Chapter 12

Unaware of what was going on with Qin Lan, Yan Li hurried back to the "Sui Tang Heroes" drama set for makeup and shooting. His scenes today mainly revolved around the afternoon and evening. Originally, they had expected to finish around 9 PM, but as the shooting went on, it was almost midnight, and there was still no sign of wrapping up. Delayed work hours were quite normal on sets. Filming rarely went smoothly every day; sometimes, actors had multiple NGs, set actions were slow, costume and makeup had errors, or locations and transport weren’t well-coordinated, etc. In short, with all the little issues piling up, the finishing time had to be pushed back. The more issues, the longer the delay. Yan Li wasn’t new to this, so he just took a deep breath to calm his nerves and maintained his focus. He would shoot however it needed to be shot. Tonight, they were filming the scene where the female lead, Li Rongrong, attempts to assassinate Yang Guang. Yan Li had a small role in this scene, as most of the scene focused on the love-hate relationship between Yang Guang and Li Rongrong. It was only in the final moments that Yan Li’s character appears to save the emperor and apprehend the assassin. As a result, while other actors had already finished, Yan Li had to stay until the end. According to the plot, Li Rongrong is a great beauty with exceptional musical talent. When Yang Guang was still the crown prince, he became infatuated with her and proposed to her father, but was rejected. In a fit of rage, Yang Guang framed and killed her family. Fortunately, Li Rongrong survived and wandered the streets. Later, she met Qin Qiong and Wang Bodang, falling in love with Qin Qiong. Fueled by the blood feud, Li Rongrong was determined to kill Yang Guang and had initially planned to rely on Qin Qiong. However, after Li Yuanba of the Four Kings wiped out the 18 rebel kings, she decided to act on her own. She asked Wang Bodang to create a musical trap, and she planned to assassinate Yang Guang herself. In terms of the overall revenge plot, Li Rongrong's plan was still reasonable. Using the alias Qin Rong, she bribed palace maids, as Yang Guang, a man with a strong desire for beautiful women, had long been interested in her. Because she resembled Li Rongrong, he was even more attracted to her and was easily charmed into listening to her play the guqin alone. However, she underestimated Yang Guang’s inner circle. Xiao Fei, Yang Guang's concubine, was sharp and realized something was off. She reported it to Yu Wenhua Ji, who, being cunning, quickly figured out Li Rongrong’s real identity and sent Yu Wen Cheng to protect the emperor. Just as Li Rongrong was playing the guqin to lower Yang Guang's guard, Yu Wen Cheng burst in, and she realized she had been exposed. Without hesitation, she launched her attack, but Yu Wen Cheng blocked the arrow with a soldier and destroyed the guqin before seizing her by the neck. "Who are you, and why are you attempting to assassinate the emperor?" Afterward, Yan Li’s lines were reduced to just "Take her away," and he didn’t speak again, simply maintaining his grip on Li Rongrong's neck while holding her in place as Yang Guang continued to converse with her. Before filming, Yan Li had specifically approached the actress playing Li Rongrong, Tong Lei, to rehearse the scene together. She was about the same age as him, and he had heard she was still studying at Shanghai Theatre Academy. Since they hadn’t had any scenes together before, they had barely interacted. But now, in this scene where Yan Li had to choke her, a crucial moment in the plot, Yan Li wanted to rehearse with her beforehand to ensure he didn’t apply too much force and hurt her. "I’ll apply a bit of pressure; just react, and tell me if this strength works for you," he said. Tong Lei, young and gentle in demeanor, immediately nodded. "Don’t worry, Brother. I’m good. I’ll cooperate with you." Yan Li gently tested the pressure. Her neck wasn’t particularly thin, but with his large hands, he easily circled it, determining the exact amount of force before letting go. She was aware that he was being careful for her sake and thanked him politely: "Thank you, Brother." "No need to thank me," he replied. Yan Li had become accustomed to this. While he looked young, he was slightly older than most of the actors and had a steady personality that made him appear older, so many of the younger actors and crew called him "Brother." Even though it wasn’t always accurate, Yan Li didn’t mind. Being called "Brother" was better than "Little Brother." Once filming began, it was mainly about expression and actions; there wasn’t much difficulty. However, Tong Lei and Xie Junhao had a bit of pressure during their scenes and had to do several NGs, though things generally went smoothly. When the scene was finally wrapped up, many of the actors who had scenes the next day hurried to remove their makeup and head back to rest. Since Yan Li didn’t have a scene tomorrow, he wasn’t in a rush. He grabbed a cigarette from the camera crew and slowly made his way to the makeup room. On the way, it was already midnight, and since he hadn’t slept yet, he naturally checked the latest updates. ... [Daily Update ②: Qin Lan's pursuer is Huang Xiaoming, a graduate from the 96th class of Beijing Film Academy. He is 24 years old, 1.73 meters tall, and has appeared in shows like "Networm Diary," "The Emperor of Han," and "My Fair Lady 3." He has a promising future in the industry.] Huang Xiaoming? Yan Li recognized the name. However, it wasn’t because he had seen any of his dramas, but because he knew Huang Xiaoming’s two classmates. Zhao Yanzi and Chen Kun! The former became very popular due to shows like "My Fair Lady" and "Deep Rain," while the latter gained some fame for his role in Zhao Baogang’s "Like Mist, Like Rain, Like Wind." Thanks to these two, the 96th class of the Beijing Film Academy had gained some attention, and Huang Xiaoming was one of the more successful ones. Yan Li had entered Beijing Film Academy in 2000, so by then, the 96th class had already graduated. He hadn’t expected to intersect with this senior because of Qin Lan. However, Yan Li didn’t really care. What if he was a senior? If Huang Xiaoming acted like a scoundrel, Yan Li would step in as needed. After all, it wasn’t the first time he had dealt with a senior. Was it easy to be the ex-boyfriend of the Beijing Film Academy’s campus beauty? There had been many seniors who were after Dong Xuan, and the few who overstepped had been handled by Yan Li and his brothers. The most memorable incident was with a second-generation star from the 99th class, surnamed Du. Yan Li once stormed into his dorm to confront him, and he ended up getting a major demerit for it. [Daily Update ④: Ex-girlfriend Dong Xuan is fed up with Yan Li not contacting her for days and has sworn to her friend Guan Yue that if Yan Li doesn't call her soon, their relationship is over.] Yan Li: "..." It had been over half a month since he last contacted her, so it was getting a bit excessive. Maybe he should call her tomorrow? Well, he couldn’t do it directly. If he called her, she would probably get mad. He’d call Guan Yue first, ask her how Dong Xuan was doing, and Guan Yue would surely report back to Dong Xuan. [Daily Update ⑥: Qin Lan, currently sleeping at the hotel, is having a spring dream involving Yan Li.] "Cough, cough..." Yan Li choked on his cigarette, stunned. He didn’t understand what was going on with this girl. How could a meal lead to a spring dream? Did the restaurant owner put something weird in the food? [Daily Update ⑧: Wang Decai, the associate director of "Sui Tang Heroes," has recommended Yan Li to several familiar producers and directors, praising him highly and inquiring about possible roles for him.] Yan Li slapped his palm. Good! That 3000 yuan red envelope wasn’t wasted. Wang Decai was actually doing his job. Next time, he would take him out for some BBQ and show him some gratitude. Maybe by the end of the shoot, Wang Decai could help secure his next role. [Daily Update ⑩: A group of criminals in Hengdian who lure men using seduction and extort money through blackmail has been spotted. Please stay alert (Note: Their bait often includes small cards distributed in hotels around Hengdian).] Tch, what’s this got to do with me? Yan Li scornfully ignored it, but when he passed the makeup room trash can, he obediently threw a colorful little card into the bin. Being a strong young man in his prime, curiosity was inevitable sometimes. It was understandable...