Chapter 70: Bewildered

“I am innocent…” Shen Xici trailed off, subconsciously touching the ring on his middle finger. He hesitated for a second—in his heart of hearts, was he truly innocent when it came to Sheng Shaoyan?

“You’re feeling guilty! I can tell!” Lu Jiming shouted, triumphant. “You’ve been acting under my lens for months. I’m a professional at catching your micro-expressions! Your face is screaming ‘I’m very guilty, I’m not innocent at all’ right now!”

“He’s really not my boyfriend, I’m not with him!” Shen Xici turned his face away, still trying to argue, but he found that no matter how much he denied it, Lu Jiming had an expression that said, “Yes, yes, of course.” Besides, other than role-playing, there seemed to be no better way to explain the period of Sheng Shaoyan’s amnesia.

Why would the Vice Chairman of the Board of Shenghe Group appear in Sui County, live with him in a cramped rental apartment, eat at small restaurants, claim to be his agent, and even go to the set with him every day to eat the crew’s boxed lunches?

It seemed that besides being a couple role-playing, there really was no better explanation.

Shen Xici felt a little defeated.

“You hesitated!” Lu Jiming patted his shoulder, acting like an experienced man of the world. “We won’t tell anyone. It’s just that your boyfriend is a top-tier tycoon from a super-rich family, and you sneak off to his house for secret rendezvous after filming every day, right? And what’s this about role-playing? I have no idea what that is!”

Lan Xiaoshan, standing beside him, spoke up for his Brother Shen’s honor, “Director Lu, how can you call it a secret rendezvous for Brother Shen and Brother Shao? On the ‘Mountain Range Line’ set, Brother Shen even rented a place outside just to live with Brother Shao, instead of staying at the crew’s hotel. And when Brother Shen was filming, Brother Shao was with him every day, inseparable. Later, when Brother Shao left Sui County to go back to Ningcheng, someone on the crew even saw a private jet with the letters ‘Thun’ taking off. That’s pretty open and aboveboard, can that be called a secret rendezvous?”

Lu Jiming sucked in a cold breath. “Xiaoshan, why didn’t you say all this sooner!”

Lan Xiaoshan righteously puffed out his chest. “I’m Brother Shen’s assistant. Of course, I have to keep Brother Shen’s secrets!”

“You really are devoted to your Brother Shen! But, tsk tsk, the more open and aboveboard, the less likely it is to arouse suspicion. That’s a good strategy!” Lu Jiming stroked his chin. “If I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have arranged a room for your Brother Shen at the crew hotel. That would have saved four hundred a day, over ten thousand a month, and more than thirty thousand over three months! Not only did I spend money, but I also delayed your Brother Shen’s romance. What a bad deal!”

Lan Xiaoshan thought for a moment and agreed, “Indeed!”

Shen Xici just wanted to facepalm like Lu Jiming. What was all this nonsense?

He tried to pull the runaway conversation back on track. “Why are you guys here?”

Lan Xiaoshan’s single-lidded eyes widened. He pointed at Lu Jiming and accused, “Ask Director Lu! Director Lu said there was a decades-old steamed bun shop over here, so we woke up half an hour early to buy some. On the way back, I said to take that road, but Director Lu insisted on this one, and then we got lost!”

Lu Jiming immediately retorted, “If I hadn’t gotten lost, would we have witnessed this shocking scene? See how appropriately lost we were!”

The upside of being discovered was that when Shen Xici went back to the inner garden for lunch and dinner, he no longer had to hide. Lu Jiming would always give him an “I get it, I get it, you go ahead” look and even actively help cover for him, worried that his romance would be exposed.

Shen Xici felt very conflicted.

In the blink of an eye, it was early November.

“What did Saherny say?”

In the Xu family’s living room, Xu Lingjia hurriedly asked as Cheng Ningyu hung up the phone.

‘Saherny’ was a top luxury brand. If Ye Mei were willing to help, he might have been able to borrow a piece from them. But now Ye Mei had made it clear she didn’t want to deal with him, so she hadn’t prepared any outfit for him for the awards ceremony at the end of November. Xu Lingjia was holding out, waiting for his godmother to come and apologize to him personally after “The Double-Sided” was released.

“What else could they say? They won’t lend it.”

Xu Lingjia: “Didn’t they say their chief designer came to the country for inspiration and designed a new season’s collection when he went back?”

Cheng Ningyu slowly wiped her newly manicured nails with a tissue and shot Xu Lingjia a glance. “They do have a new design, but they made it very clear that they already have an artist in mind for the red carpet debut and are in discussions.”

Xu Lingjia was displeased. “They already have someone in mind? Who is it?”

“It’s a trade secret, how could they tell us in advance? But it’s not hard to guess. Besides Zhong Yue, there are a few other A-list male actors walking the red carpet at this awards ceremony. They will all definitely try to borrow from ‘Saherny’. It just depends on who ‘Saherny’ gives the outfit to.”

The more high-end the brand, the more cautious they were. They not only considered the artist’s status and influence but also whether their image and temperament suited the brand’s tone.

Cheng Ningyu’s lips curved up. “So, why would the brand lend it to you?”

Xu Lingjia stared at her. “What do you mean?”

Cheng Ningyu’s smile vanished. “What do I mean? Xu Lingjia, how did I raise you from a young age? And what have you done? You can’t even keep a hold on one Ye Mei! Now you know you don’t have a decent outfit for the red carpet? Now you come to me? I gave you a look back then, telling you to apologize to Ye Mei, and you just pretended to be blind and couldn’t see!”

Xu Lingjia pressed his lips together tightly. “Just wait a little longer. Once my new movie is released, everything will be fine.”

Cheng Ningyu scoffed, “Everything will be fine? Are you so sure about the future?”

“Of course I’m sure! Because I—” Xu Lingjia swallowed the words “saw it in a precognitive dream.” “I can’t say the reason, but just trust me.”

“I want to trust you, but, Xu Lingjia, what capital do you have to make me believe you?” Cheng Ningyu retorted. “When are you going to apologize to your godmother?”

She was in a bad mood. There was a variety show she wanted to be on, but which female star from her era didn’t want to come out for public appearances to earn money and exposure? Opportunities were few, and there were too many people, all fighting tooth and nail.

She had originally planned to ask Ye Mei to pull some strings for her, but who knew that after Xu Lingjia had a huge fight with Ye Mei, he still hadn’t apologized, making it awkward for her to approach Ye Mei about it.

Xu Lingjia knew about this too and saw right through her. “You keep urging me to apologize every day. Aren’t you just worried you won’t get on that show?”

Hitting a sore spot, Cheng Ningyu’s face turned cold. “I just swallowed my pride and contacted the people at ‘Saherny’. The moment they heard your name, they refused to cooperate. Don’t you know what your reputation is like now? Look at yourself, what kind of trouble have you caused in the past six months, and you’ve even dragged me down with you!”

Xu Lingjia looked as if he had heard a joke. “I dragged you down? Are you that clean? What, you think I don’t know?”

Seeing the smile on Xu Lingjia’s lips, Cheng Ningyu suddenly felt a little uneasy. She realized something and asked calmly, “Xu Lingjia, what do you mean?”

Xu Lingjia casually tossed a small ornament in his hand. “The Xu family hasn’t been around for so many years without having some connections. Haven’t you always had a good relationship with Delphi? Besides, this is my first time walking the red carpet for a film festival. If I’m outshone by Shen Xici, the media will start writing nonsense again about our family running out of money, failing in investments, and having to sell our cars and house.” He stood up. “I have a dinner appointment. I’m leaving.”

The villa door closed. Cheng Ningyu propped up her forehead, feeling very clearly that Xu Lingjia had indeed changed a lot in the past six months. The old Xu Lingjia had tried to curry favor with her and Xu Yuanjin, both openly and secretly, as if he were afraid they would abandon him, very insecure. He was especially fawning and cute towards Ye Mei, putting in a lot of effort. So, although Xu Lingjia had some minor flaws, they were harmless. As long as he was obedient and saved them trouble, it was fine.

Thinking of the malice in Xu Lingjia’s eyes just now, Cheng Ningyu pondered for a moment, then took out her phone and made a call. After some pleasantries, she listened to the other side and said, “You’re saying, Shen Xici’s agent contacted you?”

Over the years, her relationship with the brand ‘Delphi’ had always been good. It wasn’t difficult to ask them for a favor. She thought for a moment. “Jiajia is also walking the red carpet that day and really likes that outfit. Why don’t you let Jiajia wear that one… Didn’t you have a similar style last season? Yes, the white one. That one can be given to Shen Xici.”

Sensing some hesitation from the other side, Cheng Ningyu smiled. “He’s just a newcomer. What right does he have to be picky? He should be grateful to be given that white runway piece.”

Most of the scenes were already filmed, with only two left for tomorrow. The staff was packing up. Shen Xici sat on a stack of prop boxes, his long legs propped on the ground. After a short wait, Lu Jiming ran over without his cap and took Shen Xici to a small, temporary meeting room.

The small meeting room was a borrowed room in Jiezhou Garden. It was already getting a little cold. Lu Jiming gently closed the window. “This garden looks good no matter how you film it, but even closing a window is nerve-wracking. I’m so afraid of breaking something. Before the crew entered the garden, I held a special meeting to tell everyone to be careful and cautious. Not even a speck of paint is allowed to be scraped off. This is a cultural relic!”

Shen Xici pulled out a chair and sat down. “Where’s the script? Didn’t you ask me to stay and revise the script with you?”

Lu Jiming rubbed his face. “The script can wait. The publicity team just came to me again. They want to summarize the characteristics of the character Gu Changsheng and find a distinct feature for promotion. My head is about to explode, and I can’t think of anything. You think of something, quick.”

Shen Xici said casually, “Gu Changsheng, the Republic-era charmer?”

Lu Jiming’s hand, which was rubbing his face, paused. He suddenly slapped the table. “How did you think of that? Wait, let me send a message to the publicity team!”

“Didn’t you say to summarize the character’s features? Isn’t Gu Changsheng a Republic-era charmer? He pretended to be Sheng Yuen for so long without anyone thinking it was wrong, and with a short walk through the bustling city, he captured countless male and female hearts.”

“You even made it rhyme?” Lu Jiming laughed loudly. “But it’s very convincing for you to play Gu Changsheng. If you were born in the Republic era, you would be the Republic-era charmer himself!”

With a “bang,” something collided outside the door, followed by a clattering sound. A few seconds later, the sounds of the lighting and props teams arguing drifted in.

Lu Jiming muttered a few words about them being “troublesome” and was about to go out to check when he noticed it had suddenly gone quiet outside. Only a few fragmented words like “Director Lu,” “Shen-laoshi,” and “meeting” could be heard.

“Eh? Since when did they become so considerate, knowing not to cause trouble?” After finishing his conversation with the publicity person, Lu Jiming quickly pulled over the script beside him and flipped to the part they were filming tomorrow. “Come on, come on, brother. We’re filming the last two scenes tomorrow. I changed the plot a bit again. See if it works!”

Shen Xici was already used to Lu Jiming’s creative process. There was indeed a script before filming began, a very complete one. But once they started shooting, because of a certain scene or a certain expression from Shen Xici, Lu Jiming would suddenly start modifying the script, or sometimes he wouldn’t even bother and would just rip out a page with a “swoosh.” Then he would tell Shen Xici to portray a certain emotion and feeling, improvising the lines and actions, and they would start filming right away.

The more they worked together, the more undeniable and amazing Lu Jiming’s genius became. Every modification elevated the quality of the entire film. His mind was like the stars swirling in the summer night sky; no one knew which two stars would connect in the next second, creating a wondrous collision.

Shen Xici could only say that collaborating with Lu Jiming was thrilling and exhausting, but also incredibly satisfying and liberating to act in.

More than half an hour later, the blank spaces in the script were filled with scrawled handwriting, as well as various graffiti-style scene compositions and storyboards.

“Done, done! Wrap it up, wrap it up!” Lu Jiming rubbed his neck, saying with envy, “The thought of you being able to lie in bed after a five-minute walk, while I have to bounce around in a car for over half an hour, makes me so jealous!”

With that, he opened the latched door and suddenly found the atmosphere outside was not right.

In the courtyard, shaded by rockeries and green trees, two tall, white bodyguards stood at opposite corners. But he soon realized that what truly made everyone feel as if they were caught in a tense, controlled atmosphere was the young man sitting under a lush old tree.

A suit and tie under a black long trench coat, with a classic academic style, complemented the garden scenery, making him look like an heir from a prestigious family who had returned from studying abroad. He sat on a bamboo chair under the tree, quietly reading a book.

A no-man’s-land of several meters had formed around him. Even though no one was stopping them, the crew members instinctively detoured, and with one accord, they slowed down their packing, sneaking curious and amazed glances.

Lu Jiming immediately put on an enthusiastic smile and went up to him. “Why have you come? Looking for Xici?”

Sheng Shaoyan stood up and said politely, “Director Lu, hello.”

Beside them, Lan Xiaoshan reminded, “Director Lu, Brother Shao has been waiting for half an hour.”

Lu Jiming’s eyelid twitched. He glanced at Lan Xiaoshan and hissed, “Why didn’t you say so earlier?”

“I told him not to disturb your discussion,” Sheng Shaoyan said, his gaze falling on Shen Xici, who was coming out of the door. “What time do you finish today?”

“We can finish now, we’re all done.” Shen Xici didn’t expect Sheng Shaoyan to come and wait for him. The surprise was like a swan goose lightly touching the water’s surface, sending out layers of ripples. He then thought of the argument between the lighting and props teams that he had heard from inside the room, which had abruptly stopped. Sheng Shaoyan must have arrived around that time.

After saying goodbye to Lu Jiming and Lan Xiaoshan, Shen Xici and Sheng Shaoyan walked a short distance, then deviated from the main path, turning left and right along a small path. Soon, they reached the partition between the inner and outer gardens.

The locked door was opened. After crossing the threshold, it was just a few steps to the long corridor built along the lake. The bright moon hung high, its shimmering light reflecting and flickering on the carved beams and painted rafters of the corridor.

Shen Xici stepped on Sheng Shaoyan’s shadow, which fell obliquely on the ground. “Why did you suddenly come to pick me up today?”

“I wanted to see you sooner.”

It was a very ordinary tone, as if he were just saying a very ordinary sentence.

Yet Shen Xici’s footsteps paused for a moment, before he continued walking forward as if nothing had happened.

But only he knew that the palpitation in his heart was like the lingering vibrato on a lute string, still resonating.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t feel it. Sheng Shaoyan was like an experienced hunter, even more patient, afraid of scaring him away, precisely controlling the speed of his conquest.

It left him not daring to advance, yet not wanting to retreat, trapped in the snare that Sheng Shaoyan had dug with his own hands, watching his own defenses crumble inch by inch.

Sheng Shaoyan was waiting for an answer from him.

But, what kind of answer to give, Shen Xici himself felt bewildered.

Not only about the person before him, about this relationship, but even about his own life and future, he felt just as bewildered.