Lu Zhou put on the wig and changed his clothes, while Xiao Yi stood behind, looking infatuated.

"Your saliva is about to drip on my head," Lu Zhou said.

Everyone in the dressing room laughed. Xiao Yi took out a piece of chewing gum from his bag and handed it to Lu Zhou. Lu Zhou sat cross-legged, looking at himself in the mirror, a hint of loneliness in his eyes.

Li Changzheng sat behind Lu Zhou, also getting his makeup done, smiling as he looked at Lu Zhou in the mirror.

"So many years have passed," Li Changzheng smiled, "the first time acting with senior Brother."

The entire dressing room fell silent for a moment. Lu Zhou smiled and said, "We're from the same class, why call me senior Brother?"

Li Changzheng was slightly younger than Lu Zhou. Lu Zhou spent two years in sports school and then repeated a year, making him older than Li Changzheng. Li Changzheng got used to calling him senior Brother in class. Lu Zhou said, "Please continue to guide me."

"Wherever, wherever," Li Changzheng quickly responded.

The two fell silent again. Xiao Yi couldn't help but feel moved by the fact that these two sensational actors from the entertainment industry were in the same dressing room. Such a grand event had never happened before, and perhaps would never happen again in the future.

Aside from the stars, this production seemed to be the most powerful in recent years.

"We're getting old," Lu Zhou said again, "you take good care of yourself."

Li Changzheng replied, "I'm getting old too. Once past thirty, staying up late affects the body, and there's no one to take care of you. Senior Brother, you were like this when you were in your twenties, and you're still the same now."

Lu Zhou smiled helplessly and said, "I look old, ageless. Wu Henggu."

Wu Henggu immediately agreed. Lu Zhou said, "When you're with Changzheng, learn from him. His eyes can speak."

Everyone laughed, and Lu Zhou's eyes also sparkled with amusement as he looked at the reflection of Li Changzheng in the mirror. The makeup artist whispered, "Teacher Lu, let the director take a look."

Lu Zhou got up and went to interact with the director. The director had directed numerous martial arts dramas and was a top-tier director in China. Both Du Mei and Li Ye, the bosses and managers of the two companies, were present. Lu Zhou stood with a knife, mischievously standing in front of the curtain, putting on the conical hat (NT: traditional straw sun hat) handed to him by Xiao Yi, revealing a wicked smile from under the hat.

"Excellent!" Director Chi said immediately, "This is the feeling of ‘Sleek Rat.' What do you think?"

Everyone thought it was great. Lu Zhou drew his knife again, performed a few moves, brushed past at an angle, tilted his head slightly, wearing a bored expression but seemingly plotting something mischievous.

Xiao Yi smiled; Lu Zhou's portrayal was incredibly accurate.

After the photographer shot, Lu Zhou changed into night attire. Even the way Sleek Rat dressed as a thief was exaggerated, exposing one arm with a dragon tattoo on it.

Li Changzheng also came out, wearing a dark red guard robe, with a long sword at his waist, and greeted, "Brother Bai, I've heard a lot about you."

Everyone exclaimed in surprise. With his graceful demeanour and attire, Li Changzheng was simply the personification of a Song Dynasty warrior. Li Changzheng reached out to pat Lu Zhou's shoulder, but Lu Zhou quickly dodged, almost tripping Li Changzheng. Everyone burst into laughter, and Xiao Yi noticed that Li Changzheng's face didn't look too good.

Lu Zhou asked Li Changzheng to stand straight, and then leaned on his shoulder lazily, while Li Changzheng smiled and held his arm, holding the sword hilt, slightly turning to pose for a photo with Lu Zhou.

After the photo shoot, Xiao Yi watched as the assistant retouched the photos. In the afternoon, Du Mei and Li Ye went to negotiate business, while Li Changzheng and Lu Zhou started shooting the first scene.

The relationship between the two companies seemed to be very harmonious. Lu Zhou and Li Changzheng appeared to be chatting and laughing, but Xiao Yi could feel that Lu Zhou was wary of Li Changzheng. Whether Li Changzheng usually had this style, Xiao Yi didn't know.

Lu Zhou liked to talk to whoever he liked, and he would actively spend time with them. Xiao Yi noticed that Lu Zhou's attention was not on Li Changzheng, as he glanced around whenever he spoke, sometimes looking for Xiao Yi and sometimes checking if the set was ready.

He was very open when he was with familiar people, often playful and joking. However, when acting opposite Li Changzheng, he seemed restrained.

Xiao Yi felt that Lu Zhou never liked Li Changzheng. Was it because of him? People like Zheng Xiaocong and Lei Min, who had also won awards as film actors, often hung out with Lu Zhou.

"No particular reason," Lu Zhou replied, "our auras just don't match."

Finally, Lu Zhou finished exchanging pleasantries with Li Changzheng, sat down to check his phone, and looked at today's makeup photos. Du Mei only released photos of the makeup for Wu Henggu, clearly intending to use the leftover hype caused by the two of them for publicity.

Li Changzheng opened a bottle of water and sat down, followed by his assistant. Lu Zhou put down his phone and said, "Let's shoot, Changzheng, let's go."

Lu Zhou and Li Changzheng went to find the director. The first scene was set in a street corner, and the director clapped the slate.

Li Changzheng rushed out of the alley like a gust of wind, stopping suddenly, the camera moving towards the teahouse at the exit of the alley.

Lu Zhou lazily leaned against the teahouse, his left hand behind him holding a knife, the tip of the knife just touching Li Changzheng's throat.

Li Changzheng raised his head slightly, his eyes following the edge of the knife to the right, catching a glimpse of Lu Zhou wearing a hat.

Lu Zhou didn't even look at Li Changzheng, his eyes fixed on the ground, then he smirked slightly.

Putting away the knife, Lu Zhou stood up straight and said casually, "When are you going to capture Lord Bao? Once you capture him, all the false alarms in Kaifeng will stop."

"Good and evil are in the hearts of men," Li Changzheng smiled slightly, "A wrongful case is a wrongful case, whether it's been ten years, twenty years, or even hundreds of years, it's still a wrongful case. Since it's a wrongful judgment, there must be a day of rectification as long as Lord Bao is here."

Lu Zhou smiled again, and Li Changzheng passed by.

"Wait!" Lu Zhou turned around, lifted his hat, and the two looked at each other.

In that moment, Xiao Yi was truly stunned.

"Cut!" said the director.

Xiao Yi almost went hysterical and said, "What the heck are you doing?! Keep going!" That eye contact was simply the pinnacle of two big male gods!

As props were being arranged, Lu Zhou came over and took a sip of water. Xiao Yi said, "You... you... you... You guys are acting so well!"

Lu Zhou's expression changed, "Us?"

"You! You!" Xiao Yi quickly clarified.

With a disappointed expression, Lu Zhou turned away.

Seeing Lu Zhou and Li Changzheng's acting, Xiao Yi couldn't help but feel fortunate for Lu Zhou. Sometimes, when taking on roles, it's crucial to have worthy opponents. In the few productions that Xiao Yi followed with Lu Zhou in, hardly anyone could match his acting skills. Wu Henggu performed the best, but he was still just supporting Lu Zhou.

When Lu Zhou and Li Changzheng acted together, their exchanges were... No, it wasn't just eyebrow-raising; it was like a game of wits, hidden currents, tension, yet mutual understanding, portrayed to perfection.

Just as he was thinking, the second scene began, and during the intermission, Li Changzheng and Lu Zhou sat at a table in the tea house.

"Huang Shaolan?" Li Changzheng frowned slightly.

Crossing his legs, Lu Zhou sat on the bench, arms crossed, swaying back and forth, and said, "This person's ancestors lived by selling cloth in Luohe. Three years ago, they moved to Kaifeng. If you're interested, you might want to check out his shop; you might find something..."

Then Lu Zhou's stool slipped, and he fell backward along with the cup, landing upside down.

Everyone burst into laughter.

Li Changzheng suppressed his laughter. "Thank you."

Li Changzheng got up and left, the director called 'cut,' and Lu Zhou got up, patting off the dust. Xiao Yi was about to die laughing.

"There's no such scene in the script," Xiao Yi said.

"I slipped by accident," Lu Zhou asked the director, "Is it okay, Director Chi?"

"Excellent!" the director gave Lu Zhou a thumbs-up.

Next, a group of masked men entered the shop. The fight choreographer explained the previously designed moves to them, and Li Changzheng and Lu Zhou tried a few times. Neither of them used stunt doubles; they went straight into action. Props were set up outside with air cushions.

The leading actress entered, and her acting was also impressive. As the masked men rushed in, Lu Zhou immediately shouted, "You go first!"

"Bai Yutang!" the leading actress shouted.

Suddenly, sand was thrown all over, and Lu Zhou shielded the leading actress, urging her to escape first. However, the leading actress shouted, "Stop talking nonsense! I won't leave you behind!"

She grabbed a stool and charged at the masked men rushing in.

Everyone: "..."

Lu Zhou coughed loudly, a table was overturned inside, and at that moment, Li Changzheng rushed in from the side, dragged the leading actress out, tears in her eyes, coughing loudly. Li Changzheng went back to rescue Lu Zhou, who couldn't see, tried to distinguish the wind direction, a chaotic fight ensued, and then Li Changzheng stepped on the table and flew out, landing on the air cushion.

Lu Zhou stumbled out, and the leading actress immediately hugged him. Li Changzheng rushed up again, helping both of them run away.

The first three scenes were done in one take, with high professionalism, making shooting seem effortless. Since there was still time, the director decided to move on to the afternoon scenes, coordinating to arrange the entire street. Lu Zhou and Li Changzheng started their fight scenes again.

*

In the evening, they were still at the Qingming Riverside Scene Area.

By the river, with the lights set up, Li Changzheng stood under a tree in his night clothes.

Lu Zhou stood on a tree branch, mocking Li Changzheng.

"Master Nanxia, you also have times when you're pitiful, like a lost lamb," Lu Zhou threw leaves at Li Changzheng.

"I entered the yamen as a judicial officer at the age of seventeen," Li Changzheng said. "I followed Lord Bao at the age of twenty-one, and it's been eleven years now. I once thought I was clear about right and wrong..."

Li Changzheng looked at the glimmering water and continued, "But when the case was closed, I found myself unable to act. What is right, what is wrong?"

"Jump into the lake and end it all," Lu Zhou said.

There were mosquitoes everywhere by the lake, leaving two big red bumps on Xiao Yi's face. All the crew members were spraying mosquito repellent and slapping mosquitoes. Xiao Yi was fully focused, eating beef jerky given by fans.

"Cut," the director said, "Wrap it up for the day. Everyone worked hard today; a good start is half the battle!"

As soon as the director shouted 'cut,' Lu Zhou jumped down from the tree as if struck by lightning, shaking all over. Xiao Yi immediately went up, thinking Lu Zhou was having a fit. After shaking for a while, Lu Zhou shook a mantis out of his clothes.

Lu Zhou: "..."

Xiao Yi: "..."

Lu Zhou used a handheld fan to dry off his sweat and changed clothes. Xiao Yi dared not turn on the car's air conditioning for fear of Lu Zhou catching a cold. As he was about to start the car, Li Changzheng's assistant came over and said, "This was given by fans. Take some back to eat."

"Thank you," Xiao Yi said with a smile.

As they drove away, Lu Zhou's face darkened, "Dare you eat what Li Changzheng gives you?"

"I also shared with him what the fans gave me in the afternoon," Xiao Yi mentioned.

Lu Zhou said, "Be careful, someone might poison what he gives you, and you might end up dead."

Xiao Yi: "..."

Back in the dorm, Lu Zhou was like a dog suffering from heatstroke, covered in heat rash. Xiao Yi applied cooling powder for him, and Lu Zhou shivered, teeth chattering. Xiao Yi also massaged his shoulders and feet. Lu Zhou said, "When it's none of your business, you just sit in the car or next to the director; they have air-conditioning fans. Got it?"

"Yes," Xiao Yi obediently agreed.

But the next day, Xiao Yi still followed Lu Zhou. When Lu Zhou sunbathed, so did he. When Lu Zhou got bitten by mosquitoes, so did he. The director had a large pot of mung bean soup brewed for relieving heat placed beside the crew. Everyone had to drink a bowl when they arrived and another during breaks. In the hot summer weather, the mung bean soup smelled bad from the heat, and Lu Zhou almost vomited from drinking it.

Xiao Yi had to prepare chilled mung bean soup, cook it in advance at the hotel's refrigerator, and bring it over the next day in a thermos. Drinking cold soup on a hot day made Lu Zhou's stomach ache.

"I'm getting old," Lu Zhou said, "I can't stand this anymore."

Xiao Yi felt quite sorry seeing Lu Zhou suffering so much. Nearly a week had passed, and under the scorching heat, even the script supervisor suffered from heatstroke. They had to drink Huoxiang Zhengqi Water (NT: traditional liquid herba formula to induce perspiration  and clear away summer-heat), feeling dizzy and following the director, almost bumping into the camera several times.

"You will get money, this production costs a lot," Xiao Yi could only console Lu Zhou like this, while twisting the fan towards him. Since the weather was too hot, Xiao Yi asked his assistant to buy an air cooler. This type of cooler required stuffing it with ice inside to blow cold air. Although Lu Zhou wore thick clothes every day and loosened his robe after the scene, revealing the shorts he wore and his hairy thighs, wearing flip-flops made him look like a perverted uncle. Since Xiao Yi saw that the upper part of his body couldn't feel the fan, he directed the air towards Lu Zhou's crotch.

Lu Zhou: "..."

"My bird is going to be frozen," Lu Zhou said to Xiao Yi.

Xiao Yi adjusted the cooler, but Lu Zhou, wearing a headscarf, felt extremely hot. Xiao Yi noticed his pale face a few times and quickly gave him Huoxiang Zhengqi Water to drink, always rescuing Lu Zhou on the brink of dehydration and bringing him back for further shooting.

However, one thing that really annoyed Xiao Yi was that Li Changzheng's assistant also wanted to use his cooler. Often when he was away, when Lu Zhou would turn his back to say a few words, the assistant would turn Xiao Yi's cooler towards Li Changzheng. Xiao Yi turned it back, but sometimes it was turned back again without him noticing.

Xiao Yi felt frustrated internally, thinking, ‘Fuck, if you want to cool down, can't you buy your own cooler and prepare ice yourselves?!’ Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Xiao Yi decided not to tolerate it anymore. He thought, ‘Isn't it a case of the tiger not showing its might, treating me like a sick cat?’ He talked to Lu Zhou several times, and Lu Zhou said, "Why don't you scold them? If they dare to scold back, I'll ask my fans to swarm Hengdian. Let them scold to death that lousy actor and silly assistant."

Xiao Yi thought, ‘Li Changzheng, you forced me to do this!’ So, Xiao Yi bought another air cooler for Li Changzheng. That way, he could blow as much as he wanted.

After the shoot, Lu Zhou shouted angrily in the hotel, "So this is your limit!"

Xiao Yi was afraid, as Luzhou continued:, "What is this non sense of my assistant being nice to Li Changzheng? You tell me."

"I... I was afraid he would take your electric fan..." Xiao Yi said.

Xiao Yi thought, ‘If news of this gets out, that Li Changzheng and Lu Zhou fought over an electric fan, it would definitely be the dumbest gossip of the year.’ Lu Zhou asked, "Aren't you going to beat him?"

Xiao Yi thought, ‘Even if I beat him, your fans and Li Changzheng's fans are already at each other's throats. If they find out we're fighting, they'll bring nuclear bombs and destroy Hengdian.’

In fact, since Lu Zhou and Li Changzheng started shooting the first scene, the online quarrels had never stopped. Congee Fans (NT: congee = Zhōu粥) and Steamed Vermicelli Roll Fans (NT: Steamed Vermicelli Roll = 肠粉 Cháng fěn) seemed immune to the usual seven-day expiration date of public opinion. They quarrelled every day, dragging all the actors in the cast into the fight. Wu Henggu suffered the most.

According to legend Wu Henggu went from being with Lu Zhou to accompanying Li Changzheng to bed, embracing all sorts of nonsensical aspirations, and finally retorted, "Bah, my boat, I can't look down on you, you ¥#%...... %¥#...... This!”

...... Then Wu Henggu slept heroically all the way to the coordinator, to the scene, to the director, to the producer, to the investor... and the earth dog in the crew that was temporarily purchased back as a prop.

Rumor had it that Wu Henggu had slept with more than a hundred people since joining the crew. On average, he slept with nearly twenty people a day, not counting the time spent seducing them. There was no time to shoot; all he did after joining the crew was lie in bed at the hotel.

Sometimes Xiao Yi didn't know how to comfort Wu Henggu. Seeing him being attacked by fans was not a pretty sight. He even suffered from heatstroke. Xiao Yi thought, ‘Thank goodness he is not a guest star. Otherwise, if the fans start a riot, he would probably see his whole family hanging from the ceiling fan when he goes home for the New Year.’

Xiao Yi dared not say how fans attacked Wu Henggu. Wu Henggu didn't hire a personal assistant, and the assistant he got after joining the crew wasn't very proactive. Every day he had to endure the heat in the crew. The manager came for a few days and then left, telling him to take care of himself.

Xiao Yi felt sorry for Wu Henggu, so whenever Lu Zhou didn't need him, he would take the initiative to take care of Wu Henggu. After all, they were artists from the same company, and Wu Henggu was a fresh graduate, born from a talent show, even taking care of himself was a problem.

Once, Xiao Yi left some Wumei Xiaoshu herbal soup that Lu Zhou had left over for Wu Henggu. Wu Henggu held the thermos, tears streaming down his face as he drank.

"Keep it up," Xiao Yi said. " Zhou ge said you can do it."

"Thank you," Wu Henggu replied.

Xiao Yi continued, " Zhou ge said if you need anything, just tell me. Don't be polite."

Wu Henggu didn't say anything else, just nodded.

*

Back in the room:

"I'll tell you again," Lu Zhou said, "Stop being so nice to Wu Henggu! Why are you so good to him?! Does he pay your salary? Do you want the company to transfer you to accompany newbies and sit on the cold bench?"

Xiao Yi: "..."

"Do you understand?!" Lu Zhou said fiercely again.

"Okay... okay," Xiao Yi said.

"And also! Tomorrow, go and get the air cooler back from Li Changzheng! Why should he also get to use it?! Who does he think he is?!" Lu Zhou continued.

Xiao Yi: "..."

With thunder roaring outside, Xiao Yi saw a lifesaver and said, "Look, Zhou ge... It's raining."

Lu Zhou poked Xiao Yi's head and said, "Did you hear me?!"

"Okay, okay," Xiao Yi replied.

Xiao Yi went to open the French window, and Lu Zhou said angrily, "Why open the window?! Want to jump out?!"

"To change the air..." Xiao Yi explained, "Just blowing the air conditioner all the time isn't good."

Lu Zhou was still angry at Li Changzheng's fan and said, "Go and get it back from him now, or pack your things and get out by tomorrow."

Xiao Yi repeated, "Okay... okay."

What should I do? Xiao Yi thought. Buy another one? Tell Li Changzheng that he lost a fan, and the remaining one was Li Changzheng's? But surely Li Changzheng would laugh at him for that. Xiao Yi was in a dilemma, wandering around for a while, then came back, sneaking a glance at Lu Zhou, hoping he had fallen asleep.

Lu Zhou: "Did you get it back? Let me see."

Xiao Yi: "No."

A slipper flew over, and Xiao Yi quickly fled.

After spending some time in his room, Xiao Yi came back cautiously, relieved to see that Lu Zhou had already fallen asleep.

The next day, it was the eleventh day after joining the crew; after finishing shooting for the day, they would go on an outdoor location tomorrow. It was in Zhangjiajie. Xiao Yi hoped he could finally cool off a bit. The days in Hengdian were unbearable, but miraculously, his body was still in good shape.

Everyone was both irritable and suffocating in the sultry air, but Xiao Yi seemed indifferent, as he was scolded as usual for the first few days. Hengdian, after the rain, was like a huge steamer, even more oppressive than before. Everyone was drenched in sweat. Xiao Yi escorted Lu Zhou to the shooting location and then went back to the hotel to prepare for the outdoor shoot.

"Hey!" Ning Yaqing's voice rang in his ears.

" Sister Yaqing!" Xiao Yi immediately smiled.

"We're here to visit!" Ning Yaqing, accompanied by a group of girls, happily pulled Xiao Yi.

Xiao Yi said, "I was just thinking about you. Zhou ge was talking about you last night. How are you guys?"

"Do you want to give us autographs?" Ning Yaqing smiled.

Xiao Yi hurriedly said, "Sure, come with me, everyone."

The first scene of the day started very early. It was a fight scene between Li Changzheng and Lu Zhou. The two went up to the roof, and the camera was set up on the second floor rooftop of another building, shooting towards the outside.

Lu Zhou fastened his safety harness around his waist and said to Li Changzheng, "It rained recently, so it might be slippery. Be careful when you chase."

Li Changzheng replied, "You be careful too."

Immediately, Lu Zhou took a step on the porch eaves, leveraging the momentum of the wire to fly across to the opposite side, landing and drawing his sword, pointing it at Li Changzheng.

"If you keep chasing, don't blame me for being ruthless!" Lu Zhou snapped off the steel wire, turning around and striking a pose. Li Changzheng swiftly reached the eaves, saying in a deep voice, Sleek Rat, come back with me and surrender. If you didn't kill the person, Lord Bao will naturally not wrongly accuse you!"

Lu Zhou sneered, "If people were really killed by me, what can you do to me?"

Li Changzheng's face changed, and he drew his sword, taking a step forward. There was a slight sound as he stepped forward, and Lu Zhou's face changed instantly as he said, "Watch your step!"

At that moment, the tiles under Li Changzheng's feet collapsed, and Lu Zhou suddenly lunged back to push Li Changzheng, but at that moment, he forgot he wasn't wearing a safety rope!

Xiao Yi was chatting and laughing with Ning Yaqing, but in an instant, he saw what happened high above, an unforgettable scene for him.

Lu Zhou and Li Changzheng collided on the roof of a two-story building. Lu Zhou pushed Li Changzheng back, then stepped on the broken tiles. With a loud crash, he slipped and fell. Xiao Yi's pupils dilated slightly, and the entire crew panicked.

The martial arts instructor almost flew forward when Li Changzheng slipped, catching Li Changzheng's hand, while Lu Zhou grabbed a tile but couldn't find any leverage. He flipped in the air, his head hitting the first-floor eaves hard, the tiles breaking, and then he fell to the ground with a dull thud.

At that moment, Xiao Yi screamed and rushed forward.

Lu Zhou lay on the ground, the ground damp from the morning rain.

The world strangely quieted down, and Xiao Yi knelt in front of Lu Zhou, feeling like the sky had fallen.

"I... haven't died yet, why are you crying... idiot," Lu Zhou painfully opened his eyes, twitching slightly, and said with a trembling voice, " I won't die so easily... don't be afraid."

 

Translator : DarNan