Chapter 39 Part 1

After the bed scene, everyone except Ye Lan was quite satisfied with Jiang Chi's performance.

In the drama, Pei Ran wasn't good at intimacy to begin with. Coupled with a vague unease about the rapid progress of their relationship, he couldn't help but be a little clumsy and reserved during their intimate moments.

But his feelings for Zhan Ming were real and tangible. The heat in his eyes wasn't fake, and the tenderness of his kisses wasn't fake.

Jiang Chi did a good job of expressing both of these aspects.

Ren Haichuan preferred this kind of lingering, silent bed scene. Especially just now when Ye Lan and Jiang Chi were whispering to each other, the atmosphere was nearly perfect, and the actions and expressions were all on point.

In the future, with the right musical score, it would be very warm and touching, very heart-stirring.

Ren Haichuan was very satisfied.

The only unsatisfied person said, still wanting more, "Is that it?"

Ren Haichuan: "..."

Can this person have any shame?

Jiang Chi, who was putting on his shirt and quickly buttoning it up, froze when he heard this. He was at a loss, and his entire face was about to turn red.

'Ye Lan isn't satisfied... what does he want?'

"What else?" Ren Haichuan said with a cold face, pointing to his own chair. "Want me to give you the director's seat? You shoot it! Or maybe I can rent you a set of equipment, you find another location yourself and film another version according to your ideas?"

Ye Lan smiled. "Alright, my acting range isn't that wide yet."

Although he said that, Ye Lan couldn't help but follow Ren Haichuan's train of thought, turning his head to sweep his eyes over Jiang Chi from top to bottom.

Relying on his recent memory and years of ultra-professional experience, Ye Lan quickly constructed a set and arranged the lighting in his mind, imagining a scene of Jiang Chi, completely naked, filming an erotic scene according to his own tastes...

Ye Lan had even thought out the camera angles.

During the shoot just now, he hadn't had time to get a close look at Jiang Chi's important parts. If he were directing, there would definitely have to be a few more close-ups on those key areas...

Rogue that he was, Ye Lan thought of something, coughed uncomfortably, and asked the cameraman for a cigarette.

Ye Lan lit the cigarette and took a drag, calming the nameless, wicked fire in his heart.

He looked at the fully dressed Jiang Chi in the distance and thought faintly to himself, 'Am I crazy?'

After this bed scene, the entire crew officially entered the final stages. The set design and stage management teams temporarily brought in double the manpower from North City and began preparing for a major scene at the end of the movie.

After this scene, Jiang Chi's filming would be complete.

These days, he loved running to Ye Lan's dressing room more than usual.

Jiang Chi was always afraid of bothering Ye Lan; usually, he would only go over when Ye Lan called for him. Now, he would find excuses like "delivering fruit" or "rehearsing lines" to go see Ye Lan, acting even clingier than usual.

Ye Lan knew that Jiang Chi was reluctant to leave the crew and was happy to have him come over. When time permitted, he would teach Jiang Chi as much as he could about acting.

"If things go smoothly, I should be able to wrap up my scenes tonight." In the dressing room, while Cen Wen wasn't around, Jiang Chi took out an exquisitely wrapped box from his coat, saying a little embarrassedly, "You're wrapping up later than I am, so... I'll give you your wrap gift in advance."

As the main lead, Ye Lan still had some solo scenes to film and wouldn't be done for about another half a month.

Ye Lan was taken aback for a moment, then smiled. "What treasure is this?"

Jiang Chi opened the box. Inside was a watch with a simple design.

Ye Lan owned several watches of this brand and knew its approximate price range. He smiled, "You're quite generous."

"No... it's alright." Worried that Ye Lan wouldn't accept it, Jiang Chi quickly added, "I bought it in Paris during Fashion Week, it's cheaper than in the country..."

Jiang Chi had previously wondered if it was a bad idea to suddenly give Ye Lan something so expensive. But something too cheap really wasn't worthy of Ye Lan. Besides, Jiang Chi had a small, selfish thought...

If he gave Ye Lan something from a brand he usually liked, perhaps one day he might see Ye Lan wearing it at a premiere or a charity gala.

No one else would know, but he would know that it was a gift from him to Ye Lan.

Jiang Chi watched Ye Lan nervously. Ye Lan smiled, accepted the watch, and said with a troubled laugh, "Compared to this, my wrap gift for you seems a bit light, doesn't it? What should I do..."

Ye Lan looked up and said deliberately, "How about I teach you something else to make up for it?"

Remembering Ye Lan's wrap gift, Jiang Chi's ears instantly turned red. Just as he was about to stammer that it wasn't necessary, there were two knocks on the dressing room door.

Ye Lan clicked his tongue, put the watch in his bag, and said, "Come in."

It was the executive producer. Jiang Chi stood up to greet him. Ye Lan remained seated and smiled, "What's up?"

The executive producer smiled. "Nothing much. The movie is about to wrap up, so I came to take a look. Are you preparing for your scene?"

Ye Lan turned his head to look at Jiang Chi and said lazily, "Just chatting."

As they were talking, Cen Wen pushed the door open and came in. "The next scene is ready. The director wants you to go over."

Ye Lan took off his down jacket and smiled at the executive producer. "Sorry, can't keep you company."

The executive producer quickly told Ye Lan to go ahead. Ye Lan handed the jacket to Cen Wen and, as he reached the door, turned his head to instruct, "Keep an eye on that bag next to my makeup mirror. There's something important inside."

Ye Lan's voice was neither loud nor soft, just enough for Jiang Chi, who was still in the dressing room, to hear.

The corners of Jiang Chi's mouth lifted uncontrollably.

Cen Wen didn't know what it was, but she nodded anyway. "Don't worry, I'll take the bag to the car and lock it up in a bit. Hurry up and go."

With that, she followed Ye Lan out.

Only the executive producer and Jiang Chi were left in the dressing room. The executive producer exchanged a few pleasantries with Jiang Chi.

Jiang Chi's gaze uncontrollably kept drifting to Ye Lan's bag, feeling secretly happy.

"Teacher Jiang, don't overthink it. I'm just saying these few words as a matter of routine." The executive producer smiled. "Our film's subject matter is special. If I don't say these things, I'd be irresponsible."

Jiang Chi tore his gaze away from Ye Lan's bag and smiled at the executive producer. "Please, go on."

The executive producer lowered his voice. "Under normal circumstances, people from your company and your team will also mention this to you, so I'll just add my two cents... After filming wraps, I suggest that, for this year at least, you don't appear on the same stage as Teacher Ye again."

Jiang Chi froze.

"It would be even better if you contacted each other less... It's for your own good and Teacher Ye's. You know, given the general environment, we are very grateful that you were willing to film this movie and did so with such dedication." The executive producer said earnestly, "That's why we don't want your career to be further affected by this. I heard your next project is a modern drama? That's great. When the time comes, you can cooperate with the production team to create some buzz with the female lead, shift everyone's focus, and things will be much better."

Jiang Chi's fingers clenched and then relaxed. For a moment, he didn't know how to respond.

He understood everything the executive producer was saying.

After filming a work with a same-sex theme, most male artists would avoid having too much contact with their co-star. Those who were heavily affected would even quickly reveal their romantic partners to avoid and clear up any suspicion.

Jiang Chi himself didn't care about his future development. If he truly cared, he wouldn't have shouldered so much trouble just to force his way into this crew.

But he couldn't not care about Ye Lan's.

Jiang Chi subconsciously looked again at Ye Lan's bag on the makeup table.

Just before leaving, Ye Lan had instructed Cen Wen: "Keep an eye on that bag next to my makeup mirror. There's something important inside."

The important thing inside wasn't the watch; it was Jiang Chi's sincere heart.

It had already been given to Ye Lan.

Jiang Chi smiled in relief. He got what he wished for; he wouldn't ask for anything more.

"I understand..." Jiang Chi smiled at the executive producer. "Thank you for the reminder. I'll be careful."

The executive producer actually hated this kind of thankless job that offended people. Seeing that Jiang Chi was reasonable, he said with relief, "When that Tong Yizhe wrapped up before, I told him the same thing. He gave me a fake smile that made me uncomfortable for a long time. Actually... sigh, I don't like bringing this up either, but it's just part of the job. As long as you don't take it to heart."

Jiang Chi smiled. "I won't."

The executive producer, now relaxed, chatted and joked with Jiang Chi for a while longer until a stagehand came to hurry Jiang Chi.

Ye Lan's shot was already finished. Ren Haichuan was watching the playback.

On the small monitor, a woman with exquisite makeup leaned against Zhan Ming, half-drunk. "President Zhan seems particularly absent-minded today. You keep looking my way, don't you?"

The woman's perfume was strong. Zhan Ming leaned back to avoid it, a mocking smile on his lips, though his tone was still barely polite. "You must be joking. I wouldn't dare."

The one who made Zhan Ming keep looking back was actually Pei Ran.

He hadn't expected to run into Pei Ran at this banquet.

If he had known, he would have invited Pei Ran to come along.

Several months had passed since he and Pei Ran reunited, and Pei Ran no longer resisted him as intensely as before.

The memories of the past weren't fake, and Zhan Ming's complete transformation wasn't fake. All of it was tormenting Pei Ran, but it was also warming him.

Zhan Ming was bent on winning back his youth and his lover. He had been extremely cautious with Pei Ran during this time, and now the two of them could sit down and chat calmly.

Zhan Ming firmly believed that as long as he did a little better, Pei Ran would come back to him.

The prerequisite was that nothing else could go wrong.

Zhan Ming suppressed the disgust in his eyes and patiently fobbed her off. "I have something to attend to. I'll talk to you later."

"Why wait?" The woman took Zhan Ming's hand, leaned into his arms, and whispered with a laugh, "Can't it be now?"

Zhan Ming couldn't bear it any longer. He shoved the woman away fiercely and roared, "Who the hell told you to rub against me? You reek of perfume! How am I supposed to explain this later?!"

The woman stumbled from the push and looked up in horror.

The scene cut.

Ren Haichuan had Jiang Chi watch the playback and asked, "You happen to walk in on this scene. Is your emotional state ready?"

Jiang Chi took a deep breath. "I'm ready."

"The Scum, Scene 81, Shot 3, Take 1! Action!"

Jiang Chi stared blankly at the disheveled woman leaning against the wall and the angry and anxious Ye Lan beside her.

Ye Lan quickly straightened his clothes, forced a smile, and explained, "You saw all that, right? She... she came onto me! I didn't touch her!"

The woman stared at Ye Lan, dumbfounded. Her face flushed purple with rage, she stormed away.