Episode 76: The Farce on Set

This time, there was no lunch subsidy; everyone ate boxed meals together. The extras were initially displeased—after all, there had been a subsidy yesterday. But seeing that Xu Lin, Chu Qingchan, and even the director and producer were all eating the same boxed meals, they let it go. If even the leads and crew were eating like this, who were they to complain?

They had been through worse before; some crews divided boxed meals by rank. Extras got two vegetable dishes, while speaking bit parts might get a chicken leg—such things happened. Besides, the actors here all seemed approachable, especially Xu Lin, who would often chat and joke with the extras.

Xu Lin simply saw himself as an ordinary person, or rather, even if he became a star, it was important to get along well with everyone on set. Not to mention, he could learn a lot from these extras, hearing things he never knew before—no one knows everything, after all.

After finishing their meals together, Xu Lin found the now-composed Chu Qingchan and her sister, Chu Fengyi.

“Xu Lin, did you know? Chu Qingchan actually thought the two of us were…mmph! Why are you covering my mouth?”

“You little girl, you can’t just spout nonsense! Is this how the Chu family taught you? When your mother hears about this, she’ll spank you eighteen times!”

“If I bring a husband home, she’ll definitely be delighted.”

“Chu Fengyi, stop saying such things.” Feeling the teasing look in Chu Fengyi’s eyes, Xu Lin quickly cut her off.

“Xu Lin, you’ll be doing a scene with Liu Qinnuan soon. Be careful, remember what I said—she’s a real black tea girl.”

“Oh.” Xu Lin nodded, though inwardly he scoffed. Surrounded by mature women like these, and even a golden-haired loli like Chu Fengyi, how could he possibly fall for Liu Qinnuan’s tricks? Impossible.

But a few minutes later, he realized how wrong he was—the woman was a true enchantress.

On the surface, she had the cold, youthful aura of a fairy, but every now and then she’d throw a playful, seductive glance his way. She’d lean in a little, make a small gesture, and his heart would flutter uncontrollably.

Yet the next moment, she’d withdraw, swiftly reining in her allure and returning to that ethereal, unattainable persona.

Now Xu Lin understood why Chu Qingchan had warned him about her—she really was something! And this was before they even started on lines; just her expressions and movements were nearly impossible to handle. But he refused to lose.

He silently chanted to himself: I’m devoted to Chu Qingchan, I’m devoted to Chu Qingchan, I’m devoted to Chu Qingchan!

With these silent recitations and a few deep breaths, he entered a sage-like state, his heartbeat and emotions quickly calming down.

Liu Qinnuan noticed Xu Lin’s composure and frowned slightly, continuing the scene with him. But from then on, Xu Lin showed no reaction. She felt as though her blows were landing on cotton—utterly ineffective.

She hadn’t expected to lose, but losing to Chu Qingchan wasn’t unreasonable. She didn’t try any further tricks—she’d give the other girl some face. Still, Xu Lin was truly interesting. She had seen plenty of men with beautiful wives who still got tempted by less attractive women. Yet here she was, hinting at him, and he didn’t react at all. He was either a blockhead or a genuinely good man.

He’d done her a favor, so she’d tentatively consider him a good man... No, men are all the same!

Xu Lin sensed Liu Qinnuan’s rising resentment but couldn’t fathom the reason. Thankfully, Liu Qinnuan didn’t act out further, and the shoot wrapped up smoothly, marking the end of Xu Lin’s scenes. The only thing left for him was a family group shot tomorrow, just walking past in the background—no more lines.

The rest of the main plot revolved around a scene between Liu Qinnuan and Chu Qingchan.

Sun Jianren was delighted. Initially, they’d scheduled five days of shooting. He’d expected to make adjustments for Chu Qingchan’s performance and anticipated issues from the newcomer Xu Lin. Liu Qinnuan, though capable, had never played a deaf-mute, so there were concerns all around.

But to his surprise, Liu Qinnuan was outstanding, Chu Qingchan seemed transformed, and Xu Lin—despite never having acted before—made every scene shine. Mistakes occurred here and there, but he adjusted quickly. His talent was undeniable, making Sun Jianren almost regret letting Old Hei reserve him first.

But it was fine; Old Hei’s project hadn’t been finalized. When the time came, Sun Jianren might go to Linshui himself and poach Xu Lin for his own movie, leaving Old Hei without his director.

At four-thirty in the afternoon, as on the previous day, the directors announced the end of filming. The extras happily went to collect their pay, while Xu Lin and the others packed up, preparing to fetch Shaoyao and go shopping.

Ye Qinleng was especially busy that day, so she’d left Shaoyao at the hotel, confined to her room all day. Even as an adult, Xu Lin thought he himself would be restless staying in a room all day without a computer or phone.

Just as they informed Director Sun they were leaving, two women approached from a distance. Dressed in expensive clothes and carrying designer bags, they chatted with each other, their faces full of anger, creating an uncomfortable air.

“Producer Lü, are these yours?”

“Nonsense, Old Sun, haven’t you met all my family?”

“Maybe there’s someone I haven’t met.”

“Hahaha!”

Though they joked, the two women drew close, and everyone realized who their target was.

Liu Qinnuan, seeing them, tugged her manager and assistant closer.

The two women stopped not far from Liu Qinnuan. The middle-aged woman in the red dress spoke first.

“Liu Qinnuan, what’s your relationship with my husband?”

“Ma’am, who is your husband? I don’t quite understand what you mean.” Liu Qinnuan blinked, confused, but the woman in yellow immediately raised her voice.

“A little girl like you, seducing my brother-in-law!”

People around overheard and began whispering. Chu Fengyi commented casually, “Do you all enjoy this kind of drama? Let’s go.”

“Wait, let’s see what’s going on,” Chu Qingchan replied. Chu Fengyi couldn’t just knock her out and drag her away, so she headed to a bench and looked at her phone.

Xu Lin was a bit lost. He’d thought Liu Qinnuan was just fishing for attention, but was the entertainment industry really this chaotic? Even teenagers got caught up in these things.

Though the woman in yellow shouted, Liu Qinnuan maintained her pitiful expression, retreating a step in fright.

“What are you talking about…”

“Still pretending? My brother-in-law is Hu Qingteng—don’t tell me you don’t know him!”

“Oh, Mr. Hu—I know Mr. Hu. He recommended me for my last role. I’m very grateful to him, but there’s really nothing between us.”

“Then how do you explain those provocative photos of you on his phone?!”

“I don’t have any!” For the first time, Liu Qinnuan lost her temper and shouted back.

But by now, everyone had their phones out, filming the spectacle. The directors were dumbfounded, especially Sun Jianren. Liu Qinnuan had always been a talented, well-behaved actress with no scandals in the industry. She was young too—how could she possibly be accused of seducing someone’s husband? Still, the women had come forward with supposed photos, which made things strange.

“Show us the photos. I swear I never sent him anything like that.”

“Dare to do it but not own up!”

“Qinnuan, let’s go. Ignore them!” Her manager quickly pulled her away. With so many eyes watching, whether it was true or not, they needed the company’s help.

But the woman suddenly lunged forward. The manager blocked her, but the woman swung her purse at Liu Qinnuan.

Chu Qingchan tugged at Xu Lin, who understood her intent but was reluctant to get involved.

“Don’t let anyone get hurt. Go pull Liu Qinnuan over—truth or not, we’ll sort it out later.”

“Didn’t you say she’s black tea?”

“Are you going or not?”

“Alright, alright…”

Xu Lin headed over, just as the woman in yellow snatched something off the ground and hurled it.

Liu Qinnuan raised her arm defensively, screaming.

With a crash, the woman threw a shattered makeup mirror—glass fragments flying everywhere!

Everyone, including the woman herself, was startled. If those shards hit her face, disfigurement would be the least of it.

Liu Qinnuan, terrified, instinctively covered her head, but the sharp shards still rained down.

At that critical moment, a figure darted in front of her, wrapping her in his arms and taking her to the ground, shattering glass ringing all around.

“Huff…Xu…Lin?”

Liu Qinnuan slowly opened her eyes to see Xu Lin gritting his teeth, a single teardrop sliding from the corner of her eye.