Raine: Yesterday was my birthday and I was supposed to translate a couple of chapters to celebrate but I caught a cold. I’m still feeling unwell right now but I’m so bored so I did a couple of chapters. I did not edit any of this and I forgot to turn on Grammarly, so please let me know if there are any mistakes.
The livestream screen lit up once more, returning to the small stage set for the talk segment.
After each performance, there was a brief interview. The host, with a beaming smile, invited Li Qianxing, Jiang Lin, Huang Zongxin, and Li Mingsi to the stage.
Li Qianxing and Jiang Lin entered from the right, heading towards the love seat. Huang Zongxin came from the left, approaching one of the two single chairs positioned on either side of the host’s seat.
Jiang Lin didn’t rush to sit down. Instead, he waited for Huang Zongxin to come over, then pressed his palms together in apology. “Teacher Huang, I’m so sorry. Did I go too hard earlier? I hope I didn’t hurt you anywhere.”
Huang Zongxin waved his hand magnanimously. “It’s fine. I can handle that much. Compared to my previous filming experiences, your moves were nothing. Though I must say, your skills were quite surprising. Have you starred in action films before, or did you train on your own?”
Jiang Lin finally took his seat, smiling as he replied, “I’ve done a few.”
He went on to mention a famous action film director and one of his renowned series.
“The most well-known was this one. I played several bit parts in it. My biggest supporting role was as the incompetent youngest son of the protagonist’s master, who later sacrifices himself to protect the main character.”
He then listed a few more film titles, both period and modern.
“They were all minor roles with limited screen time, but I learned some common moves from the action directors. Enough to put on a show, at least. Of course, I can’t compare to your wealth of experience.”
Huang Zongxin had starred in many famous action films, so in terms of experience, he indeed surpassed Jiang Lin. However, during their impromptu fight scene on stage earlier, although it was impressively choreographed, Huang Zongxin had ultimately lost due to inferior technique.
Therefore, Jiang Lin’s words, while seemingly complimentary to his senior, carried a subtle bite upon closer inspection.
Huang Zongxin faltered briefly, managing to keep a smile as he tried to save face. “I’m getting old. My stamina and reflexes can’t keep up with you youngsters anymore. The future belongs to your generation.”
Jiang Lin continued with his deceptively polite praise. “You’re too modest, Teacher Huang. You’re just thirty years old, and you’re in your prime for action roles. I look forward to seeing more of your impressive fight scenes in the future.”
A double hit.
Huang Zongxin choked again, mumbling a vague agreement before changing the subject. “Teacher Li rarely does action scenes, but that takedown move just now looked quite professional. Surprisingly beautiful.”
Li Qianxing nodded politely. “I once played a forensic expert and learned some combat moves and gun handling techniques in the process.”
At this moment, Li Mingsi arrived belatedly, rubbing his wrist as he sank into the sofa.
Li Qianxing didn’t need to use veiled criticism with Li Mingsi as Jiang Lin had with Huang Zongxin. He addressed him directly, “I recall seeing Xiao Li practice with a sword yesterday. I thought you’d be familiar with common action choreography, but I was surprised you couldn’t counter my grappling move.”
Li Mingsi’s expression soured, but he dared not throw a tantrum on live broadcast at someone of Li Qianxing’s status and background. He forced a smile and replied, “All my fight scenes have been for period dramas. I’m not very familiar with modern combat techniques.”
Li Qianxing smoothly continued, “Then you’ll need to do more homework if you take on such roles in the future. Fight scenes have action directors, which helps, but many small details might slip past even the busiest directors. Actors need to pay attention themselves. Like earlier, when you were pointing that prop gun at me, I noticed the safety was still on.”
His tone carried the weight of a senior imparting wisdom to a junior.
Li Mingsi’s smile froze on his face. Gritting his teeth, he managed to respond, “Thank you for your guidance, Teacher Li.”
The host had been listening with a smile, waiting for a break in the conversation. Seeing they had finished, she moved to her seat and began the interview.
However, given that Li Mingsi’s team had suffered a complete defeat in that performance, no matter how tactfully the host tried to smooth things over, it was inevitable that Li Mingsi’s fans’ fragile feelings would be hurt.
[What’s wrong with this host? If she can’t even moderate properly, she should just leave. Who wants to see her sour face anyway!]
[Now even people who can’t speak properly can host shows? I wonder how she was chosen. There must be some unspeakable inside story.]
[Poor Sisi, he was filming until midnight last night and didn’t get enough sleep. His performance is a bit off today, and now he’s being criticized.]
However, this variety show was a long-running hit program with a group of die-hard fans. With the show currently airing, they couldn’t allow others to disrupt their turf, so they immediately rolled up their sleeves and jumped into the fray.
[Do you really think our Yao-jie has no fans? If we brought out all her certificates and awards, it would knock Li Mingsi unconscious!]
[My Yao-jie has won first-place awards in national hosting and debate competitions! You ask how she was chosen? That person who started spreading rumors about her is so vicious! I’d like to ask how Li Mingsi keeps getting lead roles with such terrible acting skills!]
[If you lack talent, you lack talent. Stop playing the victim card. If you can’t manage your schedule, don’t come on variety shows! It’s not like everyone is desperate to see him.]
[To be fair, he performed the worst out of the four. What did he expect the host to do? If he doesn’t want to be mocked, he should go practice more!]
[He even dragged Huang Zongxin down. If he had been able to put up some resistance after Li Qianxing’s move, Huang Zongxin might have had a chance to explode with emotion and steal the scene.]
[I agree. Judging from the practice room footage earlier, Huang Zongxin probably had a storyline planned, but Jiang Lin’s moves were too aggressive, leaving no chance for dialogue. Later, even though he was suppressed, if Li Mingsi could have held off Li Qianxing, it would have been Huang Zongxin’s opportunity to steal the scene. Who knew Li Mingsi would be KO’d in one move.]
Li Mingsi’s fans were still struggling desperately.
[Sisi was hindered by the wire harness, that’s why he couldn’t perform well!]
[Modern action scenes have always been Sisi’s weakness. The police role just wasn’t suitable for him.]
But they were immediately crushed mercilessly by the viewers.
[You fans have the nerve to mention the wire harness? Isn’t that cheating? The scene was indoors. Was he supposed to climb the walls like a gecko to the ceiling and then jump down?]
[Even if we take a huge step back and say his character could sneak in undetected, the fact that he couldn’t even block one move from the enemy means he completely broke character.]
[He already got lucky facing Li Qianxing in an action scene. Do the fans want him to do a dramatic scene with the award-winning actor instead?]
[He’d be obliterated even worse in a dramatic scene. That one look he exchanged with Li Qianxing, full of insecurity, showed no spirit of a police officer at all.]
[Moreover, his performance logic was off. I felt like he didn’t care about his partner’s life at all. Shouldn’t he have first told Jiang Lin to let go of the person, let Huang Zongxin handcuff Jiang Lin, and then deal with Li Qianxing?]
[But his gun’s safety was on. I can’t stop laughing every time I think about that line.]
[Huang Zongxin has played police roles a few times before. This time he was really dragged down and couldn’t perform well. In the end, he just surrendered without fighting to the end. If he had acted out a sacrifice, he could have scored some points for himself.]
[It must have hurt, with Jiang Lin pressing down on him the whole time. It’s just a variety show, not a real drama. It would be a big loss if he twisted something.]
[That’s why Li Qianxing’s final identity reveal seemed particularly reasonable.]
While Li Mingsi’s fans were being crushed in the barrage comments, the host in the live broadcast still tried to save face for Li Mingsi.
After a few interview questions, the host called the other six guests on stage. Everyone interacted together, sharing some insights from their performances over the past two days. They exchanged gifts, and finally, the livestream came to a satisfying conclusion.
*
Li Qianxing and Jiang Lin returned to the dressing room to remove their makeup.
As soon as the door closed, Li Qianxing reached for Jiang Lin’s hand to examine it. “From the sound I heard, Huang Zongxin must have been wearing protective gear. Did you hurt your hand?”
Jiang Lin felt a warmth in his heart, his eyes crinkling with his smile. “It’s fine. I didn’t use much force.”
Li Qianxing pressed, “What about your body?”
Jiang Lin patted his chest. “I can take a hit pretty well. Besides, Huang Zongxin seems out of practice. His movements were slow, and I blocked most of them.”
Li Qianxing looked him up and down a few times before finally feeling reassured.
After they finished removing their makeup, the show’s chief director personally came to apologize and escorted them to their car.
They couldn’t speak freely in the dressing room, but once in the car, Xiao Zhu couldn’t hold back anymore.
“Huang Zongxin and Li Mingsi must have planned this in advance!”
Xiao Ding chimed in while driving, “Li Mingsi wore glasses today. That character card set must have had some trick to it. Huang Zongxin knew Li Mingsi couldn’t compete in a dramatic scene, so he tried to score points with action, deliberately choosing the naturally righteous police role.”
Xiao Zhu sneered, “They had grand plans, but they underestimated their opponent. They couldn’t even win the action scene.”
Li Qianxing glanced thoughtfully at Jiang Lin. “I didn’t expect you to be such a good fighter. You suppressed Huang Zongxin so thoroughly he couldn’t even get a word out. At this level, besides learning from action directors, you must have practiced privately, right?”
Jiang Lin smiled, “I’ve indeed practiced martial arts since childhood. It was just a hobby at first, not too serious. But when I decided to pursue acting as a career, I picked it up again and trained more seriously. Having that foundation made it easier to learn from action directors during filming.”
Xiao Zhu turned back to look at him in surprise. “Wow, Lin-ge, you’re… a hidden gem!”
Jiang Lin made a fist-and-palm salute to her, smiling as he steered the conversation back. “Between those two, the core of the scene was definitely Huang Zongxin. As long as he was suppressed, Li Mingsi would lose his composure. But it also required Li-ge’s excellent cooperation. As soon as I pinned Huang Zongxin down, you forced Li Mingsi out.”
Xiao Zhu gloated, “What kind of lines was Li Mingsi spouting? He was totally embarrassing himself!”
Li Qianxing mused, “If they had thought it through more, letting Li Mingsi engage you while Huang Zongxin dealt with me, they might have had a fighting chance.”
Jiang Lin replied, “Li Mingsi’s physique is too different from mine. He wouldn’t dare. But I didn’t expect your moves to be so swift, Li-ge. You took him down in one move. It seems like more than just casual learning.”
Seeing Jiang Lin’s curious expression, Li Qianxing smiled. “I’ve indeed specifically learned some close-quarters combat and grappling techniques, and I’ve practiced with guns too. Although strength is my weakness, I can still protect myself against ordinary troublemakers in daily life. So, that time in the bar wasn’t as dangerous as you might have thought.”
Jiang Lin was taken aback, surprise dawning on his face. “You recognized me? When?”
Li Qianxing: “When I saw you wearing those thick-framed glasses. Aren’t those your go-to disguise props? You have many different styles, don’t you?”
Xiao Ding chimed in, “Lin-ge did buy a lot, filling up a big cardboard box.”
Jiang Lin couldn’t help but laugh. “Isn’t that just like your glasses?”
The four of them chatted and laughed as they arrived at the reserved restaurant. With no work scheduled for tomorrow, they took their time enjoying the feast.
Midway through the meal, the day’s edited version of the show was released, coinciding with the final trending topic of this episode. The viewing numbers skyrocketed.
By the time they finished eating, that trending topic had reached the top spot. Simultaneously, another hashtag #Li Mingsi Being A Diva On Set Hitting People And Insulting Fans Behind Their Backs# was also rapidly climbing.
Xiao Zhu remarked curiously, “It’s a negative trending topic about Li Mingsi. I’m surprised their company didn’t suppress it.”
After looking into it further, she exclaimed, “This exposé is so detailed!”
Intrigued by her comments, Li Qianxing also checked his phone.
The exposé video was a compilation of multiple clips. It clearly showed Li Mingsi acting like a bigshot, yelling at staff, even physically hitting and kicking them. When fans defended him and attracted criticism, he lost his temper and cursed at them, calling them all brainless idiots. Every incident was captured clearly.
Xiao Zhu watched in disbelief, “As a traffic star who relies entirely on his fans, how dare he insult his meal ticket like this? He cursed at his girlfriend fans for fantasizing about him, his career fans for trying to control him, his data fans for not spending enough money. He’s offended everyone…”
Li Qianxing observed, “The angles of many of these videos suggest they were secretly filmed by someone close to him.”
Jiang Lin suddenly spoke up, “I arranged for it to be leaked.”
Li Qianxing and Xiao Zhu looked at him in surprise.
Jiang Lin patted Li Qianxing’s hand, “I once happened to rescue his assistant whom he had abandoned on the highway. After that assistant quit, they compiled all this material and gave it to me.
“I didn’t care what happened to him before, just kept it as leverage. But this time he not only played dirty, he also came after you. He needed to be taught a lesson.”
Xiao Zhu blinked, looking between them, “Lin-ge, this leak is brutal. If his fans abandon him en masse, his company might drop him…”
Jiang Lin smiled, “Wouldn’t that be good? Removing a harmful element from the industry.”
He then stood up, “Alright, we’re full and satisfied. Let’s go home.”
The four of them left together. Xiao Ding and Xiao Zhu hailed a taxi. Jiang Lin instructed Xiao Ding to drop Xiao Zhu off at home before driving the car to take Li Qianxing back to their residential area.
The car parked in the underground garage.
Jiang Lin quickly unbuckled his seatbelt, jumped out, and went around to open the door for Li Qianxing.
Just as Li Qianxing was about to thank him, he saw Jiang Lin lean in, one hand braced on his seat.
Jiang Lin gazed into Li Qianxing’s eyes.
“Li-ge, earlier on stage, when you said ‘agree’ – what did you mean?”
Li Qianxing looked back at him, recognizing the joy and a hint of fear in those eyes. He couldn’t help but smile, raising his hand to caress Jiang Lin’s face.
“It’s exactly what you’re thinking – let’s be together.”
A bright light instantly flashed in Jiang Lin’s eyes.
The next moment, he leaned down, pressing his lips firmly against Li Qianxing’s.
Li Qianxing reached out, encircling Jiang Lin’s neck.
This time, it was truly a kiss that belonged to them alone.
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