In order to not disrupt the scene and accidentally get caught on camera, everyone else was cleared away. Even the stylist had to wait at the door and could only go in when she was called.

"The 37th scene where Ou Yang proposes to Chen Xi, action!" The lighting engineer, who was currently idle, was in charge of the slate board.

The camera captured a panoramic view from the door, drew closer, and stopped at the dining table. It then turned to Lin Yan"s seat, lingering on his face for a second before turning to Sheng Jiaoyang, focusing on her absent-minded expression.

Director Cen stood in front of the monitor. Seeing the scene displayed on the screen, he nodded and secretly thought to himself: Xu Jiaojiao"s acting is very natural, depicting her absent-mindedness smoothly without any pretence.

Actually, Sheng Jiaoyang really was distracted.

Her mind was occupied by her last dinner date here with Shen Zhining. Oh, they"d come here twice. The first time, Shen Zhining had asked her to act as his girlfriend and become his s.h.i.+eld against other women.

She clearly remembered that at that time, Shen Zhining had intentionally pretended as if he was about to kiss her in front of Daisy in order to make the latter leave. In the end, Daisy couldn"t bear the provocation and left, and it was only then that he let her go. From the way he"d pushed her away, she could see that he wasn"t close to any woman, and he wasn"t gentle towards the opposite s.e.x at all.

But, since when did Demon King Shen become b.a.s.t.a.r.d Shen?

In any case, the second time they came here, Shen Zhining"s att.i.tude towards her had s.h.i.+fted 180 degrees.

"Chen Xi? Jiaojiao—"

When she heard her name, Sheng Jiaoyang regained her senses and looked up at Lin Yan.

"Ah? What"s the matter?"

Lin Yan had originally thought that she was only acting distracted, according to the script, but it turned out that she was really in a daze. His gaze darkened. She"d never been distracted with him in the past, fully giving him her attention. However, now she was gradually replacing him with someone else in her heart, and her eyes were no longer chasing him.

"I didn"t think that you could stay in such a dest.i.tute mountain for so long,” he read out his lines.

When Sheng Jiaoyang heard him read out his lines, she was surprised to realise that she was still filming. She quickly adjusted her mood and followed along. "Although living there isn"t very convenient, everything else is okay."

"I don"t know if it"s just my imagination, but I feel like you"ve changed a lot this time."

Lin Yan tightened his grip around the goblet. This role seemed to be tailor-made for him, and he could feel a resonance with every line he said.

"Is that so? But, I don"t think that I"ve changed. "

"Jiao…Chen Xi, when you were by my side, I only saw our relations.h.i.+p from my point of view, but after you left, I thought things through and realised how excessively mistaken I was. Without you by my side, the food I eat is insipid and tasteless, and even the water I drink is bitter. Even when I"m feeling vexed, I still feel empty in my heart."

Lin Yan looked at her affectionately and didn"t seem to be acting as he added, "When I imagine a future without you, I feel my entire world turn dark and collapse."

Sheng Jiaoyang bit her lip and couldn"t tell whether this was an act or a real confession. That last sentence wasn"t part of the script.

Director Cen didn"t shout "cut", so she could only follow along.

"If we stay together in the future, I don"t know if you"ll think of me in the same way as you did in the past…too tenacious, too inconsiderate, too…narrow-minded."

Lin Yan got up and walked to Sheng Jiaoyang"s side. This position was also arranged in advance and didn"t block the camera.

He knelt on one knee with a small gift box in his hand and opened it to reveal the diamond ring inside.

"When I lost those things that I found annoying in the past, I realised that what I"d lost was a heart that loved me. I knew it was because I didn"t give you enough sense of security, so you were always worried and wanted to know my whereabouts. In the future, you don"t have to do anything. This time, it"s my turn to be tenacious and narrow-minded."

"Will you marry me?"

His deep and charming eyes shone like the night sky filled with stars. They could capture one"s soul if one wasn"t paying attention, leaving them no way to extricate themselves.

Sheng Jiaoyang stared at the ring absentmindedly and found this scene somewhat unbelievable. The scene that had appeared in her dreams so many times actually happened in reality, although it was just an act.

"The ring, pick up the ring!" Cen Jin stood behind the camera and reminded her.

Sheng Jiaoyang took a deep breath, took the ring out of the gift box, and pinched it with her fingers, staring at it with a complicated look in her eyes.

Cen Jin was still worried and only felt relieved after looking at the scene that was caught on the monitor screen. The complex look in her eyes perfectly revealed the female lead"s mood in the face of the current situation. Xu Jiaojiao was so remarkable that she didn"t need him to explain the details to get a clear understanding of the feelings she had to portray in the scene.

"I"ll put it on for you." Lin Yan put the gift box aside and took the ring from her hand. He held up her left hand with his right hand, and slowly pushed the diamond ring onto her ring finger, towards the knuckle.

Under Cen Jin"s sign, the lighting engineer walked over with the reflector panel, and the camera moved over for a close-up shot of their hands.

"You can"t go in there—" The stylist"s voice suddenly sounded from the door.

The abrupt commotion attracted the attention of those in the private room, causing them to stare at the door.

Upon seeing the man at the door, Sheng Jiaoyang"s expression collapsed.

"It seems that I"ve come at a bad time and have disturbed you guys." Although a smile was plastered on Shen Zhining"s face, his gaze was overcast as he gloomily stared at Sheng Jiaoyang"s left hand.

Sheng Jiaoyang followed his gaze and looked down to see the ring that had been pushed all the way to the second joint of her ring finger. She hurriedly stood up and withdrew her hand, resulting in the ring slipping off her finger and falling to the ground.

"Zhining, we"re just filming,” she hastily explained.

"Filming?" Shen Zhining glanced around, sweeping his gaze past the two people standing behind the camera and the person holding the reflector panel before finally landing on Lin Yan, who"d already stood up.

The two men"s eyes met.

"Is there no one available in the entertainment industry? I can"t believe you"re just using some random person to make up the numbers!" Shen Zhining sneered.

"Zhining…" Sheng Jiaoyang frowned and found his words too harsh.

Shen Zhining fixed his eyes on her and approached her, step by step. "Are you planning to stand on his side?"

"I"m not…"

Lin Yan took a step to the side and stood right in front of Sheng Jiaoyang, interrupting her words and blocking Shen Zhining"s line of sight.

Cen Jin"s eyes wandered between the three of them. This was a realistic version of a love triangle! But, he didn"t agree with this as it seemed that his judgement was being questioned?

"Sir, what we choose are people, and we"ll go with whoever is the most suitable," Cen Jin came forward and said.

"What do you think of me?" Shen Zhining paused in his tracks and looked at Cen Jin.

Cen Jin thoroughly sized him up and muttered, "In terms of temperament, Mr Lin is more suitable for this role."

If the man in the movie was an overbearing president, then the whole plot would change. After all, an overbearing president is the main lead in a melodramatic plot. The young man in front of him exuded an overwhelming aura and his eyes were as sharp as a blade. If Ou Yang had such a character, he would"ve dragged Chen Xi back as soon as she"d left for the mountain. If that"s the case, the rest of the scenes wouldn"t have happened.

Shen Zhining"s expression darkened a few shades.

"Mr Shen, isn"t it too disrespectful of you to bother us while we"re filming?" Lin Yan tepidly asked.

But, it was exactly this kind of tone that made Shen Zhining angry. It was as if Lin Yan remained unperturbed because he didn"t take him seriously.

Shen Zhining laughed despite his anger. He looked over Lin Yan"s shoulder, his gaze landing on Sheng Jiaoyang standing behind him. He then said in a low voice, "Jiaojiao, are you going to hide behind him forever?"

Sheng Jiaoyang sighed and walked out from behind Lin Yan. She was about to walk towards Shen Zhining, but she was held back by Lin Yan. She looked down at his hand and muttered, "Lin Yan, let go."

Lin Yan"s grip around her arm tightened. He had a feeling that if he released his hand now, he"d lose her forever.

"We still have a scene to shoot."

"I"ll be back in a bit."

Lin Yan"s eyelashes trembled and he slowly released his hand.

Sheng Jiaoyang didn"t look at him and walked straight to Shen Zhining"s side. She was about to say something when Shen Zhining grabbed her wrist and dragged her away.

"Hey!” Cen Jin raised his hand. The female lead was about to be abducted, how could he possibly remain calm?

"Director Cen, I"ll be back in a minute!" Sheng Jiaoyang turned her head and yelled out.

The lighting engineer and the cameraman looked at each other and secretly glanced at the expressionless Lin Yan standing at the entrance. They nudged their lips towards the door and instantly understood each other"s thoughts.

That gentleman turned out to be Xu Jiaojiao"s boyfriend!

Alas, this Mr Lin is so pitiful. He actually fell in love with a woman who already has a boyfriend.

The stylist at the door also continued to stare foolishly as she watched Sheng Jiaoyang being dragged away by that mighty-looking man. All the staff members had initially thought that Lin Yan was Xu Jiaojiao"s boyfriend. But, unexpectedly, that wasn"t the case.

Shen Zhining pushed open the door of an empty private room, and dragged Sheng Jiaoyang inside. He then pushed her against the closing door.

Without giving her time to speak, he leaned over and cupped her face, locking her slightly parted lips in a kiss.

This kiss was totally different from the time she was pressed against the door by him in his room at Aureate Manor. At that time, it was gentle as if he wanted to slowly melt her using warm water.

However, this time, his kiss contained his anger and…jealousy.

The kiss was like a storm, and he was like an invader taking over cities and territories. He quickly seized all the fields she breathed in.

Sheng Jiaoyang grasped the clothes covering his chest, and like a fish nailed to the chopping board, she struggled a few times. But, after seeing that her resistance was futile, she had no choice but to let him butcher her.

It was pitch-black inside the private room, but a different scene was going on behind the closed door.

The air in the surroundings seemed to be getting a little hot.Previous ChapterNext Chapter