On this day, the main scenes for *West Wind's Many Sorrows* belonged to the two leads, but Qi Bailu still arrived at the outdoor filming location at the time requested by the crew. Since Jinhe Film and Television was based in Hengdian, Zheng Kunyu had some matters to handle back at the office and wouldn't be visiting the set until later in the day.
Upon arriving, Qi Bailu immediately spotted Peng Yiyi. She was wearing a peacock-blue cheongsam, her makeup slightly heavy as required by the plot, making her stand out in the crowd. They were filming on Avenue Joffre in the Republican Era City. Peng Yiyi stood alone in a corner of the street reciting her lines, her assistant standing not far away. Seeing Qi Bailu approaching from a distance, the assistant whispered something to her. Peng Yiyi lifted the veil hanging from her hat and walked toward him, greeting him and asking if his injury was any better.
Qi Bailu said he was much better. Peng Yiyi muttered, "I didn't expect such an accident to happen." Qi Bailu scanned the set, and not seeing Cai Tongyue or the others, he asked, "Has filming not started yet?"
Peng Yiyi curled her lip and gestured toward a prop car nearby. Only then did Qi Bailu see Cai Tongyue, the director, and several others gathered on the other side of the vehicle, seemingly filming a scene where Cai Tongyue gets out of the car and enters a building.
"They've probably done over a dozen takes," Peng Yiyi said. "He even made the young actress he's playing against cry with his shouting. It's just bad luck; who knows who set him off this time."
Peng Yiyi’s assistant added gossipy, "I heard he lost an advertising deal—an ambassador role for a luxury brand. The promotional assets were already shot, but they breached the contract." The assistant stole a glance at Qi Bailu as she spoke, as if expecting to see some sort of reaction on his face.
But Qi Bailu’s expression remained placid. Although he was standing far away, Cai Tongyue’s voice rose, and a few lines of cold sarcasm drifted over: "...Didn't learn much at school before running out to act? Can you give me a normal human reaction? Are your teachers at the Beijing Film Academy not dying of shame because of you..."
While others might not have noticed, the expressions of Lydia and Peng Yiyi changed. Cai Tongyue’s words were clearly veiled insults aimed at Qi Bailu, as they all knew he had dropped out of the Beijing Film Academy in his sophomore year.
Under the persuasion of the crew and Cai Tongyue’s manager, Cai finally agreed to give the young actress one more chance. His words were: "Perform well, or get out." She was a minor character with only a few appearances; if Cai Tongyue remained dissatisfied with her performance, the director would certainly replace her.
The actress looked to be a girl barely twenty. Having neither a manager nor an assistant, she stood there alone, wiping tears with the back of her hand while clutching her script, trying hard to get into character. Her role was that of a cabaret girl informant. When Cai Tongyue stepped out of the car, she was supposed to greet him beaming with joy, take his arm as they walked up the steps of The Paramount, and whisper the latest intelligence into his ear. Cai Tongyue would then pretend to kiss her cheek while actually instructing her on the specific time for that night’s assassination.
The director was clearly impatient, giving instructions with a visible edge to his voice before patting her shoulder and pushing her toward the camera. The girl’s eyes were red, yet she struggled to force a smile. Filming like this would never yield results. Peng Yiyi couldn't bear it any longer. She walked over to the monitor and the director, saying with a smile, "Director Sun, it's common to have off days, especially for a newcomer. Why don't we shoot the next scene first?"
Before she could finish, Cai Tongyue, standing nearby, let out a small laugh. Traces of anger still lingered on his face, making the smile look quite awkward. "Sister Yiyi, everyone is waiting," he said.
The cameraman, the lighting technicians, and others all looked toward Peng Yiyi. Since Cai Tongyue had spoken, she couldn't say more. she found a folding chair nearby and sat down to read her script, her smile vanishing completely.
Shouts and the sound of the clapperboard soon rang out. To enhance the actors' immersion, the director played an old Republican-era song through the speakers. To the strains of *Rose, Rose, I Love You*, the Ford car slowly entered the frame. Cai Tongyue pushed open the door and stepped out, lowering his head to remove his round felt hat before looking up toward the steps.
The cabaret girl stepped down in time with the music, reaching her hand out to Cai Tongyue. Next, he was supposed to bow and kiss her lace-gloved hand as they exchanged smiling pleasantries. But before Cai Tongyue could utter his first line, the director suddenly barked, "Cut! You walked down the steps too slowly!"
And so, the reflectors were pulled back, the boom poles retracted, and weariness appeared on everyone's faces. Cai Tongyue yanked his hand back and impatiently beckoned his makeup artist. The actress playing the cabaret girl bowed repeatedly, whispering apologies, but no one paid her any mind.
The atmosphere on set became incredibly oppressive. Only the recording of *Rose, Rose, I Love You* continued to loop, singing, *"Rose, rose, your love is deep; rose, rose, your love is strong."* The cheerful, lively tune suddenly felt extremely jarring. The director's assistant hurried forward to turn off the sound.
Cai Tongyue said to the girl, "You don't expect me to practice basic blocking with you over and over, do you? Do you have any idea how much time you're wasting—"
"I'll do it."
The sentence rang out from the crowd. Cai Tongyue looked up to see who had interrupted him. Seeing it was Qi Bailu, he didn't seem surprised, putting on a reasonable smile. "Bailu, this is my scene..."
"I'll play the cabaret girl."
As soon as he said this, Cai Tongyue thought he had misheard. The crew thought they had misheard as well. Peng Yiyi’s eyes widened in shock, and even Cai Tongyue’s manager wore a look of confused astonishment. Everyone found the statement absurd, and they all froze in unison.
Qi Bailu had already walked up to the actress and whispered something. The girl stared at him blankly, then hurriedly untied the gauze scarf from her neck and handed it to him. It was a thin, snow-white scarf that fluttered in the cold wind. Qi Bailu took off his down jacket, clearly intending to step into the role himself.
Lydia took his coat, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated. The director asked, "Little Qi, you mean..."
"Perhaps watching from the side will help her identify where her own issues lie."
The director understood his meaning, of course. It was like a student observing a masterpiece in class to learn; sometimes one cannot see the true face of the mountain while standing upon it. Not all actors have an epiphany right away; some are naturally gifted and understand with a single hint, while others need to learn through cumulative imitation of their seniors.
But that wasn't the issue...
Sitting nearby, Peng Yiyi couldn't hold back and straightened up, about to stand.
Qi Bailu knew her intention and gave her a reassuring look. He made a gesture to the director and turned to walk up the steps, not giving Cai Tongyue a second glance.
The director asked for Cai Tongyue’s opinion. Naturally, Cai had none. He gritted his teeth as he watched Qi Bailu’s back, then turned and got back into the car, slamming the door hard. The stagehand signaled the driver to begin reversing slowly.
*He didn't even bring a script; he's clearly just here to show off,* Cai Tongyue thought with secret resentment as he put his felt hat back on. He knew Qi Bailu was a good actor, but it was impossible for him to conjure a miracle out of thin air.
Peng Yiyi had her assistant bring a disposable cup of hot water to the young actress. The girl had just put on her coat and was shivering from the cold; receiving such timely help almost made her burst into tears again. Peng Yiyi simply told her to watch the monitor. At that moment, many people were waiting to see how Qi Bailu, a man, would portray a "cabaret girl." Curious, expectant, or waiting for a joke—all sorts of ambiguous gazes converged on a single point.
The director shouted from off-camera, "Alright, car a bit further out of the frame. Three, two, one, action!"
*Rose, Rose, I Love You* wasn't played this time. The entire set was silent, save for the occasional cough of a staff member who had caught the wind. But from the moment Qi Bailu began descending the steps, it felt as though he were truly walking down to the decadent music drifting through a revolving door.
He was wearing his character's double-breasted trench coat today, with only the scarf representing the "cabaret girl" tied around his neck. The November wind blew, catching the hem of his coat and sending the snow-white scarf fluttering against his face, brushing his cheek and ear before settling on his shoulder, light as a cloud.
The sound of his combat boots was heavy, unlike the crisp click of high heels, but Qi Bailu seemed to deliberately soften his steps, making his entire being seem to drift down lithely, his footfalls carrying a lively rhythm. Cai Tongyue removed his felt hat and looked up sharply. A hand was already extended before his eyes. Looking further up, the "cabaret girl" had eyes like rippling waters, looking at him with a beaming smile.
Cai Tongyue seemed to daze for a moment before quickly steadying his mind and loosely grasping the hand, bowing to feign a kiss on the back of it. Qi Bailu had beautiful hands—slender and fair. Cai Tongyue pressed his lips briefly against the back of the hand, pulling away quickly as if escaping Pandora's box. Once Cai Tongyue stepped onto the stairs, Qi Bailu leaned in and intimately took his arm, saying, "I've waited so long for you to arrive. Today, we aren't going home until we're drunk."
Looking at that face so close to his, Cai Tongyue felt a mix of panic, disgust, and an indefinable emotion—perhaps just jealousy. The gesture of kissing the hand didn't make him think of romantic affairs; instead, it reminded him of those noir films where everyone bows to take the Godfather's hand, the one being kissed standing in the shadows, silent as a god.
"Long time no see," Cai Tongyue said with a smile.
Qi Bailu looked up at him, their faces almost touching. Being so close to a man made Cai Tongyue nearly recoil, but he caught himself. Qi Bailu’s face held a mixture of earnestness as he whispered, "The target is in the second-floor booth..."
This part of the dialogue was somewhat long, so their ascent up the steps was slow. The lines differed significantly from the script, but the general meaning was correct. What could be more terrifying than a rote recitation of the script if not the ability to improvise so effortlessly? Cai Tongyue looked into those bright, shimmering eyes. This face was far too close; his warm breath brushed against Cai’s skin. Cai Tongyue was nearly swallowed by a sense of discomfort.
Beyond the discomfort, there was a sense of pressure—not a suppression of presence, but rather a sense of profane beauty stemming from his blurred gender.
As Cai Tongyue attempted to lean toward the tip of Qi Bailu’s ear, his foot slipped, and he nearly missed a step. The director, who had been staring at the monitor, looked up at the scene
