Chapter 21

Dressed in the dragon robe, Yuwen Huaji looked panicked and turned to Yuwen Chengdu, saying, "Chengdu, the rebel army has breached the castle, what should we do?" Yuwen Chengdu also had a hint of panic on his face. As the sounds of shouting and fighting grew louder, he fiercely grabbed two guards and said, "I’ll try to stop them. You protect my father and get him out of here first." With that, Yuwen Chengdu swiftly ran out. Yuwen Huaji shouted a few words after him. "Chengdu, Chengdu!" ... "Good, cut." The director, Hu Mingkai, called out, and Yan Li, who had just exited the hall, approached. "Thank you, Director Hu." Hu Mingkai smiled and patted his shoulder. "No problem, you did great." The scene just shot was actually not in the original script. However, because Yan Li had previously developed the character with the actor playing Yuwen Huaji, Yang Shulin, by intentionally adding some father-son dynamics, the relationship between Yuwen and his son in the show could be described as one of mutual affection. With this in mind, as Yuwen Huaji and Yuwen Chengdu were exiting the scene, Yan Li persuaded Yang Shulin to convince the director to add this scene. Though it was just a short moment, Yuwen Chengdu's character was able to rise a little in stature by showing courage and standing up to protect his father. And this change didn’t stray from the script’s characterizations. First, through the earlier efforts of Yan and Yang, the father-son bond and clear motivations had been well established. Though Yuwen Chengdu was portrayed as a cowardly, lecherous, and violent character, he had shown resolve in key moments, such as saving Yang Guang and Yuwen Huaji before. As a villain, however, his brilliance was often overshadowed by the heroes. Secondly, Yuwen Chengdu never intended to fight to the death; his lines and the storyline suggested that he was only trying to delay the enemy long enough to escape. After all, despite being somewhat less competent than in the original text, Yuwen Chengdu was still one of the most skilled characters in the drama, and if he wanted to flee, most people wouldn’t be able to stop him. Unfortunately, in the subsequent storyline, Yuwen Chengdu’s bad luck caught up with him when he met Li Yuanba, who was specifically looking for him for a duel. Li Yuanba ended up killing him. After chatting with Director Hu, Yan Li excused himself, as his part for the day was finished. The next scenes involved various rebel kings vying for the imperial seal. Yan Li had another scene where Li Yuanba would kill him, but that was dependent on the filming schedule, likely happening the day after or two days later. Once his death scene was shot, his role in "The Heroes of Sui and Tang" would officially wrap up. Back in the makeup room, Wang Xiu began removing his makeup and asked, "When's your ticket?" Yan Li, flipping through a magazine, replied, "The day after tomorrow or the day after that." Wang Xiu seemed a little disappointed, her tone wistful. "Once you leave, I won’t have anyone to talk to." Yan Li, feeling goosebumps, responded irritably, "Stop talking nonsense. If you keep bothering me, I’ll have to let Liu Da from the photography team deal with you." Wang Xiu was surprised. "How do you know Liu Da likes me? I never told anyone... Is it that bitch Sha Sha?" Yan Li chuckled. "Just give me a cool hairstyle today, trim my eyebrows, and use those fancy cosmetics. I'll tell you." Wang Xiu scoffed, but after finishing his makeup, she obediently shaved his beard, trimmed his eyebrows, and took care of his skin, finally creating a stylish look. Yan Li’s costume required a headpiece, so his hair was kept short. Wang Xiu’s styling skills were good. She shaved the sides and back of his head while leaving a bit of layering on top. With Yan Li's angular face, the resulting look was a combination of ruggedness and wildness, making him appear more masculine. "Perfect!" Wang Xiu smiled at the mirror, pleased with the result. "If things don't go well for you, give me a call. I know some wealthy women who would love your tough guy style." Yan Li grinned. "Thanks, I appreciate it." After changing into his costume, Yan Li headed out. Wang Xiu called after him, "You still haven't told me how you knew." Yan Li pointed to his temple. "Intuition." Wang Xiu huffed, "I'll introduce you to some ugly, old women next time." After returning to the small hotel, Yan Li changed into clothes he had bought in Hengdian, looking neat and tidy as he headed downstairs. He took a stroll around Hengdian's pedestrian street and then went to the restaurant he suspected had spiked his food to make a reservation. Though he felt that the food safety of the restaurant was questionable, the environment and taste were decent, making it a good place for group gatherings. Next, Yan Li arrived at the hotel where Qin Lan was staying and called her. "Are you at the hotel?" On the other end, Qin Lan sounded surprised. "Yes, what's up?" "Come downstairs, I’ll take you out to eat." "Ah... Okay... Wait for me five, no, ten minutes." Yan Li checked the time and, knowing better, found a seat to wait. When a woman says ten minutes, it's naive to think it will only be that long. Sure enough, nearly half an hour later, Qin Lan appeared, dressed in a black, figure-hugging office dress and carrying her bag. "Did I keep you waiting? Something came up last minute." Yan Li glanced at her still-damp hair and her full makeup and wisely didn’t ask what had happened. Instead, he simply said, "Let’s go, the table’s ready." Being considerate of Qin Lan’s dress, Yan Li slowed his pace. She walked in half-high-heeled sandals, curiously asking, "What made you decide to take me out to eat today? You even dressed up so handsomely." Yan Li explained, "You were complaining last time that I didn’t invite you to the farewell meal, so I’m making it up to you." "Is that all?" Qin Lan, who had been smiling happily, now looked a little downcast after hearing his response. Yan Li noticed but didn’t say much. When they reached the restaurant, he pointed to the birthday cake he had bought earlier at the pedestrian street and said with a smile, "By the way, I got this for you to celebrate your birthday." Seeing the birthday cake, Qin Lan’s eyes sparkled with tears, and after a moment, she playfully hit Yan Li’s arm, pouting, "You’re so naughty, you just wanted to mess with me, didn’t you?" Yan Li smiled brightly. "It’s all about creating a bigger surprise by first holding back." Qin Lan rolled her eyes but eagerly examined the cake. Her large eyes were full of joy, and she seemed to really like it. However, she couldn’t help but sigh. "If only I had a camera. I’d take a photo." "Do you know what foresight is?" Yan Li snapped his fingers, then walked to the counter and got a Sony digital camera that had been set aside for him by the restaurant owner. Qin Lan was both surprised and delighted. "Where did you get this?" "I begged for it for a while and gave the photographer a few packs of Yuxi cigarettes. He agreed to lend it to me for one night." Yan Li explained, then warned, "Be careful when using it. This thing’s expensive, and if you drop or damage it, I’ll have wasted a whole month." "Don’t worry." Qin Lan replied and then eagerly started taking photos with Yan Li. They first took a picture with the cake, then some photos of blowing out the candles, and later asked the owner to take some pictures of her and Yan Li together. They must have taken dozens of photos before stopping. After putting the camera away, Yan Li turned to the owner and said, "I’ll look through the pictures when I get back and decide whether to have them printed and mailed to you or send them to your email." "Okay." With the photos taken, Qin Lan was in high spirits, enjoying the cake that Yan Li had cut for her. Her beautiful eyes stayed fixed on him as she spoke in a softer, sweeter voice than usual. "How did you know today was my birthday?" Not many people in the "Princess Pearl 3" crew knew about it, so she was puzzled as to how Yan Li had found out. Yan Li calmly responded, "You told me yourself." "When did I say that?" "Back when we first ate here and talked about our ages. You mentioned your birthday was July 17, 1979. I remembered it." "Really?" Qin Lan seemed a bit confused. They had talked about their ages, but she didn’t think she had mentioned her exact birthdate. Well, maybe she had forgotten. No matter what, Yan Li had remembered it and had made an effort to celebrate her birthday, which made Qin Lan feel warm inside. Seeing she believed him, Yan Li quietly ate a bite of cake. As for whether Qin Lan had mentioned her birthday, he had forgotten. He only remembered she was born in 1979. But how he knew her exact birthday was thanks to the intelligence system. [Intelligence System X: Today, July 17th, is Qin Lan's 23rd birthday... Alone in a foreign location for a shoot, no one knows it’s her birthday. Qin Lan feels very lonely and wishes someone would celebrate with her...] As friends, Yan Li couldn’t ignore this wish...