Chapter 222: A Little Shock for You All (Seeking Support)

Early the next morning, the two of them loaded two suitcases into the car and set off.

They took the Hangzhou ring road onto the Shanghai–Kunming Expressway, then switched onto the Zhuji–Yongjia Expressway; in just over two hours, they arrived at Hengdian.

In the Jiangsu–Zhejiang region, the April spring light was already wonderfully bright, the temperature holding steady around twenty degrees, and the breeze carried the scent of spring against one's skin.

When they reached Hengdian World Studios, it wasn't even nine o'clock yet.

Qin Yun didn't rush off to find Deng Chao either; instead, he turned the car and headed straight for Lin Yao's restaurant.

A familiar place, but with a different layout and decor.

After more than half a year, Lin Yao's restaurant had clearly changed a great deal — the impression it gave was that business was booming. At this hour, customers were constantly flowing in and out, tables being turned over nonstop.

"Boss, two bowls of wonton, two bowls of mixed noodles, ten pan-fried buns, two tea eggs."

The moment one table's occupants left, Qin Yun and Su Huan sat right down, and as soon as he sat he called out in a loud voice.

"Coming right up, just a moment please!"

Busy inside, Lin Yao didn't recognize whose voice it was; he merely answered and started preparing the order.

"The food business only makes money if you work hard. This kid is up before dawn and working past dark — he's got stamina."

Qin Yun offered his assessment.

Su Huan nodded in agreement: "Any time, as long as the taste isn't bad, running a small eatery and putting in the work won't lead to losses. Doing everything yourself just makes it exhausting."

In less than three minutes, a woman came out from the back carrying a tray piled with everything, an apron tied around her waist, no makeup on her face — looking nothing like the last time they'd seen her.

Shi Lulu set the things down, looked at Qin Yun, and began: "Please enjoy your meal, you two — Senior!"

Delight flashed across her face; she turned to look at Su Huan and was startled again: "Senior."

Qin Yun gave a faint smile. Though he didn't know what had changed in Shi Lulu during this time, if she could turn over a new leaf and be sincere about being with Lin Yao, he wouldn't give her a hard time: "No need to be so surprised."

"Ah-Yao, come quick and see who's here!"

Shi Lulu, her heart thumping with excitement, hurried back inside.

Her shout drew glances from quite a few customers, who thought some celebrity had arrived. But on seeing only a handsome young man and a pretty young woman in sunglasses, faces turned to the side, they lost interest at once.

In a short while, Lin Yao came out too.

He was overjoyed to see Qin Yun and Su Huan.

"Senior, Senior — why didn't you give us a heads-up before coming? We haven't prepared anything at all."

Su Huan laughed: "We're not anybody important — what's there to prepare? Just treat us to a free breakfast and that's enough."

"Se… Sister-in-law, you shouldn't say that." Lin Yao had been about to call her Senior, but remembering what he'd seen during the livestream and on Weibo, he quickly changed how he addressed her.

"Don't mind us — go on with your work first, we'll talk after you're done."

Qin Yun saw that plenty of customers were waiting for their food, and it wouldn't do to drag Lin Yao into conversation.

"Mm, then Senior, Sister-in-law, please go ahead and eat."

With that, he and Shi Lulu hurried back inside to keep working.

A breakfast shop, when business is good, really never gets a break. What's more, there were only the two of them here — not even a single helper — and Qin Yun watched as they barely had their feet touch the ground.

Noodles to boil, wontons to boil, buns to fry, soy milk to ladle — the constant clatter of sounds around them would have been unbearably chaotic for most people, but watching Lin Yao, everything was methodical and orderly, not a single order missed.

They kept at it until nearly ten, when things finally began to ease. But the next wave — lunch — was already upon them; the vegetables and meats bought earlier had to be prepped. Fortunately, for the lunch service Lin Yao had hired some extra hands, which freed the two of them up.

"Seeing you this busy, I can tell business can't be bad."

Once Lin Yao sat down, Qin Yun chuckled.

Lin Yao scratched his head and glanced at Shi Lulu beside him: "I hadn't originally planned to do breakfast — it was Lulu who suggested it later. Once you're in this trade, every extra bit you can earn helps; once the reputation's built, business naturally won't be bad."

Qin Yun nodded; in front of Shi Lulu, he didn't ask how the two of them had ended up together.

"By the way, Senior, what brings you to Hengdian all of a sudden?" Lin Yao asked, puzzled. "Here for fun?"

"Came to help out with something." Qin Yun pointed in the direction of the studio town. "A friend asked me to pitch in, so I came to see you first. Seeing you like this puts my mind at ease."

"Heh-heh, that's all thanks to you, Senior." Lin Yao grinned sheepishly. "If it weren't for you, Senior, how would this restaurant have made a name for itself in the studio town so easily? Now I've got steady business from the crews — lunch, dinner, even late-night snacks are all booked a day in advance. Plenty of crews know I'm connected to you, Senior, and they're willing to give face."

"That's only because your food actually tastes good."

Qin Yun thought to himself, What face do I even have? The number of celebrities I know I could count on one hand — it's probably more the connection with Zhao Liying and Xiao Zhan. Right, and Chen He's too — next chance I get, I should treat them to a meal to show my thanks.

Before leaving, Qin Yun pulled Lin Yao aside.

"What's going on between you and Shi Lulu now?"

Lin Yao laughed: "Senior, it's actually not that complicated. Lulu is still Lulu — she just saw the restaurant's potential, that's all."

Qin Yun understood at once, then frowned slightly: "And the money?"

"Don't worry, Senior." Lin Yao said quickly. "I'm no fool. If Lulu is truly with me, her matters are naturally my matters — and vice versa."

Qin Yun clapped him on the shoulder and sighed: "As long as you know what you're doing, kid."

After saying goodbye to Lin Yao, the two of them drove toward the studio town.

When they met Deng Chao, he was sitting with Sun Li at an ice-drink shop by the road; seeing them get out of the car, he hurried to his feet to greet them.

"Brother Chao, Sister-in-law, this is my girlfriend, Su Huan."

Deng Chao gave him a warm hug, then shook hands with Su Huan.

Sun Li looked at Su Huan and laughed: "With looks like that, it's a shame you don't go into showbiz, little sis."

Su Huan covered her mouth and nudged Qin Yun: "See? Even Sister Li says so."

Qin Yun didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "I just said it off the cuff — do you have to keep holding onto it?"

"Hahaha, women are all care—" Deng Chao, ever the blunt speaker, sensed the killing intent mid-word and quickly changed tack: "Being careful is never wrong."

That incoherent fumbling left Su Huan in stitches.

"Hmph, don't go spouting that nonsense in front of Qin-ye and Xiao-Huan."

Deng Chao rubbed his nose and changed the subject: "Qin-ye, little sis, it's almost noon — the restaurant's already booked, not far from here, decent for both privacy and the food."

They arrived at the restaurant and went into a private room.

After chatting for a while, they turned to the matter at hand.

"The total fee for three days of stunt work is one million. What do you think? If you're not satisfied, I'll talk to the director again."

Qin Yun waved his hand: "Don't mention money—I'm just here to help."

Deng Chao heard this and his heart warmed instantly: "Qin Ye, you're so generous, but this isn't just my personal matter, so the payment must still be made. Let's settle on it then."

Qin Yun had no objection; to him, he never intended to earn this money, but since the other party insisted on paying, it was fine—just as Deng Chao said, why not take it if it's offered?

When he was working a regular job, earning one million would take forever—probably never in his lifetime. Now, helping out for three days, he'd earned it.

Take Lin Yao—he earns a profit of one hundred thousand every six months, barely two hundred thousand a year. To earn one million, he'd have to work dawn to dusk for five years.

But this is the reality for ordinary people. So sometimes, don't blame netizens for their resentment—it's simply too big a gap. A few years ago, he remembered an online unit called 'Shuang'—one 'Shuang' was two million.

Something ordinary people could never reach in a lifetime.

The meal Qin Yun now eats is much the same, but he earns it through skill, and takes the money with a clear conscience.

He never skimps on taxes or any required payments.

……

After makeup and costume changes, the crew arrived at a hilly area where rocky terrain had been pre-set—jumbled stones and intertwined trees, all real. The path to cross was extremely complex; one misstep could cause an accident.

The second male lead once stepped wrong during a wire-assisted descent here and broke his leg.

Today, the second male lead has come too, dressed in the same outfit, and will need to film some static shots during the cut.

"Qin Ye, I've long heard of your name."

The second male lead is Liu Zhiyang. Qin Yun didn't know him well, but after Deng Chao mentioned his roles, Qin Yun realized he'd actually seen many of them—like Tang Dynasty Ghost Stories, or Soul Ferry, for instance.

"Hello, hello."

After a brief exchange, the director began blocking the scene.

This chase sequence involves only the male lead and the second male lead—Deng Chao and Liu Zhiyang. Qin Yun is merely the stunt double, handling all the action throughout.

The entire sequence spans roughly 1.5 kilometers of mountain path, every stage pre-designed—even which foot lands where has been meticulously planned.

But as Qin Yun listened to the action director explain, he felt something was off.

He frowned, then raised his hand after the man finished: "Excuse me, Director, is this meant to be shot in segments? Not as a single continuous take?"

"A single continuous take?" Action director Zhang Kang and director Du Zhengxi paused.

Du Zhengxi thought Qin Yun didn't understand and quickly explained: "Films are always like this—the segments will be edited together later."

Qin Yun waved his hand: "What I mean is, a single continuous take would feel more dynamic and more tense."

"Of course it would," Zhang Kang smiled. "But this entire sequence of movements—actors are still just actors. It's practically impossible to do it in one take."

Qin Yun pointed at himself and grinned: "Director Du, Director Zhang, how about I perform the entire sequence according to my own understanding first? See if it works. If it does, great. If not, we'll stick to your original plan."

Zhang Kang's choreography was too simple—it failed to convey the intensity of a life-or-death chase.

That's just how he is: if he does something, he does it well. Otherwise, taking this one million would make him feel guilty.

Deng Chao and Liu Zhiyang exchanged glances and instantly grew excited.

"Since Qin Ye says so, why not let him try?" Deng Chao, as one of the investors, had weight in his words. Without much hesitation, Du Zhengxi and Zhang Kang agreed.

But Du Zhengxi added: "Even if Qin Ye can do it in one take, Brother Chao can't, so you'll still need to shoot segments later to match his footage."

"I understand."

Deng Chao gave Du Zhengxi a wounded look, as if to say: Am I really that bad?

Then Du Zhengxi began organizing—every camera position was set. Especially the drone operator, who was the most nervous, since he had to track Qin Yun's every move without a single slip—otherwise, they'd have to redo it.

While arranging, Qin Yun walked around, memorizing every point in his mind. Soon, the entire route and all required movements appeared clearly in his head. His parkour skill had reached Legendary level.

Doing something this simple was like descending to crush a lower dimension.

Besides, this is a chase between two police officers—no flashy tricks needed, just speed and sharpness.

"All departments in position… filming in ten minutes!"

Although it was just a trial, filming still followed procedure.

Soon, Qin Yun stood at the starting point—the entrance into Lin Zi.

At that moment, every eye was fixed on him, every camera aimed at him.

Su Huan stood beside the crew, watching her man command such attention, and her own heart tightened with tension.

"Let me show you a taste of Legendary skill."

"Action!"