On the Thousand Postures Reconstructed by the Scumbags

Every fan hoped that their idols would become popular, but only Xi Nian’s fans talked about their idol as a little muddle bean, fearing that others wouldn’t know that this bean’s seed had sprouted out from the earth1一it happened to the extent that at one point, netizens thought that such fans were, in reality, hidden black fans.2

Due to this farce, not long after,《Decoding the Chamber of Secrets》program team published an invitation list, with three special guests in addition to a few permanent team members.

The first one was Bai Yicheng, the male god of ancient setting idol dramas3. He had been lukewarm and unpopular in the circle since his debut for seven or eight years, but recently he starred in a big IP drama4 as a male lead and became an overnight sensation. With his handsome and unrestrained image in front of the screen, he has attracted countless fans, especially attracted to the girls who held him in his heart and swoon over him.

The second one was the actress Qiao Zhi, who started out with the aid of black red5 in the circle. Because her behind-the-scenes brokerage team was skilled in hype and tactics, the manuscripts she worked on were all over the place. In addition to that, because of her divine beauty and demonic charm, she was accused of using that and was known as a male harvester.6 Moreover, other numerous kinds of black material regarding her were floating around, which was typical of a popular vase actor.7

The third one was Xi Nian. Apart from being in the limelight due to his participation in Star Movement Association recently, he could not be compared with the previous two in terms of popularity or representative works. Therefore, in the eyes of netizens, his appearance on this program was simply a piece of luck, somewhat just like Qiao Zhi’s.

Well, nothing more than a vase8 that could shoot arrows.

It was unknown if the program group did it deliberately for the sake of a gimmick, just the addition of Xi Nian sparked countless debates on the internet, not to mention the addition of Qiao Zhi, a half-black and half-red9 female star, who directly made netizens spit out three liters of heartache blood in anger.

[I vomited, was there no one else to invite by the program group? What are these two guys good for?]

[In such a comparison, the support for Xi Nian is obviously clean10, but the curiosity is obviously not enough to see ah! Did you go up through the back door?]

[Relying on the background, one can jump up. But the variety shows are also not blind either. I heard that this time the script requires the guests to form separate teams. If he is singled out, whether he can even stay and play alone is a question…]

[It’s over, it’s over, there are three guests in total, and both of them are the ones who would drag the hind legs11, what would Bai Yicheng do, protect my little Bai Bai!]

《Decoding the Chamber of Secrets》was famous for its high brain stimulation and thriller element. Since its inception, many guests have been invited, but most of them have failed, and very few have passed it. To put it bluntly, this program was quite revealing in terms of the intelligence of the artist, and one self-defeating stunt could lead to a collapse of character.

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Xi Nian just returned from the gym, took a shower, wiped his hair casually, and then sat in front of the computer to open Weibo. He found out that Qiao Zhi had @ him and Bai Yicheng online.

@Qiao Zhi: It’s a pleasure to record a program with two handsome guys. (Flowers) (Flowers) (Flowers) Hope to have a pleasant cooperation @Xi Nian @Bai Yicheng

After posting on Weibo, there were also two selfie photos attached below with the appearance of tea-in-tea.12 Seeing this, the men praised her beauty, and the women scolded her as green tea.13

In just a few minutes, Bai Yicheng’s fans exploded in every place, thinking and cursing in anger that Qiao Zhi was green tea (bitch). While the one regarding whom the post was made probably felt embarrassed, so he replied politely in the comments and then liked and forwarded the post.

It was unknown what was going on in Xi Nian’s mind, he just blankly stared at the screen thoughtfully. At this moment, there was a knock on the door outside, which brought him back to his senses, then got up to open the door, only to find that it was Sun Ming.

Xi Nian only half-opened the door, not intending to let him in at all, leaning against the door and asking, “What’s the matter?”

Sun Ming and Xi Nian have already put away all considerations of false pretence. This time, if the company had not ordered him, Su Ming would not have come to the door. Hearing the questioning tone, his face was blue and white, still, he took out a schedule from his briefcase: “This is the program recording time and place, the boss said that he will hire an assistant for you tomorrow to arrange the itinerary.”

Xi Nian was not an eight-faced tactful and smooth14 beneath the surface so he took the timetable and glanced at it: “Is there anything else?”

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Sun Ming choked and was about to speak. Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw a man coming towards him. His Baseball cap was so low that he could not see his face clearly, the man was thin and carried a black casual bag on his shoulder.

This apartment was arranged for the company’s artists to live in, and the man in front of him was obviously someone unfamiliar. Seeing this, Sun Ming frowned and became suspicious, so he couldn’t help but ask, “Who are you?”

Upon hearing this, Xi Nian saw that the person coming was Lu Xingzhe. Subconsciously, he stood up straight and was about to find a reason to perfunctory dismiss Sun Ming, when a voice rang in his ears, “I am Xi Nian’s newly hired assistant.”

Lu Xingzhe raised the brim of his hat slightly, and the shadows staggered a little, revealing a pair of stunning phoenix eyes. He said to Sun Ming, “I’m the new assistant hired by Xi Nian, come here today to help him pack his luggage.”

Hiring a personal assistant usually has to pass the eyes of the manager, but Sun Ming who worked underneath his own opponents was not interested in his own artist’s matters. Moreover, he was too lazy to meddle in other’s business, so he has never considered this issue. Hearing this, he looked at Xi Nian: “When did you hire him? Does he even have experience?”

Xi Nian gave a perfunctory hum, and lied without being embarrassed or missing a beat, followed Lu Xingzhe’s excuse and continued: “I hired him the day before yesterday, and he used to be a personal assistant. I’ll send you his contact information later, if you have any work, you can hand it over to him.”

Sun Ming was secretly annoyed, feeling that Xi Nian was too disobedient to discipline, but in the end, it was his fault first, and he said in a calm tone: “You hired the man yourself, so don’t blame me if something goes wrong later on.”

After speaking, he frowned and glanced at Lu Xingzhe, then turned and left.

Xi Nian saw Su Ming’s figure disappear in the hallway, then moved away from his position, and Lu Xingzhe walked in. He then took off his hat and twirled it at his fingertips, and asked with a smile, “Your manager?”

Xi Nian closed the door with his backhand, and then sat down again in front of the computer: “I’m going to C City to record a program soon, and he came to deliver the timetable, as well as to find an assistant to arrange the itinerary.”

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Lu Xingzhe leaned lazily on the edge of the table, and said with a smile: “Assistant? You can just find me.”

Xi Nian glanced at him and felt a bit amused. He pressed his right hand against Lu Xingzhe’s chin, covering the curvature of his lips: “Are you serious about the lie you told?”

Lu Xingzhe curled his lips and said, “I didn’t lie.”

After he finished speaking, he opened the zipper of the black backpack he carried with him, and what was inside was no longer a camera, but a stack of paper documents, and the top two were the air tickets to City C tomorrow.

“Here,” Lu Xingzhe waved the ticket in front of his eyes, “Decoding the Chambers of Secrets is recorded in the suburbs of city C. The tickets are arranged for 2 o’clock tomorrow afternoon. After arriving, we will stay at the Lake Island Hotel for one night, and the rest will be arranged by the program team.”

After he finished speaking, he took out another stack of documents and put them on the table: “If you terminate the contract with Shanxing, you have to find a new place to go. Entertainment companies with good reputations and resources in the circle are all here, you can choose for yourself.”

Lu Xingzhe had been a paparazzi for so long, even though he did not know much about private affairs in the entertainment industry, he still had a lot of inside information. Therefore, the companies he picked out were all the most suitable choices for Xi Nian at present.

After Lu Xingzhe finished all this, he turned his head to look at Xi Nian. The light fell on his eyes, reflecting a distinct smile. He obviously didn’t speak much, but he could see a bit of complacency.

Like a child waiting for an adult to praise him.

Xi Nian had originally held his phone and tightened his grip for an instant, but he couldn’t help but let out his strength as he glanced at the tickets and documents on the table. The black phone fell onto his knee and made a soft noise.

He didn’t say a word and quietly looked at Lu Xingzhe. He moved his hand cover under the table, pinched the phone again, and then rubbed his fingertips on the cold and hard edge again and again. After a moment, he spoke out and asked, “I haven’t seen you these days, were you busy to get this?”

Lu Xingzhe didn’t know whether Xi Nian was happy or unhappy, so he paused and said, “You have decided to terminate the contract with Shanxing, so you have to think about the future.”

If Xi Nian did not think about it, he would help him think. It was best to pave the remaining roads flat and tidy, without any obstacles.

Xi Nian was sitting in front of the computer, leaning back into the chair, and on the screen were Qiao Zhi’s selfies. The floor-to-ceiling windows of the balcony reflected the dimly lit night scene in the distance. Lu Xingzhe was beside him, breathing disorderly. It felt like a familiar scene一deja vu.

Xi Nian closed his eyes and gradually straightened out his disordered thoughts before looking at Lu Xingzhe, and his wandering thoughts appeared almost imperceptible just now: “Do you really plan to become my assistant? Let me tell you first, the salary won’t be very high.”

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Lu Xingzhe sat at the table, swayed his legs lightly, and said nonchalantly, “I know you have no money.”

Well-known, muddled bean.15

After he finished speaking, he glanced at the computer screen, only to find that it was Qiao Zhi’s selfie. His brows were raised slightly, and the smile in his eyes was so meaningful: “Why, do you think she is beautiful?”

Xi Nian seemed to want to deliberately annoy him, thought for a moment, and replied with some sophistication: “Most men would think she is indeed quite beautiful.”

After speaking, he swiped the mouse and closed the photo page.

Lu Xingzhe didn’t expect that Xi Nian would actually praise Qiao Zhi for being pretty, and he was so sour that he almost died on the spot. He endured and endured, but he couldn’t hold it back. He squeezed into Xi Nian’s arms, sat on him face-to-face, pinched his chin, and asked: “What about me? Am I ugly?!”

He had narrow and beautiful eyebrows and eyes, and when he laughed, he was romantic and affectionate. Lu Xingzhe couldn’t relate to the word ‘ugly’ at all. Xi Nian didn’t plan to respond to his words, but he was afraid that Lu Xingzhe would fall off his legs and reached out to grab his waist.

Lu Xingzhe didn’t know why, but when he saw Qiao Zhi’s photo, he felt a surge of anxiety for no reason. He put his chin on Xi Nian’s shoulder, buried his face on the man’s neck, and asked, “You don’t like her, do you?”

Xi Nian glanced at him, and his slender white fingertips fell on his soft black hair. The contrast between black and white was clear, and he asked in a tone that obscured his emotions: “If I like her, what would you do?”

What would you do?

Lu Xingzhe didn’t know what would he do either. He raised his head from Xi Nian’s arms, looked at him quietly for a moment, then held Xi Nian’s face without warning, lowered his head, and bit his lips hard.

The smell of blood permeated between the lips, and Xi Nian slightly twisted his eyebrows but did not do anything.

Lu Xingzhe bit and then pressed his lips against Xi Nian’s lips, maintained this posture, and didn’t move for a long time. After a while, he slowly parted and his breathing was a bit chaotic.

Lu Xingzhe leaned against Xi Nian’s forehead, slowly reached out his hand and wiped off the faint blood mark on his lips with his fingertips, and whispered, “Does it hurt?”

Xi Nian shook his head.

Lu Xingzhe took a breath and answered his question just now, “If you really like her, I would be very jealous.”

Very jealous, very jealous.

Xi Nian’s fingertips fell and gently rubbed his earlobes, “Then what? How would you plan to retaliate against me?”

Lu Xingzhe: “Then I will climb the wall16 and become your black fan!”

He finished this sentence with a fit of anger and then buried his face directly in Xi Nian’s shoulder. He did not move for a long time, and his heart was heavy as if Xi Nian had really fallen in love with Qiao Zhi.

But what could he do, what could he do to Xi Nian?

In this lifetime, it was impossible to harm him.

Perhaps he suffered from malnutrition when he was a child, Lu Xingzhe’s body had always been thin and small. At this moment, he hurled up into a ball in Xi Nian’s arms, like a kitten.

1

Little muddled bean refers to an idol who is not so popular and is therefore poor, and a bit miserable. As Xi Nian’s fans continue to call him that, out of their love for his misery and thinking that nobody knows him, however, this ended up creating a picture where it started to seem deliberate一as if they were indirectly making fun of him.

2

[pī pí hēi]: This translates to some fans wearing black skin, which means that some black fans pretend to be fans to mix in the idol’s support group but instead recruit black(anti) fans everywhere.

3

The words (古偶男神) that are used here directly translate to the ancient puppet god, which refers to a male protagonist who acts in an ancient setting of Chinese drama and wears costumes. They often have peerless outer appearance, sometimes more focus is put on their face rather than their acting. And because of their excellent personality and appearance, they often become the subject of discussion among the audience.

4

IP dramas refer to film and television dramas created and adapted on the basis of domestic original online novels, games, and animations. Because of this Behind the IP dramas are thousands of fanatical fans and their consumption power cannot be underestimated. A big ip drama means a drama with relatively high ratings adapted from a novel that was popular before.

5

Black and Red: In the entertainment circle there are many ways to become popular, some people use their strength, luck, or talent, this popularity is referred to as Red. And no matter what kind of red (popularity), it is without any kind of bad deeds, basically no black material. But now, there has been a strange red in the entertainment industry, which can be called “black red”, it is that some people do not rely on strength, ability, or even luck at all, but rely on theirs/others’ “black material” to become popular. This type of popularity(red) that is basically gained from the wrong way(black) is known as black red.

6

Male harvesters (男收割) usually refer to (female) actors making use of their beauty and wearing somewhat revealing clothes to attract male fans, and gain popularity. Such actresses are put under this title, actresses attract the attention of the audience because of the revealing clothes they wear.

7

Vase actors are those actors who gain popularity on the basis of their outer appearance, their acting skills don’t count for much. Therefore, much of their popularity also comes from scandals and controversies, which they see as a positive thing to remain in trend.

8

A vase actor is an actor whose only importance resides in their appearance and nothing substantial to prove their profession.

9

As explained earlier, the phenomenon of black red, this here means the mixture of good and bad fame.

10

In other words, mostly fans are in support of him and praising him, unlike the female actors with a lot of black fans.

11

[tuō hòu tuǐ]: It is a metaphor to hold back, to prevent others or things from moving forward.

12

[Chá lǐ chá qì] 茶里茶气: This literally translates to tea in/inside tea air. This a new online vocabulary, which means that a person who pretends to be cute and pitiful in front of people, gaining sympathy from others, but they are extremely scheming behind the scenes. People with “tea-in-tea” kind of pretence has flattering personalities, and they only say what others like to hear. Generally considered, with this type of appearance, boys have no resistance to such girls, while girls are scoffing at such groups and are sensitive and suspicious, sometimes also calling them bitchy.

13

An internet slang used to describe a young woman that likes to dress and act in a certain fashion in order to portray herself as pure and innocent.

14

[bà miàn yuán tong]: Refers to a person who is tactful in dealing with things, knows how to use words and considerate in everything.

15

On the internet, this term is used to refer to idols/actors who were not popular and are therefore poor and low-key.

16

A metaphorical way to refer to changing sides/joining the opposite team.