OSM Chapter 28: “What a coincidence. I just finished filming too.”

The lie was exposed on the spot, but the atmosphere wasn’t particularly awkward.

Li Yuze, undeterred, raised an eyebrow and nonchalantly handed the remote back to him.

The next day, everything returned to normal.

But no one knew that the remote in the resting room had quietly made a trip to the international airport late at night, stayed there for a few hours, and then quietly returned.

During this period, there wasn’t much major news, but online discussions about the relationship between Li Yuze and Gao Kui were still lively.

Many people knew that they were alumni of the same school, but few were aware that they had been roommates.

With this revelation, Gao Kui’s troubles followed in quick succession. Although he was busy with the filming, calls from media reporters came one after another. The ones who were able to reach him were mostly high-ranking officials from certain newspapers, who subtly inquired if it was true that Li Yuze had really gotten married.

Gao Kui would say “Of course it’s true,” but behind the scenes, he would bitterly complain to Fang Haochuan, “I hope this never becomes real. Some people take advantage and then discard you. Their hearts are too dirty!”

He was still upset that Li Yuze not only used him but also didn’t give him any cake.

Fang Haochuan seemed amused on the phone and didn’t offer much comfort, advising him to focus on the filming.

Gao Kui felt a bit lighter after venting, but there was still one thing he didn’t understand. He asked Fang Haochuan, “I remember He Zhiqiu had to go through a strict selection process to get into the Ping Sha production. When Li Yuze persuaded me to take the role, wasn’t He Zhiqiu’s character still undecided? How did he know He Zhiqiu would get the role, and then use me as a shield?”

Fang Haochuan, who had grown up with Li Yuze, laughed and said, “He’s not some sort of fortune teller. How could he know for sure that He Zhiqiu would get the role?”

Gao Kui was stunned for a moment and then felt a bit guilty. “Did I misunderstand him? Did he really want me to take this role for my own good?”

Fang Haochuan shattered his illusion with a harsh truth. “No way. I don’t think he knew for sure that He Zhiqiu would get the part. But if He Zhiqiu did get it, you, as one of the few friends he could visit on set, had to be in that production.”

“And think about it, the filming started in February, and He Zhiqiu’s birthday is on Valentine’s Day.”

Fang Haochuan speculated, “So, he probably just wanted to be sure that if He Zhiqiu really joined the production, he’d have the opportunity to visit the set and celebrate his birthday with him.”

In the blink of an eye, it was already May.

The weather gradually warmed up.

He Zhiqiu took off his thick winter clothes, wrapped up his last shot for Pingsha, and bid farewell to the crew, returning to A City.

Xu Sui had asked him to come to the company for a meeting first, and then he’d have a week to adjust his schedule before starting new work.

Though He Zhiqiu didn’t have many projects, his career was steadily getting on track. The web drama he filmed last year had been completed and released in two episodes on a streaming platform. However, since there hadn’t been much promotion and it didn’t have a prominent spot, the number of viewers wasn’t very high. Still, there were a few fans of the original novel who might check it out to see whether it was good or not.

Xu Sui asked him to come over to talk about this and also to tidy up his Weibo profile and verify his actor status.

He Zhiqiu had been busy recently and hadn’t checked his Weibo for several days. Upon hearing Xu Sui’s request, he remembered to check it.

He didn’t have many followers, most of them were inactive accounts pushed by the system. Recently, however, he gained a small batch of followers when the official account tagged his name for the web drama promotion.

His name was even changed on the day of the promotion.

His Weibo was pretty empty, and new followers tried to interact with him, leaving comments under the system-generated birthday wishes.

Xu Sui told him to post about his daily life once or twice a week, not too much, but also not too little.

He Zhiqiu wasn’t sure what to post. He rarely recorded his life on social media, even though he had had his Weibo account for many years. He mostly used it to follow Li Yuze.

Xu Sui advised him not to post any philosophical reflections or comment on entertainment trends, as his followers might not all be fans of the same celebrities. Any careless words could be over-analyzed.

“You can ask Li Yuze what to post,” Xu Sui suggested. “He definitely knows what’s appropriate to share, but don’t post like him, with one original post every few years. We’re not at his level yet.”

Mentioning Li Yuze made He Zhiqiu glance at his phone.

It had been several months since they last saw each other, ever since his birthday. At first, he hadn’t felt it, but recently he realized how busy Li Yuze truly was. He often replied to messages but never seemed to be available in person. Whenever he returned, it was already late at night. However, no matter how late, Li Yuze always replied, even if it was just a single word, so He Zhiqiu didn’t have to wait.

Yesterday was an exception, though. He had told Li Yuze he was done with work and was heading home, but he still hadn’t received a reply. He didn’t dare to call directly, worried about disturbing Li Yuze’s work.

After leaving the company, He Zhiqiu stood under the bus stop sign with his luggage, taking out a newly saved phone number.

It was Meng Lin’s number.

Li Yuze had given it to him a few days ago, telling him to contact Meng Lin if he couldn’t reach him for urgent matters. Li Yuze had even added, “Forget it, you probably won’t have any urgent matters for me.”

Though the remark seemed like he was fishing for pity, there had been no urgency at the time, and it was deep into the night, so he hadn’t wanted to trouble Meng Lin.

But now, He Zhiqiu was feeling anxious. He didn’t hesitate and called Meng Lin.

Luckily, the call connected quickly. The background noise suggested Meng Lin was still on set.

“Hello? Mr. He?” Meng Lin had saved his number too and, out of breath, moved to a quieter spot. “Is there something you need?”

He Zhiqiu asked, “Is Li Yuze busy?”

Meng Lin answered, “Yes.” He seemed to understand the purpose of the call and added, “Don’t worry, we’re wrapping up the last few shots. Originally, we were supposed to wait a few more days, but my ge heard you were—mmph!”

Before he could finish his sentence, something muffled his mouth.

A few seconds later, the voice on the other end changed.

He Zhiqiu blinked, hearing Li Yuze, “Is there something you need?”

He Zhiqiu replied honestly, “I texted you yesterday, but you didn’t respond. I… was a bit worried.”

Li Yuze calmly responded, “Oh.” He added, “My phone broke during filming yesterday. I haven’t had a chance to replace it yet.” Then he asked, “What did you message me yesterday?”

He Zhiqiu explained, “It wasn’t anything important. I just told you that my work here is finished, and I’m going home today.”

“Oh?” Li Yuze seemed surprised. “What a coincidence. I just finished filming too.”

“I’m preparing to go home today.”