Chapter 21: The Weight of Rong Yan Zhi

The role of Rong Yan Zhi was incredibly difficult to portray, yet it was also one of the most pivotal characters. Back when Shen Chao and Wang Muzhe were filming their scenes, their demands had aged Hua Wei by a decade.

Many crucial scenes required dozens of retakes.

The scene titled [Killing Mother for Dao] alone took over a month to film! It had practically become Hua Wei’s midlife trauma.

During that period, whenever Hua Wei saw his own kind and loving mother, his mind would involuntarily echo with the heart-wrenching chant, [Kill, kill, kill!] This, of course, was Rong Yan Zhi’s line when preparing to kill their mother in the play.

Later, when he learned that Wang Muzhe had moved out of his mother’s house at lightning speed after filming [Killing Mother for Dao], Hua Wei realized he wasn’t the only one who had suffered.

A rare sense of comfort actually settled in his heart.

How could Hua Wei possibly feel at ease now that such a vital role had been given to a newcomer?

Of course, Su Xuan wasn’t strictly a newcomer, but in the eyes of a director like Hua Wei, everything Su Xuan had filmed outside of Courtyard couldn’t even be called ‘acting’; it was merely sensationalist fluff.

Hua Wei harbored a slight disdain for Su Xuan, believing he couldn’t shoulder a major role, which only intensified his apprehension.

Hua Wei’s son returned. The moment he stepped through the door, he saw his father staring blankly at the script, a clear sign that he was once again troubled.

He couldn’t help but call out, “Dad, I went to Star Culture.”

Hua Wei snapped back to reality, his eyes brightening as he looked at his son. “Hua Na, you’re back. What did Star Culture say? Is there any chance of getting Wang Muzhe back for the role of Rong Yan Zhi?”

Hua Na sighed helplessly. “What are you thinking, Dad? It’s already been officially announced. I went to ask for details about the recasting, and someone told me it was Shen Chao who wanted Su Xuan.”

“Shen Chao? That’s impossible,” Hua Wei mused, falling into deep thought. “His standards are even higher than mine. Wang Muzhe was so terrified of him by the later stages of filming that he’d actively avoid him. Would Shen Chao advocate for a newcomer?”

Hua Na recalled Wang Muzhe’s humble and gentlemanly demeanor in public and couldn’t help but find it amusing. “Actor Wang avoiding Shen Chao?”

Hua Wei, too, found himself chuckling at the memory. “Indeed. Wang Muzhe was practically held captive by Shen Chao during that period, forced to film until he had no private life left. Shen Chao felt that Wang Muzhe hadn’t captured the true essence of Rong Yan Zhi, that he wasn’t alluring enough.”

Hua Na thought of Rong Yan Zhi in the film and sighed. “I thought Actor Wang’s portrayal of Rong Yan Zhi was quite good. Such a pretentious male character, yet even I, a grown man, really liked him. Are Shen Chao’s standards that high?”

Hua Wei shook his head mysteriously. “That’s precisely the problem. You shouldn’t have liked Rong Yan Zhi’s character.”

Hua Na paused, bewildered.

“Because, according to the original novel, Rong Yan Zhi is a character men find quite detestable. You should have felt disgust when you saw him,” Hua Wei lamented. “As expected of someone who has memorized the entire book, Shen Chao’s perspective is absolutely correct. It’s just a pity that neither I nor Wang Muzhe could meet his standards. Son, let me tell you, if you ever work with Shen Chao, you can learn a tremendous amount from him as you help cultivate his talent.”

Hua Wei spoke with a hint of admiration. “Shen Chao is a remarkably mature individual.”

Wang Shou glanced at the phone Shen Chao placed in his backpack. “You still haven’t unblocked Su Xuan and his manager?”

Shen Chao’s movements paused for a moment before he continued packing as if nothing had happened. “Not yet.”

Wang Shou felt a splitting headache. “But you’re about to start filming! Why don’t you unblock them? Otherwise, meeting them will be incredibly awkward.”

Shen Chao gave Wang Shou a fleeting, indifferent look. “He hasn’t unblocked me either.”

After understanding the full story, Wang Shou wanted to roar—’Who knew that late-night call was from you?! You called someone from your private number in the middle of the night, didn’t introduce yourself, and immediately spoke in such an aggressive tone! It’s perfectly normal for them to block you!’

But on the surface, Wang Shou continued to persuade him weakly. “I’ll make sure he unblocks you.”

Shen Chao’s jaw tightened, his expression cold and unyielding. He refused, “No need. I don’t require it.”

Wang Shou tried a different approach. “Alright, let’s not dwell on that. Just unblock him first.”

Shen Chao’s lips pressed into a thin line. He subtly averted his gaze and said softly, “He hasn’t unblocked me, so I won’t unblock him.”

“He blocked both of my numbers,” Shen Chao murmured, his lips pressing together slightly.

‘To block him after kissing him twice? He’s completely a heartless scumbag who just uses people.’

Wang Shou: “…”

Shen Chao had a private number and a work number, and Su Xuan had actually blocked both of them… What exactly had happened that Wang Shou didn’t know about?

After much coaxing from Wang Shou, Shen Chao finally removed Su Xuan and his manager from his blacklist.

He had no choice. They were about to head into the mountains for filming, and two important lead actors absolutely needed a way to contact each other. Su Xuan and Shen Chao hadn’t even added each other on WeChat, so phone calls and texts were still the primary means of communication.

The *Nine Streams* web series couldn’t be filmed all at once, nor could it overshadow the movie’s schedule. In Star Culture’s plan, the web series was intended to build hype for the *Nine Streams 2* film.

Hua Na’s idea was to film and broadcast it season by season, generating momentum for the movie version of *Nine Streams*.

There were two primary filming locations for *Nine Streams*: the deep mountains within a scenic area and the Yangcheng Film and Television City.

Given the potential for mudslides and landslides during the upcoming rainy season in the scenic area, Hua Na decided to take the main crew to the mountains first.

The entire film crew traveled to the mountains in shifts aboard large buses, with the lead actors all sharing one vehicle.

Su Xuan put away his luggage. The moment he boarded, he saw Shen Chao sitting in the very front row. A familiar arrhythmia struck Su Xuan the instant he saw Shen Chao; it was an old habit.

He turned his face away, not daring to look at Shen Chao. Without even a proper greeting, he merely gave a slight nod, barely acknowledging him, then walked straight to the back without a sideways glance, as if he wished he could walk right through the bus.

Only after settling in the last row did Su Xuan feel brave enough to look at Shen Chao from behind. Shen Chao was seated by the window, his back perfectly straight. As Su Xuan watched, he felt that even the back of Shen Chao’s head was more attractive than anyone else’s.

Su Xuan’s gaze drifted slightly to the side, and he felt as if a basin of cold water had been poured over him. His heart arrhythmia instantly subsided.

The fleeting attraction he felt for Shen Chao, born from his good looks, rapidly receded.

Sitting beside Shen Chao was Song Xiao, who was leaning in, looking up at him and saying something. She wore a playful smile, as if teasing Shen Chao. Uncharacteristically, Shen Chao wasn’t as distant as usual; his expression wasn’t as tense. However, his demeanor remained cool, his eyelids slightly lowered as if watching Song Xiao, a faint blush visible on his earlobes.

Su Xuan inexplicably felt that Shen Chao’s interaction with Song Xiao carried an indefinable quality… perhaps mortified indignation, or even a warning.

Song Xiao’s breathing grew heavy, her fists clenched. She leaned closer to Shen Chao, a knowing smile playing on her lips, and whispered, “Little brother, Su Xuan was putting away his luggage just now, and you were staring at him the whole time! What were you looking at Su Xuan for?!”

Shen Chao replied coolly, “Am I not allowed to look at the actor I’m doing a scene with? Why are you so excited?”

Song Xiao reined in her increasingly rampant smile, clearing her throat a few times. “Not excited about anything, just thinking that Su Xuan is indeed quite handsome, and he catches my eye.”

Shen Chao warned coldly, “You have a fiancé.”

Song Xiao paused, then realized what Shen Chao meant. Her smile became even more nuanced. “…Shen Chao, I think there’s something off about you. Is there something going on between you and Su Xuan…?”

‘—Something I haven’t gotten to ship yet!!!’ Song Xiao screamed internally. She had already rewatched the *Courtyard* behind-the-scenes footage nearly three hundred times! She needed new ‘sugar’!

Shen Chao was silent for a few seconds. He lowered his gaze to his fingers, unconsciously rubbing them together a few times. “We haven’t seen each other in years. We can only be considered… colleagues.”

‘At most, slightly special colleagues, but not *that* much more special. The most special thing is that I’m still on Su Xuan’s blacklist.’

📚 Also on NHV Novels

Special Supernatural Investigation Team

Modern FantasySupernaturalUrban Fantasy

Read Now →
Not interested