Jiang Zhan looked at the comments shipping Jiang Li and Feng Yating and thought them to be an eyesore. There were even fans who did not fear trouble and tagged Jin Yu, whose CP with Yating was promoted before. Fans from three parties were shipping here and there.
"... What is this…" Jiang Zhan scrolled down and saw an ID called 'the world and Xiao Gege are all mine' waving flags and shouting "Jiang Li Xiao Gege, I love you" in the comments.
If he didn't remember incorrectly, this was the one who said he/she wanted to push Jiang Li down.
What a tremendous mess.
Jiang Zhan tsked and exited from Jiang Li's Weibo interface. He then pressed on Ji Shu's contact, "Check Feng Yating's recent schedule."
I wanna see how free you are to a point that you have the courage to tease my person.
Ji Shu's effectiveness was high, he called back within 5 minutes.
"Miss Feng's schedule has been quite packed recently. Other than Long River and Falling Moon's shoot, she has a perfume advertisement photo shoot the day after tomorrow. She has a charity ball the following day, and a 'Face-to-face celebrity' live variety show next week."
Ji Shu hesitantly paused for a while, but felt that this was something that needed to be said, "And in the variety show next week, Miss Feng's partner is Mr. Jiang."
"Jiang Li?" Jiang Zhan frowned, it was not enough that the netizens shipped them, now they are even going on a show together?
"Who arranged it?"
Ji Shu heard the displeasure in his voice and answered carefully, "You said that you wanted to arrange a variety show for Mr. Jiang for some exposure, it can also increase his popularity. 'Face-to-face celebrity' is also a live variety show with decent views. It will be aired at the golden hour at 8pm on every Saturday. Miss Feng is the most popular female young artist and she's also coincidentally in the same drama crew as Mr Jiang. If both of them join the show together it's going to be a win-win situation."
"..."
So I made myself the hoe and helped others snatch my person away?
After listening to Ji Shu's report, Jiang Zhan was speechless. He hung up the call silently and could not resist opening Weibo again. He then saw that Jin Yu appeared under Jiang Li's Weibo as well, both of them even interacted.
He became so mad at that moment and closed the comment section. He then asked Ji Shu to send him the materials for the afternoon meeting.
...
When Feng Dong was informed of Jiang Li's participation in the variety show, 'Face-to-face Celebrity', he felt incredulous. This variety show was one of the most popular variety shows at that time. The whole session was live streaming and the number of views every week was quite high too.
Most of the people invited were popular celebrities. Although Jiang Li's popularity was not bad recently and he even joined the drama production of a top-notch director, the drama was not aired yet and he did not have any great achievements. He was not up to standard.
Unless… there's someone above pulling the strings.
Feng Dong looked at Jiang Li who was playing games while lying on the lounge's sofa. He suddenly understood why the human resource manager said "You're finally going to have better days ahead." when he arranged for him to be Jiang Li's agent.
Jiang Li had a great appearance, good acting skills, and even had someone backing him; he would definitely become famous. Those people who dissed him for having nothing but a beautiful face would need to swallow back their words after 'Long River and Falling Moon' aired!!
Feng Dong could not reign in his excitement when he informed Jiang Li of the invitation, "This is a very good opportunity. It will guarantee you more exposure before the drama starts airing."
Jiang Li was busy with the drama shoot recently so he had not watched this live variety show called 'Face-to-face Celebrity' before. But when he saw Feng Dong getting so enthusiastic, he could roughly guess how popular the show was. After he listened to him introduce the show, he asked, "You said the company arranged this for me?"
"Yes, it will take place next Saturday. Although it's a live streaming variety show, you will still need to go for the rehearsal before airing in order to ensure the program runs smoothly. Here is the procedure of the show." Feng Dong handed the detailed procedure of the show as he continued speaking and introducing other guests to him.
"There will also be Feng Yating, Zhao Ziyi, and Chu Mengyao in this episode. You are the only newbie among them, others are popular celebrities."
"Oh..."
Jiang Li nodded his head, took the show's procedure, and read through it.
After the guests confirmed their participation, they were required to record a short video and send it to the production team. The production team would then edit them into the episode's trailer. The guests would also need to go to the shooting venue a day earlier for the rehearsal.
After Jiang Li knew how popular the show was, he immediately thought of Jiang Zhan; he did not have any popularity now, so it must be that man's handiwork that he was able to join a show like that.
He bought a cat for me, arranged a popular show for me to join, yet he told me not to reach out for a yard after taking an inch. Heh. He refuses to admit it but he has a soft heart.
"What are you smiling at?"
Feng Dong noticed the edge of Jiang Li's lips that were slightly curved up, as if he was in a really good mood. He thought that he was happy because of the show, he then followed him to smile, "If you don't have any objections, I'll go and arrange your schedule with the organizer."
"Sure."
Jiang Li didn't really care what he was talking about. He took out his phone and sent a message to Jiang Zhan.
When Jiang Zhan received the message, he was holding a meeting in the conference room.
The property investment project did not go smoothly. The manager who reported the progress of the project was shivering as he talked in front of Jiang Zhan, whose expression was as cold as frost. He was afraid that Jiang Zhan would throw the documents onto his face in a fit of anger.
"Beep– Beep–" The mobile phone beside him vibrated.
Jiang Zhan's eyes tilted down and briefly glanced at it, he then saw Jiang Li's messages pop up.
— I received the notification about the variety show the company sent, you arranged it right?
— I'm very touched, thank you.
— XOXO1
The three messages had been sent one after the other. Jiang Zhan opened them expressionlessly. As he was replying to Jiang Li, he noticed that the manager had stopped reporting. He then said, "Continue."
The manager keenly sensed that his boss' anger eased, so he did not dare waste more time and continued reporting.
After the meeting, the higher-ups left. Ji Shu stayed and helped Jiang Zhan arrange the documents on his table.
Jiang Zhan leaned on the back of the chair as his hand fiddled with his phone. He glanced at the message sent by Jiang Li several times and suddenly asked Ji Shu, "What does XOXO mean?"
The word 'muaks' that came out from his mouth scared the life out of Ji Shu, he thought he had heard it wrong. He turned his head and was met with Jiang Zhan's expressionless face as he asked again, "What does it mean?"
What does XOXO mean...
Ji Shu pondered over this question and was trying to organize his words, but before he got to answer he heard Jiang Zhan say, "You don't know?"
I know! My girlfriend sends me this every day when we are chatting!!! Ji Shu growled in his heart.
"XOXO… it means hugs and kisses. It's widely used online and mostly between couples when they're chatting. Some friends who are close also use this, it's an expression to show affection."
Ji Shu repeated the meaning according to the website he searched after he received 'XOXO' from his girlfriend for the first time. After he finished explaining, he saw Jiang Zhan stare at his phone with a subtle expression, he asked hesitantly, "Um… Mr. Jiang sent it to you?"
"En."
Jiang Zhan answered calmly, his gaze still stuck on the word 'XOXO'.
It's an expression of showing affection between couples or close friends.
We're not a couple and I'm not considered his close friend either, but the fact that Jiang Li sent three messages shows that he's really touched.
Ji Shu didn't know what he was thinking in his heart, he smiled and said, "Mr. Jiang is really a fun person, my girlfriend likes to send this to me as well."
"Girlfriend?" Jiang Zhan lifted up his head and looked at him.
"Yeah!" Ji Shu nodded.
"Are you showing off how lovey-dovey you and your girlfriend are?"
"..."
Jiang Zhan stood up from his chair and seemed to have the intention to leave. Ji Shu then asked as he was holding the documents, "President Jiang, where are you going? Do you need a car?"
"Visiting someone on a film set."
Jiang Zhan had already left the office as soon as his words ended. Ji Shu knew that he was going to visit Jiang Li and quickly followed him without hesitation.
...
Jiang Li's shooting in the afternoon was Liu Chuandeng's scene.
The scenario was that Liu Chuandeng accidentally found a stack of old letters in the Head Eunuch, Zhao Dequan's, secret room; and they were all letters from his own mother.
This was a scene with only Jiang Li in it. He sat on the mat and closed his eyes to build up his emotions.
A vermillion brown box was placed beside his hand, there were a few unsealed letters as well. The letters' paper were dark yellow in colour, showing how old they were.
The Liu Family was in a poor condition, so Mother Liu did not attend school before, she only learnt how to read after marriage as Father Liu taught her for two years. The words written in the letters were not beautiful, but the effort spent on them could be seen. There even were smudges on the words, as if tears had dropped on them.
In the early letters, she said that the reason that she did not send any letters to Liu Chuandeng for the first two years was because she did not dare to face him. She was scared that he was suffering in the palace. In the following letters, she asked Liu Chuandeng if he hated her for sending him into the palace, and whether that was the reason why he never replied back even once. She asked if he was living well in the palace and asked for his forgiveness.
Liu Chuandeng entered the palace when he was seven years old, he stayed there for 19 years full of hellish suffering.
He once asked himself; if his mother was still alive after he became at a high position, would he stand firm to his oath of killing everyone who humiliated him and kill her too?
She; who was the start of his humiliation.
It was impossible that he did not hate her. When he thought of all the times he was humiliated by the Head Eunuch, he couldn't resist blaming everything on her. If it wasn't for her, if he wasn't sent to the palace, then he would've never experienced those days when he lived neither like a human nor a ghost.
In those dark days, she did not even come and take a look at him, there was not even a letter from her.
When he was humiliated by Zhao Dequan and the other ministers who looked sanctimonious but were actually cunning and disgusting, she did not appear at all, she was always accompanying her other son.
However, he never thought that she had written so many letters to him, and that they were all intercepted by Zhao Dequan.
Jiang Li's face was hidden in the shade, he put himself in Liu Chuandeng's shoes, he was shocked, incredulous and dazed.
When he thought of her writing those letters in the middle of the night as tears fell down when she asked if he hated her, his vision blurred and his fingers grasped the letter so tightly that they turned white.
Such a stupid woman. When she sent starfruit from home, she was probably humiliated by those guards who acted like snobs.
I hated her for so many years and even had the intention to kill her before, and I wasn't there even in her last moments. If she's always thinking about a cold and vicious son like me, she probably can't rest peacefully in the underworld!!
"Hah..."
After a long silence, Jiang Li suddenly sneered at himself in a low tone, his shoulders slowly trembling. As his laughter got louder and louder, his hands were shaking invisibly and the letters in them were squeezed into a ball.
"Why..." He clenched his teeth tightly and murmured to himself, eyes bloodshot as crimson streaks crawled into them due to his intense emotions. His sanity started slipping away and he went into a morbid state, "Isn't it better to let me hate you to death? Why is this appearing now?!"
A loud bang was heard, the box and the low table on the mat were flipped over by him, producing a loud noise.
"Cut!"
"This scene has passed, this is the end of today's shooting!"
After hearing Zhou Jin, everyone on the set was relieved. They looked at Jiang Li whose head was still lowered and his fingers were still slightly trembling. It was apparent that he had yet to disengage from the character as he was immersed too deep into it.
This was the last scene of the day, so not many people stayed. Yanxi brought a towel for him after he had calmed down.
Jiang Li thanked him, greeted Zhou Jin and walked towards the dressing room. He heard the System's notification after only two steps.
"Congratulations Host, the male lead's favorability has broken through 50%, the current favorability is 58%, you've unlocked the primary love achievement."
Primary love?
Jiang Li's footsteps paused, is it the effect of the 'XOXO' sent this morning?
Yanxi, who was behind, went up to him and said excitedly, "Brother Li, you're so great! How did you manage to understand the character's psychology so well? I was so scared that you're going to turn crazy early! How did you do it, tell me!"
In the days that they were shooting, Yanxi was like a little tail, following Jiang li everywhere. Jiang Li then treated him as a younger brother as the days continued. When he heard his question, he smiled and said, "Just put yourself in the character's shoes. As you do that, you'll be able to figure out their psychology."
"Putting myself in the characters' shoes…" Yanxi seemed to understand, but he did not really understand it.
"If your situation allows, you can experience the character's life personally." Jiang Li gave him an example.
"Experience it personally2 ..." Yanxi looked at Jiang Li who was wearing Liu Chuandeng's court robe, and suddenly thought of something. His gaze slowly slid down to Jiang Li's 'certain' part.
Jiang Li followed his gaze, he froze for a second and then a laugh followed. He hooked his arms around Yanxi's neck and smirked as he went closer, "Don't look anymore, you brother not only has it, it's really rich too, do you wanna take a look?"
Yanxi was teased by him and his face reddened, he stammered, "Bro…Brother Li, be normal!"
"Hahahahaha." Jiang Li rubbed his hair in a pleased manner, his eyes unintentionally glanced sideways at something, then his vision suddenly halted there.
He saw Jiang Zhan look at him as if he was having an affair, while Ji Shu who was standing behind stuck his palms together pleadingly towards him.
Jiang Li: "???"
Jiang Zhan glanced at the arm hooked around Yanxi's neck, his eyes turned gloomy.
You're even teasing a minor, Jiang Li, are you still a human?