MMLDU Chapter 37

“You’re outside?” Yan Han’s ears were sharp. He immediately recognized that Pei Lang was walking.

“I just stepped out for a bit.” Pei Lang’s voice was soft yet carried a subtle resilience. Yan Han immediately sensed that something was bothering him.

“Something on your mind?”

Pei Lang sighed deeply, the weight in his chest lightened a little. He smiled and opened the door to his room. Sitting down on the lounge chair by the floor-to-ceiling window, he shoved the straw into his milk tea and took a big sip. The sweet milk fragrance filled his mouth, and at that moment, his mood seemed to improve a little. “I ran into someone on the way back.”

Yan Han frowned, tightening his grip on the phone. “Did they bully you?”

“Not really. It wasn’t exactly bullying.” It was more like rude words. Such comments were common online and, compared to some of the nastier ones, that woman’s words weren’t too bad. At least she didn’t use filthy or disgusting language. “You know my reputation isn’t good, it’s normal to be misunderstood. She didn’t do anything really, just said some harsh things.”

But hearing those words spoken to his face still made him uncomfortable.

What could he do? As an actor, he had to accept the opinions and gazes of others. With such a reputation, malicious comments were unavoidable.

“What did you eat today, Mr. Yan?” Pei Lang changed the subject. He listened to the call, sipped his milk tea, and admired the dim lights outside the window, the stars in the sky.

Perhaps to him, those harsh words weren’t a big deal.

But to Yan Han, it was different.

Since realizing his feelings for Pei Lang, this person had become someone he wanted to protect and care for. Despite Pei Lang’s ever-present smile and carefree attitude, Yan Han knew that Pei Lang was a strong and resilient person. Otherwise, how could he dare to enter the entertainment industry with such a bad reputation?

So, Yan Han had asked Director Jin to take extra care of Pei Lang. With Director Jin around in the crew, at least no one would dare to sabotage Pei Lang.

And indeed, Pei Lang continued to act smoothly and received high praise for his performance. Director Jin was absolutely fond of him. Yan Han, after watching clips of Pei Lang’s acting, found him captivating and shining.

But even though no one dared to make any underhanded moves, those harsh words and implicit jabs were everywhere. Pei Lang appeared unaffected, but Yan Han felt distressed.

“I’ve seen your sharp tongue, even Yan Xiuyuan can’t win a retort against you. Why don’t you fight back when people bully you?” This wasn’t the Pei Lang he knew—swallowing insults and enduring wrongs without fighting back. He wished Pei Lang would just stop caring.

“Ha—” Pei Lang almost spit out his milk tea, laughing. The stars in the night sky seemed dim compared to the brightness in his eyes. His lips curled into a beautiful arc. “Mr. Yan, you think I’m a sharp-tongued person?”

“Isn’t that so?” Yan Han, ever sharp-tongued, had a hint of a smile in his voice.

“There are so many people who dislike me; I can’t possibly retort to each one. I just want to do what I want. Their words are just fleeting winds that pass by, nothing to fuss about.” Pei Lang set down his milk tea and leaned back in his chair. “Besides, everyone already dislikes me. Now, I need to be more careful with my words and actions, so they can’t find another thing to criticize me for. Sure, I could fight back. But Director Jin values me so much. I don’t want to cause trouble for the crew. I came here to bring you glory; I can’t ruin your reputation before the show even finishes filming.”

“I don’t care.”

“Huh?”

Pei Lang was taken aback by Yan Han’s response, even wondering if he had heard wrong. “You’re crazy. I’m the cripple here. Who knows who’ll end up embarrassing whom.”

Pei Lang thought: But boss, even if you’re a cripple, you’re at the top of the food chain. Please get a grip. Stop having a self-awareness disorder.

“You don’t want to fight back? I’ll help you. Don’t worry about my face, don’t let yourself suffer. No matter how big the hole, I’ll fill it for you.”

“…” Pei Lang stood frozen, unsure how to respond.

It sounded strange—strangely… touching.

His body and soul had always been bound by various rules and restrictions—strict father in his childhood and assistant and manager as he grew up. He couldn’t eat this, couldn’t do that, and even had to consider the consequences before speaking or posting a tweet.

No one had ever told him, “Don’t sell yourself short. Do what you want to do. I’ll clean up after you.”

Indeed, the world of novels is not the same as reality.

“Mr. Yan, you said it yourself. Don’t back out now.” Whether it was true or not, Pei Lang was truly grateful.

Since coming here, he has always been taken care of by Yan Han. Although this person appeared cold on the surface, deep down, he was still good-hearted. Yan Han was sharp-tongued and often had a harsh demeanor towards Pei Lang, yet time and again, he helped him. Even though he couldn’t give him anything, the idea of “healing through marriage” was pure fantasy. Pei Lang, who had experienced being a character in a book, might have believed such things a bit more, but from Yan Han’s perspective, it was impossible that marrying someone would cure a disease.

After chatting a bit more, the topic was finally laid to rest. Time was getting late, so Pei Lang put his phone on the bed and went to wash up. When he came back and picked it up, he realized the call hadn’t ended. He thought Yan Han would hang up.

The call time on the phone was still ticking up second by second. Pei Lang hesitantly called out, “Mr. Yan, are you still there?”

“I’m here.”

Pei Lang turned off the light, climbed into bed, and lay down. “Has your father been stricter these past few days?”

Otherwise, why would the call be so long, with no sign of ending?

“Yes, my father asks to see our call screenshots every day,” Yan Han said without a hint of embarrassment. In Pei Lang’s mind, this man was an unyielding big shot who definitely wouldn’t lie.

“Your father really… has too much free time.” Pei Lang laughed. “Alright, let’s talk a little longer. If you’re tired, Mr. Yan, just let me know.”

“Mm, okay.”

With no real topic left to discuss, the two fell into silence. The call time continued to tick up in the quiet. After about ten minutes, Pei Lang’s eyelids started to droop. He finally couldn’t stay awake and fell asleep.

Listening to Pei Lang’s even breathing, Yan Han felt his heart relax as if the heavy weight on his shoulders had suddenly disappeared. He had suffered from insomnia for a long time, but now that he was tired, he didn’t hang up. He simply kept the phone to his ear, listening to the breathing on the other end as he closed his eyes.

Soon, two breathing patterns, one light and one heavy, synced up and filled the phone.

The next morning, when Pei Lang woke up, his phone had run out of battery and shut off. Lu Lu had been knocking on the door and calling for him. Pei Lang sat up in bed, hurriedly charged his phone, and then went to open the door for Lu Lu.

“Brother Lang, why is your phone off?” Lu Lu brought breakfast, already a bit late. Pei Lang quickly washed up and changed clothes.

“It ran out of battery,” Pei Lang mumbled, still brushing his teeth.

After finishing brushing his teeth and washing his face with water, he quickly ate breakfast and headed to the shooting location. The male and female leads were already getting their makeup done.

Today, they were filming the scene where Wen Yan undergoes a dark transformation.

During the time spent at Fengzhu Residence, Wen Yan, not wanting Qin Junru to leave, prolonged the treatment progress for Fu Zhixing. It was during this time that his feelings for the female lead grew uncontrollably.

He even became jealous and resentful of Fu Zhixing, who was cared for every day. Yet, he couldn’t play the villain; he had to maintain his kind and gentle side to the end.

As Fu Zhixing’s health improved, Qin Junru’s attentive care and her unwavering support caused their relationship to rapidly heat up. Both of them were in love, with Qin Junru being brave enough to love and hate. She had confessed her feelings, but Fu Zhixing, burdened by hatred and being chased by the demon sect, was homeless and could not provide Qin Junru with a stable life. In fact, being with him put her life at risk, which made him hesitant to face his feelings.

It wasn’t until their relationship warmed during this time at Fengzhu Residence that Fu Zhixing realized Qin Junru’s situation was no different from his own. From the moment they were targeted by the demon sect, they were tied together, unable to separate. Even if they forcibly parted ways, who could guarantee that Qin Junru would be able to live safely and securely after leaving him?

It was Qin Junru’s actions that pained him but also strengthened his resolve to face his emotions and protect her beneath his yet-to-be-fully-formed wings.

Whether or not they could take revenge and what fate awaited them tomorrow, they could not foresee. What mattered was cherishing the present. Both being children of the martial world, free and unrestrained, they decided to get married.

Life at Fengzhu Residence was peaceful. The demon sect hadn’t come looking for them. Outside, life was a struggle with blades and blood. Wen Yan was their benefactor and friend, so their wedding was to be held at Fengzhu Residence, where they could at least have a peaceful and serene wedding night.

With no family left, Wen Yan became their only witness.

Upon learning that Qin Junru was going to marry another man and that he was still the witness, Wen Yan could no longer suppress his emotions.

On the night of the wedding, there was no wedding dress, only a big red flower and a red veil. Even Wen Yan, as the witness, wore a red ribbon on his head. Just before the wedding ceremony could begin, the demon sect launched a surprise attack and the scene turned into chaos.

Wen Yan revealed the secret of his martial skills. But his martial arts were not meant to fight the demon sect; instead, they were used to clash with Fu Zhixing.

Qin Junru found it hard to believe. She had considered Wen Yan a good friend, yet on the night of her wedding, she was betrayed and became his enemy. Fu Zhixing’s poison hadn’t been fully cleared from his body and Wen Yan hated him. He had kept a trick up his sleeve, even secretly poisoning him with a slow-acting toxin. At that moment, Wen Yan was no match for Fu Zhixing and the other disciples of the demon sect.

Qin Junru was trapped and couldn’t help. Fu Zhixing was retreating step by step. Worried about losing focus, Qin Junru dropped her weapon and was captured alive.

The corrupted Wen Yan didn’t take Fu Zhixing’s life but kept him alive to make him watch as he and Qin Junru were together.

They kidnapped Qin Junru, and Fu Zhixing, gravely wounded, couldn’t catch up.

At this point, the scene came to an end.

This was Wen Yan’s first fight scene, and it was as good as Director Jin had imagined—his strength, his gaze, all flawless. Wen Yan didn’t have a fixed weapon, but he casually picked up a worn-out oil-paper umbrella from the wall and used it as a sword. His umbrella techniques were stunning. It wasn’t just for show; in his hands, the umbrella, whether closed or open, looked both beautiful and sharp—it could be a weapon capable of killing.

Every movement of Pei Lang was meticulously precise, even the strands of his hair flew with each motion, adding to the performance. Every detail showcased the character.

From day to night, this scene was finally completed perfectly. It had gone through a few NGs, mainly because Liu Ran’s movements weren’t quite up to par. It wasn’t bad, but in Director Jin’s eyes, it wasn’t perfect, so they filmed a few more takes.

In the rest area, the physical exertion of the fight scene left Pei Lang hungry, so he pulled out some snacks. Zhong Yixiao sat down next to him. “I’m here to apologize. Last night, my manager said those things. I’m really sorry.”

Since it had been late the night before, Pei Lang had left after taking a call. Zhong Yixiao thought he was busy, so he didn’t disturb him. Today, filming had been constant and he was called away by his assistant during the break. Only now did he have the chance to apologize.

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Moonlit: My mind went to a different direction with that chapter title ( 0 _ 0 ) (ㅎ.ㅎ) (ᵕ—ᴗ—) “( – ⌓ – )