Chapter 12: That Person

Behind the monitor, two people sat on separate sofas. Director Qiu was discussing something with the assistant director opposite him, holding the shooting schedule. Yu Chuan sat on the other sofa with a cup of black coffee, untouched.

Li Siwei sat on a separate chair in the corner of the studio, waiting for his co-star to adjust his state. Soon, Yu Chuan stood up and left. Li Siwei saw him pick up a large umbrella and walk out of the studio, disappearing in an unknown direction.

About ten minutes later, he returned, and Director Qiu signaled to resume filming.

Under the artificial moonlight, Yu Chuan pressed against him again. Li Siwei’s cheeks were dry and flushed from the cold and the long hours of filming. His cold had dulled his sense of smell, but he could still detect a faint scent of fresh tobacco on Yu Chuan.

Yu Chuan quickly got into character. Li Siwei still instinctively tensed up at his approach.

But this time, for some reason, Yu Chuan gently lifted his leg, his right hand supporting his thigh, his movements much gentler.

He leaned forward, his arm wrapping around Li Siwei’s waist. Li Siwei also turned his head and kissed his neck cooperatively.

When the fake becomes real, the real also becomes fake.

The moonlight was fake, the set was fake, and under the gaze of the camera, even the most genuine kiss was fake.

Perhaps he had taken Director Qiu’s advice to heart. Yu Chuan’s face no longer held the previous emotions, but instead, Li Siwei saw a trace of inexplicable sadness in his eyes.

It took nearly ten takes to get this scene right. After repeated takes, the skin on Li Siwei’s arms and thighs was red and raw. Finally, Director Qiu used the crane camera for a wide shot.

After the director called cut, Li Siwei changed his clothes and quickly walked out of the set, wrapping himself tightly in a blanket. Yu Chuan stayed in the studio, not glancing at him.

At some point, the rain outside had intensified again. It was getting dark, and Yu Chuan still had one solo scene left to film. Normally, Li Siwei could leave at this point. But just in case there were reshoots, he stayed on set.

At night, with no heating or air conditioning in the studio, the temperature dropped quickly. Li Siwei tried to warm himself up, but his hands and feet remained cold, and his throat became increasingly itchy, making him cough uncontrollably.

He coughed until his eyes were bloodshot. Suddenly, a hand appeared beside him.

Li Siwei looked up and saw Xiao Meng, holding a paper cup.

“Ginger tea.” Xiao Meng winked at him.

“Huh? Where did you get this?” Li Siwei asked. They didn’t usually make tea on set.

“Ah, don’t get me wrong. I made it myself. It’s easy to catch a cold during the changing seasons, so I always bring ginger to make tea on set. Hehe.”

Li Siwei nodded: “Thank you.”

The ginger tea was steaming hot. He took a sip, and his body finally warmed up a bit. After finishing the tea, Li Siwei noticed a long, cylindrical object in Xiao Meng’s hand.

“What’s that?” He pointed at the object. It seemed to be made of velvet, and there was a faint, indescribable fragrance emanating from it.

“This? It’s my boss’s. It’s raining today, so I prepared it for him.”

Li Siwei froze.

“Hey, don’t let his tall and strong appearance fool you. He’s actually a walking pharmacy. We have a lot of things in the van, and I have to carefully prepare them every day.” Xiao Meng held the object in front of Li Siwei. “This is for him to apply a hot compress to his hands. It’s filled with Chinese medicinal herbs. His knuckles get uncomfortable on rainy days.”

Li Siwei’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He wanted to say something but stopped, finally just looking down at the back of his hand.

Xiao Meng thought she had said something she shouldn’t have and quickly waved her hand: “Hey, Brother Siwei, don’t mind me. Why am I telling you this? It’s nothing. Oh right—”

She changed the subject, looking at Li Siwei: “Brother Siwei, where’s your assistant? I haven’t seen them since we started filming.”

Li Siwei laughed: “I don’t have an assistant. I can barely afford to feed myself.”

“Huh? Really?” Xiao Meng looked incredulous. “I thought you were good-looking and nice when I joined the production. You must have a lot of offers.”

Li Siwei didn’t know how to explain to her that good opportunities in this industry had little to do with talent or looks. The workings of this industry weren’t easy to explain.

“I thought you all earned a lot. Like me, I’m just an assistant, but my salary working for Boss Yu is much higher than before, and he doesn’t even ask me to do those dirty and tiring chores.”

“Really?” Li Siwei looked at her. Being a celebrity assistant was a thankless job in the industry, with long hours and low pay. Many assistants earned less than 5,000 yuan a month, worked around the clock, and even had to wash the celebrity’s underwear in the hotel.

“Yes, he pays me this much a month.” Xiao Meng held up two fingers.

Li Siwei smiled: “You’re lucky then.”

“Brother Siwei, I heard Producer Fang say you two were classmates? So you’ve known each other for a long time?”

Li Siwei didn’t know how to answer: “Why do you ask?”

“Just between us, I’m just gossiping.”

“What gossip?” Li Siwei’s heart tightened.

“Everyone on set is talking about it. Didn’t you know?” Xiao Meng leaned closer.

“Talking about what?”

“That thing he said on set. He said his first love is dead!”

Hearing this, Li Siwei felt slightly relieved: “You mean that?”

“No, aren’t you surprised at all? A perfectly fine person, just dead? He didn’t used to say that!” Xiao Meng was clearly excited, her voice rising, attracting the attention of two stagehands nearby.

Li Siwei put his finger to his lips, signaling her to lower her voice.

“Before, what did he used to say?” Li Siwei lowered his head.

“Actually, he never really mentioned it.” Xiao Meng reminisced. “It was two years ago, or maybe three? He was filming a period drama, and the location was in a Beishi alley. It was a night shoot, and it was very cold. I was waiting with him, and he mentioned that he had eaten hot pot there with someone before. I was curious and asked, and I guessed it was probably his first love. But he wouldn’t say anything more after that, and he seemed upset.”

Li Siwei froze, silent for a moment: “He still remembers such a small thing? It was more than ten years ago.”

“Ah! Brother Siwei, do you know his first love? Did they meet in college? What kind of girl was she? The campus belle?”

Li Siwei realized he had misspoken and pursed his lips for a few seconds: “No, I was just guessing.”

Xiao Meng sighed: “I thought there was some real gossip. But for someone like him, it’s normal to have a college romance. I’ve followed him on several productions, and many of his co-stars have liked him.”

Li Siwei wasn’t interested in discussing how popular Yu Chuan was now. A tall, handsome, talented, and wealthy actor would naturally be the center of attention wherever he went. It wasn’t anything unusual.

But Xiao Meng clearly didn’t want the conversation to end there.

“Were you two close in college?” Xiao Meng looked at him through her glasses, her eyes wide.

Li Siwei didn’t know how to define their relationship. After a long silence, he replied: “We were okay.”

“Wow, so it’s a reunion for you two.” Xiao Meng seemed relieved by this answer. “I was so worried you two had some bad blood. It would make things awkward for me in the middle.”

Xiao Meng was too honest, not even wary of a near stranger like him.

“Hehe, Brother Siwei, don’t think I’m too talkative, I’ll just ask one more question. What was he like when you first met in college? Was he the same as now?” Xiao Meng was clearly enjoying the gossip, her eyes sparkling.

The heavy rain outside finally started to subside, pattering on the roof of the studio. The thick glass windows were covered in water droplets, blurring the view.

Li Siwei suddenly lost focus, answering after three seconds: “We didn’t meet in college.”