MMLDU Chapter 34

Director Jin was pleased, while Yan Han was frustrated.

After Pei Lang left, Yan Han couldn’t sleep. Every day, he walked around with a dark expression. The staff below him were on edge, afraid to make even the smallest mistake. Su Jia had a tough time.

Director Jin’s words felt like boasting, which only made Yan Han’s already sour face even more terrifying.

However, the conversation didn’t last long. Director Jin didn’t know Pei Lang could play the guqin, so he didn’t give him the piece of music the crew had prepared for him. The song Pei Lang had just played didn’t have the copyright, so it couldn’t be used in the main production.

Pei Lang had just decided to play that song on the spot. He knew there was a teacher to be his hand double and he only needed to film the movement of him playing the guqin. But now, it turned out that the actor himself could play. Director Jin handed Pei Lang the sheet music. “Kid, can you play this piece?”

Pei Lang took the sheet music and carefully examined it. The piece was exquisite and fit the scene in the script well. It wasn’t difficult but sounded beautiful.

After quickly scanning it, Pei Lang, with his musical background and sensitivity, said, “I can do it, but I’ll need about twenty minutes.”

“That’s fine. I’ll give you twenty minutes.” Completing a song he wasn’t familiar with in twenty minutes was already impressive.

If Pei Lang couldn’t complete it, Director Jin wouldn’t say much. At worst, they’d just have someone else play the piece and replace the one Pei Lang had just performed. But Pei Lang was too mysterious, full of untapped potential. Without taking risks, no one would know what surprises he had in store. Director Jin merely mentioned it, and Pei Lang immediately gave a confident answer and a timeline.

Pei Lang wasn’t someone who spoke recklessly. If he said he could do it, he absolutely could.

He instructed the actors to rest for twenty minutes to give Pei Lang time to prepare. Then, Director Jin watched the earlier performance again. It was a pity that the leads hadn’t followed the script; otherwise, that scene would have been great.

Pei Lang returned to the guqin, placed the sheet music aside, and began practicing. The first time through, he was unfamiliar with the piece and played slowly, stumbling a bit. But by the third and fourth attempts, it became smoother. After fifteen minutes, he could play it perfectly without needing the sheet music.

The female teacher watched in astonishment. People like Pei Lang, with this level of innate talent, were rare. It seemed the arrogant one was herself.

She had studied music from a young age and practiced for years. Now, in her forties, she still couldn’t measure up to a twenty-something who was considered trash by most.

Her pride took a hit. She couldn’t help but keep her gaze fixed on Pei Lang. It was unbearable to be forced to admire someone you despised.

It wasn’t just her who had a change of heart. Liu Ran watched Pei Lang with mixed emotions. She seemed to realize why she had disliked him—partly because of the various rumors and prejudices and partly because he had come in and done his role as her martial arts double perfectly, which left her feeling dissatisfied.

In truth, Pei Lang had never done anything to her. He had ignored all her subtle isolations and provocations.

“Did you realize he’s not as terrible as you imagined?”

Zhong Yixiao noticed Liu Ran’s complex feelings. His gaze grew a little more intense as he spoke to her while looking into the distance.

Liu Ran’s inner thoughts were clear to everyone, and it wasn’t surprising that Zhong Yixiao pointed them out.

Thanks to his straightforwardness, Liu Ran felt less awkward and found her mind clear and at ease.

Human nature is strange. People can’t bear to see someone they deem inferior being better than them or receiving more praise. But if that person is so exceptional that their talent surpasses what one can ever reach, the feelings of jealousy and resentment fade away, replaced by admiration and reverence.

Liu Ran was like this. When she truly admitted Pei Lang’s excellence, all the resentment disappeared.

She smiled, feeling lighthearted all of a sudden. “Yes, rumors can be deadly. When you want to truly know a person, you should use your own eyes, not just listen to others.”

Zhong Yixiao chuckled lightly. “Rumors are unreliable. I finally understand why Director Jin was so determined to choose him for the role of Wen Yan.”

“Today I realized his acting is really good, even better than mine. I have to work harder and not hold you all back.” Liu Ran’s gaze was resolute; she had made up her mind.

Because jealousy and resentment had clouded her judgment, she now realized that after letting go of them, Pei Lang was indeed a skilled actor. The fight scenes and his expressions when he stood in for the role of Qin Junru last night perfectly captured the essence of the character. His portrayal of Wen Yan today was just as impressive; it seemed like no role was too difficult for him.

Just from these two scenes, his performance was flawless. With the upcoming more challenging and intense scenes, his acting skills would be even more evident. Liu Ran was looking forward to that moment.

After twenty minutes, Pei Lang gave Director Jin an “OK” gesture. The scene was shot again. This time, the music was the one he had just learned. Even though it was learned on the spot, there was no flaw in it.

The three followed the script this time, with the scene of love at first sight. Wen Yan’s expression remained unchanged, but his eyes were full of depth as if time had stopped in that one gaze.

It wasn’t until Fu Zhixing coughed up blood that Wen Yan’s expression returned to normal. Qin Junru explained her intentions, and after Wen Yan revealed his identity, he took both of them to Fengzhu Residence. Fengzhu Residence was not located in the bamboo forest but behind it, near a small stream where a bamboo courtyard had been built. The courtyard was backed by mountains, which were abundant with medicinal herbs. Wen Yan often went up the mountain to gather herbs.

This scene, including the first take, passed in two tries. Director Jin wanted to edit the two scenes together, as the part where Wen Yan played the bamboo leaves was quite good.

The subsequent filming focused on the scene where the characters settled in Fengzhu Residence. Fu Zhixing’s condition was critical. There was no time to waste. Wen Yan immediately checked his pulse and examined him.

Originally, a single antidote would have sufficed to resolve the situation, but Wen Yan purposely kept them around to recuperate because he had fallen in love with Qin Junru at first sight and didn’t want them to leave so soon. Additionally, he had realized that the poison had been inflicted by the demon sect and that the two of them likely had a grudge against it. Staying at Fengzhu Residence where no one from the demon sect could easily find them, allowing Fu Zhixing to recover his strength, was the best course of action.

The shooting went late into the night. Pei Lang got his phone from his assistant, only to find he had received a lot of messages. They were all group messages, in their three-person group chat.

During filming, Lu Lu had recorded a short video of Pei Lang playing the guqin and posted it to the group. Sister You had sent a lot of compliments. Lu Lu added to it, sharing the satisfying moment of how Pei Lang had been underestimated but had now silenced everyone, speaking passionately about the situation.

Sister You laughed heartily but also reminded Lu Lu to take care of Pei Lang.

Pei Lang smiled helplessly. It wasn’t about slapping anyone’s face. He had simply done his job as an actor.

And then… “Director Jin’s confidentiality rules need to be followed. Didn’t we agree to no phones during filming? If something leaks, it could affect the entire crew.”

Yes, Director Jin was very protective of his artistic work. To raise audience expectations, all crew members had to sign a non-disclosure agreement during filming. Anything related to the actors or plot couldn’t be shared outside; otherwise, legal consequences would follow.

Whether it was gossip, stills, spoilers, or behind-the-scenes photos, everything was covered under the confidentiality agreement. During filming, the area was strictly monitored to ensure no one was taking unauthorized photos. If anyone was found doing so, they would be dealt with.

The rules were clear. If an actor wanted to work on Director Jin’s project, they had to ask their fans not to cause any trouble.

Lu Lu knew about Director Jin’s rules, but today was just too satisfying. He couldn’t help but share. “Don’t worry, Brother Lang, I only filmed a short clip and it’s in our own group. It won’t get leaked.”

“Delete it and then go apologize to Director Jin.” Rules were rules. Pei Lang didn’t want this to get out, so it was better to take the initiative and apologize.

“Alright.”

Pei Lang couldn’t bear to let Lu Lu go to Director Jin alone, so he accompanied him. Director Jin was just about to go eat when Pei Lang explained the situation to him. In front of Director Jin, Pei Lang deleted the video and promised to manage his assistant properly in the future, ensuring this wouldn’t happen again.

Director Jin was usually strict, but with Pei Lang, it was different.

“If it were you, it would be fine. Don’t worry too much,” Director Jin didn’t criticize as harshly as expected. Instead, he smiled reassuringly.

“It… It’s fine?” Pei Lang thought he might have misheard and asked again, unsure.

“Hahaha, don’t mention it. I couldn’t help but share it too. The video won’t spread. Someone will take care of it for you. Before it reaches the marketing accounts, it was already cut off.”

Pei Lang was confused, and so was Lu Lu. “Who’s that?”

Director Jin smiled but didn’t elaborate. “What do you think?”

It sounded like this person had some great power and would take care of things for them…

Pei Lang seemed to have figured it out.

It appeared Pei Lang had worked it out, so Director Jin continued, “He wanted to see it, so I made an exception and showed him a part of your video.”

Yes, that person was Yan Han.

After Director Jin called him, he received a message from Yan Han when they were done for the day, saying that Pei Lang was his person. If Director Jin didn’t want him to take Pei Lang away, he should show him Pei Lang every day.

Not just today, but every day.

Director Jin hadn’t known the relationship between these two before, but now it seemed like someone had developed feelings. Well, even though he was a principled director, Yan Han wasn’t lacking in money. If he really took Pei Lang away and didn’t let him use him, that would be a huge loss to the entertainment industry.

Director Jin understood Yan Han’s personality. He merely admired Pei Lang, so if he wanted to share, let him. He could just send a small clip every day to keep things under control.

Pei Lang, the fool, didn’t realize Yan Han’s intentions. After thinking for a moment, he understood why Yan Han wanted to see his video.

His task was to bring glory to the entertainment industry, so if their relationship accidentally became public, it wouldn’t bring embarrassment to Yan Han because of any negative news about him.

So, he thought Yan Han just wanted to see how well he was performing and whether he could bring glory.

“Do you want to eat with us, kid?” Director Jin extended the invitation, but Pei Lang snapped back from his thoughts and smiled as he politely declined.

“No, thank you, Director. The takeout that Lu Lu ordered will be here soon. I’ll just eat with him.”

“Alright, looking forward to your performance tomorrow.” Director Jin didn’t press the issue. There was a generational gap. He knew that these young people felt burdened eating with someone much older.

Lu Lu hadn’t ordered takeout. After Director Jin left, he poked his head out and asked, “Brother, what do you want to eat?”

“Lu Lu, did you forget something?” Pei Lang smiled slyly. Lu Lu froze for a moment, pretending not to know and shaking his head.

“What about the snacks you were supposed to buy me?”

Lu Lu put his hands on his head in a pitiful gesture. “Brother, don’t make things difficult for me. After I was going to buy them, Sister You found out and scolded me. She said as an actor, you need to manage your figure and not eat too much junk food. Even when eating main dishes, it needs to be nutritionally balanced. Sister You told me to supervise you well and not let you eat random junk.”

“I’m your boss, or is she your boss?” Pei Lang argued, feeling indignant.

Lu Lu was caught between two people who weren’t easy to deal with, so he responded with a pitiful look. “You pay my salary, but I have to listen to Sister You.”

“You do know I’m the one who pays your salary.” Pei Lang was laughing out of frustration. He didn’t want to get angry, especially with Lu Lu’s doe-like eyes sparkling with innocence and his little face full of grievance. Pei Lang finally relented. “Fine, who told me to have such a fate? I can’t even decide what I want to eat. Sigh~ Let’s just find a place where we can eat.”

Pei Lang gave in. Lu Lu immediately changed his expression and smiled happily. “I know a light meal restaurant, healthy and delicious. I’ll drive.”

Pei Lang looked up to the sky and sighed dramatically, “Such a hard life!!”

---