Chapter 20: Good for the Heart and Health, Just Think of It as a Bedtime Relaxation

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“I… I know.” Shi Qiu lowered his eyes and murmured softly, “If you really… I can also…”

Seeing him like this, Zhong Xiyuan didn’t feel any joy. Instead, his mood became even more irritable.

He pressed Shi Qiu down into the pillow and kissed him hard, but after only a few seconds, Shi Qiu grabbed his hair.

“What is it now?” Zhong Xiyuan asked, face dark.

“You’re sucking my tongue too hard. It hurts,” Shi Qiu whispered with a bit of grievance.

Zhong Xiyuan couldn’t hold back a curse.

So when you almost ruined your hand for Jiang Fengmian, it didn’t hurt, but when I suck your tongue, it does?

The irritation simmered in his chest, but seeing Shi Qiu’s pitiful, delicate expression, he ultimately didn’t push him any further.

Zhong Xiyuan turned on the main light and helped Shi Qiu put his fluffy bunny pajamas back on.

When he saw Shi Qiu slip his hand into the pajama sleeve, he couldn’t help asking, “Does your wrist still hurt?”

“It doesn’t hurt anymore,” Shi Qiu said softly. “It’s just that my left hand still can’t exert much strength.”

Zhong Xiyuan’s brows furrowed again. “Will there be lasting effects?”

Shi Qiu zipped himself up, curling into a fluffy ball of a rabbit. “Not sure.”

Not sure meant there was still a chance of aftereffects.

Zhong Xiyuan didn’t say more. Once Shi Qiu had tidied up, he sent him back to his room.

Once in bed, Shi Qiu snuggled into the covers and drifted off comfortably.

It was only once, good for the heart and body. He decided to just treat it as bedtime relaxation.

Zhong Xiyuan couldn’t sleep yet. His work documents were still on the desk. After sending Shi Qiu back, he sat down again and got to work.

By one in the morning, Zhong Xiyuan finally finished the day’s planned tasks.

He exhaled, took off his glasses, set them aside, and slowly lay down.

There was a faint, familiar scent on the sheets.

Zhong Xiyuan froze for a moment before realizing it was the scent of Shi Qiu’s body wash.

He pulled the blanket higher over himself and sighed.

He couldn’t understand why someone as delicate as Shi Qiu, who couldn’t stand the slightest discomfort, could give his all so completely for Jiang Fengmian. As if anything related to him, Shi Qiu would be willing to do.

If kissing hurt his tongue, wouldn’t cutting his wrist hurt even more?

The next morning, at seven-thirty, the film set was already bustling.

There was still frost on the ground, and it was even colder than the day before. Shi Qiu wore a pair of finely-made white deerskin gloves. These had been bought by Lu Chengyan’s assistant when Shi Qiu was in the hospital, and they were extremely warm.

His white down jacket was eye-catching. While the crew wore dark, dirt-resistant work clothes and carried the weary air of laborers, Shi Qiu’s look and bearing could only belong to a celebrity.

Zhong Xiyuan also arrived early. Zhang Ge beside him yawned sleepily, glanced at him, and said, “You really are something. Of all the people I know with connections, none would willingly come here to endure hardship like you.”

“You flatter me.” Zhong Xiyuan pushed his glasses up and smiled.

Zhang Ge waved it off, shoving his hands into his coat pockets. He gestured toward Shi Qiu, who was standing by the director watching the monitor, and said, “Honestly, with Shi Qiu’s looks and temperament, it’s a waste for him not to debut. When we arrived, we thought a famous actor had gotten here early.”

“Plenty of actors don’t look or carry themselves as well as he does.”

Zhong Xiyuan glanced over at Shi Qiu. “Mn.”

But Shi Qiu simply didn’t want to. He only wanted to be Jiang Fengmian’s assistant, to follow behind him like a loyal little dog.

Shi Qiu was watching the footage on Chang Tianhe’s monitor. Today, Jiang Fengmian seemed more in character than before. The mix of youthful coolness and gentle warmth was coming through more naturally.

Although this was a web drama and the investors weren’t expecting much, the male and female leads were extremely challenging to portray. They were ordinary characters, brought to life only by Yuan Lingzhu’s delicate writing, turning it into a beautiful and tragic story.

That meant the actors’ emotions and temperament had to be subtle, with very few big, dramatic moments.

For a young actor, especially a newcomer in their first role, this was extremely difficult.

Shi Qiu had thought Jiang Fengmian’s personality was quite different from the male lead’s, but it was clear he’d developed his own deep understanding of the role and was merging himself into it.

Chang Tianhe had noticed this as well, pleased with Jiang Fengmian’s progress, which only made him more demanding about the overall presentation.

Fortunately, most of the story revolved around the two leads, so he could focus his perfectionism on Jiang Fengmian and Hong Xinxue.

After several days, as Jiang Fengmian became more immersed in the role, Hong Xinxue’s performance began to pale in comparison.

Chang Tianhe often called “cut” because her scenes felt off. Her assistant had already treated the crew to milk tea twice in three days. If not for Chang Tianhe’s reputation as a good-natured director, people might think he was picking on her.

The female lead was supposed to be a quiet, reserved good girl, but Hong Xinxue kept coming across as oddly mature.

She was the biggest star in the cast, so being constantly corrected by the director was stressful.

Her team grumbled that Chang Tianhe was being too lenient with newcomer Jiang Fengmian while being harsh on her.

Tension between a director and his female lead cast a shadow over the whole crew.

“Cut!” Chang Tianhe snapped, tossing his script onto a chair. He turned to Hong Xinxue, scolding, “Hong Xinxue, do you think that’s the right way to play it? Your character’s supposed to be a classmate, not an older sister lecturing her younger brother!”

Hong Xinxue bowed in embarrassment. “I’m sorry, Director Chang.”

“Sorry doesn’t fix anything. Your state has been off for days!” Despite his easygoing reputation, Chang Tianhe could be sharp when criticizing. “Even Shi Qiu in a wig would be more convincing as a teenage girl!”

Sitting nearby eating a tangerine, Shi Qiu was suddenly dragged into it. He looked up in a daze.

His mask hung from one ear, his delicate deerskin gloves stuffed into his pocket so he could peel the fruit. The oversized white down jacket with its fur-lined hood framed his face, and holding the tangerine in his hand, he looked utterly bright and vivid.

The crew glanced at him, and after meeting his gaze, they had to admit the director’s words weren’t entirely wrong.

Hong Xinxue’s face flushed red with embarrassment.

Chang Tianhe, meeting Shi Qiu’s gaze, couldn’t help chuckling. He sighed, waved a hand, and said, “Alright, let’s eat. Lunch break is an hour today. Hong Xinxue, think it over. If it’s still not working, we’ll shoot Jiang Fengmian’s scenes with others this afternoon.”

“Sorry for the trouble, Director Chang. I’ll work on it,” Hong Xinxue said, bowing again.

Shi Qiu quickly popped the tangerine segment into his mouth and wiped his hands with a wet wipe. He was waiting for Zhong Xiyuan to bring him the producer’s deluxe boxed lunch.

But before the lunch arrived, Hong Xinxue came over to sit beside him.

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Translator note: 📌

Thank you for reading 💖 see you again in the next chapter, my lovely cherries 😘

📍Note: I’m pretty free lately, so I will be posting 3  to 4 chapters a day. Enjoy 🤭