Chapter 569: Chapter 569: He’s Picking Up Your Habits

After chatting for a while, the set crew prepared the scene and notified the actors to get ready.

Xie Qingci stood up from the small stool and started warming up, ensuring he would fit into the character immediately.

Yu Xia was still leaning back in the deck chair, holding his jacket, watching him.

The director walked past, smiling as he said to her, "Visiting the set, eh? Come and give him some pointers?"

She waved her hand modestly, "Oh no, no, giving pointers is the director’s job. I’m just watching."

Director: "Then you just watch. I think Xie Qingci is doing pretty well. This circle lacks such action drama experts, and he’s on a good path, very promising."

It’s like hearing someone praise your son’s good grades. Yu Xia could only modestly say, "Not bad, not bad," "That’s also thanks to the directors’ good guidance."

Xie Qingci also felt a bit awkward, as he hadn’t really experienced anyone praising him to his parents before, leaving him momentarily at a loss.

The director called him away, and Yu Xia leaned back, gazing around the set aimlessly.

Mei occupied the small stool beside her, holding a cup of milk tea in her hand.

"The milk tea’s arrived. Do you want some? I specifically ordered oat milk."

"Sure." She took the still-warm milk tea, using it for warmth.

The sound of clapping the board echoed on the set. As she enjoyed the warmth, she watched Xie Qingci through the camera.

His acting was clearly much better than when he first started. At least now, he didn’t get distracted or embarrassed when she and others watched. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

She recalled a newbie she met before, also transitioning from idol to actor, playing a lead in a campus web drama. Unaccustomed to saying cringey lines in front of many, he couldn’t perform well—while the female lead was calm, he blushed bright red, frustrating the director into ranting at him.

By comparison, Xie Qingci seemed somewhat outstanding.

Watching him sprint through the set design, Yu Xia took a sip of oat milk from the straw, closing her eyes in comfort.

Far more comfortable than someone sprinting against the cold wind.

When the director shouted "cut," Xie Qingci finally halted. Having run an entire street’s distance, he panted while retracing his steps, standing before the camera, watching the playback, and listening to the director lay out the scene attentively.

"Sis, he’s mimicking your habits," Mei said excitedly, pausing her milk tea drinking.

She would also insist on seeing the results personally after each take and then discuss it with the director.

Yu Xia smiled subtly, trying to sound uninterested, "That’s good, ambitious."

Mei glanced at her expression, choosing not to reveal it, and continued, "This character looks quite cool, it’s just the lead couple doesn’t seem to match well."

True pair shippers have no room for other pairings. Now, anyone partnering with Xie Qingci felt mismatched; only Yu Xia seemed a perfect fit. The cold devoted admirer and the vibrant playboy—is there a more tantalizing match?

"The lead couple doesn’t necessarily develop anything. It’s an ensemble drama, like superhero teams or task force series; adding romance might not make it better."

Mei immediately said, "Then the female lead is quite good."

"...," Yu Xia replied speechlessly.

Xie Qingci began his second sprint, this time including vaulting a rusted gate.

He sped towards the gate, effortlessly scaled it in a few strides, clung to a heavy machinery bar, strengthened his core to stabilize, hooked his long legs over another bar, his clothes sliding down to expose his beautiful abs due to gravity.

The action was seamless and clean.

The director couldn’t resist standing and shouting, "Great!"

Mei also got hyped, sucking her milk tea till empty, giving a satisfied "hah."

"Sis, your man is so handsome!"

Yu Xia replied languidly, "Well, he’s okay."

Mei continued, "Compared to his idol days, his physique has improved significantly, not like Song Xi who maintains an idol’s slim build for singing and dancing. This explosive muscle is so much more charming!"

With such genuine praise, even Mr. Yang, sitting nearby, cast an intricate glance over them.

It’s as if he didn’t expect Yu Xia’s assistant to blatantly admire her boyfriend’s physique.

Yu Xia, unfazed, blocked Mei’s view with her hand.

"You’re supposed to keep a pure mind, don’t watch such scenes. His good physique has nothing to do with you."

Mei chuckled awkwardly, "Yes, it only concerns you."

Indeed it did, because keeping that physique in shape owed quite a bit to her insistence.

Xie Qingci continued filming, relentlessly climbing, scaling, and running, his gray clothes quickly soaked in sweat.

The following scene involved the main cast bathing and changing clothes in a fabricated bathhouse, returning to the lab to analyze existing clues.

The shower turned on as the camera zoomed in on Xie Qingci at the center. While several characters spoke, he crossed his arms, removed his pullover, and shut his eyes, running fingers through his hair under the falling water.

The entire set watched him intently.

Yu Xia also sat up, looking beyond the obstructive camera to watch him.

The instinct to appreciate beauty is shared; everyone remained silent, absorbed in the scene.

"Is this a first?" Mei whispered to her, "Idols usually demand not to show their physique when acting."

Firstly, fearing critical fans, secondly, speculations of the production exploiting idols for viewership, and thirdly, concerns over fan frenzy.

Yu Xia whispered back, "He’s no longer an idol. As an actor, he must sacrifice for the role."

"Doesn’t it bother you?"

She composed herself, "Would concern make any difference? An actor must have the awareness; if I minded him showing some skin, I might as well lock him at home."

Mei widened her eyes, visibly excited, "Would you?"

"...It seems you’re eager for me to lock him at home. Mei, remember, peculiar tastes are fine, but make sure they’re not illegal."

Mei cleared her throat, "Just a thought, merely a thought."

Locking someone at home, seizing command at whim daily—it just lights up one’s eyes thinking about it.

Luckily, the shower scene only played out briefly. Xie Qingci quickly dressed, his still-damp black hair as he sat at the long table, one leg bent, the other stretched to rest on a table leg.

It was quite deceiving, starkly contrasting the robust, testosterone-filled image earlier.

She missed parts of the dialogue in between, only surmising in this scene the characters had some dispute; two walked off, while Xie Qingci let out a laugh and casually tossed a notebook onto the table. The book slid across and fell with a "bang."

"Cut!"

Scene finished, Xie Qingci first looked up beyond the camera toward outside.

Yu Xia winked at him, mouthing "great."

He chuckled, before getting up to watch the playback by the director’s side.