Si You's body clock had been fixed lately. He got sleepy at nine-thirty, wrapped himself in the covers, and slept beautifully. Tomorrow's problems could wait until tomorrow, so Si You had no idea that at eleven-thirty, the production team, unwilling to give up, sent another cameraman to film some material. Unfortunately, Si You wore earplugs, and even after the cameraman knocked until his hand was sore, the door never opened.
At six in the morning, Si You opened his eyes right on time.
He had barely eaten dinner yesterday, and his stomach was empty now. Si You got out of bed and washed up. Remembering that filming began today, he took a moment to fix his hair.
He opened the door to find the hallway deathly quiet. The early-morning air was slightly chilly but refreshing. Si You headed downstairs to the kitchen. There was nothing ready-made, but there were ingredients in the fridge, so he simply cooked himself a bowl of noodles.
The directing team did not wake up until six-fifty. They thought they were already up quite early. While pulling on their socks, they called into their walkie-talkies, "Start work!"
The cameramen planned to head upstairs in batches, but as they passed through the living room, they heard the sound effects from a match-three game. Si You had even finished washing his bowl. He turned to glance at them, then continued playing. "You're up early, teachers."
Everyone: "..."
The director was still shouting through the walkie-talkie, "Little Zhang, focus on filming Si You!"
Film what? Not only was he up, he was already fully awake and neatly put together.
One cameraman looked utterly defeated as he took a close-up of Si You's profile.
Not to mention, it looked great.
Once seven o'clock passed, the guests gradually came downstairs. Xue Boyu was extremely surprised to see Si You. After all, in the previous season, Si You had been a night owl—raising hell at night and sleeping through the day, utterly unconcerned with his reputation. He had tried every possible way to make Shen Chuan take care of him, all to create more opportunities for the two of them to be alone.
Xue Boyu greeted him, "Morning, Si You."
Si You replied, "Morning, Bai Yu."
[Ahhh! My little Bai Yu darling, Mommy wants to kiss you.]
[Si You got up this early? And when did he change his whole approach?]
[The person above doesn't know? Si You changed for the better ages ago.]
[Even if he changed, he's still a bitch. I curse him for the rest of his life for driving Shen Chuan away!]
[+1]
[I have a feeling this season is going to be really interesting.]
All sorts of comments flashed rapidly across the bullet screen. Yes, recording had already begun. Spring Action required no post-production—whatever the guests were like, that was exactly what viewers saw. It was a live broadcast.
Before long, all the guests had arrived.
Xu Ke rubbed his stomach. He was starving, but according to the schedule, they had to wait for the new guest, and the production team still had to announce the task. Fei Chang noticed and pressed down on the back of his hand, patting it twice. "Soon. Then I'll take you out for beef soup."
The fans of their CP immediately went wild in the comments.
Seeing that everyone had gathered, the director emerged from the side. He first swept a glance over Si You. How had this brat suddenly gone from an idiot to a slippery loach? They had tried to catch him several times and failed every time.
Of course, that was not the point. The director cleared his throat, his expression turning inscrutably proud. "This time, we've invited a heavyweight new guest. We hope everyone will help each other and get along amicably."
Everyone looked toward the entrance. Who could it be?
As the camera turned, a familiar song began playing in the livestream. It was the opening theme of the Movie Emperor's breakout work. With its moving melody and deeply meaningful lyrics, it had swept the nation back then. The Movie Emperor, dressed in fitted black, standing amid boundless wind and sand, had become a classic... A tall, upright figure gradually overlapped with the image in everyone's memories. The guests and viewers alike held their breath. Could it be...?
Jiang Tingxu wore black trousers, a white shirt, and a gray trench coat. His features were clear and bright, and that face had won the "Husband of Your Dreams" popularity contest for four consecutive years. In the fifth year, the results were tainted by the intervention of capital. Fans refused to accept it, and the contest ended dismally. He had antis, but his strength was so overwhelming that even after racking their brains, they could barely find a flaw to criticize. He truly resembled the moon in the sky, snow at the summit.
The bullet screen was completely flooded by scalp-tingling cries of "Ahhh" and "My husband."
Jiang Tingxu's temperament was gentle yet distant. Being around him made people feel comfortable, but he always remained beyond an invisible boundary. Even so, despite having been quiet for nearly a year, Jiang Tingxu's popularity was still astonishingly high.
It was a level of glory that many celebrity fans could never achieve, no matter how desperately they manipulated the numbers.
There was only one such person in the entertainment industry.
How had Spring Action managed to deserve this?!
"Jiang Tingxu..." Jiang Yao, Zhang Jianlin's CP partner, covered her mouth, her eyes reddening. "My idol!!!"
Zhang Jianlin clasped Jiang Yao's shoulder and pulled her closer to his side.
"Hello, everyone," Jiang Tingxu said softly.
That jolted everyone awake. They all stood, Si You included. Jiang Tingxu did not know him, but Si You had looked into him before. After watching the film My Way, Si You had rewatched it three more times, and his admiration for Jiang Tingxu's acting had only deepened.
That admiration carried respect for an equally capable opponent, a fondness beyond the ordinary. It meant Jiang Tingxu was somewhat special to Si You.
Everyone shook hands with Jiang Tingxu one by one, their attitudes excellent. Even Zhang Jianlin, the most senior among them, had no grounds to act arrogant before Jiang Tingxu.
When it was Si You's turn, he told himself, It's fine. I'm notoriously hated. It's only natural if he doesn't give me face. Maybe Jiang Tingxu already reached an agreement with the production team... Then long, elegant fingers entered his field of vision.
Jiang Tingxu's palm was warm. He shook Si You's hand, then let go.
A faint numbness inexplicably shot up Si You's spine.
This man has something to him, Si You thought.
After Jiang Tingxu had met everyone, the bullet screen gradually calmed down. However, the livestream's viewer count had broken its all-time record. Whose popularity was responsible needed no explanation.
And it was only seven-thirty in the morning.
"First, on behalf of our production team, I'd like to give a warm welcome to Jiang, the Movie Emperor!"
Jiang Tingxu nodded. "Just call me by my name."
The director's heart raced and his hands trembled. He knew the next move would definitely send Spring Action soaring to the top of today's trending searches!
The director lightly cleared his throat. "Next up is the selection of Jiang... Jiang Tingxu's partner."
Sure enough, as soon as the director finished speaking, the comments exploded.
Bastard, Si You thought, shooting the director a glance.
The partners could have been decided before filming began. Now that He Qing was absent and Shen Chuan had left, Jiang Tingxu's arrival meant either Si You or Xue Boyu was destined to be left out. To put it bluntly, Si You's slight turnaround against the odds did not solve his current predicament. He was still going to be used as a sacrifice.
The reason they had invited him this season in the first place was to turn him into a trash can for fans and viewers to vent their emotions on.
[Jiang Tingxu and Xue Boyu... Ahhh! I ship it!]
[Ship your mother! He Qing isn't dead yet!]
[But He Qing can't come...]
The bullet screen was in utter chaos, but someone soon noticed something was off. Where were the Movie Emperor's fans?
The Movie Emperor's fans were analyzing and waiting. Most of them took after their idol—easygoing and calm. Honestly, they definitely did not want the Movie Emperor paired with Si You, but the production team had not said He Qing would not come. They did not want the Movie Emperor to be forced into becoming the third party. As for the final choice, that was up to the Movie Emperor himself.
The production team's ridiculous stunt was about to begin.
The director continued, "Here's the situation: we received word that He Qing will return to filming once his injuries have healed."
Xue Boyu's eyes lit up.
[I knew it! The CP I ship will never end in tragedy!]
But the bullet screen contained even more question marks flooding across it.
Si You gave a bitter laugh inside. Fine. You win.
He Qing would return, which meant only Jiang Tingxu and Si You remained.
Si You smiled with tears in his eyes. He felt a mask and hat would not be enough. Another day, he would order himself a bulletproof vest.
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