Qu Yanting withdrew his arms from the table. His sleeves were stained with dust. He raised his forearm to pat them, dirtying his hands in the process. Using the movement, he pretended not to have heard Lu Wen's question.

Even with his incredibly thick skin, Lu Wen could see that Qu Yanting was avoiding the question. He didn't press the matter. He walked under the grapevine and handed over a pack of soft facial wipes.

Qu Yanting caught it and pulled one out to wipe his hands. Lu Wen sat down on another chair, his waist unsupported and his shoulder blades leaning against the backrest, slumping into a tired posture.

The worn-out chair was uncomfortable. Qu Yanting said, "There's still one more scene. Go get some rest."

Lu Wen said, "I am resting."

In truth, the physical exhaustion was nothing compared to the emptiness in his soul. Lu Wen touched his face from time to time. Although the scene was finished, he kept feeling hot tears slide past the corners of his eyes.

Qu Yanting understood this situation. When an actor completely immerses themselves in a role, their emotions fluctuate drastically, and they need time to detach afterward. The extent of this varied from person to person.

When he was studying in the directing department, he had learned about the art of communication between directors and actors. In a way, a director was like an actor's psychologist, constantly adjusting and intervening in the actor's state before, during, and after filming.

Qu Yanting wasn't sure if Lu Wen was willing to confide in him, so he tossed out a question to test the waters: "Ren Shu said this is the first time you've filmed a proper crying scene?"

Lu Wen hummed in affirmation, his voice thick and nasal. "Not just in acting. In my whole life, this is the first time I've cried like that."

His expression didn't look like he was lying. Qu Yanting said, "That means you've had a good life."

Lu Wen admitted it. "That's why I had no confidence before shooting, I was afraid I wouldn't act well. I don't care about getting scolded, but everyone was staying up all night with me, and I felt embarrassed."

"But now it's been filmed successfully." Qu Yanting used praise to lift Lu Wen's spirits. "You acted very well."

Lu Wen indeed couldn't hold back, saying smugly, "Even Director Ren applauded."

Qu Yanting chuckled and reinforced his praise. "You acted very well. Unexpectedly well."

Lu Wen grinned in satisfaction, laughing to himself. A moment later, his smile slowly froze. He closed his mouth, staring at the layer of dust on the tabletop and falling silent.

After a long pause, he confessed, "Actually, I cheated."

Qu Yanting was confused. "What?"

Lu Wen said, "When the deceased father was mentioned, at that moment, I thought of my mom."

Qu Yanting remembered that Lu Wen had said he grew up in a single-parent family. Thinking of his own mother through the deceased Father Ye meant that Lu Wen's mother was also gone.

Whether it was because he judged others by his own standards or due to his upbringing, he would never pry.

But Lu Wen felt much better after saying it, unconsciously entering a state of confiding. "My mom had a difficult childbirth when I was born. I've never met her, I've only seen her pictures. At that moment... anyway, I just thought of her."

"You didn't cheat," Qu Yanting said gently. "It was your mother helping you."

Lu Wen's expression turned dazed for a second as he processed Qu Yanting's words. Suddenly, as if a knot in his heart had been untied, he completely relaxed.

Lu Wen hadn't forgotten the sight of Qu Yanting sitting here alone. He circled back, wanting to know if Qu Yanting also had a knot in his heart.

"Were you in a bad mood just now?"

"No."

"How can you say no? You can tell me."

"On what grounds?"

"I already told you."

"You said it willingly."

"You're clearly the one who induced me to say it."

"If I induced you to do something else, would you do it?"

Lu Wen wasn't skilled in wordplay and was quickly choked speechless. He meant well, wanting to act as a sympathetic little brother on a radio show, or a "tree hole" for secrets, but Qu Yanting clearly didn't need one.

He felt that no matter what Qu Yanting was feeling, he only ever revealed a shallow layer of it, burying his true emotions very, very deep inside. He couldn't probe them, nor did he have any reasonable qualification to do so.

Lu Wen, rebuffed, sulkily snatched the wet wipes back. "You don't even return them after you're done. I still need to use them."

Although Qu Yanting hadn't confided in him, he had successfully pushed his worries to the back of his mind and started teasing. "Go ahead and use them. Use a couple more. But even wiping on hyaluronic acid won't make you handsome again right now."

Lu Wen immediately took out his phone, opened the front camera, and got a clear look under the deathly glare of the broken lightbulb. His entire face was swollen from crying, not to mention his eyes. His double eyelids were stretched so wide they looked like two strips of knife-cut noodles.

"Fuck!" Lu Wen shot to his feet in shock. "I'm more upset than Ye Shan now!"

Qu Yanting was just joking, not expecting the guy's idol baggage to be so heavy. Lu Wen swiftly took his leave, saying as he walked, "I need to go put on a face mask. I'm heading out."

"Is it that serious?" Qu Yanting muttered. "An actor just needs to act well."

Lu Wen screeched to a halt and solemnly declared, "I am a handsome man first, and an actor second."

Qu Yanting was rendered speechless for a rare moment. The entertainment industry had no shortage of pretty faces, and every one of them tried desperately to prove they were a qualified actor. This male lead of his probably had a screw loose.

He said nonchalantly, "What's the use of being handsome?"

Lu Wen let out a punchable-sounding snort, subtly exposing him. "How is it useless? Some people just like handsome men. Once they take a liking to you, they give you roles to act in, give you resources. You have no idea how awesome it is."

Qu Yanting understood the hidden meaning and asked, "You've met someone like that?"

'You're such a good actor,' Lu Wen thought. He replied, "I have. Right here on our film set."

Qu Yanting was inwardly surprised. By the time he came back to his senses, Lu Wen had already run far away. He remained under the grapevine, his thoughts in a jumble, only returning when the next scene was about to start filming.

Still in the bedroom of room 302.

Tao Meifan had wrapped up for the day. The next scene was Lu Wen's solo act. On the night Ye Shan had a conflict with Mother Ye, in the middle of the night, Ye Shan dreamed of his deceased father and woke up with a start.

Lu Wen changed into cotton shorts and a tank top and lay on the bed. The entire set had been completed two months ago, and the bedsheets and duvet cover hadn't been changed or washed. He leaned uncomfortably against the headboard.

Ren Shu sat on the edge of the bed. "Lu Wen, you're too stiff."

Lu Wen didn't move an inch. "Mm."

"Mm my ass, move." Ren Shu threw back the covers, revealing Lu Wen's straight legs, and helped him get into position. "Do you usually sleep like this? Don't you get cramps?"

Qu Yanting reached the doorway and paused, witnessing Ren Shu bend Lu Wen's knees and grab his calves to angle them slightly. He stared at the bedside, then silently walked to his seat.

Ren Shu said, "Lu Wen, lie down."

Lu Wen slid into bed, lying on his back, afraid the pillowcase would rub against his face. The blanket was draped over his chest, leaving his shoulders and arms exposed to the air.

He asked, "Director, is my face still swollen?"

Ren Shu glanced at Lu Wen. His face was acceptable, but his eyes were still red and swollen, which would look bad in a close-up. He had an assistant bring an ice pack and placed it on Lu Wen's eyelids to cool them for a while.

Lu Wen: "Director, make me look handsome, 'kay?"

"Easy." If the acting was bad, Ren Shu would lose his temper; if it was good, he would be pleasant. "You're so handsome, I'd have a hard time making you look ugly even if I tried."

The camera would cut from the bedside, so the character's position had to be just right. Ren Shu grabbed Lu Wen's bare shoulders, turning and flipping him around to find the best angle.

Lu Wen was getting dizzy from all the turning and kept groaning.

Qu Yanting watched with a cool gaze, holding a cup of cold, strong tea. He frowned slightly, very faintly.

After finding the right angle, the stand-in took his place on the top bunk. Ren Shu returned to his seat and only then noticed Qu Yanting was back. He asked, "Where'd you go for a walk?"

"Just getting some air," Qu Yanting said, glancing at the other man's face out of the corner of his eye. His exhaustion couldn't hide his good mood. "What are you so happy about?"

Ren Shu replied, "What else could I be happy about as a director? The shoot is going smoothly. Lu Wen acted exceptionally well in the last scene. You saw it too, right?"

Qu Yanting said, "I wonder how this scene will go."

"Should be no problem," Ren Shu said. "Ye Shan's audition piece was this very scene."

The lights were off in the room. The lighting technician set up the lights outside the window, white, like moonlight pouring in. The camera first cut to the top bunk. Ye Xiaowu was sound asleep on his stomach, one leg sticking out, his calf dangling in mid-air.

Ye Shan lay flat on the bottom bunk, his upper body turned, his left cheek pressed against the pillow. A layer of shimmering sweat covered his forehead. His lips were slightly parted as he panted, tossing and turning restlessly on the mattress.

Suddenly, Ye Shan's eyes flew open, startled awake from his dream.

Perhaps because of what Mother Ye had said, he had dreamed of the father who had been gone for ten years.

Ye Shan clutched the blanket tightly, staring at the bed board of the top bunk for a long time as he recovered. The moment he closed his eyes, images from the dream overwhelmed him, and he could no longer fall back asleep.

Wiping away the cold sweat from his forehead, Ye Shan sat up, got quietly out of bed, tucked Ye Xiaowu's leg back in, and pulled the blanket up for him.

He sat down at the desk, turned on the table lamp; the alarm clock showed 3:30 in the morning. The notebook was already torn to shreds, so there was no need to write anymore. He sat woodenly in the chair, staring into space.

After a long while, as if he had gathered enough courage, Ye Shan bent down and pulled open the bottom drawer. Inside was a faded old envelope.

Ye Shan took out the envelope, opened it carefully, and pulled out an old photograph and two movie tickets.

They were too old. The ticket stubs had yellowed and become brittle, and the printed words had faded. Father Ye had bought them before he passed away. The name of the movie was Heaven's Echo.

Ye Shan looked at them for a while, then put down the movie tickets and picked up the old photograph of Father Ye.

This scene now overlapped with the audition footage. On the monitor, Lu Wen was holding the photo with both hands, leaning against the back of the chair, as the camera slowly cut to a close-up from the side.

Ren Shu had told Qu Yanting that during this part of the audition, eighty percent of the actors had cried. At the very least, tears streamed down their faces; at the worst, they wailed loudly. Those who couldn't cry just bared their teeth in a grimace.

His only comment at the time was, "Putting yourselves in Ye Shan's shoes, aren't you afraid of waking up Ye Xiaowu?"

Qu Yanting watched the screen. In the close-up, Lu Wen sat in the chair, his back slightly hunched, his body and spirit both relaxed. He gazed quietly at the photo, not a trace of pain on his face. His brows, his eyes, the peaks and corners of his lips, all conveyed a sense of peace under the faint moonlight.

After the long take was finished, Qu Yanting realized that Lu Wen hadn't blinked from beginning to end.

After a very long time, Lu Wen pressed his lips together, as if in a smile.

He rubbed the edge of the photograph with the pad of his finger, then moved it to the portrait. Just as he was about to touch Father Ye's face, he stopped. His fingertip trembled, and he finally withdrew his hand timidly.

Lu Wen pressed the photograph and movie tickets together, his movements slow, as if he couldn't bear to part with them. He put them away back in the drawer, then raised his face to the window. His unblinking eyes finally began to sting, misting over, and two hot streams of tears fell from their corners.

Qu Yanting felt a warmth on his arm. It was Ren Shu leaning over to whisper to him, "Now you understand why I chose him, right?"

He understood. Qu Yanting had understood since the last scene.

Ren Shu suppressed his excitement, speaking as if he'd bet on a winner: "If Lu Wen keeps developing with this momentum and at this level, he won't have to worry about a lack of roles or resources in the future."

Suddenly, Qu Yanting's expression flickered. "So certain?"

Ren Shu was on a roll and boasted, "At the very least, I appreciate him, and I'm a somewhat famous director, wouldn't you say?"

A brief, dead silence.

"Ren Shu."

"What is it?"

Qu Yanting asked with slight hesitation, "...Do you like handsome men?"

Ren Shu: "Huh?"