Chapter 65: Patron

“You actually got the original video?” Ge Lanjing’s voice was filled with undisguised surprise. She dragged the progress bar and quickly watched it. The content of the video was crystal clear. It showed Wu Cisheng coming to find Shen Xici with a script, the two of them talking and laughing. Then, Wu Cisheng acted out a part first, followed by Shen Xici. After Shen Xici finished, the two of them laughed together again, discussing something.

The evidence was too solid. The beginning and end of the matter were perfectly clear. As long as this original video was released, Wu Cisheng’s side wouldn’t even have a chance to argue.

“Yes, we found the person who filmed the video, and they are willing to cooperate with us and release the video for clarification.” Shen Xici was actually not too clear on the specific details of how they obtained this video. Last night, Lu Jiming’s side had confirmed that the person who filmed the video was A’Yang. After finding A’Yang’s information from when he joined the crew, Sheng Shaoyan had taken over the matter.

By this evening, the video was in Shen Xici’s hands.

Ge Lanjing didn’t press for details. She pondered and said, “We can’t release the video right away. From the 8th until now, you’ve been cursed for a full two days. We can’t let you suffer those two days of curses for nothing!”

Shen Xici laughed. “Sister Lanjing, your tone right now has the powerful aura of the first episode, returning to the country, ‘I vow to take back everything that belongs to me’.”

Ge Lanjing raised an eyebrow. “So what? Are you going to take it back or not!”

Shen Xici immediately replied, “Take it back! I will follow in Sister Lanjing’s footsteps!”

“Smart of you to choose well. Fanning the flames and adding fuel to the fire, who can’t do that?” Ge Lanjing began to make a list. “Once this matter of yours came out, all sorts of monsters and demons wanted to get involved. Let’s not even talk about Li Yunzhou, Zhou Ranyi, and the others; they are all masters of labeling and writing short essays. That film academy student named ‘Leo Who Eats Cookies’ implied, both openly and secretly, that the person who should have been selected to act in the ‘Mountain Range Line’ crew through the audition was him, and that you stole his opportunity.

“There’s also a wave of the water army that dragged Xu Lingjia into this. Their goal is very clear: blackening your name isn’t enough; they also want to take the opportunity to whitewash the matter of him forcibly swapping roles with you and his eye-sore acting. Their rhetoric is very consistent—things like Xu Lingjia acted poorly as the undercover agent A’Zheng because his original role was stolen by you, he was completely unprepared, and his state was affected by the role-swapping incident, which is why he acted poorly. A complete victim.”

She sighed with emotion. “Listen to that. How shameless can you get!”

This rhetoric, on the contrary, felt familiar to Shen Xici. “Ye Mei and Xu Lingjia, they indeed have this style.”

No matter the situation, they were never wrong. The ones at fault were always others.

If a song wasn’t sung well, then it was the fault of the lyricist, composer, sound equipment, or the live band. Similarly, if a character’s reception and reputation were poor, then it might be the director’s and screenwriter’s problem, or it could be caused by the lighting and makeup artists.

Ge Lanjing had worked at Jia Rui for a while and was very clear about Ye Mei’s style, so she deeply agreed. “But it’s strange this time. I heard that the PR company Xu Lingjia is working with is the one Cui Yunwei often collaborates with.”

Shen Xici also found it strange. “Cui Yunwei? Isn’t he Ye Mei’s rival? Why would Xu Lingjia approach him?”

“From what my sources have told me, Xu Lingjia has had a falling out with his godmother recently. More than once, people have heard them arguing on the phone,” Ge Lanjing analyzed. “With a rift between Xu Lingjia and Ye Mei, Cui Yunwei would definitely step in immediately. He would surely be keen on anything that could make Ye Mei spit blood in anger.”

Shen Xici couldn’t quite understand. “Isn’t Ye Mei very good to Xu Lingjia?”

It should be said, it wasn’t just “very good.” He remembered in his past life, every time Xu Lingjia had a wronged expression and said he didn’t want them to have similar types of endorsements or roles to avoid comparisons, Ye Mei would feel exceptionally sorry for Xu Lingjia. She would try every means and pay a great price to prevent Shen Xici from signing, and afterwards, she would find all sorts of resources to cheer Xu Lingjia up.

“She is indeed very good to him, but Xu Lingjia may not think his godmother is good to him. Perhaps he even feels that Ye Mei is hindering him, which is why he bypassed Ye Mei and reached a cooperation with Cui Yunwei.” Ge Lanjing had seen a lot and sighed with some emotion. “In this circle, feelings change too quickly. As long as there are sufficient benefits, they can be happy and harmonious one day, and become enemies the next. Such situations are as natural as wind and rain.”

On the other side, on the phone, Cui Yunwei laughed. “Are you sure you’re not going to find Director Ye?”

Xu Lingjia got annoyed just hearing him mention Ye Mei. He had already grown up, and he had the golden finger of a precognitive dream, but his godmother still treated him with the same methods she used for a child.

During the role swap in “Mountain Range Line,” she didn’t approve of his judgment, her perfunctory attitude purely like humoring a child’s play. Later, not to mention, she didn’t help him keep his scenes and highlight moments, causing him to be mocked by the masses. Before that, she didn’t believe his words and refused to add investment to the “Two-Faced” crew. He had no choice but to sign a gambling agreement with Cui Yunwei to get the funds. It was the same now. He had clearly grasped a good opportunity to completely trample Shen Xici, but Ye Mei convinced Cheng Ningyu to stop his card directly, not letting him continue his actions.

Xu Lingjia was holding in his anger. He was just waiting to completely trample Shen Xici, waiting for “Two-Faced,” in which he starred as the male lead, to sweep the box office after its release and make a fortune. Then, his godmother would come to him with a look of shame and apologize!

As for cooperating with Cui Yunwei, in his heart, this wasn’t considered cooperation at all. He was just borrowing Cui Yunwei’s influence, signing a gambling agreement to get a large investment. Plus, he had no money left and needed Cui Yunwei to help with the public opinion and PR.

After “Two-Faced” was released, he would become an overnight sensation. At that time, with his support for his godmother, how could Cui Yunwei be their opponent? He would have no choice but to admit defeat.

“This has nothing to do with you, does it?” Xu Lingjia said directly. “I’ve already contacted that ‘Leo’ and had him insist that Shen Xici stole his chance to participate. You handle it. No matter what, you have to make sure the matters of Shen Xici’s on-set bullying and repeated role-stealing are solidified.”

“Alright, I know what you mean. With the current public opinion, a casual step is all it takes for Shen Xici to be unable to recover.” Cui Yunwei then asked casually, “The role your godmother got for you from Director Wan Shan back then, wasn’t it the mute boy? Filming had already started, why did you suddenly want to swap roles with Shen Xici and play that undercover agent?”

Xu Lingjia frowned, his tone impatient. “I wanted to swap, so I swapped. Why are there so many reasons?”

Cui Yunwei went along with him. “Alright, I won’t ask. I wouldn’t want to affect your mood for filming.”

Hearing his emphasis on the movie he was currently filming, Xu Lingjia felt a long-lost comfort in his heart. He then thought, if his godmother had been a little more reliable, a little more trusting of him, why would he need to go to such lengths to deal with Cui Yunwei?

By the morning of the 11th, the popularity of the topics of Shen Xici’s on-set bullying and role-stealing had exploded again and again, occupying the top spot on almost every platform’s topic list. Analytical articles and videos from marketing accounts, the fan squads of Li Yunzhou, Zhou Ranyi, and other artists attacking, and endless news, both true and false, about Wu Cisheng’s insomnia and illness, emerged one after another.

In a temporary group called “Has Shen Xici Apologized Today,” messages were scrolling rapidly.

“—Isn’t the concentration of Shen Xici on the trending topics too high? I’m tired of seeing it. I just want to know when Shen Xici will come out and kneel down to apologize?”

“—Have you completed your daily task of cursing Shen Xici, sisters? As long as he doesn’t publicly kneel down and apologize for a day, we have to curse him every single day. I get angry just thinking about how he cursed Uncle Wu at his age!”

“—Jiajia is the most miserable. His role was stolen, and he was required to act on the spot without having read a single page of the new script. To be able to perform at this level is already very good.”

“—Exactly! What’s the difference between this and being given a new speech manuscript during a speech contest and being required to give the speech off-script three minutes later? And he’s been cursed for so long. If it weren’t for Uncle Wu’s matter being exposed, who knows how long Jiajia would have been wronged!”

This group was created not long after the video of Shen Xici directing acting was exposed. Not only was it full, but the rate of active members was extremely high. Whether it was boosting the topic’s popularity or controlling the comments, the speed was very fast.

Just as the group members were talking about how miserable Xu Lingjia was for having his role stolen, the group owner suddenly posted a group announcement.

“This group is about to be disbanded. The group owner should not have lightly believed rumors and made wrong judgments. Many comments cursing Shen Xici have been posted in the past two days. The group owner will go and apologize to Shen Xici.”

“—??? What’s the situation? Why apologize?”

“—Was the group owner threatened by Shen Xici’s side? Don’t compromise! Our group has many people, we can curse him to death!”

“—I think I know why the group owner is disbanding the group…”

“—Holy sht, holy sht, look at the trending topics! Those two, #TruthBehindShenXici’sOnSetBullying# and #OriginalVideoOfDirectingActing#! Is it my turn to get plastered so soon?”

At the same time, the streamer “Spicy Little Chili” started his live stream. Rarely, he was not wearing the mask made from a delivery box, but a gray face mask, revealing only his eyes.

“Hello, viewers! I’m at the airport right now. There’s been so much news about Shen Xici these past two days. I’m going to say something that might get me besieged and furiously cursed, but regardless of Shen Xici’s character, his acting is really good! Because he played the role of the mute boy so well, so purely, so cleanly, and with such divinity, I actually don’t believe he’s the kind of rotten person who would bully people on set or steal roles.”

The streamer carried a backpack and walked through the bustling airport. As he walked, he said, “Last night, didn’t someone find out who the investor for the movie Shen Xici is currently filming is? The investor is just one person, so many people online are saying that this rich second-generation investor is the legendary patron of Shen Xici, supporting him to be tyrannical on set and bully veteran actors.

I’ve been live-streaming for so long, I still have some connections. A brother I know, who’s into car racing, happens to know this legendary patron. So I’m at the airport now to pick him up.”

“—Brother Thorn is too amazing! Leading us to the front line of melon-eating!”

“—A man of action! To slap his own face, he specially made a trip to the airport! I’m definitely following this live stream! But if he gets his face slapped again, I suggest the plaster be twice as thick!”

“Spicy Little Chili” stopped. Because he was in a public place, he didn’t talk as much or as densely as usual, only occasionally answering questions from the bullet comments.

In the vast hall, he looked left and right. “You guys definitely can’t tell, but I’m actually a little nervous right now. What if that rich second-generation investor really is Shen Xici’s patron? Or what if something else gets exposed?

But I’m just not reconciled. The mute boy is truly my favorite character in the past two years. I don’t want the actor who gave him a soul to be such a rotten person. I would really faint from anger on the spot.”

He immediately emphasized, “But the Shen Xici fans in the live stream room shouldn’t expect me to whitewash him either. Anyone who follows me knows that when I get ruthless, I don’t just curse your favorite star, I even curse myself. We’re all about telling the truth here!”

Soon, the news of “Spicy Little Chili” rushing to the front line to live-stream his search for Shen Xici’s patron spread quickly through fan groups and major platforms. In an instant, the number of viewers in the live stream room grew at a terrifying rate.

“Spicy Little Chili” pressed on his mask. “Look, look, I get it now. Telling jokes won’t attract people to the live stream anymore. The moment there’s gossip to eat, a whole swarm of people comes rushing in!”

Just then, he saw something. After confirming, he dropped a “Reporting to all viewers, I won’t say more for now, the target has appeared,” and started running, shouting as he ran, “Mr. Cheng! Please wait! Mr. Cheng! Can I trouble you for two minutes of your time for an interview?”

In the blurry, shaking camera shot, a young man dressed in trendy, luxury brands could be seen walking far ahead, showing no reaction at all to the commotion behind him.

The bullet comments grew anxious along with him.

“—I wish I were there to chase the patron too! And I’d bring a hundred people to surround and intercept him!”

“—Shen Xici’s patron is actually Cheng Mingye? I follow him. The supercars on his personal page are more incredible than the last. He’s so powerful, his family has more money than they can burn! I believe it if you say he’s the patron!”

“—Brother Thorn, next time there’s something this exciting, take me with you! I used to be the third-fastest sprinter in my kindergarten! I guarantee speed!”

With no time to pay attention to the bullet comments, “Spicy Little Chili” ran for a while. He looked left and right, and confirming that there weren’t many people around, he steeled his heart and raised his voice to shout, “Mr. Cheng, someone said you are Shen Xici’s patron, are you!”

The young man walking ahead suddenly stopped, turned around, and followed the sound to look over. “Who did you say? Shen Xici? What’s wrong with Shen Xici?”

“—What do I do, I’m shipping this… No matter how many times he called ‘Mr. Cheng,’ he didn’t answer, but the moment he heard Shen Xici’s name, he stopped. If this isn’t true love, what is!!!”

Cheng Mingye had just returned from watching a car race abroad. A friend had told him someone would come to interview him. He had stayed up all night and was suffering from jet lag, his mind a complete muddle. He only remembered his friend reminding him to wear sunglasses to cover his dark circles, and had forgotten everything else. Seeing a young man in a mask holding a selfie stick run over, Cheng Mingye didn’t care about anything else and first asked, “Patron? What patron? Who said I’m Shen Xici’s patron?”

“Spicy Little Chili” caught his breath and quickly pressed on, “You’re not?”

“Of course not!” Cheng Mingye’s tone was firm and decisive, with a look of disdain as if wanting to avoid it at all costs. “I have no interest in being a patron and keeping a canary. Does a canary have a cool, well-designed exterior? Does it have a complex engine like a mechanical beast? Does it have a sound that makes your eardrums vibrate like a tenor singer?”

He said resoundingly, “Humans? How can they be as perfect as supercars!”

“Spicy Little Chili” was shaken by this last sentence, his worldview impacted. He thought about it and felt that what Cheng Mingye said actually made some sense. “Indeed, a canary would also spend your money. With that money, wouldn’t it be better to use it to maintain a supercar?”

“Exactly, exactly!” Cheng Mingye’s eyes lit up. After expressing his love for supercars, he found that this masked man’s views were quite in line with his own, so he kindly added a few more words. “Besides, who is qualified to be Shen Xici’s patron? Do you even know who his godmother is to be arranging a patron for him?”

One sentence piqued the heart of “Spicy Little Chili.” At the same time, the millions of gossip-mongers who had been waiting in the live stream room were no longer sleepy. The bullet comments instantly exploded like a geyser, dense and packed, all guessing who Shen Xici’s ultimate patron was, that even a top-tier rich second-generation like Cheng Mingye looked fearful when mentioning them.

Higher in status than Cheng Mingye, richer than the Cheng family. From the term “godmother,” the other party must be much older than Shen Xici. Just as the bullet comments listed a whole bunch of names, guessing who the final answer would be, Cheng Mingye spoke mysteriously:

“I’m telling you, his godmother is the Mountain God!”

“Spicy Little Chili” was stunned. “Huh? Mountain God?”

“That’s right! Master Shen’s metaphysical abilities are super strong! Master Shen saved my life. If he hadn’t calculated that my brakes would fail during a car race, if you wanted to interview me now, you’d have to go to the underworld to find me. You understand how amazing he is now, right?”

“Spicy Little Chili” still couldn’t believe it. “Master Shen? Shen Xici can tell fortunes? And he saved you?”

The bullet comments were also a sea of question marks.

“—What kind of magical development is this? Weren’t we here to block the patron? Why did it suddenly turn to the metaphysics track? I’m in Brother Thorn’s live stream room, right!”

“—What! Shen Xici’s fortune-telling is actually that accurate? How can I get Shen Xici to do a reading for me once! I’m rushing to get a number ticket!”

“—Quick, go look at the trending topics! Ahhhhh, Brother Thorn, you have to go look! You’ll immediately become a cheerful little chili! Amazing, this gossip is so interesting, the more you eat, the more delicious it gets!”

“—Shen Xici’s godmother is the Mountain God? A true Son of the Mountain God? Those bird watchers said that if you bring a photo of Shen Xici when you go bird-watching, you’re less likely to come back empty-handed. Could that actually be true?”

“Of course!” Cheng Mingye puffed out his chest, his tone passionate, just short of making a solemn oath. “Let me put it this way, I will support Master Shen for the rest of my life! I will absolutely not allow anyone to defy Master Shen!”

This declaration silenced the crowd of gossip-mongers.

There was indeed a patron standing behind Shen Xici, but this patron seemed to be in a different style from traditional patrons…