Chapter 123: Above the Immortal (Request Monthly Tickets, Request Rewards)

"Swish"

Liu Tianxian pulled back the curtain and changed her clothes.

She was barefoot, wearing a striped tank top and jeans, looking cozy and casual.

She saw Fang Hong, a big man, wearing a pink female pajama, and couldn't help letting out a "pfft" laugh, then quickly pressed her lips shut.

"Don't hold yourself back—laugh if you want to," Fang Hong said, sitting on the chair.

It didn't matter if Liu Tianxian saw—it was playful—but showing it to others? No way, it'd ruin my noble image.

"What's it to you?"

Liu Tianxian glared at him, smoothed her hair, rubbed it—still damp.

"Don't you have any other clothes? Something more masculine—I'm not dressed right either. What do I wear tomorrow?" Fang Hong proposed.

"Sour pickles!"

Liu Tianxian ignored him completely—do whatever you want, who told you to show up without checking the almanac?

And you didn't even notify me! So self-important!

"Feifei, I'm being serious talking to you," Fang Hong said.

"Don't call me Feifei," Liu Tianxian snapped.

"Then what should I call you?"

"Use my full name."

"Miss Liu, please treat me with more respect," Fang Hong suddenly asserted himself, trying to overpower her.

Liu Tianxian stood up, unyielding, hands on hips, glaring, defiant: "So what if I don't?"

They stared at each other, both brimming with anger.

After a moment of standoff, Fang Hong deflated like a punctured balloon: "Nothing."

Seeing him like that, Liu Tianxian wanted to laugh but held it in, crossed her legs, and assumed a haughty, petulant pose.

Give him no color, and he forgets his own surname.

The car fell silent for a while; neither spoke.

After a while, Liu Tianxian secretly pulled out her smartphone, aimed the lens at Fang Hong, and clicked—"Snap!"

"You can't do that—if this gets out, my image is ruined," Fang Hong noticed and jumped up to grab it.

Liu Tianxian hid the phone behind her back and pointed: "Step back."

"Seriously, I'm the General Manager of this company—if this gets out, what will people think of me? I'll lose all authority," Fang Hong tried to reason.

"You only care how others see you—why don't you care how I see you?" Liu Tianxian lifted her chin.

At first, the words seemed harmless, but on closer listen, they carried a hint of hurt.

Fang Hong sat back down: "I apologize for what I did before."

"Then tell me exactly where you were wrong," Liu Tianxian raised her stance again.

"I was wrong to speak harshly to you, to ignore your feelings," Fang Hong spoke gently to her.

"That's all? Nothing else?" Liu Tianxian looked at him.

"That's all," Fang Hong said.

"Wrong. You're wrong because you don't understand me at all," Liu Tianxian pointed.

"I understand you too well—that's why I stopped you. If that role had benefited you, I wouldn't have blocked it. Like this movie—it's trash either way; whether you take it or not doesn't affect your image," Fang Hong explained again.

He had already used his foresight to help Liu Tianxian avoid many pitfalls.

"How is this movie trash? Big director, grand sets, actors delivering great performances—don't talk nonsense!"

Liu Tianxian was referring to The Legend of Hongmen!

Fang Hong sighed: "I've always supported your career—from the beginning until now. Why didn't I let you take The Youth? You know why. Do you think I kept you from The Bronze Sparrow Terrace to harm you?"

Liu Tianxian fell silent. Indeed, this man had helped her career greatly—she never denied it. He always gave her roles with good image, and good projects.

Roles in Those Years and Lost in Love 33 Days were memorable—the former pure, the latter the literary young woman.

She also played The School of the Genius Thief—a genius student, unforgettable.

She could still tell good from bad.

And she believed this man would never harm her—that's why she chose not to take The Bronze Sparrow Terrace.

It meant giving up part of her principles, compromising!

But Fang Hong's attitude back then was too extreme—he didn't talk to her properly, which hurt her. If he'd just explained patiently, they wouldn't be like this now.

Since he didn't talk to her properly then, now wanting to make up? Not so easy.

That'd be too easy for him, too self-degrading!

"I think we should have a proper talk," Fang Hong said.

"Sleep."

Liu Tianxian lowered the seat, lay down on the chair, closed her eyes, and pulled the blanket over herself.

She knew exactly what this man wanted to say.

Fang Hong watched Liu Tianxian's half-asleep form, then silently lay down too.

In the minivan, the two lay side by side on their own seats; the space grew quiet again.

Liu Tianxian lay on her side, back to Fang Hong.

She glanced back and saw Fang Hong's thin frame, bare under the covers, so she tossed her blanket over to him.

"Huh?"

Fang Hong picked up the blanket and looked at Liu Tianxian.

But Liu Tianxian didn't look at him—she simply pulled out another blanket, covered herself, and turned her side away again.

If you care, just say it outright—no need to play games.

In fact, Liu Tianxian understood everything and still cared deeply for him.

"Feifei, you might think I'm interfering too much in your career and life, but you should know that since the beginning until now, I've never blocked you from pursuing your own ideals—on the contrary, I've always guided you.

I'm not saying this to claim credit, because you've helped me a lot too. What I want to say is that choice matters more than effort. You work hard, but when you have choices, you must let go of some things—some efforts are completely useless."

Fang Hong spoke softly, his words grounded in reality.

Liu Tianxian was awake, eyes open, silently listening—she understood every word he said.

Over these two years, she starred in many films, including Love Notice and A Chinese Ghost Story—both were completely useless efforts, and she knew it well.

Her collaborations with Fang Hong were all effective efforts, and she saw that clearly.

And Fang Hong had been guiding her acting in different ways, teaching her everything he knew—she felt it all.

Whether or not she had improved, at least what she delivered on screen was no worse than anyone else's.

"You know me—I sometimes act recklessly, without thinking of consequences, but I consider every decision. At least my choices are right.

You say I have no bottom line, but you don't know my bottom line has always been you—you're what defined my bottom line, gave me conscience, kept me from being too impulsive.

Without you, I don't know what kind of person I'd be, or what I might have done."

Liu Tianxian shifted slightly but said nothing.

She knew the news that Fa Ge had been beaten these past few days was definitely this man's doing.

If their relationship had been healthy, she wouldn't have let him do it—attacking someone personally was wrong.

Never mind whether he'd get caught or not—he didn't care about consequences at all.

If you hire people to beat someone, can't they just bribe others to beat you back?

Then just kill each other—there are no rules at all!

"You always want to break the filter, transcend yourself—everyone knows that, including your fans. But have you ever thought about who's kept you standing strong all this time? It's your fans paying for you!

Maybe you think they're irrational, too emotional, contradicting your ideals—but that's not an excuse to ignore their feelings.

Of course, that includes me too—I don't like you breaking the filter. I want you to keep the 'Immortal' label forever!

Immortal comes in many forms: Heavenly Immortal, Battle Immortal, Human Immortal, Ghost Immortal, Divine Immortal. Sometimes I just don't understand—why must you tear it off?

Can't you build upon the 'Immortal' foundation and reach a new level? Have you ever thought of a realm beyond Immortal? Why must you walk the path others have taken? Why not forge your own entirely new path?"

Fang Hong's words grew increasingly ethereal, like a xianxia novel.

But there was truth in them—building upon the 'Immortal' foundation to carve her own acting path wasn't impossible.

Liu Tianxian said nothing. Sometimes she'd thought about this too—but if there was no path, how could she walk it?

Isn't being an actor just about winning awards and becoming Best Actress? Everyone does it—Gong Huang, Guoji Zhang, Man Shen—all of them.

Tear off the old label, become a method actor!

In truth, Fang Hong was just blowing smoke—he himself hadn't figured out how Liu Tianxian could walk the path with the 'Immortal' label.

"Maybe I've said too much, but no matter what, I'll support you in moving forward. My feelings for you are different from how I feel about others. How did that saying go again? I see all living beings as grass and trees, but only you are my green mountain."

That night, Fang Hong spoke a lot—from 'beyond Immortal' to his own character, and he made clear he'd walk beside her.

Of course, Liu Tianxian also knew—and felt—the man's affection for her.

Outside, the rain still fell, but online, public opinion was boiling. Song Xiansheng, investor of The Feast of Hongmen, posted a Weibo:

{The Feast of Hongmen was filming in Dunhuang when a sudden flood struck, and with no signal in the area, nearly 300 crew members lost contact. I've tried calling Director Li Rengang, Producer Ceng Peisan, and our company's production and Propaganda Department staff—all calls went unanswered. Urgent, urgent, urgent!!! Director, Miss Ceng, Shaofeng, Yifei—please let us know you're safe!!! }

How could such a perfect propaganda opportunity be wasted?

With this Weibo, news of The Feast of Hongmen crew being trapped spread across the entire internet.

Instantly, media outlets and big V's rushed to repost Song Xiansheng's post, stoking the buzz.

Seeing this, fans of various stars flooded the internet with posts pleading for divine intervention to rescue them.

They acted frantic, deeply worried.

Of course, among these stars, Liu Tianxian had the most fans—online, people posted prayers for her safety.

"Xixi, please be safe! {folded hands}"

"Please pray for Xixi! {folded hands}"

"Wife, my wife, you absolutely cannot get hurt!"

"You upstairs, what the hell are you yelling for?!"

"."

Online, the hype was wild. Song Xiansheng posted Weibo nonstop all night—effectively live-streaming it.

For buzz, this was how it had to be!

It seemed this was his first time making a movie—and it flopped. He never tried again.

This industry isn't easy to survive in.

(End of Chapter)