Love Rival Is Getting Prettier Everyday - Chap 46
Chapter 46: Sudden Burst
After arriving on the set, everyone was concerned about Shen Jintai’s condition.
“Are you alright?” Bai Qingquan asked him.
“The fever has subsided,” Shen Jintai said. “It’s just my mouth is sore, and I can’t taste anything when I eat.”
Bai Qingquan smiled and said, “It’s like that when you’re sick. Just wait a few days and it’ll get better.”
“I haven’t thanked you yet,” Shen Jintai said. “If you hadn’t given me a hand, I don’t know what I would have fallen into.”
“It was very scary. I’m glad you’re okay,” Bai Qingquan said. “I wanted to go to see you yesterday, but it was past midnight after I finished filming. I was afraid that it would affect your rest, so I didn’t go.”
It wasn’t easy for Bai Qingquan to care so much about him. He was too kind-hearted. Bai Qingquan gave him a smile when he saw Shen Jintai looking at him, causing Shen Jintai to smile as well.
Director Guo was afraid that Shen Jintai wouldn’t be able to bear it, so he moved today’s emotional scene to tomorrow, thus giving Shen Jintai only a few scenes today.
The most heartfelt scene was a shot of Shen Jintai getting dressed. As he unbuttoned his robe, he smiled and said to Director Guo and the others, “Am I the man in charge of our crew now?”
The crew laughed for a while. Guo Rui chuckled and said, “Don’t waste your good figure.”
Shen Jintai’s figure was really good, and it was extremely suitable for the camera.
As actors, the more they tend to be neutral, the greater their plasticity. It was easy to stereotype both the sun and fresh meat. Shen Jintai’s body was young and smooth, and he could show different body language in different states. It could be very tough and upright, but could also be attractive.
It was a shame that the scale of TV dramas was still relatively strict, so not much exposure could be filmed. It made this particular kind of scene difficult to shoot. Shen Jintai grabbed his clothes with both hands as multiple shots captured him. The pictures were taken from different angles, reminding him of his experience with the underwear advertisement shoot.
In the end, the effect was very good. The moment the robe covered his body, he vaguely caught a glimpse of his smooth and graceful shoulders. The camera followed his hand as it captured his thin, fair fingers tying a belt. He turned his head around, hearing someone calling him.
His long hair was scattered, and his clothes were loose. He was dressed in a romantic style costume, but his facial expression showed only gloom. His cheeks and lips were pale, as if they were covered with frost.
Li Xu had proceeded to blacken.
Guo Rui had begun to appreciate Shen Jintai more and more. He felt that Shen Jintai had a unique charm. He was handsome and thin, with bright rosy lips and clear eyes. His skin was fair, and he had a bright complexion. His temperament was a bit rigid and wasn’t very soft at all, so he looked a little cold when he wasn’t laughing. When he smiled, it was like he had completely transformed and become another person, with or without makeup. These two contrasting feelings, this kind of temperament, really molded Li Xu on screen. He didn’t cast this charming little eunuch to be a beautiful little baby.
This kind of feeling that was emitted on the screen was particularly pleasing. They would like it, whether straight or gay, and the older generation would not be disgusted if they saw it.
Not everyone could control this scale well when acting, and not everyone had this characteristic. Acting skills and personal circumstances were indispensable, which made casting Shen Jintai in Li Xu’s role very reasonable.
Guo Rui was even a little proud. When he chose Shen Jintai to play the second male lead, he was under a lot of pressure, and many people weren’t optimistic. He glanced back at Zheng Siqi next to him and joked, “Our Royal Highness is stunned.”
Everyone around laughed, while Zheng Siqi stood up with a smile.
There had been no announcement from him in the past two days, but he, a newcomer, had no other job at the moment, so since he was free, he would come to the set to watch Shen Jintai and the others act.
He also wanted to cultivate more feelings with Shen Jintai.
He was a novice. This was the first time he ever acted in an emotional drama. It was very intense. When he acted with Shen Jintai, he was always afraid that he wouldn’t be able to keep up. The solution he found was to enter the act and empathize with Shen Jintai. He visualized the crown prince’s feelings for Li Xu. Each time he gazed at Shen Jintai, he would brainwash himself until he couldn’t think straight. The more he looked at Shen Jintai, the more drawn he felt.
Zheng Siqi was especially excited today. Tian Wenwen had told him yesterday that Shen Jintai had signed with their company. This was his debut drama that he filmed together with Shen Jintai, so he had a good working relationship with him. He was happy for Shen Jintai.
After Shen Jintai finished filming, he followed Shen Jintai back to the hotel. Bai Qingquan couldn’t help but glance at Zheng Siqi again. Zheng Siqi was still relatively reclusive at the beginning. Overtime, he had adapted to the environment and that cramped, withheld feeling in his body had disappeared, and he had become more confident, clean, and undaunted.
Zheng Siqi and Shen Jintai had quite the CP. When they stood together, their heads were only a few centimeters apart. When Zheng Siqi talked to Shen Jintai, he still had the feeling of intimacy as a lover would have. His eyes were completely focused on him.
They’re not going to make love, are they?!
Bai Qingquan looked at Yang Lizhi, with whom he was about to have a rivalry scene, and sighed silently in his heart. He also wanted to have a sweet relationship with a handsome guy. Even if it couldn’t be negotiated in reality, it was acceptable if it was just faked on screen. He didn’t know what it felt like to be hugged tightly by a handsome guy.
“Stunned?” Yang Lizhi said with a low smile.
“What?” Bai Qingquan frowned.
“I have a lot of gay honeys. You can’t hide it from me.” Yang Lizhi leaned into his ear as she chuckled softly. “The way you look at a man can’t deceive people.” From a glance she could tell he was a little 0 beauty lacking love.
Bai Qingquan was taken aback. His eyes were too straightforward! His brow frowned as he said, “I don’t know what you are talking about.”
Yang Lizhi didn’t argue with him. She just mischievously remained smiling and looked at Shen Jintai and Zheng Siqi, who were far away. She wasn’t sure who Bai Qingquan was looking at. Either of them wasn’t bad.
Recalling her thoughts, she remembered that Shen Jintai was a well-known gay, yet she could never see through him. She felt his attributes were very fascinating. Sometimes he showed some attacking traits, other times he could be a receiver, and on occasion he could be just plain straight.
Most of the scenes filmed today were rival scenes between the male and female protagonists. Under Li Xu’s arrangement, He Lanbi finally met Zhou Jing. As the two lovers met, jealousy started to brew and the drama of falling in love and killing each other was about to commence.
They filmed late into the night. Bai Qingquan was exhausted after filming and wanted to sleep while sitting in the car.
“I heard from people in the company that Sunshine seems to be signing Shen Jintai,” Wei Ge said suddenly.
Bai Qingquan immediately opened his eyes. “What?”
Wei Ge: “Shen Jintai used to be a lone wolf. Now that he wants to open for business, a large company is required. He’s very popular now. Many companies have been vying for him, including Sunshine Media.”
Bai Qingquan was surprised. “Isn’t he and President Yan always at odds?”
“If President Yan couldn’t separate public from private, he would’ve never agreed to let him play the second male lead. Liu Hui would’ve grabbed that role instead, but President Yan intervened and fought for him. What has happened is all in the past. If you have been paying attention to Shen Jintai’s series of performances these days, you obviously have let go as well,” Wei Ge said. “He’s an interesting man. To give up his career for love; not even girls nowadays would do such a thing.”
Bai Qingquan sat up. “Then, did he sign?”
“I don’t know the details. It seems he hasn’t selected anyone yet,” Wei Ge said. “I would know if he signed with us. They’ll tell me since they know you’ll definitely be angry. After all, having two rivals in the same company, the company will care about your feelings.”
“I don’t want to be in the same company as him,” Bai Qingquan said. “I can’t compete with him. I want to be a big brother. I don’t want to be second in line.” With the exception of his debut in the talent show where he came in second, he had always been first in everything else.
“I find that since Shen Jintai made his comeback, your strength, which I considered the best in the world, has disappeared again.”
“In terms of strength and popularity, I’m not a match.” Bai Qingquan turned his head and looked out the window. The light and shadow hit his face, making him look somber. “He will overtake me sooner or later. I just know it.”
“Don’t say that kind of thing,” Wei Ge said. “Cheer up. I will continue to work hard. If you really want to compare yourself to him, it’s not a guarantee that you’ll lose. Don’t forget the tens of millions of moonlight powders behind you. You’re willing to let yourself be suppressed by Shen Jintai? Do you think the moonlight powders can stand it? How uncomfortable they’ll feel. Don’t let those who love you down so easily. You have seen how terrifying it is to have your fans turn against you.”
Bai Qingquan turned his head and said nothing.
He took a shower after he returned to the hotel. When he was about to go to bed, he received a call from Wei Ge. “I have inquired about it. Shen Jintai rejected Sunshine Media.”
“Huh?” Bai Qingquan was surprised.
“He signed with Monsoon Entertainment,” Wei Ge said. “You can rest assured that you can fight him steadily in the future.”
Bai Qingquan pursed his lips, not knowing what to say. Shen Jintai didn’t choose Sunshine Media and went to Monsoon Entertainment. Their CEO was President Yan’s arch-rival.
This was shaping up to be a real right. He couldn’t lose. It didn’t matter if he lost. He just couldn’t embarrass Sunshine Media, who was backing him up.
He was really impressed with Shen Jintai. What kind of person Shen Jintai had become now, even he may not be able to see through it. He was able to end his emotional entanglement quickly with no muddy waters left behind, and his business skills were solid, desperate, and motivated.
This goddamn person was what he dreamt of becoming. Thinking about it made him embarrassed. He secretly poked his heart, looking forward to the day he would become a top star, filled with sweet love.
Suddenly, with a ding dong, Xiao Mei came online. “Congratulations, your favorability has increased by three points.”
Shen Jintai jumped up from the bed abruptly. Before he could react, he heard a beep, and Xiao Mei had gone offline.
What happened? What did he do? In the middle of the night, why did Bai Yueguang suddenly increase his favorability for him?
Feeling utterly confused, he began to miss Xiao Ai!
—
“Report! The latest news is not true. Shen Jintai is going to the same company as Bai Qingquan!”
“I also saw it in Group 8, saying that Shen Jintai signed with Sunshine Media?”
“Oh my god, this melon* is too big. It surprises me more than the two of them acting together.”
*Buzzword for gossip.
“Isn’t Yan Qiuchi the boss of Sunshine Media? The one that Shen Touhua was chasing but couldn’t catch? So had Touhua caught him now?”
“No, I just think that Shen Touhua is now a person who has changed his face. He seems very reasonable now.”
“The Touhua team is like that. My mind’s not clear, so it’s really hard to say.”
When the gold powders got the news, they almost blew up. Even the old fans of the “Gold Powder Family” weren’t calm anymore, so they hurried to ask Xiao Tang in a private message.
Xiao Tang consulted for Li Meilan’s opinion before replying, “Fake!”
“I’m relieved. It really scared me to death.”
“Really, I was about to cry when I first got the news. Brother, don’t sign with Sunshine Media. Not only is Bai Qingquan there, there’s also Yan Qiuchi!”
“You ignored me yesterday, but today I’ll make you unable to climb high*. This is Xiao Jin’s personal motto.”
*Basically saying, don’t look down on people.
“That’s it! I want to see my brother walk the flower road* with all my heart. Let Yan Qiuchi regret his decision. Brother will grab the throne back first. I want to watch the moonlight powders cry with a smile!”
*(走花路) Buzzword which means walk a beautiful, smooth road. The full term is “walk the flower road together” (Hope everything goes well for you).
“My sister, you said what’s in my heart. Brother Jin, you can do it!”
“Hahahahahaha, I think the moonlight powders can’t laugh anymore.”
The moonlight powders had been quiet recently. It was fine to just brush the beautiful picture of Bai Yueguang and nibble on the prosperous beauty of their brother, so they didn’t bother with blackening Shen Jintai anymore.
It was impossible anyway. No matter how many fans there were, they couldn’t match the number of passersby. Except on Weibo, where comments could be controlled, they were powerless in other places.
Whenever the topic of came up, no matter what the original topic was, it would all eventually become home to “Jintai Qiongying”.
These CP fans were so stupid and scary. They could only guard one acre and three-quarters of land* alone. Moonlight powders, who had always been invincible in the entertainment industry, tasted frustration for the first time.
*(一畝三分地) Refers to one’s sphere of influence.
“It’s not worth it for my brother to pick up this drama.”
“Don’t say that. Many people like to see their elder brother in costume. What a fairy.”
“Is our group having more deserters? I just checked the number of fans. It’s like hundreds less?”
“Don’t mention those traitors. Those people are wall grass*. They turned out to be gold powders. Later, they climbed the wall for our brother, and now they have climbed back again!”
*(墻頭草) Metaphor for people who are good at changing their positions according to the situation.
“Is Qianqian Caoqing also a gold powder? I can talk to her quite well, alas.”
“They are waiting for their faces to get slapped. For the latest news, Touhua has also signed with Sunshine Media. Let’s wait for him to be a foot-washing maid*!”
*(洗腳婢) Refers to a member of a group who is relatively low in popularity and has poor resources.
“Touhua is coming to Sunshine? He won’t take away all our brother’s resources, will he?”
“What are you thinking? My brother is Sunshine’s biological son. Shen Jintai is a piece of halfway goods. How could he possibly grab our brother’s resources? He can only pick up the junk that my brother doesn’t want!”
“Sign it, sign it, come to Sunshine to be the second brother. When he debuted that year, he was originally the second brother, and he grabbed the C position of our elder brother, and now he should return it!”
No one knew where the rumors about Shen Jintai signing with Sunshine Media came from, but it created a lot of noise. Moonlight powders liked it, gold powders firmly denied it, and passersby ate melons* and watched.
*An activity of consuming gossip without taking sides or expressing any particular opinion.
was in its third week of broadcast. The flogging scene came online, followed by the scene of Li Xu being thrown into the ditch and the crown prince jumping in to save him, saying the lines, “I will never doubt you again.” This caused Jintai Qiongying to reach its first emotional climax.
After the episode finished, the official blog super topic was posted, as well as video clips. As the drama became more popular, the number of highlights increased dramatically. Some of the highlights were even better than the main series. They not only allowed the audience to see clips that weren’t shown in the broadcast version, but they also satisfied the curiosity of ordinary viewers about the filming process.
For example, the tidbits posted by the official blog today were when Shen Jintai couldn’t control his crying. The director had already shouted “cut” but Shen Jintai was still hugging Zheng Siqi as tears were flowing.
The quality of the tidbits wasn’t as high as that of the main show. It was filmed vaguely and very shakily, giving it a documentary vibe. In the video, Director Guo Rui stood up and said, “Jintai, dry your tears.”
My god, this line made the fans of “Jintai Qiongying” tear up uncontrollably.
—
“Oh my god. Is this in the drama? I feel like it’s more touching than the main series.”
“I couldn’t hold back my tears when I saw Touhua crying. Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah. My Jintai Qiongying. My Li Xu and Zhou Ying!”
Especially after the director shouted this sentence, Zheng Siqi let go of Shen Jintai, and the two looked at each other. Shen Jintai smiled, but the tears fell even more fiercely.
“Sorry. Give me a minute.” He raised his hand, then lowered his head to cover his eyes.
The director said, “Calm down. We’ll shoot it again.”
Shen Jintai wiped his eyes and said, “I just thought of this line… Ah. He couldn’t remember anything. Only one thought came to his mind, A’Ying.”
Though the sound quality wasn’t very good, this sentence could still be heard clearly. The official blog also included subtitles and music for “Moths to a Flame”. The melody at the end was full of sadness and sorrow.
“Ohh ohh, that hurts!”
“I know what he said! The white-haired Li Xu was there, sitting madly and saying to Zhou Ying. Ahhhhh, I’m dead!”
“This stuff is really better than the main series. Oh, my god, I got goosebumps when I heard those words.”
“Touhua, don’t cry. This sister will put you on the wall in the future, and I will never hack you again!”
“Come to Mom’s arms. Mom loves you!”
“Hahahaha, does the eunuch have no girlfriend fans1? I think they are all mother2 and sister fans3.”
1Refers to female fan who regard themselves as the girlfriends of a male celebrity.
2Refers to fans who have given birth to children or older female fans who treat their celebrity like their child.
3Refers to fans who are older females who treat their celebrity like their brother.
This wave of operations was so fierce that it overpowered the main drama series. That night was hotly searched. Jintai Qiongying CP completely exploded.
The hot search remained for over a day and a night. By the third day, while the heat was still hot, Monsoon Entertainment posted on Weibo:
[We welcome @ShenJintai in joining our big family of Monsoon Entertainment. Next, Monsoon Entertainment will give Shen Jintai full support in all directions and conduct in-depth cooperation in many fields, such as film and television dramas, singing and dancing, variety shows, etc.. The wind will rise for Jintai and the future will shine!]
Monsoon Entertainment planned to hold a grand signing ceremony this weekend with unprecedented splendor.
—
Black powders: “My face doesn’t hurt!”
Gold powders: “Monsoon Entertainment is the enemy of Sunshine Media. Brother, I love you! Don’t be polite if you’re slapping faces!”
Moonlight powders: “What the hell? I said to go to Sunshine to be the second brother! Shen Jintai combined with Monsoon Entertainment will cover the hot searches in the future!”
Passersby: “As soon as people become popular, the real momentum comes. There’s been wave after wave of Touhua leaving behind a feeling of prosperity. No one can stop it!”
Momentum was really important. When the momentum came together, passersby would get excited when they looked at it. It made people feel that this person’s luck was uncontrollable and getting out of hand.
On the fourth day on set, the male and female protagonists stood in front of the lighting board ready to shoot their first scene.
Yang Lizhi was browsing on her phone when she said, “Shen Jintai is on the hot search again!”
Bai Qingquan froze when he heard those words and asked, “Because of what?”
Yang Lizhi raised her head. “Underwear advertisement.”
Bai Qingquan immediately took a look at his phone. Before he clicked on the advertisement video, he saw the first hot comment: [OH MY GOD!!!]
The author has something to say:
Popular people always explode in every series.
