The escape system questioned Bai Lixin skeptically, [Is that so, Master Bai Lixin?]
Bai Lixin blinked his eyes, [It probably isn’t, and there’s a chance it’s just a coincidence.]
S419m: [?]
‘I’m in trouble!’
The escape system: [S419m! Do you have anything else to say? Reflect on this, and apologize to Master Bai Lixin immediately. Apologize, apologize to Master Bai Lixin now.]
S419m: […]
——————-
Like last time, the silver snake merely coiled around Bai Lixin for a nap. By the time the sun rose, it had vanished into the shadows on the ground, slipping away from beneath the doorframe.
It was 7 AM, and the sounds of conversation drifted in from outside.
After a while, a knocking sound came from his door.
Bai Lixin opened the door, revealing High Ponytail. Seeing the familiar clothes in her arms, Bai Lixin inquired, “Did people from the opposite crew come by?”
High Ponytail’s eyes held a hint of excitement. “Yeah, turns out you went to their set last night for shooting. I’m so envious. They sent these clothes over this morning, saying they’re yours. They mentioned to deliver the costume over when you wake up, no rush.”
As she spoke, she stuffed the clothes into Bai Lixin’s arms. She lowered her voice conspiratorially, “Did you catch that bad thing last night? Your room was quite noisy, did you use a technique?”
Bai Lixin was momentarily at a loss for words. “Um, it got away. I didn’t catch it.”
The light in High Ponytail’s eyes vanished instantly. She asked in a hushed tone, “Then… did you get a look at what it looked like? What did it look like?”
Bai Lixin shook his head again. “The room was too dark at the time, I didn’t see anything.”
“Neither caught nor saw what it was,” High Ponytail suddenly furrowed her brow at Bai Lixin. “You’re not a con artist duping us, are you?”
High Ponytail seemed like she wanted to say more, but Bangs in the distance suddenly called her, “Let’s go, take a walk before breakfast.”
High Ponytail cast a somewhat regretful glance at Bai Lixin before leaving.
After High Ponytail left, Bai Lixin tidied up a bit and then headed downstairs.
Carrying the thick costume, Bai Lixin arrived at the neighboring film crew. Unlike the lively atmosphere from last night, the set was quiet now. Almost all work had come to a halt, with only a few staff members eating boxed breakfasts.
One staff member’s eyes were red. He rushed to shove a few bites of food into his mouth, and as if something had stirred his emotions, he burst into tears.
Someone came over to comfort him, “Brother Wang, please accept my condolences. The deceased can’t be brought back to life. Old Boss will be saddened by your tears in the afterlife.”
The man sniffled, trying to hold back his tears. He forcefully shoveled more food into his mouth.
As he wolfed down the food, his eyes welled up again. “Just yesterday, the day before, he was fine. How did it suddenly turn out like this?”
“We were having dinner together the day before yesterday, and the boss was talking about leading us brothers to make money, buy a good car to drive around. I hadn’t even fully registered that thought in my mind, and he’s gone.”
Bai Lixin slowly halted his steps.
Pretending to adjust his clothes, he perked up his ears and continued to listen.
“Well, it’s fate. We tried to save him, and the ambulance arrived quickly too. Don’t cry anymore, the boss has just left, we don’t want to see you in the hospital too.”
“I tell you, it’s all because of the intense work in this crew. When it comes down to it, the boss died from overwork,” another person approached, complaining, “An actor’s life is a life, but behind-the-scenes personnel don’t count as lives?”
“You can’t entirely blame the crew. They mentioned the work intensity before filming started, and they said we might have to work day and night.”
“At the end of the day, it’s our lives that are cheap. In order to make more money, we settled in this city. Even though we know the work is life-threatening, we still take on the job. We don’t have others’ skills, and we don’t have the looks of a star. All we can do is grunt work.”
“It’s not just grunt work, it’s skilled work. Rigging isn’t something just anyone can do. Remember a few years ago, there was an actor who died because of a mishap by the behind-the-scenes crew while rigging. Remember how he fell headfirst to the ground and died when they were lowering the rig? Think about him and then think about us. He passed away so young, when he had so much potential ahead, and here we are, even though we’re broke, at least we’re still alive.”
“Yes, live each day well, that’s enough for oneself.”
“Speaking of which, was that actor who died from the fall the one from that TV station?”
“Oh, seems like it really was.”
“Oh, Xiao Xin, you’re here!” Bai Lixin was still hoping to overhear more, but the assistant’s voice suddenly came from a distance.
Bai Lixin had no choice but to pretend to tie his shoelaces, maintaining a friendly smile as he walked over, “I’m here to return the costume. I rushed off yesterday and forgot to change clothes.”
Assistant: “No problem, no problem. Just give me the clothes. Do you want to take a walk around? I can show you around. I don’t have much to do right now.”
Bai Lixin looked at the dark circles under the assistant’s eyes, “What time did you guys finish work last night?”
Assistant: “Around 2 AM, it was torture. But the director said after today’s shooting, we’ll have a week off. Quick, ask me what I plan to do this week.”
Bai Lixin went along, “What do you plan to do this week?”
“What do I plan to do?” The assistant widened his eyes. “I don’t want to do anything else other than sleeping! I’m determined to sleep my way through this week. Dark days and nights will be my eternity.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘The use of idioms is good, but don’t overuse them next time.’
*Dark days and nights is an idiom that actually means a situation of extreme turmoil.“How’s that person who fainted yesterday?” As they leisurely wandered around the set, Bai Lixin brought up the question.
Assistant: “Hey, bad luck, unfortunate fate, gone.”
Bai Lixin: “Such a pity. What was the cause of death?”
Assistant: “I heard it was fainting that led to an irregular heartbeat, which in turn affected blood supply to the brain. Later, insufficient blood supply caused a cerebral infarction, and they couldn’t save him. He passed away all of a sudden, without enduring much suffering.”
Bai Lixin fell silent for a moment.
Cerebral infarction? Is that really it?
His body temperature was extremely cold at that time. Any doctor with a bit of medical knowledge could tell something was off, but the response given to the public was just a straightforward cerebral infarction.
It seemed necessary to investigate this hospital.
Bai Lixin also remembered the death of that artist mentioned by the staff members. He asked again, “I want to ask, I heard those guys mention an actor from the TV station who died due to a rigging mistake. Do you know the details?”
Assistant: “You’ve asked the right person. I was interning at the TV station when that incident happened, and I happened to witness it.”
“I still remember that actor’s name was Lin Mu. He was quite a rising star at that time. He won the ‘Best Newcomer Award’ and the ‘Most Watched Newcomer Award’ in his second year after debuting. With just one film, he entered the ranks of B-list artists, and even had a chance to rise to A-list stardom.”
“He was so young back then, only 24 years old and had just graduated from university.” The assistant paused, then turned to take a glance at Bai Lixin, “He had a vibe similar to yours, he seemed polite, well-mannered, and good-looking, so many seniors and bigwigs liked him.”
Bai Lixin: “What happened that day? How did the accident occur?”
Assistant: “Rigging also requires a certain skill, controlling strength and direction is crucial, you know that, right?”
“That day they were rehearsing a performance and everything was fine at the beginning. But suddenly, the rig on the stage shook, and then he was in a head-down position. The rigging rope snapped and before we could even react, he fell headfirst and died.”
The assistant recalled that scene, suddenly shivering, “Let me tell you, Lin Mu’s death was so tragic. His neck snapped, and hung down his back, only connected by skin.”
“Oh my God, just thinking about it now gives me chills.”
—————————
In the live broadcast room
[Don’t say he’s scared, after he said that, I imagined the scene and I got goosebumps.]
[Wait, why are they suddenly talking about this? God Xin never asks questions without reason. Could he be planning to go to the TV station?]
[Then will we see a ghost with a hundred and eighty degrees turned head.]
[…Ahhh, don’t say it! I’m not listening, not listening, not listening.]
—————————-
As they continued talking, the two of them reached the edge of the set. Bai Lixin politely bid farewell, “I should be heading back as well, goodbye.”
Assistant: “Okay, the director said once the film is edited, we’ll let you have a look.”
“Oh, don’t leave just yet,” the assistant remembered something and stopped Bai Lixin, “I almost forgot the main thing. Use your phone to call me, and I’ll send you the director’s number. Don’t forget, once you graduate, come find the director.”
Bai Lixin didn’t have a phone. He maintained his smile, “I didn’t bring my phone. How about you just tell me the number directly? My memory is good, I’ll save it when I get back.”
Assistant: “Okay, I’ll recite it for you. Remember it. 1023********”
Bai Lixin repeated it, then turned and left.
Back at the Love Variety Show set, everyone was gathered in the yard, seemingly waiting for him.
When he walked over, the director cleared her throat, “Xiao Xin, since you’re back, come and listen to today’s activity.”
“Our theme today is spring outing. The crew will provide each male guest with a bouquet of flowers in advance. If a male guest is interested in a female guest, they can give her a flower. Giving a flower signifies an intention to date the female guest. If the female guest agrees, it means a successful match, and the pair engages in a spring outing activity.”
“If a female guest receives more than one flower, it’s the girls’ reversal time. You can choose a dating partner from the male guests. If none of them interest you, you can decline.”
After explaining the rules, the director paused for a moment, “Let me remind you all again. You still need to go outside and walk around, otherwise we won’t have any content for the variety show. You should still refer to your scripts and character settings.”
With that, the director glanced at a nearby cameraman, “Cut that part I just mentioned. Mark it.”
“Xiao Xin,” the director handed a thin white booklet to Bai Lixin, “This is your script, take a good look.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
—————————–
In the live broadcast room
[So variety shows really have scripts! Was all the sweetness I consumed fake?]
[It seems that you are a sincere star chaser. ]
[I apologize for my past ignorance.]
[But the “scripted” plot is so realistic, it’s like it’s been perfectly restored to reality.]
————————
After breakfast, the flower-giving ceremony began.
Before the flower-giving, the director called Bai Lixin aside.
Bai Lixin: “I remember that my only job was to be a haunted house sleep tester.”
‘I can obviously make money while lying down, but now I have to act in dramas and do variety shows on top of it?’
More money, you should add more money!’
The director: “I made a call to the agency this morning. I’ve hired you for an extra ten hours. Double pay.”
Escape System: [Yes, she’s right. The money has already been transferred, Master Bai Lixin.]
Bai Lixin: […]
The director’s expression was serious, “You were suspicious of those four, right? Observe them closely and tell me about those four. Pinpoint the culprit for me.”
If Bai Lixin hadn’t seen the twinkling stars in the director’s eyes, he would have been truly moved by the director’s earnestness.
Bai Lixin: “…”
Before the flower-giving started, Bai Lixin opened his script and took a look.
After reading the contents, even the usually composed Bai Lixin felt a bit unsettled.
——Number of flowers Xiao Xin received in the flower-giving stage: 4.
——Bai Lixin’s choice at the reversal stage: All of them.
——Dating stage: Males compete.
Bai Lixin: “…”
Now he really wants to know, after his identity as a male is exposed, can this Love Variety Show still pass and continue to the end?
Is It allowed to be this explicit?
The escape system questioned Bai Lixin skeptically, [Is that so, Master Bai Lixin?]
Bai Lixin blinked his eyes, [It probably isn’t, and there’s a chance it’s just a coincidence.]
S419m: [?]
‘I’m in trouble!’
The escape system: [S419m! Do you have anything else to say? Reflect on this, and apologize to Master Bai Lixin immediately. Apologize, apologize to Master Bai Lixin now.]
S419m: […]
——————-
Like last time, the silver snake merely coiled around Bai Lixin for a nap. By the time the sun rose, it had vanished into the shadows on the ground, slipping away from beneath the doorframe.
It was 7 AM, and the sounds of conversation drifted in from outside.
After a while, a knocking sound came from his door.
Bai Lixin opened the door, revealing High Ponytail. Seeing the familiar clothes in her arms, Bai Lixin inquired, “Did people from the opposite crew come by?”
High Ponytail’s eyes held a hint of excitement. “Yeah, turns out you went to their set last night for shooting. I’m so envious. They sent these clothes over this morning, saying they’re yours. They mentioned to deliver the costume over when you wake up, no rush.”
As she spoke, she stuffed the clothes into Bai Lixin’s arms. She lowered her voice conspiratorially, “Did you catch that bad thing last night? Your room was quite noisy, did you use a technique?”
Bai Lixin was momentarily at a loss for words. “Um, it got away. I didn’t catch it.”
The light in High Ponytail’s eyes vanished instantly. She asked in a hushed tone, “Then… did you get a look at what it looked like? What did it look like?”
Bai Lixin shook his head again. “The room was too dark at the time, I didn’t see anything.”
“Neither caught nor saw what it was,” High Ponytail suddenly furrowed her brow at Bai Lixin. “You’re not a con artist duping us, are you?”
High Ponytail seemed like she wanted to say more, but Bangs in the distance suddenly called her, “Let’s go, take a walk before breakfast.”
High Ponytail cast a somewhat regretful glance at Bai Lixin before leaving.
After High Ponytail left, Bai Lixin tidied up a bit and then headed downstairs.
Carrying the thick costume, Bai Lixin arrived at the neighboring film crew. Unlike the lively atmosphere from last night, the set was quiet now. Almost all work had come to a halt, with only a few staff members eating boxed breakfasts.
One staff member’s eyes were red. He rushed to shove a few bites of food into his mouth, and as if something had stirred his emotions, he burst into tears.
Someone came over to comfort him, “Brother Wang, please accept my condolences. The deceased can’t be brought back to life. Old Boss will be saddened by your tears in the afterlife.”
The man sniffled, trying to hold back his tears. He forcefully shoveled more food into his mouth.
As he wolfed down the food, his eyes welled up again. “Just yesterday, the day before, he was fine. How did it suddenly turn out like this?”
“We were having dinner together the day before yesterday, and the boss was talking about leading us brothers to make money, buy a good car to drive around. I hadn’t even fully registered that thought in my mind, and he’s gone.”
Bai Lixin slowly halted his steps.
Pretending to adjust his clothes, he perked up his ears and continued to listen.
“Well, it’s fate. We tried to save him, and the ambulance arrived quickly too. Don’t cry anymore, the boss has just left, we don’t want to see you in the hospital too.”
“I tell you, it’s all because of the intense work in this crew. When it comes down to it, the boss died from overwork,” another person approached, complaining, “An actor’s life is a life, but behind-the-scenes personnel don’t count as lives?”
“You can’t entirely blame the crew. They mentioned the work intensity before filming started, and they said we might have to work day and night.”
“At the end of the day, it’s our lives that are cheap. In order to make more money, we settled in this city. Even though we know the work is life-threatening, we still take on the job. We don’t have others’ skills, and we don’t have the looks of a star. All we can do is grunt work.”
“It’s not just grunt work, it’s skilled work. Rigging isn’t something just anyone can do. Remember a few years ago, there was an actor who died because of a mishap by the behind-the-scenes crew while rigging. Remember how he fell headfirst to the ground and died when they were lowering the rig? Think about him and then think about us. He passed away so young, when he had so much potential ahead, and here we are, even though we’re broke, at least we’re still alive.”
“Yes, live each day well, that’s enough for oneself.”
“Speaking of which, was that actor who died from the fall the one from that TV station?”
“Oh, seems like it really was.”
“Oh, Xiao Xin, you’re here!” Bai Lixin was still hoping to overhear more, but the assistant’s voice suddenly came from a distance.
Bai Lixin had no choice but to pretend to tie his shoelaces, maintaining a friendly smile as he walked over, “I’m here to return the costume. I rushed off yesterday and forgot to change clothes.”
Assistant: “No problem, no problem. Just give me the clothes. Do you want to take a walk around? I can show you around. I don’t have much to do right now.”
Bai Lixin looked at the dark circles under the assistant’s eyes, “What time did you guys finish work last night?”
Assistant: “Around 2 AM, it was torture. But the director said after today’s shooting, we’ll have a week off. Quick, ask me what I plan to do this week.”
Bai Lixin went along, “What do you plan to do this week?”
“What do I plan to do?” The assistant widened his eyes. “I don’t want to do anything else other than sleeping! I’m determined to sleep my way through this week. Dark days and nights will be my eternity.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘The use of idioms is good, but don’t overuse them next time.’
*Dark days and nights is an idiom that actually means a situation of extreme turmoil.“How’s that person who fainted yesterday?” As they leisurely wandered around the set, Bai Lixin brought up the question.
Assistant: “Hey, bad luck, unfortunate fate, gone.”
Bai Lixin: “Such a pity. What was the cause of death?”
Assistant: “I heard it was fainting that led to an irregular heartbeat, which in turn affected blood supply to the brain. Later, insufficient blood supply caused a cerebral infarction, and they couldn’t save him. He passed away all of a sudden, without enduring much suffering.”
Bai Lixin fell silent for a moment.
Cerebral infarction? Is that really it?
His body temperature was extremely cold at that time. Any doctor with a bit of medical knowledge could tell something was off, but the response given to the public was just a straightforward cerebral infarction.
It seemed necessary to investigate this hospital.
Bai Lixin also remembered the death of that artist mentioned by the staff members. He asked again, “I want to ask, I heard those guys mention an actor from the TV station who died due to a rigging mistake. Do you know the details?”
Assistant: “You’ve asked the right person. I was interning at the TV station when that incident happened, and I happened to witness it.”
“I still remember that actor’s name was Lin Mu. He was quite a rising star at that time. He won the ‘Best Newcomer Award’ and the ‘Most Watched Newcomer Award’ in his second year after debuting. With just one film, he entered the ranks of B-list artists, and even had a chance to rise to A-list stardom.”
“He was so young back then, only 24 years old and had just graduated from university.” The assistant paused, then turned to take a glance at Bai Lixin, “He had a vibe similar to yours, he seemed polite, well-mannered, and good-looking, so many seniors and bigwigs liked him.”
Bai Lixin: “What happened that day? How did the accident occur?”
Assistant: “Rigging also requires a certain skill, controlling strength and direction is crucial, you know that, right?”
“That day they were rehearsing a performance and everything was fine at the beginning. But suddenly, the rig on the stage shook, and then he was in a head-down position. The rigging rope snapped and before we could even react, he fell headfirst and died.”
The assistant recalled that scene, suddenly shivering, “Let me tell you, Lin Mu’s death was so tragic. His neck snapped, and hung down his back, only connected by skin.”
“Oh my God, just thinking about it now gives me chills.”
—————————
In the live broadcast room
[Don’t say he’s scared, after he said that, I imagined the scene and I got goosebumps.]
[Wait, why are they suddenly talking about this? God Xin never asks questions without reason. Could he be planning to go to the TV station?]
[Then will we see a ghost with a hundred and eighty degrees turned head.]
[…Ahhh, don’t say it! I’m not listening, not listening, not listening.]
—————————-
As they continued talking, the two of them reached the edge of the set. Bai Lixin politely bid farewell, “I should be heading back as well, goodbye.”
Assistant: “Okay, the director said once the film is edited, we’ll let you have a look.”
“Oh, don’t leave just yet,” the assistant remembered something and stopped Bai Lixin, “I almost forgot the main thing. Use your phone to call me, and I’ll send you the director’s number. Don’t forget, once you graduate, come find the director.”
Bai Lixin didn’t have a phone. He maintained his smile, “I didn’t bring my phone. How about you just tell me the number directly? My memory is good, I’ll save it when I get back.”
Assistant: “Okay, I’ll recite it for you. Remember it. 1023********”
Bai Lixin repeated it, then turned and left.
Back at the Love Variety Show set, everyone was gathered in the yard, seemingly waiting for him.
When he walked over, the director cleared her throat, “Xiao Xin, since you’re back, come and listen to today’s activity.”
“Our theme today is spring outing. The crew will provide each male guest with a bouquet of flowers in advance. If a male guest is interested in a female guest, they can give her a flower. Giving a flower signifies an intention to date the female guest. If the female guest agrees, it means a successful match, and the pair engages in a spring outing activity.”
“If a female guest receives more than one flower, it’s the girls’ reversal time. You can choose a dating partner from the male guests. If none of them interest you, you can decline.”
After explaining the rules, the director paused for a moment, “Let me remind you all again. You still need to go outside and walk around, otherwise we won’t have any content for the variety show. You should still refer to your scripts and character settings.”
With that, the director glanced at a nearby cameraman, “Cut that part I just mentioned. Mark it.”
“Xiao Xin,” the director handed a thin white booklet to Bai Lixin, “This is your script, take a good look.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
—————————–
In the live broadcast room
[So variety shows really have scripts! Was all the sweetness I consumed fake?]
[It seems that you are a sincere star chaser. ]
[I apologize for my past ignorance.]
[But the “scripted” plot is so realistic, it’s like it’s been perfectly restored to reality.]
————————
After breakfast, the flower-giving ceremony began.
Before the flower-giving, the director called Bai Lixin aside.
Bai Lixin: “I remember that my only job was to be a haunted house sleep tester.”
‘I can obviously make money while lying down, but now I have to act in dramas and do variety shows on top of it?’
More money, you should add more money!’
The director: “I made a call to the agency this morning. I’ve hired you for an extra ten hours. Double pay.”
Escape System: [Yes, she’s right. The money has already been transferred, Master Bai Lixin.]
Bai Lixin: […]
The director’s expression was serious, “You were suspicious of those four, right? Observe them closely and tell me about those four. Pinpoint the culprit for me.”
If Bai Lixin hadn’t seen the twinkling stars in the director’s eyes, he would have been truly moved by the director’s earnestness.
Bai Lixin: “…”
Before the flower-giving started, Bai Lixin opened his script and took a look.
After reading the contents, even the usually composed Bai Lixin felt a bit unsettled.
——Number of flowers Xiao Xin received in the flower-giving stage: 4.
——Bai Lixin’s choice at the reversal stage: All of them.
——Dating stage: Males compete.
Bai Lixin: “…”
Now he really wants to know, after his identity as a male is exposed, can this Love Variety Show still pass and continue to the end?
Is It allowed to be this explicit?
