Author: 反舌鸟 / Mockingbird
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 13
No matter how restless or sleepless he might be the night before, the next day’s filming must go on, even involving moving to another location. So he dozed in the car.
Long Xingyu had to admit that Yu Ruoyun had an eye for things. Even though it was baffling why he took on a web series, the quality was still decent. Thanks to his influence, the investment increased, allowing the casting of some good actors.
However, in many people’s eyes, Long Xingyu wasn’t on that list of “good actors”. He couldn’t even be considered an actor. He was just a minor role that sneaked in. His main connection to acting was having a lot of scenes and clinging to Yu Ruoyun from day one. Some even gossiped about seeing him sneaking into Yu Ruoyun’s room at night, only to be kicked out shortly after.
“They’re overthinking it,” said someone gossiping. “Even if Yu Ruoyun likes men, he wouldn’t go for someone like him.”
Apart from some early news, Yu Ruoyun hadn’t even had rumors in nearly ten years, though there were occasional whispers about his sexual orientation.
“So who could Yu Ruoyun fancy?” someone asked.
The person who brought up the topic pondered. Most male stars of Yu Ruoyun’s age were married. Some were single, but none seemed to meet Yu Ruoyun’s standards. Well, there was one suitable candidate—although not as frequently awarded or acclaimed as Yu Ruoyun, he was still a top-tier star with an ambiguous sexual orientation. His vindictive personality made people suspect he might be gay.
“Too bad Jiang Yu is dead,” someone said. “Honestly, his temper wasn’t as bad as the rumors. I was in the same crew with him on ‘The Free Wanderer’. There was a scene shot at a waterfall, and the rock he stood on was covered in moss, which nobody checked. He fell off and got swept away. We were terrified! When we pulled him out, he had drifted for a while, and his face was cut by rocks.”
“Wow, the crew must have been responsible for that, right?”
“Yeah, we thought he’d start yelling, but he got up without even changing his wet clothes, looked at his face in the mirror, and asked if makeup could cover it. The makeup artist said no because it was bleeding and could leave a scar if covered. But he insisted on continuing the shoot, saying the budget was already overrun and he couldn’t delay further. You might not have noticed, but in that movie, there’s a scene focusing more on one side of his face.”
“I saw that movie. It was good but didn’t do well at the box office due to lack of promotion. It’s a shame Jiang Yu died.”
The last sentence wasn’t a question but a simple statement. How could he die? Once dead, he became a topic for others to discuss, and his effort to remove scars for that film seemed meaningful only now.
Long Xingyu stood in the shadows, biting into an ice pop with the wrapper half torn off, eating it piece by piece. Yu Ruoyun had scenes to shoot today, but he didn’t have any until the evening. Wandering around and hiding while listening to people discuss him, he wished he could jump out and clarify that Yu Ruoyun had invited him, and he even ate some sweets before leaving, without staring at the fish tank in the room.
Finishing the ice pop, Long Xingyu looked for a trash can but couldn’t find one. He ended up holding the sticky wrapper, which felt as uncomfortable as the humid weather.
A year after Jiang Yu’s death, Long Xingyu constantly heard his name from others. Jiang Yu became a good person posthumously, but Long Xingyu still didn’t think Jiang Yu was a good person.
The good person decided to bother Yu Ruoyun on set.
This was a crime series based on a well-known series that had an overarching storyline. Yu Ruoyun had scenes throughout, working hard enough to violate labor laws.
“Are you done filming?” Long Xingyu asked.
“Done for now,” said a crew member. “There’s a night shoot later.”
Long Xingyu went to Yu Ruoyun. “Wanna grab a bite?”
He said it naturally, as if they were regular meal buddies. Today’s shoot was at a nearby university, and it was dinner time, a chance to escape the crew’s boxed meals. Even if Yu Ruoyun didn’t make a fuss about meals, he could occasionally indulge.
Yu Ruoyun, still in costume, said, “I need to prepare for the next scene.”
“You can’t possibly mess up,” Long Xingyu insisted. “Come on. Just bring the script.”
Soon, Long Xingyu regretted it. Walking around campus alone, no one paid him any mind. Students either asked him for directions or if they could add him on WeChat. Meanwhile, Yu Ruoyun attracted a crowd, snapping pictures.
At the cafeteria, Long Xingyu noticed. “Looks like you need a campus card here.” A group of students eagerly offered theirs before Yu Ruoyun could respond, so Long Xingyu casually took one.
After ordering and paying with the card, Long Xingyu set the tray down and returned the card.
“Thanks,” he said. “But you haven’t eaten yet. Better get in line before it gets longer.”
He had money on him and put it in front of the girl who he borrowed the card from.
“No need!” the student insisted. “It’s not much. Can I have an autograph?”
It was about what Long Xingyu expected. “Okay. Wait a minute. I’ll go get his autograph.”
“No!” The girl was a little anxious. “Yours. I want your autograph.”
“Why mine?” Long Xingyu was a bit stunned that his words didn’t come out clear. He immediately understood that there was no other reason for her to request his autograph, unless of course, she liked him.
He didn’t have any paper or pen with him, so he turned to Yu Ruoyun to ask. Yu Ruoyun had changed into casual clothes after finishing his scenes, and Long Xingyu remembered Yu Ruoyun always carried them. Once, after they had sex, Jiang Yu suddenly got the urge to be diligent and threw all their clothes into the washing machine, resulting in everything being covered in paper scraps and ink stains. With nothing else to wear, Jiang Yu had to borrow a set of Yu Ruoyun’s clothes to go home.
After signing, Long Xingyu suddenly remembered that Yu Ruoyun was still beside him. He said, “You should sign too.”
“Did she ask for my autograph?” Yu Ruoyun questioned.
“Yes,” Long Xingyu lied without batting an eye. “Two for the price of one. She wouldn’t mind.”
Yu Ruoyun signed as well. Their names were side by side, and Long Xingyu looked at the paper several times before handing it to the girl.
“Were you surprised when I said I liked you?” the girl asked Long Xingyu. “Be confident. Lots of people will like you. You’ll become a big star!”
Long Xingyu was taken aback, then sincerely thanked her. When he returned, he saw Yu Ruoyun staring at his meal.
“I got you a special dish,” Long Xingyu said, sitting down. “How do you feel? Touched?”
Nearby students heard and couldn’t help but laugh. It was indeed a special dish: eggplant with dragon fruit and green pepper with mooncake. The unique combinations had even trended online.
After laughing, Long Xingyu switched their trays, but Yu Ruoyun stopped him. “It’s worth a try. Consider it a dessert.”
Long Xingyu didn’t expect Yu Ruoyun to joke like that. He took a couple of bites from Yu Ruoyun’s tray. The taste wasn’t bad but strange, a combination he had never tried before.
“I heard you’re leaving for a day to attend the Golden Phoenix Awards,” Long Xingyu said slowly. “Why take leave again?”
Not that it mattered to Long Xingyu, but he still felt the need to complain.
“I had arranged it earlier,” Yu Ruoyun explained.
“You’re not nominated,” Long Xingyu pointed out. “You didn’t even have any films last year. Why go?”
Yu Ruoyun said, “I lost my memory and forgot why I’m going. Maybe just to walk the red carpet.”
Even after hearing this, Long Xingyu could only say, “It’s such a waste of resources. You have so many scenes. The whole crew is waiting for you.”
“I added more investment,” Yu Ruoyun said. “Decided yesterday. There might even be a second season.”
Shooting one web series was already low, but Yu Ruoyun even wanted to film a second season. To what extent was he this unambitious? Long Xingyu was almost infuriated.
He didn’t really care how much the crew was spending; everyone else had more money than him now. What baffled him was why Yu Ruoyun had inexplicably declined. He had been wondering about this since he woke up. Looking up more about Yu Ruoyun, he found that he hadn’t filmed anything in almost a year, just attended some events. And then, he took on a web series. Luckily, he wasn’t a traffic star*, or his fans would have stormed his studio by now. But at Yu Ruoyun’s level, the studio served the boss. If the boss was lazy, the studio couldn’t force him.
*An internet celebrity that has a massive online following. Their claim to fame is usually through media influence rather than traditional professional achievement (like acting, singing, etc.).
Fortunately, at least he hadn’t lost his professional spirit. When Long Xingyu glanced at Yu Ruoyun’s desk in his room, he saw a stack of books, all related to professional knowledge. Long Xingyu sneered inwardly, thinking that if Yu Ruoyun put this much effort into something more worthwhile, it would be better. Frankly, Long Xingyu didn’t think much of this. He thought Yu Ruoyun was getting old; being around the same age, he didn’t think he was any better off. Over the past few years, despite his outward tolerance, he always felt these new trends had nothing to do with him. Yet, ironically, he found himself getting involved now.
“Yu Ruoyun.” Long Xingyu felt helpless, whispering almost inaudibly. “You’re an award-winning actor.”
He seemed to care more about the title than Yu Ruoyun himself.
The author has something to say:
Earlier, Long Xingyu had fans sending gifts and support, and there were station sisters*. The fact that not many people recognize him here is not a bug. Nowadays, there are many idols in China, and most of them have fans who can support them and vote for them on charts. However, whether they have mainstream recognition is another matter, so I won’t give specific examples.
*Fans that are dedicated to taking pictures and sharing photos of their idol.
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