Reborn, I Became a Male God - Chapter 106-110

“Huang Zhen, this is your briefcase.” Yunshu’s expression was as calm as ever as she handed over the briefcase she had just taken from Jing Ling.

As the saying goes, one’s appearance reflects the heart. Some people obviously have well-proportioned features, yet always give off an unpleasant feeling. There’s also the saying, “birds of a feather flock together.” And most of the people in front of her were like that. Who knew how long they had been drinking—this small private room was filled with the smell of alcohol. Their faces were all flushed red, their voices unconsciously raised a few pitches. Though it was clearly a normal conversation, it sounded like an argument.

“Yunshu, you’re here!” Huang Zhen sat in the middle. On either side of him were two unfamiliar faces, and further along were deputy-level officials from the town. Previously, when the office colleagues went out to eat together, Director Luo had mentioned the matter of official receptions to a few of the new girls. 

When attending receptions, it didn’t matter if you didn’t know the people—just look where the leaders were sitting, and those seated to their left and right were the important ones. Serving tea and food should follow that logic, and generally, you wouldn’t go wrong. Yunshu had been present at the time, and when they returned to the office, Director Luo had privately reminded her: if it wasn’t for official business, try to avoid going out alone with any of the leaders. Lu Jiajia from human resources had also told her this. After over half a year of working together, especially in the office where they interacted most frequently with these leaders, she more or less understood how things worked.

“Come, let me introduce you. This is Deputy Factory Director Liu from Ansheng Cement!” Huang Zhen beckoned to Yunshu, then turned to the man beside him, saying, “Director Liu, this is Tan Yunshu, the new employee in our office this year. How about it? Isn’t our Chashan a great place? A land that nurtures outstanding people. Yunshu graduated from Imperial Capital University, and yet she still came to our place!” He had clearly had quite a bit to drink—his speech was already somewhat slurred.

The others echoed his words in agreement.

Yunshu lifted her gaze and looked over. The middle-aged man sitting beside him had a partially bald head and a beer belly, unabashedly sizing her up.

“Such a pretty girl!”

Huang Zhen added, “Come on, let’s toast Director Liu!” As he spoke, he picked up a glass of liquor from the table and handed it to Yunshu. Seeing the briefcase in her hand, he seemed to only now remember it and casually took it from her, hanging it on the back of his chair.

“Sorry, Huang Zhen, I’m allergic to alcohol. I can’t drink,” Yunshu took a step back. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll return to my post now.”

“What’s wrong with you young lady? So ignorant!” Huang Zhen’s eyes widened and his brows furrowed. “I’m asking you to drink a glass—it’s basic manners! What kind of excuse is that? So what if you’re allergic? One glass won’t kill you! Get over here!”

Yunshu glanced at the bottle on the table, then looked back at him. Suddenly, she smiled and asked, “May I ask, Huang Zhen, is this an official function or a private gathering?”

Director Liu also chuckled, though it was hard to tell if he was mocking Huang Zhen for lacking authority, unable to control his own subordinates, or simply ridiculing Yunshu for being disobedient. “The little girl’s got quite the temper, doesn’t even listen to her leaders!”

Upon hearing that, Huang Zhen’s eyes were practically spitting fire. “What, what difference does it make whether it’s official or private? I tell you to drink, you still have to consider the occasion?!”

The smiles on the others’ faces faded as well, their gazes filled with unclear intent—uncertain whether they were condemning her or mocking her.

Yunshu remained entirely unafraid, still smiling as she said, “This liquor is from the storage room, isn’t it? If this is an official reception, then according to the provincial regulations issued this year, this clearly exceeds the permitted standards. If this is a private gathering, then using government property isn’t exactly appropriate, is it?”

Last year, new leaders had taken office, launching a crackdown on discipline and strict enforcement of anti-corruption measures. They had indeed made an example of a batch of people, killing the chicken to scare the monkeys, which produced some deterrent effect—but ultimately, it was limited. Problems that had accumulated over years couldn’t be fixed overnight. At the grassroots level, management had always been chaotic and lax. There was no way to rectify things in a short period—it was destined to be a long process.

The related documents had been passed down layer by layer from higher-ups until they reached every office. Everyone could see them. But by now, it was an unspoken rule that all this was just going through the motions. Even if someone was dissatisfied, they would at most grumble privately to close friends—never would anyone bring it up openly.

Thus, no one present expected Yunshu to say such things. Their expressions of shock were hard to conceal.

A few seconds passed before Huang Zhen finally reacted. He abruptly shot up from his seat, pointing at Yunshu and roaring, “What, you think just because you’re an official employee I can’t do anything to you?!” His brows furrowed, his eyes fierce, his face flushed red—it looked as though he was about to hit someone.

The others quickly pulled him back, trying to calm him down. “Huang Zhen, quiet down!” There were a lot of people at this grilled fish restaurant, and who knew if someone with ill intentions might overhear. Even though they paid lip service to the higher-ups’ documents while disregarding them in practice, if someone decided to report this, who knew whether the higher-ups would seize the opportunity to make an example out of him.

One of the deputy officials turned to Yunshu and said, “Such a small matter—blowing it up won’t do you any good. Young people shouldn’t be so impulsive. This society isn’t all black and white. You’ve just come out of school; in time, you’ll understand. Though they say this job is an iron rice bowl, plenty of people have smashed their bowls.”

It sounded like advice, but in truth, it was nothing but a veiled threat.

The more remote the place, the fiercer the competition for the handful of positions each year—people came for the stability. They probably thought Yunshu was just like them.

But she wasn’t.

“Huang Zhen, have you forgotten what my job is? I’ve only been handling the company’s accounting for a short time, but I took the liberty of looking through some old records and found something interesting. Your driver signed an IOU for forty thousand yuan. That man left months ago, yet his salary has been paid continuously. You knew that, didn’t you? And Zhao Zhen—the salary disbursement from the company always requires your signature, doesn’t it?”

Her voice was quiet, yet just loud enough for those at the table to hear clearly.

If looks could kill, Yunshu would have been hacked to pieces by now.

After a long silence, Huang Zhen stretched out his hand, pointing toward the door. “Get back to your post!”

Yunshu’s smile remained unchanged. “You all enjoy yourselves. I’ll head back first.” With that, she turned and walked toward the door.

“F**k, what the hell!” Huang Zhen flung his hand, accidentally knocking over a glass on the table, which shattered on the floor. His hand smarted from the impact, and as his eyes swept toward the door, he was startled.

There was someone standing at the doorway.

Their eyes met. After a few seconds, the man took two steps forward, stopping precisely at the intersection of light and shadow. He had a tall, upright frame, dressed casually, wearing black-framed glasses, with an expression that was half-smiling, half-serious.

“A public servant, serving the people?”

“Is this why outstanding people are sent here? To get involved in disgraceful business? Is that how you understand the policy of assigning outstanding graduates to grassroots positions?”

“Then what exactly are you people?”

“You constantly preach about keeping up with the times, broadening your vision—yet you can’t even live up to it yourselves? You’re so utterly incompetent, and you think the whole world is vulgar and useless?”

“Trash.”

The group inside the room could only listen as this unfamiliar man berated and questioned them sentence after sentence, ending with the final word, his conclusion, as he turned and walked away without looking back.

Chapter 107

Trash.

When Jing Ling cursed people, this was about the extent of it. He had always preferred using his hands over his mouth. If someone made a mistake, there was no need to drag their family members into it, especially female relatives. Besides, some people simply couldn’t understand human speech.

“I’ll do it myself.” Before entering, Yunshu firmly squeezed his hand, softly said this, then took the briefcase and went in. The door was ajar, and the conversation inside could be heard clearly.

He stood outside the door, dividing his attention—on one hand, paying attention to the situation inside, on the other, thinking things over.

From the moment he met Yunshu, he had approached her with the mindset of making up for his past self, wholeheartedly being good to her without considering gains or losses. He tried hard to recall what his past self liked, wanted, feared, in order to give her the best compensation. But no matter how capable a person was, there were always moments of miscalculation. That time at the airport, when Yunshu suddenly tiptoed and kissed him, that was the second time in many years that he had tasted the feeling of surprise—the first was when the system malfunctioned, and his identity changed.

The unexpected had already happened. Faced with the choice between explaining everything clearly or simply letting the mistake continue, he chose the latter. Because this matter was hard to explain clearly—and there were other reasons too.

He worked hard to adapt, tried to change his mindset, but that wasn’t something achievable overnight. Even he himself had no idea how long the adaptation process would take. Yet he didn’t expect that today, there would be a change.

He always wanted to give Yunshu the best, to shield her from the wind and rain, but had somewhat neglected her own thoughts. Life was a journey full of variables. Even if you repeated something from not long ago, it would never be exactly the same, let alone something across the long river of time. In fact, from the moment he appeared in Yunshu’s life, he was like a gust of wind, gradually blowing her life toward a completely different direction. The obvious dividing line was that she didn’t go abroad to study like she had long ago, but instead, following her own will, came to this remote place.

And before today, he hadn’t realized this at all.

Until today.

Being good to someone wasn’t about giving them what you thought was the best and most perfect, but what they truly wanted.

Yunshu was a proud person. Her mistakes were only because of that decayed yet still deeply-rooted tree—the Tan family—blocking her path. Once she left the shadow of that towering tree, there would be a vast sky for birds to fly, and a wide sea for fish to leap. She was capable and didn’t need someone to protect and nurture her like a delicate greenhouse flower.

At the moment she gripped his hand, he suddenly understood this. So he simply stood outside the door, letting her face it herself. Only when she left did he appear and speak.

On Saturday, Jing Ling took Yunshu to Lianshan City to have fun for the day. Amusement parks, movie theaters, fast food, flowers, chocolates—just like an ordinary couple. They also toured the local scenic spots and took a ride back in the evening.

The bus window was open, the evening breeze blowing in their faces. The continuous stretches of mountains outside created the illusion that this place had no flat land at all.

“For a place like this to develop, tourism is probably the best way,” Yunshu suddenly remarked.

Jing Ling knew what she was thinking. The materials she had looked up last night included this aspect. He patted her head, “Good luck!”

“Mm.” Yunshu responded softly, closed the window, leaned her body inward, and rested against his chest.

On Sunday at noon, Jing Ling left, changing buses twice to catch the last flight back to Yizhou. He was a terribly unqualified student, running around all year long. If it weren’t for his good grades and the fact that his heroic deeds made it onto the national news broadcast, the school would probably be even more dissatisfied with him.

The film festival at the end of October meant another leave of absence, so before that, he might as well try to attend classes properly.

However, even though he was attending classes, it didn’t affect the already recorded program’s broadcast. Wilderness Adventure, one episode per week, aired every Friday during prime time as scheduled. As more episodes aired, the variety show had practically turned into his personal showcase, just like A Day with my Idol before. Except for Qiaoqiao and that top student from the agricultural university, who still had some attention, the rest were merely background props.

Only Yu Leyang remained like a mudslide in the realm of self-destructive behavior. Even in this situation, he could still buy articles praising his wilderness survival skills with eyes shut, and by the way, showed off his physique—wet body, half-naked, and certain parts exaggerated—rushing headlong toward the road of lowbrow marketing, never to turn back.

But while fans could be blind, the general public was not. His performance wasn’t just inferior to the “cheat-like” Jing Ling, he couldn’t even compare to his teammates. His fans never stopped trying to whitewash him, dragging others down with them, flooding Weibo, forums, and Tieba repeatedly. In the end, they were pinned to the top by other fandoms, with long, detailed images exposing their marketing, smearing, and fake follower purchases—slaps to the face, crisp and loud. Major fan discussion areas all kept these files on hand. 

From then on, every time his fans acted up, others would instantly post the evidence, like a bicycle chain falling off, or a car running out of fuel—cutting them off at the root. After a few cycles of this, his fans finally quieted down like chickens, not daring to stir trouble. Though everyone knew this was only temporary—unless he one day completely withdrew from the entertainment circle—but so what? A single day of peace was still peace.

And not only did the topic remain popular, but the show’s ratings also kept climbing. When the final episode aired, Jing Ling used simple, primitive tools to perform a real-life fishing master’s demonstration, and the ratings directly topped the charts. Not just number one among variety shows airing at the same time nationwide, but the highest variety show rating across the entire country from the beginning of the year to the broadcast date!

When the final episode aired, his ocean drifting video also reached its last part—the shark appearance segment, edited to be shown at the end. Riding the variety show’s heat, that Weibo post quickly shot to the trending list, and the comments exploded—countless messages poured in with every refresh.

Coincidentally, there was a domestic news report about a mass shark slaughter—the roofs covered, warehouses piled with shark fins—a shocking sight. The national news broadcast aired both pieces of news together, forming a stark contrast.

The already sky-high popularity was pushed to an even higher level.

Chapter 108

Since the broadcast of Drifting at Sea, controversies have been constant.

In the eyes of fans, idols are always the best. No matter what they do, fans will try their best to support them. Precisely because of this, sometimes fans’ opinions cannot serve as the standard for judging right from wrong. Of course, on the other hand, there are haters and paid internet trolls—one stands on the opposite side, wishing you would fall and leave the industry entirely, while the other gets paid to twist the truth and smear you to death. When there are too many of these people, their words can’t be trusted either.

The only truly objective and fair opinions come from ordinary viewers. But how to distinguish ordinary viewers from fans and haters is a difficult problem.

During the broadcast of the reality show, Shen Ze was basically online all the time except when eating and sleeping, monitoring the public response.

To be honest, at the beginning, things were far from ideal. After the first episode aired, judging from the reviews and opinions across various platforms, criticism outweighed praise. The fundamental reason was the long-standing toxic atmosphere in the industry.

As public figures, celebrities enjoy the love and support of countless people, and every move they make is under the public spotlight. Yet, all kinds of scandals break out frequently—drug use, cheating, assault, hit-and-run accidents, and so on. Fans are overly tolerant, easily forgiving them and even spreading “brainwashing packages” to whitewash them. People are naturally forgetful. If public relations is handled well, sometimes not even a few years, but just a few short months are enough for everything to be swept under the rug, and they can still appear on screen, on TV shows, in movies, variety shows, concerts, and advertisements, attracting even more fans. During this time, even trivial matters can be turned into press releases marketing their hard work and dedication, instilling a positive image in the public.

At first, the public bought into this routine, but as the internet developed and such situations became more common, people gradually realized it was all hype. As a result, whenever positive news about a celebrity came out, many people’s first reaction was: “It’s just hype.”

As for Jing Ling’s Drifting at Sea, the first episode was about cleaning up ocean trash. There was no difficulty or threshold involved—any ordinary person, as long as they cared, could do it with little effort. The opposition seized on this point. Officially spending money to hire paid trolls to steer public opinion, combined with fans spontaneously joining in, coordinated attacks on Weibo and forums, negative posts and mocking posts appearing one after another, all aimed at ruining Jing Ling’s reputation.

In fan circles, this behavior is called “preventing explosions.” After all, the industry is only so big, resources are only so many. While it’s not as rigid as one radish per pit, when someone rises, naturally someone else has to give up benefits.

During that week, Shen Ze was so worried he was losing hair every day. Jing Ling, heartless as always, laughed at him, telling him to be careful not to go bald in middle age. Shen Ze was so angry he wanted to grab the fruit knife beside him and stab him. But his anger didn’t last long—it was quickly pacified because Jing Ling peeled apples and pears, sliced mangoes, peeled pomegranates, washed grapes for him—a perfectly crafted fruit platter placed beside him, complete with toothpicks, and even radish carvings of flowers, entirely on par with those in hotel lounges.

“Alright, A-Ze, don’t be mad anymore. It’s my fault. Look, I peeled fruit to apologize to you!”

The service was so attentive, it was just short of feeding him directly.

Looking at that face full of seemingly sincere eyes, those deep pupils reflecting the ceiling lights like a brilliant starry sky falling into them… Even though he clearly knew this guy was a complete bastard and it wasn’t the first time he pulled this stunt, he still couldn’t help but soften.

“Get lost!” Shen Ze’s voice was muffled—it wasn’t clear if he was mad at Jing Ling or at himself for being so useless.

Fortunately, this situation didn’t last long. After the second episode of Drifting at Sea aired, things gradually improved. The second episode was about rescuing sea turtles, naming them “Qin Qin” 

(meaning kissy or affectionate). The three little sea turtles, after the first one was rescued by accident, soon brought along their companions. When they left, they all affectionately rubbed Jing Ling’s fingertips, like a kissing motion, as if expressing their gratitude.

Many Chinese people believe in the spirituality of all living things, just as many believe that innocent, pure children are the most sensitive, instinctively able to tell who is good and who is bad. Animals are the same. A person who can be so loved by animals can’t possibly be a bad person.

Overall evaluations gradually improved.

When Wilderness Adventure aired its final episode, Drifting at Sea also aired its final episode—the highlights were all about sharks. At that same time, coincidentally, there was news about large-scale shark slaughter, cutting off shark fins to make shark fin soup. The finished products represented countless dead sharks, and their deaths were extremely tragic. Compared to shark fins, shark meat held little value. To maximize space for shark fins, merchants discarded the sharks. These sharks didn’t die immediately after having their fins cut off—they either bled to death, died from infections, suffocated, or starved to death. Countless ways to die, all equally cruel.

In real life, we occasionally see news of shark attacks on humans, but compared to the number of sharks killed by humans, they are entirely different concepts.

The news broadcast contrasted Jing Ling’s program calling for animal protection and his hands-on efforts to save animals with the large-scale shark slaughter, also involving ocean pollution issues. This elevated the news to a social issue rather than simple entertainment industry fan wars, naturally attracting more attention.

As expected, the comments were varied, both positive and negative.

Jiu Li: “6666666 (slang for awesome)! I watched the foreign version before and thought it was amazing. After the domestic version bought the rights, I knew with celebrities involved it’d probably be a disaster, but I still couldn’t help but watch the first season. My God, what was that trash? The original version left it miles behind, and yet there were still fans blindly praising it. I could barely recognize those compliments! Later, I heard some girls around me discussing the second season, saying it was amazing. I thought what they found ‘amazing’ were the celebrity faces. But then I accidentally saw a shared video on WeChat Moments and realized—it really was amazing. This is what I call true wilderness survival. The others were all garbage! Though they still carried a bit too much stuff, I’m looking forward to next season’s performance!”

song//: “Since when did the news broadcast start hyping up these actors? I admit the show is exciting, but blindly praising him for being morally upright is a bit much, isn’t it? Calling on others to protect animals, but what did he do himself? What did sharks ever do to deserve being caught and played with? If sharks could talk, they’d curse him out for sure!”

Xi Beibei: “The person above is an idiot! My Jing Bao caught those fish with his own ability, and he released them all in the end, what business is it of yours? If you’re so capable, try catching one without tools! It’s not just sharks—other wild animals like lions, tigers, and bears, feel free to go fight them. Let’s see who wins in the end!”

Gaze of the Abyss: “This is a wilderness survival show, right? Regardless of what others did, Meng Er’s gear was very appropriate for the setting. The production team followed them constantly, but they didn’t provide food or assistance unless they were in life-threatening danger. Under those survival conditions, even if he ate the shark, it wouldn’t be a problem—but he didn’t!”

Xiami Chri: “Setting aside everything else, just that scene where he removed the fishing hook from the shark’s mouth deserves a thumbs up. Not everyone has the courage to stick their hand into a shark’s mouth!”

Miss Bamboo: “I’m not a fan, but I also think there’s nothing wrong with Jing Ling’s actions. Animal protection and environmental issues have existed and worsened ever since human society developed rapidly. Deforestation, industrial wastewater, and emissions have destroyed wildlife habitats, and humans, for profit, have hunted various wild animals, causing their populations to plummet or even become endangered. But if you look back to ancient times, many people living by the mountains and waters relied on hunting and fishing for survival, yet they didn’t destroy biodiversity. After all this, I agree with the comment above—if you can, under the same conditions and without modern weapons, catch a shark like him, not only will no one criticize you, they’ll give you a thumbs up!”

Ai Ya Ya Ya: “Has anyone noticed that ever since the first episode, Jing Ling has always been mindful of how much prey he catches—never wasting anything!”

There’s a saying in the entertainment industry: it’s not scandals that ruin you—black fame is still fame—the only thing to fear is no attention at all. That’s why celebrities are so keen on hype, to increase their visibility. With buzz comes popularity, and with popularity comes the hope of better resources.

During this period, discussions online never stopped. There was disdain, of course, but also admiration, indirectly bringing Jing Ling more popularity. Wilderness Adventure concluded with the highest ratings, and as the most outstanding performer, Jing Ling naturally reaped the greatest benefits. His fan base exploded, and new opportunities arose—endorsements, new variety shows, TV drama scripts never stopped coming in. After all, the past two years have seen a craze for IP adaptations, and his image practically embodies a real-life novel male lead, perfectly suited for historical, modern, fantasy, or xianxia dramas!

However, after Shen Ze filtered through the offers, he didn’t find anything suitable. So, he continued negotiations for the drama they had their eyes on before. At first, the production side was dead set on not loosening their grip. After all, investors aren’t doing charity—the goal is to make money and minimize risk. But they hadn’t expected Jing Ling’s popularity metrics to skyrocket in such a short time, practically comparable to top traffic stars. But considering the rampant data manipulation these past two years, no one could be sure the numbers weren’t bought. So, while the production side wavered, they still couldn’t make up their minds—until the show’s finale, the ratings hit the top spot, and the related discussions maintained their heat, finally pushing the production side to make a decision.

Marketing accounts moved quickly—soon, the news broke.

Entertainment’s Biggest V: “The long-awaited male lead for Ode to the Rivers and Mountains has finally been confirmed—@Jing Ling Second Most Handsome Under the Heavens will play Young Master Changqing! Refined, elegant, and unparalleled—Is he your ideal Xie Changqing?”

Chapter 109

The drama Ode to the Rivers and Mountains tells the story of Xie Changqing, the seventh son of the King of Wei, who rises from an overlooked political hostage to the First Emperor who sweeps across the Six States and unifies the world—a tale of an emperor’s coming of age. From insignificance to glory, it is a long and thorny road paved with obstacles. Kinship, love, and friendship all betray him one after another, and he steps over piles of bones to finally sit upon the throne that symbolizes the supreme power of the world. Alone, thus called Gu Ren—the lonely one.

This drama is jointly produced by Dongchen Film & Television Media Group, Dazhou Film Production Co., Ltd., and several other companies such as Changqing Films of the Imperial Capital. The production team is decent, but the industry is not very optimistic about this project because it does not align with the current market trends. In the era of popular IPs, the hit dramas are either fantasy or palace intrigue. This type of biographical drama adapted from real history was indeed quite popular a long time ago, but in recent years, the market has been sluggish. Businessmen pursue profit. They would rather follow trends and shoot similar explosive hits than take huge risks to explore new genres.

Because of this, when Ode to the Rivers and Mountains was first established, they ambitiously wanted to cast A-list stars with strong online popularity, but were rejected one by one. In the end, they had no choice but to settle for someone else. There are many B-list actors, but not just anyone can play the role. Without self-carrying popularity, the requirements for acting skills and other aspects are relatively high. After rounds of deliberation, everyone was nearly worrying themselves gray over the male lead casting.

Now that the actor has finally been decided, though it differs from the initial expectations, it is still better than the worst-case scenario.

After reaching an agreement, there were still a series of matters to discuss, so the official announcement wouldn’t be made immediately. But the industry gossip accounts didn’t have to worry about all that—the news was directly leaked.

The first to reveal it was the Weibo account Entertainment Is My Biggest Business, followed by several other marketing accounts one after another. Even before that, there had been leaks on forums claiming that the underage star’s team was fighting for resources. Although Ode to the Rivers and Mountains isn’t a big IP with a luxury cast, it’s a solid male-lead-focused drama and will be aired on a satellite TV channel. For many, it’s still considered a “big pie” (slang for a major opportunity). Now that this “pie” has been snatched by Jing Ling, it’s only natural that some people are secretly grinding their teeth in hatred.

In addition, some self-proclaimed insiders revealed that Jing Ling will have a solo cover for a B-list magazine in December.

Not long ago, people were mocking him as an “empty hype” with no substantial works. Though he appeared very popular, his resources were pathetic—no magazine covers, no endorsements. But now, in just a short time, he’s secured a male-lead satellite TV drama with decent investment and production team, has prospects for a magazine cover, and quite a few brands have approached him. Yet for some reason, none of the endorsements materialized. Among the numerous speculations in the posts, the most supported theory was that he was waiting for a “big fish.” If he could win an award at the end-of-October Bauhinia Film Festival, his market value would increase significantly.

Looking back at Jing Ling’s career since his debut, people realized that his rise and achievements were like riding a rocket.

Though he started from a web drama, which may seem like a low starting point, the fact that he played the male lead made it a different matter entirely. That drama exploded in popularity, topping both the annual sales and popularity charts. Soon after, he jumped to the big screen, playing the second most prominent role, a villain, in Director Gu’s film—not just a minor, walk-on role. After the movie’s release, both box office and word of mouth were excellent, and his acting was recognized. In his very first movie, he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at one of the Big Three—the Bauhinia Film Festival—with a strong chance of winning. During this period, he also appeared twice on the national news broadcast: once for bravely helping others, and once for calling for animal protection—both highly positive public images. He also participated in two variety shows, both of which broke viewership records and maintained high levels of discussion.

All of this happened within merely one year. He is only eighteen years old, in his prime youth, with looks, acting skills, and a long acting career ahead of him. It is almost foreseeable that his future will be dazzling.

After sorting all this out, most people felt envious and impressed. As for his rivals, it was a direct blow to the heart.

Fans and haters inevitably launched another major battle. But Shen Ze no longer cared about these matters. The drama was confirmed; what truly mattered now was the Bauhinia Film Awards ceremony.

On October 31st, the Bauhinia Film Awards ceremony was held at the Jincheng International Convention and Exhibition Center. The venue was packed with stars, and the camera flashes never stopped from beginning to end. The spacious hall was filled with audiences and judges from all over the country, as well as leading officials from the Jincheng government.

The lights glittered, the grandeur was like a dream.

After the routine opening, the first award presented was Best Supporting Actor. Amid the cheers and applause of the audience, the award presenters took the stage. After introducing themselves, they briefly presented the nominated films.

“It’s a great honor to present this award today together with Teacher Liu!” A woman’s sweet voice came through the microphone, spreading to every corner of the venue through the sound system.

Jing Ling and Shen Ze sat below the stage. The former looked calm and relaxed, with a faint smile on his lips, showing no signs of nervousness, as if the award had nothing to do with him at all. Shen Ze, on the other hand, was more anxious than the emperor himself—fingers interlocked on his lap, his palms covered in sweat. He tried hard to relax, but his nervousness was still visible.

“Ah Ze, don’t be nervous,” Jing Ling whispered to him, lips barely moving.

“Shut up. I’m nervous for you!” Shen Ze retorted.

“Alright then.” Throughout the conversation, Jing Ling’s eyes never left the awards stage, and even his smile remained unchanged.

The ceremony continued.

“Out of hundreds of films, these five nominated works stood out, all excellent, with strong performances from the actors! For example, Lin Zhisen’s portrayal of troubled student Xu Rui in The Seventeenth Summer vividly expressed his inner struggles! Wen Xuan perfectly presented the image of music-obsessed artist Fu Rugang in Moonlight Sonata, with extremely delicate acting! Jing Ling played a character who is both a chess piece and a player in the film The  Island—his performance was full of tension and very eye-catching!…”

After introducing the nominees, clips from the films began to play on the big screen behind them.

The first to be shown was a clip from The Island. Under the bright moonlight and the rising and falling tides, on the beach of an unnamed deserted island, a dark figure slowly approached. The steps seemed slow yet carried a unique rhythm. A dagger in hand gleamed coldly. Though the face wasn’t visible, an inexplicable chill crept into the scene. The camera cut to the dense forest, where a disheveled man crouched by a flowing stream. Amidst the green trees, clear springs, and chirping birds—the seemingly beautiful scenery—the man’s dazed, intoxicated expression and the repetitive, rhythmic movements of his hands still sent chills down the viewers’ spines, even though the following footage had been cut.

The second clip played was from the movie My Hero. The hero here was not an omnipotent figure who saved the world, but rather an ordinary person who courageously stepped forward in everyday life. The nominee, Luo Wei, played the son of a retired police station officer. From initially resenting his father for having neither money nor power, he suddenly came to a realization later on, only to find that while he was ready to fulfill his filial duty, his father was no longer there to wait for him. His awakening came too late. The final scene was his anguished shout, full of regret and self-reproach.

Following this were clips from Seventeen’s Summer, Moonlight Sonata, and The Broken Promise.

Compared to the other two major awards, the Bauhinia Film Awards was slightly less prestigious, but it was still recognized as one of the three major domestic film awards. All those who received nominations were truly capable, and judging from the film clips, they were well-deserved.

After the film clips, the host briefly introduced the panel of judges present at the scene and explained the voting rules. “We are now about to begin the voting. Audience and judges on-site, are you ready? Who will be this year’s Best Supporting Actor at the Bauhinia Film Awards? Now, please cast your votes!”

The screen split into two windows. One side displayed the vote tally, while the other side showed close-up shots of each nominee. Lin Zhisen, Luo Wei, Wen Xuan, Su Cheng… From the screen, one could clearly see their small gestures—biting their lips, pressing their mouths, clasping their hands—revealing their hopes and nervousness at this moment. The last one to appear was Jing Ling, dressed in a well-fitted suit, white shirt, and black bow tie. He looked straight ahead with a faint smile on his face. The camera lingered on him, yet his expression remained completely unchanged.

Just like earlier during the award process when the camera inadvertently swept over him, he seemed completely unperturbed from beginning to end.

“Holy crap, Qingqing, did you see that?! My male idol is amazing! Super calm!” Yang Rou wrapped her arm around her best friend’s neck, shaking her nonstop. 

“Please, please, please, let it rise, let it rise, let it rise! It must be my male idol!”

On the other screen, the vote counts for the five nominees kept changing. Jing Ling and Wen Xuan were far ahead of the others, pulling away from the rest, but their votes were very close, constantly switching between who was leading and who was trailing.

A few seconds later, the camera suddenly cut away.

Yang Rou caught a glimpse—Wen Xuan was leading by one vote.

“Qingqing, I’m so scared…”

“Shut up and watch the result!” Her best friend stared intently at the computer screen.

The awards ceremony was being broadcast live. The host, holding the microphone, smiled and announced the result, “The results are in. The Best Supporting Actor at this year’s Bauhinia Film Awards goes to… Jing Ling!”

The moment the host finished speaking, the camera cut to Jing Ling. At this moment, his expression finally changed a little—his lips curved into a joyful smile. He slightly tilted his head to look at Shen Ze beside him. The latter’s smile was completely unrestrained as he stood up to give him a hug. 

“Congratulations, Jing Ling!”

“Thank you!”

After a brief hug, accompanied by cheers and applause, he walked onto the stage.

Chapter 110

“Dear friends, let’s give a warm round of applause to Jing Ling!”

“Let’s invite the award presenter to present the award to him!”

The award presenter handed the bright red award certificate and the trophy shaped like a Bauhinia tree to Jing Ling. Following that was the segment for the acceptance speech. Holding the trophy in one hand and the certificate in the other, he stood in front of the microphone, brilliant lights reflected in his eyes, and the smile at the corners of his lips could make people completely sink into it.

“Thank you! Thank you to everyone who has always supported and accompanied me! Thank you, Director Gu! Thank you to Island! Thank you to all the judges who voted for me! I’ve been looking forward to this moment ever since the nominations were announced, looking forward to the arrival of the award ceremony. Although the other nominated actors this time are all outstanding, I still selfishly hoped I could win. I never expected it to really come true! Once again, thank you all for your support and recognition, I will continue to work hard!”

After the Best Supporting Actor Award came the Best Supporting Actress Award, followed by various other awards. But Yang Rou no longer cared—her male idol had won! Only a year after debuting, his first movie had already earned him a nomination and an award. With this achievement in hand, he could completely overshadow all those so-called fresh faces in the current male celebrity scene.

She wrapped her arm around her best friend’s neck, leaned over, and planted a big kiss on her friend’s face, then let go, pulled over the keyboard, and her ten fingers flew across the keys as she excitedly chatted with other fans on the forum.

Thread: Our Meng Er has won the Bauhinia Film Award for Best Supporting Actor!

0L: Meng Er, you’ll always be the best! [Image]

1L: Front row, eating melon!

2L: Congratulations, congratulations, truly amazing!

—

By the time Yang Rou clicked in, there were already over a hundred replies. Scrolling down the comments, everything was harmonious—either fans’ ecstatic joy or passersby’s blessings. Although there were still a few clowns jumping around, they were completely ignored.

166L: When the camera panned over, I saw Wen Xuan was ahead by one vote at the last second. It was scarier than watching a horror movie alone. I was so scared I could barely breathe. Luckily, Meng Er overtook by two votes at the end and won the award! Seeing him standing on stage holding the certificate and trophy made me even happier than if I were up there myself! Love you forever, Meng Er, mua mua (￣3)(ε￣)

167L: Exactly, exactly! I cried from fear too!

168L: Jing Bao is amazing! The other nominees are great too!

—

Yang Rou was so overwhelmed with excitement, busy sharing the joy with the big group, that she didn’t notice her best friend—whom she’d just forcibly kissed. This girl, always with that cool goddess aura, was now lying under the covers, holding her phone, joining the discussion as well.

235L: Winning the award is so impressive~ (≧▽≦)/~

—

In the distant and remote Chashan Town, Yunshu was also watching the live broadcast. Whenever the camera occasionally swept over Jing Ling, she would feel a small burst of joy. Later, when she saw him go on stage to accept the award, her eyes never left him for a second.

She thought of the first time she met him. He was also wearing such a formal suit, walking along the road at Banxian Mountain. Even though his actions were so abrupt, he still gave off an air of ease, like he was strolling leisurely in a courtyard. And beside him was Yang Xinyao, in her gown and high heels, as if the rough road beneath her feet wasn’t rough at all, but a carefully polished floor.

The slightly ajar door was suddenly pushed open. Liu Dan walked in. “Yunshu, what are you watching?” she asked as she came over.

Yunshu’s train of thought was interrupted. She came back to her senses and smiled at Liu Dan. “The live broadcast of the Bauhinia Film Awards ceremony.”

Liu Dan pulled over a chair and sat beside her, watching the award ceremony on the computer screen. The young man who had just won the award was giving his acceptance speech—broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs, an incredibly handsome face, clear pronunciation, and a voice so pleasant it could make your ears pregnant. Most people can’t resist beautiful things, and Liu Dan was no exception. She stared at the screen, reluctant to look away, and asked Yunshu, “Who is that? So handsome!”

“His name is Jing Ling, he’s an actor,” Yunshu replied.

The Best Supporting Actor Award was just the prelude. There were many more awards to follow. So, no matter how reluctant they were, Jing Ling still had to leave the stage and give the spotlight to others. Yunshu wasn’t really interested in the remaining awards. Her attention toward the entertainment industry was entirely because of Jing Ling. On the other hand, Liu Dan was watching the stars on-site with great enthusiasm. While watching, she chatted with Yunshu, “Why were you suddenly transferred to the Women’s Federation? The accounting work is back on my shoulders again. The director told me that if I don’t understand something, I should ask you on Penguin, or wait until after work. By the way, the money that was lent out by the town’s driver, Huang Zhen, was suddenly returned in full, but both he and Zhao Zhen have terrible tempers, acting like people owe them money. Yunshu, I’m timid—can you tell me the truth? What exactly happened during your shift last week?”

It’s often said that government jobs with official positions are iron rice bowls—guaranteed food and income no matter what. But no matter where you are, jobs related to money are hard to do. A single misstep and you could be in trouble. Liu Dan had worked as the company accountant for a year. She didn’t have a professional background, just got a qualification certificate on a whim at school. After coming to work here, she was drafted into the role. The receipts brought over by Accountant Yang, who handled the funds, were mostly incomprehensible to her, but she could tell there was plenty of shady business. The town frequently signed bills with two local businesses—a supermarket and a restaurant. Stationery and other permitted expenses aside, there were plenty of cigarettes, alcohol, and snacks. The restaurant’s entertainment expenses often exceeded the standard outlined in official documents.

Many times, Liu Dan felt scared, but there was nothing she could do.

Hearing this, Yunshu found it rather ironic. The town mayor’s annual salary was just over sixty thousand yuan, with the deputy mayor earning even less. They probably thought they could pocket fifty thousand and not have to return it, planning to slowly cover it back with money from the dismissed driver. Who would’ve thought she would mess up their plan? Fifty thousand was a lot, but compared to power and their iron rice bowl, it wasn’t worth it. So, no matter how distressed they were, they hurriedly returned the money. That fifty thousand was likely not taken by Huang Zhen alone; Zhao Zhen probably took a cut too. Come to think of it, isn’t it like they owe her money now?

The money was returned, but there were still plenty of messy accounts left. They were probably afraid she’d keep investigating, so they quickly held a meeting over the weekend and transferred her to the obscure Women’s Federation office with a single document.

Of course, she couldn’t tell Liu Dan that, so after thinking for a moment, she replied, “The higher-ups are cracking down recently, probably out of caution. Didn’t the documents from the office mention disciplinary action for violating officials? Just for accepting gifts worth over a thousand yuan and using official vehicles for personal reasons, they received harsh punishments. The amount involved here is much larger. They’re probably afraid of getting caught.”

Liu Dan thought about it and nodded. “True. Speaking of which, there’s a lesson to be learned here too—it happened at the town health center. The previous director of the health center was a woman, surname Lin. She got greedy during the pharmaceutical bidding process and accepted a kickback from a vendor. It totaled 160,000 yuan. She was caught, and the court ruled that the kickbacks had to be fully confiscated. She got a three-year prison sentence, suspended for three years. Even though she didn’t have to go to jail, she lost her job. It was Jiajia who went to the human resources office to collect the dismissal documents and the court verdict.”

But she still had one more question. “Why did you get transferred to the Women’s Federation? You passed the CPA exam. Compared to my amateur background, you’re much more suited for this accounting work.”

Yunshu’s expression remained calm. “Because I just got in, the higher-ups are probably still cautious about me. As for the job transfer, I guess it’s because I was a bit tactless. Didn’t you tell me before, try not to go out with Huang Zhen for unofficial matters? That guy has poor character. They invited me out for meals and drinks a few times, but I declined every time. Probably made him lose face, so now I’m getting the cold shoulder—they expect me to apologize.”

Liu Dan was disgusted at once. “The current group of leaders only came in July. I came last year and worked with the previous leadership. Even though there were some problems with their work, their character was good—nothing like the one upstairs now. His face alone is an eyesore!”

“At most, he can just let you sit on the cold bench. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. The Women’s Federation office is relatively relaxed—you can play on your phone and watch TV when there’s nothing to do. No need to flatter him. Actually, I’ve never understood—Yunshu, you’re really beautiful, no worse than the celebrities on TV. You’re also very capable, graduated from the most prestigious university, passed the CPA. With your background, working at a big company outside, your salary would be several times higher, and you could be with your boyfriend. Why come here?”

It wasn’t just Liu Dan—many people probably couldn’t understand why Yunshu made such a choice.

“For… my ideals,” Yunshu replied.

Liu Dan found it hard to believe. “Sigh, Yunshu, you want to be an official too? But you’ve seen it—the officialdom atmosphere, the hidden rules. And this is just the grassroots level. The higher you go, the harder it gets, the more careful you have to be. Women in politics already have a disadvantage. I’ve heard from classmates that there was a female town mayor at their place. Just because she worked late with the leadership team or had to entertain higher-ups occasionally, people in her own unit gossiped behind her back, let alone outsiders. Her husband couldn’t take it and divorced her.”

Yunshu smiled. “My ideal is to serve the people.”

Liu Dan laughed too, lightly patted her, “So you’re joking with me! Jiajia and the others want to go out this weekend—do you have time?”

“I do!”

Ode to the Rivers and Mountains had been delayed for too long. Now that the main cast was finalized, filming would begin soon. So, for the upcoming period, Jing Ling would be very busy. He told Yunshu this over the phone. Meaning, he wouldn’t be able to visit her for the time being.

Yunshu made plans with Liu Dan to go out that weekend. But the next day, an urgent document came down from above, bringing her work—she had to do ideological work on Zeng Li from Tianwa Village in the mountain area of the town, to persuade her not to go cause trouble at the higher authorities.