Chapter 106: Film Emperor (26)

Before the police and the agent arrived, Tong Jianxu stood in the lounge, showing no intention of leaving. Even the assistant director had been asked to wait outside.

He had just finished a major scene and looked disheveled. The sheer costume clung to his body, ribbons and strands of hair stuck to his shoulders and arms, and traces of fake blood still stained him.

He had lost his usual smile. Standing motionless, he stared at the bathroom door, a dangerous darkness brewing in his heavy gaze.

Suddenly, a small, warm, and soft hand slipped into his hanging palm.

Tong Jianxu looked down. His daughter was looking up at him, clutching his finger.

“Daddy,” she called.

Soaked by the heavy rain, Tong Jianxu’s hand was cold and damp. That tiny hand clinging to him felt like a fluffy, lively bird had nestled into his palm.

He instinctively tightened his grip on her small hand, and his gloomy eyes finally stirred.

He gently patted the child’s head and softly asked, “Are you okay, Qian? Were you scared?”

“No,” Qian shook her head, then puffed up her little chest, “I’m super brave!”

Tong Jianxu’s lips curled slightly at that, and only then did his expression begin to ease. He carried her over to a nearby chair and sat her down carefully.

Director Wang Chenqi came over during this time. First, he refused Tong Jianxu’s request to call the police. When the officers arrived, he brazenly blocked them from investigating the crew and even lashed out at Tong Jianxu.

In his view, anything that happened in his crew should be handled according to his decisions as the director.

Calling the police without permission, stirring up drama, delaying filming—it could easily attract the media. Scandals like this should be tightly covered up.

“It’s just a camera installed in the lounge. You’re not even an actress, so what’s the big deal? You had to call the police over something so small? Now they’re going to investigate everything and ask questions. Do you know how much time that’s going to waste? How much progress this crew is going to lose? Do you still want to shoot this film or not? Let me tell you, this isn’t the kind of place where you can throw your weight around like a diva!”

Tong Jianxu didn’t flinch at the director’s furious scolding. In fact, he used his first-ever “diva move” precisely on him.

Wrapped in a coat, he sat by the lounge door and coolly replied, “Director Wang, unless this is thoroughly investigated, I’m not filming another scene. We can sit on it as long as you like.”

Wang Chenqi barked back, “You think you can just quit like that? Don’t forget the contract you signed!”

Tong Jianxu responded with a fake, perfunctory smile. “We can talk contracts once my agent gets here.”

Just then, Feng Yu arrived.

Her footsteps were quick and sharp, her face grim, eyes blazing with fury. She faced Director Wang Chenqi without backing down. Before even walking all the way over, she called out loudly, “Director Wang, if there’s a problem, talk to me. I’m fully in charge of my artist’s affairs.”

“This is a serious matter, and we won’t tolerate it!”

Not only did she show up—much to Tong Jianxu’s surprise, so did Zhang the Executive Assistant, and behind her were two burly, buzz-cut men in black.

They were the same two men who had been called in during New Year’s to handle his drunken father.

With these two intimidating bodyguards in tow, Zhang’s presence made everyone back away instinctively.

Zhang first checked on Qian. Seeing the child quietly playing with assistant A-Yan, unaffected by the tense atmosphere, she then walked over to Tong Jianxu and spoke softly, maintaining a respectful distance.

“I got Yu-jie’s message and already informed the boss. Since I figured things might get chaotic here, I made a judgment call and brought the two brothers in to keep order. If you think it’s unnecessary, I’ll take them away later.”

Tong Jianxu was equally polite, his tone tinged with appreciation. “Thank you. That was very thoughtful. If possible, I’d prefer they stay with the crew a while longer to prevent anything like this from happening again.”

“No problem. Li Kui and Lin Chong are both very professional. Tight-lipped, used to guarding foreign dignitaries. Great skills. They can sweep for safety hazards wherever they stay. They’re trained in firearms and bomb disposal, and they can drive cars—and planes.”

Tong Jianxu: “…Li Kui? Lin Chong?”

Zhang: “Codenames. People in their line of work rarely use real names. Also, Li Kui’s great at housekeeping and has a nutritionist certificate. Lin Chong is good with kids.”

Tong Jianxu: “…” The bodyguard industry has really leveled up.

Maybe it was because of Feng Yu, or maybe those two fierce-looking bodyguards, but even Director Wang’s voice had quieted down.

The police came in and out of the lounge, removing the cameras. Many people on set had been stirred, whispering among themselves nearby.

Duanhui, blending into the crowd, was pale and breathing heavily. His first instinct was to flee, but he worried leaving now would draw more attention. Besides, everyone was saying that Film Emperor Tong’s agent had brought people to block any departures—the police might still want to question everyone.

Duanhui kept trying to reassure himself that it would be fine. The camera pointed toward Tong’s lounge hadn’t even been turned on. No one saw him. He wore gloves and was careful not to leave traces. There was no way it would lead back to him.

But that sense of false hope shattered quickly.

He saw Film Emperor Tong holding the child while speaking to the police, and soon after, someone mentioned that the child had been hiding in the lounge and saw the culprit’s face.

Duanhui: “!!!”

What? That kid was inside earlier? How did he miss her?

A wave of cold fear struck him. His scalp went numb, sweat poured like rain, and his mind went blank. He tried to quietly slip away from the crowd, looking for another exit from the set.

But the two bodyguards keeping watch had sharp eyes. Silently surveying the crew, they spotted someone sneaking away. Exchanging a glance, Lin Chong took off after him immediately.

Back on Tong Jianxu’s side, he was still holding Qian and speaking to the police. They were discussing whether the child could recognize the person who planted the camera.

Just then, a commotion broke out outside. Lin Chong returned, twisting someone’s arms behind his back and shoving him to the lounge entrance.

Despite Duanhui’s struggle and desperate denial, the child’s identification—along with the physical evidence gathered by police—quickly confirmed him as the suspect.

Covered in dirt from being pinned down by the bodyguard, Duanhui was dragged to the police car in disgrace.

He kept his head down, not daring to meet anyone’s eyes, but the whispers of disgust still slipped into his ears.

Whether the voices were familiar or not, they buzzed around him like static. His legs went weak, steps unstable as if he were walking on cotton, ears ringing.

It was over.

“No way… I can’t believe it. Teacher Duan? He always seemed so mild-tempered, easy to talk to. Just goes to show—you really can’t tell what someone’s like inside.”

“Don’t call him Teacher Duan, gross. Just thinking about how he used to talk to us all nice while secretly doing stuff like this—makes my skin crawl.”

“Holy crap, are you saying he installed a pinhole camera in Film Emperor Tong’s dressing room? What if he planted them in other places too? Like our changing rooms and lounges!”

All of a sudden, curses and exclamations of lingering fear rang out everywhere.

Because of poor management, the entire production was forced to halt for three days. After something like this happened, not just Tong Jianxu, but many of the other actors also began to suspect there might be similar hidden incidents in the crew. They demanded a thorough investigation.

Online, the news stirred up a storm.

Tong Jianxu took Qian home and rested properly for three days before returning to the set.

The production team had installed new surveillance cameras everywhere, replaced every dressing room lock, inspected all interior spaces, and enforced stricter regulations.

When Tong Jianxu returned, he brought not only three assistants but also two towering, burly bodyguards.

The two bodyguards paced through the set daily, their sharp gazes seemingly able to see through people’s hearts. From that point on, not even a single item went missing on set.

His agent also came by every couple of days to keep an eye on things.

Feng Yu was mostly concerned that Director Wang Chenqi would make things difficult for Tong Jianxu on purpose because of the incident.

Director Wang indeed held a grudge against Tong Jianxu, but he didn’t dare stir up trouble. After all, if delays really happened, the one most affected would be him.

He continued filming with thinly veiled anger, slamming things and barking orders daily.

The happiest person on set now was probably Qian. She had two new playmates. Brother Lin Chong was indeed great with kids. Whenever he patrolled the set, he’d perch her on his shoulders, instantly boosting her height by two meters and giving her a full panoramic view.

Not only that, Lin Chong and Li Kui would also play “airplane” with her, lifting her high up and sprinting around.

Everyone on set regularly heard the child’s joyful laughter echoing through the air.

Tong Jianxu had seen the two bodyguards playing with his daughter too. When he looked at their arms, he thought, Their codenames really are well-earned. And then he glanced down at his own arms, which were starting to ache just thinking about it.

What if, in the future, Qian wanted him to play with her the same way? Film Emperor Tong felt a little worried.

He wasn’t the physically strong type. Carrying her, giving her piggyback rides—fine. Tossing her in the air a few times—he could manage. But lifting her over his head and sprinting around like that? He definitely couldn’t.

Before, with things so chaotic on set and Director Wang’s character being questionable, Tong Jianxu hadn’t dared to let Ah Yan take Qian out to play too often. But now that they had the two bodyguards, he felt a lot more at ease and often saw them lifting Qian to watch filming from the sidelines.

Whenever Tong Jianxu turned his head, he could see the excited little girl bouncing on the bodyguard’s shoulders.

As soon as their eyes met, she would wave whatever she was holding in her hand as hard as she could.

There were several times when Film Emperor Tong was mid-scene and nearly broke character laughing. It was a serious test of his acting chops.

Feng Yu once again arrived on set in a rush, bringing gifts.

“They said the maximum sentence for Duan Hui is three years.”

She’d been handling everything on that end and had even hired the best lawyers, but the result still left her deeply unsatisfied.

Tong Jianxu, on the other hand, was calm: “Three years then. Once he’s out, he can always go back in. Just get someone to keep an eye on him for now.”

Even after all this time, Feng Yu still felt a wave of disgust and lingering fear whenever she thought about it.

Tong Jianxu wasn’t like everyone else. Those cameras had been pointed at the showers, the restrooms—if he had undressed inside, the secret he had worked so hard to hide all these years would’ve been exposed.

This world never lacks for the curious and the cruel. If news of his abnormal body ever got out, the rumors alone could be enough to destroy him. It would have been a devastating blow to his career.

Just imagining what Tong Jianxu might have had to endure if it had been exposed—the mental pressure alone—made Feng Yu want to find someone to make that damned Duan Hui disappear permanently.

“We can’t come to this kind of messed-up production again. But I have to say, the two bodyguards Xiao Zhang brought in this time? They’re solid. Next time we join a crew, we should bring them along too… And our Qianbao, thank god for our little treasure. If she hadn’t noticed, we would’ve been doomed.”

When she mentioned Qian, a smile spread across Tong Jianxu’s face. “Yeah, Qian is my lucky girl.”

Having just run in from outside, drenched in sweat after roughhousing with the bodyguards, Qian was instantly scooped up into her father’s arms and kissed square on the cheek.

“Sweetheart, did you come to repay Daddy’s kindness?”

Looking at her face like a little smudged-up kitten, Tong Jianxu laughed. “The cat’s gratitude, huh?”

He smelled fresh and clean and fragrant, and his little orange tabby of a daughter happily wiped her sweaty head all over him.