Second Take On Romance - The A-List Actor Wants Me
Chapter 54 : A Night With The Emperor (1)

Chapter 54: Chapter 54 : A Night With The Emperor (1)

The shooting at the Maiden Tears Lake concluded before lunch time.

Originally, they all planned to go back together to Peak Point Shooting Studio, but then Feng Jietang’s manager came over to whisk him away.

"The photography session for BxB magazine’s cover has been rescheduled," his manager informed Director Ma. "I am so sorry, can I kidnap him away for at least three days?"

Director Ma hummed while rubbing the stubble at his chin.

"We don’t have any important acts to shoot with Jiang Muchen in the upcoming days," his assistant informed him after going through the script three times in a row.

"Alright," Director Ma shook a rolled-up script at Feng Jietang’s manager in a threatening manner. "Make sure this doesn’t happen again."

Feng Jietang groaned unhappily when his manager urged him to leave.

"Can’t we at least have lunch first?" He cried out. "There is this restaurant I have always wanted to try..."

"No time, no time!" The manager pushed the actor like he would a rebellious child who did not want to go home after a playdate. "I already bought some lunch boxes for us. I will buy you some snacks later on!"

Faced with no other choice, the dejected Feng Jietang took his leave.

The production team loaded all the props and equipment into two large trucks before boarding the smaller cars that had been rented specifically for the crew and cast.

It always took time for actors to remove their makeup and change their clothes, especially because the number of helpers was limited to only several people.

Shen Jingwei was the last one to finish. By the time he was ready, only one car remained, waiting for him to board.

Inside the car, other than the driver and a cameraman who sat at the front, there was only one other person at the back.

It was Yan Renzhong.

Shen Jingwei was visibly stunned when he opened the door and saw said man inside.

Yan Renzhong gave him a look.

"What is it? Get in," he said.

"Oh. Right."

Shen Jingwei climbed in and the car took off.

In order to avoid looking at Yan Renzhong, Shen Jingwei turned his head and looked outside the window.

Although they had been traveling together several times for filming purpose, this was the first time they sat next to each other, be it in a car or a train.

Yan Renzhong usually had people from CNC Studio surrounding him like a swarm of busy bees.

Shen Jingwei had his own circle of friends and co-stars, with whom he maintained cordial relationships.

Their social circles were distinct and rarely crossed paths.

So now that they sat next to each other, Shen Jingwei did not know what to do other than pretend Yan Renzhong was not there.

Not like Yan Renzhong was dying to talk to him either, so that was good.

...

But it was too quiet, wasn’t it?

Shen Jingwei pressed his lips together into a thin line.

On the other hand, he couldn’t just engage the cameraman in a conversation, shutting Yan Renzhong out completely.

Not that he was familiar with the cameraman.

Arghhhh.

Shen Jingwei almost ripped his hair out of his scalp.

Suddenly, the driver spoke up.

"Ahhh, this is bad."

He instantly garnered attention of all three passengers.

"Sir*, what’s wrong?" The cameraman asked.

The driver pointed to the intersection in front of them, where traffic officers could be seen rerouting vehicles onto a different road.

When they arrived at the intersection, a traffic officer knocked at the driver’s window.

"Good afternoon, Sir. What is going on?" The driver asked.

"There was an accident up ahead," the traffic officer informed him. "A family car bumped into a truck loaded with durians**. There are no casualties, but the entire road is completely blocked. No vehicle can pass. Please take the road over there."

"But this is the only road leading to the city," the driver insisted. "How long will it take to clear up the road?"

The traffic officer blew air from his mouth.

"Ufh... Three, four hours? Even if you are willing to wait, we cannot allow you to wait here. Please go back and return in three or four hours."

The driver reluctantly made a turn and went back the way they came.

"We can’t go on," the cameraman murmured.

"In three to four hours, the sun will set. If we insist continuing with the trip, we will arrive at Peak Point Shooting Studio past midnight."

The driver bit into his lower lip.

"Then... What should we do?"

Yan Renzhong squinted out of the window.

"Didn’t Feng Jietang mention a restaurant nearby? Isolated restaurants like that often have an inn nearby. Let’s stay for the night and leave in the morning."

And so the car headed for the restaurant. Thankfully, the owner was business-minded. Attached to the restaurant was a neat inn, reserved for weary guests who chose to stay the night after eating a satisfactory meal.

When the four men arrived, all tables in the restaurant were occupied. Around twenty people gathered at the inn’s reception area, looking to book a room for the night.

"Oh, oh..."

Swift as an eagle, the cameraman rushed to join the crowd.

"Excuse me! Excuse me! I want four single-bed rooms, please!" He cried out while waving a credit card above his head.

"Are you nuts!" Another guest scolded him. "Everyone here needs a room! If you take four rooms, where are we supposed to sleep? In the basement???"

The cameraman fought valiantly for rooms, but in the end, he was only able to get two rooms.

Even worse, each room only had a single bed.

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Author’s note :

*Time for a little Chinese lesson by Lu Shui!

In China, drivers are referred to as "Shifu". Shifu = teacher, master.

I can’t write "teacher" here because it only sounds weird in English. Be content with "Sir" (⁠

**Durian = a fruit with very strong odor, encased in hard, spiky shell. People either love it or hate it.