Chapter 797 Haoyue Extra (59)

After Xiao Yang left, Wen Yue frowned unconsciously.

She remembered that besides Tang Minghao, there was only one other person left in the Tang family, Tang Zhi.

The two brothers, due to their significant age difference, often misunderstood each other and frequently clashed.

But if it were something truly serious that she couldn't film anything and had to rush back to Kyoto immediately, she really couldn't think of anything.

After much deliberation, she decided to go see the director.

As Xiao Yang said, the more Tang Minghao tried to hide this from her, the more necessary it was for her to know.

She first tried calling Tang Minghao, but as in the past few days, his phone was still switched off.

Opening WeChat, she posted three messages on the page, each from the last three days—

"You don't need to bring me food this morning. I'm almost fully recovered and I'm going to eat at the restaurant."

"I didn't see you on set. How about we go get some oden from the convenience store tonight?"

Where are you?

Without exception, none of the three messages received a response.

She let out a sigh of relief and turned off her phone.

Habits are a terrible thing. If she initially wanted to avoid Tang Minghao, she has gradually gotten used to him being by her side during this time.

He's always very talkative and chatty.

Even if she doesn't answer much, he can still chatter on and on in various ways.

On set, he mostly showed concern for her, asking if she was cold, hot, or in the sun.

When she was sick, he was afraid she would be bored, so he specially prepared a thousand lame jokes and would tell them every now and then.

Sometimes she felt speechless, and sometimes she did find it funny.

Every time she laughed, he laughed even harder than she did.

But these past few days, it's been far too quiet around her.

After being lost in thought for a while, she took advantage of the time after filming to go see the director as the sun was setting.

Zhao Changsong, who was tidying up the machines with a cigarette between his fingers, saw Wen Yue and exclaimed, "Xiao Yue, are you feeling better?"

Wen Yue smiled and said, "It's all better now. I feel really bad for taking up so much time these past few days."

"Hey, don't say that. If anyone should feel bad, it's me." Zhao Changsong sighed. "The temperature at the bottom of that lake is only two or three degrees. If you soak in it for a whole day, let alone a girl like you, even a grown man probably couldn't handle it."

“I’m an actress,” Wen Yue smiled. “If I can’t handle this little bit of hardship, how will I survive in the industry?”

"Stop talking. It's hard to find actors as hardworking as you these days," Zhao Changsong said, taking a drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaling. "You are one, and Xiao Tang is another. That kid seems unreliable, but he's quick-witted and has a real talent for acting. It's a pity, though. It's hard to say whether he can continue in this industry in the future."

Wen Yue's heart skipped a beat, but she forced a smile and said, "Why does Director Zhao say that?"

Zhao Changsong glanced at her with slight surprise: "What, you didn't know about the trouble that kid's family had?"

Wen Yue unconsciously tightened her grip at her side, her expression unchanged: "No, I've been in a daze these past few days, I didn't even know he had returned to the capital."

"Sigh, he probably didn't tell you because he was afraid you'd worry." Zhao Changsong tapped his cigarette ash and sighed again: "His brother is gone."

It took Wen Yue about two seconds to process what "gone" meant.

Tang Zhi is dead.

But... how could this be?

Tang Zhi was only about ten years older than Tang Minghao. Logically speaking, he should be in his prime. The Tang family had been operating stably under his leadership for many years, and there was almost no need for Tang Minghao.

He always presented himself as a gentleman to outsiders, but she was, after all, a member of the Wen family, and had heard rumors over the years that he had always been ruthless in managing the Tang family.

The entire Tang family obeyed his every command.

He is both the manager of the Tang family and the spiritual belief of many in the Tang family.

How could someone like that just disappear like that?

So... how is Tang Minghao?

She knew clearly that once Tang Zhi was gone, he would have to face more than just the pain of losing his brother.

The greater pressure, however, is that the entire Tang family will likely have to bear the burden of this responsibility from now on.

But after returning from studying abroad, he stepped into the entertainment industry, and he almost never ventured into the unfathomable depths of the Tang family.

She felt a sudden tightness in her chest and was speechless for a moment.

Director Zhao looked at Wen Yue's stunned expression, took another deep drag on his cigarette, and then stubbed it out on a nearby rock.

He reached out and patted her shoulder: "Don't worry too much. Tang Minghao may seem unreliable, but he's smart enough. When it comes to taking responsibility, he might not be so bad. As for you, we've all seen how that guy has been thinking about you these past few days. Since he hasn't told you about this, it means he doesn't want you to worry. Just focus on finishing filming, and then fly back to see him when you have some free time."

Wen Yue's hand tightened and loosened repeatedly at her side. After a long while, she let out a long breath and nodded: "Yes, I understand."

...

For the next week, Wen Yue slept only two or three hours a day.

Because they had some scenes that were previously unfinished, the production team was rushing to meet the deadline, so they also rushed to finish the filming.

She poured all her energy into the play itself, focusing intently on the script and giving an immersive performance. Her eyes were often bloodshot from lack of sleep and she needed to use eye drops frequently to clear them.

Everyone who sees her calls her "the workaholic".

I think she is both dedicated and professional.

However, only she knew that a restless flame always lingered in her heart, and it would repeatedly jump out and torment her whenever she had free time and was alone.

Even though she knew that given their current relationship, she really had no right to worry about him, but... emotions are something that cannot be entirely controlled by reason.

She had to admit that she was worried about him all the time.

So she had to keep herself busy.

Rationally, she understood that only by completing these tasks as quickly and efficiently as possible could she return to Kyoto as soon as possible.

For ten whole days, she received no news from Tang Minghao.

She asked An Jing, and the other party replied that after he returned, he only explained his subsequent work arrangements on the plane, and then he did not show up again.

Later, she couldn't resist and asked her sister to help her inquire.

Three days ago, Kong Wange replied to her: "Tang Zhi's funeral is over, and Murong Ting and Su Yan are also looking for him, but they haven't found him."

A perfectly healthy person vanished overnight, seemingly disappearing into thin air.

The fire in Wen Yue's heart burned even brighter, almost as if she were being roasted on hot coals.

Finally, a week later, her filming wrapped up.

That day, she declined the wrap party and, that evening, took her assistant and boarded the next available flight back to Kyoto.