Crossover Actors - Chapter 32

The robe was completely open, exposing Lu Wen’s body from his neck to his ankles, directly in front of Qu Yanting. If a hotel staff member passed by, they would probably think he was a pervert.

 

Or, they might think the two of them were having an affair.

 

Lu Wen hurriedly pulled his robe closed with a swish, his mind buzzing, completely stunned. He looked down to check that he was at least still wearing underwear.

 

His face flushed purple, and his double eyelids widened: “What are you doing!”

 

Qu Yanting curled his guilty fingers and mumbled, “Sorry,” while his eyes lingered on Lu Wen’s chest, wandering downwards to peek at his now-covered waist.

 

“What are you looking at!” Lu Wen overlapped the two sides of his robe, wishing he could cover even his Adam’s apple. He tightened the belt around his waist, tying two firm knots.

 

Suddenly, Qu Yanting asked, “Doesn’t it hurt?”

 

Lu Wen froze. It did hurt a bit, but he hadn’t paid much attention to it, only mentioning it casually while on the phone with Lu Zhanqing.

 

Qu Yanting had noticed earlier that there was a bruise on Lu Wen’s chest, and there seemed to be more on his waist, thighs, and knees. The real damage was likely on his unseen back.

 

The injuries were caused by the harness during wire stunts, and from multiple falls and rolls.

 

Lu Wen moved his shoulder, feeling a dull ache as the muscles in his chest and back pulled taut, sending threads of soreness throughout his body. There wasn’t much he could do; he just had to endure the night.

 

Qu Yanting told Lu Wen to wait a moment.

 

He rummaged through his suitcase and brought out a bottle of medicinal liquor and several packs of medicated patches, his travel essentials. The patches were for pain relief and to promote blood circulation; he briefly explained their uses to Lu Wen.

 

Lu Wen was too mentally exhausted from the day’s events, responding blankly.

 

Qu Yanting patiently asked, “Do you understand how to apply them?”

 

Lu Wen frowned: “Do you think I’m an idiot?”

 

“…” Qu Yanting, recalling how Lu Wen had been “rescued” from a high fever, offered, “You won’t be able to reach your back. Need help?”

 

Lu Wen frowned deeper, his brows furrowed with the suspicion of a virtuous man. He snatched the items like a stubborn mule: “No need, my arms are long enough.”

 

Two doors closed.

 

Qu Yanting, still recovering from his illness, went to sleep.

 

After all the fuss, Lu Wen had taken a pile of patches from him. He opened two boxes and applied them in front of the mirror.

 

The knots he had tied around his waist wouldn’t come undone. Impatient and rough, he ended up cutting them with scissors. He applied the patches wherever it hurt, covering himself like a scrapbook, the strong medicinal smell filling the room.

 

Lu Wen turned off the lights and got into bed, hugging the blanket close to his chest, trying to cover up the sound of his pounding heart.

 

The next morning, in the pale sunlight, Lu Wen turned off his phone alarm.

 

He unlocked it, his finger hovering over the screen, then buried his face in the pillow, taking a deep breath. Summoning his courage, he opened his message inbox.

 

All night long, no messages from Qu Yanting.

 

He backed out. Who even sends texts anymore? So outdated. He opened WeChat—Contacts—New Friends, and the screen was peaceful, with no friend request from Qu Yanting.

 

Lu Wen kicked his feet, creating a frustrated wrinkle in the bed sheet.

 

He opened Alipay, collected energy to feed his virtual chicken, and busied himself in another app. After that, he opened his chat with Qu Yanting and stared at it.

 

Qu Yanting hadn’t set an avatar, making him look like a zombie account.

 

Lu Wen stared at the “520” like he was reading a math problem. Thinking through the problem statement, did Qu Yanting really have no other intentions? Not a peep all night, could it be the legendary strategy of playing hard to get?

 

He rolled over, the spots where the patches were applied not hurting as much anymore.

 

Lu Wen clicked into the chat box, typed “Thanks for the patches,” then deleted it, changed it to “The patches worked well,” and deleted that too. No matter how he phrased it, it all sounded disgustingly sappy.

 

Lu Wen regretted not paying more attention in Chinese class. After much internal debate, he settled on a stiff reminder: Remember to get an IV today, don’t say I didn’t remind you.

 

Five seconds after sending it, a WeChat notification sounded.

 

“I knew it!” It must be Qu Yanting’s friend request. A night of playing hard to get, and with one response, he was going to make his move!

 

Lu Wen quickly opened WeChat. The top of his chat list displayed a new message.

 

Sun Xiaojian: Leaving at 7, meet in the lobby.

 

Lu Wen: “…”

 

At seven o’clock sharp, the nanny van left the hotel garden on time.

 

Qu Yanting stretched his neck and shoulders, having worked on a manuscript for an hour. Feeling tired, he turned his chair halfway around, gazing out at the bright daylight outside the window.

 

He refilled his half-empty cup of black coffee, reviewed the manuscript, gave feedback on edits, and connected with his studio for a meeting, working non-stop until noon.

 

Before hanging up, Yu Nan said, “Boss, the weather forecast says it’s going to get colder in Chongqing. Be careful not to catch a cold.”

 

It was too late, but Qu Yanting didn’t mention that he was already sick.

 

Yu Nan asked, “Boss, did you bring enough warm clothes? Should I send you a couple of pieces?”

 

“Are you kidding me?” Jo Bian’s chatter came through, “Go buy it at Jiefangbei! Gucci, LV, Armani—if you keep pampering him like this, he’ll stop going to malls altogether!”

 

When it came to malls, especially stores where he had to interact one-on-one with salespeople, Qu Yanting always avoided them. Hearing Jo Bian’s teasing, he said, “No need, I’ll buy it myself.”

 

Yu Nan confirmed, “Are you sure?”

 

Qu Yanting calmly replied, “Yeah, Jiefangbei isn’t far from here.”

 

Jo Bian sweetly called out, “Editor Qu, bring me back a bottle of perfume!”

 

Qu Yanting coldly retorted, “I’ll burn you a bag instead.”

 

After ending the call, Qu Yanting had no intention of shopping, but he did need warmer clothes. After thinking for a moment, he opened Taobao and bought two pieces.

 

Taobao and Alipay were grouped together, and a small red dot on the blue icon indicated unread messages. Qu Yanting hadn’t turned on message notifications, so it was only then that he saw the message Lu Wen had sent in the morning.

 

Four or five hours had passed since, so it didn’t seem necessary to reply.

 

But then he remembered Lu Wen’s bruises and decided to return the favor: Feeling better?

 

Two minutes later, Lu Wen replied: Much better.

 

Qu Yanting, not wanting the idiot to be clueless, typed: Tear them off today, don’t leave them on too long.

 

Lu Wen: Got it. Should I put on more?

 

Qu Yanting: If it doesn’t hurt, then no need.

 

Lu Wen: I still have a lot left.

 

Qu Yanting: Keep them for later.

 

Lu Wen: Why do you stock up on so many patches?

 

Qu Yanting: My back isn’t in great shape.

 

After sending the message, he regretted it. His fingers paused for a moment before he hastily added: “I often sit for long periods writing drafts, so my back hurts.”

 

A long while later, Lu Wen replied with a simple “Oh.”

 

Just one word, cutting off any desire to continue the conversation. Qu Yanting decided not to reply further.

 

Sitting under the awning of the RV, Lu Wen’s heart jumped every time he heard the notification sound. With each reply, his anxiety grew, now stuck in his throat.

 

The conversation seemed to be over, but he didn’t exit the chat, fearing Qu Yanting might still have something to say.

 

Someone came around the back of the RV. It was Ruan Feng, whose voice was clear as a spring and sweetly affectionate as he called out, “—Lu Wen ge!”

 

Startled, Lu Wen shivered, dropping his phone onto his foot. As he bent down to pick it up, Ruan Feng walked over. In a fluster, Lu Wen quickly locked the screen and stuffed the phone into his pocket.

 

“Hi,” Lu Wen forced a smile.

 

Ruan Feng, holding a plastic bag, sat down on the chair next to him. His RV was parked behind this one, and after looking through the window and not seeing anyone, he decided to come over and check.

 

Still wearing an awkward smile, Lu Wen asked, “Is there something you need?”

 

Ruan Feng smiled brightly, his white teeth accentuating his cheerful expression, and handed over the plastic bag. “Lu Wen ge, can you do me a favor?”

 

Lu Wen took the bag. It was three or four pounds heavy. When he opened it, he saw several large bunches of grapes. They were a common variety, but carefully selected, with fresh and plump berries.

 

He was puzzled. “What’s this?”

 

Ruan Feng replied, “I have a night shoot tonight and can’t get away. Could you please bring these to Teacher Qu for me?”

 

Lu Wen was taken aback. “This doesn’t seem appropriate…”

 

“What’s inappropriate about it?” Ruan Feng countered with a sweet smile. “Lu Wen ge, I know you’re a kind person. Please, do me this favor.”

 

Lu Wen’s head started to ache. “Actually, there’s no need. The hotel provides fruit every day.”

 

Ruan Feng insisted, “But they might not have grapes.”

 

That was true, but grapes weren’t exactly a rare fruit. Did he really have to have them?

 

“Lu Wen ge, I don’t see you as an outsider.” Ruan Feng said tactfully, “I found out by chance that Teacher Qu especially likes to eat grapes when he’s sick, especially when he has a fever.”

 

So that’s how it was. Lu Wen glanced at Ruan Feng with mixed feelings.

 

He couldn’t tell whether Ruan Feng’s intentions towards Qu Yanting were genuine or just flattery, but he was certain that Qu Yanting wasn’t serious about Ruan Feng. Even if he once had been, he wasn’t anymore.

 

People always like the new and grow tired of the old, and right now, Qu Yanting’s heart was mostly focused on him.

 

Oblivious, Ruan Feng smiled, “Lu Wen ge, what do you like to eat?”

 

“Ah? I like everything.”

 

“One day, when we both finish work early, I’ll treat you to dinner.”

 

Lu Wen felt increasingly guilty, not knowing how to face Ruan Feng. He couldn’t help but reflect: now that Qu Yanting liked him, did he bear some responsibility?

 

As the saying goes, “I didn’t kill Boren, but Boren died because of me.” In this case, it wasn’t that he was seducing Qu Yanting, but Qu Yanting was infatuated with him anyway.

 

Lu Wen felt deeply tormented, smiling awkwardly and guiltily. “Xiao Ruan… since you call me ge, I’ll treat you.”

 

“Alright, it’s settled then!” Ruan Feng agreed cheerfully. His assistant called him for makeup, and as he ran off, he shouted back, “Lu Wen ge, thanks a lot!”

 

At sunset, when the sky was still glowing red, Qu Yanting returned to the hotel after finishing his IV drip. On the way, Ruan Feng called, asking if Lu Wen could bring him a bag of grapes.

 

Dinner was delivered to his room first: a light meal of four dishes and soup. Qu Yanting took a few bites, then curled up on the sofa with his laptop to revise the script, occasionally fiddling with his watch.

 

He typed out a line when he heard footsteps approaching in the hallway. His fingers paused; he guessed it was Lu Wen returning from work.

 

Sure enough, the doorbell rang.

 

Qu Yanting didn’t check the peephole and opened the door directly, but to his surprise, it was Lu Wen’s manager, Sun Xiaojian, standing outside. He took half a step back, gripping the door handle tightly.

 

Sun Xiaojian was all smiles, his attitude ten times better than Lu Wen’s, and he spoke respectfully, “Mr. Qu, sorry to bother you. Have you eaten?”

 

Qu Yanting replied with a terse “Mm,” his tone so cold it could dissolve into the air.

 

Sun Xiaojian didn’t dare waste any time and handed over the bag, explaining, “Mr. Qu, these are grapes from Mr. Ruan. He asked my client Lu Wen to bring them to you.”

 

Qu Yanting couldn’t understand why Lu Wen didn’t deliver them himself, choosing instead to have his manager do it. The door to room 6207 was closed. He asked, “Lu Wen didn’t come back?”

 

“He did,” Sun Xiaojian, not wanting to seem rude, lied, “He was in a rush to use the bathroom, so he went inside first.”

 

In the room across the hall, Lu Wen leaned against the door, his head resting against the door panel, listening clearly to the conversation outside. While Qu Yanting accepted the grapes from Ruan Feng, he also inquired about his whereabouts.

 

What was this? This was what they call eating from the bowl while eyeing the pot.

 

And what else was this? It was what they call wanting to have it both ways.

 

Lu Wen couldn’t accept it. He couldn’t afford to provoke Qu Yanting, so he decided to stay far away.

 

Qu Yanting carried the grapes to the kitchen, washed them in cold water, and three large bunches filled an entire bowl. Popping one into his mouth, it filled his cheeks, the juice sweet, the flesh soft yet firm.

 

When Qu Yanting was a child and had a fever, Qu’s father would pick a bunch from the grapevine at home. In spring and summer, they would chill them in the fridge for a while; in autumn and winter, they would rinse them in cold water, cooling his throat.

 

During the off-season, Qu’s father would buy them and pretend they were picked. He believed it every time.

 

Qu Yanting sat in the gap between the sofa and coffee table, eating grapes while revising his script.

 

His phone rang. It was Ren Shu, who had returned from Beijing last night. Qu Yanting lost his appetite when he heard the ringtone. He delayed until the last moment, then pressed the speakerphone.

 

After a bit of friendly chatter, Ren Shu, unaware that Qu Yanting was ill, asked if he hadn’t gone to the set today because he was exhausted from the past few days.

 

“It’s fine,” Qu Yanting, not one to complain or share his worries, replied. “As long as I didn’t delay your work.”

 

Ren Shu’s voice filled the entire living room: “This is no fun at all. It was pouring rain, and you managed to shoot everything overnight, including all the establishing shots. Amazing!”

 

Qu Yanting asked, “What about it?”

 

“What about it? You were awesome!” Ren Shu laughed heartily. “Yanting, if you had your own team, you could have shot it even better.”

 

Every director has a team like that, including cinematographers, lighting technicians, art directors, and editors—people who are familiar with the director’s style and methods, with a creative synergy between them.

 

Qu Yanting was silent for a few seconds. When he spoke again, he laughed, almost mockingly at himself: “Why would a screenwriter like me need a team? It’s enough just to do some work for you.”

 

Ren Shu chuckled, “You must be exhausted. Now I feel bad about what I’m about to ask.”

 

Qu Yanting caught on. “What’s up?”

 

“It’s about scene 78,” Ren Shu sounded a bit hesitant. “Could you revise it tonight? I want to wrap up Mr. Yang Bin’s scenes early.”

 

Yang Bin played Ye’s father, a special guest role with only a few scenes, scheduled to finish filming this weekend. An experienced and dedicated actor, Yang Bin had both rheumatism and asthma, and the cold weather made it very tough for him. Ren Shu, feeling sympathy, wanted to let him leave the set early.

 

Qu Yanting scrolled through the document pages and readily agreed, “Alright, I’ll send it to your email tonight.”

 

“That’s great! You’re the best, brother!” Ren Shu was so excited that his phone heated up. “As soon as I get the script, I’ll go over it with Mr. Yang and rehearse the scene with him. We’ll shoot first thing in the morning.”

 

Qu Yanting softly repeated, “In the morning?”

 

“Yes,” Ren Shu confirmed. “It’s a bit of a last-minute change, but it won’t affect the other scenes.”

 

This meant not only would the script have to be revised tonight, but the actor also needed to memorize his lines. Qu Yanting glanced at Ye Shan’s lines in the document and asked, “What about Lu Wen?”

 

“I almost forgot about him. We’ll have to bring him in, too,” Ren Shu replied, sounding puzzled. “But it’s strange—I haven’t run into him at the hotel.”

 

Of course you haven’t, Qu Yanting thought to himself.

 

To save time and effort, he decided on a compromise and took on the task himself: “Alright, I’ll handle it.”

 

Two hours later.

 

Lu Wen was soaking in the bathtub, with the hot water on a circulation mode, his arms resting on the edge, the muscles glistening with a thin layer of moisture.

 

He leaned back with a towel as a pillow, feeling annoyed, and began singing softly amidst the faint steam: “I really want to be completely free, escape from your control, start a new life, regain that fearless happiness, and a brand new self…”

 

The ringing of his phone interrupted him.

 

The phone vibrated on the dressing table, and Lu Wen, naked, stepped out onto the bath mat to answer it. The number was unfamiliar but formal, not looking like a scam. He picked up, “Hello, who’s this?”

 

“It’s me.”

 

It was Qu Yanting’s voice.

 

Lu Wen shivered, hurriedly pulling on his bathrobe. In those few seconds, countless thoughts raced through his mind. Why was Qu Yanting calling him? What was his purpose? Had he really grown impatient after just a day without seeing him?

 

Steadying his nerves, he swallowed and asked, “Wh-what’s the matter?”

 

Qu Yanting replied, “Come to my room.”

 

Teacher Qu = They are using teacher because its a title used for people above in workplace(entertainment)