Chapter 14 Mutual love and murder
The dressing room for the extras was in disarray. In truth, calling it a dressing room was an exaggeration because it was little more than a gigantic tent that had been temporarily erected over dozens of square meters. It was densely packed with costumes from the Republic of China[1] era, such as military uniforms, populist clothing, school uniforms, and so on. They were stacked haphazardly and appeared grayish and unclean at first glance. Ling Xi rummaged for a long time before finding a military outfit that didn't appear to be too big.
Fortunately, he had been an 18th tier little artist for a long time and had mastered the art of snatching up specially discounted provisions among the swarm of uncles and aunties at the nearby Carrefour[2]. Otherwise, he would not have been able to defeat the other 24 opponents in order to obtain that fitted costume...
Ling Xi looked good in the military uniform of the Republic of China. His slim waist was clearly defined after the belt was fastened. When the other extras wore the same uniform, they looked unremarkable. Ling Xi, on the other hand, looked sharp in it.
Sure enough, the type of role an extra acquired was also determined by their face value.
Ling Xi queued up with everyone and walked out of the dressing tent after changing into his uniform. A few sallow-faced makeup professionals yawned outside the tent and invited the extras to stand in front of them and apply makeup. When Ling Xi had to share the dressing room with other performers in the past, he felt like a shrimp (small fry) at the bottom of the entertainment food chain. He never imagined that one day he would have the opportunity to feel like a plankton...
The other twenty-four people knew each other and could chat while waiting in line for makeup. Ling "newbie" Xi was pushed to the back of the pack. His legs were numb by the time he finished putting on his makeup.
"Wait, wait, don't leave yet!" The young girl who had chatted with Ling Xi in the van came out of nowhere: "The director said that you are the only person who dies under the male lead's hand in this drama, so - your death should be a little heroic!" She took out two fingernail-sized capsules from her bag and stuffed them into Ling Xi's hand.
"Do you know how to use this?"
The two capsules were twice the size of standard pharmaceutical capsules. Ling Xi softly pressed his fingernail against one, leaving a mark. The capsule was very heavy and appeared to be filled with a viscous liquid. He put one up to the light and discovered that the liquid inside was a very dark color.
The young girl promptly exclaimed, "Hey! Don't mess around! It snaps the moment you touch it!"
Ling Xi: "What is this?"
"Blood."
"...Huh?"
The little lady was surprised for a moment when she saw Ling Xi's ignorance, and then she gave him a fast explanation: "Hold the capsule in your cheek. Bite down on it when An Ruifeng stabs your neck. Blood will trickle down the corners of your mouth, understand?”
Ling Xi was fascinated and instantly stuffed the two blood capsules on either side of his cheek. The large capsules caused his cheeks to bulge out a little, giving him the appearance of a naïve round-faced person. Ling Xi didn't dare to speak for fear of accidentally biting the capsule ahead of time, so he could only nod gingerly and make “wuwuwu” sounds.
The little girl noticed his cooperative attitude and patted him on the shoulder with the demeanor of an elder sister: "You're a very nice young man. Don't leave after you've received the money. An Ruifeng is on a diet and doesn’t consume meat. I'll save one of his chicken drumsticks for you!
Ling Xi mused absently that his and An Ruifeng's leftover dinners were fated. When they met on the plane, he discovered that the first-class lunch set he had been eyeing belonged to An Ruifeng. A long time had passed in the blink of an eye, and the day had finally arrived when he would eat An Ruifeng's box lunch...
"Oh my God, why are you still carrying that strange-looking suitcase? Are you here to make the movie or to deliver salmon takeaway?" the young girl asked, pointing to the large salmon sushi in Ling Xi's hand. Then she yanked the luggage from Ling Xi's grasp and promised him that she'd find a place for it.
The young girl vanished like the wind before Ling Xi could finish uttering his "wuwuwu."
Before production began, twenty-four extras and Ling Xi gathered in a corner of the set, each holding a single page script and listening to the deputy director explain the scene.
"This scene marks the first appearance of the male protagonist of 'Heroic Thief Saga' as a thief in broad daylight. You are all subordinates to the second male lead. In the scene, the second male lead will attempt to block him - but is unable to do so."
Twenty-four extras: "Oh, he’s not blocked."
Ling Xi: "wuwuwu."
"The second male lead will then whistle. Please keep in mind that this whistle will be dubbed afterwards, so you simply need to pay attention to my gestures. You'll run out the next door to ambush the hero and block him - only he's not blocked."
Twenty-four extras: "Oh, he's not blocked."
Ling Xi: "wuwuwu.”
“You, yes, you, the one who can only whine. You'll be the first to rush in from the side and ambush the hero with a large knife in the scenario. The male lead will grab it from your hand and stab your neck after executing a backhand - and then you will die."
Twenty-four extras: "Oh, he’ll die."
Ling Xi: "wuwuwu."
The deputy director gave a kind smile: "An Ruifeng is a professional actor, so don't be concerned. He isn't going to hurt you. The knife will be kept at a safe distance from your neck. Even if he unintentionally stabs you, you'll be alright. The knife is really a prop. In any case, bite the blood capsule in your mouth as you see the knife slashing towards you."
Seeing that Ling Xi did not whine this time, the deputy director inquired thoughtfully: "Is this your first time dying? Are you scared?"
Ling Xi shook his head: "wuwuwu."
He'd had nothing to fear. It was merely that he was afraid that An Ruifeng would be the one who was scared...
※ ※ ※
In another dressing room, An Ruifeng closed his eyes to allow the makeup artist to power his face. He was rehearsing the next scene. It was the scene where the “Heroic Thief” first appeared in broad daylight. He'd have a dramatic combat scene with the second male lead, and then he'd escape from the siege.
An Ruifeng was a diligent actor. Because he recognized the distance between himself and the other performers when he initially joined the crew, he prepared his scenes over and over again, even if it meant sacrificing his sleep. He refused to utilize a stuntman for action sequences whenever possible, and he didn't protest even when he got bruised. The other performers who were eager to see him make a joke on himself gradually let go of their prejudices and saw him in a new light during the last several days. Even Li-ge, who had before dismissed him, changed his mind.
Li-ge, who shared the same makeup artist as him, had completed his make-up. He bounced thrice on the spot to stretch his muscles before asking An Ruifeng, "Are you ready?"
In recent days, the mood between the two has been less tense than it was at the start. When Li-ge was in a good mood, he would occasionally give An Ruifeng acting advice.
An Ruifeng appreciated this senior and addressed him politely: "It's almost done." Like Li-ge, he rose up and stretched to free his muscles. He would battle people bare-handed at the start of the next scene. When ambushed, he would seize a young soldier's weapon and kill the opponent with a backhand. To perform this "grab and kill" perfectly, his movements required to be agile and his wrists flexible. He took up the prop knife and performed the moves a few times, afraid that his actions wouldn’t be cool enough and he'd NG.
"Don't be so nervous. Everyone can see that you've made significant strides recently." Li-ge comforted him.
"I’m still a long way behind Li-ge." An Ruifeng said humbly: "Li-ge, you are the goal I am trying to catch up with."
They exited the changing room once they were ready. The lighting and sound engineers, as well as the recording crew, were already standing outside the set. Everyone went into work mode as soon as they walked out - it was the final scene of the day. They might be able to wrap things early following filming.
The director greeted them, discussed the scene with them, designated the center of the lens, and let them go through the lines to get into character. They officially began filming the scene after both of them were ready.
—— "Scene 128, take 1, start!"
"Heroic Thief" wore a mystery mask and was dressed from head to toe as he silently opened the study room window from the inside and leaped out. His footfalls were light, and when he landed, he didn't even generate a cloud of dust. He gently closed the wooden window, and a small iron hook slid from his wrist, landing in the palm of his hand. The small latch on the inside of the window was locked again with a few slight motions of his fingers, revealing no evidence of a break-in.
He prepared to go after the wooden window had latched. Suddenly a burst of laughter rang out behind him. "Heroic Thief" spun around in a second and beheld his opponent, who was also his classmate. The "Squad Captain" took steady steps from outside the courtyard, holding a little and exquisite foreign pistol in his hands.
"This time, you should show your true identity, right?"
The thief hurried over to battle with the squad captain without saying anything. The two of them fought ferociously, exchanging blows. Despite the fact that the heroic thief was unarmed, the squad captain's foreign handgun was not suitable for close combat. They fought for a long period with no obvious winner.
“Heroic Thief” disliked fighting. When he saw he couldn't win quickly, he simply turned and fled. With the squad captain's whistle, more than twenty soldiers raced out of the next wing, brandishing knives, and blocked the thief's way. The soldier who ran the fastest got there first and lunged at the robber with a knife in his raised hand, attempting to slice him.
Of course, the heroic thief did not panic and evaded him calmly. He seized his opponent's wrist, grasped his weapon with minimal force, and executed a fast backhand, the blade diving straight into the young soldier's neck...
— "Ling Xi?" Heroic Thief… Ah no, he should now be called An Ruifeng. An Ruifeng's large knife came to a halt nearly 20 centimeters away from Ling Xi's neck. Before the weapon could land, An Ruifeng pulled off the mask on his head in a panic, raised his hands to put them on Ling Xi's shoulder, and then retracted them nervously.
This unexpected occurrence had him entirely incapable of worrying about the fact that he was in the middle of filming. He ignored the enraged director and was unconcerned about the staff members who were staring at each other. He wondered if he was hallucinating because he was too weary from work. Otherwise, how could Ling Xi, who was in B City, materialize out of nowhere in front of him?
He was hesitant to look away, staring at every strand of Ling Xi's hair, fearful that Ling Xi might dissolve into smoke and vanish with a puff in the blink of an eye.
"You... why are you here?" It took a long time for An Ruifeng to find his voice.
Was this an instance of "you reap what you sow"? He startled Ling Xi the previous time he transformed into a big crayfish. This time, under his knife, Ling Xi transformed into a departed spirit and suddenly appeared in front of him. However, Ling Xi only felt "scared". An Ruifeng's heart, on the other hand, was thumping wildly and was full of this "pleasant surprise."
"Hehehehehe!" Ling Xi had forgotten about the two fragile blood capsules he still had in his mouth. All of these little details were forgotten the instant An Ruifeng spoke with him. Due to Ling Xi's inattention, the capsule with a thin layer of gelatin shattered instantaneously. Before he could finish laughing, blood streamed down the corners of his mouth, mingling with laughter...
An Ruifeng couldn't bear to look straight at him. He hurriedly pulled out a tissue to help him wipe his vivid crimson chin and mouth.
Ling Xi stared helplessly at the scarlet blood on the tissue, feeling as if he were saying his final words.
"Uh, An Ruifeng, if I say I’m here to deliver salmon takeaway, will you believe me......"
※ ※ ※
Ling Xi’s unexpected appearance completely disrupted An Ruifeng’s rhythm while filming. The scene, which might have been shot in a single take, had to be shot numerous times before it was formally confirmed as passed. Ling Xi wiped his mouth and exited with the other extras to change clothes and collect his compensation.
The unintentional "cut" on the set alerted the other twenty-four extras to the fact that a traitor who knew the celebrity was among them. They gave him the cold shoulder and didn't say anything to him. Ling Xi was squeezed to the last when getting the money, but the funny thing was that those people were only paid 80 yuan, whilst Ling Xi was paid 160 yuan...
Ling Xi was happy with his 160 yuan and inquired of the assistant girl as she distributed the pay, "It turns out that you get paid twice as much as the others by vomiting blood once?"
The young girl explained: "An Ruifeng didn’t want me to tell you, but in fact, he asked me to give you the extra 80 yuan."
An Ruifeng's consideration moved Ling Xi to tears.
The assistant looked at him up and down like a searchlight: "I didn't expect you, an extra, to be familiar with An Ruifeng... Why didn't you mention it to me when we were in the van? I rambled on about An Ruifeng for a long time like an idiot. Ugh! It’s so humiliating."
"I'm not a background actor!" Ling Xi was unable to laugh or cry: "I'm also an artist, but I'm not very famous. I came to the film and television district to visit him, but I got off at the wrong gate by mistake, and was dragged into a group act by you guys."
The young girl was embarrassed when she heard that, "Ah, sorry!... It's simply that I don't watch a lot of funny variety shows and didn't recognize you."
Ling Xi was more embarrassed than her: " ...I am not a comedian, I am a singer."
They were surrounded by an awkward silence.
The assistant: "Uh...what songs have you sung?"
Ling Xi picked one of the most famous: "Heart has Ling Xi."
The light bulb over the girl's head lit up brightly with a ding: "Oh oh , I know you - you’re the little singer king of two yuan stores and the rumored boyfriend of Zhu Linlin, the little queen of punk hairstyle!"
"..." Ling Xi covered his face with his hands in agony. It would be better if he was treated as a comedian.
After bidding farewell to the young girl, Ling Xi left the dressing tent with heavy steps. He didn't expect a human wall to hit his nose as soon as he opened the tent curtain.
An Ruifeng had been waiting in the special lounge for quite some time. He couldn't stand it any longer after seeing that Ling Xi hadn't returned in a long time and went over to find him. It was merely that his entrance came at an inconvenient time. Ling Xi's head collided with his chest as soon as he raised his head. His nose stung so much that he spilled all the golden beans[3] by accident. An Ruifeng assisted him into a chair, offered him water, and wiped his face. He specifically lowered his voice to inquire of Ling Xi if he had a prosthesis in his nose and if it was wounded.
Ling Xi covered his nose and said dully: "I haven't undergone plastic surgery. My parents dislike young people who have plastic surgery."
An Ruifeng said: "It turns out that uncle and aunt don't like it... but my agency asked me to open the corner of my eyes[4]."
Ling Xi was so shocked that his tears dried up. He grasped An Ruifeng's face with both hands and twisted his head left and right for a long time, marveling at his gorgeous and deep eyes. He had intended to carefully check for evidence of his operation, but when their gazes connected, time and space seemed to vanish into nothingness.
If An Ruifeng's eyes were a jar of wine, someone like Ling Xi who normally didn’t touch a drop of alcohol, would probably get drunk as well, right?
Who knows how long it took Ling Xi to discover his voice. His throat was a touch dry, and he sounded hoarse as he hesitantly said: "Where was the surgery performed? I can't see anything!"
"I pulled a prank on you. Look, your nose doesn't hurt now, does it?" An Ruifeng smiled and took off his hands, his palms hot.
An Ruifeng's gold medal manager Xu Zhiqiang's face was as dark as coal behind the two of them. He stared at the little artist who loved to hug his artist’s thighs with an unkind expression. His eyes were blazing and he wished he could burn Ling Xi to a crisp. He had no idea what kind of spell Ling Xi had cast on An Ruifeng. An Ruifeng raced over to seek him as soon as he appeared, instead of memorizing his lines and catching up on sleep. He also joked about some silly plastic surgery to make him happy. Wouldn't it raise a commotion if someone overheard him?
Ling Xi complained to An Ruifeng about how, just now, when the assistant girl recognized him, she referred to him as "Zhu Linlin's supposed boyfriend." He didn't like Zhu Linlin and didn't want to form "Ling Lin CP" as her rumored boyfriend.
Xu Zhiqiang butted in with a fake smile: "Then you might as well visit a few more times, so that the gossip tabloids will call you An Ruifeng's rumored boyfriend."
Footnotes:
[1] I forgot to mention this in the previous chapter. It refers to the period between 1912-1949.
[2] A French supermarket chain.
[3] tears.
[4] It is a surgical procedure that lengthens your eyes. It appears to be fairly common among Korean actors.
Chapter 14 Mutual love and murder
The dressing room for the extras was in disarray. In truth, calling it a dressing room was an exaggeration because it was little more than a gigantic tent that had been temporarily erected over dozens of square meters. It was densely packed with costumes from the Republic of China[1] era, such as military uniforms, populist clothing, school uniforms, and so on. They were stacked haphazardly and appeared grayish and unclean at first glance. Ling Xi rummaged for a long time before finding a military outfit that didn't appear to be too big.
Fortunately, he had been an 18th tier little artist for a long time and had mastered the art of snatching up specially discounted provisions among the swarm of uncles and aunties at the nearby Carrefour[2]. Otherwise, he would not have been able to defeat the other 24 opponents in order to obtain that fitted costume...
Ling Xi looked good in the military uniform of the Republic of China. His slim waist was clearly defined after the belt was fastened. When the other extras wore the same uniform, they looked unremarkable. Ling Xi, on the other hand, looked sharp in it.
Sure enough, the type of role an extra acquired was also determined by their face value.
Ling Xi queued up with everyone and walked out of the dressing tent after changing into his uniform. A few sallow-faced makeup professionals yawned outside the tent and invited the extras to stand in front of them and apply makeup. When Ling Xi had to share the dressing room with other performers in the past, he felt like a shrimp (small fry) at the bottom of the entertainment food chain. He never imagined that one day he would have the opportunity to feel like a plankton...
The other twenty-four people knew each other and could chat while waiting in line for makeup. Ling "newbie" Xi was pushed to the back of the pack. His legs were numb by the time he finished putting on his makeup.
"Wait, wait, don't leave yet!" The young girl who had chatted with Ling Xi in the van came out of nowhere: "The director said that you are the only person who dies under the male lead's hand in this drama, so - your death should be a little heroic!" She took out two fingernail-sized capsules from her bag and stuffed them into Ling Xi's hand.
"Do you know how to use this?"
The two capsules were twice the size of standard pharmaceutical capsules. Ling Xi softly pressed his fingernail against one, leaving a mark. The capsule was very heavy and appeared to be filled with a viscous liquid. He put one up to the light and discovered that the liquid inside was a very dark color.
The young girl promptly exclaimed, "Hey! Don't mess around! It snaps the moment you touch it!"
Ling Xi: "What is this?"
"Blood."
"...Huh?"
The little lady was surprised for a moment when she saw Ling Xi's ignorance, and then she gave him a fast explanation: "Hold the capsule in your cheek. Bite down on it when An Ruifeng stabs your neck. Blood will trickle down the corners of your mouth, understand?”
Ling Xi was fascinated and instantly stuffed the two blood capsules on either side of his cheek. The large capsules caused his cheeks to bulge out a little, giving him the appearance of a naïve round-faced person. Ling Xi didn't dare to speak for fear of accidentally biting the capsule ahead of time, so he could only nod gingerly and make “wuwuwu” sounds.
The little girl noticed his cooperative attitude and patted him on the shoulder with the demeanor of an elder sister: "You're a very nice young man. Don't leave after you've received the money. An Ruifeng is on a diet and doesn’t consume meat. I'll save one of his chicken drumsticks for you!
Ling Xi mused absently that his and An Ruifeng's leftover dinners were fated. When they met on the plane, he discovered that the first-class lunch set he had been eyeing belonged to An Ruifeng. A long time had passed in the blink of an eye, and the day had finally arrived when he would eat An Ruifeng's box lunch...
"Oh my God, why are you still carrying that strange-looking suitcase? Are you here to make the movie or to deliver salmon takeaway?" the young girl asked, pointing to the large salmon sushi in Ling Xi's hand. Then she yanked the luggage from Ling Xi's grasp and promised him that she'd find a place for it.
The young girl vanished like the wind before Ling Xi could finish uttering his "wuwuwu."
Before production began, twenty-four extras and Ling Xi gathered in a corner of the set, each holding a single page script and listening to the deputy director explain the scene.
"This scene marks the first appearance of the male protagonist of 'Heroic Thief Saga' as a thief in broad daylight. You are all subordinates to the second male lead. In the scene, the second male lead will attempt to block him - but is unable to do so."
Twenty-four extras: "Oh, he’s not blocked."
Ling Xi: "wuwuwu."
"The second male lead will then whistle. Please keep in mind that this whistle will be dubbed afterwards, so you simply need to pay attention to my gestures. You'll run out the next door to ambush the hero and block him - only he's not blocked."
Twenty-four extras: "Oh, he's not blocked."
Ling Xi: "wuwuwu.”
“You, yes, you, the one who can only whine. You'll be the first to rush in from the side and ambush the hero with a large knife in the scenario. The male lead will grab it from your hand and stab your neck after executing a backhand - and then you will die."
Twenty-four extras: "Oh, he’ll die."
Ling Xi: "wuwuwu."
The deputy director gave a kind smile: "An Ruifeng is a professional actor, so don't be concerned. He isn't going to hurt you. The knife will be kept at a safe distance from your neck. Even if he unintentionally stabs you, you'll be alright. The knife is really a prop. In any case, bite the blood capsule in your mouth as you see the knife slashing towards you."
Seeing that Ling Xi did not whine this time, the deputy director inquired thoughtfully: "Is this your first time dying? Are you scared?"
Ling Xi shook his head: "wuwuwu."
He'd had nothing to fear. It was merely that he was afraid that An Ruifeng would be the one who was scared...
※ ※ ※
In another dressing room, An Ruifeng closed his eyes to allow the makeup artist to power his face. He was rehearsing the next scene. It was the scene where the “Heroic Thief” first appeared in broad daylight. He'd have a dramatic combat scene with the second male lead, and then he'd escape from the siege.
An Ruifeng was a diligent actor. Because he recognized the distance between himself and the other performers when he initially joined the crew, he prepared his scenes over and over again, even if it meant sacrificing his sleep. He refused to utilize a stuntman for action sequences whenever possible, and he didn't protest even when he got bruised. The other performers who were eager to see him make a joke on himself gradually let go of their prejudices and saw him in a new light during the last several days. Even Li-ge, who had before dismissed him, changed his mind.
Li-ge, who shared the same makeup artist as him, had completed his make-up. He bounced thrice on the spot to stretch his muscles before asking An Ruifeng, "Are you ready?"
In recent days, the mood between the two has been less tense than it was at the start. When Li-ge was in a good mood, he would occasionally give An Ruifeng acting advice.
An Ruifeng appreciated this senior and addressed him politely: "It's almost done." Like Li-ge, he rose up and stretched to free his muscles. He would battle people bare-handed at the start of the next scene. When ambushed, he would seize a young soldier's weapon and kill the opponent with a backhand. To perform this "grab and kill" perfectly, his movements required to be agile and his wrists flexible. He took up the prop knife and performed the moves a few times, afraid that his actions wouldn’t be cool enough and he'd NG.
"Don't be so nervous. Everyone can see that you've made significant strides recently." Li-ge comforted him.
"I’m still a long way behind Li-ge." An Ruifeng said humbly: "Li-ge, you are the goal I am trying to catch up with."
They exited the changing room once they were ready. The lighting and sound engineers, as well as the recording crew, were already standing outside the set. Everyone went into work mode as soon as they walked out - it was the final scene of the day. They might be able to wrap things early following filming.
The director greeted them, discussed the scene with them, designated the center of the lens, and let them go through the lines to get into character. They officially began filming the scene after both of them were ready.
—— "Scene 128, take 1, start!"
"Heroic Thief" wore a mystery mask and was dressed from head to toe as he silently opened the study room window from the inside and leaped out. His footfalls were light, and when he landed, he didn't even generate a cloud of dust. He gently closed the wooden window, and a small iron hook slid from his wrist, landing in the palm of his hand. The small latch on the inside of the window was locked again with a few slight motions of his fingers, revealing no evidence of a break-in.
He prepared to go after the wooden window had latched. Suddenly a burst of laughter rang out behind him. "Heroic Thief" spun around in a second and beheld his opponent, who was also his classmate. The "Squad Captain" took steady steps from outside the courtyard, holding a little and exquisite foreign pistol in his hands.
"This time, you should show your true identity, right?"
The thief hurried over to battle with the squad captain without saying anything. The two of them fought ferociously, exchanging blows. Despite the fact that the heroic thief was unarmed, the squad captain's foreign handgun was not suitable for close combat. They fought for a long period with no obvious winner.
“Heroic Thief” disliked fighting. When he saw he couldn't win quickly, he simply turned and fled. With the squad captain's whistle, more than twenty soldiers raced out of the next wing, brandishing knives, and blocked the thief's way. The soldier who ran the fastest got there first and lunged at the robber with a knife in his raised hand, attempting to slice him.
Of course, the heroic thief did not panic and evaded him calmly. He seized his opponent's wrist, grasped his weapon with minimal force, and executed a fast backhand, the blade diving straight into the young soldier's neck...
— "Ling Xi?" Heroic Thief… Ah no, he should now be called An Ruifeng. An Ruifeng's large knife came to a halt nearly 20 centimeters away from Ling Xi's neck. Before the weapon could land, An Ruifeng pulled off the mask on his head in a panic, raised his hands to put them on Ling Xi's shoulder, and then retracted them nervously.
This unexpected occurrence had him entirely incapable of worrying about the fact that he was in the middle of filming. He ignored the enraged director and was unconcerned about the staff members who were staring at each other. He wondered if he was hallucinating because he was too weary from work. Otherwise, how could Ling Xi, who was in B City, materialize out of nowhere in front of him?
He was hesitant to look away, staring at every strand of Ling Xi's hair, fearful that Ling Xi might dissolve into smoke and vanish with a puff in the blink of an eye.
"You... why are you here?" It took a long time for An Ruifeng to find his voice.
Was this an instance of "you reap what you sow"? He startled Ling Xi the previous time he transformed into a big crayfish. This time, under his knife, Ling Xi transformed into a departed spirit and suddenly appeared in front of him. However, Ling Xi only felt "scared". An Ruifeng's heart, on the other hand, was thumping wildly and was full of this "pleasant surprise."
"Hehehehehe!" Ling Xi had forgotten about the two fragile blood capsules he still had in his mouth. All of these little details were forgotten the instant An Ruifeng spoke with him. Due to Ling Xi's inattention, the capsule with a thin layer of gelatin shattered instantaneously. Before he could finish laughing, blood streamed down the corners of his mouth, mingling with laughter...
An Ruifeng couldn't bear to look straight at him. He hurriedly pulled out a tissue to help him wipe his vivid crimson chin and mouth.
Ling Xi stared helplessly at the scarlet blood on the tissue, feeling as if he were saying his final words.
"Uh, An Ruifeng, if I say I’m here to deliver salmon takeaway, will you believe me......"
※ ※ ※
Ling Xi’s unexpected appearance completely disrupted An Ruifeng’s rhythm while filming. The scene, which might have been shot in a single take, had to be shot numerous times before it was formally confirmed as passed. Ling Xi wiped his mouth and exited with the other extras to change clothes and collect his compensation.
The unintentional "cut" on the set alerted the other twenty-four extras to the fact that a traitor who knew the celebrity was among them. They gave him the cold shoulder and didn't say anything to him. Ling Xi was squeezed to the last when getting the money, but the funny thing was that those people were only paid 80 yuan, whilst Ling Xi was paid 160 yuan...
Ling Xi was happy with his 160 yuan and inquired of the assistant girl as she distributed the pay, "It turns out that you get paid twice as much as the others by vomiting blood once?"
The young girl explained: "An Ruifeng didn’t want me to tell you, but in fact, he asked me to give you the extra 80 yuan."
An Ruifeng's consideration moved Ling Xi to tears.
The assistant looked at him up and down like a searchlight: "I didn't expect you, an extra, to be familiar with An Ruifeng... Why didn't you mention it to me when we were in the van? I rambled on about An Ruifeng for a long time like an idiot. Ugh! It’s so humiliating."
"I'm not a background actor!" Ling Xi was unable to laugh or cry: "I'm also an artist, but I'm not very famous. I came to the film and television district to visit him, but I got off at the wrong gate by mistake, and was dragged into a group act by you guys."
The young girl was embarrassed when she heard that, "Ah, sorry!... It's simply that I don't watch a lot of funny variety shows and didn't recognize you."
Ling Xi was more embarrassed than her: " ...I am not a comedian, I am a singer."
They were surrounded by an awkward silence.
The assistant: "Uh...what songs have you sung?"
Ling Xi picked one of the most famous: "Heart has Ling Xi."
The light bulb over the girl's head lit up brightly with a ding: "Oh oh , I know you - you’re the little singer king of two yuan stores and the rumored boyfriend of Zhu Linlin, the little queen of punk hairstyle!"
"..." Ling Xi covered his face with his hands in agony. It would be better if he was treated as a comedian.
After bidding farewell to the young girl, Ling Xi left the dressing tent with heavy steps. He didn't expect a human wall to hit his nose as soon as he opened the tent curtain.
An Ruifeng had been waiting in the special lounge for quite some time. He couldn't stand it any longer after seeing that Ling Xi hadn't returned in a long time and went over to find him. It was merely that his entrance came at an inconvenient time. Ling Xi's head collided with his chest as soon as he raised his head. His nose stung so much that he spilled all the golden beans[3] by accident. An Ruifeng assisted him into a chair, offered him water, and wiped his face. He specifically lowered his voice to inquire of Ling Xi if he had a prosthesis in his nose and if it was wounded.
Ling Xi covered his nose and said dully: "I haven't undergone plastic surgery. My parents dislike young people who have plastic surgery."
An Ruifeng said: "It turns out that uncle and aunt don't like it... but my agency asked me to open the corner of my eyes[4]."
Ling Xi was so shocked that his tears dried up. He grasped An Ruifeng's face with both hands and twisted his head left and right for a long time, marveling at his gorgeous and deep eyes. He had intended to carefully check for evidence of his operation, but when their gazes connected, time and space seemed to vanish into nothingness.
If An Ruifeng's eyes were a jar of wine, someone like Ling Xi who normally didn’t touch a drop of alcohol, would probably get drunk as well, right?
Who knows how long it took Ling Xi to discover his voice. His throat was a touch dry, and he sounded hoarse as he hesitantly said: "Where was the surgery performed? I can't see anything!"
"I pulled a prank on you. Look, your nose doesn't hurt now, does it?" An Ruifeng smiled and took off his hands, his palms hot.
An Ruifeng's gold medal manager Xu Zhiqiang's face was as dark as coal behind the two of them. He stared at the little artist who loved to hug his artist’s thighs with an unkind expression. His eyes were blazing and he wished he could burn Ling Xi to a crisp. He had no idea what kind of spell Ling Xi had cast on An Ruifeng. An Ruifeng raced over to seek him as soon as he appeared, instead of memorizing his lines and catching up on sleep. He also joked about some silly plastic surgery to make him happy. Wouldn't it raise a commotion if someone overheard him?
Ling Xi complained to An Ruifeng about how, just now, when the assistant girl recognized him, she referred to him as "Zhu Linlin's supposed boyfriend." He didn't like Zhu Linlin and didn't want to form "Ling Lin CP" as her rumored boyfriend.
Xu Zhiqiang butted in with a fake smile: "Then you might as well visit a few more times, so that the gossip tabloids will call you An Ruifeng's rumored boyfriend."
Footnotes:
[1] I forgot to mention this in the previous chapter. It refers to the period between 1912-1949.
[2] A French supermarket chain.
[3] tears.
[4] It is a surgical procedure that lengthens your eyes. It appears to be fairly common among Korean actors.
