Author: Su Youbing
Translator: Xandros
Proofreader: KainGuru
Gao Qin relayed Ma Rui"s words to Jia Zhiqing and immediately got a huge rebound.
Jia Zhiqing slammed the table loudly, "It"s such a good opportunity and such a popular show. It wasn"t easy to get it. How could you say you"re gonna give it up?!"
Gao Qin turned his pen indifferently, "No matter how popular the show is, the host must still be able to stand up for it."
Jia Zhiqing had gradually became immune to his poisonous tongue.
It was exactly the same as what Aaron Feng had gone through. The object in his words was changed to Gao Qin, but he was also criticizing himself.
"Xiao Bai can"t stand up?" Jia Zhiqing snorted twice, "Have you checked it online? "GO！GO！SU……SUPER STAR"s" official website is full of discussions about Xiao Bai. Look at how many topics there are about Shi Daming!"
"Then you might as well as create a poll to ask which host must leave the show. Will it be Shi Daming or Xiao Bai? Or post a question online to ask who they will choose. Will it be Luo Pejiao or Xiao Bai?"
Jia Zhiqing stubbornly refused to admit his defeat, so he said, "The show will eventually come across a bottleneck. The audience will get tired of watching the same scenes and sections over and over again. I think Xiao Bai"s doing very well now."
"Offending the Heavenly couple and being labeled as loose cannon by insiders is called doing very well?" Gao Qin sneered.
"There are so many publicity stunts nowadays. The more publicity, the more there"ll be topics about you, and the more famous you can become."
"You want him to make publicity stunts and become the subject of conversations? That"s easy. Just let Xiao Bai strip naked and let him run around the city center, then I can guarantee that he"ll be famous all the way overseas!"
"You…" Jia Zhiqing was so angry that he wanted to stamp his foot; unfortunately, he could not refute.
"Do you want Xiao Bai to become a Night-Blooming Cereus? Or Pine and Cypress [1] ?" Having said this, Gao Qin suddenly felt it was a bit absurd. It was as if their meeting earlier had been reenacted. The only difference was, he became Ma Rui, and Jia Zhiqing became him. "If it"s the Night-Blooming Cereus, then let him continue speaking out. From experts to rookies, don"t let anyone off. By the time blood flows like a river in the entertainment circle, I"ll see if Xiao Bai still has a place to stand."
([1] Night-Blooming Cereus or Epiphyllum flower is a beautiful flower that only blooms overnight, yet the flower will wither the next morning, while pine and cypress are trees that can stay strong and verdant in winter. Gao Qin is asking Jia Zhiqing if he wants Xiao Bai to become famous for only a short while like the Night-Blooming Cereus, or have a career as evergreen as Pine and Cypress that could even withstand the freezing winter.)
Jia Zhiqing mumbled twice, "If worst comes to worst, I"ll make him speak more carefully in the future."
“He isn"t trained now, how can he be more cautious? At most, he doesn"t speak. Is it proper for the host not to speak? Don"t tell me the audience turned on the TV to see his static smile? If that"s the case, we might as well as look at our ancestors" portraits and ask for their blessings and protection for our descendants."
"…." Jia Zhiqing was fully aware that Gao Qin"s poisonous tongue had already reached the realm of absolute invincibility. "I think if you cohost with Xiao Bai for a program, it must be very good. I"ve thought about a nice name for the program as well. It can be called "No Poison, No Great Man" or "Five Poison Hierarch.""
Gao Qin ignored his teasing and continued: "I"ll call the TV station to explain this matter. Keep an eye on Xiao Bai. If you want him to stick out, make him popular, and just supervise his training courses well."
Jia Zhiqing said frustratingly: "So Xiao Bai"s work is only two-dimensional."
Gao Qin raised his eyebrows, "You should say it with enthusiasm. Fortunately, Xiao Bai"s work still got two dimensions."
"You ¥#%@#%#"
Gao Qin touched his chin, "You and Aaron Feng are really two of a kind, both of you won"t grow up. You"re still using the same vocabulary you have been using for decades to swear at people."
Jia Zhiqing hatefully replied: "Shall I go online to download and update to the latest version?"
"You sure you will?"
"I ¥#@##¥"
Back home, Xiao Bai was trying hard to learn English words in bed.
Jia Zhiqing considered how he would start talking about the issue, "Xiao Bai."
"Yeah?" Xiao Bai raised his head suddenly. ABCDE jumped up and down in his eyes like a flea.
"Are you happy staying with "GO！GO！SU……SUPER STAR"s team?"
Xiao Bai tried hard thinking and thinking, "So so."
"If, I mean what if…" Jia Zhiqing licked and said, "…you can"t host in the show anymore…?"
"Then I must make the director give me the money he owes." Xiao Bai clenched his fist.
"…huh?"
Xiao Bai extended two fingers, "Last time and this time, he already owes me two sums."
Jia Zhiqing heaved a sigh of relief and plopped down on the sofa, "Okay, I"ll definitely get it back for you."
After putting his mind at ease, exhaustion gradually came and he felt that his eyelids were falling.
Xiao Bai"s hand suddenly came over, stroked his forehead, and then withdrew it.
"Zhiqing."
"Yeah?"
"Remember why we have to enter the entertainment circle?"
Jia Zhiqing sobered up a bit, "Yeah."
"Then, we just have to work hard making money."
He barely opened his eyes.
Xiao Bai sat cross-legged on the sofa, with his long bangs hanging down on his forehead, and half of it was covering his eyes as he read a book. Concentration and seriousness was written all over his face.
Xiao Bai resigned from "GO！GO！SU……SUPER STAR" and there were mournful cries on the official website.
There were complaint posts, mourning posts, protest posts, Schadenfreude posts…there were all sorts of posts. One after another, the posts flooded the official website like an endless stream.
There was a con artist who jumped out and said that because Luo Peijiao left, the Feng Shui of "GO！GO！SU……SUPER STAR" was broken. If you want to reclaim your former glory, please dial 134********.
There were also netizens who took the initiative offering their own service like Mao Sui [2] and offered to provide their resumes with photos, hoping to be selected as the new host of the program.
([2] To offer one"s services in the style of Mao Sui offering his services to the king of Chu of the Warring states)
In short, if the official website"s status quo was to be summed up in a word, it was — chaotic!
However, the party involved was not aware that the discussions by the netizens about the reason of his departure had already reached fifty-six pages in just one morning. Now, he was thinking wholeheartedly — why should he come to eat in such a place?
After Yan Su"ang finished ordering their meals, he looked beamingly at Xiao Bai and said: "Anyhow, we were locked up in the elevator together, so we can be considered as fellow sufferers. It"s a good idea to come out to eat together and celebrate the success of our escape from trouble. Why are you putting on a sour face as if you were held as a hostage?"
Xiao Bai kept looking at the menu in his hand, "But the food here is too expensive."
Yan Su"ang snapped his fingers, "It"s my treat."
After doing this, he regretted it a bit. His behavior right now was like that of a nouveau riche on television, who was showing off to his girlfriend. Not only did he lack manners, but he was a little insulting as well. He thought about it and when he was about to explain, he heard Xiao Bai say happily, "Then I"m really grateful to you."
Yan Su"ang glanced at the menu, "How about we add ice cream as a dessert." When he saw Xiao Bai nod, he thought smugly: This adds up to more than 500 RMB, right?
Xiao Bai did not talk much when he was eating.
From Yan Su"ang"s perspective, he treated the food completely with piety. It was a pleasure seeing him eat.
A meal was consumed with great waves of tranquility.
When Yan Su"ang finished paying the bill and walked out of the restaurant, he joked carelessly: “Well, this meal costs 678 RMB, which is a little more expensive than Aaron Feng"s shirt. So, I should be considered as a very good person, right?”
Xiao Bai replied: "But there was more than 300 RMB that you ate."
"…" Yan Su"ang turned then walked to the garage, and said to him without looking back, "Let"s come back tomorrow!"
Although the NCC executives had already announced Xiao Bai"s departure from "GO！GO！SU……SUPER STAR," Jia Zhiqing was still somewhat unable to let it go. After all, it was such a good opportunity.
Therefore, when he received a call from Gao Qin, his tone was not very polite.
"…did you eat gunpowder?"
"Weren"t you the one who gave it to me to eat?" Jia Zhiqing could not suppress his lingering anger.
Gao Qin replied nonchalantly: "It"s a pity that you did not blow up and die."
"…" Jia Zhiqing squeezed his phone desperately. Anyway, his phone was given by the company, if he was strong enough, he did not mind squeezing it until it deformed.
"I have something to tell you."
"If it"s bad news, then there"s no need to say it, just burn it to our ancestors." Jia Zhiqing"s poisonous tongue skill had greatly improved under his influence.
"NCC wants to start a new program and they"re asking for Xiao Bai to work as a guest host. If you think it"s bad news, you can burn it by yourself to our ancestors." After Gao Qin finished saying this, he hung up the call. It was quite chic.
In less than two seconds, Jia Zhiqing called back.
"Really? What program, what is he going to do? And who"s the cohost?"
"It"s a life program, which specializes in criticizing those unfaithful men, unfilial sons and so on. The director felt that Xiao Bai had enough lethality to shoulder the heavy responsibility."
"…this isn"t quite in line with Xiao Bai"s image?" Their household"s Xiao Bai was going to take the idol route. Wearing the most fashionable clothes, combing the most stylish hairstyles, with the most valiant fans, saying the most fashionable words…no, what he would say by then, that would be fashion.
Gao Qin"s broke his imagination in one sentence, "Not having money is the best image. In short, will you do it or not?"
Jia Zhiqing put his mouth aside, "Will do!"
Xiao Fuping had been in NCC for twenty-two years and was one of the most veteran hosts of NCC. Although he was not as powerful as Yan Su"ang in NCC, he also had a certain status.
He was very cautious about this newly opened program, "To the Cheap Enemy [3]."
([3] A pun to a quote by Ban Gu, a Chinese historian, politician, and poet best known for his part in compiling the Book of Han, the second of China"s 24 dynastic histories. 至贱之敌 or To the Cheap Enemy sounds almost the same as 至贱则无敌 [except that 无 was added], which was referring to his quote "水至清则无鱼，人至贱则无敌。" This means if the water is too clear, there will be no fish. if a man is too cheap, he will be defeated by n.o.body.)
Although the NCC executives had decided to let Xiao Bai serve as his guest host and promised to replace him immediately if Xiao Bai"s performance was not satisfactory, Xiao Fuping decided to personally measure his worth.
And so, he specially made an appointment with Yimate to meet him personally.
Originally, Jia Zhiqing wanted to follow after Xiao Bai, but he was stopped by Gao Qin. His original words were: “You can"t bring a babysitter in the program. Xiao Bai has to adapt to this situation in advance.”
Hence, Xiao Bai had no choice but to attend this sinister meeting with a single broadsword [4].
([4] To go alone into enemy lines.)
Xiao Fuping chose a tea house as the venue.
At seven or eight o"clock, there were not many people, and a few old men around were playing chess.
When Xiao Bai arrived, Xiao Fuping was chatting with a thin old man about fishing, and did not seem to notice that he came in.
Xiao Bai found a seat by the window and sat down, then ordered the cheapest pot of tea and waited quietly.
Xiao Fuping saw Xiao Bai sitting there for a long time without worry and did not come up to disturb him. Because of this, he began to like Xiao Bai. And so, he bid farewell to the old man, and walked over to sit opposite Xiao Bai, “Zeng Bai is it?”
Xiao Bai blinked then nodded obediently.
Xiao Fuping was a person who would be having a grandson soon, which was precisely the time when he had no resistance to such a lovely younger generation. Seeing Xiao Bai"s well-behaved appearance, Xiao Fuping secretly held resentment in his heart for those who said bad things about him. No matter how he looked at Xiao Bai, he did not seem to have a poisonous tongue.
"Do you know why I"m looking for you?"
"Yeah. Zhiqing told me that I"ll be your cohost for a new program."
"Do you know what the show"s about?"
"It regarding criticizing unfaithful men, unfilial sons, and so on."
Xiao Fuping nodded, "To cut the story short, it"s all about cheap people. Our aim is to expose them, satirize them, and of course, hope that they"d repent and be good."
Xiao Bai, who only had a hazy notion about it, nodded.
Xiao Fuping looked at his innocent look, and the enthusiasm in his heart subsided a bit, “Well, let me ask you a question. If, say there"s a son who cheated money out of his parents and drove them off to the streets, what do you think of this?"
Xiao Bai thought for a moment, "I"ll install a lightning rod on his son"s head. When there"s a thunderstorm, I"ll let him go out to get struck by lighting.”
"…" He was indeed a loose cannon. Xiao Fuping solemnly extended his hand, "I look forward to working with you in the near future."
Later on, someone asked Xiao Fuping why he chose Xiao Bai.
Xiao Fuping said: "A black face and a white face [5] is always required in Shuochang [6]. I have always been a white face, so it"s quite appropriate to let Xiao Bai act as the black face. Moreover, there aren"t many who can quietly waste their time waiting for others without making a single complaint. A good child who respects the old and loves the young."
([5] In Beijing Opera, the general rule for the basic color is: red for good, white for treacherous, black for brusque, and blue for wild.)
([6] literally: ‘speak and sing." It is a form of traditional Chinese storytelling or, more properly, “story-singing," with many regional subgenres; it is also often referred to as “narrative.” Shuochang performances usually intermix speaking and singing and are accompanied by percussion instruments and sometimes also plucked or bowed string instruments.)
Afterwards, Jia Zhiqing heard of this pa.s.sage. He curiously ran to ask Xiao Bai, "Why did you wait obediently and did not come over to say h.e.l.lo during that time?"
Xiao Bai was at a loss as he scratched his scalp, "Because I didn"t recognize him."
"…" Sure enough, the thing called "truth" was better off swallowed by the mighty torrents of history.