Chapter 40

The weather this year has been more severe than usual. Yesterday was pouring rain, and today the sun is shining brightly. The hot and humid weather has put people in a slightly irritable mood.

Today’s filming continued into the evening. Yan Zhao sat on a rattan chair, with a fan beside him humming loudly. However, the wind it produced was warm and carried a hint of moisture.

Yan Zhao looked up at the sky. Under the set’s hanging lights, the night sky was a fiery red, with layers of dark clouds.

It looked like it was going to rain.

Yan Zhao asked, “Xiao Dou, did you bring an umbrella?”

Xiao Dou immediately took out a long sword-like object from the corner, saying, “Yes, I did. It’s the only weapon that can pass security checks. Tactical batons and flashlights are easily confiscated.”

Yan Zhao asked, “…Is this an umbrella? Isn’t it a prop for the crew?”

Xiao Dou pulled back the umbrella cover, revealing the folded umbrella inside, saying, “No, this is the Black Gold Ancient Sword Umbrella that I bought.”

Yan Zhao commented, “Pretty cool.”

A rush of hot wind blew in, and Zhong Ling drew back the curtain and walked in. Strands of her hair on her forehead were damp, sticking to her face.

“This darn weather…” Zhong Ling muttered, then said to Yan Zhao, “Brother, Director Yu said someone will come to fix the air conditioning tomorrow. Let’s tough it out for one more night.”

The financial management of the crew was tight-fisted, their motto being to spend money wisely. They bought second-hand air conditioning units, but unfortunately, they malfunctioned after just one use, requiring a technician to come and repair them. Everyone criticized their financial strategy as not only dull but also a waste of money.

The assistant was sweating profusely from the heat, so Yan Zhao suggested, “Come over and catch some breeze, it’s better than nothing. There are wet wipes on the table, use them to wipe off the sweat.”

Zhong Ling replied with a “okay,” wiping off her sweat while saying, “There are still two people in the makeup room, it will be our turn soon.”

After a day of filming, both the main cast and extras had their makeup done, but due to budget constraints, the crew had only a few makeup artists, resulting in long queues for touch-ups.

Yan Zhao mentioned this to Song Jing, his manager, who responded, “I’ll find you a dedicated makeup artist tomorrow to avoid the hassle with others.”

“Thank you, Sister Song,” Yan Zhao replied.

“Originally, it’s part of the schedule. You’re not a minor star anymore; you need your own styling team,” Song Jing said, then continued, “I guess you probably haven’t had time to pay attention—‘The Great Mystery’ aired, and the response is good. It’s expected to top the viewership tonight. You’ve gained quite a few new fans, so you should post some perks on Weibo and interact with the production team. Also, there are other variety shows looking for you as a guest. We’ll talk when you have time.”

Yan Zhao fanned himself with his notebook and replied, “Variety shows are good, but Sister Song, I’m more interested in filming.” His goal wasn’t to become a variety show celebrity; his focus was on film and television.

Song Jing: “Okay, I’ll let you pick the script first, and we’ll discuss the variety show later.”

After the conversation between Yan Zhao and Song Jing, Yan Zhao logged onto Weibo and noticed a trending topic that almost made him blackout:

#YanZhaoKillsPigs#

Yan Zhao: “…………” After recording that variety show, he realized he couldn’t escape being associated with pigs.

Entering the Weibo Square again, he found that the content had shifted from meticulously edited beauty pictures to various memes:

– When Yan Zhao sprayed soda on an NPC, caption: “Shoot you in the face.”

– When Yan Zhao was chased by pigs, caption: “You are being played by life.”

– When Yan Zhao shot down Ling Xiao with a gun, caption: “The bastard doesn’t deserve to live.”

As everyone knows, the three essences of memes are absurdity, high blur, and mockery. Seeing that sea of memes, Yan Zhao really doubted if his fans were all spies sent by his enemies. Fortunately, he had a strong appearance, even when edited into a panda head, he remained a handsome panda.

Despite the playful use of memes, Yan Zhao didn’t forget to hype up himself. He would say things like [Brother killing pigs is also the prince of the slaughter industry.] It was a mix of absurdity that left Yan Zhao both laughing and crying.

After posting a selfie, he shared the program’s Weibo and went with his assistant to the makeup room for touch-ups.

The workload was enormous, and the makeup artist was tired to the point of sore muscles, her hands almost unable to lift. As she was doing Yan Zhao’s eyebrows, she sighed, “Every time I do your makeup, it’s particularly easy. With such a good base, even if there’s a slight mistake, you’re still the Venus de Milo.”^[1]斷臂維納斯(duànbì wéinàsī) =  “Venus de Milo” (also known as “Aphrodite of Milos” and “Venus with Broken Arms”) is a marble sculpture created by the … Continue reading

Yan Zhao: “???” Why are you also fond of rainbow farts?

Just a few minutes into their conversation, the door creaked open.

The makeup artist, busy touching up Yan Zhao’s makeup, didn’t turn around but said directly, “Find a place to sit and wait.”

“Sister Qian, Yunfan had scheduled a time with you beforehand, how could you skip him and attend to someone else first?” A sharp voice rang out, and when Yan Zhao looked back, he saw Ning Yunfan’s assistant, a sharp-faced man surnamed Hou, with Ning Yunfan standing beside him, looking pale with lips pressed into a straight line.

Sister Qian thought for a moment, vaguely remembering that Hou had come before, but she was so busy at the time that she didn’t catch what he was saying. She explained the reason and apologized repeatedly, “I’m sorry, I was too busy and got dizzy. Teacher Yunfan, please sit and wait for a bit. We’ll be done very soon.”

Hou retorted, “Wait for what? Yunfan has a magazine photoshoot early tomorrow morning. It’s already so late today, and you still want him to wait? Are our artists not entitled to sleep?”

Zhong Ling rolled her eyes and closed her eye, and muttered, “Don’t know who’s causing delays, making everyone shoot so late.”

Hou, with keen ears, raised his voice, “What did you say?”

Zhong Ling: “I mean, Teacher Ning had informed Sister Qian in advance, and we did too. Even Director Yu personally mentioned it. But Brother Yan mostly had scenes in the evening, worried that he would mess up his makeup and end up waiting again, it would take more time, so he waited until now. Xiao Hou, if you want to say first come, first served, you should be behind us.”

Xiao Hou didn’t care about all that. He followed Ning Yunfan, and he had a deep-seated grudge against Yan Zhao. Plus, the “Tian Yuan” crew was poor, and they had never worked with a small crew before. They felt like they had endured a lot of hardship and had been holding a lot of anger inside. “Director Yu has been biased towards you for quite some time. Even things that never happened can be made to seem real. Who knows if what you say is true or false!”

Zhong Ling widened her eyes, “Yes, biased. With so many people in the crew, why would Director Yu be biased towards my brother? It’s because my brother has exceptional charm, something certain people can never learn in their lifetime.”

Seeing the two assistants about to argue, Yan Zhao had a headache. On such a hot day, he just wanted to be an ice pop, a salty fish, not bothered with quarrels: “Alright, let’s give Xiao Ning a turn first.”

Hou suddenly felt triumphant, “Did you hear that? Teacher Yan just said so. What are you, a little assistant, hopping around for?”

Yan Zhao glanced at him coldly, “After all, I only have one scene left, once I shoot it, it’s done. But how many scenes does Xiao Ning still have left? After the extras finish shooting, there’s only him left as the lead, which isn’t ideal.”

Ning Yunfan: “…”

Xiao Hou retorted angrily, “Teacher Yan, your words are too harsh!”

Yan Zhao replied, “When you talk about Director Yu, you’re just the same. I thought you were thick-skinned, but it turns out you’re still sensitive.”

Yu Youyi and Yan Zhao have worked together on variety shows before, so naturally, their relationship is better compared to Ning Yunfan. Moreover, Yan Zhao would actively seek her out to discuss the drama, and they would talk for over an hour. If someone saw that, wouldn’t it taste sour to them?

Ning Yunfan lowered his eyes, “Xiao Hou is straightforward, speaking without thinking, not intending to smear Director Yu. I indeed can’t compare to Brother Yan in acting, having delayed everyone for so long, I hope Brother Yan can forgive me… Sister Qian, please do Brother Yan’s makeup first, I don’t mind waiting.”

Yan Zhao was startled by his melancholic tone, he raised his eyebrows, and said, “Since you’ve said that, I won’t be polite with you either. Sister Qian, please.”

After finishing the shoot, Yan Zhao had just gotten into the car when he heard a thunderclap, and a bean-sized drop of rain hit the car window.

Halfway through, it rained all over and there were puddles on the road.

Yan Zhao instructed Xiao Dou to take Zhong Ling home first before getting out of the car. He opened his umbrella and walked through the rain, his hand holding the handle could feel the force of the raindrops hitting the umbrella surface.

He wondered how the crew was doing. Looking into the distance, Yan Zhao saw a purple lightning bolt slashing through the sky.

Shen Yuanting had just finished his work when Yan Zhao came back.

The young man’s coat was wet from the rain, even the tips of his hair were dotted with water droplets, looking pitifully adorable.

Unfortunately, appearance and personality never correlate, Yan Zhao excitedly said, “The wind outside is so strong, it suddenly got cooler, I even want to rush out and bathe in the rain!”

Shen Yuanting wiped off the rain splashes on Yan Zhao’s cheeks and said, “Go take a shower; I’ll make you a bowl of ginger soup. Don’t catch a cold.”

Yan Zhao walked towards the bathroom with his coat half-removed, revealing the T-shirt underneath, “Add some brown sugar, but not too much.”

Shen Yuanting nodded, “Sure.”

He placed the prepared ginger soup on the bedside table and casually played the TV series “The Great Mystery” on his tablet, and casually gave Yan Zhao a light tap.

After taking a shower, Yan Zhao came out feeling refreshed.

He peeked at the screen, “I thought you were working.”

Shen Yuanting replied, “Work shouldn’t interfere with my daily life.”

Yan Zhao teased, “… Coming from a workaholic, that doesn’t sound very convincing.”

With his hair not fully dried, Yan Zhao’s slightly damp hair softened the usual uplifted tips, giving him a more gentle demeanor.

Water droplets dripped onto his clothes; the thin fabric of the white T-shirt became slightly translucent after getting wet, revealing a glimpse of the skin underneath.

Shen Yuanting remarked, “The workaholic is now urging you to blow-dry your hair.”

Yan Zhao was reluctant, “A towel will do; it’ll dry in a moment!”

Shen Yuanting suggested, “Let me blow-dry it for you, okay?”

So, Yan Zhao obediently sat on the edge of the bed, enjoying the hair-drying service provided by Shen Yuanting. The hot air passed through his hair, and the man’s fingers massaged his scalp with just the right amount of pressure.

Once his hair was dry, Yan Zhao expressed his satisfaction, “This little brother, add an extra ten bucks for the massage fee.”

Shen Yuanting replied, “Sure, full-body massage at no extra cost. Interested?”

Feeling a bit tired, Yan Zhao rolled into bed as soon as the blanket was lifted, “No, Boss Yan has been drained dry by work.”

Shen Yuanting chuckled and joined him in lying down.

Many contemporary young people suffer from premature baldness, and one contributing factor is their tendency to claim they’re going to sleep while secretly playing on their phones.

Yan Zhao played a game, joyfully rubbing the opponent’s elementary school student character on the ground. After exiting the game contentedly, a push notification appeared on the screen—

[Little fresh meat^[2]小鮮肉(xiǎo xiānròu) = Little fresh meat, is a Chinese Internet buzzword used to describe handsome young men. It is most commonly used to refer to male celebrities, particularly rising stars. Ning, was sent to the hospital for filming in the rain, and frankly said that it was not easy to shoot.]