Chapter 24

It was a sunny day in June, and the asphalt road had already given off a faint burnt smell under the afternoon sun. As the tram dinged its way through the intersection, the windows reflected dazzling sunlight.

The production team had obtained permission from the relevant authorities, and the entire street had been closed off for four hours. The directors and photographers, braving the scorching sun, barked instructions to arrange the extras' positions. Gradually, the old street took on a deceptively casual yet carefully staged scene, while across the street stood the massive film crew.

"Thanks, sis," Xu Zhangying said, a candy cigarette dangling from his mouth as he pushed aside the curtain and stepped outside.

Xia Qing, leaning against the traffic light with his jacket slung over his shoulder, stood in the shade of the building. Without even trying, he looked like a magazine model, standing out strikingly in the crowd.

Xu Zhangying walked over to Xia Qing with a bag in hand, handing Shao Qiaoqiao and Secretary Zhang a bottle of Fruit Orange and oolong tea respectively. He then offered Xia Qing a can of Wahaha Milk. "It's ice-cold. Want some?"

Xia Qing shook his head slightly. "I'm not thirsty. You have it."

Xu Zhangying, still chewing on the candy cigarette, grinned. "Then I'll pass too."

With that, he handed the plastic bag to Secretary Zhang and added, "Good thing the shops here stayed open. You can go inside to cool off if it gets too hot. The shop owner said the crew paid them 500 bucks a day."

Xia Qing's gaze lingered on the candy cigarette in Xu Zhangying's mouth. When Xu Zhangying noticed and met his eyes, he chuckled and bit off a small piece with a crisp snap. "It's just candy. I'm quitting smoking this year."

Only then did a look of understanding dawn on Xia Qing's face. But the next moment, Xu Zhangying, like a magician, extended his right fist, revealing four lollipops tucked between his fingers.

"Ta-da! I looked around but couldn't find strawberry-flavored mints in their shop, so I got lollipops instead. Have one!"

Xia Qing seemed surprised that Xu Zhangying remembered to buy him mints. After a brief pause, he actually picked the strawberry-flavored one from the four lollipops and held it in his hand.

Xu Zhangying watched with a smile as Xia Qing unwrapped the candy, but then Secretary Zhang approached with his briefcase and calmly pulled out two pairs of sunglasses, handing them to Xu Zhangying and Xia Qing.

"Mr. Xia, Mr. Xu, these should help with the glare."

Xu Zhangying nearly dropped his candy cigarette in shock. He stared at Secretary Zhang, the briefcase, and the sunglasses in his hand, then instinctively turned to see Shao Qiaoqiao already wearing sunglasses—complete with light brown lenses—as she sipped her juice.

Trembling, Xu Zhangying put on the sunglasses, hiding his astonished expression. "Wait—hold on. Secretary Zhang, how did you even think to prepare sunglasses?"

Secretary Zhang closed his briefcase and put on a pair of identical black sunglasses, making him look even more professional. With utter seriousness, he replied, "Just doing my job. We checked the crew's schedule and the weather forecast yesterday."

Xu Zhangying was about to ask Xia Qing what their secret was for training such a secretary, but when he looked up, he saw Xia Qing's fair, handsome face now also adorned with sunglasses, sucking on a lollipop. With a crisp snap, Xu Zhangying bit through his candy cigarette and swallowed his playful remark along with it.

"Wow, they're going to crash! Is it for real?" Shao Qiaoqiao exclaimed, an apple-flavored lollipop in her mouth as she craned her neck excitedly.

The four of them stood at the best vantage point on the street corner, all uniformly wearing sunglasses and sucking on lollipops—Secretary Zhang had initially refused to partake for the sake of his professional image, but Xu Zhangying had pressed one into his hand.

This was a major scene, so Xu Zhangying had some recollection of it. The street would first host a chase and crash sequence between the protagonist and antagonist, followed by a jumping stunt—the female second lead, Gao Yiqiao, would leap from the third floor of a residential building onto the awning of a fruit store below while chasing a drug dealer.

Xu Zhangying checked his watch—it was exactly 1:30 PM. The stunt performers and vehicles were in position. As the director's megaphone blared "Action!", the screech of tires filled the street. Within five seconds, a white car and a black car collided amid the (actor-portrayed) pedestrians' screams and frantic dodging, ending up perfectly flipped.

When Gu Yangfeng shouted "Cut!", the entire set erupted in cheers and applause.

Shao Qiaoqiao clutched her chest, murmuring, "Even knowing it's fake, that was terrifying. What if they hadn't gotten it right?"

Xu Zhangying grinned and jerked his thumb toward two identical cars parked further down the street. "Then they'd just do it again. This is where the movie budget goes."

Secretary Zhang, who had never seen a film set before, let slip some unprofessional excitement. "I see."

Soon, the crew did some quick cleanup, and Zhuo Binbai and Xie Yinan, now sporting battle-damaged makeup, replaced the stunt performers in the wrecked cars to film close-ups of them climbing out—wait. Xu Zhangying tilted his head. Why was Xie Yinan here?

As he pondered, a group of people approached their direction. At the same time, noisy voices sounded from above. Xu Zhangying looked up and saw Wu Qize and the others—apparently, the building beside them was the one for the jumping stunt. The props team was busy preparing safety ropes and harnesses for the scene.

With their street permit running on a tight schedule, the massive crew worked with remarkable efficiency. Half an hour later, after wrapping up the close-ups for the leads and antagonists, it was time for the jumping stunt.

However, Chao Zhengxin and Wu Qize froze when faced with Xie Yinan standing before them. Chao Zhengxin's face turned green as he glanced at Gu Yangfeng and stammered, "Director Gu, wasn’t it supposed to be Sister Yiqiao?"

Gu Yangfeng kept his head down, focused on the storyboard, not even looking up. Beside him, Deputy Director Yang replied nonchalantly, "Oh, that was from several script versions ago. The screenwriters and director revised it—this scene is Yinan’s now. Go get ready."

Wu Qize spoke up, "But... the action training for this scene was done by Ms. Gao..." His voice trailed off under Xie Yinan’s sidelong glare and the indifference of the director’s team.

Xu Zhangying’s excitement for the drama surged once more. He rolled the pineapple-flavored lollipop in his mouth and leaned toward Xia Qing, who was intently studying the safety harness equipment, whispering, "This is a straight-up role grab. Looks like the director and this leading lady had a private agreement."

Xia Qing listened to Xu Zhangying’s gossip with a serious expression and even nodded.

Since Secretary Zhang had earlier said Qiao Ping and the other producers didn’t need to accompany them, they hadn’t followed. But now they stood at the edge of the commotion, and Qiao Ping looked up at them, his prepared smile freezing instantly upon seeing the lollipop crew in sunglasses before he quickly turned away, pretending not to notice.

Since Xie Yinan hadn’t undergone prior training, the props crew was getting worked to the bone again today. Wu Qize ran up and down adjusting equipment, his T-shirt soaked with sweat, while the rest of the team pushed the prepared one-meter-high air cushion beneath the awning.

The stunt doubles went first, shattering the window glass and leaping down one after another, quickly completing most of the action shots. The remaining task was for Xie Yinan to perform a wire descent for close-up shots.

This action sequence still carried some risk, making it a pivotal character moment—likely why Xie Yinan had fought so hard to take it, given her dissatisfaction with her original role. After all, it was clear from noon that she and Director Gu Yangfeng were on very close terms.

Chao Zhengxin stood downstairs. Once everything was ready, he turned on his walkie-talkie. With a crackle, Xu Zhangying heard Xie Yinan’s sharp voice simultaneously from the walkie-talkie and upstairs: "I’ve got way more experience than you! Do you know how many years I’ve been acting? Stop wasting time—just make sure I’m safe!"

Wiping his sweat, Chao Zhengxin heard Wu Qize’s "In position" over the walkie-talkie and relayed the same to the crew.

Soon, the crane cameras and other setups were ready, and the director’s megaphone called for action.

The next second, Xie Yinan’s figure appeared on the windowsill. Her acting was commendable, conveying the character’s hesitation, fear, and bravery in a single moment. Two seconds later, she closed her eyes and jumped as scripted.

But the moment she leaped, Xie Yinan was too tense—her legs didn’t follow her upper body’s motion, lingering briefly on the sill. This threw off her balance, causing the safety buckle to jam and leaving her dangling midair, three stories up.

Before Shao Qiaoqiao could gasp in shock, a man beside Xu Zhangying let out a blood-curdling shriek, startling Xu Zhangying into biting through his lollipop for the second time that day. He instinctively leaned into Xia Qing, who reflexively tightened his grip around Xu Zhangying’s back and shoulders. Only then did Xu Zhangying realize Xie Yinan’s manager, Yu Ze, had somehow appeared right beside him.

"Yinan—hurry, save her!!" Yu Ze rushed toward Chao Zhengxin.

The crowd erupted into chaos. Chao Zhengxin waved his hands helplessly. "It’s just the safety buckle jamming—standard protection if balance is lost. Don’t panic, we’ll lower Ms. Xie right away."

Hanging midair, Xie Yinan’s face had gone pale. Fortunately, she wasn’t too high up—about five or six meters—with a one-meter-high air cushion below. Still, her experience showed as she steadied her breathing and expression before glaring up at Wu Qize, who stood on the windowsill in a safety harness checking on her, and snapping, "What the actual hell is your problem? Why didn’t you tell me about this buckle earlier?!"

Wu Qize seemed to mutter an explanation, but Xie Yinan, still tense, vented her frustration on him. Chao Zhengxin, stuck downstairs, couldn’t help either, only speaking into the walkie-talkie: "Easy does it, nice and slow. Lower Ms. Xie onto the cushion carefully."

"Now that’s dedication," came a woman’s voice laced with venom. Xie Yinan and Yu Ze’s expressions darkened. Xu Zhangying sighed inwardly—their spot really was a magnet for drama.

The one mocking Xie Yinan was none other than Gao Yiqiao. Arms crossed, flanked by her team, she stared at Xie Yinan being slowly lowered, her eyes full of resentment. Eight years younger at just twenty-three, Gao Yiqiao was a rising star known for her acting and stunning Omega Beauty.

Still unsatisfied, Gao Yiqiao raised her voice, "Ms. Xie, you almost gave me a heart attack just now! You should take better care of yourself—don’t push so hard. Unlike us tough young things, if you get hurt, it’ll take ages to recover!"

Still dangling, Xie Yinan looked completely mortified. Before Yu Ze and her assistants could steady her, she turned beet red and shouted, "You trying to sabotage me today? Trying to kill me?!"

Even Shao Qiaoqiao’s sunglasses couldn’t hide her shock. Clutching her finished lollipop stick, she muttered under her breath, "Don’t tell me Wu Qize is catching heat again... Isn’t he supposed to be the Male Lead today?"