Jiang Nian quietly closed the group chat.
The culprit himself didn’t dare say a word.
After all, this whole situation had gotten way too awkward.
Just then, Zhang Linyu sent him a message: “Bro Jiang, the crew is asking about you. They’re heading out to eat—you wanna join?”
Jiang Nian glanced at Yang Mi, still passed out, with no telling when she’d wake up. He typed back: “Nah, Mi Jie and I haven’t finished discussing work stuff yet. You guys go ahead.”
“Got it!” Zhang Linyu replied, then went silent.
With nothing else to do, Jiang Nian started scrolling through the news.
All over the internet, it was nothing but celebrity gossip.
Today, one star got exposed for cheating.
Tomorrow, another one would go public with a new relationship.
One bombshell after another kept dropping, leaving outsiders gasping in shock.
They couldn’t help but wonder what was going on.
Was it because the New Year was approaching and spring was in the air that everyone in the entertainment industry was starting to get frisky?
But only insiders knew the real reason behind all this gossip—it was all a smokescreen to cover up the Spring City incident and divert public attention.
“Quite the grand gesture.”
“Looks like this has caught the attention of some pretty big shots.”
Jiang Nian stroked his chin, deep in thought.
Just as he was about to click on one of the articles to see just how explosive these scandals really were—
Ring-ring—
Ring-ring—
A sharp phone ring cut through the air, but it wasn’t his phone—it was Yang Mi’s.
Glancing at her still-unconscious form, Jiang Nian picked up the phone and checked the screen.
It was a call from Hong Kong.
Initially, out of respect for privacy, he set the phone aside and ignored it.
But the caller just wouldn’t stop—like a death knell, they kept calling over and over.
Yang Mi had it easy—she was blissfully knocked out and didn’t have to deal with anything.
But Jiang Nian was suffering.
So after the seventh call came in, he finally couldn’t take it anymore and answered.
“Hello? Mi Jie’s not here. Call back when she’s around, okay?”
His tone was clearly impatient.
Hearing that, the elderly man on the other end paused, then asked, “Who is this?”
“Jiang Nian.”
“Jiang Nian?!” The voice on the other end stiffened. “What are you doing at Yang Mi’s place?”
“This humble eunuch is an employee of her company. What do you think I’m doing here? Anyway, Mi Jie’s not available. Call back later. That’s it—hang up now.”
With that, he was about to end the call.
But the old man on the other end quickly stopped him: “Wait, wait—don’t hang up! I’m not looking for Yang Mi—I’m looking for you!”
“Oh?”
Jiang Nian perked up with mild interest. “What’s this about? Do I know you?”
“You might not know me, but you definitely know my son, Liu Kai.”
At that, Jiang Nian immediately knew who he was dealing with.
Liu Dan.
“So the old man’s coming after the son, huh?”
Jiang Nian thought to himself. He leaned back in his chair, resting his arm on the armrest, lit a cigarette, and said in a casual, unconcerned tone: “What do you want?”
On any other day, hearing this tone, Liu Dan would’ve lost his temper and snapped at him.
No respect—does he even know who I am, talking to me like that?
But today, since he was the one asking for a favor, Liu Dan didn’t dare show the slightest hint of anger. Instead, he spoke with a sycophantic smile: “Mr. Jiang, here’s the thing. I’m calling about my son. I know he’s a real jerk, sending people to hurt you, but… well, nothing actually came of it, right? So I was hoping you could be a bit lenient and write a letter of understanding for him. He’s only twenty-nine—still young. He can’t just rot in prison for the rest of his life.”
Liu Dan’s tone was sincere.
And perhaps because he was a veteran actor,
the moment he spoke, the image of a pitiful, ragged father in patched-up clothes instantly came to mind.
It was the kind of thing that could easily tug at a soft-hearted person’s heartstrings.
But Jiang Nian?
“Mr. Liu Dan, that’s quite the sob story you’ve got there.”
“You think with just a few words, this humble eunuch is supposed to do whatever you say?”
Jiang Nian let out a cold laugh, calling Liu Dan out on the spot.
Liu Dan didn’t flinch, keeping his tone earnest: “Mr. Jiang, you misunderstand. I’d never do that. I’m just… I’m just feeling like I failed as a father, and I’m begging for your forgiveness.”
Jiang Nian took a drag of his cigarette.
“So? Just because you beg, this humble eunuch has to accept?”
“Let’s set aside the fact that Liu Kai had you blacklisted in the industry, trying to run me out of showbiz.”
“And let’s not even talk about the hired attack.”
“If I weren’t so skilled, and if the authorities hadn’t stepped in, would my death have even made a ripple?”
At that,
Liu Dan was left speechless. He stammered for a long moment before finally saying, “B-But it didn’t work out, did it? You’re fine, aren’t you?”
“Exactly. And because I’m fine, you old dog came crawling over. Otherwise, you wouldn’t give a damn about whether I lived or died.”
Jiang Nian shot back sarcastically, showing not the slightest respect for this veteran actor who wielded considerable influence in Hong Kong.
Hearing this, Liu Dan finally lost his cool. “Jiang Nian, don’t go too far!”
“So what? Want me to write another request, asking the authorities to look deeper into Liu Kai’s ties with foreign elements?”
Jiang Nian said with a light laugh.
He held the leverage—how could he be afraid of an old dog like this?
At those words, Liu Dan—who had been seething with rage just a moment ago—instantly deflated, like a dog that had just been whacked on the head with a shovel.
He could see that Jiang Nian wasn’t going to be moved by anything he said.
So after a moment of silence, he pressed the record button and lowered his voice: “What do you want?”
“This humble eunuch wants Liu Kai dead.”
“Impossible. I can’t agree to that!”
“Then there’s nothing else I want. Alright, that’s it. I’m busy—I’ve got a shoot to get to. If you’ve got nothing else to say, let’s end this. Oh, and if I remember correctly, Liu Kai’s second trial is coming up soon, right? I hear inciting murder carries a minimum of ten years, with no upper limit. You can figure it out yourself.”
Jiang Nian said, and without waiting for Liu Dan’s response, he hung up.
Listening to the dial tone on the other end,
Liu Dan, far away in Hong Kong, could no longer contain his rage. He hurled his phone to the ground, helplessly furious.
“Jiang Nian, who were you on the phone with?”
Not long after he hung up, Yang Mi finally came to. She groggily opened her eyes and looked at Jiang Nian.
He handed the phone back to her. “No one important—just Liu Kai’s dad. You weren’t picking up, so I answered.”
Hearing it was her former father-in-law, Yang Mi got curious. “What did he say?”
“What else? Same old crap about Liu Kai. He wanted this humble eunuch to sign a letter of understanding so Liu Kai gets a lighter sentence and can get out sooner.”
“Did you agree?”
“Yeah, right—in his dreams! The guy went after me like that, and I’m not even messing with him because I’ve been too busy. A letter of understanding? What the hell is he smoking?”
Jiang Nian scoffed, then looked at Yang Mi with a meaningful gaze. “Still gonna act up now?”
Remembering what had just happened, Yang Mi’s face flushed red. She snuggled up to him and said in a sweet, coquettish tone, “Oh, stop it! When have I ever acted up? I’ve always been a good girl, haven’t I?”
“Pfft.”
Jiang Nian snorted in disbelief.
What was that old saying? A woman’s mouth is a liar’s tool!
If he weren’t such a master with his hands and tongue, there’s no way Yang Mi would be this obedient right now.
“Since you’re feeling better, you should head back. Give this humble eunuch a few months, and I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
“Mhm, mhm, okay~”
Having experienced that unprecedented thrill, Yang Mi was now completely obedient to Jiang Nian.
If there were a loyalty meter, hers would probably be maxed out.
And that made sense, because what Jiang Nian had given her—not just in the country, but anywhere in the world—was one of a kind.
While that gave Jiang Nian a bit of pride, something felt off.
“How the hell is this like some eroge?”
“Am I imagining things?”
Three hours later, with Jiang Nian and Zhang Linyu seeing her off, Yang Mi boarded a plane back to the capital and left.
And her departure meant that from that moment on, Jiang Nian was no longer under her restraints.
“Bro Jiang, wanna go out and have some fun?”
Zhang Linyu suggested to Jiang Nian.
He’d already done his homework before coming, knowing exactly which bars had the prettiest and most plentiful girls,
and which clubs had the youngest ladies and the best service.
Zhang Linyu had expected Jiang Nian to agree without hesitation.
But to his surprise, Jiang Nian shook his head. “Nah, you go ahead. This humble eunuch needs to go practice martial arts.”
“Martial arts?”
Zhang Linyu was taken aback. “Bro Jiang, are you serious?”
Even though he’d only known Jiang Nian for a few days,
because they had similar personalities, Zhang Linyu knew exactly what kind of person Jiang Nian was.
He was someone who never settled for anyone.
A total “enjoy the moment” type, a pure egoist.
When Yang Mi was around, her presence alone could rein him in a little, keeping him from going too wild.
But now that she was gone, why was Jiang Nian still acting so restrained?
“Bro Jiang, you feeling down lately?”
Zhang Linyu asked cautiously after thinking it over.
Jiang Nian shook his head. “Nah, just feeling like it’s all gotten boring. I’m tired of it—might as well practice martial arts!”
At that, Zhang Linyu looked like he’d just seen a ghost. “You can actually get bored of that?”
Jiang Nian: “??? What the hell are you saying? You think this humble eunuch is some kind of stallion? Fall for one, bang one?”
“Isn’t that the case?” Zhang Linyu asked tentatively.
Jiang Nian’s face darkened. “Get the hell out of here! You wanna go, then go—I’m not stopping you. I actually need to go practice martial arts now. I don’t have time to BS with you.”
“Alright, alright. If you’re not going, Bro Jiang, then I won’t either. If Mi Jie finds out, I can’t afford the consequences.”
“You’re scared of her?”
“Nah, I’m mostly scared she’ll dock my pay. I don’t make much as it is—if she cuts more, I won’t even be able to afford Wenwen anymore.”
“Who’s Wenwen?”
“She’s… well, she’s Technician No. 88 at Tian Shang Ren Jian.”
“6.”
Jiang Nian gave his verdict. Love rises with the bell, and when it stops, the feeling fades—right?
But that piqued his curiosity. “Got a photo? Let me see.”
Zhang Linyu didn’t hold back—he opened his gallery, pulled up Wenwen’s photo, and handed it over.
Jiang Nian took one look and was absolutely blown away. Without thinking, he blurted out, “Holy shit—she’s a Blue-and-White Porcelain?!”
Zhang Linyu: “???”
——-
The next morning, after changing into their costume looks,
the Smiling, Proud Wanderer crew held their customary launch ceremony and press conference.
This time, Jiang Nian didn’t pull any of the stunts he did while filming Flying Swords of Dragon Gate.
He just walked up on stage in the usual order planned by the director.
But even so, his appearance still caused a stir.
Because Jiang Nian was quite tall.
Standing among the shorter cast members like Huo Jianhua, he looked almost imposing.
The reporters were baffled.
Who the hell was Jiang Nian supposed to be playing?
Smiling, Proud Wanderer didn’t have a eunuch that tall, did it?
But soon, when Jiang Nian introduced himself, everything became clear.
He was playing Lin Pingzhi.
For a moment, the reporters didn’t even know what to say.
I mean, sure, Lin Pingzhi was handsome, delicate-featured, almost like an opera dan performer—a rare beauty in the mortal world.
But he wasn’t that tall!
“Can he really pull this off?”
“Looks like he’ll break immersion just by standing there!”
The reporters were exasperated.
But then they realized something, and quickly raised their cameras to snap photos of Jiang Nian and the “little figurine” Huo Jianhua standing beside him.
Because it hit them: unconventional meant big traffic!
Previous Lin Pingzhi castings had been decent,
but always a bit plain—nothing explosive.
Jiang Nian was different.
Just with his build alone, the headlines practically wrote themselves.
“The Strongest Lin Pingzhi in History—One Punch Knocks Out Linghu Chong!”
“A Casting Mistake That Accidentally Created an Unrepeatable Classic—Can the Protagonist of This Drama Really Beat the Villain?”
“Shocking! The Western Depot Suspected of Taking Over ‘Smiling, Proud Wanderer’!”
“Effeminate, Burly, Strong! Powerful! Fierce! And You’d Believe He’s a Eunuch?”
The reporters were practically feverish, and before anyone realized it, the launch ceremony had turned into Jiang Nian’s personal showcase.
All eyes were on him, while the ancient-style heartthrob and lead actor Huo Jianhua, playing Linghu Chong, was completely sidelined.
Seeing this, Huo Jianhua and the others could only feel helpless.
And Jiang Nian? He was just as innocent.
“This humble eunuch didn’t do anything—they just came to me on their own.”
