Xiao Can was stunned. “Are you sure?”
Amidst his surprise, a strong sense of joy exploded in his chest.
Did that mean he could see He Xingzhou soon?
After a brief moment of joy, his rationality quickly awakened, realizing that if it was true, things might get complicated.
That guy He Xingzhou, better not cause trouble again.
“It should be him,” Cai Yawen said uncertainly. “It’s been so long since I last saw him, and he was quite far away, so I can’t be a hundred percent sure.”
Xiao Can furrowed his brows and pondered for a moment before taking out his phone and sending a message to He Xingzhou.
— Where are you?
He Xingzhou, who usually responded promptly to messages, remained silent for a while.
“Where did you see him?” Xiao Can asked again.
Cai Yawen walked to the door and pointed in the direction. “That way, walking with Director Liu.”
Director Liu was the executive director of this drama. Xiao Can had interacted with him a few times, and he had a good impression of him. He heard that Director Liu had a wide network of contacts.
He Xingzhou said over the phone last time that he wouldn’t come unless it was for something serious.
Could he really have joined the crew just to join in the fun?
Xiao Can thought, feeling inexplicably embarrassed.
He Xingzhou obviously had no interest in this web drama itself. With his lax attitude towards work in the past two years, it should be difficult to persuade him easily.
Could it be… because of him, that such a revered figure would willingly participate?
Because he wanted to visit the set but was solemnly rejected by Xiao Can, so he deliberately went through such a big circle to have a seemingly noble reason?
That would be too exaggerated.
Did He Xingzhou really have such a high enthusiasm for Tan Zhen’s work back then?
Apart from responsibility, did He Xingzhou harbor some special feelings for him?
Xiao Can couldn’t control his thoughts, filled with beautiful expectations of his own.
“I’ll go take a look,” he told Cai Yawen.
Cai Yawen smiled and nodded.
Xiao Can walked quickly in the direction she had pointed out earlier.
He remembered that there was a room after turning the corner, which the crew used as a temporary office. If they were receiving guests, it should be arranged there.
Full of anticipation, but unfortunately, when he arrived, the room was empty.
Xiao Can was not discouraged. He walked around the vicinity for a while, but still found nothing.
Just as he was hesitating whether to search again, his phone rang. Cai Yawen told him that the makeup artist had been waiting for him for a while and asked when he would return.
The recording time for the next scene was about to arrive, so Xiao Can had no choice but to give up.
Back in the dressing room, he finally received a reply from He Xingzhou.
— At home.
Xiao Can’s heart sank instantly.
After all that fuss, it was all in vain.
Entering the room, he whispered to Cai Yawen, “You mistook someone else.”
Cai Yawen looked slightly surprised. “Is that so?”
Xiao Can forced a smile at her and greeted the makeup artist.
At this moment, his phone vibrated again. He Xingzhou sent a second message.
— Miss me?
Who would admit it? Xiao Can felt very depressed and ignored him.
The scene to be filmed in the afternoon was about Hua Linling’s character being seriously injured, and Xiao Can’s and Luo Yinan’s characters ran to an immortal to ask for medicine to save her.
To test them, the immortal set some obstacles on the road. After they finally passed through, they looked quite disheveled, with slight differences in their clothes, makeup, and hairstyles from usual.
As the comic relief, Xiao Can had a messy bird’s nest on his head and a large bruise on his cheek, wearing tattered clothes.
After the makeup was done, Cai Yawen looked him up and down and commented, “It looks better than your usual style.”
“Really?” Xiao Can asked in surprise, “Do I suit the battle-damaged look?”
“Your hairstyle blends in with your eyebrows, making them barely visible, and the mole as well,” Cai Yawen analyzed, “Blended in with the bruise, it’s not obvious. In this way, you look like a distressed beauty.”
Xiao Can was very satisfied. “Not bad, I’m starting to like this look!”
On the way to the set, he saw Luo Yinan, who had also changed his appearance.
Both of them were suffering, but Luo Yinan’s style was completely different from his. The messy hairline and the dirt on his jaw were arranged very skillfully, adding a few more charm points to this handsome guy while still looking down-and-out.
When Luo Yinan saw him, he immediately smiled, “Wow, your hairstyle is really special.”
Xiao Can blew his bangs and said, “This is the latest trend of the season. I’m a trendsetter.”
The two walked forward together, and there were still many people around them. Luo Yinan naturally didn’t bring up the previous topic again and chatted with him naturally.
Xiao Can responded politely and friendly.
“I heard that the actor originally invited to play the immortal was a very powerful teacher,” Luo Yinan told him, “But something came up suddenly, so he couldn’t make it.”
“What are we going to do today then?” Xiao Can asked.
“There’s a replacement,” Luo Yinan said, “Anyway, it’s probably just a scene that lasts less than ten minutes after editing, so it doesn’t matter who replaces him.”
“Who’s replacing him then?” Xiao Can was curious.
“Not sure, but with such a tight schedule, they probably just found someone randomly,” Luo Yinan guessed.
As they spoke, they had already arrived at the scene.
Xiao Can casually glanced around and suddenly caught sight of a figure in the corner, which attracted his attention.
The person was tall and straight, wearing a meticulously designed, intricate, and loose plain Taoist robe. His long hair was casually tied behind his head, and as a breeze blew by, his clothes floated lightly. Although his face couldn’t be clearly seen, there was a hint of immortal charm in his unfamiliar appearance.
Luo Yinan also noticed and whispered, “Is that him?”
Xiao Can stared at the figure blankly, feeling a sense of familiarity in the unfamiliar appearance, and suddenly a somewhat absurd guess popped into his mind.
The person was talking to the director and hadn’t noticed their arrival.
Luo Yinan took a few steps forward and called out, “Director Cao!”
As the director turned his head, the person also turned around.
Different from his usual appearance, which made him look somewhat unfamiliar, Xiao Can immediately recognized him.
As he expected, it was indeed He Xingzhou.
With makeup on and a beard attached, He Xingzhou’s appearance seemed much more stable than usual. His gaze swept past Luo Yinan without stopping for half a second, then settled directly on Xiao Can’s face.
Xiao Can was still standing in place, motionless, slightly open-mouthed, with messy hair adding a touch of foolishness to his appearance.
He Xingzhou’s eyes narrowed slightly, a gentle smile appeared at the corner of his lips, and he walked towards Xiao Can with large steps.
With his sleeves fluttering, Xiao Can looked at his handsome face and, in a daze, felt as if he was getting closer to a celestial being.
“What a coincidence,” He Xingzhou spoke, reverting to his most familiar appearance, “What are you doing here too?”
Xiao Can suddenly snapped out of it, wanting to say something. He moved his lips, then lowered his head and smiled.
As He Xingzhou walked up to him in full view of everyone, he raised his head and exclaimed in surprise, “Oh my, isn’t this Mr. He?”
Xiao Can quickly understood the situation from the director.
He Xingzhou had some acquaintance with the executive director, Liu.
During the pre-production phase of the crew, they had purchased the rights to an old song from He Xingzhou to use as an insert song in the film. He Xingzhou himself rarely got involved in these matters, delegating everything to his agency, and at that time, everything related to it had already been negotiated.
Unexpectedly, last week He Xingzhou contacted them voluntarily, expressing his willingness to write a new song that was more suitable for the plot at the same price. Naturally, the crew was delighted.
After some discussion, He Xingzhou showed great interest in this film and expressed his intention to visit the set. The director readily agreed.
Coincidentally, a senior actor who was supposed to make a guest appearance suddenly fell ill and couldn’t perform. The director tried to invite He Xingzhou as a replacement.
At first, He Xingzhou was hesitant, but after reading the relevant script, he quickly changed his mind and readily agreed.
During the break, Xiao Can overheard the staff sighing nearby.
“Director Liu really has a lot of face, it’s impossible to refuse.”
Xiao Can silently watched He Xingzhou, who was listening to the director explaining the scene with a serious expression not far away, feeling a myriad of emotions in his heart. He found it funny and somewhat uncontrollably excited.
This guy, usually so serious-looking, turned out to be deceiving people as well.
He even said he was at home. Was this place his home?
Xiao Can suppressed his laughter silently. Luo Yinan came over and asked, “You’re quite familiar with him, aren’t you? Did you know he was coming?”
Xiao Can shook his head. “I’ve never heard of it at all.” Then he added, “Just acquainted, not that close.”
After the director finished explaining the scene to He Xingzhou, he called for another take.
He Xingzhou could be said to have no acting skills at all, but fortunately, he was extremely self-assured and didn’t feel constrained in front of the camera. He was quite relaxed.
The character of this immortal didn’t have a very distinct personality, and the director only asked He Xingzhou to strike a few cool poses. The rest could be performed naturally.
They had shot a few times already, which went relatively smoothly. But whenever Luo Yinan put his arm around Xiao Can’s shoulder, He Xingzhou would inevitably mess up, either suddenly forgetting his lines or standing in the wrong position.
“Let’s try it again, relax,” the director treated him particularly gently. “You can say the lines a bit slower.”
He Xingzhou glanced at Luo Yinan, then looked at Xiao Can, suddenly saying, “Director, I think I know what the problem is.”
“Oh?” the director asked, “What is it?”
“His eyebrows,” He Xingzhou said, “They’re too ugly. They distract me when I look at him and I can’t focus. Can’t we just tear off his eyebrows?”
“No, you can’t,” Xiao Can hurriedly intervened, “This is the character’s appearance. It’s not easy to change it.”
“What would happen if we changed it?” He Xingzhou asked.
“We would have to reshoot everything we’ve done before.” Xiao Can said.
He Xingzhou frowned and thought for a moment, then looked at the director. “Why did you make him look like this?”
The director was speechless. Xiao Can walked over and pulled his clothes, reprimanding him in a low voice, “stop talking!”
He Xingzhou complained softly, “It’s really not good-looking.”
Xiao Can was a little unhappy. Cai Yawen had said that his overall look today was quite good, but this guy, did he have to be so disdainful?
“I’m not here for a beauty contest!” he emphasized in a low voice.
He Xingzhou shrugged and nodded. “Fine.”
Finally, he glanced at Luo Yinan not far away and muttered, “Forget it, this is fine.”
