Chapter 43: The Lover's Mutual Affection

In the mountain forests on the outskirts of Hengdian, Ji Yu was wrapped in a thick military overcoat, trying to figure out where he could find a restroom.

Shooting in the wild was the absolute worst; everything was inconvenient.

It was only now that Ji Yu truly understood the importance of a trailer.

He looked left and right, and seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he hurried behind a tree to act as a gardener watering the flora.

After shaking a few times and pulling up his pants, Ji Yu had just stepped out when he saw a cameraman twenty or thirty meters away pointing his lens straight in his direction.

He subconsciously glanced back to confirm that there was nobody behind him, meaning the cameraman had just filmed him relieving himself in public?

Are you out of your mind?!

The cameraman was equally dumbfounded.

He had simply picked a random direction to shoot while adjusting his camera settings, who could have guessed he would capture the male lead using the restroom?

Well, this footage would definitely go straight into the blooper reel.

The cameraman couldn't help laughing, waved at Ji Yu, and shouted, "You owe us a treat!"

"I'll buy you an extra chicken drumstick!" Ji Yu yelled back.

Pulling up his pants, Ji Yu hurried over to the cameraman and asked in a low voice, "Did you delete it?"

"Didn't delete it," the cameraman answered with a smiling shake of his head.

Ji Yu instantly panicked and shouted, "Then you still expect a chicken drumstick?!"

"I wasn't even recording, I just turned it on to adjust the settings."

The cameraman looked completely innocent. What kind of decent person records video while adjusting settings?

Not recording? Wouldn't that mean there was no evidence?

"Then you still want a chicken drumstick!" Ji Yu huffed.

The cameraman: "Huh?? Why are you saying that again??"

Ji Yu flashed him a middle finger and bolted, saving himself the cost of a drumstick.

"Alright, are all departments ready on set? Let's roll!"

There were quite a few outdoor scenes scheduled for today, ranging from the ending sequence to the very beginning of the story.

Naturally, scenes set in the same location were grouped together for filming.

Ji Yu was shooting his opening scenes, while Fan Bingbing and the others were filming the finale where they escape and get recaptured by the main villain.

However, the overall workload was light, and they would wrap up by two in the afternoon at the latest.

Ji Yu's makeup today was once again grimy and disheveled.

He had realized by now that in this production, his appearance underwent the most dramatic transformations.

The other three main actors always appeared on camera with exquisite, flawless makeup.

While the others played handsome men and gorgeous women, he was the only one constantly suffering.

Le Jiatong's character also spent time in a prison cell during the story, yet her makeup remained pristine, glamorous, and exceptionally stunning.

Ji Yu was a different story altogether. He got swarmed by beggars and looked utterly wretched.

His inn was burned down, his money vanished, and he ended up covered in dirt.

He was forced to beg for food and set up a street stall, looking thoroughly pathetic and embarrassed.

He was beaten up by a crowd and thrown into a dungeon, wandering around like a stray dog.

The woman he loved was stolen away, leaving him wearing a metaphorical green hat.

While everyone else got to look gorgeous all the time, he was perpetually miserable.

What kind of tragic life was this, for crying out loud?

At the moment, Ji Yu was dressed in thin layers with only a single white undershirt, his unkempt hair making him look like a homeless vagrant.

It was cold out in the open, and as a gust of wind swept past, Ji Yu let out an involuntary sneeze.

"Cold?" Le Jiatong suddenly sidled up to him with a mischievous smirk and said, "I have a hot water bottle. Beg me, and I'll give it to you."

Seeing her smug expression, Ji Yu let out a cold huff and replied, "I'd rather freeze to death or die of hypothermia than beg you!"

"Oh dear, this hot water bottle is so warm~"

Le Jiatong dangled the hot water bottle teasingly.

"Hmph!"

Ji Yu turned his head to look at Fan Bingbing, who was chatting with someone in the distance, and immediately waved at her.

Fan Bingbing exchanged a few words with the person and hurried over, wrapped in her own military overcoat.

"How can you be wearing so little?"

Seeing Ji Yu shivering, Fan Bingbing immediately shoved the hot water bottle she was holding into his arms.

The smug smile on Le Jiatong's face froze, and the hot water bottle in her hand dropped to her side.

Cradling the hot water bottle, Ji Yu grinned and said, "Hot water bottles are great. So warm."

Le Jiatong stood up, kicked him in frustration, and stalked off in a huff.

Ji Yu rubbed his backside, completely baffled as to why she had kicked him.

"Did she take the wrong medicine or something?"

Fan Bingbing cast a thoughtful glance at Le Jiatong's retreating figure, a slow smile creeping up the corner of her mouth.

She squatted down in front of Ji Yu and asked, "Did you tick her off?"

"Not at all."

Ji Yu also felt that Le Jiatong had been acting rather bizarrely.

Could it be that she was furious just because Fan Bingbing gave him her hot water bottle?

Did she feel like she was being used as a contrasting foil?

Women were truly complicated creatures.

Ji Yu handed the hot water bottle back to Fan Bingbing and said, "Here, give it back. I have to go shoot my scene."

Fan Bingbing took the hot water bottle and walked over to find Le Jiatong.

In front of the camera, Ji Yu was dressed in thin, ragged clothing, stumbling forward through a forest full of withered trees.

The cameraman followed closely behind, intentionally or unintentionally focusing his lens right on Ji Yu's rear end.

It wasn't because Ji Yu possessed a sexy, shapely backside, but simply because the cameraman wanted to run up and kick him.

A deal's a deal—he promised a chicken drumstick and then reneged!

Unaware of the danger he was in, Ji Yu continued acting earnestly.

However, the director was unsatisfied when reviewing the playback.

"Xiao Li, what on earth are you doing? Why are you filming Ji Yu's butt!"

People around them: "!!!" Never expected you to be that kind of Xiao Li!

Ji Yu also looked at the cameraman in horror—round face, flat-top haircut, and a heavy beard...

Could it be that this guy had deliberately peeked at him earlier when he was peeing?!

Maybe he even recorded it!

Despicable!

Was he going to use the tape to blackmail him tonight?

Why were so many people fixating on his butt today?

He had just been kicked by Le Jiatong, too!

The cameraman felt completely numb at this point. What on earth was the director babbling about?!

Everyone was going to misunderstand him!

Seeing the murderous look in Ji Yu's eyes, the cameraman felt a sudden tightening in his lower back.

"I didn't! Director, stop talking nonsense!"

Director Zhang glanced at him sideways and said, "What are you getting so excited for? Let's take it from the top!"

Ji Yu walked up to the cameraman with a chilling expression and demanded, "Where are you from? Why did you film me using the restroom and why were you filming my butt?"

"I didn't! I'm from Cheng—"

Before the cameraman could finish the word "Cheng," Ji Yu let out a martial arts yell and threw a sharp jab right at him.

After taking that punch, the cameraman rubbed his eye with a pitiful, aggrieved expression.

What's wrong with being from Chengde?!

How did people from Chengde ever offend you?!

Carrying his camera, he never dared to point it at Ji Yu's backside again.

Close-ups only! Upper body shots exclusively!

Ji Yu didn't give him any more trouble and earnestly finished filming the scene.

His scenes for the day were simple and wrapped up in less than two hours total.

Time to head back to the trailer for a nap.

Once he finished, it was Fan Bingbing and the others' turn.

The two actresses went in turns, and finally, Shen Xiaohai—sporting a thoroughly unlucky expression—shot three sequences.

Shen Xiaohai didn't even bother talking to Ji Yu and the others on set anymore.

He had been thoroughly screwed over twice in a row!

Those three scoundrels!

Utterly shameless!

As evening approached, Ji Yu was dozing off inside the trailer when the door suddenly jerked open.

Le Jiatong and Fan Bingbing shivering intensely, squeezed inside.

"Turn on the heater!" Le Jiatong reached out and slapped Ji Yu across the face, using quite a bit of force—evidently an act of petty revenge.

Giving her a disgruntled glare, Ji Yu started the vehicle and turned on the climate control.

The two women crowded around the vent to warm their hands.

Looking at their slender, pale fingers, Ji Yu brazenly reached out and grabbed both of their hands in his own.

"Let me warm them up for you."

"Puh-lease, let go. We don't need you warming them."

"Then you guys can warm me up instead."

The three of them joked and bickered in the car, and the minor friction from earlier in the morning vanished completely.

They got along so well they were practically like girlfriends, leaving Ji Yu practically functioning as their male best friend.

On the drive back to the city, Ji Yu drove and asked, "We'll be wrapping up filming in three or four days. Do you girls have work lined up after this?"

Le Jiatong: "I still have one segment to shoot, but I haven't received the notification yet. I'll probably have to wait."

Fan Bingbing: "I'm heading home for the New Year."

"Jiatong is staying here to wait? And where is Bingbing going? Qingdao?" Ji Yu asked out of curiosity.

Before Le Jiatong could speak, Fan Bingbing chimed in, "I'm heading back to Beijing. My parents are there now. What about you?"

"Me? I'll probably head to Beijing too."

Ji Yu had been missing Teacher Li and had previously told her he would come find her in Beijing.

They might even end up living together!

Just thinking about it was exciting, though he wondered who Teacher Li's roommate was.

Hearing Ji Yu say he was going to Beijing, Fan Bingbing immediately said with excitement, "Then let's go together?"

"Sure, I'm driving back anyway, it'll save you some travel expenses."

Ji Yu grew even more excited—wasn't this the opportunity of a lifetime?

When Le Jiatong heard them planning to drive back to Beijing together, she realized it was a long journey and they would definitely have to stay overnight somewhere along the way.

A single man and a single woman... staying overnight together... Ji Yu was so lecherous, he would definitely make a move on Fan Bingbing!

Absolutely not!

To protect Bingbing, she decided she would make a detour through Beijing as well!

"Count me in, I'm going back to Beijing too!"

Ji Yu instantly pulled a long, gloomy face and cast a resentful glare at Le Jiatong.

"Don't you still have that segment to shoot?"

"Can't I shoot it next year?!"

"You're just trying to sabotage us on purpose!"
"Oh, so you finally said what's on your mind! Bingbing, beat him up!"

Fan Bingbing sat nearby with a smile, showing zero intention of throwing any punches.

How could he know that the man was willing and the woman was more than willing?