I Rely on My Versatility to Reach the Top of the Entertainment Industry [Ancient Times to Modern] - Chapter 38

Apart from this, “Yang Xin Speaks” had another characteristic: no rehearsals and no special editing.

To make the audience trust the program content more, after each episode aired on television, the complete recording would be uploaded to the Weibo account.

This also meant there was little room for editors to manipulate the footage.

For example, cutting celebrity conversations to mislead viewers would absolutely not happen.

Therefore, this placed greater demands on the social conversation skills of both the interview guests and the host.

But what conversation skills did Jing Yi have? Ever since Dream Chaser collapsed and he gained a voice, Jing Yi had been incredibly straightforward! How could this not make people worry?

Many fans sighed anxiously as the program was about to begin.

At 8:30, after the familiar opening sequence, Yang Xin sat on the sofa and said with a smile: “Hello everyone, I’m Yang Xin. The celebrity I’m interviewing today can be said to be a perfect example of going from being universally hated to extremely popular in the entertainment industry.”

“He was consistently disliked throughout his two years after debut, but in less than a year from last August to today, he has become a regular on Weibo hot searches. What secrets lie behind this? What emotional journey did he experience going from hated to beloved? Today, I, Yang Xin, will reveal it for everyone!”

“Let’s welcome Mr. Jing Yi with a round of applause!”

Amid the applause, Jing Yi walked on stage dressed plainly.

Fans felt a pang of heartache.

Not being signed to any company meant he had no team around him. Their dear Yi was attending the interview completely bare-faced. Under the high-definition camera, his clothes clearly looked old.

No wonder he said he needed money today and had to take on new work – he must have used all his previous earnings to pay off loans, right?

While fans were thinking all sorts of things, the two on the television screen exchanged greetings.

Then, Jing Yi sat on the sofa. The fair-skinned, handsome young man sat properly with his back straight and both hands resting obediently on his knees.

“Actually, you don’t need to be so nervous. You can sit more casually,” Yang Xin said with a kind smile, pausing before continuing, “Mr. Jing just turned 20 this August, right? So young. I’m a few years older than you, may I call you Xiao Yi?”

Jing Yi looked at Yang Xin and calmly replied: “Thank you for your suggestion. I’m not nervous. That’s fine.”

Visibly, Yang Xin’s smile seemed to shift between stiffness and softness in the blink of an eye.

Observant fans noticed this and felt puzzled, typing discussions in fan groups.

While typing, they kept looking up, afraid to miss any dialogue between Jing Yi and Yang Xin.

“Did Yang Xin’s smile seem strange just now?”

“I noticed it too, it was really weird.”

Some fans even mistyped words!

During this time, on television, Yang Xin asked her first question: “You’re welcome. Xiao Yi is very polite. You must have received good family education when you were young, right? Could you tell us about your parents?”

Here it comes!

Fans stopped typing. Every fan group fell silent.

Because everyone knew Jing Yi’s family situation was truly difficult.

It had been revealed before that Jing Yi’s father was addicted to gambling, and his mother couldn’t bear it, so they divorced, making Jing Yi a child from a single-parent family at age 5. That same year, Jing Yi’s mother couldn’t afford living expenses in the big city and returned to their remote hometown in the mountains.

Yang Xin actually used this to attack Jing Yi, her vicious tongue was simply too much!

After the fans had been overthinking for a while, the TV that had been quiet for a moment finally transmitted Jing Yi’s response.

“Past matters shouldn’t really be brought up again. But since you want to know, it’s fine to talk about it.” Jing Yi didn’t avoid Yang Xin’s gaze, the faint curve at the corner of his lips still present. “My impression of my father only consists of being beaten by him. As for my mother… she was a woman both fragile and strong. She would cry to her son late at night, but also brave the scorching sun to reclaim wasteland…”

The young man’s voice was clear, his tone steady, as if he were talking about someone else’s story.

The fans seemed to visualize the scenes Jing Yi described, seeing that resilient single mother raising her son alone.

However, as soon as Jing Yi finished talking about his mother, Yang Xin quickly threw out another question: “Xiao Yi’s description of his mother is truly heartbreaking, you must have loved her deeply. But what puzzles me is, why would such photos exist then?”

On the large screen beside them appeared a photo of Jing Yi with rainbow-colored hair and exaggerated clothing.

It was unclear if the program team had contacted the people leaking the black material, but beneath this photo actually appeared another one – a youthful-faced Jing Yi kissing someone whose face was pixelated but clearly identifiable as male!

The fans were stunned.

Entertainment industry colleagues who knew Jing Yi and were also watching the show were equally dumbfounded.

The photos weren’t photoshopped, were they? This was just… too hard to accept.

Lu Yuzhi frowned, his thin lips pressed tightly together, amber eyes flashing with confusion: Was the Jing Yi in this photo really the same person sitting on the sofa on TV?

The face was clearly the same person, but Lu Yuzhi felt an intense dissonance.

As if… they were two different people.

This eerie intuition and uncertainty made Lu Yuzhi restless and irritable.

He had never investigated Jing Yi’s past before. Even when he came across exposed details about Jing Yi’s history, he would only rationally read through them and move on.

Because that was Jing Yi’s past, and Lu Yuzhi, from the moment he met Jing Yi, had only wanted Jing Yi’s future.

“Especially the second photo – Xiao Yi was kissing a boy, right? The pose is too intimate. Were you in a relationship at the time? You were only fourteen – quite young for romance.” Yang Xin was still smiling, adjusting her sitting posture slightly, her gaze sharp and aura formidable. “Are these photos real? I wonder if Xiao Yi has anything to say about this?”

This question was particularly vicious and tricky.

Lu Yuzhi’s eyes narrowed slightly as he gave Yang Xin a deep look before turning his gaze back to Jing Yi.

Meanwhile, fans watching the same scene nervously and resentfully bit their pillows.

Jing Yi glanced at Yang Xin, then returned his gaze to the photos.

He suddenly stood up, pressed his palms together, bowed toward the photos, then looked up with closed eyes and chanted: “The Buddha is merciful, Namo Amitabha.”

After finishing the chant, when Jing Yi looked back at Yang Xin, his features suddenly appeared somewhat sharper.

Yang Xin seemed uncomfortable under his gaze, her smile stiffening.

“The photos are real.” Jing Yi’s voice was extremely serious. “However, these photos should never have appeared.”

“Why is the program team going to such lengths to disrespect the deceased? The person who took these photos…” At this point, Jing Yi suddenly looked directly at the camera. “Why didn’t you delete this photo as agreed? Do you feel any guilt in your heart?”

The audience collectively shivered, finally understanding why Yang Xin appeared so stiff.

Jing Yi’s gaze was far too oppressive! And it was a strange kind of oppression!

Though the cameras for interview programs were positioned quite far back, when Jing Yi looked over, even as a small figure shrunk by the television screen, his clear, bright black eyes made one ignore everything around them, imprinting directly onto the viewer’s soul and making them involuntarily reflect on themselves.

The audience held their breath.

“Um, disrespectful to the deceased? Not really,” Yang Xin seemed to have just snapped back to reality, her expression awkward. “If Jing Yi doesn’t want to talk about this photo’s story, then forget it.”

Jing Yi was now looking at Yang Xin, and Yang Xin actually didn’t dare meet his gaze!

What kind of aura was this!

Wait!

The audience belatedly realized that Jing Yi seemed to be angry!

“Why is the benefactor lying?” Jing Yi’s voice was indifferent as he stared unwaveringly at Yang Xin, not taking the out she offered. “If you feel guilty and uneasy in your heart, please remove the photo and delete the negatives. Don’t let this matter become your inner demon.”

The audience couldn’t help but also fix their attention on Yang Xin, itching to know why Jing Yi would say such a thing.

On the television screen, Yang Xin clearly glanced at a certain spot before looking at Jing Yi and forcing a smile. “I’ll delete it, I’ll delete it right away. Xiao Yi, could you please sit down? Don’t be angry, we were indeed in the wrong about this matter.”

Jing Yi sat down but still kept his eyes lowered, expressionless. “The person you should apologize to isn’t me.”

Yang Xin seemed to whisper a quiet “I’m sorry.”

How could this be? What was really going on?

The audience desperately wanted to know, but the two people on television actually fell silent, neither speaking another word.

The production team was something else—they didn’t even cut out the segment where both people stopped talking.

A full two minutes passed before Yang Xin’s complexion regained some normalcy as she tentatively spoke, “Let bygones be bygones. Jing Yi, you once went viral on Weibo for holding up a fierce tiger with your hands. Everyone speculated that you possess real martial arts skills. I wonder if you could demonstrate them here?”

“I practice martial arts only to strengthen my body, not for performance.” Jing Yi’s sitting posture remained the same as before, but the sense of obedience had vanished.

The audience couldn’t help but think: Perhaps Jing Yi had truly been pushed past his limit, which was why he was acting this way.

Yang Xin probably knew this too? Was that why she froze up again?

Moreover, Yang Xin seemed to be sweating.

Another half-minute of silence passed before Yang Xin forced a smile. “I… I also know it’s for physical fitness, but could you show me? Actually, I’ve dreamed of learning martial arts since childhood but never could. Now I really hope to send my son to learn.”

“Oh right, my son—my son really likes Shaolin’s drunken fist, but he’s never seen a true drunken fist master. He watches my program every day. Mr. Jing, could you let my son see authentic drunken fist?”

The excuse was truly far-fetched. Even regular viewers of the program felt that Yang Xin had probably been thrown off her rhythm and was now performing poorly, dragging out her son as a shield—she couldn’t even bring herself to call him “Xiao Yi” anymore.

What a letdown. This was the first time they’d seen renowned host Yang Xin perform so poorly.

Jing Yi probably wouldn’t agree to such a ridiculous request, right?

As everyone was thinking this, they saw Jing Yi turn his gaze back to Yang Xin and respond, “Alright.”

After this simple reply, Jing Yi pushed the sofa aside with one hand and gestured for Yang Xin to proceed.

With both sofas pushed against the wall, Jing Yi closed his eyes briefly. When he reopened them, his body began to sway.

That demeanor was unmistakably that of someone intoxicated.

The audience suddenly recalled Xie Qiyun, drunk in the brothel!

Though Jing Yi wasn’t in period costume now, his execution of the drunken fist still made hearts race!

His seemingly soft yet swift and powerful punches and kicks; the core strength that allowed him to spring up instantly even when he’d fallen to the ground; and those dazed eyes that occasionally bumped into the camera lens…

How captivating!

They wanted to rush into the screen and hug him!

Moreover, unlike the moves he’d displayed before, Jing Yi’s clothes were now too loose. During some reclining movements, the fabric would playfully ride up…

Was this really appropriate for a talk show?

It was practically comparable to a talent show!

The audience howled with excitement, and a new message suddenly appeared in the fan group.

Unable to resist, everyone clicked on it and found a reposted long Weibo post.

The content turned out to be a confession from someone named Xiong Ben, directed at Jing Yi!

The person pixelated in the photo was Lin Xiaoyu, Jing Yi’s close friend from middle school, who had a congenital heart condition. Before his final surgery, Lin Xiaoyu confessed to Jing Yi, saying he hoped to receive a blessing kiss from him.

Even if he died, he’d have the photo to be buried with.

Lin Xiaoyu had even joked that the photo should be deleted after burial.

Jing Yi had intended to kiss his cheek, but Lin Xiaoyu suddenly turned his face.

Xiong Ben took the photo and promised to delete it afterward.

But the surgery failed!

The photo was printed and burned as an offering to Lin Xiaoyu, yet Xiong Ben, out of selfish motives, kept a copy. Now, tempted by the show’s crew who paid heavily for the scoop, he released the photo.

No wonder Jing Yi had said those things! The program exploiting the wishes of the deceased was truly despicable!