Extreme Pampering

Her fingertips were warmed by the palm of his hand, Shen Zhiyi blinked her eyes, and upon hearing these arrogant words, she found them to be expected.

He had the means to back up his words.

Suddenly, she asked, "Have you become my support?"

She wouldn't have asked such a question when she was sober. Pei Yu was slightly surprised, then he tugged at the corner of his lips, quite pleased, "Of course."

But Shen Zhiyi shook her head again, "I don't want support."

Her fingers were soft, and as Pei Yu gently kneaded the pads, he asked, "Then what do you want?"

"I want..."

Her voice faded away as Shen Zhiyi quietly fell asleep in Pei Yu's arms.

Pei Yu bowed his head to kiss her nose tip, his voice as low as a whisper.

"Whatever you want, you can tell me."

As long as she said it, he would offer it with both hands.

Shen Zhiyi didn't sleep for very long, she woke up halfway through and nearly fell off as she didn't realize she wasn't in bed.

"Don't move carelessly."

A hand firmly encircled her waist as Pei Yu scooped her back into his arms, his tone lazy, "Not sleeping anymore?"

Shen Zhiyi steadied herself on his shoulder, completely sober now, "How long did I sleep?"

Pei Yu didn't particularly care, "About two hours."

Had he been holding her like this for two hours?

Shen Zhiyi quickly got off him and noticed the sleep robe on him was all wrinkled from her, feeling very embarrassed, "You should have woken me up."

"I didn't have the heart," Pei Yu propped up his head, seeming tired, his voice drawing out a long tone, looking listless, "Once you woke up, you wouldn't let me hold you."

Just like now.

He had said before that he was in bad health, and now he even waited for her until late into the night, how could Shen Zhiyi refuse him?

She said softly, "I'll let you hold me."

If he requested it, she wouldn't refuse.

"It's very late, let's go upstairs to rest."

She was somewhat concerned about his mention of "not being in good health," yet didn't feel it was right to ask, as it was his private matter after all.

Pei Yu sat without moving, "Do you have work tomorrow?"

"Yes, I need to go to the set to film."

The drama had already started filming, and since Shen Zhiyi couldn't change the fact she was part of it, she would take it seriously, even though it was a meaningless, insignificant role.

Pei Yu seemed to mention it in passing and didn't ask further.

Shen Zhiyi didn't say more either.

The film crew had been filming for nearly half a month; the current scenes were mainly focusing on the male and female leads. When Shen Zhiyi arrived on set the next day, they were filming a scene with the female lead, Xu Xia, who was a pop idol transitioning into acting. It was evident she put effort into her acting, but the result wasn't good, and the director was explaining the scene to her.

Seeing a fully made-up Shen Zhiyi coming over, Xu Xia greeted her proactively, "Sister Zhiyi."

She said to the director, "Maybe we should shoot Sister Zhiyi's scenes first, I need to think more about what you just said."

"Alright," the director waved his hand, then returned behind the monitor, but he wasn't looking at the screen, instead, he turned to chat with the screenwriter.

The role of Shen Zhiyi was added on a whim at Huo Heng's strong request, serving as a meaningless antagonist that had no real impact on the overall plot. The director barely paid it any attention.

"Action!"

As soon as filming started, Shen Zhiyi's expression changed. She was to portray a female supporting character with intense jealousy and a knack for feigning innocence. The role required large, uncontrolled bursts of emotion, not really testing an actor's control—just express the emotions and let the lines do the rest. The character was quite flatly designed.

But Shen Zhiyi's performance was far beyond everyone's expectations.

Her line delivery was captivating: clear diction was just the basics—her emotions were mixed into her speech such that, even without seeing her face, one could imagine her expression. The director, who was chatting with the screenwriter, couldn't help but look up at the monitor the moment Shen Zhiyi spoke her first line.

On the screen, Shen Zhiyi was fully immersed in her role. Her radiant features, enhanced by the emotions of the character, possessed a captivating charm that was hard to look away from. There was a distinct difference between an actor and a pop idol—the features were inherently pleasing to look at, and Shen Zhiyi was particularly outstanding.

The screenwriter voiced what the director was thinking. "She has a certain allure."

An alluring actor was perfectly suited for the big screen, not for playing such a mindless role.

The director felt some regret. "Do you think it's too late to change the script for her now?"

The screenwriter reminded him, "This is a lead actress's film. Xu Xia has the heaviest role. If you change it for Shen Zhiyi, would Xu Xia agree?"

This film was Xu Xia's acting debut, and she was highly committed to it, being the favorite of the investor who contributed the most funding.

The director sheepishly abandoned the idea and motioned with his hand, "Dolly!"

On cue, the camera dolly moved slowly toward Shen Zhiyi from directly in front, giving her a close-up shot.

"Cut!"

Shen Zhiyi was on screen for only two minutes in this scene. Her screen time was sparse but scattered. After it ended, she went to remove her makeup and prepare for the next scene.

There were only two dressing rooms on set, one for the leads and another one shared by supporting actors and extras. If possible, they could also use their own vans for makeup and wardrobe changes. However, Guo Ting, who managed several artists, had dropped Shen Zhiyi off and left, so she had to squeeze in with the extras in the communal restroom to remove her makeup.

The restroom was crowded with extras, chatting as they removed their makeup.

"I think Shen Zhiyi's acting is better than Xu Xia's. Xu Xia's acting is kind of weird."

"Xu Xia is an idol, though. It's normal for her to not be good at acting in her first film. And it's rather sad for Shen Zhiyi, a few years after her debut she can still only get minor roles."

"And even those minor roles, she got them because Huo Heng pulled some strings!"

"But she's good-looking. When I watch her act, I don't even know what she's saying; I just keep looking at her face."

"Though I don't like her, she definitely looks better than Xu Xia. Xu Xia's nose isn't high enough, and her eyes also—"

"Her eyes also what?"

Xu Xia walked out from inside, giving a faint smile to the speaking woman. "I'm indeed not very beautiful, so I prefer to win everyone's affection with my talent."

The woman waved her hands frantically, "No, no, that's not what I meant…"

Turning her head, she saw Shen Zhiyi standing at the restroom door and suddenly felt lightheaded.

Oh boy, talking behind someone's back and the person herself heard everything.

Xu Xia dried her hands and brushed past Shen Zhiyi without a word or any expression on her face.

It wasn't until she returned to the dressing room that she showed a gloomy expression to her assistant. "Call the producer."

Having Shen Zhiyi in this film was meant to maintain her as a scapegoat, but Xu Xia couldn't tolerate being overshadowed by her.

If she wasn't keen on the role, then they might as well delete all her scenes.

Soon, the director announced a message in the cast group chat.

"Filming paused, script is being revised."