Crossover Actors - Chapter 27

Lu Wen suddenly sat up as if he had come back to life, his eyes still rimmed with red. He glared at Li Dapeng, “What did you say? You’re saying that arranging a life assistant for me was Teacher Qu’s idea?”

 

“Yes,” Li Dapeng replied. “That’s what Xiao Zhang told me.”

 

The blanket slid off Lu Wen’s shoulders, leaving him bare-chested and bewildered. Sun Xiaojian, who was standing beside him, also looked quite surprised.

 

“I’m going to tidy up and pack the dirty clothes to return to the costume teacher tomorrow,” Li Dapeng said, taking a towel and a water cup as he headed to the small living room, pulling the screen door closed behind him.

 

Lu Wen and Sun Xiaojian stared at each other for a while.

 

Lu Wen scratched his short hair in frustration. So, that afternoon when Qu Yanting was giving him acting guidance, he had also arranged for him to have an assistant. Lu Wen had been basking in Qu Yanting’s care without even realizing it.

 

Sun Xiaojian said, “If Qu Bian (Qu Yanting) did this, it means he really appreciates you. Didn’t we achieve our initial goal?”

 

Lu Wen slid back under the covers, turning to face the wall. He wasn’t sure about the appreciation part; all he could think about was the countless times he had been rude to Qu Yanting. Now, his chest felt tight, filled with overwhelming guilt.

 

Suddenly, the vehicle jerked as it passed over a speed bump.

 

Lu Wen snapped to attention and asked, “What’s going on? Is the car moving?”

 

Sun Xiaojian replied, “You’re so tired you didn’t even notice. How else would we get back to the hotel?”

 

Lu Wen panicked, “But Teacher Qu hasn’t gotten in the car yet!”

 

Aside from the actors and the wardrobe team, the others hadn’t finished wrapping up. After filming the car accident scene, they still needed to shoot some footage of the empty landscape.

 

Early morning is one of the key times when light changes, so the crew needed to reassess the lighting. Qu Yanting was sitting under a rain shelter, legs crossed, sketching new diagrams on a notepad balanced on his lap.

 

He looked up to survey the street, planning the lighting for each spot. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Duan Meng running toward him. Qu Yanting lowered his head, anxiously twisting his pen.

 

“Qu Bian,” Duan Meng ducked under the shelter. “The equipment has been checked again, everything’s fine.”

 

Qu Yanting briefly responded, “Hmm, good work.”

 

The rain was heavy, so Duan Meng didn’t leave. He stood nearby, watching Qu Yanting. “Qu Bian, you really look like an artist doing a sketch. Did you learn to draw before? Was it during film school?”

 

Qu Yanting had indeed learned, though not professionally. As a director, sketching storyboards was essential, so he had picked up some basics. But he credited his father, saying, “I learned from my dad when I was little.”

 

Duan Meng responded, “Your father must have been a scholar, right? Maybe even a painter?”

 

Qu Yanting smiled faintly, but his eyes remained calm—a typical adult’s way of brushing off a question.

 

After finishing his last mark on the paper, Qu Yanting said, “Let’s get the crane up for camera A. Time to start.”

 

Back at the hotel, Lu Wen took a hot bath, cleaning himself from head to toe. He didn’t even feel like moving a finger. Sitting cross-legged in front of the makeup table, he called for Sun Xiaojian to come in and help.

 

“Start with drying my hair.”

 

Sun Xiaojian rolled up his sleeves, moving behind Lu Wen to blow-dry his hair. Afterward, Lu Wen lowered his head.

 

“What now?”

 

“Clean my neck.”

 

Men often wear shirts, and the back of the neck exposed under a stiff collar is like a man’s second face—it has to be well-maintained. Lu Wen bowed his head while Sun Xiaojian applied body lotion, moving his hands gently, careful not to rub Lu Wen’s skin red with his rough hands.

 

Unintentionally, Lu Wen thought of Qu Yanting touching his face, and also remembered gripping Qu Yanting’s hand.

 

A pair of hands used to writing and typing should have belonged to someone living a comfortable life, yet Lu Wen had clearly felt the calluses on Qu Yanting’s hands.

 

Lu Wen returned to the bedroom and lay down. After a full day and night of work, he was completely exhausted, his entire body relaxing as soon as he hit the bed.

 

A note was stuck to the bedside lamp, listing several activities: a water bath, a steam therapy session, a full-body massage, and a reservation for a private cinema.

 

Sun Xiaojian asked, “You booked all these? Are you still going?”

 

“Not a chance,” Lu Wen replied, sprawled out like a dead dog. “Even if the sky falls, I’m not getting off this bed.”

 

Sun Xiaojian sighed, “That’s such a waste.”

 

Lu Wen, always generous, said, “If you want to go, just go. You worked hard all night, too. Bring Brother Peng along, and if you want to do any activities, just charge it to my room.”

 

Li Dapeng finished making ginger tea and brought over a bowl.

 

Lu Wen drank it all in one go, feeling warm inside and out. He told Sun Xiaojian and Li Dapeng to go rest as well.

 

The suite became quiet. Lu Wen tossed and turned for a bit, too tired to sleep. Outside the window, the sky was still gloomy, but a sliver of dawn was beginning to break through—a rainy morning.

 

Had the other team wrapped up?

 

Did the shoot go well?

 

Which car would Qu Yanting take back?

 

The more Lu Wen thought, the harder it was to sleep. His phone buzzed briefly—a message from Sun Xiaojian: *Are you asleep?*

 

Lying on his back, Lu Wen replied: *What do you want?*

 

Sun Xiaojian: *Get on Weibo. Ruan Feng just followed you. Follow him back.*

 

Lu Wen hadn’t logged in for a while and opened Weibo hesitantly, only to be startled. He had gained tens of thousands of new followers, mostly Ruan Feng’s fans.

 

Normally, his Weibo posts only had about a hundred comments, but now there were nearly a thousand unread ones. When he clicked on the comment section, he saw messages from Ruan Feng’s fans saying things like: *Hey handsome, take good care of our Ruan Ruan, love ya!*

 

What the heck.

 

It was normal for actors from the same cast to follow each other, but Lu Wen held his phone, unable to bring himself to hit the follow button. After zoning out for a while, he eventually exited Weibo.

 

Sun Xiaojian followed up with another message: *Did you follow him back?*

 

Lu Wen lied: *I forgot my password.*

 

The rain outside was unpredictable. Occasionally, a gust of wind would come through, lifting the umbrellas of passersby.

 

Lu Wen found it hard to sleep. Wrapped in his robe, he moved to the living room sofa. Half an hour later, when he heard faint footsteps in the hallway, he immediately got up.

 

Qu Yanting had just returned from work, having endured a rainy night that had soaked him completely. His coat was in his hand, and the damp purple sweater he wore had darkened in color, with fine droplets of water covering its surface.

 

He was utterly exhausted, his steps slow and heavy. As he walked to room 6206, he lowered his head to swipe his card. His wet, black hair fell over his forehead, which he gently pushed back as he looked up.

 

Qu Yanting entered the room, turned to close the door, and unbuttoned one of his shirt buttons in the narrowing gap.

 

Once the door closed, it left a faint trace of water on the door handle.

 

Behind the door of room 6207, Lu Wen pressed himself against the peephole, unable to see anything. However, the image of the person in his mind had not faded. Unlike his usual restraint or the decisiveness he showed on set, the Qu Yanting from just now seemed disheveled and downcast.

 

Like a tree trembling but standing strong in the wind and rain.

 

Qu Yanting was too cold and too tired. After taking a hot shower, he didn’t even have the energy to dry his hair. When the doorbell rang, he deliberately ignored it. It wasn’t long before the ringing turned into knocking.

 

A server wouldn’t do that, so he had a good guess of who it was.

 

Qu Yanting, too weary to deal with it, went to open the door with a towel on his head, opening it just a palm’s width.

 

Outside the door, Lu Wen was holding a small pot in both hands. “Teacher Qu, the assistant made some ginger soup, and there’s a bit left over. I heard you come back, so I brought it over for you.”

 

Qu Yanting was a bit surprised and asked, “Did you already have some?”

 

At the end of the hallway, a server on the morning shift was making rounds and heading their way. Qu Yanting, worried the server might greet him, opened the door wider and let Lu Wen inside.

 

As he entered, Lu Wen said, “I already drank some. The rest went cold. I was going to heat it up before bringing it to you, but I’m not very good with kitchen appliances.”

 

Closing the door, Qu Yanting said, “I’ll heat it myself.”

 

The layout of the two suites was the same. Lu Wen took the ginger soup to the open kitchen. Qu Yanting took a set of bowls from the cupboard and heated the soup in the steamer.

 

He casually asked, “Did your assistant make this for you?”

 

Lu Wen didn’t answer and instead asked, “Teacher Qu, did you arrange for the assistant?”

 

Qu Yanting was puzzled for a couple of seconds. He didn’t concern himself with such small matters, but after a moment of recollection, he confirmed, “It seems so… I mentioned it to Xiao Zhang.”

 

Lu Wen’s large hand pressed down on the island counter, warming it just like when he pressed on the edge of the swimming pool that day. As an actor of little renown, he was used to being neglected and had never received such attention before.

 

“You…” he asked with a mix of self-consciousness and hope, “Why are you so kind to me?”

 

Qu Yanting was visibly taken aback. “I’m not.”

 

“How can you say that?” Lu Wen asked, a bit anxiously. “There are so many actors in the crew, why did you arrange an assistant just for me?”

 

Qu Yanting replied, “Because the others already have assistants.”

 

Lu Wen was at a loss for words, feeling a bit choked up.

 

Even with just a slight change in expression, Qu Yanting understood. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “What’s wrong? Did you think I treated you with special importance?”

 

Having his thoughts exposed, Lu Wen tried to cover up his embarrassment. “No, what’s there to be important about me, except that I’m a little better looking than others.”

 

Qu Yanting pressed on, “Were you particularly touched?”

 

“I already said no,” Lu Wen was getting more flustered, “What’s there to be touched about? I was just confirming, that’s all.”

 

Qu Yanting started to tease him, “Then why didn’t you go to sleep after work and instead came over with ginger soup?”

 

Lu Wen was mortified and blurted out, “I couldn’t finish it and didn’t want to waste it. Besides, I actually… I actually came to get my sweater.”

 

Of all the things to forget, this was the one. Qu Yanting, now more restrained, said, “The sweater… got soaked.”

 

“Even so, it’s still mine.” Lu Wen couldn’t control his mouth anymore. “It’s the only dark-colored clothing I have that doesn’t make me look pale. I need it back now.”

 

Qu Yanting felt a bit awkward. He had planned to wash it before returning it, but this fool actually came to his door to ask for it. He walked towards the bathroom where he had put the sweater in the dirty laundry basket.

 

Suddenly, the phone on the sofa rang. It was probably Ren Shu calling to check in on the filming progress.

 

Qu Yanting turned to answer the phone, and out of habit, said to Lu Wen, “The sweater is in the dirty laundry basket. You can get it yourself.”

 

Now that Lu Wen had stubbornly insisted, he had no choice but to go along with it. He walked into the bathroom, where the light was still on, the shower door half-open, and steam lingering in the air.

 

The laundry basket was beside the sink, filled with clothes. Lu Wen bent down to rummage through it.

 

In less than five seconds, Lu Wen came out of the bathroom empty-handed and shouted, “I don’t want the sweater anymore!”

 

Qu Yanting, who had been about to answer the phone, was startled by the shout and accidentally hung up. He asked in confusion, “You were in such a hurry just now. Why don’t you want it anymore?”

 

Lu Wen stammered, “It’s all… all soaked and misshapen. I don’t want it anymore.”

 

Qu Yanting said, “Then I’ll buy you a new one.”

 

“No need,” Lu Wen replied. “Just consider it a gift.”

 

He went to the kitchen, picked up the small pot, and headed towards the door. As he reached the entrance, he saw the carnation in the vase. The petals were withering, but Qu Yanting had kept it there, not throwing it away.

 

“Teacher Qu,” Lu Wen paused, “Anyway, thank you for taking care of me.”

 

Qu Yanting responded, “You’re welcome.”

 

As soon as he said that, Lu Wen gripped the door handle tightly, his tone suddenly assertive, “But let me remind you, don’t let anyone into your bathroom without permission in the future!”

 

Bang! The door slammed shut.

 

Qu Yanting stood by the sofa, a mix of confusion and surprise on his face.

 

Did that fool just yell at him again? Whether it was because he was too tired or had gotten used to it, he didn’t even have the energy to get angry, only feeling bewildered.

 

Qu Yanting took off the damp towel from around his neck and put it back in the bathroom. As he passed by the laundry basket, he thought of checking the condition of the sweater. If it wasn’t too damaged, he could send it for dry cleaning.

 

The clothes in the basket were the ones he had taken off before his shower. He had thrown the coat in first, followed by the sweater, pants, and shirt—the outermost clothes were at the bottom.

 

“How could he know it’s misshapen without taking it out?” Qu Yanting muttered, picking up the topmost item.

 

He froze instantly. What he had lifted with his fingers was his last article of clothing, a **black pair of briefs.

 

So, this pair of briefs had been on top the whole time?

 

When Lu Wen was searching for the sweater, wasn’t he…

 

Qu Yanting recoiled as if shocked, quickly dropping the briefs back into the basket. He stood up straight, understanding why Lu Wen didn’t want the sweater anymore and why he had shouted that warning.

 

He looked up at the mirror, his reflection showing a blush spreading across his cheeks against the backdrop of the harsh white light and his black pajamas.