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Whether or not a scene would be NG (no good) wasn’t up to Sheng Li—it was the director’s call!
With nearly a decade of experience in the industry, Sheng Li had never been this nervous for a kissing scene, not even for her on-screen first kiss. But tonight, this little troublemaker Yu Chi was being stubborn—completely unyielding, no matter how much Sheng Li tried to coerce or bribe him, he refused to back down and leave.
Having no other choice, Sheng Li steeled herself and headed back to set to wait for her turn.
The scene was being filmed in the courtyard of the prince’s mansion. Director Liu had already cleared the area once, ensuring all non-essential personnel were asked to leave.
Yu Chi stood not far from the monitor, his expression cold, his eyes devoid of warmth. Sheng Li tried her best to avoid looking in his direction, determined not to let him affect her performance. Wei Cheng seemed to notice her anxiety and said gently: “Don’t be nervous. This scene isn’t complicated, and it won’t take long.”
Sheng Li thought to herself, You don’t understand. My boyfriend is watching. Every time we NG, I’m afraid he’ll mark it down against me!
She took a deep breath and adopted a professional attitude, joking lightly: “How can I not be nervous? I’m worried your fans will get jealous.”
Wei Cheng casually glanced in Yu Chi’s direction, giving a meaningful smile before saying softly: “Or should we ask the director to clear the set again?”
Sheng Li felt a chill run down her spine at his words. Did Cheng Ge suspect something?
Just as her heart began racing, she caught sight of Yu Chi turning and walking away out of the corner of her eye.
Huh? Why did he suddenly leave?
In the next moment, the tension and anxiety that had been gripping her finally eased. Good, now she could relax and focus on filming.
Yu Chi turned around with an impassive face, walked under the rest pavilion, grabbed the cigarette pack and lighter from the table, and went to a deserted alleyway entrance. Lighting a cigarette, he took a drag and gave a self-deprecating tug at the corner of his mouth. Kissing scenes were a normal part of acting, and telling her not to NG probably made him seem childish and irrational to her.
But he couldn’t help himself. He didn’t want her to film a kissing scene; he didn’t want any other man to touch her—only he had that right.
Yu Chi bit down on the filter, glancing irritably in their direction.
Suddenly, his phone rang.
He stared at the screen for a moment in silence before answering.
After several unanswered calls, Yu Manqi was surprised when he picked up this time. Prompted by Jiang Dongmin, she spoke softly: “Xiao Chi, do you have no scenes tonight? You’re able to answer the phone.”
Yu Chi lowered his gaze, his voice cold as he asked: “What is it?”
The strained relationship between mother and son hadn’t developed overnight—it had been years. Yu Manqi wanted to say something conciliatory but didn’t know where to start, especially since she doubted Yu Chi would accept it. After a pause, she forced a gentle smile: “I heard you’re not staying at the production set. Where are you living now?”
Yu Chi stubbed out his cigarette. “Why are you asking? If you’re thinking about making me move back home, forget it.”
“I know you don’t want to come back. That’s not what I meant.” Yu Manqi sighed. “I heard the director and some of the main actors really like you—they’ve praised your performance. And you have quite a few scenes. Everyone else has assistants, but you don’t. Your uncle and I discussed it, and we thought maybe I could come to the set to take care of you for a while. Would that be okay?”
Yu Chi found it laughable. With a cold chuckle, he reminded her: “Mom, I’m an adult now.”
Pausing for a moment, he reined in his emotions and spoke calmly: “I didn’t need you to take care of me in the past few years. Now that I’m an adult, what exactly do you think you can do for me? Bring me water? Hand me a towel? If that’s all, then there’s no need. And if you’re worried about not getting your share of my paychecks, don’t bother. You and Jiang Nan must have settled everything when you signed the contract back then, right?”
In truth, Yu Chi hadn’t called Yu Manqi “Mom” in a long time. Fearing he’d hang up, Yu Manqi quickly said: “Mom knows you resent me, but it’s been so many years. The fact that you willingly joined this production shows that you still love acting.”
Yu Chi remained expressionless, thinking to himself: Does Yu Manqi even realize that liking something and being sold into it are two completely different things?
Yu Manqi asked again: “Did your admission letter arrive? Come home for dinner.”
“No,” Yu Chi replied. “If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up.”
Home?
He didn’t have one.
—
On the other end of the line, Yu Manqi lowered her phone and looked at Jiang Dongmin and Jiang Nan, shaking her head helplessly.
Jiang Nan had returned briefly but couldn’t stay away, though he didn’t dare go to the set, fearing Yu Chi’s anger. So, he came to find Yu Manqi instead. After all, they were mother and son—surely they couldn’t remain bitter forever.
Holding a cigarette, exhaling smoke, he said: “If he keeps being uncooperative, it’ll be hard for me to arrange things in the future.”
“It’s not necessarily bad that he has his own ideas. Look, he’s willing to take on roles now, and he’s landed a good one with plenty of screen time,” Yu Manqi replied. Though she was Yu Chi’s biological mother and felt some guilt over the years, she mostly blamed Jiang Nan. Seeing how poorly he was doing now confirmed her suspicion that he’d been scammed back then. Her tone carried a note of sarcasm: “Letting him choose his own roles might actually be more reliable than having you, a half-baked agent, handle it.”
Jiang Nan’s expression darkened. “If it weren’t for me signing Xu Yang, would he even have gotten this role? Don’t bite the hand that feeds you and act ungrateful.”
“Alright, stop arguing,” Jiang Dongmin interjected diplomatically. “I’ll look into where Yu Chi is staying.”
—
At 10:30 PM, Sheng Li finally finished filming for the night. She scanned the area, but Yu Chi was nowhere to be seen.
Yuan Yuan whispered softly: “Sis… Yu Chi left when you started filming the kissing scene. He probably went back.”
“Give me your phone,” Sheng Li extended her hand.
Yuan Yuan quickly handed it over, feeling uneasy. These bad premonitions of hers were often accurate… Tonight, it seemed she wouldn’t get much sleep either, ugh.
As Sheng Li walked toward the dressing room, she opened WeChat.
Half an hour earlier, Yu Chi had sent her a message.
Chi Ge: 【I’m home. Sister, don’t forget what you said.】
Sheng Li: […]
What had she said?
Scrolling up through their chat history, she saw her earlier attempts to appease him…
Sheng Li: 【Baby, I can’t guarantee there won’t be any NGs.】
Sheng Li: 【After this scene, come to the dressing room. I’ll kiss you ten times, okay?】
Sheng Li: 【Chi Ge, I’ll call you Chi Ge from now on and stop calling you Yu Xiao Chi.】
Sheng Li: 【[Picture] Look! I even changed your contact name!】
Sheng Li: 【Then… I’ll come see you tonight? Do whatever you want with me, okay?】
Sheng Li: […]
It had been over a week since her last visit to the rented apartment. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to go—it was just that the last time had been exhausting and too much for her to handle. She simply lacked the energy.
Turning to Yuan Yuan, she asked: “Don’t I have a scene at eleven tomorrow morning?”
Yuan Yuan’s face went blank. Of course…
She pouted slightly, whispering: “But you can’t come back so late again. You definitely need to return early.”
“I know, I can catch up on sleep when I get back.” Sheng Li smiled sweetly at her. “Thank you, my dear Yuan Yuan. Be ready to pick me up at five-thirty tomorrow morning.”
After some thought, Yuan Yuan ventured softly: “Can’t Yu Chi come to the hotel? He… shouldn’t mind being tired, right?” After all, her brother-in-law was young and full of stamina—it would be less taxing on Sheng Li than dragging her along.
Sheng Li poked her cheek teasingly. “You’re usually so sharp. Why is your brain malfunctioning now? There are so many celebrities at the hotel. Even if they’re not targeting me, someone else might be targeted. The chances of being photographed are higher.”
“That’s true…” Yuan Yuan nodded sadly. It seemed she’d have to endure another tough night tonight.
After returning to the hotel, Sheng Li freshened up, changed her gear, and snuck out quietly.
Twenty minutes later, she stood outside the rental apartment, gripped by a fear of having to utter that absurd code word again. Initially, she had only suggested it to tease Yu Chi, but now it felt like biting off more than she could chew.
Standing at the door, just as she was about to knock, it opened from the inside.
Surprised, she looked up.
Yu Chi stood behind the door, his hair still damp, clearly having showered recently. Sheng Li walked in, taking off her coat, hat, and mask, and looked up at him, raising an eyebrow: “No secret code tonight?”
“Do you want to go out and come back in after using the code?” Yu Chi suggested impassively, closing the door behind her.
Sheng Li wasn’t stupid enough to leave. She placed her things on the entryway cabinet and hugged him, smiling brightly as she looked up: “We only NG’d twice tonight. Don’t be jealous anymore, Yu Xiao Chi.”
Yu Chi glanced down at her, sneering: “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t call me Yu Xiao Chi anymore?”
Sheng Li complied readily: “Chi Ge.”
Yu Chi: […]
After a few seconds of silence, he reached out to touch her face, his voice low and hoarse: “Sister, what kind of script do you want tonight? Something more intense than last time?”
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