MMLDU Chapter 81

Yan Han stayed with Pei Lang for a few days before leaving. After that, the filming went smoothly, and no more messy incidents occurred.

Pei Lang’s current status is such that even directors have to bow down when they see him. However, Pei Lang has a great personality and treats everyone the same. Despite his good looks that seem otherworldly, he has no airs about him.

This kind of demeanor makes people genuinely like him. If it were any other actor, being so highly regarded by the “golden sponsor” would have likely caused them to become arrogant and difficult to approach, but not Pei Lang.

Yan Han still often visits the set to check on Pei Lang. Pei Lang is very diligent in his work and the progress of the film is faster than expected. So, when Yan Han visits, the director gives Pei Lang time off, allowing them more time to be together.

The filming of the movie Rot was nearing its end. Before they knew it, a lot of time had passed. Everything was calm, so much so that Pei Lang, who was focused on his acting, almost lost track of time.

“Brother Lang, look! You’re trending again!” After Pei Lang had just finished talking to Yan Han and hung up, Lu Lu’s call came through.

“Really? What are they saying about me this time?” Pei Lang’s name often made its way onto trending topics, but it was rarely for anything positive, so he had long since stopped being surprised.

In the past, he would click on the links to see what was being said, but now he didn’t even feel curious anymore.

“Oh my God, Brother Lang, just look! They’re all praising you. Hahaha~~ Those mere mortals finally realize how great Brother Lang is. I told you they’d feel embarrassed, and now that day has come.” Lu Lu sounded ridiculously excited, like a fool in joy.

Pei Lang couldn’t help but chuckle. “Alright, alright, I’ll check it out now.”

“Go, go check, Brother Lang! Hehehe~~” Lu Lu urged, then hung up the phone to make sure Pei Lang went to look at the trending topics.

Pei Lang opened Weibo and, sure enough, saw several trending topics about him.

#Pei Lang / Wen Yan

#Wen Yan from the book

#Pei Lang’s martial arts behind-the-scenes

#Wen Yan’s evil shattered look

#……

It turned out that the trailer for the previous drama had suddenly been released. The official announcement confirmed it would air in half a month. The five-minute trailer featured the male and female leads for two-thirds of the time, with Wen Yan and other characters taking up the remaining third. Despite the limited screen time, every frame featuring Wen Yan was a gem, and any screenshot could be used as a stunning wallpaper.

Wen Yan in red, Wen Yan playing the guqin, Wen Yan climbing the mountain to gather herbs, and Wen Yan blindfolded due to blindness – every single scene was a perfect replica of the novel, fulfilling over 95% of fans’ fantasies about Wen Yan’s character. It was almost unbelievable.

As soon as the trailer was released, it immediately attracted a large crowd. Fans of the male and female leads, book fans, and passersby were all shocked by Pei Lang’s acting and composure. Was this really the same Pei Lang, the one who couldn’t act, threw tantrums, and had a bad attitude? This was clearly someone completely different.

The official Weibo released a lot of material—trailers, theme songs, and behind-the-scenes footage. Four behind-the-scenes clips featured the male and female leads, while Pei Lang had two.

One was a behind-the-scenes clip of him obediently cooperating with makeup and the other was a behind-the-scenes clip of him performing a fight scene. The elegant and graceful way Pei Lang moved during the fight scenes was impressive. His actions were smooth and decisive, flowing effortlessly from one move to the next, making everyone marvel. Such martial arts skills could not have been developed in just a short period of time by the director, meaning Pei Lang must have always known martial arts.

In an instant, netizens saw a whole new Pei Lang, and it seemed they suddenly understood something.

Director Jin had said that Wen Yan was a role only Pei Lang could play, and the praises and support from the male and female leads, Zhong Yixiao and Liu Ran, as well as the mysterious “golden sponsor” boyfriend’s pampering of him, all pointed to the fact that these weren’t just empty words.

This new version of Pei Lang deserved even more praise and affection.

But why had he been in such a state before? What exactly had gone wrong? A person could change so dramatically. This was still Pei Lang, but at the same time, it felt like someone else entirely.

[—Is this really the Pei Lang I knew? His acting is so amazing!]

[—Wait… didn’t you guys notice that Pei Lang has become even more handsome and beautiful? Ahhh~~ It must be the Wen Yan filter, it must be, but I can’t stop wanting to see more! Too bad the drama won’t air for another half a month, help me!! I can only survive on the trailer and behind-the-scenes clips for now.]

[—Pei Lang, huh? I don’t care, I’m a fan of his looks, and I’m shameless about it. He’s so good-looking, who cares about his character, I’ll follow him first. Lang Lang, Mommy’s here~~]

[—The fight scenes were so clean and cool. I’m a fan now.]

[—First of all, I’m sorry for being brainwashed by marketing accounts and criticizing you before. Secondly… hubby, from now on, you’re my new hubby, ahhh~~ I love you so much. Can’t wait for Wen Yan.]

[—…]

Pei Lang scrolled through the comments, noticing that many were praising him and switching to being fans. Netizens were really strange. They had criticized him before, but now they were the ones complimenting him. Still, gaining the audience’s love and recognition felt pretty good.

Other actors had retweeted the official Weibo to help with the promotion, while Pei Lang had few fans, mostly consisting of haters. Nonetheless, he still retweeted the promotion. Once he did, his Weibo comment section was quickly flooded, attracting a large number of “mom fans” and “girlfriend fans”, which left Pei Lang both amused and helpless.

Of course, not all the comments were praises.

It was undeniable that Pei Lang’s portrayal of Wen Yan was great. This only proved that Director Jin’s teaching abilities were top-notch, turning a worthless person into gold. Without Director Jin and this powerful production team, Pei Lang would still be the same as before. The current praise was simply because of the “Wen Yan filter”. The role itself was great, and as long as the acting wasn’t terrible, any actor could receive praise for playing it.

The positive reviews for Wen Yan made the haters restless, so they pretended to be casual fans and tried to stir things up.

They argued that Wen Yan didn’t have much screen time in the trailer and that perhaps the released footage was just the best part of the entire drama. Who knows what the character would really be like in the show?

They questioned whether someone’s acting could really improve so much in such a short time. It was just that the production team was so capable and they just happened to cast the right person for Wen Yan. The success of one character didn’t prove an actor’s overall acting ability. Since the drama hadn’t aired yet, it was still uncertain whether Wen Yan was a good role.

Even though the haters were active, they didn’t manage to diminish the love for Wen Yan. Many people who liked Wen Yan also liked Pei Lang. His fanbase was growing steadily, making others jealous.

“It’s you again! Why is it so easy for you to grab everyone’s attention? Why don’t you just die!!” Pei Ziqing, who was alone at home, angrily threw his pillow.

He had no acting jobs at the moment. Yan Xiuyuan wasn’t giving him any resources. It wasn’t just that—Yan Xiuyuan had been frequently out of the house lately, sometimes staying away for days at a time. As his newlywed wife, Pei Ziqing didn’t even know what he was doing outside.

They no longer had the same topics to talk about like they used to. Yan Xiuyuan was growing impatient with him and even seemed disgusted. Pei Ziqing could say no more than a few words before being met with cold looks and disdain.

In contrast, Pei Lang not only enjoyed Yan Han’s pampering, but his resources also kept improving, with the roles he portrayed receiving widespread praise. Pei Ziqing wasn’t short on money, but the hired online trolls and haters he paid couldn’t stir up any waves in the comment section. It made him grit his teeth in frustration.

Why was Pei Lang always so lucky? From childhood to adulthood, Pei Ziqing had never been able to outshine him! Filled with jealousy and rage, he wished Pei Lang would just die right now.

No matter how dissatisfied or angry he was, he could only roar at the empty house.

Suddenly, his phone rang.

The number wasn’t saved, but Pei Ziqing recognized it clearly. His eyelid twitched, and he quickly silenced his phone. The caller kept calling, over and over, almost like a death knell. Unable to tolerate it any longer, Pei Ziqing finally pressed the answer button. “What do you want!”

“I’ve been controlled. I managed to call you today during dialysis when they relaxed their guard.” The man spoke quickly, as if in a rush.

“What do you mean by calling me now?” Pei Ziqing intentionally disguised his voice and spoke in a bad tone.

Their transaction had already ended. The man shouldn’t be contacting him anymore.

“The money you gave me isn’t enough for the transplant. Send me another one million.” The man demanded money immediately, making Pei Ziqing nearly lose his composure.

“We agreed on a price and I’ve already given you the money. Asking for more is not appropriate,” Pei Ziqing snapped.

“I’ve kept quiet for months, not revealing you. Like you said, the police can’t do anything because of my illness, but I can’t keep your secret forever. So, it’s your choice: either you pay up or I’ll expose you. Think about it.” The man threatened harshly before quickly hanging up.

As long as the mastermind was exposed, the man was merely acting on someone else’s behalf, so he wouldn’t be sentenced to death. If he were given a fixed-term imprisonment, due to his illness, he might even avoid prison altogether. But Pei Ziqing was different. Once caught, prison would be inevitable for him.

Just thinking about this made Pei Ziqing so angry that he threw away his phone!

Yan Xiuyuan had always been thinking about Pei Lang, but due to Yan Han, he didn’t dare make a move. However, the way he longed for a love he couldn’t have deeply pierced Pei Ziqing’s heart, causing his hatred for Pei Lang to grow day by day.

Over time, jealousy drove him mad. He found out the location of Pei Lang’s new movie shoot and details about the script, so he arranged to bring in a real gun and bribed the man with uremia to infiltrate the crew and replace the props.

Throughout this process, he had never personally shown up, and most of the transactions with the man with uremia were done over the phone. The phone card was bought from someone else, and when making the calls, he used a voice modulator, thinking the plan was flawless.

He became careless and didn’t destroy the phone card he had bought in time, which led to the man contacting him again to make threats.

Pei Ziqing wanted Pei Lang dead, to never appear in his world again.

The plan was for Pei Lang to be directly shot and the man with uremia would stubbornly refuse to admit his guilt. With his serious illness, no verdict could be passed until he was convicted. As long as the man was alive, the matter would pass without implicating him.

But unexpectedly, Pei Lang not only survived but the man with uremia was also controlled. Pei Ziqing had been on edge back then. After several months of calm, he thought the matter had been forgotten. Today, however, that damn man had actively contacted him and started asking for money.

The man, who was already under control, was now a crucial link. This phone call could very likely be traced back to him, so Pei Ziqing forced himself to calm down. In the end, he sent the man some money and destroyed the phone card, hoping to silence him and prevent further contact.

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