Chapter 2

Yang Youming was thirty-seven years old.

As opposed to Xia Xingcheng, Yang Youming could be deemed as the crème de la crème of the entertainment industry, not only because of his striking appearance, but also his pure talent and outstanding acting skills.

Xia Xingcheng had once read a magazine interview proclaiming that Yang Youming was born for the big screen. The Yang Youming who was in front of the camera, even with a mere raise of his eyebrows, can look melancholy, haunting, and convey a myriad of emotions.

Yang Youming was Xia Xingcheng's idol.

In Xia Xingcheng's debut year, Yang Youming was crowned with two film emperor titles from a film directed by He Zheng. At that time, Xia Xingcheng had the honor of attending the awards ceremony in person. Sitting in the dimly lit back row, he had heard the host announce Yang Youming's name, and then watched as Yang Youming gracefully stood up and floated up on stage to receive the award.

Yang Youming had only been thirty-one then, but his steps were steady and not impatient. Underneath the exquisite black suit was a slender, upright male figure. He received the trophy, delivered a speech in a low, pleasant voice, and finally bowed deeply to the audience.

The Xia Xingcheng then never had any notion of working together with Yang Youming, but believed that one day he could be the next Yang Youming. Thirty might be too early an age, but at the latest, he could also stand on that podium and win his own awards by thirty-five.

The bedside alarm clock suddenly rang, pulling Xia Xingcheng back to reality from the gleaming awards ceremony. He reached out to turn off the alarm clock, covered his eyes with the back of his hand, and took a deep breath.

It had been more than a week since his meeting with He Zheng. He had yet to receive the script for the film nor had he had a single decent meal.

This was due to the fact that He Zheng had requested him to lose weight.

Xia Xingcheng was actually in very good shape; he was best seen in front of the camera, but if he lost any more weight, he'd look even leaner. Nevertheless, it had been the condition that He Zheng prescribed. Xia Xingcheng needed to have a teenage-like sense of slimness. He couldn't rely on exercise, and instead had to diet to lose the weight.

With the low calorie intake, Xia Xingcheng laid in bed languishly without any care. It wasn't until Huang Jixin opened the door with breakfast that Xia Xingcheng rolled over and got out of bed.

Sitting at the dinner table, Xia Xingcheng pushed away the fried dough and steamed buns brought by Huang Jixin, and instead slowly peeling the shell of a hard boiled egg.

Huang Jixin grabbed the fried dough with both hands and tore them into small pieces, saying, "He Zheng's script isn't out yet."

To the Xia Xingcheng who was really starving, the hard boiled eggs in front of him tasted more delicious than usual. He took a huge bite, swallowed hard, and said, "Eh? What happened?"

Huang Jixin asked him, "You're not worried?"

Xia Xingcheng drank a mouthful of milk and finally swallowed the hardboiled egg yolk in his mouth. "What's there to be worried about?"

Huang Jixin soaked the fried dough in coffee. "What are you going to do if He Zheng wants to film the same-sex version of 'Lust, Caution'?"

Xia Xingcheng paused momentarily, his scalp feeling somewhat numb for a split second. "Lust, Caution" was a 2007 erotic espionage period film with explicit sex scenes. In its uncut form, "Lust, Caution" featured three episodes of graphic sex, with full-frontal nudity.

Xia Xingcheng dropped the remaining half of the egg into the bowl of milk, then stirred it to pieces with a spoon and said, "They said there won't be any exposure."

Huang Jixin avoided his gaze and turned to his cup and said, "It's good that there's no explicitly shown bed scene?"

Xia Xingcheng looked up, "Yang Youming dared to take on the role. What should I be afraid of?"

Huang Jixin replied: "Yang Youming is a big movie star—moreover, he's already married. No matter how the film is made, it won't have much of an impact on his future. You'd better think carefully about yourself or all your career plans will be disrupted."

Xia Xingcheng threw his spoon into the bowl. "Do your plans include a movie of me acting alongside Yang Youming? Think about how many people can even come across this kind of opportunity!"

Huang Jixin scooped up the soggy fried dough with a spoon, stuffed them in his mouth and chewed for a long time before swallowing, then said, "Not for this kind of theme."

Xia Xingcheng understood his concern. Films with this type of LGBTQ+ concept couldn't be released in the country. If you filmed well, you'd be able to earn a good reputation, but if it's poorly shot, you'd be shamed and disgraced for it for the rest of your life.

He didn't know what to say. In the end, he said, "If even Yang Youming took on the movie, what do I have to lose?"

After Huang Jixin finished eating the fried dough and steamed buns, he touched his belly feeling satisfied, and said, "All right, I hope you seize this opportunity."