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Sneakily

The familiar voice immediately made Su Shen freeze. When she looked up, she saw a familiar figure with his cap lowered to cover most of his face. Wearing an ordinary black jacket, he looked like the rest of the staff part of the production crew.

Seeing him, Su Shen was stunned. Evidently, she didn’t expect him to suddenly appear here and with no news at all!

“This take is good enough. If we reshoot it, it’ll just be wasting money.” The director chuckled.

Actually, he just found out that Su Shen was Xie Yan’s girlfriend. When he saw Xie Yan, he thought he must’ve come to visit Li Hao on set and was going to ask him to do a cameo, but who knew that he would ask him to find a body double for Su Shen as soon as he opened his mouth. He didn’t even like to use a body double, but now, he wanted his girlfriend to use one! 

“I… I’m going to change.”

Realizing what she had just done, Su Shen immediately wanted to leave, but as soon as she turned around, her arm was tightly grabbed. When she turned around, she saw Xie Yan staring at her somberly.

Su Shen felt a little guilty, but she had no choice as this scene had to show her face.

She rolled her eyes and suddenly grabbed his arm, murmuring, “I really missed you.”

Li Hao: “…….”

There were so many people here!

Li Hao left and so did the others. Xiao Zhou squatted not far away to keep watch in case any paparazzi would sneak in.

A soft voice ran in his ear, successfully making Xie Yan calm down. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and whispered, “I missed you too.”

Blushing, Su Shen didn’t say anything. She had heard that acting cute would be really effective, and it was true.

“But, who told you to do such a dangerous stunt?” Xie Yan narrowed his eyes and stared at her.

Su Shen: “…….”

Lies, acting cute was useless!

“I… I had no choice. I had to show my face in this scene.” She blinked and said in a somewhat guilty tone.

When she remembered that they were still in the middle of the street, she immediately looked around. There had been a paparazzi following her for the past few days, she couldn’t get photographed again, those few photos would cost a couple of millions. It was so not worth it.

“Someone’s taking pictures outside. I’ll ask Xiao Zhou to distract them. Go to my van in five minutes.” Su Shen whispered.

Hearing this, Xie Yan didn’t say anything. Taking a look at the black cap on his head, Su Shen immediately stood on tiptoe to take it off and said, “Lemme borrow it for a sec.”

As she said that, she put his cap on and then brought Xiao Zhou to the van outside parked on the road.

At a glance, she saw an SUV parked at the corner of the street. This car had been following her for a week nonstop.

After getting in the car with Xiao Zhou, she took off her jacket, “Change into my jacket and discreetly go over there. Hail a taxi and have the driver circle around for a bit.”

Hearing this, Xiao Zhou naturally understood what she meant. She immediately took off her jacket and changed into Su Shen’s beige windbreaker and placed the black cap on.

After Xiao Zhou got off the car, Su Shen observed the situation outside. She saw Xiao Zhou looking down and hurriedly walking along the side of the road. After hailing a taxi, the SUV at the corner finally moved.

After the taxi drove away, the SUV followed it unhurriedly, keeping a certain distance from the taxi.

Just at this moment, the door of the van suddenly opened and a figure in black abruptly got in. After the door was slammed shut, the inside of the entire car became dim again.

“Why are you here?” Glancing at him, Su Shen took out two bottles of water from the bag next to her.

She wanted to open the bottle, but as soon as she exerted force, she couldn’t help but sounded “ssh” and opened her hand. There were several wounds on her palm. They were not too deep and were just scraped with blood oozing out only.

With a long face, Xie Yan embraced her nape, leaned over, and stared at her, “You’re so daring.”

When their eyes met, he had a long face, seemingly the first time this angry. Su Shen blinked and suddenly leaned in to kiss him on the lips before gently saying, “I promise this will be the last time.”

A trace of warmth could still be felt on his lips. Staring at her slightly blushed face, Xie Yan snorted and caressed her head unhappily. “What will you do to guarantee that?”

Seeing him staring at her, Su Shen looked down and didn’t say anything. Why did she have to feel guilty? Clearly, Xie Yan did this last time too.

He took the bottle of water, unscrewed it, and handed it to her mouth. His tone was solemn, “Do you know how dangerous it was just now? What if you were blown up? Is money more important or your life?”

Su Shen looked up and pursed her lips, “Last time, you skydived. What if you were to accidentally break an arm or leg?”

Xie Yan: “……”

“This is not an excuse. I’m me, and you are you. Why did you learn from me?” He still had a long face.

“Why can’t I learn from you? It’s you who didn’t set a good example for me. I was influenced by you.” She took the bottle and gulped a big mouthful.

The spilled water slid along her jaw down to her neck. Xie Yan darkened his eyes and suddenly bit her neck, sucking that water droplet into his mouth and in passing, her neck.

Su Shen felt number all over, and the water in her hand splashed onto the seat beside her.

“Okay, I will be a good example for you in the future, and you will have to be a good student.” He looked up and said in a muffled voice.

Su Shen’s ears turned red, but she still snorted and said, “Got it. Thanks, Xie laoshi.”

Staring at her ruby lips, Xie Yan’s eyes darkened. He suddenly leaned in and whispered in her ear, “But, I’m still angry. What are you gonna do?”

His hot breath puffed onto her ear, causing Su Shen’s whole body to be a little limp. She pulled her neck back, “What… can I do…” 

“What did you do just now?” He stared at her wandering eyes fervently. 

His gaze was so fervent that Su Shen couldn’t help but swallow her throat. Her face began to burn again, but she didn’t know how to take this step forward.

Without saying anything, Xie Yan just stared at her silently. The atmosphere in the car suddenly became strange. As if she couldn’t stand his gaze anymore, Su Shen leaned in trembling and kissed him on the lips blushingly.

The next moment, she was pressed hard against the seat as a hot kiss overwhelmed her. Su Shen could only utter an “mhm” as she gasped for breath.

He gently bit her soft lips and roughly plundered all her sweetness. He didn’t let her go until he noticed that she was out of breath. He stared at her and said, “Remember not to do such a dangerous thing in the future.”

“En,” said Su Shen weakly, “I’ll tell the director.”

Xie Yan: “I’ve already told him.”

Su Shen: “……..”

She tried her best to calm down with a flushed face and stared at him with her big watery eyes. “Why are you here?”

It was so sudden.

“Filming is done in Africa, we’re going to Egypt next for some shots.” He wrapped his arms around her waist, buried his head into her neck, and took a deep breath. “I wanted to see you.”

Su Shen frowned. Egypt?

“When will you leave?” She was a little unhappy. Why did the director have to choose those places to film?

Xie Yan: “Now.”

He then looked at his watch and kissed her on the cheek. “I gotta go, or I won’t be able to catch my flight.”

The whole production crew was waiting for him.

Hearing this, just as Su Shen wanted to say something else, she saw that Xie Yan had opened the door and got out of the car.

“Be careful,” she poked her head out of the window, looking a little worried. “Remember what you said. If you do dangerous stunts, I’ll learn from you.”

The person who had got off the car turned around and looked at the little head that poked out from the window. He chuckled, “I still have a lot of things for you to learn.”

He then strode to the corner of the street. Zhao Tong must be waiting for him there in a car.

Blushing, Su Shen didn’t want to bother with his teasing. She didn’t withdraw her head until she saw his figure disappear from her sight. For a moment, she suddenly agreed with He Hua. Why did he have to take on such a dangerous film? What if something happened?

She decided that she couldn’t let Xie Yan make such a reckless decision in the future. No matter what, nothing was more important than one’s life.

After circling around for a while, Xiao Zhou came back in half an hour. Perhaps they knew that they had been tricked as that SUV came back before Xiao Zhou. But Xie Yan had already left. They couldn’t have taken anything.

There were several silent scenes in the afternoon. Although it was not tiring, the explosion scene today caused several wounds on Su Shen’s body. When she returned to the hotel at night, she disinfected them with Qtips alone.

It was quiet in the hotel room; the light above dazzling. It was not until a ringtone broke the silence. 

Su Shen placed the Qtip down and leaned against the sofa to answer the phone. Immediately, He Hua’s steady voice came from the other end of the line, “I’ve watched the video. Fan Meng entered a hotel with a man while holding his arm. When they got out of the car, she kissed the man on the cheek. The man is the vice president of her company. He’s 50 and likes to play with young models the most. If you want it, they can give you the video of Fan Meng entering the hotel with him while holding his arm, but the price is three million, which is already the lowest price!”

A kiss would be more of a hardcore evidence than just holding his arm, but that paparazzi certainly didn’t want to sell all of his information in this way. If they keep the other half, Fan Meng would definitely splash out money to buy it. A video could be sold twice, which was definitely more worth it.

“No problem. Should the man be blurred out?” Su Shen asked seriously.

It was just holding an arm. Entering a hotel while holding a 50-year-old man’s arm, it was plain as day.

“No need. It’s not the first time that Liu dong* has been photographed on a date with aspiring stars. Paparazzi often follow him. This time, taking a photo of him and Fan Meng was by accident.” He Hua said with a laugh.

dong – a term to address a director of a company

Su Shen paused upon hearing that before saying, “I’ll send the money to you now.”

At that, He Hua couldn’t help but ask, “Think it through. You will completely become enemies with Fan Meng with this. She still has some connections in this industry. Are you sure you want to offend her?”

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Revenge

The flashes all around were flashing incessantly. Su Shen was freezing, but she maintained a smile as she responded, “Xie laoshi is a great senior. We worked well together.”

It was a diplomatic response. The hostess didn’t expect her to say anything newsworthy, so she let her go and went to interview Wang Cheng.

When the hostess asked him who he had the best relationship with among the cast, he said with a smile, “They’re all my great seniors. We worked well together.” 

Su Shen: “……”

She glanced from the corner of her eye and saw Li Hao keeping a smile on his face.

“No wonder you guys are part of the same cast. Director Huang’s the most honest one!” The host laughed and gestured toward the end of the red carpet, “Okay, quickly go inside everyone. Wishing for a box office hit!”

The gown was so long that Su Shen had to lift it. But as she lifted it, she felt that the hem of her gown seemed to be stepped on. She turned around and saw Fan Meng shifting her high heel away.

“I’ll help you.” Seeing that she had been fiddling with the hem of her gown, Wang Cheng couldn’t help but walk behind her to help lift her fluffy white hem.

There were still people coming after them, so they couldn’t dawdle too long. Taking a look at Fan Meng who was walking ahead of them, Su Shen didn’t say anything and followed closely behind.

This was a strapless dress. If she hadn’t lifted her gown at first, the whole gown would’ve fallen down. How much did Fan Meng hate her to let her have a wardrobe malfunction in front of so many cameras?!

As soon as they entered the hall, the whole cast’s seats were at the same place. After the stewardess led them to their seats, the entire hall’s seats were almost full. It was dark and the lights hadn’t lit up yet as it was not time yet.

Li Hao, who was sitting next to Wang Cheng and a seat away from Su Shen, suddenly leaned over and whispered, “Xie Yan really ain’t it. He didn’t even come back for the award ceremony; he could at least come back to see his girlfriend.”

Wang Cheng, who was sitting in the middle, grinned, “Maybe he met a girl over there.”

Su Shen: “…….”

She glanced at the two of them and said lightly, “I’ll tell him.”

“Cough cough, I’m kidding.” Wang Cheng touched his nose awkwardly, and then reached out his hand to compare with her arm with a grin, “Look at how fair you are and how good your cooking is, where on earth could I find another you?”

Su Shen glanced at him helplessly and wrapped her shawl tightly, ignoring him.

Just at this moment, the award ceremony began and the lights lit up on stage. A middle-aged veteran singer was singing on stage just at this time. The camera would occasionally pan at the artists below and whoever would be panned would smile cooperatively.

After the singer finished singing, the host came onto stage and said the opening remarks. This award was one of the biggest awards and had a high bearing. However, as their movie didn’t premiere yet during the nominations, the awards had nothing to do with them. It was just a formality.

Anyway, it had nothing to do with her, so Su Shen continued to scroll through her phone. The award ceremony was broadcasted live, and the red carpet just now was also live. But this time, their cast actually landed on Hot Search.

Netizen A: Wang Cheng and Li Hao’s so kind, helping Su Shen with her gown throughout. This cast is so cute!

Netizen B: AHAHAHA! It must’ve been awkward for Fan Meng!

Netizen C: I feel like the whole cast is isolating Fan Meng. Is it just my theory? [joy]

Netizen D: I also have that feeling. [joy] They both wore long gowns. Why didn’t anyone help Fan Meng? This kind of character, emmmmm

Netizen E: Su Shen’s so pretty! Glowing from within!

Netizen F: That V of a certain someone’s rigid face is almost split to her navel… [smiley face]

Netizen G: There seems to be a tale behind this cast. [joy]

Thinking of the fact that Fan Meng stepped on her gown first, Su Shen didn’t want to bother with her. Since she was vicious enough to let her have a wardrobe malfunction, it would make it seem as if she was too easy to bully if she didn’t do anything.

The Best Actor was won by a veteran action star, and the Best Actress was won by a veteran actress. There was no dark horse in the award ceremony this year. Li Hao was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his previous movie, but he was unable to win it.

When it was over, there were already many paparazzi waiting outside. There must be a lot of people waiting at the airport too. Wang Cheng still had to hurry to his next engagement and Su Shen had to change clothes, so they didn’t take the same flight as Li Hao.

Liu jie didn’t come with and just arranged a few bodyguards for her. When she returned to Shanghai, it was already 1:00 am. After taking a shower, she didn’t know if He Hua had slept yet but she still tried giving him a call.

After ringing thrice, the call got connected. He Hua’s voice immediately transmitted from the other end, “What’s up giving me a call in the middle of the night? Don’t tell me you want to go see Xie Yan again? I’m telling you, I won’t go. If you want to go, go by yourself.”

Su Shen: “…….”

“It’s not about that. I have a matter I want to ask for your help.” She dried her wet hair as she put her phone on speaker.

Hearing this, the typing sounds from the other end finally stopped, “What? Which movie do you have your eyes on? I told you to come over, but you insisted on staying with Starlight. Look at what Starlight can give you?”

Su Shen coughed and said seriously, “Do you know many reporters? Can you help me to follow a person?”

Hearing this, the other end became quiet. He Hua finally became serious and asked, “Who?”

Sitting on the sofa and continuing to dry her hair, Su Shen said unhurriedly, “Fan Meng.”

At that, the other end of the line became silent. He didn’t expect that Su Shen would have such a request. They were part of the entertainment industry, so the meaning of following someone, He Hua knew what that meant. He just didn’t expect that the conflict between Su Shen and Fan Meng had reached such a degree.

“What news do you want?” He Hua asked.

Without hesitation, Su Shen said, “Going as far as to follow her, of course, nothing general.”

She never regarded herself as a noble person. If others could do it, she would definitely pay it back.

“I know a paparazzi who has some information on Fan Meng, it’s about her and one of the upper executives of her company. If you want it, it’s at least ten million. Are you sure you want to mess with her?” He Hua’s tone was a little strange as if he hadn’t expected her to be so ruthless.

“It doesn’t have to be hard evidence, as long as it can arouse doubt.” Su Shen said.

What could be solved with money was never a problem.

At that, He Hua hesitated a bit again. There was no secret in this industry. If he helped Su Shen, it would be equivalent to offending Fan Meng.

“Okay, I’ll go negotiate about the price with them first. I definitely won’t let you spend so much money.” He Hua agreed without hesitation.

There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Su Shen understood that this was different from introducing her to opportunities. Since He Hua agreed to help her, she owed him a favor.

After hanging up, she continued to dry her hair. If the information that He Hua obtained was enough, then Fan Meng’s reputation would definitely be ruined. The news of being a mistress or even turning legal onto of that were enough to destroy the reputation of a female artist. Su Shen did not know what it meant to be softhearted. When Fan Meng wanted her to have a wardrobe malfunction in front of so many cameras, she should’ve thought about whether she would lose face in the future.

When she went to set the next day, the news about yesterday’s award ceremony swept all over social media. However, it was later buried by a catfight between female artists. Everyone wanted to say that their idol was the most beautiful. In comparison, it was not so fierce between male artists in terms of looks, as it would just be comparing a suit with another.

Today, she had a large-scale pursuing scene with a lot of stunts. She even had to jump out of an exploding car. For this scene, she had to show her face. Knowing this, Li Hao didn’t stop her.

The whole road was reserved and blocked off. The car that would explode later was a real car, at least it seemed so on the surface. In reality, it was super rundown. The director was going over the script with Li Hao. Su Shen touched the protective equipment on her elbow and was actually somewhat worried.

“Okay, get ready everyone!”

The director shouted and soon after, Su Shen immediately got into the passenger seat and Li Hao in the driving seat. There would be CGI added in post-production, so they only needed to film the conversation in the car. When the director said that they could jump out of the car, she would just directly jump out.

“Move the camera a little bit over there—yes!” Sitting in front of the monitor, the director stared at the screen and said, “Action!”

There was a camera installed inside the car. Hearing the director’s voice, Su Shen turned to look outside the window and looked perplexed, “Why did they choose such a hard-to-escape path?” 

At that, Li Hao, who was driving, frowned. He quickly turned the steering wheel with both of his hands and said, “See if there’s anyone tailing us behind.”

Su Shen immediately turned around and glanced around, “None.”

At that, Su Shen turned around and so did Li Hao. When their eyes met, their expressions changed drastically. Su Shen immediately braced herself and jumped out of the narrow window. When her entire body fell hard onto the ground, a violent explosion sounded behind her. The heavy smoke made her dizzy.

She didn’t know when the director yelled “cut,” but when Su Shen sat up, her arms and legs were scraped to different degrees, and her ears were buzzing. The several cars behind her were on fire, flames raging. It was very costly to film these kinds of scenes, so they had to succeed all at once. She didn’t know whether they needed to reshoot this scene or not, so Su Shen got up to find the director. 

Xiao Zhou immediately came over to see if she was hurt. After all, her clothes were ripped and she was grasping her arm. It was obvious that something must have happened, but after hearing Su Shen say she was fine, she was relieved.

The whole street was filled with staff putting out the fire by using fire extinguishers. This place was reserved and blocked off from the public, so no one would come here and the fire would not spread.

The director was sitting in front of the monitor, surrounded by several people. He looked up and was talking to a man wearing a black cap. Li Hao also chimed in. When he saw Su Shen coming over, he immediately shut his mouth.

“Director, does this scene need to be shot again?” She walked over to the monitor and wanted to watch the playback.

Seeing her coming, the director was taken aback and said with a smile, “Passed with one take.”

Hearing this, Su Shen finally sighed a breath of relief. She was actually quite afraid of shooting this scene again. After all, it was such a dangerous stunt, and one could easily be injured if one was not careful.

“Can I watch the playback?” I’m afraid that my movements were not in position.” Su Shen said as she neared the monitor.

Just when the director was about to speak, the man in a black cap at the side suddenly said somberly, “Are you going to do it again then?”

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Walking the Red Carpet

“I don’t want to accept any more idol dramas.” Su Shen rejected it without a second thought, “I’ve already done two idol dramas this year. I want to try a different genre.”

At that, there was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone before Liu jie compromised, “Alright. I’ll help you select a few scripts of other genres then.”

Hearing this, Su Shen uttered a soft “en”. Liu jie then told her that there’s an award ceremony in a few days, reminding her to attend it. 

After hanging up the phone, Su Shen laid down and rested for a while. If she hadn’t been with Xie Yan and if she was still a newcomer without anything, Liu jie would’ve definitely forced her to accept this drama. It was just because she was now of high commercial value, Liu jie was afraid that she would go to Xie Yan’s agency and so respected her opinion so much.

However, people were like this, especially in the entertainment industry. In fact, it was better to take advantage of one another than stab a knife in each other’s back.

After taking a shower, she laid down and scrolled through her phone again. She had practically been out of the loop for the past few days and wanted to see what had happened in the entertainment industry recently.

To summarize, the discord between Wang Cheng and Jiang Yin’s fans was even more broad. Su Shen went to see the catfight between their fans, and it was simply too vulgar. The leaders of their fanclubs even went out to battle, coming up with plenty of nicknames such as “Wang niangniang” and “Yin* Jiang”, which were more than just personal attacks. After seeing them, Su Shen felt that the attacks she had received before were nothing at all.

Yin Jiang – a play on words, the character for Yin here translates to lewd or obscene  

What a person could receive and endure was always the opposite. In this industry, even a low-profile person like Xie Yan would also have antis, let alone others.

After reading through some other news, Su Shen suddenly noticed a headline. Two days ago, a historical drama announced their male lead, which was Lin Yun, who was one of the four big idols and had the best acting out of all of them. Logically speaking, the female lead of the drama would be a starlet, but Su Shen noticed that the female lead was unexpectedly Tong Le.

She hadn’t been in contact with Tong Le for quite a long time as she had been filming nonstop. It was said that many artists who get into a relationship with one another would always separate due to time apart. There wasn’t even time to date, not to mention the friendship between friends.

It was true that she hadn’t contacted Tong Le for a long time, but she didn’t expect that she would get the female lead role of this drama without saying a word. For this kind of drama, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to invite Yang Zhi to be in it. But, Tong Le had not an ounce of fame, a newcomer through and through. Her family came nowhere close to the entertainment industry. Out of curiosity, she wanted to ask her, but considering how late it was, she didn’t bother her as she thought that Tong Le must’ve had a stroke of luck.

After scrolling through her phone for a while, she then fell asleep. She hadn’t had a good sleep for the past few days, so she didn’t hear the alarm ringing until after a long time the next day.

When she went to set, the makeup artist immediately covered a thick layer of concealer when she saw how dark Su Shen’s eyebags were. There were a lot of action scenes again today. Su Shen felt that her body might really be unable to withstand it. She could fall asleep just sitting there and getting her makeup done.

After pushing through a few days, when Liu jie came to pick her up to go to the award ceremony, she fell asleep as soon as she got on the plane. When they arrived, she was shaken up by Liu jie.

“If you’re tired, I’ll ask for two days of leave from the production crew. Don’t make your body give out.” Liu jie said as she walked in front.

Xiao Zhou was following behind helping her carry her bag. With sunglasses on, Su Shen walked in the middle and could even fall asleep walking.

“AHHHHHH! SU SHEN!”

“SU SHEN, HERE!!!”

When they exited the arriving gate, the screams instantly woke Su Shen up. Through her sunglasses, she saw a group of girls holding signs with her name rushing toward her like a swarm of bees.

“Shit, I forgot to hire bodyguards.” Liu jie’s complexion immediately changed and immediately stood in front of Su Shen.

Before long, a group of fans surrounded Su Shen tightly. The other passersby all moved aside, and some even took out their phones to take photos. 

“Pardon us. Su Shen still has other engagements. Thank you for everyone’s support.” Liu jie led the way with a smile.

However, there were too many fans around. Liu jie could only advance forward slowly. The fans all screamed crazily and aimed their phones straight at Su Shen’s face, taking photos with a burst. Su Shen’s drowsiness immediately vanished and could only follow Liu jie closely.

“AHHHHH! SU SHEN, I REALLY LIKE YOU!

“CAN YOU GIVE ME AN AUTOGRAPH!”

Su Shen kept a smile on her face. The piercing screams could almost pierce her eardrums. The fans had crowded to her side, and the notebooks in their hands could almost poke her face.

It was not that Su Shen was unwilling to sign for them, but that she might not be able to leave as soon as she stopped.

Thankfully, the airport security guards quickly came. After separating the fans, Su Shen finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly followed Liu jie.

After she got in the car, the fans were still there taking photos of her. They clearly knew that they wouldn’t be able to capture anything, but they were still reluctant to leave.

After the car drove away, Su Shen only then took off her sunglasses and exhaled. Fortunately, she came out.

“This is an accident. I’m in contact with all the superfans, and they definitely wouldn’t bring so many people to wait for you at the airport.” Liu jie explained, sitting in the front.

Su Shen knew that she also had a fan club now, which had different member tiers. There would be superfans who would manage the disordered fans. Generally, they would go support their idol whenever they would take part in a variety show. Additionally, those superfans would inform others to go and control the comments whenever any bad rumors about their idol were circulating online.

Generally speaking, the real rational fans would never interfere in the private life of their idol. The airport incident was truly an accident. After all, she had just become popular, so fans coming to wait at the airport for her as soon as they got her flight information was truly beyond her expectation.

“Don’t accept any engagements for me for a while, I’m exhausted.” She leaned against the seat and closed her eyes wearily.

“Besides today’s award ceremony and the variety show recording on Saturday, I’ll help you cancel the rest.” Liu jie turned around and looked at her seriously. “However, the wuxia drama starring you and Jiang Yin has been set to air, so there will definitely be a string of promotional activities you have to attend.”

Su Shen didn’t say anything. She suddenly envied Xie Yan. All he needed to do was film and didn’t need to care about the rest.

However, she had no choice. She didn’t have his status, nor did she have the right to refuse to participate in all of the promotional activities. 

The airport was bound to be full of reporters today. After all, there were at least a hundred artists attending the award ceremony with many A-listers. There would definitely be a comparison of airport photos between artists, where fans would have a catfight with one another again.

It was a common occurrence in the entertainment industry. When Su Shen arrived at a well-known makeup studio, Liu jie had her change into the gown that she had prepared in advance and then asked the makeup artist and hairstylist to style her.

The red carpet was where all the female artists competed with each other in looks, so they would make a splash every time. If they could expose their legs, then they would expose their legs. If not, then they would expose their chest. If they didn’t have a chest, then they would expose their back. There would definitely be a place that could be exposed. However, Liu jie knew that she wouldn’t wear those revealing gowns, so the gown she chose was a simple long strapless one, exposing just her collarbone. It was already very conservative with respect to the others, so Su Shen did not reject it.  

The award ceremony began at 8:00 pm, but artists had to walk the red carpet an hour in advance. Naturally, the order for walking the red carpet was also rather particular. The higher the status, the later one would walk. Naturally, the finale didn’t need to be mentioned. Su Shen walked the red carpet along with the rest of the crew, and the director was naturally present. The film’s lineup was already not bad, it was just that Xie Yan did not come. The organizers had informed them to walk at around 7:45 pm, which was already quite near the end.

When she arrived outside of the red carpet, there were already many cars waiting in line to walk the red carpet. Su Shen wrapped herself in a cotton puffer with Xiao Zhou lifting the hem of her gown as she quickly found the van for their cast.

Inside, Wang Cheng, Li Hao, Fan Meng, and the others were already there. The director was sitting in the front talking to Li Hao. Seeing Su Shen get in, Wang Cheng immediately scooted over and gave her a seat. 

“Su Shen, didn’t you take the flight earlier than mine? Why are you so late?” Li Hao asked, sitting in the front.

Leaning against the plush seat, Su Shen wrapped herself tightly with her cotton puffer as Wang Cheng explained, “Hao ge, you don’t understand. Girls need to change and do their makeup. Do you think they will come out if it hasn’t been a few hours?” 

It was apparent that Wang Cheng knew more about this than him. Su Shen glanced at him with a smile and said, “What girls? Look at you; you had your hair done today, right? How many hours did you spend on it?”

The van was quite large. Fan Meng was the only one sitting in the back and playing on her phone without uttering a word. She was wearing a deep V gown, with that slit almost open to her navel. It was apparent that she didn’t want Su Shen to steal the limelight.

“That’s right. I’m telling you, if you dye your hair too much, you’ll become infertile.” Li Hao said euphemistically.

With a light cough, Su Shen looked down and didn’t say anything. Wang Cheng punched Li Hao in the front discontentedly, “There are people who dyed their hair more than me. Why would it be that I’ll be infertile? You’re just jealous that I’m more handsome than you!”

The two of them were bickering and having a great time. Leaning against the seat, Su Shen was exhausted and tensed all over. If she could sleep, she could definitely sleep for a day and a night.

Time passed so quickly that soon a staff outside yelled at them to get out of the car. When Su Shen woke up, she lifted her gown as she carefully got down from the car.

Almost all the artists had gone in, leaving only a few people who were part of the finale here. Su Shen knew that there was a veteran superstar still waiting. It was already quite good for them to have this order in the lineup.

The red carpet was long and windy, but Su Shen had no choice but to give her cotton puffer to Xiao Zhou and then followed the director and the others to walk the red carpet.

Li Hao and Wang Cheng were rather considerate of her, so they had her walk in between them and stopped to help adjust the hem of her gown from time to time. Cameras were flashing on both sides of the red carpet incessantly. Many people liked this feeling of being watched by thousands of people like Fan Meng, who was striking poses along the way, trying to make herself more graceful. Su Shen, however, didn’t care too much about this as it was simply too cold.

When they finally reached the middle, the host immediately asked them to take position and said with a smile, “Wow, Director Huang, you’re so lucky. There are beauties on both sides.”

There were cameras all around. Director Huang was rather indulgent in the host’s teasing and said with a smile with a microphone in hand, “You only notice the beauties. Aren’t the handsome men not handsome?”

Hearing this, another hostess immediately laughed and said, “Of course they’re handsome! Hao ge’s my prince charming!”

“Go and quickly hug your prince charming!” The host stepped aside with a smile.

The flashes around them incessantly flashed. The hostess was a little embarrassed, but Li Hao stepped forward with a smile, so she plucked up her courage and hugged him.

Then, she laughed excitedly, “I’ve finally completed my fangirling dream.”

Hearing this, the others laughed in cooperation. Just at this moment, the host then started to get back on track and asked everyone to introduce themself and their role in the movie.

When the microphone arrived in Su Shen’s hand, she faced the rows of cameras and despite it being so cold, she still maintained a slight smile on her face and introduced herself, “I played as the Emperor’s favorite concubine in The Song of Trouble Times and was a villainess. Everything she did was for the male lead. I feel that this role was quite pitiful.”

After her introduction, the hostess immediately zeroed in on the topic and asked, “I heard that in this movie Xie Yan had given his first onscreen kiss to you. You both then collaborated on a drama afterward. Do you have a good relationship with him then?”

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Rise in Fame

She looked down and gently pinched the corner of his shirt. After a roll of his throat, Xie Yan ultimately pulled her hand away and said mellowly, “But I don’t believe in myself.”

Su Shen: “……”

She blinked and blushed, “But… He Hua said there are snakes here at night.”

There seemed to be a hint of timidity in her soft voice. Taking a deep breath, Xie Yan pinched her cheek helplessly and said, “Don’t regret it.”

His gaze was so passionate that Su Shen’s heart beat faster than ever before, but she believed in Xie Yan.

The wooden bed was enough for the two of them to lie down. With a thin blanket covering, Su Shen slept on the inside of the bed. After Xie Yan turned off the hanging lamp, the entire tent fell into darkness.

When the side of the bed sank, she indistinctly saw him lie down. With her eyes closed, Su Shen could feel her heart beating rapidly.

The sound of them playing cards loudly could be heard from outside from time to time. Su Shen opened her eyes slightly and found that everything was hazy in the darkness.

“They’re too noisy.”

His sudden voice startled Su Shen for a beat and saw Xie Yan sitting up immediately, walking out of the tent with a few strides.

Amidst the darkness, there was no light in the tent. Not long after, the tent was opened again with Xie Yan returning, only that the noise outside was gone.

Noticing that he laid down again, Su Shen asked curiously, “What did you say to them?”

“Nothing much.” Xie Yan turned over. Although nothing could be seen in the darkness, he couldn’t help but reach out to hold her waist.

Feeling his burning hand on her waist, Su Shen blushed, but she didn’t say anything, quietly letting him hold her silently. 

However, sleeping like this, she felt that the person beside her was breathing a little unstably. She couldn’t help but look up and asked softly, “You can’t fall asleep?”

Amidst the darkness, his eyesight was superb. Through a gap, a faint beam of moonlight shone through. The woman laid on her side in his arms, with her collar wide open, that snowiness only made him restless. 

How could he fall asleep at this time? 

Su Shen couldn’t see a thing and could only tuck him in. She accidentally touched his waist and said softly blushingly, “Sleep early, you still have to film tomorrow.”

At this time, the person was moving around oblivious to everything. Xie Yan closed his eyes and tried his best to adjust his breathing.

With her eyes closed, Su Shen was sleeping without a worry. Unbeknownst as to when, a warm touch suddenly appeared on her lips. She instantly opened her eyes and met with a pair of obsidian eyes.

He pried open her lips, breathing heavily as if he couldn’t wait to taste her last sweetness. The scent permeating from her seemed to destroy his willpower.

“Xie Yan…” Su Shen felt muddle-headed and panted heavily. Didn’t he want to sleep? Why was he so impulsive all of a sudden? 

As he left hot kisses on her neck, he bit her neck and said hoarsely, “I won’t do anything. Trust me.”

As he spoke, his hot hand slipped into her shirt, and her smooth skin destroyed his last hint of sanity.

In the darkness, the temperature seemed to have risen a little. Blushing, Su Shen grasped the thin blanket powerlessly and believed his words for no reason.

Seeing that she seemed to have believed him, Xie Yan just wanted to smile bitterly. She was too naive. How could she believe that he really would do nothing at this time?

However, he ultimately stopped. He buried his head into her neck and took a deep breath. “Sleep, I’ll only hug you.”

Su Shen: “…….”

Hug… Why did he have to put his hand into her shirt…

Her face was almost red like a tomato, but no one could see it clearly in the darkness. Thinking of Xie Yan’s character, she closed her eyes and fell asleep nevertheless.

Seeing that her breathing became even and slow, Xie Yan sighed, with a trace of helplessness in his eyes. Why did he have to torture himself like this…

……

Su Shen didn’t know when she fell asleep but she was woken up by the heat. When she opened her eyes, the blazing sun outside had already illuminated the tent. From time to time, voices could be heard, and the figure beside her was already no longer there.

She rubbed her eyes and sat up from the bed in a daze. When she was fully awake, she folded the blanket and went outside after changing her clothes. The sunshine outside immediately shone on her blazingly and painfully.

“Su Shen, quickly eat breakfast. We have to get going.”

Just at this moment, He Hua came over with a pot of water. He couldn’t bear the awful weather and couldn’t wait to leave.

“Got it.” Hearing this, Su Shen went back into the tent to get her toothbrush and face towel.

After washing up, she immediately put on her sunscreen. Then, she saw Xie Yan coming over with a few bags of breakfast.

He had already changed into the film’s camouflage costume. He was tall and steady. At the sight of him, Su Shen thought of last night and couldn’t help but blush. It was not like she knew nothing. After enduring for a night, Xie Yan must’ve been very uncomfortable.

“What are you putting on?” He asked casually.

Hearing this, Su Shen placed her sunscreen into her suitcase then walked to the table, and sat down. She took a cup of soymilk and had a sip.

“Sunscreen.” She stretched out her fair and slender arm, swaying it in front of his palm, “Look how tanned you are.”

Looking at her swaying arm, Xie Yan grabbed her arm and said mellowly, “So long as you aren’t.”

Su Shen wanted to withdraw her hand, but his grip was tight. Blushing, she could only use her other hand to grab the soymilk.

Just at this moment, He Hua came in. Seeing that the two were still eating, he urged, “Su Shen, quick. We have to wait for the bus in town later.” 

Su Shen also knew that transportation here was not very convenient, so she got up and said to Xie Yan, “I’m leaving now.”

Xie Yan glanced at He Hua from the corner of his eye without saying anything.

Seeing this, Su Shen went to take her suitcase. She had brought a lot of things with her when she came here. Now that they have all been taken out, the suitcase was pretty light.

As she exited the tent, Xie Yan followed after. The staff outside were still adjusting the equipment, and it seemed that today was the day of the skydiving scene.

Seeing that He Hua and Su Shen were about to leave, everyone wished them farewell one after another, while the director was talking to the props team. Under the blazing hot sun, everyone was sweating profusely.

They were going to be sent to town using the water van that the production crew used to purchase water with. After the driver had put her suitcase onto the car, Su Shen turned around and looked at Xie Yan gravely. “Remember what you said. You must use a body double for any dangerous stunts.”

She looked rather serious. Xie Yan stepped forward and held her petite body in his arms. He then buried his head into her neck and took a deep breath, “Remember to eat well.”

He Hua, who was sitting in the car, couldn’t help but poked his head out and shouted at the two still clinging to each other, “Let’s go, let’s go! It’s not like it’s a separation of life and death!”

The driver couldn’t help but burst into laughter. It was the first time that he had seen Xie Yan being so lovey-dovey with his girlfriend. It really didn’t match his style.

Hearing his urging, Su Shen pushed him away blushingly, “I’m leaving now, you can go back.”

She then turned around immediately and got into the car, closing the door hard, trying her hardest not to look back at Xie Yan.

The car started to drive soon after. In the car, He Hua said unhappily, “He can stay here all he wants to. In any case, I won’t come here ever again.”

Knowing that he was still angry at the fact that Xie Yan accepted this film, Su Shen didn’t say anything. Instead, she took out her phone to check if there was any signal.

To go into the city, they still had to wait for the bus. It was already 3:00 pm when the two of them got on the plane, and then, after a ten-hour flight, they had to change to a domestic flight. When they returned to Shanghai, it was already 1:00 pm the next day. Without any time to rest, Su Shen took a shower and changed her clothes in the hotel before rushing to set.

When the director saw her return, he immediately asked her to change into her costume and shoot the next scene.

It was another action scene. Perhaps it was because of the jet lag, Su Shen was so tired that she NGed several times. After wrapping up at 9:00 pm, she felt light-headed all over.

As Su Shen was returning to the hotel, she didn’t know if it was her illusion, but she felt that the car behind had been following them. After returning to the hotel, only then did she have the time to check her phone.

When Liu jie asked her if she had come back, Su Shen just replied with a “yes”. She then went online to check the comments and arched her brow. She suspected that the company had bought enough hype for her to last the whole year. Her name was still on Hot Search after all this time.

At this time, the movie’s box office had already exceeded 900 million and movie sales gradually declined, same with the other movies. Among them, there was a dark horse. It was a small production comedy film. Its leading actors were not very famous, but its box office had unexpectedly reached one billion. 

Although their movie was not a huge hit, it wasn’t a flop either—just mediocre. However, these things didn’t have anything to do with her, a supporting actress. She didn’t know if it was because the company had spent too much on marketing, but her popularity was too high. The selfie that she had posted yesterday at the airport had over 50,000 comments unexpectedly. In the past, she only had six or seven thousand comments at most.

Netizen A: Isn’t she afraid of hyping overboard? Just a supporting actress, yet she hyped like she’s a leading actress. [smiley face]

Netizen B: I feel sorry for Fan Meng. This b***h is too disgusting. No matter what, Fan Meng’s still a Best Actress. Her acting’s better than yours by a mile!

Netizen C: The antis are hilarious. What’s wrong with being a supporting actress? You’re saying like everyone in this industry hasn’t played a supporting role before. Nevertheless, the supporting character is still better than that rigid face of the female lead. [smiley face]

Netizen D: After watching the movie, I really dislike the female lead. On one hand, saying that she would let go, and on the other hand, not allowing the male lead to get in touch with the imperial concubine. Ahaha, what a green tea b***h!

green tea b***h – a girl who seems innocent and charming but is actually calculating and manipulative

Netizen E: Love the imperial concubine that Su Shen played as! Before entering the palace, she was innocent. After being corrupted, she was still so beautiful. In particular, her acting in the scene where she suicided was off the charts!!! 

Netizen F: Fan Meng’s die-hard fans are so disgusting. Don’t they have a clue about their idol’s acting? No wonder Xie Yan was willing to film a kiss scene with Su Shen and not her. Just that rigid face of Fan Meng’s, who would kiss her after seeing it? [smiley face]

Currently, there were catfights ensuing in forums and on social media platforms where people compared her and Fan Meng. Su Shen couldn’t tell which comments were real and which were bought by the company. In any case, there indeed existed a grudge between her and Fan Meng. Even if their fans didn’t fight with each other, their relationship wouldn’t get better anyways.

Perhaps knowing that she was back, Liu jie just so happened to call her. Su Shen leaned against the headboard exhausted and pressed the speaker button.

“When did you arrive?”

Hearing the voice from the other end of the phone, Su Shen answered insipidly, “In the afternoon. Shot several scenes. Exhausted.”

Hearing this, the person on the other end paused before saying conscientiously, “Have a good rest. Be careful lately, there may be paparazzi following you.” 

“En?” Su Shen was somewhat confused.

“You’re a hot topic right now, the subject of talk. There have been several FMCG* brands who’ve asked you to endorse them. But I’m still negotiating the price. It won’t do if the compensation is any less. With your fame high right now, those paparazzi definitely want to follow you and see if there’s anything to expose, so you have to be careful and don’t go out for dinner with anyone casually.” Liu jie said seriously.

FMCG – fast-moving consumer goods

At that, it suddenly occurred to Su Shen that the car following behind them just now seemed to be paparazzi. 

“Got it. Don’t accept any new scripts for me for the time being. I want to have a rest.” She rubbed her temples, her eyelids heavy as a thousand pounds.

At that, Liu jie said conscientiously, “You can have a week of rest, but no longer. Your career just started. By the way, there’s a modern romance drama that’s seeking you. The pay’s pretty high too, a total of ten million. I heard that they booked Jiang Yin as the male lead. Think about it. I’ll send you the script later.”

Previous | Index | Next

Sleep

“I… I was dragged here by He Hua. He said that you insisted on doing those dangerous stunts, so he asked me to come over and watch you.” After saying that, Su Shen looked at him gravely and said, “Didn’t you promise me to use a body double? But what happened?”

Xie Yan: “…….”

He picked up some noodles into his bowl and said earnestly, “These noodles are delicious.”

Seeing him pretending to be deaf and dumb, Su Shen snorted coldly and placed her chopsticks down, gravely saying, “I’m serious. I don’t want you to do those dangerous stunts anymore.”  

There was always a possibility in everything. What if something really did happen?

Xie Yan paused and saw that she was staring at him fixedly. There was a seriousness that he had never seen before from her. From avoidance at the beginning to taking the initiative to care about his safety now, this feeling of being restricted was as sweet as syrup. 

“Okay.” He continued to eat the noodles with his head down.

Su Shen didn’t believe him, so she decided to ask He Hua to find a spy to watch over him, in case he would turn around and forget what he had just said.

Thinking of this, she kept staring at him. But when she saw him finish the pot of noodles in a matter of minutes, she immediately put another piece of noodles into the pot. At this moment, she suddenly had the urge to have him quit the film.

When they finished eating, it was already dark outside. Xie Yan took the pot outside to wash.

The people outside teased him one after another when they saw him coming out with the pot. 

“Yan ge, you’re glowing with health! Are you full?”

Zhong Quan and the rest gathered around playing cards. When they saw Xie Yan’s quick steps, they all burst into laughter.

“If you have the ability, go find a wife yourself too. What’s the use of being jealous of others!” Fang Kong said teasingly with a cigarette in his mouth. Abruptly, he slapped his cards down, “Three fives and a pair!”

“No, no, we can’t be compared to him. He went so far as to shoot an idol drama, risking everything for a wife.” Zhong Quan said as he threw down three eights and a pair. 

Hearing this, Ding Yi at the side couldn’t help laughing, “I also thought that Yan ge was going the idol route, but I didn’t expect there was something behind it.”

It was dark outside and hot in the tent. Someone had moved a small table outside with a big lamp on. Everyone gathered around there and played cards. Dozens of people gathered around chatting and laughing. The smell of smoke permeated the air and mosquitoes were flying around.

When Xie Yan walked over, Zhong Quan was laughing the most ferociously. He turned around slowly when he felt that everyone was looking behind him in silence. His complexion instantly changed.

“Yan ge… I… I’m complimenting you for chasing a girlfriend. There’s absolutely no other meaning!” As an actor, he naturally had a firm expression on, allowing for no doubts.

Xie Yan glanced at him, “That’s why you’re single.”

Zhong Quan: “…….”

After saying that, he took the pot and left, leaving dozens of people who wanted to laugh but dared not to.

Returning to the tent, he saw Su Shen sitting on the chair scrolling through her phone. However, there was still not much of a signal. Seeing that Xie Yan was back, she thought of something and blushed, stammering as she spoke.

“I… where am I going to sleep tonight?” 

At that, Xie Yan, who was fixing the light bulb, looked down and said with all seriousness, “Of course, with me.”

Hearing this, Su Shen was even more at a loss. She was actually quite afraid as she wasn’t ready at all.

Xie Yan couldn’t help but chuckle when he saw her blushing face, “I won’t eat you.”

Facing his teasing gaze, Su Shen blushed and turned her head aside.

Although there was a shortage of water here, the production crew was considered quite rich and wouldn’t skimp when needed usually. When Su Shen wanted to take a shower, Xie Yan boiled hot water and especially spared a tent for her to take a shower. He even stayed on guard outside the tent, not afraid of the mosquitoes outside.

It was an eye-opener for those who were playing cards. They didn’t expect that the man, who wouldn’t spare a glance at a woman, would be so passionate deep down. As expected, you couldn’t judge a book by its cover.

When Su Shen came out, she felt much better, holding a pile of clothes that she just changed out of and needed to be washed. Seeing Xie Yan sitting outside being food for the mosquitoes, her heart softened. She walked over and gently patted him on the shoulder, “Go take a shower. I’ll help you wash your clothes later.”

When he turned around, he found Su Shen wearing a T-shirt and casual shorts; her arms slender. Under the faint moonlight, her fair skin seemed to glow. He wanted to hold her hands, but he ultimately controlled himself. It wouldn’t be too late to hold her hands after he took a shower.

“Okay!”

He went back to get his clothes without demur. Following behind him, Su Shen could feel the mosquitoes circling around her.

When she returned to the tent and waited for Xie Yan to take a shower, Su Shen sat down and scrolled through her phone. It just so happened there was finally a signal. There were many people who had messaged her, and Liu jie even called her several times and sent her some messages, telling her to return earlier. The production crew was in a rush to proceed further, and there were still some scripts waiting for her to accept.

The signal was bad. It took her the longest time to send the message that she would be returning tomorrow.

When she looked at the comments online, it was basically a catfight, especially after the recent episode of the variety show broadcasted. It was a simmer of chaos, where fans of several artists tore each other up. In just a few days, her followers on Weibo increased by three million and finally exceeded ten million. More importantly, her impression on passersby was better, but it could also be due to the company manipulating things behind the scenes. Nonetheless, it was not always good to be in the limelight.

Just looking at Hot Search, it was filled with #Su Shen & Jiang Yin#, #Su Shen’s Acting#, #Su Shen, Yang Zhi, & Mu Yao#, and #Su Shen’s Long Legs#.

Netizen A: Miss Su, you’re indeed a Hot Search professional, taking over year-round? [smiley face] 

Netizen B: Is there any meaning to hyping your acting every day? If you continue to hype, it’ll be beyond the sky. [vomit]

Netizen C: No matter how hard Yao’s dogs bite, it’s useless. Our Su Su’s acting KOs Mu Yao’s in a second. [smiley face]

Netizen D: After watching this episode with the three of them in the same frame, gotta admit that Su Shen, whether in appearance or aura, KOs the other two. [joy]

Netizen E: AHHHHH! Su Shen actually knows calligraphy. How could there be such a perfect person in the world? I don’t care! The goddess is mine! [kiss]

Netizen F: Miss Su’s water army is too superb, stepping on Fan Meng and KO-ing Yang Zhi and Mu Yao. Will the next step be ascending to be a goddess? [smiley face] 

Netizen G: Is it just me who noticed the chemistry between Su Shen and Jiang Yin? The way he looked at her was so tender. This CP’s so sweet!

Netizen H: I don’t know if anyone has noticed that there was not any interaction between Wang Cheng and Jiang Yin. Are they really at odds?

The signal was bad, so Su Shen didn’t continue to scroll through the comments. It was basically a few fans who were making a fuss, and it seemed that the catfight would continue for a few more days. Currently, at the box office, the movie had exceeded 600 million and was practically the highest-selling movie of the period. However, two other movies were also following closely behind, seemingly able to surpass their movie at any given time.

The competition in the movie market was fierce. As a commercial movie, Su Shen felt it could only be given 60 points because the romance plot was too rough and abrupt. Moreover, other movies had a large-scale bed scene as a gimmick, but there had only been a short kiss scene in theirs. However, it couldn’t be helped since Xie Yan refused to shoot it at that time. But thinking about it now, it was fortunate that they hadn’t filmed it.

Feeling that Xie Yan might be done with showering soon, Su Shen placed her phone down and walked out of the tent. It just so happened that Xie Yan walked out of the shower tent. Su Shen took his clothes and went to wash them at the side, while Xie Yan sat down next to her and used a fan to drive away the mosquitoes.   

While she was washing, Su Shen suddenly found that Xie Yan seemed to have given her one less garment. Blushing, she didn’t ask and continued to twist his camouflage clothing.

Someone, who was playing cards over there, couldn’t help but yell, “Hey, Yan ge, you’re not gonna come play today?”

At that, the group of people burst into laughter again. It was truly an eye-opener for them. They didn’t expect that Xie Yan in love would be like this. His image collapsed to the point of not being able to look at him in the face.

Xie Yan ignored them and continued to fan Su Shen quietly. Her figure could only be seen in his obsidian eyes.

After washing the clothes, Su Shen hung them in the drying area over there. When she turned around and went back to the tent, the group of people was still playing cards, with the smell of smoke permeating the air. Meanwhile, He Hua was sitting in a place where no one was, typing, seemingly making a form.

Returning to the tent, Su Shen felt a little sleepy. The wooden bed was not big or small, and there was a bamboo mat on it. But she felt nervous at the thought of sleeping with Xie Yan. 

Noticing her sleepiness, Xie Yan went to make the bed for her and said, “It’s cold at night. Remember to cover yourself with a blanket.”

Looking at his muscular back, Su Shen pursed her lips and asked softly, “You’re… not going to sleep with me?”

Xie Yan turned on the fan, adjusted the angle for her, turned around, and held her in his arms. He touched her head and whispered, “You sleep here, I’ll go to He Hua.”

It was indeed a little cold at night. Su Shen looked up and looked into his eyes.

There was the scent of body wash on her. Her fair collarbone seemed to glow in the dim yellow light; her whole body tender. Xie Yan’s eyes darkened and he quickly looked away, coughing, “I’ll leave first, come find me if you need anything.”

He then picked up the cup on the table and was about to leave.

Blinking, Su Shen suddenly stepped forward and gently grabbed the corner of his shirt, successfully stopping a certain someone’s steps and causing him to turn around in confusion.

Blushing, she looked down and said quietly, “You… can sleep here. I… I trust you.”

Previous | Index | Next

Personal Space

Skydiving?

Su Shen’s complexion changed slightly. Meanwhile, He Hua was in a bad mood. Without saying anything, he walked forward with his suitcase.

Su Shen followed him into a green tent. It was equipped with everything, clean and tidy, but it was too stuffy and had no air circulation. 

He Hua placed his suitcase there and then said casually, “This is Xie Yan’s tent. You can rest here first.”

Su Shen raised her phone up high into the air at all angles, but there was no signal at all. Seeing her like this, He Hua chuckled, “There’s no signal here. You have to go to town, or you have to wait until 10:00 pm. At that time, the signal will be better than now.”

Su Shen: “…….”

“Got it.”

She placed her purse on the wooden table and then opened her suitcase to look for her sunscreen. She didn’t want to get so tanned like them. 

“I’m going to go look for Xie Yan. Don’t walk around, there’re many poisonous snakes around here.” He Hua said gravely.

After a pause, Su Shen naturally nodded. After He Hua left, she wanted to put on sunscreen, but she also wanted to take a shower, but there was no water in sight inside the tent.

This place was indeed tough. Su Shen felt that she was not as professional as Xie Yan, but it was not an excuse for him to ignore the risk. He had promised her to use a body double, but it was all lip service.  

Leaning against the wooden bed, she scrolled through her phone again. After ten minutes, there was still no signal at all. Today was the day that her variety show would be broadcasted. It should be midnight in China right now, and the show should’ve been aired already. Moreover, she didn’t know how the movie’s box office was. After all, the sales of the other movies inched very close.

……

Although it was getting dark, the lingering heat still made people sweat profusely. Some of the staff still had to pack up the props, and the busy day seemed to have passed like this.

He Hua followed Xie Yan with a cigarette in his mouth while greeting the staff calmly.

“He ge’s here again. May you have a prosperous year!” A staff who was carrying a stand grinned, revealing their pearl white teeth.

With a laugh, He Hua took out a big red envelope from his pocket and threw it at him, “May everyone be prosperous, and may you find a wife soon.”

“With your blessing, I definitely will!” The staff smiled and walked past the two of them with the stand on his shoulder.

Walking in front, with a camouflage jacket on his shoulder, Xie Yan rubbed his wrist that he had twisted before. When he heard He Hua wishing fortune from all ends, he couldn’t help but look back at him, “Why don’t you go home to find your wife during the new year?”

He Hua: “……”

He took another smoke of his cigarette and slowly exhaled a smoke ring. In a very calm voice, he said, “I thought you would be lonely abroad, so I’m here to give you a surprise.”

Xie Yan glanced at him and said unperturbedly, “I much prefer you to go home and find your wife.” 

He Hua resisted the urge to swear at him and watched as he opened the flap of the tent.

When a beam of light shone into the tent, Su Shen looked back subconsciously and saw two people coming in. Perhaps they saw her as they suddenly stopped and seemed to be a little shocked.

Not seeing him for half a month, Su Shen thought that Xie Yan would be super tanned, but unexpectedly, he didn’t tan too much and was only a shade tanner than before. However, there was gauze on his forehead, seemingly injured.

“Xie Yan.” She sat up slowly from the bed.

Her gentle voice was all so familiar. When the familiar figure appeared in his sight, Xie Yan was stunned and his eyes were tightly locked on her.

“What do you think? I gave you a surprise, yeah?” He Hua sneered and walked out of the tent tactfully. He wouldn’t lower himself to the same level as Xie Yan, this heartless man.

Seeing that he was staring at her, Su Shen felt a little embarrassed and slowly walked over. Their eyes met, and she suddenly reached out to gently touch the gauze on his forehead, “You’re injured?”

The person in front of him blinked her big eyes and looked at him with concern. When he came to his senses, Xie Yan suddenly reached out and held her in his arms. He buried his head into her neck and took a deep breath, “It doesn’t hurt. Why didn’t you tell me that you were coming here?”

As soon as he mentioned this, Su Shen was a little angry. She pushed him away with effort and said discontentedly, “You promised me not to do those dangerous action scenes, but in the end?”

“Liar!” She snorted.

Xie Yan: “…….”

He coughed slightly, with a trace of embarrassment on his face. He could only reach out and hold her tightly in his arms. He kissed her on the forehead, “I’ll definitely use a body double in the future.”

“You… You think I’ll believe you again?” Blushing, Su Shen tried to push him away as she feebly said that.

But his grip was so strong that Su Shen couldn’t push him away after half a day, so she could only glare at him with discontent.

She was too lovable, her big watery eyes seemingly seducing him. Xie Yan kissed her bright red lips, crazily sucking them just like when people found water in the desert. 

“Mhmm…” Su Shen blushed, she clearly hadn’t finished speaking yet. 

It was not until she had liked someone that she knew how it felt to miss someone.

He wrapped his arms around her slender waist and pressed her down onto the bed unbeknownst as to when. Hot kisses fell onto her fair and tender neck. His hot hands grasped her fair shank, seemingly wandering upwards. 

“Xie… Xie Yan…” She panted slightly, her face flushed, eyes watery, and voice feeble, “I… I sweated a lot today…”

Smelling the sweet scent from her body, he knew that she was shy, so he didn’t continue. Instead, he buried his head in her neck and muttered, “I miss you lots.”

His hot breath puffed onto her neck. Blushing and heart rapidly beating, Su Shen’s mind was blank at this moment.

Even if she didn’t come, Xie Yan had planned to go back to see her after a few days. But he didn’t expect her to come here without saying a word.

The atmosphere between the two was full of ambiguity. Feeling that he was too heavy, Su Shen could only pluck up the courage to poke his shoulder. “Can you let me up?”

Xie Yan: “Kiss me, and I’ll get up.”

Su Shen: “……”

She felt her cheeks burning. Blinking her eyes, she kissed him on the cheek shyly. Then, she turned to the side as her heart beat rapidly, “Get up quickly.”

The warm touch seemed to linger on his cheek. Looking at her being shy, Xie Yan smiled helplessly and whispered in her ear, “Remember to kiss here next time.”

All of a sudden, a warm touch appeared on her lips before she came to her senses. Blushing, she patted him on the shoulder and said, “I… I got it… Get up quickly…”

He had never seen someone as shy as her before. With a smile, Xie Yan got up and sat to the side.

Su Shen immediately sat up from the bed and walked to the entrance of the tent blushingly. She opened a flap and saw that it was getting dark outside. He Hua was sitting there with several members of the crew chatting happily. 

“Are all of you guys’ meals takeout?” She turned around and asked.

Xie Yan was fiddling with an electricity generator and insipidly answered, “Someone will go to town to buy food at 5:00 pm; not good.”

Su Shen: “……”

She came to her suitcase and took out a few bags of dehydrated veggies, “If you have time, go buy a small electrical cooker. It can be eaten after a few minutes. I also bought you seasoning packets, and you can just put them in directly.”

When he saw the things she took out, Xie Yan was taken aback. Suddenly, he thought of something and stood up, asking her to wait here for a moment, and then walked out of the tent.

Su Shen had no clue what he was doing, so she just took all the things she had brought for him out. Not long after, Xie Yan came back with a small electric cooker in his hand.

“They used this for hotpot last time, “ said Xie Yan, giving the cooker to her.

Su Shen: “…….”

It was getting late, and it was time for dinner. Su Shen asked Xie Yan to fetch some water, and she then added the veggies to the pot after the water boiled. In passing, she also added two portions of noodles. After a while, the whole tent smelled aromatic.   

Su Shen wasn’t very hungry and felt a little distressed at the thought of Xie Yan eating zhacai all this while. He had high physical activity every day, so what nutrients could those provide?

“AH! It turns out that Yan ge’s secretly cooking!”

Just at this moment, the tent suddenly peered open and several figures in black tank tops suddenly broke in. Su Shen was taken aback and looked back, only to find that they were all super tanned. 

However, it was still clear who’s who. The leader was Zhong Quan and like Li Hao, he went the man of steel route. However, he acted only in movies. Although he was not very famous, he had great opportunities in the film industry.

As for the other two, Su Shen didn’t know them very well, but they looked familiar. It was just that she couldn’t name them.

When they saw the pot of fresh vegetable noodles, they immediately came to the table and their eyes lit up. “Vegetables! There’re actually vegetables!”

Seeing how excited they were, Xie Yan immediately covered the pot with the lid and said, “This is mine.”

They were stupefied. In their impression, Yan ge was not such a stingy person.

As they noticed Su Shen at the side and heard of the rumors, they immediately nodded with a smile and said, “Happy New Year, saozi.”

Su Shen was too fair and was so beautiful, everyone envied Xie Yan in their hearts. No wonder he didn’t come out the whole afternoon. It turned out that there was a lover in his abode. They had been curious why Xie Yan had gone to shoot an idol drama before, but when they saw Su Shen, they finally understood.

The hanging lamp in the tent shook. Looking at the people being so courteous in front of her, Su Shen said with a smile, “Do you all want some? I brought a few bags here, you guys can go back and cook it yourself.”

“Yes, yes, yes!” Hearing that, Zhong Quan and the rest were overjoyed. They hadn’t eaten any vegetables for the longest time.

Xie Yan frowned. Just at this moment, two more people came in from outside the tent. It turned out to be the director and He Hua. Seeing that the two of them had already eaten, He Hua was a little unhappy. Fancy that he brought Su Shen here from afar, but the two of them didn’t even call him for dinner.

“Oh, you guys are cooking noodles.” There was a takeout box in Fang Kong’s hand. When he saw vegetables, he immediately came over and said, “I was wondering why Xie Yan didn’t come out for dinner. It turns out that his girlfriend is cooking for him.”

“That’s right, that’s right. How could you just eat it all when there’s good food!”

“Exactly! I was wondering why Yan ge took my electric cooker. It turns out he’s eating good food!”

The tent was full of people all of a sudden. Everyone bickered noisily with each other. Xie Yan frowned and tapped his chopsticks onto the table, “Do you know what’s personal space?”

As his words fell, the others glanced at him and Su Shen meaningfully. Fang Kong waved his hand and said, “We understand. Get out quickly! Don’t disturb others’ personal space!”

As he said that, the others couldn’t help from laughing as they walked out of the tent, stealing the bag of dehydrated vegetables on the table in passing.

Only He Hua sat down with all politeness, took a disposable rice bowl, and picked up more than half of the noodles into his bowl before he was willing to get up and go. 

Xie Yan was a little upset, so Su Shen silently placed another portion of noodles into the pot. Fortunately, she had brought over a large bag of it.

“I’m leaving tomorrow. You can cook noodles in the future, don’t always just eat those unhealthy things,” she sat at the table and scattered the noodles in the water with chopsticks.

The hanging lamp shook, but the person in front of him was as calm and beautiful as a painting. Her fair face looked unreal in the dim light. After staring at her for a while, he asked softly, “Did you miss me?”

“Of course not!” Su Shen glared at him and pursed her lips, not looking at him.

Looking at her slightly red ears, Xie Yan leaned in and smiled, “Else, why did you suddenly come to visit me?”

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