To have blown in the cold wind for so long, there should be some results.

Gu Qichi glanced at Bo Yu, his gaze inadvertently pausing somewhere, then he withdrew his eyes.

Bo Yu walked over, his voice suppressed very low, his tone somewhat ambiguous: “How did the shoot go?”

Immediately after, he wrapped his arm around his waist, ignoring Luo Qianqian’s gaze, and naturally began to massage his lower back: “Are your waist and legs still sore?”

Gu Qichi glanced at him sideways. Due to the sunlight, condensation beads seeped out on the cup of milk tea in his hand, dampening his palm.

“The shoot went quite smoothly, didn’t you see it too?”

Gu Qichi mocked him, his tone very light, his voice slightly cool. But unlike Bo Yu’s thick skin, he turned his head to whisper the second sentence into Bo Yu’s ear, deliberately lowering his voice so Luo Qianqian wouldn’t hear.

“So, are you satisfied with what you saw?”

His gaze seemed to drift casually over a certain dormant area on Bo Yu. If one didn’t look closely, they wouldn’t see the intimate, teasing smile in his eyes at all.

Bo Yu’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly up and down, darkness churning in his eyes. If Luo Qianqian hadn’t been present, he definitely would have leaned over to bite Gu Qichi’s lips, just to let him know the consequences of provoking him like this.

The hand on his lower back unconsciously increased its force, hitting precisely on Gu Qichi’s sensitive spot. The man’s palm was scalding hot, the heat searing through the thin fabric as if branded there, stimulating half his body into numbness.

“Satisfied.”

Gu Qichi struggled out of his embrace and replied nonchalantly: “Even if you’re satisfied, there’s nothing more to be done. I have to rush back to the film crew tonight; work starts tomorrow.”

He narrowed his eyes slightly, his smile open and clear, yet carrying a bit of fox-like cunning arrogance.

Butcher Bo won’t be eating meat tonight.

Gu Qichi lazily opened the car door, lifting his chin towards Luo Qianqian, his jawline exquisite and sharp. “Luo Qianqian, get in the car.”

Luo Qianqian remained silent, watching the dark currents surging between the two. Trying hard to suppress her inner “shipper” instincts, she mentally reviewed the saddest events of her life to force down the corners of her mouth, then got into the car with feigned calm.

Bo Yu’s gaze was still glued tightly to him. Gu Qichi moved his sore legs, avoiding his eyes, sat in the car, and closed his eyes to rest.

But that gaze was simply too scorching to ignore.

Gu Qichi turned his head away. He deliberately hadn’t mentioned the second outfit for the shoot, and fortunately, Bo Yu had forgotten to ask him. For some reason, he felt a bit guilty. Taking advantage of the moment Bo Yu looked away, Gu Qichi lifted his eyes, casually swept his gaze over Bo Yu, and quickly withdrew it.

That skirt…

And the white lace…

It wasn’t hard to guess Bo Yu’s first reaction upon seeing the magazine’s inside spread. It would probably be fury.

His eyes would lower, unable to hide the gloom between his brows. His beautiful lips would likely be pressed tight, and then he would grit his teeth and call his name.

He might even try to have the magazine pulled from shelves, or perhaps buy them all up to hoard privately.

But this was a requirement of his job, hard to refuse. Bo Yu wasn’t unreasonable, but—

Gu Qichi thought indifferently that, given the other party’s possessiveness, which bordered on perverted, it was hard not to suspect Bo Yu would just grab him directly and, under the pretext of punishment, do something to him.

Thinking about it was actually kind of thrilling.

The tip of his tongue touched the roof of his mouth, and he bit the soft flesh of his cheek. Gu Qichi rubbed the pads of his thumb and index finger together repeatedly, idly imagining that scene.

Although the experience at that time probably wouldn’t be very pleasant.

Fortunately, there was still some time before the magazine launched, and his scenes for Lucky Sky Green weren’t finished yet. He still had plenty of time to squander.

Should he play with the time difference, use some small tricks, and make Bo Yu happen to miss this magazine issue?

Or should he deliberately leave some clues and see just how crazy he could get…

Gu Qichi pondered in his heart, unknowingly falling asleep directly.

In the end, he hadn’t decided which plan to implement.

…

Lin Shuangyi was always strict with his requirements. The reason Gu Qichi could spare these two days was because he had completed his scenes early, not delaying the crew’s progress.

Moreover, Lin Shuangyi somewhat regarded himself as the talent scout who discovered Gu Qichi. He was happy to see Gu Qichi gain popularity in other areas and even considered using resources to give him a push.

For Gu Qichi, squeezing out these two days hadn’t been easy, but he had done everything he needed to do. Every step was satisfying, and there was nothing to regret.

Besides, if they did it too much, his body wouldn’t be able to take it.

But this time was simply too short for Bo Yu. Before he could fully savor the delicious meal that was Gu Qichi, he was suddenly informed that what he possessed was actually a buffet voucher with strict time requirements and regulations.

Now that the time was up, he was naturally out of the game, unable to enjoy the feast any longer.

Bo Yu felt justifiably wronged.

Luo Qianqian sat in the front row, only catching vague glimpses of the couple’s movements in the rearview mirror.

After Gu Qichi fell asleep, his head tilted against the car window glass. Although the journey wasn’t bumpy, it was still uncomfortable. Seeing this, Bo Yu immediately pulled him back, carefully letting him lean on his shoulder.

The plane tickets had been booked by Wen Xi early on, only for Gu Qichi and Luo Qianqian. It was unknown what method Bo Yu used to actually get a ticket for the same flight in such a short time.

By the time they returned to Hengdian, it was already very late.

Night hung low, making it difficult to see the stars in the sky; only the vague outline of a waning moon was visible.

Gu Qichi and Luo Qianqian planned to return to the crew’s hotel. It was close, allowing for more sleep, and convenient for makeup the next morning.

But Bo Yu wasn’t very happy about it.

Luo Qianqian was sent away. She bought a bottle of lemonade. Fortunately, no one was passing by nearby, so she could sit unscrupulously on the steps in front of the shop, quietly waiting for Bo Yu and Gu Qichi to haggle.

Under the streetlamp, Bo Yu’s figure was stretched infinitely long. The dappled light and shadow hit his high nose bridge, and Gu Qichi realized his nose line was very delicate.

Bo Yu: “I want to sleep with you.”

His request wasn’t actually excessive. The man lowered his brows, his voice a bit hoarse.

But sleeping together made it easy for things to misfire. Tomorrow involved filming many action scenes and flying around on wires. Gu Qichi carefully considered his waist strength, unconsciously furrowing his brows. Just as he wanted to refuse, the man spoke again: “I promise not to do anything. Just hugging you to sleep is fine.”

“We haven’t seen each other for a long time, Chi-chi.”

“Today is the last day, but there’s still more than half a month until the crew wraps up. I can’t help it.”

The faint light outlined Bo Yu’s features. He was always good at using his advantages and had discovered how to step on Gu Qichi’s soft spot. Those cold-colored eyes became scorching bright under the dim light, looking somewhat pitiful.

Gu Qichi softened.

“Find a hotel close to the crew. The one from last night is too far; coming back tomorrow would be troublesome.”

He sighed, his gaze drifting, feeling a bit shy as it landed on Luo Qianqian.

Just one night to meet was indeed too short. He also wanted to be close to Bo Yu, wanted to stay with him a bit longer. Life on the set was a bit dull, and relying on video calls and phone calls to communicate for the next half month was truly torturous.

As long as we just sleep and don’t do anything else, it’ll be fine, Gu Qichi comforted himself inwardly.

Bo Yu leaned in to hold his hand, but Gu Qichi glanced at him and dodged.

He pursed his lips, pointed at Luo Qianqian sitting on the steps, and whispered, “Send Qianqian back first. It’s unsafe for a girl to walk alone at night.”

Bo Yu nodded in agreement.

After the two sent Luo Qianqian back to the crew, they originally wanted to find a random hotel nearby. However, most hotels were booked solid by crews filming at the base, making rooms extremely scarce.

Helpless, Gu Qichi had to take Bo Yu back to his own room.

After being away for two days, the hotel room had been cleaned by the housekeeping auntie. Entering the door, Bo Yu could smell the faint scent of disinfectant in the air.

The bedside lamp was motion-activated, lighting up as soon as they approached. Bo Yu held Gu Qichi’s hand and sat by the bed. Gu Qichi was adjusting the brightness of the night light, revealing the young man’s thin waist under his clothes.

Bo Yu saw this, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him into his arms. He looked up at the room’s layout—Gu Qichi’s luggage was openly displayed on the floor, very tidy, as if barely touched. He chuckled, “Wife, what am I now? A golden house hiding a beauty?”

Gu Qichi sat on his lap, slightly taller than him. His cool fingertips touched Bo Yu’s lips, looking somewhat amused: “‘A golden house hiding a beauty’ hides a delicate beauty. Are you a beauty?”

After speaking, his teasing gaze looked Bo Yu up and down, and he scoffed, “If I’m hiding anything, I must be hiding a large beast—ambitious, constantly wanting to do something to the owner of the house.”

Bo Yu raised an eyebrow frankly. In fact, Gu Qichi wasn’t wrong, except Gu Qichi was more like a hunter luring him into a trap rather than ordinary prey being targeted.

Love drowns people. He sank into it with clear-headed abandonment, deeply trapped.

Out of control.

As if he was born to fall into Gu Qichi’s hands.

They didn’t kiss or do anything else that night. After showering, Bo Yu just held Gu Qichi in his arms and carefully dried his hair with a hairdryer.

Until his hair turned from wet to fluffy and dry, the smooth strands passing through Bo Yu’s fingers before disappearing from his fingertips.

The scent of the camellia shampoo was faint, just like Gu Qichi himself—emotions never overtly displayed.

The bedside night light quietly turned off. Bo Yu buried the tip of his nose in the back of Gu Qichi’s neck and simply held him as they slept through the night, making no untoward moves.

It wasn’t until Gu Qichi woke up early the next morning that he realized Bo Yu’s arm was still around his waist, like an iron bar that couldn’t be shaken off.

His movements undoubtedly disturbed the man still in his dreams. Bo Yu’s nose rubbed gently against the back of his neck, causing a vague itch.

Bo Yu’s voice was hoarse as he involuntarily hugged him tighter. Their bodies pressed close together, exposing the natural morning reactions.

“Sleep a bit longer, Wife.” His voice was thick with drowsiness.

But usually, this was the time he woke up to wash. Fearful of delaying, Gu Qichi struggled to get up, but Bo Yu held on tight.

“Bo Yu! I need to get up.” His tone was a bit fierce, shouting with false bravado.

Seeing no reaction from the other party for a long while, and sensing a tendency for things to escalate, Gu Qichi unceremoniously pinched Bo Yu’s swollen corpus cavernosum. Taking advantage of Bo Yu’s pain, he got up cleanly.

Ignoring the shock in the other’s eyes, Gu Qichi picked a grey T-shirt from his suitcase and put it on efficiently, covering his chest completely.

He glanced at Bo Yu. Having just woken up, his throat was still a bit raspy as he sincerely suggested: “You’ve been too fiery lately. You can take some medicine to reduce the heat, control it a bit.”

“It’s not good to always have such big reactions in front of outsiders.”

Bo Yu laughed in anger, raising an eyebrow as he leaned against the headboard, his narrow phoenix eyes staring fixedly at him: “Gu Qichi, I’m only like this for you. Seeing you, it gets out of control.”

Gu Qichi ignored him. After a night of rest, most of his physical discomfort had dissipated. Only the muscles at the root of his thighs were still sore and weak; everything else had returned to normal, except for the marks that wouldn’t fade.

For some reason, the high-slit skirt from yesterday unconsciously popped into his mind. He swallowed, his gaze sweeping over Bo Yu’s body, then looking at the bite marks on his own leg. Suddenly, he really didn’t want to be dealt with like that.

He said with genuine feeling, “I’m serious. You’re too frequent; it’s bad for your body.”

“There’s nothing wrong with preserving your energy a bit.” He muttered the last sentence softly, talking to himself, keeping his voice very low, but unexpectedly, Bo Yu still heard it.

The other party was somewhat embarrassed and annoyed, practically gritting his teeth as he called out: “Gu Qichi.”

He wanted to say, This concerns the rest of your life too, but suddenly stopped.

What “rest of your life”? His marriage agreement with Gu Qichi was only for three years at most. Time would fly by in a snap.

He promised to help Gu Qichi escape that man-eating Gu family, but after three years, who knew if they would part ways or if there were other possibilities.

His silence surprised Gu Qichi a little, but there was no time to dwell on it. After washing up, he had to go get makeup done. Not wanting to be late, he instructed Bo Yu before leaving: “Wait a while before leaving to avoid the other actors in our crew. Many people in the crew recognize you, know you’re the investor, and know about the Bo Corporation.”

Bo Yu sat on the bed, his brow and eyes cold, the air pressure around him dropping constantly, squeezing the cramped space even tighter.

Unfortunately, no one could soothe his emotions at this moment. With Gu Qichi gone, he could only silently digest these negative and dark emotions alone.

It wasn’t until much later that Bo Yu methodically tidied his clothes, packed his few belongings, and planned to leave.

The moment he pressed down the door handle and the door cracked open, a similar sound came from a room not far away.

Gu Qichi’s worry wasn’t misplaced. Eighty percent of the people in this hotel belonged to the Lucky Sky Green crew. Many field affairs staff and crew members had glimpsed Bo Yu’s face in financial magazines during the initial planning stages.

Not to say they knew him well, but Bo Yu’s appearance was too prominent. In financial magazines filled with balding Mediterranean hairstyles and beer-bellied bosses, he was handsome beyond compare, standing out from the crowd and leaving a very deep impression. Most staff who had seen that magazine could recognize him.

If they saw Bo Yu coming out of Gu Qichi’s room, rumors of sugar daddies and keeping mistresses would likely intensify. Gu Qichi had already walked a difficult path in this circle; there was no need to let him be splashed with this dirty water again.

So, to prevent being recognized, Bo Yu specifically put on a mask, covering most of his face.

Yet, it couldn’t block the prying eyes of certain rats in the gutter—

Almost the moment he opened the door, a man looking like a pale, boiled chicken walked towards Gu Qichi’s room. His expression was unpleasant, his eyes full of anger.

Bo Yu lifted his eyelids, his gaze extremely indifferent, too lazy to even spare the other a glance.

Unexpectedly, the other party reached out directly, attempting to block him. Bo Yu raised an eyebrow, his eyes showing undisguised impatience, his tone irritable: “You have business?”

His arrogant attitude naturally aroused Song Zhian’s dissatisfaction. As the second young master of the Song family, almost no one had dared to make Song Zhian unhappy since childhood, let alone speak to him in this tone.

The man before him was tall, much taller than him. The height advantage invisibly suppressed Song Zhian. Song Zhian frowned in displeasure, immediately associating him with the “sugar daddy” Gu Qichi’s assistant had mentioned.

His tone was unkind, looking for trouble, and his words carried a natural sense of charity: “Are you Gu Qichi’s sugar daddy?”

Given the Song Group’s strength, someone like this wasn’t worthy of talking to him. Song Zhian speaking to him was already giving him enough face. He was just about to tell the other to be sensible and get away from Gu Qichi so he could take his place.

Bo Yu suddenly sneered. His features were deep, and he was already unhappy about parting with Gu Qichi. Now provoked by this thing that didn’t know life from death, a hostile aura unconsciously revealed itself between his brows. His phoenix eyes lowered, creating natural shadows in his eye sockets—it was somewhat terrifying.

It was the sharp aura naturally cultivated by someone in a high position for a long time, accustomed to slaughter and blood, making it hard to tolerate other things in his eyes.

Song Zhian suffocated for a moment, like his throat was seized by the sharp talons of a bird of prey; a light squeeze could make his skull hit the floor.

Bo Yu looked down at him scornfully: “I am Gu Qichi’s husband.” His gaze pressed heavily on Song Zhian as he belatedly remembered which reckless dog this was. The tip of his tongue pressed against his cheek; Bo Yu felt his hands itching: “Rest those damned thoughts of yours. Otherwise, not only you, but the Song Group will also pay the price.”

Song Zhian was stunned by the word “husband.” He suddenly thought of the huge diamond ring Gu Qichi wore on set.

At the time, a staff member teased him about wearing a huge pigeon egg. Gu Qichi had simply smiled faintly, saying he was married and the pigeon egg was fake glass he wore for fun.

When Song Zhian heard this, his eyes were full of ridicule. He took it for granted that Gu Qichi’s mention of marriage was just to block him and avoid his touch. He hadn’t expected the other party to really have a legal marriage partner. And that pigeon egg had been mocked by Song Zhian; the assistant said Gu Qichi’s sugar daddy had some capability to protect him in the muddy waters of the entertainment industry. Looking at him now, he didn’t seem like much—after all, no sugar daddy would be so stingy as to let his lover wear a cheap glass bead.

But for this person to dare threaten him to his face was too humiliating. Song Zhian retorted in exasperation: “What kind of thing are you to dare lecture me?”

Before he could finish, Bo Yu kicked him in the crook of the knee. Unsteady on his feet, he crashed to his knees.

Bo Yu’s kick was heavy, perfectly executing the three essentials of speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness, causing Song Zhian’s face to contort in pain.

The pain of humiliation mixed with the pain of knees smashing onto the marble floor went hand in hand, making Song Zhian unable to stop himself from cursing loudly.

He struggled to get up. Bo Yu clicked his tongue impatiently, looking at him like he was looking at something dirty: “Song Zhian, in three days, have Song Feng come see me. Otherwise, I think Song Feng knows very well what will happen to the Song Group.”

“Also, I’ll say it one more time: do not harass Gu Qichi.”

Having finished, Bo Yu glanced disgustedly at Song Zhian kneeling on the ground. If not for saving Gu Qichi some face, he might have had someone dislocate Song Zhian’s arms right there.

If he wasn’t mistaken, the moment Song Zhian saw his figure, he mistook him for Gu Qichi and wanted to come up and hug him.

No one could covet his things. Bo Yu rubbed his fingertips, his face gloomy, and walked away quickly.

Left in place, Song Zhian’s pupils shrank suddenly, looking up in disbelief at Bo Yu’s retreating figure.

Song Feng was his grandfather’s name…

What did Bo Yu’s words mean?

Was it a bluff or something else?

But soon, he calmed down, took out his phone with a gloomy face, and began ordering people to investigate the surveillance footage from today and yesterday.

Although the Song Group was declining, its influence in Dongcheng was deeply rooted. Unless it was one of the top families, wanting to act against the Song family was simply a fool’s dream.

He would definitely retaliate for this utter humiliation today.

On the set, Gu Qichi was still getting his makeup done, just one last step away from completion.

Lin Shuangyi couldn’t wait and darted into the dressing room to find him:

“Gu Qichi, I have a variety show invitation here. Do you want to go?”

---

He hadn’t expected Lin Shuangyi to come looking for him personally. Just as Gu Qichi raised an eyebrow, the makeup artist slapped his hand lightly.

Teacher Huo’s tone was gentle when addressing him: “Xiao Chi, don’t move around, the eyeliner will be crooked.” However, she wasn’t so polite to Lin Shuangyi. The makeup artist glared at him, her voice loud and unforgiving: “Director Lin, if you keep bothering me like this, don’t come to me if Xiao Chi doesn’t look good on camera later.”

If it were an ordinary person, they wouldn’t dare speak to Lin Shuangyi like this. But Sister Huo was hired by Lin Shuangyi at a high price; her makeup skills were top-notch, perfectly combining character traits with the actor’s appearance to create unique looks.

Plus, Sister Huo was a senior to Lin Shuangyi before he entered the industry and had helped him a lot, so Lin Shuangyi laughed sheepishly and didn’t dare disturb Gu Qichi further.

Gu Qichi found it amusing. Lin Shuangyi was used to being arrogant and undisciplined, doing things recklessly. It was rare to see him behave so obediently.

Once his makeup and hair were done, Gu Qichi turned around. He wore a crown on his head, looking refined and gentle. If not for the upturned eyeliner and vibrant eyeshadow, he would look less like a harmful treacherous official and more like a loyal subject serving the country and people.

Lin Shuangyi stared at his face, forgot to mention the variety show, and suddenly blurted out: “Gu Qichi, are you willing to film two more episodes after wrapping up?”

Gu Qichi was stunned, his mouth slightly open: “Huh?” He flipped open his script, pointing to the line where Shen Qingye dies and exits the show: “Director Lin, do you mean I have to postpone wrapping up? But Shen Qingye’s scenes are almost done. Do we need to add extra scenes?”

Normally, when a production has reached this point, it’s impossible to change the ending or add any big scenes. Lin Shuangyi didn’t have that idea either. It was just that in the original novel of Lucky Sky Green, the author had written a separate side story for Shen Qingye, fulfilling the regrets of the original fans.

In that version of the side story, the Shen family escaped disaster by a strange combination of circumstances. Old Prince Shen didn’t lose his life, the Shen family wasn’t wiped out, and Shen Qingye remained that bright and breezy young man, viewing all the flowers of Chang’an from the bridge tower in a single day.

After Shi Tianlin ascended the throne, he became a wise ruler and untied the knot of discord with the Shen family. Shen Qingye was able to enter officialdom. After ten years in the turbulent sea of politics, he was no longer the treacherous official everyone wanted to beat, but instead established a heart for heaven and earth, established a destiny for the people, continued the lost teachings for past sages, and opened peace for ten thousand generations, finally becoming a generation of honest officials.

Although Lin Shuangyi had promoted Shen Qingye’s role from third male lead to second male lead, this drama was ultimately a big male lead drama. Song Zhian’s scenes alone were three times that of Gu Qichi. Even if they filmed these short extra episodes, Song Zhian’s fans couldn’t say anything.

He laid out his thoughts, waiting for Gu Qichi’s reaction. After all, in the contract signed initially, Gu Qichi was paid by the episode. Now suddenly adding two more episodes without discussing it with Wen Xi in advance was indeed a bit abrupt.

Gu Qichi didn’t have any objections, just asking a very simple question: “Will it pass censorship?”

Seeing Lin Shuangyi nod, he had nothing else to say and nodded cleanly. Then he asked about the variety show Lin Shuangyi mentioned: “Director Lin, you came to find me just now, did you want to say something?”

Lin Shuangyi then took out his phone and showed Gu Qichi the invitation sent by the program team.

Strive! Actor! was a large-scale acting competition variety show. The recording time happened to be the day after Gu Qichi finished filming, scheduled to air on Christmas Day, December 24th.

Gu Qichi had an impression of this variety show.

Because Gu Yuning also participated in this show. The timing was neither early nor late, happening right after Lucky Sky Green finished filming. At that time, this drama hadn’t aired yet, and Gu Yuning didn’t have any good works to his name, just being a second-tier small traffic star marketing himself as a rich second-generation young master.

If Lucky Sky Green made Gu Yuning an overnight sensation, then Strive! Actor! undoubtedly laid the foundation for his explosive popularity.

Gu Yuning relied on his fairly refined acting skills and “white lotus” scheming to gain some fame in a small circle. Afterward, he guided paid fans to spread false black material about the most competitive capable actor on major platforms, ruining the opponent’s public favorability and cyberbullying them until they quit the program team.

Then came Gu Yuning’s overwhelming press release marketing, frequently trending on hot searches with his “exquisite” acting skills, pushing the program team to the forefront, and finally successfully taking first place in the variety show.

Because of this, he also won the grand prize prepared by the program team for the first place—an art film aiming for international awards.

“This program has high value. It’s handled by Yuxing Media under the Bo Group, and the biggest investor is also the Bo Group.” Lin Shuangyi switched to the PPT sent by the program team while speaking, showing him the core of the program: “The program team originally wanted to invite me as a mentor, but I refused. I have to be responsible for directing another film next, but they gave me a recommendation quota. I want to recommend you.”

The PPT stopped on a certain page. Lin Shuangyi’s face was rarely serious as he pointed to a person on it: “You should know that this time the program team paid a heavy price to invite Director Jiang An. As far as I know, he is preparing a same-sex realistic genre film, intending to take it to the Red Carpet Festival to compete for awards.”

“I can consider postponing the filming of the extra episodes for a few days to let you participate in this variety show first. I believe you will learn a lot.”

No one was around; this was a long corridor between sets. Gu Qichi slowly turned around, looking Lin Shuangyi up and down: “Why help me so much?”

His gaze moved slowly, his tone sincere. His first reaction to hearing the variety show invitation wasn’t fawning or a fake smile, but doubt. He hadn’t actually accepted Lin Shuangyi’s invitation yet.

Lin Shuangyi smiled and said frankly: “Gu Qichi, I can be considered half a talent scout for you. After this drama, I believe you will become a big hit, even more popular than Song Zhian.”

“Of course, there is another reason.”

Gu Qichi lowered his eyes, the emotion between his brows very faint: “Can I ask what it is?”

Lin Shuangyi: “You and Bo Yu are married, right?”

The scene fell into a strange quietness, silent and awkward.

Lin Shuangyi opened the chatterbox on his own: “I knew it the last time he came to the set to see you. That flashy car, no one but him dares to drive it. But don’t worry, he and I are childhood friends. If you don’t want to make a big deal out of your affairs, I won’t speak about it casually.”

Gu Qichi nodded and said thanks.

Unknown whether it was for Lin Shuangyi’s sincere invitation or for his confidentiality.

---

On the day of filming the final scene, a heavy snow rarely seen in a century fell in Hengdian.

It was said to be caused by a cold wave moving rapidly south, causing temperatures to drop across large areas, resulting in this scene.

Heaven and earth were dyed a vast white. Big snowflakes flew everywhere. The pure white landing on the palm was slightly cool, appearing clean and soft under the crew’s lights.

Shen Qingye wore very thin white clothes, holding an oil-paper umbrella, walking leisurely through the palace.

Rarely not wearing that eunuch’s red robe, his whole body was white, which was actually somewhat inauspicious.

Wearing such pure white was forbidden within the palace grounds; royalty and nobility mostly used moon white as the main color of their clothes. Because pure white was the color of mourning clothes. For the dignity of the Son of Heaven, this would greatly touch the Emperor’s bad luck. If discovered, it was a capital offense.

But no one dared to gossip about Shen Qingye. After all, the Emperor was critically ill, and the true power holder in this palace was him.

Walking slowly all the way, Gu Qichi’s back remained straight, just like Shen Qingye’s unbending pride.

Today was actually the day Shi Tianlin led the Imperial Guard to attack the city. Shen Qingye had received a secret letter early in the morning but didn’t intervene to stop it, almost indulgently letting the other party act.

The moment he stepped into the Taiji Palace, Gu Qichi methodically closed the umbrella and carelessly threw it outside the door.

The entire palace was quiet. No servant dared to walk around inside. Only intermittent coughing could be faintly heard. Accompanied by the weak rise and fall of breaths, Gu Qichi leisurely lifted the curtain in front of the Emperor’s bed.

The entire movement was smooth and flowing, without a single flaw.

“Cut!”

The camera zoomed in, focus gathering on Gu Qichi’s face. Because he was walking in real heavy snow and dressed really thinly, to highlight the ethereal feeling, the fabric of this clothes was a stiff gauze. Although he wore five or six layers inside and out, it wasn’t warm, so Gu Qichi was frozen until his face turned blue and his fingertips were pale.

The clothes were thin, but they outlined the young man’s figure perfectly—broad shoulders and a thin waist, tightly wrapped with only a white ribbon, looking like it could be encircled by one hand. The boots on his feet were also pure white, without any patterned decoration, only some snow stains faintly sticking to the soles.

“Lights forward, go to the bedside.”

“Where are the Maltesers the props team prepared earlier? Haven’t brought them in yet?”

Reminded by Lin Shuangyi, the props master realized what he had forgotten and hurriedly stuffed a small white porcelain bottle into Gu Qichi’s sleeve.

Lin Shuangyi was still adjusting the picture in the monitor: “Gu Qichi, move a little to the right, reveal Teacher Wen Shi’s face. Eh, right, don’t move.”

“Teacher Wen Shi, turn your head a bit more to the side, it’s more photogenic. Remember. Your first reaction upon seeing Shen Qingye is not fear, nor defense, but trust and reliance.”

Gu Qichi lowered his eyes, carefully observing the changes and placement of the props Lin Shuangyi emphasized, pondering his script.

Wen Shi’s first reaction was trust and reliance because he regarded Shen Qingye as the best knife in his hand. This knife, polished and forged by his hand, would always point at outsiders and never at himself.

Of course, besides that, Shi Chu trusted him so much because he had poisoned Shen Qingye. If he didn’t receive the antidote every month, Shen Qingye would suffer bone-eating pain and die from the poison piercing his heart.

So what about Shen Qingye?

He bowed and scraped to Shi Chu every day, fawning to the extreme. He crawled out of the dark room that never saw the sun, stepping on piles of white bones and countless corpses. Who knows how many lives stained his hands before he walked step by step to today.

He must be resentful, right?

Clearly, he was born within the palace walls and even raised by Shi Chu for a time. The Shen family had been loyal for generations, yet they couldn’t withstand the monarch’s suspicion. So many lives were slaughtered in a single night.

“Scene 532—”

“Action!”