Chapter 51: Has Yu Chi Won Back His First Love Today?

The wind grew stronger, blowing open the hem of Yu Chi’s coat. Underneath, he wore only a thin sweater, and the cold pierced through him, but he seemed unfazed by it, lowering his head to smile: “If I weren’t bad, how could I match Sister? Don’t you agree?”

Sheng Li felt the biting wind sting her face painfully.

She cupped her face with her hands and nodded in agreement: “You have quite the awareness.”

Yu Chi kept his hands in his pockets, turned away with a cold expression, ready to leave. But Sheng Li called out an “Ah,” and he stopped in his tracks. She tilted her head, looking at the black handwoven cord around his neck, suddenly asking, “What’s that you’re wearing around your neck? It looks nice.”

“Sorry, this is the only one I have, so I can’t give it to Sister.”

He dropped this icy remark and walked back to his car.

Sheng Li glanced back, pondering for a few seconds, then also got into her car, taking the hand warmer Yuan Yuan handed her. Yuan Yuan grumbled discontentedly, “Big Brother-in-law has chased you all the way to the set. Why are you two always pricking each other?”

The car started, heading back to the hotel.

Sheng Li lazily leaned back against the seat, closing her eyes: “It’s part of our dynamic. You wouldn’t understand. We’ve been apart for three or four years; how can we just erase the gap and return to the honeymoon phase right away? Now, being on set every day, seeing each other, provoking each other—it’s interesting, isn’t it?”

Yuan Yuan felt wronged. As a CP fan, wasn’t it hard enough to get some sweet moments? So hard!

She opened Weibo and switched to her secondary account. The nickname of her secondary account was: Has Yu Chi Won Back His First Love Today

Has Yu Chi Won Back His First Love Today V: Day 121, no.

Many fans had found their way to this Weibo account, and the number of followers was nearing twenty thousand. Some fans questioned: [The show aired only two months ago, right? How is it already the 121st day? Blogger, be honest! Do you know something behind the scenes?]

Yuan Yuan cleverly replied: [I started counting from the day they filmed the show.]

Fans: [Oh, I see.]

—

That night, when they returned to the hotel, Chen Yuan specifically went to check on Yu Chi. After all, getting criticized like this for taking this role made him feel somewhat sorry. But Yu Chi didn’t care: “It’s fine. The criticism will pass in a couple of days. I wanted to take this script myself, so Director doesn’t need to worry about it.”

Huang Baiyan wasn’t someone to take things lying down either, and Yu Chi himself didn’t have many scandals to exploit, so the criticisms were mostly repetitive.

By the next morning, the situation began to reverse slowly—

[The movie Xu Yuan has just started filming. Who can predict if the box office will flop? What if the movie becomes a hit? It’s also a kind of challenge. Although Rose 2 has a fan base, commercial films can fail too. Generally, sequels don’t do as well as the originals—2 isn’t better than 1, and 3 isn’t better than 2. Plus, Rose 2 hasn’t even confirmed its start date yet. Why rush to criticize?]

[I heard Lu Xingyu originally wanted this role, but Yu Chi is the newly crowned Best Actor. If he took it, the director and investors would obviously choose Yu Chi—aren’t they blind! Lu Xingyu has been fading over the past two years. How can he still cause trouble like this?]

[Lu Xingyu is such a drama king! Fans protect their idols, but his public image isn’t good anyway. This sudden wave of backlash against Yu Chi is strange. To say Lu Xingyu’s team didn’t stir the pot—I don’t believe it.]

…

Sheng Li looked at her phone filled with messages from Lu Xingyu, mostly cursing Yu Chi, telling her not to pay attention to Yu Chi, not to reconcile with him, and so forth. Some of them were voice messages, which she didn’t bother to open and listen to.

After thinking for a moment, she only replied: [You should focus on acting well. That’s more important than anything else.]

This response acknowledged their long acquaintance, having supported each other since childhood.

Today mainly featured Yu Chi and Jing Yiming’s scenes.

Since their roles were closely intertwined, whenever they filmed, Sheng Li would watch beside them, listening to Chen Yuan explain the scenes. Holding the script, Chen Yuan said, “Cheng Nan and Zhou Luo have been clashing overtly and covertly for over ten years. Cheng Nan detests Zhou Luo, thinking he’s also a human trafficker, but without evidence, he couldn’t arrest him. Zhou Luo’s character is quite complex. He deceived Xu Yuan and sold her off, but afterward, he was filled with guilt and regret. Watching Cheng Nan relentlessly search for Xu Yuan, he also embarked on the journey to find her.”

At this point, Zhou Luo was 32 years old, tall and handsome, but scruffy, exuding the rugged charm of a Northwest man.

When Sheng Li read the script, she thought about how complicated human hearts were. Zhou Luo claimed he loved Xu Yuan, but he couldn’t resist the hatred in his heart and pushed her into hell again. Then, he tried to find her, longing for her forgiveness and love.

Even though Zhou Luo had his pitiable aspects, he was a bastard unworthy of love.

This scene featured Cheng Nan and Zhou Luo fighting, while Xu Yuan had only two shots. She stood by the window, watching the two fight ferociously with a mocking expression.

Chen Yuan said, “Let’s try the scene first. The fight should be brutal and real. Zhou Luo, exhausted from traveling all night, lacks the stamina and endurance of the younger Cheng Nan. Cheng Nan always fights Zhou Luo brutally, aiming for the face and abdomen.”

Yu Chi and Jing Yiming rehearsed several times. For action scenes, continuity was key for a smooth and satisfying effect. Both actors, at the caliber of Best Actors, pursued perfection.

They rehearsed for over an hour before officially starting the shoot—

Downstairs of the old building, there were a few potted plants nurtured by Xu Yuan’s grandmother. Zhou Luo, covered in dust, bumped into Cheng Nan downstairs. He grabbed Cheng Nan urgently, asking, “Where’s Xu Yuan? Where is she?”

“She’s gone,” Cheng Nan said coldly.

Zhou Luo didn’t believe him and intended to go upstairs to check.

Cheng Nan stopped him, disgusted, “What are you going up there for? Grandma Xu doesn’t want to see you. Every time she sees you, she gets sick.”

Zhou Luo went mad. He pushed Cheng Nan aside, “Get the fuck out of my way. I want to see Xu Yuan. She must be upstairs. I must see her today.”

“See her? You fucking deserve it?!” Cheng Nan roared furiously.

Neither gave in, and soon they were locked in a fierce brawl.

...

Winter days were short, and nights were long. This scene wrapped up as dusk fell.

Both Yu Chi and Jing Yiming sported battle makeup, with Yu Chi’s lips split and Jing Yiming bruised and swollen.

After this scene, they moved on to Cheng Nan and Xu Yuan’s scenes.

Before Chen Yuan explained the scene, Sheng Li turned to look at Yu Chi, whispering, “Did you really hurt your lower back earlier?” In action scenes, bumps and bruises were normal. Just now, they fought fiercely, and one of Jing Yiming’s moves seemed uncontrolled. Yu Chi’s lower back collided with the edge of a flowerpot. His shirt lifted momentarily, and his bare waist hit the edge directly. She heard it clearly from the side—it seemed pretty painful.

In the cold outdoor environment of the north, pain responses were delayed. Yu Chi only felt a numbness in his lower back earlier and didn’t feel much pain. Now, the pain started to set in, though it was still bearable. Yu Chi didn’t think much of it, but he didn’t expect her to notice.

He looked down at her and casually said, “It’s alright, not too painful.”

Just as Sheng Li was about to respond, Chen Yuan called them over, “Xu Yuan, Cheng Nan, come here. Let me explain the scene.”

This scene involved Xu Yuan asking Cheng Nan to undress so she could check his injuries.

Half an hour later, they officially began shooting—

Grandma Xu, who had poor hearing, didn’t hear much of the commotion downstairs as she busied herself preparing dinner in the kitchen. Xu Yuan opened the door and let Cheng Nan in. She laughed carelessly, “Officer Cheng, you fight quite well.”

Cheng Nan smiled, “Not bad. He’s been beaten up by me plenty of times over the years. Are you happy?”

Xu Yuan calmly watched him, staring for a few seconds, then grabbed his hand and pulled him inside.

Cheng Nan might have been traumatized by her bold behavior last time because he resisted slightly, pushing her hand away, “What are you doing?”

“Relax, I’m not forcing you. Sister doesn’t like forced actions.” Xu Yuan stood in the room with her arms crossed, lifting her chin, “Let me check your injuries.”

Cheng Nan paused, awkwardly saying “Oh,” and walked inside.

“Take off your clothes.”

“...”

Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow, “Are you afraid I’ll see? I’ve seen plenty of men’s bodies.”

Cheng Nan couldn’t stand her talk. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he frowned, silently taking off his shirt.

The man’s physique was tall and fit, with well-defined chest muscles leading to beautiful abs. His lean waist displayed clear obliques, extending into his pants. Xu Yuan whistled, “However, your body is indeed the best.”

She noticed a lightened area on his shoulder and a red mark on his neck, almost bleeding.

“Does it hurt?”

“No.”

Xu Yuan walked over, placing her hand on his body. Cheng Nan tensed and stiffened, looking down and asking, “What are you... doing?”

Without showing any emotion, she placed her hand on his lower back and pressed hard.

“Hiss…”

“You still say it doesn’t hurt? Officer Cheng isn’t being honest.”

Yu Chi frowned, grabbing her hand.

This part wasn’t in the script; Sheng Li had added it on her own.

But both of their reactions were spot-on, so Chen Yuan didn’t call cut, and neither did they stop.

After finishing this scene, Yu Chi put his clothes back on. Only then did Jing Yiming realize and asked concernedly, “Yu Chi, did you hurt your waist earlier?”

“Just a minor injury. It’s alright,” Yu Chi said.

“Are you sure?” Jing Yiming feared he was toughing it out and joked, “A man’s waist is very important. Aren’t you trying to win back your first love? You can’t afford to hurt your waist.”

Others chuckled, all looking at Yu Chi. Chen Yuan also said, “Don’t push yourself. I have some medicated wine in my hotel. I’ll have my assistant bring it over. It works wonders.”

“I have some in my car. My parents prepared it for me.” Sheng Li looked at Yu Chi and smiled, “Officer Cheng, why don’t we use mine for now?”

Yu Chi put on his jacket, glancing at her indifferently, “Alright, thank you, Sister.”

Sheng Li earnestly said, “Then follow me to get it.”

As they walked downstairs together, Yuan Yuan and Xiao Chen followed behind. Sheng Li turned to look at Yu Chi and praised leisurely, “Little Yu Chi, your physique has improved. Your abs and obliques look great.”

Yu Chi looked down at her with an impassive expression, “Don’t call me that.”

Sheng Li readily complied, “Then what should I call you? Brother Chi? Little Chi?”

“Call me husband.” Yu Chi stopped in his tracks, looking down at her with a cold and mischievous expression, “Sister didn’t seem to hesitate calling me husband on WeChat the other day, did you?”

“...”