“My laogong-ge won’t let me marry far away,” Bai Shuijin said, and the viewers in the livestream paused for a few seconds.
[Then your laogong-ge is quite petty.]
[Hahahahahaha.]
[It’s okay, I can wait for your divorce. I majored in second marriages in college.]
[How old are you this year?]
[Will you enter the entertainment industry?]
[Are you better at acting or singing and dancing?]
Gradually, the direction of Wang Muguang’s livestream began to shift, and he became the background character, sitting silently to the side and watching the comments refresh nonstop without a single one about him. The entire person crumbled.
But thinking of the earlier misunderstanding from the viewers, his mood calmed a lot. Compared to people thinking the two of them were in a relationship, this situation was a thousand times better.
He felt an instant sense of contentment.
Bai Shuijin was tired and yawned, forcing his eyes open to answer the viewers’ questions.
“I won’t enter the entertainment industry, and I can’t sing or act.”
He could dance, though.
In university, he majored in ballroom dance. He’d loved dancing since he was a child. Back in the orphanage, a bunch of little mushrooms would sit in rows after dinner, craning their necks to watch the TV mounted on the wall.
The daughter of the orphanage director was a dance teacher, although she taught ethnic dance and often played instructional dance videos for them to watch.
As a child, there weren’t many ways to pass the time in the orphanage. The kids all loved watching TV. Even if it wasn’t a cartoon, even if it was just someone talking, they still watched it with great interest.
After dinner every day, the most anticipated thing was watching TV.
Until one day, the dance teacher played a video of a ballroom dance competition.
Men and women in dazzling outfits and little heels danced under the spotlight. The graceful lines of the human body, the strength of the dance, and the vibrant sense of life captivated Bai Shuijin.
During adolescence, he once cried secretly under his blanket, afraid he wouldn’t grow tall enough. He blamed himself for not subscribing to school breakfast milk as a kid. If he had drunk milk every day like the others, he could have grown tall like a tree too.
Fortunately, he eventually passed the ballroom dance height requirement of 1.65 meters.
He suffered a lot. Countless times he broke down in the middle of the night. He got into his dream university, but the dream didn’t lead to a glamorous finale. Instead, it was met with more thorns.
Tuition, costume expenses, material fees… and countless activity fees he could no longer even remember. He worked day and night for his dream, yet it ended with nothing.
He couldn’t even afford a decent dance costume.
After coming into this world, he never thought about dancing again. Just thinking of it brought him back to those freezing nights washing dishes in a restaurant then rushing to the bar job with no time to catch his breath. He’d return to school at 7 a.m., rest for an hour, then attend his 8 a.m. class.
No matter how passionate a dream, it was all doused by cold reality.
So Bai Shuijin hid the fact that he could dance from the viewers. He wouldn’t enter the entertainment industry nor did he want to work anymore. He didn’t want any exhausting physical labor or mental toil. He just wanted to live like a salted fish, eating and sleeping without worry every day, living carefree with the gold card Wang Huanxiu gave him.
It might sound unambitious, but to the version of him who had to work hard all his life in his previous life , this life was a dream come true.
Even if he kowtowed to the heavens ten thousand times, he would not exchange anything for the life he has now, with no worries about food and clothing, and a family around him.
[What a pity you won’t enter the entertainment industry.]
[Will you still show up on live streams in the future?]
[I love you so much, baby.]
[Let me know when you get divorced. I’ll get the household registration book from my mom.]
[Does your husband treat you well? Do you want a new one?]
[Does your husband love you?]
Bai Shuijin was getting dizzy from reading the barrage of comments. When it came to topics about Wang Huanxiu, he responded very cautiously. After all, there were many viewers, and anything he said could be recorded.
Wang Huanxiu was a villain. If Bai Shuijin didn’t want to end up chopped into pieces and fed to sharks, he had to speak well of him.
Besides, he had no complaints. Wang Huanxiu treated him very well.
The viewers kept bringing up divorce, which he feared would upset Wang Huanxiu. Although Wang Huanxiu wasn’t petty, constantly mentioning divorce still wasn’t good.
“My laogong-ge and I have a great relationship. I really like him.”
“Everyone, please stop talking about divorce. My laogong-ge treats me well and loves me very much too.”
“My laogong-ge loves me so much he barks for me.”
Wang Muguang, who was beside him, was completely stunned.
It was like hearing some earth-shattering secret. He clutched his little blanket tighter.
His usually cold and stoic big brother… barks like a dog?!
After finishing the explanation, Bai Shuijin tugged on Wang Muguang’s sleeve, signaling him to say goodbye to the viewers.
Only after Wang Muguang and the audience said goodnight did this outrageous live stream finally come to an end.
But before the two of them could breathe a sigh of relief, someone knocked on the RV door.
The door opened, and the agent walked in, beaming with excitement.
“Muguang-ge, you’ve successfully stood at the peak of the hot search list tonight. This live broadcast was very successful and has greatly increased your favorability. When the drama you’re in airs, there’ll definitely be people watching.”
This was great news for the entire Wang Muguang Studio.
Wang Muguang was both flattered and stunned. He hadn’t expected such a positive response from the internet. It could be said that tonight had truly been a rollercoaster.
“I’m going to check online.”
The moment he opened Weibo, the first hot search topic he saw was: “Wang Muguang’s Butt.”
Wang Muguang: ‘…”
His temple twitched uncontrollably, and an ominous feeling surged straight to his brain.
He clicked in…it was a gallery of his butt pics.
His vision darkened, and right after that came the hot search topic: “Wang Muguang Water Pump Truck.”
It felt like he was about to leave this beautiful world at any moment.
Bai Shuijin sneaked a glance. “Little Uncle, are you okay?!”
Wang Muguang silently reached for the blanket beside him. He just wanted to be alone.
Tonight’s popularity was good for the studio, but not for Wang Muguang personally.
The joy of the world had nothing to do with him.
Now…now he was the buttless water pump truck.
But there wasn’t much time for him to break down, as the action scene would begin shooting in a while. They had to go watch it on-site and experience the crew atmosphere in person, so they wouldn’t be sleeping tonight.
Sleeping wasn’t appropriate anyway. Everyone else was working hard on set. If they stayed in the RV sleeping, it would leave a bad impression and hurt their reputation in the industry.
Ten minutes later, Bai Shuijin arrived at the set with the team. There were several giant spotlights on all corners, illuminating the night scenery around the mountains and rivers.
There was still some time before filming started, so he walked around, enjoying the beauty of nature. Suddenly, he saw a yellow glow in the distance.
Floating near the stream, it was glittering like stars, and so beautiful.
Fireflies!
He rushed back to Wang Muguang like he was flying over rooftops. “Little Uncle, there are fireflies over there. Let’s catch a few!”
“Fireflies?”
Wang Muguang had never seen them before. Instantly curious, he followed Bai Shuijin to check it out.
Bai Shuijin already had a plan: catch a few and give them to Shen He in Wang Muguang’s name. That way, the two could become friends because of the fireflies and wouldn’t turn against each other and try to ruin Wang Muguang in the future.
It would successfully avoid the tragic street performer ending.
The two of them tried catching fireflies by the stream. Compared to the clumsy Wang Muguang, Bai Shuijin was much more nimble, but it still took a long time before he finally caught one and held it gently in his palm.
He cupped his palm into a small box to avoid hurting the firefly.
“I caught one.”
“Let me see, let me see!” Wang Muguang jumped over like a monkey, his face flushed with excitement, like an ancient ape.
“But how can you see it while it’s in my hand?”
“It’s fine, just put it in my hand. I’ll be careful when I look.”
Bai Shuijin hesitated. “Then you’d better hold it steady. Don’t let it escape.”
It had taken him a long time to catch it.
“How is that possible,” Wang Muguang said confidently. There was nothing in the world he couldn’t do.
Bai Shuijin carefully transferred the firefly into his palm, but the gap between Wang Muguang’s hands was too wide, and the firefly flew away immediately.
Bai Shuijin: “…”
Wang Muguang watched the firefly return to nature. “Oops, that was an accident. Are you okay?”
Bai Shuijin: “I’m fine.”
Wang Muguang chuckled. “That’s good.”
The next second, he met Bai Shuijin’s cold glare. “Catch another one for me, or I’ll shove a lightbulb up your butt and make you the firefly.”
“…”
‘So much for being fine.’
Wang Muguang was shocked by the cruelty of Bai Shuijin’s threat. “Where did you learn that? Who taught you that?!”
Such a vicious sentence actually came out of his mouth.
Bai Shuijin looked up at the sky. It all started with a 4i cement brother.
After the firefly flew away, the two of them jumped around the stream like chickens and dogs for half an hour but still didn’t catch another one. Instead, they ended up drenched in sweat and nearly fell into the stream.
Forget it, no more catching.
Bai Shuijin wiped the sweat off his forehead with a tissue. On the other side, the filming of the action scene had begun, and the two returned to observe. As for helping Wang Muguang become good friends with the protagonist of the entertainment industry novel…he would have to find another plan.
As long as your mindset doesn’t collapse, there are always more solutions than problems.
Shen He noticed Bai Shuijin behind the camera. His expression was a bit complicated.
Wang Muguang’s livestream earlier had caused a huge stir online, and everyone in the crew had seen it.
He had only thought Bai Shuijin was Wang Muguang’s assistant. He didn’t expect him to already be married…and married to Wang Muguang’s older brother.
The crew asked the staff of Wang Muguang’s studio, and they were told Bai Shuijin was only temporarily serving as an assistant to fulfill his school’s social practice requirement.
This left Shen He feeling extremely conflicted. Bai Shuijin matched every single aspect of his ideal type.
But Bai Shuijin was already married and there was no possibility for further development, so he could only keep his distance, unless Bai Shuijin got divorced.
Although he made up his mind to stay away, Shen He still couldn’t help glancing toward Bai Shuijin.
The first action scene was interrupted by the director yelling “cut” because he was distracted. As a newcomer, he had to work harder. After the director’s reminder, he apologized to the people around him and quickly got back into the correct state.
Bai Shuijin stood on the edge of the filming area, watching the action scene. Action scenes were not easy. Some of the swordplay moves were very difficult, and one set of moves had to be filmed from several angles. But to fit everything in the frame, they couldn’t place the cameras everywhere. So they had to shoot one by one, wide shots first, then close-ups.
After all the back and forth, Bai Shuijin started feeling tired. He sat under a tree to rest and took out his phone. It was already 3 a.m. He opened WeChat and, on a whim, sent a message to Wang Huanxiu.
[Laogong-ge, are you asleep?]
This was his first time being apart from Wang Huanxiu for over twenty-four hours since he came into this world.
He craved the presence of his family, and wanted to share every part of his life with him.. He wanted to experience and record every “first” he did with his family.
This was also his first time working away from “home”, and he wanted to see how his family felt about his absence.
But at this hour, he probably wouldn’t get a reply. Bored, he scrolled through his Moments.
Suddenly, his phone dinged with a message notification.
!
‘Laogong-ge replied!’
He quickly exited Moments and opened the chat.
[Not yet.]
Wang Huanxiu hadn’t gone to sleep.
Bai Shuijin frowned. It was so late already…was he still working?
Given his workaholic tendencies, it wasn’t impossible.
[Why aren’t you sleeping? Are you working?]
The reply was still just a few words. [No.]
He could imagine Wang Huanxiu’s cold tone.
[Then what are you doing?]
The other side went quiet for a few minutes. Bai Shuijin waited for a long time for a reply and started blowing the bangs over his forehead out of boredom. Then a new message popped up.
[Barking.]
Bai Shuijin: “…”
His heart skipped a beat. Wang Huanxiu had watched the livestream.
He typed quickly. [Laogong-ge, did you watch the livestream too?]
Wang Huanxiu stared at the screen expressionlessly. He had just returned from the old house. Even though it was late at night, he still didn’t feel sleepy. He stood by the floor-to-ceiling window in a bathrobe with the collar slightly open, his figure tall and perfect.
He had indeed watched Wang Muguang’s livestream. A notification had popped up on his phone, so je followed the link and entered. By then, it was already the second half of the live stream.
Bai Shuijin and Wang Muguang were each holding a box of strawberry jam, eating and whispering to each other.
“It tastes good, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Bring some home for everyone to try.”
Wang Muguang’s expression was subtle. He couldn’t understand Bai Shuijin. In their eyes, strawberry jam was as trivial as a grain of rice. What was the point in bringing it back home?
But he didn’t argue. If the other party wanted to, then let him. There was no need to ruin the mood, that would be a crime punishable by thunder and lightning.
Bring it home. Bring it home to whom goes without saying.
Afterwards, netizens started talking about divorce in the live stream, and Bai Shuijin kept scratching his butt from anxiety.
Wang Huanxiu knew he had a mosquito bite there.
The person on the screen saw the word “divorce” and got flustered, rushing to explain.
He said they had a great relationship. That he really liked him, and he loved him very much too.
But those words were completely untrue. He didn’t love Bai Shuijin and hadn’t treated him the way he claimed.
He knew he had always been cold and indifferent at home, sometimes even ignoring him altogether. But Bai Shuijin never seemed to mind.
Every time he looked at him, it was with a bright and cheerful smile, like the rising sun every day.
It had only been a little over two months since Bai Shuijin came into his home, but it felt like they had spent more time together than with anyone else in the house.
These past two months, no matter how late he came home, he always seemed to be able to see Bai Shuijin’s figure.
Outside the house, in the garden, even on his bed…he never knew when the other party would silently sneak in.
He said he liked him, but his ringtone had someone else kissing him eight hundred times.
Even when he was away and live streaming, some people proposed to him.
The marriage was in tatters, but he was still patching it together.
[I watched a bit.]
“Watched a bit” still meant he watched it. Bai Shuijin thought back carefully…he didn’t think he said anything wrong during the live stream. Then he eagerly sent another message. [Laogong-ge, how do you think I did?]
The reply came slowly again, just two words.
[Not bad.]
It sounded perfunctory.
But Bai Shuijin didn’t mind. He just cared about why the other party hadn’t gone to bed. If he didn’t sleep in a while, it would be dawn and he would have to go to work again.
It seems that if Wang Huanxiu doesn’t work, he is not Wang Huanxiu anymore.
[Why aren’t you sleeping? Not tired?]
[Mn.]
Bai Shuijin didn’t know why he couldn’t sleep, so he asked, [Laogong-ge, are you in a bad mood?]
Seeing this message, Wang Huanxiu didn’t reply. He set the phone down.
But just after he put it down, two more messages came in back to back.
[Laogong-ge, don’t be unhappy.]
[I’ll show you the mosquito bite on my butt.]
Wang Huanxiu: “…”
.
Bai Shuijin and Wang Muguang stayed at the set watching until five in the morning, then took the car back to the hotel to rest.
They didn’t get up until three in the afternoon, when the sun was already starting to go down.
Today was one of Wang Muguang’s scenes, so he had to be in the makeup room before five.
Bai Shuijin was a bit worried about Wang Muguang. After all, the other party was a narcissist, and a beggar role had to be ugly. If he showed up too clean and neat, it would look fake at first glance and distract the audience from the scene. He would definitely be scolded then.
After eating the hotel’s provided meal, Bai Shuijin went to the makeup room. Wang Muguang had arrived early and was now staring blankly at his filthy, ragged beggar costume.
‘Is this… clean?’
The young master had never worn clothes this tattered in his life, and his face was full of rejection.
It was as if the clothes were some kind of terrifying monster. He even looked like he might get a skin disease from wearing them.
Knowing there were tigers in the mountains, he banged the retreat drum immediately.
Bai Shuijin walked over and looked at the clothes in his hands. “Little Uncle, they’re so sexy.”
Wang Muguang raised an eyebrow. “The ‘sy’ in sexy is silent?”
“Of course not. The rips in these clothes have a real sense of design to them, don’t you think?”
Wang Muguang looked left and right. “Do they?”
He couldn’t see it. But he could see that they were definitely ripped.
“Of course they do. You’ll look very sexy once you put them on.”
Wang Muguang was skeptical, but he never rejected praise from others. In the end, he pinched his nose and went into the dressing room to change. He wanted to see just how sexy he could look. After changing, he checked himself out in the mirror and actually felt it wasn’t bad. He even tugged at the collar of the tattered clothes a bit, making it look a little more fashionable.
Bai Shuijin clapped excitedly at the side. “Absolutely stunning! The Kardashian of the crew!”
Wang Muguang was so happy he couldn’t stop the smug smile creeping up his lips. He sat down in the chair in a good mood, ready for the makeup artist.
Seeing Bai Shuijin still standing, he said, “You should find a seat too.”
Bai Shuijin had already picked his spot, plopped down into the lounge chair.
Wang Muguang waited excitedly for his makeup, but as the look was completed, his whole mood plummeted. His hair looked like it hadn’t been washed in half a year, and his entire body was covered in dirty black makeup powder. He looked so unkempt that it was hard to tell what he looked like originally.
They even took away his shoes and made him wear patched-up cloth slippers with no heels.
Now he looked exactly like a real beggar…even more exaggerated than any beggar he’d ever seen.
But before he could mentally break down, Bai Shuijin’s compliment machine came online.
“Little Uncle, you’re so manly. I really like it.”
Wang Muguang was stunned. “Really? I’m still attractive even like this?”
“Yeah, such a good man.”
Wang Muguang’s lips curled upward. “Even when wrapped in rags, my charm is unstoppable.”
Not just Bai Shuijin, the staff from the studio also showered him with comfort and emotional support. Wang Muguang no longer hesitated and got in the car directly to the filming location of the crew.
It was time to show off his skills.
The agent couldn’t help but worry for Wang Muguang. After all, this production was full of veteran actors. Who knew how well Wang Muguang had learned during his alleged special training?
They quickly arrived on set, and the first scene to be shot was Wang Muguang begging on the street.
The agent watched him get into position and wanted to say something but was stopped by Bai Shuijin.
“It’s okay. Don’t worry.”
Agent: ?
“Little Uncle’s acting might not improve drastically in a short time, but he’s a method actor.”
Wang Muguang hadn’t eaten anything aside from some strawberry jam since last night. He hadn’t even had water, and his lips were dry and cracked.
Since his acting had shortcomings, he had to compensate elsewhere.
Wang Muguang also knew his job. He didn’t complain or announce he hadn’t eaten or drunk anything, because he knew that wasn’t professional. He felt ashamed.
All he could do now was act his best.
For this drama, most of the shots were filmed directly by the director, since only he knew exactly what kind of footage he wanted.
When Wang Muguang started filming, he was already prepared to get several NGs. After all, he’d heard the rumors about Wang Muguang’s acting skills. But his looks were exactly what the drama needed. At worst, he would teach him step by step, one action at a time, until he got what he needed.
If it came to it, he’d just curse him out and move on.
As a result, on camera, Wang Muguang’s darkened hands trembled as he held the bowl, lowering himself and bowing to passersby in a submissive way to beg. After getting two steamed buns, he immediately dropped to his knees with a “thump”, his voice full of joy, as if he was really a beggar himself.
“Sir, you’re a living Bodhisattva descended! Good people get good karma! Thank you! You’re the best person in the world!”
“Sir, you’ll definitely get rich and live a long, long life.”
He spouted “thank yous” nonstop and praised the man from head to toe. Every movement screamed pitiful and flattering.
“Cut! Passed!”
Everyone on set was stunned.
Wang Muguang…passed in one take!!!
Everyone knew Wang Muguang’s acting was terrible. The voices online against his participation were loud. They also thought he would mess up the scene, but they didn’t expect it to be so smooth after the filming started, and he got it done in one take.
The director looked through the monitor and saw no flaws. It was as if the person in the camera was a real beggar, without any trace of Wang Muguang, the rich young master who grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth.
Wang Muguang was also shocked. He ran out of the frame and rushed straight towards Bai Shuijin.
“I passed in one take!!!”
“Awesome, Little Uncle!!!”
The two of them held hands and spun in circles. Wang Muguang was so excited he trembled all over. This kind of recognition made him happier than all the compliments about his looks combined.
After spinning, Bai Shuijin looked down at his own hands…both palms were jet black.
“…”
The assistant director came over to praise him and also informed him about the next scene. “Next up is you getting beaten up by a gang of beggars. Get ready.”
Wang Muguang’s eyes sparkled. “Okay.”
The extras playing beggars came on set. Wang Muguang hoped they’d actually hit him for real so he could deliver the most authentic reaction.
But after he told them, the extras all looked hesitant and none of them dared.
This was a rich second generation with a networth of hundreds of millions, who would dare hit him for real?
At that moment, the assistant director realized they didn’t have enough extras and had to find more on the spot.
“We’re short on beggars. Does anyone want to help? The main job is beating up the young villain!”
Few people responded from the crowd. Just as the number of beggars was clearly not enough, a black hand shot up high.
Bai Shuijin: “I volunteer for battle!”
“…”
After changing clothes, Bai Shuijin blended into the crowd of beggars and warmed up his fists.
On the other side, Wang Muguang was growing nervous. What if the extras didn’t hit hard enough? What if the pain wasn’t real and he couldn’t act well?
What should he do? His pupils trembled with anxiety.
The director raised the megaphone.
“Action!”
Wang Muguang took a deep breath and said his line, “You guys…fuck!”
A shadow flew in, and he hit the ground instantly.
The beggars swarmed in, beating and cursing him.
In the shot, one person was particularly hard working and intense. Bai Shuijin jumped around, chasing Wang Muguang and aiming for the head.
There were no acting skills, just pure emotion.
