MMLDU Chapter 26

Lu Lu is a boy four years younger than Pei Lang, looking sunny and cute, very likable. He is the assistant arranged by Yan Han, and he is quite capable. Pei Lang has no airs, so the two quickly became friends and got along harmoniously.

For the past couple of days, Lu Lu has been taking Pei Lang around to play, and they’ve eaten a lot of things Pei Lang hadn’t tried before. Pei Lang’s foodie nature was completely unlocked. His first question every time they met was what to eat.

However, every time, Lu Lu felt very awkward. “Brother Lang, as an actor, you should pay a little attention to your diet. If you keep eating like this, your ethereal aura will be gone.”

Lu Lu complained, his eyes wide and innocent like a little deer’s.

When they first met, he felt that Pei Lang had a mysterious, otherworldly aura, like someone who didn’t eat the food of the mortal world. Who would have thought that the person he saw as so ethereal was so obsessed with food, not picky about what he ate, and wanting to try anything he hadn’t tasted before?

It was as if he were an immortal who had just descended to the mortal realm, full of curiosity about the world.

If Pei Lang knew how Lu Lu was describing him, he’d probably spit out his milk tea again.

“Brother Lang, Sister You asked us to be careful and not get caught on camera,” Lu Lu said cautiously. There were quite a few people around, but no one had noticed that the handsome guy over there was Pei Lang.

Pei Lang’s public image was still that of a heavily made-up boy with long hair and dressed in a flamboyant deep-V outfit, the wild boy of the deep-V craze. Even though the promotional photos released by the crew looked good, they were from a period drama. Pei Lang’s current look was far from that, so no one recognized him for now.

Sister You is the agent arranged by Yan Han. She manages a few popular celebrities, including now Pei Lang. She was busy with other matters and reminded them out of concern for these two playful people.

“Got it.” Pei Lang, enjoying the delicious pastries, checked the time and decided it was about time to head back. “I’ve paid, so I’ll leave first if there’s nothing else.”

“Brother Lang, where do you live? I can pick you up next time,” Lu Lu said, standing up to see Pei Lang off.

It was always a matter of arranging a time and place to meet, and as his assistant, it was his responsibility to take him there. But Pei Lang just smiled and didn’t seem inclined to share. “I’m not that famous, I don’t need to hide. I’m fine on my own.”

He was too poor to let his assistant see him taking a ride-share home.

Also, he couldn’t let anyone know that he was living with Yan Han. If people found out, wouldn’t that just confirm the rumors of him clinging to a rich man? It wouldn’t affect him much, but Yan Han had already been ridiculed because of his legs. If people knew they were involved, it would only make things worse.

Though everyone dared not speak of it due to his status, they still secretly looked down on him out of jealousy.

It seemed that once he made some money, he should move out. Pei Lang made another decision. He stepped out, hailed a cab, and headed home.

Pei Lang’s role, Wen Yan, continued to stir up online discussions. When Pei Ziqing saw it, jealousy filled his chest and he felt unsettled. Recently, Yan Xiuyuan seemed to have trouble controlling his emotions around him, frequently flying into a rage because of Pei Lang, and it often affected him as well. Pei Ziqing had his own troubles but couldn’t reach Yan Xiuyuan, who directed all his anger towards Pei Lang.

After finally managing to contact Yan Xiuyuan, they met up for a meal. While scrolling through Weibo, he suddenly lost his appetite after seeing the trending search. “Brother is amazing, huh? I auditioned for the role of Wen Yan, but Director Jin didn’t pick me. In the end, he gave the role to him. If Director Jin noticed him, he must have worked really hard.”

Though he spoke with apparent admiration, there was a clear sense of unwillingness, even secretly accusing Pei Lang of using unscrupulous means to get the role.

Yan Xiuyuan’s face darkened upon hearing this and he sneered, “Him? Ha~ Everyone knows his acting skills. If he got this role, it must be because someone helped him. There’s no way it could’ve fallen into his hands otherwise.”

Pei Ziqing seized on that detail, his eyes lighting up. “Who helped him?”

“Who else? It’s my…,” Yan Xiuyuan almost blurted it out but caught himself just in time. As soon as it came to anything related to Pei Lang, his intelligence seemed to disappear. He quickly remembered his uncle’s warning and stepped on the brakes. “Ziqing, it was right that you weren’t selected. Director Jin always talks about his high artistic standards, but in the end, he chose a useless actor. Director Jin has betrayed his own principles. I really doubt his character now. Luckily, I didn’t invest in this movie. Let’s see how much he’ll lose in the end. I’ve been keeping an eye out for a good role for you.”

Though Yan Xiuyuan didn’t finish his sentence, Pei Ziqing was pleased by what he heard. “Thank you, Xiuyuan.”

“What’s there to thank? Soon, you’ll be my wife. We’re family, no need for thanks. In the future, everyone will respect you because of me,” Yan Xiuyuan said, his tone affectionate.

Pei Ziqing suddenly felt emotional, tears welling up in his eyes. He expressed his feelings in a few tender words, making Yan Xiuyuan soften into a more considerate and gentle demeanor.

They both firmly believed that Pei Lang’s role was secured through connections. Yan Xiuyuan knew that his uncle had helped, but for some reason, their family forbade revealing anything about his uncle and Pei Lang. His grandfather had warned him, and so had his uncle. Despite his dislike for both of them, he had to keep it a secret. His grandfather had said that no matter who leaked the information, the first person he would go after would be Yan Xiuyuan.

Yan Xiuyuan felt completely wronged. Such a bombshell of information could have been used to stir public opinion and make a mockery of these two people. Now, not only could he not say anything, but he had to help cover it up.

But it frustrated him to no end.

However, after some thought, he figured it out. With Pei Lang’s terrible acting skills, it was impossible for him to perform well, and in the end, he would be ridiculed by the whole internet. During this time, he could give Ziqing a good script and role, which would air at the same time. The comparison between the two would be inevitable. That way, Ziqing could use Pei Lang to gain traffic and exposure. Director Jin’s entire crew would essentially be giving Pei Ziqing free publicity and marketing—this was a golden opportunity to profit.

So, selecting scripts for Pei Ziqing became a priority.

Yan Xiuyuan’s plan was coming together. After taking Pei Ziqing out for a while, he was called back to the company. Meanwhile, Pei Lang had arrived at the villa.

Aunt Lin was making dinner. Pei Lang offered to help. He kept working in the kitchen until Yan Han came home. Only then did Pei Lang step out. For some reason, he had noticed that Yan Han had seemed upset for the past few days. Even the little chibi on his shoulder looked disinterested, its head drooping like a deflated balloon. Pei Lang guessed that something at home was bothering Yan Han. After thinking for a while, he wondered if it had something to do with Yan Xiuyuan knowing about their relationship, which might have led to some trouble for Yan Han. “Mr. Yan, dinner’s ready.”

Yan Han came home and went to his study. After preparing dinner, Pei Lang went upstairs to knock on the door. When the door opened, the two of them took the elevator downstairs together.

The dining table was still just the two of them eating in silence. Yan Han usually didn’t speak much, but today, his appetite was poor. After a few bites, he put down his chopsticks. “When do you start filming?”

Pei Lang shoved a piece of beef into his mouth, chewing as he replied, “Hmm~ In a few days.”

“You won’t be able to eat Aunt Lin’s cooking after you start filming.” Yan Han said this without really meaning anything by it, and even he didn’t fully understand why he said it.

“It’s fine,” Pei Lang replied. I plan to take Aunt Lin with me once I make some money. Of course, he wouldn’t say that aloud. “I’m not picky. I’ll get used to the food on set.”

“…”

Yan Han fell silent for a moment, giving Pei Lang a look that seemed to carry some unspoken meaning. Without a word, he stood up from the table and returned to his study.

Pei Lang felt confused. After dinner, he helped Aunt Lin clean up before retreating to his room. He opened a creative website, where his fan friends had requested him to start a live stream, saying they wanted to check on his health. Unable to resist the fans’ enthusiasm, Pei Lang finally gave in. The website offered both audio and video options for live streaming. Pei Lang couldn’t do a video stream, so he decided to do an audio-only one instead.

A fair number of people joined the stream. Fans were concerned about “Uncle Lang’s” health and reminded him to take care of himself given his age. “Thank you for your concern, everyone. I will take good care of myself. Since this is my first live-stream and I didn’t prepare anything, there’s no set theme. Let’s just chat and maybe sing a little.”

[—— Uncle, just chatting is fine, no need to sing. Please get some rest. ]

[—— Uncle, your voice is so gentle and healing. It reminds me of my dad when he was younger. His voice was just as beautiful. ]

[—— Uncle, take care of your health before you sing. I know it’s selfish, but I really hope you can create more. Right now, there are just a few songs that I repeat every day. I never get tired of them, but if you release new songs, I’m sure I’ll fall asleep before dawn. ]

[—— Uncle, could you share how you take care of your voice? You’re over fifty and yet your voice still sounds so good. I really love it. ]

The scrolling comments were too many for Pei Lang to answer them all, so he selected a few to reply to. “Don’t worry, everyone. I’m doing fine for now, still able to create. It’s just that I can’t work as quickly as I used to. Every month, I will release new songs—some of them are my own original work and some might be covers. If there are any songs you want to hear, let me know. I can cover them for you after getting the proper permissions.”

When it came to covers, everyone immediately rejected the idea, insisting that they preferred original songs. After all, Pei Lang’s original music was as good as the songs of popular artists, if not more artistic. Perhaps it was because his music had been released on this special platform, which added a lot of meaning and stories to it.

Chatting here felt so comfortable. Everyone’s language was warm and caring, taking care of everyone, so Pei Lang completely relaxed and got caught up in the lively conversation in the live stream. Unbeknownst to him, his live stream had climbed to the top of the trending list and was even being streamed on other platforms, attracting more viewers than he had imagined. His carefree attitude led him to unknowingly let his true conversational style shine and viewers found his gentle and calm tone very soothing.

Meanwhile, on the computer in front of Yan Han, Pei Lang’s live stream was playing. The more he listened, the more something felt off. Yan Han furrowed his brow for the first time, his eyes glued to the screen, completely puzzled. The song that Su Jia had recommended to him sounded pretty good, so he searched for the singer-songwriter online and followed them. At the time, he had thought the voice sounded familiar, but the more he listened, the more it felt strangely familiar, lingering in his ears every day. Just as Yan Han was on the verge of figuring it out, an ID appeared on the public screen.

Su Su doesn’t love Jia Ban: [Ahhh, Dad Lang, I love you so much. You’re actually live! Having a temperamental and cold-hearted boss is really pitiful, like a mountain on my shoulders, deducting my salary all the time. I rely on your songs to get through the day. Dad Lang, I’m willing to call you my energy station, ahhh~~]

Yan Han’s eyelid twitched. He was successfully distracted by the comment.

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Moonlit: I pray for your salary, Su Jia HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH