MMLDU Chapter 78

Pei Lang portrayed the character of Guan Ming very well.

The confusion of losing family, the helpless pain of losing a pillar of support, the anger and helplessness of being wrongfully imprisoned, and the decadence and suspicion after being released from prison were all captured brilliantly in his performance.

From an ignorant, delinquent youth to a cautious, jaded young man, he filmed both on the same day but made it so believable that viewers felt he had truly spent fifteen years in prison. The change in his demeanor and aura was so drastic that the production team and fellow actors were completely convinced by his performance.

The production team and Pei Lang were from the same company, including many actors in the crew from Lanjin Entertainment. Everyone had the same goal: to make a good movie. Once Pei Lang’s acting was acknowledged, the filming process went much more smoothly.

The director had strong filming techniques, the screenwriter’s logic was tight, and the entire film was full of suspense and foggy twists. Following the story from Guan Ming’s perspective, the audience gets closer to the truth with each disturbing coincidence.

Guan Ming began to recall the events before he was imprisoned and realized that things weren’t as simple as they seemed. Fifteen years later, he no longer sat idly by while being wronged. He decided to take the initiative, with the police in the light and him in the dark. He wanted to uncover the people behind it all. But with every investigation, he unearthed more murders, pushing him closer to the truth while trying to clear his name.

He investigated the “witnesses” who had testified against him for murder. During his search, he made a chilling discovery. Over the past fifteen years, several of the witnesses had died in strange accidents. Some had died in car crashes, others from ruptured blood vessels caused by sudden high blood pressure, or gas leaks in their homes… Each death seemed like an accident, but no one suspected foul play.

The situation was too strange for Guan Ming to believe they were just accidents. With each death, he fell into a deeper trap, and the truth became increasingly elusive.

It seemed that his efforts had been noticed. Someone approached him. After realizing he was being followed, Guan Ming deliberately led the stalker to a dark alley without surveillance. The person following him, who was clearly waiting for an opportunity, seized the moment and lunged at him with a knife. This person was a trained assassin, but Guan Ming knew martial arts and was able to exchange blows. While trying to protect himself and uncover the assailant’s true identity, Guan Ming had to multitask. The assailant was ruthless, and every move was deadly. In the end, Guan Ming was injured, with a large gash on his arm.

In a moment of crisis, Guan Ming fled, entering a crowd. The attacker dared not pursue. Guan Ming narrowly escaped this time.

It was then that Guan Ming realized how insignificant he was before this organization. Despite this, he didn’t give up. He approached Officer Chen to explain his suspicions and ask for help. However, as the primary suspect with a criminal history, Officer Chen didn’t believe him and even assigned officers to follow Pei Lang’s daily activities.

The closer he got to the truth, the more the story turned upside down. Every time Guan Ming thought he had found the answer, he was pushed even farther from it.

His existence became a major threat to the people behind it all. A series of strange events occurred around him. He understood that the purpose of the people behind it all was still to have him killed. When they moved again, Officer Chen, who had been tracking him, finally stepped forward. This time, he truly believed that what Pei Lang had said was the truth.

When the police officer was shot in front of Guan Ming, he found himself once again trapped in a deadlock. The officer who had been on his side fell. With no one left to vouch for him, he was pushed further into the category of a major suspect. It was at this moment that he finally understood the true meaning of seeking the truth. It wasn’t just about clearing his name; it was about restoring peace to the city and providing justice to the innocent victims.

Despite the heavy suspicions against him and being listed as a prime suspect by the police, Guan Ming used his intelligence to evade capture while simultaneously investigating the truth.

Guan Ming was smart. Although his cleverness wasn’t widely acknowledged, in the end, he used himself as bait to draw the enemy in deeper, cooperating with the police to piece together the truth. The criminal mastermind was eventually apprehended.

The criminal confessed quickly and decisively, which was unbelievable. Guan Ming suspected that there was an even more powerful mastermind behind everything. On his way home, he finally figured it out and planned to return to the police to share his thoughts. But just as he was about to do so, someone shot him directly. He collapsed on the spot, but fortunately, he was saved in time with no life-threatening injuries.

Today’s scene to be filmed was the part where Guan Ming was shot.

The director explained the scene and Pei Lang listened attentively. He rehearsed the movements with the actor playing his opponent multiple times, finding the right positions, while the props team was busy preparing the necessary items.

“The shoot went smoothly. The director said that once this scene is done, I get three days off. I’ll go home then; it’s been so long since I had Aunt Lin’s cooking. I really miss it,” Pei Lang said. The director had finished discussing the scene, and now the film was entering a small climax. Since the director had been working all day, he needed a rest. The props team still had work to do, so Pei Lang decided to rest as well.

During the break, he called Yan Han.

On the other end of the line, Yan Han sounded displeased. “Is it just because of Aunt Lin that you want to go home?”

Yan Han was clearly jealous, his tone both resentful and cold. Pei Lang couldn’t help but laugh, his eyes sparkling with amusement. His skin had been intentionally darkened for the role, making him look a little silly but still charming in a cute way.

Even with Yan Han’s jealousy, in that moment, it faded away.

“Of course, I miss you more,” Pei Lang replied. Talking with Yan Han when he was exhausted from filming always made him feel much lighter. This was probably the magic of mutual care and longing.

“That’s more like it,” Yan Han said, a satisfied smile in his voice. He paused before asking, “Have you lost weight?”

“Did I lose weight?” Pei Lang looked at his face on the screen, then pinched his arms and legs. “No, I haven’t lost any weight. Maybe it’s just the makeup today that makes me look slimmer.”

“Don’t lose weight! Eat more good food, I can afford it. I’ll be checking when you come back,” Yan Han replied firmly.

“Don’t worry, I’ll never neglect my stomach,” Pei Lang said, sounding a little proud as he spoke.

While they were on the phone, a crew member from the props team, wearing a mask and gloves, was carefully helping to move things. There were few others in the whole crew wearing masks, which seemed a little out of place.

Staff A: “You must be new, I’ve never seen you before.”

“Yeah, I just arrived today. If I do anything wrong, please take care of me, big brothers.” The man looked unfamiliar, with a strong build and quick, efficient work. He blended into the team quickly.

Staff B: “Why are you wearing a mask?”

“I caught the flu recently, didn’t want to pass it on to you guys. Sorry about that,” the man said, lowering his head to continue working, adjusting his mask as if he was genuinely concerned about spreading illness.

“Man, you’re still working with the flu? Looks like you’ve got a wife and kids to support,” one of the crew members joked.

“Yeah, really pushing yourself,” another added.

The other crew members chuckled. The man awkwardly smiled and continued his work.

The actor who would be playing against Pei Lang took the prop gun and shook it in his hands, marveling at it. “The props team really nailed this, this handgun looks so real.”

He pointed it at the air and pretended to fire, but the prop didn’t make a sound. Then, it seemed like the director called for him. He quickly placed the gun back in the prop box and hurried off.

With everything prepared—props, camera angles, and actors—filming began.

Pei Lang got into character and began the scene as usual.

Guan Ming walked thoughtfully down a dim, empty street, lost in thought. The killer had been caught and confessed to the murders from fifteen years ago, as well as the more recent ones. Guan Ming’s name had been cleared.

But everything was going too smoothly—being captured was easy, the confession was easy, and everything went smoothly to the point of being eerie. The police were doing well, but it seemed as if someone was subtly pushing things along, guiding the situation. Guan Ming thought deeply. The more he thought about it, the more something felt off. There were things that couldn’t be explained. He suspected there was an even larger mastermind behind everything. The one who had been caught seemed to be someone who had willingly come forward to confess.

When he realized this, it began to rain, though he hadn’t noticed when it started. The fine drizzle felt like silver needles, cool and piercing. Guan Ming decided to head back to the police station to discuss his thoughts with the police. As he turned around, he saw someone wearing a black cloak, a mask, and gloves, their features hidden. The only thing visible was a pair of cold, murderous eyes.

The distance between them was less than five meters. Guan Ming clenched his fists, ready to fight at any moment. He knew the person wouldn’t respond, but he still asked, “Who sent you?”

“What is your goal?”

Just as he expected, the person didn’t answer. Instead, they slowly raised their right hand, and with the motion, a black handgun appeared from under the cloak sleeve.

The dark barrel was aimed directly at Guan Ming’s heart, sending a chill of fear through him. Before he could react, the person pulled the trigger. A gunshot rang out, the bullet tearing through his chest, and blood spurted out. Guan Ming’s eyes remained wide open, filled with unwillingness and confusion, as he collapsed to the ground.

Officer Chen had been worried about Guan Ming and had followed him after he left the police station. Before he could catch up, he heard the gunshot and immediately ran. By the time he arrived, the person in the cloak was gone, and he only found Guan Ming lying motionless on the ground.

He quickly called an ambulance and informed the station to send people to track down the killer. He then rushed to the hospital with Guan Ming for emergency treatment.

…

After the phone call, the scene came to an end, and they prepared to shoot the next scene. The director stood up excitedly after shouting “cut”. “Mr. Pei, you did a great job, and everyone else was amazing too. Great work, everyone, now let’s get ready for the next scene.”

Pei Lang was still lying on the ground, and no one had helped him up. Lu Lu rushed over to support him. The actor who had played the cloaked figure approached and said, “Director, your props team needs to add some chicken legs. This gun is so real. The recoil is really strong. My arm is still numb.”

“Didn’t you create the recoil yourself while acting?”

“No, I didn’t,” the actor replied, confused.

“What do you mean? Let me see the gun!”

When the director took the gun in his hands, it indeed looked just like a real one. He glanced at Pei Lang, who hadn’t gotten up, and his heart sank. He quickly walked over.

When Lu Lu reached Pei Lang’s side, he saw that Pei Lang’s eyes were unfocused, his chest bleeding profusely. The blood was warm and real, not from the prop blood bag the crew had prepared.

“Brother Lang!” Lu Lu shouted loudly, but there was no response. A voice inside him told him that something had happened to Pei Lang. He didn’t have time to be sad; instead, he shouted to the director, “Quick, call an ambulance! Brother Lang… Brother Lang, can you hear me? Brother Lang!”

The scene descended into chaos. When Pei Lang had been acting, he was immersed in his role, and as the gunshot echoed, the intense pain of his chest being pierced came rushing in. After falling to the ground, he couldn’t speak a single word.

The world became blurry, the sounds around him began to fade, and his eyelids grew heavier. Eventually, he lost consciousness.

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