The little fox nuzzled into his arms, found a comfortable position to curl up in, and draped its soft, fluffy tail over his wrist.
Two more takes, and they finally got it.
When Director Sen called cut, Zhou Xuye visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
Song Shi'an scooped up the little fox and gave it a thorough rubbing.
The little creature narrowed its eyes under his hands, its ears flattened back, looking utterly content.
He snagged a boiled egg from the table beside him, squatted in a corner, and spent ages peeling it. Then he broke the yolk into small pieces and fed them to the little fox from his palm.
The cameraman beside him had been packing up his equipment when he caught the scene out of the corner of his eye and quietly aimed his camera at him.
Director Sen saw the image on the monitor and stopped packing up.
On-screen, Song Shi'an squatted on the ground, stripped of his character's divine lord halo, his long hair falling beside his shoulders as he lowered his head and watched the little fox in his palm intently.
Sunlight slanted in and fell across his profile. A small, unguarded smile touched his lips as the little fox stuck out its tongue and licked the crumbs of egg yolk from his palm.
Out of character, Song Shi'an seemed closer to what a god ought to be at that moment.
Not aloof indifference from on high, but a gentleness that favored nothing and no one among all things in the world.
After feeding the little fox, Song Shi'an held it and reluctantly took a dozen or so photos, his phone's gallery instantly overrun by the white ball of fluff.
The keeper came over to take the little fox, smiling as they said, "Little Snow seems to really like you. It doesn't usually eat much egg yolk."
Song Shi'an reached out to scratch Little Snow's chin. Little Snow narrowed its eyes and made rumbling purrs. "Then it's been pretty good. Too bad that's all my scenes done, or I could've played with it for another couple of days."
Zhou Xuye walked over, already out of his makeup and back in his own clothes. "Heading back now that you're done filming?"
Song Shi'an straightened the sleeve the little fox had rubbed askew. "Yeah, but I'm planning to head back after the concert the day after tomorrow."
Zhou Xuye raised an eyebrow. "Ye Qinghe's concert?"
Song Shi'an nodded, then suddenly shot upright as if struck by lightning, his expression turning from relaxed to horrified. "Oh no, oh no! How did I forget about that?"
He turned and ran out, calling back to Zhou Xuye as he went, "I'm heading off! Let's work together again if we get the chance!" Before the last syllable had faded, he was already far away.
Zhou Xuye watched him disappear in a cloud of dust. Was this guy born in the Year of the Rabbit?
When Song Shi'an found Lin Fan, he was squatting in a corner of the dressing room, organizing his bag.
He turned his head straight into a close-up of Song Shi'an's face and nearly fell backward onto his backside.
"Lin Fan! Does the company have any spare tickets? The concert's the day after tomorrow! I just checked, and all that's left are scalped tickets. Even the cheapest ones cost seven or eight thousand. That's highway robbery!"
Lin Fan hurriedly took two tickets from his bag and held them neatly out to him. "Bro, I already asked in the assistants' group chat ages ago. An artist who happens to be filming in Rongcheng had some spare tickets. VIP seats, right in the front row."
Song Shi'an took the tickets, looked down at the seat numbers, then back up at Lin Fan, his eyes practically overflowing with gratitude. "Lin Fan, you're an absolute god. Thank you! I'll talk to the boss about giving you a raise when we get back. Let's go together the day after tomorrow!"
Lin Fan was moved beyond words. What an angel of an artist. My sister really does have good taste. I'm joining the 'Peace' family too.
After finally removing the wig and every last piece of his costume, Song Shi'an felt as though his entire scalp had breathed a sigh of relief.
The first thing he did upon returning to the hotel was rush into the bathroom for a thorough shower. Once he came out, he stood before the mirror and ran a hand over his short hair. So much better.
With nothing planned for the evening, he decided to go out for a stroll. He gave Lin Fan some time off, put on a mask, and headed out alone.
Rongcheng was an ancient city with a long history, as well as a popular tourist destination. At night, it blazed with lights, and the red lanterns lining the flagstone roads bathed the whole street in a warm glow.
Travel had two essential pleasures: one was sightseeing, and the other, of course, was eating.
Song Shi'an plunged headfirst into an ocean of food. The fried pork was crisp outside and tender within, the grilled oysters wafted a rich garlic aroma, and the sweet peanut soup was just right for soothing the heat of the spicy food. He munched his way down the street, his mouth never stopping.
Even halfway through stuffing his face, he remembered to snap a few pictures and send them to the dorm group chat.
Chi Xun replied instantly with a pitiful reaction meme. "You little punk, you actually went sightseeing! Am I the only one gnawing on steamed buns in this cold, lonely dorm?"
Jiang Ye popped up to undercut him. "Who told you to spend your entire living allowance chasing stars? You wouldn't come out when I invited you either. Whose fault is that?"
Watching them bicker, Song Shi'an smiled and put his phone away.
He continued down the old street until deafening music suddenly came from up ahead.
He looked up and saw that this quaint, old-fashioned street actually had more than a dozen bars lining it. Neon signs and red lanterns lit up one another, while modern drumbeats made a bizarre combination with the flagstone road.
Passing the entrance to one bar, he saw through its floor-to-ceiling windows a crowd writhing on the dance floor. A man in a tight tank top had his eyes closed as he stroked his own biceps in rapture.
A shudder ran through Song Shi'an, and he hurriedly quickened his pace.
But after just a few steps, a huge crowd suddenly surged toward him. Before he could turn around, he was squeezed into the flow of people and swept like a fallen leaf deeper into the bar street.
Forget it. I'm already here.
He steeled himself and entered a place that looked somewhat quieter, only for the music inside to make his heart tremble the moment he stepped through the door.
The bass was so loud that all his internal organs resonated with it. He felt like a phone sitting on a speaker.
I'm getting old. I really can't take this stuff.
Song Shi'an, who had been a good boy all his life, was now like a little lamb that had strayed into a pack of wolves.
He edged along the wall, hoping to find a corner to hide in for a while, when a girl in a sequined camisole approached with a glass of blue liquor, leaning toward him with a smile.
Song Shi'an swiftly sidestepped the danger and retreated half a step.
The girl wasn't annoyed. She raised an eyebrow. "Not very receptive, are you? Want a drink, handsome?"
Song Shi'an hurriedly shook his head and turned to leave.
This place is terrifying. He had barely taken a step when a man beside him leaned over too, gave him a once-over, and asked suggestively, "Don't like women? What about men?"
Song Shi'an's brain crashed on the spot. What kind of tiger-and-wolf talk is this?!
"No, I..." He opened his mouth, only to discover that his voice was completely inaudible beneath the deafening music.
Hearing him speak only made the girl's eyes brighten. "You've got a really nice voice. First time here, handsome? Loosen up. Letting yourself go is what this place is for."
Song Shi'an took to his heels.
He squeezed a path to survival through the crowd and charged out of the bar without looking back.
The moment he stepped onto the street, the air outside felt as fresh as another world.
Bracing himself against a roadside red-lantern post, he took several deep breaths. He felt those few minutes inside had shaved at least three years off his life.
This place really wasn't for him.
Tired after his outing, he simply took a taxi straight back to the hotel.
Once in his room, he flopped onto the bed and took out his phone to browse the snack group chat, where everyone was still enthusiastically discussing the concert and setting up the stall on the evening of the sixth.