Chapter 53: The Kiss Scene

The next morning, on the way to the set, Sheng Li leaned back in her seat, eyes closed as she thought about today’s scenes. Yuan Yuan couldn’t hold back and asked, “Lili, last night you had me send that document titled ‘The Two or Three Hundred Things You Need to Know to Win Over Lili.’ What was that for?”

Sheng Li opened her eyes and casually replied, “Oh, I was afraid your brother-in-law didn’t know how to pursue someone, so I helped him out.”

Yuan Yuan: “….”

“You two really know how to play.” Yuan Yuan clutched her chest, swallowed a piece of candy, and asked expectantly, “So, what did Brother-in-law say?”

Sheng Li glanced at her, the corner of her mouth slightly lifting, “He didn’t reply.”

Yuan Yuan: “….”

Alright, the CP she shipped definitely didn’t follow normal paths.

Upon arriving at the set, after finishing her makeup, Sheng Li went to listen to Chen Yuan explain the scene. Today’s main shoot was the reunion scene between Xu Yuan and Zhou Luo—a key scene with intense emotions and challenging to film. Chen Yuan said, “Xu Yuan hates Zhou Luo with a passion, while Zhou Luo’s love for Xu Yuan is twisted. Later, Xu Yuan will slap Zhou Luo, putting all her strength into it. Let’s try the scene first.”

Slapping scenes were hard to film. Sheng Li and Jing Yiming NG’d nearly ten times. She held back, fearing she might not control the force well enough and actually slap the Best Actor’s face. Seeing it was almost noon, Jing Yiming said, “This way, Lili, just go ahead and really slap me.”

Sheng Li hesitated, “Isn’t that inappropriate?”

Hitting other parts would be fine, but slapping someone with full force was not only painful but also quite embarrassing.

Jing Yiming smiled, “A tough guy like me won’t feel much pain. Besides, Yu Chi bumped his waist badly, and he tolerated it. It’s nothing compared to getting slapped. Consider this a sacrifice for art.” He looked around, “Hasn’t Yu Chi come yet today?”

Chen Yuan said, “His waist injury hasn’t healed yet. Huang Baiyan was worried and insisted he get an X-ray. Today, he’s given a day off.”

Sheng Li frowned. Yesterday, she had asked Yu Chi about his waist, and he said it was fine. Over the past two days of shooting, he seemed alright, so she assumed it was nothing serious.

With Jing Yiming’s words, Sheng Li relaxed and managed to finish the scene before noon.

As soon as she was done, Sheng Li took out her phone to message Yu Chi.

At the time, Yu Chi was on his way back to the hotel. Huang Baiyan reviewed the X-ray results again, frowning, “You’re really something, tolerating this much bruising without getting checked. Luckily, no bones are broken. However, the doctor said your muscle damage is quite severe. You should rest for at least two to three days. Since you haven’t rested the past two days, I’ve already spoken with Chen Yuan. Go back to the set tomorrow afternoon, and take a day and a half off.”

“No need, it’s making a big deal out of nothing.” Yu Chi felt he could still endure the pain.

Huang Baiyan: “It’s already settled, just rest. You don’t get many days off in a year.”

The phone vibrated, and Yu Chi glanced at it.

Sheng Li: [How’s the checkup? Any bone injuries?]

Yu Chi silently curved his lips and replied: [No, Sister can rest assured.]

Sheng Li: [Why didn’t you tell me you were going to the hospital?]

Yu Chi: [What relationship do we have? Do I need to report my whereabouts to Sister?]

Sheng Li paused for a moment. So her document was completely useless? She even taught him how to win her over, and he was still being stubborn! Sheng Li took a deep breath, reminding herself not to get angry, and slowly replied word by word: [We had scenes together today, and you suddenly didn’t show up. At least you should have told me. After all, filming a kissing scene with an ex-boyfriend is a bit awkward, and I need to mentally prepare myself.]

Yu Chi stared expressionlessly at the words “awkward.” Was their former intimacy and uncontrollable passion now reduced to mere awkwardness? With a cold face, Yu Chi replied: [Let me remind Sister then, you’ll have a bed scene with your ex-boyfriend too.]

Sheng Li: “….”

She was momentarily speechless. A few seconds later, she managed to reply: [Thanks for the reminder.]

There was no further reply from the other side.

Sheng Li single-handedly killed the conversation, pushing both of them into an awkward situation.

—

Yu Chi was forced to rest for a day and a half under Huang Baiyan’s watchful eye and arrived at the set at 2 PM.

Since he was still going on camera bare-faced, he only needed to change clothes and shoes upon arrival. Usually, the wardrobe team would bring his clothes once he got there. But today, even after ten minutes, his clothes hadn’t arrived.

He looked around and saw the girl who usually brought him clothes talking to Sheng Li.

Xiao Chen remembered that girl clearly. They had been through several sets, and it could be said that among the female crew members, no one disliked Yu Chi. Especially the younger girls—almost all were fans of his looks.

This girl was rather special. Though she appeared polite, she occasionally showed signs of impatience. Xiao Chen had mentioned to Yu Chi that if she wasn’t a black fan, she must be from a rival fandom. Xiao Chen said, “I’ll go ask.”

“I’ll go.”

Yu Chi strode towards them.

Over there, Sheng Li was somewhat troubled looking at the girl in front of her. She never expected to encounter such a rabid fan of Lu Xingyu on this set.

Early yesterday morning at 1 AM, Lu Xingyu’s several calls woke Sheng Li from her sleep. That guy was obviously drunk; as soon as the call connected, he slurred, “Sister, did you know long ago that initially, He Yuanren recommended Yu Chi to Rong Hua… Hahaha, I’m such a joke. Sister Rong regrets not signing Yu Chi back then. Do you think the same? If only Rong Hua had signed Yu Chi back then, you two would have been together early on, growing up truly together, supporting each other. You like him, he likes you, everyone’s happy…”

“No need to untie any CPs, just tie them together forever, right?”

“You don’t need to answer. I know you think that way. Even if Rong Hua didn’t sign Yu Chi, you two would still meet, fall in love, and you’d help him buy out his contract. He climbed over me, and you didn’t care, you don’t like me, wuwuwu…”

Lu Xingyu cried and cursed alternately. In the end, Rong Hua grabbed the phone and explained a few things to Sheng Li, saying Lu Xingyu had accidentally learned about He Yuanren recommending Yu Chi to Rong Hua years ago.

Lu Xingyu asked Rong Hua, “Do you regret not signing Yu Chi?”

Rong Hua honestly replied, “I do regret it a bit.”

This hit Lu Xingyu hard. That night, he locked himself in his house, drinking and posting a drunken tweet in the middle of the night—Lu Xingyu V: This world is so fucking messed up. I feel like these past few years have been so damn meaningless. Where should I go from here?

In the dead of night, this guy trended again.

Fans were all expressing sympathy, telling him to rest well and cursing Yu Chi anew. The Starry Couple super-topic was calling for Sheng Li to comfort Lu Xingyu, and many CP fans were dissatisfied with Sheng Li and Yu Chi working on the same project.

For a moment, Sheng Li’s Weibo comments and private messages exploded, with people cursing her, asking her to comfort Lu Xingyu, telling her not to bother Lu Xingyu…

Making such a commotion in the middle of the night left Sheng Li unable to sleep well last night.

The girl in front of her was from the costume and makeup team, appearing to be around twenty-five or twenty-six. She held a large bag and cautiously asked Sheng Li, “Lili-nee, will Little Lu come to visit the set recently? I don’t want to disturb him, but seeing how sad he has been lately, I want to deliver some small gifts on behalf of the fans and write some letters to cheer him up.”

Sheng Li felt helpless, “Just send the gifts directly to him, or give them when he arrives at the airport during a fan meet-and-greet.”

“It’s not all for him. There are also some for you.” The girl looked a little embarrassed, “With so many fan gifts, he may not see them all. If you send them or bring them to him personally, he will surely see them and be happy.”

Before Sheng Li could refuse, the girl clasped her hands together and bowed, pleading, “Please, nee-san, we just want him to perk up.”

Sheng Li glanced behind the girl. Yu Chi stood two meters away, hands in his pockets, watching them indifferently.

She withdrew her gaze, thought for a moment, and said, “Then leave it here. I’ll have Yuan Yuan send it to him.”

The girl hesitated, then handed the bag to Yuan Yuan, uncertainly saying, “Little Lu has been very sad lately. Please comfort him a bit more, okay, sister?”

Sheng Li calmly responded, “If I get the chance, I’ll convey it to him. His fans care about him.”

“Excuse me.” Yu Chi suddenly spoke.

The girl jumped, quickly turned around, and only then remembered she had work to do. Reluctantly, she said, “Teacher Yu, sorry, I didn’t know you were here. I’ll go get your clothes right away.”

Yu Chi said indifferently, “Please hurry.”

After the girl ran off to fetch the clothes, Yuan Yuan remembered she mentioned there were also gifts for Sheng Li inside. She opened the bag to sort them out, ensuring they wouldn’t mistakenly send Sheng Li’s gifts to Lu Xingyu.

Splash—

Upon emptying the contents, several chibi standees tumbled out. The figures depicted intimate poses, vivid and lifelike, unmistakably Sheng Li and Lu Xingyu. One standee showing them kissing mouth-to-mouth rolled off the table, bouncing a few times on the ground before landing near Yu Chi’s feet.

Sheng Li: “….”

Yuan Yuan: “….”

Both froze, dumbfounded.

Yu Chi glanced down at the standee, looked up at Sheng Li for two seconds, sneered, and walked away.

Sheng Li propped her elbows on the table, covering her face. This girl wasn’t just a rabid fan of Lu Xingyu; she was a fervent CP fan too!

Yuan Yuan snapped back to reality, quickly ran to pick up the standee, stuffing everything back into the bag. As she stuffed, she sobbed, “What should we do, Lili… It’s all my fault, wuwuwu…”

Sheng Li didn’t want to say a word. She didn’t know what to do either.

She only knew that later, they had to film a kissing scene.

Now it was great. How were they supposed to film it?

The bit of chemistry they had cultivated over this period was shattered by the series of events over the past two days. Thinking of that unbearable-to-look-at standee and Yu Chi’s sneer, Sheng Li felt extremely awkward and depressed.

Just one standee, and she had the illusion of being caught cheating by her husband…

What was coming couldn’t be avoided.

With a complicated mood, Sheng Li went to retouch her makeup, drank a glass of warm water, and was called over by Chen Yuan to discuss the scene.

Yu Chi lowered his head, focusing on the script, giving her not a single glance.

Chen Yuan looked at Sheng Li, “This scene is important. The kiss starts with Xu Yuan taking the initiative. Cheng Nan initially resists—not because he dislikes Xu Yuan, but because he fears her casual attitude. He wants Xu Yuan to feel cherished, to let her know he doesn’t just want to sleep with her; he respects her. Although Xu Yuan is the active party, this time, she needs to approach Cheng Nan with a sense of sacrifice. Because Cheng Nan is different from other men—he’s sincere and pure. She desires him but fears that he genuinely likes her…”

“Oh, okay…” Sheng Li nodded, but her emotions weren’t quite right.

Chen Yuan had them practice their positions. Yu Chi appeared calm, while Sheng Li seemed outwardly composed but her heart raced. She felt a bit guilty and awkward, which wasn’t Xu Yuan’s state of mind. During the blocking rehearsal, they didn’t need to kiss for real, but they were still close, heads near each other, breaths brushing against each other’s faces.

Before officially starting, Chen Yuan added, “It’s a tongue kiss, the passionate kind.”

…

After meeting Zhou Luo, Xu Yuan was persistently pursued by him, even after slapping him and telling him to get lost. Being harassed multiple times, Xu Yuan directly called Cheng Nan, saying, “Officer Cheng, when will you return? Someone is harassing me.”

At the time, Cheng Nan was on duty and couldn’t return immediately.

During those waiting hours, Xu Yuan suddenly felt a surge of revenge.

Under the dim sky, Cheng Nan returned to the old hutong corridor. As he looked up, he saw a figure leaning outside the door on the second floor. The motion-sensor light brightened with his steps. Xu Yuan turned to look at him, lightly curling her lips, “Officer Cheng, I’ve waited for you for a long time.”

Cheng Nan quickly ran upstairs, standing in front of her and apologizing, “Sorry, I…”

“What? Why are you so nervous? Apologizing as soon as you come up.” Xu Yuan pressed herself against him, hooking her arms around his neck, tilting her face close to his lips, breathing softly, “Don’t dodge, don’t avoid…”

Cheng Nan stiffened his neck, no longer dodging but furrowing his brows.

“Have you ever been in love?”

“No.”

“Did you like any girl?”

“…”

“Do you like me?”

Cheng Nan’s Adam’s apple bobbed, hoarsely replying, “I like you, but…”

“I don’t have any dirty diseases. I get a physical check-up every year. Don’t reject me.” Xu Yuan tiptoed, slowly, slowly pressing her lips against his, lightly sweeping her tongue across his lip line, biting his lip, her tone becoming flirtatious again, “If you don’t think I’m dirty, kiss me, Officer Cheng.”

Cheng Nan’s breathing quickened, but he remained motionless for several seconds before suddenly lowering his head, pressing her head against the wall, and forcefully kissing her back.

…

Sheng Li’s heartbeat was racing. When Yu Chi slipped his tongue in, her body weakened slightly. The deep kiss lasted a few seconds, disrupting Xu Yuan’s emotions. She didn’t know if Yu Chi was affected, but she knew she didn’t perform well in this scene.

Sure enough, Chen Yuan called, “Cut!”

At this point, Yu Chi bit her lip gently and released her gentlemanly. Apart from slightly red lips, he looked otherwise unaffected.

Chen Yuan said, “Xu Yuan, you lost your initiative. Your emotions and actions are wrong. Let’s try again.”

Sheng Li glanced at Yu Chi, her face heating up. She took a deep breath, “Okay.”

Previously, when filming kissing scenes, Sheng Li often had the taste of mouthwash or toothpaste, which paradoxically made it easier to stay in character. But just now, the kiss was filled with Yu Chi’s pure, masculine scent—the same smell and feeling as their kisses from before.

Not having slept well the previous night, along with Yu Chi’s earlier sneer and the complex emotions of filming a kissing scene with her ex-boyfriend, repeatedly played in her mind, preventing her from fully entering Xu Yuan’s emotional state. Consequently, this scene kept resulting in NGs (no good takes).

Sheng Li had never NG’d a kissing scene more than six times. She was now utterly frustrated—it was already the twelfth NG, and each time involved this intense, stimulating kiss style. Her lips felt numb, and the more NGs, the more anxious she became, feeling her performance worsen.

Fortunately, out of the twelve NGs, three were due to Yu Chi’s issues—though fewer compared to hers…

But better than none.

Chen Yuan was perplexed and frowned, “Earlier, I thought you two had great chemistry. How can you NG so many times on a kissing scene? Xu Yuan, is there something you didn’t understand, or are you not in the right state?”

Sheng Li blushed deeply, awkwardly saying, “I… didn’t sleep well last night.”

“Sorry, Director,” Yu Chi glanced at Sheng Li and addressed Chen Yuan, “Can we take a short break? I’ll talk with Lili-nee. We’ll make sure it goes smoothly next time.”