Chapter 105 – Film Emperor (25)

Even on days when he didn’t have any scenes, Duan Hui would still linger around the Illusory Pagoda of No Regret set. He was a small-time actor who had played supporting male roles for years, never really rising to fame—just a steady presence in various crews. People would politely call him “Teacher Duan.”

He’d occasionally help the staff with odd jobs, usually sitting near the private rest areas of the main cast, chatting with other minor actors who were also waiting around.

From where he sat, he had a direct view of Tong Jianxu’s dressing room door. Every now and then, he’d steal a glance in that direction, feigning casual disinterest.

He had gone through great trouble to get his hands on the key to the Film Emperor Tong’s dressing room, but he hadn’t found the right opportunity to use it.

Tong Jianxu had just finished filming a scene and was walking toward his room with an assistant in tow.

He was still in costume, makeup perfectly applied. A red lotus was painted on his forehead, and his long hair was gathered with a lotus-shaped hairpiece. His costume straddled the line between robe and gown, lavishly colored in red, green, and blue, reminiscent of the Dunhuang aesthetic. Gold accessories adorned his arms, neck, and ankles. Even walking casually, he was impossible to ignore.

“Film Emperor Tong is truly otherworldly. That face—it’s like he’s not even from the same planet as the rest of us, right?” a young actor nearby sighed.

Snapped out of his trance, Duan Hui quickly retracted his gaze and replied with a deliberately sincere tone, “Ah, yeah. Film Emperor Tong looks amazing in this look. A lot of the girls in the crew are big fans.”

When they first revealed the costume, several female staff couldn’t suppress their squeals and rushed to snap photos of him.

Duan Hui was no exception. He’d been dreaming about that face—gentle yet distant—and the fire in his gut just wouldn’t go out.

“He’s got a lot of female fans, huh? Doesn’t he already have a wife and daughter? Doesn’t seem like his popularity has taken a hit.”

“If I looked like him, I wouldn’t even bother with marriage. Who couldn’t I get in bed with? Hey, have you guys heard the rumors about him sleeping with fans?”

“That’s gotta be fake. You actually believe marketing accounts?”

“And what, you know it’s fake? Got cameras installed at his place or something?”

The moment Duan Hui heard “cameras,” guilt surged in his chest. He stood up, pretending to get some water.

He grabbed a bottle and relocated to another spot that still had a view of Tong Jianxu’s door but was quieter and less populated.

Here, with no one watching him, Duan Hui could stare more brazenly.

Soon, he saw Tong Jianxu come out again—this time carrying a child in his arms.

It was his daughter. Duan Hui had seen him bring her out many times during breaks. Sometimes, he just took her for a walk.

Anyone who had been around Tong Jianxu knew he had a good temperament. He treated staff and supporting actors with respect and politeness. But Duan Hui always felt that this gentleness was a mask. He was hard to approach, even his smiles carrying a subtle chill.

It was only when he played with his daughter that one could see his true gentleness.

Like now. He held her in his arms as she reached up to tug on his earring. Even when it hurt, he just frowned faintly, then leaned in and bumped foreheads with her, softly and affectionately.

He set her down, and she toddled along at his feet.

When his sash fluttered as he walked, she reached out to grab it. Tong Jianxu deliberately spun around to make the fabric billow, letting it slip just out of her reach.

The child chased the sash again and again, and Tong Jianxu kept smiling, teasing her with endless patience.

When she seemed close to frustration, he stopped and let her catch up, then repeated the game all over again.

Suddenly, the little girl tripped and fell face-down. As she opened her mouth to wail, Tong Jianxu hurriedly scooped her up, wiped her face, lifted and tossed her gently in the air, coaxing her with care.

He handed her the elusive sash she couldn’t catch earlier and whispered something to her. Her eyes lit up, and she threw her arms around his neck, planting a loud kiss on his cheek. That’s when a rare, genuine smile bloomed on Tong Jianxu’s face.

That smile didn’t match his usual aloof aura—it was disarming in the best way.

Behind Duan Hui, a few passing actresses whispered excitedly, trying to keep their voices down: “Ahhh, Film Emperor Tong’s smile is so swoon-worthy! And Qian is so cute! I don’t even know who I’m more jealous of!”

“Aaah, I want a kiss too!”

“Dream on! But seriously, I want one too, ugh!”

Duan Hui coughed, withdrawing his gaze again.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Tong Jianxu walk away with the child in his arms. Duan Hui instantly turned to look at the dressing room. The assistant named Tian Miao had gone with them, but another assistant stayed behind. That one almost never left the room.

Duan Hui was anxious. He waited for a long while, still couldn’t find a good chance. Soon, Tong Jianxu was back with his daughter. They were both holding fruit skewers from a nearby snack stand, beaming happily.

Duan Hui kept watching, day after day. On this particular day, the whole crew was busy shooting a major scene. Almost all the staff had headed over, and even most of the actors had gathered to watch.

Duan Hui was about to go change costumes when he saw Tian Miao walking quickly through the area, looking around anxiously as though searching for something.

His heart stirred. Quietly, he grabbed his tools and headed for the dressing room.

As he neared Tong Jianxu’s door, he heard the other assistant—A Yan—calling from inside, “Qian? Where are you? Come on out, we can’t find you, you win!”

“Qian, come out, we’ll take you to get some yummy treats.”

It seemed the child had gone missing.

Not long after, A Yan came out too. She looked serious, carefully locked the door behind her, and hurried off in the direction of the main set.

Perfect timing! Duan Hui didn’t hesitate. He quickly unlocked the door and slipped inside, scanning the room before heading straight for the shower in the bathroom.

This wasn’t his first time doing something like this. Even though he was nervous, his hands moved fast.

As he worked swiftly in the shower, underneath the couch in the lounge area, the sleeping Qian stirred awake.

She’d vaguely heard someone calling her earlier. Drowsily, she crawled out from under the couch.

Her dress was dusty, so she patted it off. Seeing no one in the room, she tilted her head in confusion.

Then, she heard a sound coming from the bathroom. Ah, so they were looking for her in there.

Giggling, she covered her mouth, looked around, and ducked behind the curtain.

She’d been bored on set lately, so she sometimes played hide-and-seek with her dad and the assistants. She’d hidden in almost every nook and cranny. Today was her first time crawling under the couch. As long as she curled up tightly in the corner, no one could see her.

She’d managed to stay hidden for so long, she even fell asleep.

Duan Hui finished installing the camera as quickly as he could, grabbed his tools, and hurried out. In his rush, he didn’t notice the slight movement behind the curtain—a small head poking out.

Qian clutched the curtain, puzzled. Who was that man sneaking out with a bag?

Click. Outside, Duan Hui locked the door again.

Qian stepped out from behind the curtain, ran to the bathroom for a look, but found no one there. She then dashed to the door and tugged at it—locked tight.

Duan Hui had already run far away. He packed up his bag, quickly changed clothes, and hurried back to the filming location. A major scene had yet to be completed—an intense fight sequence, with a large green screen set up behind the actors. The fantasy background and special effects would be added in post-production.

At the front, the male lead Shi Jing and the second male lead Tong Jianxu were locked in a magical duel. Tong Jianxu was suspended mid-air by wires, and soon began to act out a losing battle, retreating rapidly before falling.

Nearby, a rain machine was being prepared. At the director’s command, a small patch of rain began to fall, drenching both actors and adding to the chaotic scene.

Duan Hui noticed his assistant Tian Miao urgently speaking to an assistant director. Without changing his expression, he shifted his gaze away.

His scene was coming up next.

However, once this scene wrapped, the next one didn’t start as scheduled. Usually calm and collected, Film Emperor Tong came down from the wires and overheard Tian Miao yelling to the director that the child was missing. He immediately announced that filming would stop until the child was found.

The next scene was supposed to follow directly, and Director Wang Chenqi, feeling the momentum was just right, blew up with rage when Tong tried to walk off set. He started cursing loudly.

Tong Jianxu ignored him, completely soaked, and rushed toward the lounge with Tian Miao.

Before they even reached the lounge, they saw A Yan running back from outside in the distance.

“I checked the nearby shops. Qian wasn’t there, and the shop owners said they hadn’t seen her either.” A Yan looked deeply worried and guilty.

Today, the boss had a major scene to shoot. Whenever he had big scenes, he’d get too exhausted to eat. So A Yan had gone to a nearby hotel to pick up the meals, leaving Tian Miao to stay with Qian in the lounge.

But when she came back, Tian Miao was in a panic, saying the child had gone missing. She’d said they were playing hide-and-seek. She went to the bathroom and counted to a hundred, but when she came out, Qian was nowhere to be found.

All three of them looked grim. Just as they reached the lounge door, they suddenly heard someone knocking from inside.

Knock knock knock.

“Daddy?”

Tong Jianxu’s expression instantly softened, both relieved and exasperated. “Qian?”

“Open the door quickly! She’s still inside the lounge.”

It had been a false alarm. Everyone let out a sigh of relief. A Yan hurriedly opened the door, and Tong Jianxu saw Qian, covered in dust, looking at them with wide eyes from behind the door. He scooped her up into his arms.

“When A Yan and the others were calling for you, why didn’t you respond? We thought you’d gotten lost. You scared Daddy half to death!”

Realizing he was still soaking wet, water dripping from his hair, Tong Jianxu gently let go of the child in his arms and took her small hand.

“You can’t do that again. If we’re playing hide-and-seek and someone calls your name, you have to answer.”

A few people from the crew who’d heard the child was missing had followed over. Seeing that she was safe and sound, most expressed relief, though a few looked disappointed at missing out on some juicy drama. They were soon shooed away by the assistant director who had hurried over.

The assistant director waited for Tong Jianxu to speak, then cautiously urged him, “Mr. Tong, since Qian’s alright, maybe we should get back to filming the next scene? The director’s still waiting. You know his temper—he’ll start yelling again any minute now.”

Even as he said that, the assistant director gave a bitter smile.

“Alright, I’ll be there right away.” Tong Jianxu had always been professional about his work. This time he’d only paused filming out of worry for his child. Now that Qian was fine, he didn’t intend to hold things up.

Once filming was done, he’d have a serious talk with her.

“Daddy’s going to film now. I’ll be back soon…” he said, crouching in front of the child.

Qian tugged on his finger and leaned in close to whisper in his ear, “Daddy, there was someone in the room just now.”

Tong Jianxu froze. “What?”

Qian whispered mysteriously, “I was hiding behind the curtain. Someone came out of the bathroom and ran away.”

Tong Jianxu’s mind was instantly flooded with alarming possibilities. He barely kept his expression neutral as he gently patted Qian’s head and asked, “You saw someone in our room? Did that person see you?”

Qian shook her head.

Tong Jianxu looked over at A Yan, who had also heard what Qian said.

A Yan had worked with Tong Jianxu for many years and had seen her share of rabid fans. There had been incidents in the past: people hiding in his lounge, sneaking into his hotel room, installing bugs, chasing his car, even following him home. Hearing what Qian said, she immediately knew something was wrong.

She also knew about Tong Jianxu’s unusual body constitution and other peculiarities, which made her especially strict about privacy and security. She had checked the lounge thoroughly when they first arrived.

“I’ll go check the bathroom.”

A short while later, A Yan came out of the bathroom, her expression grim. She nodded at Tong Jianxu. “There’s something there. A camera. Probably more than one. We’ll need to do a full sweep.”

Outside the lounge, the assistant director had waited a bit but hadn’t seen anyone come out, so he came by again to rush them.

“Mr. Tong, are you ready yet?”

Tong Jianxu’s face turned pale and expressionless. He glanced at the assistant director, then said to A Yan, “Call the police. And get Feng Yu here.”