Chapter 5: The Movie Emperor Wants to Shift the Blame

“What do I have to do for you to support me?”

“You…” This question nearly left the movie emperor Jiang Baiqing gasping for breath.

“I don’t mean that!” Chen Chang’an was also startled by his own bold words. “What I mean is, how do you plan to deal with me? As long as you don’t kick me out of the circle and are willing to forgive me, I can accept anything.”

Jiang Baiqing was taken aback by the question: Indeed, after all this time, he hadn’t even thought about how to handle Chen Chang’an. His vague criticisms were unlike his usual decisive style.

Could it be that he was truly swayed by this guy Chen Chang’an?

A mere idol who couldn’t even act properly dared to disrupt his resolve to act seriously!

This was truly dangerous!

After pondering for a long time, Jiang Baiqing finally made a decision: “You act well, keep a distance of more than two meters from me, and I won’t hold it against you.”

“What counts as acting well? Is what I’m doing now acceptable?”

Jiang Baiqing paused for a few seconds, looking perplexed.

“Forget it, just keep your distance from me.”

Chen Chang’an: … Am I being looked down upon without realizing it?

But if being looked down upon is the case, then being looked down upon by the movie emperor is certainly better than being kicked out of the entertainment circle.

In fact, Chen Chang’an was willing to shout: Please don’t pity me! Look down on me harshly!

He felt a turn of fortune, his spirits lifted, and happily went to wash up and get ready for bed.

Jiang Baiqing, on the other hand, was unable to sleep after all this commotion, staring blankly into space.

Right across from him lay the sweet sleeping face of the culprit, which only made him more irritated.

Until two in the morning, Jiang Baiqing cursed under his breath.

— There really were mosquitoes.

—

Chen Chang’an actually had a light sleep, having often worked night shoots in the past as a background actor.

Jiang Baiqing’s curse was soft, but due to some instinctive sensitivity, Chen Chang’an almost instantly woke up.

Fortunately, he did wake up; otherwise, if the movie emperor couldn’t sleep all night, he would probably be blacklisted for stepping into the set with his right foot first the next morning.

“Teacher Jiang, what’s wrong?” Chen Chang’an rubbed his sleepy eyes, his voice thick with nasal congestion.

The young man asked sincerely, and Jiang Baiqing couldn’t refuse to answer. After a moment, he muttered, “There are mosquitoes.”

At that moment, Chen Chang’an suddenly perked up: Ha, now is the perfect time to prove my innocence!

He hurriedly jumped out of bed in his boxers, frantically rummaging through his luggage until he found a bottle, then quickly approached Jiang Baiqing.

Jiang Baiqing instinctively sensed danger: “What are you trying to do again?”

“Eau de cologne, trust me, it won’t hurt to spray it.” Chen Chang’an brandished the blue bottle of eau de cologne, and from a distance of two meters, he sprayed it twice in Jiang Baiqing’s direction.

After the dust settled, both of them fell silent.

Wait, how did this eau de cologne get dyed?

On Jiang Baiqing’s white pajamas, a visible blue stain appeared.

— It was truly visible, blue like a character from a movie.

Jiang Baiqing’s brows twitched, visibly irritated.

“You really like DIY, huh?”

What kind of eau de cologne dyes things? Chen Chang’an flipped the bottle over, and it read “Hua Lu Shui.”

“Must have bought a counterfeit.” Chen Chang’an’s heart also skipped a beat. “Let me wipe it for you!”

He grabbed two tissues from the box on the hotel bedside table, hurriedly approached, and Jiang Baiqing watched in shock as Chen Chang’an nearly touched his shirt again, utterly dumbfounded.

Jiang Baiqing was so angry he couldn’t find the right words: “You… with such methods, you want to rise to the top?”

Chen Chang’an was startled by the phrase “rise to the top,” and he didn’t dare to get closer. Instead, he threw the tissues at the movie emperor’s face: “Sorry! I have to keep a distance of two meters from you, you can wipe it yourself!”

Jiang Baiqing barely caught the tissues that fell from his face, looking at his now blue pajamas, feeling utterly miserable.

“Teacher Jiang…” Chen Chang’an called out hesitantly.

Jiang Baiqing coldly interrupted, “Shut up.”

Chen Chang’an spoke earnestly but was trembling: “Teacher Jiang, don’t hate, love instead.”

“‘Don’t hate’? This pajama is my favorite brand’s gift, and there’s only one in the world.” Jiang Baiqing said gloomily, “Chen Chang’an, can you sleep? I certainly can’t.”

Chen Chang’an felt sleepy again and covered his head with the blanket.

However, the blanket was too short, and the cold air crept up from his feet.

After tossing and turning for a while, he had to expose his ears, lying straight like a corpse, pretending everything was none of his business.

Even if the king of heaven came today, sleeping was more important than life.

As long as he was in a dream, Jiang Baiqing couldn’t do anything to him; theoretically, he was invincible.

—

“Movie Emperor Jiang, did you go thieving last night? Those dark circles are heavy.”

Early in the morning, Jiang Youchuan sat in the director’s chair, making faces at Jiang Baiqing.

“Heh, yeah.” Jiang Baiqing, who hadn’t slept well, looked grim, like a vengeful spirit. “I went thieving, stole your box office, just stole ten million last night.”

Jiang Youchuan exclaimed, nearly grinding his teeth: “Jiang Baiqing, do you have to be so ruthless?”

“Ruthless? The fact that Chen Chang’an is still alive is my greatest mercy.” Jiang Baiqing was even angrier than him.

Jiang Youchuan dared not provoke him further and could only greet the newly arrived Chen Chang’an cheerfully: “God of Wealth, good morning! How did you sleep last night?”

“Pretty good.” Chen Chang’an grinned, “Thanks to the crew for the room, it was very comfortable.”

“Exactly, I think so too.” Jiang Youchuan agreed wholeheartedly, “The bed is big and soft, so comfortable.”

The two of them were having a great time, while the male lead was left in a wounded world.

After Chen Chang’an finished greeting everyone, he happily planned to go get his makeup done.

But he was stopped by the shifty-eyed Jiang Youchuan: “God of Wealth, what do you think of Jiang Baiqing?”

“Uh…” Chen Chang’an wasn’t sure what he was asking and could only cautiously say, “Very kind?”

Jiang Youchuan clapped his hands: “What do you think of our crew?”

“…Very interesting?” Chen Chang’an frantically searched for adjectives in his barren mind.

Jiang Youchuan revealed his true intentions: “Then are you considering investing a bit of money?”

“Me?” Chen Chang’an pointed at himself.

“Yes.” Jiang Youchuan nodded, “We still need a bit of funding for post-production. If you recognize our potential, then invest in us! Do you not trust us, or do you not trust yourself?”

“I really don’t trust myself.” Chen Chang’an was quite self-aware. “To be honest, I think I’m the biggest risk in this crew.”

To be honest, if Chen Chang’an were an investor, he definitely wouldn’t invest in something he was acting in.

Jiang Youchuan tacitly accepted that Chen Chang’an was the biggest risk in the crew: “But there’s still the movie emperor, right?”

Yes, Chen Chang’an thought again. He had read the script and knew the plot; he knew Jiang Baiqing was the male lead, and the movie would definitely make money.

As the saying goes, a single mouse dropping can spoil a pot of porridge, but with Jiang Baiqing as the lid, Chen Chang’an’s mouse dropping couldn’t get into the pot.

Feeling a bit tempted to build a small fortune, Chen Chang’an asked, “Alright, how much do you want?”

Jiang Youchuan grinned: “You give me however much you have.”

Chen Chang’an was shocked: “All of it? What will I do?”

“God of Wealth, just consider it a fixed deposit. After all, you won’t spend any money on food, drink, or accommodation in the crew.” Jiang Youchuan coaxed, “If you invest in me, I have a way to get the movie emperor to teach you how to act.”

Hearing the last sentence, Chen Chang’an thought of his acting skills and bleak future, and reluctantly handed over his bank card.

Jiang Youchuan grinned widely: “Ah, thank you for your trust, God of Wealth!”

“It’s not trust in you; it’s mainly trust in Teacher Jiang.” Chen Chang’an admitted.

Jiang Youchuan wore a look of someone enjoying the show and deliberately raised his voice to ask: “So you really admire the movie emperor that much?”

Chen Chang’an instinctively raised his voice in response: “Of course! With Teacher Jiang in the movie, it can’t possibly lose money.”

Nearby, Jiang Baiqing, who was flipping through the script, paused, his eyelashes fluttering, not knowing how much he had heard.

—

Today’s joy ended a bit early.

The hairstylist patted Chen Chang’an’s head, puzzled: “Little God of Wealth, why is there a hair that always sticks up? Even mousse can’t tame it.”

The hairstylist was a woman in her thirties, and many of the older staff in the crew didn’t call the director “God of Wealth,” but instead came up with the nickname “Little God of Wealth.”

Jiang Baiqing snickered from the side: “That must be idiot hair.”

“What’s ‘idiot hair’?” Chen Chang’an immediately reacted. He had never been very smart growing up, so he was particularly sensitive to being called “idiot.” “This is smart hair! Smart hair!”

At this, everyone in the makeup room burst into laughter.

Jiang Baiqing couldn’t help but laugh: “If someone calls you an idiot, will you insist on saying you’re a smart one?”

“The nature is different!” Chen Chang’an held his neck high. “It can’t be idiot hair!”

“Alright, alright, not idiot hair.” The hairstylist quickly soothed him, “I’ll just give it a bit more attention, and it’ll go down.”

Unexpectedly, Jiang Baiqing chimed in: “Be careful not to press down that smartness too.”

Chen Chang’an retorted angrily: “You’re about to reach the age of balding, and you still have the nerve to talk about me!”

“Is that so? Then I must take good care of it.” Jiang Baiqing was best at using light words to strike hard, seizing on Chen Chang’an’s sore spot. “After all, while everyone will grow old one day, not everyone can grow smart hair. I still have room for improvement; if I take good care of it, I might even grow a strand of smart hair.”

In this round of banter, Chen Chang’an suffered a crushing defeat.

—

This crushing defeat continued until filming began.

“Cut!” Jiang Youchuan stared at the camera, his eye twitching. “God of Wealth, while you have enough money, you can’t completely neglect your acting—surely you can’t spend eighty percent of the crew’s budget on buying paid posters to hype you up?”

Chen Chang’an stubbornly replied, “I don’t need to buy paid posters.”

“I do.” Jiang Youchuan gritted his teeth. “I need to buy some paid posters to protect myself. If you keep acting like this, when the movie is released, I’ll be the first to get criticized, and I might end up with nothing left.”

Chen Chang’an’s mind was filled with question marks: “What does ‘the first to get criticized’ mean?”

Jiang Baiqing crossed his arms, feeling justified as he misled Chen Chang’an: “It’s a compliment. The director said he was really smart to think of casting you as the second male lead.”

Jiang Baiqing’s current mindset was probably: If I can’t beat them, I’ll join them, making everyone equally miserable.

Taking advantage of the moment, Chen Chang’an flattered him, giving a thumbs up:

“Then Teacher Jiang, you must be even more ‘the first to get criticized’ than the director!”

Jiang Baiqing’s face darkened again; this time, he had no choice but to admit it was his own doing.

Chen Chang’an thought he had successfully flattered him and walked with his head held high.

Jiang Youchuan felt relieved and came up with a good idea for shifting the blame, happily running off to edit a Weibo post.

V Director Jiang, who had no fame: Please check out the teaser photo! Don’t ask me why the male lead and second male lead are standing so close; it’s because they have a good relationship. Chang’an is the favorite in front of the movie emperor! 【Image】

Jiang Youchuan didn’t write—”favorite” means “envy.”

“Envy” doesn’t mean “jealousy,” but rather “when enemies meet, they are especially hostile.”

When Jiang Baiqing saw this Weibo post, he fell silent for a moment before squeezing out a sentence: “Jiang Youchuan, what’s wrong with you?”

Now, great, Chen Chang’an’s acting is poor?

— It’s because the movie emperor thinks highly of him, and it has nothing to do with the director.

How did Chen Chang’an get into the crew?

— It’s because of his good relationship with the movie emperor, and it has nothing to do with the director.

Chen Chang’an is a disaster?

— If anyone is to be criticized, it should be the movie emperor first; the movie emperor is the one to blame, and the director can stand aside.

Thus, five minutes later.

V Jiang Baiqing: Mainly, the director thinks highly of Chang’an and hopes he won’t let the director down. //@ Director Jiang, who has no fame: Please check out the teaser photo! Don’t ask me why the male lead and second male lead are standing so close; it’s because they have a good relationship. Chang’an is the favorite in front of the movie emperor! 【Image】

Due to Jiang Baiqing’s explosive post, the topic #Chen Chang’an is simultaneously favored by the movie emperor and director# skyrocketed to the top of trending searches, even surpassing #The Film Has Started# and #Movie Emperor Jiang Has a New Work#.

—

This time, without the paid posters bought by Chen Chang’an, the comments were a mixed bag, with some being quite rude—

Qing’an Gets Married I’ll Give a Gift: I said Qing’an CP is real, but my roommate didn’t believe me!

Drink This Bowl of QA: Are you eating the movie emperor’s officially certified food?

I Don’t Believe This Isn’t Real: 【Tears Streaming.JPG】 Uncle Jiang, you even praised Chen Chang’an’s acting… What should I do? Even the loyal fans are starting to believe it.

Jiangshang Bai Qingqing: What are those loyal fans upstairs? Just CP fans in disguise, right? Uncle Jiang would never look at that three-no plastic flower, what a joke!

I Won’t Say Who I’m Dissing: Movie emperor, you say who is the three-no plastic flower? Aren’t you afraid of being targeted by certain royal fans? 【Sneaky Smile.JPG】

Susu Does Her Face Again: Just a passerby, Susu (abbreviation for three-no plastic flower, a derogatory term for Chen Chang’an by haters) has no skills, so what? Just a coincidence, right? Susu wants to dive into your movie emperor; how dare a little movie emperor resist? Poor little movie emperor is being toyed with by Susu…

Chang’an is Beautiful Alone Don’t @: No way, no way, it was clearly your movie emperor who posted on Weibo praising our Chang’an. Do you movie emperor fans want to blame our Chang’an for snatching the movie emperor’s phone to post on Weibo?

Heart Pleases An’an: Haters, retreat! Our Chang’an has been beautiful since childhood; just say you’re jealous! What kind of skill is being sarcastic?!

Chen Chang’an’s Little Princess: So what if he has won a movie emperor award? The data is so poor; he’s just a senior, what’s there to be proud of?

Only Love President Jiang: Do the elementary school fans upstairs want to see what they’re saying? What level is the movie emperor, and what level is your master? He crushes you in every aspect, okay?

Chen Chang’an’s Little Princess: You don’t believe it, I don’t believe it; you must have faked the data! The best in the world is our An’an prince!

Scrolling down, Chen Chang’an broke out in a cold sweat.

Dear fan, your intentions are good, but could you not start something?

To be fair, in the original plot, Chen Chang’an’s self-destruction was definitely inseparable from his free-range team and brainless fans.

V Chen Chang’an: Thank you both for your expectations, but I know how much my acting is worth…【Feeling Guilty.JPG】 //@ Jiang Baiqing: Mainly, the director thinks highly of Chang’an and hopes he won’t let the director down. //@ Director Jiang, who has no fame: Please check out the teaser photo! Don’t ask me why the male lead and second male lead are standing so close; it’s because they have a good relationship. Chang’an is the favorite in front of the movie emperor! 【Image】

He first posted a reply like this; although it was a bit lacking in words, it was polite enough, and with his clear self-awareness, the public opinion softened a lot.

I’m a Real Passerby: Hahaha, Chen Chang’an seems to know himself pretty well; I won’t scold him for now.

Strange Strange Really Strange: Could it be that he’s playing dumb to eat the tiger? After all, even the usually difficult movie emperor praised him.

Jiangshang Bai Qingqing: Key point: he didn’t praise him. The director said the movie emperor thinks highly of Chen Chang’an; anything the movie emperor didn’t say should be treated as a rumor!

Support My Chen: Movie emperor fans are really stubborn; is it that hard to admit Chang’an is excellent?

Movie Emperor Jiang Marry Me: Admitting Susu is excellent is not as good as admitting that a potato is a kind of sweet potato.

—

The related topics were so explosive that even Xu Chengzi called to inquire, “Chen Chang’an, did you somehow manage to seduce both the movie emperor and the director?”

After all, in the eyes of ordinary onlookers, Chen Chang’an was the one with connections, while Jiang Baiqing was just a capable worker who had won a few awards.

If the usually aloof movie emperor bowed to Chen Chang’an, it must have been forced.

As for Jiang Youchuan, that money-grubbing miser was even more easily tempted by money, making it highly likely that he was taken down by Chen Chang’an.

The situation was too complicated, and Chen Chang’an didn’t know how to explain: “Sister Chengzi, I swear I didn’t do anything; I was scolded for my poor acting, do you believe me?”

Xu Chengzi cryptically advised, “You can deceive me, but don’t deceive yourself. Do you think you didn’t feed them any mind control soup? Doesn’t your conscience hurt?”

“I really didn’t—I’m very upright.”

“Ha.”

Chen Chang’an turned his head and found that the tone came from Jiang Baiqing, who was sitting nearby.

“Sister Chengzi, you have to believe me—”

“Ha.”

It was a sudden sound, still with a teasing tone.

Chen Chang’an couldn’t help but put down his phone and asked Jiang Baiqing in a good-natured way, “Teacher Jiang, do you have to sing now?”

Jiang Baiqing subtly lowered his head to drink tea: “Not really.”

Xu Chengzi heard this and was so surprised she nearly lost her voice: “Sing? He sang in front of you? You bought him a car, and he sang for you?”

Chen Chang’an found it increasingly absurd: “Wait, how do you know I bought him a car?”

“Lu Renjia, he’s also one of my artists.” Xu Chengzi replied calmly, “He also serves as the inspector in the front.”

Thinking of that youthful face, Chen Chang’an finally managed to squeeze out a sentence: “…Our company really has a wealth of talent.”

Xu Chengzi genuinely thought Chen Chang’an was complimenting her: “You’ve only seen a few? Our company has even more impressive ones.”

Chen Chang’an then thought of the comments he had just seen: “Sister Chengzi, if I want to talk to the fans, how should I go about it?”

“Weibo private messages,” Xu Chengzi suddenly thought of something and was a bit shocked. “Let me ask you one more thing, is what you want to do legal? Is it ethical? I’m afraid you’ll end up like that beep—[censored] and that beep—[censored].”

“What kind of great villain do you think I am in your heart? Rest assured, it’s absolutely legal and ethical,” Chen Chang’an swore to the heavens. “I see that people don’t like me, and it has something to do with the fans’ behavior. I just want to find a way to tell them not to be too arrogant, or one day I’ll be roasted by the entire internet. But I can’t just post on Weibo, after all, that would make it seem like I’m restricting others’ freedom of speech.”

“When did you start caring about the fans? Didn’t you used to look down on them? You never agreed to hold a fan meeting when I suggested it.”

“They like me, and I’m honored, but I don’t want them to become aggressive because of me.” Chen Chang’an had never had fans before; being liked by so many left him at a loss. “As for the fan meeting, just let me know when it’s arranged.”

Xu Chengzi spoke in a tone that was both fearful and serious, “If you want to manage the fans, that’s easy. Just contact the big fan of your super topic on Weibo and ask him to pass the message to the other fans, expressing that you’ve seen some extreme comments and that it makes you unhappy. Then you can subtly mention it in the fan group and send a red envelope to show your concern for the fans. The atmosphere will naturally improve a lot.”

“Thank you, sister.”

Xu Chengzi shivered on the other end of the phone. “You’re suddenly so principled, I’m a bit unaccustomed to it.”

The author has something to say:

Jiang Youchuan (pushing Chen Chang’an over): Your roommate in the same room.

Jiang Baiqing (pushing Chen Chang’an over): The second male lead you personally selected.

Chen Chang’an: …Excuse me, I just want to ask, am I playing the box in the box-pushing game this time?