The low pressure followed them all the way. Stepping out of the elevator, Zhou Yining grabbed his sleeve from behind. “Hey, I really didn’t do it on purpose.”

Ji Dongyang glanced at her but didn’t respond.

Zhou Yining raised her hands in surrender, pouting. “Fine, I admit I did it on purpose. But I really forgot you had to film tomorrow.”

Ji Dongyang peeled her hand off and continued walking forward.

She glared furiously at his retreating figure, then followed him again, jumping in front of him, saying somewhat aggrievedly, “I was drunk. It doesn’t count. Ji Dongyang, don’t hold a grudge against a drunk woman.”

He finally stopped, looking down at her. “Okay.”
Having said that, he turned to enter his code.

Zhou Yining stood there dumbfounded for a second, then followed. Ji Dongyang walked in, and she tried to follow too.

Ji Dongyang leaned against the doorframe, one hand holding the door, looking down at her with a light laugh. “What, still want to come in?”

She did! She nodded vigorously, her eyes fixed on his bitten lip.

Ji Dongyang’s expression turned serious. “Look what time it is. Go home.”
The next second, the door slammed shut with a *bang*.

Zhou Yining rubbed her nose, feeling like she might be facing another door-based ban in the near future.

*If only I’d bitten a little softer.*

…

Early the next morning, Aming came to pick him up in a different car. Ji Dongyang emerged from the elevator wearing a mask and didn’t take it off immediately after getting in the car. Aming glanced in the rearview mirror, somewhat worried. “Dong-ge, do you have a cold?”

Ji Dongyang: “No.”
He took off the mask and let it hang loosely on one side.

Habitually reaching for an eye mask, he then remembered they’d changed cars. “Get me an eye mask.”
Aming quickly took a new one from a box and handed it to him. Turning back, he finally noticed the cut on Dong-ge’s lower lip. He stared dumbly for a few seconds. Ji Dongyang had already taken the eye mask with an unruffled expression, put it on, and leaned back.

Aming stared at him for a good while before slowly turning his head back around. This was clearly a woman’s bite!

Aside from the little she-devil last night, there was no one else.

Aming thought indignantly, *Biting like this, she’s not a little she-devil anymore; she’s a full-on sorceress!*

Was the battle that intense last night?

“Drive properly.”
A cold reminder. Aming quickly cleared the censored images from his mind and focused on driving.

Arriving on set, Ji Dongyang, still masked, went straight to his private dressing room before finally removing the mask to change clothes. Aming, holding his jacket, looked at the makeup artist waiting nearby. He could imagine how dramatic her expression would be in a moment.

The makeup artist was organizing things on the vanity. When Ji Dongyang sat down, she quickly smiled. “Good morning, Dong-ge.”
Looking up into the mirror, her expression instantly froze. She screamed inwardly: *Oh my god!*

Ji Dongyang glanced at her and asked mildly, “Can you cover it?”
The makeup artist stiffly observed the cut, swallowing hard. “I can, but… covering it completely will be a bit difficult. I’ll do my best!”
The test of her skills had arrived.

If it really didn’t work, they could always fix it in post-production.

Ji Dongyang closed his eyes, leaning back in the chair, looking tired and somewhat helpless. “麻烦你 Sorry for the trouble.”

They were all adults. No one was foolish enough to ask how it got there. Anyone with eyes could see, and anyone with a brain could guess. As she applied his makeup, the artist couldn’t help but let her imagination run wild. *How intense must last night have been to cause this! The icy Dong-ge actually likes this type? Just thinking about Dong-ge… Stop! I’m going to get a nosebleed.*

The makeup assistant beside her was almost losing control, too, only stabilizing her emotions after being glared at by the main artist.

Aming, seeing the makeup artist’s hand trembling slightly, silently went out to brew coffee for Ji Dongyang.

In truth, covering a cut like that, especially on the lip, was indeed quite difficult. The makeup artist really used every trick she knew just to barely conceal it.

Ji Dongyang was an actor who pursued perfection in his work. He could tell at a glance that it looked slightly different from usual and frowned slightly. The makeup artist hurriedly said, “I did my best.”
Ji Dongyang took a deep breath. “ (I know, Thanks.”

After Ji Dongyang left the dressing room, Aming quickly went up to the makeup artist. “Ming-jie, keep this quiet, okay?”
It concerned Dong-ge’s reputation. This kind of thing wouldn’t sound good if it got out.

The makeup artist was a die-hard fan of Ji Dongyang. Although she desperately wanted to gossip about such juicy news with her friends, she held back. “Okay, don’t worry. I won’t spread it around.”
The makeup assistant was also bribed into silence by Aming.

They were filming indoor scenes today. Director Xu was discussing the scene with Ji Dongyang and Zhou Wei. Mid-discussion, he looked at Ji Dongyang. “Dongyang, are you getting internal heat?”
He hadn’t seen him eat any barbecue last night. Ji Dongyang’s expression didn’t change. “Yeah.”

Filming was in its final stages. Director Xu was also concerned about the actors’ health affecting the schedule. He expressed concern for a few more sentences before starting to film.

Zhou Yining, suffering from a hangover, didn’t wake up until noon.

After wrapping, she didn’t seem to have much going on in the near future. Wan Wei had increased the number of training courses for her, some even one-on-one, all while waiting for the *Knots of the Heart* audition.

Ah! Wrap! Ji Dongyang would be wrapping soon, too. Would he move out then?

Aming had said he didn’t stay in one place permanently. He had many properties and lived wherever was convenient. Who knew where he’d move after wrapping?

Thinking of this, Zhou Yining frustratedly grabbed a handful of her hair.

She could only pray that the audition went smoothly so she could continue being in the same crew with him.

After lunch, Zhou Yining texted Aming on WeChat, asking when Ji Dongyang would be back today.

Aming: “Not telling you.”
Zhou Yining: “…”
So annoying!

Aming: “You bit Dong-ge’s lip last night. You have no idea how hard it was for the makeup artist. Dong-ge didn’t stop frowning all day. You’re too ruthless! You won’t win Dong-ge over like this! Women need to be gentle to be cute.”
Zhou Yining was impressed by Aming’s loyalty. She asked, “Was Dong-ge’s ex-girlfriend very gentle?”
Aming: “Yes.”
Zhou Yining: “So they broke up!”
Aming was left speechless because he realized Dong-ge did treat the little she-devil somewhat differently. How to put it? He had a bit more patience and was very indulgent. He allowed her into his home to drink, didn’t change the password… He told Zhou Yining, “Dong-ge has a big night shoot tonight.”
Zhou Yining pouted and tossed her phone aside.

Over on set, after Ji Dongyang finished two scenes, Aming handed him his phone. “Brother Yang said he needs to discuss something with you.”
Ji Dongyang called Yang Xun back. Yang Xun said, “Director Wei wants to schedule a meal with us. I checked Aming’s schedule for the crew. How about tomorrow night? I’ll pick you up directly from the set tomorrow.”
Ji Dongyang had no objections. “Okay.”
Yang Xun paused, then asked, “Did paparazzi chase you last night? And Zhou Yining was in the car? Sure, they didn’t get anything?”
Ji Dongyang: “No. She didn’t get out of the car.”
Yang Xun was silent for a few seconds. Ji Dongyang had already hung up.

The next afternoon, Yang Xun came to pick him up. Ji Dongyang got in the car wearing a mask. Yang Xun smiled. “This time, the role is basically set. It just depends on whether you want to take it.”
Ji Dongyang leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes to rest. “Is the female lead confirmed?”
Yang Xun paused. “Not yet. But Zhou Yining is among the candidates.”
Ji Dongyang opened his eyes, saying slowly, “Is that so?”
“Yeah. Wan Wei seems very confident.”
Yang Xun added, “*Knots of the Heart*’s main investor was originally Star Universe, decided before the change in ownership. The new owner, Ke Teng, has been getting very close to Xinchen International lately. They want Li Zheng to play the male lead. Li Zheng did just win Best Actor this year; he certainly has influence and skill. But money talks. Director Wei can’t make the final decision alone; he can only say he’ll consider it. That’s why Li Zheng was at the last dinner.”
Ji Dongyang: “I know. Director Wei called me.”
“Director Wei insists on wanting you for the male lead, convinced only you can portray the right feeling. Star Universe threatened to withdraw funding, thinking Director Wei would compromise. Surprisingly, Director Wei stood his ground. After Star Universe pulled out, another investor quickly approached. It’s not clear who yet, but I suspect it might have something to do with Zhou Yining. Otherwise, Wan Wei wouldn’t be so confident.”

Yang Xun said all this just to remind Ji Dongyang that Zhou Yining’s family situation was complicated enough already; it was best to avoid it if possible.

Ji Dongyang was silent for a few seconds. “You know very well I only look at the script when accepting roles. If the script is good, I take it. I don’t care about my co-star.”
Yang Xun shrugged, as if he’d wasted his breath.

After parking the car, Yang Xun looked back at Ji Dongyang and finally noticed the cut on his lip. He took a deep breath and asked, “Don’t tell me Zhou Yining bit that.”
Ji Dongyang opened the car door and got out. “Director Wei should be here soon.”
Yang Xun took it as confirmation and helplessly averted his gaze, following him out.

This dinner was only with Director Wei, the screenwriter, and the producer—five people in a private room. Director Wei brought up the previous incident again, toasting Ji Dongyang and Yang Xun. “There won’t be any more hiccups this time. Hope we can cooperate happily.”
Ji Dongyang smiled. “Looking forward to it.”

Yang Xun asked about the female lead. Director Wei smiled. “There are two suitable candidates. One is Shen Qing, the other is a newcomer—Zhou Yining, who’s currently working with you on *The Peaceful Dynasty*. Shen Qing’s acting is universally acknowledged as good, and her image is good too. But the female lead is 22 years old. Zhou Yining is the right age and has a lot of natural talent. I’ve seen the video clips and photo materials Wan Wei sent over. Her image fits better. I’m just a bit concerned about her acting skills. Still deliberating.”

Shen Qing acted well and had a good image, but her age was a bit older, similar to Ji Dongyang’s. Worried she might not feel right playing a 22-year-old girl. Zhou Yining’s image suited the role, and her age was right, just worried her acting skills weren’t solid enough.

Everyone present understood Director Wei’s meaning. By saying this, Director Wei also wanted to hear what Ji Dongyang, who had worked with Zhou Yining, had to say. In the end, Ji Dongyang said nothing.

The dinner concluded.

Yang Xun dropped him off downstairs, couldn’t help saying, “Dongyang, you’re not really planning on letting something happen with that little she-devil next door, are you?”
Or had it already happened?

Ji Dongyang looked out the window. Yang Xun said, “Don’t you think you’re being too indulgent with her? A man’s fondness for a woman always starts with indulgence.”

Upstairs, Zhou Yining was hiding by her door, anxiously peeking out. *Why isn’t he back yet?*