On November 1st, the opening ceremony of the film Youth of Martial Arts, co-produced by Xihua Entertainment and Zhongpin Film and Television, took place in B City. Chen Yi, Tang Ou, Dai Yanfei, Xie Guan, Li Yan, and the other main actors appeared at the opening ceremony.
Most of the scenes in Youth of Martial Arts were indoors, and not significantly affected by weather conditions. The production team rented a large sports arena for shooting the training and competition scenes, and they also arranged two model rooms in the nearby buildings as dormitories for the team members. After setting up for the indoor scenes, they immediately entered the filming stage.
“Cut!”
Xie Guan and Chen Yi froze in their positions for a moment, and then resumed their stances a few seconds later. The director played back the footage and looked up after a moment, saying “It’s done! Next scene!”
The two of them rehearsed a fight scene four times before they finally got it right. By then, they were sweating profusely in the freezing cold, as there was no heating in the gymnasium. Every time they paused, the assistant waiting on the sidelines would rush over to hand Chen Yi a towel and a coat, afraid that he might catch a cold. Before Xie Guan joined the crew, Lin Yao assigned an assistant to him. This person probably thought that there was no future in helping Xie Guan, and didn’t take his job seriously. Now, he disappeared somewhere to slack off. However, Xie Guan didn’t pay much attention to it. He went to the sidelines to grab a jacket and sat down to listen to the director discussing the scene with Li Yan.
Watching this from a distance, Huo Mingjun furrowed his brow. Standing beside him was a tall, young man. Seeing his expression, the young man’s heart skipped a beat, realizing that something was about to go wrong.
Just when he was about to say something to defuse the situation, Zhong Heguang hurriedly came in from outside and whispered a few words to Huo Mingjun’s ear, asking softly, “They have arrived. How would you like to arrange their meeting?”
Huo Mingjun’s face quickly turned serious, and the young man followed his gaze to look inside the venue. Xie Guan seemed to sense something and turned back to look at the spot where they were standing with a surprised expression.
Planning was one thing, but when it came to the critical moment, Huo Mingjun’s heart softened. “I’ll take him there. They just need to stay quiet and observe from the shadows without alerting anyone.”
“What’s going on? Do you have other arrangements?” The man finally realized that something was amiss and asked suspiciously “Why does it sound like you’re planning something shady? Mr. Huo, be mindful of your boundaries.”
Huo Mingjun: “…”
While they were speaking, Xie Guan already walked over. His level of surprise was as if he saw two national treasures—giant pandas—on set. “Why are you here? President Ye… hello.”
“Hello,” Ye Zheng greeted with a smile, nodding. He noticed the way Xie Guan addressed him and subtly raised an eyebrow.
A lecherous person sees lechery everywhere; Ye Zheng had a tendency to see everyone through the lens of his own experiences, after finding love through his extramarital relationships. This left him with a lingering suspicion that everyone else was involved in similar affairs. He was surprisingly self-aware and tactfully diverted everyone’s attention away, calling it a “set visit.” However, his high-profile presence on the set startled the director and all the crew members.
The unprepared crew members were cursing under their breaths, thinking, “Damn it, how come nobody gave us a heads-up that the boss was coming for an inspection?!”
The culprit, Huo Mingjun, asked Zhong Heguang for a tissue and handed it to Xie Guan, gesturing for him to wipe his sweat. “Where’s your assistant?”
Xie Guan didn’t want to complain in front of others, so he smiled and didn’t answer directly, only asking curiously, “What brings you here? Did President Ye come with you?”
Huo Mingjun countered, “Are we not allowed to visit the set?”
Xie Guan didn’t believe him at all. “Don’t tease me. How many people in this crowd do you recognize, except for me… Hmm?”
He suddenly realized something was wrong, and Huo Mingjun confirmed his suspicion by nodding. “That’s right.”
Xie Guan began to suspect that he might have gone insane.
Coughing lightly behind the two, Zhong Heguang reminded Huo Mingjun that they still had business to attend to.
“Alright, stop doubting me. I really came to see you,” He composed himself and asked, “Do you have time for lunch? Let’s eat together at noon.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Huo Mingjun raised his hand to stop whatever he was about to say: “I know what I’m doing. There’s no need for your constant reminders.”
Zhong Heguang was forced to swallow his protest on the tip of his tongue. Despite managing to keep this secret from Xie Guan temporarily, could they keep it from him forever? He wasn’t a fool; there were clues to be found, and he would eventually uncover the truth.
When that happened, how would Huo Mingjun handle it?
Huo Mingjun took him to a nearby restaurant around the filming location, one that was private and secure to avoid any unwanted attention. Considering Xie Guan’s current status in the public eye, it was better to be cautious.
Zhong Heguang parked the car at the back door. Huo Mingjun and Xie Guan entered the restaurant, where a waitress led them to a private room.
As they passed the adjacent room, Xie Guan suddenly turned his head and glanced at the tightly closed door, a hint of suspicion flickering across his expression.
“What’s wrong?” Huo Mingjun halted his steps.
He shook his head, smiling reassuringly: “It’s nothing, let’s go.”
Thanks to the training and guidance he received from Mr. Chen before joining the crew, Xie Guan was more sensitive to his surroundings than before. He felt like someone was watching him in the corridor just now, but the sensation disappeared as soon as he stopped. Artists always had to be wary of paparazzi, so he was especially alert to prying eyes.
However, being watched didn’t necessarily mean they were being followed. Perhaps he was overreacting; maybe someone simply found him familiar?
They both sat down, and Huo Mingjun ordered the food. He asked Xie Guan what he wanted to eat, and the other’s face immediately fell, “I need to watch my weight, so I’ll only eat vegetarian dishes.”
Huo Mingjun glanced at his figure, which hadn’t recovered since his return from Hong Kong, “You’re still dieting?”
“I have no choice, especially since I need to build muscle,” Xie Guan said wryly. “I’m supposed to be a Kung Fu youth. It’s fine that I’m not young, but if I’m also not strong, the director might kick me out.”
Zhong Heguang stopped in front of the door of the room next door, pressed on the door handle, and walked in.
Inside the room sat a middle-aged couple that was dressed neatly. The woman wore a mink coat, exuding an air of rural luxury. Seeing Zhong Heguang enter, the couple immediately straightened up, looking at him fearfully.
Zhong Heguang frowned slightly, discreetly concealing his disgust for the couple’s covert and sneaky demeanor. This was his first time meeting Mr. Cheng’s parents. Although this couple seemed creepy and vulgar—a world apart from Xie Guan in terms of temperament—Zhong Heguang admitted that there was a faint resemblance between Mr. Cheng and the middle-aged man.
“Have you seen clearly?”
The woman shook her head, whispering, “I just peeked through the crack in the door, it seems like he noticed.”
“This room has a decorative glass window in the middle, connecting it with the next one,” Zhong Heguang said in a low voice. “You can observe from there. Remember, stay silent and don’t alert him.”
The woman seemed to be terrified of him and nodded obediently, walking towards the glass window that was deliberately left open.
Meanwhile, Xie Guan and Huo Mingjun were studying how the vegetarian goose was roasted when he heard a muffled sob coming from the corner of the room.
He turned around abruptly, following the direction of the sound. His gaze happened to pass through the opaque glass window, meeting a pair of teary eyes.
In an instant, a chill ran down his spine, making his hair stand on end. It wasn’t that he was particularly timid, but the scene was just too eerie. Even someone brave would be frightened out of their mind upon seeing such a horrifying sight while having a meal.
Instinctively, Xie Guan grabbed the water glass on the table. There was a sudden loud clatter of tables and chairs falling next door, mixed with shouts and cries, as if there was a dispute. Shortly after, there was a knock on their door.
“Who is it?”
Huo Mingjun hurriedly opened the door before Xie Guan, but the frantic woman pushed him aside. Caught off guard, he couldn’t stop the person who rushed in.
The still bewildered Xie Guan was hugged tightly by the middle-aged woman, her face soaked with tears. She wailed, “My child!”
The middle-aged man came in afterwards, and upon seeing Xie Guan’s face, he was first shocked before bursting into tears. “Cheng Sheng… he really looks like our son, exactly like him!”
Xie Guan was utterly confused, clumsily putting down the glass, “I’m sorry, but you might have mistaken me for someone else… Please calm down first, I don’t know you…”
The woman clung to him, crying inconsolably, “Ah Sheng, you’ve been gone for ten years, Mom misses you! Mom never expected that Mr. Huo really found you… My child, you look exactly like my son…”
If being called the wrong name earlier was suspicious, the meaning behind her words now was now entirely clear.
Xie Guan immediately looked up at Huo Mingjun.
The man stood at the door, his eyes lowered, and his jet-black hair contrasting sharply with his pale face. He looked like a silent, handsome marble statue, wearing an expression Xie Guan never saw before—a look as cold as death.
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, chaotic and complicated, overwhelming his senses like a raging flood. However, he hardly needed to ponder it. The answer was like an unlocked box; what was inside it was crystal clear.
Every past encounter, every decision, and every word spoken, none of it was without reason.
Xie Guan gazed silently at Huo Mingjun, but the other man continued to stare into the distance. After waiting for a moment, Huo Mingjun still didn’t look at him.
Silence was both a confrontation and a compromise.
“Who is Cheng Sheng?”
Amidst the sobbing and sighs, this statement sounded incredibly calm. Xie Guan forcibly pushed the woman away from him, then turned to Zhong Heguang, who was standing outside the door, and asked, “Aren’t you going to explain?”
Zhong Heguang was taken aback, and then glanced helplessly at Huo Mingjun, who remained like he didn’t see anything.
“The situation has gotten to this point, and you’re still being stubborn,” Xie Guan scoffed, ignoring him and turning to the middle-aged couple in front of him. “Is Cheng Sheng your son?”
His demeanor instantly changed, carrying a hint of condescension. The middle-aged man didn’t dare to delay any longer and nodded nervously.
“Do I look exactly like him?”
The woman seemed prepared to nod but hesitated for a moment. Eventually, she shook her head and said softly, “Very similar… but not exactly the same.”
Xie Guan tried to be tactful, but his words still struck a chord in the middle-aged woman’s heart. She nodded, holding back tears, until she couldn’t bear it anymore and covered her face with her hands, letting out a long sob.
“What’s the reason?”
“To save me.”
Huo Mingjun abruptly interrupted the question, saying coldly, “That’s enough, don’t ask anymore.”
He walked from the doorway to the dining table. Zhong Heguang quickly followed, forcefully ushering the couple who caused the catastrophe back to their adjoining room.
Xie Guan stepped back, like a deliberate reminder, successfully halting Huo Mingjun’s steps forward.
“Mr. Huo, is there anything else you’d like to say?”
He reverted to his original form of addressing the other, expression shifting to polite detachment. He didn’t lose control and he didn’t erupt in anger. It was like he managed to suppress all the overflowing emotions back into his body, barely maintaining a calm and composed appearance. He drew a clear and distinct boundary between the two of them.
Huo Mingjun suddenly realized that something was rapidly slipping away from him. Those trivial emotions he never valued were piling up in some unknown corner, and in the end, he tasted the bitterness of letting go.
“Since you have nothing more to say, let me speak,” Xie Guan didn’t know where to keep his gaze, so he lowered his head to look at his palms. “Cheng Sheng saved your life, but he… um, unfortunately, he passed away. I look very similar to him, so the multiple times you helped me, it was all because of him, wasn’t it?
Huo Mingjun remained silent, but the question didn’t require an answer. Xie Guan could read it well enough from his reticence.
Finally, he understood why Huo Mingjun’s attitude toward him was so inconsistent, why he repeatedly extended his help — because Xie Guan’s face bore a striking resemblance to his savior. Huo Mingjun couldn’t stand seeing him carry that face in the mud. But Xie Guan’s existence constantly reminded Huo Mingjun: this was a complete mistake.
The person was already gone. His remembrance and compensation were placed on a counterfeit, carrying no meaning at all.
Xie Guan suspected, but Huo Mingjun’s silence gave him a false sense of security, causing him to put aside his suspicions and think of himself as the protagonist on this stage. Until someone stripped the Emperor of his new clothes with a single sentence and the warm facade fell, revealing the mottled old stories beneath. Only then did he realize that he was merely an unnamed stand-in.
“Mr. Huo.”
Xie Guan spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully. “You mistook me for someone else before, and now that you realize. In the end, it’s just a misunderstanding. Since we’ve cleared the air, there’s nothing more to this.”
“Although it’s a bit awkward, I did benefit from it. You don’t need to worry about it, and there’s no need to concern yourself with how I might feel.”
How understanding. Huo Mingjun thought sarcastically. To be treated like a fool being manipulated as someone else’s substitute, and in the end, the scapegoat himself was supposed to absolve the culprit.
Why should Xie Guan swallow his pride and cover for Huo Mingjun’s mistake?
“I’m just an ordinary person; my appearance is something my parents gave me and can’t be changed. I had no connection with you in the past, and I don’t intend to freeload by using this face in the future. I’ll repay the favor I owe you, and if there’s any way I can be of use, Mr. Huo, feel free to ask.”
In the end, Huo Mingjun spoke up, his voice hoarse, “You don’t have to do this…”
“This is my debt to you,” Xie Guan picked up his coat from the back of the chair, smiling faintly. “Taking something that doesn’t belong to me, I must return it. There’s no reason to claim what isn’t mine. But…”
He paused for half a second and continued calmly, “To avoid misunderstandings, let’s not interact anymore in the future.”
YES, GIVE HIM HELL, XIE GUAN!
Thanks for the chapter!
You reaped what you sowed huo mingjun.. Such a pity too, since xie guan as a person is such a lovable hardworking man. He doesn’t deserve to be a stand-in even if he really turns out to be cheng sheng in the end
Yeah, he was dumb for this. There were so many ways to let them get a glimpse of him that could’ve been in a public setting and not so obvious SMH. I commend Xie Guan for being so calm and collected and graceful because I sure as hell would not have been. Huo Mingjun has a long way to go.
💖💖💐💐