Chapter 85

The Freshness of Love is That Both Sides Have Endless Tricks Up Their Sleeves

The adopted son of Du Ruo Sheng, sitting in the Du family mansion, must certainly be different from the old Du Mingquan!

As soon as the door was pushed open, Du Mingquan was offering incense to the spirit tablet. His black robe embroidered with a golden dragon hung elegantly on his well-proportioned frame, making the clothes appear far more expensive.

His hair was slicked back, revealing a square forehead and sculpted brows. His eyes were long and narrow, with a detached expression, and a scar under his eyes had split a tear mole.

Hu Xiu had seen Diao Zhiyu dressed in all sorts of styles, but for a moment, she was left speechless—

This person, after studying the script, had created so many character details for himself, and was so handsome that it almost made her faint.

As Hu Xiu stepped in and stared at his face, her foot caught on the first step, and with a crash, she fell to the ground—The Du family mansion really had a unique sunken structure, and the first step was a stair. How did she fall, even though it wasn’t her first time here? What an unfortunate start!

Her card also scattered along with the fall. She couldn’t let Du Mingquan see it too soon, so Hu Xiu lay flat on the floor, giving a full-body prostration.

Diao Zhiyu, playing Du Mingquan, was already accustomed to Hu Xiu’s infatuation and weak knees: “You’re giving such a grand greeting as soon as you arrive?”

Players who entered the room saw a man in a black robe and a ponytail lying on the floor, looking puzzled.

Hu Xiu refused to get up: “Everyone, go ahead. I fell and it hurts a bit.”

One player reached out to help, but Hu Xiu waved them off: “No, no, you go ahead. Don’t worry about me.”

The last thing she saw was Du Mingquan’s side profile, which left her disoriented. Hu Xiu got up, gathered the card into her hands, and couldn’t bear to tease him anymore, even though he was so handsome.

But a man who was trapped by his role and also teased by others was just as tempting as a man who was abstinent yet hungry.

Du Mingquan’s character was set at 27 years old, having worked for Du Ruo Sheng for thirteen years. He controlled the shipping business on the Shanghai Bund, and was deeply involved in the military and arms trade behind the scenes.

On the surface, Du Mingquan was the president of the Shanghai Bankers’ Association, serving as a middleman in the commercial dealings of the Du family.

Du Mingquan also ran a casino and a theater with a flourishing business (this scene really existed—by the large ballroom, when business was good, a large red lantern would hang outside the door, with actors recruiting customers for the casino and theater).

There were rumors that Japanese soldiers had visited before being shot. The gunshots had tarnished the Du family’s reputation, and the bullets had come from fishing boats off the coast of Japan. The target was Du Ruo Sheng, and they needed to investigate the source of the bullets and witness accounts of the shooter.

There were also rumors of Du Ruo Sheng’s connections with the Japanese, and important documents hidden in a bank.

Han Yiqiu’s white shirt was swapped for Du Mingquan’s black robe, adding a touch of gangster charm: “We in the underworld value loyalty. If Du Mingquan has a bite to eat here on the Bund, you all can live. Are the tasks clear? Go on, time’s of the essence.”

Hu Xiu was the last to leave and handed Du Mingquan a small card: “Mr. Du, a new massage shop just opened in the concession, and they’re having a grand opening sale: free the first time, 10% off the second time. You should check it out when you have time.”

On the pink card was a bright, round, white shape—resembling... meat buns.

Next to it, the text read “Red Romantic Massage, Enjoy the Ultimate Pleasure of Life,” and underneath was another line: “Pure Land of Bliss, Free Consultation.”

Du Mingquan narrowed his eyes, tempted to scold but unable to. He feigned illiteracy in his character: “Where did you get this? Is it a bun shop?”

“Yes, yes, it’s a bun shop. The taste must be great.” Hu Xiu quickly ran out of the mansion: “Mr. Du, do visit when you have time!”

She handed out the cards to various male actors in the venue, and without exception, they squinted as they took them.

The actor playing the Japanese officer, who was handsome, immediately turned lewd upon reading the card.

After distributing the cards, Hu Xiu turned to the ballroom to find Shen Ling, holding the last card and saying, “Miss Shen, I heard your fiancé has been seeing other women. Do you plan to do something about it?”

When Hu Xiu returned after completing her tasks, she saw from a distance that Shen Ling was confronting Du Mingquan at the ballroom entrance.

Du Mingquan, who usually had a fierce appearance, was now nervously slinking behind Shen Ling, “Wife, I didn’t do anything, they just gave me these, and I don’t know how it happened.”

“I have the card, tell me, how much did it cost!” Shen Ling demanded.

Hu Xiu stood by, smiling broadly. Du Mingquan pointed at her: “She’s the one who handed them out, it’s not my fault!”

Shen Ling immediately recognized Hu Xiu as Diao Zhiyu’s girlfriend. In the play, she pointed at Du Mingquan with a smoking pipe: “It says ‘payable’ on the card, do you think I can’t see that?”

The card Hu Xiu gave Du Mingquan had two characters “正” (correct) and a horizontal line, indicating it was a VIP level. Players around laughed and teased, some suggesting that Shen Ling should divorce Du Mingquan and run to Han Yiqiu’s embrace. Du Mingquan, furious, pointed at them: “Shut up!”

The laughter echoed throughout the venue, and Du Mingquan continued explaining: “Wife, I swear I have no second thoughts... I only love you!”

After the first round of tasks, Du Mingquan, pretending nothing had happened, announced the second round of tasks and sent everyone out, leaving only Hu Xiu behind: “You go explain things to my wife.”

One was the wife in the script, and the other was the girlfriend in real life. Du Mingquan’s expressions kept changing between anger and suppressed laughter. Hu Xiu felt the small card was working wonders.

At the end of the first half, Hu Xiu went to stick stickers for the jealous actress Shen Ling. Diao Zhiyu approached her from behind and whispered, “Wait for it. I’ll deal with you when we get home.”

Hu Xiu shivered but stood firm: “Teacher Diao, what kind of hero threatens someone like that? Show your skills in the second half!”

As the second half began, Hu Xiu reflected that she couldn’t delay Diao Zhiyu’s acting, so she minimized any distractions that might affect the main tasks.

At the start of the second half, Du Mingquan told Hu Xiu to take that small card and find Han Yiqiu to rescue Du Ruo Sheng.

Hu Xiu held the VIP membership card she made: “Huh?”

“You handed out the cards, and the store is yours. Go rescue my adoptive father with your family business,” Du Mingquan said.

Speaking of which, Han Yiqiu had studied in Japan, so he could read the characters on the card. “Go and pitch your Japanese baozi shop to him.”

It’s a case of treating someone the way they treat others!

Holding the small card, Hu Xiu walked into the Intelligence Department. Han Yiqiu was sitting at the desk, eyes closed, with deep eye sockets and dark circles, looking like he hadn’t slept enough.

It turned out that after going through Du Mingquan’s storyline, Hu Xiu came to find Han Yiqiu. Since they were the same actor, perhaps he’d recognize her and show some leniency.

The new Han Yiqiu hadn’t played Snowpiercer, so he didn’t get the same thrill he had from acting with Diao Zhi Yu last time.

He acted aloof about the baozi shop on the card, showing a youthful rejection: “I like Shen Ling, I only like Shen Ling. I wouldn’t go to a place like this.”

“This is just a baozi shop!”

“I don’t eat baozi. Besides, Du Ruosheng owes my mother money—do you think these things can pay it back?” After saying this, he tore up the card.

Han Yiqiu forgot that his character was supposed to be righteous! Hu Xiu stood stunned, unable to figure out how to save Du Ruosheng now that the card had been torn.

As time ticked by, Han Yiqiu stood up: “Spit three times in the direction of your leader, and I’ll let him go.”

The purpose of his request was humiliation. Hu Xiu quickly refused: “How can that be? He’s the leader of a hundred thousand people...”

Han Yiqiu stood motionless. Players from other factions began to enter the room, and there were more spectators.

Hu Xiu had no choice but to approach Du Ruosheng and spit three times in front of him, with all the other players watching.

Han Yiqiu complained that it wasn’t loud enough, so Hu Xiu shouted to the sky: “Pah! Pah!” with all her might.

It was an utterly humiliating moment. When she returned to the Du family mansion, Du Ruosheng pointed at her: “What did you just do to me in the Intelligence Department? Repeat it for our big boss and do it to him.”

These actors were all in on the joke! Hu Xiu had just spat on Du Ruosheng and now she had to spit on Du Mingquan again in the mansion, clearly Diao Zhi Yu was deliberately setting her up.

Du Mingquan put his hand behind his back and looked at her with Diao Zhi Yu’s eyes. The other players were watching closely, waiting to see how things would end. Hu Xiu had a sudden idea: “Boss, I kissed you three times in the Intelligence Department just now. How about I kiss our young master three times now?”

Du Ruosheng had never seen anything like this and almost burst out laughing: “What did you just say? What did you do to me just now?”

“I kissed you…” Hu Xiu loudly made kissing sounds with her hand against her lips: “You don’t remember that from just a few minutes ago? Do you want me to do the same to Young Master now?”

The room was full of laughter from the audience. Hu Xiu leaned close to Du Mingquan and puckered her lips: “Young Master, I’m sorry, this is the boss’s order.”

Actors were forbidden from having physical contact with the players. Du Mingquan took a step back: “Got it. You can leave now. Have you prepared the five escape cards for the task?”

“Not yet. I went to get Han Yiqiu to join the party. Goodbye, Young Master!”

The latter part of the performance left Hu Xiu feeling pumped. Shen Ling being carried into the emergency room by Du Mingquan was reminiscent of a scene from Snowpiercer’s haunted house. With the powerful black gown and the added years of experience on his face, Diao Zhi Yu’s Du Mingquan looked more mature and even more attractive.

Thinking of this made her feel somewhat aroused, but Du Mingquan’s heroic and tender side was something Qin Xiao, who once had charm, had never conveyed.

That included strategy, wisdom, a mixture of scars and desire—attributes that came from the actor’s appeal and a life full of twists and turns.

In the love triangle scene, Han Yiqiu, as the male lead, had more screen time, but Diao Zhi Yu’s Du Mingquan, in Hu Xiu’s heart, even surpassed Han Yiqiu’s portrayal—his growth was woven into the character.

Lost for words. Despite a thousand thoughts running through her mind, after a long time, all she could say was “I’m out of words.”

After the performance, Diao Zhi Yu was in a rage, holding the small card and confronting Hu Xiu: “No wonder you’ve been sneaking around behind my back and making these dirty little cards!”

“It’s rare for you to play Du Mingquan, so I had to prepare seriously. I also gave some to Li Ai and Zhao Xiaoru to spice things up.”

“I used to think you were very innocent when we first met. Now I realize I made a wrong judgment. From now on, you’ll record videos on Bilibili, I’ll help you out.”

Diao Zhi Yu placed his hand on Hu Xiu’s shoulder: “After all, you’ve helped me improve my acting.”

It sounded more and more like trouble. On the bus back to the city, actors gathered in groups, gossiping, with some singing—those from musical theater had loud voices.

As the bus hit the highway, Diao Zhi Yu and Hu Xiu shared headphones, nodding their heads and swaying to the music. Diao Zhi Yu smiled broadly, and this was the first time Hu Xiu had seen Luomu laugh so happily.

Upon arriving in Shanghai, Hu Xiu noticed many undercurrents between the actors: competition for popularity, dissatisfaction with the script, jealousy over female players...

But at this moment, with the actors’ masks off, they were just passionate young people who loved acting.

She whispered, “Compared to Snowpiercer, is it more enjoyable here?”

“In terms of acting, this place offers greater opportunities for improvement. But the Snowpiercer train, with its five-day-a-week schedule, is where many out-of-town actors make their living, and late at night, when we go out for a drink after work, it feels like we’re all in the same boat.

When we graduated, we came out with high ideals to be actors.

But no one watches stage plays, and those who follow academic and formalist audiences are fewer still. Murder mystery games, on the other hand, provide stable wages.

At that time, we were frustrated. Without anything we truly wanted to do, spending time in the murder mystery game made time pass quickly. Day by day, performing these low-demand scripts, we gradually turned into ordinary people who could act a little bit.”

“What did you do then?”

“Drink. Before I met you, we were alcoholics, staying up until four or five in the morning, acting awkwardly with players, and when we got tips, it felt like we were selling our bodies, but we still felt happy with the money. Yet, deep down, there was always something uncomfortable. We kept telling ourselves it was earned through hard work.

After meeting you, I realized that immersive theater might truly be a form of communication, allowing people to watch a play in a relaxed atmosphere and perhaps spark a curiosity about stage plays and art.”

“If this can help more people learn about theater and stage plays, that’s not bad. To put it arrogantly, I don’t want to become famous, but I want theater and performance to become famous.”

Sitting in the last row, Hu Xiu looked at the straightforward boy removing his makeup in a messy way and felt how lucky she was to have found such a gem.

Thinking of this, Hu Xiu said, “I’ve also done something that’s somewhat meaningful, though I don’t know if it will succeed.”

“I gave up my position at the hospital to a psychologist who does mental support. If this really helps more people, it would definitely be meaningful.”

“Did your dad get angry because of this?”

Hu Xiu opened her phone and looked at the barrage of messages from her father in the Do Not Disturb section: “Though it’s a bit unfilial, not listening to him actually helps my mental health. Of course, who knows? My dad is the type who can really endure; he waited ten years to take revenge after my mom cheated. With me, he might be saving it up for a day when it all explodes.”

Her fingers tightened. Diao Zhi Yu calmly said, “It’s okay, I won’t leave you. Only cowards run away from the battlefield.”

“Why do I feel like you’re implying that’s about me?”