AS Chapter 08

It was the first day of the semester at the National Film Academy.

Qiu Ming rolled into the campus, driving his flashy sports car, making a full loop before finally finding a parking spot. He stepped out of his Ferrari, dangling the car keys casually in one hand.

Today, he had dressed up in a suit and tie, looking quite formal.

Over the past few days, he had barely managed to revise the proposal to meet Li Mu’s high standards and finally gained his trust. As of now, Li Mu was already on his way to the capital city.

As for Qiu Ming, his first task today was to scout for talent at the film academy, posing as a temporary agent.

He was planning to start a media company, but so far, he had nothing—no artists, no staff, not even an office. Qiu Ming had already asked a friend to help him look for a building.

–

After seeing Zhuang Qin off, Guo Baozhen quickly informed the front desk of the club, “Keep the private room for me, don’t clear the tea! I’m just going out to meet a friend and will be back soon!”

When it came time to pay, Guo Baozhen almost had a scuffle with Zhuang Qin over the bill. Being a director, Guo was quite skilled at acting, and he performed a convincing show of reluctance, especially when expressing his helplessness. “Fine, Teacher Zhuang, you can pay this time, but next time, I insist on treating you to a meal! You can’t refuse!”

Guo hurried out of the club and rushed over to the film academy entrance.

Today was the last day of winter break, so students were returning to school, making the place quite crowded.

Guo, with his youthful appearance, easily blended in with the crowd.

Who could play the role of Jiang Zhuo? Guo already had a vision in his mind. The actor couldn’t be short—he needed to be at least 1.85 meters tall. After all, Zhuang Qin was 1.80 meters, so Jiang Zhuo needed to be taller to match the scenes. Moreover, the actor had to have a great physique, more on the rugged side… Guo searched for a while but couldn’t find anyone particularly suitable.

Suddenly, his eyes locked onto a man who didn’t quite fit the usual university vibe.

Before Guo could get a good look at his face, he noticed the man’s flawless physique first! He was about 1.85 meters tall, clearly someone who frequented the gym, dressed in a beige wool casual suit, exuding a bit of a rogue charm.

Guo adjusted his glasses and finally caught a glimpse of the man’s face—handsome, almost like a figure from an oil painting.

This appearance!!!

Guo felt like he had found the one.

Seeing the man about to turn the corner, Guo quickly dashed over, already reaching into his bag to pull out the first volume of the script. “Hey, hey! Wait! Sir, please wait!”

Qiu Ming, baffled, glanced down at the student who had suddenly stopped him. This young guy was wearing a white puffer jacket and round glasses, looking pretty innocent.

Without hesitation, Guo shoved the first volume of Cang Xin into his hand. “Sir…”

“I’m not a teacher.”

“Then… sir!” Guo guessed he wasn’t a student, as he didn’t quite have the vibe. “Please take a look. This script is tailored for you! Really, you’re perfect for the role in my script! You must have acting experience, right? How about checking out my script?”

“Are you from the screenwriting department?” Qiu Ming asked with mild curiosity, glancing at the script. “Cang Xin? What’s it about?”

“It’s about… crime, an assassin movie! I’m the screenwriter and director of Cang Xin. My name’s Guo Baozhen. Nice to meet you.”

“Oh?” Qiu Ming’s interest was piqued as he looked the seemingly innocent student up and down.

Guo blinked and suggested, “It’s not convenient to talk here. If you’re interested in the script, we could go to…”

“A hotel?”

“No, no! A club, just nearby. It’s called ‘Yi Zhi Yan.’ We could talk in a private room…” The tea he had ordered for Zhuang Qin earlier was now perfectly brewed, thanks to the tea bags he brought himself. It would be just right when he returned.

“A private room? You really want to discuss the script, huh?” Qiu Ming was amused, sizing up Guo’s figure and appearance. Big eyes, fair skin, perky butt—just a bit on the slim side—but overall, he barely met Qiu Ming’s standards.

Guo’s eyes lit up. “Yes, yes! To discuss the script. Are you interested?”

Qiu Ming replied, “But I have plans tonight. If I’m free another day, I’ll give you a call.”

“Oh, alright, my phone number is on the back.” Guo said eagerly.

Qiu Ming flipped the script over and checked. “Guo Bao…”

“Zhen, it’s pronounced ‘Zhen’.”

“I know how to read.” Qiu Ming took the script and left.

A couple of days later, he completely forgot about it. The script was left untouched, tossed in the backseat of his car.

At the airport.

Qiu Ming parked his car in the lot, bought two coffees, and waited at the exit for Li Mu.

Li Mu, with his tall, long-legged figure, soon appeared at the airport. He had a perfect nine-head ratio, long legs, and an almost mixed-race handsome face. Paired with sunglasses, he attracted more attention than a celebrity.

Qiu Ming whistled and waved, “Bro!”

Li Mu noticed him and strode over.

Even though it had been a while since they last saw each other, Qiu Ming didn’t hug him. Li Mu wasn’t a fan of physical contact and hated it when others touched him. Instead, Qiu just asked, “Where’s your luggage?”

“Didn’t bring any.”

“Alright, I’ll have someone bring it over for you later. Let’s go, I parked in the lot.” Qiu handed him one of the coffees. “This bean has a hint of brown sugar. It’s from Bavaria. Give it a try.”

Li Mu took a sip.

“How is it?”

“It’s alright.” he replied.

Qiu wasn’t bothered by the lack of enthusiasm. “I know a guy who roasts his own beans. He’s got varieties from all over the world. I’ll take you there to try them sometime.”

Qiu was a chatterbox, while Li Mu was more reserved, but they still managed to hold a conversation.

As they got into the car, some coffee spilled onto Qiu Ming’s hand. He popped the hood and found an old notebook to use as a coaster for the coffee cup, then got into the driver’s seat and started the engine.

The cup, sitting on top of the beat-up notebook, rested in the center console.

Suddenly, Li Mu noticed two eye-catching characters on the notebook.

“Cang Xin.” he said, lifting the coffee cup to reveal the book underneath, which had a dark coffee stain around the edges. “Where did this come from?”

“Oh, that…” Qiu Ming thought for a moment. “The other day at the film academy, some guy from the screenwriting or directing department—can’t remember which—gave it to me. I think it’s a script about an assassin or something. A pure-looking college guy gave it to me. He even tried to hit on me.”

“Tried to… hit on you?”

“Yeah, you know what I mean, those subtle looks. When I mentioned being interested in the script, he immediately wanted to take me to a private room to discuss it.”

Li Mu furrowed his brows slightly and asked, “What did that college guy look like?”

“Can’t really remember. He was alright, I guess. Big eyes, fair skin.” Qiu replied, then suddenly recalled something. “Oh, and he had a perky butt.”

Li Mu remembered the boy he had bumped into at the ski resort. Even though several days had passed, the memory of that strange encounter lingered in his mind.

He didn’t respond further, lowering his gaze to the beat-up Cang Xin script.

The title was printed in bold, black characters in the center.

Li Mu flipped open the first page.

Scene 1 / Shot 1 / Daytime / Busy Street

[“Bang!” A gunshot rang out. Jiang Zhuo…]

…

It took two hours to drive from the capital’s airport to the hotel Qiu had booked for Li Mu. During the entire ride, Li Mu was engrossed in the script that he had initially dismissed as a bathroom read.

Qiu, glancing over, was surprised to see him so absorbed. “Is it really that good?”

“Be quiet.”

Qiu: “…”

Li Mu turned another page, noting the dwindling number of pages left—probably just ten or so remaining.

The plot was reaching its climax.

“We’re here.” Qiu pulled up to the hotel’s entrance. “Bro, snap out of it. If you don’t want to go home, you can stay here for a couple of days. I’ve got an empty duplex apartment that’s never been lived in. If you don’t mind, I can have someone clean it up for you.”

“This script, it’s incomplete?” Li Mu had reached the final page, only to be cut off right at a crucial moment.

Although it was a same-sex story, with some explicit descriptions, the plot itself was actually quite engaging.

“How should I know? That’s how it was when it was handed to me.” Qiu shrugged, tossing his car keys to the valet. “If you want, you could call the guy and ask for the rest.”

Li Mu flipped to the back of the script and saw the contact information and name.

Qiu added, “Yeah, that’s him—Guo Bao… how do you pronounce that character again?”

Li Mu replied, “It’s Zhen (箴).”