Chapter 399: The Youth Who Loves Life and Forgets Death

"Don't do that."

"What?"

"Don't say those hypocritical words and then go doing bad things—it makes you seem like a beast," Li Xin said with a serious expression.

As if he were truly calling Bai Liang a hypocritical monster~

But after saying that, she herself burst into laughter, lightly brushing a finger through the champagne liquid and tasting it.

The slight alcohol and the long-missed mixed flavor made her feel a little dizzy.

She was twenty-eight years old.

She was gradually entering the age of "daring and bold," and the odd things she'd done out of impulse at first no longer embarrassed her—instead, she began to enjoy them more.

She still found it vaguely embarrassing to think about it alone—but only when thinking alone; when facing it head-on, she could just toss that shame aside.

In professional terms, this state was called "tuned."

But this tuning wasn't done by Bai Liang—he was used to being passive.

So the young lady had tuned herself.

After using her super brain to fully understand all this, Bai Liang felt a small pang of guilt.

If even this required the young lady to do everything automatically, he seemed overly lazy.

So from now on, he would not slack off at all—he would give it his all!

And have fun~

But perhaps due to recent frustrations, Li Xin wanted to relax even more thoroughly, so she tried pushing the boundaries a little further.

"Do you want to insult me a little?"

"I'm not good at that," Bai Liang said hesitantly—he still respected young ladies.

"You can learn! Just try~"

"Alright."

Bai Liang activated his super brain, thinking of the best way to achieve a strong insulting effect.

At that moment, inspiration struck—he gently slid his finger across her cheek and asked, "Xunxun, you're from Kunshan, Suzhou, right?"

"More precisely, I'm from Bacheng Town," Li Xin closed her eyes, seemingly slipping into the mood.

Even now, she still defended the prestige of her loosely grouped province.

But this answer hit Bai Liang's target perfectly—he smirked slightly and gently bit her ear.

The motion made her shiver involuntarily, letting out a soft moan.

At that moment, Bai Liang's "insult" came.

"Then why does it sound like you have a northern Jiangsu accent?"

The air suddenly fell silent.

Immediately, the young lady's closed eyes snapped open, blazing with fury.

Damn it!

Li Xin's reaction told Bai Liang his "insult" had been extremely effective.

The good news was he had fully satisfied the young lady's request.

But the bad news was—he satisfied it too well!

He had outright angered her! One hand pinched the soft flesh on his waist, the other precisely seized his ear, both applying force simultaneously.

"I'll make you say northern Jiangsu accent, I'll make you say northern Jiangsu accent—ah~ Let go!"

"You let go first, then I'll let go."

Pinching? Who can't do that?

There's never been a rule that only women can pinch men—if you need to pinch, pinch.

But Bai Liang didn't squeeze as hard as Li Xin—because the spot he pinched didn't require much force to make someone surrender.

So the young lady quickly forgave his recent "ultimate insult," bit her lip, and finally couldn't help speaking.

"Quick, champagne~"

Under the night sky, the spacious RV was filled with a sweet, heavy scent of wine.

The alcohol content was low, but still intoxicating enough.

——

The cast of "Youth of You" continued filming steadily.

Currently, they were mainly shooting Bai Liang's scenes; these two days, they'd also schedule Li Xin's cameo.

The time for Chen Duling to shave her head was drawing nearer; she touched her shoulder-length haircut, still feeling reluctant.

A girl shaving her hair that short would look like a tomboy—definitely unattractive~

She had poured so much effort into this film; of course she wouldn't hesitate over shaving—she would definitely shave.

But that didn't stop her from buying a wig in advance, so she wouldn't have to stay ugly after shaving.

Professional dedication and beauty could coexist.

Yet since arriving on set, Chen Duling always felt something was off—but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Until Zhou Ye sneaked over to her side, smirking, and asked, "Dudu-jie, did you go play games with Xiao Bai again yesterday?"

Hearing Zhou Ye's question, Chen Duling opened her mouth to answer—but suddenly paused, then cleared her throat twice.

"Ahem~"

Hearing the cue, Zhou Ye immediately caught on, "Spill it—did you go play games yesterday?"

"I—I didn't."

"I heard the sounds! Still denying it?!" Zhou Ye crossed his arms, eyes narrowed, expression skeptical.

At the same time, her little hand twitched slightly, as if ready to whip out and slap the other person at any moment.

She's really getting into the role of the bully girl.

As long as she doesn't laugh too exaggeratedly, her face is perfectly suited for this role—once she stiffens it, she instantly transforms from a shy puppy into a scowling puppy.

But this time, Chen Duling couldn't keep up the act; she furrowed her brow and couldn't help asking, "What sound did you hear?"

Zhou Ye: This sister's reaction is a bit off~

That's right—she went "eavesdropping" again yesterday.

The first time she eavesdropped, she wanted to demystify it—basically: I want to see what's really going on~

The second time, she didn't quite believe it, so she checked again—and found out it really was just gaming.

As for the third time—last night, bored and out for a stroll, she wandered over to the RV by pure muscle memory.

Then she heard something that made her face flush red—she's only twenty; hearing that at night makes it easy to have all sorts of weird dreams!

So today, she couldn't hold back anymore and subtly teased Chen Duling.

Of course, she planned to deny ever having "eavesdropped."

Her mental plan was perfect, but Chen Duling's gaze at her now gave Zhou Ye a strong sense of "Oh no, I'm busted."

But she still insisted: "I just said it offhand—the RV isn't even on set today."

Oh!

That's why Chen Duling felt something was off—turns out the big RV was gone.

That car usually just shuttles between the hotel and the set, with its own assigned parking spot.

But now they haven't switched locations yet; they're still shooting campus scenes, yet the familiar RV has vanished.

"Xiao Ye, first tell me what you heard." Chen Duling's top-student instincts showed clearly—she seized the tiny loophole and pressed hard.

"That… I actually, uh…"

Here comes the blushing puppy~

Watching Zhou Ye's face turn red on the spot, Chen Duling looked torn between laughter and exasperation—what's going on? One question and she turns red? What on earth did she hear?

But this reaction only made Chen Duling more curious—and more suspicious.

Eventually, Zhou Ye couldn't hold out under the pressure and confessed: "I just heard some noise from inside the RV—I was walking by and happened to hear it; I didn't intentionally eavesdrop on you two gaming."

Gaming?

Chen Duling insisted she never went to Bai Liang's RV to play games.

She's not actually a gaming addict.

And besides—was it really the sound of gaming she heard?

Judging by Zhou Ye's current flushed state, whatever she heard was already written all over her face.

After saying that, Zhou Ye suddenly realized—because she spotted Li Xin, who had brought fruit and drinks for the crew.

"Wait? Was it you last night, Dudu-jie?"

Chen Duling also turned to look at Li Xin—and instantly pieced everything together.

Someone "stole" her ranked-match partner… Old woman, you're so direct!

But then she paused, and in a very serious tone said: "Of course it was me—don't you dare tell anyone! And no more eavesdropping from now on!"

"Sis, you guys are really…"

Zhou Ye clapped both hands over her mouth, her eyes and expression caught somewhere between shock and envy, then hastily swore: "I'll keep it secret—I won't tell anyone, not even my agent."

The little girl didn't acknowledge the "no more eavesdropping" part.

But Chen Duling didn't care—she suddenly felt anxious, though she didn't know why; she just felt urgent.

In a few more days, she'll have to shave her head—there's no doubt she's about to hit her absolute low point in looks.

She'd thought it didn't matter before.

She got along so well with her senior; everything could wait, right?

But now, cold reality seemed to tell her: waiting won't work at all.

She wanted to take it slow, to be reserved, still thinking like a student—but someone immediately gave her a lesson.

Li Xin: You focus on gaming with your senior—I'll handle the rest~

It's pretty cool when girls play games—it lets them easily bond with boys, and shared interests naturally draw them closer.

But there are even more direct ways to close the gap—even if the other person doesn't play games at all.

Because men have an innate preference, written into their genes and instincts.

Chen Duling really wanted to solve this with a science-student's logic, but after thinking it over, she only felt her mind grow more tangled.

When Bai Liang strolled lazily onto the set, she unconsciously stepped forward: "Senior…"

"Dudu, didn't you sleep well last night?" Bai Liang sensed a faint hint of resentment in her tone—like someone still grumpy from waking up.

"I slept fine. Did you go out yesterday, Senior?"

"Go out? No. But tonight I'm planning to take you all out for something delicious."

Bai Liang wasn't lying—he'd stayed inside the RV all night, so technically he hadn't gone out.

"You all?"

"Yeah, I'll call Li Xin and Zhou Ye too—what's wrong?"

"Nothing…"

Stubborn mouth—speak up already!

"Senior!"

"Hmm?"

"The RV…"

"Oh~ This big RV needs a good cleaning today, but a smaller car will be sent over, so don't worry about having nowhere to eat at noon."

Chen Duling: Is that how she sees herself in his eyes—someone who only cares about meals?

She couldn't help recalling a scene from two days ago.

Xiao Bei slammed Chen Nian against the wall and reached down to touch her thigh—deeply.

So during filming, Chen Duling trembled badly, yet the director praised her performance.

But now, recalling it, even though he'd nearly touched the very root of her thigh, Bai Liang's gaze had seemed strangely clear.

Back then, Chen Duling thought he was amazing~

But now, thinking back, she couldn't help doubting herself.

After a long internal struggle, she still couldn't bring herself to speak—just then, Li Xin had already come over with a smiling face.

After greeting Chen Duling, he leaned in sweetly and asked Bai Liang what delicious food he'd taken her to eat today—almost like he was pouting.

The two then began discussing the local cuisine of Shancheng, as if trying to savor as many regional specialties as possible during this rare time together.

For a moment, Chen Duling couldn't even get a word in.

Fortunately, it was time to shoot again.

Once she stepped into the role of Chen Nian, Chen Duling felt a sudden sense of relief.

In real life, Chen Duling could only play games with Bai Liang—she couldn't even spark rumors.

But in the film, Chen Nian could form a "symbiotic" bond with Xiao Bei inside a dilapidated rental apartment, becoming each other's light in the darkness.

Like two wounded beasts curled together, licking each other's wounds.

—

Shancheng has always been a city well-suited for filmmaking.

According to reports, nearly a hundred films and TV dramas were shot in Shancheng in 2018 alone.

Only those who've truly walked its streets understand why this dreamlike, perpetually damp city has become an increasingly beloved muse for art-house directors.

Unlike many locations that merely serve as backdrops, Shancheng's character naturally fuses with every story.

It carries its own sense of fragmentation and lingering emotion; beneath its endless drizzle, it wears the delicate veil of romance, while also embodying hesitation and struggle.

Surrounded by mountains on all sides, cradled by two rivers, packed with bridges, its old and new buildings stand shoulder to shoulder, and all manner of transportation intertwines chaotically.

River docks, winding overpasses, endless staircases—hiding countless histories of hardship, grudges, love, and hatred!

Beneath wildly growing skyscrapers lie the most down-to-earth barbecue stalls, noodle shops, and hot pots; beautiful women walking the streets roar with laughter as they play drinking games; in the same district, one moment it's flat ground, the next it's a steep slope.

When the team for "Better Days" scouted locations, they originally planned to visit several places—but after arriving in Shancheng, they decided no further look was needed: this was it.

Here, there are many large overpasses and skyscrapers, as well as narrow alleys—like a labyrinth.

Kuixing Tower, suspended footbridges, tubular apartment buildings, Huangguan Escalator, Sujiaba Interchange.

Place characters here, and you feel they can't escape this place.

Chen Nian is trapped. Xiao Bei is trapped.

Hmm. Only in Shancheng could Wei Lai roll down such a high staircase.

In other places, she probably wouldn't even die from the fall~

"Dudu, your energy today is excellent! Keep it up!"

"Thank you, Director."

Today, Chen Duling seemed unusually distracted—she hadn't been as polite or composed as usual.

But the director didn't mind; he felt she was finally truly getting into character.

That polished, top-student poise finally seemed to be cracking open.

That mattered far more than her personal manners.

If an actor can slip into character instantly, and the director gives feedback on demand, it doesn't matter if they're rude—even if they shit on his head, it's fine.

Right, Brother Liang?

Bai Liang was now crouched there without any dignity, after makeup and costume change—completely different from his usual self.

Wearing a tattered black-gray T-shirt, loose jacket, and work pants, his face bore multiple bruises and scars; his tied-back braid emphasized his rebelliousness.

He radiated the despair of a marginalized teenage boy.

But if you looked at his expression and eyes, it was entirely different.

He appeared to be zoning out, but in fact had been thinking about chuanchuan, noodles, and other Shancheng delicacies for a while.

Okay, he was just zoning out~

When the second scene began filming, he instantly transformed into that sensitive teenager pretending to be tough.

The director couldn't help wondering: Is the title "Weibo Emperor of Acting" really that valuable now?!

In fact, compared to Chen Duling's initial mismatch with the role, Bai Liang's conflict with Xiao Bei was far greater.

There were too many points of dissonance.

But he had one trait that perfectly matched the occasional flicker of boyhood.

Boyhood is a strange thing; though it's said "men remain boys forever," the two are entirely different.

It's somewhat related to age, but not entirely.

It's like a person who feels like a gentle spring breeze—whether in speech, gesture, or simply the way you look at them, your heart feels comforted.

To describe it specifically, it's like a spring day when the sunlight is just slightly saturated, a soft breeze blows without chill, the sun feels satisfying but never scorching or blinding.

So this quality occasionally surfaces in Bai Liang—sometimes so intensely bright it makes you squint.

If it had a flavor, it would be the crisp scent of fresh cucumber.

There's also a simpler, more blunt summary: this so-called boyhood is just three words: fearless of death.

Boys live joyfully, forgetting death; elders fear life, dread death.

The ancients summed it up perfectly long ago.

And both descriptions find their embodiment in Bai Liang.

Director: "Not afraid of what?"

When they saw Bai Liang rubbing his hands together and walking toward that motorcycle, quite a few people up and down the crew suddenly felt a sense of dread.

A few "industry legends" seemed to surface in their minds.

Scene after scene flashed through their minds like a slideshow.

The track accident, driving a car up onto a roof, and Director Han Han at the movie's press conference, with a perfectly serious face, advising all his peers: don't let Bai Liang touch any motor vehicle on set!

But now it seemed a little too late.

With a sharp twist of the throttle and the engine's roar, the motorcycle popped a wheelie on the spot and adjusted its direction.

Just that one move nearly scared the life out of half the crew — a real-life life flashing before their eyes.

"Mr. Bai!"

"Brother Liang! Brother Liang!"

"Easy, easy!"

Bai Liang absolutely loved the scene in the script where Xiao Bei rides the motorcycle around Shancheng with Chen Nian.

Though they weren't filming that scene today, it didn't stop him from getting familiar with the route first~

"Shall I take you for a spin first? Let them grab you a helmet."

Bai Liang did remember his promise — ride the motorcycle and take Li Xin for a breeze.

The corner of Li Xin's mouth twitched involuntarily; mainly she was worried that with her recent run of bad luck, the two of them might not come back once she got on.

When you're down on your luck, you ought to behave.

Besides, she knew exactly how wild Bai Liang got behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.

Scared of dying~

Just then, Chen Duling popped up, said nothing, and climbed straight onto the back seat of the motorcycle, two helmets in hand.

After putting on her helmet, she reached out and wrapped her arms around Bai Liang's waist.

"Senior, I'm holding on tight."

"Let's go!"

(End of chapter)