The first scene was meticulously polished by the director, and by noon, they had only shot a few takes. The sun had come out, and the weather had turned hot again. Jin Yanliu had his studio bring over his RV, inviting Yan Huihua to come aboard for lunch.
“Let’s go through the scenes together,” he called out.
Yan Huihua immediately came over, while Jin Yanliu told Xiao Pangzi, “Keep an eye on things for me. Don’t let anyone in; we need peace and quiet to rehearse.”
Xiao Pangzi glanced at Zhou Beiyang’s grim face and nodded, “Got it.”
Jin Yanliu then pulled Yan Huihua into the RV.
Yan Huihua had been feeling a bit overwhelmed today.
After agonizing for most of the night yesterday, overthinking everything, he felt like his heart had emptied. Yet today, it was suddenly full again.
He felt that Jin Yanliu was especially warm towards him today. His smile was so captivating that just looking at him made Yan Huihua feel happy.
However, once they were inside the RV, they simply ate. There wasn’t much conversation. Yan Huihua, being rather honest, wasn’t the type to flirt. As he quietly ate, Jin Yanliu suddenly asked, “By the way, I forgot to ask. Why did you call me last night?”
Yan Huihua replied, “It was nothing. Last night, with Director Zhang, you helped me out. I didn’t get a chance to thank you.”
Jin Yanliu smiled, “No need to thank me. I just couldn’t stand him. Besides, most of it was thanks to Lu Yao.”
Since the topic had come up, Yan Huihua couldn’t help but ask, “Why was Zhou Beiyang in your room so late last night?” He probed carefully, “I was going to call again but didn’t want to disturb you two.”
He was afraid to know the truth, yet he wanted to know it. It had been weighing on his mind.
Jin Yanliu paused, his expression a bit unnatural. He nodded, “We were just discussing some work-related stuff.”
Outside the RV, Xiao Pangzi sat under a canopy, eating his meal. Every few bites, he would glance at Zhou Beiyang.
Zhou Beiyang barely touched his food. After a few bites, he put it down, crossed his arms, and leaned back in his chair to rest.
Lu Yao, eating with Sang Yuan and the others, was also watching Zhou Beiyang.
Teacher Sang Yuan commented, “Zhou Beiyang seems to be in a bad mood today.”
Lu Yao replied, “Yeah, he hasn’t said much all day.”
After finishing his meal, Lu Yao walked over to Zhou Beiyang with a smile, sitting across from him. Zhou Beiyang opened his eyes and glanced at him.
Lu Yao chuckled, “Not asleep yet?”
“No,” Zhou Beiyang replied.
Lu Yao said, “Why aren’t you eating? Who knows how long we’ll be filming this afternoon. If you don’t eat, you’ll definitely get hungry later.”
“I don’t have much of an appetite,” Zhou Beiyang said.
“Did you have a fight with your brother?”
Zhou Beiyang glanced at him and said, “No.”
Lu Yao smiled and said nothing more, quietly eating his meal.
Of course they had. Who knew these two brothers better than him? They were always so close, practically glued together, inseparable wherever they went.
Today was far too out of the ordinary.
It wasn’t until the afternoon that Jin Yanliu and Yan Huihua came out again, just in time for their scene. It was their first meeting: a brief glance as they passed each other in a crowd, with Ye Hengyang turning back to look at Mu Huaying.
“Don’t let your eyes show any emotion,” Liu Qichang instructed.
Yan Huihua froze for a moment, his face turning slightly red.
Liu Qichang walked over to explain, “It’s not the look you give a lover, nor the look you give a family member or friend. These two brothers, who have never met before, share the same blood. There should be a mysterious sense of blood connection, a kind of inexplicable pull. It’s this innate intimacy, this feeling of destiny, that makes the later tragedy more powerful. But it should just be a glance—don’t linger. There still needs to be a sense of detachment, like looking at a stranger.”
Yan Huihua pursed his lips and nodded.
“Alright, let’s do it again. Three, two, one, action!”
In the bustling crowd, Ye Hengyang and Mu Huaying passed each other. Ye Hengyang, seeing Mu Huaying’s face, showed a slight look of surprise. He turned his head back to look at Mu Huaying, only to see his retreating figure. His red hair ribbon, tied high in a ponytail, swayed with his movements.
A striking figure in red, impossible to ignore even in the crowd—bold, arrogant, and radiating a sense of danger.
The scene was shot beautifully, capturing both the fated connection and the striking visuals. Jin Yanliu and Yan Huihua gathered around the monitor to watch the playback. The result was excellent, and Jin Yanliu, satisfied, laughed as he draped his arm over Yan Huihua’s shoulder.
Zhou Beiyang’s heart ached. He barely spoke the entire afternoon, except for when he was filming.
Xiao Pangzi actually felt sorry for him and quietly asked Jin Yanliu, “Did you have a fight with Yang-ge? He looks really upset.”
Of course, Jin Yanliu knew this. He glanced at Zhou Beiyang in the distance and said, “He deserves it.”
Despite saying that, he felt uneasy inside and even a little sad.
The thought of the impostor taking over had always made him more angry and resentful than sad. He wasn’t the soft-hearted type; otherwise, he wouldn’t have initiated his plan to fight back. His personality was always bold and fearless. He was going to die anyway, so why should he care about what others thought? If anyone had the right to feel wronged or bitter, it was him.
But now, his usual strength seemed to have disappeared because of Zhou Beiyang. The sorrow of parting was arriving sooner than expected.
In truth, it was just coming early. Even without Zhou Beiyang’s feelings for him, he would have distanced himself eventually. Their brotherly bond was destined to fade.
Now, it was simply a catalyst, giving him a reason to create distance.
On the way back, Jin Yanliu didn’t invite anyone else along, except for Xiao Pangzi, who accompanied him.
Xiao Pangzi drove while Jin Yanliu lay in the back. The sky had already darkened, and the car was dim inside. Xiao Pangzi glanced in the rearview mirror, sensing Jin Yanliu’s silence and sadness, even though he couldn’t see him clearly.
He thought it was because of the fight with Zhou Beiyang and said, “Actually, Yang-ge is really good to you. He takes care of you so well that we all admire him. He only got this role as the fourth male lead because of you. This is his first drama, so he’s probably nervous. He’s a bit cold by nature and doesn’t have many friends on set…”
“Enough,” Jin Yanliu interrupted.
If he kept talking, Jin Yanliu would start to feel guilty.
It really was different, wasn’t it? Zhou Beiyang and Yan Huihua, Lu Yao—they were all different. After all, Zhou Beiyang was his brother, the person he loved the most.
Jin Yanliu didn’t want to think about it anymore.
They had a night shoot coming up, a scene where Mu Huaying attempts an assassination. Since it was an indoor set, they would start filming after dinner and likely go all night.
Jin Yanliu didn’t eat dinner and went straight to bed when they got back to the hotel. Xiao Pangzi said, “Get some sleep. I’ll wake you up when it’s time.”
He closed the door and left the bedroom, then called Cheng Fei: “Fei-ge, you’d better come to the set. Something’s happened.”
Cheng Fei was startled, “What happened?”
“Yang-ge and Liu-ge… seem to have had a fight.”
Cheng Fei was shocked, “They had a fight?!”
Unbelievable!
“They really had a fight,” Xiao Pangzi said. “They haven’t spoken all day.”
It must have been a serious argument. Those two were always doting on each other, one obsessed with his brother, and the other a doting brother-fanatic. When had they ever fought?
After hanging up, Xiao Pangzi was about to leave the room to check on Zhou Beiyang. But as soon as he opened the door, he found Zhou Beiyang standing outside.
“…Yang-ge,” Xiao Pangzi was startled.
Zhou Beiyang gave a small nod, “What’s my brother doing?”
“He just fell asleep.”
Zhou Beiyang responded with a simple “Mm” and walked inside.
Xiao Pangzi hesitated for a moment, then quietly retreated back into the room, watching as Zhou Beiyang went straight into the bedroom.
Jin Yanliu wasn’t asleep at all. He was lying there thinking about things, and when he heard someone come in, he opened his eyes. Seeing it was Zhou Beiyang, he immediately sat up.
“What are you doing here?”
After the incident of the forced kiss last time, he had become somewhat afraid of Zhou Beiyang. The guy was way too strong. With those famously broad shoulders, he couldn’t be pushed away.
“Have you been crying?” Zhou Beiyang asked.
Jin Yanliu replied, “Why the hell would I cry?”
He wasn’t the type to cry, though perhaps his eyes had gotten a little wet earlier. He wasn’t a crybaby.
He had just been thinking about his and Zhou Beiyang’s past. From their initial hostility as teenagers to becoming as close as brothers. After so many years, when he looked back, the person who left the deepest mark on his life was still this younger brother.
“Get out. I don’t want to see you,” he said.
Zhou Beiyang pressed his lips together tightly. Hearing this, his gaze shifted from Jin Yanliu to the foot of the bed.
The two of them remained silent. Jin Yanliu simply lay back down and pulled the covers over his head.
“I know you don’t want to see me,” Zhou Beiyang said. “I just want to tell you, stay away from Yan Huihua. Don’t deliberately provoke me. Otherwise, I’ll go crazy.”
Jin Yanliu sat up again, covered in goosebumps from what sounded like a love confession. “Go crazy over what?”
“I’ve warned you. Do as you see fit,” Zhou Beiyang said, his voice suddenly turning harsh, as if he had been holding back all day.
“Are you threatening me?” Jin Yanliu’s face flushed with anger. “Who’s afraid of who!”
