After Transmigrated as the Movie Star's Omega - Chapter 12

The live stream continued, and the atmosphere on screen remained harmonious and loving. However, the two managers standing offstage watched with frequent shakes of their heads.

“I feel bad for Ran-ran,” Jiang Shen said softly.

Although Xia Ran remained enthusiastic and generous on stage, Jiang Shen knew his temperament well. While everything looked normal on the surface, Xia Ran was undoubtedly fuming inside.

He looked at Meng Lu, who stood beside him with her arms crossed, and smiled. “Sister Lu, look at how badly your Movie Star Shen is teasing our Ran-ran.”

Meng Lu glanced at him and sighed almost imperceptibly. She didn’t admit or deny anything, instead asking, “Xia Ran won’t do anything impulsive, will he?”

Jiang Shen laughed again, saying jokingly, “I think he probably wants to smash Movie Star Shen’s head in right now.”

Meng Lu’s brow furrowed.

Jiang Shen shrugged. “But do you think he could be a top idol with tens of millions of fans if he couldn’t handle a small scene like this?”

After a moment of silence, Meng Lu said, “Xia Ran is truly exceptional. You certainly placed the right bet.”

“Bet?” Jiang Shen shook his head as if he’d heard a joke. “Sister Lu, that’s not right. I’m an honest man; I never gamble. Let’s just say I have a sharp eye and recognized his potential.”

Meng Lu remained noncommittal.

Jiang Shen, however, opened up. “Speaking of which, among the artists who debuted at the same time, only Baibi can truly compete with Ran-ran. I originally wanted Ran-ran to get on good terms with him, but they ended up holding a grudge over a stupid award.”

“They are both people with a very strong desire to win.” Meng Lu looked back at the stage. At that moment, the two were smiling at each other following the host’s words, and the atmosphere looked rose-colored.

Jiang Shen looked over as well and smiled faintly. “I didn’t expect such a strange experience. Perhaps this is a good opportunity for them to improve their relationship.”

Meng Lu raised an eyebrow. “You’re certainly optimistic.”

“What else can we do?” Jiang Shen said. “We’re actually all in the same boat. It’s just a few extra ‘settings’ added on; the nature of the work hasn’t changed. We’re all professionals. We do what we have to do, or do we just wait to starve?”

“Besides…” Jiang Shen suddenly laughed. “This matter actually doesn’t affect me personally. I’m a Beta, just an ordinary person in this world, and I don’t have to deal with heat cycles.”

Meng Lu shook her head, hearing the schadenfreude in his voice. She wondered if having a manager like him was Xia Ran’s luck or misfortune.

“As for those two…” Jiang Shen mused with some sentiment. The two people most affected were handling it with seamless cooperation on stage, despite the explosive and embarrassing things happening behind the scenes.

He said, “That is truly an impressive psychological resilience.”

“Yes,” Meng Lu agreed with a nod.

For Xia Ran, who had participated in countless events lasting four or five hours, none had ever left him as physically and mentally exhausted as this hour-and-a-half live stream.

Simply put, Shen Baibi was too shameless!

They had agreed to answer based on yesterday’s discussion, even for unprepared questions. Yet, Shen Baibi had been treacherous, tripping him up at every turn. Worse, Xia Ran couldn’t voice his grievances and had to play along to finish the performance.

The injustice!

When the live stream finally ended and the three—excluding Meng Lu—returned to the lounge, Xia Ran’s face changed the second the door closed. His weary state vanished, replaced by high-flaming arrogance.

Jiang Shen was quite relieved; his artist had recovered his energy quickly, though it was now burning a bit too bright.

“Shen Baibi, you treacherous villain!”

Xia Ran pointed at Shen Baibi and cursed, eyes wide and fists clenched, looking “super fierce.”

In contrast, Shen Baibi still wore a calm and elegant smile. He asked nonchalantly, “How have I been treacherous?”

“We agreed the interview would follow what we wrote! I spent the whole time saying good things about you based on your script, while you were completely improvising!” Xia Ran made his accusation. He couldn’t explode on stage, but now that they were off, it was time to settle the score.

Hearing this, Shen Baibi looked him up and down and said flatly, “You wrote too much. I didn’t memorize it.”

Xia Ran’s anger flared even hotter at that look. “You’re a professional actor! How is this different from memorizing lines? You’re claiming you couldn’t memorize it? Who are you kidding!”

“Fine, let me correct myself.” Shen Baibi shrugged. “You wrote too much nonsense. I didn’t memorize it.”

The string of Xia Ran’s rationality snapped. “Who are you calling a nonsense-talker!”

If Jiang Shen hadn’t been fast enough to stop him, Xia Ran would have rushed forward to pummel Shen Baibi. However, Shen Baibi added fuel to the fire without fear: “Didn’t you write it yourself? ‘Xia Ran is warm, cheerful, and generous; he is empathetic, helpful, and deeply loved by those around him. He is like a little sun that people can’t help but want to be near…'”

“Stop talking!” Xia Ran interrupted, unable to bear it. He had written that, but it didn’t feel weird when he wrote it. Why did it sound so nauseating coming from Shen Baibi’s mouth?

Shen Baibi gave a light sneer. “What, I’ve only just started and you can’t take it?”

“Who can’t take it!” Xia Ran barked back, but then a thought struck him.

He looked at Shen Baibi with a smug smile. “Didn’t you just say you didn’t memorize it? You’re reciting it quite fluently now.”

His face was filled with triumph, his small canine tooth pressing against his lip, looking radiant.

Shen Baibi looked away. “I only memorized that little bit. The rest was too stupid to continue.”

“You’re the one who’s stupid!” Xia Ran was easily triggered again, struggling to get past Jiang Shen to hit him.

Jiang Shen advised, “Alright, alright, Ran-ran, don’t be angry. It’s over now. Besides, Baibi didn’t say anything bad about you during the stream. He picked out the good things to say, and the core message didn’t deviate. Don’t be so petty with him.”

“What do you mean he ‘picked the good things’!” Xia Ran ground his teeth. “He forced me to call him ‘Gege’!”

“And you acted spoiled to make me call you ‘Baobao’,” Shen Baibi retorted.

“I wanted you to call me ‘Baba’ (Daddy)!” Xia Ran fumed. His original intention was completely twisted; there’s a fundamental difference between ‘Baba’ and ‘Baobao’. This was a monumental humiliation!

Shen Baibi smiled contemptuously. “But what you said was ‘Baobao’. Everyone heard it.”

Xia Ran clenched his fists. “If we weren’t in front of the camera, who would have changed it? You’re just taking advantage of the fact that I don’t dare hit you in public!”

Shen Baibi provoked him back without fear: “You want to settle it with hands? No problem. Come on.”

“Come on then! You think I’m afraid?”

“Then come on.”

“What’s the rush? You in a hurry to get beaten?”

“I’m afraid you don’t have the guts to do it.”

“Who doesn’t have the guts!”

“You don’t.”

“Who says I don’t have the guts?”

“Then do it.”

“Let’s go then! I’m not afraid of you!”

The two argued until they were red in the face. Jiang Shen shook his head in helplessness. He wasn’t worried they would actually fight; despite the tension, he believed they both knew where the line was. If they could resolve it with words, they wouldn’t use their hands. After all, fighting was unseemly and would get them a scolding from Sister Lu.

He stepped aside to avoid getting splashed by their spit. At that moment, the door creaked open.

Though the sound was faint, both men caught it instantly. Someone’s coming! Alert!

Thus, Jiang Shen witnessed the acclaimed, superb acting skills of Movie Star Shen.

Shen Baibi grabbed Xia Ran’s waving wrist, pulled it to his eyes with a look of doting pity, and said softly, “A mosquito bit your hand? Does it hurt?”

“Mm, a little…” Xia Ran’s eyelashes fluttered, looking as if he’d suffered the world’s greatest grievance.

Jiang Shen was impressed; his Ran-ran’s acting didn’t fall short in front of the Movie Star.

Shen Baibi looked even more piteous. “There, there. I’ll blow on it and it won’t hurt anymore—phew…”

Meng Lu asked with a frown, “What kind of melodramatic soap opera are you two acting out?”

The two turned and saw it was her. Their faces immediately filled with disgust as they threw each other off as if they’d touched something filthy.

Meng Lu asked, “Were you just arguing?”

The question was direct and sharp. Shen Baibi and Xia Ran looked everywhere but at her; no one answered.

Meng Lu knew she had guessed correctly. Coming in to see such an absurd scene, her intuition told her something had happened.

She was about to scold them, but Jiang Shen smoothed it over with a smile: “No, they’re being very good. They’re just taking this time to practice showing off their affection, right?”

“Yes, right!”

“Correct.”

Meng Lu gave a tch at their obvious cover-up. “It was too oily. Watch it next time.”

“O-kay,” the “Oily Duo” forced out a smile.

Meng Lu added, “I’ve said goodbye to the live stream team. We can leave now.”

“Yes, yes, okay!”

Meng Lu looked at them, sighed inwardly, and said, “I’ll have Xiao Zhao bring the car around.” She turned and left.

Xia Ran and Shen Baibi breathed a secret sigh of relief. Close call; they almost got scolded again.

They exchanged a look and simultaneously turned away in disgust. It’s all this guy’s fault!

Jiang Shen, sensing the subtle atmosphere, said with a laugh, “Alright, alright. You’ve both called each other nicknames and teased each other back. Let’s call it even.”

Hearing this, the two rolled their eyes in perfect unison.

Though they had only gone with the flow on stage due to their competitive spirits, thinking about “Gege” and “Baobao” now was overwhelmingly embarrassing. And with the CP fans screaming, there would likely be a new explosion of fanfiction soon.

Call it even? It’s even harder to let go now!