As soon as the message was sent, Bai Shuijin started sweating profusely and he withdrew the message as quickly as possible.
Damn it, he’d just blurted out his true feelings.
His little heart thumped wildly in his chest as he kept trying to calm himself down. His laogong ge was always busy, leaving early in the morning and coming back late at night. All his previous warm-hearted calls and messages had been answered by the company’s secretary, with the same replies each time: “Alright, I’ll pass the message to President Wang once he finishes work. He’s currently in a meeting/talking about a contract/discussing a project…”
When it came to work, his laogong ge was more passionate than anyone.
At this time of day, there was no way the other party would be checking his phone, so he reassured himself that there was nothing to worry about.
The very next second, a vibration came from his palm. It was a new message alert. The sensation hit his skin like a jolt of electricity, making his fingertips tingle all the way to his entire nervous system.
He opened the screen and looked down.
Wang Huanxiu: “I saw it.”
Bai Shuijin: “…”
So those two eyes weren’t for decoration.
He knew it, the more you don’t want something to happen, the more likely it is to happen. He started typing frantically to patch things up.
Wang Huanxiu watched the prompt at the top of the chat bar constantly change: [Bai Shuijin is typing…], [Bai Shuijin is typing…]
The name changed back and forth for three or four minutes before the other party sent a message weakly.
[Laogong ge, I sent that by mistake.]
[Oh.]
Just one word in reply.
Bai Shuijin bit his lip. Couldn’t he have sent an “oh oh”? A single “oh” can easily make people overthink.
He couldn’t stop himself from guessing what kind of mood or tone was behind that reply. Was he unhappy? Angry? Considering the message that had just been withdrawn, there was no way he was pleased.
Him calling someone else “laogong” right in front of his laogong ge could be considered directly using small accounts in his face.
Bai Shuijin swore silently in his heart to be cautious with his words and actions from now on.
[Laogong ge, are you angry?]
[No.]
Bai Shuijin pouted subconsciously, clearly dissatisfied with the emotional response. “No”…how generous of him.
But his emotions came and went quickly, and he began to defend himself again. [I typed it by accident just now.]
[I know.]
A question mark slowly floated over Bai Shuijin’s head. “You know?”
How would he know? He wasn’t even beside him. Had Wang Huanxiu planted a surveillance camera on him?
[Laogong ge, how do you know?]
[Your hands have always been very skilled.]
“…”
So sarcastic.
Even through the screen, Bai Shuijin could faintly feel the sinister and cold tone in Wang Huanxiu’s words.
Once they started chatting, Bai Shuijin’s little mouth just couldn’t stop. Even if it was only through the phone, he still wanted to keep talking with Wang Huanxiu.
Nancheng was like spring all year round. It was five in the afternoon now, and the sky was still bright, with only the edges tinged with orange twilight. It was so bright the streetlights hadn’t even turned on yet.
Thinking about it, the sky on Wang Huanxiu’s side had probably already darkened to a blue-violet shade. Plus, it had been snowing when he left, so it should’ve gotten dark even earlier.
Even at night, Nancheng’s temperature remained gentle. But gentle weather was also a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Just sitting there for an afternoon, Bai Shuijin had already been bitten several times.
[Laogong ge, I got bitten by mosquitoes.]
[It’s so itchy.]
Afraid his suffering wouldn’t come across, he even sent a photo.
[Laogong ge, look.]
Wang Huanxiu opened the image. It was a pair of white thighs, shot from a downward angle. Bai Shuijin had taken off his thick down jacket and changed into a pair of knee-length light yellow shorts, white mid-calf socks, and sneakers.
To show the mosquito bite, he had purposely pulled one side of his shorts up, revealing the tender inner thigh. The fair, soft skin had a red welt from a bite, and the surrounding area was scratched red. Compared to the rest of his skin, the red area looked pitiful.
[I got bitten several times.]
He followed up with a few more pictures.
Scrolling through them, it was clear he had been bitten a lot. The mosquitoes over there really were fierce.
[Did you put on medicine?]
Seeing the concern, Bai Shuijin hummed happily.
[Not yet, I’ll do it in a bit. Laogong ge, there’s one on my butt too, I’ll take a picture when I get back and show you .]
Wang Huanxiu: “…”
“President Wang… President Wang.”
A voice suddenly called out near his ear. Wang Huanxiu looked up from his phone and met the nervous expression of his secretary.
“What is it?”
The secretary glanced at the phone in Wang Huanxiu’s hand and braced himself. “President Wang, it’s time for the meeting.”
Actually, the meeting should’ve started ten minutes ago. But Wang Huanxiu had been sitting at the head of the table, eyes on his phone and not giving anyone a signal. The upper management had all kept their heads down, pretending not to notice, and no one dared to remind him.
Everyone knew how efficient Wang Huanxiu was. When he looked at his phone during breaks, it was usually work-related, so no one had the guts to interrupt. But after ten full minutes with no sign of starting the meeting, everyone realized something was wrong.
Only when the secretary spoke up did Wang Huanxiu come back to his senses and realize what he’d just done.
He put away his phone, gathered his thoughts, and resumed the meeting.
The meeting ended at 7 p.m. When Wang Huanxiu picked up his phone again, there were several unread messages…but not from Bai Shuijin. They were from the old house.
The message was from his third uncle. Old Master Wang had three sons. The eldest, Wang Huanxiu’s father, was from his first wife.
After the first wife died of illness, the old man remarried a few years later. The second wife gave birth to two sons, his second and third uncles.
The Wang family had always been in business. But the second uncle had taken an unusual path, falling in love with scientific research and never getting involved in the family business. The rest of the internal struggles and tangled interests maintained the Wang family’s surface-level harmony.
Wang Huanxiu’s parents died in a plane crash when he was fourteen, and their remains were never found.
Old Master Wang had fallen gravely ill upon hearing the news. It could be said that he had always favored this son born to his first wife the most.
But when his eldest son was still alive, he’d clearly been biased toward the two younger sons. Once the stepmother arrived, the father’s heart shifted too. No one knew why he was so grief-stricken after the eldest son’s death.
It wasn’t that grief was unwarranted. It was just that this kind of sorrow felt more like guilt erupting after death.
[Huanxiu, you haven’t returned to the old house for a while. I asked your company, and they said you’re free tonight. Come home and have dinner. It’s a good chance to see your grandfather. You haven’t come back once since you got married.]
Wang Huanxiu stared at the lines on the screen.
In the darkness, a Rolls-Royce drove up the mountain villa. This estate had once been a well-known tourist spot, and was owned by the Wang family. It used to be open to the public but it was closed down when the old master moved there to retire.
The moment Wang Huanxiu stepped through the door, a warm voice greeted him.
“Huanxiu’s here, come in quickly, your grandfather’s waiting inside.”
The elegantly dressed woman was the wife of his third uncle. The pearls on her neck were plump and lustrous.
As soon as he entered the main hall, Wang Huanxiu saw the old man sitting grimly on the sofa.
Old Master Wang, whose full name was Wang Huifeng, was about to turn seventy this year. When he saw Wang Huanxiu, he didn’t even glance at him and said unhappily, “You came.”
Wang Huanxiu didn’t respond, only sat down to the side.
“You still know to come back. I thought you’d forgotten there’s still this old thing here.”
Wang Huanxiu: “You’re getting older. You should avoid saying unlucky things.”
Old Master Wang choked. He knew nothing good ever came out of that mouth.
Wang Huanxiu was dressed neatly in a suit, having come straight from the company. Old Master Wang looked at him and said, “I heard today that you were distracted and looking at your phone during the meeting. Huanxiu, I gave you the company not so you could slack off. If you keep this up, I shouldn’t have let you take that position in the first place.”
The words reached his ears, and Wang Huanxiu didn’t even blink. Instead, he asked lazily, “Then who do you want to take the position?”
“There are so many hardworking juniors in the family. Pick any one of them and they’d be better than you. Xiaotian is a great example. He’s twenty now, and he’s more hardworking than you were at his age.”
Wang Pingtian, the youngest son of his third uncle.
Wang Huanxiu: “I’ve already said he’s not fit to enter the company.”
His third uncle, Wang Wang, had always been doted on by Old Master Wang. Even though his grades were mediocre as a child and his career was equally average as an adult, in Old Master Wang’s eyes, this youngest son was still the best.
Wang Wang had always wanted to send his son Wang Pingtian into the company, but no matter what he tried, he was met with constant resistance.
Wang Pingtian hadn’t always gone by that name. He was originally given a grand name, but it couldn’t suppress his fate, he was constantly sick, big illnesses, small ones, one after another. Only after they sought a master and changed his name did things start to improve.
Old Master Wang slammed his cane on the ground. “How is Xiaotian not fit for the company? He’s hardworking and ambitious. He’s a thousand times better than you were back then.”
Wang Huanxiu remained indifferent. “I told you, his name is bad.”
Old Master Wang snapped, “You!”
Chen Jiao had been standing outside the door listening the whole time. When she heard Wang Huanxiu say her son’s name was bad, her red nails dug into her palm.
She didn’t dare step forward to argue. The reason they had called Wang Huanxiu home today was precisely to talk about letting Wang Pingtian enter the company.
And she could clearly feel that Wang Huanxiu was in a bad mood. From the very first sentence out of the old man’s mouth, the whole person had become even more gloomy.
Wang Wang had a spy in the company and the fact that Wang Huanxiu was distracted during today’s meeting had clearly reached his ears.
Of course, Wang Huanxiu knew about the spy, he simply chose to turn a blind eye for the sake of superficial harmony to avoid a fallout. But now, with Old Master Wang’s words, it was as if the spy had jumped out right in front of Wang Huanxiu, and things were bound to be unpleasant.
“Pingtian is a capable child. Starting next month, he’ll begin getting involved with the company.”
“Let’s talk about results after he proves himself.”
Old Master Wang immediately realized Wang Huanxiu was clearly against it. “What? You still want to control the company all by yourself? How can you be so overbearing and tyrannical?”
“This position was originally supposed to go to your third uncle. If he hadn’t been sick back then, do you think I would’ve used you?!”
“Sick? You mean those holes in his teeth?” Wang Huanxiu sneered. “Such a major illness indeed.”
“…”
Old Master Wang was so furious he couldn’t speak. Wang Huanxiu stood up. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be heading back. I’ll come visit you another day.”
“As if I need you to visit! You bastard, get as far away from me as possible!”
Wang Huanxiu turned and left decisively, without the slightest reaction.
Seeing how calm he was, without a shred of guilt or reluctance, Old Master Wang got even angrier. He had looked forward to Wang Huanxiu’s visit every day, and now look at him. Cold-blooded and heartless. “You ungrateful bastard! After all the painstaking effort I put into cultivating you! You white-eyed wolf! No one’s kindness means anything to you!”
“Your father cared so much about you. He even flew out to see you when you were competing overseas, and you still managed to get him killed!”
Old Master Wang grabbed the ashtray from the coffee table and hurled it. With a loud thud, it hit the door that Wang Huanxiu had just shut.
.
Meanwhile, Bai Shuijin followed Wang Muguang to the filming location. The crew’s big bus led the way, and Wang Muguang’s RV followed close behind.
It was now eight in the evening, and the sky in Nancheng had finally gone dark. The shoot was taking place in a wooded, mountainous area with water nearby. The main scenes tonight involved action sequences with the main cast.
Compared to the city, the air here was much fresher. The temperature was cool and pleasant, just right for a light jacket. The sound of cicadas chirping in the grass gave the feeling of being transported back to a midsummer night.
Bai Shuijin looked up. The moon here was huge, like a silver plate. The night seemed brighter than it did in the city, and you could even see stars that were usually hidden.
Usually, there were only a few stars visible in the sky. But out here, away from pollution, the stars blanketed the sky in clusters.
He took out his phone, wanting to take a picture. But the camera couldn’t capture the vividness seen by the naked eye, so he put the phone down dejectedly.
He’d wanted to take it to show his laogong ge.
Even when he was out, Bai Shuijin always thought about him. He didn’t really know how to be “family” with someone…but family always came with some unspeakable, inexplicable bond. Since he thought about his laogong ge in everything, he figured he was already quite a good family member.
His shoulder was suddenly patted. Bai Shuijin turned and met a pair of fox-like eyes.
It was Shen He, the actor playing the second male lead. He had appeared beside him at some point. “Hey, why are you here alone?”
Bai Shuijin blinked and answered tentatively, “Then…should I be half a person?”
“…”
Shen He had noticed Bai Shuijin as soon as he appeared at the door of the makeup room. He was wearing a white T-shirt and a ruffled sunhat, his little face flushed pink from the heat. His arms were full of milk tea, and he peeked inside the room with sparkling eyes.
To be honest, his appearance was quite attractive. The type to make people’s hearts stir. In previous interviews, Shen He had described his ideal type…and if that ideal became real, it might just look like Wang Muguang’s assistant.
He knew this was Wang Muguang’s assistant. Aside from constantly being compared online, he and Wang Muguang hadn’t had much contact.
Shen He was now fully dressed in his period costume, looking like a gentle, refined man from ancient times. “What’s your name?”
Bai Shuijin replied quickly, “Bai Shuijin.”
Shen He: “I’m…”
“I know you’re Shen He.”
“Actually, that’s just my stage name.”
“Then what’s your real name?”
Shen He gave him a faint smile. “Do you want to take a guess?”
It felt like a riddle. Wang Muguang had been called away to discuss the script with the director, so Shen He was bored and wandering around. Since he had nothing better to do, guessing wasn’t a bad way to pass time.
Now that they were standing close, Bai Shuijin noticed Shen He was a bit too thin…not as balanced as he appeared on TV. Maybe in order to look photogenic, he had been controlling his weight, but he came off as slightly frail and narrow-shouldered.
Shen He said gently, “I’ll give you a hint.”
“Okay.” Bai Shuijin was always confident when it came to guessing games.
“My real surname is Xia, and I was born in June.”
Bai Shuijin looked as if he suddenly understood. “I see!”
Shen He tilted his head, listening.
Bai Shuijin leaned in close to his ear and stayed with a confident smile, “Your name is Xia Lao Liu, right?”
**Xia Lao Liu is just calling Xia the Sixth.
“…”
It could be outrageous, but not this outrageous!
Shen He coughed awkwardly and dropped the guessing game. “My name is Xia Zhi. There’s a solar term in June called xiazhi. My surname is Xia, so my parents simply named me Xia Zhi.”
“Oh~ So your name is Xia Zhi.” Bai Shuijin narrowed his eyes.
“Yeah~”
“Oh~”
One second, two seconds, three seconds…Bai Shuijin’s eyes suddenly widened.
‘What! His name is Xia Zhi?!’
Wasn’t the protagonist of the entertainment-industry novel that Wang Muguang was in also named Xia Zhi?!
Bai Shuijin’s eyes went wide all of a sudden.
Shen He noticed and smiled. “Why are your eyes suddenly so big?”
“Of course, it’s so they can reflect me.” Wang Muguang suddenly appeared between them, looking like he wanted to smack Shen He in the face with a mouthful of curses.
His eyes were practically glued to Bai Shuijin.
The moment he appeared, he immediately blocked Shen He with a few side steps.
Shen He could clearly feel the hostility radiating from Wang Muguang.
Bai Shuijin was still dazed and hadn’t come to his senses yet. He hadn’t expected the protagonist of the entertainment-industry novel to be standing right in front of him.
A shout came from the distance. “Teacher Shen, it’s time to walk through the scene.”
“Coming.”
Shen He looked back at Bai Shuijin once more. “Let’s chat again later.”
Wang Muguang stepped sideways and blocked the gaze Shen He had cast toward Bai Shuijin. “Chat about what? He’s mute and can’t speak.”
Bai Shuijin: “…”
Little Uncle is really good at speaking.
After Shen He left, Bai Shuijin tugged on Wang Muguang’s sleeve. “Why were you being so fierce towards him? You two should be good friends, don’t be so quick to draw swords.”
“Good friends?” Wang Muguang thought of Shen He’s lecherous expression. “Who wants to be good friends with him? I’m not going to fall in with that kind of crowd.”
But things couldn’t develop like in the novel, where Wang Muguang is forced by the protagonist to become a street performer.
In the novel, the protagonist and Wang Muguang were clear foils for each other. After constant comparison by netizens online, Wang Muguang not only didn’t work hard on improving his acting skills, but blamed the protagonist for everything.
It was the protagonist’s fault for being such a good actor.
A narcissist never looked inward. In the end, he broke down and used family connections to get the protagonist banned. As a result, the protagonist bounced back in the entertainment industry with a niche movie that he wrote, directed, and starred in. He clawed his way back into the entertainment industry and even became capital himself, sweeping multiple projects and winning the Best Newcomer award.
At that time, when the protagonist retaliated, Wang Huanxiu and the protagonist from the novel “Business Wars” had both gone bankrupt and couldn’t protect Wang Muguang.
Bai Shuijin didn’t want Wang Muguang to end up performing on the street. After all, he was such a proud person, this would be worse than death.
The protagonist didn’t have to love Wang Muguang, but at least don’t hurt him.
A little more love, and the wild Little Uncle could live better.
The best thing now would be for the two to become friends, instead of fighting to the death like in the novel. But clearly, Wang Muguang wasn’t listening at all.
On the other side, the night scenes were starting, and Wang Muguang’s agent came over with a task.
“Mu-ge, let’s do a livestream in the RV later. Right now the internet is filled with negativity about your role in “You Ye Xing”. We’re worried it’ll affect the broadcast results. Do a quick livestream, show some charm, and build a bit of favorability before the show airs.”
Wang Muguang didn’t refuse. After all, he had been working hard on improving his acting. He really did hope someone would recognize that.
Live streaming to increase favorability couldn’t hurt. If he showed off a few talents, and with his face, he’d have netizens drooling.
He was very confident. “No problem.”
Soon, the group returned to the RV. The seats inside had been converted into a bed. As the assistant, Bai Shuijin was supposed to set up the livestream space for Wang Muguang.
But the moment he flopped onto the bed, he didn’t want to get back up. He melted there like a blob of jelly, eyelids drooping like roller blinds going up and down. Worst of all, there was a little blanket nearby…when he yanked it over himself, it covered his whole body completely.
He was even sleepier now.
Wang Muguang was supposed to sit on the little bed and livestream. Looking at Bai Shuijin lying there, he said, “Don’t fall asleep.”
Bai Shuijin’s head wobbled. “I won’t, I won’t.”
Two minutes later, Wang Muguang looked at the completely passed-out Bai Shuijin: “…”
‘Won’t what? I’m asking you won’t what?’
He wanted to wake Bai Shuijin up, but seeing him sleeping like a kitten, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
Forget it. He could still livestream like this.
The camera was set up, and Wang Muguang sat by the little bed. The camera’s angle could see Bai Shuijin, but since he was wrapped in a thick blanket, he just looked like a pillow.
Wang Muguang didn’t pay it any mind. He reached over and tapped to start the livestream. He wasn’t very experienced with streaming, and it took a while just to find the start button.
Only he and Bai Shuijin were in the RV, and the latter was sleeping quietly, like he didn’t even exist.
The livestream began. Wang Muguang’s handsome face appeared on screen, beaming with a textbook eight-tooth smile. His face was the kind that five thousand years of Chinese civilization would struggle to find fault with.
Wang Muguang was full of energy and handsome. “Good evening, everyone. Have you eaten yet?”
As soon as the livestream started, a huge wave of netizens poured in. He expected friendly greetings, but what he got was people opening with a wave of curses like skill effects on League of Legends.
“Eat your mom. Are you quitting “You Ye Xing” or not?”
“If you don’t quit, I’ll forklift you out myself.”
“Have some shame, please. Don’t ruin this drama, okay?”
“Wang Muguang, I’ve never begged anyone before, but I’m begging you…don’t act.”
“Get lost!”
“I don’t want to see you.”
“Do you think you’re handsome or something?”
“I don’t want to see you, I don’t want to see you.”
“Wang Muguang, you’re a rat shit in the pot.”
Wang Muguang’s smile slowly froze. Faced with all the mockery and doubt, his eyes scanned the comments again and again, trying to find a fan or friendly viewer to chat with.
He searched for a long time, but found none, only people flooding in to scold him.
Do you people even know what time it is?
It was 11 PM, prime time to go emo on NetEase Cloud. Wang Muguang completely lost it.
Seeing all the misunderstanding and hate, his eyes turned red. But even narcissists had pride. “Something came up suddenly. I’ll be stepping away. Everyone enjoy your dinner first.”
He raised his hand to end the live stream…but couldn’t find the end button for a long time.
Damn it. But if he stayed any longer, the tears were going to burst out. Wang Muguang broke down and left the camera area, sitting off to the side.
“Why’d he leave?”
“What is he doing?”
“I’m here, I’m here! Laogong, I’m here!”
“Where’s laogong?!”
“Gege, I’ve eaten already.”
“Where is he? Wasn’t this a livestream?”
“Why is no one here?”
The viewers who joined late were confused by the empty livestream room.
“???”
“???”
“???”
Some were Wang Muguang’s fans who wanted to see him. Some were “You Ye Xing” drama fans who came to scold him. Some were just bandwagon netizens. But if the person didn’t show up, there was zero engagement.
The livestream room fell quiet…until a huge wheezing sound filled the livestream.
It was so loud that it startled Bai Shuijin who was sleeping.
The thing viewers had assumed was a pillow in the corner of the screen suddenly sat up. The blanket slid off, revealing a face flushed pink from sleep.
“Who! Who turned on a water pump truck?!”
Wang Muguang, who was crying-like-a-water-pump-truck: “…”