Chapter 263 – The Runaway Little Sweetheart of the Top Actor – After the Hangover (07)
The aftermath of the hangover kicked in.
When Bai Tang woke up, his head was pounding. Fortunately, Pu Hexu had shown restraint, so Bai Tang didn’t feel too much discomfort elsewhere in his body.
“Ugh… my head hurts,” the teenager groaned.
Before long, a pair of hands pressed gently against Bai Tang’s temples, softly massaging them.
“Feeling any better?”
Bai Tang looked up, meeting Pu Hexu’s affectionate gaze.
“Ah Xu, the plum wine doesn’t taste good. It gives you a headache. You mustn’t drink it, okay~” Bai Tang was still thinking about last night’s plum wine, and reminded Pu Hexu not to drink it.
Little did he know, Pu Hexu’s “reward” last night had been thanks to that very plum wine.
“Alright.”
The man agreed readily. As for whether he’d still drink it in the future—that was another matter entirely.
Thankfully, Bai Tang didn’t have many scenes to film today—he mostly just had to show up.
Today’s shoot was mainly focused on Pu Hexu. In this scene, Que Ning secretly follows his senior brothers into the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm. The main shots are centered on Situ Cheng’s team.
Once they finished filming the scene where Que Ning sneaks in just as the secret realm is about to close, Bai Tang was free to rest for a while.
He sat on a soft cushioned chair Pu Hexu had prepared, resting his chin in his hands, watching Pu Hexu act.
Yu Shuang came over holding two bottles of water and greeted him warmly. “Hi, I’m Sister Meng’s assistant. May I sit here?”
The spot where Bai Tang was sitting might not have been the absolute best, but it was certainly the most comfortable. The chair next to him had been prepared by Pu Hexu for himself—he wanted to sit with Bai Tang even during breaks.
But Yu Shuang didn’t know that. She assumed Bai Tang must be someone important to receive such special treatment.
“Hello,” Bai Tang replied, dimples showing as he smiled sweetly and obediently—an image that was irresistibly charming.
Yu Shuang was slightly caught off guard by how well she was being treated. In her experience, celebrities with powerful backers or high status often carried a certain arrogance. Take Zhou Mengsi, for example—she might present herself in public as graceful and intellectual, but behind closed doors, only someone like her personal assistant would know how haughty she truly was. If anything didn’t go her way, she’d lash out—yelling, hitting, throwing things. Yu Shuang only endured it because the pay was good.
But that was just on the surface. Who knew what Bai Tang was really like behind the scenes?
Yu Shuang reminded herself of her mission. Whether Bai Tang was genuinely sweet or just wearing a mask, she had to keep up appearances. Besides, he probably wouldn’t refuse her if she played it right.
Just as she was about to sit down, she heard the boy’s soft, milky voice: “You can’t sit here.”
Bai Tang’s rejection left Yu Shuang frozen—half-sitting, half-standing—unsure what to do. She could feel the sharp gazes from other assistants nearby, like needles pricking her back.
“Hehehe…” Yu Shuang let out an awkward laugh and quickly stood up straight.
“This is Ah Xu’s seat.”
Hearing the boy’s explanation, Yu Shuang’s initial displeasure eased a little. He was simply reminding her. No matter how bold she was, she wouldn’t dare sit in a seat reserved for the film emperor himself.
Pu Hexu—the face of Dizhou Studios—and rumored to have close ties with top executives at Dizhou Film. She was just a lowly assistant. Offending someone like him would be unthinkable.
“There’s a stool over there. Let me bring it over for you, Sister.”
Bai Tang stood up, ready to fetch a nearby Scandinavian-style low stool.
How could Yu Shuang dare let Bai Tang do the work? If she offended someone before even figuring out his true status, that would be a disaster.
She rushed to get the stool before him and sat down to chat.
“Tang Tang, I heard everyone calls you that. Can I call you that too?”
“Sure~” Bai Tang replied with a smile, his eyes crinkling adorably. His sweet expression tugged right at the heartstrings, and Yu Shuang nearly couldn’t resist ruffling his hair.
“Is filming hard for you, Tang Tang? You must be working really hard.”
“Not really. It’s been pretty good,” Bai Tang answered innocently, with no hint of suspicion about Yu Shuang’s intentions.
“Since you’re signed with Dizhou Film now, you must be super busy, right? Is your schedule packed?” Yu Shuang feigned concern, trying to subtly pry for information.
Bai Tang munched on some nut snacks that Pu Hexu had prepared and replied, “Not at all. I’ve got lots of free time. I haven’t had many roles lately.”
Even though Pu Hexu had taught him not to reveal too much about himself to others—since some reporters could twist even the tiniest detail into a headline—Bai Tang still spoke casually without a second thought.
But Bai Tang didn’t see his lack of past acting roles as something shameful or worth hiding—nor did he feel the need to lie about it. A simple background check would easily show that he’d only ever been a background extra or a minor C-list supporting actor in past productions.
Yu Shuang was momentarily speechless. She had never expected Bai Tang to so bluntly admit that he used to be just a walk-on extra.
“That can’t be! Tang Tang, you must have real talent—otherwise Dizhou Film wouldn’t have signed you. Can I ask who your agent is?”
Before Bai Tang could answer, someone called to him from not far away: “Bai Tang, it’s your turn!”
“Coming~” Bai Tang set down his snack bag and brushed the crushed nut crumbs off his clothes.
He turned to Yushuang and said cheerfully, “I don’t have an agent. Sister Yu Shuang, I’m off to film now.”
“Go on, go on,” Yu Shuang replied with a smiling wave.
She watched Bai Tang’s retreating figure thoughtfully. Now that she thought about it, she really hadn’t seen anyone acting as Bai Tang’s agent these past few days. The only assistant he had was Wen Anni—a scatterbrained girl with an obvious grudge against the wealthy.
Could it be… he really did get signed by Dizhou Film purely by coincidence?
…
In front of the camera.
Que Ning’s head, tangled with grass and twigs, peeked out from a bush.
The boy’s round eyes darted about, and he muttered, “Weird… where did everyone go?”
“What are you looking for, Ning’er?”
“Looking for First Senior Brother~”
Wait—who was speaking to him? That voice sounded awfully familiar…
The boy slowly turned his head and saw a familiar, handsome face.
“F-First Senior Brother…”
His expression shifted from surprise to pleading. He grabbed Situ Cheng’s hand and gave it a small shake.
“I… I just want to contribute to the sect too…” Que Ning said softly.
But even he didn’t quite believe the excuse himself. With such low cultivation, sneaking into the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm on his own—if he ran into a demonic cultivator, he might die without even knowing how.
Situ Cheng let out a helpless sigh and dotingly pinched the boy’s nose.
“I really can’t do anything with you, can I?”
“First Senior Brother, you’re the best~”
Situ Cheng brought Que Ning back to the team. Faced with everyone’s astonished expressions, he calmly offered an explanation and took all the responsibility on himself.
“I forgot the Cloud-Piercing Pouch that the Elder gave us. Ning’er came in to bring it to me. But we moved too fast, and he couldn’t find me in time—so he couldn’t leave either.”
The Cloud-Piercing Pouch was used to store the Hundred-Weight Immortal Herb. Without it, even if they managed to obtain the herb, its medicinal properties would fade before they could get it out of the realm.
The Hundred-Weight Immortal Herb was a legendary spiritual plant that only appeared once in ten thousand years. Every cultivator dreamed of it—rumor had it that even someone stuck at the Great Ascension stage could use it to break through their bottleneck and ascend to immortality.
Although the team had gained one more person, there was only one female cultivator in the group.
Everyone was protective of Zu Pingwan, but only Situ Cheng spared attention for Que Ning.
It was precisely because of this that Zu Pingwan, who secretly admired Situ Cheng, keenly sensed his feelings for Que Ning—feelings that even he himself had yet to realize.
After traveling together for many days, Zu Pingwan experienced the sting of jealousy. A heart demon quietly began to take root within her, setting the stage for the chaos that would unfold in the coming battle.
“Cut—” Director Li called out.
“That’s a wrap for today. Everyone, go back and rest up tonight. In three days, we’ll head to Jiucai Mountain for on-location shooting.”
The other actors gradually made their way toward the rest area, but Pu Hexu and Bai Tang remained in position, still holding their final pose from the last scene.
Holding a wooden skewer with roast chicken still sizzling on it, Pu Hexu turned to Bai Tang and said, “Tang Tang, want to try some?”
Bai Tang hadn’t had barbecue in ages—and he’d missed out on the hotpot last night too.
“But it’s a prop… is it okay?” he asked cautiously, glancing around at the crew still packing up.
“Won’t we get scolded for eating it?”
“It’s fine. It’s already cooked—if we don’t eat it, it’ll just get thrown out.”
As a thrifty little squirrel at heart, Bai Tang believed wasting food was shameful.
“Alright then… I want this piece.” He pointed to the chicken wing.
Pu Hexu picked up a small knife and briefly held it over the fire to sanitize it. With a clean slice, he cut off a perfectly intact wing.
Bai Tang wasn’t fond of meat, so Pu Hexu had to come up with all sorts of ways to coax him into eating more—hoping to help him get better nutrition.
Seeing Bai Tang actually ask for chicken wings for once—even if they were roasted—meant there was at least some nutrition going in.
Pu Hexu sprinkled cumin powder over the wing, and the fragrant aroma drifted through the set.
Several crew members paused and turned toward the source of the smell.
There, they saw an adorable young boy holding up a chicken wing by the fire, happily nibbling away, while a man beside him tenderly carved the meat and gently wiped the boy’s hands and lips now and then. He even handed him a cup of light lemon water between bites.
“Do you want more? We didn’t manage to do hotpot last night. Should we try again tonight—or just make soup?”
“Soup~”
“Ah Xu, I can’t eat anymore.”
“Then I’ll eat the drumstick. You’re full, right?”
“Let’s make fragrant cashew chicken tonight…”
From time to time, snippets of their conversation drifted into the ears of the surrounding crew. People glanced down at their own lunchboxes, filled with an array of dishes, then looked over at Pu Hexu and Bai Tang—who were just sharing a single roasted chicken.
For some reason, that roasted chicken seemed way more appetizing than the duck rice in their boxes.
It must be because the duck rice had gone cold. Yes, that had to be it.
Zhou Mengsi stared at the two, locked in their sweet interaction. After hearing Yu Shuang’s latest report, her jealousy toward Bai Tang surged even higher.
She could see it clearly now—Pu Hexu’s care for Bai Tang wasn’t just the ordinary kindness of a senior to a junior. There was something deeper in it. Something different.
She didn’t want to admit it, but it was the truth.
Now that she had confirmed Bai Tang had no one backing him, Zhou Mengsi finally decided to make her move.
Jiucai Mountain—a winding trail with eighteen bends, steep cliffs, and sharp drops.
If something were to happen there… some little “accident”… wouldn’t that be perfectly believable?
Zhou Mengsi cast a vicious smile in Bai Tang’s direction. Yu Shuang, who stood nearby, was thoroughly unnerved.
…
On the other side, also suffering a hangover, Wen Anni had slept in until the afternoon. When she saw the time, she rushed frantically to the set, only to find the crew already packing up props.
She hurried over to a crew member who was moving a lighting rig to ask about the situation—but accidentally tripped over a cable. A loud shriek tore through the air, followed by the crash of something hitting the ground. Everyone turned toward the noise.
There, they saw a slightly disheveled girl sprawled over a man. The man winced in pain, clutching a very sensitive area.
Beside them lay a shattered lighting fixture.
The girl repeatedly apologized: “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to!”
The poor crew member who had been “attacked” gritted his teeth and said, “Just… get off me first.”
This woman looked delicate and fragile, but her weight was like a pig’s and her grip had the strength of a vice.
Am I going to be ruined for life? he wondered in despair.
Author’s Note:
Wen Anni is about to become a walking disaster that everyone fears.
It’s probably time to get her off set—what if she ends up hurting Tang Tang?