The man who approached him suddenly found himself at a loss for words. Xia Xiqing didn’t even glance at him, straightened his suit, and walked away without looking back.
Such a self-righteous person would never stop bothering him unless his fragile confidence, as fragile as a bubble, was completely shattered. Xia Xiqing walked down the street, hailed a taxi, and got in.
On the way home, Xia Xiqing continued to look at the previous Weibo posts. The video was indeed released by the movie’s official Weibo account, and netizens were indeed discussing it spontaneously, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that capital would inevitably get involved in the later stages, using this opportunity to stir up hype.
Thinking of this, he felt a bit annoyed. Upon returning to the temporary apartment he had rented after coming back to the country, he took a hot shower and collapsed onto the bed.
Sure enough, when Xia Xiqing woke up the next afternoon after sleeping soundly, he found that his phone, which he had set to silent, had over forty missed calls. He flipped through them and even his parents, who never called even during major holidays, had called.
At that moment, he even felt a bit amused. Now that he had suddenly become famous, he was forced into the spotlight, including in front of his two parents who had no feelings for him. The fact that he could make them furious without even meeting them seemed like a pretty satisfying achievement.
After tidying up, Xia Xiqing casually tied his bangs into a small ponytail on top of his head, then put on a somewhat dirty work uniform. He sat in front of his easel, with a paint palette by his side, the colors mixed together into a dirty grayish-purple. He closed his eyes, and the disdainful expression on Zhou Ziheng’s face that night appeared before him.
Like floating clouds, those images gradually slid into his mind from the layers of memory, becoming clear. Xia Xiqing captured them with lines, confining them to the paper.
The three-dimensional contours, the sharp eyebrows and eyes, and the lips slightly pursed in disgust were all rendered in the thick, heavy colors of oil paint on the flat surface, leaving no room for escape.
Xia Xiqing held the brush, leaning back in his chair with one leg resting on the edge of the tool table, carefully examining this slightly casual sketch.
He couldn’t put his finger on what was unsatisfying. The expression rendered by the lines couldn’t capture even a fraction of the real person’s charm, let alone the intensity of their disgust.
The phone rang again. Xia Xiqing stretched out his arm to reach it and took it in his hand.
It was an unfamiliar number.
“Who is this?” he asked, feigning friendliness as usual.
“We’ve met before. Do you remember me?” The voice was indeed familiar. Xia Xiqing only took a second or two to recall, “Ah… you’re Ms. Jiang.”
“Yes, you have a good memory.” Jiang Yin laughed on the other end of the line, “Have you been feeling troubled lately? You’ve become an internet sensation.”
Xia Xiqing smiled and stretched, “I’m fine. I’ve been sleeping. You’re the first call I’ve received.”
Jiang Yin was a little surprised. This young man was too calm, not even asking how she had gotten his contact information.
By the time the two of them met up, it was already dusk. The café was nearly empty, and the orange sunlight streaming through the transparent floor-to-ceiling windows blended with the rich aroma of coffee, enveloping Xia Xiqing.
Jiang Yin twirled the coffee spoon in her fingers, breaking up the foam in circles, her eyes studying the young man in front of her.
His jet-black hair was bathed in a warm glow from the setting sun. His精致 face bore a smile, and the small mole on his nose was both gentle and charming. She hadn’t noticed it last time, but there was a thin scar on his chin, almost blending into his jawline, making it hard to spot. Xia Xiqing was more casual than she had imagined, wearing only a dirty gray work uniform, large and old, covered in paint stains, both new and old.
However, Jiang Yin immediately recognized the brand of the jacket. This trendy brand was quite expensive, and many celebrities favored it for their so-called airport fashion. The one he was wearing seemed to be a limited edition collaboration piece, and he was willing to splurge on it.
“Were you just painting?”
“Yeah.” Xia Xingqing looked down at his palm, which had a large smudge of dark blue paint on the outer side. He rubbed it with his fingers but couldn’t get it off, feeling a bit annoyed. Without looking up, he asked, “What did you want to talk to me about?”
Jiang Yin saw how direct he was and didn’t beat around the bush. She got straight to the point, “Have you ever thought about debuting?”
Xia Xiqing tapped his fingers on the side of the coffee cup, his eyes fixed on the people coming and going outside the window. “Debuting?”
“Your conditions are really good, and you have a natural appeal to the audience. This recent trending topic proves it.” Jiang Yin instinctively adopted the posture of a top-tier agent. “Actually, in our view, artists are divided into tiers. The lowest tier are those who, no matter how hard they try, can’t gain attention. These people make up the majority in this industry. Those who are slightly better can eventually break through by persevering, honing their acting skills, or waiting for opportunities. There will always be moments of small success. The last type is the naturally talented ones, born with a spark. Even if they don’t say a word, as long as they’re on camera, they’ll get a ton of attention.“ Jiang Yin leaned forward, ”You’re the last type.”
A little kid walked by outside, holding a hydrogen balloon. He didn’t hold it tight enough, and it flew away. The kid stared blankly at the sky and suddenly started crying. Xia Xiqing watched and couldn’t help but laugh.
Feeling ignored, Jiang Yin cleared her throat. Xia Xiqing finally turned his head lazily and looked at her. “Miss Jiang, you’re definitely an expert in this circle, but even the most skilled experts can make mistakes.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re making a mistake right now.” Xia Xiqing leaned back on the sofa, no longer bothering to hide his feelings. “I’m not the last type. Let me be blunt: I’m trouble.” His eyes sparkled with amusement, his dark pupils reflecting the warm light from the window. “You’ll regret it if you bring me into this circle. I’ll only cause you endless trouble.”
Jiang Yin looked at him for a while before speaking again, “I understand that you don’t want to debut. I have a Plan B.”
“There’s a reality show coming up that needs ordinary people to participate.” Jiang Yin took a proposal out of her bag and handed it to Xia Xiqing. “I’m involved in the production of this reality show, and I’d like to invite you to participate.”
“Invite me?” Xia Xiqing flipped through the proposal and finally understood. “So you were planning this for Zhou Ziheng. This is actually your Plan A, isn’t it?” “
“You’re the smartest person I’ve ever met.” Jiang Yin didn’t hide her true motives. “I knew you wouldn’t agree to debut, but I just wanted to try. You should know that I’m a shareholder in the agency where Ziheng is signed, and there’s also a deeper connection than just being a shareholder, but I can’t talk about that right now. Ziheng is the artist our company is currently promoting. His acting skills and conditions are excellent, but you know that child stars who debut often face a common issue: a lack of die-hard fans. His national popularity has always been high, but this industry no longer relies on national popularity to secure resources.”
“You need traffic,” Xia Xiqing pierced the surface foam with a coffee spoon.
“Exactly.” Jiang Yin tapped the table with her fingers. “With Zi Heng’s acting skills and appearance, if he gains traffic, he’ll become an absolute phenomenon. That’s what I want.”
Xia Xiqing understood her goal, but he found it amusing. “So you think I can bring him traffic?”
“Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come to you. You need to know that traffic comes from topics. To put it bluntly, the fastest way is to hype up a CP.”
“Hyping up a CP can make someone popular, but I find it strange. Zhou Ziheng already has plenty of CPs, many of whom are popular young stars. Why did you specifically choose me, an ordinary person?”
Although Xia Xiqing asked this question, he was well aware that the unequal distribution of benefits from celebrity collaborations often leads to bigger problems. As an unknown with no fan base or company backing, he was more suitable for such collaborations.
“You already have your own buzz. You’re the most talked-about unknown right now. Just look at the trending topics over the past few days to see how much potential your face has.” Jiang Yin spoke flatteringly, “The original concept for this reality show was a real-life escape room, but I rejected it because it lacked buzz. There have been similar shows before, but they all flopped. Sometimes, audiences just want to see something truly interesting.”
“Like what?” Xia Xiqing propped her chin on her hand and smiled lazily.
“Like celebrities and their fans being trapped in the same escape room and trying to find a way out.” Jiang Yin propped her chin on her hand and smiled at Xia Xiqing. “If the fan is also a handsome guy, I bet the girls would be even more interested.”
I see.
“So yesterday’s trending topic on Weibo was something you bought, right?” With a clink, the coffee spoon she had been holding fell against the side of the cup, and Xia Xiqing withdrew her fingers.
Jiang Yin, who had been called out, didn’t seem to mind, responding calmly: “I just gave it a little push after you trended. But I should clarify that the video being released was an accident. I actually guessed you’d get noticed when I met you, but I didn’t expect it to be this exaggerated.”
So you just went ahead and used it? That’s a scary occupational hazard.
I wonder what the beneficiary thinks now that they know.
Speaking of the beneficiary… Zhou Ziheng’s expression of extreme disgust involuntarily floated into her mind.
Xia Xiqing suddenly sat up straight with interest, propped his chin on his hand, and smiled at her, “Your suggestion is indeed quite interesting, but you probably don’t know that my idol now hates me very much.”
He deliberately elongated the word “very,” then smiled with narrowed eyes, looking rather proud. The situation was too awkward, and Xia Xiqing couldn’t think of a suitable explanation at the moment, so he gave up. “Anyway, that’s how it happened. I dare you to bet that if he knew it was me, he definitely wouldn’t agree to be on this show.”
Jiang Yin was silent for a moment. “What if I convince him? Would you come?”
Xia Xiqing, who had been staring at the paint on his fingertips, lifted his head, his eyes sparkling with joy. “Sure.” His tone was light and cheerful, which made Jiang Yin curious—it was too straightforward.
“Really?” Jiang Yin looked skeptical. “I find it a bit strange that you agreed so quickly.”
Xia Xiqing’s fingers fiddled with the elegant sugar cube box beside him, took one out, put it in his mouth, and bit it into pieces before it had a chance to melt.
“Really, I agree.”
Just thinking about the scene of Zhou Ziheng, who clearly disliked him, having to live with him made him excited.
Excitement was the source of his creative desire.
“By the way, are you sure you want to invite me to this reality show that requires intelligence?” Xia Xiqing raised his eyebrows. “What if I can’t help at all and just end up holding Zhou Ziheng back?”
Xia Xiqing wasn’t speaking without basis. After all, he was Zhou Ziheng’s fan and knew him to some extent. When Zhou Ziheng decided to give up art school and go to P University’s physics department for the college entrance exam, it surprised Xia Xiqing. He never expected this child star to be a high-IQ science guy. He thought Zhou Ziheng would give up his entertainment career and dedicate himself to socialist scientific research, but who knew he would still come out and take on acting roles afterward?
You don’t have to go to a formal school to act well. When God opens a door for someone, he usually opens all the windows as well. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be a single crack of light, and it would be as dark as a prison cell.
Reality is that cruel.
“That’s what I thought. Ziheng is smart enough, so it’s better if you just play a supporting role.” Jiang Yin smiled, making no attempt to hide her initial calculations. “But I still looked into you—it’s just a professional habit. I was really surprised to find out you’re from the Florence Academy of Fine Arts. Oh, and I accidentally saw your records from participating in HiMCM.”
Accidentally?
This woman is terrifying. Although Xia Xiqing’s face remained expressionless, he was secretly impressed by her investigative skills. Participating in the Mathematical Modeling Competition was something he did in high school, yet she was still able to find it.
“I think someone like you would never be the one holding us back.” Jiang Yin looked at Xia Xiqing with a fake smile, and Xia Xiqing returned a insincere smile. “I’ll try my best.”
“So you’re really going on TV?” Xu Qichen asked, his mouth full of cake, his words muffled and tinged with surprise.
Sitting on the floor, Xia Xiqing nodded, stretching out his long legs and crossing them. He couldn’t help but complain, “Isn’t ‘going on TV’ a bit outdated? I’m going to participate in a reality show.”
“It’s the same thing.” Xu Qichen had eaten too quickly and was feeling a bit choked up, so he got up from the sofa and ran to the refrigerator to find a drink.
Xia Xiqing watched his back and sighed, “You’re barefoot again. Haven’t you been scolded enough by Xia Zhixu?” After saying that, he glanced at the milk carton with no aesthetic appeal and couldn’t help but ask, “Is there any alcohol?”
“Drink less alcohol. Your Xia family is either into smoking or drinking—a bunch of bad habits.” Xu Qichen shoved the milk into his hands.
Xia Xiqing reluctantly took the milk, grinning mischievously at Xu Qichen. “You have the nerve to say that? That kid’s biggest bad habit in life is you.”
“You’re the one with the bad habit,” Xu Qichen retorted casually. “Don’t laugh. One thing conquers another. It’ll be your turn sooner or later.”
Xia Xiqing shrugged. “Then we’ll see which unlucky soul ends up with my bad habit.”
Xu Qichen recalled the reality show, “Why did the producer choose you? This kind of mystery-solving reality show seems pretty rare, and guests are usually hard to come by, right?”
“That person must have found my old competition records with Xia Zhixu and the others, plus the recent trending topic incident…” Xia Xiqing sighed, squeezing the milk carton, “That’s why I hate the internet.”
“But speaking of which…” Xu Qichen, who enjoyed watching the commotion, leaned back on the sofa cushion and smiled, “If you participate in that show, you’ll be able to get up close and personal with your idol.”
“Not an idol, but a sexual fantasy object.” Xia Xiqing perked up at the mention of this. “You’ve hit the nail on the head. If it were before, I probably wouldn’t have agreed. Every move would be recorded by machines, which feels pretty disgusting. But now Zhou Ziheng seems to dislike me, which makes it interesting.”
Xu Qichen was a bit confused. He didn’t understand what his VIP ticket had accomplished, and he couldn’t figure out what Xia Xiqing was thinking.
Being disliked by someone you like, and yet still feeling excited about it?
“Aren’t you a sadist? Why do I feel like you’re a masochist?”
Xia Xiqing laughed and pinched Xu Qichen’s cheek. “Chenchen, you’re too naive. Don’t you think it’s… interesting to watch someone who hates you suppress their emotions, work together with you on camera, and even act friendly toward you?”
Actually, he hesitated for a moment when choosing his words. The original candidate was “sexy.” In his mind, Zhou Ziheng enduring his own disgust and being forced to act out a casual closeness was truly a very sexy scene.
It made one want to do everything possible to provoke the limits of his facade.
By the time he got home, it was already late. Another unfamiliar call came in on his phone. Xia Xiqing answered it casually, only to discover it was his stepmother.
At this time, Xia Xiqing couldn’t think of any convincing reason for her to call him.
“Xiqing, you came back to the country without even telling me?”
Her voice was as insincere and affected as ever. Xia Xiqing put the phone on speaker and set it aside.
“If I had known you were coming back from Florence, I should have told you in advance so your father and I could send someone to pick you up. Now we have to see you on the news. It’s really not easy.” Her voice was as slippery as a fish, leaving a fishy smell on his hands. “You’re still the son of the Xia family. You can’t just stay out there and appear on TV. You should give your father…”
Xia Xiqing snorted coldly, walked into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, took out a bottle of iced water, twisted the cap open, and drank several large gulps. The icy water flowed into his lungs, and his entire body felt cold.
“Have you finished speaking? You usurping Mrs. Xia.”
The other person hesitated for a moment, and when they spoke again, their voice lacked confidence. “Why are you being so aggressive? I’m just concerned about you…”
“Aggressive?” Xia Xiqing slammed the refrigerator door shut. “You’ve been pretending to be compassionate for so long. What exactly do you want? Let me think… Is my mother’s property being transferred? Or is Xia Yunkai planning to divide the family assets?”
“You!”
It seemed she had hit the nail on the head.
Xia Xiqing smiled. “Instead of pretending to be concerned here, why don’t you go beg your husband to stop fooling around outside and having more illegitimate children to divide the family fortune with your son? My suggestion is quite reasonable, isn’t it?”
“You…” The other person’s every word and action had been seen through by Xia Xiqing, and she couldn’t help but become angry and ashamed. The kindness and gentleness she had previously put on were all torn apart by her. “You shameless slut, you’re just like your father. You two are always messing around outside!”
“If he didn’t mess around, how could you have entered the Xia family?” Xia Xiqing’s tone was extremely gentle, “You should be grateful.”
The other person once again erupted into a tirade, repeating the same old insults: you and your father are both shameless scoundrels, and neither of you will end well. Xia Xiqing had heard such harsh words since childhood and was already accustomed to them.
After quietly waiting for her to finish her tirade, Xia Xiqing placed the bottle back on the table, turned around, and leaned against the counter. Finally, she spoke again.
Breathing was labored, and frustration mounted.
Xia Xiqing undid the first button of her shirt with one hand and reiterated, “I said, Xia Yunkai and I are not the same kind of person.”
That felt a bit better.
“He sleeps with women; I sleep with men.”
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