Chapter 057

Lu Jianxing was originally set to star in a production adapted from a popular novel. Because the original work was already a hit, news of the screen adaptation had drawn countless eyes to the casting of the leads.

The number of television dramas produced each year was limited, and projects with a built-in fanbase from the original work were considered prime opportunities. Many people wanted a piece of that pie. Before the cast was finalized, the public had speculated endlessly, guessing various stars.

Although the production team had not yet made an official announcement, word had leaked out that Lu Jianxing was the male lead after his successful audition and the signing of the contract. Because of this, fans of the novel had already put him under the microscope, judging everything from his looks to his past performances to see if he fit the character. There were insults and praises, and fans of other stars took the opportunity to drag him down, but regardless, his casting had seemed set in stone.

The original work was highly popular and he was the lead. If luck was on his side, he might have used this role to skyrocket to the top tier of stardom.

And yet, the role that was already in his hands had suddenly flown away?

The promotional photos had already been shot, and he was just waiting to join the cast, only for the production team to replace the male lead without a word?

Lu Jianxing’s heart sank.

This actually wasn’t the first time he had encountered something like this.

Before his luck was borrowed by Xie Yunqian, his Career Luck had been excellent. Not long after entering the industry, he had quickly made a name for himself thanks to his superior looks and hard work, accumulating enough popularity to earn a chance to collaborate with first-tier stars. But just after he got that opportunity, before he could even celebrate for a few days, he was notified of a casting change. The actor who eventually took the role came from a wealthy family and was said to have brought his own funding to the production.

“I contacted the production team,” Sister Yun said over the phone. “They said they’ll pay the breach of contract fee, but they won’t give the role back to you.”

Lu Jianxing said in a muffled voice, “They’ve already made the official announcement, so they definitely won’t change their minds now.”

“This is just too much!” Sister Yun couldn’t help but curse. “If they wanted to replace you, they must have had the idea for a long time, yet they still went ahead and shot the promotional photos. When I was coordinating with them two days ago, they didn’t say a single word. Is this any way to do business?”

“…”

Sister Yun cursed a few more times on the other end of the line before continuing, “Supposedly, the investors specifically demanded the change. Qi Yuanzhou has been pushed hard these past few years, and this isn’t the first time he’s done something like this. He’s snatched roles from others before, specifically targeting people without much of a background…”

Qi Yuanzhou was the male star who had replaced Lu Jianxing.

His path to stardom had been much smoother than Lu Jianxing’s. It was said his family was well-off and had paved a broad, easy road for him. Since his debut, his resources had always been excellent, and he had filmed several dramas for major networks. Unfortunately, he simply lacked the fate to become a superstar. Although he had filmed many big-budget productions, not one of them had become a massive hit. In recent years, many stars had become overnight sensations through novel adaptations, and Qi Yuanzhou had set his sights on the popularity and potential of this project, using his background to snatch the resource away.

“No,” Sister Yun said. “We can’t just let this go. I’ll go think of another way!”

With that, she hurriedly hung up the phone.

Lu Jianxing put down his phone and stared blankly at the ceiling for a while.

“Xingxing?”

He rolled over, pulled the child beside him into his arms, and took a deep breath against him.

Feeling his mood suddenly turn sour, Qiao Man carefully reached out to hug him, making sure not to touch the bruised areas on his body. His small hand gently patted Lu Jianxing’s shoulder. “Xingxing, does it hurt a lot? Don’t cry, don’t cry. Pain, pain, fly away.”

“It doesn’t hurt.”

“You have to be careful. It takes many days for an injury to heal. Should I go with you to your class tomorrow?”

“No need.” Lu Jianxing buried his face in the boy’s soft belly and said, “I don’t have to go starting tomorrow.”

Qiao Man’s eyes suddenly widened. “Why?”

Even though he felt bad for Lu Jianxing getting injured every day during martial arts training, he had never told Lu Jianxing not to go. Xiao Man knew that being a big star was Xingxing’s dream, and since he couldn’t help much in that area, he could only do small things like applying medicine, hunting to nourish Xingxing’s body, and recommending Xingxing’s dramas to everyone he met.

“Why aren’t you going anymore?” Qiao Man asked anxiously. “Do you not want to be a big star anymore? Why?”

Lu Jianxing replied, “No, it’s just a change in work. I don’t need to do martial arts training anymore.”

Qiao Man didn’t understand. “A change in work?”

Lu Jianxing changed the subject. “Do you want to eat fried chicken? How about we have a late-night snack?”

“Don’t you have to manage your physique?”

“It’s fine to eat it once in a while.”

Lu Jianxing picked up his phone and started ordering takeout.

Qiao Man sat on the bed with wide eyes, his little face full of suspicion.

It didn’t matter. For something like this, Xiao Man didn’t need to ask; he could calculate it himself. His short fingers moved in a quick divination, and his temper flared instantly. “What?! Someone stole your job?!”

This was outrageous!

Qiao Man leaped from the bed, landing on the floor with a soft thud, and dashed out of the room.

“Xiao Man?” Lu Jianxing turned around only to see the boy’s retreating back. He chased after him and saw that Qiao Man had pulled out all his tools – Yellow Talismans, Cinnabar, a Luo Pan, and a Peach Wood Sword – and lined them up on the table.

Qiao Man brandished a brush. “He’s bullying you! I’m going to get revenge!”

“There’s no need, Xiao Man.” Lu Jianxing held down the boy’s small hand.

“Why? He’s bullying you!” Qiao Man said huffily. “You were so happy when you passed the audition. You went to class every day and got hit so many times. I can help you get revenge!”

Lu Jianxing firmly held his hand. “But I don’t want you to do bad things because of me. Didn’t you say so yourself? You have to do good deeds to accumulate merit, and doing bad things will damage your cultivation. Even without this one role, I can go audition for the next one. The training I did might not be useful now, but it will be in the future. You said my luck has returned. Maybe having the role stolen this time is actually part of my good luck?”

He certainly knew Xiao Man’s abilities, and he knew Xiao Man was willing to help him. But if he relied on Xiao Man’s power to do evil, how would he be any different from Xie Yunqian?

In this industry, similar things happened every day because Qi Yuanzhou was more famous and had a deeper background. But if he stood high enough, Qi Yuanzhou wouldn’t dare snatch his roles. Ultimately, he was the adult here; he couldn’t hide behind a child for everything.

Qiao Man looked at him hesitantly.

His fingers twitched indecisively, and his small hand tightened and then loosened around the brush. The two of them stared at each other for a long time. Finally, he said with a hint of disappointment, “Then… then alright…”

“How about I cast a hexagram¹?” Qiao Man suggested.

This time, Lu Jianxing did not stop him.

If it involved Metaphysics, he really did need to seek Qiao Man’s help.

Qiao Man fished out his copper coins, clutched them in his palm, and silently recited the matter he wanted to divine.

He tossed the coins. Several of them landed on the table, rolling a few times before falling flat with a clatter.

“…Huh?” Qiao Man blinked, staring at the coins on the table. “This hexagram…”

Lu Jianxing asked, “What’s wrong with it?”

“It’s a sign of Great Misfortune!”

“…”

Lu Jianxing couldn’t help but look at the coins on the table. Of course, in his eyes, they were just coins; he couldn’t understand a thing.

“What exactly were you calculating?”

“That TV drama you were supposed to film,” Qiao Man said in surprise. “I’ve never seen such an ominous hexagram before. Strange, your luck has already returned, so you shouldn’t be this unlucky. Could it be that you were right, and this is actually good luck for you? No, let me check again.”

Qiao Man’s little fingers pinched and moved rapidly as he calculated. “Hmm… Hmm… WHAT???”

Lu Jianxing asked hurriedly, “What is it?”

“The investors for this production are involved in illegal activities – um, something to do with money,” Qiao Man said. “Even if the drama gets filmed, it won’t be able to air.”

“And the person who stole your role… Huh? Why are there dark clouds hanging over his head? …Wait, is he going to jail?”

Lu Jianxing: “…”

How should he put it? Not only was he no longer sad, he even felt a bit fortunate.

The phone rang again.

Lu Jianxing picked up his phone and glanced at it. It was actually Shao Jingqiu. They had exchanged contact information during the filming of their last project.

He walked to the side to answer the call. “Hello? Teacher Shao?”

“Lu Jianxing, do you have any openings in your schedule lately?” Shao Jingqiu went straight to the point. “I have a supporting role here. Do you want to come and try out for it?”

Lu Jianxing’s footsteps faltered. It was as if a pleasant surprise had suddenly dropped from the sky, hitting him so hard he felt dizzy, almost thinking he was dreaming. He pushed open the window and felt the biting autumn wind scraping against his face, painful as a dagger. Yet, that stinging pain was real.

“I do. I have an opening.” He couldn’t suppress the joy in his heart, and a delighted smile spread across his face.

“Come to this address tomorrow for an audition,” Shao Jingqiu gave him an address and added, “It’s just an audition. There’s no guarantee you’ll get it.”

“Alright. Thank you, Teacher Shao.”

He carefully noted down the address, and Shao Jingqiu hung up shortly after.

Lu Jianxing looked up at the sky outside the window. The night sky was brilliant with starlight, and from the high-rise building, the view was unobstructed.

The gloom that had been lingering in his heart just a moment ago had vanished, replaced by nothing but pure joy. This was clearly a case of a blessing in disguise.

Behind him, Qiao Man packed his tools back into his backpack, his eyes darting around.

Someone had bullied his son. Even if that person was destined to suffer the consequences of their own actions, Qiao Man still couldn’t let it go.

He was very good at holding grudges!

He couldn’t do anything extreme, but he could certainly manage a curse or two!

His master had said that he must not use his abilities to do evil.

He certainly wouldn’t do anything wicked like Luck Borrowing. However, making someone’s luck just a little bit worse – like increasing the probability of them choking on water, tripping while walking, or finding no seasoning packet in their instant noodles – surely that didn’t count as doing evil.

He was very good at cursing! Back when he was on the mountain, he often practiced on the weasels that stole chickens, and he succeeded every time.

Glancing at Lu Jianxing, who was still standing by the window on the phone, Qiao Man quietly opened his tablet and searched online for that person’s birth date. He even did a quick calculation to make sure the person hadn’t lied about it. Maomao had said that such things were very common.

Oh, right.

Qiao Man also quietly opened his contacts and found Master Yu’s information.

As a concerned citizen, reporting illegal crimes was a good deed that accumulated merit!

Translator’s Notes