Ying Ming had already made it clear that he did not want to continue cooperating with the publicity stunt, but the matter did not end there.

The thoughts of the investors, the director, and the producer were obviously at odds with his, and Liu Li’s attitude made Ying Ming’s opinion seem even more insignificant in the whole situation.

Many people in the crew understood what was really going on.

Some watched for the fun of it, while others spread gossip.

As with anything, some people were pleased, while others were displeased. Liu Li had previously mentioned that the scenes of almost everyone in the crew had been cut, leaving only Ying Ming with additional lines. She had not been exaggerating. This was the truth.

Although the added scenes seemed ridiculous to Ying Ming, they inevitably caused resentment in others.

The one with the biggest complaint was naturally Dong Xiao, the male lead.

He and Ying Ming were old acquaintances.

Back when Ying Ming was at the peak of his fame, he had collaborated with Dong Xiao. At that time, Dong Xiao had been his supporting character, playing his friend. Now, the tables had turned. Ying Ming was cast as a supporting character, a supporting character to another supporting character no less.

This was perhaps one of the interesting things about the entertainment industry.

Time and opportunity could change many things. Some people rise to fame overnight without even understanding how it happened, while others, thinking they have reached the height of their careers, may fall from grace due to a single unexpected incident.

However, Ying Ming did not fall into either of these categories.

When he saw Dong Xiao, he even greeted him.

On the surface, the two got along decently.

They were not particularly close, but they had worked together before and could always find a casual topic to chat about.

That was until the gossip about Liu Li and Ying Ming sparked widespread discussion.

The breaking point was likely the matter of the added scenes.

When Dong Xiao was informed, he could not understand it at all. “What is the point of having a bodyguard get involved in a romantic entanglement with the female lead? It makes no sense, right?”

Especially since this bodyguard barely had two lines of dialogue.

“There’s no need to make it too obvious, just convey a subtle sense of ambiguity. Let the audience speculate on the rest.”

The director had clearly thought it through and even seemed oddly excited. “Even an assassin has feelings. His attitude toward the female lead is one of longing but unattainability, which is why his confrontation with the male lead in the end will be especially intense.”

Hearing this explanation, the veteran actor playing the villain chuckled. “So why am I even here? Might as well let Dong Xiao and Ying Ming fight it out directly.”

Ying Ming laughed as well.

“Or we could just have Teacher Zhao and Liu Li do a scene together, and I’ll fight Teacher Zhao.”

As the conversation veered further into the absurd, Ying Ming glanced at Zhao Rui, who caught on immediately and gave him a pat on the shoulder. The two exchanged a look, their eyes full of sarcasm.

Ying Ming was on a different level from these younger actors. He had taken the role because the pay was decent. It was a commercial film, nothing highbrow or culturally significant. He was just there to make up the numbers. The amount of screen time would not affect his paycheck, so watching these petty squabbles over scenes struck him as rather amusing.

During his time with the crew, Ying Ming was the only one who had left a good impression on Zhao Rui.

Maybe it was because they had a lot of scenes together, but Zhao Rui found him surprisingly professional. At first glance, Ying Ming seemed no different from the others, but once they actually worked together, Zhao Rui realized he was quite an interesting person.

Ying Ming was thoughtful.

During late-night shoots or action scenes, it was obvious that he looked out for others.

To outsiders, the entertainment industry might seem like a cutthroat battlefield, but at the end of the day, actors were just colleagues.

Sometimes lending a helping hand was better than constantly undermining each other. Helping others often meant helping yourself.

Unfortunately, most of the younger generation did not understand that anymore.

The director brushed off the teasing between Dong Xiao and the others with a casual wave. “I’ve already discussed it with the producer, and it’s been decided. The revised script will be ready this afternoon. Take some time to familiarize yourselves with it.”

This meeting was merely an announcement, not a discussion.

Dong Xiao frowned without saying a word, his gaze sweeping over to where Ying Ming was sitting, his dislike obvious.

Fortunately, Ying Ming did not care at all.

Whether the role was expanded or not, he would not stay in this production for more than a month. Once he finished his scenes, he planned to go on a trip and avoid all these troubles.

As for how long they would keep pushing the fabricated story about him and Liu Li, Ying Ming had already stopped caring.

Even if he could not completely sever the connection, at least he could stop cooperating.

Whenever the media brought up the topic during interviews, he would skillfully steer the conversation away. If they pressed too hard, he would drag Wang Yiqi into it, shifting the focus to ridiculous speculations about his sexual orientation instead.

Just when everyone was starting to grow tired of the overcomplicated gossip, something unexpected happened. Photos of Shi Yi and Liu Li secretly meeting were suddenly leaked online.

The photos themselves were not particularly incriminating. They were just pictures of the two having a meal together. However, the person who posted them insisted that Liu Li and Shi Yi were in a romantic relationship and often spent the night at each other’s homes.

When the media covered the story, they avoided revealing Shi Yi’s actual background, merely referring to him as the descendant of a powerful family with an illustrious lineage. This kind of vague implication left plenty of room for public imagination to run wild.

As a result, various media outlets began competing to create the most sensational version of the gossip story, weaving tales about Liu Li’s relationship with Ying Ming, Liu Li’s relationship with Shi Yi, and even Shi Yi’s connection to Ying Ming. They even dug up Shi Yi’s past visit to the film set.

There were different versions and various so-called insider revelations.

By the time things escalated, the rumors had gotten so wild that people were claiming Shi Yi and Ying Ming had fought in a bar over Liu Li in a fit of jealousy.

When Kou Jing called Ying Ming later to confirm the rumors, Ying Ming sneered and made a sarcastic comment. “What a pity Shi Yi isn’t an actor. Imagine the effect if they cast him for a cameo.”

Liu Li really had no limits when it came to using every trick in the book.

Ying Ming had long since grown used to such situations.

Shi Yi, however, wasn’t.

The first time he left his company building and was immediately surrounded by tabloid reporters bombarding him with questions and asking for interviews, Ou Yang’s face almost twisted in disbelief.

“So, you’ve finally decided to embrace PR to boost your image?”

There was a teasing edge in his voice. Shi Yi shot him a glare and stayed silent.

Because of his background, Shi Yi had always kept a low profile in front of the media. Even when industry magazines requested exclusive interviews, it was usually Ou Yang who made the appearances in his place.

He had never wanted to draw too much attention to his family.

He didn’t need to rely on his background for influence.

Now, however, all the things he had once tried to keep discreet had suddenly become the focus of public gossip. It wasn’t even because of his professional career. It was all due to rumors about his love life. Once or twice, he could endure it, but when it kept happening over and over, Shi Yi finally lost his patience.

The third time he noticed someone following him, he confiscated their camera without hesitation.

“If you publish unauthorized photos of me again, my lawyer will send you a formal notice.”

Shi Yi had never been known for having a gentle temper.

Anyone who crossed his bottom line would never get away easily. Unlike many celebrities who found these tabloid reporters hard to deal with and avoided provoking them, Shi Yi didn’t care.

If he wanted, making one or two of these tabloids disappear from the industry wasn’t difficult for him.

He didn’t like causing trouble, but he certainly wasn’t afraid of it.

Maybe it was because of Shi Yi’s tough stance that the situation eventually calmed down. At least, no media outlets were still trying to stir up rumors about his relationship with Liu Li.

This outcome left Liu Li feeling somewhat uneasy.

“Shi Yi, do you think our relationship is something shameful?” When she asked him this, there was no anger in her tone. It sounded more like a casual question, as though it didn’t really matter.

Shi Yi frowned slightly. “Weren’t you the one who kept emphasizing that we should avoid the media?”

Liu Li was the public figure here, not him, so it didn’t seem like he was the one creating the problem.

She smiled faintly. “What if I wanted to make our relationship public? Would you agree?”

“Public?” Shi Yi found the word a bit intriguing. “How exactly do you plan to make it public?”

“I’m tired of reporters chasing after me, asking if I have feelings for anyone or if I’m possibly involved with someone.” Her fingers traced across Shi Yi’s chest, undoing the first button of his shirt, and slowly slid further inside. “Shi Yi, are you serious about us?”

The two of them were lying in bed, dim bedroom lights casting a soft glow over their bodies. The atmosphere was intimate and quiet.

Shi Yi leaned against the pillows, watching the faint but unmistakable look of expectation in Liu Li’s eyes. He didn’t stop her movements, but he also didn’t give her an immediate answer.

After spending some time together, he couldn’t say he had no feelings for Liu Li.

Although they hadn’t reached the stage of talking about marriage, his attitude toward her was different from how he treated women he casually dated. The fact that Liu Li’s history with Ying Ming had annoyed him in the past was largely because he didn’t see their relationship as something trivial.

Still, he wasn’t sure if it was the right time to make things public.

He still needed time to think it over.

Once he made a decision, it would mean explaining things to his family as well.

Liu Li wasn’t someone who couldn’t be introduced publicly, but the social circles involved were rather complicated.

Liu Li noticed Shi Yi’s hesitation.

Wisely, she didn’t continue pressing him. Instead, she teased and seduced him with her actions, waiting until he pulled her into his arms. Then, she narrowed her eyes in a seductive, satisfied expression.

The relationship between men and women could be as complicated or as simple as they allowed it to be.

In Shi Yi’s expression, she caught a fleeting glimpse of acknowledgment. Even though it lasted for only a moment, it was enough to make her feel she had already secured her victory.

—

On the day Ying Ming was filming his final scene, Shi Yi suddenly showed up on set.

This was the second time he had visited the filming location.

Once again, he didn’t announce his arrival to anyone, nor did he draw much attention.

It just so happened that the scene being filmed that day was particularly chaotic, and there were more crew members than usual, bustling in and out. As a result, no one had time to notice him.

He sent Liu Li a text message to let her know he was there, then turned to glance at the filming area.

After observing for a while, he realized they were shooting the scene where Ying Ming’s character was killed.

Because of the so-called added scenes, the director had intensified the action sequence for this part.

Originally planned to be filmed in two days, it had been extended to a week after the stunt director redesigned the fight choreography.

Today was the final day.

Ying Ming was forcing himself to endure and finish the scene with immense patience.

His whole body was aching badly by now.

Dong Xiao vented most of his frustration about the additional scenes through the action sequences during filming.

Although it wasn’t too obvious, he hit harder than necessary in certain moments.

Some people on set might have noticed, but no one dared to interfere. After all, Dong Xiao was the leading actor in the movie, and crossing him wasn’t likely to end well.

His attitude toward Ying Ming made it clear that he was someone who held grudges and retaliated easily.

Sometimes, tolerating things was the simplest way to keep the peace.

Of course, for others, putting up with it wasn’t a big deal.

But for Ying Ming, it wasn’t that easy.

It wasn’t just the injuries all over his body that made it difficult to endure. It was also Dong Xiao’s childish behavior, which left him feeling thoroughly annoyed.

He was starting to feel tempted to snap.