Chapter 16

Days of nonstop shooting had left everyone on the set utterly exhausted.

The "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" crew worked relentlessly: a forty-episode TV series, the cast assembled in March, fully edited by December.

This was inseparable from the crew's overtime to rush the schedule.

Today was a major shoot; after wrap, director Lai Shuiqing announced good news:

No night shoot tonight—everyone gets a day off, rest well.

Cheng Chen was just leaving the set when someone stopped him.

"Hey, Cheng Chen, aren't you going to treat us to dinner to celebrate?"

He turned to see Jia Jingwen had grabbed his arm, with Gao Yuanyuan and Prince Yongqi Su Youpeng beside her.

When Cheng Chen clashed with Yang Tao, Jia Jingwen stood up for him—he really ought to treat them.

Cheng Chen smiled and said:

"Treating a big star to dinner is what many people dream of—I'll treat the three of you to a proper meal."

"You're so insincere—if I hadn't grabbed you, you'd have already run off," Jia Jingwen said bluntly, her personality straightforward; since she got along well with Gao Yuanyuan, she didn't treat Cheng Chen like a stranger.

Prince Yongqi Su Youpeng smiled awkwardly—he wasn't close to Cheng Chen and had only come along because Jia Jingwen dragged him.

The four of them wandered around and finally chose Ziyunxuan.

That was where Gao Yuanyuan had first treated Cheng Chen to a meal; she seemed to recall something, her face flushing red.

Ziyunxuan was a mid-to-high-end restaurant; Beijing's prices in 2002 weren't low, but Cheng Chen quietly felt his pockets—he had enough money to cover the bill.

Ziyunxuan wasn't far from the set, noisy with constant comings and goings; to accommodate the two ladies, Cheng Chen booked a small private room.

Four people sat comfortably—not cramped, not empty—perfect for conversation.

After the waiter took the order and left, Jia Jingwen immediately perked up:

"Did you all see this afternoon? Director Yang's face turned green! Especially when Jin Lao said they'd have to re-edit 'The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber'—he just froze there, I died laughing!"

Then she gave Cheng Chen a thumbs-up:

"Satisfying!"

Watching her mischievous expression, Gao Yuanyuan smiled; even Su Youpeng grumbled:

"Enough—you're just here for the drama. Cheng Shi almost got replaced today—don't ever let this happen again."

"You're just scared. Who are you? You're Prince Yongqi—your Imperial Father's got your back, who'd dare touch you?"

"Hey, Miss Jia, that's not how you put it," Cheng Chen said with a smile:

"Imperial Father is now the Ming Cult's Left LightBearer—he's subordinate to Prince Yongqi, the Cult Leader."

Huh?

Hearing this, everyone froze; Gao Yuanyuan burst out laughing:

"Imperial Father, Left LightBearer, Cult Leader, Prince Yongqi—we're near the 'Huan Zhu Ge Ge' set, but we can't just mash up the two dramas!"

"Hahaha."

Laughter erupted in the room, the atmosphere instantly lively.

The restaurant served food quickly; the four ate and chatted, sharing funny behind-the-scenes stories.

Having been a background actor for years, and with his future knowledge, Cheng Chen often dropped unusual phrases that made the two women burst into laughter.

Even the slower-to-warm-up Su Youpeng soon joined in; they clinked cups and glasses, unconsciously drinking too much.

"Bang."

The private room door burst open—three drunken men stumbled in.

"Hmm, where's Boss Li…? Sorry, wrong room… Oh… isn't that… who was it again…"

"Big Brother, that looks like the sweet girl from Taiwan—Jia Jingwen! A female star!"

"Female stars are great,

I love making friends with female stars—come, drink with me, I'll invest in your next drama!"

The three staggered, barely standing; Cheng Chen immediately shielded Gao Yuanyuan beside him.

Su Youpeng also stepped in front of Jia Jingwen.

"You're drunk—this isn't your room. If you don't leave, I'm calling the police!"

Cheng Chen said coldly.

It was around seven p. m.; Ziyunxuan was packed.

Since it was a second-floor private room, few people passed by, and the waiters were all busy downstairs—no one intervened.

"Is it illegal to ask a female star for a drink? Screw you, stop pretending—I've got money, treat me well, money—plenty of it!"

The middle man lunged toward Jia Jingwen; she shrank behind Su Youpeng, trembling.

The other two henchmen reached for Gao Yuanyuan.

The room was small—the distance was short; Cheng Chen stood before Gao Yuanyuan, grabbed a stool, and smashed it into the man's body.

The man hadn't expected Cheng Chen to strike so decisively—he collapsed, stunned.

Cheng Chen stepped on him, grabbed the other man's hair with both hands, lifted his knee, and drove it straight into his stomach.

Poor guy—he'd already drunk too much; the impact made him vomit all over the man on the floor.

In a flash, Cheng Chen had taken down two.

Seeing Cheng Chen move, Su Youpeng grabbed a plate and hurled it at the third man, who screamed, clutching his head.

"Go!"

While the three howled in pain, Cheng Chen grabbed Gao Yuanyuan's hand and told Su Youpeng across from them:

The corridor was empty; sounds of drinking and dice games drifted from other rooms; Cheng Chen stood at the door, thought for a moment, then locked it from the inside.

The three stared, confused; Cheng Chen didn't explain—only said: "When we leave, stay calm—don't let anyone notice."

He walked to the first-floor cashier counter to pay, telling the three to go ahead while he settled the bill, only to be told the bill had already been paid.

He glanced at Gao Yuanyuan waiting outside the door, then placed two hundred yuan on the counter before leaving.

……

On the way.

Jia Jingwen had recovered from her initial frightened, listless state and cheerfully asked Cheng Chen why he had locked the door behind them.

Cheng Chen smiled and said:

"Of course we locked it—what if those guys chased after us again? They were too drunk to get up anytime soon; every second we delay helps."

"Besides, we're all from the crew—if the police took us away, how would we shoot tomorrow?"

In 2002, public security was far worse than in later years; there weren't surveillance cameras everywhere, especially in Yuyang, a remote area on the outskirts of Jingcheng.

"So that's why you told us not to act panicked so the staff wouldn't notice—you'd already planned our escape!" Gao Yuanyuan guessed.

"Impressive!"

Su Youpeng gave Cheng Chen a thumbs-up, just like Jia Jingwen had.

"And Yuanyuan, let me tell you—your little brother's got serious skills! He took down those two thugs in no time flat. You'd better watch out—he might start beating you up!"

Jia Jingwen said with a grin.

"Shut up, what are you saying!" Gao Yuanyuan shoved her, flustered and angry, then stole a glance at Cheng Chen.

She found him smiling at her, and her cheeks flushed red.

"I'm not wrong—your little brother's family, right? If a brother beats his sister, isn't that domestic violence?" Jia Jingwen teased.

"Don't spout nonsense if you don't understand mainland terms—I'll teach you properly when we get back."

Watching the usually quiet Gao Yuanyuan flustered by Jia Jingwen's two remarks, everyone burst into laughter.

……