[I know he's sleazy, I know he clings to Luo Hang for publicity... all of that's pretty awful, but he's good-looking.]
[Help! Help! So he could look this hot all along? Why did he wear that kind of makeup before??? Were you afraid I'd fall for you????]
[Make him an imperial consort! Make him an imperial consort!]
[If His Majesty the Big Orange Cat could forgive Noble Consort Xi so easily, then I, too, can forgive Noble Consort Jiang!!!]
[So many ugly men in showbiz get forgiven for their mistakes. Why can't my new fave???]
[Chen Ting! Have you lost your mind?!]
Zhu Xia wasn't the least bit surprised to see these comments.
She sat with her legs crossed, leaning quietly against the back of the sofa.
Showbiz had always been a place where looks mattered.
Jiang Nan had a face like that, and after being shelved for six months, his head had cleared up, and he carried himself well, too.
It was only natural for him to have fans who liked his looks.
The other haters were dumbfounded.
[Do you have to be this shallow???]
[No matter how hot he is, he still did something wrong.]
His looks fans: [I don't care. I like him just the way he is.]
Amid the audience's clamorous debate, the third pair officially took the stage.
Chen Ting was tall, with the deep-set features of a Westerner.
So today, he wore a black suit.
He had quite the air of a refined gentleman.
The moment he got the microphone, he said to Jiang Nan, "You should only be twenty this year. I'm ten years older than you, so you could say I'm picking on someone younger. My apologies in advance for any offense today."
It was a very graceful speech, and the comments immediately filled with praise for Chen Ting.
[Credit where it's due, Chen Ting really is a gentleman.]
[Exactly. He can even be pleasant to an unrivaled sleazeball like Jiang Nan.]
Standing to one side, Jiang Nan calmly adjusted the microphone in front of him and said, "No need to apologize. Nobody thinks you're a disgrace to your age."
Chen Ting nearly choked on a mouthful of blood. Just as he was about to say something, Jiang Nan continued, "Besides, you don't cherish the young, and I don't respect my elders. We're even."
Every mention of "respecting his elders" and being "a disgrace to his age" was like a knife plunging into Chen Ting's heart.
Chen Ting had debuted at twenty, shooting to nationwide fame as the male lead in one of Mo Cixuan's Republican-era films.
His debut had been his peak.
Ever since then, he had been sliding downhill.
Supporting roles in films, leading roles in TV dramas, supporting roles in TV dramas, leading roles in short dramas...
By now, he needed bottom-of-the-barrel variety shows like I'll Give You Your Happiness to boost his exposure.
Showbiz had always moved through generations quickly. He had spent ten years accomplishing nothing, and now he was already thirty.
The road beyond thirty was far too narrow.
He wasn't willing to play second fiddle.
The livestream chat fell silent for a few seconds.
[This little flop idol has quite a mouth on him.]
[Chen Ting looks so upset.]
[His combat power is insane hahahahahaha.]
Chen Ting took a deep breath.
He barely managed to steady himself.
He was just an eighteenth-tier starlet, a nobody in showbiz.
There was no way he would lose tonight.
He would trample Jiang Nan ruthlessly and ride his fleeting wave of traffic to success in one fell swoop.
"Heh." Chen Ting bent forward, gripping the microphone with one hand.
He chuckled and said, "There have been a lot of rumors about Mr. Jiang Nan online these past few days. Seeing is believing. Now that I've met you today, I know the rumors are true."
Jiang Nan listened impassively.
Chen Ting kept up his offensive. "I've been in the industry for almost ten years, so I can just about count as your senior. I have a few words of advice for you."
"Always be polite, no matter when or where. Focus more on yourself, and don't latch onto others for publicity."
Jiang Nan scoffed. "I wouldn't dare learn from you, senior. Ten years in the industry, and you don't even have fans greeting you at the airport."
Before Chen Ting could respond, Jiang Nan continued, "But I do admire you, senior. Going from a film's leading man to the lead in a short drama, and still enduring that kind of fall-it really shows how strong-minded you are."
"You..." Chen Ting nearly lost control.
He took a deep breath and said, "At least I've stood at the summit. Unlike certain people who've never been there, yet have such sharp tongues. With no professional ability, they could only make it into the group by putting their teammates down and clinging to the most popular member."
Building Six, Jinghe Garden.
The Maybach drove into the underground parking garage, and the driver, Old Yang, took a folding wheelchair out of the trunk.
After settling into his wheelchair, Fu Jingzhou entered the elevator.
The nights at Jinghe Garden were peaceful and comfortable. At this hour, only a faint chirping of insects could be heard.
The elevator rose to the first floor. He entered the living room and saw Uncle He sitting on the sofa, staring intently at a computer.
Fu Jingzhou was about to ask what had him so engrossed when he glanced up and caught sight of Jiang Nan.
On the screen, the young man had bright eyes and white teeth, and looked slightly plumper than he did in person.
The camera shifted, zooming in on Chen Ting.
Just then, Fu Jingzhou happened to hear Chen Ting's speech.
His expression darkened almost imperceptibly.
Uncle He slapped his knee. "He's gone too far!"
Fu Jingzhou asked flatly, "When he said he was going to work, he meant going there to get insulted?"
As someone who stayed on the front lines of the internet twenty-four hours a day and insisted on scrolling through his phone even with reading glasses on, Uncle He explained, "This show is about trading insults. That's part of the appeal."
Fu Jingzhou didn't reply.
His gaze settled on the television.
An inexplicable feeling spread through his heart.
Since Jiang Nan had married him and gotten their marriage certificate, he was his.
For others to insult and humiliate him was the same as slapping Fu Jingzhou hard across the face.
Jiang Nan had no idea what his bargain wife was thinking. Hearing Chen Ting's words, he looked bewildered. "Everything you mentioned was done by Jiang Nan. What's it got to do with me, Jiang Kounan?"
The venue fell silent for a full second.
Then the audience burst into laughter.
The livestream chat was laughing itself silly, too.
[Help, help, what the hell is Jiang Kounan?]
[He sure knows how to talk.]
[Hahahahaha I fucking laughed so hard my neighbor came knocking.]
[Chen Ting is completely stunned.]
[Chen Ting probably has no idea how shameless young people can be these days hahahahaha.]
Chen Ting choked. "You... you're just twisting words."
Jiang Nan's conscience was clear.
He hadn't done those things in the first place.
So his face was resolute, as though he were ready to join the Party on the spot. "How am I twisting words? The world is constantly moving. We can't look at the affairs of the present through the lens of the past."
"Do you know why you're getting less and less popular?" Jiang Nan adjusted the microphone, his tea-colored eyes as sly as a fox's.
The question struck right at the heart of Chen Ting's concerns, and he couldn't help asking, "Why?"
"Because you're still looking at today's audience through the lens of the past," Jiang Nan said. "If you want to be a dad, you can have a kid to satisfy that urge. But don't show up in front of the audience reeking of paternalism."
"Young people these days are all about rebellion." The young man curved his lips, delivering his closing statement.