Chapter 11: The Movie Emperor Feels Wronged

Chen Chang’an: Brother Bai, I’m sorry I didn’t inform the team about the promotional matters a couple of days ago.

Chen Chang’an: Will your work be affected because of me?

When Jiang Baiqing saw this message, he was already at the film set.

In fact, there had been some public opinion over the past two days suggesting that the movie emperor was being taken advantage of, but because his fanbase was too large, it hadn’t caused much of a stir.

If it weren’t for Xu Chengzi informing Chen Chang’an, Jiang Baiqing probably wouldn’t have brought this up with him.

The CP hype was something Jiang Baiqing had requested himself, and he was responsible for his own demands. How much Chen Chang’an did was not something he needed to manage.

He could only manage himself and keep his own heart in check.

Jiang Baiqing: It’s fine.

Jiang Baiqing: Just a bit wronged.

Chen Chang’an found this message quite intriguing.

— So even a movie emperor, who lived life like a tractor rolling down a hill, could feel wronged by public opinion?

Chen Chang’an: Then Brother Bai, what would make you feel better?

Jiang Baiqing: Stop hiding in the hotel, come to the film set.

Chen Chang’an: I don’t have any scenes this morning.

Jiang Baiqing: Seeing you will make me feel better.

Chen Chang’an: …Alright then.

He got out of bed, casually threw on a white T-shirt, and slipped on some sandals before heading to the film set.

After navigating through layers of encirclement and greeting the staff one by one, he walked behind the camera.

Jiang Baiqing was performing a personal scene, with the eighteen-year-old Jiang Chengfeng sitting in a classroom, writing furiously. Three months ago, Pei Shengyi had already been accepted into a prestigious university through a special admission process, and Jiang Chengfeng wanted to get into the same university, relying solely on his last-minute efforts.

In the silent shot, the boy paused his writing, picked up a fountain pen that had been set aside, and gently caressed it—it was a gift from Pei Shengyi when he left, and Jiang Chengfeng was even reluctant to use it.

Suddenly, the boy’s eyes sparkled, as if he had gained new strength from the fountain pen, shaking off his previous fatigue and diving back into his studies.

—

It must be said that this scene, despite having no lines, was performed exceptionally well by Jiang Baiqing.

When Jiang Baiqing withdrew his gaze that belonged to Jiang Chengfeng, his aura gradually matured and became aloof. He inadvertently looked up and saw Chen Chang’an, dressed in beach shorts and sandals, and a hint of warmth returned to his eyes.

“You really came?” He walked up to Chen Chang’an and asked, lowering his head.

Chen Chang’an grinned: “Of course, I keep my word.”

“It’s hard to get a break from filming, and you don’t want to sleep a little longer?” Jiang Baiqing looked at him, his mood improving slightly.

“You’re the one who called me here, and you’re also the one who told me not to come.” Chen Chang’an huffed, “Brother Bai, why are you so hard to please?”

“I was joking.” Jiang Baiqing chuckled, “Who would have thought you’d actually come.”

“Now you’re blaming me.” Chen Chang’an snorted, then thought of something and turned back, “Are you still feeling wronged?”

Jiang Baiqing paused for a moment, then replied hoarsely: “…Not anymore.”

Chen Chang’an felt relieved: “That’s good, then my trip here wasn’t in vain.”

Jiang Baiqing’s gaze was gentle, but his tone was cold: “Jiang Youchuan, you can eavesdrop a little more obviously.”

Chen Chang’an turned his head and saw Jiang Youchuan, who was pretending to be a cameraman while holding a camera.

“I wasn’t eavesdropping, I was adjusting the equipment!” Jiang Youchuan retorted stubbornly.

“Is that so?” Jiang Baiqing said noncommittally, “Swear it.”

Jiang Youchuan, thick-skinned enough, declared: “I swear!”

“You swear that if you were eavesdropping, your box office would drop by ten million.”

“I…” Jiang Youchuan stammered, “Hmph, you’re ruthless.”

Chen Chang’an quietly said from the side: “But, Brother Bai, next time you mess with Director Jiang, can you not use the box office?”

After all, he was the main investor, and the thought of losing ten million in box office made him feel anxious.

Jiang Baiqing laughed: “Where’s the Little God of Wealth? Clearly, it’s the Little Money-Grubber.”

Chen Chang’an emphasized seriously: “That’s ten million! Can you not treat money like dirt? The investors can take eight million from that ten million, of course I care.”

“Right, the investors can take eight million from the ten million, why should I care?” Jiang Baiqing said calmly, “Besides, I’m on a fixed salary, there’s no profit-sharing for me, so the box office has nothing to do with me—after all, I’m just working for you guys, wage slaves don’t need to worry so much.”

“…Consider it a plea.”

“Hmm, I’ll think about it.”

—

Another day of filming wrapped up, and seeing Jiang Baiqing and Jiang Youchuan walking towards the exit together, Chen Chang’an rushed over like a hound catching a whiff of meat.

He stretched out his hand to block their path: “Wait! Where are you two planning to go?”

“What’s up, God of Wealth?” Jiang Youchuan replied readily upon seeing Chen Chang’an, “We’re planning to find a place to chat.”

Chen Chang’an grew more excited: “—And have a meal?”

Jiang Youchuan looked to Jiang Baiqing for help, and Jiang Baiqing nodded: “That’s right.”

“Please! Take me with you!” Chen Chang’an earnestly pleaded, pinching his own face, “I’ve been eating boxed meals for a week, look at my face, I’m starving thin!”

The assistant standing behind Chen Chang’an had already slipped away—he felt his artist was embarrassing himself.

Jiang Youchuan instinctively refused: “We need to discuss something.”

“It’s fine, I can choose to selectively become deaf.” Chen Chang’an said sincerely, “Or you can just order me a dish, I can eat at a table by myself.”

Jiang Youchuan had no objections now and looked at Jiang Baiqing: “Should we take the God of Wealth with us?”

“Sure.” Seeing Chen Chang’an looking starved, Jiang Baiqing didn’t chase him away, “Let’s take him along.”

“Your principles…” Jiang Youchuan couldn’t help but exclaim, then seeing Jiang Baiqing’s expression, he changed his tone, “Truly a balance of relaxation and seriousness!”

In the end, Jiang Baiqing didn’t let Chen Chang’an sit alone at a table.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Chen Chang’an rushed to the front desk, shouting for two tables, but Jiang Baiqing pulled him back by the collar.

“One table is enough.” Controlling the restless Chen Chang’an, Jiang Baiqing looked up.

“Ah.” Chen Chang’an felt a bit regretful, “Aren’t you two supposed to be discussing something?”

“It’s not anything important, we can talk another day.” Jiang Baiqing changed his tone, “But if you’re not in front of me, I won’t feel at ease.”

“What the heck!” Chen Chang’an couldn’t help but protest, “I’m not dangerous.”

“But it’s safer to keep you in sight.” Jiang Baiqing replied.

—

The three of them had a meal together, and the topics they discussed were quite simple, nothing Chen Chang’an couldn’t hear, clearly contradicting the original intention of the two coming out to eat.

As the clock struck seven fifty-nine, Jiang Baiqing suddenly put down his chopsticks.

“Wait a moment.”

The two at the table, confused, followed suit and put down their chopsticks, watching the clock strike eight.

Jiang Baiqing stared at the phone in his hand for a moment, then suddenly sighed in relief: “Got it.”

“What did you get? My box office?” Jiang Youchuan asked, puzzled.

“Tickets for Chen Chang’an’s fan meeting, I got them.” Jiang Baiqing opened his phone to show the two.

V Chen Chang’an Official Fan Club: Ding ding ding, the fan meeting is coming! Tickets for the fan meeting will be available tomorrow at eight o’clock sharp! [Image]

Posted a day ago.

Chen Chang’an was stunned.

Tickets for the fan meeting? When did this come about?

More importantly— the movie emperor was sitting across from me, competing fairly with my other fans for tickets to my fan meeting?

“What a sin, what a sin.” Chen Chang’an muttered softly, “Brother Bai, if you want to go to the fan meeting, just tell me, I still have a ticket.”

Jiang Baiqing returned to his calm expression: “I didn’t know if you’d want me to go.”

“Then why did you grab the tickets?”

Jiang Baiqing smiled slightly: “It’s to make sure you have to see me.”

Chen Chang’an was speechless: How domineering, how logical, he found himself unable to refute.

“Let me interrupt you two.” Jiang Youchuan, unable to stand the atmosphere between them, couldn’t help but raise his hand, “I have a big announcement: tomorrow, a super famous singer will come to the film set to gather inspiration. I spent two thousand to invite him, and he will write the theme song for our movie!”

Jiang Baiqing didn’t speak, but his eyes clearly conveyed, “What does that have to do with me?”

“Just saying, I hope you two don’t act too close when the time comes.” Jiang Youchuan said meaningfully, “After all, our main direction is still youth growth, not youth romance.”

Chen Chang’an looked at Jiang Youchuan suspiciously: “Actually, you just want to show off that you spent only two thousand to invite a famous singer, right?”

“Ah, you caught me.” Jiang Youchuan grinned, “But actually, it’s thanks to the God of Wealth. The low price is because he knows you—he came for you.”

Beside him, Jiang Baiqing’s eyelids twitched, and tea spilled onto the tablecloth.

This was someone who might have a connection with the original “Chen Chang’an,” and Chen Chang’an suddenly felt anxious: “What did he say?”

Jiang Youchuan thought hard and recalled: “I can’t remember clearly, um… it seems he said, ‘Chen Chang’an is my junior from elementary school. We met when he was a background actor, that was a long time ago.’”

The “Chen Chang’an” in the novel also had a time when he was a background actor?

Chen Chang’an’s heart stirred, and as he tried to recall, he found nothing.

Jiang Baiqing quietly asked: “What’s his name?”

Jiang Youchuan glanced at Jiang Baiqing with a smile and generously revealed: “He Zhizhou.”

Oh! Chen Chang’an suddenly realized.

He Zhizhou, the gentle senior from the book, the academic-style king of songs.

The only person willing to talk to Chen Chang’an after Jiang Youchuan had driven him out of the entertainment circle.

In the original text, his name appeared only once, in the last few lines from Chen Chang’an’s perspective as a villain, serving as the author’s final blow to this malicious antagonist—

Chen Chang’an lay on the cold concrete floor, torrential rain beating down on his pale and disheveled face.

As his consciousness gradually faded, a compassionate voice rang out, belonging to He Zhizhou, who had already become a king of songs by then.

He asked: “Chen Chang’an, how did you end up like this?”

— And then it was over, all of “Chen Chang’an’s” scenes ended there.

And He Zhizhou’s name had only appeared this once.

Chen Chang’an even suspected that the author included He Zhizhou’s name just to fill in the word count, and had once scolded the author for digging pits without filling them.

He never expected that these three characters would actually come in handy one day.

—

Chen Chang’an began to feel anxious.

He didn’t know what emotions were contained in He Zhizhou’s last words in the book—was it concern, pity, or a kick while he was down?

He also didn’t know how to face He Zhizhou, whether he would slip up and reveal his vest, whether he would be burned as a ghost, or locked up in a mental hospital.

He even consulted Jiang Baiqing: “Brother Bai, if you meet someone you haven’t seen in a long time and they’ve changed a lot, would you find it strange?”

“Changes are normal.” Jiang Baiqing showed little interest in his question.

Chen Chang’an continued to probe: “Um, but what if this person has changed drastically? Would you be angry? Would you care?”

“Why should he be angry? Why should he care?” Jiang Baiqing was becoming impatient with the questioning, “If he dares to be angry, he doesn’t deserve to stay by your side.”

Suddenly exposed, Chen Chang’an felt a bit guilty: “No, we were clearly talking about how you feel, where did this ‘stay by’ come from?”

“You just want to ask me about He Zhizhou.” Jiang Baiqing frowned, somewhat displeased, “He definitely won’t be angry with you, don’t worry.”

Chen Chang’an’s eyes widened: “But Brother Bai, you don’t know him, how can you be so sure of his thoughts?”

“…No one can be angry with you.” Jiang Baiqing fell silent for a moment, almost conceding, “Everyone will like you.”

Chen Chang’an was stunned, slowly revealing some joy: “You like me too?”

“Yes, I like you too.”

Although he was reluctant, Jiang Baiqing had to admit.

His liking was different from others’ liking for Chen Chang’an—his was more selfish, tainted with a desire for possession.

“Thank you for your liking.” Indeed, Chen Chang’an easily mixed different feelings together, “Brother Bai, you are my good senior, and I respect you!”

“Ahem.” Jiang Baiqing didn’t feel any better because of Chen Chang’an’s words and tried to emphasize, “I’m not that much older than you.”

“Five years.” Chen Chang’an counted on his fingers, “When you were in middle school, I was still in elementary school.”

Jiang Baiqing’s lips twitched slightly: “Thank you for the reminder.”

“No need to thank me.” Chen Chang’an was quite proud, “The entertainment circle values seniority the most, I understand.”

—

He Zhizhou was different from what Chen Chang’an had imagined—he looked even more “decorative” than Chen Chang’an had thought.

If Chen Chang’an’s face was like a vibrant peony, He Zhizhou’s appearance was like a white lotus blooming in a quiet night, possessing a kind of gentle and harmless beauty.

The entire crew was momentarily stunned by his face, only Jiang Baiqing looked at He Zhizhou as if he were a distant enemy.

If conditions allowed, he would probably want to set up a row of barricades at the entrance of the set.

He Zhizhou didn’t notice the movie emperor at all and walked straight to Chen Chang’an.

He opened his mouth and said the first sentence: “Chang’an, long time no see.”

The entire crew was once again captivated by his voice, a wave of gasps rising in unison.

Even Jiang Youchuan, who was usually a miser, nodded repeatedly: “This two thousand was worth it, this two thousand was worth it…”

Despite his nervousness, Chen Chang’an had to speak, pretending to be relaxed: “Long time no see.”

He didn’t use a title because he had no idea how to address the other person.

He Zhizhou smiled slightly, as if he were a human teleprompter who could understand Chen Chang’an’s thoughts:

“Why don’t you call me senior anymore? You used to call me that.”

Chen Chang’an hurriedly stammered: “S-senior.”

He Zhizhou’s smile widened, and upon closer inspection, there were two dimples on his cheeks.

“Stop chatting, let’s get back to filming.”

Jiang Baiqing, who had been watching the whole scene, couldn’t hold back any longer and pulled over Director Jiang, insisting on resuming work.

“It could still be…” Jiang Youchuan, understanding, tried to argue.

Jiang Baiqing coldly interrupted: “What could still be?”

Jiang Youchuan swallowed the words he was about to say: “It could still… be that we call in the third female lead, and the three of you can film together.”

Seeing the director speak, Chen Chang’an felt relieved: “Senior, I need to go film now.”

“Okay.” He Zhizhou waved his phone, “Let’s exchange WeChat, and keep in touch when we have time.”

Jiang Baiqing’s expression darkened further, but beside him was Jiang Youchuan, who was eager to stir the pot, mimicking Lin Daiyu’s tone with a hint of sourness:

“Oh dear, you’re giving your WeChat to someone else too?”

Jiang Baiqing coldly laughed and slapped the script onto Jiang Youchuan’s face.

—

The initial test shoot barely passed, and Chen Chang’an spent the entire day sighing.

Jiang Baiqing moved a stool to sit beside Chen Chang’an, glancing at the script while casually asking, “Aren’t you happy to have the senior’s WeChat?”

“Not at all.” Chen Chang’an instinctively spoke the truth.

Jiang Baiqing’s expression brightened considerably: “Why?”

“It’s so stressful, I have to think about what to say and how to say it when chatting with him.” Chen Chang’an sighed deeply, “I also have to consider his feelings, do you think that’s happy?”

“You care that much about him?” Jiang Baiqing’s expression soured again, “You care that much about his feelings?”

“Of course, after all, it’s… him.” Chen Chang’an rested his chin on his hand, “In short, I still need to pay attention—by the way, Brother Bai, I’ve told you so much, you’ll keep my secret, right?”

“Of course.” Although Jiang Baiqing was in a bad mood, he still assured him, “I won’t tell anyone what you’ve told me.”

Chen Chang’an jumped up from his chair, bowing in gratitude: “Thank you! You’re truly my good senior.”

“I’m tired of hearing that.” Jiang Baiqing couldn’t help but say.

Chen Chang’an nodded: “Alright, then what do you want to hear?”

Jiang Baiqing looked at Chen Chang’an but didn’t answer.

Chen Chang’an scratched his head and began to care about Jiang Baiqing again: “By the way, Brother Bai, how have you been feeling these past few days?”

“Not good, very bad, extremely bad.” Jiang Baiqing lowered his eyes.

Chen Chang’an showed genuine concern: “Oh no, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Jiang Baiqing smiled self-deprecatingly, “Probably because the God of Wealth at home ran off with someone else, everything is going wrong.”

“I didn’t expect you to be quite superstitious.” Chen Chang’an was a bit surprised but still comforted him, “Fortunes turn, believe that it will come back soon.”

“Let’s hope so.” Jiang Baiqing didn’t want to talk more.

“Is there anything I can do for you?” Chen Chang’an asked.

Jiang Baiqing answered without hesitation: “Get He Zhizhou out of the crew.”

Chen Chang’an didn’t expect there was someone in the crew who, like him, didn’t want to see He Zhizhou: “Huh?”

“Haha, I’m just joking.” Jiang Baiqing laughed perfunctorily, “I’m always warm and hospitable, getting along well with others—you agree, right?”

Chen Chang’an wasn’t too sure: “Um… yes, right?”

The author has something to say:

Movie Emperor: I was joking, but you can’t not take it seriously.