Chapter 433 – The Movie Emperor’s Beloved Neighbor – Countless Honeymoons (16)
Heng Xingjian had originally intended to let Li Manpei climb even higher—after all, the higher she rose, the harder she would fall. If mere verbal warnings wouldn’t work, then a harsh lesson would.
But now, he had changed his mind.
After finally persuading his future father- and mother-in-law to relent—agreeing to their marriage as long as all these troublesome matters were settled—what was there left to wait for? Heng Xingjian could hardly wait to see Li Manpei fall into the dust, to finish dealing with everything, and then marry Bai Tang.
Competition among entertainment companies was nothing unusual. But soon, Li Manpei’s agency realized that Xingyu Entertainment was targeting them—more specifically, targeting Li Manpei.
At first, they weren’t entirely sure. After all, Liu Lingfan was also a rising star. Both were women, and it was understandable that their career paths overlapped. But gradually, it became obvious—at every event Li Manpei attended, Liu Lingfan would steal the spotlight from her. Because of this, Li Manpei often lashed out at the marketing manager who handled her appearances.
Sister Lian had no outlet for her frustration and could only bottle it up inside.
However, even the most patient person has a breaking point.
Finally, at a certain press conference, not only did Liu Lingfan steal her spotlight again, but Yi Haoguang also mocked her. Maintaining a fake smile and pretending not to care, Li Manpei returned backstage—only to explode at Sister Lian, smashing things recklessly. A cup of scalding hot water nearly disfigured her.
Sister Lian could no longer endure it. She threw a cup of cold water at Li Manpei—right as reporters entering backstage caught the entire scene on camera. Li Manpei burst into loud sobs, while Sister Lian trembled with rage.
As Li Manpei’s fame continued to grow, even under suppression, the company had no intention of abandoning this cash cow. And so, Sister Lian lost her job. Not only that—no one in the industry would hire her anymore.
Carrying a cardboard box, she wandered the streets with vacant eyes. Being ostracized by the industry hit her far harder than unemployment. It meant she would have to change careers—and start again from the bottom. Her family, mortgage payments, car loans, the expenses of elderly parents and children—each one weighed heavily on her shoulders.
At last, this once-strong woman cast aside her pride and crouched on the street, wailing uncontrollably.
Passersby avoided her, though their eyes inevitably lingered for a few extra glances.
As if to match the bleakness of the moment, a fine drizzle began to fall, gradually dampening the clothes of those walking by.
Two small dogs trotted up to Sister Lian on their short legs.
“Woof, woof…”
Their long fur was dusted with what looked like “powdered sugar,” and their watery eyes stared at her. She reached out and gently petted them.
“Are you homeless too?”
Suddenly, an umbrella appeared above her, shielding her from the drifting drizzle. A pair of sneakers entered her line of sight. She slowly looked up—and a familiar face came into view.
“Sister Lian, it’s raining. Let’s find somewhere to take shelter.”
The voice was as soft and gentle as ever, like a clear, flowing spring washing away the heaviness in her heart.
Sister Lian nodded, hugging her box as she followed Bai Tang into a nearby teahouse.
The drizzle never turned heavy. After about fifteen minutes, the rain stopped. The sky remained overcast, but golden sunlight leaked through the clouds.
When Sister Lian walked out of the teahouse, the exhaustion from fifteen minutes ago was gone. She seemed like a completely different person, her smile returning to her face.
She placed the cardboard box beside a trash bin—out with the old, in with the new. The old saying truly wasn’t wrong.
Bai Tang smiled faintly, his crescent-shaped eyes shimmering like they were filled with starlight. “Sister Lian, I’ll have to trouble you to take good care of Xiao Fan from now on.”
“Bai Tang, thank you.”
“No need to be polite~”
That’s right—Bai Tang had come to recruit her. Sister Lian, who knew Li Manpei’s schedules and engagements inside out, was the perfect weapon against her. Of course, the biggest reason for hiring her was her own capability.
The next day, Sister Lian joined Xingyu Entertainment and became a member of Liu Lingfan’s PR team.
The female lead and the supporting female rival facing off—wasn’t this scene quite entertaining?
Heng Xingjian held Bai Tang in his arms as they sat on the sofa, watching a replay of Extreme Wilderness. Aside from those irrelevant people, every moment was a sweet memory with Tang Tang.
Bai Tang watched with great interest. Look at him—wasn’t he amazing? One person doing the work of three: grilling, setting up tents, climbing trees to grab flags—he could do anything, from sky to earth.
The little squirrel puffed out his chest proudly and shot a look at Heng Xingjian behind him. The latter immediately got the hint and began praising Bai Tang.
“Tang Tang is incredible. With you around, Extreme Wilderness basically turns into a casual outdoor picnic.”
Bai Tang grew even more pleased. “Of course. I’ll take care of you from now on.” When it came to surviving in the wild, he was the boss.
With Sister Lian helping Liu Lingfan, things became increasingly difficult for Li Manpei. No one understood her better than Sister Lian.
Li Manpei had secured the female lead role in a film by an international director—every film this director made won major international awards. After a bumpy rise to fame, Li Manpei had finally reached the peak. If nothing unexpected happened, completing this film would take her career even further.
She had imagined it beautifully—but unfortunately, her dream ended there.
Li Manpei was arrested during filming. Malicious defamation, intentional harm—each charge was backed by solid evidence. Even the incident where Bai Tang had been taken by his former manager to those kinds of events, damaging his reputation, had her involvement behind the scenes.
As she screamed and demanded to see Bai Tang, Bai Tang and Heng Xingjian were already on a plane heading overseas.
With the restrictions lifted, registering their marriage could not be delayed.
Bai Tang could wait—but Heng Xingjian absolutely could not.
When they received the certificate proving their marriage, Bai Tang couldn’t help but laugh as he watched Heng Xingjian carefully tuck the marriage certificate close to his body. A few seconds later, still uneasy, he placed it in the suitcase—then, still not reassured, he even made a call to buy a safe.
Xiao A: “This male lead is kind of dumb.”
Qiu’er: “You’re not allowed to call him dumb—you’re the dumb one.” His master wasn’t dumb at all. Only a smart master could create a smart him.
Xiao A: “…” Is it really that hard to please your wife? Even catering to their preferences doesn’t work anymore? What should I do? Waiting online—this is urgent.
Bai Tang pulled along Heng Xingjian—whose personality had suddenly taken a turn for the silly—and began their honeymoon journey.
Exotic clothing, ancient traditions, all kinds of delicious food, and a cultural landscape completely different from that of Z Country—everything made the little squirrel let loose. He ran all over the streets in high spirits, while Heng Xingjian followed behind, carrying bags full of local delicacies, resignedly chasing after him.
What should he do when Tang Tang loved running around so much? Spoil him, of course. After all, he was the one he chose.
By the time the two returned home loaded with souvenirs, the Li Manpei incident had already been resolved. Even the stains on Bai Tang’s past reputation had been completely cleared away.
Although Extreme Wilderness had been halted midway, this season’s lineup of guests was incredibly strong. Viewership didn’t drop—in fact, it increased. Of those who saw Bai Tang, at least eighty percent fell in love with the smiling boy with crescent-shaped eyes.
Unfortunately, after the Li Manpei incident, the young man announced his withdrawal from the entertainment industry. It seemed he had been deeply hurt. No matter how loudly his fans called for him to return, he remained resolute, never looking back.
Back in domestic life, the little squirrel was busier than ever. To avoid idling at home—and to support his husband’s career—he took on a newly launched charity project by the company. At the same time, he became Heng Xingjian’s assistant, constantly showing off their affection on set, making the entire cast green with envy.
With the “wife of the Best Actor” present, no one dared to make a move on Heng Xingjian. Even if someone tried to flirt with him while Bai Tang wasn’t looking, Heng Xingjian would mercilessly throw them out of the dressing room, humiliating them in front of the entire crew. After that, no one dared to harbor improper thoughts again.
With his experience in charity work, Bai Tang turned the project—caring for the elderly living alone and for children—into a great success. Backed by the Heng Corporation, he brought together many celebrities to participate. Every donation was accounted for in physical goods, handled fairly, transparently, and openly. Netizens could look everything up online, and the clear data made it one of the most admired corporate charity initiatives.
It was simply outstanding. Every celebrity’s donation was listed—if there were any questions, people could consult the celebrity’s studio or team, and even track where the donated materials went.
Though Bai Tang was no longer seen in the entertainment industry, his name was still heard everywhere.
After eight years of struggling in the industry, Liu Lingfan finally won the title of Best Actress. Holding her trophy during her acceptance speech, she announced her retirement from acting and her marriage to a boyfriend outside the industry. Fans were shocked—some heartbroken, some offering blessings, others reacting intensely—but nothing could stop her from moving toward her happiness.
After that variety show, Ke Liangong won over audiences with his personal charm and successfully made a comeback. As for Yi Haoguang, he remained active for a while, then gradually settled down to hone his acting skills and moved into film and television. In his seventh year, he was crowned Best Actor.
Now much more mature, Yi Haoguang no longer acted impulsively. The youthful vigor of his earlier days had faded, replaced by a hint of world-weariness and melancholy.
After another award ceremony ended, he refused his manager’s company and sat alone by the riverside, smoking.
By the time Ke Liangong found him, the ground was littered with cigarette butts.
“Why are you smoking so much? Even a Best Actor shouldn’t have such poor stress tolerance.” The man was as gentle as ever, but his words brought a trace of bitterness to Yi Haoguang’s heart.
“I’m fine.” He flicked away the cigarette butt and took another from the pack. Before he could light it, Ke Liangong snatched it away.
Ke Liangong frowned. “You can’t keep smoking like this.”
“You can’t control me.”
“What if I insist?”
“You’re not qualified. It has nothing to do with you.”
“You think that just because you say it has nothing to do with me, it really doesn’t?!”
“You—”
The rest of his words were swallowed between their lips.
Yi Haoguang’s eyes widened in shock. Ke Liangong’s anger had completely dissipated, and his smiling eyes stared at him without blinking.
“Has no one ever told you? When you kiss, you need to breathe. You’re already a Best Actor and you still don’t know that?”
“I’m a method actor—I don’t win awards from intimate scenes,” Yi Haoguang muttered. Ever since he realized his feelings for Ke Liangong, he had avoided having too many intimate scenes with both male and female co-stars. In other words, at thirty years old, Yi Haoguang was still inexperienced.
“We’re already in this kind of relationship now—do I have the right to control you?”
“Haoguang, I don’t like the smell of smoke. Can you stop smoking from now on?”
The one who falls in love first loses. No matter how bad Yi Haoguang’s temper was, he could never unleash it in front of Ke Liangong. In the end, he could only compromise and say a soft, “Okay.”
Later on, the two of them withdrew from the film industry and joined the charity project led by Bai Tang, becoming two of its main leaders. Bai Tang’s burden lightened considerably, and every so often, Heng Xingjian would whisk him away to “relive their honeymoon.” Only, those honeymoons no longer involved traveling around the world—they were mostly spent at home.