Ruan Feng hugged Qu Yanting tightly, arms crossed around his waist, and lowered his head, nuzzling and rubbing against Qu Yanting's shoulder.

At first, Qu Yanting hugged him back, patting his back. But after a few seconds, Qu Yanting started to push him away, saying, "That's enough. You're squeezing the air out of me."

Ruan Feng reluctantly let go. "We haven't seen each other in months. I missed you so much. Did you miss me?"

Qu Yanting had said so during their calls, but only during calls. Saying it face-to-face was honestly a bit sappy. Even with hugs, as an adult, he wasn't used to holding them for too long.

He guided Ruan Feng to sit on the sofa and asked, "Did anyone see you just now?"

"Don't worry," Ruan Feng flopped down without a care. "Everyone's out on the street filming right now. There are hardly any people in the residential complex, so I won't be seen."

Qu Yanting turned sideways and reached out to brush aside Ruan Feng's bangs. "There are too many eyes and ears on the set. You need to be more composed in your words and actions."

Ruan Feng said deliberately, "Then to be safe, why don't I just address you respectfully as Teacher Qu in private, too? Do you think that would work?"

Qu Yanting cursed, "You're never serious."

Ruan Feng looked up and rubbed his forehead against the palm on it. "Did you come to the set this time specifically to see me?"

"In your dreams." Qu Yanting pinched the cheek under his palm. "I'm here to revise the script, and I'm checking up on you by the way."

Ruan Feng clutched his face in pain and leaned over to glance at the coffee table. Sure enough, it was covered with a pile of drafts. And here he was, rushing to the set the moment he got off the plane without even catching his breath. Turns out he'd been flattering himself.

Qu Yanting was reviewing the script with Group Leader Zhang as a personal favor. He told Ruan Feng to just keep it to himself and not spread it around. Ruan Feng nodded and asked, "How long will you be staying?"

"Depends on how smoothly it goes." Qu Yanting asked back, "Have you met the director yet?"

Ruan Feng replied, "Not yet. I was in a hurry to see you, so I didn't greet anyone."

"Oh, right. I ran into Lu Wen at the entrance of the complex just now." He sat up and described, "When he was chosen as the male lead, I looked up his photos online. He's even more handsome in person than in the photos. The street was packed with people, but I spotted him right away."

Qu Yanting listened as calmly as if he were hearing the news. "Mm."

Ruan Feng asked, "Between me and Lu Wen, who do you think is more handsome?"

Qu Yanting said, "Comparing looks is tacky. Let's compare IQ."

"Forget it, let's just call it a tie." Ruan Feng paused. "Wait a minute, you've only been on set for two days, and you already know his IQ?"

The topic was getting further and further off track, and Qu Yanting didn't have time for idle chatter. He glanced at his watch, pulled Ruan Feng up from the sofa, and kicked him out. "We'll talk after you wrap up. I need to revise the script. Hurry up. Go see the director if you need to see the director. After that, go film your scenes. If you have nothing to do, go cool your heels somewhere."

Ruan Feng was reluctant to leave. "Are you free in the afternoon? Can you come watch my scene?"

Having already arranged it with Ren Shu, Qu Yanting said, "I have to be with Group A in the afternoon. Some other day."

After some time was wasted, Qu Yanting continued to revise Scene 14 after Ruan Feng left.

As requested, he cut some of the interaction between the main and supporting characters. To ensure the quality of the final film, he added some solo shots of the protagonist, relying on the protagonist's performance to compensate for and enhance the story's atmosphere.

Overall, the changes were minor. Qu Yanting finished them at noon, printed them out, and had Xiao Zhang distribute them to the directing team, the camera crew, and the actors in the scene.

Lu Wen had just finished filming and was resting in his RV. Sun Xiaojian brought the script over, sat down across the table, and said, "The production assistant gave this to you. There are changes to Scene 14. Take a look as soon as you can."

Lu Wen said distractedly, "Oh."

Sun Xiaojian found it strange. "Why the change? Don't tell me Screenwriter Qu is bored?"

Lu Wen muttered, "How could he be bored? The spring breeze is so lovely."

Sun Xiaojian didn't hear clearly. "By the way, don't eat after finishing the noodles. I ordered you some millet porridge. It's good for the stomach. It'll be delivered later."

Lu Wen wasn't listening. The scene he had witnessed at the unit entrance replayed in his mind: Ruan Feng banging on the door, putting an arm around a shoulder, giving a bear hug, all of which Qu Yanting had readily accepted.

The way those two behaved didn't seem like they were meeting for the first time. Could it be that Qu Yanting and Ruan Feng knew each other?

But when Lu Wen thought about it, he and his father wouldn't hug even once a year, and he wasn't that intimate even with his closest childhood friends. In comparison, Qu Yanting and Ruan Feng's clinginess was a bit excessive.

Lu Wen couldn't help but let his mind wander, connecting it to the rumors about Ruan Feng in the industry...

"What are you thinking about? Your phone is ringing," Sun Xiaojian said.

Lu Wen's train of thought was interrupted. He opened the message; it was a last-minute notice from the director's assistant. They were to gather on set in ten minutes for a simple script reading for the filming of Scene 14 in the afternoon.

He had drunk too much milk. Lu Wen said, "I'm going to the restroom."

"A lazy donkey being forced to work." Sun Xiaojian picked up the script. "I'll go ahead and save you a seat with your stuff. That way the director will think you're already there, otherwise it won't look good."

Lu Wen said, "Put me in the back."

The set had moved to the school next to the residential complex. It was a small elementary school for employees' children that hadn't been renovated in over a decade. The students had moved to a new campus six months ago, leaving this one temporarily abandoned.

In the drama, this was the school Ye Shan attended, a third-rate high school with one of the lowest admission scores in the entire city.

On the second floor of the academic building, crew members from various teams were squeezed into the hallway, eating their boxed lunches. The group leaders, the entire camera crew, Ren Shu, and the assistant director were eating in a classroom. They would hold the script reading after they finished.

Lu Wen arrived a few minutes late. The moment he entered, he looked toward the back row, only to find someone in the seat.

Qu Yanting was sitting in a corner by the window in the last row, far from everyone else. He was writing with a pen and paper, his head lowered, looking like he was completely detached from his surroundings.

Lu Wen walked over on his own and paced to the side of the desk. He saw that under Qu Yanting's pen and paper, his script, which was meant to save his seat, was being used as a writing pad. Anyone who had been to university would know that this kind of behavior in a university classroom would earn you a scolding.

But in reality, Lu Wen took a step back to avoid conflict and silently sat down in the second-to-last row.

The tip of the pen scratched against the paper with a soft rustle. Qu Yanting kept writing without looking up. Lu Wen's back was against the edge of his desk, and his broad shoulders blocked him, which paradoxically made him feel more at ease.

The wind from the back window blew back and forth. A piece of paper, filled with writing, curled at the corner and was blown off the desk.

Lu Wen finally saw his chance. He bent down to pick it up and glanced at the paper in the process.

And here he was, not even daring to move his chair for fear of disturbing the great Screenwriter Qu's creative train of thought. But on the paper was a solid line, then a dotted line, then a wavy line—it was complete nonsense.

Lu Wen turned around and handed the paper over. "Teacher Qu, here you go."

Qu Yanting still didn't look up. Acting very nonchalant, he took the paper and tucked it under the script as if nothing had happened.

Lu Wen said, "Teacher Qu, that's my script."

The atmosphere froze for a moment. Qu Yanting leaned back against his chair. Lu Wen pulled out his own script, then glanced at that piece of paper again. He couldn't help but offer a well-intentioned reminder, "Teacher Qu, if you're bored, you could actually play on your phone."

Qu Yanting finally spoke. "Have you memorized the script?"

The subtext was "Go read your script," but Lu Wen thought Qu Yanting wanted to chat, so he turned sideways and stayed put. "No problem. A few lines were cut, so it's easier to remember."

Qu Yanting disliked this kind of half-baked attitude and said, "Easy to remember doesn't mean it's easy to act."

"I'll act it seriously." They were filming Ye Shan's part in the afternoon. There was a scene where he had to change seats. Lu Wen said, "Teacher Qu, you happen to be sitting in the exact spot Ye Shan moves to."

Qu Yanting hummed in acknowledgment and fell silent.

Lu Wen said to himself, "It must be great to sit next to you."

Qu Yanting asked, "Why?"

Lu Wen replied, "It's convenient for copying homework."

"It seems you copy homework often?"

"Not often. I usually don't do it."

Qu Yanting wasn't too surprised. "In that respect, you're not like Ye Shan. You're more like his classmates."

Lu Wen disagreed. "Ye Shan's classmates are such morons. I'm not like that at all."

Qu Yanting was quiet for a moment. "Then, what would you be like?"

"I'd stand up for Ye Shan. I'd hang out with him. When he's hungry, I'd treat him to good food. Of course, I'd hope to copy his homework every now and then." Lu Wen answered while looking at Qu Yanting, and laughed with abandon.

Sitting in a classroom like this, with this distance between desks, with such a simple and bright smile... Qu Yanting was a bit lost in thought, feeling an unfamiliarity he had never experienced before.

Once everyone else had finished their lunch, the script reading finally began.

Everyone did their part. Qu Yanting went over the scene, and Ren Shu revised the storyboard. The camera crew designed shots based on the storyboard. The lighting director adjusted the lighting according to the shots. The set designer added or removed set pieces, and the props master made corresponding arrangements.

Lu Wen followed instructions, rehearsed his lines, and walked through the scene. After repeating it seven or eight times, he had completely memorized the script.

Everyone sacrificed their lunch break. As soon as the reading was over, the set and props teams immediately got to work. The stylists had just arrived, so it would be a while before they could do everyone's hair and makeup.

Lu Wen took a moment of leisure to stand in the hallway, leaning against the railing with Sun Xiaojian to enjoy the view.

Sun Xiaojian said, "I saw the clothes the stylists brought. They're all school uniforms."

Lu Wen couldn't remember the last time he had worn a school uniform. It had been years, because he rarely wore it when he was a student, feeling that the monotonous uniform would profane his handsomeness.

Sun Xiaojian said, "The others' are okay, but the protagonist's uniform is really shabby. It's old and wrinkled."

Lu Wen said, "That's an intentional part of the styling."

The protagonist's family was very poor. Mother Ye sold fish at the market, and Ye Shan helped at the fish stall every morning and noon. It was inevitable that his uniform would get messy, and over time, it would be stained with a fishy smell that couldn't be washed out.

This fishy smell caused Ye Shan to be disliked and ostracized by his classmates, to the point where he was forced to change seats and sit alone in the last corner of the classroom.

Sun Xiaojian said, "What bad luck. But it's convenient for eating fish."

"Eat what?" Lu Wen explained, "How could he have an appetite? Ye Shan rushes back and forth at noon and only gets to eat his lunch during the afternoon break. If it were fish, he'd just skip the meal."

If he hadn't become an actor, Lu Wen would never have experienced such a life. He sighed, and his stomach rumbled in response.

It was only then that he remembered, "Hasn't the millet porridge you ordered arrived yet?"

Sun Xiaojian slapped his forehead. "I forgot! It's in the insulated box!"

The insulated box for the boxed lunches was placed in the hallway. Lu Wen went to get it, lifted the lid, and inside the empty box, besides a serving of millet porridge, there was an untouched takeout meal.

He took out the porridge and asked casually, "Who hasn't eaten lunch yet?"

Xiao Zhang glanced over and quickly took out the takeout meal. "What's going on? I ordered this for Screenwriter Qu. Didn't he eat before the script reading?"

Lu Wen didn't know and looked toward the back door of the classroom. "Hey, Teacher Qu is coming out."

Not daring to delay, Xiao Zhang immediately ran over with the meal. "Screenwriter Qu, please eat before you get busy. It'll get cold soon."

Qu Yanting said, "No need."

"How can you do that?" Xiao Zhang offered the meal. "Director Ren said you like spicy food, so I ordered you fish boiled in spicy broth. You can't go hungry."

Qu Yanting had no intention of taking it. He took a step back from the fragrant aroma of the spicy fish and shook his head. "I don't eat fish."

Xiao Zhang asked apologetically, "Ah... are you allergic to fish?"

Qu Yanting replied, "You could say that."

Xiao Zhang said, "I'll order something else for you right away. This was my mistake today."

Qu Yanting patted Xiao Zhang's shoulder, indicating that it was fine. He felt that skipping one meal was no big deal. He turned into the hallway, wanting to get a bottle of water to wet his throat.

After taking two or three steps, he was stopped by an arm that reached out from the side.

Lu Wen held a food container with one hand. "Teacher Qu, let me treat you to some porridge."

The author has something to say:

As expected of a rich second-generation heir, his grand gesture is a millet porridge with an 8-yuan-off-20 coupon and free delivery.