Traveling Through the Book and Becoming a Cub Among the Villains - Chapter 44

By the time Kuang Jie returned, the incense stick had already burned halfway. Ye Qingxi stared at the floor with a calm expression, saying nothing. The other four didn’t say a single word either, each of them acting like absolutely nothing had happened.

“Take a break,” Kuang Jie said.

After all, they were just kids, he still had some concerns about making them really hold the stance for half a stick of incense.

Kang Cong immediately plopped down on the floor, “I’m exhausted.”

Zhong Yan followed his lead and sat down as well.

Seeing this, and feeling his own thighs trembling, Ye Qingxi decided to sit down, too.

After all, he was only 5-years-old now, and besides, the floor was pretty clean anyway.

Pei Liang, “..…”

Qin Cheng, “…..”

The two true top students couldn’t hold out in the end either, they dragged their stiff legs over and sat down on the chairs nearby.

Kuang Jie went around and pressed on each of their legs to loosen them up. Then he had them stand up and do some stretching and movement exercises to relax their muscles, officially wrapping up the lesson.

For the first class, there was no need to teach too much or push them too hard. If he scared them off, it would have the opposite effect. Besides, children’s attention spans weren’t the same as adults’. If the class went on too long, they’d lose interest and grow restless.

So Kuang Jie handed each of them a little red flower sticker and praised them, “Very good! Everyone did an excellent job today! I hope next week, you’ll all do just as well.”

Zhong Yan blinked in confusion, “Next week? That’s it?”

Kuang Jie nodded, “Mm. We’ll focus on building up your physical strength first. Once that’s up, we’ll start learning techniques.”

“Oh.” Zhong Yan responded obediently.

“Then… can we go home now?” Kang Cong asked.

Kuang Jie nodded again, “That’s right. Are you happy?”

Kang Cong was indeed happy, but still asked, “Wasn’t this class a little too short?”

Not at all, Kuang Jie thought to himself, it had already been an hour and a half, counting the breaks.

“We’ll take it slow. Today might have felt short, but as your training time increases, your lessons will gradually get longer, too, so there’s no rush.”

“Okay!” everyone cheered.

They waved at Kuang Jie and walked over to Mu Feng.

Mu Feng hadn’t interfered with Kuang Jie’s teaching at all, clearly treating his words as final. Whether it was earlier when Ye Qingxi lagged behind the others, or when he fell on his butt, or now that the class was ending, Mu Feng never stepped in.

When it came to education, Mu Feng was never one to spoil children.

If they didn’t endure a little hardship now, they’d have to face it later.

Mu Feng didn’t want them to suffer in the future, so he was willing to let them taste a bit of hardship now. After leaving the Sanda gym with the kids, Mu Feng handed each of them off to the drivers who had come to pick them up. Only then did he take Ye Qingxi and Qin Cheng into his own car.

Right now, Ye Qingxi’s physical condition was clearly a bit weak, not as good as Pei Liang and the others, so it was even more important for him to start training early and build a solid foundation for his future health.

“How do you feel? Tired?” Mu Feng asked.

Ye Qingxi nodded, then shook his head, “I’m okay.”

Hearing that, Qin Cheng also replied, “I’m okay.”

“Will you come again next time?”

“Yes.” Ye Qingxi nodded.

“I’ll come,” Qin Cheng said without hesitation.

Seeing this, Mu Feng gave a slight nod and didn’t say anything more.

The drive home was smooth, and as soon as the courtyard gate opened, Cotton Candy was already sitting by the door, waiting.

The moment it saw Ye Qingxi, it immediately lay down at his feet and exposed its soft, fluffy white belly. Ye Qingxi squatted down with a smile and patted its little head.

Cotton Candy happily kneaded the air with its front paws, opening and closing them like it was making biscuits.

“So cute,” Ye Qingxi couldn’t help but say with admiration.

“Donut is cute, too,” Qin Cheng said, “Every afternoon when I get home from school, it waits behind the door and rubs its body against me.”

“Then I’ll come over to your house one day,” Ye Qingxi said, “It’s been a long time since I last saw Donut.”

Lately, he’d only seen it in videos and photos.

“Sure!” Qin Cheng agreed.

The two of them played with Cotton Candy in the yard for a while, then went to play on the slide. Cotton Candy wanted to join, too, and hopped along behind them, bouncing up the ladder to the slide.

Afraid the little kitten might get hurt sliding down alone, Ye Qingxi scooped it into his arms and slid down with it. Cotton Candy didn’t find it very fun and soon ran off to the swing nearby. Using the cat scratcher as a step, it jumped up and settled comfortably on the swing.

Ye Qingxi saw it tilting its head and resting its paws beneath it, and he couldn’t resist pulling out his smartwatch to snap a bunch of pictures.

He and Qin Cheng played the whole day, and in the evening, Mu Zheng came to pick Qin Cheng up.

Qin Cheng was reluctant to leave and, on the ride home, asked Mu Zheng, “Dad, can I stay at Grandpa’s house every Saturday from now on?”

“Sure,” Mu Zheng agreed.

“Then can you come pick me up after lunch on Sunday?”

“Okay.”

But….

Mu Zheng glanced at him, “You didn’t use to stay over at your grandpa’s place much, so you always slept in my bedroom. But if you’re going to spend every Saturday night there now, shouldn’t we set up a bedroom for you?”

Qin Cheng didn’t think it was necessary, “I can keep staying in your bedroom, Dad.”

Mu Zheng chuckled, “You don’t want your own room?”

Qin Cheng nodded.

After all, he was only going to be at Mu Feng’s place for one day a week.

But also….

Qin Cheng glanced at Mu Zheng, who was driving.

More than having his own bedroom, he actually preferred staying in his dad’s room. That was where his father had grown up. By sleeping there, it felt like he had a connection with the version of his dad from the past, before he had grown up.

Thinking of that, Qin Cheng couldn’t help but curl his lips into a smile, “I still want to sleep in your bedroom.”

“Alright.” Seeing that he truly wanted to, Mu Zheng agreed.

“Then next Sunday, I’ll come pick you up after lunch.”

“Mm!” Qin Cheng replied cheerfully.

Mu Zheng patted his head and continued driving.

Meanwhile, Ye Qingxi had just finished his bath. He walked out of the bathroom, ready to ask Mu Shaowu to help blow-dry his hair, but just as he stepped outside the bedroom and into the little study attached to it, he heard Mu Shaowu on the phone.

“I’m not going,” Mu Shaowu said firmly, “I already told you, I’m not interested.”

“It’s not about the money. I just don’t have time.”

“Yeah, I don’t want to go. I don’t care if it’s Clouds Part After the Rain or Rain Clears the Clouds. I said I’m not taking the role, and that’s final. I’m not interested. I’m hanging up!”

Mu Shaowu finished speaking and directly hung up the phone.

Outside the door, Ye Qingxi’s eyes widened instantly when he heard this.

Clouds Part After the Rain! Wasn’t that the exact drama where the protagonist, the shou, went to audition thinking he’d get the male lead, only to later find out the production team had officially announced Mu Shaowu as the lead instead? That was the moment the protagonist started resenting Mu Shaowu, thinking he was using his power to snatch roles and steal resources!

He had to go!

This drama was a major platform-backed production. That’s why the producer had been so insistent on casting Mu Shaowu, to leveraGe his star power, boost the show’s visibility, attract better investment and ad deals, and even rely on fans to buy memberships to drive up traffic once the show aired.

Because of that, in the book, the producer didn’t make any official announcements even as filming approached, just to try and secure Mu Shaowu till the last minute. And it actually worked.

With only one week left before the show was scheduled to start filming, and just when the producer was about to give up and switch to Plan B by bringing in the backup lead, Mu Shaowu finally agreed. The producer was overjoyed, drove through the night to meet with his agent, and signed the contract on the spot.

The very next day, the production team couldn’t wait to make the official announcement, afraid that Mu Shaowu might back out. And sure enough, Mu Shaowu brought enormous attention to the drama. Coupled with the show’s solid script, it not only became a hit after airing, but also received great reviews. The initial rating on Luyewang was 8.0, and it later climbed to 8.5.

It could be said that, among all the dramas Mu Shaowu had acted in, this one had the highest rating.

More than that, this drama became a turning point in Mu Shaowu’s transition to film.

Before this, whenever Mu Shaowu appeared in movies, it was purely because directors wanted to cash in on his popularity, he was cast as a pretty face to sell tickets. He had barely any screen time and even less room to showcase his acting. His entire performance could be cut down to less than fifteen minutes.

But this particular drama happened to catch the attention of film director Xu Hong while it was airing. After watching the entire series carefully, Xu Hong felt that Mu Shaowu was perfect for a supporting role in his upcoming film and called him in for a costume fitting.

And just from that fitting, Xu Hong didn’t even bother with an audition, he decided on the spot: it’s him.

From then on, Xu Hong gave serious direction, and Mu Shaowu humbly learned. Under Xu Hong’s training, Mu Shaowu finally delivered his first representative film role.

He was no longer just a pretty face, but a real, living character on the big screen. From that point on, Mu Shaowu’s film career truly began to take off. Only then did other directors start seeking him out for real, proper roles.

Even the renowned director Zhou Chuan came looking for him.

Everyone thought Mu Shaowu was finally turning things around. His fans were even more convinced that he had a bright future ahead of him. Even Mu Shaowu himself had gained confidence in his acting, feeling that choosing this path had truly been the right decision.

However, just when he and his fans had reached the peak of their joy, Mu Shaowu fell, hard.

Mu Feng’s murder case didn’t just end his own life, it also ended Mu Shaowu’s career in the entertainment industry.

The moment the incident came to light, Mu Shaowu was met with a storm of backlash and demands for him to get out of the industry.

His fans tried desperately to defend him, to speak out and stand by him.

But due to the severity and brutality of Mu Feng’s crime, producers across the board became cautious.

Many projects that had already signed him quietly replaced him.

One of those was the male lead role in Zhou Chuan’s film, which had just been finalized. The higher the climb, the harder the fall, that was exactly what happened to Mu Shaowu.

And what made it even more tragic was that he didn’t just fall professionally, his spirit collapsed, too.

At the very moment when he truly believed he could become an actor capable of handling more complex roles, he completely lost the right to act.

And the one who replaced him as the male lead in Zhou Chuan’s film, was the protagonist shou.

Fortunes had reversed.

The drama role Mu Shaowu once easily snatched away from him. Now, the movie role Mu Shaowu desperately wanted was effortlessly taken by him.

He didn’t even need to wait 30 years, just 3.

In 3 years, the tides had turned completely, and Mu Shaowu was crushed under his feet.

Naturally, the protagonist shou said mocking things, slapped him in the face with words, ridiculed him, all to make the story more satisfying.

Thinking of this, Ye Qingxi grew furious.

Why?!

From start to finish, it was the protagonist who targeted Mu Shaowu first. He was the one who believed Mu Shaowu looked down on him. He was the one who thought Mu Shaowu was using his power to bully others.

Even when they later had more interactions, sure, Mu Shaowu didn’t treat him warmly, but they weren’t close, why should Mu Shaowu be expected to like him?

Especially when Mu Shaowu was a top-tier celebrity!

He was already that famous, surrounded by people eager to flatter and please him. So when the protagonist shou tried to cozy up to him and got rejected, wasn’t that completely normal?!

It was the protagonist shou himself who hated Mu Shaowu to begin with.

Then, after meeting him again, he felt his own path was going nowhere, thought the money was hard to earn and the work was soul-crushing, so to get ahead, he tried to please Mu Shaowu.

But when Mu Shaowu didn’t accept it, he started feeling even more pitiful, thinking, I’ve already swallowed this much crap and still haven’t gotten anything out of it, and oh—how deeply wronged he felt!

And so, he hated Mu Shaowu even more.

Ye Qingxi, “……”

Shoot it! This drama has to be filmed! Even hesitating for one more second means his anger isn’t big enough! Things are different now anyway. Now, he wouldn’t let Mu Feng go as far as killing three people and then himself. So the biggest obstacle to Mu Shaowu’s acting career no longer exists.

If everything followed the original storyline, once Mu Shaowu acted in this drama, he’d get cast in Xu Hong’s movie and then star in Zhou Chuan’s film.

He’d practically be a power-fantasy male lead!

So this drama has to be made!

Just because he knew the other guy was the protagonist didn’t mean he was going to hand over the opportunity!

What belongs to Mu Shaowu should stay with Mu Shaowu, no one has the right to take it away!

Ye Qingxi walked into Mu Shaowu’s study, looking up at him with an innocent expression, “Daddy, who were you on the phone with just now?”