Zhuan Anhe's face had already swollen before he even received a slap, so the afternoon scenes with Jing Yuanqi couldn't be filmed. He seemed oddly relaxed, and for the rest of the afternoon, he mimicked Shi Qing, dragging a chair over to sit next to the Movie Emperor.
The difference was that Shi Qing was watching someone else act, while he was constantly observing Shi Qing. Jing Yuanqi was always good at observing others and quickly analyzing their personalities, almost unconsciously. He had naturally analyzed this Movie Emperor, who had targeted him before, but after the chili sauce incident, he suddenly realized that his analysis had been wrong. This was the first time Jing Yuanqi had made such an error.
He became intensely interested in Shi Qing.
Jing Yuanqi had always been an outspoken and bold person. Once he became interested in something, he naturally wanted to study it. So, the young man who had changed out of his ancient costume boldly stared at Shi Qing for the entire afternoon.
It was as if a leopard that had never seen an aquatic creature in its life had discovered a river clam. Not hungry and in no hurry to eat, he patiently swayed his long tail and slowly retracted his sharp claws into his flesh, circling the river clam carefully, hoping it would eventually open its hard shell to reveal its tender flesh.
The more he observed, the more Jing Yuanqi realized that he had been too one-sided before. The Movie Emperor's body remained slightly tense, radiating an aura of cold indifference that kept people at a distance. It was as if even a glance from him was a condescending gift.
However, his delicate, petal-like lips were slightly pursed the entire time, a behavior only seen in someone under nervous tension. And even though Shi Qing ignored him and continued to focus on the scene, his seemingly lazy posture remained unchanged.
Normal people couldn't sit still all afternoon without moving a muscle, so there had to be external factors at play. Jing Yuanqi even secretly credited himself for this external factor.
Clearly, his unabashed and prolonged scrutiny was making the Movie Emperor uncomfortable. But what kind of person could make a Movie Emperor, who had long been used to being watched and adored by the public, feel uncomfortable?
Thinking back to the chili sauce incident, a certain answer quietly formed in the young man's mind: Shi Qing was different. Because he was different, someone arranged for chili sauce to be given to him. Because he was different, he remained completely still under Jing Yuanqi's gaze. But why would someone unrelated to him treat another person differently?
This speculation caused Jing Yuanqi's eyes to darken with an inexplicable meaning. He had always been outstanding, and in every aspect of life, he had countless admirers, both male and female. But to him, they were all the same. After all, there was no one he was interested in.
It wasn't that he found their appearances unattractive or their attitudes too fawning. In general, he was just averse to intimate contact with others. However, this didn't mean that Jing Yuanqi was ignorant of such matters. In fact, he was more knowledgeable than most people because of his strong learning ability.
Previously, the things he had learned out of boredom had no practical applications, so he couldn't experiment with such experiences. But now, Jing Yuanqi, lounging comfortably in his chair, his eyes twinkling, appeared like an open-minded young man, casually watching Shi Qing beside him.
The Movie Emperor had maintained this posture for quite some time. Before Jing Yuanqi arrived, he had stretched his lean figure nonchalantly. But now, because of the young man's presence, he sat upright for too long, and the sweat gradually soaked through the white shirt he was wearing.
Initially, it was fine, but as the sweat reached the back of his shirt, it took on a slightly suggestive tone, adhering closely to Shi Qing's back. From Jing Yuanqi's perspective, he could clearly see the waistline that the wet shirt faintly outlined, flowing smoothly and gently before disappearing from view.
With the Movie Emperor's breathing, the damp fabric followed his rhythm, gently rising and falling. Jing Yuanqi could only think of four words: It feels really good. How had he not noticed this before?
This Movie Emperor, who seemed aloof and had a personality that repelled him, was surprisingly to his liking in every aspect. What intrigued him the most was Shi Qing's avoidant attitude.
As mentioned earlier, Jing Yuanqi enjoyed going against the grain. The more someone liked him, the more uninteresting he found it. Conversely, the more someone tried to avoid him, the more he wanted to approach.
He had always been skilled in using various cunning methods. This seemingly cheerful and outgoing young man was actually more ruthless than anyone else. He could use any means without hesitation, and once his goal was achieved, he would forget the person's existence.
Now, the young man made a decision in seconds: Shi Qing was his new target.
Jing Yuanqi didn't get up but leaned back in his chair, his upper body tilting slightly toward Shi Qing. From behind, it almost looked like he was resting his head in Shi Qing's lap.
"Teacher Shi," the young man smiled warmly, but his voice, different from his sunny appearance, carried an indescribable magnetic charm. It was low, as if it wanted to penetrate deep into someone's heart. "I forgot to ask you earlier, why did you give me chili sauce?"
The Movie Emperor's breath seemed to stop as Jing Yuanqi suddenly leaned in. He remained silent for several seconds, and Jing Yuanqi didn't rush him, maintaining his original posture while smiling at him.
The young man was exceptionally skilled at showcasing his beauty. His eyes were typical peach blossom eyes, and when he looked up at someone from below with a smile, it was as if he could completely absorb their thoughts.
Due to this posture, even with his head lowered, Shi Qing could meet his gaze directly.
Jing Yuanqi continued to gaze at the Movie Emperor as if he had momentarily lost his composure. His long eyelashes blinked rapidly, and his usually cold voice finally spoke a bit faster than usual, "You like spicy food."
Because he liked spicy food, he had chili sauce added to his meal.
Jing Yuanqi burst into laughter. His laughter wasn't loud, but everyone could tell how amused he was, especially under the somewhat bewildered gaze of the Movie Emperor.
As he continued to laugh, it became natural for him to lower his head and rest it on the Movie Emperor's lap, at least from an onlooker's perspective.
In that instant, Jing Yuanqi could clearly feel that the Movie Emperor's previously soft body had suddenly tensed up upon his arrival. But what use was that? Even with his muscles tense, he could still feel the subtle delicacy, even through their clothing.
Although there was a layer of fabric between them.
Jing Yuanqi didn't stay down for more than a minute before he sat up.
Then, facing the seemingly expressionless Movie Emperor, whose beautiful eyelashes were actually fluttering rapidly, he blinked his eyes. With a raised eyebrow and a smile at the corner of his lips, he said, "The director mentioned earlier that I have a scene with Teacher Shi tonight."
The young man extended his hand and gently fastened the button on the stiff and motionless Shi Qing, just above his collarbone. Although his slender fingers could have quickly buttoned it up, he deliberately adopted a leisurely pace, gently concealing the beautiful collarbone that had been exposed.
After fastening the button, Jing Yuanqi leaned closer to Shi Qing's ear, his lips slightly curved, and he deliberately lowered his voice, saying, "I really hope the evening comes quickly."
After saying this, the young man stood up, once again wearing a sunny smile on his face.
"Well, I'll go have dinner now. See you tonight."
Shi Qing watched in silence as Jing Yuanqi walked away.
He didn't speak until he could no longer see the young man's figure:
"He's quite charming."
System: "Huh? What do you mean?"
Shi Qing silently lowered his head, looking towards the spot where Jing Yuanqi had been lying before. At this moment, there were tiny sweat stains on his white shirt, as if he couldn't resist commenting once more:
"He's really quite charming."
Although the system hadn't witnessed anything, it dutifully provided comfort: "Don't worry, Host, he probably won't physically harm you."
Shi Qing added, "Yes, but he might bite."
System: "Hmm..."
"He's really quite charming."
System: "Don't worry, Host, I can give you some advantages..."
Before it could finish its sentence, it heard Shi Qing say, "But I like it."
System: "???"
System: "..."
With a contented expression, Shi Qing leaned back and said, "System, did you notice? He's interested in pursuing me."
"That shouldn't be the case," the system replied, puzzled, checking the rejection level. "According to the rejection level, he shouldn't be interested in the Host."
Shi Qing didn't find it strange at all. "Take a look at his rejection level towards others."
The system obediently checked and fell into a long silence.
Shi Qing asked, "What do you think?"
The system finally replied, "...It's a 100% rejection level for everyone."
"But when he interacts with others, he seems very enthusiastic."
Shi Qing: "He's pretending."
"He appears cheerful and lively, but in reality, he's just pretending to be like that because he finds it amusing. It doesn't matter; after pretending to be someone else for so long, he's probably gotten used to it."
After saying this, he continued, "When he gets bored, he looks for amusement. Judging by his behavior, I'm his next source of amusement."
The system was a bit perplexed.
"Host, what should we do next?"
"We'll do whatever needs to be done," Shi Qing replied lazily, closing his eyes slowly. "We don't need to do anything. Let Jing Yuanqi do it; he enjoys being in control of everything."
After all, he quite enjoyed it too.
Having fun was the whole point, and he was curious to see when Jing Yuanqi would realize that amusement wasn't so easy to find.
In the evening, the film crew began shooting the night scenes.
This was a grand fantasy martial arts drama, featuring a popular IP and high production values. Jing Yuanqi played a character who started as a cold and aloof young man in the early stages but later turned into a formidable antagonist.
In this scene, the main antagonist, in order to threaten the female lead into marrying him, captures the female lead's master and uses his life as leverage. Shi Qing plays the unfortunate role of the master.
Twenty minutes before shooting began, he was dressed in elegant ancient attire, with makeup on his face to simulate injuries. He was in the process of placing a small blood bag in his mouth. When Jing Yuanqi, who played the antagonist, was supposed to strangle him later, he would have to bite the blood bag to simulate coughing up blood.
Jing Yuanqi, on the other hand, was dressed in a black robe representing his character's transformation into a villain. He approached with a script in hand.
The makeup he wore today was the classic transformation makeup for antagonists. There was a touch of blood-red on his forehead, and his naturally sharp eyebrows were made even bolder. Eyeliner highlighted his almond-shaped eyes.
While this makeup was meant to give off a sinister vibe when the scene began, in reality, when he smiled as he used to, he didn't look like a major antagonist. Instead, he resembled a sly fox that would charm anyone given the chance.
At this moment, the sly fox approached Shi Qing. His lips, now particularly red due to the makeup, curved slightly.
"Teacher Shi, shall we rehearse the scene?"
Given the legitimate reason provided by the crew for rehearsing together, how could Shi Qing refuse?
So, the esteemed Movie Emperor nodded and first removed the blood bag. In line with tonight's scene, he turned his face and transformed his previously indifferent expression into one of anger.
"You're simply delusional!! A mere demonic cultivator, how could you be worthy of Ru'er? You even resorted to such despicable means. If it weren't for my weakened strength, you would have met a terrible fate by now, and your soul would be in the underworld!"
Jing Yuanqi quickly got into character, his face cold. He reached out and grasped Shi Qing's neck from behind, his voice low and icy:
"Whether I'm worthy or not is not for you to decide."
Meanwhile, a scriptwriter on the set, puzzled, looked at the script on the table and asked the assistant nearby, "Wasn't it written here that they were supposed to confront each other face to face? Why did Jing Yuanqi stand behind Shi Qing?"
The assistant replied, "It's fine, it's just a rehearsal anyway. Having them both face the same direction saves us from having to adjust the camera angles."
While they were talking, Shi Qing suddenly felt something was off. Behind him, Jing Yuanqi maintained his cold tone while delivering his lines, but he used his broad sleeves to obscure the view. His left hand slowly and gently moved through the fabric, reaching Shi Qing's white belt on his flowing robe.
It was as if a graceful leopard had hidden its sharp claws in its soft paws and was delicately tugging at a shell in front of it.
Just as the Movie Emperor was earnestly portraying a scene of suffocating pain on his face, he abruptly froze. Onlookers, including Gao Zhi, asked, "Shi Ge, what's wrong?"
"Yeah," Shi Qing said with a serious expression.
The young man with the captivating peach blossom eyes didn't change the appearance of his hand that was gripping the front of Shi Qing's throat. However, his thumb, hidden behind Shi Qing's long wig, moved up and down gently against his throat.
It was incredibly light, like the gentlest touch of a feather.
Jing Yuanqi stood there, his fox-like face slightly turned, his eyes casting a sidelong glance at the Movie Emperor, who had a stiff expression and rapidly fluttering long eyelashes, portraying intense pain.
While using the long wig as a cover, he lightly lifted the corner of Shi Qing's belt. He felt the increasing tension in Shi Qing's body and enjoyed the sensation, all the while maintaining his low, magnetic voice.
With a hint of bewilderment in his tone, as if genuinely puzzled:
"Teacher Shi, what's the matter? Are you okay?"
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