In the deep mountains, it’s very cold.
Qiao Shu wrapped his coat tightly, burying his face in several layers of thick scarves. His hands were tucked into the sleeves of the coat, and he even had a hand warmer inside. But he still couldn’t control the shivering.
It was really too cold!
Every day in the mountains was colder than the previous.
He stomped his feet and headed towards a large tent used as a dressing room.
The film crew was shooting deep in the mountains. Living downhill would waste a lot of time traveling back and forth every day, and actors wouldn’t have enough rest time. To save time and maintain the actors’ condition, the director decided to rent tents directly and set up camp in the mountains.
At this moment, the sky wasn’t fully bright yet, but the staff inside the large tent were already busy, with people coming and going and various sounds filling the air.
Qiao Shu sat in front of the makeup table, unable to resist yawning.
The tent was not comfortable to sleep in. At night, you could hear terrifying winds, and during the week they spent in the mountains, Qiao Shu could only count it as barely getting decent rest.
“Hold on a bit longer.” Cheng Yunchuan, who was already getting his makeup done, said when he saw Qiao Shu’s expression. “Once we finish shooting these two days’ scenes, we can pack up and leave the mountain.”
Qiao Shu lazily nodded, “Hmm.”
Cheng Yunchuan added, “When we get down, the first thing I’ll do is take a hot bath. It’s been a week! A week! I’ve only wiped my body a bit!”
Qiao Shu also wore a wry smile.
He wanted to take a bath too.
Tang Ting, who happened to come in, immediately commented, “I feel like I’m the pickled and smelly sauerkraut right now.”
Qiao Shu: “…”
Tang Ting: “Sour and stinky!”
Qiao Shu: “…” Feeling subtly targeted.
Cheng Yunchuan: “Can you not describe it so vividly? It suddenly has a smell.”
Tang Ting looked at him, “Am I wrong?”
Qiao Shu nodded silently, “Right.”
The three exchanged glances and burst into laughter.
Not long after finishing the makeup, the crew’s breakfast was also ready. Ou Yinan carried the breakfast and placed it in front of Qiao Shu.
Steaming preserved egg and lean pork congee, baby fist-sized meat buns, along with egg-filled pancakes and fried dough sticks; this hearty breakfast added a powerful hope to the harsh conditions of this cold mountain.
“Time to eat!” Tang Ting eagerly grabbed a fried dough stick and stuffed it into her mouth. As she ate, she exclaimed, “God knows, if it weren’t for these delicious three meals these days, I wouldn’t be able to endure in this middle-of-nowhere mountain.”
Cheng Yunchuan added, “Thanks to our benefactor dad for arranging a kitchen for us.” He took a bite of the meat bun, his eyes squinting in appreciation. “So delicious! I don’t know where our benefactor dad hired this team of chefs, the taste is not inferior to a five-star hotel.”
“Oh, by the way, do you guys know who our benefactor dad is? Just for this food, I want to act in the next project funded by benefactor dad’s production team.”
Tang Ting raised her hand, “I want to know too.”
Qiao Shu chuckled.
He silently said in his heart, “It’s my husband.”
After the laughter, Qiao Shu felt a bit despondent again.
He finished eating a bun and picked up his phone from the side, but the signal bars were still empty.
Being deep in the shooting location of the film crew meant no signal on the phone, and without a signal, there was no way to contact the outside world.
Everything else was fine.
It’s just that not talking to Gu Chenyan for a week made Qiao Shu feel a bit off.
Qiao Shu subconsciously tapped into WeChat, opened the chat with Gu Chenyan, and leisurely sipped congee while scrolling through their previous messages.
The breakfast was quite satisfying.
Not long after finishing, the director was outside with a loudspeaker, shouting to get ready for shooting.
On the last day, everyone was exceptionally excited. They all wanted to finish shooting quickly, go down the mountain, sleep on a warm and soft bed, take a warm and cozy hot bath, and then connect to the internet to catch up on a few hours of news and hot trends.
On the final day, Qiao Shu had one scene left, an escape with the female lead, ultimately getting caught, and a fight with a group of assassins under a waterfall.
Before even getting into the water, Qiao Shu started shivering.
On such a cold day, with a waterfall pouring on his head, lower body immersed in the pool, and still having to stay mentally focused to coordinate with the main actor and the extras.
Qiao Shu: “…”
Too difficult!
All the people stood by the edge of the pool, preparing. Qiao Shu began doing warm-up exercises, while Tang Ting squatted at the edge of the pool, cautiously extending a finger into the water.
“Hiss!”
Tang Ting sucked in a breath of cold air, “So cold!”
She turned to look at Qiao Shu, who was exercising, “Aren’t you afraid at all?”
Qiao Shu, with a slightly pained expression, moved and said, “Of course, that’s why I need to be well-prepared, to try to finish shooting early.”
Tang Ting nodded, “You’re right.”
She stood up, walked to Qiao Shu’s side, and joined him in warming up.
…
Director: “Action!”
Qiao Shu’s eyes sharpened, pushing Tang Ting back, “You go first!”
As he spoke, he quickly drew the soft sword from his waist and charged toward the dozen or so black-clad figures approaching.
The black-clad individuals had deadly moves, and despite Qiao Shu’s excellent martial arts skills, his white robe still bore a few bloodstains.
Without hesitation, Tang Ting bit her lip, brandishing her long sword and joining the battle.
Qiao Shu: “Didn’t I tell you to leave?”
Tang Ting blocked the swinging long sword, swept her long legs, and retorted, “Since you called me sister, how could I leave you behind? Besides, this group is after me. If anyone leaves, it should be you!”
A complex expression flashed in Qiao Shu’s eyes, and after a moment, he smiled, “In that case, let’s go all out.”
Tang Ting smiled, “Let’s go all out.”
The dozen or so black-clad individuals were specially trained assassins with ruthless and deadly moves. If it weren’t for the fact that the other side wanted to capture them alive and had reservations, Qiao Shu and Tang Ting would have been defeated long ago.
It was precisely because of this reason that the two had room to maneuver against this group of black-clad individuals.
Fight and retreat.
In the end, the two were forced into the water pool, and the majestic waterfall poured down from above, countless water droplets splashing around.
Water droplets adorned their faces and eyelashes. Qiao Shu lowered his eyelids, and as the water droplets slid down his lashes, they concealed the hint of ruthlessness and amusement that flashed in his eyes.
…
Click!
The director excitedly applauded, “Perfect!”
“Take a rest for now, we’ll shoot a few more fight scenes later.”
Qiao Shu and Tang Ting eagerly rushed out of the water pool. Ou Yinan ran over with a thick towel, wrapped it around Qiao Shu, and quickly stuffed a hand warmer into Qiao Shu’s embrace.
Beside them, Lu Yue held a cup of brown sugar ginger tea and fed it to Qiao Shu.
With a pale face, Qiao Shu quickly drank the ginger tea, finally feeling a bit more alive. He turned to look at Tang Ting.
Tang Ting had only one assistant, but fortunately, Cheng Yunchuan’s assistant had also come over to help.
They exchanged a smile, shivering as they walked towards the portable heater powered by a diesel generator.
Qiao Shu: “I’m fine now. Go over there and help them.”
Having assistants to take care of them, Qiao Shu and Tang Ting were in a relatively better situation. The extras playing the black-clad assassins had to prepare everything, including towels, themselves.
Qiao Shu saw the extras removing the towels from their faces, revealing expressions not much better than theirs.
After a short break, the director adjusted the camera position, and the group, having touched up their makeup, went back into the water.
One round after another.
It wasn’t until the afternoon that the fight scene was finally completed.
Sneeze!
Qiao Shu let out a heavy sneeze, suddenly feeling a bit dizzy.
Lu Yue exclaimed, “Qiao Qiao, your face is so red!”
Ou Yinan reached out and touched Qiao Shu’s forehead, feeling a blazing hot skin.
Ou Yinan: “Not good, Young Master has a fever.”
In Qingcheng,
After discussing the collaboration, Gu Chenyan prepared to return to Haicheng.
Chen Wenyuan: “Sir, the flight tickets are booked, the plane is at three in the afternoon.”
Gu Chenyan: “Good.”
Chen Wenyuan: “Mr. Zheng and the others sent you a gift, some local specialties from Qingcheng. Do you want to take a look?”
Gu Chenyan: “No need, put it away for now. When we get back, prepare some specialties from Haicheng as a return gift.”
Chen Wenyuan: “Alright.”
Chen Wenyuan started to leave.
Gu Chenyan: “Wait.”
Chen Wenyuan turned back.
Gu Chenyan lowered his head, his gaze falling on the navy blue cufflink at his wrist. He asked, “Is there a shopping mall around here?”
Chen Wenyuan was momentarily surprised, “Yes.”
Gu Chenyan closed his laptop, stood up, and said, “Let’s go.”
The mall was large, with a variety of shops, and Gu Chenyan walked inside, appearing somewhat unfamiliar.
Gu Chenyan: “Assistant Chen.”
Chen Wenyuan: “Sir.”
Gu Chenyan: “What kind of gifts do you usually bring when you travel back home?”
Understanding instantly but still a workaholic and single, Chen Wenyuan: “…”
Chen Wenyuan: “I apologize, sir. I don’t have experience in giving gifts to a partner.” After a pause, he continued, “If you have a specific idea, I can help you based on my knowledge, or I can consult with Secretary Wu and others.”
This time, Gu Chenyan brought along some staff from the president’s office and a few lawyers.
With work completed, except for Chen Wenyuan still accompanying Gu Chenyan, the others were free to explore.
Gu Chenyan: “No need.”
He said, “It’s still early; I’ll take my time.”
In a rare show of consideration, he added, “You can also look around and relax a bit. No need to follow me.”
Chen Wenyuan: “Thank you, sir, but I think it’s better for me to stay with you to gain experience.”
At the same time, he thought it was time to increase his knowledge in this area. As an all-around assistant, he couldn’t have any weaknesses.
Gu Chenyan didn’t insist.
The two walked into the mall, and for the first time, Gu Chenyan browsed through items, finding this unsuitable, and that not fitting.
What would Qiao Shu like?
Gu Chenyan: “Assistant Chen, what do you think young men of Qiao Shu’s age would like?”
In the past, when Gu Yan reached adulthood, Gu Chenyan had only given him a limited-edition sports car as a gift. At other times, he simply gave money to let Gu Yan buy what he liked.
Buy a sports car for Qiao Shu too?
In Qingcheng? Gu Chenyan felt something was amiss.
Chen Wenyuan looked around and suddenly pointed to a store, “Sir, that one seems good.”
Gu Chenyan looked over; it was a store selling gaming equipment.
After some consideration, he walked towards it. Gu Chenyan recalled that Fang Zhouyou’s younger brother often pestered Fang Zhouyou to buy gaming consoles. Since Qiao Shu was around the same age as Fang Zhouyou’s younger brother, he might like it too.
“Sir, this model is currently the latest and the best-selling. It just arrived today, and we only have one left. Are you buying it for your child?” the shopkeeper recommended, smiling.
“Child?” Gu Chenyan thought for a moment and nodded, “Yes.”
The shopkeeper smiled, “Then buying this model is definitely the right choice. Let me tell you, nowadays, children love playing this, and even people of your age enjoy it. Playing games can also help build a better relationship with your child. You seem like a successful person, busy with work and not much time to spend with family. If you buy this, you can play with your child during leisure time, which will definitely benefit the relationship.”
Chen Wenyuan, who had finished checking the information, looked up at Gu Chenyan, “Sir, what he said is correct. This gaming console is currently the most popular in China, with a market share of up to 86% among teenagers.”
Gu Chenyan nodded, “Alright.”
Play games with Qiao Shu?
Gu Chenyan thought for a moment; it seemed like a good experience worth trying.
At three in the afternoon,
The plane took off from Qingcheng and landed at Haicheng Airport at five-ten.
Gu Chenyan and his entourage walked through the VIP channel, and the car waiting for them was already outside the airport.
Gu Chenyan got into the car.
His phone, which he turned on after landing, suddenly rang. He took out his phone, and it was Ou Yinan.
Gu Chenyan frowned.
He quickly answered.
Ou Yinan’s anxious voice came through, “Sir, Young Master Qiao has a high fever of 40 degrees. I’m on my way to the hospital with him.”
Gu Chenyan’s face darkened, “I’m coming now.”
He hung up the phone and said to the driver, who had already driven the car a distance away, “Go back to the airport.”
Chen Wenyuan: “Sir?”
Gu Chenyan: “Assistant Chen, help me book the nearest flight to Yancheng.”
He quickly instructed, “Today’s meeting is postponed. Wait for my notification, and let Secretary Wu and the others be ready at any time.”
Chen Wenyuan: “Yes.”
Gu Chenyan gave a few more instructions just as the car returned to the airport. He hastily got out of the car, holding his windbreaker, and Chen Wenyuan followed closely behind.
Even if he wanted to get there quickly, the nearest flight was scheduled for 6:15 PM.
By the time Gu Chenyan arrived in Yancheng, it was almost 9 PM. Chen Wenyuan had already arranged for a car, and the two hurriedly headed to the downtown hospital as soon as they disembarked.
In the white hospital room,
Qiao Shu lay on the hospital bed, his eyes tightly closed. His usually fair face now had a sickly yellowish tint, and his lips were as white as paper, slightly peeling.
He was covered with the hospital’s standard white blanket, and beneath it, a needle was inserted into the back of his fair hand.
Lu Yue held a towel to wipe Qiao Shu’s face, and, fearing he might get cold with the IV drip, she covered the drip bottle with a towel.
Occasionally, she moistened Qiao Shu’s lips with a cotton swab dipped in water.
Ka-cha
The door to the hospital room was pushed open.
Lu Yue turned around to see Ou Yinan carrying several bags in his hands.
Ou Yinan: “Has Young Master awakened?”
Lu Yue shook her head, “Not yet.”
Ou Yinan placed the bags on the table, “Have something to eat first. Wait until Young Master wakes up, and then you can feed him the congee.”
Lu Yue: “Okay.”
Lu Yue walked over to eat. Due to poor road conditions where they were shooting, there were no cars. Ou Yinan carried Qiao Shu on his back to the mountainside, found the crew’s car parked there, and rushed to the downtown hospital.
Because it was far away, they spent several hours on the road. Qiao Shu even lost consciousness halfway through. Both of them were so anxious that they had no appetite for dinner.
Now that Qiao Shu was on the IV drip, Ou Yinan finally had the time to go out and buy some food.
Ou Yinan also grabbed a pastry to eat. While eating, he took over Lu Yue’s previous tasks, covering the drip bottle for Qiao Shu.
As they were busy, footsteps echoed at the door.
They turned around and stood straight in an instant.
Ou Yinan: “Sir, you’re here.”
Lu Yue: “Mr. Gu.”
Gu Chenyan nodded and walked straight toward the hospital bed.
In his semi-conscious state, Qiao Shu felt like he saw Gu Chenyan. Feeling uncomfortable and a bit wronged, he pouted, “Husband.”
⌈Weekend chapters: 2⌉ ⌊Progress: 1/2 ⌋
