Chapter 056

A few days later, Master Yu’s assistant stopped by. Qiao Man handed over the Talisman Paper and received a large final payment.

With his pockets bulging, he walked with a newfound sense of confidence. Every day, he rode his little children’s bicycle to the market to pick out chickens, ducks, and fish. He brought them home for Lu Jianxing to turn into roasted chicken, roasted duck, and grilled fish, which he enjoyed while watching Lu Jianxing’s newly released TV drama. Life couldn’t have been sweeter.

Ever since Lu Jianxing’s new series premiered, Qiao Man had one more task added to his daily routine: waiting punctually for the latest episodes. He had become the household’s number one fan. Not only did he watch it himself, but he also recommended it to everyone he met, recruiting all the middle-aged and elderly residents of the neighborhood into the fan club. Even Xiao Jing, far away in City X, wasn’t spared.

Master Xiao Man’s clients soon discovered that if they mentioned they were also watching Lu Jianxing’s show, their chances of snagging one of the three daily fortune-telling slots would significantly increase!

Lu Jianxing was starring in a modern idol drama. The female lead was beautiful, the male lead was handsome, the acting was refreshing rather than over-the-top, and the plot was logical. It was full of sweet moments, and with the male lead’s recent surge in popularity, while it wasn’t a massive breakout hit, its popularity was certainly high. Thanks to the cast’s hard work in promotions, one could frequently find content related to the show on various social media platforms, which gained Lu Jianxing many new fans.

His follower count soared, which in turn led to more people visiting Qiao Man’s homepage to check in. Qiao Man, of course, welcomed them warmly.

Lu Jianxing soon landed a new job.

He had received several script offers. After careful selection, he chose a promising script and auditioned for the male lead, which went very smoothly. The new production was based on a popular novel IP with a generous budget and a solid crew. The director had several well-received dramas under his belt, and since Lu Jianxing was currently trending and fit the role perfectly, both sides were very satisfied.

On the day the audition results came out, Lu Jianxing cooked a table full of dishes to celebrate his new job. He even poured a full glass of cola for Qiao Man.

Qiao Man sat at the dining table, watching him bustle about in his apron. Finally, Lu Jianxing took the New Orleans-style wings out of the oven, arranged them beautifully on a plate, and set them before him.

“Alright, let’s eat,” Lu Jianxing said, taking off his apron and sitting down opposite him.

Qiao Man held the glass of cola with both hands and raised it high with delight. “Cheers!”

Lu Jianxing smiled and clinked glasses with him. Of course, his own glass contained freshly squeezed vegetable juice. As an actor, he had to maintain his physique at all times.

Qiao Man took a large, gulping swallow of cola, let out a fizzy burp, and then happily began to enjoy the wings.

“…Sister Xiao Xue came to see me today. She said she was really grateful to me for getting her mother to accept her relationship with her girlfriend.” He talked about his day while eating. “She wanted to treat me to dinner, but you said I shouldn’t go off with people I don’t know well, so I let her buy me a roasted sweet potato instead. It was huge, so I gave half to Grandpa Zhang.”

Lu Jianxing asked casually, “Who is Sister Xiao Xue?”

Qiao Man replied as if it were obvious, “She’s Grandma Jin’s daughter. I told you about her.”

Lu Jianxing: “…” The family titles¹ were a complete mess.

“Sister Xiao Xue asked me how I could tell she had a girlfriend. I told her that Grandma Jin showed me their photos, and the red thread² between the two of them was this thick!”

Lu Jianxing was also curious. “You can tell just from a photo?”

“Other people might not be able to, but I can, because I’m very skilled.” Qiao Man tilted his little face up and said confidently, “Lots of people come to me to ask about marriage. I helped Grandma Peng figure out which suitor was better before, and she came to thank me the day before yesterday, saying I found her a very good partner.”

Lu Jianxing: “…I see.”

Recalling the content on Master Yu’s business card, he felt like the kid’s business had taken a strange turn into a new niche.

“Just like you, Xingxing. Although you have great luck with the opposite sex, your true destined partner won’t appear until very, very late.” Qiao Man comforted him. “Don’t worry, I won’t nag you to get married like other parents do.”

Lu Jianxing: “…”

He picked up a piece of beef with his chopsticks and replied calmly, “Mm, people in this industry tend to marry quite late.”

He was no longer at a loss for words and could now respond without batting an eye!

Qiao Man blinked, his little face scrunched up. “And you fall in love so many times in your TV shows, and it’s never with the same person. Hmm… I think it’s really strange.”

Especially since Lu Jianxing’s new drama had started airing, Qiao Man watched him fall in love with the female lead on screen every day. Before he could even get over that story, he had to follow him to a new set to watch him act out a romance with a different leading lady. It felt like he was witnessing his son cheating with his own eyes. It was a headache!

As a side note, in Director Yang’s previous production, Lu Jianxing’s character had no romantic subplot.

Lu Jianxing: “…………”

Qiao Man busily gnawed on two chicken wings, then suddenly remembered something. He climbed down from his chair and jogged over to turn on the living room television.

As soon as the TV turned on, Lu Jianxing’s face appeared on the screen. This was a variety show he had joined to promote his new drama, and it happened to be airing today.

Qiao Man returned to the table and began watching with great interest while holding his rice bowl. Whenever something funny happened, he would chuckle along.

Lu Jianxing: “…”

It was his first time watching himself while eating, and his feelings were quite complicated. He could only say, “Don’t watch TV while you’re eating.”

“Oh.”

Qiao Man obediently looked away.

Since he wasn’t allowed to watch, he really stopped watching. Qiao Man used the TV audio as background music and continued to shovel food into his mouth with his spoon.

The celebratory meal was so lavish that even Lu Jianxing ate quite a bit, and the meal lasted longer than usual. Afterward, Qiao Man sat with his little belly sticking out, so full he couldn’t even lift a finger.

Lu Jianxing put the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. When he came out, he saw the child lying flat on the sofa, his head tilted as he watched the television. The program hadn’t ended yet, and the Lu Jianxing on screen was working hard at a mini-game requested by the show’s crew.

As he walked over, Qiao Man wiggled and shifted, making a space for him.

Lu Jianxing reached out and gave the boy’s head a casual pat before picking up the homework notebook on the coffee table to check his progress for the day.

Once he finished the check, he finally spoke. “Xiao Man, I have some work to do at home tomorrow.”

“Work?”

Qiao Man rolled over on the sofa, propping his chubby chin in his hands as he looked at him curiously.

“There’s going to be a livestream,” Lu Jianxing said. “Nothing special, mostly just chatting with fans.” This was one of the ways to promote his new drama, increasing his exposure and attracting fans to watch the show.

He was telling the child in advance so he could be mentally prepared.

A livestream? He understood that!

When he and Xingxing were on the show before, that was a livestream too!

Qiao Man scrambled into a sitting position and excitedly raised a small hand. “I, I’ll help you!”

Lu Jianxing paused. Help with what?

The next day, he understood.

Lu Jianxing had his own official account on White Bear Live, and he had posted an announcement on social media beforehand. Consequently, even before the scheduled time, the livestream room was already packed with fans.

When the time arrived, the screen lit up punctually.

• I’m here, I’m here! –

• I didn’t have time the past few days, but I just finished catching up on the new episodes. So sweet, so sweet! –

• Is Xingxing here yet? –

The footage shook violently for a moment, making the viewers dizzy, before the angle finally stabilized. Lu Jianxing appeared in the frame, looking down at them.

…Wait? Looking down?

The fans were utterly confused until they saw a look of resignation cross Lu Jianxing’s face. “Xiao Man, does it really have to be like this?”

The screen bobbed up and down as a child nodded vigorously, and a soft, milky voice reached their ears. “Yes! I’m helping you!”

“Alright… just be careful.”

Lu Jianxing turned and walked toward the kitchen. The child followed him with the phone, looking up at his back as he trailed behind. From the child’s perspective, his back looked exceptionally tall and imposing.

Only then did the fans realize that the perspective of this livestream was different from usual. Baby Xiao Man was actually acting as a human tripod, and what they were seeing was Lu Jianxing through Qiao Man’s eyes.

This was certainly a novel perspective!

Soon, they discovered just how special this viewpoint was.

Lu Jianxing first carried a pile of ingredients from the kitchen and set them on the table. Then, he picked up the child who was following him step-for-step and placed him on the chair opposite him. On the screen, the fans saw him suddenly lean toward “them,” and they were abruptly pulled into an embrace. His handsome face magnified before their eyes, and then “they” were lifted into the air.

• …I! I can imagine it! –

• This close-up, first-person perspective… I can pretend it’s a girlfriend’s POV! –

• My face is turning red. Sorry, Xiao Man, I’ll be a good mother to you. –

• Person above me, you’ve got the seniority wrong. It’s daughter-in-law! –

• Xingxing’s voice in Baby Xiao Man’s eyes is so gentle too. What a fresh perspective. So this is what Baby Xiao Man usually sees. –

Lu Jianxing began to knead the dough.

Since the child had volunteered to be his tripod, he planned to bake some cookies as a snack for Qiao Man as a reward for his hard work.

One phone was used for the livestream, while another was placed nearby to monitor the comments, making it easy for Lu Jianxing to interact with his fans. His movements were quick and efficient. He soon squeezed the dough into delicate patterns, even using molds to create a row of little animal shapes.

An entire tray of cookies was placed into the oven. As the sweet aroma filled the air, Qiao Man took a deep breath. Soon, the fans were treated to a first-person perspective of eating cookies.

A small hand grabbed an animal-shaped cookie and stuffed it into “their” mouth. Soon, the camera began to wobble. When other actors from the same production joined the livestream for a split-screen session, they immediately started shouting, “Lu Jianxing, why is this a mukbang³?”

• Exactly! I can’t eat any of it, I’m dying of hunger here! –

• Argh, who opened snacks in the middle of the night! –

Linking up with other actors from the drama was, of course, for promotion. Soon, others joined in and began talking about things that happened during filming, but they quickly found it hard to continue.

Anyone would find it difficult to chat when someone was silently eating cookies right next to them. Even though the child was being very good and not interrupting, having that “crunch, crunch” sound as background music was more than anyone could handle!

Seeing the visible swallowing motions on the other actors’ faces, Lu Jianxing cleared his throat and took the phone from Qiao Man. “Xiao Man, go play for a bit.”

The child’s tender voice came from off-screen. “I’m watching you from right here.”

“…”

Lu Jianxing had no choice but to ask, “Is your homework for today finished?”

“…”

With a “thud,” the sound of the child jumping off the chair echoed, and he walked away with a crushed spirit.

A while later, as Lu Jianxing was chatting with the others, he caught a glimpse of the boy out of the corner of his eye. Qiao Man had snuck back with his homework and was lying prone on the opposite side, writing while watching him.

Stared at by those dark, round eyes, Lu Jianxing found it hard to keep talking.

He felt like a puppy at home was being neglected.

Once the livestream ended, he scooped the child up. “Let’s go. Time for a bath.”

“Oh, oh, oh!”

“No splashing water on me today!”

“Okay!!”

Fifteen minutes later, a roar erupted from the bathroom. “Qiao Xiaoman!!!”

…

Filming for the new project hadn’t started yet. Before joining the cast on set, Lu Jianxing still had a lot of preparation to do.

The new drama involved many action scenes. In between his public appearances, he had enrolled himself in a martial arts training class to train in advance, hoping to execute more beautiful and fluid movements later on. Combat practice inevitably involved bumps and bruises. Every day when he returned home, his body was covered in blue and purple marks.

It broke Qiao Man’s heart to see it. His eyes would well up with tears as he rubbed medicinal oil⁴ onto the bruises. His small hands didn’t dare to apply much pressure, moving with extreme caution.

“It’s nothing,” Lu Jianxing comforted him. “There are many people in this world who work much harder than I do. There are many stunt doubles for dangerous scenes who don’t even get their faces on camera. Compared to them, I’m already very lucky.”

But what father wouldn’t feel his heart ache seeing his son injured!

Qiao Man’s eyes welled with tears of self-reproach. “It’s all my fault.”

Lu Jianxing sighed helplessly. “What does it have to do with you? I was the one who wanted to… Hiss!” The child’s small hand had pressed right against a swollen, purple bruise on his back, the exact spot where he had been accidentally struck that afternoon. He sucked in a sharp breath.

He finished the rest of his thought in his head. Most of his savings had been drained by contract penalties after his previous scandal. If he wanted to quickly buy a large villa with a swimming pool in A City, where every inch of land was worth a fortune, he had to work incredibly hard, even as a celebrity.

His phone rang. Lu Jianxing stretched out a long arm to snag it. It was Sister Yun.

As soon as he picked up, Sister Yun’s frantic voice burst from the phone. “Xingxing, something’s wrong! Look at Weibo!”

Confused, Lu Jianxing opened Weibo. The production crew of the drama he was about to start filming had just released the official character photos, announcing the cast for each role.

But the photo used for the male lead wasn’t from the set he had shot. It was a different male actor entirely.

Lu Jianxing froze.

He had been replaced.

Translator’s Notes