Note: I changed Xingyao to Xingyao. The previous chapter was already edited.
Jing Li subconsciously frowned, inexplicably feeling some discomfort towards this person’s face. It resembled the tense and stiff expressions of the dolls with artificial skin masks that he had seen before. Every glance and smile seemed strangely rigid.
However, he only swept a glance before withdrawing his gaze. After all, it would be impolite to stare at someone he didn’t know.
“Yan-ge, Jiaojiao-jie?”
The young man in yellow hadn’t approached yet, but his voice traveled over. He smiled and glanced at the people present, his gaze lingering on Jing Li for two seconds when it fell on him before shifting back to Fu Yan and Du Jiaojiao, who were walking in the front.
Hurrying over a few steps to stand beside Fu Yan, he reached out and patted Fu Yan’s shoulder, acting familiar as he slung his arm over the other’s shoulder. “What a coincidence, you guys are also staying at this hotel?”
These two were the male and female leads of the other crew and, in his eyes, the only ones worth talking to.
Of course, Jing Li, with his rumored background, could also count, but they weren’t familiar with each other yet, so he could only restrain himself for now.
“What coincidence. I think he deliberately found out which hotel we would stay at just so he could follow us here,” Wang Lele, standing a bit further back, couldn’t help but curl his lips.
The corners of Jing Li’s mouth twitched, barely holding back his laughter at Wang Lele’s words.
Just how much resentment did this guy harbor towards Xingyao to suddenly become so talkative?
Simply adorable.
Up front, Fu Yan didn’t notice the little actions of the two behind him. Qian Jianan’s overly familiar gesture made him frown almost imperceptibly before he shifted slightly to avoid physical contact with the other. Smiling faintly, he politely responded, “Qian Shao1Young Master Qiao? What a coincidence.”
His words trailed off as he glanced past Qian Jianan at the group of people opposite them. When his gaze landed on the man and woman in the middle, the smile on his face gained hints of sincerity. “Ting-ge, Xiao Lin-jie, long time no see.”
The man and woman he greeted were Wen Ting and Xiao Lin, the male and female leads of Xianxia Romance who were appearing on the show with them. Clearly, they were also acquainted with Fu Yan. Hearing him, the originally aloof expressions on their faces also softened into smiles as they nodded a greeting back at him.
Standing beside Fu Yan, Du Jiaojiao also smiled at the approaching group, calling out “Qian Shao” first before nodding at the other two as well.
In the pause between their greetings, Jing Li also looked over the man and woman opposite them.
With their current popularity as the top actors and actresses, Wen Ting and Xiao Lin naturally also had outstanding looks.
Unlike Fu Yan’s sunny handsome aura and Du Jiaojiao’s bright, sexy charm, Wen Ting’s appearance leaned more towards the rugged masculine type. His whole body gave off an impression of abundant vitality and vigor. From his speech, one could feel his straightforward, outspoken personality.
Comparatively, Xiao Lin appeared more gentle. Her every action displayed an elegant and noble temperament. Her discerning eyes were like the young ladies of prestigious families he had seen at previous banquets, carrying a restrained, well-mannered air.
As soon as he had this thought, he heard Wang Lele softly comment beside him, “Those two are Wen Ting and Xiao Lin. Wen Ting came from a poor background but has an upright, loyal personality. I heard he became an actor only because his family circumstances were poor, and he had no money for his mother’s medical treatment. Xingyao just happened to take advantage of that timing. When Wen Ting’s mother was critically ill, they paid an enormous amount for her surgery. Later they vigorously promoted him, and it’s because of this they’ve always kept Wen Ting in check to serve as a stepping stone for their own son.”
“Xiao Lin’s family background is very good. She’s from an upper-class, prestigious family. I don’t know why she signed with Xingyao, but there are also rumors that she fell for Wen Ting and specially chased after him there.”
Upon hearing this, Jing Li was somewhat surprised, quirking a brow as he slanted a glance at Wang Lele. In his heart, he thought, you seem to know quite a lot.
After sticking with him for so long, how could Wang Lele not see his teasing? His face grew hot, and he jabbed him in the waist with his elbow, shutting up and refusing to bother with him.
This caused Jing Li to chuckle again.
During Jing Li and Wang Lele’s whispered conversation, the others had finished their greetings.
When Fu Yan dodged him, the smile on Qian Jianan’s face froze for an instant, and a trace of darkness seemed to flash in his eyes. But he quickly resumed smiling as if nothing had happened, glancing at the people behind them as he asked, “Are you guys going for a meal?”
Fu Yan nodded lightly in reply. Then they saw him suddenly clap his hands with a laugh. “What a coincidence! We were just thinking of going too. Since we’ve all run into each other, why don’t we just go together?”
His words trailed off as he continued without waiting for Fu Yan’s response, “It just so happens we’re all appearing on a show together tomorrow. Let’s take this chance to get to know each other better. Yan-ge, you guys don’t mind, right? Hmm? Jiaojiao-jie?”
With his words put that way and using tomorrow’s show as justification, Fu Yan’s group naturally couldn’t say much. Moreover, it wasn’t just him alone this time. After asking everyone’s opinion, they followed the others to a private room in the restaurant downstairs.
The private rooms were two adjoining ones with sliding doors between them. The doors were now completely open, making it seem like one big room.
The tables were very spacious, fitting all the main and supporting cast from both crews at one, while the assistants and entourages sat at the other.
Just as they were taking their seats, Qian Jianan smiled at Wen Ting and Xiao Lin. “I think Ting-ge and Lin-jie should sit next to Yan-ge and Jiaojiao-jie. You main leads are all so busy usually, it’s rare to meet up, so you can catch up.”
As he spoke, he even helpfully pulled out chairs for them.
Wen Ting’s brows furrowed as he glanced at Qian Jianan, unsure what schemes the other was plotting again.
At his side, Xiao Lin was happy to be further from Qian Jianan. Hearing this, she immediately agreed with a warm smile and sat down in the offered seats. Noticing from the corner of her eye that Wen Ting was still standing there in a daze, she reached out and gently tugged his sleeve, pulling him to sit beside her.
Next to them, Fu Yan and Du Jiaojiao exchanged a look, also puzzled by Qian Jianan’s inexplicable attentiveness, but didn’t say anything.
After getting those people arranged, when Qian Jianan looked up again, he saw Jing Li sitting next to Du Jiaojiao and quickly spoke up, “Ah, Jing Li, don’t sit there.”
Jing Li raised his head to look at him in confusion.
“The young master of an immortal sect can’t just mingle indiscriminately with the common folk, right?” Qian Jianan cracked what he thought was a witty joke, about to go over and pull Jing Li to his side. “It just so happens I also play an esteemed son in Xianxia Romance. We can discuss cultivation and morals together.”
“No need, I’m quite fine here,” Jing Li politely declined and naturally pulled Wang Lele over to occupy the other side, completely blocking Qian Jianan’s opportunity.
The smile on Qian Jianan’s face froze. His gaze flicked between Jing Li and Wang Lele before he gave himself a way out. “Hahaha, I see Jing Shao gets along well with his co-stars. That’s fine too, I won’t force myself where I’m not wanted.”
With that said, he turned back to his original spot, lowering his eyes to hide a flash of coldness.
Every single one of them, completely ignorant of favors.
If not for still having use for you, could I tolerate you?
*
Without Qian Jianan’s antics, the others were finally seated. The servers swiftly came in with dishes.
The two crews had no previous interactions and weren’t familiar with each other. Fortunately, the main leads knew one another, and mixing in these circles, many wanted to expand their connections. So the atmosphere wasn’t awkward.
After a round of wine, they quickly became acquainted, chatting and laughing.
Surprisingly, Qian Jianan didn’t join in much, silently fiddling with his wine glass, contemplating something unknown.
The others had obviously heard of his reputation outside, so when they saw him like this, they would naturally not come over to ask for trouble. Without his interference, the table was oddly more harmonious.
It wasn’t until someone next to him suddenly began discussing future plans.
Hearing someone say they would return home to open some shops if they stopped acting, Qian Jianan abruptly lifted his head, looking intrigued as he chimed in, “Doing business is pretty good. You don’t need to work from dawn to night every day.”
As he spoke, he suddenly turned his gaze to Jing Li with a smile. “What are your thoughts, Jing Li? I remember your family is quite well-off. What businesses are you all involved in?”
Of course he would remember this, it was something his underlings had reported before leaving. But they had only gleaned some information online, unable to find out specifics of whether it was deliberately hidden or just not prominent enough to be well known.
In the capital, there weren’t many prestigious clans surnamed Jing either, just two that he knew of, and those two were distantly connected by blood.
But that was also just hearsay from others, he wasn’t very clear about the details. Although his own family had some standing in the capital, compared to those top clans, they really couldn’t compare.
They couldn’t even squeeze into those circles, let alone ask around.
But if he really was from that Jing clan, he wouldn’t be reduced to acting as the “seventh man” in an online drama2The ‘seventh man’ (男七) refers to a very minor, insignificant character or extra in a Chinese drama production. The ’23 book’ (23书) refers to a novel published online. and being slandered online.
If it were him, he would’ve killed off that scumbag and trash mistress already, not giving them a chance to act like a monster.
So privately, Qian Jianan had already determined the latter3Meaning he decided Jing Li is from a Jing family that is not prominent enough to be well-known..
Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, Jing Li, across from him, calmly replied, “Just small businesses, but my older brother usually manages them, so I’m not too clear.”
Oh. So just a rich second generation with some family assets but no inheritance rights, so he came to break into the entertainment industry.
No wonder he would be bullied to that extent.
Qian Jianan became more certain in his judgment and even more satisfied.
If that was truly the case, then his earlier plans were almost certain to succeed.
Thinking this, the smile on his face deepened. “I see. You’re quite similar to me. My dad manages our family business. I think we can add each other on WeChat and exchange ideas in the future.”
He paused before adding, “Also, the show tomorrow will likely pair us up to display our talents. We can discuss it in advance.”
Qian Jianan’s words practically spelled out his intentions on the surface. The cunning people present naturally understood what he was plotting.
Hearing this, Fu Yan’s group also glanced over. Wen Ting even disdainfully scoffed.
He knew something was up when this guy had been so enthusiastic about joining them. Turns out he was waiting for this chance.
Earlier, Xingyao’s boss had also lobbied him and Xiao Lin. Just going along with acting was already taxing enough. Naturally, he wouldn’t agree. He didn’t expect they would turn their sights on another crew’s people.
Did they think Jing Li would be easy to control?
Beside Jing Li, Wang Lele also frowned at Qian Jianan.
He was perfectly clear just what kind of useless reputation this guy had. Discussing a collaborative performance sounded nice, but it was likely just an excuse to use Jing Li as a stepping stone to gain popularity.
Xingyao’s people really can’t change their shitty ways!4The original Chinese is “星耀的人还真是狗改不了吃屎!” (Xīngyào de rén hái zhēn shì gǒu gǎi bùliǎo chī shǐ!). It uses the Chinese idiom “狗改不了吃屎” (gǒu gǎi bùliǎo chī shǐ) which literally means “a dog can’t change its habit of eating shit.” This implies that the people from Xingyao are unable to improve their poor conduct or bad habits, just as a dog is instinctively drawn to eat shit.
Recalling his past grievances, Wang Lele almost couldn’t restrain his anger and wanted to flare up. But Jing Li at his side reached out to stop him.
I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Please consider supporting the author directly.
You can also follow me on Ko-fi to get the latest updates on my translation progress and new projects. I appreciate your love and feedback.
