Li Qianxing took a second to realize what Jiang Lin meant.
The small air cushion was still pressed against his back, but he couldn’t feel anything unusual, probably because the air leak wasn’t facing him.
Jiang Lin asked swiftly, “Do you want to stop?”
This line didn’t need to be recorded; as long as it didn’t affect the shot, talking was fine.
Li Qianxing looked up at the mirror.
In the reflection, his eyes were hazy, his lips flushed. Perhaps it was the nearby lighting that made him too hot, or maybe it was Jiang Lin’s body heat transferring to him, but his skin had a pink tinge.
It was the perfect state.
Li Qianxing replied equally softly, “Continue.”
Jiang Lin said, “Then I’ll try not to squeeze it.”
However, with this concern in mind, his subsequent movements inevitably became a bit cautious.
He Zhanpeng, watching the monitor, soon called out, “Jiang Lin, get closer, your shadows are separated.”
Jiang Lin had no choice but to move forward.
He Zhanpeng continued, “You two are playing virile college students, don’t be so restrained. Show more excitement.”
Jiang Lin clicked his tongue.
Li Qianxing said, “It’s just a few minutes. Listen to Director He.”
Jiang Lin had to increase his intensity.
As a result, it wasn’t long before the air cushion’s leak reached its breaking point. Emitting a burst of air loud enough for even Li Qianxing to hear, it rapidly deflated.
Caught off guard, Jiang Lin collided directly with Li Qianxing, his brows immediately furrowing involuntarily.
Li Qianxing’s eyes snapped shut. His hand braced on the sink, instantly gripping so hard that his knuckles turned white.
He Zhanpeng, however, was very satisfied, encouraging them, “Excellent, keep going! Give us more material!”
Jiang Lin bit his lower lip hard, trying to control his breathing from becoming too heavy. But it seemed futile.
He saw Li Qianxing’s lips parted slightly, his chest rising and falling rapidly, his breath equally labored.
Their breaths intertwined, indistinguishable from each other.
A violent heartbeat pounded in his ears, almost drowning out everything else.
Fortunately, Jiang Lin could now manage the intensity better. With mental preparation, he avoided crashing into Li Qianxing again.
However, this constant light touching, neither here nor there, was like an itch that couldn’t be scratched, challenging one’s willpower even more.
Sweat dripped down Jiang Lin’s forehead. He finally couldn’t resist lowering his head, pressing his lips firmly against Li Qianxing’s shoulder.
Almost simultaneously, Li Qianxing threw his head back. His thin, short black hair fluttered upward, exposing his long neck.
A moment later, He Zhanpeng exclaimed happily, “Fantastic! That’s a wrap!”
Jiang Lin exhaled, gradually relaxing as he slowly lifted himself up.
The surrounding air remained scorching. He coughed lightly twice before asking hoarsely, “Are you okay?”
Li Qianxing lowered his head again. “Mm.”
But the next moment, his legs suddenly gave way, and he lurched forward.
Jiang Lin instinctively wrapped his arm around Li Qianxing’s waist, pulling him back forcefully.
Li Qianxing’s fall forward turned into a backward tumble, crashing heavily against Jiang Lin.
Jiang Lin sharply inhaled, mustering every ounce of self-control not to tighten his arms and pull Li Qianxing closer. Instead, he quickly steadied him and stepped back half a pace to create distance.
Li Qianxing used the momentum to turn around, leaning against the sink. His hands gripped Jiang Lin’s arms, head still bowed as he muttered a hoarse “Thanks.”
Their commotion caught He Zhanpeng’s attention as he reviewed the footage. Walking over, he asked, “What happened?”
Li Qianxing slightly adjusted his position, turning his back to the door.
Jiang Lin glanced at Li Qianxing’s still-flushed face, cleared his throat, and said to He Zhanpeng, “It’s nothing. The floor’s a bit slippery. Li-ge just lost his footing.”
Relieved that no one was hurt, He Zhanpeng said, “Come out and take a break. We’ve only got one more shot left.”
Jiang Lin replied, “The lights are too hot. We’re both sweaty and want to wipe off first. It’s uncomfortable being sticky, and not good for the next shot.”
He Zhanpeng didn’t object, but suggested, “There are several lights set up in there. Why don’t you go back to your rooms to freshen up?”
Li Qianxing, having composed himself, turned around and said, “That would waste too much time. There are towels here, and we can use the sink.”
He Zhanpeng agreed, “That works. The next shot is easy. Take your time, no rush.”
Li Qianxing nodded at him and fully closed the prop door of the bathroom.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Their excuses weren’t entirely false; their bodies were indeed covered in a light sweat.
Jiang Lin tilted his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over Li Qianxing’s waist. Earlier, he had focused entirely on controlling his movements, neglecting the force of his hands. Sure enough, he could see finger marks again, though not as severe as last time. And just now… he sighed inwardly, wondering if it had been noticed.
Li Qianxing also lowered his eyes, unable to resist glancing at Jiang Lin. Apart from the separating air cushion, they had made other preparations, wrapping socks around their legs. Even so, changes were still faintly perceptible, especially after that collision when his legs gave way.
In truth, Li Qianxing himself was no different, still feeling uncomfortably tense.
Fortunately, Jiang Lin had thought quickly. They really couldn’t get out.
Both lost in their own thoughts, they focused their keen observational skills on different points, completely missing that the other was sneaking glances at them.
After a while, Jiang Lin moved as naturally as possible to turn off the lights, then grabbed two bath towels from the shower rack and placed them by the sink.
Li Qianxing pulled down a towel hanging on the wall, turned on the faucet, adjusted the water temperature, soaked the towel thoroughly, wrung it out, and handed it to Jiang Lin.
Jiang Lin had been waiting for Li Qianxing to move aside so he could get a towel himself. Surprised to have it handed to him, he stammered, “Thanks.”
Li Qianxing wet another towel, stepped back to let Jiang Lin use the water, and began gently wiping his chest.
With the hot lights off and the cool towels providing relief, the strange atmosphere that had enveloped them finally began to dissipate.
However, perhaps due to his guilty conscience, Jiang Lin felt the mood shift to slight awkwardness.
Trying to lighten the mood, Jiang Lin casually asked, “Li-ge, do you find filming this movie interesting?”
While slowly wiping himself, Li Qianxing replied, “It’s interesting and rewarding. I’m very grateful to Director He.”
Jiang Lin: “Would you want to film more romance movies in the future?”
After blurting out the question, his mind began to wander – if Li Qianxing took on another romance film, playing a couple with someone else, seriously acting out a romance, filming various intimate scenes…
Jiang Lin was suddenly overwhelmed by a deep sense of gloom.
However, Li Qianxing said, “I probably won’t take on pure romance films again, especially not ones this explicit.”
Jiang Lin was stunned, then felt a surge of secret joy, but still asked, “Why?”
Li Qianxing: “Romance films are extremely emotionally draining and exhausting; filming bed scenes is even more so. I might not be well-suited for an atmosphere completely immersed in love from start to finish. Each time I stir up those emotions, it takes a long time to calm down, which is quite taxing on my body.”
Jiang Lin was surprised again, turning to carefully examine his expression. “But I’ve noticed you seem to snap out of character pretty quickly after filming.”
Li Qianxing turned to look at him for a moment, then suddenly grabbed his wrist, pulling Jiang Lin’s hand towards himself.
Jiang Lin: “?”
Li Qianxing: “Your palm.”
Jiang Lin obliged, holding his palm up.
Li Qianxing pressed Jiang Lin’s palm against his own chest.
Jiang Lin: “!”
Jiang Lin felt his own recently calmed heartbeat suddenly accelerate again. The pulsation even traveled through to his palm touching the smooth skin, throbbing against his hand…
No, wait! The heartbeat he felt in his palm was… Li Qianxing’s?
Jiang Lin’s face filled with shock. “Your heart is beating so fast?”
Li Qianxing released his hand and nodded. “It usually takes two or three hours to return to normal.”
Jiang Lin: “Then… that scene this afternoon…”
Li Qianxing: “It’s the same.”
Jiang Lin: “What about other scenes?”
Li Qianxing: “Scenes with little emotional fluctuation don’t affect me. But most scenes in this film are emotionally charged, like kiss scenes, confessions, proposals, arguments, even the push and pull of the ambiguous period. Bed scenes are the worst. After other scenes, my heartbeat is a bit slower than now, but still lasts for an hour or two.”
Jiang Lin took a while to process this, then remarked, “I couldn’t tell at all… I thought you were just getting better at switching off after scenes…”
Li Qianxing thought about it and replied, “That’s partly true. At the beginning, I wasn’t familiar enough with the role, so I had to constantly figure out all the details. Once I focused, it would come out unconsciously. Later, it was like I could hide the character inside. But the more familiar I became, the longer it took to process his emotions. So I try to keep my emotions stable after filming to not burden my body further.”
Jiang Lin asked, surprised, “This doesn’t happen with other roles?”
Li Qianxing: “It’s generally fine. It happens with emotionally intense scenes, but much less than in this film. Maybe because I’ve never been in love? So I need to expend more energy to evoke the right emotions.”
Jiang Lin nodded thoughtfully, applying this to himself. “I think I’m similar. But your heart rate is still alarming. Mine stays elevated for at most half an hour, usually normalizing in about ten minutes.”
Li Qianxing thought for a moment and said, “Perhaps my dieting for weight loss is a factor. Your body is in better condition than mine.”
Jiang Lin looked at him with mixed feelings. “If that’s the case, it’s indeed better not to do more romance films.”
Li Qianxing smiled faintly. “True. Besides, I’m about to turn 30. Men over 30 aren’t really suitable for passionate love stories anymore.”
Jiang Lin raised an eyebrow. “Who said that? Isn’t 30 the prime age? You could have a passionate romance yourself, let alone act one. Plus, romance films don’t need to be that intense. This one is quite mild.”
Li Qianxing: “Is it mild? They argue constantly, separate and reunite, and still argue. For drama, there must be ups and downs. A truly mild story couldn’t be made into a script.”
Jiang Lin had to agree. “That’s true.”
Li Qianxing: “Although I don’t yearn for love, if I were to be in a relationship, I’d prefer it to be calm, without too much emotional turmoil. I’d rather save emotions for acting. For love, I just want to feel content.”
Jiang Lin’s eyes flickered, lowering his gaze to hide his emotions.
Li Qianxing chuckled again. “However, if I tell others about this view of love, I might get criticized. I guess even my brother would say that I am daydreaming.”
Jiang Lin: “How could that be? When it comes to love, it’s a matter of finding your match. It has nothing to do with other people.”
He then changed the subject. “What if you come across an irresistible romance script in the future?”
Li Qianxing considered this and said, “A good script, good director, good co-star—it’s not easy to find all these elements together.”
Jiang Lin winked at him. “Would you get tired of doing romantic scenes with me again?”
Li Qianxing smiled. “With your great acting, I certainly wouldn’t. But I worry the audience might.”
Jiang Lin raised an eyebrow. “As long as the characters are different and we portray different feelings, I believe the audience won’t tire. There are screen couples who’ve partnered multiple times. With good makeup and styling, we could even be unrecognizable. Anyway, if you get good scripts in the future, keep me in mind.”
Li Qianxing: “So that’s the point. Your true intentions are revealed.”
Jiang Lin laughed heartily.
They continued chatting while finishing up, the earlier awkwardness slowly dissipating. They then put on their robes and left the bathroom.
The final shot was of Ji Ming’an and Cheng Yue sleeping in bed. As He Zhanpeng said, it was very easy to film.
Li Qianxing slipped off his robe, got under the covers, closed his eyes, and exposed a bit of shoulder.
Jiang Lin lifted the covers from the other side and lay down, one arm outside the blanket, embracing Li Qianxing underneath.
Looking at Li Qianxing’s sleeping face, Jiang Lin suddenly recalled his conversation with Yan Yi when he took this role. He couldn’t help but smile slightly before slowly closing his eyes.
That rumor – he was going to “break” it in a different way now.
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