Huo Zhenyang came to the set today to replace the role of the Serpent Demon Monarch, firstly to avoid having the man who played the Serpent Demon Monarch get too intimate with her.

Secondly, he wanted to tell her that she needed to learn to protect herself and to be tougher with other men.

After all, she was acting on the set, and although George was outside and there were plainclothes bodyguards nearby, it was not always possible for them to be by her side at all times.

But just now, she allowed herself to take advantage, which made him quite unhappy.

A surge of masculine heat overwhelmed her, and Jiayi was almost pushed to the point of breathlessness, retreating into a corner, clutching her sleeve.

"Still don’t know what you did wrong?" he asked with displeasure, fixing his gaze on her.

She of course knew what he wanted to hear, and could only nod her head slightly: "Mhm."

"Then say it for me to hear," he said, narrowing his eyes and lifting a slender forefinger to forcefully raise her bowed head.

Jiayi could only acquiesce to the man’s desire, "From now on, on the set, if someone takes advantage of me, I’ll resist immediately."

"Resist? Just beat them to death," he said with a cocked eyebrow, grabbing her little kitten paw, coaching her.

"Mhm, beat them to death..." She truly regretted not hearing this lesson earlier, otherwise she would’ve been justified in beating this man to death when he took advantage of her.

——

Ever since Huo Zhenyang played the role of the Serpent Demon Monarch, Jiayi had been nervous, fearful that one day this man would barge into the set again.

Luckily, he only took part in the intimate scenes between the Taoist Nun and the Serpent Demon Monarch and did not return after that.

Indeed, it was already something for a CEO to casually participate once just for fun.

Unknowingly, "Demon-slaying Chronicle" had reached the final scene of the Taoist Nun.

The end of the Taoist Nun’s scenes signified that the wrap-up was not far away.

Jiayi had been looking forward to it for a long time.

The wrap-up signified the imminent release of the film, its global distribution signaling that as long as there was anyone in the world who recognized her, they would identify her.

Because the influence and broadcast reach of Ye Yongning’s movies were simply too vast.

Yet when the end was nearing, Jiayi felt a mix of emotions, hesitant to let go.

The last scene of the Taoist Nun was filled with sorrow.

Once more kidnapped by a powerful demonic being, the Serpent Demon Monarch appears, willing to turn against his fellow demons to save her.

But just as the Serpent Demon Monarch rescues the Taoist Nun, she strikes him with the Demon-Repelling Peach Wood Sword at his vitals.

As the Serpent Demon Monarch lay dying, returning to his original form, the Taoist Nun finally realizes that he was the same snake she had saved as a child.

On the set, with a call of "Action," the final scene of the Taoist Nun began.

With the Peach Wood Sword in hand, she mercilessly pulled it out from the Serpent Demon Monarch’s chest!

In an instant, the Serpent Demon Monarch’s soul scattered; his eyes, still fixed on the Taoist Nun with an endless tenderness, a love that could not be fully expressed, "In this life, you have shown me kindness, and I repay you with my life. I only hope that in the next, neither of us owe each other, and we won’t miss out again."

The camera angle switches.

The next shot.

The Serpent Demon Monarch vanishes into smoke, leaving behind only a small, ring-shaped jade pendant on the ground.

The Taoist Nun slowly bends down to pick up the jade pendant—

It was the same pendant she had tied on the Serpent Demon Monarch as a joke the day she saved him as a child, saying that one day it could be used to meet each other again.

The camera moves in, zooming in, in front of the lens, is the Taoist Nun’s face transitioning from shock to realization then to reddened eyes and crying.

Brows tightly knitted, eyelashes tremble like butterfly wings, lips quivering, as if she wants to speak, but the Serpent Demon Monarch is no longer there.

"Cut," Ye Yongning cheerfully called out, indicating the end of the Taoist nun’s final scene.

"That was truly well performed, the emotional outburst was so full," someone praised.

"Yes, it even made me cry."

"This newcomer playing the Taoist nun has great potential."

Voices full of praise floated into Jiayi’s ears, who was still on set, gripping the Peach Wood Sword, not yet snapping out of her character.

"It’s time to step down," someone reminded Jiayi.

Ye Yongning glanced at Jiayi and shook his head, signaling not to disturb her.

Having been a director for decades, he knew actors could easily get trapped in the emotions of the role, unable to extricate themselves, especially after such a heart-wrenching ending, and Jiayi was no exception.

Even ordinary viewers could be left sobbing messily after watching a tragic movie, lingering in sadness for days on end.

How much more for the actors who embody the characters, immersed in their emotions even more profoundly?

There were numerous actors who had suffered from depression after filming a tragedy, and there was even a superstar who had committed suicide due to depression following a movie.

At such times, they needed to slowly dissipate the emotions themselves, returning to the real world.

Ye Yongning made a gesture, and the crew understood, silently retreating from the scene.

In Jiayi’s mind were still the sorrow of the Serpent Demon Monarch being stabbed to the ground and the shock when picking up the jade pendant.

Until the lights on set started to flicker out one by one.

She lifted her head, her eyelashes adorned with glistening beads.

Most people had left the studio.

Not far away, by the door, a figure stood motionless, casting a long shadow on the ground.

Huo Zhenyang quietly observed the girl on the set, her pale face and flickering pupils, her fan-sized trembling eyelashes revealing her unsettled state of mind.

The moment she saw the man, she could no longer hold back.

The Peach Wood Sword clattered to the ground from her palm, as for the first time, she was so eager to see him, to need him like this.

She stretched out her slender arms and hugged the man’s waist, "Wuu, wuuu wuuu..."

He sensed she hadn’t fully exited her role yet, needing to vent, and gently stroked her hair, "It’s just a play."

But the little one in his arms couldn’t stop crying, "Wuu wuu, the Serpent Demon Monarch is dead, I killed him... Why... why didn’t I know his true feelings earlier... I actually killed him..."

She was still lost in the role, unable to distinguish between reality and the movie, leaning into the man’s embrace, her petite jade back trembling as if it had just been blown over by a fierce wind.

Seeing her voice nearly hoarse, his eyes darkened, and he lifted her delicate waist, raising her from the ground, letting her petite form sit on his strong forearm.

He also caught her slender arms and led them to circle around his neck, then his chin rested against her hair, gently caressing it.

In the dimly lit set, the tall and handsome man held the fragile figure in his arms, using the most comforting gestures to soothe the girl’s heart.

"So, do you only feel sorry for the Serpent Demon Monarch in the movie?" the man’s voice was deep and quiet, like hands playing the strings of a harp, gliding over Jiayi’s heart.

Jiayi suddenly stopped crying and lifted her little head.

She had grown accustomed to seeking him out when she needed him the most.

Was she really any different from the Taoist nun?

Every time she was caught by demons and in distress, the Serpent Demon Monarch would come from behind and rescue her with his own hands.

Was she like the little nun, regretting only at the very end?