Chapter 143.2: Storm Filming (3)
The guests in the banquet hall, all maintaining composed expressions, subtly watched Father Han’s every move. After he left, they began gathering in small clusters, casting glances toward his retreating figure and speaking in hushed tones.
“Haven’t all the guests already arrived? Who could Chairman Han be going out to greet at this point?”
“Greet? You must be joking. Did you see his expression? He could star in a face-changing act.”
“The Han family dominates Yicheng—who could possibly be important enough for Chairman Han to personally go out and receive them?”
…
After filming the guests’ discussions, the camera swept across the corner of the banquet hall, where a few young people stood in front of the self-serve food table—several outstandingly charismatic youths gathered together.
Zhong Cheng’an, played by Xiang Yueting, was picking food onto his plate while curiously glancing in the direction Father Han had left, gossiping to his companions.
“Yanlin, Gu Xi, Liang Jing—what do you three think is up with that old man? Why did he look like he was facing a great enemy? Saw a ghost or something?”
Zhou Yanlin, his complexion pale, glanced around to make sure no one was listening before replying, “According to my brother, the Han family is shady. Deep waters. Don’t talk carelessly here.”
Gu Xi, played by Ning Sinian, frowned slightly upon hearing this and hesitated as he glanced at Zhou Yanlin.
Sensing something, Zhou Yanlin looked at Gu Xi, a gentle smile on his lips. “Gu Xi, if you have something to say, just say it.”
Only then did Gu Xi speak up: “You told me to say it, so I will. I actually wanted to say it when we arrived, but I was afraid you’d be upset. Forget it…”
He irritably pinched the metallic-looking fork in his hand, his eyes, sharp in contrast of black and white, locking onto Zhou Yanlin.
“Yanlin, is your brother Zhou Yanxun mentally unwell or something? He clearly told you the Han family is dangerous, and he knows full well that not long ago, in Amara, you were kidnapped, shot, and only survived because your heart is on the wrong side. You haven’t even recovered properly, and he still sent you to the Han family? Don’t you think something’s off about that?”
As Gu Xi spoke, the warmth in Zhou Yanlin’s smile gradually faded.
After a moment, he fixed his gaze on Gu Xi. “Gu Xi, my brother just didn’t have time. That’s why he asked me to attend the Han family’s banquet.”
“After all, an invitation from the Han family… isn’t something you can refuse.”
Upon hearing this, Liang Jing—who had been silently standing behind the three the entire time like a quiet guardian—let out a mocking laugh. “If I remember correctly, Mr. Zhou Yanxun, while sending his employer to this banquet, was photographed by the media shopping with your father. A touching father-son outing.”
Zhong Cheng’an pulled his gaze back, belatedly sensing the tension among the group. He quickly tried to smooth things over.
“Haha, alright, alright, don’t get upset. We’re all friends here, no one meant anything bad.”
“Gu Xi, don’t say that. Brother Zhou’s actually a pretty good guy.”
Zhou Yanlin’s expression softened, and he nodded with a gentle smile. “Mm, my brother is a good person.”
Gu Xi looked at Zhou Yanlin’s expression and forced a smile. “Yeah… I was overthinking it.”
“So… should we go out and join the excitement?” Zhong Cheng’an’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as he stared at the backs of the guests who had all left together.
Zhou Yanlin casually glanced in that direction and smiled, clearly disinterested. “You guys go ahead. I’ll pass.”
Gu Xi, still preoccupied, added, “I’m not going either.”
Liang Jing said simply, “Wherever my employer is, that’s where I’ll be. I’m not going either.”
With everyone saying that, Zhong Cheng’an looked at Zhou Yanlin’s chest area, sighed, and said, “Then I won’t join the fun either.”
After filming the main cast’s scene, following the direction coming through the earpieces, the camera crew shifted the shot outward, capturing the guests who had gone out together, driven by curiosity and gossip.
The guests stood behind Father Han, who was watching the continuous stream of cars arriving. His expression was dark and stormy; he had no interest in the onlookers behind him. His posture was tense.
…
Outside the banquet hall.
Amidst the swirling snow, a long line of black cars slowly came to a stop, one after another.
As the seemingly endless motorcade came into view, the guests grew increasingly nervous, gripping their partners’ hands tightly. With anxious expressions, they stared at the procession, whispering to the people nearest to them.
“What’s going on? What is the Han family trying to do?”
“Our cars weren’t even allowed past the gate and had to stop outside. Why are these ones allowed in?”
“Whatever it is, this whole setup feels wrong. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have come today. Don’t tell me this is the end of the line for us?”
“Don’t talk nonsense. This is a law-abiding society—how could anything happen…”
“Did you forget what Han Dong’s ex-wife’s son does for a living? Talking about the law at the Han estate—are you kidding me…”
“Shhh… Someone’s getting out of the car.”
A few seconds after the vehicle stopped, Xie Yi—played by Jiang Yanxi—opened the front passenger door and stepped out of the car.
Without sparing a glance at Father Han or the guests behind him, Xie Yi walked straight to the rear passenger side and opened the door.
As he bowed slightly to pull the door open, he took an umbrella from the bodyguards who had just gotten out.
He opened the black umbrella and spoke respectfully toward the car’s interior, “Mr. Han, we’re home.”
“Mm,” came a cool, indifferent voice from inside.
The guests then saw a pair of clean black leather shoes step onto the snow, followed by a long leg wrapped in tailored black suit pants stepping out of the car.
Heavy snowflakes continued to fall, landing soundlessly on the stretched black umbrella.
Father Han and the guests stood under the eaves, and when they saw the tall, coldly handsome man under the umbrella—with a menacing air and an aura sharp as ice—they all turned pale.
“H-Han Fei…”
“Why is he back? Damn it, I knew I should’ve checked the almanac before going out today…”
“He even brought that many people with him… we’re done for. Are we really going to meet our end here today?”
“If we leave now… is it still possible?”
“What do you think?”
…
Father Han listened to the constant murmuring behind him. The howling wind and snow were loud, and though he couldn’t make out the words clearly, he could guess well enough what everyone was talking about.
He didn’t even need to turn around to imagine the look of panic on everyone’s faces.
Han Fei was dressed in a suit, a simple black overcoat draped over it. His cold gaze swept over the guests who had come out to welcome him.
Ignoring the guests’ expressions—some shocked, others terrified—Han Fei casually raised his hand. As the crowd collectively gasped, afraid his gesture might signal something dangerous, all Han Fei did was calmly adjust his cufflinks.
As Han Fei adjusted his sleeves, the guests noticed something unusual—on the wrist of this cold-blooded, exiled, and rumored ruthless killer, the eldest young master of the Han family, was a string of Buddhist prayer beads.
Everyone: “……”
Since when do executioners come with their own built-in spiritual send-off?
At that moment, only one thought echoed through the minds of all the guests: those prayer beads on someone like Han Fei, brimming with murderous energy, had absolutely nothing to do with compassion. The contrast was jarring and bizarre.
Father Han took a deep breath. Since Han Fei didn’t take the initiative to greet him, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and speak up:
“Xiao Fei, why didn’t you tell your father you were coming back?”
Hearing that, Han Fei’s frosty gaze landed on Father Han—but he spoke to the man beside him.
“Xie Yi, glasses.”
“Yes, Mr. Han.”
Yi Chen took the black umbrella from Xie Yi’s hand, and Xie Yi, wearing white gloves, opened an eyeglass case brought by Ba Ze. With both hands, he respectfully offered the gold-rimmed glasses to Han Fei.
Han Fei picked up the glasses and placed them on the bridge of his nose. Only then did he respond to Father Han with a faint, indifferent tone:
“I forgot.”
Father Han: “……”
The gold-rimmed glasses on Han Fei’s face, like the prayer beads on his wrist, did nothing to soften the harsh, icy aura that radiated from him.
The guests nervously swallowed, staring at Han Fei standing in the swirling snow—impeccably dressed in a suit, wearing gold-rimmed glasses—and all had the same thought in their minds: A gentleman in appearance… no, a beast in human clothing. A refined brute.
Of course, none of them dared say that aloud. It was the kind of consensus that could only exist in the safety of their minds.
Father Han was momentarily choked by Han Fei’s response. His expression shifted slightly, then he strode up to Han Fei, deliberately putting on a display of fatherly affection in front of the guests.
He smiled and said, “Haha… it’s fine, let’s head inside—it’s cold out here.”
Han Fei stared at the smiling Father Han for a few seconds. When beads of cold sweat began forming on the elder’s forehead, the previously expressionless Han Fei suddenly curved his lips into a gentle smile, leaned in close to Father Han’s ear, and whispered:
“It’s okay, Dad. After all… the one who’s going to be cold later isn’t me—it’s you.”
Seeing Han Fei wear the warmest smile while speaking in the coldest, most threatening tone, the actor playing Father Han felt momentarily disoriented. For a second, he couldn’t tell whether the person standing before him was Shen Xiu himself, or Han Fei from Storm. He swallowed hard, his mind going blank, and forgot his next line.
He wouldn’t admit it, but in that moment, he felt as though he had caught a glimpse of the real Shen Xiu behind the mask of Han Fei.
At the same time, among the guests standing behind Father Han, a few extras couldn’t help covering their mouths in shock the moment they saw Han Fei smile.
“He—he smiled… How can a single smile be so terrifying?”
“I can’t take it anymore, I really can’t—Boss Xiu and Han Fei are way too compatible. That smile just now made me feel like Boss Xiu wasn’t even acting, like he was Han Fei…”
The extra hadn’t finished speaking before someone next to him tugged his sleeve. He snapped back to his senses and realized the director hadn’t called “cut” yet—he immediately shut his mouth in a panic.
Xuan Yushu frowned as he stared at the filming monitor. He hadn’t expected Shen Xiu’s scripted smile during the scene to have that kind of effect. The actor playing Father Han missing his cue, and the extras’ outburst, had ruined what was supposed to be a perfect one-take shot.
Even though Xuan Yushu had also been momentarily stunned by the menace in Shen Xiu’s smile, the fact that the perfect shot had been ruined still left him irritated.
“Cut!” Xuan Yushu called out sharply, clearly annoyed.
As soon as filming stopped, he walked over to the extras, unable to hold back:
“What the hell was that?!”
Hearing Xuan Yushu’s voice, Shen Xiu quickly shifted his gaze away from the actor playing Father Han. With everyone watching, he didn’t dare place a hand over his wildly pounding heart—and with the director scolding people, he definitely didn’t dare make a move.
Shen Xiu didn’t even know what had gone wrong. After he delivered his line, the actor playing Father Han—who had been doing fine up until that moment—suddenly froze and didn’t respond. Shen Xiu had stayed in character, maintaining his gaze and posture, and it had gotten… awkward.
He was just about to turn around and look for his teammates to help ease the tension, when he noticed Song Chengwang and the others watching him nervously.
Not only the extras, but even those standing right beside him couldn’t quite tell whether that eerie, bone-chilling smile had come from Shen Xiu himself… or from his portrayal of Han Fei.
So… this was why Shen Xiu never liked to smile?
Shen Xiu looked confused. “You all…”
Mu Zhenchu swallowed hard, visibly shaken.
“Captain Xiu, just now you… your smile—it was really scary…”
