Chapter 26
The sweet and cheerful atmosphere brought by Meng Huaizhi’s dessert gift, unfortunately, did not last long.
Recently, the film set had been in turmoil because the conflict between Wen Qiehua and the male lead, Qi Shijun, was escalating.
Qi Shijun was throwing shade on Weibo again, this time about the director arbitrarily changing the script and not paying enough attention to the male lead.
Wen Qiehua was full of grievances, but he had to bow his proud head in the face of the basic facts.
He even bought a trending topic: Qi Shijun’s domineering CEO look.
All film crews had to hide and avoid behind-the-scenes leaks, but Qi Shijun was so brazen as to buy a trending topic to create hype, completely disregarding the confidentiality agreement.
At this moment, Shen Wu was having a meal with Xiang Zixu.
Xiang Zixu, who was on the front line of celebrity chasing, immediately jumped up when he saw this trending topic and said with certainty, “Qi Shijun’s domineering CEO look is trending? It’s obvious he bought it. How ridiculous, this behind-the-scenes photo taken by a passerby even has a beauty filter on it.”
Shen Wu chuckled, “You seem to know a lot.”
In the trending topic of #Qi Shijun’s domineering CEO look#, for some reason, someone mentioned the matter of the previous second male lead’s actor, Ye Chongan, terminating his contract with the crew.
In addition, with the secret push of those with ulterior motives, it didn’t take long for voices questioning the shady dealings of the crew to appear.
[…Could it be that someone with connections joined the crew and stole Ye-ge’s role?]
Negative news always fermented at an exceptionally fast rate.
And the people who were pushed to the forefront to face public opinion, besides Shen Wu, were also the actor of the previous second male lead, Ye Chongan.
Ye Chongan’s fans were the most heartbroken and the most valiant in the charge, righteously demanding justice for their gege.
But Ye Chongan knew that there were no shady dealings. After the crew clarified the rumors, he would be the one with a slapped face, and who knows what would be made of his conflict with Qi Shijun.
He was completely being used as a pawn by Qi Shijun.
But his backing was not as strong as Qi Shijun’s, and he had nowhere to vent his anger.
Ye Chongan had a headache from anger. Anything he said now would be wrong. He could only wait for a different turn of events.
The biggest variable was the other party involved, Shen Wu.
Just as the black trending topic #Shen Wu brought funding to the crew# climbed up, Shen Wu received a call from Shen Ping.
“Xiao Wu,” Shen Ping got straight to the point, “I’ve found out that the investor of Racing Heartbeat is close to Qi Shijun. He has the final say on everything in the crew. This person is not a good person, and who knows what this drama will turn out to be. I’m worried it will affect you…”
Shen Wu listened to him quietly.
After a long silence, Shen Ping seemed to have not expected Shen Wu to be so quiet.
He sighed and had to continue, “If you’re willing, I’ll help you terminate the contract with the crew. Don’t worry, I will definitely support your development in the entertainment industry. If there are any other good film and television roles next time, I’ll help you keep an eye out and strictly vet them for you.”
After a long while, Shen Wu finally asked, “…Are you at the company?”
“Mm, why?” Shen Ping was secretly expectant, thinking that Shen Wu wanted to come and talk in person.
Unexpectedly, Shen Wu said, “Is Dad with you?”
There was a moment of silence.
Shen Wu’s question was out of the blue, and it was met with a long silence from Shen Ping.
In the silence, the two of them touched upon the invisible and intangible barrier that had been between them for this period of time, brought it out, and laid it on the table, openly and honestly.
To Shen Ping, Shen Wu had always been straightforward. Shen Ping had always liked this about him. He was always open and honest with him, never pretending.
So much so that Shen Ping would occasionally have the illusion of being in control of everything.
To this day, Shen Wu was still straightforward, directly exposing his hypocrisy.
“No,” Shen Ping’s voice did not betray much emotion. “Should I video call you?”
Shen Wu refused flatly, “No need, I was just asking.”
“Xiao Wu… are you angry with me?” Shen Ping tried his best to calm his turbulent emotions and asked gently.
Shen Wu was silent again, as if he was waiting for his explanation and apology.
But Shen Ping was surprised to find that he couldn’t say anything. Shen Wu’s directness made him feel even more despicable.
His breathing grew heavier, and even the hand holding the phone was trembling slightly. After a long while, he said with difficulty, “I don’t want you to be hurt in any way.”
But you also don’t want me to be well. Shen Wu silently completed his unfinished sentence in his heart.
Unfortunately, the main characters of this world were Nan Dengwei and Meng Huaizhi. Shen Ping was just a more insignificant supporting character than Shen Wu. Shen Wu didn’t know if he would have any regrets after his death.
Will he be sad and cry because of my death?
Shen Wu didn’t know, and was afraid to know.
“I think the script for Racing Heartbeat is very good, and Director Wen is both capable and dedicated. This drama will definitely be a success, and the audience will be able to recognize its quality,” Shen Wu finally spoke. “…I don’t need your help. I’m not terminating the contract. I promised Director Wen that I would film it well.”
Shen Ping was silent for a long time after the call ended.
He thought, he should have been timely enough this time.
…But his disappointed younger brother no longer wanted his help.
In order to pressure Director Fang and at the same time create hype for himself, Shen Wu was naturally the best target for him to step on.
He even twisted right and wrong, putting the hat of bringing funding to the crew on Shen Wu’s head.
In this way, as a newcomer, Shen Wu would be scrutinized by netizens with the strictest eyes.
The voices of denunciation against Shen Wu grew louder and louder. The fans he had gained from Wonderful Adventure wanted to defend him, but they were powerless, as he had no works to prove his acting skills.
Even so, there were still voices supporting him:
[I believe in Shen Wu. Looking at his performance in the reality show, he’s definitely not that kind of person. If you say he’s acting, then that also means his acting is very good.]
[Everyone knows how pure Huai-ge is about his music. A friend he approves of can’t be bad.]
[I’m not shipping them, but I support Shen Wu. TBH, QSJ’s own acting is not that good, right? And that behind-the-scenes trending topic, didn’t he buy it himself?]
Some netizens who were being used as pawns were still loudly denouncing Shen Wu. Just then, a major V-account entertainment reporter released a behind-the-scenes clip of Racing Heartbeat.
Unlike Qi Shijun, who, in order to cover up his shortcomings, had only released a blurry photo for the behind-the-scenes trending topic, this collection of clips was a genuine high-definition recording.
The video included Shen Wu’s daily life on the set for more than a month. Sometimes he was eating in a tent, sometimes he was napping in an RV. It was clear that the person filming was not an outside paparazzi or a sasaeng fan, but a crew member who worked with him day and night.
These videos were obviously bought by someone for a price and then edited together.
At the end of the video, Shen Wu had a corner of a piece of bread in his mouth, his head buried in the script.
The assistant next to him reminded him, “Wu-ge, you should finish the bread quickly, don’t go hungry.”
Hearing this, Shen Wu took two bites of the bread, ate half of it, and then forgot about it again because he was engrossed in the script.
“Shen Wu!” Lin Yanran suddenly appeared in the frame. “Are you busy? Can you help me get into character?”
“Not busy,” Shen Wu stuffed the bread into his mouth in a few bites, and without a second word, wiped his hands and immediately stood up. “What do you need me to do?”
Lin Yanran skillfully made a request, “Can you take me for a ride on your motorcycle?”
“Okay,” Shen Wu agreed readily and handed her the only helmet. “You wear the helmet.”
“Do I have to wear a helmet even on a closed road?”
“Mm.”
Lin Yanran held the helmet. Perhaps she was worried about messing up her makeup. She hesitated for a few seconds and finally put it on.
The closed street was only a few hundred meters long. The moment the motorcycle started, before the netizens could get a clear look, the collection of clips came to an abrupt end.
But it didn’t stop them from leaving a massive amount of comments.
[So handsome, ahhhhhh!! I want to ride on Shen Wu’s motorcycle too, 555.]
[This seems to be the first time I’ve seen a female lead wear a helmet while riding a motorcycle in a drama, hahaha.]
[How can a race car driver be so gentle and gentlemanly, wuwuwu.]
[@Actress Lin Yanran, sister, have you been bewitched by someone? Sister, wake up!! (shaking)]
[Ahhhh, when will Racing Heartbeat air? I really want to see their scenes together!!]
[I think I know why I always fall for the second male lead when I read novels…]
[With a second male lead who looks like this, who wouldn’t be dazed? (except for the female lead)]
[Listen to me, thank you, Sister Yanran. The male lead is for the female lead, and the second male lead is for everyone!!! (doge)]
Lin Yanran, who was surfing the internet at 5G speed, actually went and liked this video.
And also liked a comment.
[Lin Yanran: hello, are you being polite?]
The matter of Shen Wu bringing funding to the crew was purely fabricated.
Before long, the rumor fell apart on its own.
[By the way, who actually brought funding to the crew? The producer and financier of Racing Heartbeat are both Longsheng Media. Does Longsheng Media have any connection with Shen Wu?]
[I found that Longsheng Media has invested in several bad dramas, and Qi Shijun is in all of them…]
The tide of public opinion online had turned. Qi Shijun was used to this. His sugar daddy would definitely handle it for him.
However, he waited and waited, and he actually received the news that Longsheng Media was withdrawing its investment.
The withdrawal of investment came so suddenly that Qi Shijun was directly dumbfounded.
He held on to a glimmer of hope that his sugar daddy had misunderstood his meaning.
He went to Longsheng Media.
Longsheng’s president, Cheng Ting, had cooperated with him for many years. Facing the person who had come aggressively, he coldly informed him, “M+ Entertainment has invested.”
“What?!”
Cheng Ting rubbed his brow in frustration. “You don’t need to go to the Racing Heartbeat set anymore. Behave yourself.”
“…What?” Qi Shijun couldn’t believe it, feeling that his vocabulary had been reduced to just two words.
“Behave yourself, don’t you understand?” Cheng Ting said coldly. “Why did you have to provoke Shen Wu?”
Qi Shijun, who had been full of momentum a second ago, immediately deflated. He swallowed a few times, “Because of Meng Huaizhi? The time Meng Huaizhi reposted his Weibo, it was just a gesture of support for a junior, right…”
But his tone was extremely uncertain, and his neck also shrank.
Cheng Ting’s brow was tightly furrowed, and he took a deep drag on his cigarette. “Have you ever seen Meng Huaizhi do that for anyone else?”
“Their relationship is that good?” Qi Shijun still couldn’t believe it. “What’s Shen Wu’s background? On what grounds?”
“That’s what I was going to tell you. It’s not just Meng Huaizhi,” Cheng Ting said. “He’s the young master of the Shen Corporation, the own younger brother of the boss of Star Entertainment.”
Qi Shijun was stunned.
“Thanks to you, I’ve received two warnings in just one week.”
Before leaving, Cheng Ting’s eyes were indifferent, and he coldly dropped the last sentence, “You’re on your own from now on.”
It was the first time Qi Shijun had seen Cheng Ting be so reckless, and his heart turned cold.
He had no choice but to go to his manager again, his usual arrogant and domineering attitude gone. “That campus drama you told me about before, let me see the script again.”
He didn’t think much of the campus drama his manager had gotten for him, but at least the director there was not as tactless as Wen Qiehua.
The manager’s expression was blank. “It’s already been rejected.”
“…” Qi Shijun swallowed and asked again, “Then what other schedules do I have?”
“None for now,” the manager said. “President Cheng suggests you take a break for a while.”
Qi Shijun’s eyes widened, and he opened his mouth, wanting to scold his useless manager as he usually did.
But this time, it was as if his throat was being choked. He watched the manager’s cold back recede into the distance, a lump in his throat, and couldn’t say a single word.
He had been acting tyrannically because of his sugar daddy, but he had forgotten that he was just a small pawn in his sugar daddy’s hands. To fall from a popular young actor to being shelved was just a matter of a simple word from the latter.
On the other side, at M+ Entertainment.
Meng Huaizhi asked Du Chen, “Is that all?”
Du Chen had already tried his best. “Yes… Director Wen is not willing to give us any clips from the filming. He said it would lead to spoilers and told us to wait for Racing Heartbeat to air, and then everyone will know that Shen Wu got into the crew based on his own strength.”
Meng Huaizhi sighed helplessly and muttered to himself, “…No wonder he praised Director Wen like that.”
This director was really pure and single-minded.
“What did you say, President Meng?” Du Chen didn’t hear clearly. “This Wen Qiehua is really… I’ll go and talk to him again, ask him to give us some clips.”
“No need, this is enough,” Meng Huaizhi stopped him.
They had bought the trending topic to turn the tide of public opinion, and what they wanted most was a video that could prove Shen Wu’s acting skills. But Wen Qiehua had his own principles. Even after learning that the visitor was from M+ Entertainment, he was unmoved and firmly refused to give any spoilers.
He and Qi Shijun were complete opposites, and it was no wonder that their conflict was escalating.
If Qi Shijun continued to act like this, the future of Racing Heartbeat was really hard to say.
Meng Huaizhi went to the Racing Heartbeat set again. This time, he was not visiting Shen Wu, but meeting with Wen Qiehua alone.
Previously, Qi Shijun had threatened Wen Qiehua to withdraw his investment. The reason Wen Qiehua had asked Shen Wu for help was because of Fang Ci’s hint that his relationship with Meng Huaizhi was not simple.
When Wen Qiehua saw Meng Huaizhi himself, he knew that this matter was pretty much settled.
Meng Huaizhi first asked about another matter. “Why did you provide those behind-the-scenes clips?”
Wen Qiehua’s heart skipped a beat, and he used the same excuse he had given Du Chen, “Isn’t it for confidentiality, and also to whet the audience’s appetite… When the audience sees his performance in the drama, they will definitely be very surprised.”
However, Meng Huaizhi asked again, “Why was it the clip of him riding a motorcycle with Lin Yanran?”
“Huh?” Wen Qiehua was not as sharp as Fang Ci and was stunned for a long while before he said, “Yanran is famous for being dedicated. When netizens see that their relationship is good, they will naturally know what kind of person Shen Wu is.”
After he said it, he had a feeling that this was not the answer Meng Huaizhi wanted.
“Forget it,” Meng Huaizhi didn’t explain. “Keep a good eye on him. Don’t let him ride a motorcycle for fun. It’s too dangerous. If you really have to film a motorcycle scene, he must wear a helmet.”
“Okay, definitely,” Wen Qiehua nodded three times and carefully spoke again, “Um, President Meng, about the investment…”
“I’m considering it,” Meng Huaizhi said. “I hope you will film well, according to your own ideas. You don’t have to give anyone extra scenes or change the script for someone else’s sake.”
Wen Qiehua nodded vigorously, so moved that he was about to cry. He had never seen such a living bodhisattva of a sugar daddy in his life.
Meng Huaizhi’s meaning was clearly that he should not give Shen Wu any special treatment, but Shen Wu’s scenes had already been set. To add more scenes randomly would only be counterproductive.
Meng Huaizhi was not sure if Wen Qiehua understood his meaning, so he had to continue to remind him, “Especially the choice of the male lead. I hope you will decide through an open audition.”
“Okay,” Wen Qiehua nodded hurriedly. “President Meng, you can trust me. If I weren’t this kind of person, how could I have had a falling out with… that person?”
Meng Huaizhi was relieved.
He was worried that Shen Wu would go to Wen Qiehua and praise Nan Dengwei, and then Wen Qiehua, for his sake, might promote Nan Dengwei.
He might even be mentioned for the vacant male lead position.
Don’t give any actor special treatment, don’t treat anyone specially. This is what’s good for the crew.
He thought his handling was quite appropriate and fair.
And not out of selfishness.
After the rumor storm caused by Qi Shijun was resolved, Shen Wu had a few peaceful days.
In the blink of an eye, it was time for the second recording of Wonderful Adventure. This time, they needed to go to Nan City to record the show on a tropical island.
It was the middle of winter in January, but the climate on the island was pleasant, lush and green, with temperatures as high as twenty degrees. It was a completely different world from the bleak and cold capital city.
For the preparation before the live broadcast, all the guests and staff had to go there at least one day in advance.
Shen Wu set off with Meng Huaizhi. Thanks to him, he had VIP access the whole way. After leaving the airport, he got into an all-black nanny van and went to the hotel booked by the show’s team.
The rooms were also uniformly arranged by the show’s team. The two of them just had to go to the front desk to check in.
The front desk of the super five-star resort hotel was well-trained. Even when they saw Meng Huaizhi, their expressions did not change, and they handled the check-in for the two of them in a business-like manner. Two minutes later, the front desk handed out a room card. “28th floor, room 2808. Swipe your card to take the elevator over there.”
Meng Huaizhi took the room card. “Let’s go.”
But Shen Wu was stunned. “…Why is there only one room card?”
And why did Meng Huaizhi look so matter-of-fact?
Only after he was reminded did Meng Huaizhi say, “Mm, the show’s team should have arranged for two guests per room.”
Shen Wu’s surprise was written all over his face, evident in his stiff hands and unmoving legs.
Meng Huaizhi observed him calmly.
After a long while, Shen Wu turned around and rested his arms on the marble countertop of the front desk. “Are there any vacant rooms now?”
The front desk checked the computer and replied, “The staff and guests of the Wonderful Adventure show are uniformly arranged on the 18th and 17th floors, which are now full. There are vacant rooms on other floors…”
Shen Wu was just an ex-husband. When he went out with the male lead, he wouldn’t encounter that classic “Sir, I’m sorry, there’s only one room left” plot.
And this super five-star resort hotel had plenty of rooms. As long as you had money, there was no problem that couldn’t be solved.
Shen Wu didn’t think much and said to the front desk, “Then I’ll…”
“There are outsiders on the other floors,” Meng Huaizhi’s voice came from behind. “What if you get recognized?”
Although Shen Wu had been on several trending topics recently and was on the popular variety show Wonderful Adventure, he had entered the industry late and had a weak foundation. With a population of over a billion in the country, the possibility of him being recognized on the street with his current hundreds of thousands of fans was actually very small.
Shen Wu thought this was definitely not a problem.
“If you get recognized,” Meng Huaizhi added, “my fans will probably come over tomorrow.”
Shen Wu immediately swallowed the words of insisting on getting another room.
He still remembered the chaotic scene he had seen on Weibo the day Meng Huaizhi returned to the country, where Meng Huaizhi was surrounded by countless fans at the airport and was being leeched off by a small artist.
It was too scary. He still had to film a show with Meng Huaizhi for a day and then go back to the capital city with him.
“…That’s true,” Shen Wu turned around. It was just for one night anyway. “Then let’s go upstairs.”
The first time he had seen the young master of the Meng family was when he was six. In the blink of an eye, seventeen years had passed. He had stayed at the Meng family many times, but he had never shared a room with Meng Huaizhi.
The Meng family was large and wealthy, with many rooms. There was no need to squeeze two children together.
They were so familiar, their relationship as close as real brothers. It was no big deal to live together now.
In the elevator, Meng Huaizhi’s gaze was fixed on Shen Wu, sizing him up from behind and to the side.
The childhood Shen Wu was the complete opposite of his forbearing older brother. He was real and unpretentious, with all his joys and sorrows on his face.
The former Meng Huaizhi had never overstepped his identity to explore whether his family friend’s younger brother had different feelings for him.
His upbringing would not allow him to do such a thing, and with his emotionally detached personality, he would not take such a thing to heart. His whole world was almost entirely given to music.
Meng Huaizhi thought to himself, it must be very tiring to like him.
If he found that a staff member under him had different feelings for him, even if it was just a fan, he would not keep them in the company.
Shen Wu, of course, knew this.
Such a flamboyant and passionate teenager, yet he had to secretly hide his feelings.
Meng Huaizhi thought, looking deeply at the person in front of him.
Shen Wu got out of the elevator without noticing and paused, confused by the complex layout of the hotel. “Huh? Why is it 2812 as soon as we get out?”
“The room types with a number ending in 8 are different and are at the very end,” Meng Huaizhi had confirmed with Fang Ci in advance and naturally walked over to guide Shen Wu.
The two of them made two turns.
Beep. The door to room 2808 opened.
Shen Wu went in first and was stunned. “…It’s a twin room?”
Meng Huaizhi seemed to have expected it, his expression unchanged. “Mm.”
Shen Wu: “…”
He had really been overthinking it.
He wasn’t the main character shou, so how could he encounter that kind of plot?
