Chapter 10

As usual, once the fourth round of selections was completed, the production team posted all the segments along with the contestants’ chosen roles online.

At first, viewers clicked through casually, but when they reached the segment featuring Qi Linyuan and Lu Luo, their expressions froze, doubting their own eyes.

“Has Qi Linyuan gone mad? Choosing that role? Doesn’t he know how viciously that character was criticized last year?”

“But obviously, between the two, Lu Luo is better suited for the young general! Is he supposed to play the traitor? He’s not suited for that in any way!”

“But Qi Linyuan doesn’t fit as the traitor either! How does he resemble such a lowly character?”

“You say that, but the original actor wasn’t lowly either! He just played the character that way—it’s not as if he became that low.”

“I like both contestants; this should have been double the joy. How did it end up like this…”

“I get it now, Qi Linyuan is going to be destroyed by the script. The production team can’t handle not having their favorites rise to the top, so they play the elimination game, right?”

“Here we go! If you can’t win, claim there’s a conspiracy. Classic fan behavior!”

...

Qi Linyuan glanced casually at the news about the fourth round selections, immediately catching sight of the chaos—people from all sides jumping in, battling fiercely. He let out a light, unsurprised click of his tongue.

“Scared? If you’re scared, admit defeat. I can even ask them to go easy on you.”

He was about to close the page when a voice sounded behind him.

Turning around, he saw He Ransheng and Lu Luo entering, with the former being the one who spoke.

Qi Linyuan didn’t reply immediately. He looked around, found all the cameras turned off, and naturally let out a playful “Wow”: “The way you deliberately shut off the cameras… If someone didn’t know better, they’d think you were about to ambush me!”

Lu Luo’s face darkened. “Don’t spread rumors. We’re not that sort of people.”

Qi Linyuan thought, maybe you aren’t, but He Ransheng is unpredictable. Didn’t he just get tempted when I mentioned it?

But, isolated under their roof, Qi Linyuan didn’t want to provoke He Ransheng too much—if he actually got ambushed, it would be more trouble than it’s worth.

He glanced at Lu Luo, then sighed softly, “That’s good… To be honest, both roles are quite difficult. Should we rehearse together a few times, to ensure we deliver the best performance?”

“I…”

“No need!” Before Lu Luo could speak, He Ransheng cut in decisively. “You may be collaborators, but you’re also competitors. No need to rehearse together ahead of time. You’ll have a run-through the day before recording; just get a general sense of each other then.”

Qi Linyuan’s suggestion had aimed precisely for this result, and He Ransheng had helped him achieve it. He was quite satisfied.

Still, regardless of his satisfaction, Qi Linyuan’s face showed regret: “Alright… I’ll practice alone then.”

Perhaps afraid Lu Luo would waver, He Ransheng quickly dragged him away.

Qi Linyuan looked at the still inactive cameras, exhaled in relief, and smiled at the lens.

Since you’re not using it… I’ll claim this room for now. I was just wondering where to rehearse…

.

Fourth week of recording, Wednesday afternoon, 16:21.

Most contestants were dressed in the outfits they’d wear for tomorrow’s recording, waiting in the studio for their turn to rehearse.

Le Xi stood beside Qi Linyuan, his gaze filled with worry. Qi Linyuan offered an encouraging smile, spun around in front of him to show off his elegant attire.

Le Xi was amused, and the worry in his eyes melted away. “True, you do look stunning.”

Qi Linyuan patted his shoulder. “You look good too. Don’t underestimate yourself.”

He spoke from an actor’s perspective.

Film and television need all kinds of performers: handsome, delicate, pure, glamorous… As long as they fit the role, many are beautiful.

Le Xi glanced at his face, thinking Qi Linyuan was simply comforting him.

Yet, in this situation, the fact that Qi Linyuan could spare the energy to reassure him left Le Xi grateful. He didn’t argue, just said, “Alright, I’ll listen to you!”

While they conversed, it was Le Xi’s turn to rehearse.

Qi Linyuan watched him take the stage, run through the scene with his counterpart, and his brows furrowed slightly.

Just like him, Le Xi’s fourth round opponent was one of the more talented actors among the royal roles.

If roles were ignored, Le Xi’s acting was on par, perhaps even superior. But actors can never entirely disregard their characters.

His opponent fit the role, Le Xi did not. The finished product reflected that—the other’s performance was noticeably superior.

When Le Xi stepped off stage after confirming his marks, he saw Qi Linyuan’s furrowed brow and knew the outcome.

He exhaled, feeling a calm acceptance.

Qi Linyuan saw his composure and offered no consolation; the two simply stood together until it was Qi Linyuan’s turn to rehearse.

“Good luck,” Le Xi said earnestly.

This time, Qi Linyuan didn’t respond, just hugged him, then strode lightly onto the stage.

Lu Luo was already waiting, and as Qi Linyuan approached, even though Lu Luo was well aware that the purpose of this round was to eliminate Qi Linyuan, he couldn’t hide his awe.

Being the child of celebrities, Lu Luo had seen countless actors; even among the established ones, Qi Linyuan’s looks ranked at the top.

He could understand why He Ransheng was so instantly jealous of Qi Linyuan. But he and He Ransheng had known each other since childhood, and now his parents ranked even higher in the industry. He helped He Ransheng resolve his obsessions, and in return, He Ransheng’s parents offered him valuable resources—a fair exchange.

As for Qi Linyuan…

.

There are plenty of opportunities in show business. Getting eliminated from a variety show isn’t the end.

Qi Linyuan watched Lu Luo’s changing expressions, which finally settled into cold indifference. The little devil inside Qi Linyuan sighed in relief.

Since Lu Luo wasn’t about to play the upright, kind-hearted youth, Qi Linyuan had no need for a crisis of conscience over his impending deception. They’d both do their best to undermine each other—fair game.

With this in mind, Qi Linyuan blinked, and a young man appeared on stage—innocent and pitiable, just as Lu Luo and the others had predicted.

This youth seemed utterly terrified. After the young general was poisoned, tears streamed down his face, as if he were the most aggrieved victim of the betrayal.

“What a schemer,” He Ransheng sneered. “But it doesn’t matter; he’s just a minor performer. With our family and Lu Luo’s family joining forces, I don’t believe we can’t control the narrative.”

Le Xi wasn’t standing near He Ransheng and didn’t hear his words, but seeing He Ransheng’s cold smile followed by smug satisfaction, he could guess that Qi Linyuan’s performance had fallen right into their trap.

He wanted to advise Qi Linyuan not to act that way, but worried it would seem distrustful, so after much hesitation, he kept silent.

If only Si Qi were still here, Le Xi thought gloomily.

Qi Linyuan felt no guilt when facing Lu Luo, but he did feel a touch of remorse before Le Xi.

“Don’t worry,” Qi Linyuan reassured him after rehearsal, returning to Le Xi’s side. “Everyone has their own fate. Until the last moment, how can you know whether this script is a curse or a blessing for me?”

.

Fourth week of recording, Thursday morning, 8:58.

Qi Linyuan entered the studio, makeup and hair done, and saw Ji Yuchen already seated where he’d been last time.

He looked skyward, thinking that since his rebirth, everything had gone well—except his image in front of Ji Yuchen.

Their first meeting: he’d thrown himself over for a staged collision with Lu Xiang, feigning a fall onstage.

Second meeting: he was about to play a traitor, a character whose only redeeming quality was his face.

But if he forced himself to make the traitor lovable just for the sake of his image before Ji Yuchen, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

To him, even though this was a variety show, a performance remained a performance, and there were principles to uphold. If the script’s logic was unsound, adjusting it made sense; but the script was flawless, and to alter the character for personal reasons… he’d rather not take the job.

Over the past few days, he’d read the source material and all the scenes involving his character. This character had no tragic backstory—only jealousy, which drove him mad and destroyed his humanity. So he never considered, as He Ransheng and the others did, turning the character into someone forced into wrongdoing by circumstance, a pitiable soul despite his crimes.

Mr. Ji is so wise and discerning; surely he’ll see past appearances and recognize my principled nature! Qi Linyuan silently cheered himself.

But after building himself up, Qi Linyuan fell into a subtle confusion: This is Ji Yuchen’s third year running Fengqi. By rights, shouldn’t he be extremely busy now?

Last time, he’d come to assess whether the show was worth investing in advertising—a reasonable visit. But why had he come again this time? Is he really so free...?