Let Me Be Spoiled - Chapter 41

Yan Chuzhi didn’t have many scenes in his younger years, and with Xie Yan working overtime to shoot, his part wrapped up quickly.

The forty-year-old Yan Chuzhi sat on the dragon throne, holding his old sword, Mingyue. When Ning Zaiyuan burst through the palace doors and asked why he had been helping him in secret, Yan Chuzhi finally said, “Everything I’ve done… was for revenge.”

He said only that one line, then used the Mingyue sword to slit his own throat.

He recalled something he once told his junior martial sister when he was young. “A true hero serves the country and the people. Even if one can’t become a great hero, one should still uphold righteousness, eliminate evil, and support the good. Otherwise, what’s the point of training for so many years?”

But in the end, he had failed. He got his revenge, but turned himself into something neither man nor ghost. Even in death, he feared he would fall into the deepest level of hell.

That flashback of Yan Chuzhi was Xie Yan’s final scene.

The director excitedly yelled, “Cut!” and the entire crew erupted in cheers. The filming had wrapped so quickly, and with post-production happening simultaneously, it looked like they would meet the scheduled release date after all.

Xie Yan froze for a moment, then relaxed. Sweat glistened at his temples.

It was early summer now, and Ji’an’s summer had arrived in full force, with sweltering heat. Xie Yan was dressed in traditional costume with a heavy wig, feeling like he was roasting on a stove.

A girl in her twenties quickly walked over to him, handing him cold water and fanning him as she carefully said, “Xi Ge, I just checked—no one’s in the makeup room. Do you want to go take off your costume first?”

The girl’s name was Zhang Xiaofeng. She was an assistant the company had hired for Xie Yan. Since it was a self-produced show and the actor fees weren’t high, Huida had improved Xie Yan’s working conditions in other ways.

Xie Yan was used to handling things himself, but the filming schedule for Into the Sheath was so tight that Zhang Xiaofeng’s meticulous handling of trivial matters saved him a lot of trouble. Zhou Yu had also officially stepped down and gone back to being his neighborhood boss.

Zhang Xiaofeng chattered excitedly beside him, “Xie Ge, the company’s putting so much effort into this drama, and you acted so well. Once it airs, you’re definitely gonna blow up!”

Xie Yan took off his costume. The makeup on his face hadn’t been removed yet. He was overheated, eyes half-lowered, and his tone remained indifferent. “Maybe.”

In the past, Xie Yan never cared about fame. As long as he had roles to play, that was enough. But ever since he had paid off Fu Qing’s debt, his perspective had started to shift.

Before, he only had to support himself. Now, he wanted to support Grandpa Fu, and he wanted to support Fu Qing too.

Money suddenly became very important.

If he became famous, making money would be much easier.

The trailer for Into the Sheath had already been released, and those following the series were all speculating about how the younger version of Yan Chuzhi would be handled—whether the scenes would be cut or reshot with a new actor.

When the official account finally announced the broadcast date, they tagged Xie Yan, thanking him for stepping in at the last minute and for enduring the grueling, high-intensity reshoots.

The production team created one-minute character teasers for each major role, and Yan Chuzhi’s video was the last to be released.

In terms of screen time, Into the Sheath had two protagonists, both essential and irreplaceable. But Yan Chuzhi was by far the most complex character—transforming from a dashing young hero at twenty to a vengeful power-wielding official at forty. And that transformation hinged entirely on his younger self.

Xie Yan’s role wasn’t large, but it was absolutely critical.

When Yan Chuzhi’s teaser came out, Xie Yan only appeared for a few seconds, but that was enough to hook the audience.

Qin Haocheng posted a Weibo message congratulating his junior on the drama’s premiere. He mentioned how difficult the production had been and revealed that the team had initially approached him to reshoot the scenes, but due to scheduling conflicts, he had to turn it down—recommending Xie Yan instead. He didn’t expect it to turn out this well. He even tagged Xie Yan at the end.

Unfortunately, Xie Yan didn’t respond.

Into the Sheath was Huida’s big-budget drama that had been in preparation for years. Despite all the setbacks during production, the fact that it was finally airing meant the company was pulling out all the stops to promote it.

With the show’s premiere, both its popularity and ratings soared. The major cast members all saw a rapid rise in public interest—and though Xie Yan only played the younger Yan Chuzhi, his popularity was right up there with the others.

Maybe it was because of how stark the contrast was with the older version of Yan Chuzhi that every scene of the younger one left a lasting impression.

It wasn’t just the acting. Another reason was that Xie Yan was simply too good-looking.

The kind of good-looking where, even the pickiest person might say, “Not my type,” but no one could deny he was objectively attractive.

Qin Haocheng had already realized. After Into the Sheath, Xie Yan was destined for stardom. Meanwhile, the wilderness survival variety show he had filmed ended up completely exposing his true personality—not only failing to win fans, but drawing ridicule from the variety show crowd.

He regretted turning down Into the Sheath, but there was no going back now.

Qin Haocheng no longer had time to go after Xie Yan.

Because a ten-minute video and a photo set were leaked online—featuring Qin Haocheng and his sugar daddy. The footage was blurry, but even so, it was clear enough to show him kissing another man.

Netizens quickly dug up the man’s identity.

A powerful businessman, rich and influential, with a wife and children.

It was either a sugar baby arrangement or an affair.

Either one was enough to destroy Qin Haocheng.

Even though the video and images were swiftly taken down by PR, the gossip-loving netizens couldn’t be stopped. The photos had already gone viral and there was no scrubbing them all.

When Qin Haocheng called again, no one on the other end picked up.

He had been discarded—effortlessly.

To his patron, keeping Qin Haocheng around was just a way to have fun. But if a bit of fun started interfering with business, it simply wasn’t worth it.

After Into the Sheath became a massive hit, Huida started investing more in Xie Yan, even arranging a variety show for him.

After finishing a meeting, Xie Yan walked out of the office. Just as he reached a corner, a voice suddenly called out to him.

It was Qin Haocheng.

Xie Yan hadn’t seen him in a long time. Qin Haocheng, who used to always look polished and put-together, now hadn’t even shaved. His clothes were wrinkled, probably worn for days.

Qin Haocheng rushed forward and grabbed Xie Yan’s wrist, demanding, “It was you who did it, wasn’t it?”

Xie Yan frowned and easily pried off Qin Haocheng’s fingers. “What?”

Qin sneered, “Don’t play dumb. You’re the one who leaked my scandal online, right? Just to get back at me for exposing that rumor about you being a sugar baby?”

He had forced himself to look through the whole exposé. The timing was too suspicious—the first batch of photos had surfaced just days after he smeared Xie Yan online. Maybe the person who took them felt they weren’t convincing enough and kept following him, eventually filming a full ten-minute video.

He was so pitiful now, it was like watching a man in his death throes. Even Xie Yan didn’t feel it was worth hitting him.

Xie Yan grabbed the back of Qin Haocheng’s head and knocked it lightly against the wall—just enough to serve as a warning. “I didn’t do it.”

Qin Haocheng’s eyes widened in fury as he glared at Xie Yan. “What kind of fan spends seventy million? No way it was just some fan. It must’ve been your sponsor, right? You think you can fool me?”

Zhang Xiaofeng walked over carrying a bag. She caught sight of the scene and jumped in surprise, quickly grabbing Xie Yan’s arm. “Xie Ge, don’t! What’s going on?”

Xie Yan, visibly irritated, let go of Qin Haocheng and turned away. “Let’s go.”

From behind, he heard Qin Haocheng shout, “You think your ending will be any better than mine? It won’t. I’ll be watching.”