The Main Couple Fights Over Me (Entertainment Industry) - Chapter 4

“Begin Your Performance” is a competitive acting variety show. Although Song Xun had mentally prepared himself for the storm ahead, he was still stunned by the scene upon entering the studio.

 

The mentors on the show were all top-tier celebrities in the industry, whose acting skills needed no awards to prove their excellence. Just standing there, they embodied an outstanding film.

 

Song Xun was the second to arrive at the studio. As soon as he entered, he saw a person dressed in a cool, flashy style, wearing sunglasses, legs spread apart, looking deep in thought, chin resting on his hand as he looked up at Song Xun.

 

“What’s up, bro?”

 

Hearing this strange English, Song Xun twitched the corner of his mouth and greeted him.

 

The person pulled off his sunglasses. He had single eyelids and smiled, “Hello, I’m Fang Huiying.”

 

“Hello, I’m Song Xun.”

 

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Song Xun learned that Fang Huiying had debuted not long ago and was brought by his agency to participate in this variety show.

 

“I went to Shengjing University of Technology for college, which is really close to your Shengjing Film Academy.”

 

Song Xun was quite surprised. This seemingly carefree person was actually a top student.

 

“Wow, so your educational background must be top-tier among rappers, right?”

 

Fang Huiying paused, then burst out laughing.

 

“But I’m a bit curious, why did you become a rapper? Logically speaking, your school’s employment rate is pretty high.”

 

Fang Huiying waved his hand and smiled bitterly.

 

“It’s a long story. Other majors might be fine, but ours is truly a trap.”

 

Seeing Song Xun’s disbelief, Fang Huiying didn’t mind and directly told him, “I studied civil engineering in college. After graduation, I’d be moving bricks on construction sites. If I’m lucky, I might become a foreman, but that’s still worse than being a rapper.”

 

Song Xun opened his mouth but was speechless.

 

Well, that major really is a trap.

 

Just as the two were about to discuss the employment issues of contemporary college students, a knock on the door interrupted their thoughts.

 

“Knock, knock.”

 

After the door opened, Mu Heng walked in.

 

He didn’t speak but simply gave them a cold nod before sitting alone in the corner, neither chatting with them nor playing on his phone.

 

“Hello, what’s your name? I’m Fang Huiying, from Peak City Entertainment.”

 

Fang Huiying, being outgoing and cheerful, took the initiative to start a conversation with Mu Heng.

 

Mu Heng lowered his head and glanced lightly at Fang Huiying and Song Xun.

 

“Mu Heng.”

 

Fang Huiying was taken aback—it was the first time he had met someone so cold.

 

Just as he was about to find another topic to discuss, Mu Heng’s refusal to engage left Fang Huiying feeling defeated. He had always been well-liked growing up.

 

Song Xun patted his shoulder and glanced at Mu Heng in the corner, comforting him, “I know him. He’s just a bit introverted, don’t take it personally.”

 

Hearing this, Mu Heng watched Song Xun standing there defending him and felt confused.

 

This person had always excluded him before, so why was he being kind to him now, intentionally or unintentionally?

 

Although Fang Huiying didn’t understand why there would be introverted people in the entertainment industry, he thought simply—it’s fine, he’s just introverted. Since he’s outgoing, he could help him fit in.

 

“Hey, no big deal. Come on, come on.”

 

With that, Fang Huiying pulled Song Xun to sit next to Mu Heng, flanking him on both sides and leaving Mu Heng at a loss.

 

“No, you guys…”

 

Mu Heng opened his eyes wide, unconsciously glancing toward Song Xun.

 

Song Xun wrapped an arm around Mu Heng. “Since we’ve met, we’re friends. And since we’re friends, let’s chat together!”

 

There was no trace of calculation on his face, his clear, bright eyes sparkling. Mu Heng, as if bewitched, found himself nodding.

 

The three of them huddled together, talking back and forth about their hometowns. Fang Huiying and Song Xun were both locals from the capital city, but Mu Heng fell silent for a long time.

 

Song Xun keenly sensed his insecurity.

 

Seeing Mu Heng silent, Fang Huiying, lacking tact, shook Mu Heng’s arm and urged, “So, where are you from?”

 

“I grew up in a village in Guan City.”

 

Mu Heng lowered his head.

 

He had studied his way from the village to a university in the capital and then entered this circle. Everyone who knew his background would subtly mock him for it. Even online haters, unable to find anything else to criticize, would ridicule him for his rural upbringing.

 

Fang Huiying was slightly taken aback, taking a moment to process this. Mu Heng’s heart sank further, but Song Xun pulled him along, smiling brightly. “Wow, do you have any agritourism spots there? I’ve heard the food at those places is especially delicious—you can’t find it here.”

 

Mu Heng looked sharply at Song Xun. This was the first time anyone had ever said something like that to him. But there were no agritourism spots in his area, so he had to tell the truth.

 

“Oh, I see. Then you must have lots of mountains and rivers there, right?”

 

“Yes, it’s very beautiful—clear waters and green mountains.”

 

Fang Huiying snapped back to reality. “I love mountains and rivers the most. Maybe it’s something in the Chinese genes—hahaha—we just love those kinds of landscapes.”

 

Mu Heng smiled, his frosty expression melting into a spring-like warmth.

 

Before long, the variety show officially began recording.

 

There were big names and obscure ones.

 

There were skilled actors and idol types.

 

The first segment was self-introductions and clips from their past dramas. Song Xun was among the last few to take the stage, so he sat in the inner room of the studio with several other artists, watching the small screen.

 

On the judges’ panel sat five people. One was Liao Yan, a renowned actress who had won countless awards. Next to her was the famous director Lin Chuan.

 

In the middle was a man with a face full of wrinkles and slightly yellowed teeth when he smiled—clearly a long-time smoker. He appeared gentle and polite, but Song Xun remembered this man had ties to the underworld.

 

To the right were Bai Ninglu and Yan Jiayu, both relatively young but exceptionally talented actors.

 

Yan Jiayu wasn’t as flamboyant as he was on other shows, likely aware that compared to these seniors, he was still a newcomer.

 

Song Xun watched the people on the screen with curiosity. Their features were striking, but they sat quietly at the edge, not stealing the spotlight from the more senior judges.

 

He then glanced at Mu Heng beside him, who was staring intently at the screen, his eyes flickering with an indescribable emotion. Song Xun nodded slightly. It seemed the sparks between the main couple were already beginning to fly.

 

The first to take the stage was Liu Xiao, a male actor who had once been hugely popular in idol dramas.

 

His looks weren’t particularly refined, nor did he fit the conventional definition of handsome, but back in the day, his unique roguish charm had set him apart from other male artists of his time.

 

But as he grew older, he had also tried to transition into different roles, though unfortunately, all those attempts ended in failure.

 

The clips he presented were from the idol dramas that had once swept the nation and the suspense series he later tried to break into.

 

After watching them, the mentors looked serious, their brows furrowed. It wasn’t that his acting in those clips was utterly unwatchable, but in the eyes of these seasoned professionals, it simply fell short.

 

Lin Chuan was the first to speak up. He picked up the microphone in front of him, pursed his lips as if about to say something less than pleasant, but then glanced at the camera, remembering they were recording the show. With a sigh, he asked Liu Xiao, “Are these the only two clips? I think you could have prepared more thoroughly. From these two clips, I can’t really gauge your ability.”

 

Liu Xiao awkwardly scratched his head, only to realize he had just ruined the hairstyle the stylist had carefully arranged for him. He quickly put his hand down, lowered his head, and offered an embarrassed smile. “In all my years since debut, these are the only two dramas I’ve starred in.”

 

Liu Xiao’s resources were truly poor—most of his other roles were just minor cameos, hardly worth mentioning.

 

Seeing the tense atmosphere in the recording studio, the other artists began whispering among themselves.

 

“Oh no, my VCR only has two clips too, and I thought they were pretty good. Now looking at them, they’re just garbage.”

 

“Same here, same here.”

 

Song Xun picked at his fingernails, appearing calm on the surface but already thinking about making a run for it. His VCR had been prepared by Sister Zhang, and his acting in it was so bad that broadcasting it on the show would be nothing short of public humiliation.

 

Fang Huiying noticed Song Xun sitting quietly with an expressionless face and curiously patted his shoulder, asking, “Song Xun, how’s your preparation going?”

 

If he hadn’t asked, it would have been fine, but now everyone’s eyes turned to Song Xun.

 

Seriously, why are you all looking at me?

 

Song Xun cleared his throat softly and nodded, not saying a word, but his composed demeanor made it seem like he was fully prepared.

 

A fair-skinned, round-eyed male artist blinked and smiled at Song Xun. “I’m a bit curious about which dramas you chose for your clips. I’ve seen some of your work before.”

 

Song Xun’s heart sank. Oh no, this is going to be so awkward. “Haha, really?”

 

The artist, named An Chu, was practically a rival of the original host, often taking on similar types of roles. While it was unclear whether there was any personal animosity between him and the original host—given how easily the original host managed to offend people—his few words already made him seem like trouble.

 

Afraid that An Chu would bring up the dramas Song Xun had starred in, which had been mocked countless times by video critics, Song Xun quickly changed the subject. “Look, the mentors are so strict. Their critiques are really sharp.”

 

Sure enough, everyone’s attention shifted back to the screen.

 

An Chu gave Song Xun a meaningful look, slightly curling the corner of his mouth before shrugging and pretending nothing had happened.

 

Song Xun pouted and breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness.

 

During the recording break, Song Xun and Xiao Deng were both in the lounge playing on their phones. Xiao Deng looked utterly drained, prompting Song Xun to ask curiously, “What’s wrong with you? You look like a dried-up salted fish.”

 

Xiao Deng sighed. “We’re working on our graduation thesis lately, and the plagiarism check is killing me.”

 

“Is the similarity rate too high?”

 

“No, it’s too low, only sixteen percent.”

 

“Wow, are you planning to break into a new academic field?”

 

“…”

 

You really didn’t have to curse so harshly.

 

A moment later, An Chu knocked on the door and stood at the entrance. “Sorry to disturb you.”

 

“Come in. What’s the matter?”

 

An Chu was holding a cup of milk tea, which he handed to Song Xun while scratching his head.

 

“I’m really sorry for being rude to you during the recording today. I’m not very good with words, so I often end up offending people.”

 

“No, no, haha, don’t overthink it.”

 

Anyone could say polite words. Song Xun felt like his face was about to crack from smiling.

 

Although he had been in the entertainment industry for several years and had achieved some success, to be honest, he still had a lot to learn when it came to dealing with people.

 

For example, when faced with someone’s sarcastic remarks, he couldn’t even think of a high-EQ response.