Pretending Not to Love You [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Zuo Qiu had many scenes on the day before his leave. The first scene was the relationship-defining kiss with Dai Ni’s character, Yi Beiqin. After going through various events together, Qian Xuduo and Yi Beiqin develop feelings for each other. Yi Beiqin, unable to bear Qian Xuduo’s passive nature, decides to take the initiative, finally breaking the thin barrier between them with a forceful kiss, officially establishing their relationship.

Before joining the crew, Xiao Baijun had asked Zhao Zhixian to negotiate with the director to remove Zuo Qiu’s kissing scenes. The director, out of respect for Zhao Zhixian, reduced the two planned kissing scenes to one. The first kiss was a crucial turning point for the plot, and Director Zhao refused to remove it. Finally, Zhao Zhixian agreed with him that they would use a barrier (like plastic wrap) and a camera trick (to create the illusion of a kiss).

…

Before the shoot began, Zuo Qiu and Dai Ni stood together chatting.

“Don’t worry, I brushed my teeth three times this morning and just had chewing gum,” Zuo Qiu said. Although they wouldn’t actually kiss, and there would be no tongue contact, it was still an extremely close-range shot, and Zuo Qiu didn’t want to cause Dai Ni to NG because of his bad breath.

But when Dai Ni opened her mouth, even though she only spoke one word, Zuo Qiu felt that the person who would NG would definitely be himself.

“Huh?”

The moment Dai Ni opened her mouth, Zuo Qiu smelled a strong scent of garlic.

Zuo Qiu couldn’t help but take a step back. “Dai Ni, did I do something to offend you?”

Since Zuo Qiu spoke the first sentence, Dai Ni stood still, slowly figuring out the whole story. Once she understood, she was furious. Earlier that morning, as she was chewing gum when she arrived on set, Zhu Mao came over and told her that he had seen Zuo Qiu desperately eating garlic in the restaurant. He asked if they had agreed to it, suggesting that eating some garlic would prevent an awkward reaction during the kiss scene, just in case things got too real.

She didn’t doubt Zhu Mao’s words. Thinking of the jealous Xiao Baijun, Dai Ni figured he might actually instruct Zuo Qiu to do that. Therefore, not wanting to show weakness, Dai Ni decided, “for fairness,” to eat garlic too.

Zuo Qiu handed two pieces of chewing gum to Dai Ni from a distance, signaling her to try to remedy the situation and prevent him from fainting later.

Dai Ni took the gum and chewed it vigorously. She had chewed about half a pound of garlic that morning to prove to Xiao Baijun that she had no designs on Zuo Qiu. Even though chewing gum now was basically futile, it was better than nothing.

“Do you do this every time you film a kiss scene?” If she ate a large amount of garlic for every drama she filmed, Zuo Qiu guessed Dai Ni wouldn’t have many friends in the industry.

Dai Ni gritted her teeth: “Only for you!”

Just as Zuo Qiu was about to say something else, Director Zhao called for them to get ready.

The two were forced to stop talking and get into position.

“Try not to breathe later. I’m afraid you’ll pass out,” Dai Ni said, her mouth slightly turned to the side.

Zuo Qiu nodded in agreement and honestly replied, “I will hold my breath.” Because they were taking leave, Director Zhao had a tight schedule for the next few days. It was better to reduce the number of NGs to avoid delays.

Dai Ni felt another ten thousand points of emotional damage from Zuo Qiu’s unembellished answer. She shot a fierce glare toward a certain direction off-camera before throwing herself into the scene.

…

Zhu Mao, who was standing next to Xiao Baijun at the time, felt utterly bewildered by Dai Ni’s angry gaze. “Did I do something wrong again?”

Xiao Baijun didn’t speak. Zhu Mao didn’t understand, but Xiao Baijun was perfectly clear on the matter.

In the morning, when he and Zuo Qiu were having breakfast in the restaurant, Zhu Mao passed by and was surprised to see Zuo Qiu getting garlic, so he asked Xiao Baijun why he was taking it.

“Does it have any other use?” Xiao Baijun looked at Zhu Mao with unconcealed contempt.

Zhu Mao realized he had asked a foolish question. If garlic isn’t for eating, what is it for, a sex toy?

Just as he was about to walk away, Xiao Baijun added, “Teacher Xiang says eating a little garlic before a kiss scene can prevent it from turning into a real thing.”

Zhu Mao had filmed many dramas and movies. Although he hadn’t heard this particular saying, he didn’t deny that male and female leads often had physiological reactions during kiss scenes or intimate scenes, which could lead to misunderstandings about their feelings for each other. Moreover, having attended Teacher Xiang’s class, Zhu Mao trusted her. Since this came from a famous teacher from the film academy, the method must be reliable.

After Zhu Mao walked away understandingly, Zuo Qiu returned to his seat and asked Xiao Baijun with some uncertainty, “Can this really cure your allergic rhinitis?”

Xiao Baijun’s rhinitis was acting up today, causing him to sneeze constantly. Zuo Qiu suggested he go to the hospital, but Xiao Baijun was annoyed by the hassle. He said that at home, his mother would crush the garlic, wrap it in a clean muslin cloth, squeeze out the juice, and drip it into each nostril to cure the rhinitis. So Zuo Qiu told Xiao Baijun to sit down while he went to the self-service area to find garlic.

Xiao Baijun took a few cloves of garlic and said, “Yes, I’ve tried it.”

He had indeed tried this method. Although the smell was pungent, it worked. But today, Xiao Baijun thought, it would not only cure his rhinitis but also prevent future problems. Very good, very good.

The kiss scene, which was said to be the crucial plot point, was finally approved by the director after three NGs. As soon as the shot was done, Zuo Qiu couldn’t help but head straight for the restroom. Don’t misunderstand; he didn’t need to resolve a physiological issue urgently. He went to the restroom just to wash his face and escape the shadow of garlic.

Dai Ni, meanwhile, marched aggressively toward Zhu Mao. To prevent her breath from harming any innocent person, Dai Ni didn’t say a word. She grabbed him and pulled him toward a corner, attracting ambiguous glances from those around them.

“Why did you lie to me?” Dai Ni demanded fiercely.

“When did I lie to you?” Zhu Mao didn’t understand.

“Zuo Qiu clearly didn’t eat garlic this morning! Why did you trick me!” Dai Ni almost shouted.

Zhu Mao replayed the morning scene in his head and realized he had probably been led astray. Xiao Baijun’s first question, asking if garlic had any other use, led Zhu Mao to conclude that garlic was only for eating. Then, his second statement that eating garlic could prevent a fake kiss from turning real led Zhu Mao to conclude: Zuo Qiu was worried about the kiss becoming real, so he would eat garlic before the scene.

But the fact was, Xiao Baijun never explicitly said the garlic was for Zuo Qiu to eat, nor did he say that Zuo Qiu ate it because he was worried about the kiss becoming real. Everything was a conclusion Zhu Mao had drawn on his own.

“I’m sorry,” Zhu Mao apologized to Dai Ni for his stupidity.

“Does ‘sorry’ help? Do you know how embarrassed I was? The male lead brushed his teeth three times and ate chewing gum to prepare for the kiss, and I, a girl, deliberately ate garlic! Thankfully Zuo Qiu didn’t care. If it were anyone else, they would have already turned against me.”

It wasn’t unheard of in the industry for someone to deliberately eat garlic to disgust their kissing partner. Doing that once would make many people keep their distance. Dai Ni felt Zuo Qiu was a good person and didn’t want to burn bridges with him.

Zhu Mao, hearing Dai Ni mention Zuo Qiu repeatedly, felt a little jealous. “Not everyone cares about the smell of garlic.”

Dai Ni sneered, “Besides an idiot?”

Zhu Mao suddenly moved closer to Dai Ni, fiercely kissing her lips. After repeatedly “eating” her lips, his tongue directly entered Dai Ni’s mouth.

Dai Ni was completely stunned from the moment she was kissed.

When the kiss ended, Zhu Mao said, “I am that idiot.”

…

Zuo Qiu returned to Xiao Baijun after washing his face. “Even though I think Dai Ni was probably misled, she successfully gave me a phobia of filming kiss scenes.”

Xiao Baijun tried his best to hold back his laughter, deliberately saying, “Not all your co-stars will be like that.”

Zuo Qiu shook his head, stating firmly, “Except for you, I will never film a kiss scene again.”

Xiao Baijun put on a helpless expression, like, “My child at home is too willful; I can’t do anything about him,” but he was secretly ecstatic.

Meanwhile, Dai Ni and Zhu Mao walked out of the deserted corner one after the other, just as Director Zhao called, “Five minutes until the next shot.”

Zuo Qiu saw Dai Ni looking dazed and asked her, “What’s wrong?”

Dai Ni shook her head blankly, adjusted her mood, and forced a small smile. “Nothing.”

…

After the day’s filming ended, Xiao Baijun and Zuo Qiu carried their suitcases and took a car to the airport. To save time, Xiao Baijun booked a 9 p.m. flight, which arrived in B City at 10:30 p.m. Since it was late, Xiao Baijun didn’t notify anyone to pick them up. They took a taxi and returned to their apartment together.

The apartment, which hadn’t been lived in for a while, was a bit dusty. Zuo Qiu wanted to do a quick clean, but Xiao Baijun stopped him.

“It’s very late now. We have time tomorrow morning, so cleaning can wait.”

Zuo Qiu was actually quite tired, so he agreed. He found some clothes and prepared to shower.

“Which bed do you want to sleep in tonight?” Xiao Baijun asked him from behind.

Zuo Qiu thought about it. He had never slept in Xiao Baijun’s bed, so he chose his bed. When he came out of the bathroom, he found that Xiao Baijun, who was usually too lazy to do housework, had already changed the clean sheets and comforter on his bed and placed two brand new pillows on top.

Zuo Qiu lay down, smiling at Xiao Baijun. To be cared for in daily life by Xiao Baijun was another moment when Zuo Qiu felt his perspective had broadened.

Looking at Zuo Qiu’s bright eyes, Xiao Baijun felt a stirring. “If you keep enticing me, believe it or not, I’ll pin you on the bed and screw you to death right now!”

Zuo Qiu certainly didn’t believe him. If Xiao Baijun were that impatient, they would have had many opportunities on set. At this moment, he was mostly just talking tough, but Zuo Qiu wasn’t going to provoke him. He replied, “I believe you.”

He quickly stopped smiling, closed his eyes, and prepared to sleep.

“Don’t sleep yet. Wait for me to come back.”

Having finally returned home, Xiao Baijun felt it would be a huge loss not to have some fun.

After taking a quick, “battle shower,” Xiao Baijun found that Zuo Qiu had disobediently fallen asleep. He stared at Zuo Qiu for a minute, then noticed something on the other pillow.

An unopened A-V-I-A-T-I-O-N C-U-P (a euphemism for a male masturbation aid).