Perfect Divorce [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 8

Yuan Xingzhou never expected that a small supporting character like himself would be arranged a kiss scene. The key issue was—it was completely unnecessary!

“With whom?” Yuan Xingzhou asked.

The coordinator smiled. “The male lead.”

The male lead of City of Mystery was played by Huo Yangqing, a wealthy playboy with quite a background, nicknamed the “Supermodel Reaper.” The Huo family’s company was among the investors for City of Mystery, and Young Master Huo was exceptionally willful. He refused to cooperate with the female lead for publicity stunts, instead spending his days fooling around with internet celebrities and models. Since joining the crew, he had already been involved in scandals with three or four different influencers.

Yuan Xingzhou’s role was roughly the fourth lead. His scenes with Huo Yangqing had been pushed to the later half of the schedule, so they hadn’t really met yet.

“Am I not the male lead’s younger brother and apprentice? Don’t I respect and admire him?” Yuan Xingzhou was stunned, unable to comprehend the screenwriter’s logic. “How can there be a kiss scene?”

As he spoke, he remembered he had brought an “audience member” along. He turned back to look, and sure enough, Ye Huai had heard the words “kiss scene.” The man was now sitting upright, one hand hooking his sunglasses down, his beautiful eyes looking at him with great anticipation.

Yuan Xingzhou: “…”

This guy has probably forgotten about our nominal ‘Huai-Zhou’ CP.

The coordinator walked away with a smile. The staff on set had also recovered from the shock of Ye Huai’s beauty and were busy with their own tasks. Every day the cameras rolled cost money; although Yuan Xingzhou’s head was throbbing, he didn’t dare raise any objections and resigned himself to going and changing his clothes.

While his makeup was being done, Yuan Xingzhou received the newly revised script. After cross-referencing the pages, he found that the kiss scene added by the screenwriter actually made some sense.

City of Mystery told the story of Feng Qing, a young master from a wealthy family who, due to a talent for code-breaking, accidentally entered the Ciphers Bureau. He embarked on a series of decryption operations with his partner, fighting against the puppet regime and misleading Japanese spies. He eventually became a member of the underground party, assisting the Communist Party in achieving victory in the War of Resistance.

In a spy drama like this, the fate of the nation and romantic entanglements naturally had to progress simultaneously. While Feng Qing resisted the Japanese, the Feng family was pro-Japanese. Xu Zhou, the character played by Yuan Xingzhou, was an adopted son of the Feng family who had been raised by their kindness and later became an officer in the puppet regime.

Xu Zhou admired Feng Qing’s talent for decryption so much that he refused to call him “brother,” insisting on recognizing Feng Qing as his master. Feng Qing then taught him the basics. Later, to protect his lover, Feng Qing used an excuse to break ties with his family. Xu Zhou, unable to bear it, contacted Feng Qing privately, wanting to mend the relationship between him and his father. Through constant correspondence and calls, Feng Qing extracted much information about the puppet regime from Xu Zhou. Eventually, Xu Zhou accidentally discovered that the decryption habits of the code-breaker they were tracking matched Feng Qing’s, and he vaguely guessed the truth. After meeting Feng Qing once more, Xu Zhou resolved to help him…

Xu Zhou’s character had always been that of a hot-blooded, pure young officer. He also couldn’t stand the darkness within the puppet regime and felt out of place with those around him. However, because the Feng family background was powerful, he remained high-spirited and had never faced much trouble. Upon discovering he had been used by the master/brother he respected and admired, Xu Zhou was bound to be hurt.

“After being hurt, he didn’t feel anger, he didn’t seek revenge, and he didn’t distance himself from Feng Qing. On the contrary, he went to help him!” The screenwriter came over to discuss the scene, excitedly slapping the table. “Why? Why!”

Yuan Xingzhou: “…”

“Because of love!!” The screenwriter’s eyes sparkled, saliva flying as he spoke with passionate fervor. “He refused to let Feng Qing recognize him as a brother because he had special feelings for Feng Qing since childhood. But because he was raised too well and was uncertain of these emotions, he always suppressed them silently. Otherwise, why was he so active in getting Feng Qing to come home? Why did he demand his adjutant report Feng Qing’s calls to him immediately? Why did he insist on meeting Feng Qing after knowing he was being used? Was he not sad and angry at that moment?”

Yuan Xingzhou: “…”

“No! He was extremely sad and extremely angry! BUT! BUT! Our male lead keenly perceived this, and he gave him a kiss!” The screenwriter continued, “A pure and passionate youth, dying for love, achieving success through sacrifice! When he finally blocks a bullet for the female lead, that is also when he lets go of this affection…”

The screenwriter was lost in this poignant tale of unrequited love, but Yuan Xingzhou’s lips were twitching.

What do you mean ‘refused to be brothers’? Can masters and apprentices date? That’s a violation of professional ethics, dear!

And the bullet-blocking part…

Yuan Xingzhou felt very depressed.

His original death was supposed to be in a bathhouse. While bathing, he would spot a Japanese spy, chase him down, engage in a bare-chested fight, and die a heroic death…

That half-naked fight scene was his big moment. He hadn’t even dared to eat a single bun lately to maintain his physique. Now, because of a kiss from the male lead, it was going to be cut?

“That half-naked fight scene… can it not be cut?” Yuan Xingzhou truly felt for the abs he had worked so hard for. Moreover, he was certain that scene would attract a huge wave of fans for his character.

Who wouldn’t like a sharp, masculine young officer? Furthermore, his fans loved to feminize him too much; he wanted to break through his current image.

“Not necessarily; we can discuss that later.” The screenwriter glanced at him, understanding his concerns, and laughed. “Anyway, your muscle training won’t go to waste. I’ll find an opportunity for you to be half-naked.”

The makeup artist let out a “pfft” and laughed.

Yuan Xingzhou felt a bit embarrassed. After thinking it over, he said to the screenwriter, “Then I’ll leave it in your hands, Teacher.”

The call sheet said makeup was due at 5:00 PM, but Yuan Xingzhou’s side took less than half an hour.

An officer’s makeup required a clean look. Yuan Xingzhou was naturally fair and delicate, but because his skin was too white, he usually needed dark foundation to tan him a bit; otherwise, it was hard to balance the lighting when he shared a frame with other actors.

However, for the kiss scene being filmed today, the fairer skin gave Xu Zhou an extra touch of refinement, making it easier for the audience to accept his hidden emotions. Thus, the makeup artist only needed to slightly groom his eyebrows and emphasize his upper eyeliner to highlight his three-dimensional features. The look was complete.

Ye Huai was getting a bit bored waiting outside. He had heard that actor’s makeup took a long time, so he started a game to pass the time. Not long after, he heard people talking nearby.

He turned his head and saw Yuan Xingzhou, dressed in a dark green military uniform and a cloak, walking toward him with a brisk pace.

Ye Huai narrowed his eyes. As Yuan Xingzhou approached, Ye Huai’s gaze swept him up and down.

Yuan Xingzhou needed to go greet Huo Yangqing to rehearse, so he specifically came over to tell Ye Huai: “I didn’t expect the schedule to change. I might be working through the night. It’s quite far from the city center here; you should head back when the sun sets. Don’t wait for me.”

Ye Huai didn’t speak; he just kept staring at him.

Yuan Xingzhou was a bit bewildered by the gaze and looked down at himself. “What is it?” he asked, seeing his boots weren’t dirty and his pants weren’t sagging. He couldn’t see any problem. “Is something… wrong with me?”

“It looks quite good,” Ye Huai nodded.

Yuan Xingzhou froze. Just as he was about to blush, he heard the man ask, “Are you an American officer?”

Yuan Xingzhou: “???”

“No!” Yuan Xingzhou said in surprise. “Do I look mixed-race?”

“But your clothes look very ‘mixed-race,'” Ye Huai raised an eyebrow. “Uniform regulations used to be Mao suits; even later new-style uniforms didn’t have large lapels like yours.”

Yuan Xingzhou: “…”

“What’s with this big thick chain and the chain belt?” Ye Huai asked. “Are you doing uniform play?”

Yuan Xingzhou was about to film a kiss scene; hearing this, his face turned beet-red instantly. He lowered his voice: “Please just shut up.”

Ye Huai’s sword-like brows locked slightly, looking at him with displeasure.

“I wear what the crew gives me,” Yuan Xingzhou said, caught between laughter and tears. “I’m almost done with my scenes; I can’t exactly go back to the costume department and suggest changes now, can I? Besides, this script is made up. They hired us just for our looks to create a ‘Mary Sue’ vibe; it’s not going to be that historically accurate.”

Ye Huai let out a “tch” and leaned back in his seat, saying lazily, “You sure are confident.”

Yuan Xingzhou froze, realizing he was referring to his comment about being hired “for our looks.” Likely in this gentleman’s eyes, everyone besides himself was a mere mortal who couldn’t possibly be associated with the word “good-looking.”

Yuan Xingzhou didn’t get angry. Seeing it was getting late, he reminded him again: “The night roads here aren’t easy to drive. If you want to go back, just take my car.”

“What about you?” Ye Huai asked.

“I’m staying with the crew. I only stayed at home the last two days because I was on leave,” Yuan Xingzhou smiled. “Lock the door when you’re home. I haven’t changed the key card for that apartment; if you’re worried, change the set so no one else with a card can get in. The breakfast shop is in the community’s commercial area; just buy whatever you want to eat.”

After smiling and giving his instructions, he waved to Ye Huai. “I’m going to rehearse. Suit yourself.”

Ye Huai’s gaze lingered on his leather gloves for a moment. He curled his lip and said nothing more.

Yuan Xingzhou then went to find Huo Yangqing to rehearse.

Huo Yangqing had his own dressing room. His makeup wasn’t finished yet, and he was chatting with the artist. Yuan Xingzhou knocked and entered, greeting him and standing modestly at a distance.

“Why are you standing so far away?” Huo Yangqing was quite enthusiastic. He looked at him through the mirror and pointed to the makeup chair next to him. “Come sit and chat.”

“I wouldn’t dare disturb Teacher Huo,” Yuan Xingzhou said politely, but he didn’t act coy and sat down with a smile.

Huo Yangqing laughed.

“I finally get to meet you. Ever since I knew you were in the crew, I’ve been looking forward to meeting you every day,” Huo Yangqing smiled. “Why did you take leave? Not feeling well?”

Yuan Xingzhou was taken aback. He didn’t understand why Huo Yangqing was being so hospitable.

“It was nothing much,” he didn’t know how Li Yu had requested the leave, so he said vaguely, “I’m fine after a couple of days’ rest.”

“That’s good. I thought your waist injury had flared up,” Huo Yangqing breathed a sigh of relief.

Yuan Xingzhou: “???”

“I used to be your fan.” Huo Yangqing saw his confusion, raised one eyebrow, and turned to look at him. “I’ve followed you since you first debuted.”

Yuan Xingzhou was dumbfounded. “For real?”

“Of course it’s real! I even spent a lot of money when your album came out!” Huo Yangqing snorted, saying irritably, “The result? In the title track, you only sang for a total of 12 seconds, and half of that was backing vocals. That trash company didn’t treat you like a human!”

When Yuan Xingzhou debuted, his popularity in the group wasn’t high—ranking near the bottom—but his treatment had always been the worst. Their last album was a mini-album with six songs; Yuan Xingzhou only participated in two. He appeared for 12 seconds in the title track and 16 seconds in another song.

Huo Yangqing’s words were too professional; Yuan Xingzhou believed him immediately upon hearing it, but considering their respective identities, he didn’t quite dare to believe it.

Recalling the past, Huo Yangqing was quite indignant: “Back then, I even wrote an anonymous complaint letter to your company and organized everyone to fight with Yuan Cheng’s fans. Dammit, Yuan Cheng’s fans have such filthy mouths; I couldn’t even beat them using bot scripts.”

Yuan Xingzhou couldn’t doubt it now. Encountering his first “living” fan, he felt a sudden surge of gratitude. “Heavens, you really… I don’t have many fans. Thank you! I… I haven’t lived up to expectations.”

He had always been unsuccessful, which meant his fans suffered too, often being bullied by other fandoms.

“It’s nothing,” Huo Yangqing said. “I just couldn’t stand seeing you be clearly better than them yet always getting bullied. But I joined the fandom late; just as I was about to take you as my idol, you guys disbanded, and then you ran off to marry Ye Huai, so I unfanned.”

Yuan Xingzhou: “…”

“And now?” Yuan Xingzhou’s mood was complex—surprised, moved, and a bit sentimental about how things had changed. He half-jokingly asked, “Have you turned into a hater now?”

Huo Yangqing burst out laughing.

“No, no,” Huo Yangqing said. “I’m a hater of Ye Huai. You two might be a couple, but I’m clear-headed; I never implicate the innocent.”

Yuan Xingzhou: “…”

Ye Huai himself is right outside, waiting to watch the show. That man is a narcissist and a ‘showy peacock’; if Huo Yangqing sees him, his hostility will definitely be noticed…

When the time comes, I’ll be caught in the middle… as Ye Huai’s CP, as Huo Yangqing’s idol, and in the drama, as the person Huo Yangqing has a crush on…

Yuan Xingzhou suddenly had a very real understanding of the “multiple identities” found in spy dramas.

It was too difficult…

He began to feel regret. He could only hope the sun would set quickly, that Ye Huai would get hungry soon, and that by the time he and Huo Yangqing went out, Ye Huai would have already driven away…