Fortune-telling?
Seeing Ye Shanshan eagerly waiting for his answer, Gong Yue could only reply, “Yes.”
Ye Daochang felt extremely excited inside, but he couldn’t let his image collapse, so he continued with his ethereal demeanor, speaking slowly and solemnly,
“Sir, what would you like to know? Whether it’s about fortune, travel, building a house, moving, getting married, banquets, outings, or doing business, I can do it all. It’s free of charge, and I’ll even pay you.” The advertisement slogan was delivered smoothly.
Shaking his head, Gong Yue looked at Ye Shanshan and said, “No need. I just want to know if my Shanshan is feeling good today.”
Ye Shanshan instantly felt fireworks exploding in his heart!
Meeting Gong Yue’s gaze, he noticed that the aura of the great demon lord in the house seemed to have strengthened again. Unable to hold the gaze, he felt uncomfortable and averted his eyes. “I’m feeling very good,” he said softly, almost inaudibly.
“Well, that’s good then.” Gong Yue nodded and reached out to pinch Ye Shanshan’s nose. But before he could touch it, he saw Ye Shanshan swiftly retreat on the small wheels attached to his shoes, covering his nose with one hand and sternly saying,
“Sir, you’ll break my nose if you keep pinching it. Stop it!”
“…”
—
Ying Shi Entertainment’s office.
Xu Tian’s new agent, He Xiao, took a sip of water. “Let me ask you, do you have anything to do with this?”
She only took over Xu Tian after Zhao Yaozu’s incident, and she had carefully studied him before, so she knew his personality. She softened her tone and advised him,
“I told you on the phone earlier, the reason why Zhao Yaozu got into trouble before was because the company pushed him to attack Ye Shanshan. And what happened afterward? For so many years, he’s been making connections with rich and powerful people by any means necessary, but no one dared to speak out! Companies like the Gong family are beyond our league. Don’t mess with things that don’t concern us.”
She stared at Xu Tian, but he kept his head down, flipping through a magazine without any reaction.
“Okay, let’s not talk about this issue. I’ll ask you this: did anyone notice the recording?”
Xu Tian, sensing that she wasn’t lecturing him anymore, finally spoke up. “No one noticed. I made sure there was no one around the rest area at the time, and there are no cameras at the door.”
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have dared to record directly. After all, as someone who witnessed Zhao Yaozu’s arrest, he understood better than anyone the consequences of offending the Gong family.
But it was also because of this reason that he wanted to seize this opportunity.
“What about the phone? Did you contact that paparazzo? Was there any mistake in between?”
“No problem. It wasn’t my usual phone, and the SIM card inside was disposable. After sending the recording, I lost both the phone and the card. There were no issues when contacting ‘Shadow Hunter’ either.”
With that, he put down the magazine in his hand. “I cherish my future, He Jie.”
He Xiao, hearing him say this, finally felt a little relieved. It’s not that she didn’t want artists to strive for success, but she feared they would do so without using their brains.
“I don’t know what you’re up to, but remember to keep yourself out of it. Also, the actor I contacted for you, Jiang Wen, I’ve already reached out to him. After filming ‘Legend of the Swordsman,’ he was shelved by the company and now spends his days at home drunk. What do you need him for?”
As she spoke, she handed Xu Tian Jiang Wen’s address and contact information.
Taking the note, Xu Tian nodded without saying much. “Rest assured, I know what I’m doing.”
After He Xiao left, Xu Tian sent an anonymous text message to the contact provided on the note. “Do you want to bring down Ye Shanshan?”
—
The Weibo post exposing Ye Shanshan for not attending high school was posted at 5 p.m. By 11 p.m., it had garnered nearly a million views.
While some onlookers only had a vague impression of “Ye Shanshan,” once words like “celebrity” and “educational background fraud” were combined with solid evidence, it was bound to cause a sensation.
Those who had previously criticized Ye Shanshan for lacking acting skills, only to be silenced by his performance in the trailer, naturally resurfaced at this time.
“—The entertainment industry is getting more and more chaotic. They let anyone in. Celebrities and idols have a huge influence on young people. We’ve never demanded high academic qualifications, and there are celebrities in the industry with lower education levels, but not even attending high school? Isn’t that too much? Won’t it mislead those junior and senior high school students, making them think they can make a lot of money without studying?”
“—So in variety shows, is the company paying for the image of a study god? Things like drawing maps, talking about pig farming, wilderness survival skills, etc., are all predetermined. And there are actually people who believe it!”
“—The passerby has turned hostile. Although he’s indeed good-looking, it’s unacceptable to have such a low cultural level, especially since he doesn’t admit it, deceiving his fans.”
“—I’ve never claimed to have a certain level of education! When I was asked about my major during the last live broadcast, I only said I’ve studied a lot and I’m interested in many things! @Shadow Hunter, Faking an education? I’ve never claimed to have one in the first place!”
“—Witnessing the power of brainless fans, your artist hasn’t even attended high school and is proud of it? Moreover, not denying it and even saying he studied a lot, isn’t that misleading? Thick-skinned!”
At this moment, Xu Tian was lying on the bed in his hotel suite. Hearing footsteps, he quickly sat up with his phone in hand and said to the man dressing, “Manager Tu, I want to discuss something with you.”
Tu Yuantai was already in his forties. Over the years, his body had been hollowed out by alcohol and indulgence. Usually, he could still hide it with a suit, but now that he had removed his clothes, Xu Tian felt nauseous just looking at him.
But for now, he still needed to please this old man. Not long after Xu Tian debuted, he climbed into bed with Tu Yuantai through Zhao Yaozu, relying on resources provided by him. Although Tu Yuantai had some unsavory habits, he was still generous when it came to relationships, which was why Xu Tian, despite often being ridiculed and needing to rest in bed due to injuries, was unwilling to let go.
Having taken many shortcuts, Xu Tian had become accustomed to not relying on himself to make progress. However, now he felt it was time to break away from this “support” that was now a hindrance to his future.
But Tu Yuantai still had many recordings of him. If they were ever exposed one day, he would be finished.
So, if he wanted to break away, it would be best to do it in one go.
“What’s the matter?” Tu Yuantai, having some patience for Xu Tian, who had been with him for so long, asked when he was in a good mood.
“I have a friend named Jiang Wen. He reached out to me, saying that one of his friends has been having a tough time lately in their career and wanted me to ask you if there’s any chance you could help?”
Naturally, Tu Yuantai understood Xu Tian’s meaning, but he was always picky when it came to favors. “Who is this friend of Jiang Wen’s?”
“You should know him. He’s the male supporting actor in the film I’m currently shooting,” Xu Tian said, eyeing Tu Yuantai’s expression as he spoke. “Ye Shanshan.”
Sure enough, Tu Yuantai became interested, but soon realized something. “Doesn’t he have someone backing him?” He still remembered how Zhao Yaozu ended up in prison, and he didn’t dare to provoke the person behind Ye Shanshan.
Xu Tian’s expression remained calm, and he spoke sincerely, “He used to have someone from the Gong family backing him, but I don’t know what happened recently. He’s been neglected. So far, he can only play a minor role in movies. Wasn’t there a scandal about him this afternoon? Because there was no one behind it, it hasn’t been suppressed yet. Seeing his future about to be ruined, he has no choice but to seek help.”
Thinking it over, Tu Yuantai felt there shouldn’t be any problem and nodded. “Tell your friend that I’ll help with this favor.” Since the Gong family didn’t want him anymore, he might as well offer his own assistance.
“Thank you, Manager Tu. I’ll let you know once I’ve arranged the time and place.”
After Tu Yuantai left, Xu Tian relaxed and lay back on the bed, his fast heartbeat finally calming down.
The third step went smoothly as well.
Next, Xu Tian inserted a new SIM card into his phone and sent a message to Jiang Wen, “November 7th, 11th floor of Kalei Grand Hotel.”
—
In the study, Ye Shanshan was on the phone with his old teacher.
“…Aren’t you supposed to be in the forests of South America bird-watching? Okay, conducting important bird breeding research, but why is there signal in the pristine forest… Ah, you’re back? Well, everything’s been fine lately. The online gossip is just industry competition. No, no, really don’t want to study bird breeding with you…”
Declining the teacher’s enthusiastic invitation, Ye Shanshan scratched his head, realizing this was the fifteenth call already, and asked Gong Yue with some confusion,
“Bro, do you think the teachers are secretly keeping an eye on me? Every time I have a little trouble here, not even ten hours pass, and they all know?”
Before he could finish his sentence, the video call rang again.
Opening it, Ye Shanshan saw Professor Hess’s face unusually close. Just as he was about to show a sweet smile, he heard Professor Hess’s rapid barrage of German,
“Why are you so stupid to be recorded! Where’s your intelligence? It hasn’t been long since we last met, and you’re stupid again?”
Ye Shanshan decided to listen quietly.
Professor Hess was sitting next to the piano, pressing several high notes in a row, his anger highlighting his professional demeanor.
“What about Gong Yue? Have you both infected each other with stupidity? I told you that circle is troublesome. So, are you really not considering developing in Austria?”
Sure enough, the last sentence was the main point.
Ye Shanshan firmly refused this proposal and also indicated that he didn’t need help for now. If he did need help, he would be the first to ask. After talking for a while, he finally ended the video call with Professor Hess. Just as he was about to continue chatting with Gong Yue, his email inbox beeped again.
“…” He felt like he was really busy today with his business.
Ye Shanshan responded enthusiastically, leading Yan Ke straight to the Chinese food area, all the while worrying if the chicken legs would be snatched up.
Yan Ke, unconcerned about eating too much and gaining weight, noticed Ye Shanshan’s urgency. “Shanshan, were you not well-fed at home?”
With a chicken wing in his mouth, Ye Shanshan mumbled, “You don’t understand. When eating at home, I worry about running out of food, so I have to save a bit. But when dining out, I can eat freely without any regrets.”
Yan Ke glanced at Zhang Dao standing with the producer and suddenly found Ye Shanshan’s reasoning quite sound. Unable to resist, he also grabbed a piece of pork chop.
Ye Shanshan ate until he was about 70% full, then held a cup of freshly squeezed juice. Suddenly, realizing that over ten minutes had passed and Yan Ke, who had gone to the restroom, hadn’t returned yet. He was about to make a phone call when a waiter in hotel uniform approached him, “Are you Mr. Ye?”
“Yes.” Ye Shanshan nodded politely, even taking a careful look at the waiter’s appearance, confirming that he had seen this person’s photo on the hotel’s employee information board, and he remembered the employee number.
“Mr. Yan just drank a few extra glasses of alcohol and isn’t feeling well. He’s resting in the room. He asked me to inform you, so please don’t worry.”
“Is it serious?”
“It’s just a stomachache, nothing serious. Our hotel’s front desk also has common medications, which will be sent to Mr. Yan. Please rest assured.”
Ye Shanshan thought for a moment. “In which room is he? I’ll go check on him.”
Yan Ke had always taken care of him, and Ye Shanshan remembered that.
So, armed with the room key and stomach medicine given by the waiter, Ye Shanshan also specially greeted Zhang Dao before leaving to find Yan Ke.
“11010—” Ye Shanshan reached the eleventh floor and searched around according to the room numbers. Finally, he found it. Knocking on the door, there was no response from inside. Ye Shanshan felt a bit worried. Could Yan Ke have fainted from the pain?
After thinking about it, Ye Shanshan loudly announced, “Yan ge, I’m coming in!” With that, he used the room key to open the door.
Stepping into the room, Ye Shanshan subconsciously didn’t lock the door.
The room was dark, and Ye Shanshan felt strange. Just as he was about to speak, he instinctively took a step back—something was off about the breathing.
Then, someone was walking, and Ye Shanshan quickly analyzed the intensity and frequency of the footsteps—it was a middle-aged man, but the height and weight were not right—this person was not Yan Ke.
So, was he set up?
In an instant, Ye Shanshan’s mind flashed back to a long time ago, when he heard Zheng Dong and Xu Luoyang discussing various shady tactics in the entertainment industry. It suddenly seemed novel to think about!
Just then, he felt someone rushing towards him in the darkness. Since it was an enemy
—Ye Shanshan’s eyes sharpened, he planted his right foot on the ground, his body forming a straight line with his thighs, raised his left leg, concentrated his strength, and delivered a sharp and swift sidekick.
There was a loud “bang,” and something slammed fiercely into the wall.
Ye Shanshan retracted his leg, stood in place, and scratched his head—oops, it sounded like a broken rib, apologies.
After confirming that there was no one else in the room and without turning on the lights, Ye Shanshan’s first move was to take out his phone and press speed dial 1.
“Shanshan?”
Hearing Gong Yue’s voice, Ye Shanshan suddenly felt a bit aggrieved.
“Bro, someone bullied me!”
Author’s Note: “Ye Bro: First hit, then hit the face. That’s how business is done!”
【Previous context, Jiang Wen】 refers to the third supporting role played by Shanshan in the movie “Heroic Legend”, where he betrayed his brother for the role, but Shanshan retaliated. 【Zhao Yaozu】 Xu Tian’s former agent, the one who spread rumors about Shanshan, later got stuck to the wall by Gong Ge. – From Xiaomianbao
1TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you and Enjoy reading ❤️”
