Chapter 40
Lu Wan Qing leaned down, close to Shu Ci’s ear.
Their cheeks were very close, their breaths intertwined. Based on past experience, such proximity would naturally create a sense of repulsion.
However, now, that repulsion dissipated under the pressure of the close space, neither of them feeling any discomfort at this distance.
Shu Ci tilted his head slightly, facing Lu Wan Qing’s sapphire eyes.
He seemed to be able to see surging waves in this deep sea, layer upon layer of ripples, and at the end of the ripples was his own reflection.
He actually wanted him to be his male lead?
Shu Ci considered himself to have experienced many storms and seen all kinds of creative ideas from actors vying for more screen time, promotion, or unspoken rules. This was the first time he had been struck to the soul by Lu Wan Qing’s unadorned and straightforward request.
“It seems like this request is a bit difficult?” Lu Wan Qing didn’t miss a single expression on Shu Ci’s face. Looking at Shu Ci’s shocked face, he raised an eyebrow and asked.
“It’s not difficult,” Shu Ci shook his head, incredulously looking him up and down.
This was indeed something he could help with, but he was worried if it might be inappropriate for Lu Wan Qing?
He had long wanted Lu Wan Qing to appear, as the core figure in the promotional video.
When the plan was finalized, Marshal He didn’t reject his decision to use Lu Wan Qing, only saying that it depended on his own wishes. Then, when he had a meeting with the publicity team, they rejected him outright.
After all, Lu Wan Qing was a general. For the entire army, people of this level were a sacred symbol; in a sense, they could represent the golden shield, but they couldn’t be easily consumed by the public.
The most important reason for their rejection was that no one dared to personally ask Lu Wan Qing if he could participate.
“To you, it’s your dear husband, but to us, it’sā¦ a devil,” The publicity team recalled Lu Wan Qing’s training and work schedule when he was called back from Yuan Yu to the Central Base, and shuddered, rejecting Shu Ci’s proposal.
He hadn’t expected anything, yet Lu Wan Qing had brought it up himself.
Thinking of this, Shu Ci chuckled lightly: “Of course, I have no problem. You were my first choice.”
“But they said your schedule is very full and it’s not easy to free up time. I don’t want to disturb you with these things. It’s just a promotional and documentary film, it’s not as important as your other matters.”
Lu Wan Qing’s mind buzzed.
He didn’t hear anything Shu Ci said after that. When the words “You were my first choice” fell into his ears, it felt like several fireworks exploded in his heart.
He leaned against Shu Ci’s ear. He could see the soft flesh on his beautiful neck by simply lowering his head.
His pupils dilated.
He realized that he hadn’t had a repulsive reaction, and Shu Ci hadn’t shown any discomfort. The sudden realization made Lu Wan Qing’s blood boil. When did the safe distance between them shrink?
Lu Wan Qing suppressed his pounding heart and said hoarsely: “I’ll adjust my work schedule later and try to free up a whole day for you. Is that enough?”
“Enough, definitely enough. If it’s fast, half a day is enough,” Shu Ci was overjoyed, wishing he could give him a big hug. “If you’re sure you can participate, I’ll adjust some details!”
Shu Ci was completely focused on work and didn’t notice the increasingly close distance between them.
His mind was full of how to respond to the publicity team’s concerns.
He could prevent Lu Wan Qing from appearing in full face, but this would require modifying many details and plot points. The transitions between scenes would also need to be reconsidered.
Inspiration came in a flash.
Looking at Lu Wan Qing’s face, ideas and creativity sprang up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
So Lu Wan Qing watched Shu Ci excitedly pick up his plate and run all the way to the cleaning area, then run back to the dormitory without looking back.
He couldn’t help but smile slightly.
The stolen candy, at least now he could hold it in his mouth.
ā¦
“I saw General Lu smile in the cafeteria today. Can you believe it? I took a look, and sure enough, his wife was jumping around in front of him,” The publicity team was chatting in the office, “It’s rare to see such a gentle expression on his face.”
“Does little Shu have a bouncing side?” Someone didn’t believe it. “If he didn’t say this was his university internship, I would think he’s a highly experienced senior director from a major film and television company! He feels more skilled than my professor back then.”
At first, they didn’t take him seriously, thinking that no matter how much an Omega was favored by the higher-ups, he couldn’t be that capable. Without his husband’s status and the Marshal’s support, how could such an important job fall to an undergraduate?
On their first day of working together, they were speechless, shocked by Shu Ci’s presence.
Every detail they could and couldn’t think of was analyzed by him to the extreme. Whether it was equipment selection, scene layout, special effects and post-production editing, he was always eloquent. He could also answer their questions and doubts fluently. That kind of smoothness and confidence were impossible without years of negotiating with clients.
On the first day of the meeting, the team leader sighed and said they had underestimated Shu Ci.
His confidence didn’t come from his background or his husband’s identity, but from his profound expertise.
In just two days since Shu Ci arrived at the base, the publicity team members were all captivated by his personal charm.
He proved with his actions that his personal abilities were far more valuable than his “intern” title. No wonder the Marshal and the generals decided to abandon the mediocre outsourced film and television company after a tea break in a meeting and chose to cooperate with Shu Ci.
For a moment, everyone envied General Lu for marrying such a treasure!
“It’s between husband and wife, right? Can their attitude towards work and their attitude towards their husband be the same?”
“Stop gossiping, I know why our little Director Shu is jumping around!” Someone even changed the address, staring intently at the shared document, “He just added General Lu to the cast list!!!”
“My god!”
“Is this a wife’s privilege?!”
“I’m so jealous, why don’t I have such an excellent wife!!!”
During the next two days of filming, Shu Ci felt that the members of the publicity team were in a different state; they were all energized, following instructions perfectly, and participated in the filming with the highest spirits.
When asked, he learned that they were all looking forward to finishing their high-quality work and welcoming their rare opportunity to “do whatever they wanted” with General Lu with full energy.
The makeup team was even more excited.
It was General Lu, being able to touch his face was something they could only dream of. Life is complete!
Shu Ci remained calm as he listened to their casual chat during their breaks in the base’s studio, a faint smile on his lips, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. He felt inexplicably gloomy.
“Pay attention to the final camera angle. When giving a long shot of the training, don’t change the center of the frame.”
His gaze fell on the monitor, and the first time was confirmed, but the second time, his thoughts were a little wandering. He made a great effort to control himself and return to his normal work state.
After work, he asked the publicity team members to take their equipment and backpacks back to the temporary office, put his hands in his pockets, walked slowly, and entered the base’s history museum.
The air conditioning in the museum was very strong, and the humid heat of late summer was instantly blown away. He walked aimlessly along the guided tour route, watching and trying to untangle his complicated thoughts in his heart, bit by bit.
He rarely lost focus on set, nothing was more important than filming.
Once, he received a call from the property manager saying that a neighbor’s fire had spread to his house and needed to be handled. He calmly told him to handle it, hung up the phone, and continued filming, afraid that the actors’ accumulated emotions would disappear.
But today, he almost made a big mistake, losing focus while filming, which was a taboo for him.
Why did he lose focus?
Shu Ci thought of the chattering publicity team and the makeup team’s excitement when they mentioned Lu Wan Qing.
He was clearly excited too, because he was going to film the face he had always dreamed of. He should be able to empathize with them. But why did he seem less excited now, moreā¦ unhappy?
What exactly was he unhappy about?
Shu Ci took a deep breath, still hadn’t figured it out, and when he looked up, he saw the photos of the twelve Marshals arranged in order in the museum.
These pictures were completely different from the ones he had seen online or in magazines.
Large-format pictures, dark gold frames sacredly encircling the determined faces of each person. At a glance, they had an awe-inspiring power.
The Marshals of Jinji District Four generally had an aristocratic temperament. Most of them came from noble families, their resumes were smooth, and they easily reached the top with their personal abilities and family influence.
The Marshals of Yuan Yu District Eight were more colorful. They were either fierce or determined, brave or majestic. The earlier the tenure of the Marshal of Yuan Yu, the more complex their experiences were. They had overcome countless difficulties in the chaotic and remote areas and finally climbed to their admirable positions.
Shu Ci stopped in front of the photos, his gaze falling on Yuan Yu District Seven.
A large version of Lu Wan Qing’s military uniform photo was within reach.
With sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, his deep eye sockets contained two sapphire gems. His gaze was mature and vicissitudes, incompatible with his young face, like the calm night after having seen the vicissitudes of life.
His high nose bridge was like a mountain range, separating the light and shadow on both sides of his cheeks.
His lips were pressed together, and his originally pale lips had a bit more vibrancy under pressure.
This photo of Lu Wan Qing was a completely natural look, without any retouching. The fine lines at the corners of his eyes were clearly visible under the magnification of the image, even the blue veins on his neck, hidden under the collar, were clearly visible.
Shu Ci looked up at him and suddenly understood the source of his gloom.
He clearly wanted to film him so much, wanted to keep him in the camera, but he also wanted to hide him, to prevent others from seeing him. Even the thought of someone putting makeup on him, touching his eyebrows, nose, and lips, made him unbearable.
Anyone could touch him unscrupulously, but he couldn’t.
Why?!
A fierce look flashed in Shu Ci’s eyes, rippling like water.
He stared at Lu Wan Qing in the dark gold frame, greedily reaching out, his fingertips following the frame upwards, and he stood on tiptoe. His head tilted slightly, as if he wanted to place his lips on the Alpha in the photo.
“Shu Ci!”
Half an hour before lights out, Lu Wan Qing hadn’t seen Shu Ci return to the dormitory, so he hurried to find him, only to see him about to kiss his photo.
His pupils shrank, and before he could stop him, a warm sensation touched his jaw.
Author’s Note:
Shu Ci: Crazy artist, understand?
Lu Wan Qing: When will he know he’s flirting with fire?
______________________
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