Chapter 18

It rained, the rain fell slantingly on the branches, the river, and the awning.

The firelight of the barbecue stall shone, and the grey smoke rose towards the night sky like clouds, quickly dispersed by the rain.

During the preparations for the concert, he rehearsed day and night. Now that the concert was over, the tension in Yan Zhao’s mind suddenly loosened.

He disregarded the dietary regulations emphasized by Song Jing, sent away Xiao Dou and Zhong Ling, and together with Shen Yuanting, ordered food and liquor at the barbecue stall by the river.

Apart from the two of them and the stall owner, there were no other customers. He didn’t have to worry about being recognized, so he boldly took off his mask.

He ordered his favorite dishes, fatty pork belly dripping with oil, corn kernels charred on the surface with a unique flavor from being grilled, as well as skewered garlic chives and grilled eggplant, all exuding the lively atmosphere of the market.

Yan Zhao took a sip of the liquor. “I can’t go back for the time being. This variety show is filming here.”

Shen Yuanting didn’t eat anything and asked, “Filming tomorrow?”

“Yes, non-stop, treating people like cattle,” Yan Zhao complained. “This time, they didn’t even give us a script. I don’t know what bad ideas the director is up to again.”

Shen Yuanting said, “I saw online that they say you’re just a vase.”^[1] 花瓶(huāpíng) = flower vase, the meaning is: attractive but not very competent.

“I’m not!” Yan Zhao bit into a slice of fatty pork belly. “The editing is deliberate. They want to maintain my image, so they cut out all the parts where I shine! Next time, I might as well not do anything at all, to reduce the workload for post-production.”

Shen Yuanting tapped his fingers on the table, as if in contemplation.

Yan Zhao asked, “By the way, what about Wang Zai?” Shen Yuanting flew to Haicheng, what about his beloved cat, who will take care of it?

Shen Yuanting smiled, “I sent it to Sheng Xin’s house.”

“Oh.” Yan Zhao didn’t have a good impression of Director Sheng, so he didn’t say much. Instead, he was curious, “Did you come alone?”

Shen Yuanting said, “The secretary is also with me, they have already left.”

Yan Zhao: “………” They? How many secretaries do you have!

“I’m leaving at two.”

“In the afternoon?”

“No, in a while, in the early morning.”

Yan Zhao put down the barbecue, surprised, “Why did you choose this time? Can’t you leave earlier or tomorrow morning?”

“I have a meeting tomorrow morning, I can’t postpone it.” Shen Yuanting looked at him, “The original flight was at 10:30, but I wanted to spend some time with you, so I postponed it.”

Yan Zhao raised an eyebrow, his tone was grand and melodramatic, as if reciting a passage, “Ah, I’m so honored!”

Shen Yuanting: “…..”

Yan Zhao leaned over to him, holding a wine glass, swaying the liquor. In the dim warm orange light, his dark eyes contained a teasing expression: “Shen Yuanting, are you trying to hit on me?”

“…………” Shen Yuanting remained composed. “You’re drunk.”

“I’m not!” Yan Zhao took a gulp, “Why aren’t you answering, are you feeling guilty?”

Feeling a bit of a headache, Shen Yuanting pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I can hold my liquor just fine.” Yan Zhao smirked, “Someone once tried to get me drunk on purpose, but I never got drunk. I went to Country R once and tried every drink available, even vodka with strawberries, chilled overnight. The leftover strawberries had the taste of alcohol…”

Yan Zhao paused, belching.

Shen Yuanting: “…………” You haven’t even finished three cups.

Yan Zhao put down the wine glass, covered his flushed face with his hand, and after a while, continued to drink: “What was I saying just now?”

It seems he used to be a heavy drinker. Shen Yuanting thought, but this body’s alcohol tolerance is indeed very low.

The fire under the grill flickered with the wind, the lanterns hanging on the pergola clinked, and the light and shadow trembled along with it.

Yan Zhao’s face showed a faint, imperceptible blush, his dewy black eyes resembling a radiant black pearl that should be carefully concealed.

Shen Yuanting put a mask on Yan Zhao and led him back to the hotel. The hotel staff had already signed a confidentiality agreement and silently watched as the tall man led the young star into the elevator.

As the elevator doors closed slowly, in the narrowing gap, the young star rested his chin on the man’s shoulder, squinting, resembling a coquettish ragdoll cat.

…

When Yan Zhao woke up, the room was bathed in a hazy sunlight, everything inside seemed veiled.

He felt a bit dizzy, the experience of a hangover was a first for him.

On the table, there was a pack of hangover medicine.

Yan Zhao took the medicine, quickly took a shower, and felt some relief from the dizziness.

He didn’t take any sobering pills, and he remembered how he boasted to Shen Yuanting about his ability to hold his liquor, and also remembered asking Shen Yuanting, “Are you trying to hit on me?”

Ah, alcohol really causes trouble.

How could Shen Yuanting want to hit on him, it was clear from his calm demeanor.

While blow-drying his hair, Xiao Dou brought in breakfast, which consisted of light rice porridge and side dishes. Yan Zhao felt that he and Zhong Ling had been through a lot of hardship these past few days, so he gave them a day off. Zhong Ling, being a girl, would rest first, and Xiao Dou would have a break tomorrow.

The variety show started shooting in the afternoon, and Yan Zhao didn’t idle in the morning either. He picked up a script to read and practiced his lines. He wanted to make a comeback in the film and television industry and win a golden award for his movie.

In the afternoon, the sky was overcast.

Yan Zhao arrived on time. Qiu Chengtian sneered at him, and Ning Yunfan looked at him with a complex expression, full of jealousy and resentment.

While the director’s team was discussing something on the side, Ning Yunfan pulled Yan Zhao aside and bluntly said, “You’ve gone too far.”

Yan Zhao asked, “What did I do?” He hadn’t seen Ning Yunfan since the end of the concert. How did he provoke him again?

Ning Yunfan blushed and said, “How could you… let him into the hotel!”

“…”

Yan Zhao glanced at him. Oh, it was about that. The hotel was crowded and noisy, so it wasn’t impossible for him to be seen.

Yan Zhao said, “Sorry about that.”

He apologized so readily, making Ning Yunfan have an unsettling premonition in his heart.

Sure enough, Yan Zhao continued, “Was I too loud last night?”

Ning Yunfan: “…”

Ning Yunfan, in a rage, said, “You! Shameless!”

Yan Zhao lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes drooping. He held onto his waist, rubbed it, and complained, “Shen Yuanting is too bad. I told him not to use so much force, but he still went hard on me. But his skills are really good…”

Whether it was a psychological effect or not, Ning Yunfan always felt a hint of satisfaction in Yan Zhao’s eyes, and blushed with embarrassment, saying, “You! You’re not allowed to say that again!”

“How can I not say it?” Yan Zhao glanced at him. “Don’t you and Han Yuxuan do the same?”

Ning Yunfan opened his mouth, tried to speak several times, and then kept it all to himself. Finally, he warned, “You remember this!” and stormed off.

Yan Zhao massaged his waist slowly, thinking to himself: Sigh, it’s tough being an idol. So young and already having back problems, needing someone else to help with the massage.

Of course, whether Ning Yunfan would understand anything or not was not his concern. If anyone was to blame, it was himself for not being pure.

There were only four people in Mu, and two guests would be parachuted in every week. This time, it was Ling Xiao and Wu Miaozhu. Ling Xiao rushed up to Yan Zhao and high-fived him, while Wu Miaozhu was a female idol, playing a supporting role.

The filming location was in a large amusement park in Haicheng, which was in the off-season, so there weren’t many visitors.

The task assigned to them by the director’s team was to experience a day in the life of the amusement park staff, with six different positions determined by drawing lots.

Ning Yunfan drew the “face character” role, which can be considered as a professional cosplay. He plays the role of a prince in the amusement park and dances with the princess at night. The original prince will give him a score before the shooting ends.

Qiu Chengtian, Fang Xingyu, Ling Xiao, and Wu Miaozhu are members of the security team, performers of the mascot, salesperson, and tour guide, each with their own tasks.

As for Yan Zhao: “……”

He looked at the note in his hand: The most handsome ghost in the haunted house. Goal: Make 30 visitors cry on the spot.

Ling Xiao sneaked a glance and said: “Wow, your task is so simple. I have to sell a hundred apple lights! Hey, Yan, why aren’t you speaking?”

Yan Zhao: “…………” The director’s group, damn it, he’s afraid of ghosts! What’s the point of pretending to be a scary ghost!

Yan Zhao said: “Let’s swap, I can’t bear to be a scary bad ghost.”

Ling Xiao: “Sure, sure, I love playing ghosts. Last Halloween, I dressed up as a vampire.”

Yan Zhao: “???” You clearly aren’t the same species!

“Ahemm, no swapping allowed!” The director hurriedly stopped them. The results of the draw were deliberately designed by them. Both flight guests drew easy tasks, just to avoid being criticized by netizens for being exclusive. However, the members within the group can have fun as much as they want.

He reminded them: “The tasks end at eight o’clock in the evening. According to the amusement park’s shift system, you can take a break, but of course, if you don’t want to rest, that’s fine too.”

So the shooting officially began.

Yan Zhao went to the dressing room first to put on makeup, allowing the makeup artist to apply makeup to his face. Even though he witnessed the process of transforming into the “most handsome ghost” and becoming a simple “ghost,” he still didn’t dare to stare at the person in the mirror. ——His face looked like it was painted white, with dark circles under his eyes, his lips stretched out in bright red, and filled with dark brown to create a stitched-up look, resembling a monster that eats children.

He sighed and turned around, but his body suddenly stiffened as he saw a group of ghosts outside the door, each with a fierce expression, as if they had just died and their bodies were still fresh.

Hanging Ghost: “Hehe, let me see which unlucky person has come again!”

Yan Zhao: “…..”

Damn it, *!@dh…..!!! Stay calm! Stay calm!

Hanging Ghost: “Huh? So calm, Headless Ghost, take a look and tell me if my makeup isn’t done well today.”

Headless Ghost: “Boss, I don’t have eyes.”

Hanging Ghost scolded: “Useless, what’s the point of you!”

Yan Zhao spoke, his tone as cold as ice: “Can I start working now?”

Hanging Ghost: “Oh, so eager. Alright, come with me to the underworld, and together we will build a new socialist underworld!”

The photographer captured this touching scene, in the picture, two ghosts are walking at the front, followed by a group of ghosts, each standing tall with pride and self-esteem on their faces!

In the studio, the director was puzzled, “Why isn’t he afraid at all? So brave?”

In reality, Yan Zhao’s expression was stiff, all covered up by heavy makeup, and his inner barrage had already switched from “Namo Amitabha” to “God bless,” and then to “Those who dare to fight are all in the front lines.”

He wonder if continuously hugging the thighs^[2]Hugging the thighs means finding protectorof three religions has any effect……….