After Getting Pregnant, I Fought for a Divorce from My Alpha - Chapter 9

The weather was gradually warming up, and the filming schedule of the production crew was progressing steadily. On the morning of April 13th, everyone braced themselves to shoot the final three scenes.

In the original novel Eyes Hidden in the Corner, there were three scenes considered truly difficult to shoot—two gunfight scenes and one explosion scene. Director Cao Xuan, in pursuit of the best results for the drama, naturally didn’t want the actors to use stunt doubles. However, considering the potential danger, he still gave An Xiangdi and the others the option.

An Xiangdi didn’t play a major role in the two gunfights, but the final wrap-up scene, which involved the only explosion, was the most important part of his entire script.

Shen Xiao had never used a stunt double in his acting career, so without even thinking, he gave Cao Xuan a firm answer.

An Xiangdi hesitated for a moment but gritted his teeth and said, “I’ll do it myself. No stunt double.”

“The explosion scene is more dangerous. If anything goes wrong, you must tell us right away,” Cao Xuan reminded him.

“Got it.” An Xiangdi took a deep breath. This drama was his attempt at a new genre, and he didn’t want any regrets.

The two gunfight scenes were shot first. The guns had been specially approved after an application by the crew and were real, supervised by professionals. The bullets were replicas and couldn’t cause harm.

To prepare, the relevant actors had received systematic training in advance. Shen Xiao wasn’t unfamiliar with handling firearms.

Cao Xuan called over Shen Xiao and a few other actors playing police officers, and carefully explained the scene, even specifying exactly where they should run. To avoid any mistakes, he had them run through it twice first.

Then he called over An Xiangdi.

An Xiangdi had a bag of fake bl00d tied to his pant leg, which made it a bit hard to walk.

“When Shen Xiao shoots at you, don’t dodge,” Cao Xuan said, not worried about An Xiangdi’s acting but about whether he might flinch out of instinct.

“Okay.” An Xiangdi agreed without hesitation. In his younger, wilder days, he and Shen Xiao had often gone shooting at the range for fun.

Seeing everyone was ready, Cao Xuan raised his hand. “Let’s try it once first. If it doesn’t work, we’ll do it again.”

With the clapboard snapped, the shooting officially began.

It went smoothly at first, but before Shen Xiao could even fire, the bl00d bag in An Xiangdi’s pants burst early.

Pop!

Everyone froze for a moment. Then they saw the bright red fake bl00d streaming down An Xiangdi’s leg, quickly soaking his pants and shoes.

“…What the hell is going on?” Cao Xuan slammed his hand on the table and yelled at the props team.

An Xiangdi raised his hand, “It was my fault. I accidentally pressed on it.”

Thanks to his quick cover, the props team avoided a scolding. An Xiangdi was taken to the break room to clean up and change into a fresh pair of pants and shoes.

Thankfully, the costume team had anticipated such an incident and prepared twenty identical sets of pants and shoes.

After two more takes, there were no further mishaps, and everything passed smoothly. The second gunfight scene also went well. After finishing, the crew received boxed lunches and sat down to eat while waiting for the afternoon’s explosion scene.

An Xiangdi sat in a corner with his meal, picking at it slowly, lacking much appetite.

Shen Xiao glanced at him and said, “Don’t be scared.”

Not wanting to lose face, An Xiangdi tried to act tough: “Who said I’m scared?”

Shen Xiao enjoyed seeing him act stubborn and resisted the urge to ruffle his hair. “As long as you stay within the safety range, you’ll be fine.”

“I know.” An Xiangdi looked toward the props team marking positions on the ground, his heart pounding in his chest.

It was embarrassing, but the truth was he wasn’t scared of the explosion—he was scared of the loud bang.

He was terrible at cooking. As a kid, not knowing any better, he once microwaved a hard-boiled egg. When it came out, it looked fine, so he bit into it—only for it to explode in his face. The burns on his lips left them red and swollen.

He took several days off, refusing to see anyone, terrified of being laughed at. Shen Xiao even climbed over the wall into his house to check on him, and they ended up fighting over it.

Recalling such a humiliating memory, An Xiangdi was full of embarrassment. He covered his face, and his appetite disappeared completely.

At 1:30 PM, the props team completed assembling the explosion device after repeated testing. An Xiangdi had only managed to mentally prepare himself four times before he finished makeup and got into position for filming.

…

Qian Xin never imagined the last time he’d see Zheng Jun would be in such a wretched state—covered in dust, his left leg shot through, bl00d from his forehead clouding his vision.

In contrast, Zheng Jun, in his police uniform, looked upright and righteous—completely out of reach.

“I…” Zheng Jun’s hand trembled slightly as he held the gun. He was the one who had shot Qian Xin’s leg.

“Zheng Jun, we were never meant to walk the same path,” Qian Xin, who had never smiled before, showed a faint grin. “Ever since you started suspecting me.”

“The evidence is clear. I’m a police officer.” Zheng Jun hardened his heart.

Qian Xin closed his eyes. After a long silence, he opened them again, now devoid of light: “Yes, you’re a police officer.”

Zheng Jun wanted to say more, but it was too late. He watched as Qian Xin walked into the abandoned building. In the moment he hesitated to shoot, a fellow officer fired instead.

As the bullet pierced Qian Xin’s heart, the building exploded. In the rising dust and flames, Qian Xin slowly collapsed.

“Cut!” Cao Xuan watched the footage twice. Even without post-production effects, the result exceeded his expectations. He could already imagine how perfect it would look with effects.

“I think it turned out really well,” Qi Kexiu, who had been watching from the side, commented.

“Excellent!” Explosion scenes are expensive—each extra take burns money. Cao Xuan was thrilled with the lead actors’ performance saving the budget.

Shen Xiao pushed through the crowd and entered the ruined building. Dust swirled around the explosion site. He coughed and walked around a pillar to find An Xiangdi hiding in a corner.

“Wanna head out?” he asked, only to see An Xiangdi’s eyes were red.

An Xiangdi sniffled. “…Give me a moment.”

He cried from fear.
That was Shen Xiao’s first thought.
Too cute.
That was his second.

Shen Xiao plopped down beside him, pulling An Xiangdi into his arms and gently patting his back.

Feeling embarrassed, An Xiangdi wiped his tears on Shen Xiao’s shirt.

Just when it felt like a rare tender moment, Shen Xiao whispered, “Don’t cry, Little Flute. Xiao Xiao will blow your flute.”

An Xiangdi shoved him away instantly, his eyes even redder—this time from anger and shame. “Shen Xiao! Shut the hell up!”

“What? I always used to comfort you like that when we were kids.” Shen Xiao chuckled.

An Xiangdi, flustered, yanked out the bl00d-soaked packet on his chest and stuffed it into Shen Xiao’s shirt collar. “Childish!”

The crew, who had been loudly celebrating the wrap-up, suddenly noticed the two leads were missing. Fearing something had gone wrong during the explosion, they rushed inside—only to find the two covered in fake bl00d. Everyone stood awkwardly, unsure what to say.

“Eyes Hidden in the Corner took two months and twenty days to shoot. During filming, everyone gave their best. As the director, I thank each and every one of you for your hard work. I hope Hidden Eyes becomes a massive hit!” Cao Xuan announced.

“To Hidden Eyes being a hit!” everyone cheered. Then someone started shouting for Cao Xuan to treat everyone to dinner.

Overwhelmed, Cao Xuan laughed. “Of course I’ll treat you all, but… do you think those two leads are presentable right now?”

An Xiangdi and Shen Xiao stood there covered in fake bl00d and dirt. They didn’t say anything, while everyone else burst out laughing.

“It’s just a shower. No big deal.” An Xiangdi peeled off his bl00d-soaked white coat.

“Then meet at the hotel entrance tonight! I’ll pick the place—no objections allowed!” Cao Xuan declared.

Everyone cheered and scattered to pack up, already looking forward to the dinner.

An Xiangdi and Shen Xiao took the same car back to the hotel. After a hot shower and a change of clean clothes, they waited in their room for dinner time.

– Xiao Gu: Mr. An, are you available right now?

An Xiangdi, scrolling through his phone, quickly replied.

– Flute: What’s up?

– Xiao Gu: There’s something I wanted to tell you.

– Xiao Gu: I went back to the company yesterday, and while passing by Brother Li’s office, I overheard that he turned down the Ci Sheng May cover.

Xiao Gu had been debating all day whether to bring this up, especially since they had just wrapped filming and were in such a good mood. But he realized that if he waited any longer, it might be too late to salvage the opportunity—so he spoke up.

An Xiangdi’s fingers paused on the screen, his expression dark.

Shen Xiao noticed. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. My manager’s itching for trouble. I can handle it.” An Xiangdi refused to give Shen Xiao the chance to dissuade him and continued messaging.

– Flute: Got it.

– Xiao Gu: Mr. An, good luck!

Switching to his contacts, An Xiangdi called Director Ning, the photography director of Ci Sheng magazine.

After a moment, the other party picked up: “Mr. An! What a surprise to hear from you!”

“Director Ning, I have an idea for a photoshoot I’d like to run by you.”

“Oh?” Ning Zhi was intrigued.

An Xiangdi confidently shared his impromptu concept. Ning Zhi responded with praise: “Wow, that sounds fantastic! But… it’s a pity.”

“What? Is it hard to pull off?”

“No, not at all. We were originally planning for you to be the May cover, but your manager said your schedule was packed.”

“Huh? I’m actually pretty free.” An Xiangdi said casually.

Ning Zhi was stunned. One said his schedule was full, and the other said he was free. What was going on between An Xiangdi and his agent?

He hesitated, then remembered that An Xiangdi usually made the decisions himself for cover shoots, and became tempted.

An Xiangdi’s covers for Ci Sheng had consistently topped sales. If he really was available, it would be a win-win.

“If you’re willing, that’d be perfect.”

“Of course I am.”

Though working with An Xiangdi came with pressure, Ning Zhi happily agreed. “Then let’s have a great collaboration.”

After An Xiangdi ended the call, Shen Xiao silently deleted the message he had been typing.

The other party, having waited for a while without a reply, sent over a string of messages:

– Rich Heir: So? What’s the deal? Are we doing this or not? Where are you?