thefictionvixens Chapter 22: Innate Sacred Body
Chapter 22: Innate Sacred Body
Holding a press conference at this time would be considered an extremely authoritative "official conclusion" for the entertainment industry.
It was even more authoritative than the so-called official announcements on Weibo that followed.
After all, behind every official announcement on Weibo, there can be countless public relations team members controlling accounts to generate public opinion.
However, it was the person in question who was facing the reporters' cameras and microphones at the press conference.
There may still be a few conspiracy theorists or extreme fans of a certain person who will continue to hold views such as "Guan Shengbai has a powerful background and the capital forces my Tengteng to whitewash him" or "My Tengteng is so wronged!!! After being treated violently, she was still wronged and came out to support the perpetrator!!!"
Although... this statement could be considered to be entirely wrong in process but entirely right in result.
But ultimately, this is still a minority view.
So, most of the online discussions about Guan Shengbai, if not completely disappeared after this press conference, have been largely resolved.
In this sudden and escalating storm, despite being punched and humiliated, Kato had to swallow his pride and defend his enemy, which was the ultimate humiliation.
However, he managed to prevent an even greater disaster from being exposed at this time.
Chai Zhiping's ambitious vision of expanding into the mainland market was temporarily preserved; although he lost face, he did not lose substance.
Zeng Jia, on the other hand, showed her true colors in this storm. She won a great victory in her battle with veteran agents like Chai Zhiping, which naturally increased her weight in the eyes of those in the know and greatly saved face.
The instigator of this "explosion" incident, Guan Shengbai, has made his debut in the entertainment industry ahead of schedule, announcing his arrival.
Yes, that's right.
The one who ignited this public opinion storm was not Zeng Jia, not Chai Zhiping, and certainly not Ke Teng, who was extremely guilty.
On the contrary, it was Guan Shengbai himself who was the least likely to do this in everyone's eyes.
In fact, Zeng Jia had handled things very well, with each side finding fault with each other, resolving the issue internally, and turning a major problem into a minor one and a minor one into nothing.
However, this "appropriate" approach is merely considering the issue from the perspective of 2013.
But this is far from enough for Guan Shengbai, who comes from the future.
2020, dubbed the "Year of the Collapse," officially ushered in the "Era of Major Collapses," and the Chinese entertainment industry has adapted by developing numerous innovative crisis management techniques.
Guan Shengbai, who will be known as a "public relations master" in the future, is, without exaggeration, ahead of the entire era in the current Chinese entertainment industry when it comes to the topic and ideas of "crisis public relations".
Just like clearing mines on the battlefield, the safest approach is never to bury them deep in a pile of soil.
Instead, it was detonated safely when prepared.
Guan Shengbai secretly brought this matter to the internet, which was exactly what he intended to do to ignite this "assault incident".
He hadn't expected that Ketton would be so guilty that he surrendered without even using any of his backup plans.
Even more surprisingly, the "Demon Lord of the Heavenly Realm" panel, which had been quiet for a long time, has now shown some activity again.
As soon as Guan Shengbai returned to his hotel room, the semi-transparent panel in front of him appeared without warning.
As the dim light shifted, several lines of writing slowly appeared, each character as if carved by a knife and axe, exuding a cold and murderous aura.
Main Quest: The Young Phoenix's Cry Surpasses the Old Phoenix's
[Task Status: Completed]
[Task Rating: ★★★★★]
Task Description:
In your previous life, you lived a solitary life, earning the title "Hidden Demon," and ultimately met a tragic end, dying without a proper burial and remaining unknown to the world.
In this life, you are destined to become a demon ancestor, so you must establish your own sect.
To establish a sect, one needs not only extraordinary strength but also a great reputation!
And the first thing you need to do is make your voice heard in the martial arts world!
Now, your legend has begun to circulate in the martial arts world.
With an iron fist to suppress evil, and with a reputation for chivalry that spreads throughout the world, your heroic deeds of standing up for justice and protecting women and punishing villains are being sung everywhere.
His youthful chivalry and courage, his anger that brought peace to the world, earned him a reputation that resounded like thunder in spring, echoing far and wide.
Of course...
You establish your authority through violence, use the mouths of your enemies to clear your name, gain a good reputation through evil deeds, and plot the righteous path through treachery.
This is not the right path; this is the demonic path.
However, the Demonic Celestial Venerable is one who reveres demons. He holds right and wrong, good and evil in his hands, and uses illusion and truth as his tools.
You have walked your own demonic path—using evil to do good, using demonic means to achieve righteousness. This path is nameless, yet its true power is already beginning to emerge.
[Hidden reward condition achieved: Gaining the name of the righteous through unorthodox means. Unlocks the title system.]
[Title Obtained: The Unknown Thief]
When Guan Shengbai saw these four words, the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.
Stealing the name of Baishi?
The name didn't sound like a good word. He patiently read on.
[Title: The Unknown Thief]
Rating: ★★★☆☆
[Type: Causal/Passive]
Title Description:
"He spouts righteousness and morality, but is full of wickedness and debauchery."
The gentleman in the eyes of the world may not be a true gentleman.
You exchange evil deeds for a good reputation, and use cunning schemes to achieve the right path. Although your actions are wicked, you can still attain the right result.
Under this title, every time you do a "bad thing" that is interpreted by the world as a "good deed," you can accumulate a wisp of "gentlemanly spirit" in your heart.
A gentlemanly demeanor can offset some of the negative impacts of flaws in one's destiny, and can also activate a "false face" effect at crucial moments.
In public, your words and actions will be imbued with an aura of "integrity and trustworthiness," making people unconsciously believe everything you say.
【Title Trait: Good and evil are determined by the heart】
No one can discern your true intentions through any means. Even the most perceptive person can only see the image you want them to see in your presence.
[Title Flaw: In the dead of night, you may occasionally hear your conscience sighing softly in a corner.]
Guan Shengbai stared at the last sentence for three seconds, then closed the panel expressionlessly.
This broken system is actually quite humorous.
……
……
To be honest, the crew of "Tiny Times" was the one who truly suffered an undeserved misfortune in this incident.
As the incident continued to escalate, the filming schedule was delayed for almost a week.
For the production of a commercial film, a week of idle time means tens of thousands of dollars going down the drain.
This also means that all subsequent schedules will need to be readjusted.
The young women in the coordination team stayed up for several nights to finish the new schedule, while the older men in the event management team were so exhausted that they didn't even have the energy to complain.
So as soon as Guan Shengbai returned to the film crew, Guo Xiaosi almost couldn't wait to drag him to the set.
This director was unusually unpretentious; he even personally came to the makeup room to urge the progress, saying, "Hurry up and finish filming Xiaobai's scenes so he can prepare for his next film."
But Guan Shengbai could tell that Guo Xiaosi simply didn't want him to stay on set for even one more day.
Rather than being in a hurry to film his scenes, it's more like they wanted to get rid of this "Buddha".
Guan Shengbai didn't have any objections to this.
He didn't have many scenes left to begin with, just a few group scenes where he was just a background character, and the total amount of filming didn't even add up to a whole day's worth.
Guo Xiaosi was eager to get rid of him, and he was happy to cooperate.
The two achieved a rare moment of perfect chemistry, and the filming progressed at an astonishing speed.
Guo Xiaosi sat in front of the monitor, looking at Guan Shengbai's impeccable face on the screen, feeling a mix of emotions.
On the one hand, he really wanted this person to get lost as soon as possible, the farther away the better.
Since Guan Shengbai joined the crew, he hasn't had a single good night's sleep. Every time he sees those phoenix eyes looking at him with a half-smile, he gets a cold sweat on his back.
On the other hand, he had to admit that Guan Shengbai's natural camera presence and charisma when he stood in front of the camera did indeed overshadow the other actors.
Fortunately, this ordeal is finally coming to an end.
As the last shot of the final scene was filmed, Guo Jingming almost couldn't wait to stand up from behind the monitor and personally lead the applause.
"Cut! Congratulations, Xiaobai, Xi Cheng's scenes are officially finished!"
Guan Shengbai walked out of the set, accepted the bouquet of flowers handed to him by the production assistant, bowed to the staff around him, and said a few polite words of thanks with a perfectly appropriate sincere smile on his face.
Guo Xiaosi stood opposite him, the two exchanged a glance, and then simultaneously extended their hands to shake. The handshake was brief but firm, and both men smiled politely, as if all the previous unpleasantness had never happened.
This has always been the standard of decorum in the entertainment industry.
After the brief wrap-up ceremony, Guan Shengbai found a seat in a corner of the set and sat down.
His next film won't start shooting until April, leaving a gap of nearly three months in between.
He was mentally planning his schedule for this period of time...
Perhaps I should first go back to Kyoto to meet with Professor Chen Bing, and then coordinate with Zeng Jia on the subsequent resource planning. In the meantime, I might also take on a few short-term projects to practice.
Just as I was lost in thought, a familiar perfume scent wafted over.
Guan Shengbai looked up and saw Yang Mi carrying two cups of coffee over. She sat down on the chair next to him and pushed one of the cups toward him.
"Hey, happy wrap-up!"
Guan Shengbai took the coffee and took a sip. It was the same as before, black coffee without sugar or milk.
Yang Mi remembered his taste.
"Thank you, senior sister."
Yang Mi tilted her head and looked him over for a while, her big eyes filled with complex emotions.
"Honestly, I only took two days off, but when I came back it felt like I missed several episodes of a TV series."
"Fighting and press conferences, your week has been much more exciting than mine. I only filmed two endorsements, and by the time I got back, the series was almost over."
After she finished speaking, she sighed dramatically, and her "I've lost out big time" expression made Guan Shengbai unable to help but laugh.
"If you want to watch the show, I'll give you a heads-up next time there's a fight."
"screw you."
Yang Mi laughed and scolded him, raising her hand as if to hit him, but then withdrew it halfway through the air.
Her expression gradually lost its joking tone, and her voice lowered.
"Seriously... you did a great job with Bi Ting."
If I had been there that day, I probably would have scratched him a few times first.
Guan Shengbai shook his head, his tone calm: "If Senior Sister were here, he might not dare to make a move."
Yang Mi didn't reply, but simply lowered her head and took a sip of her coffee.
She understood the meaning behind Guan Sheng's words.
Yang Mi is, after all, a top-tier actress and the most famous one in the crew. With her in charge, some people really don't dare to make any rash moves.
There was a few seconds of silence between the two, when suddenly a commotion broke out outside.
Guan Shengbai squinted at him, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Senior sister, it seems you have guests visiting the set today."
Yang Mi followed his gaze and saw a figure carrying two cups of coffee walking towards the entrance of the film set.
The man was wearing a well-tailored black overcoat, had a tall and slender figure, handsome features, and a gentle smile on his face.
It was Liu Kaiwei.
His appearance subtly warmed up the atmosphere on set.
Liu Kaiwei has been working in mainland China for many years and has filmed many TV series with high viewership ratings. Although he is not a top-tier celebrity, he is still a well-known artist whose name is familiar to many.
More importantly, the rumors about him and Yang Mi on set were no secret for a long time.
"Honey!"
Liu Kaiwei waved from afar, his smile sincere and bright, as if he hadn't noticed Guan Shengbai's presence at all.
"I just finished taking some promotional photos nearby, and since your film crew is nearby, I thought I'd drop by to visit the set."
I also brought a car full of hot coffee and milk tea, which my assistant has already distributed to everyone.
As soon as he finished speaking, a chorus of thanks erupted from all over the set.
The crew members waved their milk tea cups in a gesture of greeting, while the makeup artists were already chattering about the rumors between the handsome Hong Kong man and their friend.
Liu Kaiwei walked over and handed the two cups of coffee to Yang Mi and Guan Shengbai respectively.
"This must be Teacher Guan, right? Your name has been all over the news these past few days. I'm so glad to finally meet you in person today."
He spoke with a smile on his face, and his tone was impeccably kind.
But Guan Shengbai noticed that when he handed over the coffee, he turned his body slightly towards Yang Mi, placing Guan Shengbai in a subtle "outer" position.
Guan Shengbai accepted the coffee, politely thanked him, and smiled with great interest.
To be honest, he was indeed quite interested in the Hong Kong star in front of him, who had a refined demeanor and handsome appearance.
After all, he is a magnificent being hailed as having the "innate Minotaur body" in entertainment novels.
Yang Mi took the coffee and said "thank you" in a lukewarm tone, her gaze only lingering on Liu Kaiwei's face for a moment.
The attitude was just right, neither impolite nor lacking in tact.
It's clear that Liu Kaiwei isn't planning to leave so easily.
He casually pulled over a folding chair and sat down next to Yang Mi, then began to chat about the interesting stories he had heard while shooting promotional photos on the set next door, his tone as relaxed as if he were sharing some fresh gossip.
He said a couple of things, and Yang Mi responded twice. He said three more things, and Yang Mi responded again.
The scene resembled a game of billiards, with one side serving hard and the other side easily deflecting the ball back. The ball didn't hit the ground, but it wasn't very interesting.
Guan Shengbai watched with great interest from the side.
Of course he knew about the rumors between Liu Kaiwei and Yang Mi.
The rumors that circulated during the filming of "Ruyi" included visits to the set and flower-giving over the past few months, as well as gossip within the crew that the two were about to get married.
Yang Mi's attitude at this moment made Liu Kaiwei feel somewhat frustrated, and also aroused Guan Shengbai's curiosity.
If he remembered correctly, in the original timeline, these two should have already officially announced their relationship.
But at present, it seems that Liu Kaiwei is just putting on a show—all enthusiasm on his own.
Yang Mi's attitude towards this Mr. Liu seems to have remained unchanged from the beginning until now.
Polite, distant, and full of manners.
Not far away, several pairs of eyes that had been eavesdropping all turned to focus on this side.
Xie Yilin had somehow moved a small stool and sat down next to the prop box, holding a cup of hot milk tea in her hand. Her eyes were wide open, and she looked like she wanted to rip her ears off and throw them at Yang Mi.
Guo Caijie leaned against the wall, holding a cup of ice-cold Americano in her hand. Her expression was unreadable, but her eyes were fixed on the three people over there.
Guo Biting sat in front of the makeup mirror, casually combing her hair with a comb in her hand. The mirror reflected Guan Shengbai's profile, and her gaze fell on it, lost in thought.
"Do you think Liu Kaiwei and Xiaobai will get into a fight?"
Xie Yilin lowered her voice, her mouth almost touching Guo Caijie's ear.
"Why are you hitting me? Isn't Mimi's attitude obvious enough?"
Guo Caijie replied coldly, poking at the ice cubes in her cup with her straw, making a cracking sound.
Guo Biting did not participate in their discussion. She just watched in the mirror as Guan Shengbai stood up, shook hands with Liu Kaiwei, exchanged a few polite words, and then made an excuse to leave.
That figure was tall and slender, his steps steady as if they were treading on her heart.
She instinctively gripped the comb tighter, and a hint of pink crept onto the tips of her ears.
The scene from that night flashed through my mind again.
The shadow cast on the windowsill, the glass veiled by mist, and the hand pressed against the glass...
She quickly lowered her head and pretended to fix her hair, but the corners of her mouth unconsciously curved up, making her look like a little fox who had stolen a chick.
"Bi Ting, what are you snickering about?"
Guo Caijie had turned her gaze to her at some point, her eyes narrowing slightly, her tone tinged with suspicion.
Guo Biting raised her head without changing her expression and smiled slightly at Guo Caijie in the mirror.
"It's nothing, I just think... Sister Mi and Xiaobai have such a good relationship."
Guo Caijie pursed her lips, turned her head back to continue poking at her ice cube, it was unclear whether she believed it or not.
Guo Biting turned her gaze back to the mirror. Guan Shengbai had already walked to the other end of the set and was talking to the executive director.
Looking at that profile, a strange and indescribable emotion welled up inside her.
After that night, their way of getting along did not change at all.
He neither deliberately distanced himself nor deliberately got closer. He joked when he was supposed to, and acted when he was supposed to, as if that night was just a dream that was too realistic for her.
She cooperated by hiding everything very well, and no one noticed anything unusual.
This is fine.
Guo Biting said to herself.
We're all adults; a one-night stand means nothing, and no one has to be responsible for anyone else.
Moreover, if we really look at it that night, it was entirely her own premeditated scheme with malicious intent.
Guan Shengbai came to save her, but instead, she dragged him onto the bed.
Thinking of this, Guo Biting's ears turned red again, and she quickly raised the comb higher to cover her unattractive face in the mirror.
Xie Yilin glanced at Yang Mi, then at Guo Biting, then at Guo Caijie, before taking a sip of her milk tea and silently swallowing back the words she had been holding back for days.
She was probably the one who saw things most clearly.
But she couldn't say anything, she couldn't speak of anything.
Her gossip-loving spirit burned fiercely in her chest, almost causing her internal injuries.
She could only silently give a thumbs up in her heart...
Brother Bai, you're really awesome.
At the entrance to the film set, Liu Kaiwei finally stood up from next to Yang Mi.
His smile remained flawless, but his fingers holding the coffee cup were slightly white, clearly indicating that the score of the "friendly billiards match" had not been satisfactory.
He waved to the staff around him and left the set with an air of elegance. His back was still tall and straight, but his steps were a little faster than when he arrived.
Yang Mi watched the direction he left in, took a sip of coffee expressionlessly, put the cup on the table, and got up to walk towards the dressing room.
As she passed by Xie Yilin, she glanced down at Hold-Up Sister, who was holding a milk tea and had an expression that said, "I didn't see anything."
"Have you seen enough?"
"I've seen enough, I've seen enough."
Xie Yilin nodded like a chick pecking at rice, then quickly shook her head, "No! I didn't see anything!"
Yang Mi rolled her eyes at her and walked away.
Guo Caijie threw her empty coffee cup into the trash can, stood up, dusted off imaginary dust from her pants, and walked away expressionlessly in another direction.
Xie Yilin sat alone on the prop box, looking at the back of the person on her left, then at the back of the person on her right, and then at Guo Biting, who was still pretending to comb her hair in the dressing room. Finally, she looked up to the sky and sighed.
"This is so hard for me."