FI CH29: Here Comes the Show Effect

Bai Xuanrui stood at the door, his eyes wide with shock. He could never have imagined that their relationship was so formal!

Besides, who the hell comes to a deserted village in the middle of nowhere for a ribbon-cutting, brings their partner, and brings their partner’s dad!

Bai Xuanrui’s face flushed red, then went pale. The slightly transparent shirt was still draped loosely and deliberately on him, but the three people in front of him were all dressed impeccably. When it was just two people, disheveled clothes could be called romantic. But in front of a group of people, it just looked cheap.

Especially since He Zhenling hadn’t spared him a single glance.

…

Inside the door, He Zhenling looked at Lin Su with a deep gaze and finally spoke. “This, of course, has nothing to do with me.”

Lin Su appeased him. “So, am I not explaining it to Dad?”

After speaking, he said to the figure at the door, “Ni… Dad, you can close the door now.”

Xuenima nodded with a grim, handsome face. He then looked at Bai Xuanrui, whose face was burning, and snorted coldly. “Shameless.”

With that, he slammed the door shut with a bang.

Inside the room, the stagnant air finally began to flow again. Just as Lin Su was about to speak, he saw the corner of He Zhenling’s lips twitch up, his eyes cold. “This entourage of mine is indeed no simple matter.”

“…”

He turned his head away, knowing he was in the wrong, and ordered, “A’Ma, go cut some fruit for Xiao He.”

Xuenima’s majestic form carefully squeezed past the entrance hall. “Ang da.”

Two minutes later, a plate of fruit was placed on the small table. By the sofa near the window, Lin Su and He Zhenling sat facing each other. After putting down the fruit, Xuenima transformed back into a faint, shimmering ball of light and landed on the edge of the table.

Three cups of tea were placed before them.

Lin Su reviewed the situation. “How did it turn into that?”

Xuenima: [The moment I opened the door, I ran into someone offering special services. I could only improvise.]

It held its cup, took a sip of tea, and sighed in reminiscence. […To think, I would have a day where I could call the Supervisor by his full name.]

He Zhenling held his teacup and sneered. “I also didn’t expect the world to change after I took a shower.”

Lin Su was thankful. “Good thing I wrapped it up nicely.”

Two gazes shot towards him at once.

After a moment, He Zhenling pressed his temple. “…Forget it.” He calmed himself. “At least it prevented some trouble.”

Lin Su nodded. “I couldn’t agree more.”

…

After dinner, evening was just setting in. The sky gradually darkened, and the afterglow enveloped the ancient village. The production team also prepared to seize the time and start recording the first episode tonight.

Full of interest, Lin Su called He Zhenling to go watch with him.

“Let’s go. We’re already here.”

“…”

When they arrived, the set was bustling with activity. A group of staff members were setting up camera positions and equipment. The guests were also on the other side, preparing their outfits and styling.

Lin Su was drawn to a drone. He Zhenling glanced at it but remained standing on the sidelines.

As he was standing there, the director, Ke Juexin, came over. Ke Juexin was also in a difficult position. The moment he wasn’t paying attention, Bai Xuanrui had caused trouble again. The latter was used to using such methods to get ahead and had even dared to try his luck with He Zhenling. As a result, he hit a wall and was now afraid of being replaced.

But relying on his backing, he couldn’t bring himself to apologize, leaving Ke Juexin stuck in the middle.

Ke Juexin rubbed his face wearily, put on a smiling face, and walked over. “Mr. He.”

He Zhenling’s eyes fell on him.

Ke Juexin apologized with a fawning smile. “The young people in the crew are insensible and have caused you trouble. But he was pushed into the show by the TV station, so it’s really not easy to replace him… I apologize on his behalf. What do you think…”

Just as he was feeling anxious, he heard a light, airy voice say, “It doesn’t matter.”

Looking up, he saw He Zhenling’s indifferent profile. It was clear he hadn’t taken the matter to heart at all.

Ke Juexin didn’t know whether to be relieved or more nervous. After a pause, he remembered the news he had accidentally learned. “Then… should I go and apologize to your beloved as well?”

“…”

He Zhenling finally turned his head to look at him. His lips moved, but before he could say anything, Lin Su came over after checking out the drone. “Technology is really so advanced now. In the future, we can use aerial photography for large-scale comedy skits too.”

The words on the tip of his tongue were forcefully swallowed back. He Zhenling’s eyebrow twitched. “How large-scale of a comedy skit are you planning?”

Lin Su didn’t see a problem and looked back as if it were a matter of course.

Ke Juexin quickly smiled. “Ah, you’ve come at just the right time. The people in the crew were insensible before and didn’t know about your relationship. There was a lot of offense caused. I apologize to you.”

Lin Su paused for a moment and looked at He Zhenling. The latter’s expression didn’t change. He then turned back and said, “There was no offense. The one who opened the door was my dad.”

Ke Juexin: “…….”

Ke Juexin took a long moment to process this. “Then, should I go apologize to your dad?”

Lin Su sighed lightly. “Forget it. No need.”

Xuenima stood on his shoulder, looking down imperiously: [Ah Ba has received it.] The moment it finished speaking, it was pulled back into his consciousness: [Ji!]

After the director finished his apology, he was quickly called away by the production team. For a moment, only the two of them were left on the sidelines.

Lin Su pursed his lips and looked at He Zhenling. “While I was gone, what relationship did you confirm outside?”

He Zhenling lowered his eyes. “I am always cautious with my words. Naturally, I said nothing.”

Lin Su: “…”

He turned his head away. “It’s already like this when you haven’t said anything. What would happen if you did? Xiao He, the distance between us has indeed gone a bit too far.”

A scoff came from beside him. “What, do you want to maintain some distance?”

Lin Su was magnanimous. “Forget it. Who told you that you could make me happy?”

Ye Yuzhu, who had been looking for them, stopped a few steps away and peeked her head out: ?

After a short while, He Zhenling went to the side to answer a phone call. Ye Yuzhu finally slipped over again. “Hey~”

Lin Su looked at her. “You seem very happy.”

Ye Yuzhu’s dimples appeared as she smiled. “You noticed.”

She then shared, “Was Bai Xuanrui scared by your comeback? He looks like an explosive pufferfish, ready to detonate.”

Lin Su corrected her. “Don’t use such an auspicious word to describe him.”

Ye Yuzhu corrected herself. “About to explode.”

Just as she said that, Lin Su saw the man coming over from that direction. Bai Xuanrui looked like he was holding in a lot of anger and seemed extremely agitated. He reminded her, “Stay away from him during the recording later.”

“Huh?”

“In case the explosion affects you.”

Ye Yuzhu cheerfully agreed and then walked away with another string of bell-like laughter.

The production team and the guests were all ready. By now, night had fallen, and the recording finally began.

The recording area was very large, with clues scattered everywhere and props that would randomly appear. Along the way, various scares and NPCs with different functions were prepared. The guests needed to search for clues in this ancient village to see who could piece together the complete story first.

Ke Juexin called out, “Everyone, be careful when you move around, and don’t go outside the designated area! Especially, don’t run into the villagers’ houses and disturb their rest.”

“Alright, the recording starts now—”

With his announcement, the guests all ran out. Ke Juexin sat back down behind the monitors. Lin Su and He Zhenling also sat behind the director. The screen in front of them showed the camera feeds of all the guests.

They had just started, and things hadn’t gotten into the main part yet. Ke Juexin turned to He Zhenling. “Mr. He, you mentioned you were on vacation. Are you planning to stay here for a few more days?”

He Zhenling crossed his arms and nodded.

Lin Su looked sideways: ?

“You don’t have to go back to work?”

“If you can’t lead a team, you’ll have to work until you die.”

He Zhenling looked over. “Besides, my most important job is to watch you.” And see if you’re stirring up trouble.

“…” Lin Su looked back. “Then aren’t you working year-round without a break?”

After all, he could ride the winds and waves at any time.

“Heh, you’re not wrong.”

The director, who was listening in, quietly perked up his ears: ?

As they were talking, a commotion suddenly occurred on the screen. Bai Xuanrui and another male guest named Chen Keqing were having a dispute. Chen Keqing wasn’t a big name, so Bai Xuanrui was now speaking to him in a joking tone. “You go search over there. I got here first.”

Chen Keqing: “Brother Rui, I was clearly here first…”

It was a very obvious clue spot. Finding it meant guaranteed screen time.

Bai Xuanrui had his back to the camera. He probably shot the other person a warning look, because Chen Keqing closed his mouth and sullenly turned away. With his backing, it was obvious this segment would be cut.

Lin Su commented as he watched, “No wonder ‘unaired footage’ is so captivating. It’s indeed much more exciting than some of the main episodes.”

Ke Juexin gave a helpless, forced laugh.

However, just as one wave subsided, another quickly rose. The entire set was very large. Bai Xuanrui found a tricycle parked by someone’s door. Seeing that the key was still in it, he immediately got on and rode it.

Ye Yuzhu passed by and gave it a few glances, then said loudly, “Hey, that’s not a prop from the show, is it? There’s no logo on it. Hurry up and return it to the villager.”

Bai Xuanrui didn’t listen and hammed it up for the camera with a “show effect,” pretending to be clever. “Aiya, be flexible. Commandeered, commandeered!”

With that, he rode straight past Ye Yuzhu. Next to the road was a muddy ditch. Ye Yuzhu, caught off guard, dodged backward and, with a splat, stepped into the mud. She couldn’t hold back and mouthed: Vocal!

…

Behind the screen, Lin Su narrowed his eyes slightly. “This is what you call ‘variety show effect’?”

Ke Juexin said, “…It’s not entirely not. It is indeed effective material. It all depends on how it’s edited in post-production.”

For this kind of variety show, being infamous was still a form of fame. Some production teams would even deliberately create controversy to attract traffic. Ke Juexin was one of the more conscientious ones. He spoke into his earpiece, telling someone to have the tricycle returned.

Xuenima was huddled in front of the screen: [Is it because he offended the three of us and is afraid of being replaced, so he’s desperately trying to grab screen time?]

Lin Su glanced at it. …What a “three of us.” What a self-important Nima.

Then he said dotingly, “I suppose so.”

Fortunately, as the recording progressed, the staff gradually dispersed, and there were no more annoying incidents for the rest of the time. But midway through, the picture flickered, and Lin Su asked, “Did you all offer the incense at the crossroads?”

Ke Juexin was stunned for a moment and followed his line of sight. He saw the remnants of incense sticks at a three-way intersection on one of the screens. “Ah, yes. The villagers told us to do that.”

Lin Su nodded. “This place is prone to encounters with evil spirits. Offering some incense first is the right thing to do.”

Ke Juexin was surprised. “You even know about this!”

He then looked at He Zhenling, who hadn’t said much. “Does Mr. He perhaps also understand these things?”

He Zhenling parted his lips. “I have a superficial knowledge of it.”

Lin Su stared at him. He Zhenling’s brow moved slightly, as if asking “what.” Lin Su leaned closer and said softly, “A very thick ‘superficial knowledge’.”

The person in front of him paused, then also leaned in close to his ear. “…Not as thick as yours.”

“…” Lin Su.

Ke Juexin quietly perked up his ears again: Are they whispering sweet nothings?

The unedited recording process was a bit tedious. Lin Su leaned back in his chair and let out a small yawn, almost feeling sleepy.

A voice timely sounded beside him. “Go back if you’re tired.”

He was about to nod when his gaze swept across the screen and suddenly froze.

He hadn’t paid attention to Bai Xuanrui’s camera feed for a long time. Now, he saw that the night was pitch black, with only the surrounding lights illuminating the intersection ahead. By the side of the road was a tightly shut door.

The door was covered with layers of overlapping old and new talismans and Fu characters, with offerings of incense and candles below. Opposite the door stood a utility pole, on which characters representing the zodiac signs were faintly written, along with a few other crooked characters that were difficult to make out.

This was clearly no longer part of the production team’s set.

Bai Xuanrui stopped in front of the door and looked at it, then said excitedly to the camera, “Look what I’ve found! A new clue!”

A staff member beside him seemed to wave his hand, reminding him that this wasn’t part of the set. Bai Xuanrui pretended not to see and prepared to continue with a “blunder” effect.

Just as he reached out to tear off a Fu character, Lin Su suddenly spoke. “Tell him not to tear it off.”

Beside him, Ke Juexin reacted, also noticing the situation, and hurriedly issued instructions through his earpiece. “Xuanrui, this isn’t part of the show’s set. Don’t tear off things other people have posted!”

On the screen, a flash of impatience crossed Bai Xuanrui’s face. He turned his head and tore it off anyway.

…

Lin Su immediately stood up.

Ke Juexin was startled and turned his head. “Eh?”

“I’ll go stick it back on.”

Ke Juexin asked, “You’re going alone?”

He looked at He Zhenling, but saw that He Zhenling said nothing, only giving Lin Su a slight nod. Their eyes met, and Lin Su turned and went out.

…

The place was not far away. When Lin Su arrived, the people were still there.

Bai Xuanrui was holding the “clue” and giving a detailed analysis to the camera. Some of the staff around saw Lin Su and couldn’t help but let out a few surprised gasps.

Lin Su walked straight up to Bai Xuanrui.

Without wasting any words, he directly took the Fu character back and, raising his hand, stuck it back on. Slap—

Under the incandescent light, a hand entered the frame. Set against a dark jade-colored sleeve cuff, it was long and fair, with well-defined knuckles. It pressed forcefully on the dark red Fu character.

For a moment, there was silence all around, and the camera seemed to tremble slightly. But soon, a voice was heard: “What are you doing!”

Lin Su turned his head and met Bai Xuanrui’s hostile gaze. “We’re in the middle of a recording! You’re not even an invited guest. What are you doing barging in all of a sudden?”

Lin Su tapped his knuckles on the door and gestured. “Not only are you deaf, it seems you’re also blind.”

“…”

The cameraman’s shoulders shook, and he turned his head away. Lin Su continued, “Didn’t I tell you not to tear it off?”

The anger that Bai Xuanrui had been holding in all day erupted. He turned around, tore the Fu character off again, and said to Lin Su, “I’ll tear it off, so what? What are you going to do about it?”

“…….”

Lin Su’s expression was hard to describe. He took half a step back. “Blessings.”

With that, he turned and walked away.

Bai Xuanrui then said sharply to the camera crew, “Cut that last part out, reshoot it! An amateur is an amateur. He doesn’t understand what show effect is. He should stop telling people what to do.”

Lin Su listened to the voice behind him as he walked back. “He seems to want to make it big and strong.”

Xuenima: [But he’s more likely to just make a clown of himself.]

Lin Su shook his head. “Let’s go back and watch the recording. The show effect he wants should be coming soon.”

Author’s Note:
Lin Su: This prosperous era is as you wished. (hands clasped in prayer)
He Zhenling: ……And also as you wished. (sees through it)
Xuenima: (hands clasped in prayer)

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