The next morning, Xiao He returned to the production team.
Today wasn't the official start of filming for "Record of Chasing the Wind," but rather a script reading session. As soon as Xiao He arrived, he spotted several actors who looked quite familiar.
"Brother Xiao, good morning, Brother Xiao—"
"Good morning, Mr. Xiao."
"Good morning to you all!"
Several actors who had been chatting together straightened up when they saw Xiao He, greeting him one after another. Their words even carried a hint of respect.
Xiao He didn't understand what was going on with them, but he didn't ask either, calmly returning their greetings as usual.
He had just sat down when another commotion arose outside.
Curious, Xiao He looked up and happened to see Yuan Sitong walking in from outside, full of energy and vitality.
Upon seeing Xiao He, her expression flickered with excitement and hesitation before she finally gave a polite nod. "Good morning, Mr. Xiao."
"...Good morning, Sister Sitong."
Yuan Sitong then obediently took a seat on the chair next to Xiao He.
Xiao He was stunned.
Was this the same Yuan Sitong he knew?!
An illusion!
This had to be an illusion!
He must have gotten out of bed the wrong way this morning!
Just in case, Xiao He pinched his own thigh to confirm he wasn't dreaming, then checked the watch on his wrist to confirm the current time.
— 8:50 AM.
Something was off. Back in the "Corner Also" production team, Xiao He had *never* seen Yuan Sitong at this hour!
This was nothing short of a miracle!
Xiao He couldn't help but sneak a few more glances at Yuan Sitong, trying to confirm that the person who had arrived was the real deal and not a body double.
Just as Xiao He was secretly observing Yuan Sitong, Yuan Sitong was also sneakily watching Xiao He.
So, by sheer coincidence, their gazes met.
Xiao He quickly averted his eyes to avoid any misunderstanding.
However, Xiao He's action didn't make Yuan Sitong look away; instead, she stared at him with even more focused intensity.
As a popular young actress who rose to fame around the same time as Yi Man'er and others, Yuan Sitong's looks were, needless to say, a powerful weapon for navigating idol dramas. Even though her real-life temper wasn't great and her acting skills were just passable, her beautiful appearance and versatile aura always allowed her to perfectly pair up with male actors to form popular on-screen couples.
Even when switching partners, mixing and matching with male leads of different styles and from different themed idol dramas, she could always attract a large fanbase dedicated to those fictional pairings.
Several of her most popular on-screen pairings still have many fans celebrating to this day, scouring every corner for the tiniest crumbs of "sugar" to prove the traces of their "love."
Therefore, even though Yuan Sitong's personal character wasn't the best, many male artists still eagerly sought to form an on-screen couple with her, then stir up some online buzz to attract a wave of shipper fans.
But Xiao He wasn't an actor who needed to rely on fabricated on-screen romances to make a name for himself or prove his worth. His current body of work and his own acting skills didn't require him to be marketed by tying himself to a female co-star.
So, even though he knew that in this production, the protagonist Song Chenye and the female lead played by Yuan Sitong had some subtle, ambiguous chemistry, Xiao He had absolutely no intention of creating a fabricated on-screen romance with Yuan Sitong.
Plus, back during the "Corner Also" production, the two of them had maintained a state of mutual non-interference, so Xiao He didn't think Yuan Sitong wanted to create a fabricated on-screen romance with him either.
It was just that this time, the look in Yuan Sitong's eyes was making Xiao He feel uneasy.
Xiao He subtly shifted his position, but Yuan Sitong's gaze remained fixed on him. This stare put Xiao He on alert.
Although Xiao He didn't think Yuan Sitong would dare to do anything to him, her line of sight was truly suspicious, forcing Xiao He to stay on guard.
However, Xiao He's subtle defensiveness didn't make Yuan Sitong sense anything amiss. Instead, as Xiao He continued to move slightly to the side, she also shifted a little closer to him.
Xiao He: ?
Finally, Xiao He couldn't take it anymore and asked in a lowered voice, "Is there something you need?"
Stop staring at me like that!
"Ahem—"
Yuan Sitong finally sensed the impropriety, withdrew her intense gaze, and gave a fake, deliberate cough.
"Do you have something to say?"
Xiao He pressed on.
Truth be told, back in the "Corner Also" production team, he had hardly interacted with Yuan Sitong at all. Plus, the character he played, Yin Qi, was an absolute sis-con who couldn't stand anyone else around his sister, so Xiao He hadn't even rehearsed many lines with Yuan Sitong.
He genuinely had no idea what Yuan Sitong was trying to do.
"Well—"
Yuan Sitong hesitated, then leaned in a bit closer, using her hand to shield her mouth as she whispered, "What's the deal between you and Qin Yuezhang?"
Xiao He: ???
Hearing Yuan Sitong's question, Xiao He's brain short-circuited for a moment.
Huh? Who? Him and Qin Yuezhang?
Ahem, so you've been staring at me all morning just because you want to munch on melon seeds?!
The corner of Xiao He's mouth twitched. The heavy stone in his heart finally dropped. He looked at Yuan Sitong with a mix of speechlessness and helplessness. "Was that really the only question you wanted to ask me this whole time?"
"Of course!"
Yuan Sitong looked at Xiao He suspiciously. "What else could I possibly ask you? I've been munching on melon seeds about this all night. I just can't figure out the thing between you and Qin Yuezhang, and it's killing me with curiosity."
Last night, Yuan Sitong had been online at high intensity, munching on melon seeds. She even watched the joint livestream of several of Qin Yuezhang's exes. Like other netizens, she was jumping up and down with excitement, just like a melon-field badger.
This melon-munching session lasted until after 1 AM. Yuan Sitong finally couldn't stay awake any longer and drifted off to sleep.
However, early this morning, thinking about how she was about to see the other person involved in the big drama at the production team, Yuan Sitong lost all drowsiness. The prospect of getting the scoop became her motivation to get out of bed. So, Yuan Sitong actually managed to roll right out of bed, hurriedly washed up, and charged over to the production team location, determined to get the firsthand account (the big scoop) from Xiao He.
Thinking of this, Yuan Sitong's gaze grew even more determined. She leaned in lower and said, "So, why did Qin Yuezhang try to blacklist you? Did you really steal his role?"
Xiao He: "No, he's just being neurotic."
"He really is a bit neurotic."
Yuan Sitong nodded in rare agreement, then continued, "You two weren't fighting over that role from Director Tannis, were you?"
"No. Neither of us received an invitation. I didn't even know about this matter and have never had any contact with Director Tannis. As for Qin Yuezhang's situation, I have no idea."
Xiao He once again denied the matter concerning Director Tannis.
After all, it was all just speculation. Director Tannis had truly never approached him. He wasn't about to shamelessly claim credit for himself. What if Director Tannis later chose another actor for that role? Wouldn't that be a slap in the face for Xiao He?
Xiao He would never do something like that.
"Wow, that's so rough for you. The role wasn't even yours, and Qin Yuezhang still holds a grudge against you."
Yuan Sitong clicked her tongue in sympathy while munching on melon seeds.
"And, also, that thing before with your damaging information... was that his doing too?"
"Don't know. No results yet."
"Tsk, it must have been him. Don't pretend you don't know; I won't go around blabbing about it."
"I heard you called the police again this morning? What happened this time?"
"It was early this morning. My phone got hacked."
"What? Your phone got hacked? By a hacker? Was that Qin Yuezhang's doing too?"
"Don't know."
"Ahem, okay, okay. I get it, I get it."
Xiao He: ...
If you already understand everything, then why are you even asking me!