Did the Movie Emperor Blow His Cover Today? - Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Tao Hui clutched Han Buji’s coat as she walked toward the film set, pondering whether to wear Zhou Xun’s limited-edition striped tie or the green one Han Buji despised most.

This morning, when she opened her eyes to bright sunlight streaming through the window, the pleasant weather triggered a vivid memory of herself clinging to Han Buji like a desperate puppy.

The realization sent a cold sweat down her spine.

This is too dangerous! If anyone had captured that moment on camera, her career might be over.

Looking at her puffy eyes, she knew she must have cried again. It certainly wasn’t a delicate, tearful scene; her hoarse voice suggested something closer to a pig’s death throes.

Tao Hui, unable to recall the night’s events, could only imagine a dramatic, drunken spectacle. Her head throbbed with a headache so intense she nearly considered self-harm.

Truly, “I got myself drunk, I made myself cry”!

When she spotted Han Buji’s coat draped over the edge of her bed, Tao Hui nearly fell out of bed. She’d feared she might have thrown up on it during her drunken stupor.

Thankfully, the coat was clean. She cautiously sniffed it, detecting only a faint scent of cedar and sandalwood.

This is so embarrassing. She needed to thank Han Buji in person.

When she first joined the production team, it had been late autumn. Now, early winter had arrived, and a light, lingering snowfall had dusted the landscape just days ago.

The winter winds in Imperial Capital City were biting, the temperature dropping day by day. The film crew had set up tents on set for warmth. To block the icy gusts, the tent entrance was draped with a thick gray cotton quilt, its starkness mirroring the bare tree branches outside and adding to the desolate chill.

Tao Hui, clutching Han Buji’s heavy winter coat, blew a puff of white breath as she lifted the quilt-draped entrance. Her gaze met Han Buji’s, who was seated inside the tent.

Still recovering from a hangover, Tao Hui’s complexion was pale and her face slightly puffy. Before leaving, she had applied meticulous makeup, contouring her cheekbones and highlighting her features.

Her deep-set eyes sparkled, and her lips, painted with a dark berry-toned lipstick, curved into a warm smile for Han Buji.

Tao Hui remembered absolutely nothing from the previous night, having long forgotten her drunken declaration to “be strangers for three days.”

But Han Buji hadn’t forgotten.

After studying his script for hours on set, Han Buji turned to see Tao Hui approaching, clutching his coat and wearing that radiant smile. The sight filled him with an indescribable warmth.

He couldn’t help but chuckle at the memory of Tao Hui, acting like a tipsy little rascal, solemnly swearing to “break up for three days—you don’t play with me, and I won’t play with you!”

The Best Actor wasn’t just in a good mood; he felt a mischievous urge to tease the girl walking toward him with his coat.

Tao Hui wanted to ask about her drunken behavior. She approached Han Buji, handed him his coat, and began, “Thank you, I…”

“You’re welcome,” Han Buji replied coldly, taking the coat and walking away.

Huh? Huh huh huh? Is the Best Actor playing the aloof type today?

Tao Hui was bewildered, but she figured she had caused him a lot of trouble while drunk. It was understandable that Han Buji was angry and ignoring her.

Throughout the day, Tao Hui tried several times to strike up a conversation with Han Buji. She even bought him a hot drink, but she couldn’t find a single opportunity to say more than a few words.

Han Buji acted as if he didn’t even recognize her, completely ignoring her. Frustrated, Tao Hui drank both hot drinks by herself.

As they wrapped up for the day, Tao Hui watched Han Buji’s team leave first, a pout forming on her lips.

Didn’t he always wait for me and Miao Miao to leave together before?!

Just as her indignation was rising, Tao Hui suddenly remembered snippets of her drunken ramblings from the previous night.

If only I had never met Han Buji… I really want to be a good actress…

Cherish your life—stay away from the Best Actor!

What the hell was I saying?!

No wonder Han Buji turned on me so suddenly!

That evening, at the hotel.

Miao Miao sat on the sofa in Tao Hui’s room, cracking sunflower seeds as she analyzed the situation. “Movie Emperor Han isn’t usually so petty, Sister Huihui. I think there’s another reason he’s angry.”

“What else could it be?” Tao Hui slumped listlessly beside her, clutching a half-eaten green apple.

“Like this!” Miao Miao held up her phone to show Tao Hui the trending topic. “The fans are tearing each other apart online. At its peak, it even reached number five on the trending list.”

Tao Hui glanced at the screen. “Han Meimei Angrily Tears Apart ‘Never CP’.”

Han Buji’s fan club, Han Meimei, and the CP fans of “Never CP” had already been locked in a fierce online battle for three hundred rounds.

Han Meimei accused the CP fans of fabricating fantasies. “The two leads don’t even have each other’s phone numbers! For years, Tao Hui and Han Buji’s trending topics have been nothing but marketing accounts stirring up drama. There’s a limit to how much you can indulge in your self-delusions!”

The “Never CP” fans retorted with equal fervor. “Han Meimei is meddling too much! Every CP fandom creates its own ‘sweet moments’—how is that fabrication? We just think Han Buji and Tao Hui are a perfect match. So what? Did we steal your Han Meimei’s rice?”

The feud between Han Meimei and the CP fans initially had nothing to do with Tao Hui. As long as Tao Hui’s Rabbit Hair fans stayed out of it, the company even saw the trending topic as a way to boost her popularity.

Tao Hui’s Weibo followers did indeed increase by nearly 10,000 in a single day.

Yet Tao Hui felt uneasy, convinced that Han Buji’s sudden aloofness stemmed from his displeasure over being paired with her in fan-made relationships.

After all, while the situation benefited Tao Hui, it was a nuisance for Han Buji. Some irrational Toxic Solo Fans even speculated, “Is the Best Actor really dating?” and angrily unfollowed him.

Tao Hui suddenly understood Han Buji’s distant attitude that day. After a moment of silence, she sighed to Miao Miao, “You can never truly be friends with your peers in this industry. The ship of friendship can capsize at any moment.”

Just yesterday, they had been drinking together at the same table. Today, they were strangers.

Tao Hui, ever self-aware, began actively avoiding Han Buji the next day. In her eyes, their gradual separation was an unspoken understanding.

Thus, Han Buji, who had basked in the glow of Tao Hui’s attention for a single day, believing he could enjoy three more days of her hesitant attempts to strike up conversations, was stunned to realize she was now avoiding him.

They no longer ate lunch together, nor did they leave work at the same time.

The most outrageous part was when Tao Hui, Xu Chang, and the others said they were staying behind to rehearse their scenes. Han Buji casually walked over and asked, “Want me to stick around too?”

Xu Chang was delighted. “Brother Han, you’re the best! Will you help us with our acting?”

Han Buji had just nodded when he turned to see Tao Hui whispering to the people around her, “I suddenly don’t feel well. You guys go ahead and rehearse.”

She quickly put on her hat and mask, tiptoed away, and slipped out of the set!

This happened four days after their drinking session, completely contradicting their earlier agreement of three days.

“…We’ll make up in three days, you know? Seventy-two hours, not a minute more…”

Hmph, you can’t trust a drunkard’s words, Han Buji thought coldly.

Tao Hui had already finished filming her main scenes. The remaining days were just for reshoots, leaving her with plenty of free time.

Before they knew it, Tao Hui’s final day of filming arrived. When her last scene wrapped, the entire set erupted in applause, and the production team presented her with a massive bouquet of flowers.

Tao Hui accepted the flowers with surprise. “These… red roses? Ninety-nine of them?”

Director Chen, who usually couldn’t speak without shouting, surprisingly wore a faint smile as he pointed at the assistant director. “The assistant director chose these. He said young women like you all love 99 red roses. He researched it online.”

After saying this, Director Chen awkwardly adjusted his knitted hat. “Tao Hui, thank you for your hard work. You portrayed Qing Wan so successfully—the audience will definitely love her.”

“I hope we have the chance to collaborate again in the future. I’m really looking forward to it,” the screenwriter said with a smile.

Despite his burly appearance, the assistant director was emotionally fragile. Pressing his tear ducts, he said, “I’m actually quite sad to see Tao Hui leave the team. She’s such a good young woman—hardworking and resilient.”

Tao Hui was equally reluctant to part ways. Tears glistened in her eyes as she hugged the production team members and senior colleagues, clutching her massive bouquet of roses.

Han Buji stood apart from the crowd, watching Tao Hui in her long white down coat and beige high-heeled boots. She looked like a little white bear, hugging everyone with a huge bouquet of flame-like roses and a beaming smile.

The production team was filled with veteran actors, many of whom were old enough to be her fathers or even grandfathers.

But watching the young girl with her hair in a neat bun, flitting through the crowd like a well-behaved child, hugging people, being patted on the head and shoulder, Han Buji couldn’t shake his deep irritation.

Especially since this girl, who hadn’t spoken to him all week, was now cradling ninety-nine roses!

Irritated!

The assistant director, thirsty, came over to refill his cup. Han Buji remarked casually, “I thought Teacher Song’s bouquet of carnations at his wrap party looked better.”

“Huh?” The assistant director stared blankly at Han Buji’s profile, then ventured tentatively, “Xiao Han, your scenes are almost done too. When you wrap in a couple of days, do you want carnations? Ninety-nine of them?”

As the youngest member of the production team and a newcomer, Tao Hui had been well taken care of by everyone, from the director to the crew. After working together daily for so long, the thought of her leaving brought a pang of sadness.

After the group photo, Tao Hui readily agreed to take individual pictures with the staff.

It wasn’t just the actors. The medical personnel who had treated her, the handyman who had brought her hot water, the props team member who had made her hair accessories—anyone who asked, Tao Hui would smile brightly and pose with her bouquet.

Even the cleaning lady who brought her granddaughter over for a photo op got a rose from Tao Hui’s bouquet for the little girl.

Finally, Tao Hui turned around and saw Han Buji sitting in the distance, his gaze burning intently.

Hmm… Should I go take a photo with Han Buji?

Tao Hui tentatively took a step forward, but quickly stopped.

Forget it. If I actually take a photo and someone with ulterior motives spreads it around, the Best Actor’s team will think I’m just trying to ride his coattails. That wouldn’t be good.

But Tao Hui had genuinely received a lot of help from Han Buji on set.

She stood there conflicted for a moment, then decided it would be more appropriate to buy a small gift later and have Zhou Xun deliver it on her behalf.

Xu Chang, standing beside Han Buji, waved enthusiastically at Tao Hui. “Bye, Huihui! Have a safe trip! Let’s hang out sometime!”

Tao Hui smiled and waved back. “Okay.”

With that, she turned and strode away in her heels with crisp, decisive steps.

Han Buji’s eyes darkened. “!”

She just left! Just like that!

That heartless little thing!

Xu Chang was still rambling to Han Buji, “Brother Han, seriously, I can’t even focus on filming now that Huihui’s gone. Thank goodness I got a photo with her earlier and even got her WeChat… Holy crap, did the temperature drop? Why’s it suddenly so cold?”

Han Buji turned his head and snatched Xu Chang’s phone from his pocket, who was rubbing his arms. “Unlock it.”

“What are you gonna do, Brother Han? That look on your face is terrifying, like I stole your girlfriend…” Xu Chang grumbled, pressing his thumb to the home button to unlock the phone.

Han Buji opened Xu Chang’s photo album and saw a picture of Xu Chang grinning widely, showing his gums, next to a smiling Tao Hui. He immediately deleted it.

Author’s Note:

Han Buji: I’m not jealous. Not even a little.