Chapter 430 – The Movie Emperor’s Beloved Neighbor – The Tea Withered (13)
Bai Tang’s silence was taken by Li Manpei as a sign of yielding. Encouraged, she became even more proactive, even deliberately edging Bai Tang aside.
Bai Tang refused to let go. The two of them exerted force in secret. Beneath their feet was loose soil—one moment of carelessness, and it gave way. Terrified, Li Manpei instinctively grabbed onto Bai Tang.
Seeing that all three of them were about to fall, Bai Tang used the momentum to pivot, pushing Heng Xingjian upward while he himself lost balance and dropped off the cliff.
“Tang Tang—!”
Gravel tumbled down the slope. Bai Tang was caught by Heng Xingjian and left hanging in midair. More than half of Heng Xingjian’s body dangled over the edge—only then was he barely able to hold onto Bai Tang.
The cameraman, frightened, dropped his camera and rushed to grab Heng Xingjian. The others did the same. They shoved aside the stunned Li Manpei and ran to the cliff to help.
“Don’t let go, Tang Tang—hold onto me!”
The soil was still collapsing, and Heng Xingjian didn’t dare loosen his grip.
Veins bulged clearly across his forehead as his arms suddenly strained with force. He couldn’t think of anything else—there was only one thought in his mind: Tangtang must not fall.
Bai Tang glanced downward. The height meant little to him, but for an ordinary human, it would mean either death or crippling injury. He tightened his grip on Heng Xingjian’s hand. Even if it was just to reassure A Jian, he couldn’t let go.
People tend to sweat when they’re nervous. Before long, Heng Xingjian was drenched in sweat.
Bai Tang’s grip kept slipping lower along Heng Xingjian’s arm. “A Jian, let go. I’ll be fine.” If this continued, A Jian’s arm would be dislocated—how could he bear that?
Bai Tang couldn’t bear it, but Heng Xingjian could bear it even less. Rather than watching Tang Tang fall right before his eyes, he would rather die himself.
“Senior Brother Bai, don’t worry—we’ll definitely pull you up!”
While the others were pulling Heng Xingjian, Li Manpei ran to the edge, leaned out, and tried to encourage Bai Tang with her words.
Whether it was the lingering emotions of the original host or Bai Tang’s own dislike of her, the moment he saw Li Manpei, anger surged within him. “Go stand somewhere cooler and stay there.”
“I…” Li Manpei’s outstretched hand froze midair. She didn’t know whether to withdraw it or continue helping Heng Xingjian pull Bai Tang up.
“Miss Li, please step aside.” Heng Xingjian’s voice was icy, so cold that Li Manpei slowly withdrew her hand, her eyes gradually reddening.
“I’m sorry… I just wanted to help.”
With everyone’s combined effort, Bai Tang was gradually pulled back up.
Heng Xingjian tightened his grip a little more, slowly guiding Bai Tang. “Tang Tang, don’t panic. Hold onto my hand and climb up slowly.”
Bai Tang was no longer completely suspended in midair. His body pressed partially against the cliff face. Stepping on protruding rocks, he used the leverage to push himself upward.
Again… just like this. Everyone only ever paid attention to Bai Tang.
Just as Bai Tang was about to be pulled up, a vicious thought rose in Li Manpei’s heart. A bright smile bloomed on her face, as if she were celebrating Bai Tang’s narrow escape. Yet as she turned around, she “accidentally” slipped and shoved Bai Tang outward.
“Ah—!”
A terrified scream pierced the sky.
Heng Xingjian held Bai Tang tightly in his arms, one arm gently stroking his back—whether to comfort Bai Tang or himself, it was unclear. “It’s okay… it’s okay…”
Qiu’er and Xiao A stood where Li Manpei had originally been. Taking advantage of everyone’s distraction, they quietly stepped back a few paces, hiding their contribution without a trace.
Trying to harm Tang Tang? Didn’t she know who was backing him?
Li Manpei’s attempt to harm others backfired. Not only did she fail to push Bai Tang off, she ended up falling off the cliff herself.
Of course, heaven cherishes all life. Qiu’er and Xiao A weren’t that heartless. Besides, Bai Tang couldn’t bear to see someone die in front of him. So the systems gave Li Manpei a small “benefit”—at the very least, her life wouldn’t be in danger. As for the rest of her body, however, they couldn’t guarantee it would remain intact.
The production team had set up safety measures for this segment. As Li Manpei fell, a net deployed and caught her. However, because her falling position was off, she rolled several times across the net and then tumbled off the edge with a thud, hitting the ground.
Just hearing the sound made it seem painful. But thanks to the production team’s cushioning setup and Qiu’er and Xiao A’s “friendly assistance,” Li Manpei’s injuries were far less severe than everyone had expected.
With an accident like this, the show couldn’t continue. Even a delay of just a few minutes in the livestream was enough to stir up the audience.
Their idol was in danger—who the hell would still watch a variety show?
The production team looked utterly miserable. This situation had blown up.
The director’s phone was practically ringing off the hook. Though it might not be very moral to think so, he couldn’t help but feel relieved—it was fortunate that Heng Xingjian hadn’t fallen. If the second young master of Xingyu Entertainment had been injured on their show, Xingyu would have torn him apart.
The program was forced to halt, and everyone gathered at the foot of the mountain.
Li Manpei lay on a stretcher provided by the infirmary. Heng Xingjian held onto Bai Tang, not allowing him to go forward.
Did she really think that just because things had been chaotic, he wouldn’t notice why she had fallen?
Bai Tang was soft-hearted and possessed special abilities—he might very well pity Li Manpei and try to save her.
Everything in this world comes at an equivalent price. Heng Xingjian didn’t believe Bai Tang’s powers could be used without cost. Asking him to pay a price to save someone who had tried to harm Tang Tang—Heng Xingjian would never agree.
“Tang Tang, are you okay? You scared me to death.” Liu Lingfan had heard about Bai Tang from the cameraman and was so frightened she felt like her soul had left her body. If anything had happened to Bai Tang, how heartbroken his parents would have been… She had promised the two elders she would take good care of him.
“I’m fine, Sister Xiaofan, don’t worry.” To stop the heroine from bombarding him with a series of questions, Bai Tang resorted to a “handsome-man tactic.” He shoved Qiu’er and Xiao A into her arms. “Qiu’er and Xiao A are terrified—they need a pretty big sister’s hug to feel better.”
Qiu’er & Xiao A: “???”
Before the two dogs could even react, Liu Lingfan had already started enthusiastically petting them.
“Good boys, don’t be scared.” She tried her best to comfort the two “trembling” dogs.
Qiu’er: I’m not scared—I’m being manhandled by the heroine! Woman, don’t touch me!
The barren mountain was in a remote area. It would take three hours just to drive into the city, so there was no way an ambulance from town could arrive in time.
The production team didn’t dare delay. They quickly transferred the unconscious Li Manpei to the local clinic—at least it had some medical facilities.
Gu Xinrong, the number one “bootlicker,” heard that Li Manpei had fallen off the cliff because of Bai Tang. Already blinded by her beauty, he refused to listen to any explanation and angrily swung his fist at Bai Tang.
“Ah—!” Liu Lingfan, standing nearby, cried out in shock at Gu Xinrong’s sudden attack.
Everyone turned to look, only to see Heng Xingjian catching Gu Xinrong’s punch. His expression was like solid ice, carrying the ominous sense of an approaching storm.
Both men were fighting for the one they loved—the clash between them began immediately.
Gu Xinrong had a martial arts background, each punch heavy and forceful. But Heng Xingjian was no pushover either. Ever since being introduced into high society by his family, he had trained his combat skills. Anyone thinking of kidnapping him would have to think twice. Now, he held nothing back.
The two exchanged blows, neither willing to yield. The sound of fists and kicks colliding made everyone present wince.
Didn’t they feel pain? Just listening to it hurt.
In the end, Heng Xingjian came out on top. With a shoulder throw, he neutralized Gu Xinrong’s strength and subdued him.
“A Jian, you’re hurt.” Bai Tang hurried to his side, but Heng Xingjian pressed down on his hand.
“It’s just a superficial injury. It’s nothing serious.” There were too many people around—he couldn’t let Tang Tang reveal his abilities.
Bai Tang seemed to understand. He glanced around, then lowered his head and gave a quiet “Mm.”
By the time they returned to the city, it was already late at night.
Feeling guilty, the production team arranged a hotel for them.
Heng Xingjian declined the production team’s offer and instead called the family driver, taking Bai Tang home with him.
The Heng family’s villa was located halfway up the mountain, with beautiful scenery. Heng Xingjian’s parents were both overseas expanding the company, while Xingyu Entertainment in the country was managed by the eldest son, Heng Xingzhou. He rarely returned home, having bought a place near the company for convenience.
The villa was luxurious. The paintings on the walls were priceless, and the exquisite chandeliers cast a cold white light that matched the gray-white walls, giving the place a lifeless chill. If not for the housekeeper and a few servants, the villa would have felt completely devoid of human warmth.
The housekeeper said respectfully, “Second Young Master, Doctor Shen has been waiting for quite some time.”
Heng Xingjian gave a slight nod. “Thank you for your hard work.”
Doctor Shen was the Heng family’s personal physician. After examining Bai Tang, he pulled Heng Xingjian aside. “You Xiao Heng—this is the one you’ve been making such a fuss over lately? That rumored partner of yours?”
Don’t be mistaken—this old man, already past fifty, really was a highly skilled doctor. But doctors can be gossipy too, okay? He had watched Heng Xingjian grow up—when had he ever cared about anyone like this? In the past, some people had even tried to throw themselves at him—one had stripped naked and run into his room, and he had still thrown them out expressionlessly. The Heng family had more than once suspected their second son might have… certain issues, even asking Doctor Shen to examine him repeatedly. After confirming over and over that Heng Xingjian was perfectly healthy, that whole “physical concern” finally died down.
“Not a rumored partner,” Heng Xingjian said, his gaze soft as he looked at the boy dozing with his head propped on the table. “My partner.”
Doctor Shen followed his gaze. The boy’s head bobbed sleepily; after nodding a few times, his cheek slipped off his palm. He opened his eyes, looking dazed and confused, as if unsure where he was.
“A Jian~” Bai Tang pouted at Heng Xingjian. “When can we go to sleep?”
The little squirrel was sleepy and wanted to curl up in his lover’s arms to sleep.
“Coming.” Heng Xingjian stepped past Doctor Shen and gently supported the boy. “Tang Tang, are you hungry? Do you want to eat something before sleeping?”
“I’m not hungry. No need to trouble the housekeeper. I just want to sleep with you right now~”
As the two passed by Doctor Shen, the boy yawned. His almond-shaped eyes, misted with moisture, looked at the doctor as he spoke softly, “Doctor Shen, thank you for your hard work. Good night.”
“Good night,” Doctor Shen replied.
Watching their retreating figures as they left the room, a sense of inevitability rose in his heart. A boy like that… it was only natural for people to like him. It wasn’t surprising at all that he had caught Heng Xingjian’s special attention.