Shuichang frowned, “Where’s the assistant? Did he go on his own?”
Yulili had never been this nervous before. She swallowed hard and spoke hesitantly, “In fact, yes. Mr. Fan went into the set alone, but he’s the lead actor, and everyone knows he has connections, so there shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Shouldn’t?” Shuichang knew that the entertainment industry only looks at credentials and fame. Fan Luojia was a newcomer with no works to his name; who would believe he had a strong background without an assistant?
Just thinking of Fan Luojia being intentionally made to repeat his lines due to difficulties made Shuichang’s expression turn cold. The air in the car chilled even without the air conditioning, and Yulili felt goosebumps forming on her skin.
Fan Luojia was the Achilles’ heel of Yin Haidong; nobody could touch him.
Today, Yulili finally understood Fan Luojia’s importance in the president’s eyes.
She said awkwardly, “Mr. Fan insisted on this. He said he didn’t want to give the crew a bad impression and create a big shot image, so…”
“Turn around immediately and head to the filming location.” Shuichang touched the cufflinks in his pocket, his heart tightening.
Every thirty minutes, Shuichang called Fan Luojia, but he still couldn’t get through. His face grew darker while Yulili made an effort to shrink into the corner, not daring to catch his attention.
Shuichang’s flight had landed just after four o’clock, and the “Chang Ge Yi Qu” crew was filming in a nearby city’s film and television city. It would take at least six hours to drive there from the airport, but they got stuck in traffic for three hours before even leaving the city.
Shuichang’s patience was wearing thin. The driver, sensing the cold air emanating from him, quickly said, “Mr. Yin, please don’t worry too much. Mr. Fan is so easygoing; no one would make things difficult for him.”
“Yes, yes, Mr. Yin, please relax. Mr. Fan must hope to see you in a good mood after working all day,” Yulili added. The sudden release of pressure from the president was something she simply couldn’t bear.
Shuichang looked at the phone in his hand; it was already midnight. He had called Fan Luojia more than a dozen times…
Suddenly, the phone vibrated. Shuichang saw that it was Fan Luojia returning the call and immediately connected.
“Hello, Haidong Ge.”
Shuichang’s brow relaxed a little, “Why didn’t you answer the phone?”
“I was filming all afternoon. I just saw you called so many times; it scared me.”
Shuichang’s expression softened, “Is filming tiring?”
Fan Luojia sounded energetic, and it was clear he was quite happy at the moment. “Saying it’s not tiring would be a lie, but we filmed particularly smoothly today. The director was so happy that we filmed the night scenes together, which were originally scheduled for tomorrow evening. I’m physically tired, but mentally very excited.”
“Haidong Ge, thank you for giving me this chance to be an actor once again,” Fan Luojia said earnestly.
After that, both of them fell silent, listening to the gentle sound of their breathing through the phone. After a while, Shuichang said softly, “Get some rest. Good night.”
Shuichang didn’t tell Fan Luojia that he was on the way to the film city; Fan Luojia needed his sleep. If he mentioned it, Fan Luojia, no matter how tired, would wait for him.
The air pressure in the car returned to normal, and Yulili’s tense nerves relaxed, making her drowsy soon after.
Shuichang gazed out the car window at the lights, unconsciously lifting the corners of his mouth.
At one in the morning, the three of them arrived at the film city.
Yulili had pre-booked a room in the hotel where the “Chang Ge Yi Qu” crew was located. Before sleeping, Shuichang handled some work, thinking that Fan Luojia was now in the same place as him, and he quickly drifted off to sleep contentedly.
Shuichang set his alarm for six in the morning to get up and have breakfast by seven.
This hotel was the only four-star hotel in the film city, providing a complimentary breakfast each morning.
The lobby on the first floor was sectioned off into private spaces by white lattice partitions and green vegetation. Shuichang wandered through while holding a piece of toast, quickly finding Fan Luojia, who was eating breakfast alone.
With a smile, he walked to sit opposite Fan Luojia, “I wonder if I have the honor of sharing breakfast with you?”
Fan Luojia was stuffing a salad into his mouth when he paused at the familiar voice, thinking how much it sounded like his husband’s.
He looked up, and the handsome face of Yin Haidong met his gaze. “Haidong Ge! What are you doing here?!” he exclaimed in disbelief.
Shuichang gently wiped away the white salad dressing from the corner of his mouth with a napkin, “I came to check on my little piggy to see if he’s taking care of himself.”
Fan Luojia’s face flushed at the affectionate nickname “little piggy” and replied awkwardly, “I’ve lost a lot of weight, I’m not a little piggy.”
Shuichang chuckled joyfully, “No matter how tall or short, fat or thin you are, you will always be my little piggy.”
“When do you finish filming today?”
Fan Luojia thought for a moment, “The night scenes were filmed yesterday; we should wrap up by five this afternoon.”
“Perfect, let’s go for a walk tonight. I rarely come to places like this.”
After finishing breakfast, Shuichang and Fan Luojia walked out together.
Fan Luojia’s crew had a special shuttle bus, but it was crowded. Each time they reached their destination, they would be drenched in sweat.
“Get in the car; I’ll drive you there.” Shuichang frowned slightly at the packed van ahead.
He hadn’t expected the crew environment to be so poor that even the lead actor didn’t have a dedicated car.
Shuichang considered having Yulili book an RV for Fan Luojia, and he also wanted to find two assistants—one to fan him and hold an umbrella, and the other to monitor the phone and answer calls, so he wouldn’t be worried about not being able to contact him.
Shuichang didn’t want Fan Luojia to be too hard on himself.
Fan Luojia nodded happily, went over to speak with the deputy director in the van, then turned to get into Shuichang’s understated luxurious car.
The deputy director peeked outside, clicking his tongue at the sight of the car, worth at least six million, a symbol of success. He wondered who was in the car and what kind of relationship they shared with Fan Luojia.
Upon arriving at the shooting location, Fan Luojia opened the car door to get out, only to be surprised that Yin Haidong followed him out. He took a step forward and, when he turned back, collided right into Yin Haidong’s arms.