Marrying the Male Lead’s Disabled Uncle – Chapter 45

The next day, Pei Lang couldn’t stop thinking about Yan Han’s cooking. His mind wandered during filming, and he had to retake several scenes due to being distracted.

Pei Lang had firsthand experience of how bad Yan Han’s cooking was. To avoid any filming mishaps, he asked Lu Lu to prepare some diarrhea medicine early in the morning, which scared Lu Lu into thinking he was seriously unwell.

The current scene being filmed was where Wen Yan placed Qin Junru under house arrest. The Demon Sect’s stronghold sat high on a mist-shrouded mountain, a place veiled in fog year-round. Because of its unique climate, the area was rich in rare flora and fauna, making it ideal for martial arts cultivation, alchemy, and poison refinement.

The terrain was easy to defend and hard to attack. For years, the Demon Sect had bullied others and stirred chaos in the martial world. Even when the righteous factions united to take them down, they were met with heavy losses and forced to retreat.

If Wen Yan and Qin Junru were intrigued by each other upon first meeting, then their time in Fengzhuju made Wen Yan fall deeply in love—one-sidedly. Eventually, he resorted to imprisoning Qin Junru, switching between gentle persuasion and force. Qin Junru, a heroine of her time, remained tenacious. She despised the Demon Sect’s ways and resented Wen Yan’s deception and betrayal. No matter how attentive he was, she couldn’t return to how things were.

All she talked about was Fu Zhixing.

Wen Yan, furious, finally abandoned all pretense of being good. Being a good person was exhausting. He confessed everything to Qin Junru: after falling in love with her, he had been extremely cautious. While treating Fu Zhixing, he had secretly poisoned him with a slow-acting toxin. Without the antidote, Fu Zhixing would die a gruesome death in forty days.

Wen Yan had always claimed to hate his father’s cruel methods. While the Demon Sect made poisons, he studied medicine—deliberately rebelling against his father. But now, to achieve his goals, he had adopted the very tactics he once condemned.

As a child, Wen Yan believed he was different from his father and the other members of the Demon Sect. But now, for the sake of love, he realized he was just the same. Born into the Demon Sect, blood and cruelty were in his bones. His father had been brutal, and he was his father’s son—born to be a villain.

After learning the truth, Qin Junru was devastated and demanded the antidote.

Wen Yan agreed—but only on the condition that Qin Junru marry him, and that Fu Zhixing attend the wedding. Only after the wedding night would he hand over the antidote.

Qin Junru tried every way to resist, but her martial arts were no match for Wen Yan’s ever-changing and mysterious techniques. Plus, she was in the heart of the Demon Sect. Even if she obtained the antidote by other means, she had no way to get it out. In the end, she had no choice but to agree.

…

Yan Han had arrived at some point, sitting next to Director Jin, holding a lunch box, watching Pei Lang perform. Pei Lang wore a scarlet robe, his hair half tied with a headband matching his outfit. His face was clean and youthful, his expression seductive yet sorrowful. With the tear-shaped beauty mark on his face, he looked heartbreakingly beautiful.

His emotional portrayal during scenes with Liu Ran was handled flawlessly. Every movement—even the strands of hair fluttering against his cheeks in the wind—was fully immersed in the role. He was truly an outstanding actor.

From his appearance to his acting, he was flawless. Even someone as handsome as Liu Ran faded into the background when standing next to him. The audience’s attention naturally gravitated toward Pei Lang.

This was the first time Yan Han had seen Pei Lang act in person, and it far exceeded his expectations. Director Jin, intentionally or not, had been sending him more and more perfunctory footage lately. He had his reasons. Even Yan Han himself didn’t want to spoil the freshness before the series aired.

That’s also why Director Jin insisted on keeping the filming highly confidential—to protect the interests of the production.

Pei Lang’s acting had already won over the entire crew. They were itching to tell the world that Pei Lang wasn’t at all like the slanderous rumors online—but they were bound by confidentiality agreements.

Watching gorgeous people perform with top-tier acting made the long hours much more enjoyable.

Pei Lang looked so stunning that Yan Han clutched his lunchbox tighter, wishing he could hide him away for his eyes only. After the shoot ended, it was time for a break. The weather was hot, and Pei Lang, in heavy robes and long hair, was clearly overheated. Lu Lu brought him water and a cooling fan. Pei Lang had been fully immersed in his performance, and only after relaxing did he feel another pair of eyes staring at him.

Sure enough, when he turned around, he saw Yan Han sitting next to Director Jin. Director Jin waved and smiled at him.

When did he show up!?

Pei Lang suddenly became nervous, worried the crew might suspect their relationship. But since Yan Han didn’t come over and just kept watching him, Pei Lang breathed a sigh of relief.

However, the tiny version of Yan Han sitting on his shoulder didn’t look pleased. Actually, the real Yan Han didn’t look pleased either. When he was in a bad mood, the atmosphere around him became tense. Everyone knew his temper was unpredictable. And as one of the investors of the show, his sudden appearance after a long absence made everyone anxious.

Director Jin was scary enough. Now a powerful backer had appeared out of nowhere.

“You still haven’t won that kid over?” Director Jin finally had time to chat with Yan Han, and he cut straight to the point.

Yan Han’s expression grew darker. “It’s only a matter of time.”

“In this world, the only thing you can’t control is love. You’ve still got a lot to learn in that department, Xiao Yan.” Director Jin took on a mentoring tone, trying to provoke him under the guise of friendly advice.

Yan Han, normally a dominant force, was now tripping up over love—and Director Jin was thoroughly enjoying the sight.

“A 40-year-old bachelor has the nerve to teach me how to win someone over?”

Director Jin shot back, “I’ve been single for forty years because I’m married to my career. What’s your excuse? You clearly like that kid, but you don’t know what to do about it.”

“…!” Yan Han’s cheek twitched in frustration. “How long is this going to drag on?”

“There’s one more scene left.” Yan Han couldn’t argue, so he changed the subject. Director Jin took the cue and followed his lead.

Afterward, Yan Han took out his phone and began typing.

【. : Are you tired?】

When Pei Lang received the message, he looked up at Yan Han. The distance between them wasn’t far—just about ten meters.
【Lang: Not tired. Why did Mr. Yan come so early today?】

【. : I suddenly wanted to see what your work environment is like, and how you look when you’re working. The Yan family already knows about our marriage. If you don’t want to go public yet, I can have someone suppress the news.】

No wonder Pei Ziqing didn’t expose it on the trending searches after finding out. It probably wouldn’t benefit him to have it known. Mr. Yan must have strong enough influence to keep it suppressed.

【Lang: Thank you, Mr. Yan.】

Receiving a not-so-friendly gaze from across the set, Pei Lang suddenly felt like he was being targeted and couldn’t figure out how he’d offended Yan Han.

Soon, another message came in, somewhat strange:
【. : Since the Yan family has acknowledged our relationship, you should change how you address me. Also, stop overthinking. I don’t like messy people.】

Pei Lang’s eyelids twitched. He almost thought he’d misread it. He lowered his head, brought the phone closer, and read each word carefully. Nope, he didn’t misread it—he just didn’t quite get what Yan Han meant.

【Lang: What do you mean by ‘messy people’?】

【. : As of now, everyone besides you.】

Pei Lang was even more stunned. What… what did that mean? Was that… a secret confession?

Was it that kind of liking? A romantic kind of interest? It must be. In the original novel, Yan Han had a white moonlight character, and it was because of that person that he was injured. Yes, so it must just be a budding fondness.

But… what did he mean by “change how you address me”?

Pei Lang pretended not to understand. He put down his phone, rested for a few minutes, then resumed filming. By the time filming wrapped up, Yan Han had already left, sending him a message:

【. : I’m waiting for you at the hotel.】

Pei Lang didn’t even question how Yan Han got his hotel room number and key—he was too exhausted to think about it. After packing up, he washed his face, changed clothes, and headed to the hotel.

Lu Lu had gone to eat alone. Pei Lang returned to the hotel, where Yan Han was already waiting for him.

It’s over. What’s meant to come will come.

Pei Lang had actually planned to grab something to eat outside before going back, just enough to fill himself up so he wouldn’t be forced to eat too much of Yan Han’s… dark cuisine. However… Yan Han knew his appetite all too well and was aware that a light meal wouldn’t hold him over.

So he clenched his teeth and headed straight into the hotel. He had already prepared some anti-diarrheal meds, just in case. If he really got sick, he’d take half a day off—though that would delay the filming schedule again.

They were currently filming scenes with the female lead. Since the male lead was shooting at a different location, they hadn’t interacted in days. If Pei Lang took time off, Liu Ran’s scenes would be affected, and filming would come to a halt.

Opening the door, he saw a lunch box on the table. Yan Han was sitting on the sofa, reading the ingredient list on a snack package—though whether he understood it or not was another question.

Pei Lang had only changed into a T-shirt and shorts without removing his styled hair. That way, it would be faster to get ready for the afternoon shoot. With his long hair, even in casual clothes, he still looked stunning. His legs were long, fair, and smooth—flawless, without a trace of hair.

Yan Han admired the view, but still frowned.
“Is this what you usually wear on set?”

Pei Lang looked down and blinked. “It’s too hot. Everyone dresses like this.”

Shooting a historical drama in summer was tough, and everyone dressed casually off-camera.

Yan Han’s face grew colder. He grabbed a blanket, wanting to cover Pei Lang’s legs.
“I don’t care what others wear. But from now on, you’ll wear long summer pants. I’ll have someone custom-make them in breathable fabrics.”

Pei Lang’s eyes lit up.
“That’s great! You have no idea how easy it is to get mosquito bites in shorts at night. I had a few bites the other day, but I put medicine on and they’re gone now.”

“Mr. Yan, so… you’re—”
When are you leaving?

“Change how you address me.”

Before Pei Lang could finish, Yan Han cut in.

Sure enough, this matter wasn’t over yet. So what was he supposed to call him now?

Seeing the confusion on Pei Lang’s face, Yan Han explained with a serious tone:
“We’re legally married. When we’re alone, call me… husband.”

As he said this, he looked out the window, his ears flushing red, though he tried to maintain his cold demeanor. Pei Lang glanced at the little figure on Yan Han’s shoulder, who was now holding a bouquet of roses and shyly covering his blushing face.

Looks like Old Master Yan figured something out, and now the act had to go deeper. Judging from Yan Han’s awkward expression, he must’ve been struggling to say this for a long time. Fine, Pei Lang had promised to help with the charade anyway. It’s just a title—what’s the harm?

“Then… Yan… hu—husband…”

No! I’ve called him all sorts of things while acting before, and I said them fluently! Why are these two words so hard to say now?

Pei Lang finally managed to squeeze it out. His face turned bright red from embarrassment. Yan Han’s ears turned even redder. Yep—this whole pretending-to-be-a-couple thing was awkward for both parties.

Pei Lang didn’t notice the delighted expression on Yan Han’s shoulder mini-version, who was hugging the little fox and kissing it non-stop.

“Ahem~~ So… how long are you staying?”

“Until I watch you finish eating.”

“…”