章 24: Chapter 24
He Zheng furrowed his brows, one arm wrapped around his chest and the other propping up his jaw, going over the replay of the scene from a moment ago and appearing entirely vexed.
Yang Youming approached him and asked, "Do you want a do-over?"
He Zheng looked up, and when he saw the wet towel that was still on Yang Youming's face, he burst out laughing.
Xia Xingcheng sat to one side in low spirits, feeling even more embarrassed when he heard He Zheng's laughter. He braced his arms on his knees, letting out a quiet sigh with his head hung down.
Huang Jixin crouched down beside him, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Go and apologize."
Xia Xingcheng took a deep breath, got up, and walked over to where Yang Youming and He Zheng stood.
Yet things didn't go as planned, Yang Youming had probably noticed that he was coming over and unexpectedly left He Zheng's side first, returning to where Li Yun was and taking off the wet towel before passing it to her. It was obvious that his cheek was somewhat swollen right then.
Yang Youming's act of avoidance was very natural. The people around him couldn't figure out whether it was deliberate or not, and it was only Xia Xingcheng whose heart sank straight down.
He Zheng saw that Xia Xingcheng had come over and was standing still in a daze, thus reassuring him, "It's fine, the reaction was pretty good."
Xia Xingcheng said, "I'm sorry, I–" his mind was a mess, and for a moment, he couldn't come up with any words. He could only ask, "Do we need to retake the scene?"
He Zheng said, "Even if we reshot the scene today, there's nothing we can do about Yang Youming's face. Let me rethink this and we'll talk about it later if necessary. "
With no other option, Xia Xingcheng could only nod.
Today's filming ended ahead of time.
Huang Jixin originally wanted to invite Xia Xingcheng out to eat, but Xia Xingcheng had no appetite and went back to the hotel room alone without getting dinner. He locked himself in his room and lay on the bed with his arms and legs outstretched.
At several minutes past seven that evening, Huang Jixin made a phone call to Xia Xingcheng, and with an urgent tone, said, "Change your clothes and come out."
Xia Xingcheng pressed his cellphone to his ear, turned over to lie on his stomach, and asked listlessly, "What is it?"
Huang Jixin lowered his voice, yet couldn't conceal the excitement in his tone. "Chief Cai invited Yang Youming to dinner tonight. I'm giving you the chance to apologize to the movie emperor, so pack up your misery and come out!"
Xia Xingcheng immediately raised his head, "Chief Cai? Why is Chief Cai here?"
Huang Jixin's voice grew even lower. "Chief Cai is here to accompany that newcomer to record a male idol program! Are you stupid? Stop this nonsense, I told the driver to pick you up. Come quick! "
Xia Xingcheng hung up the phone and promptly rolled out of bed, going over to the closet to look for clothes to wear that evening.
Chief Cai was the boss of the entertainment company that Xia Xingcheng was under. Her name was Cai Meiting, and she was already forty years old this year. She was an unmarried woman, and was originally an agent. She had trained two big stars one after another and had an extremely high reputation in the circle.
Xia Xingcheng rushed to the dining place by car. Seeing Huang Jixin waiting for him outside, he hurriedly strode forward and asked, "Have they arrived yet?"
Huang Jixin took him inside and said, "They're all here. We're just waiting for you."
A thin sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"
Huang Jixin was also in a hurry. "Chief Cai decided at the last moment. I didn't think this would happen either!"
Xia Xingcheng wore a casual suit. The lines of his black suit trousers emphasized his long and slender legs, and the suit's lapels opened up to a white shirt with dark patterns. This would not make him appear excessively dignified while still making him look polite and decent.
When the waiter pushed open the door of the private room, Xia Xingcheng took a deep breath. He walked through the partition and soon heard Cai Meiting's voice.
There were four people in the private room, Cai Meiting, Yang Youming, Yang Youming's assistant Li Yun, and also the newcomer Ye Ziyang, who Cai Meiting and Huang Jixin were accompanying to record a male idol program.
At the sight of Xia Xingcheng coming in, Ye Ziyang stood up first and greeted him politely, "Xiao Xing ge."
Xia Xingcheng gave him a small nod and nervously walked in Cai Meiting's direction.
"Chief Cai," he exclaimed.
Cai Meiting was not extremely beautiful, but she was a capable and experienced individual with a slim stature, not at all like a woman of her age.
She lit a cigarette and shot a glimpse at Xia Xingcheng. "I always thought you were a smart kid before, how did you become such a fool today?"
Xia Xingcheng was truly confused, not from seeing Cai Meiting, but because of Yang Youming's presence.
Cai Meiting held her cigarette and propped an elbow on the table and said, "What should one do when they arrive late? Do you still need me to teach you, Xiao Xia?"
Xia Xingcheng reacted immediately, taking the drinking glass and the bottle of baijiu from the round table and slowly poured himself a glass, saying, "I was late. I should be fined with three cups first."
Yang Youming was sitting right next to Cai Meiting in his usual polite and gentle manner. His cheek was no longer red, but if he looked closely, he could still make out a little bit of swelling.
Xia Xingcheng drank three cups of baijiu in one breath.
Huang Jixin sat down opposite him, his face faintly shrivelling, and sighed quietly in his heart.
As soon as he put down his glass, Cai Meiting said, "I also heard that you didn't behave yourself. When you were filming, you made changes to the scene randomly and slapped Youming's face."
Xia Xingcheng rarely drank baijiu, and the alcohol affected him very quickly. His entire face was flushed red through and through, and even the shell of his ears were a pale pink. He gasped faintly and said, "I didn't mean to, really." He didn't know whether he was explaining to Cai Meiting or Yang Youming.
However, besides that unintentional sentence, he didn't know what else to say. "I was too immersed in the character, and my body subconsciously reacted? I couldn't tell you apart from Yu Haiyang, and I couldn't tell myself apart from Fang Jianyuan." None of these words were appropriate.
His behavior at that time was unreasonable, and if it was reported on the internet, or perhaps even the news, people would be determined to exaggerate the smallest things, and he's afraid he'd be completely sunk by the public opinion.
Cai Meiting sighed, feeling worn out. She couldn't understand where Xia Xingcheng's intelligence had gone this time. She could only remind him, "You made a mistake, and you're still not apologising?"
Having heard what she said, Xia Xingcheng picked up the cup and filled it with baijiu once more. Holding the cup in both hands, he bent down at the waist by Yang Youming's side and softly said, "Ming ge, I was wrong. I'm sorry." He felt that he had lowered himself completely to the point of almost kneeling down to propose a toast to Yang Youming.
Yang Youming looked up at him, reached out a hand and grabbed his wrist, and flatly said, "That's not necessary."
Cai Meiting faced Xia Xingcheng and said, "Ming ge won't drink this cup with you. Do as you see fit."
Xia Xingcheng broke free from Yang Youming's hold, raised his glass, and drained it in one gulp, then poured himself another glass and bent down once more, "Ming ge, I'm sorry."
He was very uncomfortable when he said these words. He looked at the bridge of Yang Youming's nose, then his eyes and lips. It was undoubtedly him, and yet it wasn't him.
He missed Yu Haiyang very much.
This time, before Yang Youming could respond, he took the initiative and downed the entire cup of baijiu.
クリエイターの想い 
clarysage
clarysage i feel so bad for xingcheng, but also the secondhand embarrassment— yikes