TFEDLAM 10

The production schedule was tight. As soon as Xia Shi nodded, Zhang Huai instructed the makeup team to take Lu Xuan for a makeup test. With a child’s delicate skin, not much adjustment was needed for his makeup—only the hairstyle was a bit troublesome.

Lu Xuan was visibly excited the entire time, sitting still for over an hour while the stylist worked on him. Once the hair and makeup were done and he changed into costume, he looked every bit the young master, no acting required.

Next came a quick photo shoot. Since most of Lu Xuan’s scenes would be opposite Tao Ziqian, the two posed together. Lu Tingchuan stood nearby directing, while Xia Shi observed.

On his first take, Lu Xuan instinctively found the right camera angles and positions, much to the cameraman’s surprise. Watching from the side, Zhang Huai had a sudden idea and arranged a 30-minute screen test for Lu Xuan.

The scene was between Tao Ziqian and Lu Xuan: a celestial master emerges from seclusion to retrieve a lost sect artifact, only to stumble upon a massacre that claimed the life of his benefactor from a hundred years ago. He rescues the sole survivor—a young noble boy. Lu Xuan’s acting was raw, his lines somewhat stilted, but he consistently hit his marks, rarely stepping out of frame.

Zhang Huai and the assistant director were amazed. Zhang even joked to Lu Tingchuan, “Your family talent must be hereditary. Are you sure he hasn’t been trained?”

In truth, it’s common for new, inexperienced actors to miss their marks—especially a five-year-old.

Lu Tingchuan was equally surprised and shook his head. “Xia Xia doesn’t want him in showbiz. I wouldn’t teach him this stuff.”

Zhang Huai sighed. “Truly a God-given talent.”

In the industry, “God-given talent” referred to two types of people: those born with stunning looks, and those with natural talent. Lu Xuan had both—he was born for the screen.

Zhang Huai was thrilled as if he found treasure, but knew Lu Xuan wasn’t ready for a full scene yet, so this trial was just that—a test. One scene, then done. Lu Xuan’s workday was finished.

With Lu Tingchuan still filming, Xia Shi sat with Lu Xuan and went over his lines. Though the lines weren’t many, they were still a challenge for a five-year-old. Lu Xuan could read simple words, but some of the vocabulary was obscure, so he had to rely entirely on Xia Shi’s coaching.

Xia Shi would read a line, and Lu Xuan would repeat it. The mother-son duo passed the time this way until about six o’clock, when Lu Tingchuan wrapped up and the family headed home.

After dinner, Lu Tingchuan made a call. The other party was busy, and didn’t call back until ten. Lu Tingchuan left the house without saying where he was going—but Xia Shi already had a good guess.

And sure enough, the next day, just as Xia Shi expected, Yun Duo was gone from the set. Meanwhile, the family once again landed on the front page. This time, however, the spotlight wasn’t on the couple—but on Lu Xuan.

Though the set was under tight security, a few savvy paparazzi still managed to sneak in. On the way to the restroom with Lu Xuan, Lu Tingchuan was photographed. The father-son duo’s matching outfits and striking resemblance set the internet ablaze.

“Sorry, male god—I’m jumping ship. The little god is way too cute. That noble aura!”

“Whose young master is he playing? Let go of him—he’s mine now!”

“Wait, is the little master acting with our male god? Who is he playing?”

“Leaking some insider news: I heard the child actor who originally played the male god’s younger self—He Hao—got sick, and Director Zhang had the male god bring in his own son as a replacement.”

“So… the son is playing the dad’s younger self?”

With the cat out of the bag online, Zhang Huai didn’t bother keeping it under wraps. Especially for a commercial film, this kind of buzz was perfect for marketing. The art department quickly polished the stills, and the official film account posted them.

@MovieHeavensSecretV: Welcome our newest member to the cast. Looking forward to our young master and the celestial elder!

@LuTingchuan @XiaShi @TaoZiqian

The post included four stills—solo shots of Lu Xuan and Tao Ziqian, and two of them together.

Fans from all corners flocked to comment.

Tao Ziqian’s One and Only: OMG, the celestial elder is so ethereal! The contrast between him and the little young master—one with heavenly aura, one with noble elegance—it’s too beautiful to handle.

Come Here, Little Master: The young master has such presence! Celestial elder, please take good care of our little master!

Tao Ziqian Is Mine: LOL. Are you serious? My Tao is only three! Will he be fighting with the little master over toys?

My Hair Is Long, Young Master Marry Me: Don’t worry. Our young master is a good boy—he’ll totally take care of Tao.

…

Comments took a bizarre turn—but the surprising part was that it was all positive. Overnight, Lu Xuan gained a massive following of “mom-fans” and self-proclaimed “fangirls.” People called him “little master” and practically tried to kiss their screens. They even left comments under Xia Shi and Lu Tingchuan’s Weibo pages, calling them “mom and dad-in-law.”

“Dear mother-in-law, look at me—I’m decently good-looking, hold a degree, can cook, care for people, and keep the bed warm. Would I make a good daughter-in-law?”

“Pfft, everyone can warm a bed! Mother-in-law, look at me instead—how do I look? [Photo]”

“Whoa, the person above is a total babe. But forget this fantasy. Instead of dreaming about marrying the young master, I’m gonna get married and give birth to a daughter who can marry him!”

“Genius idea! I’m going to find a husband right now!”

“Don’t bother. You’ve already lost the race. Your daughter isn’t even a fertilized egg yet. Mine is the same age as the young master. Little master, when my girl’s hair reaches her waist, will you marry her and let me be your mother-in-law?”

“(ˉ▽￣～) Tch~ you think you’re the only one with a daughter? I’ve got one too! [Photo]”

Lu Tingchuan’s Weibo was full of similar comments. Xia Shi, the real mom, was amazed. Lu Tingchuan chuckled helplessly, teasing, “Looks like we have a lot of daughters-in-law!”

Xia Shi couldn’t help but laugh.

Since Lu Xuan didn’t have many scenes, Zhang Huai rearranged the schedule to space out his shoots over five days, with one scene per day so he wouldn’t get too tired. This served two purposes: one, to give Lu Xuan time to rest and adjust as a first-timer; two, as a favor to Lu Tingchuan.

Xia Shi praised Lu Tingchuan for it, not knowing that the “benevolent” actor was more calculating than he let on. Only part of it was for his son—the rest was to keep Xia Shi by his side.

As the male lead, Lu Tingchuan had scenes with Tao Ziqian throughout. Since those would shoot until the final day, this way, Xia Shi had to stay on set with him the whole time.

The five days flew by. Lu Xuan’s performance was outstanding, especially given his age. On the first day, during a wirework scene, he got a skin injury but didn’t say a word.

It wasn’t the wire crew’s fault. They were careful, and minor injuries were inevitable. They prepped everything properly, but Lu Xuan’s skin was just too delicate. The scene took three takes, and the harness left red marks on his skin, even breaking it slightly and causing a bit of bleeding.

It wasn’t serious, but the staff felt bad and kept apologizing. Lu Xuan didn’t cry or complain—instead, he comforted them: “It’s okay, really. Dad says I’m a boy, not a girl. I’m not that fragile.”

Xia Shi shot Lu Tingchuan a sideways look. He’d always thought she babied Lu Xuan too much, coddling him like a girl. She was too softhearted—Lu Xuan only had to pout, and she surrendered instantly. So it always fell on Lu Tingchuan to play the strict parent.

There were two wire scenes total. After the first one, Zhang Huai scheduled the second for the last day. Since Lu Xuan did well, not only did they not reduce his scenes—they added one more.

Zhang Huai was greatly relieved after the final shoot wrapped and invited the entire crew to dinner. Since Lu Tingchuan and Xia Shi had Lu Xuan with them, who was already sleepy and yawning, they politely declined and went home early.

That same night, Daily News dropped another bombshell:

#PerfectHusbandLuTingchuanSecretlyMeetsNewZhangActress—Personally Drives Her Home Late at Night to Her Love Nest!