Oriental Sports Stadium.
When the entrance opened at nine o’clock in the morning, the seats were full in less than thirty minutes. Most of them were fans from various families who came to show their support, holding colorful banners in their hands. Before the game started, they were already searching around for their idol’s figure on the field, and the cheers were quite feverish in its intensity.
The 《Star Movement Association》 is a celebrity competitive sports program jointly organized by M&E Media and sports stations. The retired coach of the national team serves as the referee, while celebrities from all social classes are its participants. Because of the large amount of traffic and high show rating in the first season, the program decided to hold the second season in one go. They invited as many little flowers1 and little fresh meats2 as they could, taking advantage of the program’s current popularity.
For the sake of exposure, some artists in the entertainment industry who are still in the developmental stage will mostly agree to any invitation. Although they are not as good as first-tier artists, all their fans add up to a lot of the program’s hype.
The seats in the stadium are ready, and the participating artists are warming up backstage. They are roughly divided into men’s and women’s groups. Among them, the most eye-catching are Shen Xilin, one of the four national little flowers, and Su Ge, the lead singer of the TR men band group, who is currently on fire. The support colors of the two of them each accounted for half of the audience, which was quite spectacular.
Before the start of the competition, the backstage of the stadium was busy. There were a total of 32 participants in the men’s archery category. The first round of ranking matches had already come out, and the next elimination round was about to kick off.
“Hurry up, hurry up, everyone is here! There are still seats, so field staffs hurry up and make sure!”
“Makeup artists, makeup artists, Ya Li’s eyes are a little bit off, quickly fix her makeup. It would be her turn to go on stage soon!”
Su Ge is practicing archery in the background. He ranked first in the ranking competition. He is also a big favorite to win the championship this year. In addition to this, his popularity is strong enough that in just a few days, he has been frequently searched for; and as there is a tendency to go out of the circle after a few years, the coach also paid a lot of attention to him.
Everyone was busy with their own affairs, but there was a man lying on the bench in the lounge not far away. He covered his eyelids using the back of his hands, as if he were sleeping. He was wearing blue sportswear, and the thing is, he was obviously also an artist participating in the competition yet the people who came and went around didn’t seem to notice him.
The lights above his head poured down, illuminating the corner of the lounge, but the man lying on the bench seemed to be in a muddy dream and it was difficult to get out. His figure curled up uncontrollably, accompanied by a slight twitch, his hair was already slightly sweaty.
“Xi Nian has been deceiving fans for so long. It turns out that he not only has a bad character, but also bribed paparazzi to smear his opponents. No wonder he rose to power so quickly!”
“I vomited, but he is still an actor, so surely he didn’t climb up through improper means, right? How deep is his background?”
“I’ve always found it strange. Xi Nian hasn’t had any black material since his debut. It’s simply abnormal to be clean. It turns out that he is the same as Lu Xingzhe. ”
The Movie Emperor of the new generation of actors, this is what others call Xi Nian.
The number one nosy paparazzi in the entertainment industry, this is what others call Lu Xingzhe.
The two people were originally unrelated, no one knew that they were involved with each other. The people were only made aware not long after Xi Nian won the Best Actor award, and someone suddenly posted on the Internet about his previous scandal when he first debuted. His reputation was then ruined overnight.
The computer screen is flashing in the caliginous night, and the overwhelming black material keeps popping up, almost as if the posters were trying to drown people. At first, it was just the fact that Xi Nian bought paparazzi to suppress competitors in the past, and then gradually the gossip evolved into various versions. Unspoken rules, plastic surgery, playing big names…
Some were real, some were fake, some Xi Nian has indeed done, some Xi Nian didn’t, but it doesn’t matter now. When he ascended to the stage, he was full of glory, and when he fell to the bottom, he was also full of dirt.
People in the entertainment industry have such days. No one cares when they are tepid. When they become famous, there will be countless pairs of eyes aimed at them, reaching out in the dark in an attempt to push them into the abyss.
Xi Nian just won an international award last month. It was supposed to be the time of feeling triumph, but he does not know who was secretly taking action to investigate all his past history. Overnight, peeling stickers sprung up like rain, and it couldn’t be suppressed.
Xi Nian sat in front of the computer for a long time, the phone was sitting on the table, it kept vibrating all the time, and countless calls came. Finally, because the battery was exhausted, it returned to silence again.
“Did you do this?”
With a low and hoarse voice as well as indifferent eyes, no one could imagine that the gloomy man in front of him was Xi Nian, a quite high-spirited newcomer actor in front of the screen.
Beside him stood a young man in a black hooded sweater, most of his figure was hidden in the dark, and his sense of existence was extremely low. If he didn’t speak, you wouldn’t even notice his existence.
Hearing Xi Nian’s words, the young man raised his hand and pulled the brim of his hat. His complexion was whiter than ordinary people, but he had a pair of beautiful phoenix eyes. His eyes were too dark, making people feel that he was not a good person. He was notorious in the entertainment industry━the paparazzi, Lu Xingzhe.
He stared at Xi Nian motionless, and after a long time, he finally reacted, but as if he had heard some joke, he suddenly laughed: “Why?”
Why does he think it’s him?
Lu Xingzhe laughed so hard he couldn’t straighten his waist. He bent over to support his knees, took a breath, and asked with a half-smile, “Just because I was kicked away after you used me, so you think I have a grudge and want to retaliate against you?”
His hands were slender and clean, with thick calluses on the joints. He was used to holding cameras, but it was these hands that brought Xi Nian from an obscure little star to the limelight while also doing all the dirty things for him.
Lu Xingzhe stretched out his hand and clicked on the computer, because of the excessive force, there were some water ripples on the screen. On the screen was a scandal about Xi Nian and the popular actress, Qiao Zhi, embracing late at night on the street: “This was your gift to me.”
Lu Xingzhe looked at him with a playful smile at the corner of his lips, and said silently, “I have to send you one too, as a courtesy……”
Xi Nian didn’t have many emotional ups and downs from the beginning to the end. He didn’t get up from the chair until he heard this sentence. He got up, raised his hand and grabbed Lu Xingzhe’s collar, pressing the person against the wall. His breathing was very oppressive, in a deep voice he asked: “Is it really you?”
Lu Xingzhe was choked by him, nearly unable to breath, his hands hanging on his side with his fists clenching and loosening, but in the end, he didn’t do anything. He raised his eyes and sighted Xi Nian staring at him with scarlet eyes: “…it’s me. ”
Lu Xingzhe smiled like a sick man, arrogant and proud, saying something that one didn’t know whether it was true or not: “It’s me.”
“Don’t you want to be a big star the most? Don’t you care about your future the most? Didn’t you always dream of getting rid of me? I won’t let you get what you want……”
They are bed bugs in the gutter, they are grasshoppers on a rope3, they can only stay in the corner where the sun is not seen, and they will rot day by day, where they will never see the light for the rest of their lives.
Lu Xingzhe deliberately stepped on his sore spot, Xi Nian grabbed his hand, pulled him over and pressed him on the sofa with a blank expression. Putting his knee against Lu Xingzhe’s left leg, sinking a little harder, he asked in a raspy voice: “What about you? You don’t have what you want?”
Lu Xingzhe has a disability in his left leg. This action caused the blood color on his face to fade instantly, and his body convulsed with pain. Xi Nian clung to his ear, one hand sticking in along the hem of his clothes, but it didn’t bring the slightest temperature, only endless coldness.
Lu Xingzhe didn’t know where the strength came from, he suddenly struggled desperately, and was finally held down by Xi Nian.
“Didn’t you come here today just to let me fuck you?” Xi Nian pressed him on the sofa, biting his hard on his earlobe, causing a tingling pain, breathing hot with a slight vindictive meaning to remind him: “How enthusiastic you were in the past, what are you pretending to be now……”
The couch, the bed, the floor, everywhere had left traces of their lovemaking. Lu Xingzhe had touched Xi Nian’s body many times, and he forced Xi Nian to touch it.
A foul-smelling and invisible paparazzi, trying to tie a person with the fame and fortune of the entertainment industry, how ridiculous it is to say it out loud.
Lu Xingzhe didn’t know why, but when he heard the words, he suddenly stopped struggling. He closed his eyes forcefully, cold sweat rolled down from his forehead, hugged his left leg and knee tightly, and then curled up on the sofa, suppressing the shortness of breath caused by the pain.
Xi Nian looked at him condescendingly, paused for a moment, and then slowly released his hand.
Lu Xingzhe didn’t know why, he could still laugh in such a situation. He was limp on the sofa, pale and weak, still as bad and proud as before, his eyes narrowed, and he was as cunning as a fox: “If you want to fuck me, tell me earlier, it’s not like I won’t agree.”
As he said this, he stretched out his hand and hugged Xi Nian’s neck, forced him to bow his head, and kissed him almost bitterly. Lips and teeth bumping. The smell of blood permeates, in addition to pain.
Cold sweat fell from the side of Lu Xingzhe’s pale face, and the dark eyelashes were wet and sticky.
This was the first time he kissed Xi Nian.
Because Xi Nian does not like to kiss Lu Xingzhe.
Xi Nian looked at him fixedly, his fingertips tightened, he then pushed him away without warning. The folds on Lu Xingzhe’s collar slowly stretched out, becoming flat.
Xi Nian didn’t know why but he suddenly took a step back and his figure fell into the darkness again. The night view outside the floor-to-ceiling window made him extremely lonely, and there was a moment of nothingness.
The hot search entries on the Internet are still being constantly updated, countless abuses and ridicules piled up into a mountain. It is difficult to achieve one’s success, but it is all too easy to ruin another……
Xi Nian has only been in the entertainment industry for a few years, but he has already won things that others may not get in his entire life, such as gold awards and popularity.
However, under the premise of getting all this, Lu Xingzhe’s help was inseparable. After all, no one could have imagined that these two people who were so different from each other had ever been together.
It’s not just a matter of false love, it’s a matter of getting what you want.
Xi Nian used him to gain a firm foothold in the entertainment industry, but when he became famous, he wanted to kick him away. It’s only natural to think about it. After all, no one likes a notorious paparazzi, especially if this paparazzi is holding all the leverage over him.
Xi Nian had a clear goal from beginning to end. Since he entered the entertainment industry, he would never be the one who was obscure to everyone.
He is ambitious.
His city is deep4.
He was desperate to climb up the ladder—
He also went the wrong way.
There is no airtight wall in the world5. The things Xi Nian has done, one by one added up and, in the end, this became the last straw that overwhelmed the camel6; like a high-rise building crashing down, unable to recover.
It’s not something anyone can endure, not even Lu Xingzhe.
“Get out.”
The night was cool, Xi Nian uttered these words, and the tone of voice was calm. His appearance was that of an unpolished stone, vaguely looking like how he looked when he first debuted. He didn’t care about anything, and finally immersed himself in the entertainment industry. The entertainment industry is a big dyeing tank; once a person goes in, he can no longer retain his original character.
Lu Xingzhe didn’t move. He maintained the posture when he had just been pushed away. There were some blood marks on his pale lower lip. After a second or two, he slowly straightened up from the sofa, with a strand of hair drooping down from his forehead, inexplicably embarrassed.
There was a moment of silence in the room.
Lu Xingzhe reluctantly stood still, and because of his unsteady center of gravity, he took a small step back. He reached out to wipe the blood from the corner of his lips, and smiled indifferently: “I originally wanted to see you as a joke, but forget it, it’s boring.”
Maybe it was because he came out in a hurry. There were some gray marks on the knees of his trouser legs, and the spot on his shoulders was empty. He didn’t take the camera that never left him. He turned around and limped away.
Lu Xingzhe is a cripple.
No one knows why he had to drag a crippled leg and come back to him again at this night when the whole network was abusing Xi Nian.
Maybe it was to enjoy his fall from grace, or maybe it was for something else……
The dream gradually faded away.
The lights in the lounge flickered, and there was a stinging electric sound. This sound somehow stimulated Xi Nian. In his bizarre dream, there was some kind of inorganic cold machine sound.
【Ding! Scumbag target found】
【System is binding……】
【Binding successful, starting reformation process……】
The man lying on the bench suddenly became short of breath when he heard the words, his fingertips clenched unconsciously, as if he had been choked by someone, desperately trying to break free, and finally suddenly sat up from the bench, his pupils tightened. ━━
It seemed like the person who was about to drown finally escaped.
A shallow blue light mass fell quietly in front of him.
【Ding! Host?】
“……”
The air was silent.
Xi Nian slowed his breathing and did not speak, he wiped the sweat from his forehead with a towel and sat quietly in place with his eyes closed, ignoring this rare and odd thing.
Even if the other party gave him a second chance to start over.
【Ding! Dear host, the events of the previous life have passed, and now is a brand new beginning. I hope you will reform well and become a new person. This system will supervise you!】
Reform well and become a new person……
For people who knew Xi Nian, they know that it was because in his life, he was a scum; however, for the rest, they would have thought that Xi Nian had done something really illegal to be badgered by this kind of karma.
This self-proclaimed scumbag reformation system is quite mysterious. Every day, except for shouting some nutritious chicken soup for the soul in his ears, he rarely confides in any news. Xi Nian only faintly knows that it seems to want to reform him, but other than that, he doesn’t know anything.
Reform?
Xi Nian thought to himself, there is nothing to change.
Some people are born to be kind, some people are born to be despicable, and he happens to be the latter, and there is no need to forcibly change anything.
Seeing the first host showing his usual indifferent expression again, System 009 felt a little distressed. Its round blue body shook like jelly, and it rechecked the host’s information again.
Xi Nian did whatever it took to become famous in his previous life. In the end, he lost his reputation and committed suicide by falling off a building. Before he died, he happened to be selected by the interstellar executive officer to reform and get a chance to be reborn.
He reincarnated and was transported to the starting point of his career where he still hasn’t done anything.
The system hopes that he can make a different choice.
Xi Nian seemed to have not yet separated himself from the emotions of his previous life, and at this moment, he really could care less. He didn’t know how annoying the system in front of him would be in the future. He covered his eyelids with the back of his hand, as if planning to sleep again, but at this moment, a tall and thin man suddenly hurried into the lounge, looking around as if searching for something, and when he saw Xi Nian, he appeared to be even more angry. This man knocked on the bench hard with the newspaper that was rolled into a cylinder in his hand.
“Xi Nian, the competition is about to start and you’re still sleeping here? If you don’t want to get involved, pack your things and get out so I can save some snacks!”
The man’s cheekbones were tall and thin, his face was shrewd. He didn’t look like a good person. Xi Nian sat up straight and squinted his eyes. He found that the face in front of him was familiar. He rummaged through his long and messy memories for a long time before he remembered the man in front of him with hindsight. It’s Sun Ming, his agent when he first debuted.
An unknown artist who has nothing has no right to speak, let alone Xi Nian, who can be regarded as a paste through the center of the earth7 at this time. Sun Ming has brought five artists under his hands and Xi Nian is one of them. Their popularity is generally not high.
A total of 32 people participated in the men’s archery group of the 《Star Movement Association》 this time. Su Ge was the first in the ranking competition while Xi Nian was last; and they were assigned to the same batch for PK in the elimination for this round.
The two are artists from the same entertainment company but if it were not for the fear of affecting Su Ge’s popularity, I’m afraid that Sun Ming would not be bothered even if he was absent from the competition.
Xi Nian was thinking about things, and when this image fell into Sun Ming’s eyes, the latter felt that he was being disobedient. He raised the newspaper in his hand and smacked it heavily on the edge of the chair: “Can’t you hear me talking to you? Playing deaf or dumb, anyway, this time it’s cheaper for you kid, when you play against Su Ge later, remember to use him to rub8 a few shots……”
Before he could finish his words, he was caught off guard by the younger man’s darkened eyes that made his voice stopped abruptly━━
Sun Ming had never seen such a pair of eyes, dull and surging, hiding countless negative emotions, but when he looked closely, there was only emptiness left.
Xi Nian slowly got up from the bench, his tall figure was very oppressive, and there was a gloom in his eyes that could be dissipated in the future. It made people’s hearts feel chilled when they looked at it.
Sun Ming swallowed unconsciously, and bluffed: “You…… what are you staring at me for? Hurry and warm up now!”
At this time in his previous life, Xi Nian hadn’t learned archery, coupled with wrist injuries, his results were all over the place. He was the only player in the men’s group who was always off-target and was treated as a laughingstock by netizens when the show was streamed. He and Su Ge were simply worlds apart and it’s quite humiliating.
Xi Nian has forgotten the final result. Anyway, he was PKed in the elimination round. It took several years to get rid of his image as a vase artist9. Facing Sun Ming’s gaze, he picked up his jacket and turned away without saying a word.
Su Ge had already warmed up, and was sitting on the side discussing something with the coach in a low voice. He inadvertently raised his head to catch a glimpse of Xi Nian, and then turned a blind eye. He only used him as air. There was no ridicule or disdain, but it was more heart-breaking than if he did.
Xi Nian ignored it and went into the practice room to get a recurve bow. He put on the finger protector and wrapped the bowstring. As he checked the apparatus, this artist didn’t seem to have any urgency on his person, as if he wasn’t interested in the next match.
Xi Nian tested the tension of the bowstring and took off another arrow, he then opened the bow and set up the arrow, aiming at the distant target and squinting a little to adjust the position.
The practice room was very quiet, forming two extremes from the hustle and bustle outside.
Time passed continuously, and his arm muscles were a little sore because of the excessive tension. He narrowed his eyes, moved his fingertips slightly, and finally let go of the bowstring━━
Whoosh!
Only a slight sound of breaking through the air was heard, and the afterimage of the arrow body flashed by, and it shot straight at the target with the momentum of breaking the bamboo, impartially in the middle of the circle of the target, the tail feathers were still trembling gently.
The tail feather was still twitching.
The door of the practice room was half-closed, and no one saw this scene. Xi Nian moved his wrist without an emotion visible on his face, then he put down his bow and arrow, turned around and left. He considered his warm up finished.
The match was about to start, and the cheers on the field were getting louder and louder. Almost all the people in the field were shouting Su Ge’s name, after all, even if he’s only a presumptive for first place in PK, the result was not in doubt.
Some netizens have already started posting online. Placing bets on who the champion of the second season would be. Su Ge’s fans are not to be outdone, voting and swiping to brush up the data. The number of floors [of the post] visible to the naked eye has increased.
[If nothing else, this year’s men’s archery champion will be Su Ge. He has participated in an archery club in high school before, and he is still a little stronger than Yu Fan, who finished second.]
[Su Ge is so handsome when he shoots arrows! The arrow didn’t hit the target, but it hit my heart! The Pacific Ocean is my drool for him!!]
[By the way, what’s the name of Number 9 who is going to PK with Su Ge this time? Xi Nian?]
[It’s Xi Nian, the only one in the men’s group whose aim is always off-target. Su Ge is playing PK with him for this round. Isn’t this like a cannon blasting mosquitoes10? Although I know that celebrities are not professional athletes, next time can the program group that invites guests screen them first? He can’t even hold the bow right, isn’t it funny?]
Xiǎohuā ━ Young female high-valued celebrities, petite and pretty.
Xiǎo Xiānròu ━ Commonly refers to young male internet celebrities not older than 30, generally handsome newcomers who are still green. It can also be used to describe these people when they have a lively nature as well as a childish face. Origin: Xiao praising Zhao Youting as small fresh meat back in 2009. Currently, the term tender meat, on the other hand, is a jargon for calling newcomer celebrities regardless of gender.
Tāmen shì yītiáo shéng shàng de mà zhà ━ A metaphor used for two people in the same situation wherein, neither of them can shirk responsibility. No one can run away, they have reached the point where they have to unite: die together, live together.
Tā chéngfǔ shēnchén ━ The metaphor for far-reaching and intentional. It described the deep heart of treating people and handling things that make it difficult to speculate. Basically, it means that the person is very scheming to get what he desires.
Shìshàng méiyǒu bù tòufēng de qiáng ━ There is nothing in this world that can be hidden. No matter how much you want to bury a secret, sooner or later someone will come to know what it is. Origin: The Case of Liu Gong
Chéngle yā sǐ luòtuó de zuìhòu yī gēn dàocǎo ━ It was derived from an Arabic parable where people were putting straws on the back of the camel one by one. As a single number, it would not matter but if it accumulates, it may be as heavy as a mountain that could be the last straw to push the camel to collapse because of how heavy it eventually became.
Kěyǐ suànshì hú chuān dì xīn ━ Web term to indicate that a celebrity is not famous. It is also a phenomenon about a fire with its heat long passed or a celebrity whose popularity has long frazzled.
Rubbing shot. When you rub, a heat can be created. Heat/hot in China means fame so in this case, Sun Ming is telling Xi Nian to get close to Su Ge while the latter was being filmed so that he can get more exposure.
Huāpíng yìrén de ━ Usually has an exceptional looks but lacking in talent, can only serve as a decoration.
Zhè bùshì dàpào hōng wénzi ma ━ Unequal fight. Overkill. Using powerful materials for small uses. Improper use of talents which results in not being able to make use of their ability to the fullest.