Jian Yun hung up the phone, still wearing a smile that hadn't faded.
He is currently on Xia Yuexian's set. The Demon Alliance still needs a few more days to research the growth anomaly, which gives him the perfect opportunity to wrap up the filming.
As an ordinary person, Zhan Yunkai's real job is that of an 18th-tier actor. He can easily leave under the pretext of filming with the crew. Being an 18th-tier actor, shooting tasks don't take up much of his time—just a few days of filming are enough to sustain his status.
Before Zhan Yunkai called, Xia Yuexian was checking her phone at the other end of the film set, her face still wearing a peculiar smile.
On her phone, the interface of Chao Fan Forum was open, and she was reading a fanfiction titled 'No CP, No Happiness' about the legendary Celestial Master and the Demon King Chongming.
I've been following this fanfiction for a while now, initially just out of curiosity.
Someone's writing a Chongming Demon King fanfiction! I gotta check out what it's like!
At first, she just did it for fun, comparing the characters with the real-life celebrities around her while watching, and she'd laugh for ages every time. But as she kept watching, she realized how spot-on the line' No CP, no happiness' really was.
If we strip away the prototypes of 'Tianshi' and 'Chongming Demon King,' the story itself maintains a coherent narrative flow. The love-hate dynamic is brilliantly portrayed, and the character development is so compelling that it's easy to get hooked—provided we disregard the original inspirations.
Xia Yuexian simply ignored the original characters and treated them as original creations. Since she knew nothing about 'Tian Shi' and 'Chongming Demon King' —and the trope 'no CP, no happiness' meant nothing to her—she wrote entirely from imagination, even reversing the gender roles.
The Celestial Master wears a loose-robed robe year-round and dons a thunder-patterned mask whenever he goes on missions. The Demon King Chongming only appears in his demonic form, and without proper documentation, their true genders remain unknown.
Xia Yuexian was enjoying herself when a phone call suddenly rang. The moment she answered, her face turned pale.
As soon as Zhan Yunkai hung up the phone, Xia Yuexian dashed over with a frantic look: "Help! Can you hurry me to the film set?"
Xia Yuexian, the fox spirit of Heart Moon, has always loved mingling with people and playing with their hearts. She even set up a film and television company in the human world for her own amusement. Zhan Yunkai, an ordinary mortal, mostly relied on Xia Yuexian to get by. His current acting career is also under her company, and their relationship has always been close. Zhan Yunkai is more than happy to lend her a hand, but...
"You know I'm not good at acting," said Zhan Yunkai.
The Demon King of Chongming is a brute force type with virtually no acting skills, having poured all his 'acting chops' into pretending to be ordinary people in front of his wife and kids.
Jian Yun's success in the entertainment industry hinges on his looks. Xia Yuexian always casts him in roles that require minimal emotional investment—essentially, he's a pretty face. He doesn't need to climb the corporate ladder; he treats it as a regular job.
"That's a role that doesn't require much acting," Xia Yuexian remarked. "The scenes are brief, and it'll probably only take two or three days to shoot."
Jian Yunkai nodded. With the other set being in a rush, they decided to pause filming here and return later once that was done—after all, Xia Yuexian was the one who pitched the show, and as the top boss, she could make whatever arrangements she wanted.
On the way there, Xia Yueshan kept explaining the whole story in detail.
The film requiring urgent production was a collaboration between Xia Yuexian and her team. When the production company proposed casting their newly promoted rising star, Xia Yuexian initially agreed to the role—a minor character with limited screen time that didn't require much acting. However, the rising star proved to be quite theatrical. He first claimed his busy schedule demanded special scheduling for his scenes, but after joining the crew, he felt his role was insufficient and even brought the screenwriter on set to request additional scenes.
Xia Yuexian was furious about this. She had just reached a pivotal point in the story, about to trigger the confinement mode, when this sudden mishap completely disrupted her progress.
However, the trope of 'no happiness without a CP' isn't entirely off the mark. Chongming Demon King's transformation is indeed breathtakingly beautiful, with his prototype being exquisitely ornate and his human form radiating regal elegance.
Zhong Ming, a divine bird worshipped in ancient times, radiates both the ferocity of a demon king and the solemnity of a deity. Had Zhan Yunkai not deliberately restrained his aura and even downplayed his presence, his current state would have made it nearly impossible for him to live a normal life.
Every time Xia Yuexian played a character for him, people would be so excited they'd be licking their screens!
The troublemaker, the rising star Ling Yuteng, was kicked out by Xia Yuexian for his antics. She collaborated with others purely out of passion—no shortage of funding or connections. But even for this hobby, Xia Yuexian refused to compromise her artistic integrity. Her aesthetic standards were so rigid that producing subpar work would be tantamount to disgusting the audience, an outright insult to her artistic vision!
The production team had already scheduled the filming for that rising star, consistently rescheduling key scenes to the last minute. Now, aside from some minor shots, only his character's scenes remain. Finding new actors is nearly impossible, and every day of delay means burning through more money.
Ling Yuteng had clearly seen their inability to afford the delay and played this move. Of course, Xia Yuexian could afford the delay, but this was utterly disgusting.
Jian Yunkai listened to Xia Yuexian's complaints intermittently while flipping through the script with a rustling sound. Thanks to the Demon King's remarkable memory, he had memorized all the lines in one go.
This character is well-crafted—a flawless 'dead white moonlight' persona. Though her screen time is limited, she effortlessly wins over fans and becomes a crowd favorite. But Zhan Yunkai doesn't care.
The sky had already turned dark when they set off, and by the time they reached the set, there was nothing left to film. They could only try on the makeup to see how it would look.
The crew was filming a night scene when the boss showed up with a middle-aged handsome guy, and everyone guessed he was there to bail them out. But here's the kicker... They'd just finished reviewing Ling Yuteng's costume design that morning. With nearly a generation's age gap between them, was this really feasible? Putting aside Ling Yuteng's questionable character, his looks were pretty good—otherwise, Xia Yuexian wouldn't have agreed to cast him in this role.
Everyone was sizing up Zhan Yunkai, some discreetly, others openly. The Demon King remained unfazed, his mind still preoccupied with how long the steamed buns and braised pork in the fridge would last. His younger children were big eaters—don't let them finish up and leave his wife starving...
Xia Yuexian personally escorted the person into the makeup room, made all the arrangements, and then went out to meet the director.
Since this was a co-production, many crew members weren't part of her own team, so she had to give them some instructions.
Xia Yue walked over with a smile and said, "Director Liu, Teacher Zhan has a unique acting style. When you give him directions—whether it's about positioning or movements—he can execute it flawlessly. Don't be too strict with his lines; he can make up for it in other ways. I'm here to step in if needed, so please be understanding."
Director Liu understood. This was another amateur actor who needed to be treated with courtesy. The previous scandal had left him disillusioned, and he was reluctant to bring in another veteran. But CEO Xia had promised to cover the costs if the other party withdrew, so he had to give him face. At least this actor didn't request a script revision. It was a role that didn't require acting skills—just a decorative one. Once the makeup was done, it would look fine, and the lines... CEO Xia had explicitly asked him to dub the lines, so he didn't expect much. After all, the final cut would have to be decent.
Director Liu frowned and said, "Alright. Don't worry, I'll make sure to look after you properly."
Xia Yuexian could tell from his demeanor that he was still preoccupied. She glanced at the assistant director beside her, who nodded in understanding. With the assistant director—a veteran of her company who knew how to handle such situations—she felt reassured and left.
Back in the makeup room, Zhan Yunkai's makeup was already done.
The makeup artist, who was also from outside, worked with Zhan Yun for the first time. He stared at the face in a daze for a long while, then after a few strokes, shook his head and wiped it off.
"You're absolutely stunning," the makeup artist marveled. "Your skin is so flawless, as smooth as if you were eighteen or nineteen. What skincare routine do you usually follow?"
Jian Yunkai never cared for his skin, but he knew how to handle the conversation—so he casually mentioned the skincare products Xia Yuexian had bought and displayed.
"Many people use these too, but the results are just the same. Looks like you're just naturally blessed with good genes," the makeup artist said with a knowing smile. "Let me tell you, there are very few people in this industry with flawless skin. All that camera-ready glow is just makeup. With constant makeup routines and late nights, very few can actually have healthy skin."
You won't even let me do my makeup. I don't even know how to apply it for you.
At first glance, it might have gone unnoticed, but upon closer inspection, one discovers this face to be exquisitely sculpted, with a natural charm that leaves little room for alteration.
Jian Yun smiled and said, "My wife is the real beauty."
The makeup artist was momentarily taken aback, then recalled the actor's age despite his stunningly beautiful face. Since he wasn't pursuing an idol career, there was no need to worry about his fans' taboo against marriage.
He swallowed the dog food silently, thinking, 'You kids must be beautiful.'
"Yes, they're all very attractive," said Zhan Yun with a cheerful smile.
As the Demon King, the more powerful he becomes, the harder it is for others to claim his bloodline—especially since his true form is the Divine Bird of Zhongming. All three of his children were adopted, yet not a single one is unattractive.
The old man wears a mask all day, but when he cuts off his bangs and takes off the mask, he turns into a handsome young man.
The makeup artist studied Zhan Yunkai's face, unsure how to proceed, but couldn't just leave it blank. In the end, she followed the character's design—elongating the eye corners, adding a touch of eyeshadow, and brightening the lip color.
Xia Yuexian burst in and exclaimed, "This makeup is absolutely stunning!"
The makeup artist couldn't bring himself to say it was his work:' It's the person's good looks! The person's good looks!'
"Looks like this makeup is great. Shall we try on the costume?" Xia Yuexian suggested. With a wave of her hand, the makeup artist stepped back.
Jian Yun Kai glanced at the costume hanging on the hanger, his eyes betraying a faint look of disdain.
The Demon King of Chongming has an obsessive cleanliness and refuses to wear secondhand clothes. In the past, all his costumes were custom-made exclusively by Xia Yuexian. But this time, it was a last-minute rush to meet a production deadline, leaving no time for custom orders. Xia Yuexian pulled a pristine white new dress from her pocket. As her fingertips traced the fabric, the ethereal moonlight shimmered across the material, transforming the garment into an exact replica of the stage costume hanging on the hanger.
"Your magic is getting better and better," said Zhan Yunkai.
Xia Yu smiled and said, "Yeah, I handle all the special effects for the company."
After she finished styling the jewelry, she left the dressing room to wait for Zhan Yun Kai to change.
This time would be perfect for her to finish reading the earlier passage. What happened to the 'Chongming Demon King' after the 'Celestial Master' captured him?
Xia Yuexian opened the forum and clicked into the favorites...
???What about my essay?!
Xia Yuexian scoured the forum's spam zone in a flash. By the time she drove off to join another production crew, the story she was chasing had vanished. The author hadn't even backed up the content, and the forum now had a 'teen mode' —without real-name verification, users could only browse for two hours.
The world is changing too fast. Xia Yue Xian paused briefly to mourn her writings before checking out the teen mode. A thread still lingered on the homepage, claiming the forum's teen mode was an intrusion anomaly.
Haha, how could that be? She was more convinced that a few people from the Abnormal Management Bureau behind the forum had suddenly gone mad.
Xia Yuexian opened the post.
The OP's 1L explanation sounds so serious it's almost unbelievable—either they're mocking or just playing a meme. Clicking on' Only OP 'reveals this new account called' Approaching Science' never replied after posting.
Then you'll see the second layer pinned as administrator:
355L "Admin Area"
Thanks to OP 'Approaching Science' for the tip. We've confirmed the forum's sudden 'Youth Mode' was triggered by a B-level anomaly, which has now been fixed.
Xia Yuexian: Pupil tremor.
Is the forum really under attack?