Huayu: That year, I withdrew from the Super Boy competition.

In the days that followed, Su Wei noticed a very interesting phenomenon more than once.

Hu Ge approached Yang Mi several times, trying to ease the tension.

They adopted a very humble posture, clearly indicating their intention to bow their heads.

But each time, he had just walked up to Yang Mi's side.

Before she could even open her mouth, Yang Mi would get up and leave with any excuse.

Their attitude was decisive, leaving no room for negotiation.

What Su Wei didn't expect was...

Instead of deliberately avoiding suspicion, Yang Mi moved closer to him more and more frequently.

Logically speaking, after the incident in the dressing room last time...

The two should have deliberately kept their distance to avoid rumors and controversy within the production crew.

The rumors within the film crew were already escalating, with various versions flying around.

Some say he and Yang Mi have been secretly together for a long time, while others speculate that Yang Mi is two-timing.

Su Wei himself didn't care; men aren't afraid of gossip. But he was quite worried that Yang Mi would be burdened by these rumors.

Yang Mi's actions were completely contrary to his expectations.

Yang Mi now spends even more time by his side than she does with Liu Shishi, making her arguably the person he interacts with most closely in the entire cast and crew.

While waiting for their turn to rest, she immediately moved a stool over to join them;

When the film crew ate together, she always sat next to him;

Whenever the director called for a break, she was almost always the first one to walk towards him.

Moreover, she doesn't talk about anything serious about work when she comes over; she just does random, pointless little things.

He picked up his water glass and took a sip, then complained that the water was too cold.

Or they'll just ramble on about random things, making conversation for no reason.

Su Wei knew the answer.

Yang Mi did this on purpose for the whole crew to see.

She was silently refuting those ambiguous rumors by interacting in this open and unreserved way.

The two of them are exactly the same as they were before, open and honest.

However, this frankness is perhaps taken a little too seriously.

Su Wei was both amused and exasperated.

What was originally just a formality to deal with rumors was turned into a daily routine by her.

This made the two of them even closer, and they seemed to be getting along even more like a couple than before.

Once, while waiting for their turn on set, the two sat side by side on folding chairs in the corner.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, Su Wei hesitated for a long time before finally speaking up.

He didn't ask directly, but probed indirectly.

"Sister Mi, you and Lao Hu...aren't things getting too tense between you two right now?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Mi suddenly turned her head to look at him.

She didn't speak, but stared quietly at Su Wei, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

All Su Wei could understand was that clear message of dissuasion—don't ask anymore.

He was completely oblivious to her hidden grievances, awkwardness, and helplessness.

This silent stare lasted for nearly ten seconds before Yang Mi slowly withdrew her gaze and uttered two words softly:

"no."

His tone was flat, devoid of any emotion, yet it conveyed a sense of detachment and reluctance to discuss further.

What Su Wei didn't know was that Yang Mi's increasingly intimate behavior towards him was precisely the direct cause of the complete breakdown in her relationship with Hu Ge.

But that's understandable.

From Su Wei's perspective, she always felt it was just a misunderstanding.

The playful banter in the dressing room that day, while seemingly intimate, didn't involve any inappropriate behavior; it was at most just jokes between close friends.

In his view, such ordinary interaction should not have caused their relationship to become so strained.

However, the subsequent developments completely exceeded Su Wei's expectations.

He always felt that Yang Mi was clinging to him.

It was really inexplicable.

…………

Before we knew it, it was time for the crew's regular dinner again.

Although there was a subtle awkwardness among the group, the atmosphere in the entire cast and crew of "Chinese Paladin 3" was excellent.

Everyone gets along well, and the tradition of having meals together is unwavering.

The familiar scene remained unchanged.

As always, Hu Ge took the initiative to organize everything, busily arranging the dinner party;

Tang Yan laughed and joked throughout the entire event, frequently breaking into laughter and making lighthearted jokes.

Liu Shishi sat quietly to the side, neither vying nor competing, serene and composed.

Everyone was in the same state as usual.

The atmosphere between him, Yang Mi, and Hu Ge, however, subtly changed.

The filming wrapped up that night.

Su Wei removed her makeup, took off Chonglou's heavy black armor, and changed back into her casual clothes, instantly feeling much more relaxed.

He originally planned to go directly to the dinner location with Hu Ge and his group after finishing work.

But just as I reached the entrance of the film set, my phone, which was in my pocket, suddenly vibrated.

Su Wei took out her phone and opened it. On the screen was a message from Yang Mi, containing only a few simple words:

"Come pick me up."

He looked at the message but did not reply.

Within seconds, a second message popped up:

"Hurry up, I'm going overtime here, it's not safe to be too late."

Su Wei stared at her phone screen in silence for a long time before finally shaking her head helplessly, her heart filled with helplessness and confusion.

He really didn't understand.

Is Yang Mi's increasingly direct and uninhibited closeness meant to quell the rumors, or does she have other motives?

…………

Yang Mi has been spending most of her time on the set of "Dream of the Red Chamber" lately.

I was rushing back and forth between the two sets, so I spent much less time on the set of Chinese Paladin than before.

She doesn't know when it started, but she developed a habit.

Whenever filming night scenes for "Dream of the Red Chamber" went on too late, she never asked her assistant to pick her up; she always insisted that he come and pick her up.

Su Wei couldn't help but ask her once before why it was always her.

Yang Mi's reply was perfunctory, simply stating, "I find you pleasing to the eye."

Su Wei was both amused and exasperated, and almost blurted out, "Can't he just not like this?"

But when he looked up and saw Yang Mi's stubborn expression, which clearly left no room for negotiation, he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

Su Wei was still puzzled, unable to understand why she was so fixated on him and insisted that he pick her up and drop her off.

But after it happened so many times, he had long since stopped asking and silently got used to this inexplicable special treatment.

When Su Wei arrived at the place, he stood at the door for a moment in surprise.

The studio for the "Dream of the Red Chamber" production team is on a completely different level from that of the "Chinese Paladin 3" production team.

Both sides were piled with mobile clothes racks, on which colorful theatrical costumes hung one after another.

Su Wei could tell at a glance that these clothes were not cheap.

But the makeup was simply unbearable to look at.

Su Wei was led by staff members as she passed by the sidelines.

Several actors in makeup walked past him. He glanced at them and silently complained to himself.

I wonder what kind of aesthetic direction the makeup on those actors was going for.

The foundation was applied too thickly, and the blush was applied too realistically.

Several hairstyles reminded him of the cost-saving methods used in early period dramas.

But it's clear that this production team had a high budget; the problem was purely with their aesthetic sense.