Assistant Bai Really Does Have a Three Year Old Child - Chapter 9

Inside the car, Bai Tan was flipping through Huo Yang’s schedule for the day.

He was currently on his way to Huo Yang’s house with the driver. Aside from filming, Huo Yang had to make a trip to the company today; Burberry had sent an endorsement invitation, requiring a tripartite meeting with the company’s boss.

Bai Tan had called Li Wenyan to coordinate the matter. After hanging up, he heard the driver, Uncle Li, offer heartfelt praise:

“Little Bai, the way you handle things is neat and efficient, attending to every detail. Your level of patience is something I could never hope to reach.”

“Uncle Li, you flatter me.”

“This isn’t just sweet talk; it comes straight from the heart. Since you arrived, Boss Huo has visibly looked like he’s breathed a sigh of relief. His previous assistant was apparently a distant relative who took the salary but did nothing, slacking off every day. With that thin connection of kinship, the boss found it hard to let him go and could only keep him on as a free rider.”

Bai Tan shifted his gaze away from the iPad, feeling curious:

“So, the reason Teacher Huo treats his assistants with a certain air of detachment is because of that?”

“More or less. But now that you’ve been hired, he can finally enjoy some peace of mind.”

Bai Tan looked back at the schedule on the screen. Uncle Li’s “sugar-coated bullets” of praise had actually managed to give him a boost of confidence.

His parents hadn’t cared for him since he was young, so he had to tend to himself like a delicate plant, growing up with effort. Over time, he had gained experience in taking care of others; by nature, he was as meticulous as a silken thread.

They picked up Huo Yang and headed to the film set.

Unsurprisingly, another “accident” occurred. Bai Tan once again saw the female lead, Qiao Si, bullying the “nobody” actor, Yang Yueqian.

Despite having four assistants by her side, she insisted that Yang Yueqian run to a tea house seven kilometers away to buy floral tea brewed specifically with flowers picked that very day.

Yang Yueqian rushed back drenched in sweat. Before he could even take a sip of mineral water, Qiao Si claimed she had a germaphobia and made him use the mineral water to wipe down the chair she was going to sit on, inside and out.

Yang Yueqian did everything without a word of protest, merely keeping his head down, his thoughts unknown.

Even the actress playing the second female lead couldn’t bear to watch and tried to persuade Qiao Si, but Qiao Si laughed:

“If you feel bad for him, why don’t you do it?”

The second lead fell silent. It seemed that in this circle, the person brave enough to offend Qiao Si had yet to be born.

Bai Tan had an impression of Qiao Si; he used to see her often online. She had always maintained a “naive and sweet” persona.

As expected, a persona is just a persona.

In the afternoon, Bai Tan called the driver to take Huo Yang to the company to meet the brand representatives.

Walking ahead as if clearing a path, he knocked on the door to Li Wenyan’s office and was met with Li Wenyan’s smiling face:

“Little Rabbit, why did you come alone?”

Bai Tan immediately placed his index finger to his lips in a “hush” gesture.

Li Wenyan didn’t understand and tilted his head with a smile: “Little Rabbit, what’s wrong?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Huo Yang entered the room, placing his phone on the desk after finishing a call.

Li Wenyan’s smile flickered and faded as he reassumed his serious “boss” persona.

“The Burberry brand representatives just got off the plane. They’ll be here in about an hour,” he said to Huo Yang, checking his watch.

“Invite them to have a good time in Jinhai for a few days, then send them back,” Huo Yang replied.

Li Wenyan raised an eyebrow: “What do you mean by that?”

“I’ve decided to pass on the Burberry endorsement.”

As soon as these words were spoken, not only Li Wenyan but also Bai Tan was stunned.

Li Wenyan appeared emotionally stable enough; he wasn’t angry, but he asked:

“Do you know what a Burberry endorsement signifies?”

“Since I’ve decided to give it up, that is no longer within my scope of consideration,” Huo Yang said calmly.

Of course, he knew what it signified. However, it wasn’t just about opening the doors to the international market; it also meant endless tripartite meetings and coordination. He and his little assistant would have to see Li Wenyan frequently.

Little Rabbit?

“Fine, I respect your decision. I will explain things to the brand side, but I still hope you’ll think carefully about the pros and cons,” Li Wenyan said.

Huo Yang stood up and nodded: “If there’s nothing else, I’m heading back to the set.”

Li Wenyan raised a hand in a “please” gesture.

Bai Tan gave Li Wenyan a slightly apologetic smile, picked up the equipment bag, and followed him out.

On the road.

Bai Tan hesitated repeatedly. Knowing it wasn’t his place to interfere, he spoke up anyway:

“The Burberry endorsement… the money is one thing, but the subsequent influence it brings can’t be underestimated. Are you really planning to give it up?”

Huo Yang had his eyes half-closed, one hand propping up his forehead and his elbow resting against the car window.

“Mhm.”

“But the brand representatives are already here… won’t they be angry?”

“This was part of the normal process anyway. They should be secretly happy about a company-funded trip abroad. There’s nothing to be dissatisfied about.”

Since things had been put that way, Bai Tan found it hard to persuade him further.

He was simply baffled. For a major brand endorsement like Burberry, countless artists would beg and plead for such a golden opportunity. What was Huo Yang’s reason for giving it up?

He couldn’t figure this man out.

Taking advantage of the gap while Huo Yang was napping, Bai Tan opened Huo Yang’s social media feed out of boredom. It was empty. There was only a single line of English in his bio:

“A vision of forever”

Bai Tan’s English wasn’t very good; he only knew that “vision” related to sight and “forever” meant eternity. It seemed the bio had just been changed; he didn’t remember it being there before.

Translated as “Eternal Sight”? What does that mean?

He suddenly thought of his friend, Teacher Mei, who worked as a translator. He sent the English phrase over, and Teacher Mei replied:

It can be translated as “A glance that lasts ten thousand years.

Bai Tan’s eyes sparkled.

Wow, that’s a very romantic translation. For whom is this ‘glance that lasts ten thousand years’? For Yang Yueqian?

He put away his phone and looked out the window. No matter how high his status was, Huo Yang was ultimately a regular person who would eventually start a family and have children. It turned out that the “husband” the fans clamored for would one day become someone else’s husband.

A few days later, on the film set.

“Wow, Yueqian, congratulations on getting booked for that hit variety show! You’ve finally made it.”

During the break, extras and minor actors were squeezed into a cramped rest area, chatting away.

Yang Yueqian smiled: “I’ve only signed the contract. The specifics will depend on my performance on the show.”

“It’ll be fine. Everyone who has been on that show ends up becoming famous. Eventually, you’ll be a big star just like Sister Qiao Si and Teacher Huo,” an extra said, genuinely happy for him.

Yang Yueqian looked toward the private dressing room opposite them. Behind the half-open door, he could vaguely see Huo Yang seriously memorizing his lines.

I hope it’s soon.

During the afternoon shoot, there was a scene between the female lead, Qiao Si, and the villainous henchman played by Yang Yueqian:

The female lead stabs her sword at the henchman. The henchman stumbles to the ground to dodge, and the martial arts treasure he stole for his master falls out of his robe. As the henchman reaches for it, the female lead steps on his hand.

“Crack.”

When Qiao Si stepped on Yang Yueqian’s hand, everyone heard the sound of a bone nearly snapping. On the ground, Yang Yueqian turned deathly pale, and large beads of sweat broke out.

Normally, the director should have called a halt to check the actor’s injury, but Director Guo didn’t want to interrupt such a powerful shot, allowing Qiao Si to repeatedly grind her heel into Yang Yueqian’s hand.

It was as if everyone was used to it; their expressions were cold and indifferent. This wasn’t the first time Qiao Si had done this. Once, for the sake of “realism,” she had slapped an extra so many times that the extra’s face remained bruised for a week.

Only after the scene ended and the director shouted “Cut” did the crew swarm around Qiao Si to fix her makeup and clothes. Yang Yueqian clutched his right hand and stumbled as he climbed up from the ground.

Only the lighting technician casually asked if he was okay. He shook his head, his gaze shifting toward Huo Yang, who was still memorizing lines on the side. Standing next to Huo Yang was his little assistant, who was watching him with a frown.

The action scenes weren’t over yet. The next person up was an extra who was supposed to be sent flying ten meters by the female lead’s palm strike. It was the same extra who had just been saying Yang Yueqian would soon be as famous as Qiao Si.

“That’s so excessive…” Bai Tan blurted out involuntarily.

Huo Yang, who was reading the script, slowly looked up at him.

Bai Tan knew the entertainment industry was always cruel, but Qiao Si’s behavior clearly showed she didn’t treat these minor actors as human beings.

“Director, I feel like my performance in that last shot wasn’t good enough. How about we do it again?” She actually requested another take.

Bai Tan stood up, making an excuse to go to the restroom, unable to bear watching any longer.

That evening, after seeing Huo Yang home, Bai Tan returned to his own place. After washing up, he continued organizing his character outline. Lately, he had been feeling a bit stuck; perhaps because of Huo Yang’s distant attitude toward him, he couldn’t dig out any more detailed points.

Ding…

While he was staring at the computer in deep thought, his phone suddenly popped up with several Weibo notifications in a row. He glanced at them casually, but then his gaze froze.

The top three trending topics on Weibo:

1. #QiaoSi Tax Evasion#
2. #QiaoSi On-Set Bullying#
3. #QiaoSi Do You Really Think Your Acting Is Bad?#

During the day, Bai Tan had been wondering if anyone would ever put a stop to someone as arrogant and reckless as Qiao Si. It turned out that “instant karma” came as fast as a tornado. In just about an hour, Qiao Si’s reputation had exploded.

News of her evading 200 million in taxes and using various excuses to beat and bully minor actors on set spread like wildfire. Within half an hour, there were nearly 100,000 comments.

Oops, the “pure and harmless” persona has flipped~

Wow, 200 million in tax evasion. My whole family couldn’t earn that much in three lifetimes. Money in the entertainment industry sure is easy to make.

So malicious… Every time she says she’s unsatisfied with a shot of her hitting a villain and asks for a retake. Why doesn’t she ask for retakes for her solo scenes? Is she addicted to hitting people?

I could almost tolerate the tax evasion, but the physical abuse is truly unacceptable.

I wonder if Brother Yang has been hit by her too.

Everyone knows people pick on the weak. Would she dare hit Brother Yang? She just bullies these unknown actors.

Picking on the weak, huh? I’m disgusted. Get out of the industry, I don’t want to see her again.

As soon as this happened, the entire crew went silent, none of them wanting to get burned. Qiao Si’s PR team arrived quickly, immediately drafting a touching essay to try and whitewash her image.

I’m not very bright. My salary is handled by an affiliated company. I truly don’t know the specifics of why there’s so much tax evasion; I have no concept of money. But I will definitely investigate this matter and give everyone a satisfactory answer.

As for the on-set bullying, everyone knows how difficult my start in this circle was, how much I was bullied, and how people called me a “vase” with no talent. I didn’t want to be criticized anymore, so I could only work hard to improve my acting. Every time I have to strike a colleague, I can’t bear it. The result of that hesitation is countless NGs. I was truly scared, so I only pursued the most perfect shot. I absolutely had no intention of bullying others. The crew can testify for me.

No flowery language, just the most simple and plain words to trigger the audience’s empathy. The PR team knew this well. With Qiao Si saying this, some netizens actually began to have doubts.

Consequently, they began @-ing Huo Yang the male lead who had the most scenes with her asking him what the situation really was.

Since they had to work together in the future, even if he knew the truth, he would likely have to play word games to minimize the impact; otherwise, the drama would truly be dead on arrival. That was what the crew thought. Or, Huo Yang could simply follow their lead and stay silent until the storm passed.

Under Huo Yang’s latest work-related Weibo post (posted by his manager), the comments were lined up:

Teacher Huo, please speak up for justice. Is there truly bullying on set?

Bai Tan was even more curious about how Huo Yang would respond, or if he would respond at all. He waited until he was drowsy, his head resting on the desk, his consciousness beginning to drift.

Ding—

A sudden sound made his heart rate jump to 280. He bolted upright and grabbed his phone.

The number one trending topic: #HuoYang Responds to QiaoSi Bullying#

Apologies, I am quite focused on improving my personal acting skills and do not inquire about external matters. I hope everyone understands.

Bai Tan tilted his head in confusion. Soon, his sleepiness vanished, and his eyes widened to the limit.

This sentence seemed like another form of “playing dead,” but every word was an answer to the incident. The phrase “do not inquire about external matters” was used brilliantly. It confirmed that the incident definitely happened; he simply chose not to get involved.

At midnight, as if the netizens all had a collective holiday the next day, they were all cursing and criticizing. With Huo Yang’s “backing,” the traffic directly crashed Weibo. Qiao Si’s follower count collapsed; her 90 million fans were dropping at a terrifying speed losing two million in just one hour, with the trend continuing.

Bai Tan had been exhausted moments ago, but now he was completely energized. Everyone has their own moral compass; Bai Tan was a regular person who hated evil and loved kindness. Seeing someone bullying the weak on set, he couldn’t remain indifferent. Although he wasn’t yet sure what the consequences of this would be, in this moment…

He felt satisfied.

In a hotel elsewhere, President Zhang was working hard on Yang Yueqian’s body.

Yang Yueqian held his swollen right hand high, fearing that President Zhang’s roughness would cause secondary damage. President Zhang’s breathing was uneven, his smile carrying a hint of triumph:

“So what if Qiao Si is capable? She called me a pig-head; she’ll have to carefully weigh the price of insulting me.”

Yang Yueqian stared at the crystal chandelier above him, his eyes filled with a deathly silence.

Who is next?

Is it that hypocritical little assistant?

In his memory, Bai Tan had spoken words of encouragement to him, his tone sincere and gentle. But deep in Bai Tan’s eyes, there was a surge of arrogant contempt and mockery.

Support