Chapter 5: Knows How to Dote on Someone

Xu Lingjia got out of his private camper van. The sun was already high in the sky, long past sunrise. He ran a hand through his unkempt hair, mentally complaining about his good-for-nothing friends who had insisted on dragging him into online games until the early hours of the morning.

Stepping over the cut weeds on the ground, Xu Lingjia grew more and more irritated and cursed, “When you were waking me up this morning, couldn’t you have called a couple more times?”

His three assistants followed behind him, carrying his things. They exchanged a look but said nothing.

Just then, a few crew members walked by, carrying C-stands and set props.

“…The director’s scolding was so fierce, it was terrifying!”

“Yeah, no one dared to speak. Luckily the storm wasn’t aimed at me, or I would have fainted on the spot.”

“If it were aimed at you, you’d at least be a main character!”

So he really got a harsh scolding!

A wave of satisfaction washed over Xu Lingjia. In his dream, he was scolded by Director Wan for almost every one of the mute boy’s scenes. It was either his standing posture was wrong or his sitting posture was wrong; either his smile was too wide, or his tears flowed too fast when crying. Even the way he walked would get him yelled at.

Later, he couldn’t stand the maniacal director anymore and called his parents. In the end, his godmother went to talk to the director twice before the scolding became less fierce.

It was high time Shen Xici got a taste of this.

Seeing him, a few crew members greeted him with a smile, “Teacher Xu is here?”

However, Xu Lingjia didn’t exchange pleasantries with them as he usually would. Instead, he said with a cold face, “Don’t talk about Brother Shen like that. It’s normal for a newcomer like Brother Shen, who has never been in the entertainment industry, not to perform well.”

One of the short-haired girls subconsciously retorted, “We weren’t—”

“Good that you weren’t.” Xu Lingjia’s expression softened, looking somewhat worried. “It’s just that the crew’s progress will be delayed, and my godmother will have a headache doing the accounts again.”

After Xu Lingjia walked away, the crew members looked bewildered. “What was Young Master Xu talking about? Brother Shen? Didn’t Shen Xici pass in one take, and Director Wan just did a safety take just in case? Did I remember it wrong?”

On the filming set, various machines were clustered together. Because the terrain was uneven, every now and then someone would shout, “It’s gonna fall, it’s gonna fall!” “Hold it steady, don’t shake! Are your hands made of jelly!”

Through the crowd, Xu Lingjia saw from a distance Shen Xici on a large tree, squatting on a thick branch with one hand on the trunk, looking down and saying something to the people below.

He had also squatted on this tree in his dream. As long as it was a clear day with a sunrise, he would be dragged up by Director Wan to squat there before dawn. One scene took eight mornings to film, and he was scolded for eight straight mornings. Towards the end, even the junior lighting technicians dared to give him attitude.

Xu Lingjia took a few steps forward and saw the robe made of white homespun cloth on Shen Xici fluttering in the wind. His footsteps faltered.

He thought again of the dream, after the news broke that he wasn’t his parents’ biological child. Many people commented online that Cheng Ningyu and Xu Yuanjin were so good-looking in their youth. Xu Lingjia, while not ugly, could only be praised as clean-cut and cute. They had originally thought he had just inherited his parents’ bad genes, but it turned out he had won the genetic lottery to look the way he did.

His jaw tensed for a few seconds before he put on a smiling face again. As he approached, he heard the head of styling, Lao Ji, discussing with Director Wan, “…It’s already this late. If we want to film the sunrise again, we’ll have to wait until tomorrow, right?”

Director Wan nodded. “Exactly. Sunrise scenes are the hardest to shoot. We have to come and prepare before dawn. If one take doesn’t pass, by the time we shoot again, the sun is already high up.”

Xu Lingjia suppressed the smile at the corner of his lips. Seeing Director Wan wearing his baseball cap, holding a roll of papers in his hand, his face still showing residual anger, he walked forward. “Uncle Wan, please don’t be angry.”

Several people turned their heads.

Seeing it was him, Director Wan Shan nodded. “You’re here? Why haven’t you gone to makeup?”

“I heard someone made you angry,” Xu Lingjia paused for two seconds, then said self-reproachfully, “It’s still my fault for being too willful, insisting on changing roles. And Brother Shen is a newcomer who doesn’t know anything. But Brother Shen definitely didn’t do it on purpose. He probably doesn’t know that if a scene doesn’t pass, not only will it waste a day of the crew’s time and budget, but it will also make the entire crew have to come back to work before dawn tomorrow.”

He put on an obedient smile and said thoughtfully, “I’ll order some coffee and milk tea for the crew in a bit to help everyone freshen up. I’ll have it delivered again tomorrow morning.”

After speaking, Xu Lingjia expected that, just like before, both Director Wan and the other staff members would praise him for being sensible, considerate, and taking care of newcomers.

But after waiting for a few seconds, no one on the set spoke.

A few steps away, the head of styling, Lao Ji, looked at him with an expression of wanting to speak but hesitating.

Finally, it was Director Wan Shan who spoke, “Who told you that the scene where the mute boy first meets the pursuit team didn’t pass?”

Xu Lingjia’s expression froze. “What?”

Director Wan turned around and paid him no more mind, going to find the waiting lighting director.

What does that mean? Who told him? Isn’t that the truth? Xu Lingjia was about to chase after him but was pulled back by Lao Ji.

He asked, bewildered, “Uncle Ji, why are you pulling me?”

“I should be asking you what you’re doing.” Lao Ji gestured with his chin towards the tree. “Scold? Who dares to scold Shen Xici? The scene of the mute boy’s first encounter with the pursuit team passed in one take, with a safety take as well. Director Wan wouldn’t dream of scolding him. We just don’t know what secret Shen Xici whispered to Director Wan, but Director Wan decided to re-shoot this first encounter scene at sunrise tomorrow. They’re discussing it right now.”

Xu Lingjia froze on the spot, his lips moved. “But-but wasn’t the director angry? I heard—”

Lao Ji had an indescribable expression. “The one who got scolded was the lighting director. He almost dropped the light onto the lens again!”

“Cut!” Director Wan sat behind the monitor and took off his baseball cap. “How many times has it been? You count! Just one line, ‘Don’t believe him. Forget it, believe what you want!’ How many takes do you need to say it smoothly?”

“Director, I’m sorry, it’s my fault.” Xu Lingjia apologized, but his mind was full of Lao Ji’s words, “The first encounter scene passed in one take,” and he couldn’t get into the acting state at all.

How is that possible?

His feet were on the damp, rotten leaves, and he still couldn’t believe it.

The mute boy’s first scene should have taken at least ten days or a week to film. How could Shen Xici have passed in one take?

Absolutely impossible!

“Xu Lingjia, did you stay up all night and lose your mind? You knew you had to film in the morning, yet your energy is this bad!” Director Wan Shan didn’t wait for his reply and, with a dark face, directly called over the makeup artist nearby. “Take him for a touch-up. Cover those dark circles properly for me!”

Following the makeup artist away from the camera, Xu Lingjia vaguely heard someone whispering.

“Hey, you think Young Master Xu also doesn’t know that constantly failing to pass a scene wastes everyone’s time?”

“Shh, he’s the one treating you to coffee…”

His gaze suddenly darkened. Xu Lingjia looked in the direction of the voice. The two crew members who had been laughing and joking gave a sheepish smile and immediately shut up.

Sheng Shaoyan slept through his afternoon nap until the sun set.

He always felt that his usual routine shouldn’t be this lax, but perhaps due to the significant blood loss from the wound on his back, coupled with the intermittent headaches, Sheng Shaoyan had been drowsy for two consecutive days, held hostage by sleepiness.

Since Shen Xici was not at home during the day, he had no inhibitions and simply gave up resisting, sleeping soundly.

This sleep finally restored much of his spirit. After a shower, Sheng Shaoyan changed his clothes and went downstairs to eat.

The temperature difference between day and night was quite significant here in spring. The wind started to turn cool as dusk deepened. Sheng Shaoyan moved through the dense buildings of the county town and, as expected, found no familiar scenes.

Judging from the rental contract Shen Xici signed with the landlord, they had only moved into that rental on March 1st. As for what happened before that, there were no clues for the time being.

However, Sheng Shaoyan was certain that he would never have lived in a county town like this before.

The roads were too narrow, the air filled with annoying sound waves. Pedestrians walked slowly. When the sun came out, sloppy loafers in slippers would squat at the base of buildings to play cards together. Old people sitting at shop entrances would idly wave their cattail fans, shaking their heads to the tune of opera music.

Too slow.

The rhythm here made Sheng Shaoyan feel out of place; even the air seemed to flow too slowly.

A motorcycle roared past with deafening music. Sheng Shaoyan frowned in annoyance amidst the exhaust fumes. He had a premonition that a headache was about to erupt from some corner of a blood vessel. He rubbed his temples a couple of times. Just then, a few strange sounds reached him, somewhat like a bamboo flute, but two parts rougher.

Mainly, it was unpleasant to hear, not a single note was in tune.

Turning the corner, Sheng Shaoyan looked up and saw, next to the fruit stall downstairs, Shen Xici sitting next to a white-haired old woman with a green leaf between his lips.

The source of the noise.

Shen Xici was struggling to digest the grandma’s teaching. Both hands held the leaf steady, the upper part of the leaf curled slightly outwards, resting below his upper lip. He made a “yu” sound, with the airflow coming from the upper middle position. He had just successfully blown the Do-Re-Mi scale and was now practicing glissandos up and down.

The actual practice was incredibly difficult, sustained only by patience.

The grandma suddenly lowered her voice and called to him excitedly, “A’Di, stop blowing for a moment. Look, look, what a handsome boy!”

Handsome boy? Shen Xici looked up. The person the grandma was pointing at was very tall, with broad, flat shoulders. A thin black top was worn loosely and stylishly on him. His hands were in his pockets, his legs astonishingly long. Walking on the dilapidated streets of the county town, it was as if he were on a fashion week runway. A couple of random shots could land him on a fashion magazine cover.

However, at the first glance, a note from Shen Xici’s lips cracked, sounding like it was scraping the ear.

The person walking up from the intersection, who else could it be but Sheng Shaoyan?

At this time, was he back from a walk after dinner?

The grandma was still smiling and whispering, “Isn’t he a handsome boy? Just like you, A’Di, both handsome boys!”

“He is indeed very handsome,” Shen Xici answered honestly. After speaking, he continued practicing blowing the leaf. But seeing a familiar face, he inexplicably felt a bit self-conscious and couldn’t quite let loose. He simply closed his eyes, imagined himself as the mute boy, and slowly found his state.

Sheng Shaoyan passed the fruit stall. Seeing the old woman looking at him with a smile, as if she knew him from before, he gave a slight nod.

After walking a few steps further, Sheng Shaoyan thought that he needed more information about his past. A moment later, he turned back, walked back to the fruit stall, and leaned against the adjacent beige wall, waiting quietly.

On the narrow road in front of the stall, cars passed by from time to time. A tungsten light bulb hung from the awning pole of the fruit stall, and small insects circled the light.

The sound of the leaf-blowing, from being ear-scraping at the beginning, slowly turned into a light and smooth airflow brushing past the leaf surface. The notes jumped, and Sheng Shaoyan’s slightly furrowed brows finally smoothed out.

Shen Xici blew for half an hour. The muscles in his abdomen tensed and released with his breath until they were sore, comparable to doing sit-ups. Only then did he finally master the glissandos, trills, mordents, and turns.

When filming the scene of the mute boy meeting the pursuit team that morning, Director Wan thought it was very good, but Shen Xici still felt something was missing.

For a mute boy, besides expressions, actions, and gestures, what else could he use to replace his voice and express his feelings?

Shen Xici thought about it from morning to afternoon, from the set to the county town. When he got downstairs, he was about to buy some fruit when he saw a layer of fruit tree leaves spread on a bamboo basket. A flash of inspiration struck him, and he asked the grandma if anyone nearby knew how to blow on a leaf.

The grandma smiled and clapped her hands. “A’Di, how did you know that when your grandma was young, in all the nine villages and eighteen stockades, no one could blow a leaf better than your grandma?”

His lips were numb, and the air in his lungs was depleted. Shen Xici felt that this instrument lesson was about enough for today. If he blew any longer, he might just pass out right here.

Just as he was about to get up, the grandma beside him tugged on his sleeve, her smile mischievous. “Your ‘Qi Xiong’ seems a bit shy, doesn’t talk much.”

Shen Xici followed her gaze and only then realized Sheng Shaoyan was waiting for him.

The light from the lightbox beside them and the tungsten bulb overhead illuminated Sheng Shaoyan’s profile, creating a basic light and shadow effect. A reddish-orange glow spread on his skin. As vehicles passed, they left afterimages of light on the retina. The surrounding air was full of liveliness, yet Sheng Shaoyan gave off a sense of out-of-place stillness.

The visual impact was so strong that it took Shen Xici a few beats to react to the local meaning of the term “Qi Xiong.” He quickly explained, “Grandma, don’t talk nonsense; he’s not my Qi Xiong!”

“You two don’t have a single eyebrow that looks alike, you’re definitely not blood brothers!” The grandma laughed warmly, waving her hand with an “I get it, I get it” expression. “Grandma is very open-minded! Sworn brothers, living together and sleeping in one bed, Grandma has lived for seventy or eighty years; I’ve seen it all.”

The grandma actually knew they lived together?

Shen Xici felt a bit of a headache. The landlady auntie and the neighbor grandma were indeed the strongest intelligence relay stations, with a proven track record.

He cautiously glanced at Sheng Shaoyan. Seeing that he didn’t understand the local dialect, Shen Xici secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He was about to explain to the grandma that he and Sheng Shaoyan were just ordinary friends when he noticed in his peripheral vision, in the mirror attached to the wall opposite, the reflection of several people walking over from the street corner.

Three men and one woman, clearly unfamiliar faces, not locals. They were tall, with bulging muscles under simple clothes. In his past life, in the Sheng family’s security system, Shen Xici had seen many people who looked similar.

They could be Sheng Shaoyan’s subordinates, but it was more likely they were the people sent by Sheng’s second uncle to harm him.

His heart tightened. Shen Xici’s face didn’t show it. He grabbed Sheng Shaoyan’s wrist, brought the man to his side, and turned his head with a smile. “Is there anything you want to eat? I’ll buy it for you.”

The grandma looked at Shen Xici, then at Sheng Shaoyan, smiling from ear to ear. “Oh, A’Di really knows how to dote on someone!”

In the end, he bought a bunch of fresh, plump longans.

The two walked one after the other in the corridor. Shen Xici’s mind was racing. It was only a matter of time before Sheng Shaoyan’s attackers found Sui County. They would definitely check the hospital admission records. As for the pharmacy, he had also bought two boxes of cold medicine when he bought the other drugs, which should be able to cover his tracks.

But in these next two days, it would be very dangerous for Sheng Shaoyan to be active in the vicinity.

“Shen Xici.”

“Hmm?” Shen Xici’s thoughts paused, and he turned around.

At the corner of the staircase, the two were on different steps, their eyes meeting perfectly. The distance was too close, and Shen Xici subconsciously took half a step back.

Then he heard Sheng Shaoyan ask, “What does ‘Qi Xiong’ mean?”

Shen Xici: “…”

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TL Note:

The term 契兄 (Qi Xiong) has several meanings depending on the context and dialect. Its most literal meaning is a sworn or adopted older brother, but it also carries historical and regional connotations related to same-sex relationships and can refer to a man’s lover.