Chapter 67: Perfect Cooperation

Lu Xu discovered that Shao Yao’s way of expressing kindness to someone was by treating them to delicious food.

The filming location for Voice of the Dead was a large film studio in City C. It was Lu Xu’s first time shooting there, as his previous projects, The Path of Bones and Son of Heaven, had been filmed at different locations.

Shao Yao, however, had been to this place numerous times and was very familiar with the area. Whenever he had free time, he would take Lu Xu out to eat and treat him to good food. This behavior even prompted complaints from the director:

“You two, do you even care about maintaining your figures?”

“Eat less! I’m already gaining weight!”

Of course, Shao Yao didn’t forget about the director either—he would pack late-night snacks for him.

Lu Xu: “…”

The food was indeed delicious.

It wasn’t that Lu Xu couldn’t refuse, but Shao Yao was overly enthusiastic (as evidenced by his visibly disappointed expression if Lu Xu declined). Left with no choice, Lu Xu surrendered.

Shao Yao also did something that Lu Xu found utterly embarrassing. Once the two became familiar with each other, Shao Yao admitted that he had never watched any of Lu Xu’s dramas. As a result, during breaks in the filming of Voice of the Dead, he took out his tablet and started watching The Path of Bones on his own.

First, he finished The Path of Bones, and then he moved on to Son of Heaven, completing both series in no time.

Lu Xu: “…”

Did this guy forget that they were colleagues? Watching his dramas like this was awkward, okay?

Thankfully, Shao Yao was a straightforward actor. He watched the dramas without any malice, purely appreciating the works from an actor’s perspective.

What Lu Xu didn’t know was that, while watching, Shao Yao occasionally sent messages to his manager, saying things like, “My admiration has deepened,” and “I’ve learned a lot.”

He also followed Lu Xu’s Weibo account, and Lu Xu followed him back.

In summary, their collaboration was exceptionally smooth.

In the drama Voice of the Dead, the characters Jiang Lin and Su Yang also shared an indescribable tacit understanding.

Jiang Lin had grown accustomed to his ability to “listen to the voices of the dead,” as it provided him with vital clues. To better utilize this talent, he intentionally trained his sense of hearing.

In the first case, what seemed to ordinary people like mere shouting, footsteps, and the cawing of crows quickly became a lead for Su Yang:

“Stone pavement, morning, not a newly developed neighborhood…”

This was because the sound of the bike tire from the “old mobile phones for kitchen knives” vendor was distinct on stone pavement, asphalt roads, and dirt paths. The background noises pointed more toward an urban village.

“Let’s start looking for clues around the central lake area,” Jiang Lin said, his expression graver than usual. “There might be more than one victim.”

The tricky part of this case was that the crime had occurred some time ago. S City had experienced a severe drought during the summer. If the perpetrator had disposed of the body parts in the central lake before the drought, it would have been at least six months ago.

Receiving Jiang Lin’s clues, Su Yang nodded.

He didn’t say much, but after walking a few steps, he turned back to look at Jiang Lin. “Can you get back alone?”

Jiang Lin gave an OK hand gesture, and the two split up.

In the setting of Voice of the Dead, Jiang Lin and Su Yang weren’t close friends in private. Jiang Lin had a livelier personality, while Su Yang was introverted and reclusive. Yet, when it came to investigating homicide cases, a single glance from Jiang Lin was enough for Su Yang to instantly understand his thoughts.

To Jiang Lin, Su Yang was his brave support.

It was precisely because of Su Yang’s presence that Jiang Lin dared to take on case after case. His unique ability to hear the voices of the dead even led him to take risks by simulating the murderer’s actions to lure the perpetrator into a trap.

Lu Xu and Shao Yao also worked together with remarkable synergy.

Perhaps it was because their off-screen relationship had improved that their on-screen chemistry felt so seamless. During filming, there wasn’t the slightest sense of unfamiliarity between them; instead, they seemed like they had known each other for years.

Lu Xu was the type of actor who combined natural talent with hard work, while Shao Yao’s talent might not have been on the same level, but his dedication surpassed Lu Xu’s.

As an observer, Director Xu Yan felt this most acutely.

At the beginning of Voice of the Dead, to highlight the tacit understanding between Su Yang and Jiang Lin, the script included some small, deliberate gestures to reflect their connection. However, as the plot progressed, the duo’s words and actions during filming became increasingly natural and lifelike. The familiarity between them no longer needed to be scripted—it emerged effortlessly.

Of course, occasional hiccups still occurred.

For instance, in reality, Shao Yao held a bit of admiration for Lu Xu. However, in the drama, Su Yang was supposed to be a steady and composed character. Yet, at times, Shao Yao would momentarily lose focus and unintentionally show traces of his real-life admiration for Lu Xu during scenes.

“Cut! Cut! Stop right there!” Xu Yan unceremoniously directed his critique at Lu Xu. “Lu Xu, say something to him.”

The director had already noticed that Lu Xu’s reminders were far more effective on Shao Yao than his own.

Tsk, tsk.

Not that Xu Yan felt any shame about it.

Having experienced Shao Yao’s admiration, Lu Xu naturally had to pay the corresponding price.

“They’re such a good pair,” Zhao Jincheng couldn’t help but remark. “Why was the rumor about Song of Southern Country’s crew so nasty?”

Zhao Jincheng had never worked with Shao Yao before, but he had heard about how Shao Yao was ostracized on the set of Song of Southern Country. After spending time on the set of Voice of the Dead, all Zhao Jincheng could say was that, while Shao Yao appeared strong and commanding on the surface, it was merely superficial. His personality was completely at odds with the image of a powerful and imposing man.

On set, Shao Yao showed respect to the director, to the screenwriter, and to all the other crew members as well. He maintained the level of respect expected of him.

Xu Yan spoke quietly, “Shao Yao is under Mingniao, and Yan Qichen is with Ningshi.”

“Ah, that explains it. What a mess,” Zhao Jincheng immediately understood. “Good thing our production cast Lu Xu and Shao Yao.”

The other two actors from The Empress production were fortunate not to have been chosen. Although those two weren’t signed under Ningshi, judging by the chaos that surrounded The Empress crew, it was clear they weren’t easy to deal with.

“It’s fine. Even if they had come, Lu Xu would’ve handled them.”

“Please don’t. I don’t want that kind of drama,” Zhao Jincheng said. “I have high blood pressure. What if fans flood the comment section to insult me, and I get so worked up I faint? I’d rather preserve my life.”

Xu Yan thought about it and agreed.

As a director, he also hoped for a peaceful production environment without unnecessary drama during filming.

For actors like Lu Xu and Shao Yao, working diligently on set, carefully analyzing their characters, and memorizing their lines weren’t that difficult to manage. Yet, for some reason, these basic expectations seemed like an insurmountable challenge for certain people.

The longer Xu Yan spent in the industry, the more baffled he became.

Each generation had its own preferences, and perhaps he was already outdated.

The first case concluded in a sorrowful atmosphere.

The perpetrator was found. Jiang Lin provided some critical clues, which the criminal investigation team used to continue their probe, eventually uncovering the true culprit.

The murderer was a remarkably cunning individual, operating across various locations and adept at hiding in urban villages, mountainous areas, and the marginalized corners of society—places inhabited by people who often went unnoticed in daily life.

One of the victims was a young girl who had fled her hometown to escape her parents.

By the time she arrived at this area, she had already been deceived and had given birth to a child. Despite her young age, she refused to abandon her child. As a mother, she worked in a factory during the day and sewed duvet covers for export orders at night. When the murderer struck, she had merely turned on the light to glance at her child, which led to her and her child falling victim to a gruesome fate.

The criminal investigation team notified her parents to come.

However, instead of bringing her back home, her parents repeatedly asked about possible compensation. Her brothers back in their hometown were waiting to get married, and any compensation money would ease the family’s financial burden.

The female officer was furious, and so was Jiang Lin.

Her parents, however, didn’t seem indifferent; they simply felt helpless. “What can we do? She’s dead. I can’t bring her back to life.”

“The dead have their own fate, and the living have theirs.”

“If we bring her back to the village, the neighbors will laugh at us. Everyone knows our daughter went out and didn’t behave properly. Her brothers wouldn’t even dream of finding wives then.”

“I can’t very well tell people that my daughter didn’t do anything wrong and was just killed, can I? Who would believe me?”

The old couple wept bitterly, but after their tears, they decided to cremate her remains locally. For them, scolding wouldn’t change their minds, and beating them wouldn’t either—they still had other children to care for.

The deep wrinkles on their faces seemed impossible to smooth out, much like the centuries-old traditions in the girl’s hometown that remained unchanged.

Voice of the Dead wasn’t all about tragic stories like this one; there were also beautiful ones. Even in the presence of death, there were those who, from birth to their final moments, remained surrounded by love.

For Jiang Lin, whether the outcome was sorrowful or infuriating, he was gradually learning to adapt.

With the filming of the first case completed, the cast for the second case had just joined the crew, leaving Lu Xu and Shao Yao with some downtime.

Shao Yao, as usual, planned to take Lu Xu out for another feast. Before the director could get angry, Lu Xu quickly stopped him—having someone else always foot the bill made even him, as thick-skinned as he was, feel a bit embarrassed.

Instead, the two decided to spend their free time playing a game together.

By this point, the news of Lu Xu joining the Voice of the Dead production had naturally reached the outside world.

Many in the industry assumed that Lu Xu would gravitate toward series with award potential, like Son of Heaven or The Path of Bones, which offered ample room for artistic expression.

However, after The Path of Bones finished airing, Lu Xu chose to film Voice of the Dead instead.

Voice of the Dead clearly wasn’t the type of show that provided actors with much space to showcase their skills; it was a typical plot-driven drama with less focus on performance.

This led to some sneering remarks:

[Didn’t Lu Xu claim he wasn’t just a traffic-star? So why’s he chasing traffic now?]

[He’d be better off focusing on winning the Stellar Awards. Once he wins, his status would be secure, and he could pick any project he wants. There’s no point wasting time on a drama like this.]

When people saw that Lu Xu’s new co-star was Shao Yao, the criticism became even more pointed:

[Lu Xu and Shao Yao? It’s hard to imagine those two not clashing.]

[Tsk, once Voice of the Dead airs, the entertainment circle’s definitely going to be lively again.]

[Guess we’ll see Lu Xu snapping back at people again. What was the production team thinking, putting two troublemakers together? Couldn’t they find anyone else?]

Shao Yao’s reputation wasn’t exactly stellar, and even now, Yan Qichen’s fans still held a grudge against him.

Unfortunately for those eagerly anticipating a fiery clash between Lu Xu and Shao Yao, their imagined drama never materialized.

One paparazzi captured a surprising moment: during a break in the filming of Voice of the Dead, the two leading actors were spotted casually strolling through a supermarket like a couple of kids. Despite wandering the aisles for over half an hour, they ended up buying nothing but drinks and snacks.

Lu Xu’s smile was dazzling.

Shao Yao’s smile… surprisingly, was equally radiant.

This expression of his was something almost never seen in public.

[Wait… does Shao Yao even smile like that?]

[!!! I never noticed before, but his big smile is kind of adorable. He looks good!]

[Looks good +1.]

[Don’t eat too many snacks, you’ll gain weight! Eat less!]

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