CH 20.1

Lu Xingzhe felt that he was at a loss and couldn’t tell where he was at a loss. Anyway, he was at a loss. Yesterday, he shouldn’t have been meddling in someone else’s business. It was none of his concern that someone was taking pictures of Xi Nian. However, it should be okay to send someone home, but…

Lu Xingzhe’s eyes dimmed, and he slumped back into the chair in vain. Then he took out a cigarette from the drawer and lit it with a lighter. His hand was trembling so he had to lit it twice before lighting it.

The smoke pervaded the room, adding a touch of blurriness.

Lu Xingzhe thought, maybe Xi Nian was laughing at him in his heart at this moment, laughing at him for losing the wife as well as the army1[péi le fū ren yòu zhé bīng]: To lose one’s wife as well as one’s soldiers, means to pay a double penalty/ nothing gained but, on the contrary, with a double loss. It is a metaphor to refer to that not only a person was taken advantage of, but also suffered a big loss., laughing at him for giving away in vain the door-to-door service to people to sleep.

The cigarette butts were silently crushed at the corner of the table, and the rain outside the window was pattering.

Due to weather conditions and the upheaval caused by Shen Xi Lin’s injury, the Star Movement Association had to be postponed for a week. This Friday at 8 pm, the second round of elimination matches was aired on time on sports channels.

It had been a while since the last video was uncovered, Su Ge hadn’t shown his face for a long time, and he was definitely in a state of half buried in the snow2[xuě cánɡ zhuàng tài]: This translated to snowy state, which refers to “hidden in the snow.” This mostly refers to deliberately hiding, and not being able to be noticed by others. It also refers to a certain artist whose career is booming, but suddenly disappears; after a few months or even a few years, he is seen reappearing.. Although netizens cursed incessantly, there were always moments when Su Ge was forgotten. However, it was not until the program was broadcasted that he was remembered again by fans.

Unlike the previous screen dominance by Su Ge fan support, this time they were very quiet, and they didn’t even make a fuss. It was unknown how things turned to the point that even association with the word “Su Ge fans” became a reality that was ashamed to speak out.

It was inevitable for others to not mock and ridicule, after all, Su Ge fans had offended too many people in the past. When the camera was aimed at Su Ge, the bullet screens were full of vomiting emoticons. The smiling face that used to look gentle and handsome now only felt hypocritical and greasy.

On the contrary, Xi Nian’s fans had already begun to take shape. Even before he started drawing bows and shooting arrows on the screen, fans were eager to cheer him on. 

Ten points, ten points! Must be ten points!

My brother Xi never fails!

Xi Nian must wins, if not, I’ll twist my head off!

…

There was a muffled sound of “whoosh”, and Xi Nian really lived up to their expectations, and hit the centre to score ten points. As the camera zoomed in, some viewers noticed the black armguard he was wearing, and they couldn’t help but speculate about Su Ge scalding him with water a while ago.

Xi Nian wore armguards to cover his wound, right?

Most likely, counting the dates, the second round of knockout rounds was only one day after Su Ge scalded Xi Nian’s hand, so, his hands must be bad.

How could there be such a big difference between people? Someone pretended to be injured and wished they could be widely known. Xi Nian was injured and insisted on playing with an injury. No one ever heard him complain a word from beginning to end.

Some people, who were not fans of Su Ge but just keyboard warriors3It is an internet term, referring to people who occupy the moral high ground online and express their personal sense of justice and post personal comments.: just a little burn, it was no big deal, besides, was he still not good at archery? How could he get ten points if he was seriously injured?

But soon these remarks were frantically slapped in the face4In other words, proven wrong, often in a humiliating way. This is a quite famous and frequently used term in Chinese web novels., Xi Nian’s injury relapsed in the second round of the knockout round, the first arrow had already taken up all his arm strength. So, when the second arrow was fired, through close-up shots, everyone could see his hands shaking violently.

His face was pale, and the clothes on his back were soaked with sweat, leaving large dark marks, as if he was trying to endure something.

The audience present at that time didn’t understand why Xi Nian didn’t shoot the arrow for a long time, but now they understood, and they all fell silent.

They looked across the screen and saw the man struggling to open the bow and aim again and again while injured, then hitting ten points one after another. When the referee approached and asked if he needed to seek medical treatment off the field, he shook his head and refused.

Someone noticed that at this moment, Xi Nian glanced back at the auditorium. His eyes passed through layers of obstacles, and briefly fell on the few fans who were cheering for him hoarsely, and then looked back.

He rarely looked around, his gaze only focused on the target. However, his gaze occasionally shifted and fell on his fans side, all were captured by the camera.

When his fans saw Xi Nian enduring the pain and shooting arrows, they wished to hack Su Ge to death and were full of a murderous aura. But when they saw this scene, their eyes turned red again.

What’s that look in Xi Nian’s eyes just now, wuwuwu, is it my illusion, good Su5[hǎo sū]: “Good Su” is used to call someone handsome or attractive. Because “Su” comes from Mary Sue, Mary Sue usually referred to a relatively good image. People who say “Su” means that the other party is very good (usually refers to handsome or attractive)., ah!

It turned out that I was stared at by him before! Suffocating and dying without regret, mámá6(Internet slang) Alternative form of 媽媽／妈妈 (“mum”)!!!

Fans cried and felt so sorry for him. Just some time ago, he was crazily torn apart and scolded by a certain fan group. If he won, he would be scolded, and if he lost, he would also be scolded. However, because he was not popular, only a few fans supported him and found out a just few days ago that he had also been scalded by Su Ge on the hand.

Wuwu Wuwu no, my eyes are red. Xi Nian, why didn’t we get to know you earlier?

Why didn’t we get to know you earlier?!

When you were not famous, you must have suffered a lot. If only we had known you earlier.

They felt distressed and heartbroken over the fact that they couldn’t protect him when he was just starting out or in need…

Xi Nian was also watching the program, and when the barrage of bullets flashed in front of him, he propped his head with his hand and frowned, thinking hard for a long time. He recalled, many years ago, he had someone who said the same thing to him.

The lights above his head were bright, and staring at them for a long time could make people dizzy. Amidst a pile of chaotic memories, Xi Nian silently raised his eyes and seemed to remember something through the constantly changing scene on the computer screen.

In the suite on the top floor of the hotel, there were two bodies entangled with each other, rolling off the bed to the ground, and then turning from the ground to the sofa. A dark-haired man with bewildering eyebrows and eyes once sat face to face with him, and then gasped and murmured in his ear as their breathing intermingled: “Director Zhang’s new play, you are the male number one.”

The man’s crimson lips wanted to kiss Xi Nian, but he turned his head to avoid it. Xi Nian frowned and said, “Shao Hansong also participated in the audition. Director Zhang has already appointed him.”

“Do you know why he was appointed by default,” the man whispered in his ear, “Because he has a female benefactor next to him. If the scandal spreads, who would dare to use him?”

Xi Nian’s expression softened a little, and the man smiled when he saw this: “Xi Nian, what would you do without me?”

Without a foundation, even if one has acting skills, it would just be a matter of time before all the opportunities would be snatched by those with connections time and time again.

The man’s blurry face suddenly became clear little by little, his eyebrows and eyes were all like Lu Xingzhe’s. He lowered his eyes, held Xi Nian’s face, and said seriously: “We should have met earlier.”

We should have met earlier…

Xi Nian didn’t understand the meaning of that sentence at the time, but now he suddenly understood something. Humans were a kind of hindsight creatures. Just like how it would take several seconds before one could feel the pain of a broken figure, it might have been forty or fifty years before someone would suddenly remember something they have heard before一recalled in the silence of a deserted and quiet night. And, only then they would realize what those words meant. 

Xi Nian was slower than those people and he could only now一after a lifetime一was able to understand the meaning of the words someone said to him.

The system could clearly see that he was on the brink of death in his previous life and had a sudden sense of regret.

The third knockout round of the Star Movement Association was rescheduled to Saturday. When Xi Nian went out early in the morning with his bag on his back, he found that Sun Ming was waiting downstairs in his car一looking around while also looking at his watch.

Xi Nian pretended not to see him and went straight to the parking lot. Who would have thought that Sun Ming had sharp eyes, and hurried over to stop him: “Xi Nian, Xi Nian, where are you going? I drove here to pick you up.”

Xi Nian thought this wall grass7[qiáng tóu cǎo]: grass on the top of a wall that sways with every wind. It is a metaphor for a person who has no position, independent opinion, and only seeks profit. This kind of person will follow wherever their benefit lies. was acting strange, so he turned sideways to avoid him and walked out: “I can’t afford it.”

Sun Ming didn’t feel embarrassed at all, and still had a smile on his face: “I know, I used to be blind, had eyes but failed to see the Taishan Mountain8[yǒu yǎn bù shí tài shān]: It means to fail to recognize a great person. It is a metaphor for being too narrow in knowledge and wisdom, and unable to recognize people of high status or great ability.. Come on, a bigger person shouldn’t count the faults of villains9[dà ren bú jì xiǎo rén guò]: It refers to being a great man who rarely stoops to pettiness or harbors grievance for past wrongs. This idiom refers to calling oneself the villain and flattering the other person by calling them bigger/elder, in hopes that the latter would forget any wrongdoings of the past and not keep them in mind. . This time I really have something to discuss with you.”

After he finished speaking, he forcibly grabbed Xi Nian’s arm, half-smiling and half-bending, and pulled him into the car. There was a free driver and service, so Xi Nian sat in the back seat of the car and took off his mask: “What’s the matter?”

Sun Ming ordered his assistant to drive, and then took out a paper contract from the briefcase beside him and handed it to him: “It’s like this, the Star Movement Association is almost over, so the company has considered it, and thinks that now is the best time to increase your popularity. Therefore, we have picked up a live experience reality show for you, called 《Decoding the Chamber of Secrets》, all the people who can participate are popular stars. This opportunity is quite rare, and we have fought quite hard for you to get it…”

This program was indeed quite popular, and Xi Nian has also heard of it. He took the contract from Sun Ming and opened it. However, when he glanced at the opening few lines, his movements paused imperceptibly and he raised his eyebrows slightly. “What do you mean?”

What he had in his hand was not a variety show contract, but a renewal contract.

Meeting Xi Nian’s cold gaze, Sun Ming was a little timid, he thought for a second and said: “It’s not easy for the company to win this opportunity for you. Moreover, your contract is about to expire, so why not sign it together? It’s a mutually beneficial thing.”

Although he was tactful, the implication was obvious: first sign the soul-selling10[mài shēn]: Using a different way to refer to a renewal contract.  contract, and then sign the variety show contract.

Xi Nian thought that the old fox of Ouyang Shanxing was not so easy to fool. He held the thirty-year contract in his hand, pondered for a long while, and then smiled slowly: “Renewing the contract is a matter of time, why must we rush today.”

Sun Ming looked at him and said, “Xi Nian, don’t be foolish. The big boss is willing to use resources to support you now, that’s a good thing. Others can’t even think of this opportunity even in their dream. You sign this renewal contract as soon as possible, so I can help you implement it as soon as possible and along with it all the offers such as the variety show.”

How could Xi Nian be fooled by him in a few words, pointing to the contract and he said: “I am not satisfied with these regulations, so make an appointment another day and find a place to discuss it slowly.”

Sun Ming only felt that he could never let Xi Nian slip through his hand. Another day? The contract would be expired in just a few days, and even Su Ge had no hope of making a comeback sooner. Therefore, for now, they must hold onto Xi Nian tightly. Thinking of this, his tone unconsciously became a little tough: “Are you trying to avoid signing? Bidding time to find your next home, right? Xi Nian, think about it clearly, other places may not be able to offer you such generous offers. So, don’t do stupid things in your hot-headedness, or you won’t be able to afford the consequences.”

One thing Xi Nian hated most in his life was being threatened by others. Through the car window, he saw that the car had arrived at the entrance of the gymnasium. He put on his mask again, then threw the contract in his hand back and said with a half-smile: “You guessed it, I just don’t want to sign.”

After Xi Nian finished speaking, he opened the door and walked straight out of the car. Then with the backhand, he slammed the door with a thud. His movements were coherent and all happened in one go. Sun Ming was dumbfounded and didn’t even have time to react.

Xi Nian went straight into the gymnasium, thinking that if he wanted to tear off the pretence then he had no qualms about tearing the face.11[sī pò liǎn pí]: put (or cast) aside all considerations for the face. It is a Chinese idiom, which means to break up a relationship regardless of affection. In other words, it means to shed all pretence of cordiality.

It was better to do it when things had developed to this point. It would be a better option to abandon life here and move hometown to sell sweet potatoes, rather than asking him to sign a 30-year contract with their company.  

After the last knockout round, there were only eight men left in the men’s archery group. Because of Xi Nian’s almost abnormal ten-point hit rate, rumours had spread on the Internet that there was no suspense that he would be the champion this time, and everyone else was just accompanying running12Accompanying Running refers to a phenomenon in which someone is selected together with others in awards or group activities, but the winners are not themselves. In short, Friendly participation, there is no benefit to be gained..

Xi Nian’s ranking on the superstar chart has skyrocketed from the bottom to the top three. Although there was still a slight difference in votes compared to Meng Shalin and Yu Fan, it was not far behind. This time, the audience underwent a complete overhaul, with support for Xi Nian accounting for a full one-third of the total, in addition to Meng Shalin and Yu Fan fans.

Xi Nian! Come on! Xi Nian! Come on!

We all support you!!!