Land Of Settlement

Although Xia Qi did not sleep well, he still woke up early the next day. It was just 5 o’clock in the morning, and the sky was not fully lit up by the sun yet. The makeup artist had not even woken up, so Xia Qi went to the film set first to get the feeling for his act later.

In terms of simply acting, it was not too difficult for Xia Qi. After all, he had received proper training, and he did have some acting skills. The morning was still a bit chilly. Xia Qi wore a trench coat and stood at the entrance of the You family’s house, quietly observing outside. The scene they would be filming today involved Ying Ran walking towards him from the alley entrance.

It was said that good actors would immerse themselves in their roles several hours before the big scenes. It was said that good singers would get into the feeling of being on stage hours before the concert started. It was heard that… Xia Qi painfully held his head. It was clear that he still had a long way to go compared to master-level actors. The only thing he felt right now was that it was cold. Xia Qi tucked his hands into his sleeves and hurried back to his room.

He set up his alarm clock, and slept for another hour. By around six o’clock in the morning, the crew members started waking up one after another. Xia Qi got himself ready and waited for the makeup artist while checking his friends’ social media posts, where the company’s actors were gossiping and complaining.

Director Fei also woke up early. Seeing Xia Qi waiting in the makeup room, he was quite surprised. Xia Qi greeted him, and Director Fei said, “Just come over after you’re done with your makeup. We’ll try two scenes first. Breakfast will be at eight o’clock.”

Xia Qi nodded and calculated in his mind. By the time Lu Xuan arrived, he probably would have already finished his lines for those three lines of dialogue.

After finishing his preparations, Xia Qi went to the film set. The director was still discussing the scene with the female lead. The shot of her getting out of a rickshaw and walking towards the male lead’s house had been filmed more than ten times. Xia Qi stood on the side, carefully observing, abiding by Lu Xuan’s instructions before joining the film set: To learn more, observe more.

From the screenwriter to the director to the actors, they were all top-notch in this production. Xia Qi could indeed learn a lot in this kind of production. He was humbly taking it all in, and before he knew it, over an hour had passed.

It was time for the crew’s breakfast, and Xia Qi was still savoring the conversation he had with Director Fei earlier. It was not until after finishing breakfast that he realized… his scene had not even started yet! It was already past eight o’clock, but it was fine. They would start the shoot soon, and Lu Xuan would probably still skip his part.

Xia Qi underestimated Director Fei’s demanding nature. Just before the trial shoot, Director Fei suddenly was not satisfied with Xia Qi’s black student uniform and asked for a change.

Thankfully, the production team was well-prepared, and Xia Qi’s dozen or so costumes for the role were already prepared. In the end, Director Fei settled on a beige trench coat. When Xia Qi put it on, he felt a soft warmth enveloping him.

“There’s no clear indication that You will go back to school on this day, so you don’t have to wear the uniform. This might be your first appearance, and you need to give off a warm feeling,” Director Fei explained.

“In a little while, you should come over again. You need to see her before she sees you. You want to have a few more words with her, but she’s not focused on you. She’s thinking about your older brother,” Director Fei stared into Xia Qi’s eyes with a sharp intensity. “I know you love her, but don’t go overboard. Just find the right balance. Do you understand?”

Xia Qi nodded and said, “No one will find out.”

Director Fei made a sound of agreement, and the actress playing Ying Ran came over. They rehearsed the scene a few times, and after the lighting was set, they tried a few takes, but the director was not quite satisfied.

“The expression in your eyes is not right,” Director Fei told the female lead. “You’re not interested in him, so act even more casual.”

The female lead had not fully recovered from the intense argument scene with the male lead the previous day. She adjusted her state of mind, and after two more takes, it was Xia Qi’s turn to take his position.

“Don’t give him any signals. Keep it plain.” 

Director Fei clearly lacked confidence in Xia Qi’s acting skills. After emphasizing this to the female lead, he instructed the assistant director to cut the scene.

Originally, it was a long shot focused on the female lead, starting from a rickshaw all the way to the entrance of the alley. To help Xia Qi get into the scene, the director still had the female lead come all the way from the rickshaw and towards Xia Qi. Until when there was a distance of about a hundred meters between the female lead and him, this was only enough for Xia Qi to get into character.

Xia Qi took a deep breath. He could not let anyone know that he liked Lu Xuan and was always prepared to carry that intense emotion to his grave. Xia Qi raised his gaze and saw Lu Xuan from a distance coming towards him, guided by a production assistant from a distance!

Xia Qi closed his eyes and opened them again, with his eyes showing 70% of joy, 20% of heartache, and 10% of unwillingness.

“Sister Ying is here?”

Almost instinctively, Xia Qi glanced towards the door before continuing, “My brother is inside.” The female lead, looking slightly exhausted, lowered her head and casually asked, “Did he sleep well last night?”

“No.” Xia Qi was like a caring family member trying to mediate the situation for everyone involved. He then kindly said to her with a slightly playful tone, “He slept late.” The female lead’s mood improved a bit, and she suppressed a shy smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth. “I’ll go check to see if he’s awake.”

Xia Qi nodded with a smile, “Sure, go ahead.”

As the female lead walked towards the courtyard, Xia Qi slowly turned his head after waiting for two seconds. He watched her go upstairs, and as the camera zoomed in, his eyes lowered, and the smile on his face gradually faded.

“Cut!”

Xia Qi relaxed, and Director Fei immediately said, “It’s a pass.”

Xia Qi was startled. He could not help but wonder if this was all done to save face for Lu Xuan? Were they not giving him an NG just because Lu Xuan was present?

Clearly, it wasn’t about saving face for Lu Xuan. After reviewing the playback, the director noticed Lu Xuan and the two of them moved aside to smoke and chat. Xia Qi wasn’t sure if he should go over there, but he decided to prepare for the next scene instead. However, he was called back halfway through.

“You are getting more and more disobedient.” Lu Xuan was talking to the director when he saw Xia Qi approaching, “You don’t even greet me when I arrive?”

A few assistant directors nearby turned their heads curiously, but they were quickly restrained by others.

Blushing, Xia Qi lowered his head and apologized, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were looking for me.”

“Did you forget what I told you yesterday?” Lu Xuan then stopped looking at Xia Qi, turned to the director and said, “This new guy from An Qi’s company is quite unruly. Sorry to trouble you.”

The director shook his head and spoke frankly, “He’s not bad. He woke up early, worked diligently, and his acting is good, even though he lacks experience… Experience is something that accumulates slowly. Take it slow.”

The two of them discussed other matters for a while, but the director was busy and did not have much time to chat. They agreed to have a meal together later, and the director went off to attend to his duties. Lu Xuan looked at Xia Qi and smiled, “You acted well.”

Xia Qi knew that he had performed exceptionally because he saw Lu Xuan. Feeling a bit guilty, Lu Xuan took a small thermos box from the hands of Yan Zhuo Yi and lightly chuckled, “Have you eaten breakfast?”

Xia Qi nodded and replied, “But… I didn’t eat much. I was afraid that it would affect my performance during the filming.”

Lu Xuan’s smile deepened, and he looked around before asking, “Is there anywhere we can sit?”

Xia Qi nodded and led Lu Xuan to a resting area within the set. Yan Zhuo Yi stood guard outside as Lu Xuan and Xia Qi sat together, enjoying desserts and tea.

“Is there something on your mind, Mr. Lu?” Xia Qi could not help but still be concerned about the sudden visit. “Is there something I can help you with?”

Lu Xuan shook his head. “I had something to discuss with Fei Hao, and we already talked about it.”

Xia Qi could not help but think that there must be some business matter behind Lu Xuan’s visit. Just as he relaxed, Lu Xuan casually added, “For the most part, I came here to see you.”

Xia Qi struggled to swallow the dessert. He suppressed his rapidly beating heart as he tried to remain calm and said, “I will do my best in the filming, and I won’t… make it difficult for you.”

Lu Xuan chuckled. “You not doing well in filming wouldn’t make it difficult for me. That’s Fei Hao’s concern. I just asked him about it. In a few days, you’ll be able to take a temporary break from the set, and I’ll have Yan Zhuo Yi come to pick you up.” Lu Xuan leaned a bit closer to Xia Qi and lightly said, “You’ll have to compensate me properly then… By the way, I just learned from Fei Hao that you’ve learned classical dance?”

Lu Xuan’s breath brushed against Xia Qi’s face, which made Xia Qi distracted as he replied, “Yes… I was asked about it before joining the production. I learned classical dance in college.”

Lu Xuan seemed quite interested. “What else? Have you learned anything else?”

Xia Qi honestly answered, “I’ve also practiced street dance. I learned it after joining the company.”

“No wonder you’re so flexible,” Lu Xuan lightly laughed. “Show me your dance when we return.”

XIa Qi thought that this should not be too difficult for him since had practiced for several years and did not feel nervous about it. Xia Qi obediently nodded, “Okay.”

Lu Xuan turned his head and kissed Xia Qi’s ear, whispering, “When you dance, don’t wear any clothes.”

Xia Qi’s poor ears instantly turned red. He did not know if Lu Xuan was referring to classical dance or street dance, but regardless of which one it was, performing those movements without clothes… Xia Qi’s face turned so red that it seemed like smoke would start rising from his body.

Lu Xuan was in a good mood. He checked his watch and stood up, saying, “I have something to do, so I’ll leave first. Contact Yan Zhuo Yi if you need anything.”

Awkwardly, Xia Qi stood up as well. Lu Xuan ruffled his hair and said, “Good boy.”

Lu Xuan’s visit had a tremendous impact. Those who initially did not like Xia Qi in the crew became more restrained. While some people still wore unfriendly expressions, no one dared to speak ill of Xia Qi in his presence. People in the industry knew who Lu Xuan was and refrained from gossiping. Those who were aware of Lu Xuan and Xia Qi’s relationship kept quiet. Xia Qi’s ears were finally free from unwanted chatter, and his mood improved. The progress of the production also became faster unexpectedly. In less than a week, several scenes went smoothly. Thanks to Lu Xuan’s influence, Fei Hao granted special permission for Xia Qi to leave the set temporarily. Xia Qi would return later to shoot the remaining scenes until the completion of filming.

“Fei Hao asked me to remind you to maintain your condition when you go back,” said Xia Qi’s assistant, Yao Miaomiao, who came to pick him up on the day he left the set. Yao Miaomiao hung up her phone and smiled, “You must not gain weight. It’s fine if you lose a bit, but don’t do it intentionally.”

Xia Qi naturally understood and promised, “I know, I’ll control my weight.”

“Hmm.” Yao Miaomiao pondered for a moment and continued, “There are a few good endorsements recently, and I’ve managed to secure them for you.”

Although Xia Qi had attended the film’s kickoff press conference previously, the movie had yet to be released. Since he did not have any other work at the moment, what identity could he use to attend these endorsements? As a rising star of Shengshi Media? Xia Qi shook his head and said, “Did President Lu agree? Is it appropriate?”

The “President Lu” Xia Qi referred to was Lu An Qi. Yao Miaomiao smiled and reassured him, “It’s all thanks to President Lu’s help. She said to let you make some appearances first.”

As Lu An Qi had always been satisfied with Xia Qi being her brother’s discreet and obedient little lover, she provided Xia Qi with a lot of attention and support. Because of this, Xia Qi was very grateful. After thanking Yao Miaomiao, Xia Qi cautiously sent a gratitude message to Lu An Qi. Lu An Qi immediately called him back and advised him to take care of himself and adjust his state of mind.