It happened to be a holiday, and the expressway was jammed into a complete mess. Traffic crawled forward and stopped again and again, adding an extra hour to the usual travel time.
As they exited the expressway, Lin Cimian glanced back and saw nothing but cars, as though the highway had transformed into a gigantic parking lot.
He clicked his tongue and muttered inwardly: At this rate, who knows what year they’ll finally get through.
After another ten-odd minutes of driving, they finally reached the filming location.
There were only ten minutes left before filming officially began, and Lin Cimian was the only member of the boy group present.
The other nine had wasted too much time at the hotel and were now stuck on the expressway. Their only alternative means of transportation were their own two legs. By the time they walked off the highway, the variety show would practically be finished filming.
The program was in danger of having an empty slot in its recording schedule. Their manager was so frantic he felt as though flames were shooting from his head. He put the entire blame on the captain and cursed him bloody over the phone.
“I told you already, filming comes first! Fan support isn’t an official schedule, so why did you go?! Look at this now! I went through hell to get you this opportunity, and you’re stuck on the expressway. What do you want me to do, air-drop the production crew to you?!”
Lin Cimian stood quietly to one side, barely daring to breathe. He silently backed away two steps, afraid the manager’s flying spit might land on him.
The manager did not even have time to keep cursing. The captain was still trying to explain himself, but the manager ruthlessly hung up.
This episode’s guest was an A-list actress, a three-time major-award Best Actress winner famous for her poisonous tongue and tough temperament. She dared to say anything in front of the camera. If they made her wait today, the manager was certain she would personally tear them apart in public. Then the group could forget about getting a single job for the rest of the year!
The manager was furious and frantic, nearly losing his mind. At that moment, he noticed Lin Cimian standing quietly in a corner.
Lin Cimian: ???
His danger radar immediately started blaring, but he was still one step too slow. The manager’s eyes lit up. He strode over, spit flying everywhere. “This recording depends on you now. Use your head. Don’t do anything unnecessary and piss her off.”
The manager grabbed the back of his collar and, like carrying a chick, forcibly dragged him toward the set.
Lin Cimian’s pupils contracted. He struggled with both hands and feet, his face practically screaming terror.
No, no, no! I don’t want this kind of solo center-position treatment!
Before he could cry out, he was already standing in front of the cameras in an oversized black T-shirt, completely barefaced.
“…”
“…”
“…”
I’m doomed.
There was no live audience, but the production staff formed a ring around the set, and at least seven or eight cameras were pointed directly at him.
Because he had always been good-looking, Lin Cimian had never managed to avoid being pushed onstage for performances while growing up. He would never forget that terror: his mind going completely blank, his body turning into a marionette he could no longer control.
It was too late to leave now. Lin Cimian unconsciously pressed his lips together, his frightened gaze darting everywhere until he finally saw the actress filming with him.
Her makeup was exquisite, and she wore a low-key black dress. Noble and coolly beautiful, she held her chin slightly raised and looked at him without a trace of warmth in her eyes.
Lin Cimian immediately lost his nerve. Like someone guilty of a crime, he lowered his head and hesitated, not daring to approach.
Small, weak animals were extremely sensitive to danger. Lin Cimian preferred being around people whose aura felt harmless. Someone this aggressive and difficult-looking instinctively made him want to flee.
At a loss, Lin Cimian tugged at the hem of his shirt and froze onstage like a statue. Unable to watch any longer, the manager urged him in a low voice from behind, “What are you standing there for? Hurry over!”
His body moved on instinct, taking one step forward. Only when Lin Cimian came back to himself did he realize his calves were trembling, weak and sore.
Standing still would only make things more awkward. He could only force himself to look calm and make himself walk forward.
Every step felt as though he were walking on cotton. He suddenly forgot how to walk. His movements were stiff like a rusted robot whose knees might make a clacking sound every time they bent.
Lin Cimian felt awkward too and instinctively tried to adjust, only to overcorrect by far too much:
His back became ramrod straight, his arms tensed, his expression grew as resolute as though he were about to swear allegiance to the Party, and he lifted his legs absurdly high, marching like a soldier… while swinging the same arm and leg together.
The actress: “…”
Lin Cimian’s tightly composed face was far too pretty, while his walking posture looked like a clumsy little duck. She could not stop the corners of her lips from rising and nearly burst out laughing.
Her smile softened the aggressive sharpness of her appearance, like spring suddenly arriving in full bloom. Lin Cimian blinked blankly, unsure what had happened, but he sensed the friendly signal she was giving off and relaxed a little.
He did not dare look into her eyes, so he stared at the floor beside her instead and sat down in the seat farthest away.
The actress looked at the six empty seats between them, her expression odd.
If she remembered correctly, there were only two guests filming today. Were they planning to shout at each other across the long table?
Lin Cimian realized something was wrong too. He foolishly stood up again, gave an awkward laugh, and stiffly shuffled closer, his restrained helplessness carrying a clumsy kind of cuteness.
The actress realized Lin Cimian was nothing like the rumors. Smiling, she took the initiative to introduce herself. “Hello. I’m Shen Ruyao.”
“I-I… Lin Cimian.” Every word he spoke made his face redden a little more, and his voice shook badly.
With another guest, a few polite remarks would have been enough to get acquainted, but Lin Cimian could not think of an appropriate topic and did not dare speak. He could only press his lips together and turn mute.
The atmosphere became strange. The set was so quiet that even a pin dropping would have been audible.
Shen Ruyao: “…”
She sighed inwardly and initiated another conversation. “Would you like a little cake?”
“O-okay.”
At last there was a new topic. Lin Cimian looked as though he had seen his savior. He let out a relieved breath and immediately stood up.
The original plan had been for all the members to film together, so the production crew had prepared all kinds of desserts, enough to cover the long table.
He and Shen Ruyao sat at one end, and the desserts on the far side were out of reach. Lin Cimian went back and forth five or six times, placing one of every kind of dessert in front of Shen Ruyao.
Shen Ruyao had not expected Lin Cimian to be so gentlemanly. Her gaze softened further. “That’s enough. Sit down and rest for a while.”
In truth, Lin Cimian was not tired at all. He wished desperately for something to keep himself busy; when he was occupied, time seemed to pass faster.
He answered dryly, sat down stiffly, and accidentally met Shen Ruyao’s gaze.
!!!
Lin Cimian immediately felt awkward. He could accept the fact that he had social anxiety, but he was afraid other people would notice something was wrong with him. To conceal it, he coughed unnaturally twice and instinctively grabbed the hem of his shirt.
Shen Ruyao, sitting beside him, lowered her gaze, noticed these little movements, and developed a peculiar expression.
Lin Cimian also realized he had done something foolish. He quickly let go, smoothed his shirt flat, then placed both hands obediently on his knees.
His back was straight, his head slightly lowered, his sitting posture proper and rigid, like a primary-school student who had done something wrong and was obediently waiting to be lectured.
Looking at the face that revealed every thought passing through Lin Cimian’s mind, Shen Ruyao’s lips curved slightly.
Lin Cimian’s bad reputation preceded him, and he had a long list of alleged misdeeds. Before meeting him, Shen Ruyao had viewed him very poorly and had been prejudiced against him. But after only a few minutes together, her opinion had changed completely.
Lin Cimian’s hair was more silver than white and sparkled beneath the lights. Though a little messy, it was in excellent condition, soft like the downy fur of a small animal.
He wore no makeup. His face was pale and clean, without a single visible flaw. His irises were light, with an amber-like quality—clear and translucent, incapable of hiding the slightest thought. When he panicked and did not know what to do, he instinctively widened his eyes, making their already full curves even rounder.
He looked like a fragile little animal that had accidentally wandered into human territory, frightened and flustered, timidly curling itself into a ball.
Compared with online rumors, Shen Ruyao trusted what she saw with her own eyes more.
After spending years in the entertainment industry, she knew its hidden rules very well. Malicious editing and false accusations were common. She had been schemed against before and knew just how deep and murky these waters were.
As for the possibility that Lin Cimian was acting like this…
There was not a trace of acting to be seen. It was far too natural and vivid. If he truly possessed acting skills this good, she recommended he turn left and go collect an award; Best New Actor would belong to him without question. Why would he bother struggling in this muddy pit instead?
Because of her own past experiences, Shen Ruyao felt a little protective toward Lin Cimian. Abandoning her usual cold and noble image, she smiled warmly and asked, “You look so young. How old are you?”
Lin Cimian raised his head slightly but still did not dare look into Shen Ruyao’s eyes. Almost entirely on instinct, he answered, “Teacher Shen, I’m two months away from turning eighteen.”
Shen Ruyao had not expected him to be so young, and shock showed clearly on her face.
So he was still a minor—a little brother.
When she spoke again, her tone became gentler, as though coaxing a child. “You don’t have to call me Teacher Shen. That’s too distant. I’m older than you, so if you don’t mind, you can call me big sister.”
No one could resist being called “older sister” by a sweet, obedient younger boy. Shen Ruyao was itching with anticipation as she looked expectantly at Lin Cimian.
Lin Cimian was accustomed to maintaining a greater social distance. Even if someone beat him to death, he could not bring himself to say the intimate “big sister.” He only murmured, “Sister Shen.”
Shen Ruyao: “…” Why did she suddenly feel ten years older?
She laughed and compromised. “Then call me Sister Ruyao instead.”
Lin Cimian nodded.
The topic ended there, and once no one spoke, the atmosphere became awkward again.
Lin Cimian was especially afraid of awkward silences. He became so stiff he could barely breathe.
Shen Ruyao noticed and pushed a plate of small cakes toward him. “Try one. Tell me if it tastes good.”
At last he had something to occupy himself with. Lin Cimian relaxed and immediately picked up a little cake.
He was still in a socially induced stress response, his mind completely blank, so the food had almost no taste to him. But when he ate, his soft cheeks puffed out like a little hamster’s, making the sight strangely appetizing.
Shen Ruyao had little interest in greasy cream, yet she found herself picking up a small cake too and taking a bite. “It’s pretty good. Do you like sweets?”
Lin Cimian nodded.
He could sense Shen Ruyao’s kindness and instinctively wanted to return it. He immediately stood and poured her a cup of black tea.
It was an obvious gesture of goodwill, yet Lin Cimian did not have the oily air of someone trying to ingratiate himself. He carefully placed the teacup in front of Shen Ruyao, worked up the courage to look into her eyes, and lifted one corner of his mouth in a tiny smile, revealing a dimple on one side.
“Thank you.” Shen Ruyao took a small sip. The smile in her eyes nearly overflowed. She raised one eyebrow and spoke in a deliberately unserious tone. “Cimian, do you have some special technique for pouring tea? This is the best black tea I’ve ever had.”
Everyone present: “…”
Sis, do you realize you look exactly like a big bad wolf trying to lure away a little white rabbit right now? Your cold, noble image has shattered all over the floor!
With Ruyao carrying the atmosphere, Lin Cimian’s condition improved considerably, though he was still in a dazed, sleepwalking state. He remained stiff and helpless and instinctively avoided eye contact with Shen Ruyao.
Shen Ruyao was like someone teasing a cat. “Cimian, does this dress look good on me today?”
“I-it looks good.” Lin Cimian was not good at interacting with the opposite sex and became a little shy. His entire face felt hot.
There was no mirror here, so Lin Cimian did not know that both his face and ears had turned red, or that his pupils looked glossy and moist, making him exceptionally endearing.
Shen Ruyao felt an itch in her heart and deliberately complained, “But you didn’t even look carefully. How do you know whether it looks good?”
Lin Cimian’s brain turned to mush again. He instinctively grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it into wrinkle after wrinkle.
Under Shen Ruyao’s gaze, Lin Cimian bit his lip, raised his head, and quickly glanced at the radiant woman before him. The tips of his ears turned even redder.
“Sister Shen, you’re so beautiful that you’d look good in anything.”
Lin Cimian’s eyes were filled with sincerity, as though he carried a built-in compliment buff. Shen Ruyao immediately blossomed with happiness. Her perfectly ordinary vanity swelled, leaving her satisfied and smug.
A beautiful young man who looked as though he had stepped out of a comic had praised her beauty. That meant she absolutely had to be a peerless, breathtaking beauty!
Shen Ruyao’s favorability toward Lin Cimian skyrocketed. She also found teasing him amusing, so her words and actions became increasingly outrageous. She no longer cared about maintaining her image and had completely forgotten the cameras even existed.
Shen Ruyao’s manager stared in disbelief. After a long silence, she silently covered her face with one hand. Everyone else looked equally shocked and could not recover for a long time.
Another half hour passed before the torturous filming finally ended. Smiling, the director came over and politely thanked the two of them.
The moment Lin Cimian finished dealing with the director, he slipped away. Shen Ruyao merely turned her head, and Lin Cimian had already vanished.
? Was that even a speed a human could achieve?!
Backstage was chaotic and packed with people. Lin Cimian was like a frightened rabbit, dodging everyone he saw until he plunged headfirst into an empty stairwell. He sat on the steps hugging his knees, buried his face against them, and looked as though he were about to melt into a puddle of unidentified liquid.
But his manager gave him no time to shut down. His phone erupted with one life-threatening call after another.
Lin Cimian could only drag himself out reluctantly. The moment he appeared, his manager caught him. “Why are you running around everywhere? Hurry up and come meet Teacher Shen with me!”
The same thing happened again. His manager ignored Lin Cimian’s terrified struggling and once more carried him over to Shen Ruyao’s dressing room.
Noooooooo—!
Unfortunately, no one could hear the voice screaming inside his heart.
Once they entered the dressing room, Lin Cimian was not as stiff as he had been onstage. He lifted the corners of his lips slightly, looked into Shen Ruyao’s eyes, and spoke with complete seriousness.
“It was an honor to film the program with you. Thank you for looking after me.”
Like a gentle older sister, Shen Ruyao smiled and encouraged him. “You did very well just now. Keep it up.”
It would have been better if she had not mentioned it. The moment Lin Cimian remembered what he had been like during filming, his mouth flattened into a line. Outwardly he pretended to be calm, but the little person in his heart had already dropped to his knees and was smashing his head against a wall.
AAAAAH, forget it, forget it! A proper piece of dark history should quietly die in the deepest corner of memory!!
Lin Cimian was so embarrassed he wanted to weather away on the spot. He did not speak again. His manager had gone off earlier to deal with the other members and had not seen Lin Cimian during filming, so he found Lin Cimian’s current behavior extremely strange.
Wasn’t Lin Cimian usually affected and pretentious, always speaking like a green tea and loving to attract everyone’s attention? Why had he suddenly become so restrained? Had all the criticism left him psychologically scarred?
The manager happened to want Lin Cimian to behave himself anyway, so he took over the conversation and exchanged pleasantries with Shen Ruyao, making the atmosphere in the dressing room harmonious.
Shen Ruyao glanced at Lin Cimian, smiled, and picked up her phone.
After collaborating, people generally added one another as contacts. Shen Ruyao was frequently asked for her WeChat and usually responded indifferently, but Lin Cimian was an exception.
It was rare for Shen Ruyao to take the initiative, yet Lin Cimian stood there blankly with an expression as though his soul had drifted off to some distant realm.
Looking at Lin Cimian’s adorably dazed expression, Shen Ruyao smiled and took the initiative. “How about we add each other on—”
Before she could say “WeChat,” the dressing-room door was pushed open and the nine Calabash Brothers from the boy group swarmed in, instantly filling half the room.
They had been stuck on the road for ages and missed the filming, effectively presenting such a good opportunity to Lin Cimian with both hands. Their hearts were bubbling with sour jealousy, so every one of them wanted to perform well in private and fight for another chance.
Shen Ruyao’s looks, figure, and family background were all top-tier. Hundreds of people had tried to curry favor with her, so she could see the calculations hidden beneath attentiveness at a glance.
These nine Calabash Brothers thought themselves handsome and dashing, but in her eyes they were nothing more than quails trying desperately to imitate peacocks spreading their tails—ridiculous and laughable.
Shen Ruyao grew impatient and wanted to find an excuse to drive them out, but before that, she intended to add Lin Cimian on WeChat.
She searched among the nine Calabash Brothers for Lin Cimian and finally spotted a streak of dazzling silver hair between the captain and Zhou Chen.
Lin Cimian was plastered tightly against the wall like some unidentified object stuck to it. With a quick slither, he squeezed through the gap in the doorway and disappeared without a trace.
Shen Ruyao: “…”
Only after Lin Cimian reached the corridor did he finally let out a long breath, the heat in his face subsiding.
The room had just been packed full, with men on all four sides. Luckily, he had escaped quickly. Otherwise, his “getting dizzy from too many people” condition would have flared up again.
Lin Cimian would rather curl up in the car and play on his phone. He put on a baseball cap and mask, covering himself completely, and prepared to go downstairs.
But when he saw another crowd in front of the elevator, he turned around without hesitation, slipped into the stairwell, and walked down to the first floor.
The entire building belonged to a famous television station and was absurdly huge. Lin Cimian accidentally lost his way and turned into a corridor.
The farther he went, the more wrong it felt. Just as he was about to find someone and ask for directions, he saw a figure at the far end of the corridor.
The man’s proportions were simply too outstanding. Lin Cimian could not help looking at him once more. The other person was wearing a mask too, revealing only a pair of handsome eyes and brows.
He wore a structured black shirt and suit trousers that outlined long, straight legs. His steps were steady and unhurried, and he carried the elegance and maturity accumulated through time, yet also an unmistakable sense of distance.
Lin Cimian frowned slightly, sensing a trace of familiarity.
He instinctively stopped and searched his memories hard.
It—it was Yan Shiyue!
Yan Shiyue was a true favored son of heaven, someone Heaven itself seemed to chase after just to feed. Not only was he extraordinarily handsome, he also possessed remarkable acting talent. At seventeen, he played the male lead in a film and won Best Actor in one stroke, becoming dazzlingly famous.
He had debuted more than ten years ago. His body of work was relatively small, but every project was a masterpiece, and he had won so many awards he could barely hold them all. People joked that “he was young enough to win a lifetime-achievement award before growing old.”
He did not promote himself often, yet he had an enormous and highly active fanbase. At Yan Shiyue’s level, it was more accurate to speak of nationwide recognition than mere popularity.
Yan Shiyue stood at the top of the pyramid, leaving everyone else with no choice but to look up at him. For all these years, he had had zero dating scandals and zero black material. Rumor said his background was so powerful that paparazzi and entertainment reporters did not dare act recklessly around him. Recently, however, one idiot with the courage of a rabid dog had appeared—not only forcibly riding Yan Shiyue’s popularity but even buying bundled marketing campaigns linking the two of them together.
That person was the original owner of this body.
Meaning him.
“…”
Lin Cimian’s nerves instantly went taut, and he nearly bristled all over.
He had a criminal record, so to speak. Even if he sincerely wanted to behave himself now and never provoke Yan Shiyue again, simply being photographed in the same frame could make people suspect he had ulterior motives.
A major figure like Yan Shiyue could crush him with one finger. Extreme fans would never let him go, and neither would the media. Cameras would follow him everywhere… Hiss. The rest of his life would become nothing but darkness.
Lin Cimian shuddered. In his eyes, Yan Shiyue transformed into a terrifying flood and savage beast.
Absolutely do not approach him. More importantly, absolutely do not appear in the same frame!
Having made up his mind, Lin Cimian stopped and looked around, hoping to temporarily take another route or, failing that, find somewhere to hide for a while.
But for some inexplicable reason, the television station had built the corridor ridiculously wide and long. There were only tightly closed doors on either side, and the nearest emergency exit was two hundred meters behind him.
Turning around now would look too abrupt. It might backfire and make Yan Shiyue notice him precisely because he moved.
While Lin Cimian was still struggling with what to do, a nearby door suddenly opened. The person who came out saw Yan Shiyue and his manager, froze for several seconds, then immediately piled a smile onto his face and hurried over to greet them.
!!! Why were there even more people now?! And why had they stopped moving?!
Lin Cimian could not stop himself from imagining the worst possible outcome. In his mind, everyone was already staring at him with hostility and scolding him with blackened faces.
Sweat appeared on the tip of his nose. His heartbeat pounded frantically like a drum. In his panic, he did something unbelievably stupid: he turned around and faced the wall, trying to make himself invisible.
The gesture was no different from an ostrich sticking its head into the sand while leaving its plump backside exposed.
Except Lin Cimian was even stupider.
He forgot he was wearing a baseball cap. The brim smacked heavily into the wall and flipped upward at a slight angle. Caught completely off guard by the reaction force, Lin Cimian’s head was forced backward and his entire body bounced a little in reverse.
Lin Cimian: “…”
Lin Cimian: “…”
Lin Cimian: “…”
