HEIFEIGU -Chapter 85

After confirming entry into the crew, Qian Shuyun still had some arrangements to make.

The crown prince, Li Chengye, was calm, steady, wise, and open-minded—a typical combination of bravery and strategy. That was why he ultimately managed to carve a path through internal strife and external threats, ascend the throne, and restore a fractured nation.

His costumes were the most elaborate and numerous, often multi-layered. The tailoring had to fit perfectly; even an extra inch in length or a half-inch too short would make him look bulky.

Zhao Chaoran, while fairly tall, hadn’t received professional training. When wearing such heavy costumes during filming, he unconsciously shrugged his shoulders and slouched his waist.

In Yang’s words, wearing the dragon robe, he didn’t look like a crown prince.

In the end, the crew had no choice but to fit him with a posture-correcting vest inside the costume. It was stiff, but at least it worked visually.

Now that Qian Shuyun would play the role, the costumes naturally had to be readjusted.

He was about 3–4 cm taller than Zhao Chaoran, and the proportions were far better.

Qian Shuyun had broader shoulders, a slimmer waist, and the waistline needed to be raised about 10 cm.

When the costume designer came to take his measurements, Xie Jixing happened to be nearby. He quickly stripped down to a sporty tight-fitting quick-dry T-shirt and a pair of athletic shorts.

Qian Shuyun had been undergoing restorative training recently; his previously prominent joints were gradually smoothing out. To the naked eye, it was hard to tell what kind of suffering he had endured.

Without protruding joints in the way, the muscle lines flowed beautifully, curves perfectly balanced—not too much to appear greasy, not too little to seem weak.

Xie Jixing lowered his head and touched his own thin four-pack abs, comparing them. Sigh—how enviable.

Probably because life had been too comfortable lately, even these four abs were nearly disappearing.

Ever since Qian Shuyun arrived at the film base, Xie Jixing had moved from the tiny Room 714 to the current presidential suite.

Though he shared it with Qian, he had “half a president” to himself.

And that half was still impressive.

The master bedroom alone was larger than the entire Room 714, with an additional secondary bedroom. Yue Qinyao no longer had to sleep in corridors or on the roof.

The toilet and bathroom were completely separate, with the bathroom including a shower and a huge jacuzzi.

It even had its own independent living room and a walk-in closet.

Yin Wenshan paced the room.

“This is more like it.”

He had returned his eyes to Yue Qinyao, but this time, Qian Shuyun had brought him multiple pairs of pre-adjusted glasses, in various styles and prescriptions.

Supposedly, so he could properly see the country’s magnificent landscapes and the happiness of its people.

Yin Wenshan kept thin gold-rimmed and rimless styles for himself, adding a metal chain to the temples for grip.

Once he put on the glasses, Master Yin looked even more refined, suave, and handsome—so much so that Sister Yue nearly let out a startled cry.

This was the real “no-substitute” effect of Chinese entertainment!

With clear vision, Yin Wenshan felt a surge of excitement; this time, he was seeing it with his own eyes.

Xie Jixing, having nothing to do, decided to take him around the film base.

When they reached the Republican-era street set, Yin Wenshan lingered at the street entrance for a long time.

The buildings had been reconstructed based on old photos, modeled on the busiest street of old H City.

Everything looked familiar yet unfamiliar. Yin Wenshan came from a prominent family and had grown up on such streets.

At that time, half the street’s shops belonged to the Yin family—silks from Shu, tea from Fujian, porcelain from Jiangxi, restaurants and teahouses all owned by the Yins.

As the young master of the family, every year at year-end, he would accompany the elders to distribute rewards to the shop managers.

When he was older, Yin Wenshan and his father went to the West to study business transformation techniques, planning to use most of the family wealth to start factories and contribute to national industry.

It was then that he became enamored with something called film, becoming a movie star.

But the country fell apart too quickly.

Warlords ruled, the government was incompetent, foreign invaders came…

Sighing, Yin Wenshan entered the street.

“There should be a bamboo cart here,” he said, pointing to a gap between two shops. “An old lady sells shepherd’s purse dumplings.”

“When I was little and growing, she always served me extra dumplings and sprinkled extra dried shrimp.”

“And here…” Yin Wenshan touched a shop sign. “This cloth shop later became a free screening hall.”

“My father said, he wanted everyone in H City to see that his youngest son had become a great movie star.”

“Such a pity, such a pity…”

After this, Yin Wenshan said nothing, silently wandered the entire street, and then stayed at the hotel window watching the scenery, not returning even after dark.

Xie Jixing didn’t know how to comfort him. He recalled seeing the tabloids in the archive claiming Yin Wenshan was a traitor, and looking at this ghost before him, felt a pang of heartache.

Thus, after a full day of business affairs, Qian Shuyun came back to find a dim star.

The fridge still had all the drinks, and the snack shelf wasn’t missing any items.

Something was off.

“What do you want for dinner?” Qian Shuyun tried to use this topic as a breakthrough.

Xie Jixing remembered the dumpling stall Yin Wenshan mentioned and didn’t say “anything,” but instead said, “I want shepherd’s purse dumplings with extra dried shrimp.”

Though this sounded ordinary, around the film base it was hard to find.

Times had changed. Now there were high-end business Chinese restaurants, budget-friendly set meals, and various light meals for actors watching their figures—but not a single bowl of freshly made shepherd’s purse dumplings.

In the end, he didn’t get the dumplings. Xie Jixing ate something quickly and went to bed.

The next morning, freshly made shepherd’s purse dumplings with dried shrimp appeared on the table, along with a kindly aunt.

Qian Shuyun introduced her: “This is Aunt Wang. She’ll help with meals every day during the shoot. Just tell her what you want.”

“I got her last night.”

“Wow! That’s so nice!” Xie Jixing’s eyes widened.

Seeing his shock, Qian Shuyun added, “My body has just recovered, so I need to pay more attention to my diet.”

Xie Jixing nodded eagerly while shoveling dumplings into his mouth.

Freshly made dumplings really are the best.

He also got three bowls for his three little ghosts.

Aunt Wang nodded with satisfaction. To eat well is a blessing—but these kids sure can eat.

After a bowl of dumplings, Xie Jixing started thinking.

Wei Tingquan was already the pickiest in the crew; his mysterious boyfriend had set up a private dining table beside the set and delivered meals daily.

During this time, whenever Xie Jixing had a chance, he would eat with Wei Tingquan and had fully memorized his diet.

Five days a week were grumbling light meals; the remaining two days, one was spicy pork intestine, the other snails’ rice noodles.

Even a superstar with over 30 million fans couldn’t eat whatever they wanted—but Xie Jixing already could.

An acting emperor truly was different.

It proved that choice outweighs effort. Choosing the right boss really matters.

During the next fixed-look photoshoot, Xie Jixing noticed his outdoor chair and umbrella were gone. Two brand-new VIP vans had appeared on set.

One belonged to Qian Shuyun; the other…

Qian Shuyun pulled him over. Xiao Zhong was cleaning inside.

“I noticed Meng Zezhou hasn’t been on set much lately, so we’re using his van for you. Even though the sun isn’t so strong now, it’s still more convenient in case of wind or rain,” Qian Shuyun lied.

Xiao Zhong pouted. Only Xie Jixing would be fooled.

This van was a top model, with external power, AC, TV, fridge, sofa—it had everything. Ten years ago, he had followed Teacher Meng—this van was far superior.

But the van was only glimpsed briefly. The two-person poster shoot was about to begin.

In costume, with hair and makeup done, Qian Shuyun looked completely different from his usual self.

He wore a red-yellow ceremonial robe, with faint mountain-and-star patterns—extremely exquisite.

Despite the expensive clothing, it did nothing to overshadow his own aura. Standing on the palace steps, he looked stern and majestic.

Xie Jixing, standing at the bottom looking up, for a moment didn’t dare approach.

It was as if the prince on the steps was truly the sovereign of the eastern palace.

“Xingxing, come.” Qian Shuyun raised his brow and gestured, snapping Xie Jixing back to his senses.

To show the closeness between brothers, he didn’t call him “Teacher Xie” anymore and instead took the opportunity to use Xie Jixing’s nickname.

Xie Jixing couldn’t help but run toward him, his whole body posture like he was rushing to someone very important.

The photographer’s shutter clicked away in rapid succession.

“Yes!”

“Exactly!”

“This is the feeling we want!”

On the monitor, whether it was Qian Shuyun brushing aside Xie Jixing’s stray hair or wiping his sweat, every moment could easily be turned into a poster.

Oh, and the shot where Xie Jixing almost missed a step but was caught by Qian Shuyun? That one was pretty good too.

The steady yet gentle older brother and the lively, slightly clumsy younger brother—these two roles really came alive.

Director Yang almost cried from joy, realizing all the previous shots he had taken were essentially garbage.

This set of stills went incredibly smoothly, and Xie Jixing hadn’t even officially started acting yet.

The next set was Qian Shuyun and Wei Tingquan.

Wei Tingquan, completely shedding the previous despair he showed when acting opposite Zhao Chaoran, looked at Xie Jixing with admiration and said, “You, boss… are seriously amazing!”

Then he began to worry. “What do I do? His aura is so strong, his acting so good—what if I can’t match him?”

“No way!” He started psyching himself up again. “Such a rare opportunity to learn from the movie king—I have to seize it!”

With that, he wrapped Xie Jixing in a hug. “Xing, give me strength!”

Xie Jixing suddenly felt like interviewing his boyfriend. It looked good, yes, but it was a bit over the top.

After drawing strength, little Tingquan marched confidently up the steps.

Behind Xie Jixing came a faint, resentful voice. “Xing, it’s only been a short while, and you already have another adopted son outside?”

“You ungrateful jerk.”

“Tell me—have you forgotten me?!”

Apparently, after thinking about Meng Zezhou too much, the adopted son in City C had actually come to visit.