Ji Sheng paused as he stepped towards the next step, and stepped on it unnaturally.
"Brother...well." He said uncertainly, "Maybe it's because you were too young when we met, and until now I always have the illusion that you are still underage."
After listening to him finish speaking, Xie Xuanming was silent for a moment, then smiled lightly, whether it was mocking or sighing.
"But, I'm older than you now." He said coldly, "This is the result of your own choice."
Ji Sheng was speechless.
Until the afternoon, Ji Sheng was still struggling with the meaning of Xie Xuanming's words. He didn't know whether he blamed himself for being stupid enough to be calculated to death, or complained about being ignored as a child...or both.
Ji Sheng couldn't be sure what Xie Xuanming meant, but he was sure that Xie Xuanming became unhappy after saying that, and after several hours, his face was still sullen and he didn't say a word.
If Ji Sheng was still Ji Hui, then it would probably be time to provoke Xie Xuanming without winking, and the two would sarcasm each other.
But Ji Sheng is not Ji Hui, and arguing with Xie Xuanming will only be one-sided stabbing, this road will no longer work.
Ji Sheng thought about it, and could only bite the bullet and ran to the program group to borrow a cotton candy machine, rolled out a big white cotton candy in twos, turned around and handed it to Xie Xuanming who was watching with folded arms.
"Eat?" Ji Sheng tried his best to send out a signal asking for reconciliation.
Xie Xuanming looked at him silently and saw that he was hairy all over.
Two seconds later, Xie Xuanming finally mercifully accepted Ji Sheng's twisted apology.
"thanks."
Holding the stick, he thought for a second and said, "I want the blue one."
"Too much pigment." Ji Sheng said, "It's not healthy."
"Are you still worried about being healthy after eating marshmallows?" Xie Xuanming spoke eloquently.
Ji Sheng was speechless.
He picked up a stick, scooped up a large spoonful of white sugar, and then scooped up a spoonful of blue sugar. With a shake of his hand, he dropped half of the spoonful, and with another shake, it was another half spoonful.
Ji Sheng poured the pitifully few blue sugar granules into the machine, and lightly covered the wrapped white ball with a layer of blue silk.
Then he handed the blue, extremely perfunctory cotton candy to Xie Xuanming.
"Blue." Ji Sheng opened his eyes and said nonsense.
After a strange silence, Xie Xuanming took the light blue cotton candy and gave the white one to Ji Sheng.
"You eat this."
Ji Sheng actually doesn't like sweets very much, but he's coaxing people now, and it's not easy to refuse Xie Xuanming's "kindness", so he can only say "Thank you" dryly, take it, and take a few symbolic bites.
The sweetness of the white sugar melted in the mouth, and the two of them leaned on the cotton candy machine with the silky sugar floating in it, quietly nibbling on the cotton candy, and the atmosphere was unexpectedly calm and harmonious.
Ji Sheng glanced sideways at Xie Xuanming, who was serious about eating candy, and thought that if he could always be in this obedient state, it would not be impossible for him to eat fifteen sweet marshmallows a day.
Ji Sheng swallowed a sip of candy, planning to talk about some light-hearted topics, but before he could speak, he was interrupted by the phone ringing.
Since Ji Sheng's cell phone was brought back from the program group by Xie Xuanming, the two have been inseparable almost every day, and there is no chance of it being taken back. Instructor Xie, with a cold face who never leaves his side, is deterred.
With candy in his mouth, Ji Sheng wiped his sweatpants twice, and took out his phone.
He glanced at the screen and his face turned green.
[Sheng Kongzhi]
In this harmonious occasion, even if it was just a name, Sheng Kongzhi also ran out to stir up trouble.
The shredded sugar melted in his mouth, Ji Sheng stiffened his neck, and carefully turned to the side.
As expected, he met Xie Xuanming's cold gaze.
Ji Sheng: …
Now Ji Sheng regrets not consciously handing in his mobile phone.
"Are you still in contact with him?" Xie Xuanming's voice was so cold.
"...No, cough." Ji Sheng choked on the melted syrup, swallowed it and tried to explain, "He should be here for another interview."
"Oh." Xie Xuanming turned his eyes away, buried his head in a bite of cotton candy, "Then black it out."
The meaning is unclear, and he said: "If you don't want to, it's okay not to pull."
How dare Ji Sheng be reluctant, he swipe to block people with relief, and after the operation, he shakes the screen in front of Xie Xuanming as if checking his homework for the teacher.
Ji Sheng's act of quickly clearing the line caused the suddenly cold temperature between the two to rise.
Before he had time to breathe a long sigh of relief, he heard Xie Xuanming say again.
"Do you know what Sheng Kongzhi did?"
"I've heard of some, but I don't know all of them."
"Then do you want to know?" Xie Xuanming wiped off the last strand of sugar on the stick, and threw the stick into the trash can beside him.
Ji Sheng briefly thought about whether Xie Xuanming was digging a hole or asking sincerely, and answered honestly after being fruitless: "I want to know."
He added: "I mainly want to know why you hate him so much."
The focus is not on "he", but on "you".
Ji Sheng believes that Xie Xuanming should be able to hear it.
Xie Xuanming did hear it, he paused for a second, and began to give Ji Sheng the "great achievements" of popular science and Sheng Kongzhi.
Xie Xuanming's tone was very flat. He first narrated some of the drafts issued by Sheng Kongzhi's team over the years.
"I led an Internet explosion." Xie Xuanming said, "The actress he worked with is a newcomer, she looks very popular with the audience, and her acting skills are not bad. There are few CP fans, and there have been rumors that some fake shows are real... As soon as the promotional period ended, Sheng Kongzhi's studio issued a statement accusing the actress of sexually harassing him."
"What?" Ji Sheng asked in surprise, before he could react for a while.
Xie Xuanming glanced at him: "It's a very familiar operation, pour dirty water on others, and pick yourself out."
Ji Sheng was still confused: "Why did he do that?"
"Consolidate girlfriend fans, purify CP fans, suppress actors from other companies, kill three birds with one stone." Xie Xuanming said succinctly.
Ji Sheng was silent for a while: "Then the last actress..."
"Depression, quit the circle."
Ji Sheng frowned, looking a little uncomfortable, Xie Xuanming glanced at him, and said a few words to Sheng Kongzhi for the first time: "It's mainly his team's strategy, and there are quite a few people who do this in the circle... Sheng Kongzhi's personal thoughts in it It's not important, I can't make up my mind..."
He paused and said sarcastically, "That's what his fans say."
Ji Sheng: "..."
Ji Sheng: "You understand me well."
"My alias pays attention to these things..." Xie Xuanming mentioned, and changed the subject, "However, there are some things that I can be sure that Sheng Kong knows his own wishes."
"… what?"
"In the first season of "The Sound of Music", you were supposed to debut at the first place. Sheng Kongzhi had a meal with the sponsor's daughter and replaced you." Xie Xuanming turned his head, "I have the program team in my hand. They didn't dare to threaten the contestants. This matter could only be done voluntarily by Sheng Kongzhi, but I'm curious, did the program crew discuss the rankings when they talked with him, and did he know who he would replace... I don't know clear."
"What do you think?"
Ji Sheng looked away, and said for a long time: "I thought he wouldn't know it before, but now... I don't know."
The program team was in a mess because of the bloody photos, and Nirvana was so disgusted by the box that he didn't want to shoot. Seeing that the recording in the afternoon was ruined, and Ji Yueming's situation was relaxed and he could see people, Xie Xuanming simply took Ji Sheng to visit Ji Yueming.
Along the way, Xie Xuanming told Ji Sheng some other things intermittently. For example, most of Qing Chu’s investment in the beginning came from the sponsor’s daughter, and Sheng Kongzhi’s first drama was actually brought into the group, otherwise he would have stared at him. Leng San's lack of acting skills has long been kicked out of the crew...
Ji Sheng listened silently, put these things together with the memory board, and restored a cold but true past.
He was a little chilled when he first listened to it, but he became numb afterward, and instead started to wander and think about other things.
"When did you know this?" Ji Sheng asked softly.
"After the first film was finished." Xie Xuanming said flatly, "I wanted to talk to you directly."
But I also know you won't believe me.
"Oh." Ji Sheng recalled that period of time, lowering his eyes in a little embarrassment, "Then..."
The car stopped, Xie Xuanming interrupted: "Here we are."
Ji Sheng raised his eyes suddenly, the underground parking lot was dimly lit, and his pale face was reflected in the windows.
The sound of the door opening came from beside him, and Ji Sheng turned back.
Xie Xuanming pulled the door and got out of the car without expression, leaving him alone on the seat in a daze.
"Aren't you going in?"
Ji Sheng stood in the corridor, craned his neck and looked into the ward.
His gaze passed through the open door, and he turned around to the bedside by the window in the room. Ji Yueming sat on the bed, laughed heartily, and chatted happily with the little police officer accompanying him.
When Ji Sheng got to the floor, he stayed here, timidly unwilling to go in.
"No..." He replied without blinking.
Ji Yueming's lips were opened and closed, and the mouth shape looked like "my son is about the same age as you".
Ji Sheng shrank back a little as if being stabbed, and said in a low voice, "I have no position to see her."
"En." Xie Xuanming responded, looking down at Ji Sheng, "Aren't you going to tell her your identity?"
Ji Sheng didn't answer right away, and after a while he said, "I don't know how to say...forget it first."
Before he finished his words, Ji Yueming raised his eyes suddenly, and glanced out of the door for no reason. Ji Sheng met her gaze, turned his eyes hastily, and took a half step back in a panic as if he wanted to escape.
Xie Xuanming stepped forward slightly, blocking Ji Yueming's sight.
Ji Sheng hid between the wall and Xie Xuanming, and before he calmed down the palpitations caused by Ji Yueming's gaze, he heard Xie Xuanming speak in a low voice.
"There is one less person who knows you are Ji Sheng. Although it is your mother...but I am still a little happy now." Xie Xuanming lowered his eyes, looked at Ji Sheng and asked, "Isn't it despicable?"
"Ah?" It was too close, and Ji Sheng's head buzzed a few times when he was shocked by his deep voice, and he said after he regained his composure, "It's a bit..."
"However, people always have some not generous ideas, and they can understand."
"That's right." Xie Xuanming said. He lowered his voice, almost pressing his ears and sticking to his earlobes, "After all, I have also tried to be generous, and it didn't work."
"In the end, nothing remained."