Chapter 26: Education

There was a noticeable pause of several seconds on the other end of the phone.

Then Lin Yang shouted curses: "Lin Jianlu! You f*cking dare to..."

"You're too nosy," Xie Wang sneered lightly, hanging up the phone. "Did I scare you?"

Lin Jianlu remained silent, his eyes slightly widened, as if somewhat surprised.

"It's okay." Xie Wang rubbed Lin Jianlu's hair, noticing it was still a bit damp, then fetched a dry towel and a hairdryer. "Wait a bit before going back to sleep."

So Lin Jianlu was forced to sit in front of the mirror, and Xie Wang held the hairdryer, ruffling his black hair into a messy state.

The alpha was much taller and stronger than him. Though he seemed to be making an effort to be gentle, his movements weren't exactly gentle. Occasionally, when Xie Wang's fingers caught in his hair, Lin Jianlu could feel a faint tingling and itching at the roots of his hair.

It was a bit like a clumsy, large animal that had discovered a small wildflower and was trying to touch it with its heavy paw, but with the suspicion of crushing it flat.

An alpha like this marking him temporarily was the best option for dealing with his family.

Xie Wang can get him as he wants, and he can get rid of Lin Ming's control.

But—   This work has been stolen from https://chipoholictranslations.blogspot.com

The hairdryer accidentally bumped into his head, and in the mirror, he slightly pressed down the corners of his mouth, looking a bit displeased.

The hand ruffling his hair slowed down just a little more.

"Alright, go to sleep," Xie Wang said, giving his shoulder a light pat. "The director wants to shoot some scenes with early morning light tomorrow, so we both need to wake up early."

Lin Jianlu: "Mn."

Xie Wang helped him turn off the master bedroom's light, closed the door, and left.

After filming all day, then rushing for a stage performance, it wasn't until he lay down in bed that Lin Jianlu realized how tired his limbs were.

Xie Wang's bedroom was tidily kept, with only a faint, non-aggressive grapefruit scent lingering on the pillow.

He gradually drifted off into a deep sleep.

***

The next morning, on the set of the movie "Hidden Blade."

The director stood under the blazing sun with his arms crossed, scolding.

"I want to shoot the sunrise!" The director pointed at the sky. "Take a look for yourselves—where's the sun now?"

Lin Jianlu: "."

Xie Wang: "..."

Xie Wang: "We got up pretty early..."

"Really? Did you two walk to the set?" the director snapped.

Well, no, Xie Wang thought to himself.

The culprit was that stupid collar he put on Lin Jianlu's neck yesterday. Somehow, the timed unlock got delayed by two hours. They couldn't even touch it—any contact would trigger an alarm.

So the two of them ended up staring at each other in the living room for two hours, waiting for the collar to unlock on its own.

That wasn't exactly something he could talk about easily.

"Yes, we did walk here," Xie Wang said, raising his head confidently.

"Da Wang, you're actually proud of that," the director remarked, flipping through the script. "No big deal. Makeup and set, get ready. We'll shoot the indoor scenes."

Lin Jianlu changed into his costume and sat with his eyes closed, letting the makeup artist's small brush sweep across his face.

"Bold," came a laid-back voice from beside him. "Still a rookie, and you've already learned to be late."

Lin Jianlu opened his eyes to see Chen Yimo grinning smugly at him. Seeing his indifferent expression, Chen Yimo gave a sinister smile and said, "I'm gonna kidnap you in a bit."

A stack of scripts smacked Chen Yimo in the head, courtesy of Xie Wang. "Have you gotten addicted to playing a pervert?"

"Ouch." Chen Yimo, thick-skinned and unfazed, replied, "I just saw he wasn't happy, so I thought I'd tease him a little."

"Since when is it your job to tease him?" Xie Wang lifted his leg to kick him.

Chen Yimo spread his arms wide to pull Xie Wang into a bear hug: "Fine, I won't kidnap him. I'll kidnap you instead."

"What the hell—get off!" Xie Wang quickly dodged to the right.

The director, walking in through the door, was caught off guard when Chen Yimo hugged him, causing the director to stumble back several steps in shock.

"What's wrong with you?" the director asked. "Chen Yimo, your susceptible period has just subsided. Stay away from Lin Jianlu. We only have this one omega in our crew."

"Yeah, alright." Chen Yimo obediently sat down by the door.

Xie Wang was about to throw a few more jabs at Chen Yimo, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Lin Jianlu's smile, both in his eyes and at the corners of his mouth.

The omega was sitting by the window, backlit by the sunlight, as the sheer white curtains gently fluttered in the breeze.

Is it so fun to watch him fight with the alpha?

But Lin Jianlu looks so sweet when he smiles.

Xie Wang got it; he understood clearly now.

Little sweet O or quiet cold O doesn't matter, he just likes Lin Jianlu.

He likes Lin Jianlu no matter what he's like.

"Chen Yimo, head over to the other set. There's a group of victims waiting for you. Hurry up," the director said, getting rid of Chen Yimo. "Da Wang and Lin Jianlu, you two come over here. There are two scenes for the 'love confession' plot, and one still needs to be filmed."

The scene this time was set in a billiards room.

In the film, the protagonist played by Xie Wang meets his omega for the second time here—

The billiards room was thick with smoke, and the place was buzzing with noise.

Xie Wang had come to find the shop owner to track down someone's whereabouts. Since the boss wasn't around, he lit a cigarette and leaned against the wall to wait, only to spot a familiar figure by the door.

The public security in that area was chaotic and there were all sorts of shady characters. It wasn't the kind of place a pretty and clean omega should be.

"What are you doing here?" Xie Wang asked loudly, noticing the pool cue in the omega's hand, "You've got quite the interest, huh?"

"Cut! Well done. Next take," the director said, "Da Wang's fine, he's a talented actor."

The director then turned to Lin Jianlu, "This next part is a bit tricky. It's a big challenge for you, so we'll take our time and adjust it, shot by shot."

"Hidden Blade" primarily revolves around a manhunt, a psychological and physical showdown between Xie Wang and Chen Yimo. The segment added after bringing in Lin Jianlu took up a small portion of the entire film.

In other words, the language of the lens needs to be very rich.

"You haven't acted before, so I'll explain a bit more—don't get annoyed with me," the director said, holding the script. "In this part, the script says it's a game of billiards with a few simple lines, but you need to put a lot of effort into your movements and expressions."

Director: "Can you tease an alpha?"

Lin Jianlu: "?"

Xie Wang: "…"

"Flirt but be self-aware; that’s the state you need to capture," the director continued. "You just need to handle the 'flirtation' well, so that Xie Wang's character can be attracted to you instantly. We can handle the rest by camera work."

Lin Jianlu: "Okay."

"Don't be nervous," the director reassured him. "Da Wang!"

Xie Wang steeled himself: "What?"

"I'm giving you ten minutes to teach Lin Jianlu how to flirt with men," the director said. "I'll go check on Chen Yimo's situation remotely."

Xie Wang: "Me teach?"

"Who else if not you?" the director asked, "Who here is more professional than you?"

Xie Wang: "…" This work has been stolen from https://chipoholictranslations.blogspot.com

Professional my ass.

Heck, it's teaching a fish to swim.

The director patted him on the shoulder with trust and happily walked away.

Xie Wang took a deep breath: "I'll teach you."

Let this experienced actor rummage through the inventory in his head.

Lin Jianlu: "Okay."

"I'll walk over like this," Xie Wang said, "and you hit the billiard ball in my direction, then glance up at me."

Lin Jianlu: "Oh."

Xie Wang: "…"

"Go ahead and try," Xie Wang said, giving Lin Jianlu a push from behind.

Lin Jianlu followed the instructions.

Xie Wang watched and felt it was indeed a bit off.

"How about a smile for me?" Xie Wang asked. "Forget it, let me first teach you how to play billiards."

After ten minutes of teaching the fish to swim, the director finally returned.

"How's it going? Shall we try a take?"

"Sure." As Xie Wang passed by Lin Jianlu, he said, "YoYo, don't feel pressured to use what I taught you. Just try your own thing first. I'll adapt on the fly and lead you if I can. If it doesn't work, I'll help you adjust."

Please guide me.

Lin Jianlu: "Okay then."

In the billiards room, the atmosphere was noisy—

"You've got quite the interest, huh?" Xie Wang approached.

"Come on, take your shot," a supporting actor said, stepping forward. "Can you play, little beauty? If not, get out of the way."

Lin Jianlu's lips curled slightly as he glanced up at Xie Wang, lightly supporting himself on the table, seated sideways beside the billiards table.

Xie Wang's breath caught.

Lin Jianlu held the cue stick in his right hand, pressing his left hip down, creating a smooth curve with his slightly sunken lower back, which arched gently as he leaned over the green felt of the billiards table.

He made a slight motion with the cue, sending the balls scattering across the table.

The shot was chaotic, but that was fine; the editing would craft a perfect sinking later.

"Not bad," Xie Wang said with a frivolous whistle as he tried to move in closer to take a look.

Lin Jianlu sat up straight, his long legs crossed, pressing the end of the cue stick in his hand against his Adam's apple: "Don't disturb me."

Xie Wang's breath hitched as he was forced to look up, chuckling lightly.

"You're quite wild, aren't you?"

Lin Jianlu lifted his right foot, provocatively pressing it against the edge of Xie Wang's leather belt.

"You really have no fear." The alpha's hand stroked the omega's cheek, then pinched it mercilessly till it turned pink.

"He's not playing anymore; just put the money on my tab." He tossed the cue stick onto the table and threw the man over his shoulder.

"Don't come to places like this."

Xie Wang carried the man and walked out the door, ending up in front of the director.

"Say cut!" He scolded, "Do you want me to carry him back home?"

"Oh, cut, cut, cut! That was great, just great," the director replied, snapping back to reality. "Awesome job, Da Wang, you really know how to teach."

Xie Wang quickly set Lin Jianlu down.

He had changed the script on the fly; the original script called for pulling him away, but he turned it into carrying him away.

On top of that, he also pinched Lin Jianlu's cheeks red.

"Get an ice pack," Xie Wang turned around and shouted to the practical support.

"No need," Lin Jianlu said. "It'll be fine in a bit."

Xie Wang's thumb pad rested against his cheek, gently rubbing it.

This was the first time his omega had openly flirted with him.

Before, he always dug holes in secret.

So sexy.

How can anyone not like Lin Jianlu.

An ice pack was handed over, and Xie Wang pressed it gently against Lin Jianlu's face.

"Cold," Lin Jianlu said, swatting his hand away.

Xie Wang then found him a jacket.

He kept his omega snugly protected under his nose.

Meanwhile, the director was still gathering a group of people to review the recent scene.

"Too wonderful," the director said. "When the movie is released, this part will definitely blow up. You two have great chemistry."

"It's too cold outside; let's go indoors for a while," Xie Wang said. "Chen Yimo will come in and call for us."

He pushed Lin Jianlu into the room.

The filming was happening right during a chilly spell, and with the thin costumes, Lin Jianlu had to endure the cold every time they shot.

"You acted really well just now," Xie Wang said.

"Really?" Lin Jianlu asked, "I didn't do what you asked, nor did I smile at you."

"You did well enough." Xie Wang said, "It's just that ball—it was a lousy shot."

Lin Jianlu: "…" This work has been stolen from https://chipoholictranslations.blogspot.com

He took off the jacket Xie Wang had just put on him and returned to the billiards table.

He had never played this before, and it was actually quite interesting.

Since Xie Wang said he didn't play well, the straight-A student started to feel a little competitive.

He tried to follow the posture that Xie Wang had just taught him, standing and bending over to poke the billiard ball on the table.

"Sink your waist a bit more," Xie Wang said, stepping closer and guiding his hand from behind. "Focus on the spot."

Lin Jianlu turned his head to the side, his gaze as cool as moonlight, his lips slightly parted, and his cheeks still pink from being pinched during the filming.

The cold fishhook wildly slapped Xie Wang's face again.

It was half a trap and half a willing catch.

Xie Wang played the role of a bewitched man and kissed him.

--------------------

Da Wang: No, no, I dare not teach.

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