155: Completed in one go

From the bathroom to the bed, Shen Lian's consciousness was hazy. He couldn't even remember if he'd actually showered; regardless, his body felt damp the entire time.

He woke up suddenly in the middle of it. His hand habitually reached out to stroke Chu Yilan's slightly prickly buzz cut. Turning his head, he saw the moonlight outside was as bright as snow.

"Yilan..." Shen Lian rasped, "Tomorrow will be a sunny day too."

Chu Yilan was dissatisfied: "Focus."

Forced to squint instantly, Shen Lian could no longer speak.

Shen Lian had no shortage of romance in his bones. He indulged in fanciful thoughts in his mind for a long while, but in the end, his thousand words condensed into one sentence: "My man is so fierce!"

With things on his mind, Shen Lian couldn't sleep soundly at all. When he opened his eyes a few hours later, his brain was still foggy, but he was already propping himself up in bed.

Chu Yilan woke up with him: "What's wrong?"

"Going back to the set." Shen Lian closed his eyes, trying to gather his wits. "If you're tired, sleep a bit longer. I can't be late for filming."

A few seconds passed before Shen Lian heard Chu Yilan ask: "What time do you start?"

"Eight-thirty at the latest."

Chu Yilan: "I'll take you."

Shen Lian didn't refuse.

While brushing his teeth and washing his face, his head was still nodding off. Once in the car, Shen Lian leaned against Chu Yilan for a nap. The forty-minute drive was better than nothing; he seemed to absorb some energy from Chu Yilan, waking up just as the car stopped.

Chu Yilan raised a hand to gently rub his cheek. Amidst the heartache was a hidden, faint pride. This was his Shen Lian—living life freely and with a clear attitude.

The car was parked in a secluded spot. Shen Lian lingered with Chu Yilan for a bit before letting go when time was up. Just as he got out, he ran into Chen Yan, who had come to the back to sneak some milk tea.

Chen Yan looked at Shen Lian, somewhat surprised.

The next second, the black Bentley turned. The window rolled down halfway, and Chu Yilan took the chance to say something to Shen Lian. When he looked up again, he was staring coldly at Chen Yan.

That fear of being doused with cold water in the dead of winter surged in Chen Yan's heart again. She immediately took two steps back, lowering her head, not daring to look at Chu Yilan.

The car didn't stop and quickly drove away.

Chen Yan let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Shen Lian chuckled: "He doesn't eat people."

Chen Yan's first thought was that eating people would be better. Although she didn't know the man's status, he made one feel as if they were standing on the edge of an abyss.

"Sneaking milk tea?" Shen Lian asked.

Chen Yan nodded.

"Still drinking it?"

Chen Yan: "I've lost my appetite..."

"Then give it to me." Shen Lian took it, poked the straw in, and sauntered inside to find Director Zhao.

Chen Yan: "..." I was planning to frame you not long ago; have some wariness towards me.

Director Zhao wasn't worried about Shen Lian at all. He nodded upon seeing him and signaled for him to get his makeup done.

During those forty minutes on the stool, Shen Lian pressed his fist against his waist several times. The makeup artist couldn't help asking: "Is Teacher Shen feeling unwell?"

"No," Shen Lian smiled, "I just slept in the wrong position last night. It's not serious."

Last night's sleeping positions were indeed varied... Shen Lian forced himself to stay alert. Based on his experience, another nap would fix it.

Actually, last night Chu Yilan had considered that he was filming and didn't want to toss him around. He was about to lose control but held back for a few seconds. However, Teacher Shen was headstrong; there was no reason not to fire the arrow once it was on the string. After some provocation, it ended up like this.

When Shen Lian came out of the dressing room, Sun Binghe had arrived as well and was chatting with Jiang You.

This wasn't Hengtai, so there was no need to be on high alert. Sun Binghe appeared much more casual, dressed simply, yawning with slightly swollen eyelids.

Shen Lian asked Jiang You to brew two cups of tea and took the opportunity to tease Sun Binghe: "Assistant Sun, did you enjoy your drinks?"

"That was nothing." Sun Binghe dismissed it, leaning his head against the back of the chair listlessly. "What hits me hard is never the alcohol."

Shen Lian understood. Oh, right, those twenty points Young Master Feng wanted to die with him over.

Once he started moving and downed two cups of water, Shen Lian quickly regained his form.

Today, Shen Lian wasn't wearing dragon robes but silver armor. The costume was on the larger side. To achieve the best visual effect, Director Zhao had picked out the finest piece and had it tailored to Shen Lian's size in advance. Thus, once he put it on, he looked like a youthful general, full of high spirits.

"Shen Lian, you can ride a horse, right?" Director Zhao couldn't help but smile seeing Shen Lian's look; it overlapped perfectly with the image of Emperor Lin Xiao going to war in his mind.

Shen Lian took the reins from the staff, gave them a light tug as a greeting to his horse friend, then lifted a long leg, stepped into the stirrup, and flipped onto the horse's back with agility. Sunlight filtered in, brushing across the top of his helmet with a cold glint. Shen Lian's face darkened, and killing intent instantly radiated from him.

Director Zhao watched for two seconds, then shouted to the surrounding staff: "Quick, quick, quick! Everyone, get moving! Get moving!"

According to the plot, Emperor Lin Xiao followed the Left Premier's advice and personally went to Mobei to fight the Hunu. But privately, who didn't know the Left Premier held great power and his desires had grown beyond control? He was only one legitimate reason away from usurping the throne. If Emperor Lin Xiao didn't die, it would be hard for the Left Premier to establish himself.

A useless straw man, thrown into Mobei, would surely die. Once news of the Emperor's death arrived, the Left Premier's "Abdication Decree" would likely follow immediately.

It seemed the outcome was decided.

This was also the end the nobles and officials in the Imperial Capital had intended for Emperor Lin Xiao from the start.

On the battlefield where wind and sand swirled and the two armies faced off, no matter how the enemy general insulted and provoked him, Emperor Lin Xiao's expression remained unchanged.

His eyes were like the vast, endless desert here, but at the end, there was wild grass growing—that was the eruption of killing intent after enduring and biding his time. In this battle, if he didn't die, he would cut off Huerlisi's head and openly tell the world that the bloodline of the Zhou Clan had never been severed.

Then, seizing control of the 300,000-strong army of Mobei, what awaited the Left Premier was not the death of the Emperor, but a bloodbath in the court upon his return to the Imperial Capital.

Along with all the humiliations of these years.

So how could he lose? How could he dare to lose?!

Emperor Lin Xiao squeezed the horse's belly hard. With a low shout, the white horse galloped out like a white star streaking across the vastness. The gale whipped his cloak. The enemy general immediately met him. The two armies watched each other as the wind whistled in the air like a funeral dirge.

A broadsword sliced through the stagnant air. Emperor Lin Xiao leaned down to dodge the whistling blade. His longsword switched hands in an instant—faster than a blink. A cold light pierced from Emperor Lin Xiao's other side. Before the general's broadsword could swing back, his neck was slit, and blood sprayed out with a "pfft".

At this moment, even the wind seemed to stop.

The general's figure swayed. Just as he was about to fall from his horse, Emperor Lin Xiao spurred his horse forward. In the brief moment they passed, a head flew high and finally landed in the young Emperor's hand.

He turned the reins, his fair, distinct knuckles soaked through with blood.

The light of the Great Desert always carried a bloody hue. Emperor Lin Xiao looked at the Hunu, his voice no longer wavering or hesitant, but word for word, like a longsword driven deep into this land, sharp and imposing: "Who else is coming?"

Seamless.

Director Zhao jumped up: "Perfect!!!"