Yan Jie hadn’t expected to see someone else in Jiang Nan’an’s room so early in the morning.
But since Jiang Nan’an was indeed difficult to wake when asleep, his assistant probably had to carry the room card every day to come in and wake him up-not an easy job either.
Seeing the child’s face looking so devastated, as if he was about to turn to stone, crumble into powder and be blown away by the wind, Yan Jie felt he needed to say something to explain and comfort his wounded soul.
So he leaned casually against the wall, shaving while looking at Xiao Sun, and said:
“Actually, I can explain.”
Xiao Sun turned stiffly to stare at him, his face full of resentment: “Please do.”
“If I said I was traveling nearby but forgot my wallet and had no money, so I had to ask Teacher Jiang for help, and coincidentally Teacher Jiang was here and was kind-hearted enough to let me stay for a night… I said wow, what luck, and stayed at his place with immense gratitude for one night, would you believe me?”
Perhaps Yan Jie also felt his explanation was ridiculously far-fetched, as he couldn’t help but laugh himself.
Xiao Sun’s resentment immediately gained a hint of anger:
“Do I look like a low-intelligence child to you?”
Yan Jie shrugged regretfully: “Then I’m out of options. I’ll make up more excuses after I finish shaving. Go wake your brother up first, let’s not delay things.”
“…”
Well, he was right.
Xiao Sun suppressed his grievances and walked to the bedside, shaking Jiang Nan’an’s shoulders with both hands:
“Brother, wake up. Time to work! Time to work!!”
Hearing his call, Jiang Nan’an opened his eyes in confusion.
After spacing out for a few seconds, he looked at Xiao Sun’s face, then at the time on the bedside clock, realized it was time to wake up, and slowly sat up, drowsily reaching for a piece of clothing to put on.
But the next second, he heard Xiao Sun’s cold voice:
“That’s not yours.”
“…”
Jiang Nan’an opened his eyes to check.
Indeed, it wasn’t his.
His just-booted brain slowly processed this, and Jiang Nan’an remembered something, glancing at the space beside him. No one was there.
After a brief pause, he naturally tossed aside the shirt in his hand and found his own, pulling it on.
Throughout this, Xiao Sun had been staring at him with a look of exasperation. Jiang Nan’an calmly accepted those glances, and only after getting dressed did he look up and ask:
“What’s wrong?”
Xiao Sun stepped aside and angrily pointed at Yan Jie, who had finished shaving and was leaning against the doorframe watching the show:
“Why is he here?”
“?”
“Did he sleep with you?”
“.”
“Why!”
“…”
“Oh…” Jiang Nan’an glanced at Yan Jie and answered slowly:
“He is my boyfriend.”
With these six words, the other two people in the room were stunned.
Yan Jie hadn’t expected Jiang Nan’an to acknowledge their relationship to others so quickly. He had originally stood there wanting to hear what kind of outrageous lies his Teacher Jiang could make up with a straight face to fool the young man. Who would have thought that Jiang Nan’an wouldn’t hide anything and would just say it so plainly!
He unconsciously straightened his back, unable to hide the smile at the corners of his lips.
One person’s joy is another’s sorrow. Xiao Sun’s mind was a bit dazed, as if the sword of Damocles hanging over his head had finally fallen, splitting him in two.
Spring… boyfriend…
Was it the kind of boyfriend he was thinking of?
There should have been signs of this earlier, but Xiao Sun had never dared to think deeply about it, always brainwashing himself that they were just friends.
But…
Xiao Sun was devastated:
“Brother, couldn’t you at least lie to me?!”
Jiang Nan’an was a bit confused:
“Why would I lie to you?”
“I…”
Xiao Sun didn’t know whether to cry or laugh.
Cry because the beautiful cabbage he had carefully tended for so many years had suddenly turned gay and been taken by a pig.
Laugh because his brother was truly his brother and didn’t treat him like an outsider.
Seeing Xiao Sun’s hesitant expression, Jiang Nan’an tilted his head in confusion.
Then he looked at Yan Jie behind Xiao Sun.
Yan Jie stood like a soldier, his whole body radiating pride, as if he wanted to have “Yes, I am indeed Jiang Nan’an’s boyfriend, we are dating” written in gold and displayed on his forehead.
Seeing his state, a small light bulb seemed to light up above Jiang Nan’an’s head-
He seemed to like it when he did this.
“You… you’re dating… and dating Spring… Brother, do you know what dating means???”
After processing for half a minute, Xiao Sun still couldn’t accept it:
“Did he trick you? Huh? Do you like him? Did he seduce you with sweet talk??”
“I know. No. Don’t know, learning.”
Jiang Nan’an answered each of Xiao Sun’s questions in order.
Xiao Sun was bewildered.
Learning?
Liking someone is either there or not, how can it be learned???
He must have been tricked after all!!!
Xiao Sun wanted to report to Sister Hong, to let the woman at the top of the food chain discipline them, but his brother trusted him so much that he didn’t even have the heart to lie to him and directly told him about his relationship. Could he turn around and betray his brother to Sister Hong?
Xiao Sun was caught in a dilemma between emotion and reason. Even after accompanying Jiang Nan’an through makeup and arriving at the set, even until the lunch break began, he still couldn’t make a decision.
There might be fan photographers and paparazzi on the way from the hotel to the set. If Yan Jie appeared with Jiang Nan’an and was photographed, it would cause unnecessary controversy. So he didn’t accompany Jiang Nan’an to the set. After having breakfast together, he returned to his room, waiting until noon to bring his little lunch box to visit and deliver food to his baby.
Today was a bright sunny day, the sky was a clear blue, and the spring sunshine warming people with a hint of warmth.
The main actors on set all had their own RVs to rest in.
Yan Jie had asked Xiao Sun in advance for their RV’s license plate number. Although Xiao Sun was unfriendly and extremely reluctant, he still provided it, considering Yan Jie was coming to deliver food.
Yan Jie hummed a tune as he made his way over. When he arrived, besides Xiao Sun, Sheng Yujia and Jiang Shanshan were also in Jiang Nan’an’s vehicle.
When he entered, he heard a chorus of laughter and joy. Jiang Shanshan was laughing happily, gesturing animatedly, as if sharing gossip.
Yan Jie, carrying a lunch box, removed his sunglasses and greeted them:
“Hello there-”
Jiang Shanshan paused mid-sentence, hesitated for a moment, and turned to see Yan Jie, looking a bit surprised:
“Old Spring? What are you doing here?!”
Sheng Yujia was also somewhat surprised. He nodded at Yan Jie as a greeting, then glanced at Jiang Nan’an.
Jiang Nan’an was staring intently at Yan Jie. Yan Jie waved at Jiang Shanshan as he walked over, naturally placing the lunch box on the table, and answered:
“Me? I’m here for a set visit.”
“A set visit?”
Jiang Shanshan was about to ask “visiting whose set,” but several clues flashed through her mind like electricity, and she suddenly felt there was no need to ask such an obvious question.
She laughed dryly and changed the subject:
“You even brought a gift for your visit.”
“Gift? It’s not a gift, it’s Teacher Jiang’s lunch.”
“Oh-” Jiang Shanshan’s heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly tried to smooth things over:
“Wow, you two have such a good relationship. I wish I had a friend who would bring me lunch too-”
Yan Jie chuckled, about to play along with her comment, but before he could speak, another voice cut in:
“He is my boyfriend.”
“…”
Jiang Shanshan: “?”
Sheng Yujia: “?”
Xiao Sun: “?”
Yan Jie: “???”
Jiang Nan’an didn’t notice the others’ widened eyes or the suddenly dead silence. He was only quietly observing Yan Jie’s expression.
Yan Jie seemed a bit shocked, stunned for a moment, but quickly relaxed and smiled somewhat helplessly.
Seeing this reaction, Jiang Nan’an nodded silently to himself.
Yes, he definitely liked it.
Actually, Jiang Shanshan and Sheng Yujia could both more or less guess something about the situation. They had originally planned to pretend nothing was happening and continue feigning ignorance, but they hadn’t expected Jiang Nan’an to admit it so frankly-so frankly that they were stunned, and then simultaneously thought about the same thing-
Did Jiang Nan’an really know what dating meant? Did he know that both he and his partner were men? Did he know that this kind of relationship couldn’t be flaunted in the current environment? Why did he say it so naturally?
Had their relationship already reached the point where he could casually drop such Weibo-exploding bombshells?
With complicated feelings, they kept their eyes down, and the gossip from earlier suddenly didn’t seem so funny anymore. They quickly found excuses to leave.
The lunch break wasn’t long. After accompanying Jiang Nan’an for lunch, Yan Jie had nothing else to do, so he acted as his assistant for half a day, accompanying him through makeup and around the set, getting a close-up experience of what Teacher Jiang’s work life was like.
The scene to be filmed this afternoon involved an enemy deliberately seeking revenge against Zhuge Wenyu, but unable to touch him directly due to his status, they targeted his close friend instead. He had received advance news that his friend was in danger and wanted to warn and save him, not realizing the information was deliberately leaked by his enemy, who had orchestrated everything to lure him there to witness the horrific scene as a lesson.
Zhuge Wenyu, desperately wanting to save his friend’s life, galloped on horseback to his friend’s residence, only to find that his friend’s entire family had been brutally murdered. Blood stained the small courtyard, and his friend, protecting his young daughter in his arms, had died with his eyes still open.
His friend’s family had been harmonious and was supposed to have a peaceful second half of their lives, but they met with disaster and died unjustly. And all of this was because of Zhuge Wenyu.
This was an emotionally intense scene. After confirming the details with the director, Jiang Nan’an sat alone on horseback to get into character for a moment, then nodded to the director, indicating he was ready to begin.
Yan Jie, wearing a crew pass and sunglasses, stood under a sun shelter watching Jiang Nan’an from a distance.
Each scene in a production is filmed separately, not as continuous as it appears in the final cut. Emotional continuity is the biggest challenge for actors.
But this seemed easy for Jiang Nan’an, who could transform into another person in just a few seconds.
Yan Jie had witnessed Jiang Nan’an’s ability to instantly get into character before, but no matter how many times he saw it, he still felt a moment of amazement when he watched it happen.
The “Action” call from the slate seemed like a spell-before it, there was Jiang Nan’an; after it, the person in the frame became the character himself.
Director Zhang valued “The Imperial Tutor” highly and had hired a top industry makeup and styling team. The makeup design for Jiang Nan’an effectively concealed his naturally cold demeanor, making his eyes appear gentle. Combined with his transformed aura and gaze when in character, he perfectly embodied Zhuge Wenyu’s scholarly elegance.
With his hair tied up, dressed in a long white robe, riding a black horse, he rushed through the bamboo forest to his friend’s residence. In his haste, he stumbled as he dismounted, nearly falling, and without time to compose himself, he rushed into the small courtyard, only to smell the thick scent of blood and see the bodies in the yard.
Zhuge Wenyu’s shoulders, tense throughout the journey, slumped. His eyes reddened, and he opened his mouth but couldn’t make a sound.
The good friend who used to share wine and conversation with Zhuge Wenyu, along with his parents, wife, and daughters, had all died by the butcher’s knife.
All of this was because of him.
If it weren’t for him…
If it weren’t…
Zhuge Wenyu staggered forward, embracing his friend’s body, his eyes red. Pain at its extreme becomes silent, and only after a long while did he finally find his voice, letting out a heart-wrenching wail.
The crew members present were all moved by the intense grief and sorrow that was almost tangible, and the noisy set grew quieter.
After the explosive crying scene continued for a long time, the director finally picked up the microphone:
“Cut-!”
The story was paused at that moment. Jiang Nan’an knelt on the ground, head lowered as he composed himself for a moment, before standing up with the help of crew members and returning to the director’s side to review the footage.
Director Zhang nodded as he watched, his eyes showing satisfaction:
“Passed, especially good.”
The value of nailing an intense emotional scene in one take naturally speaks for itself. Jiang Nan’an nodded, his expression already returned to normal, but his eyes were still red, with unshed tears falling as he nodded.
Yan Jie was standing nearby, truly pained seeing him in this state.
He took out tissues from his pocket, initially wanting to wipe Jiang Nan’an’s tears directly, but remembering there were so many people around, he hesitated and just handed the tissues to Jiang Nan’an, letting him do it himself.
Director Zhang noticed them, following Yan Jie’s hand to look at him, feeling this crew member looked unfamiliar, probably not from the production. Seeing he seemed to know Jiang Nan’an, he casually asked:
“A friend visiting the set?”
“Mm.” Jiang Nan’an nodded, looking at Yan Jie and then at the director.
From his observations, he knew Yan Jie liked it when he proactively shared their relationship with others, finding satisfaction and happiness in it.
So Jiang Nan’an raised his hand to wipe his tears with the tissue, and with zero hesitation, said very naturally:
“He is my…”
As these three words came out, Yan Jie immediately raised a level-one alert, his body moving faster than his mind, lightning-quick extending his hand to firmly cover Jiang Nan’an’s mouth!
#
(advanced chapters available on kofi)
