Beauty and the Beasts

The three baby eagles gazed at the phone screen ignorantly and pecked at it with their little beaks. Instantly, Bai Qingqing saw an enormous bird’s mouth, the tongue and gums inside clearly visible, like something out of a horror movie.

Now that his guess had been confirmed, Curtis’s hands froze, and his pupils turned a blood-red color as he stared blankly at the air.

A production staff member was urging Parker, but he paid no heed to him and walked to an empty corner to force himself to calm down.

“Fine, I accept it. But we’ve got to take turns. This time, Winston is your boyfriend. Next time, it’ll be my turn,” said Parker.

Bai Qingqing shook her head. “That won’t do. If I take turns dating each one of you, and still remain close to you guys after getting married, that’d be way too weird. Moreover, changing boyfriends so frequently is problematic in itself. All of you are so outstanding. My parents will definitely be pleased with each and every one of you. When the time comes, what excuse do I have to break up with you guys?”

Parker was at a loss for words. He pouted, tears indistinctly glistening in his golden pupils.

“Parker…” Bai Qingqing called out uneasily.

He didn’t respond to her.

Just then, the director also urged from the side. “Parker, are you done? Everyone’s waiting for you.”

“What done or not done? I’m not filming anymore!” Parker’s roar resounded throughout the set, his voice reverberating in the air, sounding more deafening than the sound produced by a loudspeaker.

He walked out after saying that. Also filming with him, Xu Qiyang instantly ran after him. Unexpectedly, even though Parker was merely walking briskly, Xu Qiyang couldn’t catch up even as he ran with all his might.

“Parker, calm down. This is your last scene in Hengdian. After finishing this scene, you can return to the city for the New Year,” Xu Qiyang said loudly.

Parker halted in his footsteps. Hadn’t he been rushing for this last scene? He truly couldn’t take it lying down if he were to return like this.

Xu Qiyang took the chance to catch up to him. He grabbed Parker’s arm with one hand and said, panting, “Think about it. If you leave today, you’d have to rush back to make up for this scene. The time you spend traveling to and fro won’t be worth it.”

Parker merely stared at his phone and didn’t speak.

Bai Qingqing also quickly said, “Parker, don’t be impulsive. Quickly go back to work. After you’re done filming, we can celebrate New Year together.”

Parker clenched his phone and let out a long murky breath. “Okay, I’ll listen to you.”

Bai Qingqing heaved a sigh of relief and pacified him. “That’s my boy. Quickly go.”

“Mm.” Parker exited the group video call and slipped his phone into his ancient robe. When he raised his head again, he wiped away the grief and anger from his face in a second.

“Come, let’s go film.”

After Parker left, Muir expressed that he could accept it, before exiting the video chat as well.

While Bai Qingqing washed up and went to bed, Parker was still filming through the night.

This was a Chinese-style ancient wuxia drama, and Parker was portraying the protagonist, a prince of a different tribe who was embroiled in an imperial court dispute.

In this scene, he was required to do wire-flying[1] in order to break into the heavily guarded dungeon to save his companions.

After the staff skillfully helped him fix the wires, Parker climbed to the ancient-style red tile rooftop and stood with both hands behind his back.

With the winter wind howling incessantly like an icy knife, even the staff, thickly dressed like bears and standing somewhere sheltered from the wind, were shivering from the cold.

Clad in only a thin costume, Parker stood on the rooftop, steady as a rock.

Although this costume was a reserved dark black, its style and design were gorgeous and exquisite. Clearly meticulously designed, it accentuated his lean and strong figure. Just his figure alone was enough to attract the attention of countless young men and young women.

[1] a theatrical stunt that involves suspending an actor from high-tension wires to simulate the action of flying or falling