Chapter 33: I Am His Father

Chapter 33: I Am His Father

The sudden turn of events shattered the previously lively and joyous atmosphere. The dozen crew members, staring at the bullet hole swirling with dust, turned pale and panicked, "Run!" "Hurry, run!" "Forget the equipment! Save your lives!"

Zong Ziren clutched the drone filming equipment, determined to share its fate, "No way! These are freshly shot clips! I won't leave—!"

The scene descended into complete chaos, footsteps clattering everywhere. Rong Xiao, thundering like a bolt from the blue, yelled, "Nobody move—! Get down—!"

At this point, it was unclear who the attacker was. Equipped with a sniper scope, they surely had night vision as well. Running around would make them sitting ducks, and driving was out of the question, for a hit to the fuel tank meant certain death.

"Rong Xiao..." Yun Zi'an's face was completely pale, frantically feeling Rong Xiao's back, tears swirling in his eyes. At this moment, he seemed to lose all sense of sight and hearing, his nose filled only with the pungent scent of blood, "Where are you hurt…"

Rong Xiao looked down at Yun Zi'an in his arms, silent for a few seconds.

This made Yun Zi'an think that Rong Xiao was done for. He held Rong Xiao's head, letting out a heart-wrenching, almost inhuman wail, "Brother—!"

"I love you, I love you, I love you..." Tears uncontrollably streamed down Yun Zi'an's face, his cries choked in his throat, almost suffocating himself, "I'm not mad at you anymore, I won't run away again, I love you, I've really loved you for a long time..."

Unexpectedly, the next second, Rong Xiao's steady voice resounded in his ear, "You said that yourself."

Not a hint of weakness could be heard. Yun Zi'an's Adam's apple moved, and the voice he was about to let out froze in his throat...

"Save those tears for eighty years later," Rong Xiao lifted his hand, clad in combat gloves, to wipe away the tears at Yun Zi'an's eyes, then pulled open his collar to show him, smiling, "I'm wearing a bulletproof vest."

Yun Zi'an slapped him across the face, his anger resonating from his core, roaring, "To hell with you—!"

The melodramatic scene came to an abrupt end.

Rong Xiao took the slap squarely, a bright red handprint appearing on his face. Yet, far from being angry, he seemed almost pleased, as if he wanted Yun Zi'an to slap the other cheek for symmetry.

He got up from the ground, dusting off the dirt, and faced the bushes several dozen meters away, suddenly shouting, "Peace will prevail!"

Suddenly, three figures stood up from the bushes, all in camouflage, more wild than wild men, shouting as if in cheer, "Peace will prevail!"

The sudden appearance of these living people startled everyone present. They hadn't heard any footsteps at all!

The leader of the group quickly removed his helmet, revealing a striking Western face, and opened his arms wide towards Rong Xiao with a toothy grin, "Xiao!"

Rong Xiao walked forward to embrace him, "Yalin."

He also touched foreheads with the other two men, "Maiko, Jones."

He had realized the moment the bullet hit the ground that it was a blank; it contained no gunpowder. He instantly deduced who had arrived.

Seeing Rong Xiao hugging the three "wild men," the crew members who had been ready to flee with their equipment paused for a few seconds before slowly placing their gear back down.

"It's over, right...?" Zong Ziren, still shaken, clutched the 8000-yuan-rented drone, unsure, "We don't have to run, right?"

"Director," Rong Xiao approached with the three men, "These are my former teammates. They came looking for me. Their entrance was just a bit dramatic, no need to worry."

As the former team leader, Yalin, with his outgoing and generous personality, shook hands with Zong Ziren, speaking in a mix of broken English and Chinese, "We heard a photography team was here for a big production, and Xiao was involved, so we came to take a look!"

“Tha

Zong Ziren, completely unexpected foreign visitors to bolster his film production, was overjoyed, "Thank you!"

k you very much！”

Rong Xiao acted as a translator, joining in the conversation for a bit before looking towards the bonfire, only to find Yun Zi'an missing.

His pupils suddenly constricted as he scanned the area, spotting only a tall, thin figure fleeting past the tent entrance. Just as he was about to follow, someone grabbed his shoulder from behind.

"Xiao!" Yalin's brown, curly hair glistened as he almost clung to Rong Xiao's back, his excitement evident, "We want to be consultants too!"

"Suit yourselves," Rong Xiao shrugged off his arm, eager to find Yun Zi'an, "Discuss it with the director."

"We came all this way to see you!" Yalin complained, feeling undervalued, "Show a little enthusiasm!"

"My enthusiasm isn't for you guys," Rong Xiao cursed in English, "Stop touching me."

Yalin became even more spirited, "I’ve seen every inch of you! I bandaged you up when your thigh artery was hit! I even know exactly how big your 'downstairs' is and how many hairs you've got there!"

Rong Xiao, at his wit's end with such a teammate, his forehead veins throbbing, nearly exploded, "Shut the hell up!"

He pushed Yalin aside and hurried towards the tent area. As Yalin started to follow, someone grabbed him, "Captain."

Maiko, a tall and strong Black man, gestured in combat signs to Yalin, "Situation."

Almost instantly understanding, Yalin communicated back in combat signs, "Target confirmed?"

Maiko nodded, gesturing again, "Can’t act rashly, need a battle plan."

Yalin gave him a thumbs up, acknowledging, "Understood."

As they gestured silently to each other, Zong Ziren, utterly confused, scratched his head and whispered to the assistant director in Chinese, "Are they deaf and mute?"

The assistant director, just as puzzled, shrugged, "Doesn't seem likely."

Zong Ziren picked up a beer, approached Yalin, and patted his shoulder, making a gesture of tilting his head back to drink, then patted his own chest and gave Yalin a thumbs up.

It seemed like ancient primate communication; Yalin took the beer, about to say something, but then Zong Ziren hastily waved his hand, patted his shoulder again, made a big heart with his hands over his chest, and then turned and walked away.

Yalin, utterly baffled, turned to Maiko, "Why isn’t he speaking?"

Maiko, thinking he understood, said, "Might be the Chinese way of being subtle."

"What does that mean then?" Yalin looked at the beer in his hand, "Is he saying that drinking his beer makes me his man?"

Maiko was silent for a few seconds, then turned to Jones, who had been quiet the whole time, passing the question to him, "Your call."

Jones, usually a man of few words except when sniping, lazily replied, "Probably just offering you a drink."

Suddenly, Yalin asked, "How do you say thank you in Chinese?"

Maiko thought for a moment, "Xiao taught us once. In Chinese, it's something like... 'Wo Cao'?"

Meanwhile, the assistant director praised Zong Ziren, patting his shoulder, "Director, you’re brilliant, even managing to impress our foreign friends!"

Before Zong Ziren could bask in self-praise, he heard a thunderous "Wo Cao!" beside his ear.

Yalin, joyously holding up his beer bottle, greeted Zong Ziren, shouting, "Wo Cao!"

Zong Ziren: "..."

Assistant Director: "..."

They understood, yet didn't quite get it all.

[Line 5 is not translatable as it seems to be in an incorrect format or language]

The loud exclamations mixed with foreign accents echoed throughout the camp, confusing all the staff and causing Rong Xiao, standing at the entrance of the camp, to sigh heavily, holding his forehead, reluctant to admit he had been through life and death with such a foolish person for three years.

He lifted the tent curtain and half-stepped inside, tentatively calling out, “Yuan Yuan?”

Under the dim light of a simple incandescent bulb, surrounded by fluttering moths, Yun Zian stood at the foot of the bed changing clothes. Halfway through, his T-shirt hung from his elbow, revealing his lean and toned upper body.

Turning his head, he looked at Rong Xiao silently, showing no intention of engaging. Swiftly dressing, he picked up a basin and toothbrush, and walked past Rong Xiao, heading to wash up without a sideways glance.

Rong Xiao hurriedly followed, eager to explain, “Yuan Yuan, I…”

With a loud clang, Yun Zian slammed the tin basin onto the ground, shooting Rong Xiao a glare. He turned on the faucet at the camp's washstand, filled a cup with water, and squatted to start brushing his teeth.

“They’re my comrades,” Rong Xiao scratched his buzz-cut head, surprised at the heroics of his teammates, “I didn’t expect…”

Yun Zian scoffed, foam filling his mouth as he looked at Rong Xiao, his gaze dropping to Rong Xiao's camouflaged pants, “Knowing every hair on your body, they’re not just ordinary comrades, right?”

“This…” Rong Xiao's pupils dilated slightly, caught off guard by Yun Zian’s awareness. Struggling for an explanation, he stammered, “No, listen to me…”

Yun Zian gulped down water, gargled, and spat it onto Rong Xiao’s shoes. He washed his face hurriedly, picked up the basin, and left.

Returning to the tent, he set down the basin, frowning at his heel. In just a few minutes outside, he had been bitten by some insect, feeling both pain and itch.

Opening his suitcase to find some ointment for bug bites, Yun Zian was rummaging when a hand suddenly offered, “Here.”

Taking it and thanking the person, Yun Zian looked up, startled, “Ying Xiaofeng, you scared the hell out of me!”

Ying Xiaofeng, holding his arms, had eyes red with grievance. He asked through clenched teeth, "When did it start?"

Yun Zi'an sat down on the metal-framed bed, bending his legs to apply medicine to his wound, "What are you asking? You got drunk and came to my tent to act crazy?"

"That consultant!" Ying Xiaofeng, as if afraid of not being heard, raised his voice an octave, "When did you two get together?"

"We met for the first time today," Yun Zi'an said with amusement, "When did we ever get together?"

"I saw it all!" Ying Xiaofeng never expected this to happen right after going abroad, right under his nose, "You two, all over each other! Embracing! Don't try to fool me!"

Yun Zi'an put down the ointment, silent for a few seconds, "Since you've seen it..."

"I won't hide it from you anymore."

He stood up and approached Ying Xiaofeng, looking at him earnestly. This seriousness made Ying Xiaofeng swallow nervously, waiting for what was to come.

Yun Zi'an's lips parted slightly, taking a deep breath as if revealing the truth was as hard as spitting out a fishbone.

In a low voice, he spoke deliberately, "I—"

"—am his father."