When Sun Bao saw that the teacher, who had barely given him the time of day, was paying attention to someone else, he immediately grew restless.
"It is pretty good," he said, talking over everyone else. "You could try going down this path, but don't get your hopes up. Some things are predestined. Hard work can't bridge the gap created by talent. Your design has no spark."
The old man disliked Sun Baofeng's character most of all. His expression turned serious. "You are talented, and your work is stunning, but that doesn't mean you can belittle others as you please. Besides, you..."
The old man said no more. His thoughts returned to the framed design, and his expression grew complicated. He felt sorrow and regret over the fall of a genius, but more than that, he was puzzled.
Sun Baofeng was far too restless to notice the old man's mood. He instinctively wanted to argue back, but remembering that the old man could decide his future, he could only hold his tongue.
Sun Baofeng's earlier behavior had already rubbed people the wrong way. After this little incident, the livestream's opinion of him grew even worse.
Two hours later, it was time for free activities. As though he would die without praise, Sun Baofeng kept buttonholing people to brag about the design. Wen Feiran couldn't stand listening any longer and wanted to go downstairs to buy something to eat.
He pressed the elevator button and was surprised to find someone already inside. It was the old man.
Wen Feiran froze for a moment and didn't immediately step in. The old man smiled warmly at him. "Are you going to the first floor too?"
Wen Feiran nodded and stepped inside.
The elevator was an enclosed space that forced people closer together. Wen Feiran felt a little awkward and kept his eyes fixed on the floor, pretending no one was beside him.
The old man had devoted his life to the design industry and was eager to support young people. He took the initiative to speak. "Actually, your fundamentals are very good. Design is a good option for art students to pursue."
"As for talent..." The old man changed tack. "Some people are like Fang Zhongyong; their talent vanishes in the blink of an eye. Take Sun Baofeng, for instance. The work he designed afterward was so mediocre that it seemed to come from a different person. I've often wondered whether he really is Sishui."
Wen Feiran froze and abruptly looked up.
He had thought Sun Baofeng had impersonated him so flawlessly that he had nothing to fear. He hadn't expected the old man to have already sensed something was wrong.
Wen Feiran paused, suddenly feeling a sense of urgency.
He said thank you as he stepped out of the elevator. The old man thought he was thanking him for his earlier guidance and smiled and nodded.
He bought snacks and drinks from a vending machine and hurried back up in the elevator. He put them on the table and headed straight back out.
Zou Yuxing's eyes lit up at the sight of the food. Zou Yuxing waved at Wen Feiran's retreating figure. "Feiran, can I have a taste?"
Wen Feiran was in a hurry to take care of business, so he replied casually, "Sure."
He plunged into the restroom and only let out a long breath after closing the stall door.
The production team was exceptionally perverse. They had even installed a camera by the sinks. The only truly safe place was inside a stall.
Only then did Wen Feiran take out his phone and switch accounts. He had used this account's email address when filling out the application form, so it could represent "Sishui."
This matter was extremely important and needed to be handled carefully. Wen Feiran frowned at the screen, choosing his words with care and revising them from time to time. He was so focused that he ignored his surroundings.
Besides the guests' individual livestreams, the production team had also added third-person camera feeds to the official livestream. But the images were small and looked more like surveillance footage, so no fans paid attention to them. Even people there for the drama weren't willing to waste their time on them.
The small box at the very bottom showed the sinks. Two men came in, pushing and pulling at each other.
Clearly, they hadn't expected the production team to be perverse enough to install surveillance cameras in the restroom. Thinking they had escaped prying eyes and cameras, they argued without restraint.
"Sun Baofeng, how could you burn the bridge after crossing it?!" Li Nan roared in a low voice.
Sun Baofeng shrugged and said nonchalantly, "What proof do you have? If you dare say another word, I'll sue you for defamation. After all, I'm Sishui, a promising talent everyone's watching. You're just a lowly designer's assistant. Who do you think everyone will believe? Who will they defend?"
Li Nan pointed a finger in Sun Baofeng's face, trembling all over with anger. "You're a complete madman! Don't forget, we have chat records. I was the one who told you that the original Sishui was a loner with no family or friends, and that he had died in an accident. You only managed to pass yourself off as him and thrive because you got that important information. You personally admitted you'd give me five million. It's there in black and white. You can't deny it!"
"In the information age, with truth and lies all mixed together, how can you prove the chat records are real?" Sun Baofeng sneered. "I don't even need to provide expert proof. All I have to do is say so, and everyone will have doubts. As long as the real Sishui doesn't come forward to expose me, there's no resolving this."
Sun Baofeng's ugly true face was laid bare. "But what can you do? Sishui is already dead!"
Showing no respect for the dead, he said gleefully, "So what if he was talented? Without good luck, all he could do was make a wedding dress for someone else. I don't have to do anything, and I can have everything he had. He might even be thanking me from the grave. If it weren't for me, his talent and work would have been buried, and he'd have been forgotten as a nobody."
Sun Baofeng had actually brainwashed himself. Rather moved, he said, "I really am a good person."
Wen Feiran, in the restroom: "..." Fuck!
His stall was at the very end. At first, he could only hear muffled voices and couldn't make out who the two men were, but Sun Baofeng grew more and more brazen, making it hard not to hear him.
How did I not know I'd already died once?!
What bastard started that rumor?!
No wonder Sun Baofeng had nothing to fear and even dared to come on the show. It was because dead men told no tales, and no one could expose him.
The blood throughout his body was boiling. In a moment of impulse, Wen Feiran wanted nothing more than to kick open the door, grab Sun Baofeng by the collar, and punch him hard.