NGSB Chapter 5

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Chapter 5

Lifting his hand, Lin Xi pushed along the spine of the red folding fan in his slender fingers while drawing an arc in the air. As the fan opened with his wave, it revealed a landscape painting depicting a beauty in its midst, lifelike and exquisite in details. The handle of the fan was made of white jade and carved with patterns of floating clouds and flower blossoms inlaid with pearls. They danced and came to life with his actions, fluttering in time to the minute movements of his hand.

With a single flick of his wrist, the fan moved to cover up half of Lin Xi’s face. The half that was revealed showed off his almost translucent contours. Like a leisurely sketch, his eyes were elegantly curved above the fan as if crescent moons yearning with longing. Those amber irises had a clear and clean gaze as they stared with sheer arrogance.

The sight caused Li He and the rest to draw in their breaths sharply.

Seconds later, the same eyes widened as if hearing something. Those indigo brows shifted slightly to express displeasure as his gaze dimmed and fell. In the next second, Lin Xi snapped his fan shut and cupped his hands in obeisance before doing a cursory bow. His back remained ramrod straight.

It was hard to see his expression with his face staring at the ground, but Li He heard the tactful, yet unmistakably haughty voice that issued from those lips.

“Qiu Huan greets Your Highness Crown Prince.”

The entire process had lasted less than 10 seconds, but depicted supporting male Qiu Huan’s first meeting with the Crown Prince Luo Qing.[1] Lin Xi had chosen to audition with this scene because 1) it was simple and 2) almost impossible to express the dignified atmosphere of ancient costume dramas when they didn’t get so much as a wig to set the mood. In short, he had used the most effective, if base method, available—sex appeal.[2]

Qiu Huan could count as one of Ice God’s top-ranked beauties as well. Since he was naturally gifted with looks, why not use them here? If a man was needed to play the role of Nüwa, Lin Xi suspected he might have been ushered in for the character just based on his face alone. His appearance was capable of opening many doors in show business.

“Director Li?” Lin Xi asked when nobody spoke up.

Hearing this, Li He recovered his senses. Chen Yajing was staring at Lin Xi with a strange look until he grinned. Then she averted her gaze as if burned, cursing inwardly to herself. This Lin Xi’s a downright incubus.

“Aiya, that was brilliant! Kid, you really won’t considering playing Nüwa instead?” Li He stood up happily from his seat as he clapped enthusiastically. Lin Xi only stared at his shorts, which were the same pair from behind and a complete mismatch with his neat upper jacket.

“……”

Seeing this, Chen Yajing immediately pulled Li He back into his seat before giving a light cough. Her expression was completely serious. “You acted well. I’ve already thought up the image for your character. For the next few days, you should…eat a bit more to beef up. Can you come back the day after tomorrow for the official character photoshoot?”

Lin Xi looked at her in surprise. He never expected her to be the stylist of the production. He knew all the famous ones in the business, whether by name or by eye, but he’d never heard of Chen Yajing before. Still, he quirked his lips into a grin and nodded. “Please guide me well.”

—

The first thing he saw upon leaving the audition room was Ji Chengshu and Wang Fang. The latter was pacing back and forth in the hallway, his fat jiggling with each step. When he turned and suddenly saw Lin Xi, he observed his expressionless face before comparing it with Lin Xi’s past experiences in acting and came to a conclusion. Immediately, his face fell.

Wang Fang patted himself on the cheeks before mustering up enough energy to sidle up with a smile. “Chief, it’s only a drama series. We can audition for a second one tomorrow! If they can’t see your good points, then it’s–”

“I’m scheduled for an official photoshoot the day after tomorrow. Take care to plan out my schedule.”

“–their…loss…ah? Chief, you actually passed the audition?” Wang Fang’s eyes grew wide with disbelief.

Lin Xi suddenly felt a nerve snap in his head as his expression turned black. “What, can’t I?”

Wang Fang furiously shook his head before leaning over with a fawning smile. “Chief, just look at you! A trifling audition is nothing, of course. Come, let’s have a big feast tonight to celebrate!”

Lin Xi grinned and nodded. “Mm. More food is better, this body’s too skinny.” He pinched his stick arms with dissatisfaction and recalled Chen Yajing’s words. Now he missed his old body’s six pack and perfect proportions.

Wang Fang agreed wholeheartedly. “That’s right. We’ll go to the new roast duck restaurant that’s opening up in the eastern end. I’ve been waiting to taste their food for ages. Tsk, tsk, that crispy, tender roast duck is simply–”

“You can’t eat any,” Lin Xi cut him off with a smile.

Like a bolt out of the blue, Wang Fang was left gaping at him in shock as he walked away. He soon caught up with a mournful voice. “Why not, chief?”

Lin Xi didn’t speak, but only swept his gaze up and down Wang Fang’s body and his layers of fat so thick as to almost secrete oil. He smiled again, but kept silent.

Alarm bells went off in Wang Fang’s head before he shielded his chest with his arms. Like a chaste virgin, he declared, “Chief, performers sell their art, not their bodies. Got it?”

“…..”

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On the 33rd floor of Tianyu Entertainment, Pan Lun had just gotten off the phone. His arm was still wrapped in bandages, while even slight movements caused his abdomen pain. The faint guilty conscience he felt towards Qi Wenyuan had long dissipated over the past few days’ worth of events and chaos. When he looked at the broken pieces of the porcelain cup in the trash can now, his glare turned vicious.

It’s just the death of some star. Why are they making such a big deal? The world’s still saying that Qi Wenyuan “had probable intention to murder” when I’m the one who fought back in self defense.

Even so, the board of directors for the company insisted that Pan Lun host a large funeral for Qi Wenyuan’s sake and invite all of the famous members of the entertainment circle to come. There was only one day before the event, but all of the invitation cards had already been sent out. He was just notified a few minutes. If it’s like this, they might as well take me into custody and bring me to the funeral tomorrow!

The deceased was a murderer!

Pan Lun grew irritated the more he thought. His handsome features twisted into a scowl as he forcefully cleared the contents of his table onto the floor. Crashing noises filled the room. A clerk passing by heard the commotion and quickly opened the door to his office with a worried voice. “President Pan, are you alright?”

Pan Lun glared at the woman and shouted, “Who let you come in? Get lost!”

The woman was temporarily terrified by the sight of the mess on the floor. She’d never seen President Pan act so violent. Her face paled before she bobbed her head in apology. “I’m sorry, President Pan, I’m sorry. I’ll go out right away.” And then she fled out of the office.

As if relieved of a heavy burden, Pan Lun sank back into his expansive chair and stared hollowly into the air. A frenzied look filled his eyes before it morphed into a dark gaze. “Qi Wenyuan!” he cried out in fury.

Sometimes, if a person lied to himself long enough, he’d end up believing the fabrication to comfort himself. Pan Lun might have tricked himself into believing his version of the story already, or perhaps he was still delusionally denying the facts. Because by now, he’d long forgotten just who it was on the roof that day that harbored true intentions to kill.

—

While Pan Lun was having a fit, Lin Xi was stuffing another steamed dumpling into his mouth. On his left was a plate filled with thin flour pancakes. His right hand picked up a few pieces of roast duck, sliced cucumber, and onions before placing them on a pancake. Sweet flour sauce was drizzled over the combination before he rolled it up into a wrap and stuffed that in his mouth, too.

Lin Xi couldn’t help but click his tongue in admiration as the rich flavors filled his mouth. “Mm, this new duck restaurant really isn’t bad.”

Wang Fang nibbled pitifully on a fingernail-sized pieces of pancake as he watched. Each piece took twenty bites to chew before he swallowed them reluctantly. His hunger eyes were fixated on Lin Xi and that big plate of roasted duck covered in rich oil. It was as if he was trying to feast himself on the sight alone. But Lin Xi simply treated him as air as he stuffed himself with food according to Chen Yajing’s instructions to “beef up.”

The little tubby swallowed his saliva with a pout. He held out for a few more seconds before he shouted, “I don’t care anymore, I just want to eat!” Then he picked up his chopsticks and stuck a steamed dumpling into his mouth.

“Ahhhhhhhh….! It’s hot it’s hot….!”

Lin Xi stared with a sigh as Wang Fang shook wackily before him. In both his lives, he’d yet to see anyone so amusing. Despite only knowing the man for three days, he already liked him.

—

On the morning of the third day, when it was still dark enough to see a hint of stars on the dark horizon and the neon lights were dull, the pale moon set in the west as if covered in a layer of dust. Lin Xi’s eyes opened as he woke up and walked too the full length window and pressed his hand against its surface. Beyond the double layered glass was the empty city below him and its dim street lamps. The season was just getting into autumn, so much of the heaters around the city were still inactive. The icy floor chilled him from his feet to his shins, almost freezing his blood in place.

With a heavy face, Lin Xi watched the rising dawn as his eyes flickered. After Ji Chengshu had dropped him home yesterday, he’d suddenly told him that today was Qi Wenyuan’s funeral service. The fact that a trifling star like him had gotten the news was probably because Ji Chengshu knew he’d found He Shushan through Qi Wenyuan’s connections. By logic, Lin Xi should at least leave Qi Wenyuan a bouquet of flowers for his funeral.

In his past life, he’d received shock suppressing red packets[3] for acting the part of a dead man. He’d even laid on biers meant for the dead for his job. Whether it was ancient costume dramas or modern flicks, Qi Wenyuan had already “died” multiple times in his life.

But this time, it was a real funeral. What would it be like? The old seniors at Tianyu wouldn’t miss the opportunity to make a public show of it and improve their company’s image in the eyes of the public. Qi Wenyuan’s parents had long passed away in a car accident and he didn’t have contact with any other relatives. Most likely, Pan Lun would end up hosting the event.

Standing in the foreign room with a new body, he could imagine how Pan Lun would fake a few crocodile tears before welcoming each visitor with a long face to express how much he missed the deceased. Then the guests and reporters would sigh with emotion and mention how magnamious President Pan was, to cry for a man who tried to kill him.

The first rays of sunshine suddenly pierced through the darkness, illuminating the horizon in light. It was gentle and warm, shining past the cold floorboards to enter Lin Xi’s eyes. He suddenly recalled how Ji Chengshu had asked him with an awkward expression last night if he wanted to attend today’s funeral.

Of course! Why not?

Moreover, he would act his part well and gain the most benefits from the trip. Tianyu Entertainment could use his death to improve its public image. Naturally, he should profits from it as well. Not only was he going, but going with his best impression: he would shed a few tears, not for himself–

–but for Tianyu as it headed on the certain road to extinction.

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Translator’s Note: I had too much fun with this series so…woops, here’s an extra chapter for today. I’ll be taking a break from NGSB at the end of January though, so consider this a makeup chapter for then. 🙂

༺ Chapter Glossary ༻

[1] Luo Qing (洛青) – Luo is a surname, Qing means “youth” or “green-blue.” The crown prince character of Ice God.

[2] sex appeal – the original words in the raws are censored as mystery textboxes, but considering Chinese novels inevitably screen sexual content most often, this is a fairly solid guess.

[3] shock suppressing red packets (压惊红包) – ya jing hongbao, in Chinese culture death is considered unlucky, so the actors who act out deaths get red packets of money to balance out the negative energy of playing a dead person.