The first night of filming didn’t wrap up until around 3:00 AM. Zhou Jiulin, being older, couldn’t keep going and went back to sleep. Lin Zhuoyu still had some sunrise shots to film, so he called a car to take everyone up the mountain. Liang Yu had to cooperate with filming some distant scenery.

Mixed in with a group of real mountain guards, he first took a car to the top of the mountain before slowly climbing his way back down. When the camera swept over them, Xu Jingzhe could hardly tell that there was an actor among them.

At the very end, Lin Zhuoyu zoomed in on Liang Yu for a few seconds. Liang Yu absentmindedly trailed after the rest of the group, kicking the stones at his feet as he walked. Someone ahead called for him to catch up, and Liang Yu finally looked up. A tree branch blocked half of his face, forcing him to duck awkwardly.

Xu Jingzhe wasn’t even sure if this little detail was intentional, but Lin Zhuoyu was clearly very satisfied with it. Once the shoot was finished, he urged Liang Yu to go back and rest.

“Get up early this afternoon,” he ordered. “I’ve decided to make some changes to the script.”

Lin Zhuoyu truly didn’t show any sign of fatigue. In fact, he was a little too energized, almost as if he were high off excitement. “Once I finish writing it, I’ll send out the revised script to you guys, you and Xu Jingzhe.” He pointed at Xu Jingzhe, his tone of voice rising. “I will get in touch with Qin Wan and have her draft a contract. Can your agent fly out here to sign it directly?”

Xu Jingzhe was a little slow to catch on at first, but, when Lin Zhuoyu mentioned calling Zhang Man over, he finally realized that Lin Zhuoyu was offering him a role.

Liang Yu didn’t seem surprised at all. Without waiting for Xu Jingzhe to agree, he immediately asked, “What about the pay? How much are you offering?”

Lin Zhuoyu was briefly taken aback. He wasn’t in charge of the finances. All budget-related matters went through Qin Wan. After thinking for a moment, he could only reply, “I’ll have Xiao Wan negotiate it. Xu Jingzhe, how much do you want?”

Lin Zhuoyu was probably the first director to ask an actor how much they wanted this directly. Xu Jingzhe was a little speechless. He sent a message to Zhang Man, checking the time while he was at it. It was four in the morning. Zhang Man was probably still asleep.

“Don’t worry about it for now,” Lin Zhuoyu said anxiously. “I have to head back to write the script. Xu Jingzhe, come in the afternoon for a wardrobe test. Don’t be late!”

Since he wasn’t sure when Zhang Man would see the message, Xu Jingzhe hesitated on whether to catch some sleep or not. Liang Yu would definitely need to sleep. He had to shoot several late-night scenes in a row, and every missed second of sleep felt like a year shaved off of his lifespan.

“Do you want to act in this film?” Liang Yu lay in bed after his shower. He was warm and a little damp from the lingering moisture. “Lin Zhuoyu’s got a habit of changing the script constantly, so you might not even know what kind of story he wants to tell until the very end.”

Xu Jingzhe chuckled and asked, “Who do you think he wants me to play?”

Liang Yu’s reply was a perfunctory one. “I told you, the accountant from the city.”

Xu Jingzhe asked curiously, “Why do you think so?”

Liang Yu: “The narration in my script mentioned this character. There haven’t been any new actors arriving on set. Who else could it be but you?”

Xu Jingzhe hadn’t even considered this possibility. What if he hadn’t come along? Would Lin Zhuoyu have had a local play the accountant?

Liang Yu said that Lin Zhuoyu would’ve probably written the character out of the script if Xu Jingzhe hadn’t come. After all, it wasn’t a huge loss to have one less accountant in the film.

He added, “I’m worried that such a minor role would be a waste of your time. It might be better not to take it at all.”

“I’d play even a minor role.” Xu Jingzhe didn’t mind. “I’d be playing the role for you after all.” He paused thoughtfully before adding, earnest, “You’re such a great actor. Getting to work with you, even in a small role, would be a win for me. Who knows, I might even have the chance to end up in the same frame as you.”

Liang Yu couldn’t help but laugh, both amused and exasperated. “Unbelievable.” He let out a sigh before continuing, “You’re flirting with me, aren’t you?”

Xu Jingzhe didn’t know what he’d said that had come off as the least bit flirty. Liang Yu suddenly pulled him into an embrace, bluntly asking him how he’d been doing down there these past couple of days.

Xu Jingzhe: “…”

Once he entered a professional filming environment, the pressure always seemed to weigh down on him, even if he wasn’t the one before the camera.

Liang Yu, having found out about this at some point, instructed him to take off his pants.

Xu Jingzhe was a little embarrassed. He hadn’t been getting any morning wood these days. Of course, he didn’t really think there was anything wrong with that. He was used to it after all.

“Now that’s where you’re wrong.” Liang Yu got him hard but refused to give him relief right away, deliberately putting on an overbearing attitude, “Why didn’t you come to me, hm? Who told you to do that and have I agreed to it?”

Xu Jingzhe squeezed his legs together, overwhelmed to the point of seeing white flashes. He didn’t know what had come over Liang Yu or why he’d chosen this moment to torment him.

Liang Yu pressed him to “admit his mistakes”, and, with the most vulnerable part of himself in the other’s hands, Xu Jingzhe had no choice but to admit to them, his capitulation akin to a territorial concession.

Afterwards, he felt a pang of regret, thinking that he’d been too quick to admit fault. It was as if he were indulging Liang Yu’s irrational need for control as a way of flirting.

They couldn’t go all the way in a place like this, so Liang Yu quickly finished using Xu Jingzhe’s legs. Whether from excitement or exhaustion, Liang Yu’s eyes were red at the corners, as if he had just cried. The appearance was almost pitiable.

Xu Jingzhe was still miffed about Liang Yu forcing him earlier, but his heart softened upon seeing Liang Yu like this. He leaned in to kiss his face.

Liang Yu got out of bed to wash his hands. He then returned with a basin of warm water and helped clean Xu Jingzhe.

“Go to sleep.” Liang Yu held Xu Jingzhe, gently patting his back. After his outburst, he suddenly became tender again, coaxing the other, “I’ll wake you in the afternoon.”

Xu Jingzhe fell asleep and was eventually woken up by Liang Yu. Still groggy, he barely registered that Liang Yu had wiped his face and helped him into his clothes.

“Zhang Man called.” Liang Yu patted his face. “Are you awake?”

Xu Jingzhe blinked and replied, “I’m awake.”

Liang Yu looked at him for a moment and repeated, “Zhang Man called. I explained the situation to her. She said you should go ahead and start filming. She’ll talk to Qin Wan, so you don’t have to worry.”

Xu Jingzhe replied simply, “Oh.”

Seeing that he still seemed half-asleep, Liang Yu called out again, “Xu Jingzhe.”

Xu Jingzhe lifted his head, and Liang Yu laughed, saying, “I’m going to take a photo of you.”

Upon hearing the word “photo”, Xu Jingzhe finally reacted. He murmured, “Remember to use a filter. Don’t forget to touch it up and to let me see.”

Liang Yu: “…”

It wasn’t clear just how long Lin Zhuoyu had been revising the script or how many hours of sleep he got. He seemed to have unlimited energy, arriving on set early to instruct the stylist on how to style Xu Jingzhe.

“His skin tone is just right, so no need to cover it up.” Lin Zhuoyu stared at Xu Jingzhe’s face in the mirror. “Give him a messier haircut. Don’t make it so trendy.”

Xu Jingzhe’s soft waves weren’t very long. The stylist did as instructed and gave him a “messy” cut. Xu Jingzhe ended up with a disheveled bird’s nest sort of look. The stylist had also dyed his hair a shade darker.

“Add some dark circles.” After saying this, Lin Zhuoyu took a look at Xu Jingzhe’s complexion and said, “You seem to have slept pretty well, huh?”

Xu Jingzhe hadn’t expected to sleep so heavily either. His entire person felt cool and relaxed. He wasn’t nervous at all, despite the fact that he was already on set.

The makeup artist was drawing dark circles under his eyes. Lin Zhuoyu, however, was still being picky. “You need to look more worn out. How were you able to sleep so well?”

Xu Jingzhe felt pretty awkward. He glanced at Liang Yu, who was reading the new script nearby, not knowing how to answer.

Later, Lin Zhuoyu found a pair of thick-framed glasses for him. Since they were so heavy, they could only hang loosely upon Xu Jingzhe’s nose bridge.

“Get up and walk around,” Lin Zhuoyu instructed. “Hunch your back a little. Don’t stand so straight.”

Xu Jingzhe stood up from his seat and walked around as he was asked. Lin Zhuoyu rubbed his chin, watching for a moment before calling Liang Yu, who still had his head bowed over his lines.

“Take a look.” Lin Zhuoyu asked, “Doesn’t he look like a young accountant who just arrived here from the city?”

Liang Yu raised his head. He seemed to cast a casual glance at the other before continuing to read his script. Somewhat lazily, he asked, “What sort of role are you going to have the young accountant play?”

He added, half-jokingly, “Is he going to marry me and play my wife?”

The Author Has Something To Say:

The little accountant is finally here!