The variety show lasted nearly two hours, far too long to finish over a single meal. Jing Shun did not force everyone to stay and watch the entire program with him. Instead, after dinner, he found an excuse to head upstairs first.
It was still early. Looking at the jasmine tea he had brought upstairs with him, he decided to open a tin and try some.
There was a dedicated water bar on the right side of the second-floor hallway.
Jing Shun had just finished brewing himself a cup of tea when footsteps came from the staircase beside him. Turning his head, he saw Chi Gui and Chen Yiming coming upstairs.
Chi Gui immediately noticed Jing Shun and stopped at the entrance to the second-floor hallway.
Jing Shun took the initiative to ask, “Do you two still have work to do?”
“Mm.”
Chi Gui noticed the steam rising from Jing Shun’s cup and asked, despite already knowing the answer, “What are you brewing?”
“The jasmine tea you gave me.” Jing Shun held the cup between his hands to warm them and looked at the person who had given him the gift. “Would you like to try some?”
Having gotten the invitation he wanted, Chi Gui instantly concealed the fatigue between his brows. “Sure. I’ll try it.”
Seeing him approach, Jing Shun was just about to put down his tea and brew another cup.
But Chi Gui asked, “Have you already drunk from that cup in your hand?”
“Not yet. I just brewed it.” Jing Shun assumed the other man was in a hurry to go upstairs and deal with work, so he politely asked, “Why don’t you drink this one first? It’s not a cup reserved for anyone in particular. I can just brew another.”
Chi Gui did not refuse at all. He reached out for it. “That works.”
“…”
Huh?
He was really taking it?
Jing Shun had not expected Chi Gui to accept it so readily and almost failed to react. He could only brew another cup for himself, not forgetting to ask Chen Yiming behind them, “Assistant Chen, would you like a cup too?”
Chi Gui brushed away the steam rising from his cup, as though he knew his assistant very well. “He likes coffee. He’s not used to drinking tea.”
Hearing his boss speak, Chen Yiming hurriedly declined. “Mr. Jing, there’s no need to trouble yourself. I really am not used to it.”
Jing Shun tried to recommend it. “Jasmine tea is really good.”
Chi Gui chuckled inwardly. “If you like it, keep it for yourself. Don’t worry about him.”
Steam billowed from the cups as the tea slowly infused into a golden-yellow liquor, filling the air with a fragrant aroma.
Afraid it would be too hot, Jing Shun took a small sip.
Chi Gui’s fingertips rubbed against the side of the cup as his gaze followed him. “How is it?”
Jing Shun was pleasantly surprised. “It’s good! The fragrance is especially fresh and delicate! Try it.”
The corners of Chi Gui’s mouth began to turn upward again. “That’s good. Looks like I made a pretty good choice.”
“…”
Standing at the hallway entrance and waiting for them, Chen Yiming silently thought:
How could this tea not be good?
The market price alone was seventy thousand yuan per jin!
After this business trip ended, Mr. Chi had deliberately squeezed a day out of his schedule to fly to Min City and personally seek out this year’s Jasmine Tea King.
And that was not all. Afraid that Mr. Jing would feel burdened after learning the true price, he had deliberately put it in an ordinary-looking tea tin and given it to him as though it were just a normal gift.
Jing Shun really had no idea how much the tea cost. He only noticed the time and said, “I’ll head back to my room first. I won’t disturb you two while you deal with work.”
Chi Gui gave a slight nod. “Get some rest. Good night.”
“Mm.”
It was not until they entered the study on the third floor that Chi Gui quietly instructed his assistant, “Jing Shun’s variety show is already out. Find a reliable PR team as soon as possible and have them keep a long-term watch on online public opinion related to him.”
“Anyone who tries to make an issue out of my ‘relationship’ with him—deal with it discreetly and quickly.”
People from wealthy families and influential circles would not dare openly gossip because of Chi Gui’s status, but there was no guarantee that someone would not make trouble behind the scenes.
Whether Jing Shun would officially return to acting in the future or not, it was better to take precautions against certain things.
Chen Yiming understood what Chi Gui meant. “Understood, sir. I’ll contact them first thing tomorrow morning.”
…
Jing Shun did not consider himself one of the main figures in This! Is the Real Workplace!. He figured that as long as he cooperated with the recording and collected his appearance fee, the task would be complete.
So, with an ordinary state of mind, he found some free time to watch the finished episode. He had absolutely no intention of checking what netizens thought about it.
Until Sunday evening, when he suddenly received a message from Yu Xiuzhu.
“Xiao Jing, you’re trending! Hurry and take a look!”
“…”
Trending?
Jing Shun stared at the unfamiliar yet familiar word on his screen and opened Weibo in surprise.
Only then did he discover that his notifications had suddenly filled with tens of thousands of red dots. Even his follower count, which had been stagnant for a long time, had increased by fifty or sixty thousand in just two days!
And among the entertainment-related Weibo hot searches, the topic bearing his name, #JingShun#, had shot up to eighth place. It had already surpassed many other entertainers and had even made it onto the overall trending list!
“…”
Wait, what?
How had this enormous stroke of luck suddenly fallen into his lap? Could something have happened?
Suspicious, Jing Shun clicked on his own topic and began reading the real-time comments from netizens—
“Who else saw that clip on Douyin? He was so handsome that I did a double take. I thought the mainland entertainment industry had a new face! Turns out it’s a familiar face I haven’t seen in ages!”
“Can we talk about how rare it is for a child star not to grow up crooked? I feel like Jing Shun looks even better now that he’s grown up. Those peach blossom eyes look so bright and watery, ahhh!”
“I remember something happened to Jing Shun while he was filming a movie last year, didn’t it? There were even rumors going around that both his legs had been amputated!”
“Please stop spreading false rumors! He wasn’t amputated! He’s just not as mobile as before! Since he can record a program again, maybe he’s already recovered.”
“But who can say for sure? He spent the entire program sitting on the sofa in the observation room! And the film crew from that movie has been pretending nothing happened too. They still haven’t released a proper statement about the situation.”
Among the many comments praising him, discussions about Jing Shun’s legs kept appearing from time to time. Some were kind, some were malicious, and people were saying all sorts of things.
Jing Shun did not have much of an emotional reaction. He simply continued browsing in silence.
Soon, a popular Weibo post appeared on his screen:
“Everyone, hurry and watch this edit! I was too young back then to realize how insanely good Jing Shun’s acting was when he was a kid!”
“Link: After That, the Mainland Entertainment Industry Never Had Another Child Star Like This Again! — Part One!”
The post already had over a thousand reposts and comments, while its likes had reached ten thousand.
Curious, Jing Shun clicked the link, and the page redirected him to the corresponding video.
It was an edit made by an uploader from the film and television section. Accompanied by an intense, perfectly matched BGM, the uploader showcased Jing Shun’s past roles and his most impressive scenes one by one—
There was the bald little monk he had played, lively as he pretended to be obedient, innocent as he acted mischievously.
There was also the young swordsman he had played, his every move flowing smoothly as he executed beautiful sword flourishes.
There was the down-and-out little beggar he had played, shedding a single tear as he lay dying on a snowy night.
And there was the young marquis who had lost his entire family, kneeling and kowtowing step by step up the long palace stairs, every word spoken through tears and blood, as he sought to clear his clansmen’s names.
…
All the clips had clearly been carefully selected by the uploader.
As Jing Shun grew older in real life, his acting in his roles became increasingly polished and nuanced!
Netizens who had come rushing over after hearing about the video finished watching it with goosebumps all over, and they flooded the comments section.
— I’ll bet my money on it: Jing Shun was absolutely in the top tier of child stars in the mainland entertainment industry! He had both talent and skill!
— Does anyone understand me? I still want to have a little Wunian. Baby, you’re the cutest little monk in the whole world!
— Oh my god, that final scene of him kneeling and crying blood on the palace steps was incredible! Jing Shun was only fifteen back then, right?
— Forgive me for being too young to appreciate it before. Is Jing Shun still acting? With acting skills like that, he could instantly outshine half the male celebrities in the mainland entertainment industry!
— As a longtime fan, let me give everyone some background: Jing Bao’s last television role was the young marquis Xiao En in Night Chang’an. After that, his acting opportunities dried up [crying]. As an adult, he starred in an art film called A Letter to Anhe. It didn’t make much of a splash domestically, but it won an international award, and he was excellent in it. If you’re interested, go watch it.
— The kid was injured while filming a new movie last year, and there’s currently no unreleased film or television work left. He’s appeared on a Haishi TV variety show now, and he’s so well-behaved and handsome!
— I came for his looks in the variety show, so I went to Bilibili to dig up his old work. I ended up falling into the fandom instantly after watching this video!
— Wait for me, person above! Another archaeology-to-fandom conversion here. I’m going to binge his acting clips too.
Looking at the latest comments about people becoming fans, Jing Shun found it unbelievable. He had never expected netizens to recognize his acting again under circumstances like these.
“Bzz.”
His phone vibrated with a notification. Yu Xiuzhu had sent another WeChat message: “Xiao Jing, have you seen the Weibo hot search?”
Jing Shun came back to himself and simply called Yu Xiuzhu on voice chat.
The call was answered almost immediately. “Hello, Xiao Jing.”
“Brother Yu, I just checked Weibo.”
Although Jing Shun was happy that netizens were paying attention to him and recognizing his work, he could not help feeling concerned. “But this hot search came so suddenly. Will the production team have any objections?”
After all, the program was primarily a workplace reality show, while he was only a temporary replacement and a peripheral guest in the observation room. He had not even appeared in that many scenes.
Now that he had gained popularity through clips and video edits, with his daily discussion volume even surpassing that of the other guests and ordinary participants, was he stealing the spotlight a little?
Yu Xiuzhu understood what he was thinking and reassured him, “Don’t worry. The search popularity generated spontaneously by netizens is genuine data. We didn’t deliberately buy bots or manufacture hype. It won’t cause any problems.”
In recent years, with the development of video-based social media apps, popularity often came crashing down out of nowhere.
Compared with Fu Changting and the others, who had been active in the entertainment industry for years and regularly had their work exposed to the public, Jing Shun had not appeared officially in public for a long time. Naturally, netizens were more curious about him. It was only human nature.
Of course, popularity like this could come quickly and disappear just as quickly.
“Sister Yin said the show’s overall popularity after airing hasn’t been low, and the feedback on the reality-show portion has been very good.”
Yu Xiuzhu was a very competent agent and had already communicated with the production team.
“Besides, now that you’ve gained popularity as a guest, you can actually attract more casual viewers to watch the variety show. The production team will be happy about that. They won’t think you’re stealing the spotlight. We just need to cooperate with the promotional work as usual.”
Only then did Jing Shun relax. “That’s good. Thank you for all your trouble, Brother Yu.”
Yu Xiuzhu’s reply was gentle, but he made the main point very clear. “Xiao Jing, your health is the most important thing. No matter how long this wave of popularity lasts, the company and I will give you the greatest freedom to make your own choices.”
The implication was that they would not force Jing Shun to accept any appearances or jobs. Everything would be based on his wishes.
Jing Shun was touched. “Thank you, Brother Yu.”
Yu Xiuzhu reminded him, “You’ve only just had surgery. Just rest and recuperate at home. If anything happens, I’ll notify you immediately. Don’t worry yourself over nothing.”
“Okay.”
Yu Xiuzhu was right. Haishi Television was a long-established provincial satellite TV station, and they knew how to produce variety shows—
The program was broadcast simultaneously on television and online, while both online and offline promotion were launched at the same time. On top of that, the workplace guests were all handsome men and beautiful women who had been strictly selected, attracting countless netizens to watch voluntarily.
Thanks to the strong editing pace and entertaining discussions, even the observation-panel guests’ popularity kept rising along with the show.
With the airing of the second full episode, the show’s popularity rose even higher, clearly heading toward becoming a hit variety show!
…
Before long, it was time for his follow-up examination.
Jing Shun got himself ready and went downstairs in his wheelchair.
Chi Gui was sitting at the dining table. When he saw Jing Shun come down, he asked, “What time are you meeting Professor Song today? Morning or afternoon?”
“Mm, we’ve already arranged it. I’ll be heading out later.”
Jing Shun did not give a definite answer. He was keeping a little secret and had not told him all of his plans for the day.
In fact, Jing Shun had already looked up the addresses of several upscale shopping districts nearby. He planned to find an excuse to go browse around after breakfast and personally pick out a gift for Chi Gui.
Chi Gui had no idea what Jing Shun was really planning and suggested, “Then come out with me later. We’re going in the same direction anyway.”
“…”
Jing Shun glanced at the empty plate in front of him and tried to make an excuse. “I haven’t had breakfast yet. I’ll need some time.”
Chi Gui slowly sipped his coffee. “No rush. I’ll wait for you.”
Jing Shun was at a loss for words.
For some reason, he suddenly had the illusion that Chi Gui was rather clingy.
Just then, the phone beside him began vibrating with an incoming call. It was Yu Xiuzhu.
Jing Shun answered. “Hello, Brother Yu?”
Yu Xiuzhu’s usually calm and gentle voice carried a hint of urgency. “Xiao Jing, have you seen the news online this morning?”
“Not yet.”
Jing Shun sensed that something was wrong and instinctively turned an uneasy gaze toward Chi Gui.
Chi Gui put down his coffee cup and spoke almost at the same time as him.
“What happened?”