Xie Shuling's night scene was being filmed until around 11 o'clock. After saying goodbye to the staff, he strolled out of the set and just took out his car keys when his cellphone rang.

He looked at the name displayed on the screen, furrowing his brows slightly. After hesitating for a moment, he still pressed the answer button.

"Xie Yinged, I just discovered a nice place a few days ago. How about coming with me to check it out?" A man's playful voice came through the earpiece, and Xie Shuling could faintly hear the bustling background noise.

Xie Shuling opened the car door and sat inside, casually asking, "Where should we go?"

From the other end of the phone came the soft and alluring voice of a woman. Xie Shuling resisted the urge to hang up the call and patiently waited for a moment. After a while, the man's voice, accompanied by a low and ragged breath, reappeared and said, "It seems to be called Fange. I heard it from that kid Wang Yixue."

Xie Shuling started the car and casually said, "New store?"

Pei Shuo's voice became even more lazy as he explained, "It's an old shop, but it's said to have a deep background. Non-members are not allowed in, especially if they're not particularly important. How about it, have you, the great movie star Xie, never heard of it?"

Xie Shuling smiled and said, "I haven't heard of Young Master Pei from the Pei family. I don't think it's embarrassing not to know."

Pei Shuo clicked his tongue in impatience, and said irritably, "Are you coming or not? Give me a definite answer!"

Xie Shuling took advantage of the gap while waiting for the red light and picked up his phone to check the schedule, saying, "The day after tomorrow, I have night performances these two days. I'll only be free on the evening of the day after tomorrow."

"Okay." Pei Shuo readily agreed, "I'll come to pick you up at your house at eight o'clock the day after tomorrow."

Xie Shuling hung up the phone and watched as the indicator light turned from red to green. He stepped on the gas pedal and slid into the continuous flow of cars, lightly tapping the steering wheel with his slender fingers. Pei Shuo was Xie Shuling's childhood friend, coming from a military background. He was a true second-generation official, well-known in their circle for being a playboy. Xie Shuling had a close relationship with him in his past life, and they were often featured together on the entertainment headlines. When Xie Shuling fell on hard times, Pei Shuo had tried to help him, but soon after, something happened to the Pei family, forcing Pei Shuo to leave Jiangdu. After that, they never had any contact again.

What exactly happened to the Pei family back then? Xie Shuling pondered for a long time but still couldn't figure it out. Anyway, Pei's father was a good friend of his father, and when he was caught up in scandal and had to sell his property, Pei Shuo had also taken him in. This debt owed to the Pei family must be repaid in the end.

Pei Lang knew that the Pei family would still have a few years of decline ahead. During this time, he could slowly search for clues and try to pull the Pei family out of their predicament. As for now, although he was not particularly interested, he decided to accompany Pei Shuo to the places he wanted to go and have some fun.

The filming on the second day continued to face difficulties.

Xie Shuling still wore that black leather collar, appearing seemingly unchanged. However, when Xiao Mo had to come into close contact with him, he discovered that there was a small buckle attached to it. The buckle was unremarkable and gave no indication under normal circumstances, but when Xiao Mo saw it with his own eyes, it suddenly caused his breath to grow heavier for a moment.

Wearing a collar with a buckle... Xiao Mo leisurely recited his lines with a composed tone, while pondering in his mind what kind of rope would look good with this collar.

Xie Shuling walked side by side with Xiao Mo on the street, eagerly asking, "Jing Mo, don't you want to learn swordsmanship? I can teach you. Come on, let me take you to buy one first!"

Xiao Mo smiled as he looked at the bustling scene of people coming and going in the market. He said gently, "No need, I'm already at this age. Previously, when I mentioned wanting to learn swordsmanship, it was just a casual talk after drinking. I can't really do it."

Xie Shuling, however, persisted and pulled him towards the weapons shop. They looked through all the weapons displayed in the store and picked out three for Xiao Mo. "You can choose one first. Even if you can't learn any powerful sword techniques, you should at least be able to make a few moves. It will help you defend yourself when encountering thieves," she said.

Xiao Mo couldn't resist and had to carefully observe the three swords laid out in front of him. He pointed at the one on the far right and said, "Let's go with this one, it matches better with the black rope—" He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence, his face suddenly turning slightly red.

Xie Shuling was somewhat surprised and raised an eyebrow as he looked at him, a hint of doubt flickering in his eyes.

"Cut!" Huang Da shouted just in time, rescuing Xiao Mo from an awkward situation. "Take a break for five minutes and let Xiao Mo review the lines again."

Xiao Mo turned around in a slightly awkward manner and left. Xie Shuling stood in place, examining with great interest the three swords placed in front of him. He muttered to himself, "A black rope? This sword is indeed black, but what does a rope have to do with it?"

Xiao Mo took the mineral water bottle from Yang Ying's hand and drank a mouthful, the water droplets slowly trickling down his handsome jawline, adding a touch of charm to his celestial-like face. Even Yang Ying, who faced him every day, couldn't help but blush slightly as she watched.

Xiao Mo's Adam's apple rolled slightly as he swallowed all the random thoughts and worries in his mind along with the icy cold water. He absentmindedly threw the empty bottle into the trash can, feeling an instant overwhelming fatigue.

He has been acting for many years, but he has never experienced such slow progress before. Thanks to Xie Shuling, these past few days, he either forgot his lines or said them incorrectly, or he even had errors in his positioning, obstructing the camera's angles... Various problems kept arising endlessly, and even Huang Da had some complaints about him. Yet, the main culprit remained completely oblivious, flaunting that damn collar in front of him every day...

Xiao Mo looked at Xie Shuling, his gaze dark and filled with deep emotions and desires, rolling like a deep sea. Xie Shuling noticed his gaze and turned her head to look at him. Her charming peach blossom eyes slightly raised, revealing a playful and frivolous smile.

Obviously, this person is completely clueless. Wearing a collar like that in front of someone like him, what kind of consequences will it bring?

Xiao Mo's palm slowly tightened as he felt the wild beast deep inside his heart ready to burst out of its cage. He had to muster all his strength to barely suppress the restless urge.

He gritted his teeth secretly, returned to his own position, and coldly said, "Continue!"

Huang Da hesitated for a moment, but didn't say much. He waved his hand and motioned for the filming to begin.

The whole day, everyone on set was affected by Xiao Mo's low morale. Besides necessary conversations, no one dared to say an extra word, even Huang Da became more taciturn than usual. With fewer idle chats, the overall work efficiency naturally increased, and in the end, they unexpectedly finished the filming task ahead of schedule.

Huang Da called Xie Shuling and Xiao Mo over, briefly explained the arrangements for the next day, and then looked at the two of them one by one. He let out a deep sigh and waved his hand, indicating for them to leave.

Xiao Mo quickly took a few steps, creating distance between himself and Xie Shuling, and entered the dressing room first. Xie Shuling followed closely behind.

Because he was left alone by Huang Da, the dressing room was now empty, and Lan Ning didn't know where she went. Xie Shu Ling closed the door to the dressing room behind him, quickly locked it, and grabbed Xiao Mo's wrist, pressing him against the wall.