Chapter 146: A Minor Mishap in the Studio

"Ah!" Yan Xu was equally taken aback by Joey Wong's sudden movement. Her small hand had inadvertently grabbed directly onto his firm lower region, even shifting to the side. Yan Xu was just in the middle of lifting her up, and because of the friction moments before, he was already right at the tipping point. Now, with Joey Wong's sudden clutch, that solid part instantly throbbed. Yan Xu felt all the strength in his body gush out from that single outlet. At the same time, his legs went weak, almost causing him to drop Joey Wong right out of his arms. This actually happened to align seamlessly with the development of the plot, making it look entirely natural without a trace of artificiality.

Swish—not only Yan Xu, but Joey Wong's face flushed crimson in an instant. Though she had just reached adulthood, it did not mean she was completely ignorant. Feeling the firmness in her hand suddenly throb, and through the fabric seemingly sensing waves of hot liquid spurting out, coupled with that hardness slowly softening, she suddenly realized what exactly she had just grabbed. Having never experienced anything of the sort, and realizing she had actually reached out and grabbed it herself, she could only let go abruptly, utterly at a loss for what to do.

"Cut!" With the shooting completed, Joey Wong's scenes for the day were basically wrapped up. Next up was another sequence where Yan Xu falls into the river. Upon hearing Director Tsui Hark's shout, Joey Wong instantly stood up, instinctively brushed her palms against her clothes a few times, and hurried away with a burning red face.

Watching Joey Wong's retreating figure, Yan Xu felt thoroughly ashamed. He had truly made a fool of himself, and the favorable impression he had spent these past few days building in Joey Wong's eyes was now completely wiped out.

Since what happened between the two of them occurred entirely in private, the rest of the crew members noticed nothing unusual. Joey Wong's departure was simply assumed to be for a touch-up of her makeup in preparation for the upcoming horseback riding scenes. Meanwhile, Yan Xu had no choice but to endure the sticky, muddy mess between his legs and wait to shoot the next sequence.

Perhaps out of an urgent desire to figure out how to explain things to Joey Wong, Yan Xu filmed this water-falling scene exceptionally smoothly, passing on the very first take. Moreover, the freezing lake water washed away the stickiness between his legs completely.

After changing into a fresh costume and touching up his makeup, Yan Xu stepped out of the trailer designated for the actors.

On the grassy field not far away, a sturdy, dark-red horse stood with its head lowered, pacing slowly. Several crew members were busy fitting it with a saddle and reins, while a stable hand conducted a final check on the animal.

"Young Master Yan, we are about to begin. Is there anything else you need?" Seeing Yan Xu emerge from the actors' trailer, his assistant hurried over.

"Is everything ready?" Yan Xu asked casually, his gaze darting around as if searching for something. "How come I don't see Xiao Xian? Aren't our scenes scheduled together shortly?"

"Miss Wong is still in the makeup trailer. The hairstyle for this scene is different from the previous one, so the styling took a bit longer. I called her earlier, so she should be just about finished," the assistant replied.

"I'll go check on her!" With that, Yan Xu walked over to the other trailer.

The door of the trailer was open, so Yan Xu walked right inside. Joey Wong was the only person in the vehicle; the makeup artist had already left, and she was standing in front of the mirror putting on her earrings. Seeing Yan Xu walk in through the reflection in the glass, a clear, nervous tremor rippled through her frame.

Yan Xu had intended to come over and apologize to Joey Wong, but now that he was actually facing her, he had no idea how to broach the subject. After all, what had happened just moments ago was simply too awkward.

The air seemed to freeze completely. Joey Wong had already finished putting on her earrings, yet she continued to stare into the mirror without turning around, while Yan Xu stood at the doorway of the trailer, simply looking at her profile.

"I won't tell anyone about what happened." After what felt like an eternity, Joey Wong finally broke the silence. As a prominent director and the boss of both a film company and a record label, if news of what just transpired leaked out, Yan Xu's reputation in the industry would undoubtedly be ruined, or worse, treated as a running joke. Assuming Yan Xu had come to silence her, she spoke up first.

"I..." Hearing Joey Wong speak, far from feeling relieved, Yan Xu frowned slightly. The cold, frigid tone of her voice was completely different from her usual demeanor, sounding almost like a completely different person.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that just now. It was merely a natural physical reaction. Facing a beauty, very few men can remain indifferent," Yan Xu said, gritting his teeth. He knew he had to clear the air right now; otherwise, they still had many scenes together ahead of them, and if this awkwardness persisted, they wouldn't even be able to finish filming.

"So you're saying it's my fault then?" Joey Wong turned around, glaring indignantly at Yan Xu. After taking advantage of her, this man actually had the nerve to say something like that, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

"I... I didn't mean it that way," Yan Xu hastily explained. "I just got deeply immersed in the scene. You know I'm a normal man, not some foolish boy like Ning Caichen; I couldn't possibly act like him. You have no idea how seductive you looked just now."

Hearing Yan Xu's explanation, Joey Wong calmed down slightly.

"I know you probably hate me right now, but we have many more scenes to shoot together. Your emotions will easily affect the upcoming filming, so I hope you can keep your feelings in check—at the very least, try not to look so disgusted when we're acting opposite each other." Seeing that Joey Wong remained silent, Yan Xu continued.

"I know. You don't need to explain anything to me. Let's just pretend that incident never happened," Joey Wong said. "I am an actress; I know what I'm supposed to do."

"Then thank you!" Yan Xu knew it was impossible to completely alter Joey Wong's perception of him overnight, so he would have to take it step by step. As long as she wasn't so cold toward him during their scenes, it was at least a good start.

"I won't disturb you any longer. The next scene is starting soon, so you should get ready." With that, Yan Xu left the trailer. Having experienced such an embarrassing episode, staying alone with Joey Wong made him feel somewhat uneasy.

Was I really that seductive? Watching Yan Xu leave and pondering his words, Joey Wong turned back to face the mirror inside the trailer. She pulled a deeply alluring expression, even letting one of her delicate shoulders slip halfway out of her dress.

In the glass, a pure yet bewitching enchantress radiated an enticing smile...

***

By the time Joey Wong emerged from the trailer, Yan Xu's solo scenes were practically finished. Of course, his solo scenes weren't particularly demanding—they merely consisted of a few galloping shots of him on horseback. Thanks to his recent equestrian training, such shots were no longer a challenge for Yan Xu.

The upcoming scenes required filming Joey Wong being pulled onto the horse by Yan Xu, followed by the two of them galloping away together at full speed.

Although Joey Wong was still very young, she was undeniably cut out for acting. Even though she still held a certain degree of lingering discomfort toward her feelings about Yan Xu, the moment they started their scene, her expression immediately absorbed the drama. Take the mounting sequence, for instance: her look of panic and anxiety was executed with absolute perfection. With a slight push off the ground using Yan Xu's hand for leverage, she vaulted entirely onto the horse. The standard of her movement bore no resemblance whatsoever to someone who had never ridden a horse before.

Naturally, as her scene partner, Yan Xu could still sense the hidden nervousness buried deep within Joey Wong. For anyone mounting a horse for the first time, a certain level of tension was inevitable, and at the exact moment Joey Wong climbed aboard, he could feel her small hand trembling slightly.

"Cut!" The mounting sequence was filmed with great ease. A one-take success was undoubtedly every film crew's favorite thing.

"We're done with that part. Next, we'll be shooting over there, but you don't need to be afraid!" Yan Xu reined in his horse, turned around to look at Joey Wong behind him, and continued his efforts to mend their relationship.

Since Joey Wong lacked horseback riding experience, for safety's sake, the upcoming galloping shots of the two of them would not actually be filmed while in motion on a real horse. Instead, they would be seated on a simple wooden rig, with the camera capturing only their upper bodies, which would later be spliced together with separate footage of a galloping horse. This was standard practice in film and television.

However, Yan Xu's words of concern fell on entirely the wrong ears, instead provoking Joey Wong's competitive spirit.

"I am not afraid at all! I don't need to shoot over there; we can just film it directly on the horse," Joey Wong said, declining the stable hand's assistance to dismount and staring straight at Yan Xu. It was obvious she wanted no part of such special treatment.

Before Yan Xu even had a chance to reject Joey Wong's decision, her manager was already terrified out of his wits by the proposal. Although Joey Wong would merely be sitting on the horse while Yan Xu handled the riding, it was still an extremely hazardous undertaking for a girl who had never ridden before. Above all, film production always prioritized safety—it was better to be safe than sorry.

Though many people tried to persuade her otherwise, this time Joey Wong seemed utterly determined, refusing to budge an inch. While her stubbornness added to everyone's anxiety, it also earned her the genuine admiration of certain crew members. Having worked with stars of all shapes and sizes—many of whom preferred to play it as safe as possible—they viewed Joey Wong's stubborn insistence as the ultimate display of professional dedication.

Ultimately, yielding to Joey Wong's persistence, the shoot was moved onto the back of a real horse. While this increased the difficulty of filming, the resulting visual was exceptionally lifelike and eliminated some of the hassle of post-production editing. Naturally, a great deal of additional safety precautions were put in place for this shoot.

With everything fully prepared, Yan Xu and Joey Wong sat atop the horse, while a camera was mounted on a vehicle parked alongside them, simply waiting for the director's cue...