Chapter 122: The Cross-Dressing Master (Requesting Monthly Tickets and Rewards)

The filming location of "The Legend of Hongmen Banquet" is south of Akesai County, where nothing but desert and steppe stretch out, the roads are terrible, and visibility at night is abysmal.

As they walked, rain began to fall, and damn if it didn't get heavier—mud quickly turned to sludge, progress slowed further, and heaven itself seemed to be mocking them.

Except for the headlights ahead, every other direction was pitch black, not a single glimmer of light—walking alone here was undeniably frightening.

But Fang Hong had always been fearless; as a child, he'd walked through graveyards in the dark, and he quickly steadied his nerves.

At that moment, ahead, voices rose in chaos, shouts echoing—he followed the car's beam and saw vehicles ahead.

Dozens of them, dim and blurred, like a vast, moving column—surely it was the film crew returning.

With so many people, how could they not be noticed?

Besides, in this weather, in this place, no one else would be out except this crew.

Fang Hong's vehicle was an off-road model, but outside, rain poured like a deluge, the ground deeper in mud, each tire leaving deep, sunken ruts.

The car struggled to move—he could only stomp the accelerator "whoosh-whoosh-whoosh," yet even then, progress was turtle-slow, growing ever more impossible.

He even considered turning back, fearing landslides or other dangers—but returning might be worse; if the car got stuck on the road, it'd be a nightmare.

No village ahead, no inn behind.

Meanwhile, the "Legend of Hongmen Banquet" crew's rear route had collapsed and been cut off by floodwaters; their front path was entirely mired in mud, with minor landslides blocking all movement.

Over three hundred people in the crew were in utter chaos—vehicles sunk in mud pits, crew members pushing cars, digging soil, coordinating efforts.

"Everyone stay calm! Secure the equipment to prevent water damage, stay put, and wait for rescue."

Director Li Rengang, holding a walkie-talkie, moved through the downpour, doing his best to calm everyone.

Under these conditions, the entire crew could only remain where they were—avoiding separation, and absolutely no night hiking, which was far too dangerous.

The land was all steppe—basically loess—and when the rain grew heavy, it turned entirely to sludge.

"Hurry, help push the car!"

One vehicle's front had sunk into a pit, causing rainwater to flood in—Liu Tianxian, ignoring the downpour, ordered her Assistant to help push.

She herself stepped forward to help, her small frame surprisingly strong.

This deeply moved the crew—look how strong and brave she was, while Feng Shaofeng hid inside his car playing mobile games.

How could the gap between stars be so vast?

After a period of chaos, the crew quickly regained order—workers pushed all vehicles to safer ground to avoid sinking again.

Some vehicles carried expensive filming equipment.

"Someone's coming!"

At that moment, a crew member shouted.

Li Rengang and Liu Tianxian turned toward the sound—through the rain curtain, they saw an off-road vehicle, over two hundred meters away, "whoosh-whoosh-whoosh" but utterly motionless.

No matter how hard the engine roared or how fast the wheels spun, the vehicle didn't budge an inch, as if deeply buried in mud.

Li Rengang shouted: "Is that one of our crew?"

"No, everyone from our crew is still where they stopped—this one's from somewhere else," the assistant director reported.

Liu Tianxian glanced once, then turned away, preparing to get back in the car and change clothes—she was soaked through.

"Someone's buried!"

Another voice screamed.

Mud and rocks tumbled down the slope to the left of the car, rolling to its side and burying half of it.

Liu Tianxian stopped and looked again—saw a figure burst rapidly from the car, thankfully unharmed.

The rain was too heavy; she could only make out a silhouette, nothing more.

"Fuck!"

Fang Hong cursed loudly—what terrible timing, this place was so dangerous.

Rain poured in torrents—he'd just leapt from the car and was instantly soaked, but luckily it was summer, so he wasn't wearing much.

He wiped his face, looked ahead—the crew was not far off.

Turning back was impossible now; if he died on the road, no one would ever know.

Now, Fang Hong had no choice but to head for the crew—he was alone, on two legs, a strong young man; even with mud everywhere, walking was still relatively easy.

Yet before he'd gone far, the road ahead suddenly collapsed—soil and water washed away by floodwaters, forming a ditch.

The ditch slowly widened—Fang Hong stepped back two paces, barely avoiding being pulled in—the water below surged violently.

"Danger!"

Someone from the crew shouted toward the approaching figure.

As he drew nearer, Liu Tianxian took a few steps forward and realized the man looked familiar.

"Excuse me—is Liu Tianxian here?" Fang Hong shouted.

Hearing the voice, the director and nearby crew members turned toward Liu Tianxian.

Liu Tianxian recognized the voice instantly—her expression froze in shock—how could this man be here?

She shouted: "What are you doing here? Go back immediately—it's too dangerous!"

At least he was here—if he weren't, Fang Hong couldn't turn back anyway.

This was the perfect moment to pursue true love—sharing hardship wasn't something that happened every day.

Even if Liu Tianxian didn't soften, surely she'd feel pity—he'd traveled thousands of miles, now soaked to the bone like a drowned rat.

Thinking this, Fang Hong didn't hesitate—he stepped back a few paces, then leapt forward with a powerful bound.

"Splash!"

The crew gasped in shock—was this man insane?

Such heavy rain, mud everywhere, a wide, collapsed ditch in between, soil continuously washing away, the ditch widening further.

Falling in meant being swept away by the current—with no chance to climb out, and no way anyone could rescue you in this environment.

You dare to jump here? You really aren't afraid of dying!

Liu Tianxian's face changed too. Without thinking further, she rushed forward.

Before the crew could react, Fang Hong had already leapt onto the slope at the edge of the ditch, kicking at the mud as he tried to climb up. Below him, water churned.

Because the rain was heavy and the mud was soft, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't climb up even a bit. Instead, he kicked the mud down, leaving himself no foothold, and was sinking.

Just then, a hand grabbed his.

Fang Hong looked up—it was Liu Tianxian.

"Get up here, quick."

Liu Tianxian was frantic. Lying flat on the ground, ignoring the rain and the mud, she gritted her teeth and hauled the man up with all her might.

In her heart she was afraid too—afraid something would happen to him.

At this moment, the crew finally reacted. Several workers in raincoats hurried over to help with the rescue.

With their combined effort, Fang Hong was quickly pulled up.

"Slap!"

Before anyone could react, Liu Tianxian suddenly slapped Fang Hong across the face and roared, "Are you sick in the head? Don't you know how dangerous that is?"

That slap was loud and crisp, leaving everyone around stunned, all of them looking at each other in bewilderment.

What's going on? Why is Liu Tianxian so furious?

No one knew what was happening; they all shook their heads silently, indicating they had no idea.

Director Li Rengang, Producer Zeng Peishan, and several actors were nearby too, all looking equally baffled.

They had never seen Liu Tianxian lose her temper like this. After spending so long together on set, she had always been considerate of others' feelings and very easy to get along with.

Fang Hong said nothing. He deserved that slap—he knew Liu Tianxian had only hit him because she was worried about his safety.

So he wasn't angry in his heart.

Only Liu Tianxian didn't know: he had no choice but to jump. There was no other way out. He couldn't just stay on that side alone—that would've been even more dangerous.

Raindrops struck Liu Tianxian's pretty face. Watching the man stay silent, she felt miserable too.

Actually, after delivering that slap, her heart ached as well. If he hadn't made the jump, if the flood had swept him away, or if he hadn't managed to climb up—she didn't dare imagine the consequences.

He really doesn't take his own life seriously.

"Come with me!" Liu Tianxian's face was frosty as she gestured for him to follow.

Assistant, come hold an umbrella over her!

The people around were dumbfounded and unconsciously parted to make a path for them, full of doubts inside.

It seemed like there was some big scoop they didn't know about?

"Break it up, break it up. Everyone be careful, don't run around." Li Rengang gestured for the surrounding people to stop crowding and go take shelter from the rain.

What's there to gossip about!

Liu Tianxian led Fang Hong to a van. The van wasn't very spacious—seven seats in three rows, with the driver's cab at the very front.

The seats could all be moved around and could serve as a bed.

The windows were all covered with cloth curtains, protecting privacy!

The interior was wrapped in genuine leather—quite luxurious, like a small rest area, providing for daily life needs.

Still, it wasn't the same as an RV—an RV is more comprehensive, with much more space.

"Wipe yourself off!"

Liu Tianxian tossed a towel onto Fang Hong's head.

Fang Hong didn't dare say a word, only daring to smell the towel—it smelled nice.

But his body wasn't just soaked through, it was covered in mud too. There was no way to wipe it properly; he could only dry his hair a bit.

He couldn't sit down either—if he did, he'd get mud all over the seats.

Liu Tianxian's situation was much the same: her body was covered in rainwater and mud, her wet hair hanging loose.

"Put this on!"

Liu Tianxian dug out a set of pink pajamas from her own luggage bag, along with a pair of pink slippers, and tossed them to him.

The pajamas were loose and easy to put on; other clothes wouldn't fit anyway.

"You want me to wear this?" Fang Hong was stunned.

He picked up the pink pajamas—silky smooth, with a nice feel. If a grown man wore this and people found out, they'd probably laugh their heads off!

"Wear it or don't, suit yourself. If you won't wear it, then suffer." Liu Tianxian reached out to snatch it back.

"I'll wear it, I'll wear it!" Fang Hong shrank back.

He took off his mud-caked shoes, tossed them aside, and put on the cute women's slippers.

Just as he was about to take off his clothes, he saw Liu Tianxian staring at him: "Are you trying to watch me undress?"

"Who wants to look at you!"

Liu Tianxian's tone was sharp. She walked to the back and pulled the cloth curtain shut, blocking the view: "If you dare sneak a peek, I'll gouge your eyes out."

Her little baby voice was fierce in a cute way.

"I wasn't planning to look, but since you put it that way, I think I'll have to take a look." Fang Hong was still in that cheeky mode.

"Swoosh!"

The cloth curtain was yanked open.

But there was no one in front of it. Fang Hong was still standing in place, unmoved. Liu Tianxian had thought this man was really going to come pull her curtain open, but it seemed he knew his limits and wasn't that lewd after all.

She pulled a long face: "Are you trying to die? If you want to die, I'll send you off to die right now."

"If it makes you happy, I'm willing." Sweet nothings rolled off Fang Hong's tongue.

"Get lost!"

Liu Tianxian pulled the cloth curtain shut, her heart stirring within.

This man had traveled thousands of miles to come here — she knew perfectly well it was to make up, and he had even jumped into a dangerous ditch without a second thought; to say she wasn't moved would be a lie.

But she couldn't forgive this man that easily either.

She had compromised once for the sake of her own ideals!

Fang Hong did not go pull the curtain open — saying one thing and doing another were different matters, and at this stage it wasn't appropriate to deepen the conflict.

He had come to make up, not to tease an honest woman!

After changing into the clothes, Fang Hong looked at his own getup and felt it was neither one thing nor the other — neither man nor woman — like a clown.

Is this the legendary "cross-dressing big shot"?

Still, the clothes smelled quite nice — Liu Tianxian's scent!

(End of Chapter)