Jiang “Uncle” Liyue chuckled softly, feeling a bit helpless.
Thankfully, he hadn’t changed. Thankfully, the mess from those years didn’t affect him as much as he had imagined.
Jiang Liyue picked up his phone, replied to a few messages, and then prepared to close his eyes and rest. He needed to be in good spirits when meeting the director later. Recently, he had been rushing around for several days due to the early broadcast of the variety show. He felt sorry for Zhao Chenxing, who had just returned to the country and hadn’t rested well, so he mostly handled the business himself.
When Zhao Chenxing wasn’t around, he was used to doing things alone. He wasn’t accustomed to having someone by his side; it felt like a thorn in his back.
The peaceful atmosphere between the two was in stark contrast to the chaos in Jiang Yun’s office.
When the assistant from the publicity department shouted for Jiang Liyue to post on Weibo, Jiang Yun felt her blood rush to her head, almost flipping out. She sat down angrily, pinching the bridge of her nose furiously.
“Jiang Jie!” A group of “little chicks” cried out in confusion.
However, just when things seemed hopeless, they took a turn for the worse, pulling them deeper into despair.
It was the same assistant, bursting in through the door, “Jiang Jie, it seems like the rival company is making a move. A bunch of marketing accounts are starting to slander Teacher Jiang, and the variety show is being dragged through the mud.”
Li, the head of publicity, immediately realized it was his responsibility and hurriedly asked, “The variety show? That ‘Mixed Religion.’ What are the trolls saying?”
The assistant fumbled with a large tablet, frowning at the content, mumbling to himself, and after confirming several times, he said, “They’re mainly targeting the recent dispute between Director Qian and Fangce Films, focusing on the withdrawal of a popular idol from the show. They say…”
“What do they say? Hurry up.”
“They say the idol withdrew because Film Emperor Jiang was being a diva, demanding a sky-high contract after winning the Film Emperor title, leaving the production team with no money to hire other idols.”
“Hiss—” The meeting room fell silent. They had anticipated the rival company would stir up trouble, but they didn’t expect the marketing accounts to go this far.
Jiang Yun pressed her fingers against her temples and the bridge of her nose, took a deep breath, and then opened her eyes, ready to fight again.
Her gaze was sharp as a knife, directed at the dull Li, the head of publicity, and she said calmly, “Li, if Jiang Liyue is doing your job, does that mean you can clock out?”
The tone was as if Li dared to say “yes,” he would immediately receive a severance package.
Li didn’t dare to look up and face the knife-like gaze. He pretended to be busy, scrolling through the comments under Jiang Liyue’s official Weibo announcement, and said timidly, “Jiang Jie, I’ll use the official account to issue a statement, control the comments, and try to correct the narrative.”
Seeing Li like this, the other PR members in the meeting room quickly offered suggestions, afraid of missing the opportunity to gain favor in this critical moment.
After all, everyone in the company knew that Jiang Yun was not just Jiang Liyue’s manager. Recently, she had been promoted to the president’s assistant due to her work capabilities and was now a favorite in front of the president, overseeing all business related to Jiang Liyue. She was their direct superior.
It’s said that she had some connections that allowed her to manage Jiang Liyue back then, and everyone was secretly gossiping about what those connections might be.
“Alright, everyone knows what to do, so why aren’t you solving this quickly? Are you waiting to slack off?” Jiang Yun was annoyed seeing them busy looking for trolls. “Also, don’t focus the trolls on the variety show anymore. Shift the public opinion towards Jiang Liyue’s previous award-winning films.”
Then, Jiang Yun seemed to think of something, and a corner of her lips curled up, causing everyone present to be extremely alarmed.
“They want to mess with Jiang Liyue? They have to get past Shengshi Entertainment first, right? Giving the variety show free publicity? We should thank them properly; otherwise, it would seem insincere to let them work for us for free.”
*
Director Qian and Assistant Director Yang Ming were smoking outside the villa area, waiting for Film Emperor Jiang’s arrival.
Director Qian, with heavy dark circles and slightly sunken cheeks, took a deep drag of his cigarette, exhaling smoke rings as he slowly spoke, “Director Yang, about our show…”
He trailed off, unsure how to continue, but he wasn’t the only one feeling a deep sense of powerlessness. Yang Lin felt it too.
Director Yang, however, wasn’t as worn out as Director Qian. He looked at the small patch of land illuminated by the streetlights, feeling a sense of desolation and loneliness. He slowly comforted, “We have to have confidence. After all, we’ve been through so much since the planning stage, and now we can finally start filming. We should be celebrating.”
Director Qian shook his head as he listened, rubbing the damp cigarette butt with his fingers, sighing, “Ah, you don’t know. Fangce came to stir things up again a few days ago, saying they wanted to raise the price for Xiao Xingyang. After all the fuss, they still want to ride on Jiang Liyue’s popularity. It really reflects the ‘profit-driven’ atmosphere in the industry.”
“Xiao Xingyang? Who’s that?” Director Qian wasn’t responsible for selecting the program’s guests; he was more in charge of internal coordination. Their cooperation was like one managing internal affairs and the other external.
“Just a popular idol with a good sense of variety, decent public image, and a lot of fans who like his persona. But who knows if that persona is real or fake.”
“If it’s fake, that would be interesting. Our show’s ace isn’t just Jiang Liyue. After all…” Director Qian said with a smile, his eyes squinting into slits.
The show “On the Road: Mixed Religion” had faced numerous challenges from the start of its planning. The public only knew it was Director Qian’s original format, the first of its kind domestically and internationally. What they didn’t know was that the original format was to record and edit real locations, but now it was limited not only by funding but also by the reduced number of participants, making it unsustainable.
Fortunately, there was always a turning point.
Director Qian had thought of a new format for the variety show. He wanted those who were inconsistent, those who had been put on a pedestal, to try this variety show flight. After all, with contrast, drama, and conflict, the show could become popular.
In the windless late autumn, the place where the two stood was shrouded in smoke, their faces appearing and disappearing under the lamplight.
*
“Driver, please drive steadily, there’s no rush,” Zhao Chenxing said, adjusting the air conditioning vent in the back seat. He glanced at Jiang Liyue, who had already fallen asleep.
“You’re enjoying it now. I used to be the one sleeping in the car, and now it’s your turn to enjoy it?” Zhao Chenxing thought to himself, understanding the tight schedule Jiang Liyue had been on these past few days.
Ever since he added Jiang Yun on WeChat, she had sent over a pile of materials, all filled with schedules and various announcements, making Zhao Chenxing’s head spin.
Being popular meant more than just losing personal time.
The drive from the airport to the destination took nearly two hours, and it was still rush hour, making the traffic frustrating.
Jiang Liyue had been a hands-off boss for a long time, never having to worry about his schedule. Moreover, with his good brother here, he was even more relaxed.
In the past, he would never fall asleep in someone else’s car. As he closed his eyes to rest, he was already thinking about how to arrange to sleep in the same room with his brother. Only when he was with Zhao Chenxing did he feel truly relaxed. It was like a tightly wound string suddenly loosening.
The driver, following the request, drove steadily, slowly making their way to the villa area. The two directors waiting there had been waiting for a long time. They had calculated the arrival time based on the flight schedule, not expecting to wait through a pile of cigarette butts.
Director Qian watched as the black van approached them, quickly putting out his cigarette in the nearby trash can, stepping forward with a smile.
In the dim light of the streetlamp, a slender figure in black got out of the passenger seat. Without thinking, Director Qian said, “Oh, we’ve been waiting eagerly for you, Teacher Jiang.”
Zhao Chenxing had just gotten out of the car when he was greeted with this authentic Beijing accent. He first bowed to the two directors, then smiled and replied, “Director Qian, hello, I’m Jiang Liyue’s assistant, Zhao Chenxing. You can call me Xiao Zhao.”
Director Qian didn’t feel awkward for mistaking him, after all, surviving in the entertainment industry for years required a thick skin.
“Assistant Zhao, huh—” Director Qian repeated with a smile, dragging out the last syllable as if recalling something.
“This is the variety show’s assistant director, Yang Ming,” Director Qian said, snapping back to reality while peering into the car.
Zhao Chenxing shook hands with Assistant Director Yang and then politely greeted him.
“Director Qian, Director Yang, Jiang Liyue is still asleep. Please wait a moment while I wake him up,” Zhao Chenxing noticed that Director Qian’s smiling eyes were not for him but for the Film Emperor sleeping in the back.
Director Qian and Director Yang were inwardly impressed by the polite and handsome young man. Such a person would be very popular in the entertainment industry. They wondered why he was an assistant and why Shengshi Entertainment hadn’t signed him.
If Jiang Yun knew their thoughts, she would be hit with a million points of damage. Did they think she hadn’t considered it? The moment she saw Zhao Chenxing, she had the urge to print a contract. But considering whose person he was, she dared not make a move.
The two directors watched as the well-mannered young man opened the back door, pinched Jiang Liyue’s cheeks with one hand, and covered his mouth and nose with the other, roughly waking him as if it were a crime scene, not waking someone in a car but burying someone in a coffin.
Director Qian was so shocked his eyes widened. If his mother saw this, she’d be thrilled, “Oh, my child has finally opened his eyes.”
Director Yang, who knew little about the current popular stars, only knew that the program had invited a Film Emperor and that this variety show was his first appearance.
Initially, when only the assistant got out of the car, he thought the Film Emperor’s status was just for show, and he was prepared to wait. But the assistant’s way of waking someone up made him worry that this polite Assistant Zhao might get fired.
However, what surprised both directors even more was Film Emperor Jiang’s reaction after being woken up.