Chapter 4
And so, ranting furiously to 357 became his only way of venting his emotions.
[He’s a complete lunatic! Does a pervert like him even deserve love? Wei Li must be a masochist to fall in love with him…]
[…]
Although 357 was merely a system, responding to every single thing its host said was rather exhausting, especially since this particular host talked far too much.
[Don’t tell me he still wants to…]
At that thought, Ke Jian’s entire body tensed, and his heart leaped into his throat.
He was standing before a ravenous beast. His situation was dire.
Cheng Yu: “…”
Did he really look that desperate to get someone into bed?
“You want to leave?” Cheng Yu narrowed his eyes slightly, his displeasure obvious. “You don’t want to see me?” His tone was one of absolute certainty.
“Of course not!” Ke Jian had been thoroughly frightened by Cheng Yu’s earlier actions. Coupled with his recent realization that his chastity was in danger, all he wanted was to get as far away from this disgusting pervert as possible.
However, as far as the scumbag gong was concerned, Ke Jian was currently nothing more than an insignificant, disposable existence who could be discarded at any moment. Naturally, he couldn’t simply do whatever he pleased.
In other words, he still had to endure it for the time being.
“You’ve misunderstood, President Cheng. As you know, I’m an actor, and I’m playing the second male lead. I have quite a lot of scenes. I can’t possibly hold up everyone’s work just because of myself, can I?”
Ke Jian was forced to return and stand before the scumbag gong. Although he was standing and therefore physically higher than the seated man, Cheng Yu somehow exuded such an overwhelming presence that Ke Jian didn’t dare look him directly in the eyes.
Cheng Yu crossed his legs without commenting, looking as though he was simply sitting back to enjoy the performance. Ke Jian had no choice but to steel himself and continue making things up.
“I know you’ve invested a lot of money in ‘Kunlun,’ President Cheng. I don’t want to disappoint you or embarrass you, so I want to work hard on my acting and keep improving myself.”
Hmm? With acting skills as terrible as his, there was certainly plenty of room for improvement, Cheng Yu thought silently.
Still, he was rather curious to see just how terrible those acting skills could be.
And so, Cheng Yu raised an eyebrow slightly, his interest piqued.
“Oh? Since when did you become so sensible?”
[Sensible, my ass!]
“Doesn’t President Cheng like me this way?” Ke Jian blinked.
[Host, the scumbag gong can’t hear you anyway. Why bother?] It almost sounded as though Ke Jian was cursing at the system itself, leaving 357 rather speechless.
[Because this is the only way I can vent!]
Cheng Yu: I can hear you. Surprised?
“I do,” Cheng Yu replied expressionlessly. “But I’d like to see just how hard you’ve been working.”
“?” Ke Jian clearly didn’t understand what Cheng Yu meant.
In fact, it was already highly unusual for this scumbag gong to speak so much to him. Generally speaking, the scumbag gong had absolutely no feelings for the cannon-fodder Ke Jian. He was usually unwilling to say even one unnecessary word to him, much less expend any effort on him.
So what was going on?
However, before Ke Jian could ask, Cheng Yu had already signaled with his eyes that he could leave.
[357, what does he mean?]
[I think the scumbag gong wants to watch you act, Host. You need to seize this opportunity! The plot has already changed!]
357 was a little excited. It hadn’t expected this rather clueless host to produce such immediate results. Could this be what people meant when they said fools had all the luck?
[All right! Then I’ll show him what I’m capable of!]
357: Capable of what? What exactly was there to show?
Cheng Yu: Hah. Utterly delusional.
Ke Jian hadn’t expected to see Wei Li, the protagonist shou, when he opened the door.
In that split second, some of the rationality that the scumbag gong had thrown into disarray finally returned.
Wei Li was supposed to appear here today. He would thank Cheng Yu, further stirring the scumbag gong’s longing for his unattainable first love. In fact, because of Wei Li’s arrival, the scumbag gong would even order the cannon-fodder Ke Jian to get lost on the spot.
He had been so thoroughly disgusted by the scumbag gong that he’d forgotten all about this. Fortunately, the scumbag gong had taken the initiative to suggest watching him act. What a stroke of luck!
Wei Li was also somewhat surprised to see Ke Jian. However, he immediately noticed the imposing man standing behind him.
An involuntary sense of fear washed over Wei Li. He quickly lowered his head and expressed his gratitude.
Only then did Ke Jian realize that Cheng Yu was standing behind him. An inexplicable chill ran down his spine, and he hurriedly turned sideways to face him.
He absolutely couldn’t leave his back exposed to a disgusting pervert who had designs on his body.
Cheng Yu glanced at him without the slightest change in expression. He then gave Wei Li a faint “Mm” and walked straight toward the door, never once letting his gaze linger on the young man.
Ke Jian, who had been secretly observing Cheng Yu the entire time, was immediately puzzled.
[357, the scumbag gong actually ignored Wei Li? Does this mean I’ve already changed the plot?]
[Yes, Host! Keep up the good work!]
[What exactly did I do to attract him? I need to figure it out and make the most of it.] Ke Jian had already begun analyzing the situation seriously.
Cheng Yu: Such blind confidence.
Turning his head, Cheng Yu noticed the small, excited smile Ke Jian could barely conceal. Just as he was about to step out, his foot shifted slightly, bringing him to a stop in front of Wei Li. His gaze lingered on the young man’s face for approximately two seconds before he continued walking with his long strides. As he turned away, however, he uttered two words to Wei Li.
“Follow me.”
Ke Jian: “???”
[I underestimated the protagonist’s plot armor.]
[Don’t lose heart, Host.]
Cheng Yu: No, you just overestimated yourself.
“What? Are you saying my husband is here?”
“Pfft! That’s my husband!”
“I heard he went to the ‘Kunlun’ set, but there’s no way to squeeze inside!”
“Ahhh! I’m so jealous!”
…
The arrival of Cheng Yu, the incredibly handsome and outrageously wealthy billionaire bachelor, had thrown not only the “Kunlun” production crew into an uproar but the entire film studio as well. The commotion was several times more exaggerated than anything caused by the arrival of a superstar.
Even the director hadn’t expected this big shot to suddenly take an interest in filming. After struggling through the chaos that had erupted on set, Director Yu finally managed to squeeze his way over to Cheng Yu.
“President Cheng, what brings you here?”
“Just taking a look around. I hope I’m not disturbing your work,” Cheng Yu replied indifferently.
Not disturbing us… Hah. You certainly know how to joke.
“Not at all, not at all! We’re delighted to have you here.”
Ke Jian hurried forward to explain to the director that Cheng Yu had come specifically to watch him film. The director was stunned when he heard this.
After all, among the entire cast, Ke Jian had the worst acting skills. His performance couldn’t possibly represent the standard of their production! This was practically a stain on the director’s career.
But given the relationship between these two, there was nothing he could say. If the big shot had this particular interest, who was he to object?
Cheng Yu casually took a seat, with Secretary Xiao standing straight behind him. An overwhelming aura of domineering authority instantly enveloped everything within a ten-meter radius, leaving even the excited spectators too intimidated to make a sound.
Afraid that the big shot would grow impatient from waiting, the crew quickly finished preparing for the shoot. At the director’s command, Ke Jian stood on a raised platform, his flowing white robes fluttering as he gazed sorrowfully toward a certain spot below.
“Kunlun” was a xianxia drama. In this particular scene, the female lead had been mistaken for a member of the demon race and was being attacked by a crowd. As the second male lead was a cultivator of the righteous path, his position left him struggling with hesitation and inner conflict as he watched from the shadows. Then, he saw the male lead stand beside the female lead without regard for anything else. At that moment, he knew he had lost.
He was supposed to struggle with his emotions and feel regret before everything eventually settled into a calm indifference. Yet a lingering sadness remained deep in his heart, and tears fell as he acknowledged his complete defeat in love.
Fortunately, the second male lead was characterized as aloof and expressionless, which happened to compensate somewhat for Ke Jian’s lack of acting skills.
However… the director had been far too optimistic.
“Ke Jian! I didn’t tell you to frown!”
“Stop narrowing your eyes! Is that what you call inner conflict?”
“Your inner emotions! Show what’s going on inside!”
“Pull the camera back! Further back!” This was infuriating. At close range, there was literally nothing worth looking at except his face.
“Tears! I only want tears, not actual crying!”
…
The director was about to lose his fucking mind. If Cheng Yu hadn’t been present, he would have started cursing long ago, the kind of furious scolding that wouldn’t have been enough even after thirty minutes. Right now, however, all he wanted to do was cry.
In the end, they finally managed to finish filming the scene. As long as Ke Jian stood there quietly, he was already the most beautiful second male lead imaginable. As for the aesthetically pleasing tears, a drop of water would do the trick.
It was all wonderfully beautiful. Throughout the entire scene, Ke Jian didn’t even need to deliver a single line. He didn’t have to open his mouth at all.
To be fair, Ke Jian’s face made up for ninety percent of his atrocious acting. Just standing there in his ethereal costume was already enough to win people over. Add the xianxia special effects in post-production, and audiences would probably accept his complete lack of acting ability.
Nevertheless, Cheng Yu was still thoroughly “impressed” by his acting skills. Some exceptionally talented people were outstanding in every respect, while others were extreme cases. Ke Jian was clearly the latter.
He was a legend who had dominated the music industry for ten years. How had his acting skills managed to end up at the complete opposite extreme?
The director and crew were so embarrassed that they didn’t know what to do. They had to swallow their frustration without saying anything, all while worrying that Cheng Yu might be displeased.
After all, Cheng Yu had been sitting nearby throughout the entire performance with an expressionless face. In particular, when they resorted to dripping water onto Ke Jian’s face to imitate tears, President Cheng’s brows had seemed to furrow slightly.
“President Cheng, what do you think? If you have any suggestions, please don’t hesitate to tell us. We’ll certainly make improvements.” If their production hadn’t been so desperately short of funding, the director would never have said something so insincere.
Everyone was well aware of Ke Jian’s acting abilities. Ironically, when he heard the director ask this question, Ke Jian himself actually looked somewhat expectant. Still wearing his costume, he hurried over to Cheng Yu and waited for his assessment.
Cheng Yu was stunned when he saw the shameless anticipation in Ke Jian’s eyes. Just how little self-awareness did this guy have?
[Actually, I don’t look any worse than Wei Li in this costume and makeup, do I? As long as the scumbag gong isn’t blind, he should be able to see that.]
[Host, you’re much better-looking than that spineless shou.]
[Mm.]
Cheng Yu: “…”
“Your expressions are stiff and unnatural, your emotions don’t come across properly, and there’s absolutely no expression in your eyes…”
The director nearly applauded Cheng Yu on the spot. Xu Rui was so embarrassed he couldn’t even raise his head, while the corners of Ke Jian’s mouth twitched.
The reason Ke Jian had been labeled as having low emotional intelligence by the public was that, during a televised singing competition, he had once bluntly criticized a young woman who sang terribly and clearly knew nothing about music, reducing her to tears. As a result, people online had called him tactless and sharp-tongued.
But compared to the man standing before him, Ke Jian had to admit defeat. Could this man even be said to possess emotional intelligence? His mouth was practically coated in poison!
Besides, his performance just now had obviously been quite good. Apart from being unable to produce actual tears, he felt he had maintained a proper balance of restraint and expression, conveying everything through his eyes. How many people could perform that well on their first attempt? There was no way he was as terrible as the scumbag gong claimed.
[He’s doing this on purpose, isn’t he? Deliberately putting other people down to make himself feel superior?] But wasn’t the scumbag gong already superior enough in terms of status and position?
[Is he fucking blind? Being disgusting is one thing, and I can even tolerate him being a scumbag, but he’s also this vicious? Isn’t he being unbelievably petty?]
[Host, stay calm.]
“President Cheng, are you serious?”
Ke Jian suppressed his anger as he asked. Even if his acting really was that terrible, wasn’t he supposed to be the little celebrity this scumbag gong was keeping? Yet the man had actually humiliated his own lover in front of so many people, making him sound completely worthless. Was there something wrong with his head?
Listening to the endless stream of complaints chattering away inside someone’s head, Cheng Yu suddenly turned to look at Wei Li, who was standing not far away. He then said to the director, “Let him give it a try.”
Everyone present was startled, but they quickly came to a realization. No wonder President Cheng had been so merciless. So he’d found himself a replacement?
Still, using his former favorite as a stepping stone to promote his new favorite… this man really was as cold-blooded and heartless as ever.
Although Wei Li was surprised, he understood just how rare an opportunity this was. He quickly immersed himself in the character. Without changing clothes or even putting on makeup, he performed the entire scene that Ke Jian had just acted out.
It took him only five minutes to complete the performance, ending with a single tear rolling down from the corner of his eye. Everyone present, including the director, was stunned by the young newcomer’s acting ability.
So he’d actually discovered a treasure! And here he’d been afraid that this would turn out to be another Ke Jian.
As expected of the novel’s protagonist. Cheng Yu watched the entire performance without a change in expression. There was no need for him to say anything more. This was what real acting looked like.
Cheng Yu then stood up and leaned slightly forward, bringing his face closer to Ke Jian’s.
“I may have been too polite just now. What I meant was that your performance—was complete garbage.”
In an instant, Ke Jian’s fury exploded. He wanted nothing more than to rush forward and punch Cheng Yu in the face.
This was definitely humiliation. Naked, deliberate humiliation!!!
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