Qin Cheng’s sudden arrival Rong Xu stepped into the bathroom, splashed cold water on his face to hide the flush on his cheeks. After a while, he casually picked up his phone and tapped it open—only to see another special alert pop up.

Opening it—

[Lotus Paste Orange Filling: See? He really does love baby~ <(￣︶￣)> Baby knew it all along but didn’t say~ (Picture)]

Rong Xu: “…”

Staring at the smug little meme figure in the image, Rong Xu’s mouth twitched helplessly.

First, he replied to the post—

[How to Perfectly Eat an Orange: Never thought you’d be this kind of Orange!!!]

Then he made his own Weibo post—

[How to Perfectly Eat an Orange: Tip 3—So tired. I think I might’ve been sold fake Amway.]

Five minutes later, though no one paid attention, the same user posted again—

[How to Perfectly Eat an Orange: Tip 4—But actually, he’s kind of cute like this… hahaha, killing me.]

A completely oblivious Qin Cheng: “^_^~”

Qin Cheng’s set visit to 3200 Miles ended the following evening. With an outsider present, Clemens couldn’t really let loose with filming, and he didn’t have time to entertain Qin Cheng either.

So by evening, after everyone had eaten some bread, Mr. Kaf drove Qin Cheng away from the set. Before leaving, Qin Cheng bid farewell to everyone.

In these two days, many crew members had asked for his autograph. Some staff wanted photos too—but after getting the signature and looking at the man’s cold, handsome face, they shrank back, clutching their autographs tearfully instead.

Some people in this world simply had “Do Not Approach” faces. Others had “I’m Friendly” faces. Qin Cheng was the former; Rong Xu the latter.

Rong Xu hadn’t deliberately tried to bond with the staff, but as Luo Xi grew familiar with them, every morning when Rong Xu arrived, the crew would greet Luo Xi—and warmly greet him too: “Good morning, Rong. Hope today’s shoot goes well.”

Even if Qin Cheng didn’t seem approachable, when the day of his departure finally came, his hardcore fans couldn’t help but speak to him. Only then did they realize he wasn’t as aloof as he looked. He was polite—not deliberately friendly, but not arrogant either.

In the whole crew, Qin Cheng’s only real friends were Rong Xu and Jennifer. At the end, facing Clemens, Qin Cheng said concisely, “My agent will contact Kaf.”

Clemens grinned immediately. “You’re welcome back anytime, my friend.”

When he reached Jennifer, Qin Cheng nodded to his old friend and said, “This film marks a breakthrough for you, Jennifer. You did excellently. If you can break out of the action-heroine mold, I think you’ll reach even greater heights.”

Jennifer laughed. “It sounds like praise, but Qin, can you tell me… what exactly is this ‘greater height’?”

Qin Cheng showed a rare trace of surprise. After a moment, he smiled and said, “Before I tell you what ‘greater height’ means… Jennifer, can you first tell me—what exactly is Qin Feng Feng?”

Jennifer: “!!!”

The beautiful and generous actress immediately turned her head and looked toward Rong Xu not far away. Since there was some distance between them, Rong Xu hadn’t heard what Qin Cheng had just said. All he saw was Jennifer glaring at him with an expression full of grief and indignation, as if saying: Rong, you betrayed our friendship! I never thought you’d be this kind of person!

Confused, Rong Xu watched as Qin Cheng walked over to him. After thinking for a moment, he asked, “You know how hard it is to secure investment for 3200 Miles—why did you let Xu Jin and Mr. Kaf get involved?”

Qin Cheng answered calmly, “It was Xu Jin who investigated and told me about Clemens swindling that Korean investor. Do you think when he negotiates with Mr. Kaf, he’d let Kaf take advantage?”

Realization dawned on Rong Xu. He glanced at the smiling Clemens in the distance, then turned back, saying, “You’re too wicked.” After a pause, he asked, “By the way, what did you say to Jennifer just now? I’ve never seen her look at me like that…”

Jennifer had always been seen by fans as a tough and resilient heroine, which actually matched her real personality quite well. Even though she played a seemingly weak hostage in this film, off-set she was as valiant and dashing as ever—no less than any man.

And yet, such a Jennifer had just stared at him as if he had broken her heart?

Qin Cheng curled his lips slightly and said blandly, “Xiao Xu, what is… Qin Feng Feng?”

Rong Xu’s smile instantly froze. He swallowed nervously and gave no reply.

Frowning slightly, Qin Cheng thought for a moment. “I suppose the ‘Qin’ refers to me. From Jennifer’s expression just now, this term must be related to me—or she wouldn’t have reacted like that.” After pondering for a bit, he asked, “And the ‘Feng’… is it the ‘wind’ character?”

Rong Xu stiffened. “…Can I refuse to answer that?”

Qin Cheng studied his boy’s face and stated evenly, “So it’s not ‘wind.’ I must have misunderstood. Is it ‘seal’?”

Rong Xu: “…Can you stop this topic?”

Qin Cheng nodded thoughtfully. “Not ‘seal.’”

Rong Xu: “…”

Qin Cheng: “‘Maple’ then?”

Rong Xu: “…”

“‘Peak’?”

“…”

After a few more guesses, Qin Cheng sighed. “Then it must be ‘crazy.’”

Rong Xu: “!!!”

“Qin Feng Feng…” Qin Cheng repeated the name carefully, frowning slightly as if trying to digest its meaning. He muttered again, “Qin Feng Feng…”

The next moment, Rong Xu suddenly blurted out, “Qin Cheng, do you love me?!”

Qin Cheng’s eyes flew wide open in shock, staring at his boy. He answered seriously, “I love you.”

Rong Xu smiled. “If you love me, then stop digging into this matter. Otherwise… I’ll be angry.”

Qin Cheng: “…”

Rong Xu gave a light hum and repeated, “I really will be angry.”

Qin Cheng sighed softly. “…Are you bullying me?”

Rong Xu feigned surprise. “Aren’t I always bullying you?”

Qin Cheng: “…”

Half an hour later, Mr. Kaf and Qin Cheng left the 3200 Miles set. Before departing, Qin Cheng pressed his thin lips together and cast a cold, displeased glance at Jennifer. The woman awkwardly looked away, silently chanting in her heart: I didn’t betray the organization… I didn’t accidentally let Qin Feng Feng find out about our group…

Little did she know, this man was entirely the type to bully the weak and fear the strong. He couldn’t vent his frustration on his boy, nor even ask him directly about this matter so obviously related to himself—so what else could he do? He was desperate too! He could only take it out on the innocent (Jennifer).

Once Qin Cheng was truly gone, Jennifer walked over to Rong Xu with a tragic expression. Before Rong Xu could speak, she said remorsefully, “Later I’ll confess to the others that I accidentally let Qin find out about our group. I’ll bear all the blame myself, Rong—don’t worry about it. This is my fault alone.”

Saying this, Jennifer earnestly picked up her phone, opened the chat window, and began typing a message. But before she could finish, a hand reached out and blocked her screen.

Startled, Jennifer looked up at Rong Xu, only to see the beautiful young man smiling brilliantly as he said softly, “Jennifer, it’s okay. Qin Cheng won’t pursue this any further. Let’s end this here—you don’t have to tell Sister Xuan, James, or the others and make them worry for nothing.”

Jennifer asked blankly, “But didn’t Qin say something to me earlier? I know him, Rong. If he wasn’t sure we were gossiping behind his back, he wouldn’t have confronted me like that. That’s how he is—acting like he knows nothing, but striking right at your weakness every time. That’s why I always lose to him—I can’t outtalk him either.”

Rong Xu’s hand remained over her phone screen. He looked at the bewildered actress seriously and repeated firmly, “Trust me, Jennifer. He really won’t pursue this any further. In this matter, I’ll always be on your side.”

Staring at the boy’s solemn face, for some reason, Jennifer slowly lowered her phone. She smiled. “I don’t know why you’re so confident… but Rong, I believe you.”

3200 Miles continued filming as usual. Just as Rong Xu predicted, the “Qin Feng Feng” group was never exposed, nor was it destroyed by the person himself. Qin Cheng truly acted as if he didn’t know a thing and never investigated further—as if he hadn’t heard those words at all.

During this time, Jennifer grew more impressed with Rong Xu—not only because he had somehow talked Qin Cheng down, but also because through their daily filming, she gradually discovered that this young man’s acting was truly superb, and his capacity for learning far surpassed even his current skill.

When it came to dramatic scenes, Clemens had never uttered a single “no” to him. As for action scenes—where he’d started out clumsy and prone to NGs—he now frequently earned Clemens’s loud praise after just one month.

The ability to learn was far more important than raw skill.

Learning was a kind of strength, but not every skilled actor possessed a strong capacity to learn.

Whenever this boy immersed himself in acting, he seemed to glow before the camera. Even Jennifer, acting opposite him, couldn’t help but feel a slight flutter—let alone the audience, who, watching him on the big screen with added special effects, would surely see something extraordinary.

Jennifer could imagine: this boy would undoubtedly become the brightest star of this film.

He was sinful—but beautiful enough to make people fall. And thus, he would earn their awe.

Jennifer made no effort to hide her praise, while Rong Xu could only sigh helplessly again and again. “If you keep praising me like this, Jennifer… I really will get embarrassed.”

To this, the mature and lovely actress merely smiled. Yet privately, she had messaged Wen Xuan:

[I think I finally understand why you insisted on adding Rong to our group. He’s outstanding. After working with him for real, I realized how wonderful an actor can be when fully devoted to the role.]

Soon Wen Xuan replied:

[Of course. Even though I’d only seen Black Clouds then, I knew his acting was truly good. You and James and Hugh hadn’t worked with him yet, so you probably didn’t realize—he’s the most promising young actor in Huaxia. I believe… within two years, he’ll win a Triple Gold award.]

Seeing this, Jennifer smiled softly:

[I heard he’s already received two Golden Phoenix Best Actor nominations this year.]

[Wen Xuan: Yes, you’re right. That’s why I said he’ll win an award within two years. In Huaxia, he’s the first male actor to be nominated twice for the Golden Phoenix. Not even Qin Cheng achieved that.]

They chatted a bit longer before Jennifer had to go film her scenes.

In truth, they all knew the reason Qin Cheng had never earned this honor was because he only acted in one film per year—he simply had no second role eligible for nomination. But the industry only cared about results, not reasons. Even if last year had fewer strong films and Silent’s nomination wasn’t highly competitive—the fact remained that Rong Xu had received two Best Actor nominations.

In recent years, many Huaxia actors had stunned the world—but only Rong Xu had earned two Best Actor nominations.

That was the undeniable truth. No smear campaign could change it.

Meanwhile, the filming schedule for 3200 Miles accelerated. The crew shot several explosion scenes. Everyone stood 400 meters from the blast site. At Clemens’s command, the special effects team pressed the trigger, and a fireball roared skyward, reducing the small house to rubble.

The flames bloomed like the most beautiful flowers before the crew’s eyes. The thunderous blast made their eardrums tremble, but as he watched this magnificent destruction, Rong Xu couldn’t help but hold his breath, recording the flower’s bloom and wither with his eyes.

In America, the filming of 3200 Miles continued.

Elsewhere, with the Golden Phoenix Award nominations released, the teams behind Black Clouds and Silent began their behind-the-scenes work.

To win a Triple Gold trophy, one needed more than a quality film—some PR was essential. If no one had heard of your movie—not even ten random passersby—its chances of winning were slim.

In this era, film awards were not only about art—they were also about audiences.

Directors could make art, but pure self-indulgence would never create a world-conquering Triple Gold work.

Of the three—Golden Phoenix, Oscars, and Berlin—the Berlin Prize valued artistry most. Golden Phoenix and the Oscars cared more about public perception. But none of their committees would dare let an unknown film win; otherwise, fans’ outrage would destroy them.

Thus, to strengthen their advantage and improve their odds, both Black Clouds and Silent inevitably began their PR campaigns.

At this moment, Director Xu’s advantage became apparent.

Xu Sheng was a renowned director in Huaxia, while Black Clouds, due to its subject matter, hadn’t chosen an art-house director of such stature for its production. Director Zheng’s standing in the industry was clearly not on par with Director Xu’s.

However, Black Clouds had its own edge. The global sensation it caused was far beyond anything Silent could compare to. Just in terms of box office, Black Clouds earned more than three times that of Silent—a crushing victory.

Besides Black Clouds and Silent, there were over a dozen other films beginning their own moves. Each of them had secured multiple nominations at the Golden Phoenix Awards. While their overall impact might not rival Black Clouds, their pre-award PR efforts were no less critical.

Day by day, time passed. When 3200 Miles entered its final week of filming, Mr. Kaf brought some regretful news. “What a pity, Clemens—I can’t agree to Qin’s investment. His agent insists that their team be allowed into the crew to thoroughly check our accounts. Seems like he truly wasn’t planning to dodge taxes after all… I misunderstood him.”

Clemens: “…”

The 3200 Miles crew wasn’t lacking money. Qin Cheng’s investment would have been nice, but without it, they wouldn’t suffer. However, if Qin Cheng had intended to make some shady profit and leave Clemens a little ‘grease money,’ the latter might’ve agreed. But if he’d planned from the start to keep everything clean, without leaving Clemens a cut—there was no way Clemens would accept.

That day, Clemens was in a terrible mood. Normally, this young director was already quick-tempered and hard to approach. After this incident, his face darkened even further—he wished he could punch Qin Cheng right in the face and let him know that playing him for a fool was absolutely not amusing.

In early March, filming for 3200 Miles finally wrapped up. As the male lead, Rong Xu had many scenes, but he finished before Jennifer. That night, the crew gathered in a nearby city for a luxurious buffet to celebrate the wrap.

Rong Xu was well aware of Clemens’s stinginess. Though this director looked handsome and refined, carrying himself like a gentleman, when it came to his films, he possessed every bad temper of the typical director—and a stinginess far worse than most.

So this time, Rong Xu paid for the buffet himself.

After working day after day on the desolate desert set, the crew finally got to enjoy themselves in a big city—and taste a fine buffet meal. Many staff members excitedly thanked Rong Xu. Compared to their director, this young actor from Huaxia was simply an angel.

Coincidentally, Lin Xuan was also in the city for a music program. Rong Xu sent him a WeChat message: [Come to Four Seasons Restaurant tonight, the buffet on Huasi Street. My treat.]

Since he was already treating so many people, inviting one more didn’t matter. Besides, knowing Lin Xuan—if he ever found out Rong had hosted dinner in the same city without inviting him, he’d nag him about it for months.

As expected, Lin Xuan immediately replied: [Got it! I’m on my way!]

Around 6 p.m., the crew drove to the restaurant entrance, and from afar, they saw a young man standing sneakily near the door, wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses. Compared to him, the 3200 Miles crew was being completely open—Rong Xu and Jennifer made no effort to hide and walked boldly into the restaurant.

Jennifer hadn’t expected to run into Lin Xuan here. She smiled and greeted him, and Rong Xu also waved at the baby-faced superstar. But strangely, Lin Xuan didn’t run up grinning like usual, draping his arm over Rong Xu’s shoulders. Instead, he stood quietly, watching the crew.

When Rong Xu walked up to him, raising an eyebrow, he asked, “What’s wrong? Bad mood?”

Lin Xuan kept his sunglasses on and, after a long pause, spoke softly. “It’s nothing. So this is a crew gathering?”

Rong Xu gave a slight nod. “Yeah, I wrapped today—heading home tomorrow. So I invited everyone to dinner. Jennifer’s here too, so I figured—since you’re also in this city halfway across the world—you should come.”

“My agent just texted me—something came up, so I have to go. You’re flying back tomorrow? I plan to head home in the next couple of days too. Let your assistant send me your flight info—I’ll have my team book mine to match yours.”

Rong Xu felt a little surprised but didn’t press him. He simply watched as Lin Xuan left.

Jennifer came over, puzzled. “Why’d Lin leave?”

Rong Xu shook his head. “His agent said something came up. Never mind—I’ve wrapped today, so I won’t return to the motel tonight. I’ll have Sister Xi book me into Lin Xuan’s hotel. I’ll stay there tonight and bring him some food when I get back.”

Jennifer laughed. “I get it. If we really ignored him, he’d sulk for sure.”

The two exchanged knowing smiles and said no more. Soon the whole crew entered the restaurant and began feasting happily.

The next afternoon, Rong Xu and Lin Xuan flew home on the same plane. Not long after landing in B City, Rong Xu received a text from Luo Zhentao, calling him to Huaxia Entertainment.

There, the top composer in Huaxia—Yang Changzheng—had been waiting. When he saw the exquisite, handsome boy from afar, he lifted a few sheets of music and smiled. “After watching Zhuang Hua Luo, I was inspired again. If you don’t mind, Rong Xu, I’ve written nine songs for you. Could all nine go on your album?”