FLME Ch37

With the voice dubbing wrapped up, the guests still needed to film a few supplementary cutaways to serve as extra footage.

These included scenes such as the hero’s party and the princess sitting in the courtyard sipping wine; close-ups of each character right before their deaths; and a few unspoken regrets—visions born of wishful thinking.

The final shot captured them strolling through the forest, morning sunlight filtering down through the foliage. Radiant smiles lit their faces as if they were setting out on a long journey, while high above, hidden within the sea of clouds, the silhouette of a gigantic black dragon loomed, fading in and out of view.

Having processed the entire storyline, Tong Li felt completely devastated.

“To kill the demon lord’s soul with her blood… the princess actually cut herself with the Grand Archmage’s scepter. A wound that could never heal in frozen time, leaving her to bleed out until she died… Good grief, screenwriting team, do you even have a heart?!”

Fan Xiangyang took a much more philosophical view. “That’s just the signature style of our Battle Royale scenarios. Pure angst, tailored specifically to wring tears out of the audience.”

Once filming concluded, everyone discussed grabbing a meal together and tracked down a highly private, upscale restaurant. The moment the dishes were served, Yu Wen buried his head and dug right in. It was rare for him to come across a spread where every single course suited his palate so well. He mentally noted the restaurant’s name in his little notebook, resolving to return the next time he visited this city.

Satiated with food and wine, the group chatted for a while. Yi Ming kept casting glances in Yu Wen’s direction—eyes darting away slightly, looking as if she had something to say but was hesitating.

In between shoveling bites of rice, Yu Wen caught her gaze and tilted his head in confusion.

Whatever Yi Ming read into that gesture, it gave her a sudden surge of courage. Gritting her teeth, she blurted out, “Xiao Yu, I saw on the trending searches earlier that you know a ton of showbiz gossip… Could you share some with me?”

Yu Wen: “…”

After a second of dead silence, Tong Li burst into roaring laughter. “Hahahahaha! I knew it! Human nature is fundamentally driven by eating melon!”

Yi Ming had secretly followed his Weibo using an alt account. When she saw he was cast as a regular member this season, she had been thrilled for days, secretly vowing to forge a solid bond with the Melon King and secure an exclusive pipeline of first-hand showbiz intel from then on!

Yet throughout the entire first episode, she hadn’t gotten a single chance to talk with Yu Wen one-on-one!

Infuriating!

Fan Xiangyang cleared his throat twice, putting on a solemn face. “Yi Ming, we make our living in this circle; how could we revel in drama involving our own peers? As artists, we should stand united… How about we set up a group chat instead? Not that I want to listen, of course—it’s purely about taking precautions to avert disaster.”

…The dagger’s revealed at the end of the scroll, gege.

The moment the topic came up, Jian Heng perked up instantly. He had previously made an agreement with Yu Wen to share any gossip right away. While Yu Wen rarely took the initiative to bring things up, he would answer whenever asked. Over time, Jian Heng had amassed quite a collection of secret little tidbits, and being unable to share them with anyone had been sheer agony!

Yi Ming set up a group chat at lightning speed. Jian Heng eagerly raised his hand, joining immediately: “Me, me, me! I know how to pry Teacher Yu’s mouth open!”

Yi Ming: “Great! You are hereby dubbed the Grand Guardian of the Melon Group!”

Jian Heng: “Mission guaranteed to be accomplished!”

Even Li Daniel, who usually gave off an ethereal, otherworldly aura, was swept up by the atmosphere and enthusiastically pulled out his phone. Meanwhile, the man of the hour, Yu Wen, watched everything unfold with parted lips, feeling like an absolute outsider.

…Is nobody going to check if I’m alive or dead here?

After dinner, everyone headed back to their hotel, only to discover that they were all staying at the very same place—just on different floors.

Staring at the opulent hotel signage before her, Yi Ming sighed with emotion. “The production crew… their sinister intentions run deep.”

Back in his room, the newly formed group chat named “Melon Group” was still buzzing with non-stop notifications. Even though Yu Wen had made it clear he hadn’t been following any gossip lately, the others were chatting away with ferocious energy.

Yi Ming: [Really, really?! Is that true? A catfight on set? Holy crap, that’s so wild!]

Jian Heng: [One hundred percent authentic! It took me ages to pry it out of Xiao Yu’s mouth. He was right there on the set of Mountain Courtyard, Fenghua, Legend of the Immortal Sect. Rise! Best Actor back then! Who knows what feud the third male lead and fourth male lead had, but they started cursing each other out right in front of the director!]

Tong Li: [Details, details! I want to hear more…]

Fan Xiangyang: [Doesn’t Director Gao have zero tolerance for nonsense? Would he really let them stay in the cast?]

Jian Heng: [What else could he do? The fourth male lead was shoved in by an investor…]

Yi Ming: [Juicy! Keep ’em coming!]

Yu Wen spectated for a bit. Seeing how thrilled they were, he didn’t butt in, taking some clothes out of his suitcase to go wash up instead.

By the time he finished washing up and came out, the conversation in the group had undergone 180 iterations, finally arriving at: [Xiao Yu, why aren’t you famous yet?!!!]

Yu Wen: [?]

Yi Ming: [You need to blow up! You’ve gotta become an A-lister, a top-tier idol! That way you can attend all kinds of annual blockbusters, award galas, press conferences, red carpets… Those places generate the most melon! Hiding away as a minor artist is a complete waste of your natural constitution!]

Yu Wen pondered for a second and replied earnestly: [I feel like I’m already pretty famous.]

Yi Ming: [Not enough! Nowhere near enough! You have to become a superstar! Someone, please hand our Xiao Yu a script that will blow him up overnight, aaaaah!]

Tong Li started pitching bad ideas: [Xiao Yu, go do some CP queerbaiting.]

Yu Wen: […]

After thinking long and hard, he renamed the group chat to: “Xiao Yu’s Spicy Teachers.”

Tong Li: [What? Am I getting too old to keep up with young folks’ train of thought? What does this mean?]

Fan Xiangyang: [If you’re old, then what am I? Smiling.jpg]

Li Daniel: [Spicy? I don’t like it. I’d rather be a clear broth.]

Jian Heng: [Teacher Li, cumin flavor is pretty great too. Thumbs_up.jpg]

Yu Wen: [Because I want to learn lines and dialogue delivery from all of you! Your dubbing work today was amazing, seniors, I want to learn!]

Yu Wen: [The first step in Xiao Yu’s meteoric rise begins with leveling up his professional skills!]

Yu Wen: [Kitty charging forward.jpg]

The group chat fell silent for a long while. Finally, Jian Heng typed: [Xiao Yu, if you want to kick me out of the group, just say it straight. Melancholy.jpg]

His dialogue skills were on par with Yu Wen’s—in fact, his pronunciation wasn’t even as standard as Yu Wen’s. He had no business being in a group called “Xiao Yu’s Spicy Teachers.”

Fan Xiangyang: [Hahahahaha, that’s so simple! If you have any questions, just ask in the chat. Later, I’ll recommend a few teachers’ masterclasses. If your agency has the resources, have them send you over to study, plus there are a few books…]

Tong Li: [Fundamentals might be tough for me to teach systematically because they’re already second nature to me; I’ve forgotten all the theoretical mechanics. But if you need it, I can ask a professor I know from my alma mater to secure you an auditing spot so you can attend classes. Whenever you hit a wall, just post in the group. With so many seniors here, how could we fail to pull you up?]

Yu Wen was overjoyed: [Greetings, Master!]

Tong Li: [At ease.]

Yu Wen bowed to each of the others in turn using emojis. Everyone responded warmly, feeling immensely honored to receive a salute from the Melon King.

Jian Heng wasn’t in a hurry to leave the chat anymore either. Seeing the great mood, he smoothly chimed in: [To the four Masters above, please accept this bow from your second disciple!]

Such a golden learning opportunity—he’d be a fool not to leech off it.

Tong Li: [You are hereby ordained as the second closed-door disciple of the Spicy Teachers group!]

Jian Heng: [Thank you, Master!]

Yi Ming had stayed silent for a long time, not uttering a word, and hadn’t chimed in during the master-disciple ceremony either. Yu Wen figured she had already gone to bed. But at ten o’clock that night, he received another message from her.

[Xiao Yu, there’s an audition opportunity in my next project. It’s a script by the Oscar-nominated director Miao Yifei—huge investment, massive IP. With my eye for scripts, it’s guaranteed to be a smash hit. The villain hasn’t been cast yet, third male lead. Do you want to try out for it?]

Yu Wen read the paragraph over and over, thoroughly astonished: [Jiejie, with my current standing, I don’t think I’m quite qualified for Director Miao’s production…]

Yi Ming: [Why wouldn’t you be?! I just mentioned you to Director Miao, and he agreed right away to let you audition, which proves he has a great impression of you. Plus, he follows your Weibo! He even replied to one of your fans! Round that up, and he likes you! Round that up again, and you’re practically guaranteed to pass the audition!]

Yu Wen: [Jiejie, you really are a rounding genius!]

Yu Wen realized immediately: this senior had stayed quiet for half the night because she was out hunting down an acting gig for him. Having been in this circle for so long, he had met all sorts of people. He had been lucky enough not to encounter anyone malicious, but this was the first time he had ever met someone like Yi Ming, who followed up playful banter with immediate, decisive action.

A recommendation from a red-hot, A-list starlet was something others usually had to trade major industry resources to obtain.

A wave of indescribable warmth swelled in his chest. Holding down the voice message button, he prepared to thank her properly. “Jiejie, you…”

Before he could finish, another message from Yi Ming popped up.

[Blow up! Skyrocket to fame! Walk the red carpet! Stroll down the Walk of Fame! Every year’s red carpet is drowning in melon! This old lady always has to hear it secondhand, but this year, I want to be the one tossing the melon! I am the Ambassador of Melon Dispersal!]

Yu Wen: “…”

Fair enough.

Others repay me with fine jade; I shall repay them with an entire melon patch.

Stick with me, and you’ll feast on melon!

Yu Wen: [My jiejie is the greatest philanthropist in the entertainment industry! Xiao Yu received! I definitely won’t let down your expectations, and I’ll strive to explode in popularity before the end of the year! Exploding straight out of the universe!]

Yi Ming: [Hahahahahahaha Xiao Yu, I’m no philanthropist… With your looks, personality, and skills… blowing up is only a matter of time. I’m just doing you a favor before you hit the stratosphere. Also, Xiao Yu, I don’t know if your agency has ever analyzed this for you, but your eyes are exceptionally clean and pure. That’s one of the main sources of your affinity with audiences—it’s your greatest strength, but also your weakness. Audiences love that about you, but directors don’t; they favor artists with a fierce desire to express themselves.]

After a two-minute pause, Yi Ming continued: [During the shoot for the first episode of Battle Royale, though, I saw an ambition for acting in your eyes. In short, the current you doesn’t need to hold back anymore. Any role could become your comfort zone—pick and choose as you please. The world of acting is just beginning to swing its doors open for you.]

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Yu Wen quietly digested her words before taking a screenshot and forwarding it to Xie Jiamao.

His boss replied with five words: [Carved directly into my lungs.]

Filming for the first episode took about ten days in the neighboring city, wrapping up earlier than expected; the director had originally estimated half a month.

He didn’t hold back on the praise. “Everyone’s improvisational instincts were phenomenal—truly. On behalf of all the Battle Royale project teams, I’m so grateful to have you this season.”

As he spoke, he even bent slightly at the waist to bow.

Yu Wen and Jian Heng held the lowest status among the guests this season; how could they possibly accept such an honor? One sprinted forward, while the other slid across the floor.

Jian Heng dropped to his knees, clutching the director’s waist just as it began to bend, while Yu Wen positioned himself on the left, bracing the director’s chest and spine to wrench him straight back up.

Jian Heng: “Your Majesty, you must not—!”

Yu Wen: “Your Majesty, your imperial body takes precedence—!”

Yi Ming nearly fainted from laughing. Hauled and propped up from both sides, the director couldn’t budge an inch. Caught between laughter and tears, he begged, “At least let go of me first!”

Yu Wen: “Understood. This humble subject withdraws.”

Jian Heng: “And this withdrawal… lasts a lifetime—”

The director’s vision went dark.

“I beg of you two, spend a little less time on the internet…”

By the time they flew back from the neighboring city, it was already the dead of night.

At three in the morning, the arrivals hall was sparsely populated. Dragging his suitcase out of the security exit, Yu Wen spotted Xie Heyu waiting in the pickup area from afar.

Standing beside the seats with one hand shoved in his pocket, Teacher Xie was extraordinarily striking.

Perhaps because he had caught some sleep on the plane, Yu Wen was brimming with energy right now, dashing forward with full vigor—

“Teacher Xie!”

Dragging his suitcase, he failed to brake in time. Xie Heyu deftly snagged the luggage handle from his grip while hooking an index finger into the hood of Yu Wen’s hoodie.

The suitcase pirouetted beside them, coming to a steady halt at his right side.

Xie Heyu: “Walk slower, don’t crash into things.”

Yu Wen pulled his hood free, waving a hand with a grin. “I was watching the road, I wouldn’t run into anyone.”

The business van was parked right outside the hall. The moment Yu Wen got inside, he started scrolling through his phone, toggling back and forth between chats with Xie Jiamao and Yi Ming.

Yi Ming: [Schedule conflict? No way. Director Miao’s production is still in the casting phase; official filming won’t start for another six months. By then, Battle Royale will have wrapped long ago. But this character is very complex: a young master from an illustrious Shanghai family, a quiet, timid nobody at home, but privately a pure yet wanton lunatic… That kind of duality is notoriously difficult to play. Director Miao hasn’t settled on an actor yet, which shows you how demanding he is. Hurry up and have your company get in touch so you can get the script and study it thoroughly.]

Xie Jiamao: [Chu Han and Xi Su are signed with our company now too. The neighborhood you live in is close to the office, but the security isn’t tight enough, so I found a villa for the three of you. I’ll send you the address; move over tomorrow.]

Yu Wen searched the address his boss had sent over and let out a sharp gasp.

Xie Heyu: “What’s wrong?”

Yu Wen showed him the search engine results, his face twisted in conflict. “The boss rented a villa for us in S City’s ultra-wealthy district… Our company isn’t about to go bankrupt, is it? Giving us a taste of luxury before going under…”

“…” Xie Heyu fell into a brief, complicated silence before correcting him: “It’s not rented. It belongs to Xie Jiamao himself.”

“But online it says only multi-billionaire entrepreneurs live in this luxury enclave…” Yu Wen thought for a second. An idea crossed his mind, and his expression turned dead serious. “Could it be that the boss has been playing the pig to eat the tiger all along, and his side hustle has secretly broken into the Fortune 500?!”

“…You overestimate Xie Jiamao.” Xie Heyu tapped his knuckles lightly against the steering wheel, choosing his words carefully. “You can ask him when you get back. He probably just forgot to tell you…”

Yu Wen thought to himself: How could I possibly ask? The boss concealed his identity, so he must have his reasons! Maybe he crossed someone back in the day and had to hide away for years, fleeing assassins and forced to start fresh under a new banner… As an empathetic employee, if the boss doesn’t want to talk about it, I won’t utter a single syllable!

Yay! High EQ Xiao Yu!

After chatting with Xie Jiamao about his reflections on shooting the variety show and his tiny, modest aspirations for the future, his boss was so blown away by his personal growth that he praised him as a flat-out genius!

Xie Jiamao: [I knew you were an uncut diamond… Thank heaven, thank God, thank Tathagata Buddha, thank them all for sending you to my side… Don’t worry! Your boss will never let you down! Even if I have to sell my soul or sell my body, I’ll secure you great scripts!]

Yu Wen blushed slightly at the praise, though the final sentence gave him a mild shudder: [Boss… that really won’t be necessary.]

That’s going to shave years off my lifespan!

Around noon the next day, Xie Jiamao said he had arranged people to help him move. When Yu Wen went downstairs to look—sure enough, it was Teacher Xie again.

Only this time, there were two more people with him.

Xiao Zhou was a round-faced young woman—a personal assistant hand-picked by Xie Jiamao from the job market. Meticulous and methodical, she kept everything in immaculate order, though she wasn’t much of a talker.

Xiao Zhong was his other assistant and part-time dedicated chauffeur. That’s right! The generous boss had outfitted him with two luxury business vans, one of which was an RV! The next time he went on set, he would have his very own bathroom!

A barrage of rainbow-fart flattery surged in Yu Wen’s heart, though it was a pity the boss wasn’t here to hear any of it.

Once they finished introducing themselves, Yu Wen turned to Xie Heyu, flashing a polite smile: “I’m very satisfied with these two new colleagues, but I think I might have hallucinated just now… Could you repeat what your role is again?”

“Your manager.” Xie Heyu remained entirely unruffled, steady as an old hound.

Yu Wen: “…If you’re the manager, then what is Xie Jiamao?”

Xie Heyu: “He’s Chu Han and Xi Su’s manager.”

Yu Wen drew in a sharp breath of cold air.

“Is this what you meant when you said you cleared your schedule for the second half of the year?”

I thought you were just here to lend a hand, but you’re practically getting registered on the company’s household permit now!

Xie Heyu paused for a beat before answering, “No. Xie Jiamao forced me.”

Yu Wen’s expression screamed I knew it!

Now that makes complete sense!

He held back once, held back twice, and finally, taking advantage of the boss’s absence, uttered an utterly treasonous line: “He’s gone way too far!”