Chapter 57 - 1#
His train of thought came to a brief halt.
At the edge of the crowd, Meng Zhide caught Jing Shun’s gaze and smiled at him as usual.
It had been over four months since they last saw each other. Meng Zhide’s physique hadn’t changed much, but there was a sharper gleam of cunning and scrutiny in his eyes.
Jing Shun quickly averted his gaze from their exchange. Just then, two voices rang out from the entrance: “Hello everyone!”
“Hey, is it just us?”
Jing Shun turned his head to see Fu Changting and Jin Yulin arriving together.
Probably to coordinate with the promotional efforts, the two lead actors had dressed to resemble their characters, but with a harmonious black-and-white contrast in their outfits.
As soon as Fu Changting entered, his attention immediately landed on Jing Shun’s face. “Xiao Jing, you’re here early?”
“Brother Ting, Yulin.”
Jing Shun turned sideways to greet them, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that a pair of eyes behind him were fixed on him relentlessly.
Since the show was still being recorded, he had to suppress that uncomfortable sensation as best he could.
Three more cast members had yet to arrive. Fu Changting, the undisputed centerpiece of the group, gestured, “Let’s sit down first. We’ll wait for the others while we’re seated.”
Feeling that his wheelchair was inconvenient, Jing Shun deliberately moved to the edge as usual, planning to quietly blend in as a background figure.
Fu Changting guessed he would do that, so he removed the extra chair to his right and motioned, “Xiao Jing, come over here.”
Jing Shun pursed his lips, worried about overstepping. “Shouldn’t this be left for one of the other teachers?”
“You’re playing an important role later on. If you don’t sit here, who will?” Fu Changting deliberately gave Jing Shun plenty of reassurance, then shot him a look that said relax.
“Come on over.”
“Alright.”
With the cameras rolling, Jing Shun couldn’t refuse Fu Changting repeatedly, so he maneuvered his wheelchair closer.
“…”
Jin Yulin stood on the left, observing the interaction between the two.
He suppressed the faint displeasure stirring inside him and sat down on Fu Changting’s left with a smile.
Before long, the other three actors arrived one after another.
Although the TV drama had invited many seasoned performers, the fixed guests for this variety show were the five-member “Criminal Investigation Team” from the series.
Aside from the two leads, the other three actors were relatively unknown before the show aired.
Comparatively speaking, Jing Shun—who had debuted as a child star and was playing a major antagonist in the drama—did carry more weight in terms of fame than them. Sitting a bit closer to the center was fine.
Confirming this, Jing Shun breathed a slight sigh of relief.
The afternoon’s variety show recording was straightforward: it involved competing in small games to earn priority for room selection, followed by a lottery session to assign roles for the next day’s scripted murder mystery game.
Of course, the lottery process was just for show; each person’s role had been set long in advance.
The recording ended just after seven o’clock.
Jin Yulin still had a promotional photoshoot appointment, so his agent whisked him away immediately after recording. The three minor actors, who got along well on set, headed off together to explore the night scenery at Hengdian’s scenic street during their free time.
Fu Changting, however, had no plans to go anywhere. He invited, “Xiao Jing, are you hungry? Want to grab dinner with me?”
Since Jing Shun was only familiar with Fu Changting, he didn’t refuse. “Sure.”
The production team had booked the entire restaurant buffet on the eighth floor of the hotel. Fu Changting’s assistant had already reserved a partitioned booth so they could eat and chat comfortably.
Xiao Mo was very attentive. “Brother Jing, you sit tight. I’ll get you some food.”
“Okay.”
Seeing Xiao Mo’s unfamiliar face, Fu Changting asked, “Why didn’n’t Mr. Yu come with you? What about that assistant who used to be with you?”
Jing Shun explained, “Brother Yu has some things to handle at the company. Yu Zhen is a friend of mine; I couldn’t find an assistant in time, so she’s been helping out.”
As he spoke, Jing Shun caught a glimpse of Meng Zhide through the crack in the booth’s partition door—the man was sitting by the window outside, across from the show’s head director.
Jing Shun frowned slightly. His gut instinct told him to stay alert. “Brother Ting, could I ask you something?”
Fu Changting nodded. “Go ahead.”
Jing Shun lowered his voice. “That producer Meng—Meng Zhide from the variety show True Job—do you remember him?”
“I heard he’s already moved to Phoenix TV. So why is he here at our variety show?”
“…”
Fu Changting didn’t really remember Meng Zhide. “Hang on, let me ask my agent.”
Jing Shun hesitated. “Uh…”
Seeing his unease, Fu Changting said, “Trust me, Chen Jiang is reliable. He won’t go spreading things around.”
Jing Shun nodded.
Fu Changting quickly typed out a query to Chen Jiang, then shared what he knew: “Hai TV sold the second-run broadcast rights for Traces to Phoenix TV.”
“This variety show of ours is also funded and produced by Phoenix TV.”
“If Meng Zhide jumped ship to Phoenix, he might have been sent by the higher-ups to oversee this show. It’s not strange that he’d show up.”
Fu Changting was quite perceptive, so he asked, “What’s wrong? Is there bad blood between you?”
Jing Shun shook his head. “No.”
Without evidence, he didn’t dare say anything reckless. “I just saw an acquaintance during the recording and asked out of curiosity.”
Buzz.
Fu Changting soon received a reply from his agent Chen Jiang.
Right in front of Jing Shun, he put his phone on speaker and played the voice message: “Oh, you’re asking about him?”
“Phoenix TV is planning an acting competition show for actors, and Meng Zhide is spearheading it. His team came to Hengdian early to scout locations and set up.”
“They heard that our variety show was filming here for two episodes, so he dropped by today out of boredom. He doesn’t have any direct connection to this show.”
Since the variety show spin-off was funded by Phoenix TV, Meng Zhide, who now held a minor leadership position, also knew the head director. His presence at the recording today was a coincidence, but not unusual.
“He’ll probably be gone by tomorrow.” Fu Changting put away his phone but added a word of caution, “Xiao Jing, if anything comes up, be sure to let me know.”
“…”
Maybe I really am overthinking this?
Pushing aside his lingering doubts for now, Jing Shun forced a smile and nodded.
After a simple dinner, the two returned to their hotel rooms with their assistants. Jing Shun got off the elevator on the fifteenth floor, with Xiao Mo wheeling a small suitcase beside him.
A few steps later, Xiao Mo found the corresponding room number. “Brother Jing, Room 1508. This one’s yours. I’m staying right next door.”
“Okay.”
The electronic door lock had just clicked open.
The elevator doors opened simultaneously, just a few steps away.
Jing Shun unconsciously turned his head and saw Meng Zhide stepping out. The man had a room card in his hand, suggesting he was also staying on this floor of the hotel.
Their gazes inevitably met.
Before Jing Shun could look away, Meng Zhide walked steadily toward him.
“Oh, Xiao Jing, long time no see.”
“…”
Xiao Mo studied this unfamiliar face. Seeing that Jing Shun hadn’t responded, he wisely kept silent.
Meng Zhide stared at Jing Shun’s legs and adjusted his glasses. “It’s only been four or five months—don’t you recognize me?”
“How could I?” Jing Shun turned slightly, putting on a polite facade. “Hello, Teacher Meng.”
Meng Zhide’s eyes settled back on Jing Shun’s face, the look behind his glasses growing more appreciative. “You look much better. How’s your recovery? Do you still have to be in a wheelchair?”
Compared to when he first recorded True Job, Jing Shun had gained a bit of flesh on his cheeks, but it didn’t affect how he looked on camera.
The gloom that used to cloud his brows had faded, and his complexion now carried a lively radiance, making him even more captivating.
Jing Shun didn’t want to reveal too much about his physical condition, so he hedged, “Thank you for your concern, Teacher Meng. I still rely on the wheelchair.”
Meng Zhide looked down, his pupils tightening slightly.
Jing Shun decisively ended the conversation. “Teacher Meng, I have to get up early for makeup and recording tomorrow, so I’ll head inside to rest now.”
Meng Zhide didn’t stop him, instead seizing the opportunity to extend an invitation. “Alright, I happen to have a few variety shows in the works. When you have time another day, I’ll have another talk with you and your agent.”
Jing Shun gave a faint smile and entered his room.
Xiao Mo followed him in and quickly closed the door, shutting Meng Zhide out. He lowered his voice, “Brother Jing, do you want me to talk to the show’s director about switching rooms?”
Jing Shun was taken aback by his new assistant’s suggestion. “Huh?”
Xiao Mo scratched the back of his head, afraid he was overthinking. “I get the feeling you’re really uncomfortable around that Teacher Meng? Since you let him see your room number, I’m worried you’ll feel awkward.”
Jing Shun was impressed by Xiao Mo’s sharpness, but after looking around the room, he declined the offer. “No need. Look at the cameras in this room—they’ve all been set up by the production team in advance.”
A reality show segment like this inevitably required such recording setups. The cameras hadn’t started yet, but they would be turned on tomorrow morning.
“If I suddenly change rooms without a solid reason, it’ll invite criticism.”
Who would want to work overtime after hours?
Jing Shun was well aware of his own status and didn’t want to inconvenience others based on mere “gut feelings.”
Besides, since Meng Zhide knew the head director, if word of his request to change rooms reached the man’s ears, it could create unnecessary trouble.
When out and about, it’s better to avoid trouble than to seek it.
“Alright.”
Xiao Mo naturally deferred to Jing Shun. “Brother Jing, get some rest early? I’ll head off now.”
Jing Shun nodded.
Once the assistant left, Jing Shun called Yu Xiuzhu and told him about running into Meng Zhide that day.
Yu Xiuzhu was surprised. “How could it be such a coincidence?”
He had checked the production team’s behind-the-scenes roster before and hadn’t seen that name on it. Otherwise, he would have warned his artist in advance.
Jing Shun tried to stay calm. “Who knows? Hopefully, I’m just overthinking it.”
Yu Xiuzhu said, “I’ll finish up at the company tomorrow and try to get there as soon as I can.”
“Brother Yu, take care of the company’s public relations first,” Jing Shun countered. “It’s just one day tomorrow. I’ll be fine.”
“Then get some rest early. Contact me anytime if something comes up.”
“Mm.”
Jing Shun hung up, got ready for bed as quickly as possible, and lay down.
He sent a text to Chi Gui, who was in Macau, but before he could get a reply, drowsiness overtook him, and he fell asleep.
The next morning, Jing Shun saw Chi Gui’s reply:
“I was just in the shower, didn’t see it.”
“How was your day? Recording going smoothly in Hengdian?”
Ten minutes later, Chi Gui had sent another message:
“You didn’t answer, so the monitoring center showed you were already asleep.”
“Good night, sweet dreams.”
Seeing these four messages, Jing Shun’s morning grogginess was completely replaced by happiness. He glanced at the camera that had already started recording in the corner, then slipped back under the covers.
Before putting on his microphone, he quietly sent Chi Gui a voice message:
“Good morning, Chi Gui.”