Chapter 27: The Top Celebrity Is About to Make a Comeback on Variety Shows

This top celebrity must have felt terribly wronged. Zhou Yili could more or less piece together the meaning behind his words. Fortunately, when he returned, he followed the menu exactly and brought back dinner without missing a single item. That was just enough to placate the aloof little white bird.

Once Shen Jixing had eaten his fill and went upstairs, Zhou Yili finally realized, "Wait, why the hell am I comforting him?" Wasn’t Shen Jixing the one who made the first mistake? Habit is a frightening thing—whenever that person shows even the slightest discomfort, it seems that all Zhou Yili is left with is the instinct to soothe him. Zhou Yili leaned back lazily, then scoffed. "Forget it, too lazy to argue with you."

...

The sound of water from the bathroom ceased. Shen Jixing emerged, drying his damp black hair. The collar of his white pajamas was wet, revealing a slice of pale, clear collarbone. A silver necklace, touched by droplets, disappeared into the hollow of his collarbone.

"Something has happened!" Pei Ming shouted urgently over the phone. "Splash—" Strange sounds of water came through, and Pei Ming paused, "What are you doing?" "Pouring water," Shen Jixing replied, his tone cool and indifferent as his pale fingers placed a small rose into the teapot. "What’s the matter?"

His voice was sparse and calm, so composed it was admirable. Pei Ming’s urgency faded almost entirely. "The news about you joining the variety show has been leaked." Now, it had stirred up quite the storm on Weibo. Pei Ming was nearly beside himself.

"Mm," Shen Jixing poured a cup of flower tea, mist curling between his brows. He tasted the rich fragrance of roses, his brow relaxing slightly. "Is that all you have to say?" Pei Ming asked. It seemed nothing could faze this top star. Watching his calm demeanor, Pei Ming couldn't help but wonder: did he look like this even when sleeping with male fans?

... A stray thought, off-topic.

Shen Jixing seemed to feel he should respond, so he asked in a leisurely manner, "Who leaked the information?" Pei Ming replied, "I have no idea." Only their team knew about this. Pei Ming wondered aloud, "Could it be someone from the variety show side...?"

Shen Jixing answered quietly, "No. It would only harm them." A lengthy message from Director You Qian popped up in the chat. The gist was: he had no idea, it really wasn't him who leaked it, he kept his mouth shut tighter than the pea beneath the princess's twelve mattresses—meticulously so.

"As expected, it's someone from our own side," Shen Jixing said. Releasing the news early could generate hype, but it also brought negative consequences and might anger Shen Jixing enough to make him withdraw from the show altogether. The only benefit was the large breach-of-contract penalty, but Director You was never short of money. So, it could only be someone from Shen Jixing’s end.

Shen Jixing quickly sorted through his thoughts and typed lazily on the screen.

[S]: Don't believe it
[I'm not interested in money]: !!! Heaven, please distinguish the loyal from the traitors!!!

Shen Jixing: ...

Director You had once been a veteran of corporate warfare, and though his mind wasn't entirely stable, his instincts were sharp. He couldn’t say much, only drop hints.

[I'm not interested in money]: Actor Shen, there’s a mole.
[S]: Terminate the deal?
[I'm not interested in money]: No!!!!!!!!!!!
[I'm not interested in money]: If you insist on quitting, don’t blame me for resorting to vulgar methods.
Shen Jixing: ?
[I'm not interested in money]: I'll pay more [heart in hands]

"That's too vulgar," Pei Ming muttered on the other end, his gums aching. "I suggest the richest man insult me with money like that, too."

Shen Jixing replied to Director You, amused.

[S]: Happy cooperation

He closed the chat and opened the trending list on Weibo.

#Breaking! Top star ‘Jixing’ to return for variety show# [Explosive]

The comments below were downright ugly.

"? Where does he get the nerve?"
"Comeback? I don’t think he ever left..."
"You still don’t get it? Shen Jixing is ruthless. When he can’t refute, he uses hype to make a comeback. Black fame is still fame. Truly disgusting."
"No money, huh? Heard he lost several luxury endorsements and can’t pay the breach penalties, so he’s forced to return for cash. Hilarious."
"Don’t expect anyone to buy this. The variety show director is shameless. If this show doesn’t flop, I’ll eat shit."
"Agreed. Not even dogs would watch."

The trending plaza was flooded with negative comments, mostly from fans of Fang Siqian who had just suffered a setback thanks to Shen Jixing.

Three minutes later—

[Fang Siqian]: Honored to join Director You’s new show ‘Joyful Adventure’, hoping to kick off an exciting journey with everyone tomorrow at ten [peace sign]

Fang’s fans were still stunned, unable to react. A familiar flash of blue appeared before their eyes—the same group with the six-pointed star insignia.

"Say it?"
"Not even dogs would watch!"
"Either the show flops or you livestream eating shit—pick one!"

"That little ‘Fang Cake’ upstairs, changing your name to ‘Big Swing’ won’t help. I, the Dropping Shit Lord, will keep watching you until you eat it."

Shen Jixing didn’t want to tarnish the cute image those young girls held in his mind. He closed Weibo.

"That brat Fang Siqian is on the same show as you again?!" Pei Ming had clearly just seen Weibo himself.

"Again?" Shen Jixing replied. "When have I ever been on a show with him?"

Pei Ming thought to himself, you don’t even remember the guy, let alone meeting him on a show.

"In your early years, you joined ‘Masked Singer’ as a guest judge to repay a favor. Remember?"

Shen Jixing leaned his lower back against the sofa, quietly recalling. "I vaguely remember."

"Back then, you made an offhand comment that one contestant sang like a buffalo. The producers were so scared they muted your mic. Was he the buffalo?"

"No," Pei Ming was silent for two seconds. "He was the next one—you said he sang worse than the buffalo."

Shen Jixing: ...

He had always spoken coldly and bluntly; Zhou Yili’s claim that he was arrogant might not be unfounded.

Shen Jixing sipped his tea. "Oh, forgot."

"If this is related to Fang Siqian, I think I can guess who’s working against you behind the scenes," Pei Ming suddenly said.

Shen Jixing didn’t know since when Pei Ming had become so clever.

He blew gently on his tea. "Go on."

"Someone from higher up."

At that, Shen Jixing’s half-lowered lashes lifted, hearing Pei Ming whisper into the phone:

"I’ve been digging into Fang Siqian’s background lately. Guess what I found? He’s likely entangled with our company’s mysterious boss..."

"…"

"You’ve been acting independently lately, upsetting the company. Add a little pillow talk from a lover, and that’s probably why..."

Though Shen Jixing belonged to the company, capitalists are ruthless. When you stop playing by their rules, they have countless ways to destroy you. Only those close to you know where to stab for maximum pain.

Shen Jixing was silent for a moment.

"So, the higher-ups don’t want you on the variety show?" Pei Ming asked. "What do you think?"

"I don’t think," Shen Jixing replied.

"…"

"Leaking the news early makes no difference to me—it’s just a matter of time." Shen Jixing stared at the rose floating in his cup, his thin lips curving into a slight smile after a while. "Besides, I do find myself a bit interested in things lately."

Pei Ming was baffled. "Huh?"

"Fang Siqian—his name has been showing up a lot recently."

Shen Jixing rarely remembered anyone, let alone in such a passive way.

"He should exit the stage. Don’t you agree?"