By the time Xu Tang got home, it was already afternoon.
Zong Xuan handed him the screenplay, deliberately flipping past the title page so Xu Tang wouldn’t see the sentence written there.
He wanted Xu Tang’s opinion to be as objective as possible.
After all, Xu Tang liked him so much that he might unconsciously give the script extra points based on emotion alone.
The story itself wasn’t especially complicated.
It centered on the Sixth Prince, Heng Xiao, who accidentally fell off a cliff and was rescued by Ye Shao, the current master of the mysterious Sword Shadow Manor, the most enigmatic martial arts family in the jianghu.
While recovering at Sword Shadow Manor, Heng Xiao never concealed his identity.
As they spent time together, the two gradually fell in love.
After recovering, Heng Xiao returned to help his elder brother—who shared the same mother—fight for the imperial throne.
Ye Shao wanted him to stay but couldn’t persuade him.
Instead, he gave Heng Xiao the Jun Gui Sword, along with the finest batch of weapons ever forged by Sword Shadow Manor, hoping his wishes would come true.
After returning, Heng Xiao and his brother marched from their fief toward the capital.
Following the final battle, however, Heng Xiao was gravely wounded and disappeared.
When Ye Shao heard the news, he searched everywhere with his men.
Eventually, he found Heng Xiao at a farmer’s home.
Heng Xiao had lost all his memories.
He remembered nothing.
The only thing he still held onto was the Jun Gui Sword Ye Shao had given him.
In truth, Heng Xiao’s fall from the cliff had been part of his own plan.
His goal had been to infiltrate Sword Shadow Manor and obtain its legendary weapons to strengthen his private army.
What he hadn’t expected was that Ye Shao would also give him the priceless Jun Gui Sword.
As for Ye Shao…
He had already guessed Heng Xiao’s true intentions.
He also knew that if Heng Xiao failed, death would be his only fate.
So he resolved to help him succeed.
However, Heng Xiao’s elder brother never intended to let him live.
Afraid that Heng Xiao’s military achievements would overshadow his own authority, he staged the incident in which Heng Xiao was severely wounded and disappeared.
Originally, he had planned to kill Heng Xiao outright.
Unexpectedly, Heng Xiao survived.
Ye Shao brought him back to Sword Shadow Manor and carefully nursed him back to health.
Once Heng Xiao recovered his memories, he realized that this peace would never last.
The only way to survive…
was to eliminate his brother.
With Ye Shao’s help, Heng Xiao launched a rebellion.
In the end, Heng Xiao ascended the throne as Emperor.
Ye Shao, meanwhile, led his followers back to Sword Shadow Manor.
After all, no dynasty had ever had a male empress.
Ye Shao had already anticipated this outcome when Heng Xiao first decided to rebel.
Still, he also knew that if they didn’t seize the opportunity while they still had the strength, they would one day become nothing more than prey for others.
Although the ending initially appeared tragic…
The final scene showed an imperial decree arriving—
announcing the marriage of the Emperor to his male empress.
“This is a really good story,” Xu Tang said.
“It isn’t the most original plot ever, but the characters are incredibly appealing, and there are plenty of twists. Overall, it’s very entertaining and fits modern audiences’ tastes perfectly.”
“You like it?” Zong Xuan asked.
His opinion was almost identical.
As a commercial film, it was an excellent script.
“Yeah.”
“If they made it into a movie, I’d definitely want to watch it.”
“What if you were acting in it?”
That was the real question.
“Me?”
Xu Tang genuinely liked the script, but honestly admitted,
“I can’t act…”
“Forget whether you can.”
Zong Xuan tapped the page describing Ye Shao.
“Do you want to play this role?”
Xu Tang looked up at him, puzzled.
Why was Zong Xuan suddenly asking whether he wanted to act?
Smiling, Zong Xuan tapped another page.
“I’ll play Heng Xiao.”
Xu Tang stared at him in surprise.
“You’d act with me?”
“If you want to.”
“So…”
“Do you?”
Xu Tang immediately nodded.
“I do!”
“Great.”
“The director is Xin Ming.”
“He’s exceptionally good at teaching new actors.”
“And even if Director Xin can’t teach you…”
“You’ve still got me.”
Zong Xuan pinched Xu Tang’s cheek, thoroughly enjoying how soft it felt.
Xu Tang didn’t know much about directors.
But hearing Zong Xuan say that made him much more confident.
Still…
“Would Director Xin even want someone like me?”
Chuckling, Zong Xuan finally flipped back to the title page.
After reading the dedication, Xu Tang looked both surprised and confused.
Zong Xuan explained everything Wen Hui had told him.
After listening, Xu Tang smiled.
“Looks like I’d better give it everything I’ve got.”
“I’d hate to disappoint a fan.”
Zong Xuan laughed.
“So if that dedication hadn’t been there…”
“You weren’t planning to work hard?”
“Of course not.”
Xu Tang laughed too.
“Before reading it, I felt pressure.”
“Now that I’ve seen it…”
“The pressure’s become motivation.”
“Hearing that the motivation didn’t come from me…”
“Feels a little complicated.”
“No, no.”
“If you’re teaching me, that’s plenty motivating too.”
“Fair enough.”
“I’ll contact Director Xin and discuss assembling the production team.”
“I’m thinking about asking Yue Yan to be the producer.”
“I just don’t know whether he’s available.”
“If there’s a suitable role for He Xin…”
Xu Tang grinned.
“Give him one.”
“Brother Yan will definitely agree to produce.”
“Good point.”
“How about making him your personal attendant?”
“…”
“I don’t think you’re actually trying very hard to recruit Brother Yan.”
Zong Xuan burst out laughing before grabbing his phone to make the call.
The movie premiere arrived as scheduled.
Xu Tang attended together with Zong Xuan.
The two of them were more popular than ever and had gained countless new fans.
The number of people attending the premiere far exceeded the organizers’ expectations.
Fortunately, both had brought their own bodyguards, and the organizers quickly assigned additional security, preventing any safety issues.
The pair also stayed in front of the autograph wall for quite a while, allowing fans plenty of time to take photos.
Holding hands.
Wrapping arms around each other’s waists.
Tiny affectionate gestures.
For the fans…
It was pure heaven.
The movie itself received an excellent response.
Professional critics gave overwhelmingly positive reviews and strongly recommended it.
Over the following days, the box office continued climbing steadily.
After the premiere, there wasn’t much left for Zong Xuan to do.
He simply had to wait until the movie passed the hundred-million mark before attending the celebration banquet.
So he devoted his time to discussing the production team with Director Xin.
After all…
This would be Xu Tang’s very first film.
He wanted every detail to be perfect.
The third episode of The Shape of Love aired right on schedule.
Today, Xu Tang was once again home alone and sat in front of the television to watch it.
The theme of this episode was—
Making Money.
The couples were taken to the city center.
Xu Tang, He Xin, Chen Tina, and Aya each had to find a way to earn enough money to treat their partners to lunch.
Otherwise…
They’d simply go hungry.
Meanwhile, their partners could only stand nearby and watch.
No helping.
No giving advice.
He Xin turned out to be incredibly lucky.
A bread company happened to be holding a promotional event in a shopping mall.
Unfortunately, the host had apparently eaten something bad and kept running to the restroom every five minutes.
He Xin seized the opportunity and temporarily took over as the emcee.
Not only did he earn enough money for lunch…
He also received plenty of free bread.
Yue Yan spent the entire time eating bread while listening to He Xin enthusiastically praise the bakery onstage.
By the end…
He was already full.
Chen Tina wandered around downtown before finally finding temporary work at an early childhood education center.
It happened to be the center’s monthly open-house day.
Parents who had registered online could bring printed admission coupons for trial classes.
Chen Tina’s job was simply to check the coupons, let parents inside, and later serve everyone water and small snacks.
Since Zhou Xing didn’t have an admission pass, he sat outside the center waiting for Chen Tina to finish work.
All the while, he rambled nonstop to the camera about how much they both loved children…
And how they’d eventually have enough kids to form a basketball team.
Xu Tang wandered around for a while before spotting a middle-aged street musician.
The man, probably in his forties, had an unshaven face and sang with tremendous passion.
His worn-out guitar and mediocre speaker had become part of the neighborhood scenery.
Xu Tang approached him and suggested a partnership.
He would sing.
They’d split the earnings sixty-forty.
Xu Tang would only take forty percent.
Unexpectedly, the man was simply someone who genuinely loved music.
“If you enjoy singing, then sing.”
“I don’t need any money.”
So Xu Tang slung the guitar over his shoulder…
And began busking.
His voice was distinctive and beautiful.
Even on a street corner, his stage presence was impossible to ignore.
Within minutes, a crowd gathered.
After the first passerby dropped money into the guitar case, more and more people followed.
Eventually, the crowd became so large that many of Xu Tang’s own fans recognized him.
They screamed in excitement.
Seeing him busking, they immediately started throwing bills into the guitar case.
Xu Tang quickly stopped them.
“Please take your money back.”
“Just give me a few dollars.”
“Enough for Zong Xuan and me to buy lunch.”
Standing nearby, Zong Xuan watched Xu Tang sing with a smile that never left his face.
He sincerely believed…
Xu Tang had been born for music.
Born to sing.
As long as someone handed Xu Tang an instrument…
Anywhere could become his stage.
Although each person contributed only a little…
There were simply too many people.
By the end of the morning…
The guitar case was nearly overflowing with cash.
Feeling he’d earned enough, Xu Tang returned the guitar.
The musician was still immersed in Xu Tang’s singing and wished he’d perform several more songs.
After thanking him, Xu Tang crouched down to organize the money.
Suddenly—
A tall man rushed over.
He shoved Xu Tang to the ground.
Grabbed the guitar case.
And ran.
Everyone froze.
Zong Xuan reacted first.
He quickly helped Xu Tang up…
Then immediately sprinted after the thief.
Years of gym training had given Zong Xuan impressive speed and stamina.
He caught up after only a short distance.
Without hesitation—
He punched the thief hard.
Then followed with a kick.
“Damn it!”
“You’ve got the nerve to steal money my Tangtang earned?”
“Looking for a beating?”
Xu Tang and the production crew soon caught up.
Zong Xuan handed the guitar case back to Xu Tang before grabbing the thief by the collar and hauling him upright.
He turned to the crew.
“Call the police.”
The assistant didn’t hesitate.
He immediately dialed emergency services.
More and more people gathered around.
The thief couldn’t escape even if he wanted to.
All he could do was wait for the police.
The officers arrived quickly and took him away.
Xu Tang looked at Zong Xuan with a smile.
He had to admit…
Zong Xuan looked pretty cool when he fought.
Zong Xuan tapped his forehead with a finger and laughed.
“Enough staring.”
“Hurry up and count the money.”
“Let’s go eat.”
“Okay.”
Smiling, Xu Tang returned with the musician to where they’d been performing.
After counting everything, Xu Tang gave thirty percent of the earnings to the musician.
After all, he’d used the man’s equipment.
The musician refused at first.
Only after Xu Tang repeatedly insisted did he finally accept the money.
Xu Tang’s money-making mission was officially complete.
They could now enjoy a proper meal.
He just hoped the restaurant staff wouldn’t get annoyed counting all those small bills.
Aya, meanwhile, spent an hour wandering around without finding suitable work.
Eventually, her assistant became anxious and subtly suggested two options.
Wash dishes for hourly pay.
Or work at a street food stall as a server—where the owner might even give her a free meal afterward.
After some thought…
Aya chose dishwashing.
She went from restaurant to restaurant asking whether anyone needed temporary help.
Eventually one place hired her.
Unfortunately…
She earned the least money of anyone.
Many dishes weren’t cleaned properly and had to be washed again.
She even broke one plate.
The replacement cost was deducted from her wages.
Lunch finally arrived.
Xu Tang treated Zong Xuan to an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Both of them left completely stuffed.
Since He Xin already had plenty of promotional bread and Yue Yan was full, they simply bought coffee and found somewhere to sit together.
Chen Tina treated Zhou Xing to a bowl of local specialty noodles.
Affordable.
Delicious.
Excellent value.
Aya, meanwhile, stared at the little money she’d earned for quite a while before buying two hot dogs from a street vendor.
One for herself.
One for Yu Lun.
That became their lunch.
By the time the episode ended…
Zong Xuan had returned home.
He’d even brought late-night snacks.
Watching the show had made Xu Tang hungry, so he grabbed a pair of chopsticks and browsed Weibo while eating.
“My Xuan’s boyfriend power is MAX! That punch was amazing!”
“Your favorite Tangtang Protector, Zong Xuan, has logged in.”
“Robbing someone in broad daylight? That’s terrifying. Was he that desperate?”
“Maybe the robber had his own difficulties. Zong Xuan really shouldn’t have hit him.”
“The person above has terminal saint syndrome? Whatever his problems were, robbery is still illegal. Breaking the law deserves punishment.”
“Exactly! Tangtang worked so hard to earn that money. Of course Zong Xuan got angry. If you’re struggling, solve it legally. If you rob people, you deserve to get arrested. Besides, it’s not like hardship lasts forever.”
“Well done, Zong Xuan!”
“I support Xuan!”
“I think I love Zong Xuan even more today than I did yesterday!”
…
Reading those comments, Xu Tang couldn’t help smiling.
Back then…
Zong Xuan’s instinctive reaction had made him feel incredibly safe.
Some people believed he’d overreacted.
But to Xu Tang…
That had simply been Zong Xuan’s instinct to protect him.
And afterward, they’d immediately called the police and handed the matter over to the authorities.
Xu Tang didn’t think Zong Xuan had done anything wrong.
If anything…
Watching Zong Xuan protect him had only made him seem even more attractive.