Chapter 13 delves deeper into how similar he is to himself!

Zhu Qingting slowly woke up in the hotel bed, opened her eyes, adjusted to the light, and found that it was already broad daylight.

She picked up her phone and saw it was almost 10:30. Her heart skipped a beat; she hadn't gone to sleep until after midnight the night before, and had slept until late morning.

She turned her head slightly, a little embarrassed, and saw Fang Xiaoya on the next bed leaning against the wall, quietly scrolling through her phone, making almost no noise, obviously so as not to wake her.

"Xiaoya, good morning..." Zhu Qingting propped herself up to sit up. "I got up too late, I'm sorry."

Fang Xiaoya's face lit up with a bright smile upon hearing the sound. "Oh, Qingting, you're awake! It's nothing, it's nothing. You injured your head, so you should rest more. Did you sleep well?" Her tone was light and cheerful, without a trace of impatience. "The timing is perfect. I'll take you to a super delicious soup dumpling place. Their crab roe soup dumplings are absolutely amazing! I eat them every few days in Hengdian. Brother Du loves them too!"

The two washed up quickly. Zhu Qingting went out without makeup, only carefully spraying on a layer of sunscreen.

Fang Xiaoya watched from the side. Even without makeup, Zhu Qingting's skin was fair and radiant, and she had a clear and captivating temperament. She secretly admired her boss's good taste!

After the two got ready to leave, Fang Xiaoya took out her phone and made a call. "Driver, we'll be at the hotel parking lot in about five minutes. Thank you for your help."

After hanging up the phone, seeing Zhu Qingting's puzzled expression, Fang Xiaoya explained with a smile, "It was arranged by Brother Du. He was worried that it would be inconvenient for us to travel around, so he specially hired a car and a driver to pick us up and drop us off these days. We can go wherever we want."

Zhu Qingting was stunned.

She hadn't expected that while she was sound asleep, Chai Yundu, while busy on set, would also be so thoughtfully considering these things for her.

He's always like that, quiet and unassuming, yet he arranges everything perfectly and thoughtfully.

Over the next three days, accompanied by Fang Xiaoya, an insider, Zhu Qingting's travel experience far exceeded that of ordinary tourists.

They strolled leisurely through classic Ming and Qing palaces, Qin Palace, Guangzhou Street, and Hong Kong Street.

Fang Xiaoya was an excellent guide. At each place, she could point to a corner and tell a story about filming Chaiyundu.

"Sister Qingting, look at this city wall," Fang Xiaoya said, pointing upwards at a section of slightly mottled city wall outside the Qin Palace. "Last year, when we were filming 'Beacon Fire City,' Brother Du was here, suspended by wires for a whole day. The wires were so tight that when we got back at night, his waist and legs were covered in dark purple bruises that took many days to fade. It was quite frightening to look at."

Walking into a quiet bamboo grove hidden behind a deserted old house, Xiaoya pointed to a few artificial rocks and said, "Here, during the filming of the night scene for 'Breaking the Army,' Brother Du was fighting a group of men in black who were trying to assassinate him. The scene was very chaotic. As a result, one of the stuntmen didn't control his position well, and when Brother Du dodged, his shoulder hit the edge of this rock hard. I heard a 'crack' sound, and it sounded painful. He just endured it and finished filming all the scenes that night before going to the hospital. Later, the examination revealed a fracture. The doctor told him to rest, so he rested for a day, had it bandaged and immobilized, and then came back to film the dialogue scenes that didn't require much movement."

On a vast, imitation ancient battlefield, Xiaoya pointed to the yellow earth, her voice filled with emotion, "And here, three years ago, during the hottest summer, the temperature was over forty degrees Celsius. We were filming a scene of a large army charging. Brother Du, wearing dozens of kilograms of metal armor, fainted twice from heatstroke under the sun. We sprayed him with cold water to wake him up, gave him some Huoxiang Zhengqi Water (a traditional Chinese medicine for heatstroke), and after resting in the shade for ten or twenty minutes, he gritted his teeth and continued filming." She patted the bag she carried with her, "So you see, I always keep cooling oil, fever-reducing patches, and Huoxiang Zhengqi Water in my bag now, I can't do without any of them."

When Xiaoya recounted these events, her tone was filled with undisguised heartache, but even more so with heartfelt admiration.

Zhu Qingting listened quietly, her gaze sweeping over the seemingly ordinary bricks, stones, and sand that bore witness to his countless sweat and pain. It was as if through these things she could see the man who worked so hard on set and was extremely demanding of himself.

He is no longer the dazzling, top-tier star surrounded by fans on the screen, but an ordinary person with flesh and blood, who feels pain and fatigue, yet gives his all for the career and roles he loves.

How similar he is to me!

In casual conversation, Xiaoya opened up and deliberately revealed a lot of private information about Chai Yundu that was previously unknown to others.

“Sister Qingting, don’t be fooled by how famous Brother Du is now. He really earned it all through his own hard work and dedication. It wasn’t easy for him.” Xiaoya’s tone was very sincere. “He may seem a bit cold on the outside and not very talkative, but he has a really good heart. He’s extremely strict with himself, but he’s very generous and considerate to his staff. As for his love life… sigh, it’s practically a blank slate.”

"Blank?" Zhu Qingting was somewhat surprised. After all, the just-right thoughtfulness and closeness that Chai Yundu showed her made her feel that he was not a novice in matters of the heart.

“Yes!” Xiaoya nodded vigorously. “I’ve been following him ever since he signed with our company after filming ‘The Bone Scheme.’ For the past five years, he has been single and has never had any scandals. He doesn’t cooperate with the drama’s promotion to create a CP (couple pairing). His private life is very simple. He’s either reading scripts, filming, working out, or sparring with Shi Yufan. He’s practically an ascetic.”

She paused, then lowered her voice and said, "I think one reason is that 'The Strategist' was so popular back then. The brotherhood between him and Xu Yi was portrayed so deeply that there's still a large group of very dedicated, even somewhat extreme, 'Bone Fans' who don't allow him to create any on-screen couples with other actresses. Before, when other actresses wanted to create some rumors with him to increase their popularity, as soon as the news started to spread, these fans attacked them relentlessly, digging up dirt, spreading rumors, and making personal attacks, which made things very ugly. Another reason is that Du Ge himself hadn't met any girls he liked before, and he was focused on acting and improving himself."

Zhu Qingting listened silently. It turned out that Chai Yundu was not the kind of playboy "love expert" Qin Youyou had guessed. His world was perhaps simpler, cleaner, and even...lonely than many people imagined.

Although she still couldn't be completely sure where his sudden concern and affection for her came from.

Did he find out that she was the girl he had worked with at the sports school back then? Or was it just because of that dance performance on the Spring Festival Gala? Or was there some reason she didn't know?

But whatever the reason, as Xiaoya recounted her story and gained a deeper understanding of Chai Yundu, Zhu Qingting's defenses gradually loosened and softened.

Perhaps she could try to let go of her doubts and burdens, try to get a little closer to him, and personally explore the truth behind that special feeling.

This is the fourth day in Hengdian. According to the plan, Zhu Qingting and Xiaoya are going to visit the Qingming Riverside Scene scenic area, where Chaiyundu is currently filming.

Although it's only early April, the sun in Hengdian is already quite strong, and it's rather dazzling.

Fang Xiaoya specially took her to a dessert shop hidden deep in the old street and bought several servings of cool and sweet mango pomelo sago. "Take them to Brother Du and the others to cool them down; they've worked hard filming," Xiaoya explained.

The two walked into the scenic area, carrying cold drinks and chatting.

"I asked Brother Fan this morning, and Brother Du has a very full schedule this morning. He's probably still filming right now. It's too hot outside, let's go to the car and enjoy the air conditioning while we wait for him."

They quickly found the familiar black RV in the designated parking area for the film crew. Fang Xiaoya, saying, "The sun is too strong outside," skillfully opened the RV door and gestured to Zhu Qingting, "Sister Qingting, come on in and cool off for a bit!"

Zhu Qingting, without suspecting anything, naturally stepped onto the RV's steps.

However, when she turned to look inside the carriage, she froze on the spot, her pupils dilating slightly in shock.

Although the car windows were covered with black privacy film, making them completely opaque, the interior was still brightly lit.

At this moment, Chai Yundu was standing with his back to the car door. His elaborate ancient costume was half-slipped down to his waist, loosely piled up around his slender waist and hips, revealing his smooth and strong back.

His bronze skin glowed with a healthy sheen under the light, and the ancient-style wig on his head had a few strands of black hair hanging down his neck, creating a striking contrast with his bare skin.

Hearing the noise behind him, Chai Yundu assumed it was his assistant returning. He turned around naturally and asked, "Yu Fan, did you bring back the medicinal wine?"

This turn was even more impactful.

A well-defined chest, well-defined abs, and a deeply defined and alluring V-line...

At this moment, Chai Yundu was bursting with hormones, like a cheetah revealing its fierce instincts.

Zhu Qingting felt as if all the blood in her body rushed to her face, burning her ears bright red, and her mind went blank.

She snapped back to reality and apologized almost incoherently, "I'm so sorry! We didn't know you were in the car!"

Before she could finish speaking, she had already turned around in a flurry, almost stumbling out of the RV, and slammed the door shut with a "bang," her movements as fast as if a cheetah was chasing her.

Fang Xiaoya was startled by her sudden reaction and quickly asked, "What's wrong, Sister Qingting? Is Brother Du in the car? What's he doing?"

Zhu Qingting used the back of her hand to cool her burning cheeks, her eyes darting around, her voice barely a whisper, "He...he seems to be injured...waiting for Shi Yufan to bring the medicinal wine..."

She was so embarrassed she wanted to disappear into the ground.

Good heavens, what did she just see!

Although they have seen male dancers with their upper bodies bare, and even had physical contact with them, male dancers also pay attention to maintaining their physique.

But……

But I've never seen anything like this before...

A body brimming with wildness, power, and a strong visual impact.

It seems more aggressive, more primitive, and more unsettling.

The two of them, holding parasols, waited in the shade outside the car for a short while before they saw Shi Yufan walking quickly over with a bottle of brown medicinal wine in his hand.

Fang Xiaoya greeted him familiarly and asked, "Brother Fan, how did Brother Du get injured?"

Shi Yufan's face was not good. He complained irritably, "It's all because of that new guy with connections! His basic skills are terrible. Today, when we were filming a scene together, he couldn't even do a simple over-the-shoulder throw properly. He didn't put the force in the right place and almost dislocated Brother Du's shoulder! Luckily, Brother Du reacted quickly, but he still strained his tendons. Now, his shoulder hurts, and he asked me to apply some ointment and massage it for him. That's when we realized that your medicine bag wasn't in your pocket, so we quickly went to borrow one from the action director and the others."

Upon hearing this, Fang Xiaoya immediately began to grumble and complain about the person with connections, then urged Shi Yufan, "Then hurry up and go upstairs to rub the medicine on Brother Du, don't delay. This," she handed over the cold drink she was carrying, "is for Brother Du, to cool him down and relieve the heat."

Shi Yufan took the cold drink, turned around, and got into the RV.

Fang Xiaoya turned to Zhu Qingting, whose cheeks were still flushed and whose eyes were darting around, and said, "Sister Qingting, their medicated wine massage usually takes about half an hour to work. Come on, let's go get the crew's boxed lunches first! Let me show you how our crew's food is!"

Zhu Qingting was eager to leave this place that made her "socially miserable," so she immediately grabbed Fang Xiaoya's arm and replied repeatedly, "Okay! Let's go, let's go!"

On her way to collect her lunchbox, Zhu Qingting's heartbeat gradually calmed down.

After receiving four boxed meals, she was a little confused, "Why are there four meals for the two of us?"

"I got these for Brother Du and Brother Fan!" Fang Xiaoya said matter-of-factly. "They must be hungry after they finished rubbing the medicinal wine on their skin. Let's go, they should be done soon. Let's eat in the car, it's better than being out in the sun."

"..." Zhu Qingting suddenly felt like dying again.

Go back? Go back to face Chai Yundu, with whom that awkward scene just happened?

A note from the author:

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