After that unpleasant call, Zhu Huai was a little dazed.
On the phone, Zhang Bei had called him greedy and ungrateful.
He’d cursed at him: “You want to climb onto Jiang Sheli’s back? Take a piss and look at your own reflection first. A toad lusting after swan meat—you don’t know your place!”
Zhu Huai laughed coldly. “We’re all toads. Since when did toads rank themselves by class?”
For someone as cold and proud as Jiang Sheli, Liu Qi didn’t deserve the spot beside him.
Not even a fake version.
The more he got to know Jiang Sheli, the more Zhu Huai felt that this man was good—cold on the surface, warm at heart, like a loaf of baked bread held against one’s chest in winter. Peel back the cold crust, and inside there was nothing but searing residual warmth.
Take himself, for example. His scandals were all over the internet. His career was in the gutter. His reputation stank. His acting was terrible…
“Oh.”
Right. Come to think of it, he was even less worthy.
So sad.
Zhu Huai scrolled through their WeChat chat history, a smile unconsciously tugging at his lips.
At least Jiang Sheli didn’t mind any of that at all.
Jiang Sheli didn’t like being tied to others for CP publicity—everyone in the industry knew that.
Zhu Huai had nothing left, but he still wanted to do something useful for Jiang Sheli.
Even if it was only a little.
Besides, his relationship with the company had already deteriorated this far—what was one more agent he didn’t care about?
A Weibo notification flashed at the top of his phone. It was from the official 《Indoor Games》 account.
Little Wang and Little Huai’s Indoor Games V:
Ta-da ta-da ta-da~
Tomorrow, a brand-new episode of Indoor Games will start recording~ That’s right, I know nobody’s looking forward to it—after all, nobody watches our trashy little show anyway.
BUT!! This time is different! This episode is a collaboration with @Sword Shadow Martial World Mobile V, and of course we’ve got mobile game ambassador @Meng Xingyu joining in! We’ve also got five other mysterious guests taking part—but they’re top secret for now!
And! Tomorrow is LIVE! LIVE! LIVE! Important things must be said three times!
See you all on XX Live from 16:00 to 18:00 tomorrow! Don’t miss it!
The guests were a secret?
Zhu Huai was stunned again.
But when he arrived at the recording venue the next day, he finally understood why it had to be kept secret.
If they hadn’t kept it secret, the production team probably would have been strangled by the viewers.
The door to the green room was halfway open when Zhu Huai stopped, gripping the handle, staring at the room’s interior without moving.
Wei Feng, in full makeup, sat on the wide sofa and waved at him. “Long time no see.”
Zhu Huai let go of the door handle, walked in, and chose a single sofa to sit on.
Wei Feng didn’t seem bothered by being ignored. Grinning, he said, “Do you know who’s coming today?”
Zhu Huai closed his eyes, making his refusal to engage perfectly clear.
Wei Feng said, “I heard there’s a big name whose surname starts with J.”
Jiang Sheli?
Zhu Huai’s fingers twitched.
Wei Feng watched him, that same grin still on his face. “I can’t wait.”
“Are you looking forward to it, Zhu Huai?”
Zhu Huai opened his eyes. “Let me give you a song. The lyrics fit you perfectly.”
“Oh?”
“《Little Chick, Little Chick》.”
“What?”
“The hen hugs her chicks, cluck-clucking away. Ignore her, and she crows cock-a-doodle-doo anyway.”
Wei Feng: “…”
Just then, footsteps sounded in the corridor outside. Before long, the green room door opened, and three people came in.
Two of them Zhu Huai had seen before but wasn’t familiar with. One was a boy with bleached-white hair, slightly narrow eyes, and fair skin named Jin Yuxian—a dance lead in a South Korean boy band, quite popular, who had just gone solo and returned to the country earlier this year. The news had made quite a splash, sitting on Weibo’s hot search for days.
The other was named He Chen. He’d acted in several hit dramas, always playing sons opposite veteran actors. He was only fifteen, with big, sparkling eyes—adorable.
The third appeared to be a newcomer preparing to debut. He was handsome enough, but in an entertainment industry teeming with beautiful people, nothing special. Zhu Huai didn’t know him.
Seeing Zhu Huai and Wei Feng, the three greeted them one after another, and the newcomer introduced himself first. “Hello, I’m Jiang Yuxi.”
Zhu Huai nodded at him. “Hello, Zhu Huai.”
Jiang Yuxi tilted his head and smiled. “I know you. Former SYA member, right?”
Hearing him bring up his old group, Zhu Huai showed no particular reaction. He nodded. “That’s right.”
The atmosphere suddenly turned a little delicate.
He Chen blinked his big eyes and piped up, “Brother Wei Feng is also a former SYA member, isn’t he, Yuxi?”
Jiang Yuxi choked on his words and forced out, “Yes.”
Zhu Huai looked at He Chen, who beamed back at him.
And with that, all five mysterious guests the production team had mentioned were present.
The big name with a J surname—Jin Yuxian.
Wei Feng hadn’t lied, after all. It was Zhu Huai who’d misunderstood.
Zhu Huai rubbed the watch on his wrist, his expression calm.
A staff member came over to announce that the show was starting and to get ready.
The group filed out, with Zhu Huai and He Chen at the very back.
Zhu Huai moved two steps closer to He Chen and said softly, “Thank you.”
He Chen shot a contemptuous look toward Jiang Yuxi. “He wants to suck up to Wei Feng, that’s his business. But deliberately bringing up SYA to disgust you? That’s just dirty. I can’t stand people like that.”
The kid had a strong sense of justice. It made him kind of adorable.
If it wouldn’t mess up the kid’s hair, Zhu Huai would have ruffled his head.
《Little Wang and Little Huai’s Indoor Games》 was hosted by an old man and a young man. The elder was named Wang Lian—in his youth, he’d hosted a wildly popular variety show, but only that one; everything after had been lukewarm, barely making a splash.
The younger one was named Bai Xiaoyun, a broadcasting graduate. He was quite young, and 《Indoor Games》 was the first variety show he’d ever hosted.
Meng Xingyu, as the heavyweight special guest, was already seated inside with the hosts.
Zhu Huai and the other four guests waited backstage until the staff called them in. Wei Feng went first; Zhu Huai went last.
It wasn’t arranged by popularity—the production team simply wanted to stir up trouble. He could already imagine how crazy netizens would go when they saw him and Wei Feng on the same stage.
Inside the studio, as the opening music ended, the hosts began introducing the guests.
Wang Lian: “Hello, everyone! Welcome to a brand-new episode of 《Little Wang and Little Huai’s Indoor Games》. I’m Wang Lian.”
Bai Xiaoyun: “And I’m Bai Xiaoyun.”
Wang Lian: “Whoa~ Since 《Indoor Games》 started airing, we’ve never had guests of this caliber!! Did the boss finally agree to open the purse strings for our production team??”
Bai Xiaoyun laughed. “After all, this episode has a Sponsor Daddy backing it!”
Wang Lian: “Right! From today on, we’re people with a Sponsor Daddy’s protection. Thank you to 《Sword Shadow Martial World Mobile》 for the generous support!”
Bai Xiaoyun: “Thank you, Sponsor Daddy!”
Wang Lian: “Alright, enough chit-chat—the netizens in the livestream room are already dying of anticipation. Let’s welcome today’s guests with applause! First, the ambassador of 《Sword Shadow Martial World Mobile》, Meng Xingyu. Give him a big round of applause!”
The camera moved to Meng Xingyu, who flashed a radiant smile. “Hello, everyone, I’m Meng Xingyu. Friends watching the livestream—can you see me?”
The fans waiting in the livestream room immediately spammed bullet comments and gifts to support their idol:
[Wuwuwu, husband! I can see you!]
[Baby, you’re the most gorgeous cub in the Martial World!!!]
[The Starry Sky exists in the universe for you! Meng Xingyu, I love you!]
As the heavyweight guest of the episode, Meng Xingyu naturally couldn’t just be sent off to rest. The hosts had to interact with him extensively first, warming up the atmosphere.
A staff member walked over and quietly signaled the guests backstage to enter.
Wei Feng was the first to walk out.
Then came Jin Yuxian, He Chen, and Jiang Yuxi, in that order.
The bullet comments in the livestream went insane with each entrance.
[WTF, Wei Feng??? This trashy little show really made it big!]
[!!! My husband suddenly appears! Wei Feng, look at me!!]
[Jin Yuxian’s first variety show since returning to the country??? How much money did Sword Shadow Martial World throw at this show?!]
[This Consort Xian is downloading the game right now!!! Thank you on my knees, Sponsor Daddy!!]
[Chenchen!!! Oh my god!! I love this godly show!!]
After the other guests finished their introductions, it was Zhu Huai’s turn.
As he stepped out, he could already imagine the bloodbath in the bullet comments.
Sure enough, when the netizens in the livestream saw the last person come out, they were collectively dumbfounded.
[?]
[????]
[??? Who’s this? Despicable Somebody’s body double? It has to be a body double, right?]
[Was the production team out of their minds? Putting Wei Feng and Zhu Huai on the same stage?]
[Ooh, a Shura Field in the making.]
[I can’t decide whether to curse the production team or curse Zhu Huai.]
[Haven’t seen this Zhu Huai in years. I thought he’d retired from the industry.]
[Zhu Huai, I’m begging you on my knees, okay? Can you stay away from my cub? Hasn’t SYA suffered enough because of you?]
[Chenchen is still so young. Please, Master Pig, have mercy and spare him! I’m giving you a fist salute!]
[Xingyu baby, stay far away from that Zhu Huai. Don’t give him a single bit of interaction!]
[Dmn it, Yuxian just got back to the country and doesn’t understand the domestic scene. I’m dying!]
[Why is everyone cursing him? This handsome guy is gorgeous!! He’s totally my type!]
[Same here—what a beautiful bro!! Face Cons take ten thousand points of critical damage!]
[Upstairs, wake up—that’s because you don’t know how vicious he is!!]
A monitor was set up beside the stage, letting all the guests see the netizens’ comments.
The viewers’ bullet comments scrolled past one after another. Even though staff had filtered and screened them, plenty slipped through the cracks and landed right in the guests’ line of sight.
Besides—who knew if the production team was doing it on purpose?
Every celebrity had anti-fans. Of the six guests on stage, only Zhu Huai’s haters’ comments were being displayed.
The production team’s troublemaking intent was blatantly obvious.
Sure enough, when the haters’ comments appeared, Zhu Huai noticed that Camera No. 1 was zooming in on him an absurd number of times.
Zhu Huai sat up straight. He knew his best angle, and naturally tilted his head slightly to one side, exposing a perfect jawline and an elegant, slender neck. With deliberate calculation, he tugged his sleeve up a little, revealing a delicate wrist adorned with an expensive, refined watch, finished off by long, slender fingers. If you had even a hint of a hand fetish, you were done for.
Then, suddenly, Zhu Huai flashed a brilliant smile at the camera.
The Face Cons in the livestream took another ten thousand points of critical damage.
The bullet comments instantly turned into waves of screaming marmots.
The production team watched the bullet comments being drowned in a sea of “AHHHHHH” and felt absolutely nothing…
Bullshit!!!
They felt a LOT!!!
Shouldn’t Zhu Huai have darkened his face and thrown a tantrum when he saw those comments???
Wasn’t he angry??
Shouldn’t he have stormed off the set to show his dissatisfaction with the show!!!
What the hell were all these【Handsome bro, I’d say yes】【Fck me from the front】【Licking the screen】?!?
Director: Damn it. Miscalculated.
