A Fish Flips Its Tail

Chapter Three

You and Me Back Then had become a smash hit that summer not only by selling nostalgia, but mainly because it was live, with far too many uncontrollable factors.

The guests two episodes ago had been the cast of a classic palace-intrigue drama. Everything had been peaceful at first, but while reenacting a famous scene, one actress had genuinely slapped her scene partner hard across the face. The one who had been hit refused to back down and straightened up before slapping her right back.

The show had descended into chaos and been forced to halt for half an hour. Yet that very attempt to cover things up had only fueled the netizens' appetite for gossip. Digging deeper, they had uncovered every last detail of the two women's grudges.

It turned out that the actress who had struck first had received a message from a friend upon arriving at the studio. Her so-called plastic sister had actually gotten together with her husband. Old and new grudges surged up at once, and she had truly hit her during the scene.

They had once been recognized as deeply devoted sisters, yet their little friendship boat had capsized with such speed, precision, and ruthlessness. It was truly sigh-inducing.

This time, the two leads of the major IP dual-male-lead drama Lighting the Lantern, Li Wenchuan and Jin Yue, had already generated massive buzz before the show even began. Anyone who loved gossip had settled in front of the broadcast, waiting for the fight to start.

"Do you think Li Wenchuan will break character on the spot?"

"What a joke. Does he even have a persona left to break?"

"He's just leeching off jy's popularity to make money. Disgusting."

At that moment, Li Wenchuan in the dressing room knew nothing of this. He Meng had confiscated his phone and would not allow him to go online and make sarcastic remarks again.

"Why do you look like my daughter on the outside but like my mother on the inside?"

"...Just behave yourself later. Follow the rules." There would be resources in the future. For now, she only begged this ancestor not to cause trouble.

He Meng had watched Li Wenchuan's dramas before. All she could say was that one could truly only look at his face; everything else was unbearable to watch. And from his old interviews, his expression management ability was practically nonexistent. Young girls had been losing more and more hair because of him by the day.

"Don't worry." Li Wenchuan reassured her. He was a very professional person.

For example, he had once greatly envied the emperor of the previous dynasty who had skipped court for thirty years. But he had not dared imitate him, afraid the ministers would line up to smash their heads against the golden pillars. So he felt that, for money and for a big house, he was willing to move himself a little.

He Meng looked deeply worried. He was clearly an artist who could destroy everything with his looks alone, so why had he ended up in such terrible shape?

The makeup artist was well versed in all kinds of entertainment-industry gossip. Originally, she had thought Li Wenchuan was quite annoying, but after seeing that face, she could not get angry at all. Honestly, she had never seen anyone so beautiful in her life.

"Your skin is way too good. You barely need makeup at all." She really wanted to ask how he usually cared for it. He did not even have clogged pores.

The young man's face looked like a standard 3D-rendered model, with a high, straight nose bridge and deep-set eyes. When he smiled, it was like dawn breaking across the distant sky.

He said, "Not at all. Once I go onstage, I'll have to rely on you to make me look good."

The makeup artist: He complimented me. I'm dead.

When Jin Yue arrived, he did not see Li Wenchuan. He politely greeted the people around him. "Where's Wenchuan?"

He was currently a hugely popular idol and had his own dressing room, so he was not with Li Wenchuan. The gap between the two was far too obvious. Yet artists of this caliber generally did not have very good tempers, and the staff in this shared dressing room usually had no chance to interact with artists of such standing.

Jin Yue showed no hint of looking down on anyone. With a smile in his eyes and brows, he made people feel as though a spring breeze had brushed over them, instantly raising everyone's favorability toward him.

"Wenchuan's temper usually isn't very good, so if... please be understanding, everyone." The words were impeccably polished, yet they effectively labeled Li Wenchuan an unprofessional artist. By comparison, it cost Li Wenchuan quite a few points.

The girl who had just done Li Wenchuan's makeup frowned slightly. No matter how she listened to it, something about those words felt off.

The program staff behind Jin Yue were carrying cameras and filming him, so the makeup artist ultimately said nothing. She only heard Jin Yue continue, "He's just got a rather careless personality and doesn't pay much attention to things. I spoiled him too much."

Everyone chimed in to say it was nothing. In truth, Li Wenchuan had spoken very pleasantly, and they had all loved his completely unpretentious rainbow farts.

Amid the laughter and chatter, the door to the fitting room opened, and a red-clad immortal descended slowly into the mortal world.

He wore red brocade robes embroidered with golden peonies, his black hair bound beneath a golden crown. He held an ebony fan threaded with gold, looking noble and unrestrained, elegant and charming. The corners of his eyes were faintly red, adding a touch of dazzling beauty to his luxurious bearing and making it impossible to look away.

The livestream comments had still been discussing gossip and praising Jin Yue's character. The instant this person entered, the comments fell silent for a moment, followed by an overwhelming flood.

"Mom, I saw an immortal!"

"How is someone this good-looking still hidden in the entertainment industry?"

"Honey, why did you run away from home?"

"Three minutes. I want all his information."

The haters were the first to recover. Driven by professional instincts, they swiftly picked up their keyboards.

"Isn't that lwc? No wonder he climbed his way up through unspoken rules."

"Beautiful, but soulless."

"Am I the only one who thinks he looks too feminine?"

But today, the face fans taught the haters a lesson.

"With a face like that, why would I need a soul?"

"As long as big brother is handsome, my morals will follow his facial features."

"Big brother, I have money. Will you come with me?"

Jin Yue was completely stunned at that moment, so much so that he forgot his expression management. He had never seen Li Wenchuan like this. Back when they had been together, he had held complete control.

Such a person was pleasing to the eye, but after a long time, he had become boring. Eventually, he had been nothing more than an attractive ex in Jin Yue's memories.

But the current Li Wenchuan was like a brilliant flame, stealing every heart in his path.

#LiWenchuanHeartArsonist# rapidly climbed the rankings, drawing in another wave of passersby. Viewership surged, and the director backstage grinned from ear to ear. The guests chosen for this episode were simply perfect.

Li Wenchuan flicked his sleeve when a gentle voice came from nearby. "Wenchuan, come over quickly. You always like hiding from the camera."

Before You and Me Back Then officially began, there would always be a segment where the guests chatted to warm up the atmosphere. Everyone liked watching celebrities talk in private. True or false, they simply enjoyed hearing them say more.

The man opposite him wore dark, narrow-sleeved ancient robes cinched at the waist, his slender waist and long legs perfectly outlined. His long hair was tied up with meticulous precision. Just from the image alone, the two had an overwhelming sense of CP chemistry. The long-dormant "Crossing Rivers and Seas" CP fans sobbed wildly. They had never expected to see the CP they once shipped reunite in their lifetime. They sincerely thanked You and Me Back Then.

The host, Lin Ye, sat across from them and smiled as he spoke. "Even before the broadcast, many netizens were looking forward to this. Your work from back then was also a classic. You haven't worked together in a long time, so meeting again must bring many emotions, right?"

The question sounded proper enough. All the invited actors had been separated for many years, and nearly every guest had faced this question. But when it came to these two, it carried a different flavor. Who did not know that Li Wenchuan had tried and failed to step on Jin Yue, only to suffer backlash? Rumor had it that he had even tried to turn Jin Yue, a straight man, gay. The two had only grown more estranged until they finally broke apart.

Jin Yue smiled as he took the microphone and looked at Li Wenchuan beside him. "Indeed. I always remember many things from back then. I never expected so much time to have passed. The days when I filmed with Wenchuan still seem right before my eyes."

"He still calls him Wenchuan, omg. Their relationship really is good."

"Yueyue is still so considerate, always instinctively protecting Chuanchuan."

"That look is so affectionate."

"I was really looking forward to coming on the show too. Wenchuan and I have always been very close. Thank you, everyone, for your continued attention toward us." He paused at the end. "Wouldn't you agree?"

Jin Yue thought Li Wenchuan must be very happy right now, so he confidently passed him the microphone.

Hearing the question from the trash beside him, Li Wenchuan casually opened his folding fan and half-covered his face. His eyes lifted slightly. "We're all working people. I'll do my job properly."

Lin Ye froze. A crack appeared in Jin Yue's gentle expression, and the comments also fell into an eerie silence.

Then the screen filled with question marks.

Mixed among them were comments like, "Li Wenchuan is so flirty ahhhhh—"

"Did Li Wenchuan have a drink before coming on the show?"

"I feel like Jin Yue cracked."

Five years ago, when Li Wenchuan and Jin Yue attended programs together, Jin Yue had always spoken first and Li Wenchuan had followed along. For all these years, Li Wenchuan had also maintained the image of an ungrateful leech who desperately clung to Jin Yue while making endless demands. This turn of events truly left people stunned.

Lin Ye had seen plenty of major situations and quickly steadied himself. He picked up the conversation. "After not seeing each other for so long, I feel that Xiaochuan has gotten much better at variety shows. What do you mean, work? Aren't you doing this for the audience?"

Unexpectedly, Li Wenchuan was genuinely straightforward. "I'd like to refuse, but the contract won't allow it."

The comments were filled with "Hahahahaha." No one had expected Li Wenchuan to be such an amusing guy.

"Do you think there will be any differences in this collaboration? After all, this was your breakthrough work. Doing it again is also a challenge." Lin Ye deftly guided the subject back to the program itself. Through his earpiece, the director was also telling him that the stage was ready and the interview needed to end quickly.

Jin Yue spoke first again. It had always been this way, and he was used to it. "I've always looked forward to this collaboration. When we filmed back then, we were all very young. We had to feel our way through many things. It's different now. There will definitely be some differences..."

He spoke slowly, his eyes full of nostalgia.

Directed at Li Wenchuan, the words sounded nice enough. They had been young before and had both improved now. But who did not know that Li Wenchuan had been unable to get any acting jobs at all these past years?

Li Wenchuan had no interest in cooperating with Jin Yue's performance. In a lazy voice, he said, "It is different. Back then, everyone was pretty normal."

The atmosphere instantly turned cold as ice shards. What did he mean, everyone had been pretty normal back then? Was someone not normal now? Li Wenchuan clearly could not have been talking about himself, so that only left...

Some of the staff present nearly failed to hold back their laughter. Li Wenchuan truly gave no face at all.

Comments:

"..."

"Okay. Okay, what a fierce artist."

"I saw Jin Yue's expression management fail, hahahaha."

"Reverse marketing, right? He's trying to suck Jin Yue's blood again."

"+1. He made things so awkward. Speechless."

The red-clad figure on the screen was wild and flamboyant, too lazy to even spare Jin Yue a glance. He was like a languid Persian cat. After willfully answering a few more questions from the host, he followed the staff toward the stage.

He Meng silently packed up her things, her expression numb. She felt that managing Li Wenchuan was like riding a roller coaster. If this continued, she would definitely develop a diamond-hard heart someday.

There was a live audience. Amid the dark mass of people, violet light suddenly blazed brightly. The light signs waved, and fans screamed, "Yueyue, Yueyue! Look over here! We love you!"

Jin Yue entered first, dressed as a wandering martial artist. He turned his profile toward the audience and nodded, drawing a wave of screams.

But when Li Wenchuan appeared behind him, an even louder scream erupted from the venue. For face lovers, what could be more exciting than seeing a handsome man?

Some of Jin Yue's face fans blankly lowered their light signs, looking devastated while inwardly screaming like marmots. If not for the tiny bit of ladylike dignity she still had, she could have let out a dolphin shriek on the spot. She thought she might be about to switch sides.

Holding the Lantern had once been an immensely popular serious martial-arts dual-male-lead novel. Even after many years, the sensation it had created remained difficult to surpass. Its ensemble of characters had all been vividly drawn, and its story had been stirring and grand.

Among them, the two male leads stood out most: Xie Chuchao, the blue-robed wandering hero, and Mu Yuan, the Mortal Dust Saber and master of Moon-Treading Tower.

One was a righteous young man beneath red wedding drapes and candles; the other was a mature, high-ranking blade-wielder despite his youth. Their love and hatred, testing and entanglement, made people unable to stop watching.

Of course, it was also an old drama from several years ago. Its production in every aspect now looked somewhat lacking, but it could still be called the white moonlight of their youth.

But at this moment, every old fan and new fan felt it: Mu Yuan, that complex, unrestrained, yet helpless man, had walked out of the book.

The classic scene selected by You and Me Back Then was the one where Xie Chuchao discovered that Mu Yuan had secretly manipulated and used him to bring down the martial-arts sect Red Maple Manor. He then rushed to Moon-Treading Tower overnight to demand an explanation.

In this scene, Xie Chuchao, who wandered the martial world yet kept himself distant from the tangles of human hearts, was angry and confused. In his eyes, the great sects had coexisted peacefully, so why had one sudden falling-out become a matter of life and death? Beyond that, what he had long suppressed in his heart was that Mu Yuan had actually used him.

The budding feelings he had wrapped in all kinds of excuses remained hazy. He thought what he hated most was Mu Yuan's cold-bloodedness, but in truth, he wanted to understand what he himself meant to Mu Yuan.

Meanwhile, Mu Yuan was stunned for a moment. Instinctively, he wanted to explain, but the pride of someone long seated in power only made things worse and worse.

Late at night, in the main hall of Moon-Treading Tower, Mu Yuan carefully wiped his saber. Not long ago, it had been stained with the blood of Red Maple Manor. Now, its cold gleam was bone-piercing.

The dark-clad hero slowly stepped inside. Candlelight flickered, stretching the shadows of the two men long and distorted.

"Why did you..." Destroy Red Maple Manor? Use me?

The man seated high above gave a cold snort. His phoenix eyes lifted slightly, his gaze clear and cold. "Do I need to report to you?"

The other side did not respond for a long time, so Mu Yuan continued wiping the blade on his own. His voice was lazy. "Who do you think you are?"

That line was not in the script at all! Li Wenchuan had changed the script.

Xie Chuchao should not have paused just now. He should have immediately demanded answers without yielding an inch. But that glance had been too cold and distant, stunning Jin Yue and instantly pulling him out of character. Li Wenchuan's next line caught him even more off guard. It transcended their roles, plainly piercing Jin Yue himself.

Without realizing it, he took a step back.

The man before him was the master of Moon-Treading Tower, a merciless killer with blood on his hands, ruthless and high above all others.

Someone murmured softly, "This... is Li Wenchuan?"