Chapter Fourteen: A Meeting of Eyes

In the blink of an eye, the day to join the production crew had arrived. Wang Ling fussed incessantly, “I won’t be able to accompany you this time. You need to take care of yourself, get along with everyone in the crew, and don’t cause any trouble.”

Bai Chenxi responded absentmindedly, prompting Sister Wang to poke her in the forehead. “I’ve said so much—did any of it get through to you?”

“I know, I know! Sister Wang, I’m an adult now. Surely I can handle this?”

“You can handle it?” Wang Ling sounded as if she’d heard something utterly unbelievable, twisting the knife further. “I bet you won’t even be able to recognize people properly!”

“Sister Wang—” Bai Chenxi whined, acting coy.

Wang Ling, looking disgusted, turned away and addressed Bai Chenxi’s assistant, Xiaoyu. “Xiaoyu, you’ll go with her this time. If anything comes up, keep an eye out.”

“All right!” As always, not a word wasted.

Though Xiaoyu was technically an assistant, Wang Ling was grooming her as a manager. What puzzled Bai Chenxi was how Wang Ling could be so talkative and yet have raised such a taciturn protégé.

“Bai Chenxi, there’s one more thing I must remind you of very seriously.” Wang Ling’s tone changed abruptly, and Bai Chenxi unconsciously straightened her back.

“Sister Wang, what is it? You look so serious.”

“Do you know who you’ll be working with this time?”

“Of course! Lan Tian.” Bai Chenxi couldn’t fathom what secret Wang Ling was keeping.

“As long as you know. Lan Tian is one of the most popular idol singers right now. Be careful in the crew, don’t get caught up in any scandals. Otherwise, his fans will tear you to shreds.”

Bai Chenxi promised repeatedly, “I know, I know—I’ll keep my distance, you can trust me!”

On set:

The director greeted Bai Chenxi enthusiastically as soon as he saw her. “Chenxi, come over and let me introduce you to our leading man, Lan Tian.”

“Hello! I’m Lan Tian.” He extended his hand politely.

Bai Chenxi thought to herself: No wonder he has so many fans—just look at that smile. Oh my, that smile could melt anyone’s heart.

Relying on what remained of her composure, Bai Chenxi shook his hand almost mechanically. “Hello! My name is Bai Chenxi.”

She was just thinking that, besides being handsome, Lan Tian seemed easy to get along with. Surely their collaboration would go smoothly. Just then, she caught Lan Tian winking at her while the director wasn’t looking.

Bai Chenxi froze. Did she see that right? Lan Tian had just winked at her—and if she wasn’t mistaken, there was a hint of unspoken understanding in that look.

Good heavens, what was going on? Before Bai Chenxi could make sense of it, Lan Tian was already chatting with the director as if nothing had happened, making her wonder if it was all in her imagination.

“I must have imagined it,” Bai Chenxi decided, shaking her head and putting the incident out of her mind.

During filming, Lan Tian worked well with her, saying little beyond their lines. This only convinced Bai Chenxi that she was overthinking things.

After wrapping up for the day, Bai Chenxi returned to the hotel rented by the crew, collapsed onto her bed, and sighed, “I’m exhausted! Xiaoyu, go get some rest. I’m going to sleep too.”

“All right,” Xiaoyu replied, as laconic as ever.

Once the door closed, Bai Chenxi sprang up, her fatigue gone without a trace. She was secretly relieved that Wang Ling wasn’t there—otherwise, with her paltry tricks, she’d never be able to fool her.

She disguised herself carefully and slipped out of the hotel. Ever since she’d been photographed last time, Bai Chenxi had become supremely confident in her disguises—after all, she hadn’t been recognized then, had she?

Little did she know that confidence was about to be thoroughly shattered.

Bai Chenxi was enjoying herself at a street barbecue, her spirits lifted as she tucked into the skewers she’d been craving for so long. With Wang Ling watching her diet before, she hadn’t dared indulge—but this time, she was determined to eat her fill.

“Bai Chenxi?”

Her hand trembled with the skewer halfway to her mouth. What to do? Would denying it help now? Or should she just run? If Wang Ling found out, she’d be dead.

While her mind waged war with itself, the person had already sat down beside her. Bai Chenxi was about to look up and deny everything when she noticed the newcomer was fully hidden behind a mask and hat, sitting in silence and staring at her.

After a long moment, Bai Chenxi ventured hesitantly, “Lan Tian?”

The person opposite her, like a secret agent recognizing a code, leaned in excitedly. “You finally recognized me! I could tell it was you from a distance.”

Bai Chenxi glanced at herself and started doubting her own disguise. Was she really that easy to spot? She was dressed just as she had been the other day.

“How did you recognize me when I’m dressed like this?” The question slipped out before she could stop herself.

“If you hadn’t dressed like this, I might not have recognized you!” Seeing her confusion, Lan Tian continued, “You wore the exact same thing when you had dinner with Senior Brother.”

“Senior Brother?” Bai Chenxi tried to recall which senior he meant.

Lan Tian’s tone became exaggerated. “Come on, don’t you remember me? It’s me! Chu Muyun is my senior—we met at the awards ceremony. You were with him then and even cried, you—”

“All right, I remember now.” Bai Chenxi cut him off before he could recount every detail—she had no desire to relive that moment.

Lan Tian’s tone shifted, “Good, as long as you remember. Here I was thinking when we exchanged glances today, everything was clear between us without a word.”

Now Bai Chenxi understood why Lan Tian had winked at her earlier. She was about to apologize when he changed the subject. “You came out for barbecue too? Kindred spirits!” He clapped her on the shoulder enthusiastically.

Bai Chenxi woodenly offered him a skewer. “Want one?” Lan Tian didn’t stand on ceremony and started eating.

Perhaps it was their shared passion for food, but their conversation grew more animated, and they quickly found themselves kindred spirits, lamenting that they hadn’t become friends sooner.

The next day, as soon as Bai Chenxi arrived on set, Lan Tian greeted her with mock seriousness, “Good morning!” Then, sidling up to her, he whispered, “So? You didn’t get caught last night, did you?”

“Of course not. I’m an old hand at this. What about you?” Their chat the previous night had clearly brought them closer.

Lan Tian flashed an OK sign and lowered his voice, “All went smoothly.” They exchanged a knowing smile.

From a distance, the director watched the two of them chatting and couldn’t help but sigh, “Ah, to be young!” He found himself reminiscing about his own long-lost youth.