By the time Ye Hancheng finished cooking, the other five who had touched a fishing rod had managed to catch exactly one fish weighing about half a kilogram.
It was caught by Cen Jing, who had only been there for less than ten minutes—clearly a manifestation of “beginner’s luck.”
“I’m a beginner too, so why didn’t that luck come my way?” Jiang Xun asked, genuinely baffled.
Chu Xingyun was holding a large chicken wing, his mouth glistening with oil. “Beginner’s luck isn’t some wholesale commodity. Of course, it’s going to pick the best-looking person to bless.”
“Don’t you think that sounds a bit sycophantic?” Jiang Xun rolled his eyes. “You think I can’t hear you fishing for compliments on his behalf?”
Chen Shu looked surprised: “You actually caught on to that?”
Jiang Xun asked sensitively: “What’s that supposed to mean, ‘actually’?”
“Hmm… it seems you’ve gotten a bit smarter.” Chen Shu bit into a green bean, smiling with a hint of relief.
“Hahaha, you youngsters are still too subtle with your emotions.” Ye Hancheng, holding an empty skewer, began to offer guidance. “Let me tell you, say what you mean clearly. Don’t be stingy with your words, or you might miss each other if your signals don’t align.”
“They were just making small talk, and here you are blathering on,” Lin Shen said, exasperated. “Why do you smell more like an ‘old fossil’ than I do?”
Ye Hancheng: “Is it because no one has complimented you in a long time?”
Lin Shen: “What’s it to you?”
“Then how about I compliment you?” Ye Hancheng leaned in with a mischievous grin. “…Writer Lin’s stories might be outdated, but his thinking isn’t~”
Lin Shen: “?”
Lin Shen: “That doesn’t sound like something you’d say.”
“Heh, it’s not.” Ye Hancheng was surprisingly honest. “Big data pushed an article to me this morning. I read it, and it made a lot of sense. It’s rare to see an article praising you; I’ll send it to you later.”
“Oh…”
Lin Shen didn’t say yes, but he didn’t say no either.
【Big Data: ‘Guess You Like This’】
【You must read a lot of articles about Lin Shen usually, don’t you, kid?】
【The awkward phase where they haven’t made up but want to is so good. The tension!】
【He was just lecturing others to be direct, but look at him now. Tsk tsk.】
On the other side, Cen Jing was eating a small bowl of instant noodles when someone lightly bumped his shoulder.
Looking back, he saw Chu Xingyun with bulging cheeks and sauce dripping from the corner of his mouth to his chin. He had skewers in both hands and spoke through a mouthful of food. “Quick, help me wipe my mouth.”
His expectant eyes seemed to say: Help me sell some ‘fanservice’ (fanservice).
Cen Jing: “…”
He used to use this trick all the time.Can’t he think of something new?
Cen Jing pulled two tissues from the table, lightly cupped Chu Xingyun’s chin, and used a corner of the tissue to slowly dab away the dark sauce stains.
“Were you a starving ghost in a past life?” he added with a low-voiced吐槽 (tucao/quip).
After waiting obediently for Cen Jing to finish, Chu Xingyun replied, “Because I really was hungry.”
“So hungry you don’t care about your image?”
“What’s ‘image’ when you’re hungry?” Chu Xingyun opened his mouth wide and bit into a grilled squid. “(Chew, chew, chew) We’re playing for realism here.”
Cen Jing: “…”
If he’d said that earlier, I wouldn’t have been so careful about smudging his makeup…
Cen Jing: “Whatever makes you happy.”
“Oh right, did you know? Xia Sha is trending.”
“Xia Sha?” Cen Jing repeated the name, thinking for a few seconds before remembering. “The one who tried to stop you from joining the survival show?”
Not only that, but when the ‘Gao Shan Jing Xing’ ship first took off, this person had come out to leech off the hype, pretending to be a close “senior/junior apprentice.” After gaining a bunch of followers, he was exposed by fans who dug up his old livestreams where he told fans Chu Xingyun was destined to fail. He later claimed it was just “trash talk,” but it was further revealed they only had one interaction where he looked visibly upset because the chat was praising Chu Xingyun.
Chu Xingyun nodded slightly: “Yeah, him.”
“What about him?” A hint of disgust appeared on Cen Jing’s brow.
“I was chatting with Senior Ye yesterday and casually mentioned how he acted like a petty villain.” Chu Xingyun was still chewing diligently. “And now he’s come out today to curse at me.”
“Where does he get the nerve to curse at you?”
Chu Xingyun looked quite innocent: “He’s blasting me for ‘playing for sympathy’ and saying he’s going to sue me for defamation.”
Cen Jing had always held nothing but contempt for that man. “Stating facts is ‘playing for sympathy’? He’s willing to throw away his dignity just for a bit of traffic.”
The corners of Chu Xingyun’s mouth curled up. “I actually understand. After all, he has no acting jobs now, he can’t sell anything on livestreams, he got kicked out of his idol group’s group-stream, and even the ‘sugar mamas’ he tried to cling to look down on him… Now that I’ve mentioned him—even without naming him—he’s definitely going to come out to try and stay relevant.”
“…Well, now you’ve definitely named him.”
“Whatever, let him sue. Everything I said is the truth.” Chu Xingyun was swaying his head in delight because the grilled meat was so good. “The kind of truth with solid evidence, too.”
Cen Jing was curious: “You even have evidence of him clinging to sugar mamas?”
Chu Xingyun nodded emphatically.
【LOL, why do you even have that kind of evidence!!】
【Wait, honey, are we holding that much of a grudge?】
【I don’t care! You mentioned it, now you have to show me! (I want the tea even if it’s about a ‘nobody’!)】
【Actually, the point is he got kicked out of group-streaming? Does anyone know why? How do you get fired from a job with no entry barrier?】
【I watch group-streams, let me tell you: it’s because he tried to use his ‘celebrity status’ to demand a higher commission cut!】
As if hearing the question from the chat, Cen Jing also asked, “Why do you follow him so closely?”
After debuting, Chu Xingyun had terminated his contract with the help of his new agency. Logically, that old grudge shouldn’t have lasted this long. During his time in the group, he hadn’t given Xia Sha the time of day despite the constant clout-chasing.
“Hmm… I wouldn’t call it ‘following’ him. I just happen to know.”
Cen Jing didn’t believe it, but since Chu Xingyun didn’t want to elaborate, he didn’t press further. “Mm. The more you acknowledge people like that, the more excited they get. Don’t give him any more attention in the future.”
“I’ll listen to you, Brother.” Chu Xingyun’s smile was radiant.
After the meal, Chu Xingyun used the excuse of going to the restroom to slip out of the camera’s view and pulled his phone from his pocket.
Xia Sha had sent him dozens of messages. This morning his tone was arrogant, threatening to make a scene if he wasn’t paid. Now that a scene had actually been made, he was groveling, begging Chu Xingyun not to release the evidence and promising to post an apology video.
Chu Xingyun brought up the keyboard and typed a reply: If you apologize, isn’t that just a roundabout way of confirming you’ve been clinging to sugar mamas?
Xia Sha replied almost instantly: Or, I won’t post the apology, and I’ll pay you some money instead?
Xia Sha: I’m very sincere.
Xia Sha: Is 20,000 yuan okay?
He’s treating me like a beggar.
However, Chu Xingyun didn’t want the money, so the amount didn’t matter.
Chu Xingyun: Let me guess.
Chu Xingyun: Are you afraid that if I release the evidence, you won’t be able to hide the fact that you’re seeing three sugar mamas at the same time?
Xia Sha immediately panicked: F**k!
Xia Sha: What the hell do you want?
Xia Sha: Even paparazzi don’t care to follow me on the street anymore. Where the hell did you get evidence?
Xia Sha: Are you a pervert?
Chu Xingyun quietly enjoyed his breakdown: Take a guess.
After that, he picked a few photos and sent them over. Xia Sha was completely out of moves: What do you want?
Chu Xingyun: I want you to have a miserable life.
After replying, Chu Xingyun ignored him and walked back toward the fishing area.
The audience, Cen Jing… even Xia Sha himself were likely confused as to why he was hunting down such a person so relentlessly. But he had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time.
Eight years ago, he had gone to his old agency with his new manager and Cen Jing to talk about contract termination. Cen Jing didn’t stay for the whole meeting but waited outside the office. When things were almost settled, Chu Xingyun went out to find him.
As a result, he saw Xia Sha talking to Cen Jing, spit flying everywhere in his excitement. Cen Jing just listened, without a word or a movement.
Later, he asked Cen Jing what Xia Sha had said to him. Cen Jing didn’t give details, only saying concisely: “He said a lot of bad things about you.” Before Chu Xingyun could explode, Cen Jing quickly added, “I didn’t believe a single word.”
He believed that Cen Jing hadn’t believed it. So, he put that petty man out of his mind, having no desire for a confrontation.
So, when did the hatred resurface?
It was probably some afternoon after a therapy session, while he was sitting on the sofa hugging his knees. He couldn’t help but recall various details of the past, and that scene suddenly popped into his mind.
He knew Cen Jing didn’t believe it then. But he couldn’t be certain if Cen Jing believed it later.
This question made his already sleepless nights even more restless. He didn’t dare, nor did he have a channel, to ask Cen Jing. So, he opened a “sock puppet” account and sent Xia Sha a private message.
— Why did you tell Cen Jing bad things about Chu Xingyun?
Perhaps because he was truly a “nobody,” Xia Sha actually replied to that DM.
— I wanted him to have a miserable life.
“What took you so long in the bathroom?” Jiang Xun waved his hand, beckoning Chu Xingyun to sit beside him. “Come here, let me show you what a true Fishing King looks like!”
“Is that you? Bragging to high heaven before starting, then staying silent after failing?” Chu Xingyun sat down, adjusted his rod for show, and his eyes drifted toward Cen Jing.
He had finally confirmed today that no matter the time, Cen Jing would never believe someone else’s slander against him.
“What are you looking at? There’s no more room over there.” Jiang Xun waved a hand in front of him. “While you were in the bathroom, Cen Jing caught two more. All those fair-weather people ran over there, leaving me here all alone.”
“He was always good at everything.” Chu Xingyun withdrew his gaze, the corners of his mouth curling up uncontrollably.
“He’s the one doing well, so why are you so proud?” Jiang Xun didn’t quite get it.
“…” Chu Xingyun was speechless. “After you and Chen Shu fell out, how did you feel when you saw him defeat other opponents?”
Jiang Xun answered without hesitation: “Holy crap, his record is going to overtake mine again—that’s how I felt.”
Chu Xingyun: “…”
This guy’s inability to get a kiss is entirely his own fault.
Chu Xingyun: “And when you saw him lose?”
Jiang Xun said smugly: “He really can’t make it without me.”
Chu Xingyun moved his stool further away. “…I have nothing to say to you.”
“It’s the truth though.” Jiang Xun curled his lip in disdain. “None of the ADs he’s played with since me can compare.”
Chu Xingyun: “You really aren’t afraid of offending people.”
“Offending who?” Jiang Xun snorted. “For us gamers, strength speaks for itself! Any amount of excuses is empty in the face of results.”