Ye Zhou was unaware of everything that happened last night. He slept so comfortably that he woke up the next morning and realized he was almost late. He rushed through his morning routine and hurried to the dining room, where he found Boss Jiang already sitting at the table, reading the newspaper.
“Good morning, Jiang-ge.” Ye Zhou rubbed his eyes and sat down at the table. He grabbed a sandwich and gulped down his breakfast with milk, then hastily prepared to leave.
After the events of last night, Mr. Jiang had intended to talk to Ye Zhou properly, but Ye Zhou rushed out so quickly that Mr. Jiang couldn’t stop him.
Watching his retreating figure, Jiang Tingyuan reminded him helplessly, “The driver is waiting at the entrance. Let him take you.”
“Mmhmm!” Ye Zhou responded without turning back and entered the car.
After rushing, he managed to arrive at the filming location on time, but he was puzzled to find the entrance of their crew extremely crowded. From afar, he could see a circle of people gathered there.
Among them were some who looked like reporters carrying long and short cameras, others holding support banners and occasionally screaming loudly, likely fans. Some were crew members maintaining order.
After squeezing his way in, Ye Zhou pulled aside a familiar face and asked, “What’s going on?”
The crew member, already overwhelmed with maintaining order, was initially irritated by being grabbed and attempted to shake off the hand. However, he recognized Ye Zhou at the last second and narrowly stopped himself.
“Director Ye, you’re here!” The staff dressed as security guards excitedly and rapidly explained the current situation to Ye Zhou.
“Xi Yang and his manager came to the set early this morning. He wanted to enter, but our boss thought he was no longer part of the crew and was afraid he might cause trouble, so he didn’t let him in.”
Upon hearing Xi Yang’s name, Ye Zhou frowned and asked, “Then what? What about these reporters and fans?”
The crew member swallowed and recounted the events to Ye Zhou, “The reporters and fans followed after Xi Yang arrived.”
“Xi Yang said he came today without ill intent, just to sincerely apologize to you and hope to receive your forgiveness.”
When the crew member finished explaining the situation in a few words, Ye Zhou’s peripheral glance swept over Xi Yang, who looked haggard amidst the crowd, with a fleeting mocking look in his eyes.
He took the cap from the crew member’s head and naturally placed it on his own, tilting the brim down. He told the security guard, “Let me borrow your cap and clothes for a bit, thanks.”
The security guard was clearly intelligent and quickly understood Ye Zhou’s intention, readily exchanging jackets with him.
Amidst the chaos, Ye Zhou successfully blended into the crowd with the disguise and circled around to the back entrance of the set, entering silently.
Upon seeing Ye Zhou, the assistant director hurried over and asked, “What’s the situation outside? Have Xi Yang and the reporters left?”
“No.” Ye Zhou shook his head, removing the security cap. He returned to his position, “Come on, all departments, get ready. We’ll start filming in ten minutes.”
“The New Year is almost here, so our tasks are heavier during this period. Everyone, stay focused. If it’s possible to get it right in one take, don’t mess around. Let’s get moving!”
Assistant Director Meng had been waiting for Ye Zhou’s explanation, but seeing him start organizing the filming instead, he didn’t know what to say.
“But didn’t you see the commotion outside when you came in? Should we just ignore it and film like this?” The assistant director’s voice was full of anxiety, his expression like a fire burning his brows, and he was sweating profusely from the rush.
“Let me tell you, Lao Ye, this kid Xi Yang is no simple matter. Before coming to apologize, he intentionally posted on Weibo, making a big show of acting pitiful. It seems like an apology, but he’s really just trying to morally blackmail you!”
As the assistant director spoke, Geng Bochuan chimed in, completely ignoring his manager’s dark expression. He stubbornly told Ye Zhou, “Director Ye, why don’t you let me handle this? I’ll make sure he can’t get away with it1吃不了兜着走 (chī bu liǎo dōu zhe zǒu) – lit. if you can’t eat it all, you’ll have to take it home (idiom) / fig. you’ll have to take the consequences.”
Ye Zhou was amused yet exasperated by his gangster-like words. He reached out and shamelessly gave him a smack on the head.
“What are you thinking about all day? You’re a celebrity, not a gangster. If I let you ‘handle’ it, are you planning to get into a fight with him in front of all those people? Who are you, and who is he? Is it worth getting yourself into trouble for him? Do you have no sense at all?”
Geng Bochuan held his head, trying to defend himself, “I won’t, I won’t use force, I promise…”
“No talking either!” Ye Zhou interrupted impatiently. After a pause, he continued, “I’ll deal with this. You go prepare for your part. If you forget your lines halfway through the scene, I’ll settle the score with you then.”
Ye Zhou spoke with utmost seriousness, and his tone could not be considered friendly. Yet, when Geng Bochuan heard it, he felt a warmth in his heart. He had been in the industry for quite some time, having interacted and collaborated with thousands of people, if not tens of thousands.
It wasn’t that he had never worked with directors before—he had encountered directors of high and low popularity, more famous or less famous than Ye Zhou. However, none of those directors had ever truly considered his well-being.
Directors had always been consistent in their attitudes toward him. Those who were more aloof looked down on his way of conducting himself, while the more rational ones wished he would stir up more trouble and engage in online disputes, generating enough buzz and heat for the film.
But he had never encountered a director like Ye Zhou, who shielded him at the forefront, reminding him to cherish his reputation when he wanted to stand up for him.
Although Geng Bochuan enjoyed the script and the role, and his image aligned well with the character, his acting skills were still limited. In the beginning, he often took ten to twenty NG takes.
He even started doubting whether he could portray the role well when Ye Zhou, as if sensing his thoughts, called him over and calmly said to him while pointing at the monitor:
“You’re twenty-three years old this year. An actor’s career often spans ten to twenty years, and some veteran actors can even remain active on screen for a lifetime. You’re still so young, with infinite possibilities ahead. What is there to be afraid of?”
“I’m a confident person and never doubt my judgment. Since you’ve caught my eye, it means I believe you have the ability to perform this role well. If it doesn’t work the first time, we’ll do it ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times. The investors aren’t in a hurry, the director isn’t in a hurry, so why are you rushing?”
For the first time in his life, Geng Bochuan faced his shortcomings head-on, no longer avoiding his flaws. With Ye Zhou’s help, he patiently adjusted and gradually improved, reaching a state of excellence.
Regardless of whether this film ultimately succeeds or not, Geng Bochuan didn’t care because what he learned from this crew and from Director Ye was far more important than the film itself.
Geng Bochuan genuinely liked and respected Ye Zhou as a director, which was why he was so angry when Ye Zhou was slandered by Xi Yang, posting over ten Weibo rants against Xi Yang. If the circumstances had allowed, he would have really wanted to confront Xi Yang in person.
Although impulsive by nature, he wasn’t someone who refused to listen to reason. Despite still wanting to settle the score with Xi Yang, since Ye Zhou had spoken, Geng Bochuan definitely wouldn’t go against his wishes.
However, while getting his makeup done, Geng Bochuan made a firm resolution to humble himself and seek help from an old acquaintance he hadn’t contacted in a long time.
If Geng Bochuan recalled correctly, the romantic film ‘Falling Into Your Embrace,’ where Xi Yang was currently playing the male lead, was being handled by that old man’s company.
Regardless, this grievance against Ye Zhou could not be left unanswered.
Before filming began that day, Ye Zhou sent an email he had prepared in advance from his phone. After confirming it was sent successfully, he put his phone aside and focused on the day’s filming tasks.
Once filming started, the crew was too occupied to pay further attention to Xi Yang’s situation outside. During the midway break, they realized that the previously crowded entrance had somehow become deserted.
Where did Xi Yang go?
Xi Yang didn’t actually want to apologize, but he had no choice due to his unyielding father-in-law’s insistence that he must apologize to Ye Zhou. Unable to defy his father-in-law and considering his future prospects, Xi Yang had to come and apologize. However, apologizing didn’t mean Xi Yang was willing to back down.
He had prepared thoroughly for today’s apology, carefully deliberating over every word. As long as he could meet Ye Zhou, he was confident he had an 80% chance of turning public opinion in his favor.
What he didn’t expect was that after arriving at the set entrance at 6 AM, he waited until after 9 AM without seeing Ye Zhou, only to be met with hysterical scolding from his fiancée instead.
Xi Yang was dumbfounded at the time, taking a while to realize that his affair had somehow been discovered by Fu Chan.
Before meeting Fu Chan, Xi Yang had a girlfriend from university whom he had intended to marry. But he met Fu Chan by chance and initially just wanted to play around. Later, learning that Fu Chan was the only daughter of his company’s CEO, he used every trick to charm her into obedience.
Although professing undying love to Fu Chan on one side, he still had lingering feelings for his long-term girlfriend on the other. Xi Yang superficially broke up with her, but they never truly cut ties.
As the pampered only daughter of Fu Huihuang, Fu Chan had grown up spoiled, expecting the moon and the stars, inevitably developing an arrogant temperament. At first, Xi Yang found her tantrums intriguingly unique, but over time, they became unbearable.
Compared to the delicate and willful Fu Chan, his ex-girlfriend of many years was far more obedient and understanding. So the two, whose breakup hadn’t been clean-cut, gradually rekindled their intimacy behind the scenes.
Xi Yang had been extremely cautious, keeping it hidden from Fu Chan for a year without any signs. But now, at this critical juncture, it had suddenly erupted. It was like a wave of one calamity after another.
Misfortune seemed determined not to spare Xi Yang. After the disastrous turn of events that got him kicked out of Ye Zhou’s crew, his fiancée Fu Chan discovered his affair, leading to their breakup. Not only was he fired from the company, but he also received the devastating news that he would be replaced in the drama ‘Falling Into Your Embrace.’
All the negative news lately had been suffocating him, one blow after another, leaving Xi Yang as helpless as a street rat, with everyone calling for his beating.
In a daze, he came to the doorstep of Huihuang Entertainment, hoping to plead with his fiancée for help, begging her to extend a helping hand. But not only did he fail to meet Fu Chan, Xi Yang couldn’t even get through the company’s door.
Sitting on the steps outside the company, the recent experiences flashed through Xi Yang’s mind like a slide show. He clutched his head in agony, letting out a wail of anguish, unable to comprehend how things had spiraled so drastically downward in just half a month, deteriorating to this sorry state.
Where, where did it all go wrong?
—
I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Please consider supporting the author directly.
You can also follow me on Ko-fi to get the latest updates on my translation progress and new projects. I appreciate your love and feedback.
