"This is infuriating! Where has that boy run off to at a time like this?"
Su Rong slammed her palm against the back of the sofa. The four people sitting on it didn't dare to make a sound.
In the eighty-square-meter room, the only sound was the rhythmic ticking of the clock.
Ding Lijing stood up and walked over to Su Rong's side. She took Su Rong's hand in hers, gently trying to soothe her. "Don't worry. Maybe Cui Chi just went out for a bit..."
"It's normal for him to go out for an hour or two sometimes," Chen Yijun added, trying to help.
Su Rong rubbed her temples wearily. "No, even if he had something to do, couldn't he have told us first? Do you know what time it is? Everyone is looking for him. If he's discovered, what will we do?"
"How about this? We split up and look for him," Chen Yijun suggested, standing up as well. "There's no point in just sitting here worrying."
Though he didn't know where to start looking, it was better than doing nothing.
"I suppose that's all we can do," Su Rong sighed, finally relenting. "Let's check the places he usually frequents. Lijing, you stay here. If he comes back, call us immediately."
Ding Lijing nodded. "Alright."
Chen Yijun thought to himself that Su Rong was as expected—efficient, decisive, and always having a plan.
"Why are you dazed?" Su Rong waved a hand in front of Chen Yijun's face.
Chen Yijun snapped out of it, looking a bit dazed. "Oh, I was just wondering where he could have gone. Let's go."
"Let's move."
Su Rong opened the door, and the others followed her out. Left alone, Ding Lijing sat back down on the sofa, her head in her hands, muttering repeatedly, "He has to be okay... please... please let nothing happen."
Gradually, all sound faded. The gloomy weather outside made the room feel incredibly stifling. The camera slowly pulled back, transitioning from a close-up of the sofa to a wide shot of the entire living room. Yuan Yuan's shadow stretched long and lonely across the floor. Time seemed to stand still, everything frozen in place.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds...
After about ten seconds, a voice finally rang out in the room: "Cut! Excellent. Scene twelve, take four is a wrap."
As soon as the words fell, the person on the sofa immediately looked up and stretched. "Finally—it's over—"
The volume in the room instantly rose as people began chatting, and those who had "left" the scene walked back in.
"I really have to thank Big Brother for helping me practice my lines today. Otherwise, there's no way I would've nailed it in three takes," Yuan Yuan said, hurrying to credit the "hero" to the director.
"You're exaggerating, you're exaggerating," Zhang Jin'an said modestly.
The reason Yuan Yuan praised him so much was that she had been struggling to find the right emotional beat for this shot. Zhang Jin'an had stepped in to run the lines with her and pointed out a few key nuances, which helped her understand how to play the scene.
Yuan Yuan insisted, "I'm not exaggerating at all. Seriously, Big Brother, we all feel so much more secure when you're around. Whenever we're stuck, we can just come to you."
Zhang Jin'an smiled but didn't reply.
Tang Shang clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "Alright, good work everyone. It's almost one o'clock, go get some lunch. We're scheduled to start the afternoon scenes around two, so just make sure you're here a bit early."
Zhang Jin'an picked up his boxed lunch on the first floor and headed to the lounge. He had barely taken a few bites while sitting on the short sofa when Xiao Zhou pushed the door open, carrying his own lunch.
Zhang Jin'an glanced at him. "You're here?"
Xiao Zhou sat down at the other end of the sofa and placed his lunch on the table. "Sigh, Qiang-ge was called back to the company for work again, so it's just me accompanying you."
"That's fine. Free lunch," Zhang Jin'an said before taking a mouthful of rice and picking up his script to review the afternoon's scenes.
"Oh, by the way, why isn't Jiang Siyang back yet?" Xiao Zhou asked.
Without taking his eyes off the script, Zhang Jin'an shared what he knew. "He was supposed to arrive before noon, but his flight was delayed. He should be here by now, though."
"Got it," Xiao Zhou replied and fell silent, burying his head in his food.
Zhang Jin'an glanced at Xiao Zhou, who was stuffing rice into his mouth, and asked in a casual tone, "What's with you today? You've been mentioning Jiang Siyang every other sentence. I heard you bring him up several times this morning too."
"Because I really want to see what kind of camera he bought," Xiao Zhou said, his face lighting up with anticipation. "He told me he brought two cameras for me to check out."
Zhang Jin'an looked at Xiao Zhou again, pursed his lips, and gave a simple "Mm" before falling silent.
Once the topic was broached, however, Xiao Zhou began talking non-stop. He went on and on about the camera facts Jiang Siyang had sent him, sentence after sentence. Zhang Jin'an just responded with "Mm" and "I see," though it was unclear if he was actually listening.
About twenty minutes later, Xiao Zhou finished eating, while Zhang Jin'an still had half his meal left.
As Xiao Zhou packed up his utensils, he noticed Zhang Jin'an's half-finished box and asked curiously, "Big Brother, why are you eating so slowly today?"
Zhang Jin'an replied calmly, "You're just eating fast."
"Oh, really?" Xiao Zhou glanced at the clock on the wall and laughed. "I guess so. I've set a new record. I'll head over to the set first then."
"Bye," Zhang Jin'an waved him off.
After Xiao Zhou left, Zhang Jin'an finished his meal a few minutes later, having finished reviewing his scenes for the afternoon.
Once he was done, Zhang Jin'an went to change and get his makeup done. By the time he returned to the set, the crew was busy rearranging the scenery.
"Director Tang," Zhang Jin'an walked over to Tang Shang, who was chatting with the assistant director. Seeing him, Tang Shang patted his shoulder. "The set will be ready in a bit. Take a break for now."
"Will do," Zhang Jin'an replied.
Scanning the room, his gaze locked onto two figures squatting in a corner. The two of them each held a camera and were deep in an enthusiastic conversation. One of them wore a deep blue hat; his eyes were hidden as he looked down, but his smiling lips were clearly visible.
Zhang Jin'an walked straight over.
"It's better to see the actual camera in person. Everyone's perception is different, and online reviews aren't the only thing that matters," Jiang Siyang said, hefting the one in his hand. "This one is a Sony ILCE6000. It's an entry-level camera, good for casual shooting."
Xiao Zhou carefully touched the camera in his own hands. "What about this one?"
"This is a film camera, a Minolta X700," Jiang Siyang said, swapping his camera with Xiao Zhou's and pointing out the film compartment. "This is where the film goes... I don't have many cameras, I just use these two. I had to save up for a while to buy them. If you're just shooting casually like me, you don't need to be too picky. Just choose what suits you."
Xiao Zhou nodded, only half-understanding. "What if I want to make vlogs?"
"If you're filming video, there are cameras specifically suited for that. These two are better for photos. For video, they're a bit..." Jiang Siyang paused, choosing his words carefully. "Every product has its pros and cons; nothing is perfect. If you want to shoot things from far away, you'll definitely need a specific lens. If you want to film long videos, you'll need a lot of battery life."
Xiao Zhou asked, "Then what do you do for videos?"
Jiang Siyang wiped the surface of his camera. "Me? I mostly take photos. I don't really do video. I haven't looked into editing yet. Do you know how, Xiao Zhou?"
Xiao Zhou replied, "I don't either. But Big Brother does. I'll just ask him when the time comes."
Jiang Siyang remembered that Zhang Jin'an had some vlogs on his Weibo and couldn't help but ask, "Does he edit those himself? I thought the company did them."
Xiao Zhou laughed. "Ha, the company doesn't bother with that. He edits them himself whenever he has free time."
Jiang Siyang was quite surprised.
He had watched all of those vlogs. Although the focus was sometimes off and the footage could be a bit shaky, the editing was excellent. The background music and the shots were perfectly timed. He had assumed a professional team from the company did it for Zhang Jin'an; he hadn't expected Zhang Jin'an to do it himself.
"What are you two squatting here and whispering about?"
Hearing that familiar deep voice, Jiang Siyang's heart gave a little jolt, like a thief caught red-handed.
Jiang Siyang looked up. Sure enough, it was Zhang Jin'an.
Zhang Jin'an's hair was styled up, and a pair of black-rimmed glasses sat on the bridge of his straight nose. A handsome man looked good in anything; even a common plaid shirt from Taobao looked like something out of a fashion magazine on him.
"We're not squatting, we have stools," Jiang Siyang said, reaching out to hook a nearby stool with his foot. "Sit in the middle, Brother."
Zhang Jin'an crouched down to their level, about a foot away from Jiang Siyang.
"When did you get back?" Zhang Jin'an asked.
Jiang Siyang replied, "Just now. Xiao Zhou entered the set, and I followed right behind him."
Xiao Zhou nodded in confirmation, dragging his stool to the side to leave a space in the middle. Jiang Siyang placed the stool there.
Xiao Zhou said, "We were just talking about filming videos. Since you've edited vlogs before, your name came up."
"I see," Zhang Jin'an sat down between them. The three of them were now huddled in the corner.
However, because Zhang Jin'an and Jiang Siyang had long legs, the stools were a bit too low for them. Their knees kept bumping into each other, forcing them to adjust their sitting positions every so often.
Seeing this, Xiao Zhou looked at his own legs—which were so short they wouldn't trip anyone even if he stretched them out—and shook his head. "You two and your 'nowhere-to-put-them' long legs."
"Jealous? Want to trade?" Zhang Jin'an stretched his legs out. Xiao Zhou's shoes only reached his ankles.
Xiao Zhou immediately pulled his legs back. "Don't stretch them out! This gap is making me fall apart."
Zhang Jin'an laughed and pulled his legs back too.
Jiang Siyang leaned forward, looking at the two of them. "What does 'falling apart' mean?"
Xiao Zhou immediately said, "I know this one! Let me explain."
Zhang Jin'an made a gesture. "Be my guest."
"It's..." Xiao Zhou suddenly stopped. After a few seconds, he said, "I'm falling apart."
Jiang Siyang: "?"
Zhang Jin'an: "?"
Under their watchful eyes, Xiao Zhou scratched his head sheepishly. "Sorry, I'm at a loss for words. I'll let Big Brother explain."
"...'Falling apart' means your mental state has collapsed," Zhang Jin'an explained simply and clearly.
Xiao Zhou nodded vigorously. "Right, right, right! That's exactly what it means."
Zhang Jin'an: "..."
Jiang Siyang understood immediately. "Got it."
Zhang Jin'an glanced at the camera in Jiang Siyang's hand and asked, "Siyang, is this your camera?"
"Yeah," Jiang Siyang handed the film camera to Zhang Jin'an. "Xiao Zhou was asking me about cameras, so I brought them. Oh, right, Brother, you know how to edit?"
Zhang Jin'an took the camera as if it were a precious treasure, his movements very careful as he inspected it. "I do. Isn't Zhang Shuyu a fansite master? She taught me a bit when she was bored."
Jiang Siyang had forgotten his sister was a "fansite master" until Zhang Jin'an mentioned it. He nodded. "Oh... no wonder."
"Hey, Siyang, we weren't finished. When you're free, can you take me to the mall to look at cameras?" Xiao Zhou asked.
Zhang Jin'an's hands, which were fiddling with the camera, stopped instantly. He looked at Xiao Zhou. "You want him to go with you? Aren't you afraid you'll be surrounded by a crowd?"
"Surely not?" Xiao Zhou was puzzled. "Siyang isn't that famous yet. He can go shopping back home without even wearing a mask or a hat."
Jiang Siyang also explained, "Yeah, I'm not as famous as you, Brother. As long as it's not a mall performance, it's fine even if I don't wear a mask. I've been to several camera shops before, and nothing happened."
Zhang Jin'an looked at Xiao Zhou. Xiao Zhou's face practically screamed, *I've done my research, trust me, it's fine.*
Zhang Jin'an: "..."
He turned to look at the person on his right. Jiang Siyang was looking at him with total confidence, as if his own statement was some kind of safety guarantee.
Zhang Jin'an: "..."
*Is not being famous really something to be that happy about?*
Zhang Jin'an sighed. "Siyang, let me ask you a question."
"What is it?" Jiang Siyang asked.
Jiang Siyang's eyes were very bright; even the shadow from his hat couldn't hide the light in them.
Zhang Jin'an looked into Jiang Siyang's eyes, pointed his thumb at Xiao Zhou, and asked seriously, "If Xiao Zhou and I both fell into the water at the same time, who would you save first?"
Jiang Siyang: "?"
Xiao Zhou: "?"
Zhang Jin'an added, "And it's the kind of situation where if you save one, the other dies instantly."
Jiang Siyang: "Is it... that brutal?"
Xiao Zhou: "??? Can I just choose to pass away on the spot?"
***
