Another moment of silence passed.
As the junior, Xia Weiliang couldn't hang up first and felt so awkward she could have wiggled her toes to a beat.
As if a gift, the film emperor's lazy voice finally came through, "Come down. I'm downstairs at your place."
"Huh?"
Xia Weiliang immediately stood up and went to the balcony. Seeing the black van parked so ostentatiously at the entrance, she took a deep breath and said slowly into her phone, "Uh, Teacher Xiao, you know, self-taught is also quite suitable for me..."
"You have five minutes."
The call ended.
Hey, this dad's temper!
Xia Weiliang glared at her phone, then looked at the van downstairs, and finally slumped in dejection as she walked back inside.
"Director..."
Su Yuqi chuckled softly and stood up, "It's about time. I have a shoot this afternoon. My agent just informed me that the car picking me up will be here soon."
Xia Weiliang froze.
She wasn't so obtuse as to not realize he was giving her an out.
Her expression turned serious, and she felt a strange sense of indebtedness.
Su Yuqi exited the apartment, wearing a loose hoodie with the hood up, a backpack slung over his shoulders, exuding a youthful aura.
Inside the car, Emperor Xiao watched with cold eyes, his right hand habitually stroking his left wrist, his fingertips slowly tracing a thin scar there...
The moment Su Yuqi appeared within his sight, the atmosphere in the car plummeted. Da Yang and Yan Zhi didn't dare to speak more than necessary, sitting upright in their seats.
Even Da Yang, slow on the uptake, finally understood. Ah, so the boss's recent abnormal and moody behavior was all related to one person!
Su Yuqi walked out of the main entrance, hesitated for a moment, then stopped and greeted the person inside the car.
"Teacher Xiao, what a coincidence." Su Dan Novel Network
The car window rolled down, revealing the man's stern and refined face. Even in the golden autumn noon sun, the man exuded a chill.
Only now did Su Yuqi understand the feeling of being preyed upon that he'd experienced earlier.
Xiao Yi raised his eyes, swept a glance at the Shangcheng apartment opposite, and asked casually, "Are you here to teach her?"
Su Yuqi nodded, "Sister Huan originally found a teacher who taught me acting to give Weiliang lessons. Because she had an emergency, she asked me to come over instead."
Weiliang?
Xiao Yi's eyebrows seemed to arch slightly.
However, the film emperor appeared to accept his explanation, nodding slightly at him, and slowly said, "As a newcomer, and in the rising stage of your career, time is precious. As for her, I can take over."
Su Yuqi lowered his eyes, was silent for a few seconds, then hummed in agreement.
When Xia Weiliang came down, Su Yuqi had already left.
Yan Zhi proactively got out of the car to open the door for her and offered a smile of welcome, "Miss Xia, good afternoon."
Her action of getting into the car paused.
Xia Weiliang crouched down and turned her head back, saying with earnestness, "Assistant Yan, don't easily change your path. That husky image from before suits you better."
With that smile just now, she had almost been scared to death.
Yan Zhi: "..."
Inside the car, Da Yang was laughing uncontrollably.
Xia Weiliang sat in the car and greeted Da Yang as well, "Da Yang, you've gotten even more handsome since I last saw you."
Da Yang's eyebrows almost flew to the sky with joy.
Xia Weiliang's body stiffened slightly, and she slowly turned sideways, her attitude polite and friendly, "Teacher Xiao."
Xiao Yi narrowed his dark eyes and glanced at her.
She could joke with Yan Zhi and compliment Da Yang's handsomeness, but for him, she was so respectful of her teacher?
Heh.
Her ability to deal with people was indeed growing!
No matter how annoyed Xia Weiliang felt, in front of Xiao Yi, she had to maintain the noble awareness of being ready to call him "Dad" at any moment!
The car stopped at a folk custom street.
"Here?"
Xia Weiliang loved coming here when she was in school. The entire street was filled with the atmosphere of the Republic of China era, the 1920s and 1930s. People walked around in long gowns, Zhongshan suits, traditional Chinese jackets, and qipaos, perfectly capturing the distinctive style!
Xia Weiliang loved that sense of escapism, but she hadn't been back since becoming an artist.
"Experiencing life."
Xiao Yi dropped these words and was about to open the car door.
"Wait a minute!"
Xia Weiliang grabbed his hand without thinking, "You're just going down like this? No, wait for me here!"
She pulled down her hat and disappeared in a flash after getting out of the car.
Inside the car, Xiao Yi sat in his seat, his gaze fixed on the direction she had disappeared.
His left hand slowly tightened, his palm still retaining the warmth from her touch...
Xia Weiliang returned quickly, and upon seeing the qipao she was wearing, her figure was exquisitely proportioned, slender and curvaceous in equal measure!
Yan Zhi couldn't help but whistle—
"Empress's figure is simply..."
Before he could finish, a cold gaze met him.
Yan Zhi's smile froze, and then he slowly turned his head and sat up straight.
—My apologies, I overstepped.
Xiao Yi's gaze calmly fell upon the girl beside him. Xia Weiliang, from somewhere, had gotten a simple and elegant qipao, with only a blooming peony embroidered at the hem.
She handed Xiao Yi a set of clothes, then quickly tied up her long hair, secured it with a wooden hairpin, put on a golden mask, and looked at herself in the mirror with great satisfaction.
"Now no one will recognize us!"
Looking at Xiao Yi, he hadn't moved.
"Teacher Xiao? Time to change!"
Only then did Xiao Yi's gaze slowly shift away from her beautiful face, "Do you want me to take it off now?"
"..."
It was a normal sentence, but why did it always sound ambiguous coming from his mouth?!
Xia Weiliang forced a smile, "No rush, take your time. I'll wait outside."
A narrow aisle separated them, barely an arm's length. As she stood up, he reached out and grasped her wrist.
"No need."
With that, he had already taken off his jacket.
This...
Xia Weiliang's first reaction was to touch her nose. The first nosebleed experience was too terrifying; it had left a shadow on her!
Noticing her small movement, the film emperor's lips curved almost imperceptibly.
Wearing a blue long gown, it looked as if it were tailor-made for him. Besides an scholarly aura, he exuded a sense of wild independence and detachment.
Xia Weiliang nodded appreciatively, "Here, put this on."
She casually placed a silver mask on his face.
As she leaned closer, the jade bracelet on her wrist gently brushed his cheek, cool and refreshing.
It was like dropping a small stone into her heart, turning into ripples that spread outward.
Looking at the matching mask on his face, Xia Weiliang was very satisfied, "Perfect!"
This way, no one would recognize them!
With her current reputation, she wasn't afraid, but was the film emperor an ordinary human? He needed to be protected with priority!
The two got out of the car. Yan Zhi asked Da Yang to drive the car to a nearby parking lot and then meet them.
The street was very lively. Everyone loved coming here to cosplay, so they were already used to tourists wandering around in Republic of China attire.
However, those who exuded this high-fashion magazine feel were few and far between!
Were they children from ordinary families?
What was "star quality"?
It was the kind that made you pick them out in a crowd with just one glance!
Xiao Yi's calm dominance and Xia Weiliang's soft charm, even with masks on, the perfectly balanced beauty was undeniable.
The two gradually became the focus of their surroundings, but Xia Weiliang remained completely oblivious.
She hadn't been here in so long. Seeing a small trinket she used to like, she happily rushed over.
"Teacher Xiao, look! This is so interesting. Look, look..."
She showed it to him as if presenting a treasure.
Xiao Yi's lips were curved upwards the entire time. He nodded gently and directly paid for it.
"..."
Xia Weiliang said shyly, "I was just looking..."
"Mm, I just bought it casually to give to you."
Yan Zhi, following behind them, couldn't help but shiver.
When normal people fall in love, are they so sickeningly sweet that you can't bear to look?
Then he'd rather remain a dog.
Xia Weiliang, playing with the small trinket in her hand, suddenly remembered the important matter, "Teacher Xiao, you said we were going to experience life, how are we supposed to experience it?"
It couldn't just be eating and playing, right?
It wouldn't fit our personas or backgrounds!
"Recalling hardship and cherishing happiness."
"...Teacher Xiao, I know it's difficult for you, but can you try to use human language?"
Xiao Yi glanced at her and said, "The life you have today was hard-won. Every bit of free air you breathe as you walk here was exchanged for the sacrifices of our predecessors. Among them are 'Zhiyuan', 'Lian Zhu', and every character in 'Reclaiming'."
Hearing his words, Xia Weiliang gradually began to understand.
Xiao Yi didn't preach to her, nor did he lecture her. In a way she could accept, he made her feel the emotions he wanted to convey in just a few words.
Xiao Yi wasn't in a hurry either. Seeing her quiet down, he accompanied her as they slowly walked through the bustling street.
Da Yang contacted by phone and finally found Yan Zhi.
"Brother Zhi, what are boss and Miss Xia doing? Why aren't they talking anymore?"
Yan Zhi rolled his eyes, "The boss is playing to his strengths right now."
Da Yang, cluelessly, "What strengths?"
"Using technique to defeat magic."
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