Chapter 12 – A Small Gift
Fans who habitually hung out in the livestream noticed that today, Chen Er Bai wasn’t playing bait games with his usual partner.
Without them knowing, Chen Er Bai had gained a new wild partner. When the stream started, the screen showed that he had already teamed up with this new partner.
The new wild partner’s name was Qingzhou—the Qingzhou they all knew.
Instantly, the chat exploded, with messages scrolling by at lightning speed.
Chen Bai glanced at the chat and said, “Due to some unavoidable circumstances, we have a new partner for now… My throat? It’s fine, just a slight cold.”
Force majeure refers to the cash prize.
He accepted Qingzhou’s invitation. Many streamers are part of guilds, so when they form teams, they naturally team up with others from their guild. Qingzhou, being an independent streamer without a guild, reached out to him, as he too wasn’t part of any guild. Given the current situation, teaming up with Qingzhou seemed to be the most suitable choice.
Though the recruitment was just a competition between streamers and not an official event, the streamers who participated had some level of skill, as this was their livelihood. The competition not only tested individual gameplay but also teamwork, which could only be improved through repeated practice. Before the competition began, he would probably be spending most of his time playing with Qingzhou.
As much as the bait games were important, the cash prize was too tempting to ignore. The bait games would have to be put on hold until after the competition.
At first, the regular viewers of his stream thought Qingzhou, like other partners, was just a temporary teammate, chosen randomly for each stream. But they soon realized that these two had become permanent fixtures in each other’s streams. Whenever one of them started streaming, viewers knew the other would soon be online too.
It turns out that a chatterbox’s potential is unlimited. In just a few days, Chen Er Bai transformed from someone who barely spoke while focusing on the game to someone who could simultaneously shoot enemies and chat with both his teammate and the viewers.
Initially, Qingzhou’s fans thought this regular partner was a silent, skilled player. But soon, they came to understand his true nature. They grew accustomed to hearing sharp and quick-witted banter coming through the team chat and even joined in the fun.
In just a few days, the number of concurrent viewers in Chen Er Bai’s stream doubled, and it was still growing.
Though his audience was increasing, he still had to take a break from streaming.
The rain had stopped, and the weather had been great lately, perfect for an outdoor shoot. This time, it was an evening shoot in a neighboring city, B City. He’d be staying overnight at the hotel arranged by the production crew, so he wouldn’t be able to stream.
The night before his break, after ending his stream, he added Qingzhou on WeChat.
Though he wouldn’t be able to stream on the day of the outdoor shoot, if they wrapped up early, he could find an internet cafe near the hotel to practice. Adding Qingzhou on WeChat would make it easier to stay in touch, much more convenient than sifting through a mountain of private messages on his streaming account.
After adding Qingzhou on WeChat, it was already late, so Chen Bai quickly went to bed.
Asleep by 2 AM, awake by 7 AM.
The next day, he woke up with no time to visit the breakfast shop downstairs. Rushing to avoid being late, he made it to the old street where the crew was gathering, arriving just in time to board the crew’s bus before the director showed up.
B City wasn’t far, and there were more people going for the shoot than expected, along with a lot of equipment. One bus was just enough to carry both the people and the gear.
Once the bus was on the move, Chen Bai, having sprinted to catch it, finally caught his breath. He took out his phone, snapped a picture of the window, and proudly told his neighbor that he had successfully made the 7 AM call time.
At 7 AM, when even the birds in the trees were still asleep, his neighbor replied almost immediately, acknowledging with a simple “Got it.”
Slouching in his seat, Chen Bai smiled and typed, “Say it differently.”
After a brief pause, his phone showed the message: “You’re amazing.”
Satisfied, Chen Bai sent a rose emoji before finally putting his phone away.
He used the entire bus ride to catch up on sleep.
This was his last outdoor shoot. After this, all of his filming tasks would be complete. The director was very particular about this scene, which is why he personally came along to oversee it. Chen Bai needed to be in top form, making sure no mistakes came from his side.
Being in top form meant sleeping well, eating well, and maintaining good spirits.
They departed in the morning and arrived at the filming location around 1 PM, just in time for lunch. After eating with the group at the hotel, those who had work to do headed to the location early to prepare.
The scene was set at the seaside. There wasn’t a good spot to serve as a temporary makeup room, so the makeup artists and stylists stayed back at the hotel to finish the actors’ looks.
They were responsible for all the actors’ makeup, but in reality, there were only two actors for this shoot, so they shared a room for the touch-ups.
Chen Bai’s makeup was simple. It was the lead actress’s look that required more time, from makeup to hair.
While they worked on her, the room filled with small talk. Every bit of gossip from the crew was discussed before the two stylists finally completed their work.
With makeup done, they headed to the location.
The shoot was time-sensitive, as they could only film during the brief moment when the sun set over the sea. Leaving now, they’d arrive just in time.
B City was by the sea, and they could see the blue water from the road as they left the hotel. There were many beaches, and they were headed to one of the quieter, less frequented ones.
However, the normally quiet beach was now crowded with people, all gathered around the filming area.
Fortunately, there were security guards on site, allowing those getting off the bus to quickly pass through the crowd.
The director, who had been adjusting the camera angles with the photographer, waved them over as they approached. As soon as they were close enough, he said, “We got approval for the filming location, but as you can see, we can’t fence off the area. So, we’ll have to shoot with these conditions.”
The area outside the filming zone wasn’t part of the approved space, so they couldn’t chase away the onlookers. They just had to ensure that no one took photos or made too much noise.
With the lead actress present, the crowd wasn’t going to shrink — it would only grow.
Shooting under these conditions added a lot of pressure compared to filming at the usual set. Even seasoned actors couldn’t avoid feeling it. The most the director could do was give them a heads-up so they could prepare mentally.
Chen Bai glanced at the large, dark crowd in the distance and finally had a real sense of just how famous his usual chatty companion — the big-name actress — really was.
As the sky began to darken, the number of onlookers, as expected, continued to grow. The atmosphere at the shoot became increasingly tense, and the crew’s movements noticeably quickened.
The fiery red sunset gradually approached the surface of the sea.
The female lead, sitting next to someone in a simple shirt, looked at the busy director and asked, “Is this your last scene today?”
Chen Bai smiled and confirmed it was. The pay was imminent, and his smile came from the heart.
The female lead also smiled and said, “Once you’re done today, the director will probably give you a little gift.”
Chen Bai glanced sideways, “A little gift?”
She replied, “He does this for actors who finish filming characters with names. You’ll find out soon.”
The middle-aged director, who liked to surprise people, started calling for the actors to get in position.
Today’s scene was the one before A-Huai’s death.
A-Huai, who had spent most of his life in the square rooms of the old town, finally lay down under the vast sky.
His name included the character for ‘water,’ but he had never seen the most expansive sea. By this time, he was too weak and haggard from illness to speak or even maintain his usual habit of reading. However, one day, he suddenly had the energy to write on paper, telling the female lead who visited him that he wanted to see the sea.
Everyone understood what this meant. A-Huai’s father supported his unstable mother as they watched him leave the courtyard.
The female lead took A-Huai to the seaside.
Dressed in a light knit sweater over a simple white shirt, with the fiery red sunset behind him, wind blowing his fine hair, the frail figure slowly walked toward the shore.
——
The sunset cast a red glow on the streets, and the flower shop lights were bright.
As he brought the flowers displayed outside back into the store, Li Qingzhou wiped his hands on his specially made florist’s apron before taking it off. While doing so, he said, “Sis, everything’s brought in, I’m heading out now.”
The person behind the counter, busy wrapping a bouquet, didn’t look up and said, “Two girls came by today asking for your contact info again.”
Li Qingzhou paused while removing the apron, “Did you give it to them?”
“No,” his sister, finishing the flower arrangement, handed it forward and said, “Help me deliver this bouquet. I’ve got two more orders, and I can’t handle it all.”
She added, “It’s near the beach at the intersection, not far. It won’t take much time, and you’ll still have time to get back for your livestream.”
Li Qingzhou, reluctantly stopping his apron removal, reached out for the flowers.
It was a sunflower bouquet, wrapped in light yellow paper, looking bright and cheerful. He asked, “What’s the recipient’s number?”
His sister, already busy with another bouquet, replied, “The recipient is someone from a crew, I heard their phones are on silent, so you won’t reach them. Just stand there, and someone will find you.”
As if remembering something, she added, “Don’t ride your motorcycle, it’s too noisy. Use the shop’s car instead.”
Though it all sounded a bit unreliable, Li Qingzhou went anyway, using the shop’s vehicle.
The place was easy to find, given that it was the spot with the most people around.
It didn’t seem like something that could be handled by just standing there. Without squeezing into the crowd, the crew wouldn’t see him.
He squeezed into the crowd, politely saying “Excuse me” all the way until he reached the innermost part.
First, he shielded the flowers in his hands. Then, following everyone else’s gaze, he saw a pair of light-colored eyes reflecting the sunset’s afterglow.
