Once inside the car, Song Shi'an breathed a sigh of relief, carefully placing the gifts from his fans on the seat next to him. He then turned to Lin Fan and asked, " Lin Fan, when did this variety show's pilot episode come out? How come everyone knew I was coming back today?"
Lin Fan was stunned for a moment, then turned around from the passenger seat, looking even more bewildered than Lin Fan: "Brother, this is a live broadcast across the entire internet! Everyone knows you're coming back today."
Song Shi'an froze. He slowly turned his head, his neck cracking as if it were rusty. "What? Live broadcast!!"
Whose variety show is this, where everyone's a "good guy" and it's broadcast live? He was saying, "How come everyone knows he's injured, and they even know about the jaguar?"
He initially thought it was because the director was fast at editing the trailer, but it turned out the entire internet had been watching him for five days.
Thinking back on what I've done these past few days, there should be cameras when I go to the bathroom... I think there should be...
His back, which he had been straightening all morning, finally broke. He slammed his head against the car window with a snap, his forehead pressed against the cold glass, his eyes staring blankly at the street scene rushing past outside.
That's it. His image, the aloof actor persona he worked so hard to build, is going to be ridiculed for the rest of his life.
Lin Fan watched his brother's series of actions in the rearview mirror, his head full of questions.
But he still dutifully reported his work, "Brother, this variety show live stream directly gained over two million followers, and it also went viral on foreign websites. The company registered an Instagram account for you, and you gained 800,000 followers in five days, which is a pretty good result."
Song Shi'an didn't want to face reality.
Back at the villa, he collapsed into bed and pulled the covers over his head, completely shutting out all outside information.
For two whole days, there was not a single sound.
Ji Shuyao called on the first day but no one answered. On the second day, he rang the doorbell but no one answered. He went to the property management office to check the surveillance footage and found that he hadn't left the house since returning from the airport.
His mind instantly flashed through various news stories: celebrities dying suddenly, and artists living alone having accidents and going unnoticed.
I brought a locksmith with me, but I didn't tell him I'd changed the password. The locksmith then used a power drill to forcefully pry open the lock.
Song Shi'an was sound asleep in his bedroom when the ground suddenly began to shake. Earthquakes in plains? This is terrible!
He woke up instantly with a start, rushed out of the bedroom barefoot, his robe belt not even tied properly, revealing a large expanse of his collarbone and shoulders, and ran down the stairs barefoot.
As soon as I ran downstairs, I saw a strange middle-aged man squatting in the entryway, packing up his tools, with Ji Shuyao standing next to him with a dark expression.
Song Shi'an pulled up the collar of his slipped pajamas, looking bewildered at the completely removed door lock. " Brother Yao, what happened?"
Ji Shuyao's face was grim, and his voice sounded like it was being squeezed out from between his teeth, "You're still alive... You're alive but you don't answer the phone or reply to messages. Do you know how long I rang the doorbell yesterday?"
Song Shi'an scratched his messy hair, a little embarrassed, "Um... I fell asleep, sorry Brother Yao."
For the first time, a visible crack appeared on Ji Shuyao's usually calm and collected face.
His lips twitched slightly. "Who's a good person who sleeps for two days straight!"
Song Shi'an shrank his neck, feeling a little aggrieved. He was just tired and felt like he could never get enough sleep.
Ji Shuyao looked him up and down to make sure he was in good spirits and hadn't lost any limbs.
Her gaze fell on his disheveled appearance, and she immediately looked away. "Even at home, you need to pay attention to your personal image."
Song Shi'an looked down at his wrinkled bathrobe and curled his toes inward. "Oh, okay."
After changing his clothes and washing up, he started rummaging through the refrigerator.
The refrigerator door was wide open, and half of his body was almost inside. Ji Shuyao stood in the kitchen doorway and asked, "What are you doing?"
Song Shi'an poked his head out of the refrigerator, holding two eggs in his hand. "Eat up! Food is essential for life; you'll get hungry if you skip a meal."
Ji Shuyao was at his wit's end; this artist was so difficult to manage. He handed over the bag he was carrying. "Here, have some."
Song Shi'an took the bag and looked inside. It contained his favorite sweet and sour pork ribs, along with a large box of rice.
He looked up at Ji Shuyao with emotion. Although Brother Yao's face was as black as the bottom of a pot and he was sharp-tongued, he still remembered to bring him food. What an amazing manager!
He sat cross-legged on the sofa, opened the box, and began to build.
After Song Shi'an had almost finished eating, Ji Shuyao took a stack of documents out of his briefcase and pushed them in front of him.
Song Shi'an, with a rib in his mouth, looked up, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Seriously? He just got back and he has to work already? He just crawled out of the rainforest, and the injuries on his face haven't even fully healed yet.
Ji Shuyao spoke up, "This live stream was very well received, and it also boosted a wave of domestic cultural and tourism projects. The Capital Culture and Tourism Bureau wants you to cooperate in the promotion and become the city's tourism ambassador."
Song Shi'an almost choked to death on that piece of pork rib.
He gulped down a mouthful of water, patted his chest twice, and his voice cracked. "Is this right? With my status, won't people criticize me for being a tourism ambassador?"
Ji Shuyao raised an eyebrow. "It's a good thing, it can only benefit your future. Free field trip, sightseeing, and enjoying delicious food, isn't that great?"
Upon hearing this, Song Shi'an thought, "Food and drink, plus increased fame—that sounds great!" He quickly nodded in agreement.
Seeing that he agreed so readily, Ji Shuyao breathed a sigh of relief, "If there are no problems on your end, I'll get back to them. Filming might still take a while; there are a few scripts waiting for you to review."
Song Shi'an's anxiety finally subsided; even the lives of cattle and horses matter...
Before he could recover from the effects of the rainforest, Ji Shuyao packed him up and put him in a van early the next morning, taking him directly to the set of " The Invisible Bystander ".
The director was waiting for him at the entrance of the film set. The moment he saw Song Shi'an step out of the car, his face broke into a wide smile, " Shi'an, I'm so glad to finally meet you in person!"
He noticed Song Shi'an when he first debuted, and even remarked to his colleagues that the kid was born to be an actor.
Surprisingly, they actually managed to get him to play a supporting role, but he was already very satisfied.
Song Shi'an was a little embarrassed by the director's enthusiasm and followed the staff into the dressing room.
Upon entering, I saw a man with a small mustache on his chin tidying up his makeup brushes.
This guy looks so familiar. He squinted and looked him over carefully. Wasn't this the guy with the mustache who did his makeup when filming " The Emperor's Ambition "?
The makeup artist turned around, grinned, and said, "We meet again, Teacher Song."
Song Shi'an greeted him politely, "We meet again, Master Li."
Li Feng pressed him down into the makeup chair. "I'm the crew's go-to makeup artist. Come here, I just got back from further training, you're lucky to have caught up with me."