“You can take Ming Yi’s place.”
For the next period, Ming Yi became exceptionally busy.
Ascension had already been delayed significantly because the lead actor was poached at the last minute. Now that a new lead was confirmed, the crew immediately began a tight and intense schedule for the subsequent filming.
Ming Yi needed to coordinate with the crew’s various arrangements, and his schedule suddenly became packed.
Before leaving, Ming Yi reluctantly petted Xiao Songxiong’s dog head, his heart full of worry. Xie Yunxie held the leash and comforted him, “Don’t worry, I will take good care of Xiao Songxiong while you’re away.”
When Ming Yi heard this, he became even more worried. Xiao Songxiong did not like the smell of pheromones; would the dog be able to get along peacefully with Xie Yunxie while he was gone?
However, in order to survive—to find a path to life amidst a plot that doomed him—and to accompany Xiao Songxiong as he grew up, he had to film this show.
He had no choice but to trust Xie Yunxie.
Ming Yi squatted in front of Xiao Songxiong, his brow slightly furrowed, rubbing the fluffy head with reluctance. Xiao Songxiong looked at him happily, tongue lolling out, wagging its tail even more vigorously. It didn’t yet know that it was about to be temporarily separated from its owner.
Seeing Ming Yi in this state, Xie Yunxie also developed a sense of worry. He carefully instructed Ming Yi, “If you are bullied by anyone outside, you must tell me. Don’t bottle anything up by yourself, whether it’s a big or small matter.”
He paused, then added righteously, “In case something happens to you, what will happen to Xiao Songxiong?”
Ming Yi took a deep breath, stood up, and offered a faint smile to Xie Yunxie, “Hmm, I’ll keep that in mind.”
“No matter what trouble you encounter, you can ask me for help.” Xie Yunxie looked at Ming Yi’s smile and barely managed to swallow that sentence back.
Ming Yi kept looking back with every step until he finally got into the car and left. Xiao Songxiong anxiously tried to follow, but was ruthlessly held back by Xie Yunxie. It couldn’t help but let out whimpering sounds, staring at the departing car and stomping its feet on the spot in desperation.
Xie Yunxie also watched the car disappear around the corner with a melancholic expression. He lowered his gaze to Xiao Songxiong, “From now on, you’ll only have me.”
Xiao Songxiong turned its head away, letting out a low, disdainful whine.
Before officially joining the set, Ming Yi had to go for costume fittings and take promotional photos.
The character “Wuwang Immortal Venerable” had three distinct stages: from the initial period of poverty where he was treated like livestock and relentlessly abused, to later killing and seizing treasures to defy the heavens and change his fate, and finally, leaping to become the pure and luminous Immortal Venerable.
Therefore, Ming Yi’s makeup and styling went from rags to riches—from a beggar in tattered cloth to sleek attire suitable for killing, and finally to the most intricate and exquisite Immortal Venerable robes.
Ming Yi was in a good state today, and the shooting process went unexpectedly smoothly. The staff on set had initially been anxious, afraid that they would have to work very late into the night. As filming progressed, they gradually relaxed.
Although Ming Yi had the reputation of being a “flower vase,” he was quite professional when shooting static images. There were no instances of him breaking character or struggling to get into the zone.
When changing into the sleek outfit, a props staff member walked over, asked Ming Yi to extend his feet, and placed two black metal ankle cuffs on him.
As the cold metal touched his skin, Ming Yi pursed his lips and looked down at his ankles. The black cuffs were a bit large because they were originally custom-made for the actor who had been poached. Since Ming Yi had arrived, the props department didn’t have time to create another pair suitable for him and had to make do with this pair for now, until the new custom cuffs were ready for the official shoot.
Blood-red inscriptions were engraved on the black metal, which looked even more shocking against his fair skin.
This was also one of the settings from the original novel. In the book, these cuffs were called “Slave Chains,” a magical artifact specially used for slaves. They not only prevented escape but also served as a symbol of their status as a slave.
Once this artifact was worn, unless the master agreed, the slave could never remove it for eternity.
Ying Wuran had been forced to wear this artifact in his youth. Due to the existence of a blood pact, even after he reached a supreme level of cultivation later, he could not remove this mark of humiliation.
It could be said that Ying Wuran’s entire life was spent walking while wearing shackles.
Ming Yi looked at the black cuffs, lost in thought for a moment. At that instant, he felt as if he had truly become Ying Wuran.
The pain inflicted upon Ying Wuran was something Ming Yi felt deeply and personally.
Past painful experiences were like these cuffs, engraved on Ming Yi’s heart as an indelible mark of shame, trailing him like a ghost.
Disgust, unwillingness, and anger.
A crazy voice inside him was constantly urging him, clamoring to sever all the dark past, be reborn from the ashes, and start a new life.
“Teacher Yan? Teacher Yan…”
Ming Yi closed his eyes, then opened them again, looking at the staff member who had spoken.
The staff member was startled by the dark look in Ming Yi’s eyes. Even after snapping out of it, their heart was still racing.
That look was way too fierce. Teacher Yan is really good at getting into character. Who called him a flower vase? Can a flower vase have this kind of acting skill?
The staff member swallowed, joking, “Teacher Yan, don’t worry, this isn’t a real Slave Chain; it can be taken off.”
Ming Yi smiled at her, the murderous look in his eyes fading, becoming a bit shy, “I know, but it just feels…”
“Feels a bit weird, right?” The staff member glanced at the slender ankles trapped by the two black cuffs and lied to comfort him, “That’s normal. You’ll get used to it after wearing it for a while.”
Ming Yi nodded. Since shooting hadn’t started yet, he couldn’t help but secretly tuck his feet under the hem of his clothes.
It’s just two cuffs, why do I feel so embarrassed?
However, the hem of his costume wasn’t long enough. During the shoot, it was inevitable that the presence of the cuffs would be exposed. What made Ming Yi even more uncomfortable was that, for some reason, everyone on set liked to stare at the cuffs.
It wasn’t until Ming Yi changed into the Immortal Venerable robes that this situation improved. Ming Yi now understood perfectly why the Immortal Venerable robes were made with such long hems. If he were the Immortal Venerable, he certainly wouldn’t want to expose such a mark of humiliation either. Only by covering it with long robes could he find a sliver of security…
The crew was actually quite attentive to detail.
It was time to continue filming. Ming Yi stood up and walked toward the shooting area, dragging his robes behind him.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw people whispering in the corner, glancing at him from time to time as if discussing him. Ming Yi’s expression remained unchanged as he walked straight ahead.
Ming Yi was used to being disliked, thinking that they were probably saying he was not worthy of this role.
In reality, it was quite the opposite.
Several staff members huddled together, not for any other reason, but to share a common excitement.
“Did you see that!”
“I saw it, I saw it!”
“Holy crap! It’s really erotic! Who even thought of the ankle cuffs idea? They’re partially visible, which makes it even more eye-catching!”
“I am guilty; I suddenly have some inappropriate thoughts about Teacher Yan…”
Previously, paparazzi had snapped photos of Ming Yi entering the audition site for Ascension. Because of the high buzz, the paparazzi began to closely monitor Ming Yi’s schedule. Once they discovered he was indeed filming promotional photos for the Immortal Venerable, the earlier rumors clearly became established facts.
Before Ming Yi had even finished shooting, the stolen photos from the paparazzi were already circulating online.
The moment they learned the news, fans of the original novel and anti-fans were all outraged.
【No way, no way? Did Director Ji’s eyes really go bad? He has such a great reputation, and he’s going to ruin it on YMY?】
【Holy crap, is the entertainment industry empty? Why let YMY play this? Corruption! There must be corruption behind this!】
【I am a fan of the original novel, and I do not agree with YMY playing the role of Wuwang Immortal Venerable. This is an insult to the character! YMY, get out of the Ascension crew!】
【Heh, I’ll just say this: if YMY isn’t kicked out, I will never go to the cinema even if I die. You lot might as well wait for the box office to flop! @Ascension Crew】
The anti-fans and original fans were in total chaos. Passersby saw it and couldn’t help but join in to watch the drama. For a time, the popularity continued to ferment. The hashtag #YanMingYiGetOutOfAscensionCrew! jumped to the top of the trending list, powerfully pushing down the trending topic about Yan An joining the crew.
No matter how people cursed online, it had no impact on Ming Yi. He had long decided not to pay attention to online comments and to focus on acting well for the upcoming scenes. Therefore, as soon as the shoot ended, Ming Yi busied himself with studying the script.
An annoying ringtone sounded at that moment. Ming Yi answered the phone and heard a voice that made him even more displeased.
“Are you not ashamed enough? Don’t you know your own acting level? Why didn’t you tell me in advance before the audition?” A voice suppressed with anger rose up. It took Ming Yi a while to realize this was Yan Zhiheng.
Wasn’t he scolded enough last time? What is he going crazy about today?
Ming Yi was indifferent, “Who are you?”
Hearing this attitude, Yan Zhiheng became even angrier, “Yan Ming Yi! I’m concerned about you! What is that attitude!”
Ming Yi was becoming impatient, “So? What exactly do you want to say?”
Yan Zhiheng barely calmed his temper, trying to communicate normally with Ming Yi, “Listen to me, Director Ji’s requirements are very high. This role doesn’t suit you. If you mess up the acting, it will definitely destroy you.”
“There is no ‘if’.”
“You are always like this, always liking to jump levels to do things you can’t do.” Yan Zhiheng said with a headache, “Isn’t it good to be down-to-earth? Start with those simple, small roles. There’s one on Yan An’s set…”
Ming Yi interrupted him with a sneer, “I don’t think you’re down-to-earth either. You didn’t start from an entry-level position and went straight to being the General Manager, and I haven’t seen you afraid of being destroyed. What are you pretending for? If you like Yan An so much, go confess to him. Don’t come here and show off your love, making me a part of your play.”
Yan Zhiheng was suddenly poked in a sore spot and reacted, “It was you who told Mom that I liked Yan An, wasn’t it! How can you be so vicious? How dare you use that kind of mentality to speculate about me and Yan An!”
Ming Yi was completely impatient, “Since you’re so free, I’ll ask Mom to set you up on more blind dates.”
The line on Yan Zhiheng’s side suddenly went quiet.
Then, Ming Yi heard Yan Zhiheng’s voice, full of irritability, “Ming Yi, how did you become like this?”
“With you being like this, no wonder Xie Yunxie hit you.”
Holding his phone, Ming Yi felt his entire body freeze after hearing that nonchalant remark.
He felt an absurd sense of ridiculousness.
The distress call he had made in fear had actually turned into a prick used by his own kin to attack him.
Fortunately, I have completely abandoned all fantasies. Otherwise, how hurt would I be by this sentence?
“Be a little more obedient. This is the last piece of advice your brother will give you.”
Yan Zhiheng left this cold, icy sentence and hung up the phone. Ming Yi, however, couldn’t come back to his senses for a long time.
By the time he did, he realized his hands were trembling.
Ming Yi pressed his forehead against the phone and followed the method taught by his psychologist, taking deep breaths. A moment later, he successfully calmed down.
He was no longer that child who could be hurt by a single sentence. He had just heard some foul-smelling remarks; he would just treat it as Yan Zhiheng barking like a dog.
In the evening, Xie Yunxie shared a cute photo of Xiao Songxiong with Ming Yi: 【Look! The Melancholy Puppy】
In the photo, Xiao Songxiong was listlessly lying in its dog bed, with one of Ming Yi’s shirts cushioned underneath it.
Ming Yi made a video call and asked Xie Yunxie, “Xiao Songxiong isn’t refusing to eat, right?”
Xie Yunxie leaned in closer and showed Ming Yi the food bowl in the room, “It ate. It’s a little glutton, don’t worry.”
“Did you guys fight at home?”
Xie Yunxie denied, “How could we? Xiao Songxiong only likes to act tough behind someone else’s back. When you’re not here, it doesn’t even dare to face me.”
“But it secretly chewed up my slippers,” Xie Yunxie showed his own slipper with a broken corner, helplessly adding, “I guess that counts as a form of revenge.”
“What about you? Were you bullied today?”
Ming Yi was silent for a while, “You could say that. I was scolded by a moron.”
Xie Yunxie hurriedly asked for the details, and Ming Yi briefly explained what Yan Zhiheng had barked on the phone. He was a bit depressed, “I had already blocked him before, but he changed his number. It’s really hard to prevent.”
When Xie Yunxie heard that Yan Zhiheng actually told Ming Yi he deserved to get hit, he couldn’t suppress his rage. But in front of Ming Yi, he controlled his expression and said calmly, “He must think money is too easy to make, and he’s gotten arrogant. I’ll give him something to do tomorrow to wake him up.”
Ming Yi thought Xie Yunxie just intended to cause some trouble for Yan Zhiheng regarding his projects, so he happily agreed, “That would be wonderful.”
Little did he know, after hanging up the phone, Xie Yunxie fast-tracked his plan to beat up his brother-in-law. That night, he called his secretary, “Make an appointment with Yan Zhiheng for tomorrow morning. Tell him there is a major problem with the project.”
The secretary caught the unkind tone in Xie Yunxie’s voice, immediately guessed that someone was going to suffer, and complied on the spot.
The next day, Yan Zhiheng rushed to cancel his morning meeting and hurried to the Xie corporation. There was no helping it; the Yan family’s capital couldn’t compare to the Xie family’s. They didn’t even dare to refuse the marriage alliance, let alone anything else.
Hearing that the major project resulting from the marriage alliance had a problem, Yan Zhiheng didn’t doubt it at all and rushed over after canceling his meeting.
The secretary led him to the door of the CEO’s office. Yan Zhiheng straightened his collar and walked in.
Xie Yunxie was sitting behind the desk, fingers interlaced, chin resting on his hands, his expression dark and gloomy.
“CEO Xie, may I ask what the problem is with the project?” Yan Zhiheng asked politely.
Xie Yunxie did not answer, only placing an internal call to his secretary, “Lock the door to the CEO’s office. Don’t let any irrelevant people get close.”
Yan Zhiheng frowned, feeling a sense of unease for no reason, “CEO Xie, what do you mean by this?”
Xie Yunxie lifted his eyelids and glanced at him coldly. The chill in that look made Yan Zhiheng slightly stunned, feeling inexplicably terrified.
Dead silence spread silently in the office. After a while, Xie Yunxie finally spoke, his voice cold and low, “CEO Yan, actually, I invited you here today for Ming Yi’s matter.”
Yan Zhiheng’s brow furrowed even deeper, “Ming Yi? What happened to him?”
“Your brother Ming Yi… is really a bit disobedient.” Xie Yunxie watched the changing expression on Yan Zhiheng’s face and curled his lips in mockery, “You should have received calls from him, right? Those distress calls, saying that I abuse him and asking you to come pick him up?”
So it was about this. Yan Zhiheng felt even more irritable inside. It was Ming Yi causing trouble at Xie Yunxie’s place that had implicated him, causing him to cancel an important meeting and make this trip in vain.
Yan Zhiheng said, “My brother grew up in the countryside since he was a child, he has little experience and can’t tell good from bad. He makes a huge fuss over a little trifle. If this has caused trouble for CEO Xie, I hope you will be more forgiving.”
Hearing this, Xie Yunxie finally smiled and said as if with great interest, “But what to do? I’m a bit tired of him. I must have been confused at the time to even think of entering into a marriage alliance with him.”
Yan Zhiheng realized Xie Yunxie had regrets, and he felt anxious.
This project didn’t count for much to the Xie family, but the Yan family had invested heavily in it. Once Xie Yunxie backed out, it would undoubtedly be a huge blow to the Yan Group.
Yan Zhiheng immediately said, “What is not good about him? I’ll go back and talk to him.”
Xie Yunxie propped up his chin, his gray-blue eyes staring gloomily at Yan Zhiheng, like a cold-blooded predator targeting its prey: “Oh, him?”
“He has so little meat on him, it’s uncomfortable to hit.”
“So…”
Xie Yunxie asked this politely, but his expression held a kind of bloodthirsty coldness:
“Can you take his place and let me beat you up?”
“My hands are really itching.”