I Transmigrated Into A Fanfiction And Got Pregnant With The Movie Star's Child - Chapter 4

The pending zone was located in the adjacent studio.

The production team likely wanted to capture the anxious state of the pending trainees, deliberately outfitting the room with chairs that were both hard and small. Having just experienced such events the previous night, Ji Xing was already physically uncomfortable, and sitting on the hard wooden chair felt thoroughly miserable.

Faced with the cameras, he couldn’t afford to show his distress too openly, so he shifted his gaze toward the large screen nearby to distract himself. The screen displayed the real-time studio feed switched by the director. Although the show wasn’t broadcast live, to manufacture a sense of interaction within the program, screens had been installed across all the studios so the camera crew could capture the trainees’ reactions.

The feed switched to a shot of He Chenchen, whose face still bore that completely unbothered expression, looking chillingly stern when he wasn’t speaking. If they were face-to-face, Ji Xing wouldn’t dare stare at the man, but through the screen, he felt safe enough to take a proper look.

The man in the screen was impeccably dressed, his hairstyle meticulously styled, and his handsome features devoid of a single flaw. Only the faint, lingering wound on his lip betrayed what had transpired last night.

As for Ji Xing, he had witnessed the man’s other side firsthand.

Unlike the reserved and composed demeanor he projected on camera, last night’s He Chenchen had been intense and wild, resembling a male beast on the verge of losing control, radiating a terrifyingly dangerous aura from head to toe.

The auditions for all the trainees did not wrap up until dusk.

Since interviews had to be recorded that night, they couldn’t return to the hotel immediately and had to settle for dinner in the base’s cafeteria.

Ji Xing and Xiao Lin used the meal cards provided by the production crew to buy their food, and just as they were looking for a vacant spot to sit, someone called out to him. Turning around, Ji Xing was surprised to see it was the theatrical heavyweight, Zhang Li.

“Teacher,” Ji Xing hurried over to greet him.

“Come sit together. I was just getting bored eating alone.”

Zhang Li was around sixty years old, with mostly white hair and a very approachable demeanor. Ji Xing had watched many of his stage plays in the past, so he felt a natural warmth around him and wasn’t overly nervous.

“I didn’t expect to run into you here,” Ji Xing said, genuinely surprised. He had assumed the production team would arrange a separate dining area for the mentors.

Zhang Li seemed to see right through his thoughts and smiled, saying, “I specifically came over here to eat so I could observe you kids up close and see if you act any differently off-camera.”

Ji Xing sat across from Zhang Li and asked, “Did the teacher notice any differences?”

“Of course. Take you, for instance. You’re much livelier off-camera.”

Ji Xing offered a bitter internal laugh, thinking to himself that he wasn’t afraid of the cameras at all, he was only afraid of He Chenchen.

“Have you had much acting experience before?” Zhang Li asked.

“Not much. I’ve only acted in one movie as a minor supporting role.”

Ji Xing was referring to the film he had shot with He Chenchen. Although he was in a different world now, he had to admit that he had learned a great deal from He Chenchen during that production.

“Do you enjoy acting?”

“I can’t quite put it into words, but I find acting fascinating. Many things you’d never say or do in ordinary life can be experienced through performance.”

“Hm, that sounds a bit too standard.”

“But that’s genuinely what I think. I’m not lying.”

Ji Xing had an obedient appearance, and his words naturally carried a sense of sincerity, causing Zhang Li to chuckle.

“Then tell me honestly, why did you decide to join this show?”

“The other artists in my company didn’t have any open schedules, and my manager said the slot shouldn’t go to waste, so she sent me.”

Amused by his candid reply, Zhang Li laughed out loud. “I’m starting to think about recruiting you into my team.”

Before he could finish his sentence, Pei Yun’s voice rang out from behind. “Teacher Zhang, we agreed he would be on my team! Why are you trying to poach him behind my back?”

What did he mean by his team?

Startled by the remark, Ji Xing choked slightly on half a spoonful of soup and broke into a fit of coughing.

“Hey now, drink slowly,” Pei Yun said, giving him a playful smack on the back with his usual unserious demeanor. “Are you that happy to hear you’re joining my team?”

“No…” Ji Xing waved his hands frantically, but catching sight of He Chenchen standing right beside Pei Yun, he coughed even harder.

The violent fit turned his face entirely crimson, bringing tears to his eyes.

Nearby, He Chenchen’s gaze landed on the tear tracks staining Ji Xing’s cheeks, and he pulled a tissue from his pocket to hand to the younger man. Ji Xing thanked him and reached out to take it, his fingertips accidentally brushing against the man’s hand.

That momentary contact instantly dragged his thoughts back to certain details from the previous night. He Chenchen’s hands were large, with distinct, slender knuckles and a thin layer of calluses on his palms from frequent workouts. Thinking of that rough texture made Ji Xing’s face heat up instantly.

“Darling, why did your face suddenly turn red?” Pei Yun asked.

“No… I’m not red,” Ji Xing instinctively tried to deny it, only for his embarrassment to deepen the flush on his cheeks.

Noticing his state, Zhang Li asked, “Are you feeling unwell?”

Ji Xing wanted to deny it, but quickly realized this was the perfect excuse to escape. He lied that he was feeling a bit under the weather, grabbed Xiao Lin, and stood up to leave the cafeteria.

Yet the moment he turned around, an apprentice carrying a bowl of hot noodle soup slipped, spilling the scalding broth directly onto Ji Xing’s hand.

Ji Xing felt a numb sensation wash over his right hand, feeling almost no pain at first. But a split second later, the skin on his hand felt as though thousands of ants were biting it simultaneously, burning and aching all at once.

“Are you alright?” The trainee rushed over to grab his hand. “It’s burned red! I, I’ll blow on it for you!”

Panicking, the student failed to think of any scientific remedy and simply planned to lower the temperature of the burn using physics, by blowing on it directly.

Failing to spot any issue with the trainee’s approach, Ji Xing stammered a refusal and insisted he was fine.

Right at that moment, he felt a weight on his wrist as someone hauled him toward the sink like a helpless chick. It wasn’t until cool water flowed over the blazing red back of his hand that Ji Xing remembered he was supposed to run cold water over burns first.

“Thank you…” Ji Xing turned his head to express his gratitude, only to realize that the person who had dragged him over was none other than He Chenchen. The man was still gripping his wrist tightly, and the two stood close enough that Ji Xing’s senses were flooded with that familiar woody fragrance.

He Chenchen’s brows were slightly knitted, his eyes fixed steadily on the running water rather than looking at him.

“Teacher He,” Ji Xing murmured, his voice dropping by half.

The burning sensation on his hand had subsided somewhat, but the spot on his wrist where He Chenchen held him grew hotter by the second, as if the man’s body heat would soon burn a brand through his fabric.

Fortunately, Pei Yun hurried over at that moment, breaking the tense atmosphere between them.

“Your assistant went to find some burn ointment. How is it? Is it bad?” Pei Yun asked.

“It’s fine. I can handle it myself. You two teachers should go eat.”

Ji Xing gently tried to pull his arm away, but failed to break free.

He Chenchen’s grip was far too strong, making his wrist bones ache.

It wasn’t until Xiao Lin came running over with the burn ointment that He Chenchen finally loosened his hold.

Just as Ji Xing started to pull his hand back, he heard the man say in a cold tone, “Run the water for another ten minutes.”

“Oh.” Not daring to disobey, Ji Xing obediently placed his hand back under the tap.

Seeing this, He Chenchen said nothing more and turned to walk away.

Pei Yun patted Ji Xing on the shoulder and followed after He Chenchen.

“I didn’t take you for such a righteous guy. Seeing my trainee get hurt made you more nervous than me,” Pei Yun teased.

“Of course I’m nervous. A massive production crew like this recruits trainees who lack basic common sense. It’s nothing more than a slapped-together outfit.”

“Hahahaha, and here I thought you were just being enthusiastic. Turns out you were just dying to put your first-aid knowledge to use?” Pei Yun continued, “Why don’t we have the production team run a first-aid training session so you don’t have to step in personally next time? It was just a burn today, next time you might end up needing to give mouth-to-mouth.”

He Chenchen shot him a sidelong glance, then turned to look back toward the sink area. Ji Xing was still standing right where he was, obediently cooling his hand under the water.

“Tsk, true to my trainee, a bit clumsy, but very well-behaved,” Pei Yun remarked.

“Hardly,” He Chenchen replied.

“You mean he’s playing the pig to eat the tiger?” Pei Yun looked shocked.

He Chenchen looked at him. “I mean he might not necessarily be your trainee.”