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After Old Feng returned to his room, Lu Zhixing leaned back on the couch in silence. He flipped through his chat history with Tang Dingding and, almost unconsciously, clicked on her profile picture to browse her social media for the first time.
Tang Dingding’s early posts were similar to those of many wealthy young women—photos of gatherings, parties, delicious food, occasionally new bags and clothes. There weren’t many selfies; you’d have to scroll a long time to find one or two. Perhaps she intentionally avoided posting them.
Occasionally, she would comment on the weather or post just an emoji.
[Sun]
[Rain]
[Sad]
What was she sad about?
Lu Zhixing thought she seemed carefree, always appearing happy—at least when she wasn’t being scolded during filming… When he finally looked up, he realized he had been scrolling for two hours.
It was at this moment that he stumbled upon a photo of Tang Dingding and Huo Chendong together. From the image, it appeared to be a birthday party scene. She had captioned it: “Happy Birthday, Big Brother Huo.”
This was probably from two or three years ago. The young girl in the photo still looked very youthful, her smile radiant and beautiful.
Two days later, Huo Chendong visited the set again.
As before, he treated the crew to dinner. Lu Zhixing noticed that Tang Dingding’s attitude toward him had become distant. At least, there was no longer the intimate dependence seen in the photo. She now addressed him as “Big Brother Huo,” omitting the affectionate “Gege.” The intimacy was halved.
Lu Zhixing had directed many films, and his keen eye rarely missed details. He suspected that Tang Dingding might have once harbored feelings for Huo Chendong.
However, even without reading the tabloids, he had heard plenty of rumors about Huo Chendong.
Huo Chendong wasn’t suitable for Tang Dingding.
The way she was now was good.
Being with Huo Chendong wouldn’t compare to being with…
Lu Zhixing was startled by the sudden thought that popped into his mind. He let out a soft hiss and downed his drink. His mind was clearly muddled. Old Feng glanced at him: “What’s wrong?”
Lu Zhixing replied indifferently: “Nothing. I was thirsty.”
Old Feng: “….”
Fine. He swallowed his irritation at this dismissive response.
That night happened to be the filming of the kissing scene. As they entered the filming building, Huo Chendong pulled Tang Dingding aside, feeling uneasy. He glanced at her: “Are you really going to film the kissing scene? Your first kiss will be like this—are you not… regretful?”
Tang Dingding looked at him, her heart filled with complex emotions. She had once wanted to be with him and imagined intimate moments, like sharing her first kiss… She had even acted impulsively one birthday night, running out to find him, hoping to emulate Tang Xin and use a kiss to force him into action.
But reality was harsher. She smiled faintly: “There’s nothing to regret. It’s just a first kiss.”
The eight-camera setup began filming the kiss.
Huo Chendong stood outside the door for a few minutes, watching Tang Dingding actually film the kissing scene on the monitor. Suddenly, he felt a lump in his throat. He lowered his eyes, turned around, and walked away, leaning against the wall outside as he smoked several cigarettes.
Ashes fell to the ground.
When he heard Lu Zhixing call “Cut,” he gave a self-deprecating smile and left.
Lu Zhixing knew it was acting, but when the actual filming began, he didn’t feel particularly good about it. They only filmed three takes—it didn’t meet his usual high standards—but he called it a pass, which even surprised Tang Dingding.
“Take a break before the next scene.”
Feeling embarrassed, Tang Dingding rushed to the restroom to wash her face and then returned to have her makeup retouched. Tang Xin, worried about her, stood nearby and quietly asked: “Are you okay?”
Tang Dingding shook her head: “I’m fine.”
In truth, the nervousness came from facing the cameras and the director…
Perhaps it was because of her first kiss. Tang Dingding didn’t need to recall it; she vividly remembered the sensation of her lips brushing against Lu Zhixing’s that day. Her heartbeat back then was much faster than today’s—it was different, very different…
Perhaps it really was because it was her first kiss?
Tang Dingding bit her lip and concluded so.
During the break, she stepped outside and didn’t see Huo Chendong. A WeChat message came through.
Huo Chendong: “Little Dingding, keep it up. I’m heading back. See you in Beijing.”
Tang Dingding paused for a moment and replied with the animated rabbit emoji.
The movie only had one kissing scene. After this, there was another scene, but it only required a back view, so body doubles could be used.
Throughout the day of filming the kissing scene, Lu Zhixing coached Tang Dingding on her lines, but she couldn’t bring herself to look directly at him. That evening, after wrapping up, she left quickly. Lu Zhixing, while packing up, glanced back at the girl’s retreating figure, which resembled a hasty escape.
________________________________________
The next day, after finishing filming in Xiamen, the crew relocated to Yunnan. While shooting in Shangri-La, Tang Dingding suffered a severe case of altitude sickness. Midway through filming, she suddenly fainted, shocking everyone on set.
Miss Dingding was precious—if anything happened to her, who could take responsibility?
Everyone nearby rushed over. Tang Xin also experienced altitude sickness but tried to rush over despite feeling dizzy and nearly falling. Lu Zhixing caught her from behind and quickly said: “You go sit down. I’ll take a look.”
Tang Dingding was being held by two female co-stars, already limp in their arms. Lu Zhixing pushed through the crowd, glanced at the pale-faced girl, and bent down to pick her up, taking the oxygen tank handed over by the assistant.
“Let’s take her down the mountain to rest first.”
The assistant hesitated for a moment before quickly following to fetch the car.
Tang Xin also got into the car. After placing Tang Dingding inside, Lu Zhixing noticed Tang Xin following and paused. After a moment’s thought, he handed Tang Dingding over to her: “I’ll drive you down the mountain.”
The assistant was sent away, and Lu Zhixing personally drove the car, leaving Old Feng and the assistant director to manage the scene.
By the time they reached the foot of the mountain, Tang Dingding had recovered slightly. She had been conscious when Lu Zhixing carried her and knew that Tang Xin had been taking care of her. Once she regained some strength, she saw Lu Zhixing driving and weakly apologized: “I’m sorry for affecting the filming schedule.” She had been trying to endure, but she still fainted.
Lu Zhixing felt somewhat helpless. Even after fainting, the first thing she did upon waking was apologize. “It’s fine. Don’t talk for now. Rest properly.”
Tang Xin softly asked: “Do you want some water?”
Tang Dingding nodded.
Tang Xin helped her drink a little water.
Tang Dingding’s altitude sickness was quite severe. She was hospitalized and received an IV, staying for two days.
During those two days, Tang Xin mostly took care of her. Tang Yu visited on the second day of her hospitalization. At the time, Tang Dingding was still asleep, so Tang Yu and Tang Xin sat on the couch and spoke quietly. Tang Yu asked softly: “Are you okay?”
Tang Xin shook her head: “Mine isn’t too serious. Dingding is mainly exhausted. She’s been working too hard lately, with many night scenes and even a wire stunt…”
So, her body couldn’t handle it.
“At the mountaintop?”
“It was just a bit of oxygen deficiency…”
“Hmm?”
“Oxygen deficiency, oxygen deficiency…”
Tang Xin blinked and leaned closer, wanting to inhale some “Tang Monk meat” to replenish her oxygen.
Tang Yu lounged lazily on the couch, legs crossed. A sliver of sunlight filtered through the window, casting a soft glow over the two of them. As Tang Xin leaned closer, he smiled faintly, pulling her into his arms and lowering his head to kiss her.
In that corner of the couch, the atmosphere became tender and tranquil.
When Tang Dingding woke up, she turned her head and caught sight of the scene. She quickly covered her eyes, hesitated for a moment, then peeked through a small gap between her fingers. She thought that love and affection should look like what she had just witnessed—warm and tender, yet also intense.
Half a minute later…
Tang Yu released Tang Xin, slowly turning his head toward the hospital bed. He narrowed his eyes slightly: “Awake?”
Tang Xin: “….”
Hadn’t he already seen her? She quickly turned away.
Tang Dingding: “….”
She wanted to pretend to still be asleep for a bit longer.
Tang Yu glanced at his watch—it was almost six o’clock. He pinched Tang Xin’s cheek gently, stood up, and said: “What do you want to eat? I’ll have Gao Heng order it and bring it over.”
Tang Dingding finally opened her eyes, pretending she hadn’t seen anything, mumbling: “I’m not hungry right now. Just something light will do. You can decide—I don’t have much of an appetite.”
Tang Xin took out her phone and searched nearby restaurants. She found there were several chain restaurants with decent food options. She grabbed Tang Yu’s hand: “Let’s go out and buy something. It’ll take us no more than an hour round trip.”
Some extra alone time together wouldn’t hurt.
Tang Yu held her hand and left, telling Tang Dingding to rest well.
Bored, Tang Dingding lay on the bed, scrolling through her phone when she noticed a WeChat message from Lu Zhixing.
Lu Zhixing: “We wrapped early today. Old Feng and the others said they’d come to see you around six.”
Six o’clock?!
She hurriedly got up to wash her face, then looked at her hospital gown. From her suitcase, she pulled out a set of regular clothes and changed into them, applying a light lipstick.
Just as she finished, there was a knock on the door. She walked over and opened it.
Lu Zhixing stood in front, followed by several people, including Old Feng, Old Yuan, Pengzhou, and others. Some carried fruit, while Pengzhou held a bouquet of flowers, which he handed to her with a smile: “Get well soon.”
Tang Dingding quickly responded: “Thank you! I’m feeling much better already. I can be discharged tomorrow morning.”
Lu Zhixing glanced at her: “Have you eaten?”
Originally, he had planned to visit alone, but when Old Feng found out, he made a fuss, and it turned into a group visit.
Tang Dingding remembered him carrying her to the car earlier. Lowering her head, she said: “My brother and future sister-in-law went to get food.”
“That’s good.”
The ward wasn’t large—it was a standard single room with decent conditions. With so many people inside, it became crowded. Old Feng looked at Tang Dingding and smiled: “Your complexion looks much better. Only Miss Dingding could look this beautiful even in the hospital.”
Tang Dingding: “…Thank you.”
Lu Zhixing sat in the only chair by the bed, lazily watching her: “Still dizzy? Lie down.”
At that moment, the nurse came in to check on her.
Tang Dingding lay back down, her ears growing warm.
Fortunately, there were many people in the room. Everyone chatted casually, preventing any awkward silences. After the nurse finished her check-up, Tang Dingding looked at Lu Zhixing: “Have you all eaten?”
Lu Zhixing chuckled: “Not yet. We’ll eat after seeing you.”
Tang Dingding checked the time—it was already six-thirty. They had been here for half an hour. “Then hurry and go eat. You’ve worked hard all day. I’ll return to the set tomorrow and focus on filming.”
Lu Zhixing leaned back in his chair, amused by her response: “We didn’t come to rush you back to filming.”
Tang Dingding: “I know. There aren’t many scenes left. The sooner we finish, the sooner we wrap.”
She didn’t want to delay the production schedule because of herself.
Lu Zhixing understood her thoughts. Earlier, Tang Yu had sent Gao Heng to the set and personally visited the hospital since Tang Xin was also here. Just as he was about to speak, the door opened, and Tang Xin and Tang Yu returned with takeout boxes.
Lu Zhixing stood up and greeted them with a smile: “Mr. Tang.”
Tang Yu nodded: “How’s filming going?”
Lu Zhixing: “On schedule to wrap.”
“Good.”
Everyone greeted Mr. Tang. Tang Dingding was still leaning on the hospital bed. Lu Zhixing reached into his pocket, pulling out two nougat candies. When they moved to Yunnan, he had unpackaged all the nougat candies Tang Dingding had given him, filling half a suitcase. Every day, he’d grab a few pieces to take to the set.
He lowered his gaze, pulling out the two candies. While everyone was greeting Tang Yu, he turned back to meet Tang Dingding’s clear eyes.
The man smirked slightly, placing the two candies in her palm. Seeing her eyes widen in surprise, he chuckled: “We’ll leave now. Rest well and eat properly. See you on set tomorrow afternoon.”
Everyone turned around.
Tang Dingding instinctively closed her hand, hiding the candies in her palm.
It felt like keeping a little secret from everyone. She grew a bit nervous: “Then hurry and go eat. See you on set tomorrow.”
Lu Zhixing glanced at her, smiling as he turned and left, taking everyone with him.
That evening, after dinner, Tang Dingding sent Tang Xin back to the hotel. Since her brother was here, why would she stay? A moment of springtime is worth a thousand pieces of gold…
After everyone left, she ate the two candies—one was matcha-flavored, the other plain.
They smelled wonderful and tasted sweet.
________________________________________
The next day, after completing her discharge procedures, Tang Yu left.
The remaining filming went smoothly, and they successfully wrapped on July 1st. The crew took commemorative photos, posting them on social media. Then came the wrap party—three months of filming officially ended.
That night, everyone drank a little. Tang Dingding was no exception.
She raised a glass to Lu Zhixing: “Thank you, Director Lu, for your guidance these past few months.”
According to his words, it should have been “training,” but she couldn’t bring herself to say that word…
Lu Zhixing raised an eyebrow: “Why do you make me sound like a school principal?”
Tang Dingding: “No way.”
Even the principal wasn’t as strict as you. At least, I’ve never been scolded by one.
Lu Zhixing chuckled: “Take some time to rest properly.”
She occasionally still experienced altitude sickness. The climate here wasn’t kind to her, and she looked thinner than before entering the set. It was obvious she hadn’t suffered much hardship before—this time, she must have truly been exhausted.
Tang Dingding smiled brightly: “Mm, Director Lu too.”
Finally, she raised a glass to everyone, speaking sincerely: “Thank you all for taking care of me these past few months.”
With laughter and drinks, their gathering eventually came to an end.
After returning to Beijing, Tang Dingding rested for a while. Han Bing didn’t assign her much work. Having finished the movie, she began searching for her next script. She sifted through suitable roles in Shiguang Entertainment’s projects.
Suddenly, Tang Dingding remembered that Lu Zhixing had mentioned visiting the dentist.
Had he gone yet?
She sent him a WeChat message.
Tang Dingding: “Director, did you really go to the dentist?”
She added a cute emoji at the end.
At that moment, Lu Zhixing was dining with friends. The meal, which started at six, stretched until eight, mainly consisting of conversation. He glanced at his phone and chuckled.
Lu Zhixing: “Yes.”
He had indeed visited the dentist.
He was meticulous about health checks—whether dental or physical exams—he made sure to attend them regularly.
Tang Dingding: “….”
Feeling a bit embarrassed, she replied: “No cavities, right?”
Lu Zhixing found it amusing. Lazily leaning back in his chair, he chatted intermittently with his friends while replying: “None. Don’t worry. If you still want to bribe me next time, feel free to keep sending candy.”
Tang Dingding: “….”
She lay on the couch, hugging her cat and rubbing against it. The cat meowed: “Stop rubbing or I’ll shed!”
Seeing Lu Zhixing chuckle while holding his phone, a friend teased: “What’s this? Are you dating someone?”
Lu Zhixing ended his chat with Tang Dingding, placed his phone on the table, and smiled faintly: “No, just a young girl from the crew. Exchanging a few jokes.”
“You joking with a young girl? Rare.”
“Occasionally. She’s quite innocent.”
“Who? XX? Or XX?”
All were supporting actresses from previous productions.
Lu Zhixing chuckled and shook his head: “No, it’s Tang Dingding. You should know.”
Tsk, so he’d hooked up with a wealthy young lady?
The movie hadn’t started its promotional campaign yet, but the official Weibo account occasionally released some behind-the-scenes footage and updates. Following her work schedule, Tang Dingding traveled between domestic and international cities. Posters of her began appearing in bustling urban areas, and there were occasional mentions of her on Weibo.
Her endorsements and TV commercials also started to feature her prominently.
Whenever Lu Zhixing came across them, he would pause for a moment.
Their next meeting was during the film’s promotional period, which had already begun by early October.
At the time, it was a stage interview. Tang Dingding didn’t have much experience with such situations, and sometimes when the host asked difficult questions, Lu Zhixing stepped in to help her out several times. Tang Dingding was deeply grateful, feeling warmth in her heart—she thought he was truly a gentle and chivalrous man.
After the interview ended, the group descended from the stage. Tang Dingding, wearing a long dress, was stepping down when someone behind her accidentally stepped on the hem of her skirt.
Startled, she quickly covered her chest.
Lu Zhixing took a step forward and caught her just in time—a scene that felt eerily familiar. Tang Dingding looked up at him, her heart skipping a beat. With lingering fear, she said: “Thank you…”
Lu Zhixing helped her down the steps and glanced down at her: “Are you okay?”
Tang Dingding shook her head: “I’m fine, just startled.”
She thought her dress might have been torn…
That would’ve been disastrous—she’d definitely make headlines!
The actress from the same production who had stepped on her skirt came over to apologize. Tang Dingding responded indifferently: “It’s fine. You didn’t mean to.”
Whether it was intentional or not…
Who could say?
Linlin brought over a coat to drape around her shoulders. By rights, they should have left, but Lu Zhixing hadn’t moved, so she felt awkward leaving first. Looking up at him, she softly asked: “Director, aren’t you leaving?”
Lu Zhixing was dressed in a suit today, appearing taller and more upright compared to his casual attire on set. With his hands in his pockets, he lowered his head and smiled: “Dingding, did you forget about your promise to treat me to dinner?”
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