850.
A beautiful story of gay love—a tale of two straight people turning toward each other, with shared and innocent feelings—had just been sullied and ruined by Gu Yiliang’s completely unconventional train of thought.
How would I remember this period in the future? With a smile… or in deep silence?
I had prepared a perfect internal speech, ready to climb my moral pedestal and question him, full of righteousness, about how he could possibly misjudge things so badly. But the knock at the door abruptly yanked me from my dominant position, cutting off my breath and almost sending my blood running backward.
Who was it?! Didn’t they see we were in the middle of a discussion about our future? Even if it were the Emperor himself, this was not the time to interrupt!

The door swung open with a crash, and Xiao Chen poked her head in, alarmed: “The Emperor himself is here!”

Me: “?”
Me: “?!”

 

851.
Damn it, why was His Lordship here?!
What kind of day was this, exactly? A celestial festival? One problem hadn’t even been resolved before another fell on me! The god of marriages hadn’t even finished attending to my case, and now the god of fortune appeared in person?!

It wasn’t even the fifth day of the New Year—why descend to Earth today?!

A voice resonated, sending shivers down my spine, and I immediately withdrew my hand from Gu Yiliang’s shoulder. I leapt toward the mirror to adjust my clothes and put on the wisest, most impeccable expression possible.

No one could blame me for being so nervous! For three years, Lao Huang had invested mountains of gold in me, yet I still languished in the third tier of celebrities. If he discovered that I spent my days daydreaming and flirting instead of working, or worse, sponsoring a budding actor…
He’d surely send me to mine coal until the end of my days!

 

852.
I nervously brushed invisible dust off my shoulders, already thinking about how to present Gu Yiliang favourably to Lao Huang. It had to be done gradually, subtly, so that discovering his protégé was gay wouldn’t shock him into throwing money out the window and forcing Gu Yiliang to flee.

Gu Yiliang approached me, his eyes locked on me like twin spotlights. “You…”

You what?! You emotional disaster, we’ll talk later!
“We’ll deal with this later!” I interrupted him, sweeping my sleeve and striding out of the break room.

His voice followed me: “Where are you going?”

Without turning, I answered: “To greet the god of fortune!”

 

853.
Lao Huang strode across the set in an exquisitely tailored suit, head held high like a peacock showing off its feathers, observing the ongoing scenes with interest.

I hurried over with utmost respect and began a long tirade of flattery: “Mr. Huang, a new suit? It’s magnificent! Elegant, refined—it gives you incredible presence! Look at these lines, absolutely sublime! There were no flower carpets on this earth, but with you, a path has opened…”

Only then did I continue: “You’re so busy, how did you find the time to come today?”

Lao Huang gave me a tap on the head: “Speak normally.”

Why didn’t you stop me earlier, huh?!

I grimaced and dragged him to a corner: “What are you doing here?!”

“A surprise visit to see how you’re doing on set, if your acting has improved.” He studied me for a moment, then, like a gentleman, complimented me: “Your appearance isn’t bad—you finally look like something.”

And otherwise, I was supposed to look like a dog, maybe?! Give me back my five hundred words of praise!

I muttered: “Did you come for a parent-teacher meeting or something?”

“No, mainly because it’s the fifth day of the month. I suddenly wanted to see if your filming team lacked anything, just to provide a bit of support. Then I also wanted to show off my new suit. And also to see Director Lu. And, incidentally, to see you.”

Me: “…”
Lao Huang: “Alright, now that I’ve seen you, that’s enough. Where’s Director Lu?”
Me: “…Director Lu, he…”

 

854.
Gu Yiliang suddenly appeared at my side like a little mushroom sprouting from the ground. His lashes fluttered as he looked at me, lips pressed together, eyes brimming with repressed emotions, as if he wanted to say a thousand things but couldn’t.

Me: “?”

What was this heart-wrenching look? Even Wang Baochuan (who had waited eighteen years in a cave for Xue Pinggui, only to find he had married someone else) hadn’t looked this desperate!

I’d merely postponed our discussion for later—did it really warrant such Shakespearean tragedy?!
I was doing it for our future… and for the windows of your family too! (Throwing money at their windows to the point of breaking them, symbolizing a violent attempt to intervene.)

Unable to read his expression, I watched silently. He turned his gaze and met Lao Huang’s eyes.

Lao Huang’s eyes immediately narrowed.

 

855.
That one look, and an eternity passed.

856.
They stared at each other for so long that I began to wonder if they had just experienced love at first sight, and if, in the next instant, one of them would press his chest against the other’s cheek in a passionate embrace.

In my mind, an epic melodrama of family intrigues, showbiz scandals, and ethical suspense played out in fast-forward. I even hesitated to call Madame Wei to report the situation. But before I could decide, Lao Huang gave a slight nod.

Me: “?”
Did something really happen between them?

Before I could imagine a poignant ending for my internal scenario, Lao Huang suddenly placed a heavy hand on my shoulder, filled with deep satisfaction.

Me: “?”
Why did it feel like he was thinking, “Ah, finally, my good-for-nothing son has pulled himself together!”

His fingers tightened slightly on my shoulder, gently shaking me: “Come on, let’s go eat!”

Huh? And Director Lu?

Shocked by this unexpected honour, I didn’t forget to play the role of the perfect child, fluttering my lashes in mock embarrassment: “But I still have scenes to—”

Lao Huang: “No problem, I’ll inform Lao Lu.”

Well, since you’re funding half the shoot, the decision is yours!

I nodded clearly and energetically. Then I heard Lao Huang speak kindly to Gu Yiliang: “You’re coming?”

Perfect, this was the ideal chance to improve Gu Yiliang’s image as a conscientious actor!
I was about to politely refuse on his behalf, but Gu Yiliang responded in a cold, clipped tone:
“Alright.”

Me: “?”
Alright, fine—but why such a cold, merciless tone?

Lao Huang chuckled softly. Gu Yiliang reached out and placed his hand on my shoulder.

Me: “?”
No matter if you’re demonstrative or not, Lao Huang’s hand is still on me—are you aware of that?

 

857.
Gu Yiliang and Lao Huang stood on either side of me, each with a hand on my shoulders. I felt crushed between these two mountains, barely able to breathe, dragged like a prisoner toward the car.

What kind of atmosphere was this? Were we really going to eat, or were they taking me to the scaffold?
Why did I feel like a wandering soul about to be carried off by the guardians of the afterlife?

To my right: the all-powerful god of fortune I could not offend; to my left: my beloved, dark and heavy with gravity. One side was warm and harmonious—a scene of familial happiness—while the other was icy and oppressive, an atmosphere of desolation.

I said nothing. I dared not utter a word. I held my breath, enduring this striking contrast, while the crew members watched us pass, not daring to greet us.

 

858.
As we approached the edge of the set, a figure suddenly froze, stepped back several paces, stopped, then advanced again.

The lead male squinted, observed us for a few seconds, then sighed with relief: “Oh, it’s you… I thought the drug squad was coming.”

Me: “?”
Hey, so you lead quite an action-packed life off-set!

I spoke up: “Brother, can you let Director Lu know we’re going to eat?”

The lead: “You’re going to eat dressed like that? You haven’t even changed out of your stage costumes.”

 

859.
At these words, Lao Huang tugged on my wig, curious: “Can’t you just take it off?”

Gu Yiliang immediately frowned and grabbed the other side of the wig: “No.”

Me: “?”

Lao Huang nodded and tugged at my collar: “You don’t even have your own clothes underneath?”

Gu Yiliang, annoyed, tugged my collar the other way: “No.”

Me: “??”

Lao Huang nodded again and ran a finger across my face: “This, this comes off with a wipe?”

Gu Yiliang immediately started rubbing my face as if kneading dough: “No—”

At my wit’s end, I shouted: “Can you talk normally without pawing me?! Look with your eyes, not your hands! I’m going to fall apart at this rate!”

Lao Huang lightly pushed my forehead: “You’ve always had quite a character. Alright, go change.”

Then he turned to Gu Yiliang and added: “Excuse him, he’s been spoiled, don’t mind him.”

Me: “…”

Gu Yiliang replied in a serious tone: “I spoiled him, it doesn’t bother me.”

Me: “…?”
Alright, fine, that’s cute to say… but do you realize you just said that to your father-in-law?! Don’t you want windows in your house anymore?!

How was I supposed to recover from this situation? It was impossible!

Seeing our shared future and Gu Yiliang’s windows cracking before my eyes, I grabbed the hem of his jacket anxiously and whispered: “Watch your words!”

The atmospheric pressure around Gu Yiliang instantly dropped to the centre of the Earth.

Me: “?”
But I’m trying to save you! You’re not playing with fire—you’re setting an entire mountain ablaze!

Lao Huang chuckled lightly and gestured: “Alright, go change.”

 

Translator : DarNan