Cracks appeared in Bai Ruanruan's flawlessly affected expression.
He seemed to want to keep that perfectly measured smile on his face, but with so many pairs of eyes watching him in the conference hall, he felt embarrassed inside and out. Even his smile had lost its usual cloying sweetness.
For several seconds, the air was suffocating. It took Bai Ruanruan a long while to regain control of his expression before he continued in a soft, frail voice,
"Nan Qing, I know you don't like me..."
"Then shut up, you stupid thing."
Stifled laughter came from around the conference hall. Gazes turned toward him from every direction, full of amusement at his expense.
Bai Ruanruan's face flushed scarlet.
He wanted badly to curse Nan Qing out, but his delicate little white flower persona forced him to swallow his anger. He turned to the middle-aged man holding the speech draft and said,
"General Manager Wang, please continue."
"I'm used to it. I don't mind..."
A cold smile appeared on Nan Qing's lips.
Six months ago, after Bai Ruanruan, the little white flower protagonist shou, moved into the Bai Family home, he had always played the victim like this, too.
He was clearly the one who started trouble and provoked Nan Qing first, yet he would turn around and keep pretending to be innocent, shedding tears before he could even speak to Father and Mother Bai. "Don't blame the young master. It's all my fault. I don't mind..."
Back then, Bai Ruanruan's identity as the real young master had yet to be revealed, but his green tea antics had already brought everyone in the Bai Family over to his side. Nan Qing had suffered plenty of cold treatment as a result.
But Nan Qing had still been the vicious cannon fodder back then. Even when he was wronged, he had to cooperate with Bai Ruanruan to keep the plot moving.
Things were different now. His mission had failed, and he had been abandoned in this world. Who was going to keep indulging this green tea little freak?
A sob came from within the conference room. It was Bai Ruanruan, hiding behind a chair and wiping away his tears.
With the young master the Bai Family had only just recovered crying right there, the general manager could hardly ignore him and carry on speaking.
The middle-aged man holding the microphone surveyed the room. His gaze landed on Nan Qing, and he said coldly,
"Being an actor is like being a person. You can't focus solely on appearances. You need to improve your personal character, too."
Bai Ruanruan hiccupped through his tears, looking aggrieved.
"Don't blame Nan Qing. I just can't control my tears. I'm sorry..."
The general manager wore a strange expression, the chairman's brows were deeply furrowed, and the actors seated below occasionally whispered to one another, their faces full of delight at the spectacle.
The meeting, whose main event was announcing the casting for "Journey through Luo," ended in a hurry. Utterly bored, Nan Qing held his phone and followed the crowd out of the conference hall.
Huading Entertainment's floors were polished spotless. The high ceilings gave the building a grand, imposing air, and the crystal chandeliers cast dazzling light across the gleaming floors.
A new message popped up on WeChat. Huo Yuzhou had sent him a location in S City's wealthy district, where every inch of land cost a fortune, and asked whether he had any luggage he needed an assistant to help move over.
Nan Qing was flat broke now. Apart from the eight-figure Richard Mille on his wrist, he only had a few dozen yuan left in his WeChat balance.
He very reservedly declined the offer to help move his things, then prepared to make an outrageous demand and fleece Huo Yuzhou while the man had yet to discover that Nan Qing had bullied his dream green tea, Bai Ruanruan.
"Nan Qing!"
A voice came from behind him. Nan Qing paused, put his phone away, and looked back.
His manager, Zheng Ming, wore a tense expression on his square face, his gaze impatient.
"Where did you run off to? Didn't I tell you to wait for me after the meeting?"
"Enough, don't explain. Here's your schedule for the next few days. I booked you a variety show. You'll be a guest."
That caught Nan Qing's interest. He took the documents from Zheng Ming, glanced at them, and grinned.
"Hello, World" was a soothing, slow-paced food and travel variety show that had been gaining popularity in China over the past two years. It was reasonably well known, but it couldn't compete with some of the country's competition and comedy variety shows.
Of course, that was only the audience's impression of the show before the protagonist shou, Bai Ruanruan, joined it.
In the plot, once Bai Ruanruan was confirmed as the male lead of "Journey through Luo," Huading Entertainment began lining up all sorts of projects for him, despite his still being a newcomer to the industry.
"Hello, World" was Bai Ruanruan's first variety show, and also the first show he made a hit.
On that show, the delicate, kindhearted Bai Ruanruan used his everyone-loves-him attribute to win a huge wave of goodwill. Clips of some of his cute mishaps then went wildly viral, massively boosting his visibility.
The company hired paid commenters and leaked the truth about Nan Qing and Bai Ruanruan being the fake and real young masters. Bai Ruanruan reaped another wave of benefits from it. His image as a resilient little ray of sunshine won the audience's sympathy, making him incredibly well liked.
It could be said that "Hello, World" fired the opening shot in the protagonist shou Bai Ruanruan's battle for the entertainment industry, while also allowing him to stand on the bones of the vicious cannon fodder Nan Qing and establish an outstanding image with immense public recognition.
"Nan Qing, I'm telling you, don't be ungrateful! You're already mired in scandals, and you can't get any work. I only got you this opportunity by begging the higher-ups. You'd better appreciate it."
Afraid he would refuse, Zheng Ming hurried to speak, terrified that Nan Qing would not go.
After all, having Nan Qing and Bai Ruanruan appear on the variety show together as guests had been his idea.
Young Master Bai Ruanruan had only just entered the industry and was a complete newcomer. Announcing him as the male lead of an S+ big-budget production right off the bat would definitely get him attacked as an industry royal.
The Bai Family had repeatedly stressed that their young master must be taken good care of. Zheng Ming would never dare neglect him.
After turning it over in his mind, he had come up with this brilliant idea.
He would make the scandal-ridden Nan Qing a foil for the newcomer Bai Ruanruan. Besides, their relationship as the real and fake young masters would generate attention all on its own. He was confident that, with just a little marketing, Bai Ruanruan could step on Nan Qing to rise to the top and win a massive amount of goodwill.
"Of course, the pay for this variety show is pretty good, too."
Zheng Ming indicated a number with his fingers. "You must be pretty short on money right now, Nan Qing. Life without money isn't easy."
Under his nervous gaze, the exquisitely handsome young man scanned the documents in his hands, a faint smile curving his lips.
A moment later, he handed the documents back. Silver glittered on his wrist, as fine and smooth as carved jade, drawing Zheng Ming's gaze.
The watch, its dial fully encrusted with diamonds, nearly blinded him. Those few thin sheets of paper almost poked the tip of his nose, but Zheng Ming's eyes widened in shock, his gaze fixed on that expensive watch.
Hadn't Nan Qing been thrown out? He had been driven out like a dog, and the Bai Family hadn't left him anything!
Where had he gotten the money?
"Here."
The young man's languid voice rang out, amusement in his beautiful eyes. He was the very picture of the spoiled, pampered young master he had been before.
Zheng Ming couldn't figure out his situation now, but he no longer dared treat him the way he had last night.
After a moment's hesitation, he took the documents and softened his voice.
"Nan Qing, just consider it a favor to me. This variety show-"
An amused smile appeared in the young man's bright, clear eyes, and one finely shaped brow lifted slightly.
"I'll go."