“How come you only come back now! The box lunches are all finished being handed out!” In the corner piled full of props, Da Mao and Xiao Pang squatted in the shady corner of the wall, and waved their hands at Tao Mu, saying with a smile: “Fortunately, we helped you pick up a box lunch.”

Xiao Pang handed a box lunch with a five-star hotel logo on it to Tao Mu. His rather plump face showed an expression of happiness: “Today is also the birthday of the little prince. To celebrate his birthday, his family specially helped him take today off. The little prince also had his manager order high-end takeaways from five-star hotels, and even the extras get a share in the deluxe boxed lunch.”

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

The little prince was the nickname everyone gave to the lead actor of this drama, Shen Yu. Because he was a real prince born with a golden spoon in his mouth, with an exquisite appearance and elegant manners. And most importantly, his personality was as kind and likeable as a true prince in a fairy tale.

Using the words of the Shen family in the previous life to evaluate, compared with Tao Mu, a hot-tempered, unreasonable, and scheming character, they were practically two extremes.

Tao Mu stared at the box lunch in Da Mao’s hand blankly. He was having a particularly bad time of it in the recent days. Especially when sleeping, there would always be all kinds of images and sounds that would inexplicably appear in his head. It was almost causing him to go crazy.

The look on Tao Mu’s face gave Da Mao the chills. He thought that Tao Mu must have been reminded of his past again. He couldn’t help trying to lighten up the atmosphere: “Speaking of which, today is also our brother Mu’s birthday. I hope that the crew will not be too late with filming the night scene tonight, so that we can arrange something. How about we go clubbing at night? We’ve already asked around. There is a bar street near H Studio City, which is said to be pretty good.”

Da Mao, whose real name was Wang Ye, was given such a nickname by his classmates because of his strong testosterone and heavy body hair. His dad was a coal boss, and using the slang of a few years later to describe, he was a rich fuerdai whose family owned a mine. (TN: fuerdai are children of entrepreneurs who became wealthy under Deng Xiaoping’s economic reforms in the 1980s)

But such a rich fuerdai with a mine at home, at this moment, was wearing a dirty extra’s costume and squatting in the corner to eat a box lunch. There was also Pang Yue, the fatty, who was well-known to be most afraid of heat. But in order to share the joys and sorrows with his buddies, he would rather endure the beating from his father’s teacher’s pointer and his mother’s feather duster and still come to H Studio City.

Tao Mu stared at his two childhood friends squatting in the corner. But what lingered in his head was what he had seen in his dreams these days. The scene of Wang Ye kneeling in the morgue and crying bitterly when the Wang family went bankrupt and Wang Ye’s father committed suicide by jumping off the building. And Xiao Pang’s blood-stained face before his death. Then there were all kinds of “book reviews” that appeared inexplicably in his head.

The smiling Da Mao, the desperately crying Da Mao, the blood-stained and bruised Xiao Pang in the morgue, the Xiao Pang that squatted in the corner eating buns, and those inexplicable voices……

Different faces in different scenes blurred in front of his eyes. Tao Mu closed his eyes feeling slightly dizzy. After dreaming seven days of this in succession, he truly felt that he had indeed lived a life that ended in suicide, only to live again. The scenes he dreamed felt particularly real. Whether it was the violent emotions, the deep bone-cutting pain, or even the desperate suicide at the end of the dream, Tao Mu was overcome with a frightening sense of reality.

So that every day when he saw Da Mao and Xiao Pang, there would always be a kind of nostalgia and dazed panic as he watched people who have died but were now laughing and horsing around in front of him. What frightened him even more were the inexplicable voices in his head that sounded from time to time.

Until today, to be precise, between 10 am and 11 am on July 7, 2008, the dreams that plagued Tao Mu finally had a break. It was as if the broken pieces of glass finally pieced together a complete mirror, Tao Mu suddenly recalled everything——he really did die once, and was reborn to a time when everything had yet to occur.

Seriously speaking, today was indeed his Seventh Day. The soul of Tao Mu, who had committed suicide in despair, had returned back among the living.

“Brother Mu?” Noting that something was wrong with Tao Mu, Da Mao, who was smiling and Xiao Pang who was eating, raised their heads questioningly: “What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing.” Tao Mu lowered his eyes and shook his head calmly: “I’ll go out to smoke a cigarette, you guys continue.”

Da Mao, who was squatting under the wall, was slightly taken aback. He looked thoughtfully at the slender figure of Tao Mu slowly leaving.

Xiao Pang, who was carrying the box lunch frowned: “When did boss learn to smoke?”

After a pause, he asked, “Did boss think of his past again?”

The two of them had been Tao Mu’s classmates since young. They naturally knew that Tao Mu was an orphan. It was said that he was abandoned in a rental room by his mother when he was not even weaned. If it weren’t for the fact that his crying alerted the neighbor and the neighbor called over the landlord lady to open the door, it was likely that Tao Mu would have starved to death in the rental room.

Later, the landlord lady sent him to the orphanage——it was said that that day was evening, and the golden sun was setting, so dean Tao of the orphanage named him Tao Mu, after the sunset for his first name and taking the dean’s surname. That was how Tao Mu’s name came to be. (TN: the ‘Mu’ in Tao Mu means sunset)

“Ai! That’s why they say ‘same people but different fate! The little prince was born in the same year, the same month and the same day as our brother Mu. But look at what kind of life they are living. One is being cherished by family members, and having such a grand birthday. Even his given name shows how much they cherish him.” (TN: the ‘Yu’ in Shen Yu is taken from a phrase that describes a heavenly blessed and outstandingly talented person)

When put in contrast, it was no wonder that brother Mu was so unhappy.

“You can shut up!” Da Mao looked at Xiao Pang with disgust: “You can’t stop your mouth even when you eat! No wonder you grow so fat!”

Where was the logic in this statement?! Xiao Pang took a particularly innocent look at Wang Ye, who was tall and beefy, thicker and heavier than he himself. He lowered his head and ate silently——and he didn’t forget to open Tao Mu’s box lunch!

“I don’t think boss wants to eat it anymore. I will help him eat it, so as not to waste it!” The luxurious box lunch from a five-star hotel was quite expensive after all!

……………

“……I looked for you in the crew for such a long time, but it turned out you are hiding here!” Ye Yao held a small cake in her hand, and looked at the boy who was smoking against the old fashioned blue brick wall with a flash of astonishment in her eyes.

The scorching sun in the hot summer was like a fire, the sunlight casting down freely and penetrating through the mottled leaves, and raining down spots of light. The handsomely beautiful boy dressed in white leaned against the old fashioned city wall with a lazy expression. His appearance when smoking a cigarette with an air of indifference, gave off a kind of mild sensuality under the afternoon sun. It caused one to develop an impulse……to move forward and take the cigarette down for a kiss to his lips.

Ye Yao’s cheeks blushed slightly, and she handed the little cake in her hand to Tao Mu: “I heard that today is also your birthday. Happy birthday to you.”

Tao Mu left the cigarette hanging indolently at the corner of his mouth and looked at Ye Yao carelessly. Ye Yao’s figure was clearly reflected in his dark eyes, and that casual gaze gave people an illusion of deep affection. Ye Yao at that moment only felt a little dizzy, her whole person drowning in Tao Mu’s male charm.

So it’s actually real that someone could be this handsome!

Ye Yao coughed a little shyly, and deliberately brought up a topic of conversation: “I heard that you were admitted to the Beijing Film Academy and will start school in September, meanwhile taking advantage of the summer vacation to come to H Studio City to gain some experience. That’s quite the idea!”

Going to H Studio City to be a body double and learning from the director on how to move and maintain presence in front of the camera. For an unreported freshman who had just been admitted to Beijing Film Academy and had not yet learned to act, he really had quite the idea. What’s more, Tao Mu not only had ideas, but his physical attributes were also impressive, and his martial arts movements stunningly beautiful. Ye Yao felt that Tao Mu would definitely make it far in the future, so she was willing to lower her status and take the initiative.

[Green tea bitch, the level is not particularly high, but the methods are quite disgusting!] (TN: green tea bitch is slang for a girl who seems innocent and charming but is actually calculating and manipulative)

Again!

Tao Mu lowered his eyes and took a drag as he felt a headache coming on, not wanting to talk to people.

Ye Yao didn’t mind: “I took Yan Film Academy’s exam. This year’s junior year, and can be considered as your senior sister, right? Would you like to call me senior sister?”

Tao Mu squinted at Ye Yao: “Little girl, you want to take advantage of me?”

Tao Mu’s voice was very unique. He had grown up in Beijing as a child and spoke in perfect Beijing dialect. However, after returning to the Shen family in the previous life, he stayed in Shanghai city for nearly ten years, so his tone now had a little of the softness of Shanghai dialect, the result of which made him sound both lazy and sultry, with a bit of cynicism mixed in.

Ye Yao felt her ears burning at Tao Mu’s voice, and said with a smile: “How can I, I am originally older than you.”

There was an awkward pause. She then found another topic to continue the small-talk: “I found that you have a good talent for language. You have been in Shanghai for just a few days, but the tone of your Beijing dialect has taken on the local influences!”

Tao Mu pinched the cigarette out with boredom. When he smoke, he didn’t like being in front of people, and it annoyed him when people tried to talk to him at this time too. The former was a show of politeness, the latter was an eccentricty.

Ye Yao of course didn’t know this. Seeing Tao Mu pinch the cigarette out, she took it as Tao Mu being very gentlemanly. Her interest in the conversation became even deeper: “Speaking of which, you and Shen Yu were born on the same year, same month and the same day, if seen from the perspective of numerology, your two lives should be similar……” However, in reality, Tao Mu was just an orphan, and in order to gain some experience, he had to come to H Studio City to work as an extra right after graduating from high school. Whereas Shen Yu was the most beloved youngest son of the Shen family. He could just enter the entertainment circle for his own amusement but still his family members would set up a management company to invest in TV dramas with him as the main male lead.

Ye Yao seemed to realize that this topic was not quite right, so Ye Yao stopped sheepishly. She looked at Tao Mu eagerly: “I mean, you are so good-looking, and you are admitted to the Beijing Film Academy, you will surely become popular in the future.”

This was true. It’s just that after gaining fame and popularity, Shen Yu’s admirers joined forces to get him shunned out of the entertainment circle because he dsred to make trouble for Shen Yu.

Tao Mu chuckled lightly, the lazy yet sexy tone had Ye Yao’s eyes lighting up.

At any time, scenes in which there were handsome men and beautiful women would always be pleasing to the eye.

But in the eyes of some people, this scene only fanned their anger.

“What are you doing?” Mu Huating, who played the male number three in this drama, ran over. He saw the little cake Ye Yao was holding, and he asked jealously: “Isn’t it Shen Yu’s birthday today? Xiao Yao, why are you giving this kid a cake?”

“Don’t call me so affectionately, I don’t know you so well.” Ye Yao frowned and said rather coldly.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e ir on tr ee bl oo ms. c o m )

In this drama, the female third lead played by Ye Yao and the male third lead played by Mu Huating were a pair, and Mu Huating’s management company seemed to have the intention of using the relationship in the play to stir up some gossip and therefore increase exposure. For idol stars, this kind of operation was commonplace, and even fans on both sides would not take it seriously. It could increase exposure and attention without much worries. Originally, it was a win-win situation.

It was a pity that Ye Yao had not much interest or good feelings towards Mu Huating——mainly this was because Mu Huating’s face barely passed the qualifying line after removing his makeup which really did not suit Ye Yao’s appetite, so Ye Yao usually talked coldly whenever she saw Mu Huating. This made Mu Huating, who had been very popular with fans since his debut, feel very uncomfortable.

Today, he saw that Ye Yao, who had always been ignoring him, actually paying great attention to a small extra in the crew. This made Mu Huating, who had been going smoothly since his debut, even more unable to tolerate it.

“I say, Xiao Yao, don’t tell me you are interested in this extra?” Mu Huating puffed out his chest quite arrogantly, and gave a condescending look towards Tao Mu. With a tone in what he thought to be of someone full of experience, he persuaded: “This kind of person has nothing but a face. Don’t be too naive. He and us are people in two different worlds. You are simply not suitable for each other.”

Though he said that, Mu Huating knew very well that in this circle, most of the time people only looked at the face. What’s more, Tao Mu not only had a handsome face, but he was also admitted to the Beijing Film Academy, where he would be receiving professional training. Unlike him, who debuted in a reality program last year, his qualifications were simply not recognized by the industry.

Thinking of this, Mu Huating looked at Tao Mu’s intimidatingly handsome face with envy and jealousy, and couldn’t help saying: “Xiao Yao, if you keep being muddle-headed, I will call sister Hong.”

Sister Hong, whose full name was Wan Meihong, was Ye Yao’s manager, who was known to manage her artists very strictly. Therefore, Ye Yao’s face changed when she heard Mu Huating’s words, and immediately explained: “Don’t be nosy, today is Tao Mu’s birthday. I just want to wish him a happy birthday.”

“Really?” Mu Huating raised his eyebrow: “That’s a coicidence, today is also Shen Yu’s birthday.”

While talking, he gave Tao Mu, who had not spoken a word yet, a once over and sneered: “Born on the same day, but some people are young masters born with a golden spoon, while some people are orphans unwanted by their parents. No wonder the saying goes that when comparing goods the one that’s of shoddy quality is thrown away, and when comparing people the destitute person would be unable to continue living.” (TN: essentially means that people should feel contented with their lot in life and should not blindly compete with others)

This was too much. Ye Yao immediately scowled and said angrily: “How could you speak like that? Apologize to Tao Mu.”

“Who does he think he is, why should I apologize to an extra——”

“That’s not right.” Tao Mu flicked the cigarette in his hand into the trash pile on the side: “Saying that when comparing goods the one that’s of shoddy quality is thrown away, and when comparing people the destitute person would be unable to continue living——that’s just angry talk. The reality is that when comparing goods the shoddy quality must be kept, and when comparing people the destitute person must continue living.” (TN: a play on the former saying that means the same thing, but with a twist——your things must be kept no matter if it is of worse quality than others’ because it belongs to you and are essentials that you can afford in your circumstances. People must continue living despite being worse off than others because any wealth becomes meaningless after death, only living will everything be possible)

When Tao Mu said this, he took a careless look at Mu Huating, and his dark eyes revealed a playful glint: “Just like some people, they don’t have a handsome face, they can’t act, and their IQ is even worse. But don’t they still stand here daydreaming, living in a fantasy world.”

Anyone who had a brain could tell that Tao Mu was mocking Mu Huating. When he debuted, Mu Huating was touted as a newbie that gained popularity just with his handsome face and he also regarded himself as a flower boy. Furious, he pointed at Tao Mu’s nose: “What are you saying ahhhhh——”

Tao Mu grabbed Mu Huating’s finger and twisted it forcefully, and casually educated: “Don’t point at others with your finger when you speak. What would you do if someone broke it?”

“Let go!” Mu Huating hugged his red and sore finger and took two steps back, staring at Tao Mu in shock and anger: “Barbaric!”

Tao Mu snorted, glanced at the cowardly Mu Huating, and turned to leave.

He didn’t want to eat the birthday treat set by Shen Yu for the crew that also included the extras, so Tao Mu casually ate a bowl of beef noodles outside the studio city——and was almost killed by the chef’s cooking skills. He desperately poured two bottles of mineral water down his throat. Seeing that it was almost time, he returned to the crew. In the afternoon, he also had a wire scene that he must substitute for the male lead Shen Yu——

After being reborn, the person Tao Mu was most sick of was Shen Yu. Originally, he wanted to break the contract and quit——he was too sick of the days he had been entangled with Shen Yu and the Shen family in his previous life which almost turned him neurotic.

It’s a pity that when he was interviewing, Shen Yu was very satisfied with his martial arts, and the treatment given to him was very high, so as a result, the penalty for breaking the contract was also very high. In order to ensure that Tao Mu would not quit halfway, the penalty money was 10 times that of the pay.

The drama “Purple Cloud” was a fantasy costume idol drama adapted from an Internet IP. Originally scheduled for forty episodes, with 32 episodes of screenplay for the male lead, and among these 32 episodes, there were at least 20 episodes of fight scenes. According to the contract, the crew must pay Tao Mu a salary of 50,000 yuan, which was several times higher than the market price. The main reason wss that Shen Yu was very satisfied, and Tao Mu’s martial arts moves were as smooth and flowing as water, especially when looking at the camera one could really feel the tension and beauty. Shen Yu’s management company was probably so generous in order to show that it valued ​​Tao Mu.

In addition, the pure-hearted little prince Shen Yu felt compassion after learning about Tao Mu’s background, so he raised the salary——according to the little prince’s wishes, he originally wanted to increase it to 100,000 yuan. But Shen Yu may want to be kind, but his management company was not here to do charity. In the end, both sides took a step back and settled at 50,000 yuan so ten times the penalty was 500,000 yuan.

After restarting over, although Tao Mu still had some money in his pocket, but it was absolutely no way near half a million. Of course, even if he had the money, he did not want to waste it on Shen Yu. So after thinking about it, Tao Mu still patiently continued to do the job——his character was like this, as long as the benefits were sufficient, even if it hurt his pride, he could still endure it.

So in the previous life, the people of the Shen family would feel that he was scheming and spineless, and could not compare to the white lotus they had raised from young. (TN: slang for someone who pretends to be sweet and innocent while often engaged in manipulation and scheming)

His heart thumped suddenly, and the pain was as if it was pricked by a needle. Tao Mu put aside his thoughts and walked back to the crew expressionless. He could hear a loud noise even from this distance.

“What’s the matter?” Tao Mu frowned as he looked at the packed crowd of people around the rest area of ​​the studio.

Da Mao and Xiao Pang, who had watched a good show outside the crowd, approached him and whispered gossip: “The other investor in this show came to visit, and I heard that he’s actually Ye Yao’s boyfriend. But the result was that he and Duan Qingqing hooked up. The two sat in the lounge chair flirting, and Ye Yao saw it.”

Duan Qingqing was the heroine of this drama, she was 20 years old this year. She was in the same film academy as Ye Yao and was also in her junior year. Because their images were similar and their career path in the entertainment industry the same, the two have been cat fighting since their debut, and even in the crew they schemed against each other.

“Ye Yao made a fuss, scolded Duan Qingqing as shameless, and even rolled up her sleeves to hit her. The guy stopped her and wouldn’t let her hit Duan Qingqing. Ye Yao was angry and said she wanted to break up and even slapped him. That guy also became angry and said that breaking up was fine, but said that Ye Yao could enter this drama as the female number three soley depended on him. If Ye Yao really wanted to break up, then she must resign from the crew.”

The persons involved were still having a heated exchange, and even the managers of Ye Yao and the heroine Duan Qingqing rushed over to join in. While persuading Ye Yao’s boyfriend to calm down his anger, they still also had to find a way to control the situation——at least they couldn’t let knowledge of this scene spread to outside and the media.

In order to resume filming as soon as possible, even the main director, director Chen, who usually did not get involved with the crew’s issues and drama, had to come forward and do some damage control.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

Seeing that Ye Yao’s boyfriend’s anger disappeared immediately, Mu Huating, who had been standing on the side and watching the excitement, suddenly saw Tao Mu in the crowd. Immediately he stretched out his still aching finger, and pointed at Tao Mu’s figure, saying to Ye Yao’s boyfriend: “Mr. Luo, the reason why Ye Yao wants to break up with you is because of that kid. She sees that the kid is good-looking, so she has a change of affection. You are busy every minute and rarely pay attention to the going ons in the crew, so please don’t be fooled by them.”

Tao Mu hidden in the crowd: “……”

If you would like to show some ♡  then please consider supporting this translator! ლ(⌒εー)ლ

On July 7, 2018, at 10:28 am, Shanghai Yusheng Hotel.

Tao Mu stepped onto the edge of the roof. It was a hot summer, but the wind from up here was strong and howled noisily. If one lowered his head slightly, one could see a long line composed of red supercars in the middle of the city of reinforced concrete, like a red dragon weaving along the winding streets to arrive at the hotel.

Tao Mu stared fixatedly at the convoy, eyes seeming to penetrate the cold red metal walls to see Shen Yu and the Shen family sitting in the wedding car.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

The cell phone in his pocket kept ringing noisily. Tao Mu answered the call without any expression on his face. Da Mao’s crying voice came from the phone as he pleaded: “Brother Mu, I beg you, can we think about it again, don’t be so impulsive——”

“I’m not being impulsive.” Tao Mu lowered his head. At this vantage point, all living beings appeared like ants under his feet, all the while the wind whistled violently in his ears. Vaguely, he could see the wedding reception and the crowds arranged down below.

“I’ve thought it over carefully.” Tao Mu said with certainty. He curved his mouth with some amusement: “Say, what expressions will the Shen family have when they see my dead body?”

He was really curious. In order to protect an outsider like Shen Yu, the Shen family did not hesitate to place the blame on their blood related son and treat him with indifference. Would they even regret driving him out of the Shen family once they see his bloody remains.

“Brother Mu——”

Da Mao’s pleading sounded in his ears, but Tao Mu ignored it: “……Speaking of which, I would like to thank you for letting me know. If it weren’t for you, I would truly be fooled by that son of a bitch Zhuo Yan. I am really puzzled. What is so good about a sissy like Shen Yu? Each and every one of them act like they’ve been bewitched whenever they see him. Say, Zhuo Yan had been with me for three or four years, right? In order to please me, he had given Shen Yu a lot of trouble back then. So why did he suddenly act like he’s so in love with that little sissy now, and even dare to play at being an undercover agent in my presence?”

“Brother Mu——”

“But it’s okay. It at least lets me know that there is nothing to miss in this neurotic world.” Tao Mu chuckled lightly. He really couldn’t understand why everyone he cared about eventually fell in love with Shen Yu, the cuckoo in the nest.

“Why is there nothing to miss? Brother Mu, you are rich and capable and you look so handsome. There are so many good people waiting for you in this world. Why hang yourself on such a rotten tree?” (TN: basically means the same as the idiom don’t insist on only taking one road to Rome). Da Mao pleaded bitterly. He really didn’t understand why Tao Mu had come to this point: “Where are you, stop making trouble, okay?”

Stop making trouble?!

Tao Mu sneered: “Wang Ye, are you annoyed of me too? You also think I shouldn’t fight with Shen Yu?” But why shouldn’t he, after all, he was the real son of the Shen family. Everything Shen Yu had should belong to him. He just wanted to regain his own things, so that Shen Yu, heaven’s favorite son (TN: slang for an unusually lucky person, or a specially privileged person), could also taste the humiliation and suffering he had suffered. How was it he had become someone guilty of great evil?

Wang Ye was taken aback. For so many years, Tao Mu had never called him by his full name during a private chat between them.

A deep anxiety arose in Wang Ye’s heart: “I’m not! Don’t change the subject, Tao Mu, you know I don’t hate you. I won’t hate you in my entire life. We are good brothers, including Xiao Pang and Feng Yuan. All of us have always been on your side.”

That’s right. Tao Mu was willing to believe what Wang Ye said. But it’s a pity that people who like him do not end up with a good ending. Maybe the Shen family was right. That he, Tao Mu, was a disaster star (TN: a comet or supernova viewed as evil portent). The closer you were to him, the more unlucky you were.

“……Zhuo Yan wanted to frame me for shorting, but I beat him at his own game. Now it is him who lost more than a billion. By the way, before I left, I kicked him in the balls. It is likely that he will spend the rest of his life in jail as a eunuch. You remember to make the necessary bribes and have Zhuo Yan stay in the same jail cell as Xiao Yuan. Take it as me helping Xiao Pang get revenge……” (TN: A short sale is the sale of an asset or stock the seller does not own. It is generally a transaction in which an investor sells borrowed securities in anticipation of a price decline; the seller is then required to return an equal number of shares at some point in the future.)

Tao Mu chuckled and looked up at the scorching sun. The sun today was also very bright, similar to that sunny day when he first learned that he was the real birth son of the Shen family: “I have 40 million left in my account. Help me donate ten million to the orphanage’s account. Also help me give another ten million, and my few properties in Shanghai, to Feng Yuan when he comes out of the prison. Tell him, it’s my fault, as the big brother I have done many things to disappoint him. You keep the 20 million left. The money is not much, so just take it as a little show of brotherhood. After all, your company has just started. I can’t help you much. Also, I have swept the graves of Xiao Pang and the orphanage dean. You remember to give them a few sticks of incense every Qingming……” (TN: Tomb Sweeping Day is the Chinese day for celebrating the dead)

“Tao Mu!” Wang Ye on the other side of the phone was almost going crazy: “Where are you? Don’t you fucking talk nonsense to me. I don’t want to listen. I want to know where you are now?”

“Da Mao,” Tao Mu interrupted Wang Ye: “Since you still treat me as a brother, just listen to my last words. No one cares when I am alive, so I don’t want to be unhappy even after death. Remember, in my life, since I was not acknowledged by the Shen family when I was alive, there is no need to enter the Shen family grave either when I die. Let me rest in a new grave next to Xiao Pang and the dean. I already bought the cemetery spot myself.”

“Tao Mu!” Hearing Tao Mu’s last words, Wang Ye was furious and frustrated: “Don’t keep bashing your head against a brick wall, okay. Who says no one cares about you? Who says no one acknowledges you? Actually you don’t even know, the Shen family and Shen Yu care about you very much. Haven’t you always been curious about how I found out Zhuo Yan betrayed you? Then I’ll tell you, Shen Yu personally told me.”

Tao Mu was startled when he heard this.

Da Mao’s voice came from the other end of the phone: “……Shen Yu said that Zhuo Yan pestered him like crazy and said something crazy like he will get you punished. Shen Yu was worried about you meeting something bad, so he quietly notified me to alert you. He was afraid you would be angry, so he sternly told us not to tell you. And when we were sueing Zhuo Yan, the Shen family and Shen Yu’s friends dug a hole for Zhuo Yan, making it difficult for him everywhere, so that he didn’t have the energy to pay attention to our actions……”

In other words, that Tao Mu was able to successfully counterattack Zhuo Yan, the person who slept on the pillow next to him, was all with the help of Shen Yu and his admirers, and the Shen family who had kicked him out.

“Hahahahaha……” Tao Mu covered his face and laughed out loud. This Shen Yu, as expected, was still such a Virgin Mary who went around conferring his grace everywhere. But why did that mean Tao Mu should have to bear Shen Yu’s favor?

“Do you think I should be grateful for his favor?” Tao Mu yelled hysterically on the rooftop: “But don’t forget, if it weren’t for him, Shen Yu, who is a cuckoo that occupied the nest, I, Tao Mu wouldn’t be like this. It was him who occupied my life, he owes me. And the Shen family, why still get in my business if they look down on me? It’s because Shen Yu begged them to take action……did they really forget who is their real son?”

A gust of wind blew across the rooftops, and Tao Mu’s heart suddenly tightened, and the pain became suffocating: “You are right, I’m just being stubborn, I just can’t figure it out. Why do you all like Shen Yu, why should I suffer in Shen Yu’s place? Why is it that whatever Shen Yu does is right while everything I do is wrong? How am I inferior to him?”

Tao Mu was almost roaring and venting by the time he finished speaking.

“Tao Mu——”

“Don’t, I don’t want to hear it anymore.” Tao Mu forcefully threw the phone out. Looking down the long drop with red eyes, he then took a step forward——

In truth, his whole life had been spent in a muddled way. The young master who was born with a golden spoon in his mouth was mistaken for someone else because of the negligence of the hospital. He was then abandoned in a rented apartment by his adoptive mother who couldn’t bear hardship. Growing up in an orphanage, he finally found his true blood family. But the Shen family resented him in every possible way. And even with his love life, that son of a bitch Zhuo Yan could betray him so easily. Everyone complained that his character was too stubborn and that he didn’t know how to be likeable, saying that he couldn’t see through to the truth, couldn’t afford to lose, couldn’t bear to give up, and couldn’t let go.

But everyone forgot. What he couldn’t see through was fate; what he couldn’t afford to lose was luck; what he couldn’t bear to give up was blood relationship, and what he couldn’t let go was everything that should have belonged to him.

A wedding procession composed of red supercars slowly stopped at the entrance of the hotel. Surrounded by relatives, friends, media reporters and a large number of fans on both sides, China’s A-list superstar who had just won the best actor’s crown, Shen Yu, the adopted son of the Shen Financial Group, and his same-sex partner——the international three-time best actor award winner Yan Sheng stepped out the wedding car with big smiles. They stood together in front of the long red carpet.

The media reporters and fans who had been waiting outside the hotel swarmed forward regardless of the bodyguards’ obstruction, and the flashing lights appeared like a shining silver-white ocean. At the wedding reception comparable to a red carpet show, screams from the fans could almost penetrate the sky to reach the heavens.

“Shen Yu, we love you!”

“You must be happy!”

“Shen Yu, you deserve the best of everything!”

“Yan Sheng, you must take good care of our prince!”

“……”

With the sincere blessings of all relatives, friends and fans, the exquisite, elegant and noble new best actor was like a little prince from a fairy tale, smiling brilliantly as he tucked his arm into his partner’s. At the same time, the handsome and mature Yan Sheng lowered his head and looked at the love of his life tenderly.

The way the two smiled at each other was photographed with great ceremony by the media reporters. Not surprisingly, this scene would continue to display on the headlines of the domestic entertainment section in the next few days. However, just as the two newlyweds slowly walked onto the red carpet surrounded by friends and family and all the fans, a loud sound broke the happy and sweet atmosphere in front of them——

A figure in a white suit fell from the sky and hit the red carpet close to the forefront of the steps——the distance was so perfect it seemed to have been carefully calculated. Soon, blood that was even brighter than the red carpet pooled and spread, and the shocking red soon stained through the originally white suit. Wherever one could see, there was evidence of a person who had previously been full of life ending his life in the most cruel way.

“Ahhhhhhhhhh——”

All the guests and fans attending the wedding were all shocked into screams. The dedicated media reporters reacted immediately and swarmed forward to take pictures.

Only the Shen family surrounding Shen Yu realized something, and their expressions changed. Mother Shen, who had always lived a pampered life and always comported herself elegantly, pushed a group of reporters away and staggered into the crowd.

After a while, a shrill cry echoed out from the frequent shutter sounds and flashing lights: “Xiao Mu——”

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e ir on tr ee bl oo ms. c o m )

………..

[That Tao Mu is really disgusting. Even when dying, he would not let off on our little prince. He jumped off the hotel on the wedding day, and scared our prince into a coma. Why did the author write such a plot, it is like finding shit in the sugar!]

Who, who was talking?

[It’s a vicious cannon fodder after all! Their main role is to promote the development of the plot. If it weren’t for such a character, this book would be a brainless fluff story, without even a plot conflict at all. But now that he’s dead all troubles are solved, but this book is almost over. Really feeling a bit reluctant.]

Vicious cannon fodder……promoting the development of the plot……was this talking about me?

[Actually, thinking about it carefully, Tao Mu’s personality is also pretty good. Even if he hates the prince, he still used direct confrontations. Moreover, it is just right every time, which not only makes the plot better, but also further the feelings between the gong and shou. He was practically a godly helper. To be honest, I am a little bit reluctant to see this cannon fodder go offline]

What……is this……

………..

On July 7, 2008, H Studio City.

There was no wind in such a hot weather. But as it happened costume dramas have become popular in the past two years. Heavy costumes were worn on the body, and the fake hair and accessories covered the head air tight. The result was that sweat dripped down the face, and dried on the clothes by the hot sun, leaving light white sweat stains behind. And the smell was, whew.

“Hey, have you heard? That extra acting as Shen Yu’s body double beat up director Liu yesterday.”

In a public restroom in H Studio City, a male extra taking a pee glanced at the empty stalls and couldn’t restrain gossiping.

“Ah? It can’t be.” Another extra pretended to be surprised and said with exaggeration: “Director Liu is the casting director of this drama. I heard that he is a relative of director Chen. He is just a body double yet he dares to offend the deputy director. Does he even want to stay on in the crew?”

As he spoke, he shook his head with a pretense of regret: “Ai! Newcomers, so young and energetic, it’s just, they’re too impulsive.”

“Aren’t you underestimating people?” The previous gossiping extra A snorted: “I tell you, this newcomer is not ordinary. I heard that after he beat him up so badly, he also took a naked photo of director Liu. And threatened director Liu if he dared to make any more trouble, he would post the photo on the Internet. It scared director Liu so much that he knelt on the ground and kowtowed to him. You didn’t see it but this morning, director Liu specially arranged for him a resting lounge. Even though it’s a common room, it’s much better than us extras suffering the heat out there. The newcomers now have quite the skills!”

“It can’t be?” Extra B was skeptical: “Isn’t that kid just graduated from high school? He is only eighteen years old and is the same age as the lead actor in this drama. Can he have so many scheming tricks?”

“Bet you don’t know this, do you?” The extra who first shared the gossip with his colleagues sneered, and subconsciously he lowered the volume, and said mysteriously: “I heard that the kid is an orphan. He has been working outside since he was a child, working in all kinds of places. I heard that he had also been to high-end clubs and nightclubs. Think about it, with that face, and having come from that kind of place……”

The extra B nodded tacitly. Thinking of Tao Mu’s practically aggressively handsome facial features, whether it was out of jealousy or something else, he also gossiped with some unpleasantness: “According to you, since this kid had worked in nightclubs and high end clubs he may not be so innocent. In that case, why didn’t he agree to director Liu’s proposition?”

The extra A tsked, and with being a head taller than extra B, it allowed him to look down on extra B: “Now that is stupid, yeah? I’m just saying, just relying on that kid’s face, what kind of bankroller can’t he find? Why would he stoop so low as to settle for trash like Liu Fatty? Besides, the way I see it, that kid should be straight, and may not be willing to walk this narrow path. If he was willing to sell himself, then he should be looking for a rich woman. If he managed to coax them well in bed, chances are they could even catapult him to the leading role——”

Bang!

There was a loud noise that suddenly came from behind them, and the door of the innermost stall of the bathroom was kicked open, hitting the tiled wall and bouncing back. The two extras who were gossiping jumped and peed directly on their costumes.

“Who?! You fucking trying to scare me to death——” Before he could finish speaking, the both of them saw the figure walking out from the toilet stall, and their eyes widened in embarrassment, blurting out: “Why are you here?”

“Hurrying back for the Seventh Day!” (TN: In Chinese funerary traditions, ceremonies, rituals, and mourning last up to 100 days. On the 7th day after the funeral, the family believes the soul of the deceased will visit). Tao Mu chuckled lightly, his voice lazy and a little cynical. Dark eyes swept over the two of them carelessly, and a playful smile appeared on his handsome face: “……Otherwise why else do you all behave like you’ve seen a ghost.”

The eighteen-year-old boy was originally supposed to be refreshing and full of sunshine like a bottle of soda cooling under the sun. However, a hostility that did not suit his age lingered around Tao Mu. So much so that he just stood there with a smile, and the two self-proclaimed jaded and experienced extras became too timid to say anything——as if the one standing in front of them was not a person, but a wild leopard that could leap up and attack people at any time.

Beautiful, powerful, and full of aggression.

“You, don’t do anything reckless!” Thinking of Tao Mu’s method of dealing with Liu Fatty, the two extras suddenly felt nervous. Plucking up their courage they said, “Let me tell you, the crew hates troublemakers the most……”

Before they could finish speaking, Tao Mu passed them and walked straight to the sink, where he began to wash his hands. Then, without looking at them, he turned around and went out.

The two extras looked at each other, and felt immense relief, as if feeling like coming back to life.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

The previous extra who kept up the gossip, spat on the ground and cursed: “What’s there to be so cocky about, pretending to be all that when he’s just an extra no different from us.”

“That’s right, what kind of manners! Both are 18 years old but this little bastard is far lacking when compared with the young master of the Shen family.”

The other extra also echoed with anger: “Deserves him right to be Shen Yu’s body double for the rest of his life!”

If you would like to show some ♡  then please consider supporting this translator! ლ(⌒εー)ლ