Mad Dog

Chapter 63: Return – Look, your boyfriend is trending again!

“Arrogant”

As filming progressed into the later stages of “Arrogant,” the male lead, Chen Si, was caught in a turbulent phase of self-awareness regarding his gender.

During this period, he genuinely believed he was a girl, becoming increasingly emaciated, refusing to remain confined to the male runway—he wanted to walk the female shows, to wear the clothes of those girls.

At this moment, Chen Si was in a pathological state, yet no one around him in the chaotic fashion world pointed out his condition.

On the contrary, they seemed to enjoy it.

Thus, Chen Si walked in numerous female shows. Whenever he wore those flamboyant or delicate outfits—whether elaborate long skirts or boldly eccentric attire—he felt as if he was “floating towards the heavens.”

It was like being on a drug high.

The production team had invested heavily to portray Chen Si’s experiences in the fashion scene, with flawless costumes and props sponsored by major brands. Even when Jiang Qi donned women’s clothing, the results would undoubtedly be stunning.

However, Jiang Qi faced a dilemma.

His concern wasn’t about wearing women’s clothing and feeling shy; Jiang Qi understood that professionalism was key in filming. He could manage wearing women’s clothes and even lose over ten pounds if needed. His real struggle was with… the scars on his body.

In revealing outfits, those scars would be fully exposed.

The effect presented in the film might not be as appealing because of that.

This was something he had to discuss with Qu Heng; he couldn’t let his personal issues affect the film’s overall quality.

After a scene wrapped up, Jiang Qi called Qu Heng into the break room, cutting straight to the point: “Director Qu, I might have some issues filming the scenes at the women’s fashion shows.”

“Why?” Qu Heng raised an eyebrow, instinctively thinking, “Do you find it embarrassing to wear women’s clothing?”

Jiang Qi pressed his lips together. “No.”

As he spoke, he unbuttoned his shirt. Under Qu Heng’s surprised gaze, the young man revealed his body for the first time to someone other than Zhi Qi. He took off his shirt, exposing his pale and thin torso, where scars crisscrossed like shocking reminders.

Qu Heng felt as if he had been stabbed in the eyes.

“This…” he stumbled over his words, “What happened?”

Jiang Qi opened his lips, about to respond, when the break room door was abruptly pushed open, accompanied by an urgent voice—

“Director Qu, there’s someone outside…”

The staff member’s words faltered midway as they noticed Jiang Qi half-naked, standing face-to-face with Qu Heng. The voice cut off abruptly.

The three of them stood in a stunned silence for a moment, and the staff member seemed to realize something. They quickly turned around, stammering, “S-Sorry! Director, I didn’t know what you were doing!”

This sounded a bit odd, didn’t it? Qu Heng frowned, “Just go outside.”

The staff member hurried away.

As they turned, Jiang Qi had already put his shirt back on, his long fingers fastening the buttons.

He seemed unbothered by the intruder’s abrupt entrance, simply saying, “My legs are about the same. Do you need to see, Director Qu?”

“…Why would I look at that?” Qu Heng felt a mix of exasperation and shock. He couldn’t help but ask, “How did you get those scars?”

Jiang Qi replied, “My dad used to hit me when I was a child.”

…

Every family has its own difficult stories. Qu Heng was momentarily at a loss for words in response to this revelation.

But he began to understand why Jiang Qi had approached him.

With a body like this, it was indeed inappropriate to film scenes wearing revealing outfits.

Putting aside whether it met the script’s absolute requirement for ‘aesthetic,’ exposing Jiang Qi’s numerous scars would likely lead to the film being rejected by the broadcasting authorities for “promoting violence.”

Qu Heng also understood why Jiang Qi, regardless of the season, had always worn long sleeves and long pants to cover his skin.

However, if the scenes in the script featuring Jiang Qi in revealing show outfits were changed to more modest attire… that wouldn’t align with the character’s development.

After all, every change in Chen Si, every deeper reason for wanting gender reassignment surgery, was directly related to these clothes and the bizarre world of fashion.

Even a minor adjustment could have a ripple effect on the entire narrative.

This was indeed a difficult situation.

Qu Heng felt a headache coming on, his mind replaying the image of Jiang Qi’s exposed upper body, where one long scar on his back stretched nearly from his left shoulder blade to his slender waist… giving the boy a sense of tragic beauty.

Wait, tragic beauty.

What could be used to cover up ‘brokenness’? What could conceal it?

An idea sparked in Qu Heng’s mind as the keyword ‘body painting’ flashed through his thoughts.

Body painting, combined with the exposure of his scars, could almost transform into a work of ‘art.’

“You don’t need to worry about this.” Qu Heng’s confidence returned: “I’ll handle it.”

Jiang Qi looked at him in surprise, his eyes seemingly questioning ‘how,’ but Qu Heng didn’t elaborate.

The next day, two new people joined the crew.

The internationally renowned body painter Chu Fang and her apprentice Yan Sang. Chu Fang wore a black tailored dress and high heels, making her pale skin appear even more icy white. With glasses that accentuated her sharp look, she stood there exuding a cold aura that could rival Jiang Qi’s.

Her apprentice, Yan Sang, was a typical Jiangnan girl—gentle and pretty, with a delicate and graceful figure. She was still a university student, brought along by Chu Fang to broaden her horizons.

These two ‘walking landscapes’ were specifically invited by Qu Heng.

As the other male colleagues in the crew drooled over the two women, Qu Heng took them to the backstage dressing room.

Jiang Qi was in front of the mirror, tilting his head while the makeup artist styled him. He heard Qu Heng’s voice calling, “Xiao Chen, have Jiang Qi come over here.”

Xiao Chen was the makeup artist.

“Okay,” he replied, patting Jiang Qi’s shoulder to signal him to lie on the bed beside him.

Jiang Qi got up and saw the two ladies behind Qu Heng, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

“Jiang Qi,” Qu Heng said excitedly, “Hurry up, take off your clothes.”

…

What’s going on?

“The one to be painted is him?” Chu Fang scanned Jiang Qi from head to toe, her gaze reminiscent of someone eyeing fresh meat at the market. A glimmer of excitement sparkled in her eyes as she adjusted her glasses, nodding in approval. “Not bad.”

“Absolutely,” Yan Sang added, eagerly asking, “Teacher, can I do a body portrait of him?”

What kind of madness was this?

Jiang Qi frowned, looking at Qu Heng in confusion.

“I found a solution for your scars,” Qu Heng seemed to understand Jiang Qi’s puzzled gaze and smiled as he explained: “Body painting. Have you heard of it?”

Jiang Qi was taken aback. “You mean to paint over the scars?”

“Exactly.” Qu Heng nodded, speaking with complete confidence. “With Chu Fang’s skill, it will definitely have a beautiful effect.”

Although painting over scars before shooting the revealing scenes was somewhat troublesome, he was a perfectionist; such trouble was entirely acceptable.

Jiang Qi understood this was the best solution to the problem, but…

He looked at the two women, whose gazes seemed uncomfortably ‘green,’ and felt rather awkward.

Reluctantly, he removed his shirt and lay down on the bed.

Jiang Qi felt like a piece of meat on a chopping board, subjected to scrutiny. When the two women’s fingers touched his skin, he could barely suppress the urge to get up, his temples throbbing.

“Mr. Jiang, you don’t need to feel uncomfortable,” Chu Fang’s cold voice was calm, “We’re just feeling your body’s texture to make it easier to paint.”

“Yes,” Yan Sang chimed in, “Just think of yourself as an object. Relax.”

…

Jiang Qi found Yan Sang’s words rather thoughtless.

Did she really say that in such an encouraging tone?!

Then, he lay on that low bed for two hours like a mummy.

Like a canvas, Jiang Qi allowed the two women to paint and sketch on his body. When they stood up to draw on his back, Yan Sang suddenly gasped at the sight of the long scar.

Everyone thought she was startled.

However, after a moment of surprise, the girl excitedly exclaimed, “This scar has artistic potential! Teacher, can we paint a winding green snake on it?”

…

Qu Heng couldn’t help but laugh at Jiang Qi’s dark expression.

It took nearly three hours to complete this ‘body art’ painting.

Chu Fang was unusually pleased with her work, sporting a rare smile—then she whipped out her phone and took several photos of Jiang Qi, clicking away at lightning speed before Qu Heng could stop her.

[@Chu FangV: New work.]

Just a simple two-character caption accompanied images of Jiang Qi standing under the lights.

The boy slightly lowered his head, seemingly at a loss as he gazed at himself, while the intricate painting on his pale skin depicted butterflies.

Beautiful, vibrant butterflies in shades of red and orange, scattered across his abdomen and waist, while a serpent motif entwined around his arms.

Colorful, vibrant snakes, vividly animated, seemed to curl around his fingers, giving the boy an otherworldly allure.

Chu Fang was indeed a world-renowned master, her skills were genuinely impressive.

When her new work was just released, it sparked awe among fashion enthusiasts and artists, but it wasn’t until someone recognized the model as Jiang Qi

that it really gained traction.

A flurry of questions erupted in the comments of Chu Fang’s post—

[Sister Fang, is this model Jiang Qi?]

[Could this be Jiang Qi’s look for a new drama? What scenes would require body painting?]

[This image has such a captivating vibe; if it weren’t Jiang Qi, I’d want to save it.]

…

Before long, the hashtag #JiangQiBodyArt# climbed back onto the trending list.

Zhi Qi had come to Yingzhou with Meng Chunyu for cell research. She was a typical 2G girl, while Meng Chunyu was a full-fledged gossip enthusiast. After a week of business in Yingzhou, she had spent almost all her time glued to her phone.

So, naturally, she was the first to see the trending news about Jiang Qi.

“Wow, Zhi Qi,” Meng Chunyu excitedly called out to Zhi Qi, who was eager to grab a bite, “Quick, look! Your boyfriend is trending again!”