"Sheng Min?" The host waited for him to move. "Hurry up and blow out the candles. Make a wish. I hope everything goes well for you in the future."
His tone seemed to have been practiced, with a kind of false sincerity floating on the surface, as if he was afraid that the audience would not notice it. He was well-dressed and smiling, but Li Xuan felt that he was extremely hateful. He just wanted to flip the table and leave, but he stood up unconsciously, but he endured it.
I can't leave, Li Xuan thought. It would be great if he just walked away after a falling out. Once this episode was aired and edited, Sheng Min's anger would probably become a better gimmick than Sheng Min's childhood memories. There were so many fans at the scene, he couldn't let Sheng Min have something to talk about just because of a momentary pleasure...
The host was still urging him on, his voice was noisy, and the background music even started playing the birthday song. The fans below were beating the rhythm in unison. Emotions are always the easiest thing to stir up. Everything was ready, just waiting for him to cooperate.
Li Xuan looked around, sneered in his heart, made a quick decision, stood up, and signaled to the sound engineer next to him: "Teacher, please turn off the music first."
This happened suddenly, and everyone around was stunned. The applause stopped, and the host looked at him inquiringly. Li Xuan ignored him and reminded the sound engineer again: "Turn off the music, thank you."
"Sheng Min?" the host asked tentatively. The fans in the audience also sensed something was wrong and began to whisper to each other.
"Everyone." Li Xuan made a gesture to silence them, "Let me say a few words first."
After the scene fell strangely quiet, Li Xuan looked around and smiled softly: "I really didn't expect this surprise today. If I had known, I might not have come."
He paused delicately for a moment. "After all, I've already been paid for my appearance, and they even prepared a video and cake for me, which is really expensive. I'm not a greedy person, but I'm also afraid that when it's aired, the ratings will be too low, and the production team will think it's not worth it, and they won't invite me next time. However, if they invite me, I'm afraid I'll have to think about it a lot, because I'm too timid, and often surprises turn into shocks... Oh, I didn't say it was today, so don't think too much, host."
The fans below laughed good-naturedly.
"This video is actually hoping that I can recall the past and think of the present?" He showed a puzzled expression, "My mother and the production team really put in a lot of effort."
The host smiled awkwardly, "No, these are all blessings from my aunt..."
"I appreciate your kindness, but I'm afraid it's a little difficult." Li Xuan ignored him and shrugged. "If you want to hear something like thank you for training me through hardships, I won't say it. When I came here, I saw a Xinhua Bookstore on the second floor of the mall opposite. I bought a book called Chicken Soup for the Soul. Any page of it is ten times better than what I can say."
He pushed his chair away and walked around the stage casually: "I'm not grateful for the so-called hardships, because I really didn't feel that I was suffering or that it was difficult before. It was just a process that I had to go through and had already gone through. It's like if I don't have enough food, I would just think about how to fill my stomach, not why I can't eat. ... ... However, I didn't really have such a hard time before that I starved myself. But now that I'm an artist, I often control my diet to look good on camera."
There was laughter again, but it was quieter this time.
"Similarly, I don't feel like a nouveau riche now. I admit that I may have had a little luck in getting to where I am today, but it should be more than just luck." Li Xuan looked back, "What do you think, host?"
The host was suddenly called out and said hurriedly: "Of course, of course, Sheng Min is also very serious about his work, we have all seen this..."
"You said that, so I'm not bragging." Li Xuan said with a smile. He didn't give him a chance to finish his words. He walked back to the two-layer cake and extinguished the candles. The candlelight passed by, and there was a slight pain for a moment. He kept smiling, "I won't make a wish. I don't know who to make it to. I still believe that success depends on human effort."
He looked at the fans in the audience. Sheng Min was really different today. Everyone had a bit of strangeness and surprise on their faces. But Li Xuan couldn't care less.
He could not and was unwilling to let "Sheng Min" fall into the mercy of others. He didn't care what would happen to the real Sheng Min. As long as he was there, it would not be allowed.
Fans kept waving banners, and many girls still had red eyes from crying. Li Xuan never chased stars, so it was hard for him to empathize with them. He had already said almost everything, and the host's expression was about to collapse, but when it came to Sheng Min, he thought about it and added two more sentences: "Thank you for your love and support, really. So I hope you can understand me through me. For me, as long as I can get through it, it's not too bad. It's not bad now, and I don't know what the future will be like, but it will come anyway. Of course, what's more important is that you can live your own life well."
He then bowed slightly: "Thank you."
The host was still a little dazed, probably not figuring out how to get back to the scheduled process, as there were still a few questions on the interview outline. However, Li Xuan did not give him the opportunity to continue asking questions, but directly pulled his hand over and shook it, saying "thank you for your hard work" with a half-smile, and ended the interview in a tough and unyielding manner.
"Where are the people?" The audience left the studio under the arrangement of the staff. Some people were shouting Sheng Min's name loudly. Li Xuan walked straight to Yang Xu.
"Who... Brother Xuan... I don't know..." Yang Xu realized that the seat next to him was empty after he asked, "Oh, when did he leave?"
Li Xuan frowned and took out his phone to dial Sheng Min's number. Yang Xu looked around and asked him if he had made a reservation for today.
"Brother, you said it very well. Did you write a script? I was stunned."
No one answered the phone. A mechanical female voice said the phone was turned off. Li Xuan looked around and saw that the nearest exit was the door to the backstage on the left. He hung up the phone and walked over quickly.
"Brother, brother, slow down." Yang Xu lost sight of the man halfway through his exaggeration and hurriedly chased after him, shouting at him, "Slow down, brother, where are you going?"
Li Xuan said nothing and walked very fast. Yang Xu couldn't keep up with him at all. Sweat broke out on his forehead. Li Xuan suddenly stopped and turned around to ask him, "Where is Zhang Zhihua?"
"Ah?" He stopped so quickly that Yang Xu almost bumped into him. She didn't know why she suddenly asked about Zhang Zhihua again, and subconsciously said, "Still in the studio..."
"Don't follow me for now. Find Sheng... Find where Li Xuan is. If you find him, call me... Give me your phone."
He took the confused Yang Xu's phone and dialed his own number. It rang once and then he hung up: "This number."
"Whose is this..."
"Li Xuan's." Li Xuan said before he asked the next question, "He and I got the wrong phone today."
"No, brother, you two have different phones..." Yang Xu was even more confused, but Li Xuan ignored him. He waved his hand and asked him to find someone, then turned around and strode back to the studio.
As expected, Zhang Zhihua was still sitting inside, and a man next to him, who was either the director or the producer, was chatting with him enthusiastically.
"Sorry, I have something to do with my agent, so I'll leave first." Li Xuan grabbed Zhang Zhihua's arm without saying anything, and put his other hand around his shoulder from behind. It seemed harmonious and friendly, but in fact it was a forced drag. He dragged Zhang Zhihua to the nearby bathroom, turned around and kicked the door to lock it.
"Sheng Min, are you crazy? What are you doing?" Zhang Zhihua's hand was pulled so hard that it hurt, and he yelled loudly.
"What happened today?" Li Xuan ignored his yelling and dragged him to the innermost sealed window before letting go of his hand and asked directly.
"What's going on? What did you say?" Zhang Zhihua met his cold eyes and his voice involuntarily dropped half a decibel.
"video."
"I didn't record it, why are you looking for me?" Zhang Zhihua rubbed his wrist with an impatient look on his face, his tone mocking and disdainful, "If you have the guts, go find your mother. Didn't she sell you out again? I don't know how much money the production team gave you this time, but it's not the first time anyway."
"Not the first time? When was the other time?"
"Why are you pretending..."
"I'm asking you a question." Li Xuan said coldly.
"You're f*cking mad today?" Zhang Zhihua pointed at him twice and tried to go out, but Li Xuan stepped to the left to block him: "No one will leave until we finish talking today. I'm still willing to ask you calmly, so you'd better speak carefully."
His voice wasn't loud, but it was indescribably cold.
"What are you talking about!" Zhang Zhihua was almost mad with anger, but he was trapped in the corner by Li Xuan and couldn't leave.
"Have you sold less of your old clothes, textbooks, student IDs and photos? They must have been sold out. You were always dragged out and mocked. During Chinese New Year, you came to the crew to ask for money, and they slapped you twice in front of the whole crew. You were on the trending search for a few days... And what else? Oh, your brother got into a fight in a bar last year and was taken to the police station. He was filming a variety show and your mom ran to the scene and asked you to pick him up... There are so many things going on in your family, and you ask me? Did you really lose your memory? Your brain is not working well."
Every time he said that, Li Xuan's face turned colder. He supported himself on the windowsill with his hands, and the cold water droplets remaining on the marble surface soaked through his palm lines.
Zhang Zhihua saw that he looked unhappy, and thought that he had been hit in a sore spot, which made him speechless. He even gloated and ridiculed him: "But today's performance is not bad. I told you to play the victim a long time ago, but you didn't want to. Now it's great, it's a blessing in disguise, isn't it? Look at those girls below, oh, their eyes are red. The more miserable you are, the more they sympathize with you, and are willing to spend time and money on you..."
"Enough." Li Xuan frowned.
"I think you should stop pretending to be noble in the future... I didn't perform well today, what are you talking about? If you cry on the stage, the effect will definitely be better..."
"I've said enough." Li Xuan repeated. Zhang Zhihua was so proud of himself that he pretended not to hear him and continued to chatter. Li Xuan became furious and took a step forward. He raised his hand and pressed his elbow against his neck: "You don't understand what I'm saying, right?!"
Zhang Zhihua's upper and lower teeth clashed together, his neck was pressed against by Li Xuan, and he could no longer utter a complete sentence.
"If you can't speak human language, shut up. Let me speak." Li Xuan put some strength in his hands, his face gloomy. "I don't care what methods you use, whether you talk, beg, or threaten, when this episode is broadcast, the content related to today's video must not appear. It must be cut out. If it appears for even one second longer, I will hold you accountable."
"Also keep an eye on all social media apps. If there are any related posts, forget about text posts. I don't expect you to cover it up now that it's happened. But if someone secretly takes a video or photos and posts it, contact the website immediately to delete the post."
Zhang Zhihua stared at him. He was almost twice as big as Sheng Min, but he couldn't break free. His throat was blocked and he couldn't breathe. He was so anxious that his face turned red and his neck became thick.
"Do you understand?" Li Xuan let him struggle for a while before letting him go. Zhang Zhihua bent down uncomfortably and immediately started coughing hoarsely.
"Sheng Min, you got bit by a dog and you have rabies?" He wanted to fight back but didn't have the strength, so he started to curse, using words like "two chairs" and "Go find whoever did it, why are you making trouble with me?"
"Keep your mouth shut!" Li Xuan pointed at him viciously, "Zhang Zhihua, listen to me. If I don't ask anyone else for this matter, I'll ask you. If you can't do it well, get out of here. I don't want to keep a loser as my agent."
Zhang Zhihua's eyes were agape, and he was coughing and gasping for breath: "I'm leaving? You still want to fire me? Sheng Min, who do you think you are? Are you really so arrogant that you dare to confront me?"
"You are the one who dares to confront me. I have grown wings a long time ago, and it is not the first day. You just don't understand the situation."
Seeing that he was furious, Li Xuan calmed down his voice and said in an orderly manner, "I've seen the financial statements. Last year, I contributed 27.3% of the company's artist income... What's that expression on your face? You don't even know this. Your level of dereliction of duty is really beyond my expectation."
The speed at which his expression changes is faster than turning the pages of a book. One second he was suppressing with force, and now he was even arguing with reason. Zhang Zhihua had no idea what he was saying: "So what? No matter how much you earn, you are still an artist of the company..."
"Yes, it's easy for the company to deal with me, and I'm not against the company. But you can't do anything to me." Li Xuan took a step back and leaned against the window sill. "If I remember correctly, my contract will expire next year. As for whether to renew it... I'm actually very happy to cooperate with the company, but if I ask for termination because my agent is too useless... do you think it's possible for you to leave before me?"
"You want to terminate the contract?" Zhang Zhihua yelled, his face full of disbelief.
"Let's get this straight with agent Zhang. The reason you can be such a drag with a clear conscience is because you believe that I have a good temper, will not terminate the contract, and can tolerate you?"
Sheng Min is just too patient. Maybe he himself doesn't even realize that it is a kind of patience, Li Xuan couldn't help but think. He paused and looked at Zhang Zhihua: "Do you still think so now?"
The latter's expression changed slightly, and he finally calmed down. He unconsciously raised his hand and touched the bruise on his neck caused by Li Xuan's pressure.
"Do you think the boss cares more about me, his cash cow, or you, his cheap brother-in-law? You've lost many of your artists and I'm the only one left." Li Xuan clicked his tongue twice, "Don't say you're his brother-in-law, you're his son, he can't support you, right?"
"…You're fucking threatening me?"
"Don't call me fucking all the time. Who doesn't know how to curse? Do you believe that I can curse ten times more harshly than you? Of course. This is indeed a threat to you." Li Xuan nodded indifferently, "Is it effective? It should be a little bit."
"Do you think I'm really afraid of you?" Zhang Zhihua said with all his might, his voice much softer.
"Whether you are afraid or not is not something you can just say." Li Xuan took out his cell phone and took a look. Yang Xu hadn't called yet, probably because he hadn't found anyone yet. He didn't want to bother with her any more. He rolled up his sleeves and took a step forward. Zhang Zhihua stepped back like a frightened bird.
"You're not a complete loser. It's my past that I didn't care enough, so you can't figure out the beginning and the end." Li Xuan curled his lips, stretched out his hand to straighten his wrinkled front twice, and softened his tone, "I won't bring up the past. If you still want to earn my money, then do your job well. I'm the only artist you have. If you can't even lead me well, you know whether the company will give you someone else. Only when I live comfortably can you reap the rewards. Today's video is just a token of my loyalty. If I encounter such an accident in any event in the future, it will be your fault... Of course, if this matter is handled well, you can still talk about the future... If it's not handled well..."
Li Xuan shook his head with pretended regret, tapped Zhang Zhihua's shoulder gently, and smiled: "Things are different now, so think about it yourself."
He said, and turned away. Zhang Zhihua subconsciously called him: "Sheng... Sheng Min."
"What?" Li Xuan turned his head. "Didn't I make my request clear?"
“No…” Zhang Zhihua stammered, his momentum weakening, and his eyes seemed to be looking at a stranger.
He really didn't recognize this person anymore.
This was not the first time that Zhang Zhihua had this feeling, but it was indeed the first time that an inexplicable fear rose from the bottom of his heart.
What he said just now was not a threat. The man in front of him could do what he said. Just like when he pressed against his neck just now, he used all his strength. If he wanted, he would really die here today without being able to fight back. Zhang Zhihua suddenly had this thought.
But what he didn't believe was that anyone could do such a thing, but Sheng Min shouldn't. He was a person who never lost his temper, at least Zhang Zhihua had never seen him. Sheng Min seemed to be isolated from everyone, always indifferent, and had no feelings about anything in the outside world. Like a handful of water, it was natural that it could be taken into any shape.
But who else could it be if it wasn't Sheng Min? Who else could it be? Zhang Zhihua shuddered unconsciously.
"You, what's wrong with you recently?" Zhang Zhihua finally spoke, with a subtle hint of goodwill in his tone.
Li Xuan lowered his eyes, and the dark green floor tiles in front of him seemed to turn red under the light. He knew that was actually the blood color in the bathtub that could not be washed away on the day he woke up at Sheng Min's house.
"You have contributed to this." Li Xuan smiled, opened the door and strode away.