Chapter 32: I've Grown Up Watching Actor Shen's Films

Fang Siqian's thoughts were simple. Since he had lost face in Shangguan, Shen Jixing shouldn't expect to have it easy either. Moreover, to shake off his own negative influence, he could only leverage the scandals attached to Shen Jixing—there was no candidate more suitable than the top celebrity.

Once the invitation was made, he suddenly sensed several sharp gazes directed at him... Several?

"What a coincidence, bumped into my idol." Sheng Que shot a glance at his good friend, took a step forward, and stood beside Fang Siqian with a cheerful smile: "I want to invite Brother Shen too~" Friends might curse one another, but when it comes down to it, they always help.

Fang Siqian: "?" Why are you joining in?

Before he could voice his objection, the seaweed-green curls beside him swayed, and a familiar figure stood on his other side.

"Me too, I want to invite him as well," Cen Susu said. She was also a fan of the actor Shen and wanted to invite him.

Fang Siqian's smile froze.

The regal woman who had been standing with arms crossed, her face radiating "I'm too noble," now stepped forward, speaking succinctly, "I truly am."

"I grew up watching his films."

Cen Susu's eyes widened: "How old are you???"

Qi Yan lowered her gaze to the curly-haired girl who barely reached her shoulder: "Eighteen."

Shen Jixing debuted eight years ago—she had been a fan for all eight.

"Eighteen???" Cen Susu clutched her head, shrieking in disbelief as she grabbed her seaweed curls.

"I'm actually three years older than you???!!!"

Qi Yan’s gaze lingered on her fluttering lashes, her cool red lips curling slightly. "It’s just right."

Cen Susu hadn’t quite grasped what she meant when the last guest joined the mainstream group.

Fang Siqian couldn’t force a smile anymore: "You’re a fan of Shen too?"

Zhou Yili glanced at the twitching corners of his mouth. His lazy gaze seemed bored, and he didn’t bother to answer.

"Just going along with the crowd, choose."

The grouping now had evolved into Shen Jixing and his five fans.

"This world is just one massive Shen Jixing fan club."

"How much did Shen Jixing spend? Inviting so many people to act with him, he'll do anything to clear his name!"

"Don't show off your IQ; Shen Jixing is an idol universally acknowledged in the domestic entertainment industry—how is this some niche thing?"

"That was before! Does he still deserve it now?"

Shen Jixing had already fallen.

Perfect idols only exist in fiction and lies, Fang Siqian thought.

So he couldn’t understand what these people were doing. What was so likable about Shen Jixing?

"Currently, all five guests are choosing the actor Shen; what an unsurprising scene," said Ling'er (the director under the skin). "Next, please, Shen, make your counter-choice."

Shen Jixing's gaze calmly swept over everyone.

Even in this setting, his expression remained unchanged, his face as cold and untouched as frost on a cliff.

Zhou Yili thought, he’ll definitely pick me.

Shen Jixing was icy on the surface, but in reality, he subconsciously sought familiarity. In simple terms, he was sentimental.

So after the scandal broke, he came looking for—

"Fang Siqian," Shen Jixing said.

Zhou Yili: "......"

Zhou Yili: "......"

So Fang Siqian is even more of an old acquaintance than me? Why on earth didn’t you just go to him in the first place???

Shen Jixing seemed to sense his burning gaze, and he casually lifted his eyes to look over. Zhou Yili squinted back, expressionless.

Shen Jixing calmly looked away.

"Alright," Cen Susu seemed a bit disappointed and turned to Sheng Que: "Then we’re a group?"

Sheng Que nodded cheerfully: "Sure, green-haired little sister."

Cen Susu: "......"

Zhou Yili and Qi Yan automatically formed a group.

Before coming, Qi Yan’s agent had advised her to speak more and interact more, so as to get more screen time; she decided to greet her new teammate.

"Hello," Qi Yan said.

Zhou Yili: "Hello."

End of conversation.

She’d met someone who used even fewer words than herself.

"The ice boat has struck the iceberg!"

"The actor Shen actually chose Fang Siqian?!"

"See, I told you, Shen Jixing is cunning; previously, your brother helped clear things up for him, he’s tasted the benefits and now he’s clinging onto him."

"Pfft! I’ve heard of minor celebrities clinging to the top stream, but not the top stream clinging to the minor. What’s he hoping to gain, your brother’s giant baby formula?"

"??? So why did Shen Jixing pick my brother? Isn’t he just sticking himself on?"

...

The star fans had probably given up arguing.

"Before you say he’s sticking himself on, maybe check who started the invitation. I don’t want to argue with kids, it’s like bullying elementary schoolers with no brains."

"..."

Yet they were also curious—why did Star choose Fang Siqian? Was this charity?

Fang Siqian was equally puzzled.

As the second door slowly opened, he turned and asked Shen Jixing with a warm smile, "So, in your heart, am I your ideal teammate?"

Shen Jixing replied coolly, "The opposite."

Fang Siqian: "?"

The opposite meant: he was the least desirable among the five?

Shen Jixing was first to step into the second room, casually scanning outside, his gaze skimming past a shadowy figure.

"I like to save the best for last."

Fang Siqian followed him into the second round. The holographic light bathed Shen Jixing's brows and eyes, the pale, elegant profile breathtaking.

He asked impulsively, "So, you eat the bad stuff first?"

There was no denying Shen Jixing’s beauty; somehow, his words made Fang’s heart race.

Shen Jixing glanced at him and replied calmly, "The bad gets thrown away first."

"......"

Zhou Yili heard Shen Jixing’s last words and a barely-there smile flickered on his brow.

He’d been appeased, just like that.

He slipped a hand into his pants pocket and strolled lazily into the second room, where the regal woman stood coolly inside.

Apparently his teammate—he hadn’t greeted her yet.

Zhou Yili walked over: "Hello?"

The woman turned: "?"

She seemed confused: "......"

She nodded: "Hello."

"......"

...

All three groups entered.

The once-sealed compartments collapsed, connecting all three rooms. This round, they wouldn’t fight in pairs—they could see the other two groups.

In front of them stood a massive translucent holographic screen.

It screamed high-tech—and wealth.

The director didn’t seem to care; he had a simple mind—and a lot of money.

When the screen displayed [Happy Math Questions], everyone had the same thought.

"If it’s math, it seems Shen Jixing picked the right person," Fang Siqian suddenly said.

Shen Jixing glanced at him.

"My math has always been good," Fang Siqian, usually modest, was clearly trying to regain some dignity today. "I took first place in the city math competition in high school."

Shen Jixing: "Hmm."

His unmoved tone seemed full of disdain.

Smiling, Fang Siqian asked, "Seeing how calm you are, did you also win first place in the city math competition?"

He was digging a pit.

"No," Shen Jixing answered.

As expected.

"Never won city. Only national." While chatting, Shen Jixing had already figured out the screen, tapping it casually to change the display.

Fang Siqian: "......"

He’d dug a pit and buried himself in it.

"How is that possible..." Fang Siqian didn’t believe it.

Shen Jixing’s glittering academic record was clearly fake; how could he have won national first place?

His question was cut off by the changing screen in front of him—now switched to—

Live bullet comments?

"Shen Jixing, get out of the entertainment industry!!!"
"Disgraced artist dares to show up on variety shows, where does he get the nerve, get out, get out, get out!"
"Don’t want to watch, don’t want to watch, don’t want to watch, don’t want to watch!"
"Fake identity, fake credentials—how can such an artist still appear on TV, what are you doing, @Blue Eucalyptus TV"
"Suggest a full internet ban @Blue Eucalyptus TV"
"Ban +1 @Blue Eucalyptus TV"
...

The live comments were stunned.

They watched helplessly as a flood of hate comments invaded the stream, their own words drowned out.

"These people are nuts, tagging the official TV station across the screen?"

"What’s wrong with tagging, if Shen Jixing dares to appear, I’ll get him taken down!"

"Shen Jixing, get out, get out, get out! @Blue Eucalyptus TV"

The hate comments scrolled wildly across the screen.

Fang Siqian seemed startled: "What’s going on, is the show experiencing a bug?"

Shen Jixing’s gaze rested on the screen.

This was the first time he truly faced others’ opinions of him.

Fang Siqian, seeing him shocked, couldn’t help but smile.

Then the door was thrown open and two directors rushed in: "What’s happening, our control room is normal!"

Only the onsite screen had been switched to hate comments.

"Give an explanation." A cold voice sounded behind them.

The director whipped around and saw Zhou Yili.

How did he get here? Teleported?

"Cut the power, pause the stream," the assistant director said gravely. "This is a sudden incident, we’ll..."

"No need."

Shen Jixing's frozen expression finally shifted; he glanced at Fang Siqian. "I’ve always wondered why the broadcast was so smooth—turns out, this is where they were waiting for me."

Fang Siqian’s smile was gentle: "...What is the actor Shen talking about?"

Zhou Yili’s long eyes fell upon him, sending a chill down his spine.

Shen Jixing withdrew his gaze, facing the sea of hate comments.

The director thought, few people could muster such courage.

"Let’s give it a try," Shen Jixing said.

Try what?

Meanwhile, the comments noticed something was off.

All the hate comments had been tagging and reporting Blue Eucalyptus TV for ages, but... it wasn’t working?

"Is Blue Eucalyptus TV dead? @Blue Eucalyptus TV"

"...Damn, my account is gone?"

"This is a TV broadcast; only the official can ban accounts. So the station isn’t dead... Wait, did the hate accounts just get banned?"

"Has Shen Jixing reached into the official TV station?"

"Good guess," Shen Jixing said. "But stop guessing in the future."

"One, he didn't evade taxes; two, no illegal activity—why would Mr. Shen be banned?" The director laughed.

"Fake background, forged credentials, deceiving fans—doesn’t that count?"

"But Brother Shen never admitted to graduating from Venus Royal Conservatory, right?" A crisp, clear voice sounded.

The director spun around again—it was Cen Susu.

You teleported too?

The haters were infuriated—how shameless!

"So as long as he never admitted it, it doesn't count?"

"He rode the background to fame, enjoyed the perks, even marketed it; now he wants to shrug it off, and you still support him? I feel sick just looking!"

The room fell silent at her words. They knew some inside truths, but it was like sinking in mud, unable to explain.

Let alone Shen Jixing, caught in the eye of the storm.

How could he prove he wasn’t that kind of person...

In front of the live stream’s screen.

Chu Wen sat at the top floor of his company, watching the cold, quiet figure on screen.

"You can never prove yourself to others."

Shen Jixing, you don’t understand, do you?

He’s set a cage for you that you’ll never escape.

The next moment, nearly identical words came from the person in front of Shen Jixing—

"You don’t need to prove anything to anyone, not even yourself."

Shen Jixing met Zhou Yili’s gaze.

Perhaps Zhou Yili knew nothing of the circumstances, but he believed it didn’t matter.

Shen Jixing could do whatever he wanted, for any reason, and did not need permission from anyone—be it acting, variety shows, singing, anything he loved.

There are two things in this world that cannot be stared at directly—one is the sun, the other is the human heart.

Shen Jixing’s hand paused in mid-air, and he gently pushed aside the person shielding him from gossip—

He did not need anyone to shelter him.

"Is it not enough that I never said it?"

If he wanted to end the rumors, he would not have stayed silent.

"People must pay for their mistakes..."

Chu Wen seemed to have foreseen this outcome, his finger poised to close his laptop—

"Please feel free to send any false marketing reports or legal notices to the deputy general manager of Star Entertainment Media; his account is: ChUWenqq.COm..."

Comments froze: "???"

Chu Wen: "???"

...

The comments exited, the broadcast resumed its rhythm.

Fang Siqian’s smile had completely vanished.

He never expected that his meticulously prepared big move, costing so much money and effort, would be so easily defused by Shen Jixing.

He’d wanted a knockout blow.

Never thought—

"Who would have thought someone could hack into the livestream," Shen Jixing said in a cool, indifferent voice. "Mr. Fang, do you know how it was done?"

Fang Siqian jumped.

"Ah?" Suddenly singled out, he stuttered and forced a laugh: "H-how would I know how to hack into a livestream... I wouldn’t know..."

His response was odd, and everyone noticed.

But Shen Jixing seemed not to, nodding and strolling over to the holographic control station, casually tapping some buttons.

"Good. If you don’t know."

Fang Siqian inexplicably relaxed.

Then his heart skipped—something was off. Why was Shen Jixing at the control station?

"I’ll demonstrate onsite so Mr. Fang can learn."

Shen Jixing casually tapped the screen, the control station lights flickered red, and the screen changed again.

This time, it displayed a vivid French kiss photo.

With the subject present.

Amidst the collective shock from the room and the comments, Fang Siqian turned to stone.

Then a suave, playful voice sounded in his ear:

"Hey, Mr. Fang, how come you’re dating and haven’t told your thirty million female fans?"