Chapter 67: Forward

Later, Shen Xici only vaguely heard a few words of what Lu Jiming said on the phone. He didn’t even notice when the call ended, his mind feeling blank after the intense stimulation.

He hadn’t expected that while he was on the phone with Lu Jiming, Sheng Shaoyan would suddenly lean in so close and whisper in his ear, without making a single sound. It was as if they were… having an affair behind his friend’s back.

His ear tips burned, and Shen Xici quickly suppressed the thought.

“What are you thinking about?”

Shen Xici’s hand holding the phone tightened, a subtle panic hidden in his voice. “Nothing.”

Sheng Shaoyan stood by the bed and naturally reached out to touch the tip of his ear. “Is it very hot?”

The ticklish sensation from his ear tip made half of Shen Xici’s body tense up. He wanted to dodge but was unwilling to. Even his voice almost changed pitch. “…I’m not hot.”

After speaking, he became annoyed. If Sheng Shaoyan were to press him on why his ear was red, how would he answer?

However, Sheng Shaoyan just looked down at him, slowly kneading the curve of his ear before withdrawing his hand and turning to walk away.

Without looking, he knew that his entire ear was burning hot and must be as red as if it were congested with blood. Shen Xici touched it himself. Just as his body relaxed, he saw that Sheng Shaoyan, who had walked a few steps away, had suddenly stopped and turned back to ask him, “Is your film crew short on money recently?”

“Our film crew?” Shen Xici was stunned for a moment, not knowing how the topic had suddenly shifted to this. “No, Director Lu said the money is quite sufficient. He’s secured a few more sponsorships. Besides, being able to film the last part of the movie in Jie Zhou Garden has saved a huge amount in venue fees. He’s very grateful to you.”

“Mmm.” Sheng Shaoyan was silent for a moment, then said, “I saw the video of Cheng Weishen’s brother at the airport.”

Cheng Mingye? Shen Xici’s heart quietly leaped. He quickly thought, if Sheng Shaoyan asked him why he knew Cheng Mingye’s Pagani’s brakes would fail, what kind of story could he make up to make the answer sound less ridiculous?

Metaphysics was definitely out. The whole metaphysics and fortune-telling routine worked well on Lu Jiming and Cheng Mingye, but Sheng Shaoyan was a thorough atheist. Even if he occasionally wore a cross-shaped jewel accessory on his suit jacket, it could only be because an important client he was meeting was a Christian.

As he was brainstorming, he saw Sheng Shaoyan turn around and stand still, his gaze deep. He continued, “Next time something like being mistaken for your patron happens, can you find me?”

“What find—” his voice trailed off. The gears of his mind seemed to be entangled by invisible threads, suddenly unable to think anymore. Shen Xici’s gaze trembled slightly, like starlight in the night wind.

The legal team provided by Lu Jiming and Cheng Mingye’s brother was extremely efficient. By noon the next day, the official Weibo of the movie “Fleeting Life” had issued a statement that they were already in the process of terminating the contract with Wu Cisheng. The comment section was filled with praise.

“—Well done! I love a film crew that knows how to make a clean break! I haven’t seen such an old scumbag who PUAs newcomers, engages in psychological control, and deliberately takes pleasure in the pain of others in a long time. Wu Cisheng is truly perverted!”

“—’You can’t judge a book by its cover’ is talking about Wu Cisheng, right? After driving Xu Jianning to depression and leaving the industry, he came to harm Shen Xici. Fortunately, Shen Xici wasn’t persecuted to the point of leaving the industry. The mute boy is yyds!”

“—#WuCishengApologize#! I loved Xu Jianning’s portrayal of the crown prince so much. Later, when he played Xiao Song, I could already see from the behind-the-scenes footage of the drama that his state was a bit off. I thought he was just under too much pressure. I never thought he was being targeted by an old bastard! If it weren’t for meeting Wu Cisheng, Xu Jianning’s acting career would surely have become broader and broader, wuwuwu…”

“—Suggesting the official blog do a giveaway to increase popularity! If the prize is [One Fortune Reading from Shen Xici], I’m willing to forward it a hundred times a day!”

“—Is this generation of netizens a bit slow? Shen Xici was indeed a victim in the Wu Cisheng incident and had dirt thrown on him, but that doesn’t mean the matter of him stealing a role is just over!”

“—Don’t get distracted! The matter of Shen Xici stealing Leo’s opportunity to join the crew and stealing Xu Lingjia’s role as the mute boy absolutely cannot be covered up and erased just like that!”

Xu Lingjia, with his makeup done, left the hotel for filming. A dozen or so fans were waiting by the side of the road outside the hotel, their phone cameras aimed at him.

He walked straight ahead without looking away. Before getting into the nanny van, Xu Lingjia suddenly heard someone behind him shout with a sob in their voice, “Jiajia! I believe in you! Your new movie will definitely be a box office hit! The last one was because that bastard Shen Xici stole the role that belonged to you, we all understand! We will always support you!”

The word “bastard” was truly pleasant to hear.

Xu Lingjia deliberately turned back, the corners of his mouth curling up, and waved at that fan.

The door of the nanny van was closed from the outside. Xu Lingjia leaned back against the seat, twirling his phone in a good mood. He remembered that while he was getting his makeup done, a reporter he knew from before had contacted him, saying that the popularity of Shen Xici stealing his role was very high, and the fans were also paying close attention. He asked if he was interested in doing an exclusive interview to talk about what exactly happened.

He had agreed, saying that after he finished filming for the next two days, they would schedule an exclusive interview. He also requested that they take advantage of the topic’s popularity to promote the movie he was currently filming. The other party said it was absolutely no problem.

Xu Lingjia had known from a young age that the truth of the matter was not important at all. What was important was who held the power of discourse. Whoever could guide public opinion was the good guy, and whoever could get the benefits. The one who was trampled on could only blame their own bad luck.

Just like this time, with just a little bit more, Shen Xici would have been thoroughly labeled as an “on-set bully” and a “traffic star,” unable to recover.

It was just a little bit more.

Xu Lingjia thought of this Wu Cisheng that Ye Mei and Cheng Ningyu had found. He was actually so incapable. Not only did Shen Xici’s side get the original video in just a few moves, but his past dark history was also exposed. He was hammered to death by that Xu something and cursed by the entire internet, losing all his roles and endorsements.

This chess piece was clearly useless, impossible to save.

But fortunately, he had laid out other plans before. Otherwise, wouldn’t all the money he had invested be wasted?

Just as he was calculating, a call came from Cheng Ningyu, her voice gentle and soft. “Is Jiajia busy?”

“In the car, haven’t reached the set yet.”

Cheng Ningyu chided, “Your godmother said you’re always not answering her calls. I thought you had already started filming and were too busy to answer.”

He knew Cheng Ningyu was indirectly saying he shouldn’t be doing this, but he had been really annoyed with Ye Mei recently. He couldn’t even be bothered to pretend to be coquettish or sweet-talk.

Xu Lingjia didn’t speak.

Sure enough, Cheng Ningyu’s next sentence was, “Your godmother’s meaning is, did you find someone to help guide the public opinion? Your father and I also feel that the matter of stealing the role can’t have its popularity hyped up any further. If we’re not careful, problems will easily arise.”

He knew it. It was always these few sentences, always criticizing him for not doing this well, or doing that wrong. What, did they really wish Shen Xici was their biological son?

Xu Lingjia didn’t want to listen anymore and said directly, “I didn’t get involved. You can rest assured.”

Finding an excuse to hang up the phone, Xu Lingjia looked at the backend data monitoring that Cui Yunwei had sent him. It was very clear that the majority of people sympathized with him for having his role stolen by Shen Xici.

He typed: “The effect is very good. Keep pushing the popularity up.”

Cui Yunwei replied with a “Okay, rest assured.”

On the other side, in the office, Ge Lanjing stared at the topic that had shot up to the number one trending spot again. Under the topic, the traces of the water army were very obvious. The entire page was filled with “heartache for Jiajia,” attributing the reason for Xu Lingjia’s poor acting entirely to the problem of his role being stolen by Shen Xici. There were also frequent remarks like “stealing roles gets you struck by lightning” and “if Jiajia had played the mute boy, he would definitely have been more brilliant than Shen Xici.”

Within Jia Rui Media, Ye Mei and Cui Yunwei had been at odds for a long time. Her rival Yan Chao had thrown his lot in with Ye Mei. She had never taken a side. She was very familiar with the operating styles of both sides. Cui Yunwei had always been very stable in his actions. Whether it was marketing artists or public relations for controversies, he rarely acted rashly.

She wondered if Xu Lingjia had noticed that Cui Yunwei’s style of doing things this time was very different from usual.

Her fingers tapped on the desktop, one by one. At this moment, the phone placed to the side rang. A name popped up on it—Cui Yunwei?

Ge Lanjing raised her eyebrows, a guess forming in her mind. She waited a little longer before picking up the phone and pressing the answer key, her tone surprised. “Director Cui, you’re looking for me?”

The 13th was a Saturday. The popularity of Wu Cisheng’s on-set bullying and PUA incident had not yet passed. The two roles Xu Jianning had played were found by netizens frame by frame. The sky was filled with them. It was easy for the audience to see whether an actor had talent. The more talented, the more regrettable it was. This led to the melon-eating masses having a very busy schedule. First, they would go to Wu Cisheng’s statement to curse and mock, then they would go to Xu Jianning’s Weibo to encourage him, hoping that one day, he could become an actor again. At the same time, they also felt sorry for Shen Xici. His acting was very good, but his character was so poor, defiling the role of the “mute boy.”

And after this wave of topic manipulation, Xu Lingjia had successfully abused his fans into loyalty. Many of the fans who had left had returned.

He had been exposed to the public since he was a child. He had many endorsements and activities. Coupled with his parents’ influence, his fan base had always been very large and generally loyal. This time, Xu Lingjia was bullied so miserably by Shen Xici, unable to even protect the role in his hands, only able to watch as his role was stolen. The fans were both angry and heartbroken, expressing that they must protect Jiajia well. Several major fan leaders took turns leading people to “slaughter” Shen Xici’s public square.

Slaughtering the square wasn’t enough. Because Shen Xici had only endorsed one brand so far, “Candle Dragon Light Revelation,” Xu Lingjia’s fans went to the official Weibo of “Candle Dragon Light Revelation,” leaving comments demanding that the brand replace the tainted endorser. After that, the fans concentrated on the official Weibo of the movie “Fleeting Life,” directly posting over a hundred thousand comments, strongly demanding that “Fleeting Life” kick Shen Xici out of the crew. Otherwise, when “Fleeting Life” was released, it would be met with their joint boycott and reporting.

Lu Jiming was so angered by that group of fans that he was about to lose his mind. He was firmly held back by Shen Xici, which was the only reason he didn’t rush to Weibo to argue with Xu Lingjia’s fans.

Shen Xici said helplessly, “Have you finished editing your film today? Do you have time to argue?”

“How can editing a film be as important as arguing!” On the phone, Lu Jiming couldn’t suppress his anger. “And they want you to leave the crew? Let me be honest, in this world, besides you, there is no second person who can play Gu Changsheng! If you leave, I’m not filming this movie!”

He then became suspicious. “Wait, you haven’t had the thought of leaving the group, have you? Something like sacrificing yourself to save the crew, don’t even think about it! Without you, this crew will have to disband!”

Shen Xici was both amused and a little touched. “I really didn’t think that. Besides, if you really gave the role of Gu Changsheng to someone else, I would regret it for the rest of my life.”

He had poured too much of his heart and soul into this role.

Day after day, he immersed himself and felt it, to the point where he couldn’t distinguish who he was. He designed different small actions and micro-expressions, redoing them again and again after each take, striving for perfection.

Only when he was next to Sheng Shaoyan could he pull away and take a breath. The rest of the time, he was like being immersed in a lake called “Gu Changsheng’s Fate,” sealing off his five senses from the outside world and resonating with another person.

Lu Jiming calmed down a little. “Do you… have a way to deal with it?”

Shen Xici didn’t hide it from him. He first explained the internal situation of Jia Rui Media, emphasizing the competitive relationship between Ye Mei and Cui Yunwei, and then said, “Cui Yunwei contacted Sister Lanjing and said he has evidence in his hands.”

“He has evidence?” Lu Jiming was immediately energized. “Why did he contact you? To sell you a favor? The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Does this Director Cui want to build a relationship with you?”

“Yes, that’s more or less the meaning.”

Lu Jiming had been working with Shen Xici for so long that he was long familiar with the other’s tone. He urged, “Is there some key plot you haven’t told me? Hurry, hurry!”

Shen Xici’s voice lowered a little. “Sister Lanjing used to work at Jia Rui. A couple of days ago, after she knew that Xu Lingjia was working with the PR company Cui Yunwei often collaborates with, she contacted a trusted subordinate of Cui Yunwei’s that she knew from before. Through that subordinate, she instigated Cui Yunwei to act several times and even helped Cui Yunwei come up with ideas.

On the matter of swapping roles, it’s very difficult for us to find solid evidence. But for Cui Yunwei, it’s very simple.”

“So, Cui Yunwei helped you find the solid proof that can hammer Xu Lingjia, and to this day, he still doesn’t know that the operation to trap Xu Lingjia was thought up by your manager?” Lu Jiming slapped his thigh wildly. “Brilliant! Perfectly hidden, sitting on the mountain to watch the tigers fight. This Ms. Ge is outstanding! I’m not angry anymore, I’m not angry at all. The opportunity to eat melon and watch the fun doesn’t come every day!”

Lu Jiming single-mindedly guarded Weibo. Finally, at the time of peak traffic in the evening, he waited for the evidence that Cui Yunwei released.

It was a phone recording that wasn’t very long. Cui Yunwei’s voice had been processed. He was asking the person on the other end, “Are you sure you’re not going to find Director Ye?”

Then came Xu Lingjia’s voice, saying he had already had that person named ‘Leo’ insist that Shen Xici had stolen his chance to participate, and then had Cui Yunwei, no matter what, solidify the matters of Shen Xici’s on-set bullying and repeated role-stealing.

This is a lot of information, Lu Jiming listened excitedly.

The voices came out one by one. Cui Yunwei asked Xu Lingjia, “Back then, the role your godmother got for you from Director Wan Shan was the mute boy. Filming had already started, why did you suddenly swap roles with Shen Xici and go play the undercover agent?”

The progress bar moved forward slowly, the white sound waves constantly changing in height.

Xu Lingjia’s voice sounded—”I wanted to swap, so I swapped. Why are there so many reasons?”

Xu Lingjia really did not disappoint his expectations!

Lu Jiming quickly logged onto the crew’s official Weibo and passionately forwarded it