In the following days, Xie Ning discovered that his relationship with Zhuang Yan seemed to be well known to everyone in the art group.

It had also become a well-known thing in the eyes of the other staff on set.

The reason lies in Zhuang Yan’s undisguised attitude.

Xie Ning sometimes thought that people like Zhuang Yan could only come from a very superior family. Only an excellent family background with strong personal ability could develop such a self-respecting personality that did not take into account other people’s feelings.

Xie Ning didn’t have much contact with Zhuang Yan’s father, but he had met Ms. Qiao several times. She was also a strong and confident woman. Thus, it was not surprising that Zhuang Yan could be cultivated.

Even with this kind of pride, they did not easily despise others and always gave enough respect when getting along with approved people.

This made Xie Ning feel more precious.

The number of his recent visits to the studio had also risen sharply, sometimes because of official business, and sometimes because he was idle and bored.

Xie Ning didn’t want to interfere with Zhuang Yan’s work. Most of the time, he would quietly look from a corner in the distance, like right now.

He always brought paper and pens and would draw a few strokes when he caught inspiration.

When he went back to sort it out at night, he found that although he didn’t deliberately want to paint Zhuang Yan, most of the paper still depicted his appearance.

Sheng Shisong commented, “This is probably the power of love. No matter how common his actions are, they have different meanings in your eyes.”

Among the actors, Xie Ning was most familiar with Sheng Shisong. At this moment, he took advantage of the time before filming his scene to go to Xie Ning and watch him draw. 

Xie Ning smiled at him, slightly embarrassed.

Sheng Shisong glanced sideways at the paper in his hands and sighed. “You’re painting Director Zhuang again.”

Xie Ning said, “Just casually drawing a few strokes.”

He had a solid background in painting so even if he was just doing graffiti, it looked pretty decent.

Sheng Shisong enviously said. “Will there ever be a moment in time when someone will paint me casually?”

Xie Ning was taken back for a moment. “Then I’ll take some time and draw a picture for you?”

Sheng Shisong glanced at him. “Forget it, I’m afraid Director Zhuang will tear me up.”

Xie Ning laughed. “How can it be so exaggerated.”

“It’s not an exaggeration.” Sheng Shisong said, “Every time I appear around you, Director Zhuang looks at me like he is going to swallow me alive. So jealous.”

He also smiled at the end.

Xie Ning’s gaze involuntarily gravitated toward Zhuang Yan. Zhuang Yan was looking at the camera intently, frowning.

——Frowning seemed to be his special expression when filming.

But soon his expression calmed down. Nobody knew when he discovered Xie Ning, but he soon turned his head and whispered a few words to the person next to him. After a while, a staff member walked toward Xie Ning and handed him a bottle of water.

Xie Ning blinked. “Thank you.”

The staff member should have been quite busy and hurried away after handing over the water. Xie Ning was not very used to this kind of special care.

“I’m often here on set. I’m afraid it’s bothering you guys?” He asked Sheng Shisong.

Sheng Shisong: “Not at all.”

Xie Ning didn’t believe it very much: “Really?”

Sheng Shisong smiled. “Don’t you know? In fact, everyone hopes that you can come to the set more.”

Xie Ning shook his head. “I didn’t know.”

Sheng Shisong: “Don’t you find that the entire staff is particularly enthusiastic towards you?”

Xie Ning: “I thought it was because of Zhuang Yan.”

Sheng Shisong laughed out loud. “So even you can make mistakes. No matter which crew one is in, the Director has always and will always be the enemy of the people.”

Xie Ning wondered. “Why?”

“Because it’s difficult.” Sheng Shisong said, “If the Director is dissatisfied with something, everybody else will have to spend energy to make changes until he is satisfied. So whether it is the staff or the actors, the director is always their private object of fear.”

Xie Ning thought about it for a while and found that it made sense.

Sheng Shisong said. “Especially that man of yours. The degree of difficulty has simply been doubled. Keep in mind, the crews I have worked with are not few. Director Zhuang is undoubtedly the pickest. No one can satisfy him at all.”

Xie Ning’s face turned red when he heard the phrase that man of yours, and finally couldn’t help but defend him. “He just happens to be a little picky… and a perfectionist.”

“It hurts us.” Sheng Shisong complained, “Do you know how Luo Zixin described him in private?”

Xie Ning asked with great interest. “How did she describe him?”

“The Crazy Demon of NG’s.” Sheng Shisong said, “Every time he shoots a scene, his mouth must open at least once to say the words NG. You have to have a nervous breakdown before you can hear the words ‘Pass, next’ from his mouth.”

[t.n. – NG is slang for not good.]

Xie Ning couldn’t help laughing.

“So everyone especially hopes that you can come to the set more.”

Xie Ning was confused: “What does this have to do with me? Is it because I’m here and he won’t be able to work properly?”

“No.” Sheng Shisong said in a low voice, “As long as you are present, he will at least not call the actor a piece of awkward rotten wood after an NG, and he might even talk to them in a pleasant tone.”

The first time Luo Zixin heard Zhuang Yan’s gentle tone she was incredibly shocked. After filming, she clasped her heart and asked Director Zhuang if there was something wrong.

Xie Ning choked with a mouthful of water and said. “Isn’t it… too exaggerated?”

Sheng Shisong simply smiled. 

***

Xie Ning had nothing to do today, so he simply waited until Zhuang Yan finished work and planned to go back to the hotel with him.

When the last scene was filmed, Xie Ning put away the pen and paper in his hand. Zhuang Yan automatically walked to him as soon as it was finalized.

A shadow fell on his body, Xie Ning looked up at him and asked, “Is it finished?”

“Yeah.” Zhuang Yan said, “Today’s scenes were quite dense, and I couldn’t spare time to come to you.”

Xie Ning replied: “I can just watch from here.”

Zhuang Yan didn’t speak, paused, and asked depressedly. “I sent you a text message and asked you to come directly to me. Didn’t you see?”

Xie Ning was taken aback for a moment: “You did?”

He touched his pocket subconsciously and found that it was empty.

He remembered that he brought his mobile phone when he went out in the morning, and said, “I think I left my phone in the office when I came out.”

Zhuang Yan nodded and accepted the explanation.

When returning to the hotel, Xie Ning first went to the conference room on the third floor to find his mobile phone.

At this time, all the art team members had gone. Fortunately, Xie Ning had the key and could open the door by himself.

Since it was not too late, he simply didn’t turn on the light, and walked to his seat. Almost immediately he saw the phone that fell on the table.

When he picked up the phone, he reached out and pressed it, and found that the screen was still black. It was probably out of power.

Only… Was the battery really that quick to run out?

He was puzzled for a few seconds but didn’t think much of it.

After such a delay, when he went upstairs, he happened to meet Sheng Shisong again.

Seeing him, Zhuang Yan wrapped Xie Ning’s waist with a slightly possessive hand and hugged him in his arms.

Sheng Shisong shrugged helplessly and looked at Xie Ning again, as if saying, “Look I’m right. Your man is so jealous.”

Xie Ning tried to hold back his embarrassment, but ultimately couldn’t, and quietly flushed to the tips of his ears.

The elevator stopped on the top floor. After saying goodbye to Sheng Shisong, the two walked to the door of the room. Seeing that Zhuang Yan didn’t go inside, Xie Ning went to find his room card.

As soon as he lowered his head, Zhuang Yan’s body pushed him down on the wall next to him, and his whole body was enveloped.

Xie Ning blinked, and before he could speak, Zhuang Yan lowered his head and bit his earlobe.

“We’re outside…” Xie Ning subconsciously wanted to push him away.

Zhuang Yan touched his forehead, the tips of their noses were about to touch, and the breathing of the two slowly intertwined.

“But I can’t wait.” Zhuang Yan whispered, “You didn’t come to me all afternoon.”

Xie Ning said, “I didn’t see the text message.”

Zhuang Yan snorted again: “And you even chatted with Sheng Shisong for so long.”

Xie Ning: “We didn’t talk for long.”

Zhuang Yan: “Isn’t talking for an hour and 15 minutes long?”

Xie Ning was stunned for a moment and had nothing to say. Only after a long while did he say, “You even counted this?”

Zhuang Yan raised his eyebrows: “Of course.”

Xie Ning stood up straight and raised his head to kiss Zhuang Yan’s lips compensatively.

“Then I will bribe you. Won’t you let me in?”

Zhuang Yanyi licked his lips, letting go.

After entering the suite, Xie Ning hung his coat on the hanger. After a while, he remembered the dead cell phone in his pocket and took it back to the bedroom to charge it.

After charging for about ten minutes, Xie Ning kept pressing the power button, intending to see what news Zhuang Yan had sent him.

It didn’t take long for the phone screen to light up, and several missed calls came out.

Xie Ning looked at the notifications that filled the screen, and an unknown sense of unease rose in his heart.

He settled down, and first answered the call of the person who called the most–Uncle Zhong.

Uncle Zhong picked it up only a second after it rang.

His voice was a little distorted on the phone, with a sense of panic, but his words were still clear.

“Little Master, Mr. Xie fell down while going down the stairs today and was taken to the hospital. He has not yet woken up…”

With a buzz in Xie Ning’s head, he couldn’t remember anything for a moment.

Uncle Zhong’s ghostly voice sounded in his ear: “…Can you come back as soon as possible?”

Xie Ning seemed to only came to understand his words after a long time, and opened his mouth, but found that he could not speak.

Uncle Zhong, who did not hear a response, said anxiously, “Little Master?”

Xie Ning felt that his body wasn’t his own anymore. He leaned on the edge of the bed and barely recovered his own voice. “Grandpa, is he… okay?”

Uncle Zhong paused: “After all, the old man is old and his body has always been bad… The doctor said that the situation is not very optimistic, maybe he won’t wake up, and maybe even…”

Xie Ning squeezed the phone unconsciously, feeling dizzy for a while.

When his consciousness came back again, he found himself sitting on the ground, but could not feel any pain.

All perception seemed to be stripped from him.

Zhuang Yan was not relieved when he heard the movement in the master bedroom and was startled by his mortified appearance after entering the door.

“What’s the matter?” He knelt down, trying to pull Xie Ning up.

Xie Ning’s hand squeezed his arm, but when he stood up, his whole body was so weak that he fell directly into Zhuang Yan’s arms.

Smelling the familiar scent on Zhuang Yan’s body, he slowly absorbed back his strength.

He pressed against Zhuang Yan’s chest and said in an incoherent voice, “I…I want to go back.”

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