The Entire Entertainment Industry Knows the Best Actor Has a Crush on Me - Chapter 15

Qi Le’an yawned as he pushed open the dressing room door. Most of the actors had already arrived.

“Morning, Zhiyu… you guys are all so early…” He stumbled over to Qiao Zhiyu, pointing to the empty seat next to him. “Is this taken?”

“No, why are you asking me specifically?”

“Well, doesn’t Movie Star Pei sit with you every time? If I take this, where is he supposed to sit?”

Qiao Zhiyu tilted his head and smiled. “He’s not going to kick you out. Besides, it’s not the only chair in the room.” He changed the subject. “Why didn’t you come find me yesterday?”

Qi Le’an sat down, his expression complicated. “I felt like… I probably wasn’t needed?”

At this mention, Qiao Zhiyu recalled the events of the previous night. His ears turned red, and he remained silent.

“By the way, where is Movie Star Pei?”

“Changing. I’m almost done with makeup; you’d better hurry up or you’ll get scolded by the director for being the only one left.”

Speak of the devil Pei Yuan emerged from the dressing room at that exact moment. Seeing that the two were finishing up, Qi Le’an grew anxious and urged the makeup artist to work faster.

“Teacher Qiao, you can go change now.”

Qiao Zhiyu nodded, but before he could stand up, a blanket was shoved into his arms.

Pei Yuan: “Wrap this around you when you come out.”

“Okay…”

Shortly after Qiao Zhiyu entered the dressing room, the door to the main room opened again. Qi Le’an stopped being nervous because someone had arrived even later than him.

Bei Qianqing scanned the room and, without asking anyone, sat down right in the chair Qiao Zhiyu had just vacated. She wore a forced smile as she spoke to Pei Yuan. “Yuan, you’re so early. You’ve already changed.”

“I just can’t seem to wake up. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older; my body always feels sluggish.”

Pei Yuan gave no reaction, not even sparing her a glance. “Mhm. Since you are getting older, maybe you should ask the director for advice. He’s in his sixties and still manages to wake up.”

The corners of Bei Qianqing’s mouth twitched violently. She felt Pei Yuan was being incredibly pretentious. “Hahaha… Yuan, you’re so funny…”

Pei Yuan clearly had no time for her jokes. She continued, “I remember when we first met, you were only 22. Time flies; now you’re a household name.” She smiled shyly. “You were so green back then, you’d even get shy when we hugged… truly…”

“Teacher Bei, you’re finally here! Let’s get your makeup started!”

She frowned, silently cursing the makeup artist for the poor timing. “Don’t be so loud; are you trying to scare me to death?”

“Sorry… time is tight, so I got a bit anxious…”

Bei Qianqing closed her eyes irritably. “Fine, just make it quick. And don’t use those products on me; they don’t suit my skin. Change the brand, I don’t want my face ruined.”

“Uh…” The young artist whispered, “Teacher Bei, our station is actually over there.”

At this, Bei Qianqing’s temper flared instantly. “Isn’t this seat empty? Besides, this room is for everyone! Why can’t I sit here if no one is using it?!”

The artist who had worked on Qiao Zhiyu was fast and had already left for a break. Though the makeup bag was still there, everything was neatly packed, making the station look unoccupied. The young artist didn’t know Qiao Zhiyu was finished; she assumed he had just stepped out temporarily.

Feeling innocent, she explained, “It is public, but Teacher Qiao was here first…”

“What, does this seat have his name on it? Does that mean only he can sit here from now on? What an ego.”

Her words were harsh, blatantly accusing Qiao Zhiyu of being self-important. The room fell silent as everyone stole glances at the scene. Qi Le’an was quite afraid of Teacher Bei; though they didn’t have many scenes together, she was never kind when they crossed paths. He didn’t want to speak up, but after weighing it in his mind, he whispered cautiously, “Teacher Bei, Zhiyu was sitting here earlier, but he…”

Before he could finish, Pei Yuan cut in.

“I’m not sure where Teacher Bei saw ‘greenness.’ I entered this industry at seventeen. It wasn’t shyness; it was because you always pressed too close, and I simply don’t like excessive physical contact.”

“Teacher Bei can sit wherever she likes, of course. It’s only natural for us juniors to ‘respect our elders.’ Since Zhiyu and I are already done, we won’t stay to chat.”

With that, he picked up Qiao Zhiyu’s bag and turned to leave.

Bei Qianqing’s face completely collapsed. She admitted she wanted to hitch a ride on Pei Yuan’s popularity; as she got older, her career would end if she didn’t grab onto something soon. But her repeated advances were met with cold indifference, which infuriated her.

What are you acting for? You just have a good family. Without that background, who would know you? With a face like that, who knows how many surgeries you’ve had? So [expletive] pretentious. ‘Not used to physical contact’ I saw him holding Qiao Zhiyu just fine yesterday!

The makeup artist, fearing a grudge, nervously proceeded to do Bei Qianqing’s makeup at that station.

Qiao Zhiyu had just finished changing when the door was pushed open, startling him. He was wearing the pale yellow ruqun from the promotional shoot.

“Why did you come in so suddenly?”

Pei Yuan’s lips were pressed into a straight line, his eyes reflecting a sense of exasperation. “It’s nothing. Let’s go out and get some air.”

Qiao Zhiyu nodded and reached for his bag, but Pei Yuan had already walked out ahead of him. He awkwardly retracted his hand and followed him out of the dressing room. Through the mirror, Bei Qianqing watched them leave, her teeth nearly grinding to dust.

By noon, the atmosphere on set was tense. The upcoming scene was crucial, requiring almost the entire cast. For this shoot, the crew had even delayed lunch.

Qiao Zhiyu had just finished a take and was sitting in a chair for a touch-up.

“Teacher Qiao! Your phone!”

Bai Chao rushed over and shoved the phone into his hand. Since Qiao didn’t have an assistant, Pei Yuan had entrusted his belongings to Bai Chao. Maybe I should give him a red envelope… Qiao Zhiyu thought. He smiled and returned the missed call.

“Sister Jiao, what is it? I was filming.”

Gu Jiao’s voice was faint but urgent through the receiver. “Is anyone else around?”

Qiao Zhiyu scanned his surroundings. Only the makeup staff and Bai Chao were nearby. “No, go ahead.”

Gu Jiao let out a sigh of relief. “Are you dating the Movie Star?”

“Who said that?!” Qiao Zhiyu blurted out, startling those nearby. He caught Bai Chao’s eye and, ensuring he hadn’t been overheard, lowered his voice. “Where did you hear that?”

“I guessed…” Gu Jiao continued. “I saw the videos online. He kept stroking your hand…”

“That was that was to check the wound!”

“The wound? Who checks a wound by stroking a hand like that?! Zhiyu, if you’re really dating… just tell me the truth. I’m afraid my heart won’t be able to take the shock later…”

“Really, we aren’t! He…” Qiao Zhiyu wanted to say it was just for clarification, but clearly, this wasn’t the place to discuss it. Especially with Bai Chao there. “Nothing is going on, we aren’t…”

“Really?” Gu Jiao sounded skeptical.

“I swear… really.”

“Alright then. But what about Movie Star Pei saying he hugged you? And you saying you’d be shy for him?”

Qiao Zhiyu was struck dumb. He wanted to explain but didn’t know where to start. “I have to film. I’ll talk to you tonight…”

Gu Jiao, exhausted from signing new recruits, had been awake until the early hours. She had waited until lunch to call to avoid waking him. “Focus on your filming. The internet is in an uproar over you and Pei Yuan; there are tons of ‘CP’ fans now. I hope this turns out to be a blessing in disguise…”