Chapter 74: Cameo — Jiang Qi would never film romantic scenes with women!
**Guest Role**
“Under Siege” began filming in mid-August, on the day of the *Chu Shu* (the end of heat).
Director Lin Qihang led Jiang Qi and the cast to a temple for incense offerings and prayers to Buddha before officially starting the shoot.
This was Jiang Qi’s first time acting in a historical drama, and he realized that performing in such a genre was much more troublesome in terms of costumes, makeup, and props compared to modern dramas.
Especially since his character was a general who had roamed the lands since childhood and later became a seasoned soldier. His costume wasn’t that of a scholarly gentleman in long robes, but rather one requiring him to wear armor most of the time.
Armor, tied-up hair, a golden spear, and a white horse—these were the classic looks for Liang Jieyu in the movie. Each time, it took Jiang Qi about two hours just to change clothes and apply makeup.
Additionally, the early filming locations weren’t in Hengdian but in the remote Jiangwu Desert. It took about four hours to drive there from the city, so no one could afford to commute back and forth every day. Most of the actors and crew members stayed on set.
As the male lead with a lot of scenes, Jiang Qi had to film from morning to night almost every day, so he naturally stayed on set as well.
The desert scenes were scheduled to be shot for about a month. Zhi Qi, who had classes during the week, could only find time on weekends to drive over and visit him. She would stay with Jiang Qi on set for two days and drive back on Sunday nights.
This time arrangement often led to a “newlyweds reunited after a short separation” feeling.
Like a spark thrown onto dry wood, it soon spread into a wildfire.
The temporary set in Jiangwu had poor conditions. All the actors and crew members lived in small, narrow, and stuffy compartments on the set, but when Zhi Qi came to stay with Jiang Qi, she didn’t find the conditions too hard to endure, except…
Except for when they were doing “that.”
The sleeping compartments on set were small and close together, and because they were hastily built, the soundproofing wasn’t great. Every time Jiang Qi had his way with her, Zhi Qi’s fair skin would flush pink. She would bite her lip timidly, afraid to make a sound.
But men often reveal their “bad nature” in moments like these.
Seeing the girl teary-eyed and vulnerable, Jiang Qi couldn’t help but be rougher with her.
So, the girl bit down on his shoulder.
“Jiang… Jiang Qi…”
Zhi Qi’s voice was soft, like she was holding water in her mouth, a delicate whimper of complaint: “Stop it.”
Jiang Qi truly felt like he’d be willing to die right there with her.
Later, her sharp teeth moved from his shoulder to his lips, and she bit down hard, whimpering but not daring to make a sound.
When she couldn’t hold back her emotions anymore, she ended up biting Jiang Qi’s lower lip until it bled.
The next day during filming, the makeup artist noticed the obvious cut on Jiang Qi’s lip and exclaimed, blinking in surprise: “Qi-ge, what happened to your lip? Are you getting heat blisters?”
…
Zhi Qi, standing by his side, froze for a moment. Then, curling her toes in embarrassment, she couldn’t bring herself to look at anyone, utterly ashamed.
She was terrified that people would figure out that she had bitten him, and kept her head down in silence, like a student being scolded after doing something wrong.
“It’s nothing.”
Jiang Qi glanced at himself in the mirror, half his makeup already done, his face expressionless. But he reached over to gently squeeze Zhi Qi’s small hand resting on her knee, quietly changing the subject: “Continue with the makeup.”
The makeup artist gave a quick “oh.”
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Luckily, the cut on his lower lip wasn’t too noticeable.
But Zhi Qi, feeling guilty, kept thinking that the entire crew had discovered Jiang Qi’s unspeakable wound.
The shy girl was even more terrified that people would find out they had done “that” in the crew’s quarters. She hummed and hawed, wanting to run away.
Zhi Qi was pulled back by Jiang Qi before she could escape, but that night, she adamantly refused to do that again.
The girl placed her small hand over Jiang Qi’s lips and lowered her voice, muttering seriously, “If you try anything again, I’ll go home.”
Zhi Qi was now in her first year of graduate school, and her class schedule wasn’t very fixed. For example, this time she had driven a few hours to visit Jiang Qi because she had a week off and thought she could spend it with him.
But if Jiang Qi dared to “act out” again, that week would quickly turn into just one day.
Zhi Qi spoke sternly, so Jiang Qi could only blink to show he understood. He also moved his large hand from her slender waist—looking like the perfect gentleman.
Zhi Qi sighed in relief, couldn’t help but smile, and curled up like a cat into Jiang Qi’s arms, feeling sleepy and relaxed.
Although there wasn’t much to do while watching Jiang Qi on set, it still wasn’t easy. By the end of the day, she felt quite tired.
Just as she was about to fall asleep, she vaguely felt his cool breath against her ear, making her feel ticklish.
Zhi Qi instinctively shrank her neck and murmured sleepily, asking what he was doing. Then she heard Jiang Qi’s slightly hoarse voice, “Can I have a kiss?”
…
Such a bold question, asked so seriously?
He really was getting bolder and more reserved at the same time.
Zhi Qi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, and before she could respond, her lips were already captured.
Naturally, she didn’t sleep well that night.
The girl’s fair skin was so delicate that it would bruise with a single pinch, let alone after being kissed and nibbled. Her skin was like snow marked with small red blossoms, inviting all kinds of thoughts.
The next day, Zhi Qi had no choice but to wear a modest long dress that covered her wrists, even though it was hot. It was silk, but still stifling.
As she stood on the outskirts of the set watching Jiang Qi film, she happened to run into director Lin Qihang.
“Xiao Zhi.”
Everyone in the crew recognized Zhi Qi as a “frequent visitor”—after accompanying Jiang Qi to the Shengyu Awards, she became famous overnight. Everyone knew she was Jiang Qi’s beloved, quiet wife, including the director.
Lin Qihang greeted her politely, “Here to see Jiang Qi?”
Zhi Qi smiled and nodded with a simple “Mm.”
She still wasn’t very used to dealing with people in this industry. When she spoke, her fingers unconsciously gripped her arms, rubbing them up and down—an instinctive gesture that revealed her discomfort.
Lin Qihang noticed and couldn’t help but take a closer look at Zhi Qi.
Naturally, Jiang Qi’s reportedly brilliant wife was beautiful. Unlike many in the entertainment industry, who exuded an air of materialism and heavy makeup, the girl’s beauty was more pure and fresh.
She was like an unpolished jade, untouched by the world. Even if she just stood there quietly, without saying or doing anything, you could still feel her beauty when the breeze brushed past her.
Simple yet elegant.
She was like a gentle pool of water—it was no wonder that even Jiang Qi, the typically tough guy, had softened for her.
As Lin Qihang watched her, a bold idea suddenly formed in his mind.
“Xiao Zhi, you’ve been coming to see Jiang Qi quite often.”
Lin Qihang’s eyes flickered as he began chatting casually, “How do you think he’s doing in his role?”
This scene was a routine military camp scene that didn’t require Lin Qihang’s direct supervision. The assistant director was capable of handling it.
So, he stood with Zhi Qi outside the spotlight, both watching Jiang Qi through the camera.
“Mm…”
Zhi Qi thought for a moment, frowning in embarrassment. “Director Lin, how would I know?”
Of course, she thought every scene Jiang Qi acted in was the best, but she couldn’t say that in front of the director—it would make her sound like a fangirl, especially since she was an outsider to this industry. Saying something like that would just expose her ignorance.
Zhi Qi pressed her lips together, trying to express her amateur opinion with restraint.
However, Lin Qihang just smiled and shrugged nonchalantly. “You can say whatever you like. I also think Xiao Jiang is a rare talent. Once he’s in the role, he truly becomes the character. His efficiency is amazing; he usually nails the scene in one take, except…”
He deliberately paused as if he had just remembered something.
As expected, the girl, who was listening attentively, couldn’t help but ask, “Except what?”
“Except for one scene.”
Lin Qihang sighed, his thick brows slightly furrowed, clearly looking troubled. “We tried shooting it before, but Xiao Jiang had seven NGs.”
He shook his head. “We had to postpone that scene for later.”
Zhi Qi’s eyes widened in shock.
Seven NGs? Jiang Qi had an instance where he NG’d seven times? He was known in the industry as “One-Take Jiang” because he always got it right in one go. How could he have NG’d seven times?
Zhi Qi was dumbfounded, completely unaware that she had already fallen into Lin Qihang’s “trap.” She even continued asking in confusion, “Director Lin, what scene was it?”
She was genuinely curious. What kind of scene could make Jiang Qi NG seven times? He had never mentioned it to her before.
“Well…”
Lin Qihang hesitated for a moment, then spoke again, slightly embarrassed. “It’s a scene where a dancer tries to seduce him.”
There was indeed such a scene in the script. It was also the only scene in the entire drama where Jiang Qi’s character had any physical interaction with a woman.
It took place on the night the protagonist, Liang Jieyu, was awarded the title of ‘Marquis of Pingyang’ after a great victory. There was singing and dancing in the military camp, and a few dancers were invited to perform and liven up the atmosphere.
Among these dancers was one sent by the second prince to ‘test’ Liang Jieyu.
The “war” on the political stage was different from real battles; it was all about strategy and manipulation. After Liang Jieyu’s repeated victories, he became a marquis and a formidable general. His military achievements and the strength of his troops made him a powerful figure, a “weapon” that each prince vying for the throne wanted to win over.
After Liang Jieyu rose to prominence, all the princes who had the potential to compete for the throne tried to curry favor with him. Some sent gifts, some sent people, but he never accepted any, always politely declining. He never openly expressed any preference for any of the princes.
This neutral stance, in the emperor’s eyes, showed that he was staying out of factional struggles and remaining loyal only to the true ruler, which pleased the emperor and made him trust and rely on Liang Jieyu even more… Little did they know, Liang Jieyu’s real ambition was to seize the throne for himself.
On the night he was made a marquis, the second prince sent the dancer to test Liang Jieyu’s loyalties, looking for any signs that he had aligned with another prince.
The dancer, disguised as a gift, was more like a poisoned beauty, lethal with even a single taste.
Her character was that of a ‘spy in disguise,’ and the scene only required her to use her charms to seduce Liang Jieyu. But Liang Jieyu had to pretend to be taken in by her, stringing her along, acting clueless and indulgent…
Then, when the two of them got tangled up in bed, his strong hands would clasp around the woman’s slender neck, and with just a small movement, she would lose her breath.
Taking care of her was no more difficult than killing a mouse.
But doing it silently, without leaving a trace, was something only Liang Jieyu could manage. Even as he killed the dancer, there was still a cruelly gentle smile on his face.
This scene was definitely not a ‘romantic’ one; there was no love between the man and woman, only a calculated encounter that ended in death and deception. The woman lost the game and died for it.
In Lin Qihang’s view, this wasn’t a romantic scene, so it didn’t fall under the ‘no romance’ clause in Jiang Qi’s contract.
—But who would have thought Jiang Qi didn’t struggle with romance scenes; he just couldn’t act in scenes involving women at all!
Even though there was no need for emotional involvement, Jiang Qi couldn’t bring himself to convincingly portray the flirtation and physical entanglement with the dancer. He only managed to show the brutal side of Liang Jieyu.
They had tried filming twice before, and both times, Jiang Qi had scared the actress playing the dancer to tears.