Ye Lan closed Jiang Chi's script and set it aside. After spacing out for a moment, he turned to Cen Wen and said, "Help me send a drink over to Jiang Chi, a hot one... and bring his script to him while you're at it."

Cen Wen grumbled to herself, 'So he finally realized he was too strict with him, and now he's trying to offer a carrot after the stick?'

Cen Wen asked, "What would be good to send? It can't be ginger soup again, can it? I bet he wouldn't want to drink a single sip."

"Milk tea." Ye Lan urged, "Go now, before he gets his makeup on."

Cen Wen agreed and went.

In Jiang Chi's dressing room, Li Weili was gossiping with Jiang Chi about recent news. Seeing Cen Wen arrive with milk tea, Li Weili quickly stood up to take it, beaming with a smile: "Thank you, Sister Cen Wen!"

"Why thank me?" Cen Wen had brought several cups over. She handed them out one by one to everyone sitting in the room and said to Jiang Chi with a smile, "Ye Lan asked me to send these. He was afraid you wouldn't be able to drink it after putting on your makeup, so he kept rushing me. It's a little hot, please be careful."

When Jiang Chi heard that Ye Lan had asked his assistant to bring it, his heart warmed. He quickly said, "Sorry for the trouble. Please thank Brother Ye Lan for me."

Cen Wen took a step forward and explained with a smile, "Ye Lan has a bit of a short temper, don't mind him. He didn't even realize his tone was bad just now. He's... haha, that's just his personality. Please don't take it to heart."

Jiang Chi let out a laugh, "How could I?"

Jiang Chi held the warm milk tea with both hands and said sincerely, "I can tell when people are genuinely good to me or just pretending. Brother Ye Lan is a good person, that's why he's willing to teach me these things."

Cen Wen couldn't help but chuckle, deflecting the "good person card" on Ye Lan's behalf: "Is that so? But... in all my years as his personal assistant on set, this is the first time I've seen him be a 'good person' and teach an actor from the same cast."

Jiang Chi froze. It took a great deal of effort to forcefully suppress the disobedient corners of his mouth from turning up, barely managing to keep his composure in front of Cen Wen.

Jiang Chi lowered his head and took a big gulp of milk tea. His entire being felt warm from the inside out.

"Maybe it's because he clicks well with you." Cen Wen smiled. "If there's nothing else, I'll be going."

Jiang Chi nodded. "Okay, sorry for the trouble."

"You're too polite."

Li Weili watched Cen Wen's graceful back and sighed, "Sister Cen Wen is so nice, and so beautiful too. Film Emperor Ye's people are all so professional! Brother Jiang, shouldn't we prepare something to send over in return later? It's about reciprocity."

Jiang Chi hesitated, "What would be good to send?"

Li Weili thought for a moment, then slapped his thigh. "Heat packs! The thin ones! Didn't you bring a lot of them over? Film Emperor Ye might like them. They're practical, too!"

Jiang Chi suddenly choked.

It would have been fine if Li Weili hadn't mentioned it. But as soon as he did, the scene of him being alone with Ye Lan in the dressing room that day, being asked by Ye Lan to apply a heat pack for him, reappeared in his mind.

Jiang Chi's just-calmed mood was thrown into turmoil again. The rims of his ears reddened as he said perfunctorily, "Alright... I'll send them over later."

Li Weili felt that he had been very thoughtful on Jiang Chi's behalf and sat down to one side, satisfied.

Work officially began half an hour later. The scene that Ye Lan had personally coached went incredibly smoothly. In the long four-minute shot, Jiang Chi's handling of every detail was near-perfect. Even when sharing the frame with Ye Lan, whose acting was on a whole other level, he steadily held his own and matched him equally, not giving an inch.

"Cut!"

Ren Haichuan didn't even look at the playback and said directly, "Prepare for the next scene."

The Assistant Director came forward and praised Jiang Chi profusely. Jiang Chi quickly waved his hands, "Brother Ye Lan gave me some pointers before we started rolling, otherwise it wouldn't have gone so smoothly."

Jiang Chi subconsciously looked at Ye Lan. He wasn't expecting a reward, he just hoped that Ye Lan was also satisfied.

The corners of Ye Lan's mouth lifted slightly. "Not bad."

Jiang Chi's mood instantly improved several times over!

Ye Lan looked at the little bit of excitement in Jiang Chi's eyes and snorted inwardly. 'Cen Wen just said I was too strict. How was I strict? Isn't Jiang Chi still alive and kicking just fine?'

The next scene was Jiang Chi's alone.

In the scene, Pei Ran accidentally walks in on Zhan Ming showering. In an instant, he recalls all sorts of intimacies from their wild youth. The memories come rushing back. Pei Ran could deceive others, but not his own heart. His desire for Zhan Ming nearly shatters his pride. Afraid of being discovered by Zhan Ming, Pei Ran stumbles out of the apartment and flees in a panic.

"Zhan Ming is in there. You're looking at his nude body, and the love you have for him in your heart is intertwined with the physical impulse you feel for him." Ren Haichuan, who was past forty, had a completely detached expression as he described this passionate scene, his tone not fluctuating in the slightest. "Recall the things he did to you when you were passionately in love. Let the desire you've suppressed for all these years extend from your heart to a physical level. It's a big close-up on your face, so control your expression. Don't be too restrained."

Jiang Chi's ears and cheeks turned red. He let out a light breath, "Yes."

Though it was said he accidentally walked in on Zhan Ming showering, during the actual filming, only Jiang Chi was present. The shot of Ye Lan showering had been filmed a month ago. The bathroom on this set didn't even have a showerhead. In a moment, after the script supervisor yelled cut, Jiang Chi would have to close the door of the empty bathroom with a flustered expression, pretending Zhan Ming was inside, and then leave in distress.

The person who was supposed to be bathing naked in the bathroom was now standing to the side, impeccably dressed in a suit, smoking.

And by the looks of it, he had no intention of leaving!

Jiang Chi was silently weeping and going crazy inside. 'Ye Lan has nothing to do with the next scene, why isn't he going back to his dressing room?!'

'What's so interesting about watching me act out a scene of getting turned on by an empty room!!!'

This shot was connected to the previous scene, so the set and styling didn't need to be changed. After the lighting was readjusted, they could start filming directly.

Ren Haichuan gave Jiang Chi a few minutes to prepare.

Jiang Chi held his breath and quieted his mind, trying hard to get into the right mood.

As Ren Haichuan passed by Ye Lan, Ye Lan blew a smoke ring at him and said lazily, "Not even a hint about the expression. Isn't that a bit harsh?"

Ren Haichuan frowned and glanced at Ye Lan. "Mind your own business. If this goes smoothly, we might be able to shoot another take. Aren't you going to get your makeup done?"

Ye Lan gave Ren Haichuan a carefree smile. "No rush."

Ye Lan didn't want to leave, and there was nothing Ren Haichuan could do about it.

Cen Wen handed Ye Lan a disposable paper cup to use as an ashtray and asked in a low voice, "Is the next scene very difficult to shoot?"

Ye Lan said softly, "It depends on Director Ren."

Anyone with eyes could see that Ren Haichuan's expectations for Jiang Chi were much higher than when he had first joined the cast.

Sure enough, in the following scene, Jiang Chi filmed it three times repeatedly, and Ren Haichuan still didn't approve it.

"What kind of expression is that?! Where is all that panic coming from? Where's the lust?"

"Cut!"

"The look in your eyes is wrong! Your eyes lost focus just now!"

"Why are you in such a hurry to run? What did I just say?"

"Cut! There's no desire in your eyes."

Jiang Chi was red-faced from Ren Haichuan's scolding. Cen Wen couldn't bear it and said, "I thought it was already quite good? Especially the first take, it was perfect."

Ye Lan was silent, the smile in his eyes fading a little.

The first take was indeed very good. Limited by his age and experience, love and desire were Jiang Chi's weak points. But in that first take, the lust and restraint in Jiang Chi's eyes were intertwined, vividly portraying Pei Ran's tangled and conflicted emotions for his old love with great depth. Even someone as demanding as Ye Lan felt that take was perfectly acceptable.

But Ren Haichuan wasn't satisfied. After repeated failed takes, Jiang Chi's emotions were affected, and his momentum was suddenly lost.

"You..." Ren Haichuan also hadn't expected Jiang Chi's takes to get progressively worse. He suppressed his anger and said gruffly, "Adjust your emotions! Three minutes!"

Jiang Chi was extremely embarrassed and apologized, stammering, "S-sorry, sorry, I'll immediately..."

Ye Lan lit another cigarette, not a trace of a smile in his eyes.

Cen Wen whispered, "Jiang Chi is really unlucky today, getting lectured one after another..."

Hearing this, Ye Lan's brows furrowed suddenly.

Cen Wen quickly shut her mouth.

Ye Lan thought back and felt he was somewhat in the wrong. Looking at Ren Haichuan again, he found the old man particularly annoying today.

In the camera's view, a layer of fine sweat beads had formed on Jiang Chi's forehead.

Jiang Chi thought with grim humor, 'This is pretty good too, saves them from having to spray water on me later.'

Jiang Chi knew Ye Lan was still on set. He didn't dare look in Ye Lan's direction.

For the past few takes, he had relied on recalling Ye Lan's daring scenes from his past movies. The thought of Ye Lan watching him fail repeatedly made him lose even the mood to recall those images.

Three minutes passed quickly. Unsurprisingly, it failed again.

"You..."

"Let me have a word with him." Ye Lan interrupted Ren Haichuan.

Ren Haichuan gave his tacit consent with a dark expression.

Ye Lan walked over to Jiang Chi in a few steps. Jiang Chi's face flushed red. "S-sorry..."

"What do you have to be sorry to me for?" Ye Lan said softly to Jiang Chi with his back to the camera. "Adjust your breathing, quickly."

Jiang Chi was bewildered, but did as he was told.

Ye Lan raised his hand and touched Jiang Chi's chin.

Jiang Chi: "!"

"Look at me." Ye Lan lightly caressed Jiang Chi's lips and ordered, "Look me in the eyes."

Jiang Chi raised his eyes, his mind a complete blank. 'What is Ye Lan d-d-doing?!'

Ye Lan said faintly, "Open your mouth."

Jiang Chi's mind exploded, and he subconsciously obeyed...

Ye Lan inserted his index finger into Jiang Chi's mouth and toyed with his tongue.

Jiang Chi: "!!!"

Ye Lan lowered his eyes slightly, closely watching the subtle changes on Jiang Chi's face. His hand didn't stop, exploring the tip of Jiang Chi's tongue, teasing his palate. His clean, slender fingers simulated a gentle thrusting motion in Jiang Chi's mouth a few times.

Jiang Chi's entire state changed.

Ye Lan let go of Jiang Chi and said in a low voice, "If you don't pass this time, there's nothing more this brother can do."

Ye Lan swaggered to one side, pulled out a tissue, and gently wiped his finger. He said to Ren Haichuan with a half-smile, "Was just scolding him useful?"

Ren Haichuan, the Assistant Director, the script supervisor, the lighting technician, the cameraman, Li Weili, Cen Wen: "..."

Ren Haichuan's face was ashen as he ordered all departments to get into position.

As expected, this time it was a single take.

Jiang Chi's eyes were brimming with desire. The remaining shred of clarity barely maintained Pei Ran's strong-willed facade. His dignity put up a last-ditch struggle in front of his old love. In the end, that last bit of persistence preserved his decency. After leaning against the bathroom hallway wall and panting for nearly a minute, Pei Ran fled in disarray.

"Passed!"

Jiang Chi was still panting heavily. Hearing that, he almost collapsed from exhaustion. He pressed his palms together towards everyone. "Sorry... for delaying the schedule."

"Not at all, not at all!" The Assistant Director was blushing with a racing heart from watching. He exclaimed repeatedly, "Perfect! That scene was amazing!"

Jiang Chi looked uneasily at Ren Haichuan. Ren Haichuan snorted. Although his expression was terrible, he still affirmed the last take.

The crew hurried to start clearing the set and organizing the equipment. The set became busy and chaotic once more.

After many failed takes, he had finally gotten a satisfied nod from Ren Haichuan, but Jiang Chi didn't dare to relax yet... Ye Lan was still watching him from not far away.

Remembering the scene just now where Ye Lan helped him get into character, Jiang Chi felt like his entire body was about to catch fire.

But no matter how hard it was to bring up, both emotionally and rationally... he still had to go and thank him.

Jiang Chi braced himself, and with a beet-red face, shuffled up to Film Emperor Ye. He stammered nervously, "Brother Ye Lan, just now... thank you... I..."

Cen Wen had gone to the RV to get something for Ye Lan, and Li Weili had gone with her to help. There was no one else around them. Not far away, crew members were walking back and forth, their voices noisy.

Seeing Jiang Chi's shy appearance, Ye Lan suddenly felt a tickle in his heart. He couldn't resist being a smart-mouth and asked, "Thank me for what?"

Jiang Chi froze.

'Do I have to say it out loud and thank Ye Lan for helping me get into character like... like that?!!!'

Jiang Chi felt like he was about to start steaming!

Ye Lan held back his laughter and paid Jiang Chi no more mind. He turned to go back to his dressing room, but after just two steps, he tilted his head back and smiled. "Your little tongue is pretty soft."

Jiang Chi: "..."

Fresh Meat Jiang, who had just passed the most difficult shot of his acting career and received countless affirmations, single-handedly raised the temperature of the entire set by several degrees because of one sentence from Ye Lan.