After the Lantern Festival, the cast resumed filming. With the new year underway, the actors’ physical conditions had changed, making it unsuitable to shoot continuous scenes. Fortunately, Director Pang Zhonghua decided to save the scenes requiring a large number of extras for later. Xie Guan’s final scene was the end of the selection competition. At a significant disadvantage, Chen Yi made a comeback: he defeated his opponent he had never been able to beat before and won the championship. All the contestants walked to the center of the arena together, with the packed stadium erupting into cheers and applause.
In the coaching area, the coaches of the national team stood up and applauded. Chen Yi was panting and his clothes were soaked with sweat, but he smiled and looked towards the front row of the audience. There, his girlfriend Tang Ou clapped vigorously while tears streamed down her face.
He Qiao and Wu Xiaofeng, the two who lost the match, exchanged displeased glances. Intentionally trying to annoy Wu Xiaofeng, He Qiao gave Chen Yi a heavy pat on the back. “You won beautifully!”
Wu Xiaofeng smiled helplessly, not hiding his regret but maintaining a sincere demeanor. He patted Chen Yi’s shoulder and said, “Good job kid, we’ll have a chance to spar again. I’ll definitely beat you next time.”
Xie Guan was the last one to approach Chen Yi. Chen Yi was almost beaten to death by his teammates who didn’t know their own strength. When he saw the usually gentle and calm captain reaching out his hand, his first reaction was to close his eyes and shrink his neck. The words “heroic sacrifice” were almost written all over his face.
The teammates burst into laughter. Xie Guan smiled faintly and just raised his hand to straighten Chen Yi’s slightly wrinkled collar.
“The pursuit of martial arts has no end. Regardless of where we go from here, let’s not forget the original intention of learning martial arts,” he said. “The selection competition is just the beginning of the journey. While technique is important, the unwavering courage and never-say-die spirit shown by each team member in this competition are the soul of martial arts.”
“I hope you will always remember your pure, brave, and unwavering selves today.”
He turned to the audience, and behind him, all the team members raised their right hands together—
“Victory in every battle!”
“Cut!”
The whole venue fell silent. The director reviewed the footage that was just shot, paused for a moment, and then announced loudly, “The final scene is a wrap! Youth of Martial Arts, it’s a wrap!”
The entire venue erupted in applause. The actors hugged each other, congratulating each other on the successful completion of filming, and expressing their gratitude to the directing team and all the staff. Chen Yi’s assistant rushed over with a camera and took a large group photo of the entire cast and crew.
“Lucky we’ve wrapped up,” Li Yan draped his arm over Xie Guan’s shoulder, watching the crew members busy packing up equipment on the set. The main actors and supporting cast were taking group photos and signing autographs with the crew. Feeling sentimental, he sighed, “I’ve never been with such a crew before, but now I actually feel a bit reluctant to leave.”
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.
The atmosphere in Director Pang’s crew was harmonious, and both the main and supporting actors were easy to get along with. During the filming process, they bonded and formed genuine friendships.
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“You, the atmosphere breaker,” Li Yan teased, pretending to be melancholic. “Stay away from me. Every second you exist is a blow to my artistic life.”
Xie Guan’s heart felt a twinge, and he could only use humor to mask it. Huang Cheng came over to remind him to remove his makeup. Sitting in front of the dressing table, Xie Guan hesitated for a moment, then asked Huang Cheng for his phone and sent a WeChat message to Huo Mingjun, “I’ve wrapped up.”
Last time on the phone, Huo Mingjun paid the price for his sharp tongue—Xie Guan hadn’t spoken to him for a whole two weeks. They weren’t actually having a real fight; it was just a childish spat, a product of idle mischief. Now, touched by the departure, Xie Guan’s heart softened a bit, and he needed to find a sense of security in someone who wouldn’t leave him. Subconsciously, he removed Huo Mingjun from his blacklist.
Huo Mingjun didn’t seem busy on his end; he quickly replied, “Congratulations on wrapping up successfully. Rest well. Any upcoming work plans?”
Xie Guan’s makeup was light and easy to remove. He finished the task in five minutes and took the opportunity between changing clothes to banter with Huo Mingjun, “You know when and with whom I’m having a drink, and you still need to ask me about work arrangements?”
Huo Mingjun sent an emoji that looked extremely sarcastic, “I’m just trying to find something to talk about.”
Xie Guan: “…”
“Do you have time tonight?” Perhaps influenced by the impending separation, he suddenly made up his mind and sent a message to Huo Mingjun, “I’ll treat you to dinner and listen to your stories. Will you come?”
Fang Hui knocked on the office door and entered after getting Huo Mingjun’s approval. “Boss, there’s a welcome banquet for the economic forum tonight. They want you to attend…”
“I’m not going. Decline it,” Huo Mingjun gave a definitive response to Xie Guan and told Fang Hui without lifting his head, “I have something tonight. Unless the company is about to go bankrupt, don’t bother me.”
Assistant Fang was intimidated by the towering three-meter high killing intent Huo Mingjun emitted. She quickly said, “Yes, yes, don’t worry, I won’t disturb you.”
This time, Xie Guan didn’t arrange to meet Huo Mingjun at home. Having just wrapped up filming, it wouldn’t be appropriate to personally cook for him. The restaurant was chosen by the host, and although Xie Guan wasn’t particularly wealthy, he decided on a high-end private restaurant considering his company.
While waiting for Huo Mingjun in the private room, he got a bit bored. Xie Guan looked around at the room’s furnishings and remembered the cheesy CEO drama scripts he read a few years ago when CEO-themed dramas were all the rage. One of the most common scenes involved the female lead taking the CEO—who controlled the global economy—to eat at a street stall. The CEO would meticulously inspect the hygiene facilities and end up being conquered by the secret grilled skewers and spicy crayfish recipe. He would then find the female lead pure and unpretentious, unlike those indulging in extravagant delicacies outside.
He imagined for a moment what it would be like to cast Huo Mingjun as a domineering CEO… Suddenly, he felt a tingling sensation from head to toe, and the consequences seemed unbearable.
The lively narration of Today’s Sayings in Xie Guan’s mind was reaching its climax when the door to the private room was pushed open by a waiter. With a gentle and polite tone, the waiter said, “Gentlemen, please come in.”
Xie Guan stood up to greet him, and Huo Mingjun entered the room. The two of them made eye contact, a mix of familiarity and a bit of unfamiliarity.
In just a few short months, they experienced arguments, cold wars, disputes, and breakthroughs. The distance between life and death seemed just a step away, yet they were miraculously brought back together by a series of coincidences. It felt like an invisible thread was connecting them, becoming more resilient through the unpredictable twists of fate and deliberate efforts.
Eventually, it was Huo Mingjun who snapped back to reality first. He approached Xie Guan, gently pushing his shoulder as he turned towards the dining table. “After the New Year, I finally gained a bit of weight… Take a seat. Just returned from the film set?”
“Ah.” Xie Guan was a bit dazed and found himself becoming the one taken care of. Following his lead, he took a seat. Sitting opposite him, Huo Mingjun handed his coat to the waiter and asked, “Have you ordered?”
“Not yet,” Xie Guan picked up the iPad beside him and handed it to Huo Mingjun, “Take a look at what you want.”
“Any recommendations?” Huo Mingjun flipped through the menu, and jokingly asked, “Why did you suddenly decide to eat here?”
Xie Guan felt he might have been brainwashed by the little mental drama just now. Without thinking, he blurted out, “If you want to try something different, there’s a grilled squid stall downstairs near my place.”
Both Huo Mingjun and the waiter stared at him with a look that said, “Is this person crazy?”
Xie Guan awkwardly cleared his throat, “I mean… that grilled squid place is quite good, really.”
Huo Mingjun looked at him speechlessly for a moment, then turned to the waiter, asking, “Do you have grilled squid here?”
The waiter’s smile instantly became a bit forced, “I’m sorry, sir, we don’t have any squid-related dishes. If you like seafood, you can try our chestnut bamboo shoot abalone, or this dish of sea cucumber with abalone. We also have fish slices stewed with flower glue and jade ring prawns.”
“Alright, enough,” Xie Guan hurriedly stopped Huo Mingjun from embarrassing him further and said to the waiter, “Don’t mind him, let’s order.”
After they chose their main dishes, the waiter asked, “Would you like any alcoholic beverages or other drinks?”
Xie Guan didn’t take the drink menu she offered, and said directly, “Bring a pot of Huadiao wine.”
Huo Mingjun raised an eyebrow in surprise, and Xie Guan immediately added, “Don’t look at me, it’s not for you. Your throat can’t handle smoking and drinking.”
Huo Mingjun said, “A storyteller without a sip of alcohol?”
Xie Guan pulled out a thermos from the side and pushed it over, lazily saying, “Have this.”
Huo Mingjun was originally a little uncomfortable with the fact that Xie Guan didn’t personally cook, but when he opened the thermos and saw the still-warm snow fungus soup with pears inside, he immediately felt at ease. Yet, in order to maintain his carefully crafted gentle and considerate image, he still pretended to be polite, “You’ve just finished your busy day, there’s no need to go through all this trouble. Why bother making something like this?”
“Forget it, if I didn’t cook for Boss Huo personally, and didn’t express myself a little, wouldn’t you have a bone to pick with me?” Xie Guan didn’t give him any face at all. “From the moment we entered the restaurant, I haven’t seen you smile. Do you think I can’t tell?”
Huo Mingjun thoughtfully asked, “Is it that obvious?”
Xie Guan replied, “You’re feeling quite energetic, aren’t you?”
Huo Mingjun continued sighing, “Last time, there were six dishes and a soup. This time, there’s only one soup.”
“Six dishes and a soup are the standard for entertaining friends,” Xie Guan said. “Consider yourself lucky to have soup. Be content.”
This remark indeed left Huo Mingjun speechless. After a moment, he said, “I’ll buy you some grilled squid on the way back. Can I apply to upgrade it to two dishes and one soup next time?”
Xie Guan replied, “I suggest you go back and get some more sleep now.”
After a round of banter, the two of them looked at each other for a moment, then turned their heads in unison, bursting into laughter against the backdrop of the private room.
Thank you for the update!
Their banter and how they both laughed at the end was so cute!
Awwww these two are so cute 😍