Please read the T/n at the end. Thank youuuuuuuuu.<3<3
Before the age of sixteen, Yin Yun was a useless person who wasted his days under the title of crown prince. On his sixteenth birthday, the enemy nation attacked the city, plundered its wealth, and slaughtered his father, the emperor, his mother, the empress, and his beloved elder brothers before his very eyes.
The hot blood of his closest kin stained his eyes red. He roared and threw himself forward, losing all dignity as a crown prince, groveling at the feet of the enemy, begging only that they grant his father a dignified death. The once lofty crown prince was reduced overnight to an enemy prisoner, bound by heavy chains and dragged all the way back to the enemy nation.
He who had once been as precious as gold leaf and jade branches fell so low that even beggars on the street could bully him. The character of Yin Yun was extremely complex, placing very high demands on the actor’s physicality and expression. He had to portray Yin Yun’s innocence and cynicism before sixteen, his indifference to state affairs, and, most importantly, he couldn’t make the character seem stupid, creating a disconnect with the character’s later awakening.
The character’s growth and transformation in the latter half were key. The once carefree, high-and-mighty crown prince would do anything to survive, lurking in the shadows of the enemy nation, living under surveillance… After several rounds of auditions, the director ultimately decided to give the role to Shen Yan.
Shen Yan had never played a lead role before, but fortunately, he had considerable experience and never limited himself to one type of character. After the film was released, audiences said that Shen Yan was the perfect embodiment of Yin Yun. The film had many highlight moments for him, and he excelled in both dramatic and action scenes. Shen Yan seemed born to act, winning Best Actor for his first leading role.
Of course, many also used his background to denigrate him, saying the Shen family must have poured a lot of money into bribing the judges. The other nominees were all much more experienced, so why should he win? Throughout it all, Shen Yan continued to move forward amidst this public opinion. No one could shake his determination to act well.
His original intention for joining a kids’ show was simple. Although he had moved back home, he was often away filming. The time he could spend with Youyou was actually limited. The show would be filmed over about three weeks, giving him a chance to be alone with the little one and grow closer. Secondly, interacting with other children would help the little one adjust to kindergarten life in advance.
Most importantly, Shen Minyan had an unresolved trauma. Youyou had been stolen right under his nose. On the surface, he acted fine, but in reality, he hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in three years. Now that Youyou was back, he was afraid to let him leave the Shen family’s grounds. Perhaps this show could help Shen Minyan let go of that trauma.
The rumors online were getting more and more outrageous. Shen Yan contacted his agent and PR department, instructing them to take legal action. The Shen family’s legal team was no pushover either. If they dared to spread rumors about their young master, having their marketing accounts shut down would be the least of their worries.
After handling that, Shen Yan pinched his brow, a bit exasperated, and said apologetically, “Dad, I didn’t think this through.”
No matter how he was outside, in front of Shen Minyan, he was just a twenty-year-old kid. Shen Minyan didn’t say much. Seeing Shen Yan’s nervousness about having implicated Youyou, he actually felt somewhat relieved. A man had to grow up amidst such storms. In the bathroom, the little one, softened by the bathwater, wore a swim ring. Holding Tang Dou’s hands with both of his, he kicked his little legs vigorously behind him. Tang Dou sat on the edge of the bathtub, occasionally wiping water from the little one’s eyes.
“Use your tummy muscles, one-two, one-two…”
Su Youli was very afraid of water, so Tang Dou had placed many toys in the tub, telling him that if he was afraid of the water, he couldn’t play with the little ducks and little swans. Su Youli clenched his little fists tightly, staring at the little yellow duck in the tub. There were even lily pads and lotus flowers floating on the surface, and even lotus roots at the bottom!!! For a little one who loved plants, this was irresistible.
Wearing his Stitch swim ring, the little one splashed into the water. Tang Dou applied body wash to him and washed his hair very gently, not letting a single drop get into his eyes or ears. After doing this many times, Su Youli gradually became less afraid of the water and even started to enjoy it a little. After the swimming practice, Tang Dou wrapped the little one tightly in a bath towel and carried him back to his room.
Fresh out of the bath, the little one was soft and adorable, his hair damp, his porcelain-like face framed by the white towel. He applied lotion to Su Youli, put on his pajamas, and then dried his hair. After a long, tiring day, the little one was very sleepy, rubbing his eyes with both hands.
“Youyou, go to sleep. Brother Xiao Tang will watch you.”
Su Youli shook his head. He was supposed to sleep with Shen Dad tonight. Tang Dou had no choice but to wrap him in his small blanket and carry him downstairs to find Shen Minyan. In the living room, Shen Minyan and Shen Yan had just finished dealing with the online situation and were sitting upright.
When they heard the noise and looked up, the moment they saw the little one, the cold sternness in their eyes melted away. Su Youli rubbed his eyes, carried by Tang Dou, too tired even to speak. The little one wore cow-print pajamas, looked milky-soft all over, and was wrapped in a small blanket.
“Why did you come down?” Shen Minyan asked.
Tang Dou explained, “Youyou said he was sleeping with you tonight. He’s obviously exhausted, but he wouldn’t go to sleep because you hadn’t come upstairs.”
Shen Minyan glanced at his watch and realized it was already past ten. He quickly stood up and walked over. As soon as he got close, the little one in the blanket reached out his hands to him.
Shen Minyan took the little one and said to Tang Dou, “Thank you for your hard work, Xiao Tang. You should get off work now.”
Tang Dou nodded. When his gaze fell on Su Youli’s face, the little one had already closed his eyes and fallen asleep. Su Youli’s appearance instantly changed the somewhat somber atmosphere. Shen Minyan didn’t linger either. He held the little one, his arms a bit stiff, and carried him upstairs to sleep. Only the two brothers, Shen Yan and Shen Lin, were left in the living room.
Shen Yan had already mostly handled his side. Normally, he wouldn’t bother with those internet trolls. But since this involved Youyou, he wouldn’t let it slide so easily. Shen Yan’s eyes narrowed slightly, a murderous intent rising in his gaze—an expression that perfectly matched the look Yin Yun had given his enemies in the film.
Shen Lin wasn’t as cunning as his brother; he was more straightforward. If others bought bots, he bought them too. If they cursed Youyou and his brother, he had his bots curse them back. He brought out the spirit of his “number one trash-talker” persona from his gaming days. As for Su Youli, the center of the storm, he had already been carried back to his room by his father and was sleeping sweetly beside him.
—
2:30 AM.
In an office building in Beicheng’s commercial district, the lights were blazing. Not a single person had left work; they were all sitting in front of computers, typing furiously.
“I’m so f***ing done. If I keep working like this, I’m going to die of exhaustion.”
The speaker was a new intern at Maibo Media.
“Tell me about it. This was the editorial department’s mess. What does it have to do with us?”
A few interns huddled together, slacking off and gossiping about their boss. Two hours earlier, their company had simultaneously received cease-and-desist letters from Shen Yan’s studio and the Shen Group. And just before receiving those letters, the main people running the operation had been feeling smug about their article going viral online.
Their company had been the first to publish, generating massive traffic. They were on the verge of popping champagne. The retribution came too quickly. Before they could even taste the sweet juice of the fruit of their joy, they were hit with legal warnings.
T/N: This is going to be a long one but please bear with me<3.
1. I’ve gotten a response from Ko-Fi and they suggested that the buffering error was/is probably due to caches issues, so clearing the cache may work. If that refuses, you can try using an incognito tab/mode.2. A big thank you for reading this book. I really appreciate you all.
3. As updates for PCMWF are now stablelizing, I’ve picked up another book to translate alongside. It is a modern trasmigration story. I’ll be consolidating the chapters over the next two days and should start posting on Saturday. This will not affect the updates on PCMWF. I’ve added the link here so you can take a look at the synopsis.https://novels.space/the-guide-to-unrequited-love/
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