He didn't contact Xiao Shulang; he just came directly over.
Xiao Mingfeng looked a little haggard, with a complicated expression, but he still managed a weak smile at him: "I want to talk to you."
Xiao Shulang's expression completely disappeared, and he nodded: "Okay."
Chapter 65 His home is the place where the person in front of him is.
Xiao Shulang didn't ask Xiao Mingfeng why he hadn't contacted him beforehand, nor did he ask which employee he knew his specific schedule from. Those who didn't know would only assume it was a family visit to surprise him.
For example, that's what Xiao Jiang thought.
After a few days apart, Xiao Mingfeng looked visibly haggard. Xiao Shulang couldn't bear to look at him directly and lowered his eyes: "I still have two scenes to film. Can you wait until I finish shooting them?"
Xiao Mingfeng nodded, and Xiao Shulang then said to Xiao Jiang, "Xiao Jiang, why don't you keep Mr. Xiao company for me?"
Xiao Jiang naturally agreed, but found it strange that the boss didn't call him "brother." Well, it might just be a friendly joke between close friends, like how Xiao Shulang and Qin Shuang sometimes address each other as "Teacher Qin" or "Teacher Xiao."
Xiao Shulang was touching up his makeup when he turned around and saw Qin Shuang. Qin Shuang's gaze silently conveyed concern. Xiao Shulang squeezed his hand and said, "It's nothing."
The styling he needed to do next was relatively simple. Since the war-torn scene had already been set up, he naturally wanted to take the opportunity to finish shooting it all in one go.
Hua Che was already ill, and he forced himself to go into battle. Now he'll have to take medicine and lie in bed again. Xiao Shulang has gradually become more skilled at using the blood packs, from initially not knowing how to use them properly. He's already an expert at how to spit out blood after biting it and how much is appropriate.
But the taste of the blood packs was really not good; I could never get used to it no matter how many times I tried it.
If you had to describe it, the blood pack could be considered sweet, but the sweetness was very strange. Holding it in your mouth only made you feel nauseous, and you wished you could spit it out and rinse your mouth immediately. Xiao Shulang once joked that with blood that tasted like this, the frown and the exhale when spitting out blood were not acting at all, but were all from the heart.
After they finished touching up their makeup, they immediately began the next scene. Qin Shuang led two horses by herself, while Xiao Shulang strolled beside her, and the two of them walked together toward the inner city.
Qin Shuang is usually not very talkative, but when she acts, she can handle any role. Chu Beiyao definitely has the most lines in the whole series. You can't see any trace of Qin Shuang herself in him. Qin Shuang delivers the lines about military affairs with great emotion. Xiao Shulang is mainly responsible for listening and physical performance.
Hua Che's eyes were gentle, and his footsteps were very light. As he listened, he turned his head and coughed twice. He tried to suppress it, but this time he couldn't stop it. The coughing became more and more violent, and he quickly raised his hand to cover his mouth.
Chu Beiyao: "Ache!"
When Xiao Shulang covered his mouth, he bit through the blood pack in his mouth, enduring the nausea. Because Hua Che was exhausted during the performance, frowning was inappropriate, and the expression of being stimulated by the blood pack could not be written on his face.
Hua Che's expression remained unchanged as he gently opened his hand, revealing blood on his palm and a trace of blood slowly flowing from the corner of his mouth, creating a kind of broken beauty.
"I didn't... cough cough!"
With the prefectural governor's mansion right in front of them, Chu Beiyao threw off the reins, picked the person up, and kicked open the door: "Call a doctor!"
Hua Che coughed and whispered, "It's alright... don't frown, cough cough!"
Chu Beiyao: "Shut up!"
Chu Beiyao simply carried him towards the house. The camera captured their backs as they entered the house, and the director yelled "Cut!"
"Let's go this way!"
Just capture the back view of the person entering the room; if they reappear in the next scene, Xiao Shulang should change his look and lie directly on the bed.
As soon as the director yelled "cut," Xiao Shulang wanted to get down from Qin Shuang's arms immediately, but Qin Shuang turned around while still holding him and walked out of the door again.
"Sigh!" Xiao Shulang could only put his arm around his neck. "Where are you going?"
Qin Shuang: "Behind-the-scenes tidbits."
One of the cameramen peeked out and waved to them. He had told Qin Shuang before the shoot that he wanted some behind-the-scenes footage.
Some behind-the-scenes shots were taken on set, while others were filmed on purpose. Xiao Shulang was about to ask if they were filmed on purpose, but before he could finish speaking, he let out a soft exclamation.
Qin Shuang held him and spun him around steadily.
The elegant ancient costume has a light blue outer layer and a white inner layer. It looks especially beautiful when it moves. When it turns around, it looks like a flower blooming in the water, floating like a fairy, very light and graceful.
Someone nearby exclaimed, "Teacher Qin, you have amazing arm strength!"
Not only did she carry the person in from outside without any effort, but she could also hold on after the shoot and even do another spin without reducing her strength at all. It looked like she did it all with ease.
Qin Shuang then looked down at Xiao Shulang and said, "It's over."
His eyes gleamed, and Xiao Shulang looked up at him, his heart pounding. He coughed lightly and said, "Put me down when you're done filming."
Qin Shuang readily agreed and put the person down. The cameramen also pushed their cameras to readjust their positions, while the others checked the room's set to ensure the next scene. Seeing that no one was paying attention to them, Xiao Shulang took the opportunity to turn around and kiss Qin Shuang on the cheek.
Qin Shuang: "!"
Qin Shuang reached out to take his hand, but Xiao Shulang immediately pulled away, saying, "I'm going to change my look."
They flirt and then run away; they're incredibly shameless.
Qin Shuang watched him run away with a mixture of helplessness and doting affection, then went to the side to touch up her makeup.
Actually, it wasn't that no one was watching them. Xiao Mingfeng wasn't here to watch the entire film crew shoot. Whether he wanted to or not, his eyes were following Xiao Shulang.
Xiao Shulang seemed to be doing well. Although filming was not easy, he always had a smile on his face when he finished filming.
His smile is actually different from his younger brother's; his brother is more flamboyant, while Xiao Shulang is more reserved and gentle.
Xiao Mingfeng was sitting on the sidelines. He had just asked Xiao Jiang how Xiao Shulang had been doing during this time.
“The period of preparing to set up the company and the early days of the company were extremely busy, and the boss was also constantly on the go,” Xiao Jiang said vividly. “One morning when I came to the company, the boss had just pushed open the door and left, wearing the clothes from the previous day. I suspected that he had stayed at the company all night.”
Xiao Jiang felt that Xiao Shulang might not tell his family about all the hardships he had endured, but as his subordinate, he felt it was necessary to mention the efforts his boss had made.
Xiao Jiang recounted how difficult the journey had been, and how things were finally on track, allowing him to relax a bit. He summarized everything in detail, without missing any key points or important details.
Xiao Mingfeng sighed, simply listening without offering much of his opinion to Xiao Jiang.
After Xiao Shulang finished filming his scenes, it was already 5 p.m. He had another scene to film at 9 p.m. During that time, he had a little time to relax, so he took the opportunity to chat with Xiao Mingfeng.
Qin Shuang's performance starts at 7 p.m., so she doesn't have any free time and can't go with Xiao Shulang.
Xiao Shulang removed his makeup and changed into casual clothes. Before leaving, he gave Qin Shuang a reassuring look and took Xiao Mingfeng to a restaurant near the film studio.
They didn't want others to hear their conversation, so they booked a private room. The two sat down, each carrying complex emotions, and were silent for a moment before Xiao Shulang spoke first: "How are Uncle and Aunt doing lately?"
Although several days have passed, the loss of a loved one still causes grief. Xiao Mingfeng did not answer the question, but only said, "We are very grateful that you told us about it. Otherwise, as his family, we would not have known that he was gone."
Xiao Shulang: "Of course."
Xiao Mingfeng's gaze gently fell on him: "Actually, you two have different personalities. I didn't notice it during our initial conversation because I thought the changes in his family had also changed his thinking."
After all, no one would be so far-fetched as to speculate that there's a completely different person inside the shell.
Xiao Mingfeng slowly withdrew his gaze, looking down at the calm surface of the water in the cup in his hand: "You two also have many similarities."
Xiao Shulang raised his eyes.
Xiao Mingfeng seemed to be reminiscing, or perhaps sighing: "They were all kind-hearted."
“I…” Xiao Shulang’s fingers rested on his knees, curling up quietly under the table, before continuing, “I’ve hardly changed the apartment he last lived in. I’ve already taken my own things, and I’m returning the apartment to you.”
Xiao Mingfeng's eyes widened slightly, a hint of pain flashing in them, before he said firmly, "No, no need. The house is yours. We'll just take his things and his belongings with us."
He spoke the words "belongings" with difficulty and in a hoarse voice, clearly indicating that the topic of his brother's death was still painful.
Xiao Mingfeng pulled himself out of his emotions. He had come to see Xiao Shulang today because he had something to say.
"You've put in a lot of effort to revitalize the group, so we won't take back the shares we gave you, and you'll continue to receive your annual dividends as usual. That's what you deserve, and that's what all of us want."
Xiao Shulang now holds a considerable number of shares, and the fact that the Xiao family is willing to let him keep them shows not only gratitude but also great generosity.
Xiao Shulang: "If you want me to sell my shares, I can accept that."
Xiao Mingfeng insisted, shaking his head: "The Xiao family has just recovered. At the current stock price, it would be too much of a loss for you to acquire your shares. I know how hard you worked to help us before. The Xiao family has no ungrateful people."
Holding shares and waiting for dividends is indeed an easy and lucrative business. Since Xiao Mingfeng had said this much, Xiao Shulang stopped talking about it and started discussing serious matters. Xiao Mingfeng couldn't help but look at Xiao Shulang a few more times: "Can you tell me about your life in your own world?"
He seemed hesitant to ask, and hesitated several times before finally speaking. Xiao Shulang waited patiently and, realizing that Xiao Mingfeng wanted to ask this, told him.
Including his background, Xiao Shulang explained it simply: "In short, I was just living an ordinary life when I unexpectedly encountered time travel."
Xiao Mingfeng was moved when he heard about Xiao Shulang's background, but he did not interrupt Xiao Shulang. After Xiao Shulang finished speaking, Xiao Mingfeng looked up, closed his eyes, and let out a long breath.
When he opened his eyes again, he looked straight at Xiao Shulang and reached out his hand to him: "I won't say anything about you living in his place. That would be disrespectful to you. You have your own life."
"We are still grieving the loss of our loved one, but I sincerely wish you happiness and hope that you can enjoy life in this world."
Although Xiao Shulang appeared calm and composed during their meeting today, he was actually carrying a heavy burden in his heart. With Xiao Mingfeng's words, he could finally let go of his worries.
"Thank you." Xiao Shulang raised his arm and shook hands with him.
"We are the ones who should be thanking you," Xiao Mingfeng said. "You have helped the Xiao family a lot. If you need anything in the future, please feel free to contact me."
Although Xiao Shulang's filming didn't start until nine o'clock, considering the time needed for makeup and styling beforehand, he didn't have much time left for dinner. Fortunately, Xiao Mingfeng didn't need much time either.
Xiao Mingfeng's car was parked in the parking lot outside the film and television city. Xiao Shulang drove him there before turning back.
Xiao Mingfeng did not rush to get into the car. Instead, he stood there, watching Xiao Shulang's back until he could no longer see him. Only then did Xiao Mingfeng get back into the car.
The lone vehicle started up and quickly merged into the rushing traffic, carrying a thousand thoughts as it continued its journey.
Xiao Shulang seemed to sense something, looked back, and after a moment, shook his head with a light laugh and strode toward where he was supposed to go.
There are countless roads, and everyone has their own destination. Xiao Shulang came here alone, and now he has a place he wants to return to.
Back on set, I lifted the curtain of the makeup studio and there was Qin Shuang inside.
Xiao Shulang smiled, his eyes crinkling: "I'm back."
Qin Shuang: "Welcome back."
His home is the place where the person in front of him is.
A note from the author:
Friendly reminder: The finale is almost here!
Chapter 66 Who isn't a couple at heart?
Because everyone has different roles and different lengths of filming, filming doesn't always wrap up at the same time.
On the day the crew officially finished filming all their scenes, Xiao Shulang, Qin Shuang, and the remaining supporting actors wrapped up their scenes one after another. Xiao Shulang and Qin Shuang still passed each other bouquets of flowers. Everyone took the last batch of behind-the-scenes footage with the flowers.
Although filming is very hard, it's inevitable to feel reluctant to leave when a project is completed, as it is a farewell.
Xiao Shulang got along well with the supporting actors; they all had each other's contact information and agreed to keep in touch.