Chi Yu had already pushed all of his schedules for the second half of the year. He decided to spend some quality time with Jiang Mo, and there were people watching over his studio.
After the World Championships, there were still two months before the New Year. He planned to take Jiang Mo on a trip to a foreign country during that time.
However, things don’t always go according to plan. After resting at home for half a month, Chi Yu agreed to the request of a certain well-known director and rushed to the director’s crew to save the day.
This time, Chi Yu is playing a villain in a drama. His role is relatively minor, and he only needs to shoot for a week.
This time, Chi Yu is bringing his family member Jiang Mo with him on the trip.
Chi Yu brought Jiang Mo along, and Jiang Mo brought his laptop. While Chi Yu was filming, Jiang Mo planned to stay in his room and play ranked matches, just like he used to, until Chi Yu came back.
However, the originally scheduled one-week shoot ran into another problem. The actor who played the villain’s younger brother had recently been caught up in a scandal and banned from the industry.
Fortunately, the actor had only just joined the cast and had only filmed a few scenes. If the scandal had come out after the drama had aired, the entire drama would have been scrapped.
The filming schedule was not delayed, but Chi Yu’s scenes were moved back. The director was still not satisfied with the actors they had found after searching for several days. Most importantly, Chi Yu, who was known for his strict demands, was also not satisfied.
Chi Yu is a natural actor who can usually get through a scene in one take. He only NGs if the director thinks he can improve his performance. Chi Yu is also a very demanding actor, and he expects his co-stars to be just as good as he is. If his co-star has no acting skills, Chi Yu will not hesitate to withdraw from the scene, even if the director tries to convince him to stay.
The director knows Chi Yu’s quirks, but he appreciates his dedication to his craft. He also takes the casting process very seriously, knowing that Chi Yu will only work with the best actors.
“What about Luo Yi? He just won a newcomer award last year, and his acting is considered to be good for a newcomer.” The assistant director had been working hard to find a suitable co-star for Chi Yu. He was relieved to finally find someone who was both talented and available. He rushed to the assistant director’s office to discuss the matter.
The director frowned and immediately rejected the suggestion. “No, Luo Yi looks too old. He’s seven years younger than Chi Yu, so they look like the same age. He’s definitely not the right fit for the role of his younger brother. We need to find someone younger.”
The assistant was stuck. “But Luo Yi’s acting skills are the best of his generation…”
If even Luo Yi isn’t good enough, then who else is there? The acting skills of the new actors these days are really underwhelming. Those who fit the age requirement are either too old or too young.
While the assistant director and his team were struggling to find a suitable actor, Chi Yu came to their rescue. He volunteered his own suggestion.
“I know someone who would be perfect for the role.”
Jiang Mo.
The assistant director’s eyes widened in disbelief when he heard the name Chi Yucalled out.
Didn’t Jiang Mo retire from the entertainment industry? Is he planning to come back now?!
He remembered that Jiang Mo had starred in a lot of bad movies before he retired. His acting was so bad that it was mocked by the media countless times. Even he had heard about it.
The assistant director suddenly realized that Luo Yi wasn’t that bad after all. Luo Yi was definitely a better choice than Jiang Mo.
Is Actor Chi going to abandon his principles for his boyfriend? He didn’t think Chi Yu Nian would ever fall from grace.
The assistant director sighed in regret. Chi Yu was good friends with the director and had a lot of clout on set. The assistant director was privately opposed to Chi Yu’s decision to force a talentless young actor into the cast, but since the director and Chi Yu were calling the shots, he didn’t say anything and gave in.
…
“Filming?” Chi Yu told Jiang Mo about it as soon as he returned to the hotel. Jiang Mo was so scared that his voice trembled. “Why did they choose me? I-I-I… I don’t know how to act.”
Jiang Mo’s mouse was shaking in his hand. A few seconds of error was all it took for the hero he was controlling to be surrounded and killed by the enemy team.
Chi Yu sat down next to Jiang Mo and whispered, “Don’t worry, you don’t have many scenes. Just a few shots.”
“But… why did you ask me to act?” Jiang Mo was puzzled. He had retired from the industry, so why did Chi Yu still want him to act?
“I only got to work with you once before you retired,” Chi Yu said with regret.
Chi Yu didn’t have a chance to get to know Jiang Mo properly the only time they worked together.
By the time Jiang Mo wrapped up filming, they had barely exchanged a few words. Chi Yu’s only impression of Jiang Mo at the time was that he was being taken advantage of by his manager and kept calling him “brother” on set.
Chi Yu thought Jiang Mo was annoying at the time, but now he only felt regret.
When they look back on it in the future, the two of them will be able to recall every detail of their time filming together.
Jiang Mo loves the esports stage, and he is willing to take Chi Yu into his world. He also wants Jiang Mo to see the world that he loves.
Jiang Mo is still hesitating. Chi Yu knows what Jiang Mo is afraid of. He doesn’t immediately compromise like he usually does. This time, he chooses to stick to his guns.
“Is there no other way?” Chi Yu’s eyes drooped, his eyebrows creased with sadness, and his whole body seemed to be wrapped in a cloud of disappointment. His voice was filled with pleading.
Jiang Mo: “…”
“But… I don’t know how to act. What if I keep messing up? Will the director get mad at me?” Jiang Mo finally voiced his concerns.
He was used to being in front of the camera, and he didn’t mind acting. As long as there weren’t too many people on set, he could still hold it together.
“It’s okay. We’re both in the same boat. I’ll tell everyone that you’re only doing this to fulfill my wish. You don’t need to worry about anything else. Just focus on acting and don’t be afraid.”
Chi Yu said that, and Jiang Mo finally felt relieved. He agreed to Chi Yu’s request.
…
The original owner was a recognized zero-acting vase, and Jiang Mo was also a waste with no acting skills. When he got the script, the newly crowned world’s first jungler, who never shook on the field, trembled for a long time.
Jiang Mo flipped through the script and saw the few lines on it. He couldn’t help but sigh in relief.
Chi Yu said that his role was not much, and the lines were even fewer. It was just as Chi Yu said.
In the drama, Chi Yu plays the second villain. He has a younger brother who has been sickly since he was young. He went down the path of crime for his younger brother, and was eventually punished by justice.
The two brothers are not related by blood. Their mother remarried, and the older brother followed his mother to his stepfather’s house.
The stepfather’s family has a younger brother who is five years younger than him. The younger brother is a mute and has never been able to speak. The stepfather treats his own biological son very well, but ignores the older son who was brought by his new wife. The mother, because of her stepfather, also began to become distant from her son.
The younger brother liked this new big brother from the moment he first laid eyes on him. He always trotted along behind his brother with his little short legs, even if his brother didn’t care to pay attention to him. He stuck to his brother like a piece of sticky candy.
His brother’s friends made fun of the younger brother, calling him a tagalong and overly clingy.
Because of his brother’s cold treatment, his friends didn’t care much for the younger brother either. When they went out to play, they were accustomed to leaving the younger brother behind. Sometimes when he managed to catch up, they would make an effort to chase him away or shake him off.
Despite this, every time his brother returned home, the younger brother would still run up to him just like every other time before, looking at him with teary, red eyes full of pity, having cried for a long time.
The mouth that couldn’t make a sound opened and closed, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying.
But the brother knew that the younger brother was saying:
“Brother, you’re back!”
Even though he had been abandoned so many times, he still clung to him with his eyes wide open. He really didn’t remember his lesson.
Thinking of this in his heart, his chest was filled with a warmth he had never felt before. Next time, the brother would still abandon his younger brother, but he would watch his younger brother safely return home in the corner before turning to meet his friends.
This game of cat and mouse went on for many years.
For several years, until the year his younger brother was 15, his stepfather died. The only pillar of the family collapsed. His mother could not bear the burden of being heavily in debt and raising two sons, so she ran away overnight.
Only his younger brother and older brother were left at home.
Chi Yu did not know what he said to the director, but in the end, the director agreed to let Jiang Mo play the role of the younger brother.
Actually, when Chi Yu first mentioned Jiang Mo’s name, the director was already a little tempted.
He was not as rigid as the assistant director. In recent years, which drama crew did not have some traffic?
Only with traffic can there be more viewers to pay for it. The heat of Chi Yu and Jiang Mo together is unimaginable.
Even if the two are supporting roles, with not many scenes, they will attract a lot of viewers.
On the field, with the headphones on, he only need to look at the screen and ignore how many people are sitting below, but the crew members on the set are watching nearby, and Jiang Mo is a little nervous. Before filming, the director specifically dispersed some people and only left a few necessary crew members.
Jiang Mo and Chi Yu stayed in a dilapidated small house. The glass window next to them had several cracks, and the cold wind of winter blew in from the gaps that could not be closed, blowing the black hair by Jiang Mo’s ears open.
Jiang Mo wore a black wig before filming. The stylist’s skills were very good, and it was impossible to tell that Jiang Mo’s original hair color was white.
As soon as the “Action” sounded, Chi Yu, who was smiling in front of him, immediately entered the state. The smile on his face disappeared, and he turned into a face of indifference.
Jiang Mo’s heart was pounding wildly. He had just recovered from the sudden call, and he was again startled by Chi Yu, who had suddenly changed his face.
The two of them rehearsed their lines last night, and Jiang Mo’s performance was not ideal. Chi Yu, who is known for his strict demands on everyone, gave up his principles in front of Jiang Mo. He coaxed Jiang Mo, used all his patience, helped Jiang Mo to sort out the plot and analyze the character’s personality. If any of the crew members saw this scene, they would definitely doubt their eyes.
How could the always serious Chi Yu be so gentle and patient when filming?
Jiang Mo didn’t get scolded by Chi Yu, but he was sad first. He was useless. He was not cut out for filming. He was right to retire early.
Jiang Mo was still in a state of self-isolation before going to bed at night. It took Chi Yu a long time to massage him on the bed before he could recover.
Chi Yu said a lot of good things to his ear, and Jiang Mo’s face turned red and hot. He was no longer self-isolated.
Today, before leaving, Chi Yu coaxed Jiang Mo patiently again: “Follow my rhythm, I will take you. You don’t need to be anxious. Just play yourself well.”
Until the shooting started, Jiang Mo finally understood what Chi Yu meant by “I will take you.”
A good actor is able to infect you with his performance. The actor who plays against him can feel his emotions, and he himself seems to be in the scene, immersed in the emotions of the scene.
If you can keep up with the other actor’s performance, the shot will be a classic. If you can’t keep up, you will be overshadowed and criticized by others.
Jiang Mo doesn’t need to win awards or stay in the industry. He’s just a guest star, and this character is very similar to Jiang Mo himself, so he just needs to play himself.
With Chi Yu’s careful guidance last night and Chi Yu’s on-site lead, Jiang Mo quickly entered his own emotions.
In the instant that Chi Yu frowned, Jiang Mo forgot the acting method that Chi Yu had taught him. He instinctively grabbed Chi Yu’s sleeve, his lips moving, wanting to say something, but he couldn’t speak.
His eyes began to turn red under Chi Yu’s coldness, and his grievance fermented in his heart, showing on his face.
Jiang Mo mouthed: “Brother, don’t leave me.”
Chi Yu shook off Jiang Mo’s hand. Jiang Mo’s eyes turned even redder. At this moment, he was no longer the younger brother in the script, and the Chi Yu in front of him was no longer the older brother in the play. Chi Yu’s acting was too real, and his eyes no longer had any warmth for him, making his heart ache.
He felt that Chi Yu was really going to give up on him, no longer liking him, and leaving him.
He instinctively chose to hold on, wanting to grab Chi Yu and let Chi Yu hug him and look at him like he used to.
Jiang Mo disregarded everything and threw himself on Chi Yu’s arm, his forehead pressed against Chi Yu’s arm. Sobs sounded in the small room. At first, he cried softly, but Chi Yu ignored him. The crying turned louder and became uncontrollable.
At this moment, Jiang Mo still remembered that the younger brother would not speak. He did not speak, and his tears became more and more overwhelming.
Until the director called for a stop with satisfaction, Jiang Mo’s tears could not be stopped.
“Okay, Mo Mo, don’t cry anymore.” The play ended, and Chi Yu immediately returned to his original self. His eyes were full of tenderness as he hugged Jiang Mo and wiped the tears from his face.
Jiang Mo didn’t want to cry so miserably, but his tears just wouldn’t stop.
Chi Yu felt both heartbroken and amused. He suddenly felt that letting Jiang Mo come and act with him was a very wise choice.
At this time, Jiang Mo was too obedient and lovable, because he would hug him tightly when he felt wronged.
He was also too happy.
At the same time, he felt a little heartbroken. It was good that Jiang Mo could enter the role so quickly, but seeing Jiang Mo cry so sadly, he couldn’t bear it.
He would only shoot this one time, and he would never let Jiang Mo play such a tragic role again.
Whether it’s in the play or out of it, Jiang Mo should be laughing.
“I will never be mean to you.” Chi Yu hugged Jiang Mo tightly, not caring if anyone was watching them. He kissed Jiang Mo on the cheek, as if no one else was there, and patiently coaxed Jiang Mo in his usual way.
Jiang Mo’s emotions quickly subsided. He knew that he was outside now, and he didn’t want to make a scene with Chi Yu in front of other people.
After holding back his tears, he still buried his face in Chi Yu’s arms, giving himself time to buffer.
His eyes were red now, and he didn’t have the face to face the staff on the scene.
It was too embarrassing.
…
The next few scenes were filmed by Jiang Mo with unusual ease.
Before filming, the assistant director and several crew members thought that they would have to polish the scenes for a long time today, but they did not expect Jiang Mo to be quite perceptive. Although he NGed twice, the content he filmed made everyone very satisfied.
After the stepfather’s death and the mother’s departure, only the brother was left to support the family. The younger brother, who was already fifteen years old, had been a sickly child since childhood. After the medicine at home was used up, the younger brother’s condition began to worsen.
Although the older brother despised the younger brother on the surface, he never thought of leaving this family like his mother.
He didn’t have to take care of his younger brother. They had no blood relationship, and they were not on the same household registration. If he left, no one would blame him for being wrong.
But he still stayed.
Because, when he came to this family five years ago, only the younger brother was truly welcoming him.
In the five years that they had spent together, he had never had a good attitude towards his younger brother, but the younger brother seemed to have never known his dislike of him. No matter how bad the expression he made, whenever he saw him, he would always rush to his side.
He did not envy his younger brother for having the love of his parents, but he did not want to show a good face to his younger brother.
For the younger brother’s medical expenses, the older brother did a lot of bad things.
Doing too many bad things will eventually bring punishment. One day, when the older brother was away on a mission, the housekeeper went downstairs to cook. During this time, the brother’s enemies broke into the house, tied up the housekeeper, and found the younger brother lying in a room upstairs.
Suddenly, the younger brother’s illness flared up, and he urgently needed medication. The enemies, holding a phone to record, played with the medicine in their hands, teasing the suffering younger brother. They captured the grim situation before the brother’s impending death and sent it to the older brother.
In this death scene, Jiang Mo only had one NG, understanding the pain the younger brother had to endure during the onset of his illness.
Because of his experiences in a previous life, he also had suffered from a hand injury. Sometimes the pain was so unbearable that he couldn’t sleep the whole night, enduring it all alone without anyone by his side.
Unfortunately, he eventually succumbed to chronic illness and passed away alone in a rented room.
Jiang Mo portrayed his character authentically. Both the director and Chi Yu were concerned that Jiang Mo might have continuous NG takes, so they specially explained the scene to Jiang Mo before filming began.
Unexpectedly, during this most challenging scene, Jiang Mo effortlessly nailed it without any pressure.
Upon completing this scene, Chi Yu’s eyes turned red. At that moment, he felt that Jiang Mo possessed a natural talent for acting, and even he was moved by Jiang Mo’s performance.
Chi Yu honestly shared his thoughts with Jiang Mo.
Jiang Mo smiled and didn’t disclose what had happened to him in the past to Chi Yu.
He was doing well now, so he preferred to let the past remain in the past.
He didn’t want to dwell on the past nor make Chi Yu feel sad for him. He was happy with his current life.
The director was more than satisfied with Jiang Mo’s performance, praising him excessively. He also felt regretful that Jiang Mo retired from the industry so early. Otherwise, under Chi Yu’s guidance, Jiang Mo would undoubtedly have become the next award-winning actor.
Jiang Mo didn’t care much about it. After being praised, he felt uncomfortable all over, embarrassed.
He couldn’t tell the director that he could only play the role of the younger brother. If he played someone else, then he wouldn’t be acting as Jiang Mo.
The assistant director also came over and praised Jiang Mo for a few words, feeling ashamed of his previous thoughts.
Truly, you can’t judge people by appearances. The discernment of Actor Chi is truly beyond words.
After finishing filming for the day, Jiang Mo sat in Chi Yu’s chair to rest. Today’s scenes required Jiang Mo to cry continuously, and his eyes and nose were all red, evoking a sense of pity and endearment.
Chi Yu took over Da Zhuang’s tasks, pouring water and covering Jiang Mo with a blanket. He kept teasing Jiang Mo’s red nose in an endlessly playful manner.
At first, Jiang Mo obediently allowed Chi Yu to ‘bully‘ him, but eventually, he became a bit annoyed. He grabbed Chi Yu’s hand and playfully bit it, eliciting a hearty laugh from Chi Yu and even more playful teasing.
The on-set staff, teary-eyed, consumed tons of dog foodI and decided to expedite the progress to swiftly send away this envious dog couple.
Before this, Chi Yu’s personal scenes were almost finished, but they had been delayed until now because they hadn’t found an actor for the younger brother’s role.
After finishing filming for the day, Jiang Mo would also wrap up today.
Chi Yu’s last scene.
After the elder brother finished his task, he turned on his switched-off phone and found numerous messages in his inbox, some from his younger brother and others from strangers.
He scrolled through the messages from his younger brother, all asking when he would come home and expressing how much he missed him, typical repeated texts.
A warm smile occupied the man’s features, but in the next moment, that smile froze on his face.
A video was playing on his phone; a familiar young man lay gasping on the ground, his eyes bloodshot, weakly reaching forward with his right hand, trying to grasp something, but finding nothing. The young man’s lips moved, producing strained sounds from his throat. Eventually, he weakly collapsed to the ground, eyes lifelessly staring upward, the scene freezing at the moment of his death.
The man kept swallowing hard, his face contorted, repeatedly playing that video. He increased the volume, watching it a second time, then a third…
Finally, he heard the words the young man said just before dying.
The young man said, “Brother.”
It was the first time he spoke.
The man’s back bent, his face contorted in pain, surrounded by countless subordinates. He had to restrain his emotions.
He calmly returned home, sat quietly in his empty bedroom all night, and then, with an unprecedented calmness, met his enemy in the end.
On the large bed where his younger brother once lay, he used his last bit of strength to take out a photo from his chest pocket.
The radiant smile of the young man reflected in his eyes. He finally allowed himself to release his emotions and gave a gentle smile to the young man.
He didn’t envy the love his younger brother received from their parents but didn’t want to put on a good face for his brother either.
Because that child, who understood nothing, shouldn’t have smiled at him so fearlessly.
Seeing Chi Yu’s appearance up close while acting, and having the privilege to act alongside Chi Yu, Jiang Mo was so nervous that he could barely breathe, yet deeply attracted to Chi Yu at the same time.
The person he admired was truly exceptional.
It seemed like, once again, he had fallen for Chi Yu.
…
Both of them had finished filming. After leaving the set, Jiang Mo’s eyes were still red. While Chi Yu was shooting the scene marking the end of filming, Jiang Mo secretly cried for a long time again.
“Silly kid, don’t cry,” Chi Yu suddenly felt that it was the right decision for Jiang Mo not to act. Jiang Mo’s emotions came in fast but went out slow, which was too tormenting for him.
Da Zhuang carried both their things and headed back to the hotel first.
To help Jiang Mo relax, Chi Yu took him to a dessert shop near the set, hoping to divert Jiang Mo’s attention with sweets.
Cakes of various colors and flavors were served, and Jiang Mo sniffled, finally managing to stop his tears.
Chi Yu was amused by Jiang Mo. Whenever he encountered something he liked to eat, he forgot everything else. Jiang Mo was truly, too endearing to him.
“Have a bite,” Chi Yu picked up a fork, lifted a piece of strawberry cake, and brought it close to Jiang Mo’s mouth. Jiang Mo obediently opened his mouth.
His face blushed, swallowing the cake, and then he rubbed his head against Chi Yu’s shoulder, whispering softly, “Thank you, big brother.”
Chi Yu: “…” Is this so sweet that it could kill him?
Jiang Mo hadn’t yet detached himself from the role of his younger brother. He was several times more proactive than usual, exhibiting higher clinginess. Chi Yu was delighted; he couldn’t hide the upward curve of his lips, only regretting that they were not currently in their hotel room. He needed to take Jiang Mo back before he detached himself from the character. The current Jiang Mo was even more obedient than usual, doing whatever he was asked.
“This, ” Jiang Mo took out a box from his pocket, released his hold on Chi Yu’s arm, and stepped back a bit. “I-I bought this a long time ago, but I was too embarrassed to bring it out. Now, I want to give it to you!”
On the day of the World Championship’s first broadcast, Jiang Mo went out and bought a pair of rings. He wanted to give them to Chi Yu but, due to shyness, had kept them until now.
Today’s scene was probably the opportunity he needed; he found the courage to present them.
In the drama, even though the older and younger brothers were separated, outside of the show, he and Chi Yu would always be together.
Upon seeing the rings inside the box, Chi Yu was briefly startled, then filled with joy.
“You…” Before Chi Yu could inquire about the meaning of the rings, Jiang Mo lifted his eyes, blushing, and cautiously asked him, “It’s a proposal. Would you accept?”
“Of course, I will!”