Chapter 426 – The Movie Emperor’s Beloved Neighbor – A Stark Contrast (09)
“But I can hammer it in even without a hammer~” the boy said aggrievedly. He had special abilities, so he wouldn’t get hurt. Even if he did, he could heal himself quickly and wouldn’t feel pain. A-Jian was just being overly cautious.
Heng Xingjian couldn’t hear what Bai Tang was thinking. To him, the boy’s words sounded far too unbelievable. Not wanting to upset him, he simply went along with it. “The human body is made of flesh and blood. Even if you can fight steel with your bare hands, it’s still dangerous. Don’t do that again.”
Bai Tang put his foot down and stood up. “You still don’t believe me. Fine, I’ll show you.”
As he spoke, the boy lifted his foot again, aiming at the ground stake to step on it once more. Just as before, Heng Xingjian grabbed him and repeated the same princess-carry spin from earlier.
[“HAHAHAHA I’m dying of laughter, what kind of god-tier duo is this…”]
[“Do you guys still remember Liu Lingfan by the campfire?”]
[“Please debut in the comedy scene already, hahaha…”]
[“If you don’t vote, and I don’t vote, when will “Picking Candy” ever make it big?”]
[“One vote from you, one vote from me—“Picking Candy” debuts tonight!”]
[“They’ve already debuted though…”]
Putting aside that little interruption, the livestream here was genuinely entertaining.
The considerate puppy-like boy, the super bright “third wheel” Liu Lingfan, the sweet-and-salty adorable Bai Tang, and Heng Xingjian with his IQ occasionally dropping offline—what a strange yet harmonious combination.
Bai Tang didn’t know how to explain things in a way that would make Heng Xingjian believe him. Since hearing was unreliable, he decided to let him see for himself.
He pulled the man over to a corner and pointed at the ground stake embedded deep in the earth. “See? I didn’t lie to you.”
Heng Xingjian fell silent. A few seconds later, he let out a helpless laugh and ruffled Bai Tang’s hair. “Tang Tang is amazing.”
“Right? Right? So let me go step in the rest of the stakes!” Bai Tang marched forward energetically—only to be scooped back by the man, slung over his shoulder, and carried to the campfire.
The upside-down little squirrel looked completely bewildered: Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do?
“A-Jian, put me down! What if a typhoon comes in the middle of the night?”
“Eat first. We’ll deal with it after.”
When it came to strength, when had Bai Tang ever been a match for Heng Xingjian? He could only sit obediently on a rock, waiting as Heng Xingjian picked up the roast chicken and started dividing it.
Thankfully, Heng Xingjian hadn’t gone so far as to see only Bai Tang and treat everyone else as invisible.
Bai Tang got the first drumstick, Liu Lingfan the second. The group was harmonious and friendly, without the noisy quarrels from the neighboring team, making it much more pleasant for the audience to watch.
After all, when people gather together, there will inevitably be some conflicts. Viewers prefer watching idols display high emotional intelligence and intelligence—resolving problems quickly and perfectly—rather than shirking responsibility or constantly arguing. Compared to that, Li Manpei from the other group kept harping on her own “mistake” over and over again, which was honestly quite irritating.
Heng Xingjian tore off a drumstick and handed it to Bai Tang. After watching him finish it, he tore off another piece of chicken.
Bai Tang scrunched up his delicate features. “No more, I’m full.”
Even a kitten had a better appetite than Bai Tang.
That was what everyone was thinking at that moment.
“Just one drumstick is enough?” Heng Xingjian looked at the boy as he waved his hands repeatedly in refusal, clearly unconvinced that he was actually full. Still, he didn’t want to force him. Fortunately, they had plenty of snacks in their bags—if Bai Tang got hungry in the middle of the night, at least there would be something to fill his stomach.
When the system caught chickens, it never missed. But since it was in a puppy form, it handled prey rather roughly. By the time the chickens were released after being caught, they were already on the verge of dying.
With no other choice, Bai Tang roasted them all. After the three of them and the two dogs had eaten their fill, there was still one whole chicken left. Not wanting to waste it, Bai Tang took it to exchange with the production team.
“Hello, do you have any extra blankets?” Bai Tang asked. Judging from the sky and the moisture in the air, he had a feeling it might rain in the middle of the night.
With a tent, rain wasn’t a big concern—but if the wind picked up, it would get cold.
The production team was well-prepared; they did have blankets.
“One chicken for one blanket.”
Even when trading with the production team, it had to be an equal exchange. Bai Tang carried the blanket over to the smaller tent.
“It might rain tonight. Sister Xiaofan is a girl—getting cold wouldn’t be good.” Bai Tang said seriously, his little face tense as if this were a very important matter.
The female lead treated him well, so naturally, he would treat her well too.
There were only two tents. The smaller one was for Liu Lingfan, while the bigger one was shared by Bai Tang and Heng Xingjian.
Heng Xingjian was very satisfied with this arrangement. After putting out the campfire, he pulled Bai Tang into the tent.
Originally, cameras were supposed to be set up even when the guests rested. However, the celebrities present were all too high-profile—the production team didn’t dare insist, and the guests themselves were unwilling to be filmed while sleeping. After all, who knew what kind of unflattering sleeping positions might be captured?
After saying goodnight to the production team and Liu Lingfan, Bai Tang pulled Heng Xingjian back into the tent and mysteriously told him to close his eyes.
Heng Xingjian did as told. A few seconds later, when he opened his eyes, a high-quality silk quilt had appeared beside him, along with two soft pillows. The boy stood there with a proud expression, clearly waiting for praise—as if he wanted to be told how amazing he was.
Heng Xingjian was inwardly shaken. He was certain that Bai Tang hadn’t gone out, and that quilt hadn’t been there before he closed his eyes.
So… where had it come from?
A fleeting thought flashed through Heng Xingjian’s mind—so fast that he couldn’t grasp it—yet it left behind a faint sense of inevitability.
“Tang Tang, don’t do things like that again in the future,” Heng Xingjian said. He didn’t ask further. Since it was Tang Tang’s secret, then it could remain a secret forever.
Bai Tang didn’t receive the praise he had been expecting, and a trace of disappointment appeared on his face. “I only told you…”
Hearing the boy’s soft mutter, a sense of satisfaction rose from the depths of Heng Xingjian’s heart. Tang Tang only shared his secret with him—so that meant he was the one Tang Tang trusted the most, right?
Just as Bai Tang had predicted, the wind picked up at three in the morning.
At first, Liu Lingfan didn’t think much of it and pushed the blanket aside. But after being woken up by the cold, she unzipped the tent and realized it was raining—and quite heavily, judging by the intensity.
Shivering, she returned to the tent, spread out the blanket, and went back to sleep. Her last thought before drifting off was, ‘Tang Tang is amazing—he really got it right.’
Heng Xingjian was the first to notice the rain. He informed the production team to be cautious about the weather. When he returned, he saw the boy curled up due to the lack of a “body pillow.”
His cool body slipped under the covers, instantly waking Bai Tang.
“Where did you go?” The boy’s soft, slightly hoarse voice carried the drowsiness of sleep and an unguarded intimacy.
“It’s raining. I went out to inform the production team.”
“Mmm~” Without even opening his eyes, Bai Tang instinctively rolled into the man’s arms with practiced familiarity.
“It’s a bit cold… hug me~” The boy nuzzled against his chest, wrapping his limbs tightly around him like a koala.
Heng Xingjian let out a silent chuckle. Even he didn’t realize that at this moment, his expression had softened like never before, affection brimming in his eyes.
He held Bai Tang as the boy acted spoiled, and Bai Tang let out a contented little purring sound.
Outside, the sound of rain gradually grew louder, while inside the tent, everyone rested peacefully.
Qiu’er and Xiao A slept near the entrance of the tent, where Bai Tang had made a small temporary nest for them using a jacket.
Hearing the noise outside, Qiu’er groggily lifted his head. The next moment, a fluffy paw pressed down, pulling him into an embrace. “Go to sleep.”
“Mhm.”
Qiu’er turned over, snuggling closer to Xiao A as he drifted back to sleep.
Where there is joy, there is also worry.
While Bai Tang’s side was well-prepared, things weren’t going as smoothly for Li Manpei’s group.
Because they had taken the wrong path, the ground where they set up camp wasn’t suitable for pitching a tent. The soil was too soft, and the stakes couldn’t hold the tent in place at all.— If you want, I can make it more romantic/intimate or closer to a literal translation depending on your style preference.
When it started raining, they worked through the night to set up the tents. With strong winds and heavy rain, it took great effort to finally get them up. However, disagreements arose when it came to assigning the tents.
Gu Xinrong believed that since Li Manpei was a girl, she should be the first to enter the tent and take shelter from the rain.
As the only female in the group, the others all agreed.
Yi Haoguang wasn’t in great health to begin with. While standing in the rain, he sneezed several times. Ke Liangong told him to go into the tent as well to get out of the rain, while the three of them could finish setting up the remaining tents.
Unexpectedly, Li Manpei’s clothes became see-through when wet. The moment Yi Haoguang stepped inside, she crossed her arms over her chest and screamed.
Before anyone could figure out what was happening, Gu Xinrong rushed into the tent, grabbed Yi Haoguang, and threw a punch.
Yi Haoguang was knocked to the ground. The already soft soil had turned muddy from the rain.
His white T-shirt was completely ruined. When he lightly touched his face, a sharp pain shot through him, and anger surged up. You could hit him anywhere—but not his face. At this stage, his looks were his livelihood.
He spat out a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva. “D*mn it, you hit my face.”
Argue all you want—but touching his face was crossing the line.
Gu Xinrong was still asking Li Manpei what had happened when Yi Haoguang suddenly lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Gu Xinrong’s waist and slamming him hard into a tree.
“And you think you can take me on, you weak pretty boy?”
Gu Xinrong had formal martial arts training—most people were no match for him.
It didn’t take long for Yi Haoguang to fall into a disadvantage, reduced to taking blows.
Earlier, the two had been fighting too fiercely for anyone to intervene. Now that it had turned into a one-sided beating, it was much easier to step in and break it up.
Yi Haoguang was pinned to the ground by Gu Xinrong. The mud blurred his vision, and he could vaguely see a fist about to come down on his face.
This is the end for me.
He closed his eyes, waiting for his “disfigurement.”
“That’s enough! Are you trying to kill him?!”
It was Ke Liangong’s voice. Usually gentle and refined, his tone now carried unmistakable anger. “Attacking someone without even figuring out what happened—well done.”
Well-mannered as he was, Ke Liangong couldn’t bring himself to use crude language. He pulled the exhausted Yi Haoguang to his feet, and everyone retreated into the large tent set up by the production team.
“Now, let’s talk about what exactly happened between Li Manpei and Yi Haoguang.”
Ke Liangong’s voice was cold. Someone who was usually gentle and refined becoming angry like this truly stunned everyone into silence.
Li Manpei sobbed, speaking in broken fragments. “It’s… it’s all my fault… blame me… it’s my fault…”
She kept blaming herself, but couldn’t clearly explain what had actually happened.
Gu Xinrong felt heartbroken. He pulled out some tissues provided by the production team and gently wiped away Li Manpei’s tears.
The production staff exchanged puzzled looks. They didn’t know what had happened inside the small tent either—how the two of them had suddenly ended up fighting. Still, that didn’t stop them from filming the entire scene.