Chapter 7. The Stand-In in the Fire

1. The Stand-In in the Fire

It was afternoon at the production studio, and waves of heat kept pressing in from outside the soundstage.

Inside the soundstage, an old-style Chinese residence had been built, with carved wooden windows, vermilion gates, and upturned eaves and tiled roofs. From a distance, it had the imposing look of a lavish period drama. But at this moment, the carefully constructed residence was already surrounded by roaring flames.

Flames raced along the eaves, thick smoke billowed upward, and the air was filled with the charred smell of burning wood. The crew members took their positions. The camera was mounted on a track, the lighting crew was busy adjusting the angles, firefighters stood by nearby, and several horse handlers held two fine horses that had already been fitted with saddles and harnesses.

Assistant Director Zhou Ding stood in front of the monitor, holding a walkie-talkie, his expression dark as he stared at the center of the set.

“Qiu Chen!” he suddenly shouted.

Qiu Chen, who was preparing nearby, turned around. “Assistant Director Zhou, what is it?”

“Come here.”

Qiu Chen walked over. Zhou Ding pointed at the burning mansion. “In a moment, you’ll take the male lead’s place on the horse, ride in from here, pull the female lead’s stand-in onto the horse, and then ride straight out of the fire.”

Qiu Chen looked at the mansion engulfed in flames and frowned slightly.

“Isn’t the fire a little bigger than it was just now?”

Zhou Ding gave a cold laugh. “What? Are you scared?”

“No.” Qiu Chen shook his head. “I’m just confirming the safety distance.”

“Aren’t you back from Hollywood?” Zhou Ding deliberately raised his voice. “A master’s degree in film from Hollywood, and you’re afraid of a little fire like this?”

Several crew members nearby exchanged glances.

Tony stood beside the lighting rig, his expression darkening slightly.

But Qiu Chen did not argue. “I understand.”

He turned and walked toward the horses. The female lead’s stand-in, Cui Xiaofen, was already standing on the other side.

She looked at Qiu Chen and could not help saying softly, “Brother Qiu, be careful.”

“You too.” Qiu Chen smiled. “I’ll protect you first when we go in.”

Cui Xiaofen nodded. “Okay.”

Zhou Ding raised his walkie-talkie. “All departments, get ready!”

“Camera!”

“OK!”

“Lights!”

“OK!”

“Stunt team!”

“OK!”

“Horses ready!”

The two horses began to grow restless. Qiu Chen swung himself onto his horse. Cui Xiaofen also took her position.

Zhou Ding stared at the monitor, and an almost imperceptible cold smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.

“Action!”

The horse’s hooves struck the ground. Qiu Chen squeezed the horse’s sides, and the fine horse immediately charged toward the fire.

The flames rapidly grew larger before his eyes. Heat rushed toward his face. Qiu Chen lowered his body and shielded his face.

The moment they charged into the fire, he reached out and grabbed Cui Xiaofen’s arm.

“Go!”

Cui Xiaofen leaned toward him. Qiu Chen held onto her with one hand and controlled the reins with the other, their bodies almost pressed together on the horse’s back. The horse charged through the burning entrance.

“Got it!” Several crew members at the scene could not help shouting.

But in the very next second—

“Cut!” Zhou Ding suddenly shouted.

The horse stopped. Qiu Chen turned around.

“What’s wrong?”

Zhou Ding stood up from behind the monitor.

“Not good.”

“What’s wrong?”

“The movement wasn’t clean enough.”

Qiu Chen frowned. “I completed it according to the stunt coordinator’s instructions.”

“Completed?” Zhou Ding sneered.

“You were half a beat too slow when you pulled her.”

Cui Xiaofen hurriedly said, “Assistant Director Zhou, I think it was already very smooth.”

Zhou Ding glared at her. “I’m talking to Qiu Chen.”

Cui Xiaofen immediately fell silent.

Qiu Chen took a deep breath. “Then let’s do it again.”

The second take.

The third take.

The fourth take.

Every time, Qiu Chen and Cui Xiaofen completed the movements as instructed.

Every time, Zhou Ding called for another take.

“Again!”

“Qiu Chen, your movements are too stiff!”

“Again!”

“Cui Xiaofen, your timing getting on the horse is wrong!”

“Again!”

Again and again.

The fire grew stronger and stronger.

Two small holes had already been burned into Qiu Chen’s costume, and part of his sleeve was scorched black.

Cui Xiaofen’s skirt had been licked by the flames and was torn in several places.

Tony finally could not take it anymore and walked over to Zhou Ding.

“Assistant Director Zhou, we’ve already shot this scene many times.”

Without even turning his head, Zhou Ding said, “Are you the director, or am I?”

Tony had no choice but to step away. Xing Zheng stood beside the stunt team, but his expression grew increasingly grim.

He could see it clearly. This was not a problem with the movements at all. Zhou Ding was obviously doing it on purpose.

“Again!” Zhou Ding shouted once more.

Qiu Chen wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Okay.”

He mounted the horse again.

Cui Xiaofen also took her position.

“Action!”

The horse charged toward the fire once again. This time, the flames suddenly surged higher. A tongue of fire swept over from the side.

Cui Xiaofen let out a scream. Qiu Chen instinctively reached out and shielded her.

But the horse was startled and suddenly reared up on its hind legs.

“Ah!”

The two of them instantly lost their balance. Qiu Chen grabbed Cui Xiaofen and held her tightly. The two fell from the horse’s back.

“Bang!”

Qiu Chen hit the ground hard. Cui Xiaofen also rolled several times. The entire set immediately descended into chaos.

“Put out the fire!”

“Quick! Get over there!”

“Get the horses away!”

The crew members rushed over.

Tony was the first to run to them. “Qiu Chen!”

Qiu Chen lay on the ground, gritting his teeth. “I’m fine.”

He tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through his chest.

“Hiss—” He sucked in a breath.

Tony quickly supported him. “Don’t move!”

On the other side, Cui Xiaofen was also helped to her feet by the crew.

A large area of skin on her arm had been scraped raw.

“Xiaofen, are you okay?”

“I... I’m okay.”

She looked toward Qiu Chen. “Brother Qiu, what about you?”

Qiu Chen managed a faint smile. “Just some minor cuts and bruises.”

At that moment, an angry roar came from behind them.

“That’s enough!”

Stunt Coordinator Li Mingli strode over.

He pointed at Zhou Ding. “How many times do you want to shoot this?”

Zhou Ding’s expression changed. “Master Li, what do you mean?”

“What do I mean?” Li Mingli sneered.

“From the moment the horses enter the scene to the moment they dismount and rescue the person, which movement have Qiu Chen and Xiaofen failed to perform properly?”

Zhou Ding said coldly, “I don’t think they did it properly.”

“You think?” Li Mingli glared at him.

“Are you trying to shoot a movie, or are you trying to work someone to death?”

Zhou Ding’s face immediately darkened. “Master Li, watch your position.”

“I’m telling you this precisely because I know my position. Shooting it this way is going to get someone killed!”

The entire set instantly fell silent. Everyone looked at the two men.

Qiu Chen tried to stand. “Master Li, forget it...”

“Shut up!” Li Mingli turned and glared at him. “Haven’t you been hurt badly enough already?”

Qiu Chen froze.

Zhou Ding, however, sneered. “Since he says he’s fine himself, what are you all arguing about?”

Li Mingli angrily stepped forward.

“You—”

Just as the two men were about to clash, Director Pei Lingxian finally walked over from the monitor.

“All right!” he said with a grim expression. “Stop arguing.”

Zhou Ding turned around. “Director Pei, I’m only asking them to get the movements right.”

Director Pei looked at Qiu Chen, then at the burned and torn costumes on Qiu Chen and Cui Xiaofen.

After remaining silent for several seconds, he said, “The movements in the first part of this scene are good enough.”

Zhou Ding froze. “But—”

“I said they’re good enough.” Director Pei’s tone became firmer.

“We’ll change the angle and shoot the remaining shots.”

Zhou Ding’s face turned livid, but he could not say anything more.

“Understood.” He turned and walked away.

Li Mingli watched his back and gave a heavy snort.

“That guy is going to cause trouble sooner or later.”

Xing Zheng walked over to Qiu Chen and patted him on the shoulder.

“Kid, you’d better be careful these days.”

Qiu Chen looked at him. “Master Xing, what’s wrong?”

Xing Zheng glanced in the direction Zhou Ding had gone.

“Nothing.” He lowered his voice. “It’s just that some people have hearts smaller than the eye of a needle.”

In the rest area, Tony came over with a first-aid kit.

“Come on. I’ll clean your wounds first.”

“I can do it myself.”

“Quit talking.” Tony grabbed Qiu Chen’s arm.

“You’ve already fallen twice today.”

“Twice?”

“The first time, you tripped over a falling fire column. The second time, you fell off the horse.” Tony opened the first-aid kit and cleaned the wound on Qiu Chen’s arm.

When the antiseptic touched the wound, Qiu Chen could not help frowning.

“Does it hurt?”

“Not too bad.”

Tony glanced at him. “You always have to act tough.”

As he bandaged Qiu Chen’s arm, he lowered his voice.

“I’m telling you, Zhou Ding is a very narrow-minded person.”

“I know.”

“You don’t know.” Tony stopped what he was doing. “He holds grudges.”

Qiu Chen was silent for a moment. “I haven’t offended him.”

“You don’t have to offend him.” Tony gave a bitter smile.

“As long as you’re more capable than he is, he may take a dislike to you.”

Qiu Chen said nothing.

Not far away, Xing Zheng and Li Mingli were discussing something in low voices.

Li Mingli suddenly walked over.

“Qiu Chen.”

“Master Li.”

“Does your chest hurt?”

Qiu Chen froze for a moment.

“A little.”

“Take a deep breath.”

Qiu Chen took a breath.

The next second, a wave of pain shot through his chest. He frowned.

Li Mingli immediately realized something was wrong. “This isn’t good.”

“It’s nothing.”

“What do you mean, ‘it’s nothing’?” Li Mingli said sternly.

“You fell that hard. You’d better go to the hospital and get an X-ray.”

Qiu Chen shook his head. “No. I’m really fine.”

Li Mingli glared at him. “Young people are always like this. You always think you can just endure it and it will pass.”

Qiu Chen lowered his head and looked at his hands. After a moment, he finally said softly, “I can’t go.”

“Why?”

“It took me so much effort just to get into the crew.” He raised his head. “If I take time off because I’m injured now, I’m afraid they won’t want me anymore.”

Li Mingli looked at him and remained silent for a long time.

Tony was silent as well.

He suddenly understood that what Qiu Chen was truly afraid of was not the pain, but losing this opportunity he had worked so hard to obtain.

Li Mingli finally let out a sigh.

“Fine.”

“But you remember this.”

He pointed at Qiu Chen’s chest. “If it starts hurting badly tonight, go to the hospital immediately.”

Qiu Chen nodded. “I know.”

Li Mingli turned and walked away.

Tony looked at Qiu Chen. “Are you really not going to the hospital to get checked out?”

Qiu Chen managed a faint smile. “I have a scene tomorrow.”

Tony shook his head helplessly. “You really are something...”

In the distance, Zhou Ding stood at the exit of the soundstage. He turned and glanced at Qiu Chen.

His gaze was dark and cold.

Qiu Chen did not notice.

He simply lowered his head and silently straightened his costume.

Deep inside his chest, a dull pain lingered.

He clenched his teeth and endured it.

1. No One Is Allowed to Say “I’m Fine”

It was already late at night.

Only one dim wall light illuminated the courtyard of the Single Society. The chirping of insects drifted in from beyond the walls, occasionally mixed with the sound of cars passing in the distance.

A silver sedan slowly entered the alley and stopped in front of the Single Society.

The car door opened, and Tony got out first.

“We’re here.”

He walked around to the other side and opened the door for Qiu Chen.

Qiu Chen slowly got out of the car. After taking only two steps, he could not help frowning.

The pain in his chest was more noticeable than it had been when he left the set.

“Slow down.” Tony reached out and supported him.

“I can do it myself.”

“You’ve said that so many times today.” Tony sounded annoyed. “And how many times have you actually been able to?”

Their voices startled the people inside. Before long, the door to the main hall of the Single Society opened.

Lin Wanhua was the first to poke her head out.

“Who is it?”

When she saw who was standing at the door, her expression immediately changed.

“Qiu Chen?”

Wanhua hurried outside.

“How did you get yourself into this state again?”

Qiu Chen looked down at himself. His clothes were covered in dust, there was a hole in his sleeve, gauze was wrapped around his arm, and there was also a scrape on his forehead.

He managed a smile. “It’s nothing.”

“Nothing?” Wanhua’s eyes widened. “You were injured just yesterday, and today you come back covered in injuries again, and you still call it nothing?”

She turned to Tony.

“Tony, how have you been taking care of him?”

Tony froze on the spot. “Me?”

“Yes, you!” Wanhua put her hands on her hips.

“Weren’t you filming with him? How could you let him keep getting hurt day after day?”

Tony looked completely innocent. “Lady, I’m a lighting technician, not a bodyguard.”

“But you could at least keep an eye on him!”

“I’ve been trying very hard to keep an eye on him.” Tony gave a bitter smile.

“But the person in charge is the assistant director. I’m just a lighting technician. What good would it do for me to say anything?”

At this point, the others gradually came out of the house.

When Liu Dingtian saw Qiu Chen’s condition, his eyes immediately widened.

“Oh, my God!”

He walked over and looked Qiu Chen up and down.

“Did you go to shoot a movie, or did you enter a wrestling match?”

Zhu Erdong also came over.

“Yesterday you only had a few scrapes. How did you turn into a war hero today?”

“Stop it.” Qiu Chen smiled helplessly.

Sister Bao also came out of the kitchen. The moment she saw Qiu Chen, the smile disappeared from her face.

“What happened?”

“I fell at the set.” Qiu Chen answered casually.

Sister Bao walked up to him and carefully examined his injuries.

“Where did you fall?”

“Off a horse.”

“What about your chest?”

Qiu Chen froze. “It’s nothing.”

Sister Bao immediately frowned.

“Are you young people all obsessed with saying ‘I’m fine’?”

She turned around and called out, “Sun Qing!”

“Coming!”

Sun Qing ran over from the other end of the hallway. She had not known what had happened, but the moment she saw Qiu Chen, she froze.

“Qiu Chen...”

She hurried over to him.

“What happened to you?”

“I’m fine.” Qiu Chen said it again.

Sun Qing ignored him. She reached out and gently touched his arm.

“Does it hurt here?”

“A little.”

“What about here?”

She touched his shoulder again.

Qiu Chen endured the pain. “It’s okay.”

Sun Qing’s hand slowly moved toward his chest.

Qiu Chen instinctively took a step backward.

Sun Qing’s expression immediately changed.

“Does your chest hurt?”

“It’s really nothing.”

“Qiu Chen!”

Sun Qing raised her voice for the first time.

The entire hall instantly fell silent.

Qiu Chen looked at her.

Sun Qing’s eyes were slightly red.

“Do you really have to wait until you’re lying in a hospital bed before you’re willing to admit that you’re injured?”

Qiu Chen fell silent.

Lin Wanhua also walked over.

“Sun Qing is right.”

She turned to Tony.

“Did he go to the hospital today?”

Tony shook his head. “No.”

“Why not?”

“He refused.”

“Then go now!” Wanhua said firmly.

Qiu Chen immediately shook his head. “No, I have work tomorrow—”

“Is tomorrow’s work more important, or is your life more important?” Wanhua interrupted him.

Qiu Chen was speechless.

Liu Dingtian muttered quietly from the side, “This is bad.”

Zhu Erdong nodded.

“Three people are angry at the same time tonight.”

“Who?”

“Wanhua, Sun Qing, and Sister Bao.”

Liu Dingtian immediately shut his mouth.

“Qiu Chen is doomed.”

“What are you two talking about over there?” Wanhua turned around and glared at them.

The two men immediately stood up straight.

“Nothing!”

“We didn’t say anything!”

Everyone could not help laughing.

Only Sun Qing remained serious as she looked at Qiu Chen.

“When you fell off the horse today, did you hit your chest?”

Qiu Chen thought for a moment.

“Yes.”

“Did you have trouble breathing?”

“No.”

“Does it hurt when you take a deep breath?”

Qiu Chen did not answer.

The moment Sun Qing saw his expression, she knew the answer.

“It does.”

“...A little.”

“Then we can’t put it off.” Sun Qing turned to Tony.

“Tony, you drive.”

Tony pointed at himself. “Me?”

“Yes.”

He looked at Sun Qing, then at Lin Wanhua.

Finally, he let out a helpless sigh.

“Fine. I’ll drive.”

Qiu Chen quickly said, “Really, there’s no need to go to all this trouble.”

Wanhua glared at him.

“If you say ‘there’s no need’ one more time, I’ll tie you into the car myself.”

“...”

Qiu Chen had no choice but to shut up.

Sister Bao could not help laughing.

“All right, stop arguing.” She walked over to Qiu Chen and gently patted him on the shoulder.

“Go to the hospital and get checked out. Then everyone can stop worrying.”

Qiu Chen looked at the concerned faces in front of him.

These people were clearly just tenants living under the same roof, yet without realizing it, they had become the people closest to one another in each other’s lives.

His heart warmed.

“Okay.”

Sun Qing immediately picked up Qiu Chen’s jacket.

“Come on. We’re taking you to the hospital.”

“I can carry my own jacket.”

“Shut up.”

Qiu Chen could only obediently listen.

Lin Wanhua followed behind them.

“I’m going too.”

Tony heard this and shook his head with a bitter smile.

“All three of you are going?”

Wanhua gave him a look.

“What? Do you have a problem with that?”

“No.” Tony immediately shook his head. “Not at all.”

He sighed inwardly.

Tonight, this car probably wasn’t being driven to the hospital.

It was being driven to three rounds of interrogation.

A few minutes later, the silver sedan pulled away from the Single Society.

Tony gripped the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.

In the back seat, Qiu Chen sat in the middle. Sun Qing sat beside him, while Lin Wanhua sat on the other side.

“Does your chest still hurt?” Sun Qing asked.

“A little.”

“Has it gotten worse?”

“Seems like... it has.”

Sun Qing’s brow furrowed even more.

“Then we definitely need to get an X-ray.”

Lin Wanhua added, “If your ribs are actually broken, you may need to be hospitalized for treatment.”

Qiu Chen gave a bitter smile.

“I just fell once. Don’t make it sound so serious.”

“Just fell once?” Wanhua said coldly. “Falling off a horse is ‘just falling once’?”

Tony chimed in from the front seat.

“And it was in the middle of a fire.”

Wanhua glared at him.

“You still have the nerve to say that?”

Tony immediately shut up.

The car fell silent for a few seconds.

Qiu Chen watched the streets rushing past outside the window. The neon lights blurred into patches of indistinct color across the glass.

He suddenly said softly, “Thank you.”

Sun Qing looked at him.

“For what?”

“For coming with me to the hospital this late at night.”

Lin Wanhua leaned back against the seat and said casually, “We’re people from the Single Society. Of course we have to take care of you when something happens.”

Sun Qing said nothing.

She simply looked quietly at Qiu Chen.

At that moment, there was only one thought in her mind—

She did not know how much humiliation this man was willing to endure for the sake of his dream of making movies.

But she knew that, at least tonight, she would not let him say “I’m fine” one more time.

The car continued toward the hospital through the night.

And no one could have imagined that this examination would reveal the true extent of Qiu Chen’s injuries, and would also force everyone at the Single Society to see, for the first time, the hidden undercurrents behind that film crew.

1. Thoughts in the Hospital Room

The hospital hallway was filled with the faint smell of disinfectant.

It was already late at night. The city lights outside filtered through the windows, casting patches of blurry light and shadow across the white walls of the hospital room. Qiu Chen lay on the hospital bed with a chest support wrapped around him. Every breath tugged at his ribs, causing a dull, lingering pain.

Lin Wanhua stood at the foot of the bed, holding the medical certificate she had just picked up from the doctor’s office, her brows tightly furrowed.

“Two broken ribs.” She read the diagnosis softly, then looked up at Qiu Chen.

“And you still said you were fine?”

Qiu Chen gave a bitter smile. “I really thought it was just a bruise.”

“A bruise?” Wanhua glared at him. “Two ribs are broken, and you still call it a bruise?”

Qiu Chen was speechless for a moment and could only turn his gaze toward the window. Tony, standing nearby, awkwardly rubbed his nose.

“Wanhua, don’t blame him. That’s just how filming on set is sometimes...”

“Sometimes what?” Wanhua turned her head. “Sometimes you can even risk your life just for a job?”

Tony was immediately at a loss for words. He knew that Lin Wanhua was not only blaming Qiu Chen with those words.

What she was truly angry about was the film crew that treated Qiu Chen like a cheap stand-in and kept deliberately making things difficult for him.

Wanhua took a deep breath and stuffed the medical certificate into Tony’s hand.

“Take this.”

“This is...”

“The medical certificate.”

Wanhua’s tone was firm.

“Tomorrow, file an occupational injury leave request for Qiu Chen with the company. And the company needs to cover his medical expenses and his living allowance during his hospitalization.”

Tony looked at the document in his hand, then at Qiu Chen lying on the bed.

“But... what if the company...”

“What if?” Wanhua crossed her arms.

“He was injured while filming, not while out getting into a fight. The company has responsibilities here, and it can’t just shirk them.”

Seeing her determined expression, Tony had no choice but to nod.

“Okay. I’ll take care of it.”

But Qiu Chen said from the side, “Wanhua, forget it.”

Wanhua immediately turned around. “What do you mean, ‘forget it’?”

“I’m only a temporary worker. If I get on bad terms with the company, it won’t do me any good.”

“You’re already lying in a hospital bed, and you’re still afraid of offending people?”

Qiu Chen did not answer. He simply lowered his head and looked at his bandaged chest. He knew his current situation all too well. It had taken him so much effort just to get into the film industry. If the crew blacklisted him because of this incident, he did not know whether he would still be able to stay in the industry.

Sun Qing had been standing silently on the other side of the hospital bed, listening to their conversation. She did not interrupt.

It was not until a nurse came over with the hospitalization paperwork that she stood up.

“I’ll go take care of the admission procedures.”

Qiu Chen raised his head. “Sun Qing, there’s no need. I can do it myself...”

“You’re in pain even when you turn over. What exactly do you think you can do yourself?” Sun Qing rolled her eyes at him. “Lie still.”

Her tone was not harsh, but it carried a firmness that left no room for refusal.

Qiu Chen could only smile bitterly. “Okay.”

Sun Qing took the documents from the nurse and turned to leave the hospital room. Lin Wanhua watched her walk away, then looked at Qiu Chen. The corners of her mouth moved slightly, but she said nothing.

Before long, Sun Qing had completed the admission procedures.

The hospital room fell quiet. Qiu Chen closed his eyes to rest.

Lin Wanhua sat by the window, while Tony went outside to make phone calls about the leave request and medical expenses.

Sun Qing sat beside the bed and tucked the blanket more securely around Qiu Chen.

“Does it hurt?”

Qiu Chen opened his eyes. “Not too bad.”

“You’re lying again.” Sun Qing sighed softly. “You’ve always been like this. You like to carry everything yourself.”

Qiu Chen said nothing. After a moment, he said quietly, “I don’t want to give up halfway.”

Sun Qing looked at him. She understood. To Qiu Chen, movies were not an ordinary job. They were the one dream he had refused to give up after returning from the United States. And precisely because of that, she felt even more sorry for him.

Just then, familiar footsteps and voices came from outside the hospital room.

“Excuse me, Nurse. Could you tell me if there’s someone named Qiu Chen in Room 307?”

“Yes, this is the room.”

The next second, the hospital room door opened.

Sister Bao came in with a group of their Single Society companions.

“Qiu Chen!” Liu Dage poked his head inside first. “You kid, how did you manage to get yourself into this state again?”

Zhu Erdong followed behind him, carrying a bag of fruit.

“Have you started treating the hospital as your second home?”

“Get lost.” Qiu Chen laughed and cursed at him.

“Why did all of you come?”

Sister Bao walked to the bedside and carefully studied his complexion.

“Wanhua called back and said you were hospitalized. Of course we had to come see you.”

She reached out and touched Qiu Chen’s forehead.

“Do you have a fever?”

“No.”

“Where does it hurt the most?”

“My chest.”

“What did the doctor say?”

“Two broken ribs.”

The moment Sister Bao heard this, her expression immediately darkened.

“Two?” She turned to Tony. “What exactly happened?”

Tony gave a bitter smile. “There was an accident while filming.”

Liu Dage immediately cut in.

“I don’t think it was an accident.”

Everyone froze.

Liu Dage lowered his voice. “That assistant director, Zhou Ding—I’ve disliked him for a long time.”

Zhu Erdong nodded as well. “I think he deliberately made things difficult for Qiu Chen.”

“All right.” Qiu Chen quickly stopped them. “It’s over already.”

Just then, Sister Bao noticed Sun Qing sitting beside the bed. She looked at Sun Qing, then at Qiu Chen, and a meaningful smile appeared on her face.

Lin Wanhua noticed the detail as well.

Several of the tenants exchanged glances. No one said anything out loud.

Only Qiu Chen seemed to sense something and immediately sat a little straighter.

“Wanhua.”

“Hmm?”

“Don’t get the wrong idea.”

Wanhua froze for a moment. “Get the wrong idea about what?”

Qiu Chen glanced at Sun Qing and quickly explained, “Sun Qing... she just came here to take care of me.”

Sun Qing was slightly taken aback when she heard this. Then she gave a faint smile.

“You really don’t need to read anything into it.”

She stood up and deliberately straightened the hospitalization documents in her hands.

“I just happened to pass by after work, so I stopped in to take a look.”

Sister Bao looked at the two of them, and the smile at the corners of her mouth deepened.

“Ohhh... ‘stopped in,’ huh?”

Sun Qing’s face reddened slightly.

“It really was just a stop.”

Liu Dage could not help snickering from the side. Zhu Erdong quickly nudged him with his elbow.

“What are you laughing at?”

“Nothing.”

Liu Dage immediately put on a serious face.

“I just think the hospital fruit looks pretty good.”

Sister Bao rolled her eyes at him.

“Stop pretending you don’t know what’s going on.”

The hospital room immediately filled with laughter.

Qiu Chen, however, secretly glanced at Lin Wanhua. He had expected Wanhua to tease them as she usually did, but instead, she simply stood quietly by the window, wearing a thoughtful expression.

Outside the window, the night grew deeper. The city remained noisy.

But inside this small hospital room, the people from the Single Society gathered around the hospital bed like a family.

No one knew where this accident would lead Qiu Chen’s life.

And no one knew that among these young people, those unspoken feelings were also quietly beginning to change.

1. The Argument at the Crew Meeting

In the afternoon, the production office at the film set was filled with smoke.

A long table stood in the center of the room, with scripts, call sheets, storyboards, and several cups of tea that had long since gone cold scattered across it. Producer Wang Gang sat at the far end, looking through the day’s shooting schedule.

Assistant Director Zhou Ding leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed, a faint, ambiguous smile on his face.

Tony pushed open the door and walked in. He was holding a medical certificate from the hospital.

“Producer Wang, there’s something I’d like to report to you.”

Wang Gang looked up. “What is it?”

Tony walked to the table and placed the medical certificate in front of Wang Gang.

“Qiu Chen was injured while filming yesterday. The hospital examination showed two fractured ribs. The doctor recommended hospitalization and said he needs to rest for a period of time.”

The office immediately fell silent. Wang Gang picked up the medical certificate and read it carefully.

“Two fractured ribs?”

“Yes.” Tony nodded.

“So I’d like to apply for occupational injury leave for Qiu Chen. I also hope the crew can cover his medical expenses and, according to company policy, provide him with the necessary living allowance.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a cold laugh suddenly came from the side.

“Occupational injury leave?”

Zhou Ding looked sideways at Tony.

“Does he deserve that?”

Tony’s brows immediately furrowed.

“Assistant Director Zhou, what do you mean by that?”

Zhou Ding leaned back in his chair.

“My meaning is very simple.”

He glanced at the medical certificate on the table.

“Who knows whether he’s deliberately pretending to be weak?”

“Pretending to be weak?” Tony’s voice rose several degrees.

“Are the X-rays from the hospital fake too?”

“Who knows?” Zhou Ding said coldly.

“Young people these days can’t handle hardship. They complain about pain over the slightest injury and want to rest after shooting just a couple of scenes.”

“You—” Tony clenched his fists in anger.

“He fell from the third floor while hanging from a wire, and then you assigned him to shoot the fire scene. And now you’re actually saying he’s pretending to be sick?”

Xing Zheng, who had been sitting nearby, finally could not take it anymore. He stubbed his cigarette hard into the ashtray.

“Assistant Director Zhou, I can’t accept what you just said.”

Zhou Ding turned around.

“Master Xing, this has nothing to do with you.”

“How does it have nothing to do with me?” Xing Zheng stood up.

“I personally inspected the wire rigging that time. When there was a problem the first time, I already warned you that shooting it this way was dangerous. Then, during the fire scene, you made him do take after take.”

His voice grew increasingly stern.

“Qiu Chen now has two broken ribs. This isn’t just a scraped knee.”

Zhou Ding scoffed.

“Being a stand-in is risky by nature.”

“Risk doesn’t mean you can act recklessly!” Xing Zheng slammed his hand against the table.

“We stunt people know better than anyone where the safety line is!”

Zhou Ding’s expression darkened.

“Master Xing, don’t you think you’re making yourself a little too important?”

“At least I don’t treat someone else’s life like a joke.”

Xing Zheng’s words once again silenced the entire office.

Li Mingli, the stunt coordinator sitting on the other side, also spoke up.

“I’ll say something fair as well.”

He looked at Zhou Ding.

“Qiu Chen may only be a stand-in and a gofer, but every time he did exactly what you told him to do. You told him to get on, and he got on. You told him to fall, and he fell.”

Li Mingli gave a cold laugh.

“Now that he’s injured, you want to wipe your hands clean of all responsibility with one remark that he’s ‘pretending to be weak’?”

Zhou Ding suddenly stood up.

“Are you three joining forces to give me trouble today?”

Tony stood up as well.

“We’re not here to give you trouble.”

He pointed at the medical certificate on the table.

“We just want Qiu Chen to receive the treatment he deserves.”

“What kind of official actor is he?” Zhou Ding said disdainfully. “When you get right down to it, he’s nothing more than a gofer on the crew.”

The moment he said this, the expressions of Tony, Xing Zheng, and Li Mingli all changed.

Tony stared at Zhou Ding.

“A gofer is still a person.”

Xing Zheng followed.

“A stand-in is still a person.”

Li Mingli added one final sentence.

“Besides, he was injured for this production.”

The three voices rose one after another, and the atmosphere in the entire office suddenly became extremely tense.

Wang Gang rubbed his forehead.

“All right!”

He finally spoke.

The room immediately fell silent.

Wang Gang picked up the medical certificate again, looked at it for several seconds, and then raised his head to look at Tony.

“The company will cover Qiu Chen’s medical expenses.”

Tony froze.

“Producer Wang—”

“In addition, his occupational injury leave is approved.”

Wang Gang flipped through the documents on the table again.

“Any living allowance he is entitled to will also be handled according to company policy.”

Tony breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thank you, Producer Wang.”

Wang Gang nodded.

“As for when Qiu Chen returns, we’ll wait until the doctor confirms that he is fit to resume work. A person’s life and safety are more important than rushing to finish a production.”

After saying that, he turned to Zhou Ding.

“Assistant Director Zhou, this matter ends here.”

Zhou Ding opened his mouth, apparently still wanting to say something.

“But—”

“No buts.” Wang Gang’s tone became stern. “The most important thing for the crew right now is to finish the production, not have everyone arguing every day.”

Zhou Ding had no choice but to sit back down in his chair sullenly.

Tony put away the medical certificate. Xing Zheng walked over to him and patted him on the shoulder.

“Let’s go.”

Li Mingli also stood up. The three of them walked toward the door together.

When they reached the doorway, Tony looked back at Zhou Ding.

Zhou Ding was lowering his head and organizing the scripts, with no expression visible on his face. But a cold, sinister look flashed in his eyes.

Tony suddenly felt a sense of unease.

He knew that although the argument had temporarily been resolved, the grudge between Qiu Chen and Zhou Ding had probably only grown deeper.

And there would likely be even more trouble waiting for them later in the production.

1. Sister Bao’s Good Intentions

It was already late at night.

When the entrance to the Single Society was pushed open, the hallway’s motion-sensor lights came on one after another.

Zhao Guanghua and Zhang Ningjing walked in one after the other. Along the way, they had been talking about looking for jobs tomorrow. Guanghua could not hide the smile on his face, and he seemed completely different from his usual self, always buried in his books and living frugally.

Sister Bao was organizing things in the living room. The moment she looked up and saw him, she exclaimed,

“Oh!”

She put down the clothes in her hands and squinted at Guanghua.

“What’s gotten into you today? Did you find some money?”

Guanghua froze. “No.”

“No?” Sister Bao looked him up and down. “Then why are you grinning like you just won the lottery jackpot?”

Ningjing could not help laughing.

“Sister Bao, he really does have good news today.”

“What good news?”

Before Guanghua could say anything, Ningjing eagerly announced,

“His application to study abroad was accepted.”

Sister Bao froze for a moment, then her eyes lit up.

“Really?”

“Really.” Guanghua nodded.

Sister Bao immediately stood up from the sofa, walked over to Guanghua, and patted him on the shoulder.

“Good for you!” Her voice was filled with relief and delight. “I knew all the hardship you’ve endured these years wouldn’t be for nothing.”

Guanghua smiled shyly.

“It’s still too early. The school has accepted me, but I still don’t have the money to go.”

“So that’s why you two are so happy tonight?”

Sister Bao looked at Ningjing.

Ningjing nodded.

“We decided to look for jobs together tomorrow.”

“Together?”

“Yes.” Guanghua said with a smile. “I want to find a regular job and save money properly. Ningjing happens to want to change jobs too, so we agreed to look together.”

Sister Bao looked at Guanghua, then at Ningjing.

Her gaze lingered between the two of them for several seconds, and a meaningful smile slowly appeared at the corners of her mouth.

“Sounds good.”

“Sister Bao, why are you smiling?” Ningjing felt a little embarrassed under her gaze.

“Nothing.” Sister Bao deliberately pretended to be unconcerned.

“I just think... it’s nice for two young people to look for jobs together.”

“Sister Bao!” Ningjing’s face turned red.

Guanghua also awkwardly rubbed his nose.

“Sister Bao, don’t say things like that.”

“What did I say?” Sister Bao laughed.

“I didn’t say anything.”

She turned around and poured two glasses of warm water for them.

As she watched Guanghua take the glass from her, a warm feeling quietly rose in Sister Bao’s heart.

When this boy first came to the city to attend college, he barely had any money, yet he had a stubborn determination not to admit defeat.

For seven years, he had lived frugally, studying while working part-time.

Now, at last, he had an opportunity to go abroad for further study.

Thinking of this, Sister Bao secretly made up her mind.

This time, she could not just stand by and watch.

She had to give this boy a hand.

And she already had a plan.

The night grew deeper.

The Single Society gradually fell quiet.

The lights in the various rooms went out one after another, leaving only a dim wall light at the end of the hallway.

Sister Bao stood in front of Zhang Ningjing’s door and gently knocked twice.

“Ningjing, are you asleep?”

A voice came from inside.

“Not yet, Sister Bao. Come in.”

Sister Bao pushed the door open and went inside.

Ningjing had just finished showering. Wearing pajamas, she was sitting at her desk organizing the materials for tomorrow’s job search.

“You’re still busy?”

“Yeah.” Ningjing looked up and smiled.

“I can’t exactly go looking for a job tomorrow empty-handed, can I?”

Sister Bao sat down on the edge of the bed and quietly looked at her.

“Ningjing.”

“Hmm?”

“Would you be interested in jewelry design?”

Ningjing froze.

“Jewelry design?”

“Yes.” Sister Bao nodded.

“Actually, that’s what I used to do.”

“I know.” Ningjing put down the materials in her hands.

“But, Sister Bao, haven’t you been out of that business for a long time?”

“That’s why I want to start again.” Sister Bao gazed out the window.

In the night, the city lights looked like a sparkling river of stars.

“You know, sometimes people can’t keep holding on to the past forever, and they can’t keep being afraid of starting over.”

She turned back.

“I want to pick up my old jewelry-design skills again.”

Ningjing’s eyes lit up.

“That’s wonderful!”

“But design alone isn’t enough.” Sister Bao smiled. “This is the Internet age. Without marketing channels, no matter how beautiful something is, if no one knows about it, you can’t sell it.”

Ningjing immediately understood.

“So... you want me to help you?”

“Yes.”

Sister Bao nodded without hesitation.

“You understand how young people think, you know how to use computers, and you also know how to photograph products, write descriptions, and promote things online.”

She held up a finger, as if calculating the details of a business deal.

“I’ll handle the design and production. You’ll handle online marketing. We’ll do it together.”

Ningjing did not hesitate for a moment.

“Okay!”

Sister Bao smiled.

“You agreed that quickly?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” There was a renewed light in Ningjing’s eyes.

“I’ve been worrying because I don’t know what I should do now. If you’re willing to give me a chance, I couldn’t be happier.”

She suddenly remembered something and looked seriously at Sister Bao.

“Sister Bao, have you wanted to help me for a long time?”

Sister Bao froze for a moment, then smiled and waved her hand.

“Of course not.”

“Yes, you have.” Ningjing smiled. “You just didn’t want to say it directly.”

Sister Bao did not answer.

After a moment, she reached out and patted the back of Ningjing’s hand.

“Silly girl.”

Her voice softened.

“When a person is going through a low point in life, what they fear most isn’t having no money. It’s feeling that they’re useless.”

Ningjing’s eyes grew slightly warm.

“Sister Bao...”

“I don’t want you to think that way.” Sister Bao looked at her. “You’re young and capable. You just haven’t found the right place for yourself yet.”

“And...” Sister Bao deliberately blinked.

“I also need a young, beautiful partner to help me greet the customers.”

Ningjing burst out laughing.

“So that’s why you chose me—you like the way I look.”

“Of course.”

The two women laughed together.

Their laughter sounded especially warm in the quiet night.

Ningjing suddenly stood up, walked over to Sister Bao, and hugged her.

“Thank you, Sister Bao.”

Sister Bao was startled by the hug, then gently patted her back.

“For what?”

“Thank you for being willing to reach out and pull me up every time I’ve needed help the most.”

Sister Bao said nothing. She simply smiled softly.

Outside the window, the city remained illuminated by countless lights.

And inside this small Single Society, several strangers who had originally known nothing about one another were gradually, little by little, becoming part of one another’s lives.

Sister Bao looked at Ningjing, but her thoughts had already turned to something else.

Now that Guanghua finally had an opportunity to go abroad, she was determined to make sure that this boy could leave smoothly and successfully.

As for Ningjing...

She secretly glanced at Ningjing, and a faint smile appeared at the corners of her mouth.

This girl might soon discover that the job she was really looking for might not be just a job.