Chapter 7

Ever since the disastrous script reading session, Jiang Zihang had hoped that he could still outshine Su Xingyao once filming began.

However, on the very first day of shooting, he was quickly forced to face a harsh truth.

It turned out that he was the one with the worst acting in the entire crew.

The so-called useless Su Xingyao was not only not bad at acting, but his performance could even be considered pretty good.

Even when acting opposite ^[1]Seasoned veterans” refers to individuals who have a lot of experience in a particular field or profession, often gained over many years. In this context, it refers to actors who have been … Continue readingseasoned veterans, he didn’t fall behind in the slightest.

After realizing that he was constantly being outperformed by Su Xingyao, Jiang Zihang had no choice but to settle down and focus.

Once filming officially started, not only was Jiang Zihang surprised, but so were the other crew members at Su Xingyao’s performance.

After all, with his notorious reputation, everyone had started with the lowest expectations for him.

Many people thought, as long as this guy didn’t cause trouble and could at least finish the shooting without a hitch, that would be good enough.

But to everyone’s surprise, not only did he stay out of trouble, but his acting, lines, and overall attitude towards the shoot were all excellent.

Nothing like what the haters had claimed about him fumbling his lines on set happened.

As the crew realized the rumors were false, they began to slowly change their view of him in just a few days.

—

Today, Ji Linghe was lucky enough not to have any late-night scenes scheduled.

In a good mood, he planned to finish work early so he could go out for hotpot.

However, things didn’t go as he hoped. Jiang Zihang, his scene partner, seemed like he hadn’t slept all night and was out of sorts the entire day.

Although Ji Linghe was a formally trained actor, his acting style leaned toward being more spontaneous, feeding off the live atmosphere during scenes.

So, when dealing with Jiang Zihang, who couldn’t seem to get into character and kept messing up, after going through the same scene over and over for the entire afternoon, Ji Linghe grew increasingly frustrated.

The consequence of this was that, in the very next scene, when he was acting opposite a veteran actor, his emotions and state just weren’t right.

Ultimately, relying on his professional skills, he barely managed to finish the scene. But afterward, Ji Linghe’s face darkened, and he became incredibly irritable.

The weather today had already exceeded 35°C, and the set felt like a giant furnace.

In this sweltering heat, Ji Linghe’s frustration grew even more as his performance suffered because of someone else.

After throwing his cloak to his assistant, he slumped down next to the air conditioner.

His throat was dry, and after sitting under the cool air for a while, he realized it wasn’t helping much. Feeling dizzy from the heat, he reached out to grab the bottled water his assistant had placed under the chair.

Just as Ji Linghe reached out, he suddenly felt a cool sensation on his fingertips.

This coolness quickly spread up his fingers, and it felt like the heat around him started to dissipate with it.

He immediately realized that the sensation wasn’t from the water bottle. Looking up, he saw that Su Xingyao was handing him a chilled lemon soda.

In the transparent crystal glass, lemon slices and square ice cubes were immersed in the clear soda, with small bubbles rising to the surface. A blue straw rested against the edge of the glass, and a few fresh mint leaves floated beside it.

Just the sight of the drink, with its refreshing color scheme, already gave a sense of coolness that invigorated the senses.

“Is this for me?”

Ji Linghe looked at Su Xingyao in surprise, not expecting him to be here.

Su Xingyao nodded, placing the drink in Ji Linghe’s hand before also offering him a small fan.

Ji Linghe was indeed thirsty. After saying a quick “thank you,” he lowered his head and took a big sip.

This was his favorite cold drink for summer, and now, unexpectedly, he was drinking it early in the stifling heat of a set in April.

With that one sip, the irritation from the entire afternoon seemed to vanish, soothed by the lemon soda.

Feeling much better, Ji Linghe finally smiled.

He looked at Su Xingyao with curiosity and asked, “Why are you still here? Didn’t your scenes finish a while ago?”

The set was so hot that actors, once done with their scenes, usually couldn’t wait to leave and get to air conditioning.

He had never seen anyone, like Su Xingyao, stick around after their scenes.

Of course, Ji Linghe wasn’t vain enough to think that Su Xingyao had stayed just to wait for him and bring him the drink.

He rarely paid attention to gossip, but he could still see the personalities of the people around him.

Although Su Xingyao had a lot of bad press, Ji Linghe found that he wasn’t a bad person to interact with and that he wasn’t the type to overthink things.

As expected, Su Xingyao’s answer was pretty much what Ji Linghe had anticipated.

“I’m here to learn from Senior Gong.”

Senior Gong, as Su Xingyao referred to him, was the seasoned veteran actor who had just performed with Ji Linghe. He had won countless Best Supporting Actor awards in his career and was renowned for his excellent acting skills.

After hearing this, Ji Linghe nodded in understanding.

He had done the same thing as Su Xingyao before—seeking opportunities to observe veteran actors like the movie kings and queens on set.

After all, compared to a finished film, the set was the most real environment for acting, with all sorts of unexpected situations happening.

Watching these seasoned actors in action not only taught him acting techniques but also how to handle all kinds of sudden issues that arose during filming.

Probably because he saw a bit of himself in Su Xingyao, Ji Linghe took the initiative to talk to him.

“Mr. Gong really has a lot of techniques to offer. But you could actually talk to him directly. He’s very easygoing, and you can ask him about any thoughts or doubts you have.”

Su Xingyao smiled and nodded, but then softly added, “Senior Gong is really tired right now.”

Ji Linghe immediately realized what he had overlooked.

If a young person like him could barely handle the weather, how could Senior Gong, who was nearly seventy, cope?

Thinking back to the exhaustion he had seen on Senior Gong’s face after his scene, Ji Linghe nodded at Su Xingyao.

Now was definitely not the time to disturb him.

Ji Linghe took another sip of the soda in his glass, and after seeing how considerate Su Xingyao was, his opinion of him improved quite a bit.

As the saying goes, “A favor makes people soft-hearted.”

So, after finishing the lemon soda and feeling like his life had been saved, Ji Linghe immediately invited Su Xingyao to have hotpot together in the evening.

During the meal, they casually chatted about their thoughts on future scenes together, and later they played some games together.

The atmosphere during the meal wasn’t too intense, but it wasn’t dull either.

Ji Linghe found it to be just the right balance, feeling very comfortable.

After dinner, he took the initiative to add Su Xingyao on WeChat.

This was the first time Ji Linghe officially got to know Su Xingyao.

Before, they had only exchanged casual nods. Although they had eaten together with the crew, they hadn’t shot a scene together, so their private interactions had been minimal.

After having hotpot together tonight, Ji Linghe’s opinion of Su Xingyao changed significantly.

He realized that Su Xingyao was eloquent, emotionally stable, and a person who would make a great friend.

So, when they returned to the hotel, Ji Linghe thought back to the first time he had heard Su Xingyao perform his lines, and he actively approached him.

“I have a scene tomorrow morning. Xiao Su, could you help me go over the lines?”

Su Xingyao didn’t refuse and agreed immediately.

That evening, the two of them went through the script until nearly ten o’clock

With Su Xingyao’s positive energy, Ji Linghe, whose mood had been disturbed earlier by Jiang Zihang, finally regained his focus.

Ji Linghe was very grateful for the help Su Xingyao provided when his state was off.

From that day on, his attitude toward Su Xingyao became noticeably friendlier.

Whenever he had free time, Ji Linghe would actively ask Su Xingyao to go over lines together, and he would also kindly point out areas where Su Xingyao could improve, such as his performance, positioning, and camera angles.

With the guidance of Ji Linghe, a professional actor, Su Xingyao’s filming sessions became much smoother.

However, after the two of them became friends and things settled down, Jiang Zihang began to have some concerns.

He had taken on this drama with the hope of becoming a top star in the future.

However, for a BL drama to become a hit, the most important thing was that the CP (couple pairing) had to be sweet and easy to ship.

His agent had reminded him countless times to interact more with Ji Linghe during filming, to make sure the camera captured those subtle, intimate moments outside the scenes.

These moments could later be used as evidence of their “love” for the CP fans in the behind-the-scenes footage!

After all, the more interaction there was outside of the scenes, the more genuine the relationship would appear, and the fans would be more emotionally invested.

Always keeping his agent’s words in mind, Jiang Zihang did his best to follow the advice.

But unfortunately, Ji Linghe wasn’t very cooperative. He remained indifferent toward Jiang Zihang and wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about engaging in the “business” side of things.

Jiang Zihang, who had already been troubled by the situation, now saw how attentive Ji Linghe was to Su Xingyao, not only teaching him acting but also hanging out with him.

He felt as if he had swallowed a thousand lemons, his heart sour and filled with jealousy.

Seeing how much more annoying Su Xingyao was becoming, Jiang Zihang couldn’t hold it in any longer and started venting to his good friend, Shen Huaixi.

He even asked Shen Huaixi to come visit the set and cheer him up.

—

“Falling Flowers and Glass” was divided into the Immortal-Demon arc and the Mortal arc.

The Immortal-Demon arc had fewer scenes, so it was filmed quickly.

Within about two weeks, the main scenes of the Immortal-Demon arc were wrapped up, and the filming transitioned smoothly to the Mortal arc.

The Mortal arc was much more complex, with a wider variety of filming locations.

Most of the scenes for this part were shot in the film city’s studios, but before starting these, the crew had arranged for a three-day outdoor shoot.

So, the entire crew moved to a scenic, remote mountain forest hundreds of kilometers away from Y City.

The filming location was a developing tourist area, surrounded by mountains with a peaceful and beautiful environment.

However, matching the natural beauty was the fact that the conditions here were quite harsh.

There were no hotels or guesthouses, and the actors had to stay in local wooden houses or bamboo huts.

Su Xingyao gave the better bamboo hut to his female colleagues and settled into a quiet, secluded wooden house on the edge of the area.

The wooden house was quite simple, with only a wooden plank bed and no furniture.

However, having experienced hardship in the past, Su Xingyao didn’t mind it.

After quickly organizing his room, he went outside for a walk and to take some photos.

As soon as Su Xingyao stepped out, he saw Yu Sisi walking back and forth anxiously in the yard, holding her phone.

Thinking that she was in some trouble, he quickly walked over to her.

“What’s wrong, Sister Sisi?”

Yu Sisi, who had been frowning, smiled when she saw Su Xingyao and hurriedly waved her phone at him.

“Ah, Xingyao, do you have signal in your room? The signal in mine is so bad, I can’t even video call my daughter.”

Su Xingyao hadn’t checked his phone yet, so he had no idea about the signal.

Seeing Yu Sisi asking, he quickly pulled out his phone to check.

“One bar.”

Upon hearing that, Yu Sisi’s hopeful expression immediately vanished.

“One bar for you too? Mine’s the same.”

She then half-jokingly started complaining.

“Director Wang really found a place that’s practically inhabited by immortals—our phones can’t even connect to human signals.”

Just as Yu Sisi finished speaking, Ji Linghe also joined them with his phone in hand.

“Is your signal bad too?”

He gestured to the frozen screen on his phone with a helpless look.

“New season today, and I was hoping to play a few rounds with my buddies during the break… but this signal has me totally confused.”

While the three of them were talking, other crew members also noticed the issue and began lamenting the weak signal.

“Is it because it’s too remote here? I can barely make a call without it cutting in and out.”

After hearing Yu Sisi’s assistant, Su Xingyao shook his head.

“It’s probably because the mountains are too high. The high mountains and trees are blocking the signal from the base station, which is why the signal is so weak.”

Hearing this explanation, the assistant immediately looked at Su Xingyao with admiration. “So that’s how it is, Mr. Su, you really know a lot…”

Su Xingyao shook his head, then looked at the others who were still worrying about the signal.

After a moment, he tentatively spoke up.

“Maybe… we could try using a signal booster.”

This was the first time Yu Sisi had heard of such a thing, so she quickly asked in confusion, “What kind of signal booster?”

Before Su Xingyao could answer, Ji Linghe helped clarify.

“Xingyao is talking about a signal booster, it’s something that can increase the phone signal.”

After that, Ji Linghe added with a hint of regret,

“I actually thought of that just now too, but with how remote we are, by the time we order it online and get it shipped here, the shoot will probably be over.”

Yu Sisi, who had just felt a glimmer of hope at the mention of a signal booster, immediately had that hope extinguished by Ji Linghe’s comment.

She sighed and furrowed her brow again.

“So, we just have to wait here with no signal for three days, huh?”

Her exasperated sigh was cut short when she heard Su Xingyao speaking to his assistant.

Su Xingyao turned to his assistant, Xiao Yu, and quietly asked, “Did you bring the package I asked you to collect yesterday?”

Xiao Yu, a bit confused about why Su Xingyao was asking this now, paused for a couple of seconds before responding, “Yes, I brought it. Susu, do you need it now?”

“Yes.”

Xiao Yu was a bit puzzled but quickly went to fetch the box.

After Su Xingyao took the box and confirmed its contents, he spoke to the group.

“I should be able to assemble one here.”

Upon hearing this, the people around him rushed over as if they had found a lifeline.

“Assembly?? Damn, Xingyao, you’re amazing!!”

“Ahhh, how do you assemble it? Do you need any materials, Mr. Su? I’ll go find them right now!”

“Mr. Su, can a homemade one boost the signal? I’ve seen people online say these things don’t work.”

While everyone was talking all at once, Su Xingyao calmly answered each question one by one.

“It’s not homemade.”

“I have all the tools here.”

After that, he opened the package and began showing everyone the contents.

“My roommate heard that I was going to the mountains to shoot, so they sent me a signal booster they just developed, telling me to try it out first.”

As he spoke, he began to open the assembly instructions.

After glancing at it for a moment, he put it aside.

“Once it’s assembled, if it works, watching videos and such should be no problem.”

After hearing Su Xingyao’s words, everyone present lit up with excitement.

They leaned in, surrounding Su Xingyao from all sides, peering over each other’s shoulders.

Everyone was watching Su Xingyao intently, but they were all breathing carefully, as though afraid that even the slightest sound of breathing might blow a piece of the components away.

In the following hour, the cast and crew were lucky enough to witness the so-called useless beauty, Su Xingyao, skillfully assembling all the parts one by one.

After an hour, Su Xingyao finally stood up.

He clapped his hands. “Done.”

Ji Linghe quickly, with a bit of flattery, handed Su Xingyao a wet wipe. “Mr. Su, here, wipe your hands.”

He didn’t forget to ask, “Do you think this will work?”

“Let’s give it a try.”

Su Xingyao pressed the switch as he spoke.

Immediately, everyone in the room quickly opened their phones, focusing intently on the signal bar.

Two seconds later, the entire group simultaneously let out screams.

“Damn.”

“Damn, damn, damn!!!”

Everyone was shocked to find that the once weak and barely-there phone signal had instantly gone to full bars!

Yu Sisi excitedly opened Douyin to test the internet speed.

Soon, the video that had previously struggled to load now played smoothly and automatically.

Yu Sisi: !!!!!!!!

So this is the power of a big shot and technology!

That afternoon, the crew members of Falling Flowers and Glass all seemed to have made an agreement, and at the same time, they excitedly and reverently updated their WeChat Moments.

The content of the update was extremely simple, but it conveyed an overwhelmingly strong, heartfelt, and deafening emotion from the person posting.

Everyone posted the same thing—

“Mr. Su!!!

You! Are! My! God!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”