A top star in the Chinese entertainment industry, but also a Taoist priest.

In the following period, Chen Shouyi's adaptation speed surprised everyone.

It's not the kind of surprise you feel when a newcomer is very talented, but rather the kind of surprise you feel when you wonder if this person has practiced hundreds of times beforehand.

He has an unparalleled memory for lines, can memorize his blocking after just one take, and can even be in the correct position before the director speaks, even for the most trivial camera work. What's even more outrageous is Chen Shouyi's control over his micro-expressions and demeanor.

The person who was most surprised was Chen Yao.

She spends significantly longer checking the monitor after filming than before, Zhang Ruoyun remarked with a smile:

"Chen Yao used to only watch his own replays, but now he's become the Taoist priest's personal supervisor."

Qiao Xin laughed along with her. She had been worried that her scenes would be affected after the script was cut, but now she comes to the set every day to watch Chen Shouyi film, and she is more enthusiastic than anyone else.

She asked quietly, "Don't you think Chen Yao has been acting a bit strange lately?"

Zhang Ruoyun glanced at her: "Your reaction time is way too slow. It was wrong a long time ago."

He took a sip of tea and added, "But it's not a bad thing."

Chen Shouyi himself was more acute and more specific in his perception of this change than bystanders.

The first thing is the frequency of eating together.

Although Chen Yao would invite him to dinner before, the frequency was about once every two or three days, and she would always come up with a reason in advance.

There are issues with the script that need to be discussed, there's an action that needs to be confirmed in detail, and Zhang Ruoyun said she wants to get together with everyone.

The reasons are no longer valid.

She walked right up to him after filming, looked up at him, and asked, "What are you having for dinner?"

Even the initial request for participation has been omitted, and the default mode has changed from invitation to notification.

Secondly, there are the boundaries of physical contact.

Previously, when Chen Yao reached out to touch his arm, she would hesitate for a moment. When he held her waist during martial arts training, she would blush and even instinctively want to shrink back.

Now it's all gone. When handing over a script, fingers are stacked together without bending, and when walking side by side, shoulders bump into each other without flinching.

There was even an instance where, after the director yelled "cut," the two of them stood chatting in front of the prop door frame, and Chen Yao unconsciously straightened his shifty collar, the whole movement flowing smoothly.

It wasn't until Old Zhou next to her couldn't help but cough that her hand snapped back as if she'd been electrocuted.

She lowered her head and said, "Your collar is crooked." Old Zhou, who was squatting next to her collecting electrical wires, added without looking up, "Teacher Chen, this is a costume. The costume designer will take care of it."

Chen Yao glared at him, and for the next few days, Lao Zhou avoided Chen Yao completely.

But these were all relatively normal. What truly made Chen Shouyi realize Chen Yao's thoughts was something else entirely.

Around the end of April, one time he finished filming late and changed into casual clothes to go out and find something to eat.

He saw Chen Yao standing at the door from afar, wearing a dress he had never seen before.

Chen Shouyi noticed that she subconsciously glanced in the direction of the film set, and then quickly looked away, as if she was waiting for someone.

She glanced down, then looked back at the film set. Her patience was clearly running out, but she showed no sign of leaving.

Then Chen Shouyi came out, and Chen Yao's eyes lit up. He subconsciously took half a step forward, his face clearly showing happiness, but the words that came out of his mouth changed to:

"You finished work a little late today, did the director keep you behind?"

"Yes, we added a close-up shot."

"Let's go, what do you want to eat?"

Chen Shouyi looked at her: "Have you been waiting long?"

"Not long at all." Chen Yao untied her hand from the bag strap and took the first step. "I'm hungry, let's go get hot pot."

Chen Shouyi followed her. He knew she had been waiting for a long time, but he didn't expose her.

It was still a bit chilly in Hengdian in April. When the night breeze blew by, Chen Yao subconsciously moved closer to him.

When the wind blew again, she didn't back away, and the two of them walked side by side under the streetlights.

During this period, Jin Chen's visits to the set increased from once every three days to once a day.

She adopted a fixed-point observation strategy, choosing to observe from behind the director's monitor, because she wanted to see how the Taoist priest was filming.

However, she soon discovered that everyone already knew about her visit to Chen Shouyi.

As usual, she stood by the monitor and observed, her eyes never leaving Chen Shouyi and Chen Yao, who were rehearsing in the center of the scene.

Qiao Xin happened to be waiting for her scene nearby, so Jin Chen tentatively struck up a conversation.

"Qiao Xin, how many times did you revise the script?" Jin Chen asked in a low voice. "Why are there so many scenes between the Taoist priest and Chen Yao? And why does the Taoist priest keep giving her action instructions?"

Qiao Xin and Jin Chen don't have many interactions, but they are co-stars and will cooperate when necessary.

She thought for a moment and replied truthfully, "My and Ruoyun's portions are about a third less, while the Taoist priest and Chen Yao's are more than double."

There were also many more action scenes added, and Chen Yao insisted on doing them herself without a stunt double, which is why the Taoist priest taught her every day.

Jin Chen fell silent after hearing this, his gaze returning to the center of the arena.

Chen Shouyi was talking to Chen Yao with his head down. Chen Yao looked up at him. The two were very close, so close that Jin Chen instinctively felt uncomfortable.

Just as he was fuming with nowhere to vent his anger, Zhang Ruoyun appeared out of nowhere, holding a thermos in his hand, walking leisurely, with that kind of smile that made you want to punch him.

"Sister Chen, you're here to watch the Taoist priest film again?" Zhang Ruoyun stopped beside her. "The Taoist priest and Teacher Chen do have a lot of scenes together, but that's normal. After all, he's now—"

He paused, took a sip of tea, and added with a smile, "The official pairing."

Jin Chen almost choked on his saliva: "What the hell?! Aren't you the male lead? How come they're the official couple now?"

"The male lead and the official couple are two different things," Zhang Ruoyun corrected seriously, raising a finger.

"Liu Zigu and Axiu are one couple, and Zhuo Yun and Hua Yue are another. We now have two main storylines and two couples, which do not interfere with each other."

After he finished speaking, he added, "The romantic storyline is clearer after the script was revised, which I think is great. What do you think?"

Jin Chen looked at his smiling face, hesitated for a long time, and finally squeezed out, "When did you become so fond of drinking tea?"

"Oh, this?" Zhang Ruoyun held up the thermos to show her. "It's a recipe given by the Taoist priest, and I bought the ingredients. It really works well. Would you like to try it?"

Jin Chen then noticed that most of the people in A Xiu's unit were carrying identical thermos cups, and the group of them standing there looked like a health-conscious tour group.

Jin Chen took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over the group of people holding thermos cups before finally settling on the center of the area.

Chen Yao was standing opposite Chen Shouyi, facing off to deliver their lines, their heads almost touching.

"That Chen Yao—" Jin Chen bit his lip, "I really never saw through him before."

Qiao Xin couldn't help but chime in, "Actually, Chen Yao has always been quite opinionated, but he just doesn't usually say it."

"It's alright, it's alright." Zhang Ruoyun's smile remained unchanged. "Anyway, we'll just film our own scenes. You and Nazha have your scenes, and the Taoist priest and Chen Yao have theirs. Isn't that great?"

"You're watching the show too, aren't you!"

Jin Chen took a deep breath, glanced at the two people still rehearsing on stage, and then turned and strode away.

Even from a distance, you could still hear her muttering: "What's so great about official couples? My unit has official couples too..."

Zhang Ruoyun sipped her tea, watched Jin Chen's angry figure walk away, and sighed sincerely:

"This tea is so refreshing!"