Chapter 8: It was as if without Jiang Fengmian, he could not speak.

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At the hospital, the doctor had already removed the gauze from Shi Qiu’s wound and carefully examined it.

“The wound is healing very well,” the doctor said, squeezing Shi Qiu’s fingers and checking the faint color at his fingertips. “Young people really do recover quickly. You still need to protect the wound. In about a week, come back for another check. You should be able to have the stitches removed then.”

“Thank you, doctor.” Shi Qiu pulled back his hand and politely thanked him.

The doctor glanced at the well-behaved young man in front of him. He could not imagine how someone like this had ended up attempting suicide, and could not help but advise, “You should cherish your body.”

“Mhm.” Shi Qiu nodded obediently, then left with Jiang Fengmian.

With the gauze removed from his wrist, the gaping wound and the black stitches running through his flesh were exposed. Shi Qiu quietly tucked his hands into the pockets of his down jacket. Once they got into the car, Jiang Fengmian opened the glove compartment, took out a bag, and pulled out a white wrist guard.

“I tried it, it is soft and breathable.” Jiang Fengmian unwrapped it and held out his hand to Shi Qiu. “Try it on?”

Shi Qiu obediently held out his hand.

When Jiang Fengmian saw the wound on his wrist, he could not help but frown, but his voice stayed gentle. “If it hurts, tell me.”

“Alright.”

Jiang Fengmian carefully eased the wrist guard over Shi Qiu’s hand, his movements extremely gentle.

Shi Qiu watched as the soft white wrist guard covered the scar. He suddenly thought of the doctor saying there would definitely be a scar in the future.

Maybe later he could consider wearing a watch to hide it. The wrist guard was still a bit too noticeable.

“How is it?” Jiang Fengmian asked once he had it on.

Shi Qiu tried moving his wrist. The soft wrap felt reassuring. He smiled. “It is good, thank you, ge.”

Jiang Fengmian saw him moving his wrist and lightly pinched his fingers. “Do not move it too much. Wait until the stitches are out.”

Shi Qiu obediently pulled his hand back and asked, “Ge, has any company wanted to sign you?”

“There are, but the conditions are not very good.” Jiang Fengmian stuffed the other wrist guard into Shi Qiu’s pocket so he could alternate wearing them.

After all, without any works out, his value was only in his potential, and potential was unpredictable. Some people never became popular no matter how much they were promoted. If a company signed him for a high price, they could lose money.

If he had a reliable work and some fanbase, things would be much easier.

Shi Qiu nodded. That was only natural. Investors would rather put money into proven results than into potential. If Jiang Fengmian signed now, the contract terms would not be good.

“Why is no one asking my ge to act?” Shi Qiu sounded a little down.

He was used to good days. Back when he was a film emperor, the best scripts in the industry were his to choose from. He had never been in such an awkward position.

“What are you rushing for? There are fewer productions in winter.” Jiang Fengmian smiled as he started the car. “After the New Year, it should get better.”

Actually, there had been offers before, but the Shi family’s troubles had come up at the time, and the resources his teacher had introduced were all turned down. Then he had been busy taking care of Shi Qiu and could not spare time. Now it was exam week, so he really was not in a rush to find a crew.

Shi Qiu sighed and curled up in his seat. He opened his phone and saw that the video’s likes had already passed three hundred thousand. The platform had been generous with pushing it.

In a couple of days, he could shoot another video with the tag #BestActingInXDrama, then buy some marketing once it started getting promoted. If lucky, it might even hit the trending list. Then they could see if things improved.

He glanced through his private messages, quickly skipping over the useless ones, until he stopped on a longer message.

“Hello, I am the original author and screenwriter of A Long Winter. I think Jiang Fengmian’s image really suits the male lead of our drama. Could you get in touch with him?”

Shi Qiu’s fingers paused. He looked at Jiang Fengmian, who was driving, and guessed that he had private messages turned off. He opened the sender’s profile and saw it was indeed a verified account.

Shi Qiu searched the novel and skimmed the plot. A Long Winter was a campus romance with a redemption theme and a rare BE ending. The heroine was the only daughter in a middle-class family. The hero was the second son of a poor family. His personality was that of a rare gentle top student.

In the story, the hero saved the heroine from her parents’ controlling nature, heavy academic pressure, and complicated relationships. When the heroine was forced to transfer schools, they agreed to meet at the same university. In the end, the heroine achieved her desired score, went to the hero’s home to share the news, and found out that he had died of a serious illness before the college entrance exams.

The male lead was the perfect, tragic, gentle “white moonlight” who had died, earning countless tears from readers. The heroine lived on strongly with his blessing but could never forget him.

Currently, the mainstream market did not really have such male leads in school dramas. The popular ones were usually wild, flamboyant types. Gentle, restrained male leads were harder to play and less flashy, but if such a perfect white moonlight was portrayed well, it could gain a lot of fans.

The BE ending was a big drawback though. Audiences, already tired from real life, often did not want to watch tragic stories.

Overall, in Shi Qiu’s eyes, it was worth taking on, though it could easily flop in terms of numbers.

He tapped his knee and turned to Jiang Fengmian. “Ge, a screenwriter contacted me about a pretty interesting script. They want you as the male lead. Do you want to try?”

“Me as the male lead?” Jiang Fengmian was surprised. “Something that good? Could it be a scam?”

He clearly did not believe such a good role would just fall into his lap.

“No, I checked. It is a mid-to-low budget school drama. The male lead is a rare character type and the story is a BE, so it is not easy to find someone to play him,” Shi Qiu explained. “The upside is it is fresh, and the original author is the screenwriter. She seems to have a say in casting, so the story probably will not get ruined.”

“School dramas have not been popular in recent years,” Jiang Fengmian said casually, watching the red light. “Mostly because they are too repetitive and the audience is tired of them.”

“Yes.” Shi Qiu nodded.

“But if not, they would not be looking for a new actor like me.” Jiang Fengmian smiled. “I will check it when we get home.”

“Alright.” Shi Qiu thought the story was good. He just did not know if Jiang Fengmian would like it.

When they got home, Jiang Fengmian read the original story and also felt it was worth a try, so he contacted the screenwriter.

Shi Qiu sat beside him cracking sunflower seeds, listening to the call. The gist was, if Jiang Fengmian agreed, he should prepare for an audition next week.

“If I pass the audition, they are offering eight thousand per episode, thirty-two episodes total, with filming lasting two to three months,” Jiang Fengmian told Shi Qiu after hanging up. “The pay is actually fine. I am just not confident about the audition. I do not know the director.”

“Only eight thousand? That is stingy.” Shi Qiu pouted.

“It is not bad for a low-budget production. I heard the female lead is a second-tier actress, so her pay takes up more of the budget, and they cut the male lead’s pay.” Jiang Fengmian happily ruffled his hair, then sighed. “But if I go for a closed shoot, what will you do alone at home?”

“I will go with you. I can be your assistant. Alright?” Shi Qiu blinked at him.

Jiang Fengmian hesitated. It was not that bringing Shi Qiu was troublesome, but film crews were full of all kinds of people. He was worried Shi Qiu might be bullied or cause trouble.

“You cannot just leave me at home for two or three months.” Shi Qiu saw him hesitate and immediately got a little temper. He stared at Jiang Fengmian as if ready to throw a fit if refused.

Jiang Fengmian felt a headache coming. “Fine… but you have to behave. The set is different from other places. There are many odd people there, and if I get busy, I might not be able to watch you.”

“Okay, ge, I will be good.” Shi Qiu’s face lit up with a sweet smile again.

Just as Shi Qiu was feeling accomplished for helping Jiang Fengmian, he changed into his little raccoon pajamas and curled up in bed scrolling on his phone. Then he received another private message.

“Why did you not come to the student council today?”

There was no context, but Shi Qiu clicked into the sender’s profile and confirmed it was Zhong Xiyuan.

To be honest, Zhong Xiyuan was the only person he really knew at X University.

“Not going anymore,” Shi Qiu replied honestly.

“Why?” Zhong Xiyuan replied instantly.

“Because my ge finished his exams.”

Shi Qiu had only gone to the student council to keep Jiang Fengmian company. Now that his exams were done, there was no need.

Jiang Fengmian, Jiang Fengmian, always Jiang Fengmian. It was as if without Jiang Fengmian, he could not speak.

Zhong Xiyuan closed his eyes, feeling anger flare up in his chest.

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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 🤭