This scene depicted Yun Lang, while fleeing and falling ill in a dilapidated temple, encountering a sudden curfew in the capital city, with silence and no drum beats, until dawn when temple bells suddenly began to ring throughout the city.
The bell tolls continued as the former emperor passed away, with urgent drums from the border and signs of beacon fires possibly rising again.
Yun Lang, originally already gravely ill and on the verge of death, forcefully coughed up blood in the dilapidated temple, got up, and exchanged his last personal jade pendant for medicine.
Without a pot to brew it, he chewed it bit by bit and swallowed it hard, walking step by step back to the capital.
“The former emperor was the only person in this world who still cared about him.”
The assistant director, having listened to the screenwriter’s analysis, helped convey to him: “The crimes of his family were real and not easily pardoned. If the former emperor hadn’t secretly sent people to protect him all these years, he wouldn’t have escaped so smoothly.”
The assistant director added: “In the former emperor’s final edict, he specifically mentioned a general amnesty.”
Liang Xiao nodded: “He would have originally been pardoned without guilt.”
“But the newly enthroned emperor wanted to eliminate all threats and excluded him from the general amnesty.”
The assistant director nodded: “With the former emperor gone, he was truly the only one left in this world.”
In the original script, Yun Lang wasn’t actually this alone. He didn’t know that the young imperial grandson, whom he had once casually hit with a chestnut, was also in the capital, desperately revealing all his cards regardless of consequences.
In the end, they regrettably missed each other. The young imperial grandson gathered troops and supplies, riding day and night on the horse that Yun Lang had once extorted from him to reach the border, just as the embers of Yun Lang’s fireworks had completely cooled.
But after discussing with Director Jin, the screenwriter had cut out the other storylines, leaving only the father-son relationship of ruler and subject caught in the political turmoil.
Liang Xiao understood and nodded: “Got it.”
The assistant director felt relieved and arranged for someone to guide him through the camera movements and lighting, then hurried off to arrange the camera positions.
This scene was rehearsed several times, from dusk until it was completely dark.
Director Jin didn’t have specific requirements for the shape of the blood, but he wanted Liang Xiao to express the character’s complex internalized emotions. With different lighting effects on the camera, they tried several times before finally finding the optimal state.
This kind of restrained explosive scene was equally draining. When Liang Xiao heard “cut” from behind the camera, he closed his eyes to rest for a while, gathered his strength to stand up, and went over to watch.
“That’s good. There’s perseverance and responsibility, and the state of disliking the bitter medicine but having to chew it is very fitting.”
Director Jin looked at the monitor and nodded in praise: “Well done.”
Liang Xiao genuinely disliked the taste, with all kinds of sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy flavors in his mouth. His tongue was still numb: “…Thank you.”
Director Jin waved his hand: “Night shoot today, rest tomorrow morning. Go back now.”
Liang Xiao took a wet wipe and cleaned the vivid blood from his lips and palms.
The last scene was mentally and emotionally draining, requiring him to find the right character feeling. Though it didn’t involve much physical movement, filming it was actually not easy.
Liang Xiao pressed his forehead and was about to leave to remove his makeup. He had only gone halfway when he was stopped by the unusually numerous gazes directed at him today.
Liang Xiao was no stranger to finishing scenes covered in blood, so he curiously looked down at his clothes: “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, we’re just enjoying some gossip.”
The producer laughed and shared with him: “Some gossip account from who knows where is spreading outrageous rumors.”
The producer showed him his phone: “These past two days, hasn’t the internet been discussing your background? Today another claim came out, even buying a trending topic… I don’t know what they’re thinking.”
“Probably inspired by Brother Liang’s previous role,” a young actor said with mock seriousness. “Allegedly colluding with fraud gangs, deceiving innocent students, mysteriously appearing and disappearing to swindle money and goods… If you didn’t know better, you’d think it was Yun Lian’s character profile.”
Everyone who knew about “Year’s End” burst into laughter.
Liang Xiao took the phone and looked at it.
“Alright, everyone tone it down.”
The production manager came over to maintain discipline. Seeing Liang Xiao looking at it seriously, he couldn’t help but laugh: “It’s really absurd… They seem to have some note as supposed evidence.”
“Don’t take it seriously. For this kind of joke, your studio just needs to issue a brief clarification.”
The production manager, having seen many such farces, reassured him: “What kind of evidence is a note? Next time I’ll write a note saying I lent Director Jin ten million, and if he doesn’t pay it back, does that make him heartless?”
No one in the industry wasn’t annoyed by such things, making it easy to find common ground in righteous indignation. After restraining their laughter for a while, they all started mocking the marketing accounts.
Duan Ming hurried over, and seeing Liang Xiao surrounded by a group of laughing people, his heart sank considerably.
Duan Ming quickly pulled Liang Xiao aside, greeted the production manager: “The studio needs Liang Xiao for something…”
The production manager was cooperative and nodded: “Go ahead.”
Duan Ming glanced at Liang Xiao, returned the phone to the producer, and pulled him away from the crowd.
“Don’t worry… it’s not a big deal, not hard to handle.”
Duan Ming found a rest room, had Liang Xiao sit down, and reassured him in a low voice: “Although I don’t know why they couldn’t stay patient, this actually works in our favor.”
They had anticipated this, but thought that even if the other party had this card, they would save it for last, waiting for the most impactful moment to reveal it.
Unexpectedly, they had shown their hand so early.
Now that it was out, there was much more room for maneuvering, especially since the promotion for “Year’s End” had just begun. Many in the crew shared the same view as those who had just spoken. Although it was trending, most people were mocking and watching the drama unfold, with few actually convinced by the so-called evidence.
Xingguan hadn’t initiated emergency handling for this reason.
“They might have been forced into a corner,” Duan Ming said softly. “Like a cornered dog jumping over a wall… it’s not serious. We were treating this like a bomb, but with their rash exposure, it’s at most a dud now.”
Duan Ming looked at his expression and waved his hand in front of his eyes: “Are you okay?”
Liang Xiao came back to his senses and smiled: “Mm.”
The more calm, steady, and reserved he was, the more concerned Duan Ming became: “What’s wrong… do they really have something on you?”
Liang Xiao thought for a moment: “The note-”
Liang Xiao couldn’t be certain: “What did the note say?”
“I’m not entirely clear either. They haven’t fully released it yet, probably keeping it as a backup.”
Duan Ming continued: “Xingguan has channels and has roughly investigated… it seems it was left for their family’s bodyguards.”
This kind of thing could be resolved with a simple clarification. Duan Ming hadn’t listened carefully but tried to recall: “It seems to say that you thought the things they bought weren’t good enough, so you scolded them and told them to return the items and buy again…”
Liang Xiao nodded slightly.
Duan Ming was stunned for two seconds, looking at his expression, his heart sinking: “You really wrote it? Was it when you were with that person from Jiangnan?”
“You wrote this… to help him discipline their family bodyguards?”
Duan Ming vaguely guessed what had happened and frowned deeply: “Are you still in contact with that person? Do you know who he is?”
Liang Xiao: “He’s not the one who revealed it.”
Duan Ming felt uneasy and said softly: “Don’t be anxious.”
“I’m not anxious.”
Liang Xiao shook his head: “I… haven’t contacted him yet.”
Liang Xiao tried to lift the corner of his mouth and smiled: “President Huo said he wasn’t angry with me and wanted to see me, probably around these days.”
Duan Ming opened his mouth, his voice hoarse: “Does he know you wrote the note?”
“I don’t know,” Liang Xiao said. “I think… he doesn’t know.”
Liang Xiao wanted to explain but didn’t know where to start. He opened his mouth but couldn’t help bending over the table as he coughed.
Duan Ming was terrified and carefully patted his back: “It couldn’t have been him who betrayed you. Maybe the note fell into someone else’s hands. Didn’t you give it to their family bodyguards? Maybe he doesn’t have a good relationship with them…”
The more Duan Ming thought about it, the more sense it made: “If they had a good relationship, how could they have given him inferior goods? It must be like President Huo’s family, where the main family’s children suffer at the hands of the branch family, who secretly torment them.”
Liang Xiao nodded: “I know.”
Duan Ming was almost driven crazy with worry, vaguely feeling that Liang Xiao hadn’t heard a word he said. He held Liang Xiao’s head to make him look at him and withdrew his hand from the heat: “Why are you so hot?”
Liang Xiao was startled and checked his own temperature: “It’s nothing.”
“Come on.” Duan Ming didn’t believe him. “President Huo will be here soon to pick you up. Tell me what you’re most worried about, and we’ll help you deal with it immediately.”
The matter itself wasn’t difficult to handle. Whether it was a desperate move or for some other reason, since the other party had revealed their hand early, Xingguan wouldn’t need to expend much effort to resolve it.
Duan Ming tried to meet Liang Xiao’s gaze, urging him to focus: “It’s okay, with President Huo here, everything can be handled.”
Liang Xiao opened his mouth but couldn’t make a sound.
His vision wasn’t very clear. Liang Xiao blinked several times, enduring the headache, and said softly: “It’s not him.”
“It probably isn’t,” Duan Ming nodded. “He probably doesn’t even know.”
Duan Ming was almost infuriated by Liang Xiao’s ill-fated relationship in Jiangnan and couldn’t help saying: “If it really was him, I would definitely support President Huo in freezing him and throwing him into the sea…”
Liang Xiao shook his head: “It’s not him.”
Duan Ming didn’t dare say more and just agreed: “Yes, yes, it definitely isn’t him.”
Liang Xiao tried several times to stand up, supporting himself on the edge of the table.
Duan Ming hurriedly steadied him: “What are you trying to do?”
Liang Xiao paused: “Remove my makeup.”
“There’s no rush…” Duan Ming was afraid something might happen if Liang Xiao went to remove his makeup in this state. He didn’t dare let him go and held him firmly. “You’ve been thinking about him all these years, and that’s how you’ve endured, isn’t it?”
Liang Xiao shuddered slightly, closed his eyes several times, and said softly: “It’s not him…”
Liang Xiao could barely stand and bent over slightly.
“Yes, yes, I know it’s not him.”
Duan Ming carefully helped him sit back down: “Don’t think about him anymore. Think about President Huo, think about President Huo.”
The corners of Liang Xiao’s mouth twitched slightly as he fumbled around and found a piece of candy, holding it in his palm.
Duan Ming remembered something and took out the diary to give to him: “Look at this, looking at this will make you feel better.”
Liang Xiao didn’t want to read it, shook his head, and hugged the diary to his chest.
“Just take a look. What if President Huo is that wild A you picked up in Jiangnan?”
Duan Ming was desperate and made up stories to comfort him: “Look, everything matches up. President Huo was targeted by the branch family, those bodyguards weren’t diligent, you wrote a note to discipline those bastards on President Huo’s behalf, the note fell into the branch family’s hands, and President Huo never knew…”
Liang Xiao’s lips twitched with amusement, and he softly said “Mm,” but after a moment of silence, he changed his mind and shook his head: “No.”
Duan Ming was taken aback: “What?”
Liang Xiao: “It can’t be President Huo.”
Duan Ming couldn’t understand: “Why? Clearly-”
Liang Xiao shook his head and was about to speak when he suddenly looked up, his gaze falling on the doorway.
President Huo’s brows were tightly knitted as he entered, took off his clothes to wrap around Liang Xiao, and embraced him completely: “What happened?”
Duan Ming didn’t know how to explain and stammered: “It’s-it’s his family matter…”
President Huo looked at the diary Liang Xiao was holding in his arms and asked softly: “You haven’t read it?”
Liang Xiao looked up at him in a daze and shook his head.
President Huo suppressed the pain churning in his chest, protected him in his embrace, and gently kissed his burning forehead: “It’s my fault.”
Without delay, he carried Liang Xiao out quickly, got into the car, and instead of returning to the hotel, instructed the driver to go directly to the hospital.
Liang Xiao was thoroughly protected by him, feverish and somewhat dazed, half-closing his eyes as he leaned against his neck.
“He didn’t betray you… he didn’t know.”
President Huo held Liang Xiao’s hand, gently massaging his stiff fingers, and placed the phone with its screen already turned off to the side.
President Huo closed his eyes forcefully, his voice extremely hoarse: “He knew nothing. What you went through back then, what you’re going through now, what you did for him-he knew nothing about any of it, just complacently living his own life…”
President Huo carefully kissed Liang Xiao’s eyes and said softly: “He has wronged you, so he has never dared to tell you.”
Liang Xiao couldn’t hear clearly and had difficulty connecting the words into meaning. Resting on President Huo’s arm, he blinked and tried to smile at him.
President Huo felt an almost sweet bitterness rising in his throat as his gaze fell into Liang Xiao’s eyes: “Liang Xiao.”
Liang Xiao was startled, instinctively focusing his attention, and lifted his head slightly.
“He is here, holding you.”
President Huo closed his eyes, his voice hoarse: “How will you punish him.”
Liang Xiao’s eyes widened slightly as he stared at him in shock, struggling to raise his hand to touch his own forehead.
“You have a high fever,” President Huo held his hand. “It’s not a hallucination, and you didn’t mishear.”
President Huo’s chest rose and fell several times: “I originally thought you would read the diary-”
Liang Xiao called to him softly: “Huo Lan.”
President Huo’s chest and shoulders shuddered violently. He fell silent, his gaze fixed steadily on him.
Liang Xiao held his hand and felt it: “Is it you?”
“Yes.” President Huo’s palm trembled slightly as he tentatively returned the grip bit by bit. “The one you met in Jiangnan was me, it has always been-”
Liang Xiao: “Have you been well?”
President Huo could barely breathe. He closed his eyes with effort and smiled down at him: “Very well.”
“I also-”
Liang Xiao grinned: “I’ve also been very well.”
President Huo hadn’t missed any of Liang Xiao’s past that had been dug up by marketing accounts in recent days, each incident stabbing at his heart. He shook his head and held Liang Xiao’s hand.
“Really,” Liang Xiao said. “We’ve both been very well.”
Liang Xiao: “He wasn’t doing well.”
President Huo was stunned, unable to speak.
Liang Xiao: “He tried very hard.”
Liang Xiao struggled to turn over, hugged President Huo, and kissed his chest: “Don’t bully him.”
President Huo’s arms were almost trembling as he tried his best to hold Liang Xiao steady.
Liang Xiao, still concerned, held his hand: “Don’t-”
President Huo, his voice hoarse: “Alright.”
Liang Xiao smiled: “Mm.”
Liang Xiao didn’t speak anymore, leaning against President Huo’s embrace and closing his eyes.
President Huo took several urgent breaths, hastily closed his eyes, and held Liang Xiao tightly against his chest.
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(advanced chapters available on kofi)
