip trembled.
Don't tell me our relationship's been exposed!?
He instinctively searched for Ji Hanchuan, just in time to see his and Chen Yutong's retreating figures disappear around the corridor's corner.
Forget it.
Shi Wei opened the link and skimmed through it, his lips slowly curling into a sneer.
It turned out Wang Jun'er had posted accusations that she had been fired from the "Calming the Wind and Waves" production without cause. She had included Wang William's medical examination report, implying that Zhang Zixiang was protecting the attacker, Shi Wei.
The only actual mention of Ji Hanchuan in the entire post was that he was appearing in "Calming the Wind and Waves."
Shi Wei: ...Fuck!
So they thought I wasn't popular enough and put Ji Hanchuan in the headline to leech off his fame!
Shi Wei wanted to cry but had no tears. Why do I have to take another critical hit in a post slandering me?
The sight of Wang William beaten into a pig's head successfully frightened many casual readers.
"I said before that Shi Wei had a dark mind. If he can beat someone like this, is he really not a violent maniac?"
"Poor Jun'er. She's clearly Billion Star's top actress, yet a junior is bullying her like this. Does Shi Wei really have powerful backing?"
"Did the sister above not read carefully? He has a good 'relationship' with Director Zhang and Ji Hanchuan."
"Can you leave my idol out of this? My idol is making his comeback after two years, and some obscure nobody is already leeching off his fame!"
"Exactly! Sisters, let's start a boycott for our idol. Shi Wei, get out of the entertainment industry!"
The more Shi Wei scrolled, the angrier he became. What a vicious move. Ji Hanchuan's fans were known as the pinnacle of combat power. Once they decided he was leeching off Ji Hanchuan's fame, they would definitely tear him to shreds.
Couldn't they see that Wang Jun'er had done all this deliberately?
"Shi Wei."
Shi Wei looked up to see Zhang Zixiang holding his phone and calling to him. "Come here."
Shi Wei hurried over, and Zhang Zixiang asked quietly, "You saw it online?"
"Yes. I'm sorry, Director Zhang. I've dragged you into this." Shi Wei couldn't express how sorry he felt toward Zhang Zixiang.
Zhang Zixiang waved a hand. "Since she insists on stirring up trouble like this, I don't need to be polite to her either. Just focus on filming."
"I wanted to ask back then-why did you believe me, Director Zhang?" Shi Wei couldn't help asking.
Even under these circumstances, Zhang Zixiang could still smile. "Maybe because of your food-devouring soul."
Shi Wei: ...Huh?
"You could still eat two boxed meals after being accused like that. I thought then that you definitely wouldn't hit someone for no reason."
Shi Wei laughed along with him. "Thank you for believing in my food-devouring soul, Director."
"Director Zhang!" Chen Feng rushed over angrily, looking at Shi Wei with contempt. "You've caused the production so much trouble. How do you still have the nerve to stand here?"
Shi Wei's gaze, however, landed on Xu Xirui behind him.