HEIFEIGU -Chapter 94

For the last two days of filming, Xie Jixing’s scenes were extremely heavy.

According to the script, Li Chengxu led thirty thousand elite troops to attack the Xiongnu capital, defeated eighty thousand enemies, and returned with only five thousand survivors—a tragic victory that brought thirty years of peace.

In the final battle, Li Chengxu fought until exhaustion, was severely wounded, and died after returning to camp. Per his wishes, he was buried in the northern frontier.

Just two short lines summarized a young hero’s tragic life.

The last scene was the grand battle for the enemy capital.

The howling northern wind mixed with screams and roars, shaking the soul.

Soldiers kept falling before Li Chengxu’s eyes.

Shot by countless arrows and barely standing, he leaned on his spear amid the corpses of his comrades.

His vision blurred.

He could only vaguely see people moving—saving the wounded or searching for fallen townsmen.

All he heard was wind and distant wailing.

He had broken his promise.

He hadn’t been able to bring his brothers home.

His hand on the spear trembled. His raised head slowly drooped.

He heard countless cries—

“General!”

Li Chengxu finally collapsed to his knees and closed his eyes.

And never opened them again.

“Cut!”

“Pass! Congratulations to Teacher Xie on wrapping!”

The assistant director held a thick red envelope, but the person in the center of the battlefield didn’t move.

He was still kneeling on the cold ground.

Standing nearby, Qian Shuyun dug his nails into his palm.

The mixture of confusion, guilt, and pain on Xie Jixing’s face made his heart ache again and again.

The extras playing corpses slowly got up and left.

Qian Shuyun walked against the flow, holding a down blanket.

Warmth fell over Xie Jixing’s back.

His frozen emotions finally began to thaw.

His sticky hand, covered in fake blood, was also held.

“Xingxing, it’s over. You’ve wrapped.”

Wrapped?

Xie Jixing’s scattered gaze slowly focused on Qian Shuyun.

Right. This was filming. It was all fake.

Qian Shuyun didn’t rush him away. He let him sit on a big rock and calm down.

In his hand was a thermos with hot milk tea.

Local milk tea wasn’t sweet—slightly salty, rich in milk and tea fragrance. It washed away the fake blood taste.

Watching the “corpses” get up and line up for red envelopes, Xie Jixing finally felt real.

When most of them had left, workers brought in logs and set up a triangular frame.

A bonfire.

But hadn’t the bonfire scenes already been filmed?

Then two men in white caps came in carrying a real carcass.

Skinned, neatly cut, marinated.

From afar, the smell of cumin drifted over.

It smelled amazing.

The assistant director announced: “Don’t leave yet, everyone.”

“Teacher Xie is wrapping today and is treating everyone to a whole roasted lamb!”

“There’s also free hot milk tea—go get it!”

The set instantly became lively.

Extras cheered while removing makeup.

“Roast lamb! Yay!”

“Teacher Xie, generous!”

“Thank you, Little General!”

The gloom of war scenes was swept away.

Xie Jixing turned sharply to Qian Shuyun.

“You prepared this?”

No wonder he’d been gone all day yesterday.

“I looked around everywhere. This place is small, so I could only get local specialties.” Qian Shuyun smiled and pulled him up.

“Come on. Go remove your makeup. You’re getting a big lamb leg later.”

“Today is Teacher Xie’s first time wrapping up a project. We have to celebrate properly.”

By the time Xie Jixing finished removing his makeup, a whole roasted lamb was already sizzling over the bonfire, fat dripping and crackling.

The local lamb was exceptionally delicious—tender, juicy, and completely free of any gamey smell.

Its skin had been roasted to a golden crisp. Not only was it brushed layer after layer with a secret sauce, but before carving, it was also sprinkled with a special seasoning powder.

This seasoning contained a large amount of white sesame seeds, which burst open the moment they were kissed by the flames.

The rich aroma of meat, the nutty fragrance of sesame, and the bold, domineering scent of cumin mixed together and drifted through the evening breeze.

The extras all held cups of hot milk tea, waiting eagerly for their turn to eat.

When Xie Jixing came out after removing his makeup, everyone greeted him warmly.

“Teacher Xie, congratulations on wrapping up!”

“Thank you, Teacher Xie!”

“Congrats on finishing filming, Teacher Xie!”

After he sat down by the fire, a middle-aged man in a little white cap sliced off a piece of lamb from the back and handed it to him.

The outer layer was crispy, wrapped in rich, milky-smelling fat. Then came waves of sesame, cumin, and chili aromas, taking turns bombarding his taste buds, followed at last by the solid, satisfying flavor of the meat itself.

Xie Jixing didn’t even wait for it to cool.

“Hiss—ha, hiss—ha,” he puffed as he devoured a huge bite.

“How is it? My skills are pretty good, right?” the man said proudly, his voice seeming to carry the scent of cumin. “This part of the back is the tastiest.”

Xie Jixing chewed enthusiastically and gave a thumbs-up, holding out his little plate.

The man immediately added several more pieces.

Each part of the lamb had a different texture:
the back was crispy,
the leg was chewy,
the tail was rich and fatty—an explosion of fragrance in the mouth,
and the belly was soft and tender.

After tasting every part, they drank a bowl of milky-white broth that had been simmered with lamb bones for hours.

Xie Jixing wanted to shout: This lamb truly died a worthy death!

All the cruelty of war, the helplessness of watching comrades die—everything vanished into thin air.

Every actor coming to get meat was smiling, chatting as they ate, full of life.

It completely erased the images of them collapsing on the battlefield and pulled him out of the drama.

“Are you still feeling sad?” Qian Shuyun asked.

He didn’t dare eat much—he still had scenes to shoot later, and if he got overheated, Director Yang would definitely scold him.

Xie Jixing turned to look at Qian Shuyun’s handsome face glowing in the firelight and let out a sincere burp.

“Burp!”

“Pfft.”

Alright. Qian Shuyun felt he had received the best possible answer.

---

The crew would be packing up the next day, so the wrap party didn’t last too late. With so many people, three lambs were quickly finished. Everyone just ate happily.

Originally, Xie Jixing planned to return to C City by himself, but Qian Shuyun refused. He insisted on escorting him back first, then transferring from C City to H City to continue filming.

“Really, there’s no need,” Xie Jixing tried to persuade him. “You’re so busy. You’ll be working nonstop.”

“I’m clingy. Is that not allowed?” Qian Shuyun said righteously as he tucked his scarf properly. “It’s just a few hours.”

In fact, they would only be together on the plane for about two hours.

Qian Shuyun spread his hand on the armrest. “Teacher Xie, give me a reward.”

“Idiot,” Xie Jixing muttered, putting on his eye mask.

After thinking for a moment, he still placed his hand on top.

It was immediately clasped.

The cabin was warm with air conditioning. He could feel a light sweat forming in Qian Shuyun’s palm, but neither of them minded.

As a result, after getting off the plane, Qian Shuyun kept shaking his arm.

Xie Jixing secretly laughed.

With his “cat paw” on top, President Qian’s arm had gone numb.

Serves you right. Haha.

The miserable President Qian continued flying to the filming base. He still had about a week of scenes left.

Meanwhile, the happy little Xie went back to his rental apartment and slept like a log.

After waking up, he either stared blankly or squeezed together with the three ghosts to watch dramas, completely slacking off.

At the airport, Qian Shuyun had given Xiao Zhong another suitcase. When Xie Jixing dragged it home, he discovered it was full of snacks.

All kinds of dried meat, milk curds, and milk skin—perfect for casual munching.

Qian Shuyun had traveled for two days with the “Fierce Ghost Tour Group,” and many of the snacks were secretly chosen by Yin Wenshan and the others.

Humans and ghosts each held their favorite food, filling the room with “crunch, crunch” sounds.

Vacation really was amazing.

On the third day of lazing around, Qi Zhen called Xie Jixing.

“Teacher Xie, I got you a job. It perfectly fits your requirements.”

Xie Jixing: ???

What requirements?

“It’s a variety show. High pay, filmed in C City, all indoors. Food and lodging are covered. How about it? Want to sign?”

High pay.
Low workload.
Close to home.
Free food and housing.

Of course he’d sign!

“Alright, I’ll sign it first. When you’re well-rested, come to the company and we’ll have a meeting. It’s a live reality show—no difficulty for you at all,” Qi Zhen added flatteringly before hanging up.

After slacking off enough, Xie Jixing went to the company to get the contract.

He asked doubtfully, “This says: First amateur-and-celebrity social deduction reality show. What does that mean?”

“Simply put, it’s a dating show,” Qi Zhen said casually. “But I asked—there’s no script and no mandatory pairing.”

“You just go, eat, do tasks, go on dates, and get paid.”

Got it.

A freeloading contestant on a dating show.

But… this was a dating show!

If President Qian found out, wouldn’t he want to destroy the planet?

“Did you tell President Qian?” Xie Jixing asked cautiously.

“Nope,” Qi Zhen replied crisply. “He said you have full freedom. You don’t need to report to him.”

Oh no.

“You’d better tell him,” Xie Jixing said faintly.

Bro, this is as far as I can help you.

After confirming that Qian Shuyun had finished filming, Qi Zhen called him.

“President Qian, I accepted a variety show for Teacher Xie. It’s settled. He thought he should inform you.”

Knowing Xie Jixing well, Qian Shuyun immediately sensed trouble.

“What show?”

Why did he actually care?

Qi Zhen suddenly felt guilty. “Um… a dating show…”