MMLDU Chapter 33

Liu Ran hated Pei Lang’s calmness. To her, everything he did seemed fake and pretentious. What was the use of pretending so well? Who didn’t know that Pei Lang was a shameless lunatic?

But when she thought about how Pei Lang wouldn’t learn the guqin and would definitely get scolded by Director Jin during the filming, she felt comforted.

After the female teacher left, she didn’t immediately report him. Instead, she was waiting for the moment when Pei Lang couldn’t perform during the shoot and would be criticized by Director Jin. That way, the truth would have even more impact.

“Brother Lang, what should we do when we shoot? The teacher’s gone and angry,” Lu Lu asked with concern, while quickly searching for quick guqin lessons on his phone, planning to have Pei Lang learn on his own. Though it wouldn’t be as good as having a teacher, at least it wouldn’t be terrible.

“It’s fine, I’m confident,” Pei Lang patted Lu Lu’s shoulder to reassure him, then sat down and continued eating snacks. Why did these strange things taste so addictive? Pei Lang’s mouth was nonstop. “Oh, by the way, when I’m shooting, you can take some time to stock up on snacks. Buy whatever you think tastes good. You know better than I do about this.”

Lu Lu almost couldn’t stand it. Not even practicing and still thinking about food.

Lu Lu was nearly frantic, on the verge of tears.

It wasn’t long before the three of them were called to change outfits. Once done, the two leads were dressed simply for their roles as fugitives. But Pei Lang was different. He wore a wide-sleeved robe decorated with ink-wash bamboo leaves, a jade crown on his head, and his hair dark as ink, giving off an elegant scholarly aura.

The people in the makeup room were stunned. Director Jin really had good taste; he looked exactly like Wen Yan had walked out of the novel. Liu Ran was deeply amazed but also conflicted. She had to admit that Pei Lang was handsome, but…

What was the use of being handsome? He was still a good-for-nothing who couldn’t act.

Liu Ran firmly believed that Pei Lang was just like the rumors said, probably out of jealousy. Even though Pei Lang acted differently from what the rumors suggested, she ignored it. She had originally liked the character of Wen Yan, a pitiable figure, but now that Pei Lang was playing him, she had a bias.

Everything was ready, and filming began.

Director Jin was very satisfied with Pei Lang’s makeup and couldn’t help but praise him. He looked at Pei Lang and couldn’t help but like him more the more he saw. This person was exactly the Wen Yan he wanted. On top of that, he had a good personality. He was even recommended by Yan Han, so Director Jin couldn’t help but pay more attention to him and take care of him on set.

The green bamboo swayed neatly in the wind, seemingly simple, but the details were exquisite. A wooden guqin, elegantly placed on an irregularly shaped natural stone table, sat beside a pot of clear tea from which faint white smoke rose.

Pei Lang was to sit on a stone bench and play the guqin.

Around him were the staff members. The scenes with the leads had already been filmed. Now, they were filming Wen Yan playing the guqin, with the leads having an accidental encounter. This segment was mainly meant to showcase Wen Yan.

Pei Lang sat calmly on the stone bench, waiting for the camera crew to confirm the shot. Countless pairs of eyes were on him—some were worried and others were waiting to see if he would make a fool of himself.

The female teacher was standing next to Director Jin. Once Pei Lang finished, she would take his place and play a tune, recording his finger movements as a substitute for the scene. She was waiting for Pei Lang to make a mistake, planning to expose his arrogance and bad manners, forcing him to apologize to her and all the hardworking staff.

Pei Lang, however, didn’t spare her a single glance. Even at this point, he showed no sign of worry. Was he so confident that he wouldn’t make a mistake? Or perhaps he was so fearless because of his powerful backer, Director Jin?

As she thought about this, the disgust in the female teacher’s eyes grew more apparent.

Pei Lang, on the other hand, gave a soft smile to the visibly worried Lu Lu. His lips curled upward just enough, pure and delicate, with a subtle hint of allure. That allure seemed to come from the corners of his eyes, a faint charm emanating from the beauty mark near his eye. The mark seemed to act as a seal, keeping the charm contained. Perhaps it had loosened just a little, allowing a hint of that charm to escape.

What would Pei Lang be like if that seal were undone? What kind of captivating expression would he have?

As Pei Lang continued to sit serenely, the thought suddenly crossed Zhang Yixiao’s mind. Realizing what he was thinking, he immediately stiffened. He had been staring at Pei Lang so intently that Pei Lang noticed the strange gaze and turned his head, just in time for their eyes to meet.

Pei Lang maintained his smile, his eyes full of confusion.

Zhong Yixiao seemed to have his thoughts seen through. Feeling a little flustered, he held himself together as an actor should, returning Pei Lang’s gaze with a warm smile and mouthing the words, “Good luck!”

Pei Lang’s smile deepened. He nodded at him before turning his attention elsewhere.

The director called “Action,” and in an instant, all three of them slipped into their roles.

After a long and exhausting journey, the two finally found the bamboo forest. However, despite wandering through it in circles, they couldn’t find Fengzhu Residence. After days of travel, Fu Zhixing’s poison worsened. Now he was left with only 20% of his martial strength. The innkeeper’s wife had said that when all his strength was gone, death would be imminent.

Fu Zhixing had been under Qin Junru’s care the whole time, often in a half-conscious state. Only when he was occasionally awake could he converse with her for a few words.

Feeling stifled in the carriage, Qin Junru helped Fu Zhixing down to get some fresh air and have a bite to eat. “Elder Brother Fu, here, drink some water.”

If the poison wasn’t removed soon, Fu Zhixing would be beyond saving. Both of them knew this, and a heavy weight pressed down on their hearts. Despair grew more suffocating each day. Fengzhu Residence was hidden deep within the bamboo forest, and the fog would settle in at night, making it difficult to travel. They could only continue their search during the day. Along the way, they found many dead bodies and skeletal remains, which hinted at the countless others who had become lost in this bamboo forest.

Despite the slim chance of success, Qin Junru refused to give up. Even with just a one in ten thousand chance, she would not abandon hope until the very end.

Suddenly, a sound of guqin music floated from the distance, drifting through the bamboo forest. The wind rustled the bamboo leaves and birds chirped, making the sound of the guqin seem distant and ethereal. Fu Zhixing, too weak to hear it due to his reduced strength, was unaware. But Qin Junru, with her sharp ears, immediately noticed it.

Her body froze. A surge of hope ignited in her heart, though she feared it might just be her imagination. She held her breath and listened carefully. Indeed, the sound of the guqin was real. She excitedly called out, “Elder Brother Fu, listen, there’s the sound of a guqin! The sound of a guqin means someone is nearby. Let’s take a chance! Whether friend or foe, let’s go check it out.”

At this point, there was no other choice.

Even with hope now stirring, they could not afford to rest. Qin Junru helped Fu Zhixing back into the carriage, determined the direction of the music, and set off.

—

This segment doesn’t actually have music; it’s a performance without any physical instruments. During post-production, the sound of the guqin will be edited in. What’s coming up next is the scene where they reach their destination, get off the carriage, and see the musician playing. It’s the moment when the three of them meet, creating an awe-inspiring scene.

The director invited a composer to specially arrange the music for this scene and even brought in a music teacher to play, which shows how important this scene is.

The filming of the guqin playing scene began. The male and female leads were already waiting in the carriage, ready to get into character. At the director’s signal, the scene started.

In an instant, Pei Lang was fully immersed in his role—he was Wen Yan.

He became the embodiment of scholarly grace, as gentle as jade, the divine doctor who saves the world. His long, slender hands, with clear joints, moved elegantly across the strings, creating a pleasing and beautiful sight.

A single bamboo leaf gently fell onto the guqin strings. Wen Yan picked it up, flicked his wrist, and strummed it with his fingertip. The leaf shot off like a dart, full of strength and resilience. Following that, his fingers plucked the strings, and the song Tang Li Jian Xue resonated softly and melodiously through the bamboo forest.

As his fingers moved, the melody fluctuated in pitch. The prelude immediately seized the hearts of everyone present. The male and female leads sitting in the carriage were both captured by it, forgetting for a moment that they were acting.

The music was beautiful. Played on the guqin, it calmed the previously hot and stuffy bamboo forest. The gentle breeze carried the scent of bamboo leaves, refreshing and soothing the hearts of those listening.

At this moment, the male and female leads were supposed to get off the carriage, step on the dry bamboo branches on the ground, making a sound that would interrupt Wen Yan’s playing, and then they would be amazed by each other. Wen Yan would fall in love at first sight with Qin Junru, whose simple clothing could not hide her stunning beauty. However, the music was so captivating that the male and female leads became completely immersed in it, and the staff present forgot what was supposed to happen next. They remained perfectly still, quietly enjoying the moment.

Only the cameras and recording equipment were working.

The female teacher, who was originally waiting to see Pei Lang make a fool of himself, didn’t expect that he was actually a hidden big shot.

Her eyes widened as she stared at Pei Lang’s hands. She couldn’t help but admit that they were truly pleasing to the eye—like an artist’s hands. From the way he played, it was clear that he wasn’t a novice and his skill level was quite high. Combined with the beautiful melody, Pei Lang seemed to shine with an aura.

The piece of music she had played earlier, which was given to her by the director’s team, was also good, but it couldn’t compare to this one.

Although she was unwilling to admit it and was both angry and conflicted, she couldn’t deny that Pei Lang did indeed appear exceptional at this moment, captivating everyone’s attention.

Sitting in his chair, Director Jin’s eyes became brighter and sharper as he watched the footage. His gaze towards Pei Lang was as if he were looking at an undiscovered gem. He wanted to polish this gem and present it perfectly to everyone. Or perhaps, it was already a perfectly sculpted gem, but it just lacked the right eyes to recognize it. What he needed to do was show people just how extraordinary Pei Lang truly was.

Originally, Director Jin thought Pei Lang would interpret the role of Wen Yan to about ninety percent of his potential. However, now it seemed he had underestimated him. Pei Lang’s performance had reached 101%, and the extra point wasn’t just a precise measurement; it was proof of Pei Lang’s excellence.

What he had brought to the role in the moment was a further sublimation of Wen Yan’s character.

For example, the action of playing the bamboo leaf earlier wasn’t in the script, but Pei Lang had executed it effortlessly. It was visually stunning, fitting the character perfectly.

Wen Yan was a master, not the gentle, powerless healer that others saw him as. It was only when others couldn’t see him that he would reveal subtle signs of his considerable inner strength in small details.

As the song came to an end, Pei Lang kept waiting for the male and female leads to appear and interrupt him, but they never came. He couldn’t help but wonder if he had misremembered the script or if the screenwriter had made changes to the script without informing him.

He lifted his eyes and glanced around. The female lead was holding the reins while sitting in the carriage and the male lead was lifting the curtain, both staring at him as if they hadn’t quite snapped out of it. Pei Lang naturally had no idea how charming he had just been. Since the director hadn’t called cut, he could only continue acting, pushing the scene forward on his own.

Since the others weren’t following the script, he had no choice but to improvise to move the story along.

He gently brushed the fallen leaves off his clothes, picked up his tea cup, took a small sip, and said, “Who goes there?”

Hearing him, the male and female leads snapped back to reality. Zhong Yixiao immediately returned to his frail appearance, while Liu Ran was a bit slower to react, as the line wasn’t in the script. She froze for a moment, unsure of how to respond.

The script hadn’t been changed, it was just that everyone had gotten so immersed in the moment that they didn’t follow the plot. The director quickly called cut. Pei Lang stood up and walked over to Lu Lu, picking up the script and looking down at it. “My script is fine.”

“Kid, come here,” Director Jin called with a smile in his eyes, waving at Pei Lang. Pei Lang walked over.

“Did you compose that piece yourself? I’ve never heard it before.” Director Jin was quite fond of the piece and intended to use it in the show. Unfortunately, Pei Lang wasn’t the original composer.

“No, it’s a piece by another artist. It’s relatively obscure, which is why you haven’t heard it.” Pei Lang shook his head.

“Can we contact the original composer? Let’s talk about the copyright.” Director Jin was so fond of it that he eagerly asked.

Pei Lang hesitated, looking troubled. “Director, that might be a bit difficult.”

Since Pei Lang said so, Director Jin didn’t press any further. He pulled Pei Lang aside and showered him with praise. Afterward, he took a moment to call Yan Han, laughing heartily and thanking him for sending such a treasure.

Yan Han, on the other hand, was so angry that he nearly wanted to drag this flashy person back and lock him away.

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