Guan Ciyan often needs to visit the film studio for inspections. The place belongs to him, and most of the projects inside are also his. Jian Yang sent him a message, hoping that when Guan Ciyan comes to work, he would also take a look at him.

When the message notification sounded, Guan Ciyan had just left the Guan family home. There was a whip mark on his back.

This time, he could have let Old Master Guan vent his anger as before, but when the whip landed on his body, he felt shame and humiliation. The same spot, the same scene—Jian Yang had once confronted Old Master Guan, striking Guan Jingyu with a whip to avenge him.

Now, he was kneeling on the ground again, under Guan Jingyu’s eyes, allowing Old Master Guan to whip him.

When the whip swung toward him, Guan Ciyan raised his hand to catch it and slowly stood up, his gaze cold.

“You’re rebelling!” Old Master Guan pulled back the whip, but Guan Ciyan gripped it tightly and didn’t let it move.

“Guan Ciyan!”

“Here.” Guan Ciyan’s chest sank. “After so many years of being beaten, your grace of raising me is almost at its end.”

“Once you repay your grace of raising, what about the things you took from me?” Old Master Guan sneered.

Guan Ciyan had long suspected that his father, who had been proud all his life, was now living in the shadow of his own son, and that son was the one he least respected. It made him feel uncomfortable.

“What did I take? The debt-ridden Guan Group, or the mortgaged bad debts of Guan Real Estate?”

If it weren’t for the decline of the Guan family back then, how could Guan Jingyu’s father have allowed Guan Ciyan to take over the family business? Overnight, the legal person was changed, and all sorts of legal and illegal methods were used. All the blame was placed on Guan Ciyan, while Old Master Guan only cared about protecting his eldest son and grandson.

At that time, Guan Ciyan was only eighteen.

He was urgently recalled from abroad, not knowing anything and burdened with huge debts. If things had gone as expected, he would have spent the rest of his life in prison. Fortunately, he was smart enough to realize that the Guan family couldn’t be trusted. He started a small entertainment company abroad, which helped cover part of the deficit and gave him a chance to breathe.

In the following years, he studied while independently supporting the Guan family. His base was in the entertainment industry, where he established the Fuyu Holy Hall. In recent years, he had been quietly supporting the Guan family’s other industries until everything was back on track, and Guan Jingyu had grown up.

Old Master Guan now wanted to correct the bloodline and let Guan Jingyu take the lead.

At first, Guan Ciyan didn’t understand why, despite being from the same Guan family, it had to be Guan Jingyu. Later, when he attended a banquet with Old Master Guan, someone called out, “Guan Zong,” and both he and Old Master Guan turned around. Old Master Guan didn’t recognize the person but still smiled and prepared to greet him.

Unexpectedly, the person walked straight toward Guan Ciyan. “Guan Zong, we also have two small film projects next year. If possible, could you give us some guidance?”

The person was two years older than Guan Ciyan, a second-generation rich who had just taken over his family business. He only knew that the Guan family had a young and capable “Guan Zong.”

Since then, Old Master Guan, who had never liked him, became even more extreme, repeatedly using his mother to threaten him.

Guan Ciyan, however, felt better about it. Old Master Guan loved no one. He only wanted everyone to bow before him, to remain the eternal ruler of the Guan family.

So, he never took Guan Jingyu seriously. He invested all his effort into managing the Guan family’s businesses, and the higher he stood, the more uncomfortable the rest of the family became.

“If it weren’t for the Guan family’s fortune, if it weren’t for this surname of yours, do you think you’d have today’s success?” Old Master Guan continued, recounting his great achievements. “If it weren’t for my old comrades looking out for me, secretly helping you by giving you the green light, do you think you’d have been so successful? As a Guan family descendant, you should have this awareness. This time, Jingyu’s project must be funded by him directly from Fuyu’s selection. As his uncle, you should support him from behind.”

Guan Ciyan almost wanted to laugh. He had always tolerated the people of the Guan family, including Guan Jingyu, just to leave some leeway for everyone. Fuyu Holy Hall was his creation, and if Guan Jingyu wanted to meddle with it, he wouldn’t be afraid of the fire that could burn him.

“Sure, let him come tomorrow.”

Guan Ciyan slowly wrapped the whip around his hand. “The price is that this thing belongs to me now.”

This whip, which had whipped him for ten years, finally landed in his hands. As Guan Ciyan put on his coat and walked out, Guan Jingyu, sitting on one of the chairs, stared at him intently. “Uncle… little… uncle.”

Guan Ciyan looked at him. “From now on, at the company, remember to call me Guan Zong. Fuyu Holy Hall does not bear the Guan surname.”

Guan Jingyu, filled with fear but unwilling to show weakness, retorted, “That’s still the Guan family’s business! I’m the young master of the Guan family! When I go in, I’ll still be Guan Zong…”

Slap!

Half of Guan Jingyu’s face swelled up like a pig’s head.

“You… you hit me, and you slapped me?” Guan Jingyu was shocked and screamed, “Grandfather!!”

Old Master Guan, who had been sitting in his chair, suddenly sprang to his feet. “Stop him!”

Two armed soldiers entered and blocked Guan Ciyan.

These were Old Master Guan’s lifelong pride. He had retired honorably after being wounded in battle. His comrades had risen to success, and due to the special circumstances at the time and his life-saving help to them, their troops had always followed him. Even now, they still held honorary positions.

With these two, Old Master Guan always believed he was above ordinary people. He considered himself a hero, a representative of the country and family.

Unfortunately, decades had passed, and everything had changed. Only Old Master Guan was living in the past.

“You two, try firing your guns,” Guan Ciyan waved the whip, striking the floor in front of the two soldiers. “Considering your military uniforms, I won’t let this whip fall on you. Think carefully about the orders from above, think about your families.”

These two soldiers had relatives working for the Guan family. The Guan family had long achieved power consolidation, and these two had practically remained in the background due to their own personal interests.

“Bind him for me!” Old Master Guan commanded.

Guan Ciyan held the whip and tapped one of the soldier’s shoulders. The soldier stepped aside, allowing him to pass.

“You! What are you doing!!”

“Master Guan, we should have returned to the team long ago. The orders were given two years ago.” The two of them saluted Master Guan and walked out of the Guan family mansion.

“You… you…” Master Guan covered his chest and collapsed into his chair.

Not long after Guan Ciyan left the old residence, he passed by an ambulance going in the opposite direction. The Guan family had a house doctor, so it seemed that someone was in danger.

Guan Ciyan looked away and responded to Jian Yang’s message with one hand.

“Alright.”

His finger paused over the dial button as the sound of a horn blared from the car behind him. Guan Ciyan put down his phone and hurried back to the villa to apply medicine.

Jian Yang, upon receiving the message, was so angry that his nose almost turned crooked.

Alright??????

Is that it?

No, it’s not alright at all!

He knew it—Guan Ciyan was heartless and lacked loyalty. In front of him, he might give you three points of attention, but once apart, his heart would run wild.

Jian Yang was furious and decided not to reply to Guan Ciyan’s message tonight.

… He would reply tomorrow night instead.

After all, he was the boss. Not replying for 24 hours could lead to being fired.

The next day, Jian Yang was on an afternoon shoot. After resting, he went to the set to watch Su Jin perform. In this scene, Su Jin was pushed into the sea by soldiers under Gu Yanjun’s command due to a joint student action, creating the illusion of a natural fall. Gu Yanjun arrived just in time and ordered his men to rescue Su Jin.

The two entered a period of estrangement, then reunited after Gu Yanjun repeatedly saved innocent civilians.

Su Jin, as expected of the actor personally chosen by Wen Ye, played the scene as if he had truly fallen into the sea. He didn’t hold back any idol image, appearing on screen without makeup and even deliberately swallowing a couple of mouthfuls of water to add realism.

When Jian Yang entered the scene, wearing a sharp military uniform and high-end boots, he stood by the sea and kicked a subordinate into the water, saying, “Rescue the person, or don’t bother getting up.”

After running through the scene, Jian Yang felt uncomfortable. When he went to check on Su Jin, Su Jin was wrapped in a towel by his assistant, shivering. He just nodded at Jian Yang, his lips turning purple and unable to speak. Jian Yang had questions, but only said, “Rest first.”

Then he went to find the director.

He and Wen Ye watched the content on the monitor. Gu Yanjun, without a trace of water on him, still wearing a cape, knelt before the shivering Su Jin, looking concerned and asking, “Are you cold?”

His face still showed sadness.

Jian Yang looked away, feeling more uncomfortable.

Su Jin was about to die from drowning, but Gu Yanjun was neatly dressed and even kneeling. Wasn’t that just showing off? Even Jian Yang, as the audience, wanted to punch Gu Yanjun a couple of times.

But Wen Ye didn’t speak, so Jian Yang didn’t dare to say anything. Wen Ye kept watching the replay, furrowing his brows. Jian Yang recalled what Wei Wei said yesterday, and it seemed the director wasn’t sure about it either. He raised his hand tentatively, “Director, don’t you think this is a bit awkward?”

Wen Ye gave him a brief glance, “Speak.”

“Look, Gu Yanjun cares so much about Su Jin. His first reaction when seeing Su Jin fall into the sea should be to jump in and save him, not kick someone else into the water. Also, Su Jin, being someone who cares about civilians, should understand that soldiers in a military faction are just ordinary people trying to make a living. Su Jin would understand these people, so when Gu Yanjun kicks someone into the water and then threatens their life, Su Jin wouldn’t feel grateful. Instead, he’d think Gu Yanjun and the military faction are the same—indifferent to the lives of ordinary people and only concerned about themselves. In this scene, Gu Yanjun should make the audience uncomfortable. If Su Jin forgives him later, the audience will end up disliking Su Jin as well.”

Wen Ye looked at him seriously, his gaze much more focused than a few days ago, and there seemed to be some appreciation, “What do you think should be done?”

Jian Yang spoke confidently, “I think the plot here doesn’t need to be too dramatic. In an emergency situation, people’s reactions are usually the same. Gu Yanjun just needs to jump in without hesitation to save the person, and that would solidify his friendship with Su Jin. This way, Su Jin can see Gu Yanjun’s inner kindness, that he’s willing to risk his life to save someone. This would show that he’s different from others in his family, and later on, Su Jin will have a motive to turn him.”

Wen Ye nodded, “I think so too, but can you get in the water? Guan Ciyan warned a thousand times that you can’t have water scenes, no strong lights, and no staying up late.”

Jian Yang, who had been wearing colored contact lenses for half a month, thought to himself: … It should be okay.

“Can you swim?”

Jian Yang gave him an innocent look.

Wen Ye awkwardly cleared the situation, “Right, people who can’t touch water wouldn’t know how to swim.”

They were stuck on this issue again. Jian Yang made up his mind, “It’s fine. The pool water is not even as high as me. I won’t drown. But, director, could you give me more chances for NGs?”

Wen Ye smiled, “Alright, as long as you’re willing, the NGs won’t count for this scene. I’ll even guarantee you three chances to get it right before shooting wraps!”

“Deal!”

“Go get ready, and let Su Jin rest.”

Jian Yang smiled and left. Wei Wei was right. When he took the initiative to present an idea and worked with Wen Ye, they weren’t in a teacher-student dynamic but rather allies exploring the best way to present the scene.

Jian Yang went to remove his makeup and change into a wet hair style.

Dong Dong came over empty-handed. Jian Yang asked, “Where’s the medicine?”

Dong Dong looked as if he’d lost all hope, “Why don’t you just skip it? You’re going to drink medicine and jump into the water? What’s the point?! My god!!! Do you know what month it is? It’s March, just the beginning of spring, the water’s freezing!”

Jian Yang couldn’t bear to tell him that in order to create the winter water scene effect, the pool water was not temperature-controlled… it was cold water.

He couldn’t say it, and Dong Dong, who was 1.8 meters tall and 180 pounds, was already falling apart.

“Just bring the medicine over. Drinking it’s better than nothing.”

Dong Dong, crying, went to prepare ginger soup, blankets, and a hand warmer.

“Su Jin can go in, so why can’t I?” Jian Yang muttered to himself, “Come on, eyes! Don’t disappoint me!!!”

“How is it the same?” The makeup artist looked at him like a child, “You’re from the Guan family. Su Jin has to find his own way through, but you don’t have to suffer.”

Jian Yang smiled without speaking, thinking that everything has a price. He was considering whether to sign Su Jin to his company. For now, he had Fuyu Holy Hall as his backup, and the resources wouldn’t be lacking. Su Jin had good acting skills, worked diligently, and was down-to-earth, not aiming for a quick rise to fame by taking shortcuts. He was a good talent. If he were to sign him, it would be better to do so before the movie was released. Once the film came out, his value would skyrocket, and many people would want to sign him.

After finishing his makeup, Su Jin adjusted his state, and Wen Ye explained the actions and interactions after entering the water before starting the first take.

They filmed the scene of Su Jin underwater first. He was supposed to fall into the sea in a panic, and as long as the panic was shown well, the shot would be fine. When Jian Yang entered the water, he became even more frantic, flailing his limbs like a propeller. Wen Ye shouted from the shore, “Get up!”

“Why don’t you stand up?!”

The water reached Jian Yang’s neck, but as long as he could stand, he’d be fine. However, it was Jian Yang’s first time in the water, and he was completely disoriented.

After being pulled out, he was coughing violently and disoriented, shaking his head like a puppy, splashing water everywhere. Dongdong felt his life was at risk and was about to message Guan Ziyan when Jian Yang, still out of it, pushed Bai Shun. “Quick, take his phone away.”

Bai Shun immediately understood and held Dongdong down.

“Little Master, you really can’t go into the water. The boss will kill me, really,” Dongdong said, feeling hopeless.

Jian Yang gasped for breath and slowly recovered. “Bai Yingdi, watch him. Make sure he doesn’t send any messages.”

— The entire crew was keeping things from Guan Ziyan.

Bai Shun promised, “No problem.”

Jian Yang turned to Wen Ye and said, “Director, that was my first time in the water. Now, I’m ready.”

Wen Ye didn’t say anything, his face showing no signs of reproach. He knew Jian Yang had done his best. It was natural to panic, and he calmly said, “Prepare, and let’s do another take.”

This time, Jian Yang did much better, but underwater, he still didn’t open his eyes and didn’t give off the feeling of a decisive general.

Dongdong heard the repeated retakes from not far away, growing more anxious. “Aren’t you afraid President Guan will cause trouble for you?”

Bai Shun zoomed in with his phone’s camera, looking at the scene without a care. “Not afraid.”

Dongdong: “Why!!!?”

“You’re just an emperor actor.”

Bai Shun: “Because someone is backing us up. Don’t worry.”

“Who can back us up?” Dongdong had heard there were changes inside Fuyu Hall, and that Guan Ziyan’s control had weakened, but his nephew had entered the company, and even Guan Ziyan’s father couldn’t control him. Who could be backing them up?

Bai Shun pointed at Jian Yang on the screen. “Him.”

“Emperor Bai, wake up. President Guan is Jian Yang’s boss.”

…

“OK, cut!”

Dongdong ran over and wrapped Jian Yang in a blanket.

Jian Yang was so excited that he forgot about the cold, looking at himself underwater, searching for Su Jin, the atmosphere completely immersive. “Wow, is this really me?”

“Of course, I told you, you’re amazing,” Wen Ye was also very satisfied.

“Your taste is great!”

“You’re not bad either.”

The two of them laughed together. Jian Yang bent down and leaned toward the screen. “But my hand, isn’t it off? There should be more resistance in the sea. How about another take?”

“No big deal, but let’s keep this one, let’s keep one!”

Dongdong: Just kill me already.

Jian Yang tucked in his chin and slowly sank into the water to reshoot an underwater scene. Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice from the shore, “Jian Yang!!!”

Guan Ziyan leaped into the water.

Jian Yang’s vision went black as he slipped to the bottom of the pool.

Underwater, Guan Ziyan moved like a mermaid, the water flowing past him, pushing him towards Jian Yang. Jian Yang opened his eyes and saw him reaching out a hand to him, grabbing his wrist. The dark depths of his eyes were filled with complex emotions, but worry was the most obvious.

The water wasn’t deep, and with a pull and a tug, the two of them emerged from the water.