Chapter 15
A few days after the official announcement of Wonderful Adventure, Shen Wu’s life remained calm and peaceful, untouched by the buzz from the outside world. When he wasn’t working on the set, he was training with his team.
Knowing his fate in advance, even if the outlook wasn’t very optimistic, Shen Wu saw it as a good thing.
Switching to the entertainment industry was one of his attempts to change his fate, and he had discovered that many small details of the plot could be easily changed, such as the time and manner of his acquaintance with Nan Dengwei.
He would also participate in next year’s F1 season as usual. If he could achieve a higher ranking, perhaps it would mean that the general direction of his fate could also be changed.
Perhaps he wouldn’t die.
The most important thing racing had taught him was to press forward fearlessly. If he were to flee in the face of such an ethereal future, he wouldn’t be worthy of the title “driver” that had always preceded his name.
After several laps of high-speed driving on the track, even in the cold late autumn, he couldn’t help but break into a light sweat.
Shen Wu washed his face, the dark hair on his forehead becoming a bit more damp, setting off his fair skin. His features had a clarity like morning dew.
His black and red racing suit was wide open. He sat casually on the stands, facing the warm orange sunset, exuding a youthful and vigorous aura.
After handing him a bottle of mineral water, Xiang Zixu buried his head in his phone again, more concerned about his boss’s side job than his boss himself.
He would like a comment praising his looks, and break into a cold sweat at the overly unrestrained, R-rated remarks, hoping that his sister-in-law’s work would keep her as busy as possible, so she wouldn’t be surfing the internet in her free time.
“Holy crap!” Xiang Zixu couldn’t help but curse, having seen some bombshell news.
“Wu-ge, Qi Shijun is throwing shade at you on Weibo! Crap, what does he have to do with the Wonderful Adventure show?! He’s talking as if you stole his spot, is there any justice in this world!”
Xiang Zixu was indignant. Shen Wu’s expression flickered, and he casually unlocked his phone.
He scrolled through it nonchalantly while drinking water.
It turned out that Qi Shijun had posted on Weibo.
@Qi Shijun: A brave warrior can also be outnumbered. Three fists are no match for four hands. Even with courage and strategy, one can still have their chance for adventure regrettably taken away…
At this time, the buzz from the official announcement of Wonderful Adventure‘s guests was still fermenting, and online speculation about the mysterious guest was rampant. Qi Shijun’s suggestive post at this juncture inevitably made people think of Wonderful Adventure.
This was the hidden meaning of his words, and also the purpose of his post.
Under the guidance of those with ulterior motives, netizens quickly solved Qi Shijun’s riddle.
[Gege posted on Weibo last week that he would meet us in a different form soon. It’s definitely not the drama he’s currently filming. If it’s not a press conference or a fan meeting, could it be a reality show?]
[Emmm, warrior, adventure, could Jun-ge be talking about Wonderful Adventure? And Wonderful Adventure just made an official announcement, and someone happens to be in the same crew as Jun-ge…]
[Someone gets to play the second male lead right after debuting, and can also be on a popular variety show at the same time, regardless of his acting skills. He must have some backing, right?]
[I also think it’s a bit strange. The other guests are all popular actors and idols. I won’t talk about the non-celebrity, but how come he’s the only unknown little artist? It’s too strange.]
[There’s also a mysterious guest. I’ve seen others speculate that it’s 99% a top-tier star. To be able to have a top-tier star to help him out, this backing is not simple.]
Most of the sarcastic comments didn’t mention any names directly, but anyone with a slight impression of the show’s official announcement could immediately guess the identity of this “person with connections.”
As if organized, netizens flocked to the official Weibo of Wonderful Adventure, demanding an explanation from the show.
Real passersby and fans of the show were also gradually influenced by these impassioned remarks. The better their impression of the high-quality first season, the more disappointed they were with the under-the-table dealings of this season. They left messages one after another to vent their dissatisfaction.
[I knew Shen Wu’s resources were too good. Get out, you person with connections, ahhhhhh!!]
[Help, can Xingxing terminate his contract with the show? I’m afraid he’ll get entangled with something unclean.]
[Randomly interjecting, I think SW’s sugar daddy has pretty good taste hahaha (doge to save my life)]
[I don’t care who the guests are, as long as Fang Ci maintains his standard and doesn’t mess up, it’s ok. I think the director is more important for a variety show, as long as they don’t get someone with a huge idol baggage who’s pretentious and can’t let loose.]
[Aren’t you guys disgusted that your gege is out there with greasy old men and women?]
[Your own life is unsatisfactory, so you’re projecting so much malice onto others online?]
And so on, it was a complete mess.
Perhaps because he had genuine sports awards to his name, Shen Wu’s public image was surprisingly good. In the face of overwhelming malicious comments, many people were able to maintain a skeptical attitude towards the remarks about his sugar daddy.
Qi Shijun gritted his teeth and, at the risk of backlash, posted another Weibo post hinting at his innocence.
With another wave of heartbreaking material for his fans, they were naturally heartbroken and went all out, fighting for him at the center of public opinion.
In the novel, as long as Nan Dengwei was on a variety show or in a drama with Meng Huaizhi, it would inevitably attract jealous villains to spread rumors and slander him to death.
Towards an eighteenth-tier obscure celebrity, they were ignorant and fearless, using all means necessary, and would not stop until they achieved their goal.
Nan Dengwei had no ability to turn the tide of public opinion. At times like this, it was the male lead’s turn to step in. The male lead would stand up for him, showing his protection in public, and either openly or secretly warn those who disliked him.
Knowing all the plot, Shen Wu’s mood was surprisingly calm in the face of the current public opinion.
To the two main characters, Qi Shijun was clearly a disgusting villain. But to Shen Wu, he was just a tool, not much different from himself, also a catalyst for the two main characters’ relationship to heat up.
Shen Wu even felt a bit of sympathy for him.
It was just that Qi Shijun had slandered the wrong person. He was a bit derelict in his duty as a tool.
Xiang Zixu was indignant. “Is this guy sick! Why is he throwing shade at you?? Bullying you because you don’t have a backer?”
Shen Wu skipped over the topic of whether he had a backer and joked, “Maybe it’s because I’m too handsome and people are jealous?”
“That’s possible,” Xiang Zixu nodded seriously. “But I’m still angry!”
Shen Wu smiled nonchalantly.
In fact, Qi Shijun wasn’t wrong about one thing. He really did have a backer.
It was just that he and his biggest backer, Shen Tianheng, were like fire and water. His supposedly reliable older brother, Shen Ping, was only good at putting on a show.
He might as well not have these backers.
Shen Wu didn’t care much about the baseless slander, but coincidentally, when he went home that night, the buzz around these fabricated scandals had not subsided but had intensified.
It was as if he was incompatible with this family. On a rare trip home, without saying or doing anything, he still ran into an argument.
Shen Tianheng was furious, slamming his phone on the table. “You’ve really grown wings now, huh? Entering the entertainment industry? A celebrity, you think you’ll have a bunch of people fawning over you wherever you go? And you’re stealing someone else’s spot, are you?!”
Shen Tianheng was the chairman of a corporation, after all. Shen Wu really couldn’t understand how he could be so shallow.
A little rumor could easily sway him. At the root of it, it was just that he had long been prejudiced against him.
Shen Ping quickly stepped in to smooth things over, explaining, “Dad, Xiao Wu is signed with Star Entertainment. I haven’t given him any special treatment. Those are all rumors online. Someone must feel that Xiao Wu is in their way and is deliberately slandering him.”
Hearing this, Shen Tianheng didn’t blame his eldest son for taking matters into his own hands, signing his younger brother into an entertainment company and hiding it for him.
His attitude immediately improved, but his words still didn’t spare his troublemaking youngest son. “You just know how to cause trouble for the family all day, and you’re causing trouble for your brother too… Shen Ping, don’t indulge him like this next time. You’re the older brother, but you don’t need to protect him in everything.”
He felt that he had wronged his eldest son too much, and was always careful with him, not daring to say a single harsh word.
They were both his biological sons, yet he was so tolerant of Shen Ping, to the point that it seemed polite and distant.
Xu Qiongya quickly put a piece of food in Shen Ping’s bowl, a guilty smile on her face.
As a stepmother, she treated her stepson Shen Ping and her biological son Shen Wu equally. Even a biological mother might not be as thoughtful as she was.
But for such a trivial matter, if she really saw Shen Ping as a family member no different from her own son, why would she feel sorry?
After a few words, everyone at the dinner table felt a bit uncomfortable and fell into a silent contemplation of their own thoughts.
Shen Ping put down his chopsticks and said to Shen Wu beside him, “Xiao Wu, I’ll have someone handle the trending topic for you now. The entertainment industry is not a simple place. You must be careful in your actions and not accidentally offend someone again. If you encounter any problems next time, you can also tell me in time.”
Shen Wu looked deeply at the gentle and refined man and said nothing.
Shen Ping knew everything, but he did nothing, letting him be slandered and insulted.
Only now, in front of their parents, did he grandly offer to help him.
After a long while, Shen Wu finally spoke. “The director of Wonderful Adventure wanted to invite Meng Huaizhi on the show, so he brought me along. It has nothing to do with Qi Shijun.”
“Meng Huaizhi?” Shen Tianheng naturally had no reason to blame the Meng family, and even had to show some respect. But he clearly didn’t believe Shen Wu. “Nonsense, where is he on the guest list?”
Shen Wu: “How do you know he’s not?”
Shen Tianheng’s face showed contempt, and he blurted out, “Liang Shu, Lin Yanran, Xia Fanxing, and that Nan… what’s-his-name. You tell me, where is Huaizhi?”
Shen Wu: “You seem to care a lot.”
Shen Tianheng was at a loss for words.
Shen Ping’s reaction was almost imperceptible, only his fingers tensed, his knuckles turning white.
Shen Wu didn’t want to argue with them anymore. He stood up and said faintly, “I’m going to my room.”
After walking a few steps, he remembered that he had forgotten to reply to Shen Ping.
His voice came from a few meters behind Shen Ping, somewhat ethereal and light, blurring the more than twenty years of memories they shared.
An irreparable sense of distance arose for no reason.
“You don’t have to trouble yourself, Ge.”
On the other side, at M+ Entertainment.
A brainless person like Qi Shijun was unprecedented.
It seemed that even his team didn’t have a single clear-headed person who could see the situation and come out to persuade him in time.
Meng Huaizhi, of course, couldn’t understand, because this kind of person was called a brainless villain in a novel.
“Regarding the trending topic about the sugar daddy, it’s better to handle it with a cold approach than to spend money to suppress it,” Luo Jinyi said.
Meng Huaizhi, of course, also knew that this kind of trending topic was different from a romance rumor. It was not suitable to be suppressed. The more you suppressed it, the more you tried to cover it up. Unlike a trending topic questioning acting skills, which could be directly clarified, this kind of accusation was impossible to prove one’s innocence.
It was a basin of dirty water that was easy to splash but hard to wash off.
The best way was to handle it with a cold approach and wait for the netizens to forget on their own.
Luo Jinyi waited for a while, but Meng Huaizhi didn’t speak.
Luo Jinyi thought for a moment and suggested again, “When Wonderful Adventure officially airs, and the audience sees Shen Wu’s performance, these rumors will naturally fall apart. If you talk to Shen Wu a bit more on the show, those with ulterior motives probably won’t target Shen Wu again…”
Luo Jinyi wasn’t very sure of herself when she said this, and there was still more than half a month before the show aired.
When it came to matters concerning Shen Wu, Meng Huaizhi probably didn’t have that much patience.
Luo Jinyi continued, “Otherwise, should I go warn Qi Shijun?”
Meng Huaizhi finally spoke. “No need. If Qi Shijun knows, there will be other messy people.”
It was a polite refusal.
At nine o’clock that night, during the peak of Weibo traffic.
Meng Huaizhi rarely made a post. Tonight, countless fans who had set up special notifications for Meng Huaizhi actually received three consecutive notifications.
@Meng Huaizhi followed @Driver Shen Wu
@Meng Huaizhi liked @Driver Shen Wu’s Weibo post
@Meng Huaizhi reposted @Driver Shen Wu’s Weibo post
@Meng Huaizhi: Remember to return the hat to me when the time comes//@Driver Shen Wu: #Wonderful Adventure Second Season Official Announcement# Valiant and heroic, unafraid of difficulties, I am driver Shen Wu. On December 31st, let’s start the adventure together!
Weibo exploded.
