Silver Linings

Chapter Sixteen - A Flagon of Vinegar

[14 June 2020]

⁂ ZHANG ZHE HAN ⁂

The production team had taken over parts of the 'Jiangnan Water Town' inside Hengdian World Studios for three days, and they were currently on day two. They had arrived at the start of the storyline and were filming parts of the first two episodes, specifically the part where the two protagonists would meet for the first time. Where they would have their first spark. Well, at least the first spark for Wen Ke Xing, because from that single meeting, he would decide to openly stalk and then all but physically attach himself to Zhou Zi Shu.

Right now, they were in the middle of filming that first interaction when Wen Ke Xing intercepts the whip that Gu Xiang had lashed out towards Zhou Zi Shu, thus ending their fight over a wine bottle. It was just that he was distracted and struggling to focus fully on the scene at hand. That possessiveness that had peeked out the week before, flared up in the back of his mind. It was totally irrational, but he still felt spiteful.

All he had tried to do was make a suggestion on how this scene could be a bit more exciting from a visual point of view, and Zhou Ye had just laughed at him. And she hadn't even really done it in a mocking sort of way. Okay, maybe a little bit, but that was still fine. She was a young actor and caught up in the moment. His suggestion hadn't really been that thought through. It wasn't like Wen Ke Xing could pull on Ah-Xiang's whip in a way that would make her roll towards him. She was, after all, holding on to the handle and he on the cracker (1). How could she be rolled into the, or out of the whip all of a sudden? Even he understood that his suggestions hadn't made any sense.

Still, she didn't have to make that face as she commented on the ridiculousness of his suggestion, cock her head at him and then look up with her big doe eyes at Gong Jun whilst she laughed. She didn't have to mock him. Okay, she hadn't mocked him. Well, maybe a little bit? He wasn't sure. But it felt like it.

And then the way she was just bouncing around. It was annoying and distracting. And then the way that the two of them were looking at each other, when Gong Jun was pulling on the thong (1) and just making that high pitched and excited sound with his tongue as he reeled her in. He looked happy, with a huge smile aimed towards her and she beamed back at him. What was that about? Wen Ke Xing was supposed to be angry over how his maid was behaving, not laughing and goofing around.

He knew that he was overreacting. But he just couldn't help himself. It was good that he was an actor, so that he could hide it. And even if a tiny bit of his thoughts would seep through and onto his face, it would still be hidden behind his beggar disguise and long fringe. There was also the option of just staring straight down towards the ground—kind of like he was doing right now—not able to look at either of them. As he shuffled his feet, he contemplated that maybe it was the heat that was getting to him? It was thirty seven degrees outside and he was melting even thought they were currently in the shade.

However, it had been equally as hot yesterday and he hadn't been irritated at all then. Except for when he had tilted the flagon (2) too far over his head, opening the lid and accidentally dosing his entire upper body with water. Though he had caught his co-star staring at his wet t-shirt when he had bumped into Gong Jun on his way to change to a dry shirt in his trailer.

Either way, he hadn't seen Zhou Ye acting this way yesterday. It had been perfectly fine when they had gone through their dialogues and the provocation of their fight. So why is she getting under my skin today? Gong Jun laughed next to him and something stirred inside his stomach but also something inside his spiraling thoughts. When he had his scenes with Zhou Ye yesterday, Gong Jun hadn't been there. It had been just the two of them plus Sun Xi Lun, so he hadn't been exposed to her crush all day. Wait... Am I actually jealous?