YPHC Chapter 8

Jiang Nan’an’s Weibo post pushed the whole incident to a new level of attention.

 

His image in front of the media had always been cool, gentle, and reserved. He was always polite and knew his boundaries, rarely active on social platforms unless necessary, and showed almost no emotional fluctuations on camera-the epitome of an untouchable “flower on a high ridge.”

 

But after this alleged persona collapse, the high-ridge flower suddenly descended from his pedestal, using his main account to engage in direct confrontation, with each emoji dripping with sarcasm so thick it was almost tangible.

 

Spectators were in an uproar, saying he couldn’t keep up the act anymore, praising his true personality, saying he finally felt like a real person… all kinds of comments. Everyone was waiting for the next act of the show, but Jiang Nan’an delivered one blow and disappeared, offering no further explanation on the matter.

 

 

The reason was simple-

 

His Weibo account had been confiscated by Qi Hong.

 

After Jiang Nan’an went wild and got it out of his system, he wrote a 5,000-word self-criticism for Qi Hong and never paid attention to the matter again. After all, he no longer had access to his Weibo, and he wasn’t interested in creating an alternate account just to see people cursing him online.

 

He only knew that Qi Hong had bought some marketing to expose Liang Cheng’s bad behavior on set, including but not limited to acting like a diva, forcing script changes, being unprofessional… This served two purposes: first, to indirectly explain the “workplace bullying” incident, and second, to warn Liang Cheng to behave and stop stirring up trouble.

 

Perhaps because of Liang Cheng’s involvement, or perhaps because of Jiang Nan’an’s response, the matter didn’t fade away after the initial frenzy as Qi Hong had hoped. On the contrary, the internet was in an uproar for more than ten days, even spawning a new term called “Jiang Studies.” Some bloggers dug up all of Jiang Nan’an’s interviews and behind-the-scenes footage since his debut, analyzing them frame by frame to find evidence of his on-camera acting, euphemistically calling it “helping him find his true self.”

 

Some fans couldn’t accept that a celebrity would use a persona to gain followers and turned against him, while others found his real personality more authentic and lovable. In short, opinions were all over the place, and related topics became a mess. Before PR could assess the optimal next step, Qi Hong helped Jiang Nan’an cancel his recent work commitments, letting him stay home and rest for a while.

 

This was actually a good thing for Jiang Nan’an.

 

He loved acting and experiencing different characters’ lives, but equally hated all work outside of performing. Social engagements, magazine shoots, livestreams, red carpets, interviews… he disliked all social activities, which also kept Qi Hong constantly on edge. Even though Qi Hong had already minimized these schedules as much as possible, in the entertainment industry, such things were unavoidable.

 

Now, with everything exposed, troublesome work was canceled, and Jiang Nan’an was happy to be idle.

 

These relaxing days lasted for almost a month, until one day when Qi Hong suddenly showed up at his door without warning.

 

She had managed Jiang Nan’an for seven years, treating him almost like a half-brother. She entered his home as if it were her own, made herself a nice cup of coffee before getting to the point:

 

“Have you had enough rest this past month? I’ve realized, Jiang Nan’an, you really don’t worry about anything. Other artists in your situation would be begging for opportunities to show their face and test the waters, but you’re so steady, treating the cooling-off period like a vacation.”

 

Jiang Nan’an leaned back in the sofa chair, holding a copy of “History of Xuan: The Chronicle of Zhuge Wenyun,” slowly turning a page. His demeanor was so peaceful that even the sunlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows seemed to carry the faint scent of ink.

 

“If I worried more, you might find me hanging from that beautiful osmanthus tree downstairs. Lying in the ground and receiving incense offerings at such a young age-the thought is a little exciting.”

 

“Get lost!” Qi Hong rolled her eyes, cleared her throat, and solemnly announced:

 

“The company has considered it and decided to have you try a reality show.”

 

“?” Jiang Nan’an paused.

 

He looked at Qi Hong with a “have you lost your mind” expression.

 

“I know you don’t like or suit socializing,” Qi Hong quickly tried to smooth things over.

 

“But avoiding it forever isn’t the solution. This incident had a big impact and is difficult to wrap up. The investors can’t make proper assessments either, unsure of the public’s attitude toward you. Since you’ve never participated in variety shows or reality TV before, this is a good chance to try it out, just for fun. It’ll also help with your image-use your superb acting skills to silence the critics, so they can’t say anything more, right? Your fans will have more confidence defending you…”

 

“Not interested. There are cameras everywhere in those shows, and constantly acting is exhausting. I also don’t want to deal with people.”

 

Jiang Nan’an ruthlessly rejected Qi Hong’s proposal.

 

Qi Hong knew Jiang Nan’an hated socializing and public appearances, and she knew he wouldn’t easily accept this plan. To get him to agree would definitely require a fierce battle.

 

Qi Hong looked at Jiang Nan’an, brainstorming, when she suddenly noticed the book in his hands and had an idea:

 

“Oh, reading the History of Xuan?”

 

“Mm.” Jiang Nan’an didn’t look up.

 

“Darling, precious, my dear Jiang, you know the company is making this decision for your own good, right? Take this situation-you really like the script for ‘Imperial Tutor’ and the character Zhuge Wenyun and this historical period, right? Although Director Zhang said this role is meant for you, we haven’t even seen a contract yet. The great director has many concerns and choices, with so many good actors waiting in line. He could replace you at any moment, don’t you think? With all this drama now, if we don’t take some measures, how can he feel confident casting you? What if the audience rejects you? What if the broadcast results are poor? What if investors think the risk is too high? These are all things they need to consider, after all, we caused this mess, so we need to give them some reassurance, right? Don’t worry, we’ve already talked to the production team-there won’t be any malicious editing or anything. Just think of it as going to have some fun, okay?”

 

Qi Hong persuaded earnestly, noticing Jiang Nan’an unconsciously rubbing the page with his fingertips, and knew the matter was likely settled.

 

Sure enough, after a moment, Jiang Nan’an asked:

 

“…What kind of reality show? Running around doing tasks? Singing and dancing competitions? Or cooking, farming, chatting, wilderness survival?”

 

Qi Hong revealed a mysterious smile:

 

“None of those. How could I make you do that? The content is definitely something you’ll like, really. I guarantee you’ll feel right at home during filming, like a fish in water, as if you’re back in your own home.”

 

“…?”

 

–

 

Beijing.

 

Yan Jie, dressed in casual sportswear, was on a treadmill with Bluetooth earphones. Fat Fish was slouched to the side, patting his round belly and grinning stupidly at his phone.

 

Yan Jie glanced at him, turned off the machine, picked up his electrolyte water for a sip, then sauntered over to kick Fat Fish:

 

“Hey, weren’t you the one talking about aging and needing to work out to please your wife? You dragged me here to keep you company, so why don’t you run a bit? You do a couple of sit-ups, then huff and puff about being tired and just lie there. With that kind of perseverance, you won’t succeed at anything.”

 

“Get lost, get lost, get lost!”

 

Fat Fish waved his hand:

 

“I’m busy watching the drama unfold! Remember that friend in entertainment planning I told you about? They couldn’t get guests for their show and thought it was about to flop, but these past couple days it’s been revived.”

 

“Which one?” Yan Jie pulled off his towel to wipe his sweat.

 

“The one they’re doing with Blazing Holy Grail, where they get a bunch of people to train and compete, called Burning Eternity.”

 

“Oh.” Yan Jie remembered now: “What about it?”

 

“Guess who they got to join?” Fat Fish chuckled with a “hehe”:

 

“Jiang Nan’an!”

 

“Who?” Yan Jie found the name familiar but couldn’t place it right away, so he asked casually.

 

To his surprise, Fat Fish stared at him with wide eyes as if seeing a ghost:

 

“You trended with him and you don’t know who he is?”

 

With that reminder, Yan Jie remembered:

 

“Oh, him. Is he famous?”

 

“Famous doesn’t even begin to cover it. My wife loves him-her wallpaper is his photo. Didn’t you drag me to the theater to watch his movie? Then you duo-queued with him, interacted in the comments section, and trended. I thought you two knew each other, but you don’t even know his name?”

 

“I don’t follow entertainment circles, how would I… Wait?”

 

Yan Jie paused mid-complaint, not quite understanding what Fat Fish meant:

 

“I watched his movie?”

 

Yan Jie usually just played games or traveled aimlessly around the world. He rarely watched TV dramas, and when he occasionally watched movies, he only picked classics at the top of the rankings. Since he disliked the entertainment industry culture, he didn’t keep up with it and had no idea who those minor celebrities were. But now with Fat Fish’s reminder, a memorable face suddenly popped into his mind.

 

“Oh, you mean that handsome serial killer?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“I duo-queued with him? I don’t remember.”

 

“Heh, I believe you now-you really don’t follow entertainment news. That trending topic was huge, dragging in all sorts of people. You were practically involved, and you didn’t even take a look?”

 

Yan Jie shrugged: “Nope. When someone told me I was trending, I thought it was because I was that popular. But when I checked-hey, turns out I was just riding someone else’s coattails. I glanced at it and only knew some minor celebrity had visited my comment section. Didn’t look further-not interested in those singing and dancing types.”

 

More importantly, during that time Yan Jie had spontaneously gone to the Sahara and only returned to Beijing a couple days ago. When he learned he was trending, he was already in the airport waiting lounge, with no time to care about entertainment industry gossip.

 

“You’re something else. If I trended, I’d be glued to it 24 hours a day. Only you, boss, could conquer the Sahara for a month and still not know who’s who in this situation.” Fat Fish shook his head and sighed:

 

“Ah, unmarried men are so free and confident. Hold on, let me help you figure out what this is all about.”

 

Fat Fish studied his phone for a while:

 

“Netizens are really powerful these days-they’ve dug up everything about this celebrity. My wife is furious, constantly on three phones arguing with haters, saying she needs to support her baby and can’t even eat properly… ‘Nice Weather, Go Hang Yourself’-sound familiar? They say it’s that celebrity’s gaming account. He duo-queued with you, sent you gifts, liked CP videos of you two. It was a crazy revelation at the time.”

 

Yan Jie had just asked casually without much interest, but hearing this, he raised an eyebrow:

 

“It was him?”

 

He lowered his head to check the Cat Paw App, then inexplicably smiled:

 

“No wonder he stopped responding and never came online again. Turns out he used the wrong account and messed up, now he’s sulking… So, did this have a big impact on him?”

 

Fat Fish looked at him with disgust:

 

“I thought you didn’t care about entertainment circles? Now you’re concerned? Just because he’s good-looking, right?”

 

“How could that be?”

 

“I’m not sure, just know it was a big deal. They say his persona collapsed or something. Haven’t heard news about him lately. My wife really misses him-I guess the little celebrity is at home reflecting on his mistakes.”

 

“That’s pitiful, huh?”

 

Yan Jie leaned back in his chair, fingers unconsciously tapping lightly. After a while, he suddenly slapped Fat Fish’s belly:

 

“Hey, Fish, quickly ask your friend if they still need people for that show!”

 

“???” Fat Fish’s small eyes widened instantly:

 

“No way, Yan Jie? What are you thinking?? Who was just saying the entertainment industry is all singing and dancing and whoever touches it is doomed? Who said their show was a talent competition??”

 

“Well, I just found it boring back then.”

 

“And now? Not boring anymore??”

 

“Now…”

 

Yan Jie curved his lips into a smile, revealing his canine teeth, and lightly rubbed his fingertips:

 

“You know what, suddenly it seems kind of interesting.”

 

—

 

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(advanced chapters available on kofi)