Han Yi called five times, but no one answered. He frowned and ended the call, clenching his fingers. His fingertips were cold, and so were his palms.
After a moment’s hesitation, he dialed Tang Siming’s number.
This time, it connected quickly.
“What’s up, Han Ge? I’m on set, just finished shooting…”
“Where’s Xia Yang?” Han Yi interrupted, his voice cold and stern.
“Huh?” Tang Siming was confused, not understanding what was going on.
“I asked you, where is Xia Yang?” Han Yi repeated, his voice even colder, like icy February river water, making anyone who heard it shiver.
Tang Siming didn’t dare stay confused any longer. “He… he’s being bandaged.”
Upon hearing these words, Han Yi felt his heart sink. His lips pressed into a thin line as he turned and strode towards the elevator.
He encountered a doctor from the rehabilitation room, who stopped and greeted him, “Mr. Han, you haven’t completed today’s rehabilitation exercises.”
“Not doing them,” Han Yi replied without turning back.
As his fingers pressed the elevator button, he took a couple of steps and then tightened his grip on the phone. “Tell me which hospital Xia Yang is at.”
“Huh? Hospital?” Tang Siming paused, almost confused again. But this time, his mind quickly caught up.
“Oh, sorry, my bad. I’m still in character,” he hurriedly explained, fearing that another second of delay might cause this big boss to rush over in a fit of rage. “Xia Yang just finished shooting a car chase scene. His character, a police officer, was injured in the scene, so the director had the makeup artist bandage his arm. We’re about to shoot the next scene.”
Han Yi: “…”
“Don’t worry, Han Ge, Xia Yang is fine. He’s got great skills, probably even better than you. He could knock you down in a second… I mean, take you down in a second.”
Tang Siming rambled on, but Han Yi stopped listening. Knowing Xia Yang was fine, his breathing steadied, and his palms weren’t as cold.
He closed his eyes and exhaled deeply, then turned back to the doctor he had just passed. “Let’s go back to the rehabilitation room.”
The doctor: “?”
“Hey, Han Ge, are you still there?” Tang Siming’s voice came through the phone. “Were you looking for Xia Yang? Should I go call him?”
“No need,” Han Yi’s tone softened. “I didn’t have anything important.”
Tang Siming: “???”
*
Filming ended around 8 PM, long past dinner time. The sky was completely dark, and a light drizzle had started, bringing a late-autumn chill. The car chase scenes had taken over eight hours to film, leaving the entire crew exhausted.
Xia Yang had the most action scenes, including rolling on car roofs, kicking car windows, and fighting with the villains. By the end of the day, his muscles were sore, and he could barely hold his phone, his steps heavy.
“Everyone, you’ve worked hard today. Let’s head back to the hotel for a buffet. Afterward, get a good rest,” the director’s voice was hoarse, clearly just as tired.
As the Coaster bus stopped at the hotel entrance, dozens of people rushed toward the buffet, like a pack of unleashed wild dogs.
Li Ke nearly lost his pants as he ran up to Xia Yang, giving him a friendly nudge. “Hurry up! If you’re late, there’ll be no meat left, only salad.”
Dragging his aching body, Xia Yang waved his hand wearily. “My health bar is low, can’t run. Maybe you can grab some meat for me first.”
Li Ke: “…”
And then he was gone in an instant.
Xia Yang was among the last to arrive, but it wasn’t as bad as he expected. The buffet for the “Hidden Heart” crew was still quite plentiful, and there was no shortage of meat.
At this hour, the only people left eating were from the “Hidden Heart” crew, all gathered around a few tables.
Xia Yang devoured a plate of stir-fried beef, a portion of black pepper fish fillet, a bowl of fruit salad, and a bowl of vegetable seafood porridge, finally feeling his energy return.
As he was finishing up, the assistant director dropped a juicy piece of gossip: “Did you guys see the news? Something big happened at the set next door this afternoon.”
“Huh? What happened? Tell us,” everyone at the table perked up, gathering around.
“There was a car accident,” the assistant director said, unlocking his phone and finding a news article to read aloud. “A stunt car scene went wrong, and a pickup truck’s rear wheel ran over a young actor’s head. The victim is currently in the hospital in critical condition.”
The crew gasped in shock.
“Oh my god, it happened right next to us!”
“If the wheel ran over their head, that means… oh no…”
“Just thinking about it hurts. That’s so awful. Who’s the actor?”
The assistant director tapped a few times on his screen and continued reading: “The latest news says the injured actor is Xing Shuai, who recently won the Most Popular Newcomer of the Year award. The set next door has shut down completely, and there’s a press conference scheduled for tomorrow. It’s so tragic. I hope Xing Shuai pulls through.”
Everyone sighed, feeling a mix of sadness and disbelief. Xia Yang put down his chopsticks, feeling a bit heavy-hearted.
The set next door was in the same hotel, and he had met Xing Shuai just last week. He was handsome, friendly, and had even talked about grabbing a meal together after filming.
Who could have imagined such a disaster would occur?
Lost in thought, Xia Yang listened as the others continued their chatter.
“Really makes you worry for Tang Ge and Xia Yang. Those car chase scenes were dangerous, and they didn’t use stunt doubles.”
“Coincidentally, before they revealed the actor’s name, people were guessing it was Xia Yang.”
“Everyone’s working hard. Safety first!”
“Let’s have a toast, wishing our crew a safe and smooth filming process!”
Everyone raised their glasses of tea, toasting twice. Just as they finished, Tang Siming and the director walked into the restaurant.
An assistant quickly pulled out chairs for them, but Tang Siming waved them off, sitting directly next to Xia Yang.
Amid the lively chatter, he leaned in and whispered to Xia Yang, “Did you check your phone? Han Ge called you this afternoon.”
“Huh?” Xia Yang was puzzled. He reached for his backpack, but then remembered his phone had automatically turned off.
He had left it in his backpack all day while filming, figuring there wouldn’t be any urgent calls. When he finally tried to check it on the bus, the battery had died.
Without a charger, and no one having a power bank, he decided to wait until they got back to the hotel to charge it.
“Did he need something? My phone died,” Xia Yang showed him the black screen.
Tang Siming looked at him with a “no wonder” expression, then called a waiter to borrow a power bank.
After a few minutes of charging, Xia Yang’s phone powered on. As soon as it did, several notifications popped up.
All were messages from Han Yi.
[Han Yi]: You there?
[Han Yi]: Call me back.
[Han Yi]: ??
Exiting WeChat, he checked recent calls and saw several missed calls from Han Yi, all made consecutively.
“Oh no! Did something happen?” Xia Yang quickly called Han Yi back. The call connected after just one ring.
“Han Ge!” Xia Yang covered the phone, running to a quieter corner. “Did you call me? What’s up? Why so many calls?”
The other end was silent for a moment before Han Yi’s deep voice came through: “If you only use your phone to check the time, I suggest throwing it away.”
Pfft!
He sounded a bit upset.
Knowing he was in the wrong, Xia Yang quickly apologized. “Sorry, Han Ge. I was filming all day, and my phone died. I just got a power bank to charge it…”
He laughed awkwardly. “You seem a bit out of character. Is something wrong that you couldn’t solve?”
“No.” Han Yi’s voice softened, but then he fell silent, leaving only the sound of his breathing.
Recalling the day’s events, Xia Yang speculated boldly, “Did you see the news about the car accident on the A City set?”
“Yes,” Han Yi replied.
“Uh…” Xia Yang felt a complex mix of emotions.
Scratching the back of his head, he continued, “The injured actor is from the set next door, surnamed Xing. He’s still in critical condition…”
“How did your shoot go today? No injuries, right?” Han Yi suddenly shifted the focus to him.
Xia Yang hesitated, momentarily speechless. This question felt softer, more comforting, like the deep autumn moonlight.
His breathing slowed, chest rising and falling gently. “No injuries, I’m fine.”
“Good, rest early.”
*
After dinner, back in the hotel room, Xia Yang couldn’t stop thinking about Han Yi.
It was so odd.
The plastic husband seemed to genuinely care for him?
Just because of a news report about a car accident and some random speculation about an X-named actor?
It didn’t seem like the usual style of the icy boss.
Nor did it fit the image of the emotionless, business-like benefactor.
Could modern medicine really heal his leg and change his sex?
As he pondered, a sudden thought flashed in his mind. Xia Yang took a sharp breath and slapped his thigh.
Oh my god! Could the plastic husband be falling for real and actually treating him like a wife?!
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Thanks for the chapter