Act According to the Situation

Just then, Li Xun's phone rang. He picked it up and saw that Chen Minghao was calling.

"Li Xun, congratulations! Young Bao Qingtian has been a huge success. Everyone's congratulating the director, producer, and actors, but you're actually the one who deserves the most credit!"

"Uncle Ming, don't tease me. How could I deserve the most credit? At most, I put in some hard work. You should check the comments on Dou Miao Network, Uncle Ming. See how many viewers have specifically said they came to watch your performance!"

"Hahaha, you're young, humble, and not getting carried away. Even if some people came for me, didn't I come for your script? Huang Zhou even turned down Director Zhao's project because of your script. Whichever way you look at it, you're the one who deserves the most credit!"

"Uncle Ming, if you keep teasing me, I'm hanging up!"

"Hahaha, all right, all right, let's drop it. So, your web series got off to a great start. Are you confident about the rest of it?"

Li Xun laughed. "I've got some confidence, especially since you're so sure about the series, Uncle Ming. I didn't have much confidence before, but now I do. I trust your judgment!"

Chen Minghao laughed. "You smooth talker. When Young Bao Qingtian gets over fifty million views in a single day, I'll treat you to a big meal!"

Li Xun immediately protested. "Uncle Ming, if you don't want to treat me, just say so! What do you mean, you'll treat me when it gets over fifty million views in one day? Count them on your fingers—how many web series have ever hit fifty million views in a single day?"

Chen Minghao burst out laughing. "What, you think money grows on trees? You think it's that easy to get me to pay for a meal?"

Only a few minutes after Chen Minghao hung up, Huang Zhou called.

Li Xun smiled and asked, "Brother Huang, what made you think of calling me?"

Huang Zhou laughed. "Young Bao Qingtian has been online for twelve hours and already passed thirty-three million views. It's clearly on track to become a hit. How about we meet up and celebrate?"

Li Xun chuckled. "Brother Huang, spare me. Your agent can barely stand the sight of me. If we get together, I'm afraid she'll give me an earful if she finds out!"

Huang Zhou laughed heartily. "Don't worry. My agent's the one who told me to call you."

Li Xun was bewildered. "She told you to call me? Has she lost her mind? She never once gave me the time of day on set!"

Huang Zhou laughed. "The set was then, and this is now. Young Bao Qingtian hadn't even aired back then, and I'd turned down Director Zhao's offer because of you. Of course she wasn't going to be nice to you. But things are different now, kid. Haven't you realized you're becoming famous?"

Li Xun asked, "I'm not an actor. What would I be famous for?"

Huang Zhou laughed. "You may not be famous to the audience yet, but people in the industry are mentioning your name more and more."

That morning, in the office of the vice president of Penguin Video's Original Series Center.

Dai Ying stared at the live data on her computer, still unable to believe what she was seeing.

She'd known the series could be a hit, but she'd never imagined it could become this popular.

In just over a dozen hours, it seemed like everyone was talking about Young Bao Qingtian.

On Weibo, on forums, in online communities, and on short-video platforms.

The whole internet seemed to be talking about it, and most of the comments were positive.

That was rare indeed!

So far,

Young Bao Qingtian had received over 300,000 interactions on Weibo, more than 500,000 discussions under its Weibo hashtag, over 30,000 comments, and more than 50,000 bullet comments—every sign pointed to it becoming another Phenomenon Level web series after The Coroner.

How had he managed to pull all this off?

Tang Jiahe was an outstanding executive producer on her team, and Kong Teng was one of Penguin Video's top directors. Huang Zhou, Chen Minghao, Jin Jiawei, Feng Lan, Zhang Binghua, and the rest were all excellent actors who'd delivered strong performances. But none of that was the fundamental reason Young Bao Qingtian had become such a huge hit.

She knew better than anyone that Li Xun was, without a doubt, the heart and soul of Young Bao Qingtian.

But...

Dai Ying looked over Li Xun's detailed profile.

"Is the person in this file really the same Li Xun I know?"

Judging by his background, there was no way he should have been able to accomplish all this.

He was simply too impressive!

So impressive that... Dai Ying had a real headache.

Her parents liked Li Xun far too much. They'd already decided he was going to be their son-in-law.

At the thought, Dai Ying blushed again.

Her parents had kept pressing her with questions, and somehow, she'd ended up sending them Li Xun's profile.

So last night, after dinner, they'd sat down on the sofa, full of excitement, and started watching their "future son-in-law's" first screenplay.

Young Bao Qingtian appealed to audiences of all ages, and her parents were drawn into the story right away.

Their daughter's boyfriend had written such a good script—he was bound to make a name for himself someday! While he still liked their daughter, shouldn't they hurry up and get them married?

Successful men had too many temptations around them. What if someone else lured away such a wonderful son-in-law?

That morning, her mother had already asked her for Li Xun's phone number, saying she wanted to discuss an engagement.

"Sweetheart, I know it's not good for a girl to be too forward. It might scare a young man off. So give me Xiao Li's number and I'll call him. I'll talk to him myself. Anyway, you two have to get married within six months! If I happen to scare him, that'll be because I called him on my own initiative. It won't be your fault, and you'll still have a chance to work things out."

"Mom, this is the most crucial time in his career. He can't afford distractions. Let's wait until they've finished filming Young Bao Qingtian!"

After finally calming her parents down, Dai Ying felt completely overwhelmed.

She was already at the point of getting married and registering the marriage, while the man in question had no idea.

How had things gotten this far?

"Should I just come clean to my parents?"

Dai Ying immediately shook her head.

"Absolutely not. Mom and Dad would be furious!"

"Maybe I should say we weren't compatible and broke up?"

"Then do I say I dumped him, or that he dumped me?"

"If I say I dumped him, my parents will call every day, trying to get us back together. They might even come all the way to Beijing and force us to reconcile!"

"But how could I 'get back together' with him in the first place?"

"Then should I say he dumped me?"

"What right does he have to dump me?"

"What's wrong with me?"

"Forget it. I'll put it off for as long as I can!"

At the same time, in a residential compound in Shaohe, Hunan Province.

"I have to go to Beijing," a woman in her fifties said as she wiped the table with a rag.

"What good would that do? These days, people believe in free love. You can't tie two young people together just because you went there," said the middle-aged man on the sofa.

"You know your own daughter. She's decisive about everything except relationships. When it comes to love, she just keeps putting things off. She's thirty already—she can't afford to wait any longer. And there are so few young men as suitable as Xiao Li. If she misses this chance, who knows when she'll find someone like him again!" the middle-aged woman said with a frown.

"There's nothing wrong with going, but what will you tell our daughter? That you're going there to pressure her into getting married?" the middle-aged man asked.

"I'll say I'm feeling really unwell and need to get checked out at a big hospital in Beijing. Then I'll act according to the situation!" The middle-aged woman sounded as though she'd already worked out her plan.

We're visiting relatives for the New Year, so updates may be delayed. Please understand. Some of the viewership figures in the previous chapters have been adjusted, but it doesn't affect the plot. Finally, please vote and add this to your collection.