Chapter 29: No One Is Born Gentle

Du Yan was a bit puzzled when she came to pick up Tang Qu: “Brother Qu, are you sick?”

“I’m fine. Yu Ting called me out, and something happened in between.”

“It’s good that you’re okay, Brother Qu, otherwise Brother Yong would have scolded me.”

Tang Qu rubbed his temples, feeling somewhat uneasy. His trembling hands still hadn’t improved. He couldn’t just run away every time he saw Guan Yan, could he? That would be too embarrassing.

When they arrived at the set, Tang Qu realized he hadn’t had lunch yet and was about to ask Du Yan to buy some snacks.

Director Chen spotted Tang Qu: “Xiao Qu, you’re here. Come over, I just had an idea and want to discuss this scene with you.”

Tang Qu had no choice but to follow.

By the time Director Chen finished, Tang Qu checked the time and realized it was time for makeup. It seemed he would have to shoot the afternoon scenes on an empty stomach.

“Someone just mentioned you haven’t had lunch yet. Here’s the lunch that was sent over.”

Tang Qu looked at the lunchbox on the table and raised an eyebrow slightly. Did Yu Ting send it? He was the only one who knew Tang Qu hadn’t eaten lunch. He didn’t expect him to be so thoughtful.

“Brother Qu, why didn’t you tell me you hadn’t eaten lunch?” Du Yan felt guilty. As an assistant, she hadn’t noticed her artist hadn’t eaten.

Tang Qu waved his hand: “It’s not a big deal. For an actor, irregular meals are common.”

Although Tang Qu said it was normal in the industry, Du Yan still felt uncomfortable. She was older than Tang Qu and had come to see him as a younger brother since becoming his assistant. He was still a student; how could he not eat on time?

“I’ll go talk to the makeup artist. Brother Qu, you should eat something first.” With that, Du Yan left.

Tang Qu opened the lunchbox. The food was still steaming and smelled delicious.

He picked up the chopsticks, then put them down again, grabbed his phone, took a photo, and sent it to Yu Ting.

[Thank you for the lunch.]

After that, he put his phone down and focused on eating.

It wasn’t until he finished shooting in the evening that Tang Qu had time to check his phone again.

He saw a message from Yu Ting: [That wasn’t from me. The lunchbox seems to be from my uncle.]

Tang Qu paused for a moment. If Yu Ting didn’t send it, then it was from his uncle. Yu Ting’s uncle was Guan Yan!

So, the lunch was from Guan Yan?

Tang Qu felt a mix of emotions but quickly reassured himself. It was just a meal, nothing more. Guan Yan was probably just being polite for Yu Ting’s sake.

“Brother Qu, good night. I won’t come up today. I’ll bring you breakfast tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

Tang Qu was very satisfied with Du Yan. She took excellent care of his daily needs. It wasn’t that he couldn’t manage on his own, but balancing work and life was a bit challenging.

Tang Qu wondered if he should thank Guan Yan for the lunch, but he didn’t have Guan Yan’s contact information.

Before going to bed, Tang Qu sent another message to Yu Ting: [Please thank your uncle for me.]

He thought that would be the end of it, but in the following days, Tang Qu received the same lunchbox every noon, though the dishes inside were different.

Tang Qu wasn’t sure what it meant. It was from a senior, especially someone like Guan Yan who was not easy to deal with, so he couldn’t refuse.

Du Yan was curious about the lunch. Who was so diligent to deliver it every day? But if this continued, the menu she designed for Xiao Qu would be completely useless.

At noon that day, Du Yan received the lunchbox again.

Tang Qu took the lunchbox without surprise: “How many days has it been?”

“Ten days,” Du Yan replied, though she also had questions in her mind. However, since it was Tang Qu’s private matter, she didn’t feel it was appropriate to pry.

This couldn’t go on like this.

In the afternoon, Tang Qu found an opportunity to approach Yu Ting: “Brother Yu.”

“Xiao Qu, come over here. It’s much cooler here. You should spend more time with me,” Yu Ting said, standing up from his chair with renewed energy upon seeing Tang Qu.

“Brother Yu, I came to ask you for a favor.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“I wanted to ask if your uncle has been discharged from the hospital yet.”

“Him? He was discharged a couple of days ago and is resting at home now,” Yu Ting replied, though he kept a sarcastic thought to himself to preserve his uncle’s image. He felt his uncle was just using it as an excuse to laze around.

“I see.”

“Do you need something from him?”

“Yes, just a small matter.”

“Ah, it’s nothing. I can give you his address, or I can take you to see him if you’d like,” Yu Ting said, fully trusting Tang Qu. He didn’t think Tang Qu was trying to curry favor with Guan Yan. After all, if Tang Qu had such intentions, wouldn’t it be easier to start with him?

“No need. I’ll talk to him when there’s a chance later.”

“Alright, if you need my help, just let me know. Don’t be shy.”

Tang Qu nodded. He wasn’t shy, but your uncle certainly was.

The matter was temporarily put aside.

That night, Tang Qu had a night filming session. Although the weather wasn’t particularly cold, the scene required him to be in the water, which made Du Yan a bit worried. Zhang Yong was also by his side, reminding him, “If you can’t get it in one take, come out of the water. Don’t just stay there like a fool.”

Zhang Yong’s concern wasn’t unfounded. In a previous scene, Tang Qu was just a background character, but Bai Shan kept NG, and Tang Qu stood motionless under the sun. Afterward, Zhang Yong asked him, “Weren’t you hot?”

Tang Qu just smiled and said, “It’s fine. It was only for a few dozen minutes. If I kept moving, the prop master, makeup artist, and lighting crew would have to keep adjusting. I didn’t want to trouble them.”

Looking at the gentle smile on the young man’s face, Zhang Yong wondered what experiences a teenager could have gone through to develop such a considerate personality, always thinking of others.

As Tang Qu entered the water, Zhang Yong and Du Yan shared the same worried expression. In their eyes, Tang Qu was just an honest and simple kid who wouldn’t even complain if he was bullied.

Actors have their circles, and agents have theirs. Zhang Yong often heard about which actor was causing trouble for their agent or which actor was bullying others because of their background. But Tang Qu had none of these issues. He didn’t seem like someone without connections either. Otherwise, how could a newcomer in the entertainment industry have a mentor like Old Zhang, land a role in Director Chen’s film, befriend Yu Ting, and even receive daily lunches?

The more Zhang Yong thought about it, the more he felt his child was too well-behaved. He needed to keep a close eye on them to ensure they weren’t bullied.

Tang Qu floated on the water’s surface, his expression serious. This scene depicted Yu Ze in danger, and him going to the rescue.

Tang Qu, submerged in the water, was unaware that an additional person had appeared in front of the camera.