Chapter 18

He Ran Sheng truly hadn’t expected to be criticized. His expression went blank for a moment before he finally reacted, pointing at Qi Lin Yuan and saying, “But he’s playing the role of a rich young master!”

Zhang Qing Ke’s tone grew even more agitated. “Exactly! He is! But you’re not! You come from an ordinary family, full of righteousness. When you first see Qiao Ming Yue appear, you assume he’s some wealthy young man harassing the master, so you rush in—that’s your sense of justice showing. There’s indeed a hint of affection, but only a hint. And what are you performing now? Are you two in a bar, fighting over a girl out of jealousy?”

He Ran Sheng mumbled quietly, “What’s the difference?”

Seeing Zhang Qing Ke’s face nearly turn green with anger, Yao Yun Shi quickly patted his back. “Director Zhang, take it easy, take it easy, he’s a newcomer!”

“He’s the lead!” Zhang Qing Ke roared again. But after venting, he calmed down—though he hadn’t quite expected this situation.

He knew He Ran Sheng had been inserted into the cast, and he himself had agreed to direct only out of respect for He Ran Sheng’s mother. But both of He Ran Sheng’s parents were accomplished actors. He thought surely they’d coach him a bit, never expecting his first line would be shrill and off-key, and his emotions throughout were completely misplaced.

“Think carefully about what I just said. Really dig into the script. And even if we dub the lines later, you have to get the emotions right during filming. You’re a police officer—a police officer! Even if you shout, it’s far more reasonable than screeching. Do you understand?”

Perhaps the words “He’s the lead” had pleased He Ran Sheng enough; though he pouted, he didn’t argue further.

Zhang Qing Ke felt his blood pressure rising, but fortunately, his gaze shifted to Yao Yun Shi and Qi Lin Yuan, and he finally calmed a little.

“Yun Shi, you really are as adept at these roles as always.”

Yao Yun Shi smiled. “It’s what I do. I’ll take a short break, then.”

Zhang Qing Ke nodded, finally letting his gaze rest on Qi Lin Yuan. “I’m actually a bit curious about your approach. Xiao He performed so much like a rich young master, but you, not so much. You look the part, but there’s something unexpectedly... innocent about you?”

This was a question Qi Lin Yuan had pondered since receiving the script, and now he didn’t need to think twice. “Qiao Ming Yue, at his core, exists to serve Wang Wei’s character. Because of him, Wang Wei becomes more dimensional—her feminine charm and her police authority both move Qiao Ming Yue. In other words, Qiao Ming Yue is meant to highlight Wang Wei’s allure and strength, not to diminish her character.

“I personally believe Wang Wei keeps Qiao Ming Yue at arm’s length for so long because, although he acts like a rich young master, he doesn’t carry the flaws of one. He pursues the woman he likes with innocent passion, without malice, only sincere effort. That’s why Wang Wei’s attitude toward him is both helpless and gentle.”

Zhang Qing Ke hadn’t expected such an answer. “I thought you chose this approach because it would be more likable?”

Qi Lin Yuan cleared his throat. “That’s certainly a factor, but maybe only twenty percent? What I just said accounts for fifty percent.”

Zhang Qing Ke was intrigued. “And the remaining thirty?”

Qi Lin Yuan answered seriously, “Logical consistency. Even though Qiao Ming Yue doesn’t have a full personal storyline and seems like a tool, even a tool must behave consistently. He doesn’t get along with Xu Chong, but from the start, he never blamed Xu Chong for nearly being stabbed. Even later, when implicated and kidnapped, he never saw it as the police’s fault. So I see him as a reasonable character. To make him a typical rich young master would clash with his actions. Including his later decision to give up Wang Wei and learn to manage the company—if he starts as a pure-hearted character, such a transformation feels natural.”

Zhang Qing Ke nodded approvingly. “Good, even better than I’d imagined. Let’s go with that! By the way, is this really your first time filming? You seem even more adept at adapting than Yun Shi.”

Was this Qi Lin Yuan’s first time filming? Of course not—but could he say so? Of course not. So Qi Lin Yuan feigned ignorance, “Including the previous variety show appearances?”

Zhang Qing Ke laughed. “Of course not... Never mind, you keep preparing.”

Qi Lin Yuan obediently agreed and went back to his little folding stool, quietly sitting down.

He didn’t have an assistant; if not for his outstanding looks and aura, one might mistake him for a stagehand. Yet...

“Promising youth,” Yao Yun Shi observed from afar, sighing in admiration.

This newcomer was truly impressive—her earlier kindness toward him hadn’t been wasted.

He Ran Sheng wasn’t a total amateur either. After a few rounds of scolding and adjustment, he finally managed to satisfy Zhang Qing Ke.

Yao Yun Shi and Qi Lin Yuan accompanied him through repeated retakes; the former said nothing, the latter had nothing to say. They seemed quite harmonious on the surface.

He Ran Sheng felt utterly humiliated and wanted to pick a fight with Qi Lin Yuan to vent, but Qi Lin Yuan fully adhered to the principle of “avoiding conflict.” Whenever the crew wrapped up, he vanished immediately, leaving He Ran Sheng with no one to trouble.

This continued for several days. As He Ran Sheng’s retakes decreased, Qi Lin Yuan genuinely began to suspect he’d soon become He Ran Sheng’s next target.

Truthfully, Qi Lin Yuan was curious what tactics He Ran Sheng would use. Zhang Qing Ke obviously had a good impression of him; the screenwriter had seen his performance and approved. To publicly pick a quarrel with him would be disrespectful to both director and writer.

Yet He Ran Sheng didn’t seem the type to weigh pros and cons and give up on causing trouble. During shooting breaks, Qi Lin Yuan would mentally bet with himself whether He Ran Sheng would make a move.

To his surprise, half a month passed and He Ran Sheng was quite well-behaved. Apart from having his assistant snatch the lunchbox Qi Lin Yuan was about to take, carrying away his folding stool as Qi Lin Yuan approached, and swaggering up to him with a cold snort whenever Zhang Qing Ke announced a successful take—he did little else.

Qi Lin Yuan didn’t relax; in fact, he found it abnormal. Finally, after receiving a call from his agent, his suspicions were confirmed.

“Commercials? Endorsements?” Qi Lin Yuan frowned and asked.

His agent replied with a broad smile, “Exactly! The offers are good—one’s for mosquito coils, another’s for detergent, and the endorsement is for a new facial mask. I tell you, especially the third company, their terms are excellent.”

Qi Lin Yuan nearly blurted, “Are you crazy?”

But he restrained himself. “The third company—isn’t it newly founded?”

“How did you know?” The agent was surprised.

Qi Lin Yuan thought, “Isn’t it obvious?” Paired with the previous two, it was clear the third had something questionable.

“I’m filming right now. Director Zhang has a good impression of me. I don’t want to take leave and ruin that. If there are commercials, let’s wait until ‘Requiem’ wraps.”

“Wait for what?” the agent protested. “You’re just the second male lead, not the protagonist. How much screen time do you have to be tied to the set? I heard you spend most of your time just daydreaming on set. If you have so much free time, you might as well take more endorsements.”

The phrase “I heard” was subtle. Connecting it to his earlier suspicions, Qi Lin Yuan finally realized where He Ran Sheng was waiting for him. If he remembered correctly, just yesterday He Ran Sheng had boasted about landing a major cellphone ad, and today his own company notified him. The connection was hardly coincidental.

But did He Ran Sheng have the brains for this? Qi Lin Yuan doubted it. Wasn’t he the type to recklessly attack, harming others and himself?

“Oh, right,” the agent remembered, “there’s also a dinner with the head of a company investing in film and television. The company has already agreed…”

Qi Lin Yuan’s expression instantly darkened. He glanced at the eyes in the mirror, cold and devoid of warmth. “Is this also arranged because someone said I’m too idle?”

“No, this is just company tradition…”

The coldness on Qi Lin Yuan’s face eased a little.

He had always shown weakness around He Ran Sheng because, though the latter was clumsy and didn’t wish him well, his traps were set openly. The methods were dirty, but not despicable.

If He Ran Sheng had really orchestrated something like this, he wouldn’t hesitate to retaliate.

But hearing it was company tradition, Qi Lin Yuan felt more disgusted than before.

Was this a talent agency or a trafficking ring—what kind of practices were these?

Qi Lin Yuan took a deep breath, steadied his emotions so as not to reveal anything. “Understood. I’ll see if I can get leave from the crew in the next few days, then go back to the company and check my contract. I heard Le Xi has also landed some endorsements with decent terms. I’ll ask him about it, so we don’t get cheated by advertisers and end up with worse terms than Le Xi.”

As he spoke, Qi Lin Yuan mentally bowed to Le Xi.

The agent hesitated briefly, then replied, “Alright, just make it these three days.”

Qi Lin Yuan neither agreed nor refused. After the agent hung up, he took out his phone, found the number he’d saved long ago, took a deep breath, and dialed.

“Hello? This is Qi Lin Yuan. Regarding the contract we discussed before, I’ve made my decision. But there are some details about my situation I’d like to inform you of in advance.”