LOI Chapter 44 — Prince Charming

Yan Zhi’s attitude remained proper. After being kicked out of the room by Rong Ke, he went to get his own room.

Rong Ke’s Weibo notifications hadn’t quieted down. Netizens were always eager for gossip, and with “Patchwork Family” currently airing, Rong Ke was on the verge of skyrocketing to fame. Thus, almost the entire internet was focused on his private life.

He glanced at his super topic, and seeing no one mentioning scalpers or fan support anymore, he exited Weibo, distancing himself from the online commotion.

However, he couldn’t ignore the numerous messages from friends on WeChat.

[Xin Ran: Congratulations]
[Xin Ran: Yan Zhi’s not bad]

Rong Ke replied helplessly:

[Rong Ke: It’s not like that]
[Rong Ke: It was an accident]

[Zhou Lin: Congrats lol]
[Zhou Lin: [Red envelope]]
[Zhou Lin: I want to sit at the head table at the wedding]

Rong Ke accepted the red envelope expressionlessly: [:)]

Seeing too many unread messages, Rong Ke grew tired of socializing and posted a general response on his Moments: It was an accident.

Not long after, Yan Zhi sent him a screenshot of his Weibo. His Moments post had been reposted there as well.

Fine, time to go offline.

Just as he was about to turn off the lights and sleep, Yan Zhi sent another photo—a shirtless selfie, with a text message: [Aren’t you coming over?]

He seemed to have just showered. His fair skin was slightly flushed, and his hair tips were still damp.

His chin tilted up slightly. His Adam’s apple and collarbones were clearly visible, and the contours of his arms and chest were all too familiar to Rong Ke.

This Adonis tempting mortals was nothing short of unfair.

Rong Ke wavered for a second, but only a second, before replying impassively: [Stop being thirsty so late at night]

According to the show’s schedule, Rong Ke’s episode of “Actors’ Summer” was set to be recorded next Sunday.

The day before, Rong Ke finished a performance in another city, then flew back immediately that night. He only slept for half the night before arriving at the Shixun Building early the next morning to film a commercial insert.

Yan Zhi was out of town that weekend attending a fashion event and couldn’t return to accompany Rong Ke for the commercial shoot. However, he sent MQ’s most experienced stylist, and SPL also placed great importance on this insert. Therefore, the morning’s filming went very smoothly.

Rong Ke had lunch in the Shixun Building’s rest area. By then, other guests started arriving one after another. Everyone exchanged brief greetings before going to do their hair and makeup. After finishing his preparation, Qin Sui came to Rong Ke’s lounge.

“Ge, I found out we’re on the same team,” Qin Sui said.

Rong Ke had already watched the aired episodes and knew Qin Sui was the captain of one team while Liu Qing led the other.

Initially, these two were about equal, hovering between first and second-tier status. But this summer, with “Patchwork Family” airing, Liu Qing had clearly ascended to first-tier, surpassing Qin Sui.

“Please take care of me,” Rong Ke said, looking at Qin Sui in the mirror as his hairstylist worked.

“Even if I wanted to, it wouldn’t help,” Qin Sui grimaced. “The other side is royalty. His husband’s here today, too. We’re definitely losing this round.”

“Royalty?” Rong Ke asked.

“The great young master Liu,” Qin Sui seemed quite resentful, rambling on. “The production team clearly favors them. Even the host is Liu Qing’s friend. What’s the point of competing?”

“It’s definitely because ‘Patchwork Family’ is so popular. The producers want to ride that wave.”

“I thought we had this in the bag when I heard you were on our team. But their supporting actor is Jiang Si. They’re obviously trying to hype up their CP.”

Rong Ke knew that in these competitive shows, wins and losses were predetermined.

Winning or losing wasn’t important. What mattered was drama, attention, and buzzworthiness.

But he didn’t know until now that Jiang Si had been invited too. He’d have to endure not one, but two people.

“You’re venting so much to me. Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell Liu Qing?” Rong Ke teased.

“You wouldn’t,” Qin Sui looked at Rong Ke firmly. “You’re officially appointed. I trust your character. You definitely wouldn’t be friends with people like them.”

Rong Ke smiled, “You’re too trusting.”

“I heard,” Qin Sui pulled his chair closer to Rong Ke, “he’s on this show because Director Wen recommended him. Everyone’s saying he and Director Wen are involved.”

“Is that so.” Rong Ke had zero interest in Liu Qing’s gossip. Qin Sui liked to talk, so he listened. Just then, an assistant director knocked, reminding them it was time to go on stage.

“Alright, Ge,” Qin Sui put his arm around Rong Ke’s shoulders as they walked out. “I’ll try to cover for you later, but don’t blame me if we lose.”

Everything was set in the studio. Below the stage, the production team was ready, with four directors seated behind the judges’ panel.

Behind the directors were tiered audience seats, holding about 200 people. Once the stage lights came on, that area became hard to see clearly.

The opening segment involved interaction between teams A and B, without the supporting guest actors.

Rong Ke waited at the side of the stage, with Jiang Si right next to him.

While the stage buzzed with small games, Jiang Si wasn’t idle. He said to Rong Ke, “You look great today.”

Rong Ke’s styling today aimed for a fresh look. A simple white shirt and jeans presented his most casual self, without a trace of any character roles.

Looking at Liu Qing on stage, his recent styling leaned towards a college student look, as he played Lao San, a university student, in “Patchwork Family.”

Rong Ke naturally didn’t respond to Jiang Si’s compliment. Jiang Si continued, “I initially didn’t have time for this show, but when I heard you were coming, I rescheduled my other work.”

Rong Ke still didn’t react. Jiang Si leaned in slightly, lowering his voice, “Don’t think no one’s watching us. If you don’t want ‘Rong Ke ignores Jiang Si’ trending, you’d better interact with me.”

Rong Ke took a deep breath, turned to Jiang Si, looked him over carefully, and said matter-of-factly, “Why have you gotten uglier recently?”

His tone was natural, like casual small talk, but the words made Jiang Si’s expression flicker.

“Maybe I’ve lost weight,” Jiang Si quickly recovered, continuing, “I saw your kiss photo with Yan Zhi. I couldn’t sleep well for three days.”

“Is that so?” Rong Ke feigned concern, “Then I’ll send you a dozen. Look at them often to desensitize yourself.”

Jiang Si: “…”

After finally shutting up Jiang Si, Rong Ke returned his attention to the stage.

By now, the teams’ mini-games had ended, and the host began building anticipation for the guest actors’ entrance.

“He’s the only artist officially endorsed by the authorities, a ‘model citizen’ fighting evil forces, he is…”

Hearing this introduction, Rong Ke’s brow furrowed imperceptibly.

He asked the production team not to hype his official endorsement. After all, it had been nearly half a year, and constantly mentioning it would only annoy people. The official intervention was meant to clear his name, not revive his career. Repeatedly leveraging official attention would make him seem calculating and desperate for fame.

Yet the host seemed to deliberately go against Rong Ke’s wishes, emphasizing exactly what he’d asked them not to mention.

Recalling Qin Sui’s comment about the host being Liu Qing’s friend, everything seemed to make sense.

“Let’s welcome Rong Ke with applause!”

The audience erupted in enthusiastic applause and cheers. Rong Ke jogged on stage, greeting the audience, “Hello everyone, I’m actor Rong Ke.”

According to Rong Ke’s script, the host was supposed to conduct a brief interview, asking about his recent activities. However, the host said nothing, immediately introducing Jiang Si. “Next up is a heavyweight guest. He’s been the most talked-about artist this year and is also someone’s partner on stage today. He is…”

Jiang Si quickly appeared on stage, instinctively standing next to Liu Qing.

“Good afternoon, directors and audience. I’m Jiang Si.”

“It wasn’t easy getting you here, Jiang Si,” the host said. “I heard Liu Qing had to persuade you for a long time before you agreed to be a guest actor.”

“Yes, because I feel my acting still has shortcomings. I was hesitant to embarrass myself here,” Jiang Si’s response was quite appropriate. “But Liu Qing said I should challenge myself and face my weaknesses. That’s how I’ll improve.”

“May I mention?” the host smiled. “Many people online previously mocked your acting. Seems like that became your motivation.”

“Indeed.” Jiang Si pressed his palms together, appearing humble and eager to learn. “I welcome guidance from all the directors.”

Listening from the side, Rong Ke realized Jiang Si was using this opportunity to address the recent online controversy while portraying a humble attitude open to criticism.

“See?” Qin Sui pretended to adjust his collar, covering his lapel mic as he spoke to Rong Ke, “Today is all about that couple.”

“Mm,” Rong Ke responded softly, seemingly unbothered.

He had prepared himself to endure, already treating those two as if they were invisible. So, no matter what they did, it couldn’t get under his skin.

Besides, his main task for today—filming the commercial insert—was already complete. Now, he just needed to follow the show’s flow and go through the motions.

However, reality proved that Rong Ke had thought too simply. Nasty people always find ways to be nasty.

“Next, we’ve arranged a warm-up session for our two guest actors. They’ll draw topics from these two buckets for an impromptu performance.”

This segment was in the script. Rong Ke knew the buckets contained animal-related topics.

He wondered why there were two separate buckets.

Jiang Si drew first, getting “Dog waiting for its owner to come home.”

After Jiang Si’s turn, the host handed the other bucket to Rong Ke. He casually drew a slip and opened it. The topic was “Rooster laying an egg.”

“How could a rooster lay an egg? Wouldn’t that make it a super rooster?” the host joked, eliciting scattered laughter from the audience.

“A rooster would be tough to act out. Let’s lower the difficulty and make it a hen,” the host said to Rong Ke. “I know you’re a professional actor. A hen laying an egg shouldn’t be hard for you, right?”

The atmosphere on stage and in the audience grew noticeably awkward.

Others noticed the odd topic, too, but mid-recording, no one dared to interrupt. All eyes were on Rong Ke’s reaction.

—Or rather, without Rong Ke speaking up, others found it difficult to say anything.

Rong Ke was indeed contemplating how to respond.

Acting as a hen wasn’t challenging for him, but the host was clearly trying to make a fool of him. If he actually performed it, he’d definitely be called an idiot.

He considered whether he could gracefully perform the scene and turn the disadvantage into an advantage.

Unlikely.

The host controlled the atmosphere on stage. Even if Rong Ke performed seriously, the host could easily derail the tone.

So, the only solution was to refuse to perform.

Rong Ke had to weigh whether his “status” allowed him to refuse outright.

He quickly realized that if his status were high enough to interrupt the recording and waste everyone’s time without criticism, the host wouldn’t dare treat him this way in the first place.

Ultimately, it came down to the entertainment industry’s fundamental logic—he wasn’t famous enough, so Liu Qing’s group dared to step on him.

While Rong Ke’s mind raced, his exterior remained calm, maintaining a flawless smile.

Just as he was about to apologize and say the topic was too difficult, seeking a gentle way out, someone suddenly walked up from the audience.

The seating area was dark. Only when the person reached the stage did the tense Rong Ke see clearly—it was Yan Zhi.

He was still wearing the outfit he wore to the event, and he obviously rushed over straight from the airport.

Yan Zhi walked directly to the host, snatched the microphone, and asked, “Why don’t you lay an egg?”

The host was dumbfounded, speechless.

Yan Zhi shoved the mic back into the host’s hand, opened Rong Ke’s bucket, and looked. Sow giving birth, turtle crossing a river… all ridiculous topics.

Jiang Si’s bucket had normal ones: satisfied panda, startled cat, etc.

Yan Zhi switched the buckets’ positions, then ordered like a boss, “Alright, draw again.”

Silence fell over the stage and audience. Liu Qing reacted first, questioning the production team, “What’s going on?”

The audience began murmuring, many realizing the topic arrangement was problematic.

The show’s director came on stage, checked both buckets and asked the host, “Who came up with these topics?”

The host stammered without answering. From the judges’ panel, Wen Cheng impatiently spoke up, “Enough. Get new topics and redraw. Don’t waste everyone’s time.”

—These veteran directors, who have navigated the entertainment world for years, naturally understood the situation.

“Why are you here?” Rong Ke chatted with Yan Zhi while the team replaced the topics.

Seeing many audience members filming them, he stood close to Yan Zhi, using the back of his head to shield his face.

“Shouldn’t I be?” Yan Zhi coldly glanced at Liu Qing on the other side, his tone still angry.

Rong Ke was calmer, saying, “It’s fine, I could handle it.”

“They treat you like this, and you’re still nice to them?” Yan Zhi was clearly unsatisfied with Rong Ke’s earlier response. “If I hadn’t come, would you really have acted out a hen laying an egg?”

“No,” Rong Ke said, caught between laughter and exasperation. “I wasn’t planning to. I just wanted to decline politely to avoid seeming difficult.”

“You don’t need to be polite about something this outrageous,” Yan Zhi said. “I’ll have a word with SPL later, make that host apologize to you.”

The judge was still the judge, always standing up against injustice.

Rong Ke smiled, exhaled, and looked at Yan Zhi earnestly, “Thank you.”

The isolated situation on stage reminded Rong Ke of those three years before. He’d always faced such things alone.

But since meeting Yan Zhi, it never happened again.

No matter how much Yan Zhi turned his life upside down, at least when Rong Ke needed him, Yan Zhi was always by his side.

Just like… a prince on a white horse.