Surprise wasn't sufficient to express the feelings of the An Li crew.
From Director Xu and Xiao Biqing to the make up assistants and logistics staff. When they saw the tall and handsome man next to Ming Yu, everyone's chins dropped as their mouths opened in horror.
Perhaps only Fang Liangxiu and a certain informant weren't surprised when they saw Xi Ze. After all, they knew that Xi Ze had been secretly watching all of Ming Yu's movements and interpreted this as:
The body is working (Ji and Ya) while the heart was elsewhere (An Li).
Of course, Xi Ze wasn't exaggerating. He really clung to Ming Xiaoyu and didn't give him freedom. Most of the time, he only talked to Ming Yu. Once the latter was shooting, he communicated with Fang Liangxiu and sometimes left the crew to deal with his own business.
Director Xu and some cast members kenw that Xi Ze once went to explore Ming Yu's work site for three days.
This incident had sparked a heated debate among people in the industry a year ago. However, Xi Ze didn't make any other moves and they thought that Xi Ze might've just done it on a whim, feeling that this small model had good talent.
Why did Xi Ze stop looking at Ming Yu? They thought, 'Talented new people emerge every year but how many become successful and climb to the top? Perhaps Xi Ze observed and found that Ming Yu wasn't the right person and gave up. There are many reasons.'
However, they didn't know that Xi Ze hadn't given up on Ming Xiaoyu. It was that Ming Xiaoyu firmly refused him!
Some people were very curious about the relationship between Ming Yu and Xi Ze, such as the second female Wang Yueyao.
Once she saw that Xi Ze gave Ming Yu a bottle of water after a scene, her curiosity and instinct for gossip rose to the peak. In the end, Wang Yueyao could only look at Ming Xiaoyu and Xi Ze with a gaze of 'I don't exist and I'm not looking at you.'
Ming Yu was accustomed to the attention of others but Wang Yueyao's eyes were really too sharp. After a filming section, Ming Yu helplessly sighed and said with a smile, "Sister Yao, if you have something to say then say it directly."
Wang Yueyao unexpectedly didn't say anything. She just waved her hand and replied, "It is nothing. I was just thinking that you have a good relationship with Mr. Xi. I once met Mr. Xi at a party. At the time, I thought he was very good but didn't seem to get along with anyone. But in the past few days, I think that Mr. Xi is quite good."
It really was the case! At the beginning, the majority of the An Li crew members were awkward when interacting with Xi Ze.
Xi Ze was different from Fang Liangxiu and Xiao Biqing. Setting aside his identity as a supermodel, Xi Ze was also a majority shareholder in Muse and Ji and Ya, as well as having a good relationship with the president of CX Entertainment. This feeling was similar to going on an outing with coworkers only for the leader to suddenly come for an inspection, or chatting with some friends only for your mother to come over and listen...
Anyway, it was really uncomfortable.
Moreover, many people felt that a person like Xi Ze was very difficult to get along with. This wasn't because they understood Xi Ze. It was because Xi Ze's aura was too strong and his temperament very cold. He gave off an impression of an 'unapproachable person.'
This feeling was normal, just as many cast members thought that Ming Xiaoyu was easy to get along with when they saw him. Most models and celebrities had outstanding looks, but the former had a type of calm temperament that was often more prominent.
Many cast members couldn't help liking Ming Xiaoyu after getting to know him.
In Zhao Rui's words, "Your sister skills are becoming more advanced every day! （╬▔皿▔）"
Therefore, the first impression wasn't necessarily accurate. After getting to know each other, the cast of An Li found that while Xi Ze might not be a person easy to communicate with, he was definitely qualified to be a gentleman. He was always polite and courteous, regardless of whether the person was the director, screenwriter or cleaner. His attitude was appropriate and he never made anyone feel inferior. He also took the person seriously.
Once Wang Yueyao learned of the true relationship between Ming Yu and Xi Ze in the future, she would be so astonished that her eyeballs bugged out. Did Wang Yueyao think that Ming Yu and Xi Ze were lovers and she didn't dare ask Ming Yu?
Wrong!
Wang Yueyao never thought in this direction. She always believed that in the fashion or entertainment industry, normal homosexual people would show obvious closeness. The two of them were so close that they wore a sign 'we don't have a normal relationship' above their heads. How could they be a couple?
Xi Ze stayed with the An Li crew for three or four days. He would occasionally go out to deal with his own work. He usually only spent half days with the crew and took care of Ming Xiaoyu under the guise of being a friend.
During this period of time when Ming Yu wasn't present, most of the plot of An Li had been filmed.
Li Ninghan and An Yucheng experienced several disturbances and finally arrived at the Extreme Fire Palace. They only needed to go up the mountain to find the villainous Bai Xiu and discuss with him. However, An Yucheng suddenly disappeared at this time, making everyone very alarmed.
The crew deliberately chose a beautiful place in Y Province to film the scenes of the Extreme Fire Palace.
Clear and transparent lake water slowly flowed down the flat slope. There was the clear sound of water and blue waves. The bright sun shone through the thin clouds and reflected the light, like the sparkles of diamonds.
The mountains were beautiful and the trees were green.
This type of place didn't match the name of Extreme Fire Palace. However, the Extreme Fire Palace was precisely situated in such a beautiful place.
The closer they got to the Extreme Fire Palace, the colder Li Ninghan felt. At this time, An Yucheng unexpectedly disappeared. Everything was lost in mystery. It was as if a heavenly net was open in front of them, just waiting for them to enter.
Since the name of this movie was 'An Li', the protagonist couldn't just be the heroine.
An Yucheng was the best person in the martial arts world. How could he acquire such superb martial arts as an orphan? Why did he coincidentally meet the heroine when she descended the mountain and ended up helping her?
An Yucheng's master was called Bai Xiu.
The genius who shocked the martial arts world more than 20 years ago had only one disciple in his life.
In the end, the cold and covered with bruises Li Ninghan slowly climbed the 999 steps to the Extreme Fire Palace. There, she saw the lover that she had been looking for so desperately for over a month. She saw An Yucheng wearing a dark robe and sitting in the main hall, looking at her coldly.
An Yucheng asked her, "Who are you looking for?"
Li Ninghan spoke coldly. "I came to the Extreme Fire Palace to find its master, Bai Xiu."
An Yucheng asked again, "Are you looking for the master of the Extreme Fire Palace or Bai Xiu?"
Li Ninghan was shocked and finally murmured, "An Yucheng, you are the master of the Extreme Fire Palace."
The truth was finally exposed to the world.
Everyone knew that over 20 years ago, Bai Xiu suddenly created the Extreme Fire Palace. Some people suspected that it was he who killed his own master and fellow disciples. This type of nonsense naturally wasn't believed by everyone. However, Bai Xiu didn't refute it.
He didn't refute a single word and lived alone in the Fire Palace. Since the night of a full moon 20 years ago, no one in the martial arts world saw Bai Xiu or An Yucheng.
Li Ninghan suddenly remembered the people she had encountered on the way here. They never mentioned the name Bai Xiu but they talked about a senior who had taken care of them 20 years ago. The name of this senior wasn't mentioned but he liked wearing white clothing, just like An Yucheng.
What was the truth about what happened 20 years ago?
Li Ninghan was pressed step by step by An Yucheng to the edge of a cliff and hesitated.
In her mother's diary, it was written that Bai Xiu always liked wearing red clothes. His beauty was beyond any females but he was extremely vicious and had no compassion.
However, An Yucheng spoke differently. The best martial artist she ever met spoke about a young and chivalrous man who liked wearing white clothes. He might be slightly biased in his dealings with others but he had a very good heart and helped a lot of people.
Such a person, even though he didn't refute the rumour that 'Bai Xiu destroyed his school,' no one in the martial arts world believed he would do such a thing. Therefore, the Fire Palace could safely develop to its present state and became a big force.
An Yucheng sat in the high seat with a cold expression. "Do you know why my master hasn't stepped outside in 20 years?"
Li Ninghan gritted her teeth and cried out, "Let Bai Xiu out. Let him out so I can confront him!"
An Yucheng sneered. "Let Bai Xiu come out? You want to confront him? Dead, Bai Xiu is dead! My master passed away 20 years ago! How can I give him to you?"
Li Ninghan's body became cold and she could barely stand up.
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Li Ninghan had lived in the mountains with her parents for all of his life. She didn't know about things in the martial arts world. If her parents hadn't been killed, she wouldn't have gone down and would've spent the rest of her life in the mountains.
In her mother's diary, it was clearly recorded that 'Bai Xiu is vicious, mutilated others and threatened to slaughter his own brother and sister disciple.' Yet An Yucheng and the other people in the martial arts world said that Bai Xiu was a gentle and good person?
20 years ago, he was a killing god in the diary. Bai Xiu used his power to destroy his school and vowed to kill his brother and sister disciples.
But now Li Ninghan got another answer.
Due to his high talent and excellent appearance, Bai Xiu had always been loved by his master. He was being set up to be the next generation leader. Perhaps it was because he was too obsessed with martial arts. Bai Xiu had a pure nature and wasn't good at getting along with others. He had little contact with people other then his brother and sister disciples.
However, just because he was willing to believe in others didn't mean that others would treat him sincerely.
Jealousy was something that everyone felt. Some people controlled it well and made it their driving force. Others couldn't control it well and it made them hateful.
Bai Xiu lived an easy life for 16 years.
He was the next generation master of the best martial arts school, he had a face that others couldn't condemn and he enjoyed the respect of countless martial artists.
Once he turned 16, everything suddenly broke and there was no possibility of recovery.
Bai Xiu skinned people and made them into lanterns to play with?
At the lantern festival, his brother and sister sent him the lantern and let him fly it.
Bai Xiu killed more than 100 people?
It was because he got a secret letter from his brother and sister to meet them there.
Up until the day that the school was destroyed, Bai Xiu didn't understand how these 'coincidences' happened. He never doubted his brother and sister. These 'coincidences' made the master shut him up in isolation, saying he should reflect. In fact, the master was protecting Bai Xiu from the unknown people trying to frame him.
He hadn't been confined for long. On a certain night, Bai Xiu saw his young uncle come to him while bleeding. He was only 10 metres away from the door when a sharp sword pierced the uncle's stomach and the key in his hand fell towards the door.
Bai Xiu didn't know who the sword belonged to.
But at this moment, blood filled his eyes. He suddenly understood why none of his teachers or uncles were watching him tonight and why it was so silent!
Bai Xiu broke free from confinement and moved. He thought he would see wicked demons. What he never expected was to see his most trusted brother and sister pierced their master's chest with swords!
Since it was a story of jealousy, it was natural to have jealous people.
In this story, there were two jealous people.
For the past 16 years, how good was Bai Xiu and how jealous were these two people?
Bai Xiu could learn a technique in one hour that took them a month to learn. Why was Bai Xiu younger than them by 10 years but they were obscure in the martial arts world?
Jealousy was a terrible devil. Once a line was surpassed, it would turn into sin and evil.
That night, the two people dropped a colourless and odorless poison into the food of the entire school, leaving them with only 30% of their martial arts abilities. Once their strength was lost, the two people destroyed this school with their own hands.
Originally, they wanted to frame Bai Xiu so that everyone in this world would doubt him. They didn't think that their uncle would unexpectedly break through and go to the backyard.
After that, there was no need to talk anymore. Bai Xiu could've killed these two beasts who destroyed their school. But he hesitated for a moment and his sister disciple threw two gunpowder bombs that allowed them to escape.
One hit him in the face and exploded. The other fell onto an oil barrel that the two people prepared and caused a monstrous fire!
In Li Ninghan mother's diary, she liked to write: His clothes were as bright as the flames. The blazing fire and his beautiful face covered with blood made him as terrible as a devil.
This gunpowder bomb completely disfigured Bai Xiu. At the same time, his furious hart caused a backlash. He used all his strength to find a martial arts talent to pass on his skills and discovered a small orphan An Yucheng. Bai Xiu hoped that An Yucheng could take his place and find the wicked demons who escaped.
"Do you know what his last words were?"
Li Ninghan couldn't accept this truth. She could only shake her head.
An Yucheng sneered. "My master, until the very end he didn't understand why his most respected brother and sister would do such a thing. He passed on all his skills to me before he died. This caused his body to deteriorate and he became like an old man!"
"I have never met a martial artist as decisive as Master. When I saw him, the left side of his face was terribly scarred and it was sometimes too hard to speak. His wounds would be pulled and he would start bleeding."
"But! No matter how much your parents hurt him, Master was still the 16 year old boy reluctant to doubt you parents! He thought that the two of them must have a situation that would make them do such a dirty thing!"
"He was a fool. Master, he was a fool! He was only my master for half a year but he was a fool. He didn't know how jealousy could corrode a person's heart, leaving behind hollowed out flesh and blood. They would just be a walking dead living for hatred, eager to chew on the bones of others to survive!"
"Li Ninghan, I led you here to ask your parents one thing on behalf of my master."
"We clearly agreed to go to the West Lake to see the full moon. Why didn't you come?"
......
In fact, when Ming Xiaoyu first received this script, his first thought was that Bai Xiu was too holy.
Regardless of who they were, they had harmed him so badly and even slaughtered his master. Why would he think that they weren't wicked and were actually facing difficulties?
But after reading the script carefully a few more times, Ming Yu was silent for a moment before sighing. "He isn't holy. He is just deceiving himself."
A 16 year old who lived a proud and good life. This young man was spoiled when growing up and never saw the sinister side of the world. How could he withstand such a disaster?
Imagine that the brother and sister who had always been good to you when growing up actually always hated you. Once they hatred accumulated to a certain extreme, they began to sully your reputation and borrow another person's knife to kill you. How could you suspect that the brother and sister who accompanied you since childhood would actually do such things?
It was absolutely impossible.
Your brother and sister killed your father in front of you and seriously injured you, setting a fire to burn you to death. How could you understand why they were doing this?
You were rather believed they were threatened and helpless.
Therefore, there was this sentence. "On the full moon, why didn't you come?"
Until his death, Bai Xiu didn't understand why his brother and sister disciples would do such things. He hoped there was a black hand behind them, forcing them to do these things.
This type of person was sad and pitiful.
His brother and sister were also hateful and pitiful.
The age of 16 should be a proud and prosperous time. But due to his brother and sister, the young man who showed his glory to the world died six months later.
Then his apprentice searched for 20 years and finally found traces of the wicked people in the mountains.
This was the story of An Li.
Did An Yucheng love Li Ninghan?
Love, he loved her very much. Love was completely out of his control. Despite knowing she was the daughter of his master's enemies, he couldn't help being drawn to her stubbornness and determination. He couldn't help falling in love with her.
Did Li Ninghan love an Yucheng?
Love, she loved him very much. Even if he was the man who killed her parents and cruelly made her face the grudges of the previous generation, she loved this man without any regrets.
In the Extreme Fire Palace, the pair of lovers raised their swords and stabbed the other.
Love was love but hatred wasn't something that could be resolved with just 'love.'
That night, a raging fire occurred in the Extreme Fire Palace. At this moment, the grand palace was burned to the ground. In the ruins, the leader of the martial arts league, Yin Yi led his men and searched. After a long time, he found two charred bodies.
It was because of extreme love that they couldn't live in harmony, seeking death together.
...If it ended here, Ming Xiaoyu deeply believed that he would grab Director Xu's collar and question why he made such an ending.
Think about it. The previous generation's grudges belonged to the previous generation. It was clear that An Yucheng didn't kill Li Ninghan's parents. Yes, after receiving news of the couple, An Yucheng didn't have time to make a decision. The two people were killed without his permission...
The grudges of the previous generation were already over. The ghosts might not be settled but what did this have to do with An Yucheng and Li Ninghan? Why did these two people have to suffer from such pain and even die in a fire together?
Thus, at the end of the script, there was an ordinary couple living in a border town, selling bread for a living.
In this scene, the handsome man seemed to have very good features but was blind it one eye. He seemed to have been stabbed by a sword. His wife was even more frightening. The young woman's face was full of terrible scars, like an ugly flower unable to bloom.
He gave her a blow and she gave him a blow.
From then on, the grudges of the older generation disappeared and there was no hatred between them.
The martial arts disputes, the chaos of the world, they had nothing to do with the young couple selling bread. In addition, on the annual full moon night, the two of them would spend their year's income to travel to the West Lake and see the full moon. In all respects, these two were like the most common husband and wife. They didn't disregard each other's ugliness and poverty. They only lived for the other person.
An Li, An Li.
In the end, there was really only An Li.
The movie ended in this way and Ming Yu's final scene was his audition scene. However, it was different. This time, it was no longer the heroine's fantasy. It was a real scene.
Ming Yu put on the only white clothes he wore in the entire movie and his black hair was rolled up in a high bun.
Unlike the heroine's diary, Bai Xiu always loved white.
He was like a pure white paper. He had a 16 year old's innocence and kindness but was also stupid and naive.
Once he saw Ming Yu in the costume, Yu Yizong slowly lowered his script and stared silently at Ming Yu for a long time.
The young man looked elegant but the innocence in his eyes contrasted with his gorgeous appearance. Once he saw that his most beloved brother and sister had come, an indescribable surprise filled his eyes as he rose with surprise.
His eyes were like a sky full of beautiful stars as the youth's lips curved. He couldn't hide his joy as he cautiously asked, "Brother and Sister, have you really come to the West Lake to see the full moon?"
Once true, the words became a prophecy.