Chapter 420 – The Movie Emperor’s Beloved Neighbor – Those Who Bully Tang Tang Never End Well (03)
Heng Xingjian truly deserved his title as Best Actor. Even when he was deliberately striking up a conversation, nothing showed on the surface.
“Sorry, the waiter must have made a mistake.” Heng Xingjian nodded apologetically to the two of them.
Liu Lingfan quickly waved her hands. “It’s fine, it’s fine! Best Actor Heng, I’m your fan. I’m really so happy to meet you—could you give me an autograph?”
“Of course.”
With practiced ease, Liu Lingfan took out a notebook and pen and handed them over. Heng Xingjian swiftly signed his name and returned the notebook, then turned to look at the boy beside her, who was lowering his eyes and biting his lip.
Don’t be sad. Smile, okay?
The boy’s gloomy expression made Heng Xingjian’s heart ache. He wanted so badly to wipe away that sadness—but he had no right to do so, at least not yet.
“What’s wrong? Are you unhappy? How about I give you an autograph too?”
Seeing the Best Actor Heng lower himself to coax a complete stranger left Assistant Yan utterly shocked. Did the Best Actor Heng take the wrong medicine?!
“Okay~” Bai Tang took out the small notebook he always carried in his backpack. At least they had met, hadn’t they? This was a good start.
Heng Xingjian took the pen. His slightly cool fingers brushed across the back of the boy’s hand, making Bai Tang’s heart tighten. With misty, watery eyes, he looked up—only to crash straight into the other man’s deep, captivating gaze.
“Can you tell me your name?” Heng Xingjian leaned in close, his warm breath brushing against Bai Tang’s earlobe.
Bai Tang trembled all over, his voice soft and faint. “Bai Tang.”
“Bai Tang… Tang Tang. It sounds beautiful.” Heng Xingjian rolled the name over in his mind again and again, as if tasting honey from it, a faint sweetness spreading through his heart.
He wrote a line in the notebook: ‘Wishing Tang Tang happiness every day.’
“Don’t frown so much. Give me a smile, okay?” Heng Xingjian gently patted the boy’s head, his fingers threading through his hair, making Bai Tang’s cheeks flush.
Assistant Yan had been trying to recall who Bai Tang was. The name sounded familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.
When he accidentally glimpsed Liu Lingfan messaging the company’s administrative assistant—asking if they could help push through a work schedule—it finally clicked.
Wasn’t Bai Tang that traffic idol who had recently become infamous online, rumored to have improper conduct?!
Watching Heng Xingjian display unprecedented patience and tenderness, Assistant Yan grew extremely anxious. Bai Tang was someone everyone in the entertainment industry avoided right now. Anyone who got involved with him might end up damaging their own reputation.
“Xingjian, it’s about time. Director Li is still waiting for you to audition,” Assistant Yan reminded him tactfully. Skilled at handling situations, he wouldn’t say anything unpleasant in public. Even if someone had fallen to the bottom, there was always a chance they might rise again—though for someone like Bai Tang, the chances were rather slim.
Heng Xingjian had finally managed to make the boy smile, and he was reluctant to leave just like that. After parting this time, he might soon enter the filming crew. Who knew when they would meet again?
Just as Heng Xingjian was hesitating, the boy spoke softly, his voice gentle and sticky-sweet. “You should go. Don’t delay your schedule.”
Bai Tang graciously let him go. He couldn’t possibly make Heng Xingjian revolve around him alone—after all, a man successful in his career was far more attractive.
“I like watching you look so handsome on screen.” The boy’s eyes curved into a smile, making Heng Xingjian even more reluctant to leave.
If he left and someone else discovered how wonderful Tang Tang was… what if they got ahead of him?
As long as Bai Tang didn’t move, Heng Xingjian wouldn’t leave.
The boy stood up and said to him, “Go do your work. I’m going to the hospital to visit my parents. I’ll wait for you to come back after filming.”
Seeing this, Liu Lingfan also stood up. She admired Heng Xingjian, but idolizing him shouldn’t interfere with his work.
The boy limped forward, and Liu Lingfan hurried to support him. “Take it slow, be careful.” She was afraid he might fall—his foot was already injured; it would be terrible if it got worse and left lasting damage.
Heng Xingjian’s breath hitched, as if an invisible hand had clenched tightly around his heart, cutting off his circulation.
“What happened to your foot?” The man strode forward and grabbed the boy’s arm.
“It’s nothing, I just fell by accident. It’ll heal soon.” Not wanting Heng Xingjian to worry, Bai Tang spoke before Liu Lingfan could say anything. His current situation was already bad enough—he couldn’t drag Heng Xingjian down with him.
Bai Tang smiled faintly and gently pulled his hand away. “I’m leaving now. Don’t worry.” He waved.
At their first meeting, with the other so concerned about him, all of Bai Tang’s unease had disappeared. A-Jian was still his A-Jian—he wouldn’t fall for someone else just because they were in a different world.
Bai Tang felt reassured. Now it was Heng Xingjian who couldn’t relax. After seeing the boy struggle to walk, how could he possibly focus on an audition?
In the end, with Bai Tang persuading him and Assistant Yan practically dragging him, Heng Xingjian was finally pulled into the car and taken to Director Li.
News in the entertainment industry becomes outdated faster than anything else. Today you’re the headline; tomorrow, it’s someone else.
Since Bai Tang was still “injured,” lying low was the best course of action—for recovery, and to let people gradually forget.
During this time, Liu Lingfan officially debuted. Backed heavily by Xingyu Entertainment Group, she had no spare time at all—she wished she could stretch twenty-four hours into forty-two. She had no time to check on Bai Tang, and before she knew it, half a year had passed.
Meanwhile, Bai Tang’s manager did approach him several times, using promises of connections as bait to lure him into attending drinking parties. Unfortunately for the manager, Qiu’er and Xiao A saw through the scheme immediately. Those gatherings were mostly filled with minor wealthy businessmen who coveted Bai Tang’s looks—they had no real intention of helping his career.
Bai Tang didn’t want to stir up any more trouble, so he refused several times. However, the manager had already patted his chest and guaranteed those bosses that he would bring Bai Tang along. After being rejected repeatedly, the bosses had long grown dissatisfied. Unable to save face, the manager resorted to threatening Bai Tang—claiming that the company planned to terminate his contract and demand a huge compensation fee. As long as Bai Tang obediently listened to him, he could put in a good word for Bai Tang with the company.
But Bai Tang had no shortage of money. What others saw as an astronomical penalty meant nothing to him.
Qiu’er had directly exchanged a whole box of gold bars for cash. Even after paying the compensation fee, there was still more than enough left—enough to cover Bai Tang’s parents’ medical expenses for the next two years.
The manager was completely out of options. Even financial threats couldn’t control Bai Tang.
Seeing how readily Bai Tang paid the money—and considering he had always been obedient before—the company’s marketing manager felt quite sympathetic about his situation. She asked Bai Tang if there was anything he wanted. As long as it didn’t harm the company’s interests, they could grant him one request. After all, the company did bear some responsibility—who could blame them when Bai Tang had provoked someone notoriously untouchable in the industry?
After thinking for a while, Bai Tang proposed that he wanted to join the variety show “Wild Extreme.”
“Wild Extreme” was known as a “celebrity mirror,” revealing people’s true selves. There were no behind-the-scenes manipulations—everyone was treated equally, and filming was completely real from start to finish. Eight or nine out of ten celebrities who went on the show ended up having their public personas collapse; only a few managed to maintain their image.
The marketing manager assumed Bai Tang had run out of options and was trying to win back the audience’s favor through this method. Although the show was frighteningly real, if he performed well, there was still a chance he could clear his name.
The police had already released the results of the investigation into that gathering—Bai Tang had not participated. However, the fact that he had appeared there still made people suspicious. It was easy to believe he simply hadn’t had the chance to get involved, rather than having no intention to do so. His reputation now sat in a gray area—not entirely guilty, but not fully cleared either. Completely restoring his image would be difficult. Since he had also paid the compensation fee, the company didn’t make things difficult for him.
After a brief consideration, the marketing manager contacted the production team of “Wild Extreme.” Only after receiving their approval did she inform Bai Tang.
“Thank you, Sister Lian,” Bai Tang said, overjoyed. He had only mentioned it casually and hadn’t held much hope. He hadn’t expected her to be so accommodating—even after terminating his contract, she still helped him secure a job.
Sister Lian smiled faintly. “This is as much as I can help. The rest is up to you.”
She understood the importance of leaving room for future relations, so she didn’t treat Bai Tang coldly. Months later, she would be extremely grateful for what she had done today—but that’s a story for another time.
After receiving the job offer, Bai Tang stood up to take his leave. His “foot injury” had already healed, and it was time for him to go back and prepare his luggage for joining the show.
If the plot hadn’t deviated, Heng Xingjian would be wrapping up a film today. According to the company’s arrangements, he would join Liu Lingfan on this variety show. Bai Tang’s goal wasn’t only to prevent the male and female leads from developing feelings, but also to clear his own name. The original owner of this body was already gone and had entrusted him, before leaving, to take care of his parents—so how could he let the two elders be shamed because of their junior?
After making up his mind, Bai Tang informed his parents that he would have work commitments and wouldn’t be able to visit them every day.
Father Bai and Mother Bai didn’t mind. They only reminded him to take good care of himself. The fact that their child had been able to spare half a year to stay by their side was already something rare—they were content.
Back home, Bai Tang spent day and night studying past episodes of “Wild Extreme,” analyzing what kinds of challenges the production team would set, what preparations guests needed, and what skills were required.
He watched for three days and three nights straight. At times, he even turned back into his little squirrel form, nibbling on a carrot while watching. When he got tired, he would collapse onto the sofa and sleep—living a completely shut-in life.
After finally finishing his filming, Heng Xingjian couldn’t wait to look into Bai Tang’s past. When he saw how the boy had been framed and dragged into scandal, and how his former manager had tried to force him into shady drinking parties with ulterior motives, his anger reached its peak.
The former manager’s fate was miserable. Without even understanding what had happened, every artist under him began encountering “incidents,” and his performance plummeted. In the end, he was fired by the company and blacklisted by a leading entertainment corporation. If that were all, it might have been manageable—after all, he had managed many artists before, even bringing up a top traffic star like Bai Tang, and had earned plenty. His savings should have been enough for a lifetime.
But unfortunately, the stock he invested in became volatile, and overnight he lost everything. Left with no choice, he mortgaged his house and dove back into the stock market—only to lose everything again. In the end, he was reduced to living on the streets, struggling miserably to survive.
After dealing with the manager, Heng Xingjian wanted to go find Bai Tang. Unexpectedly, he discovered that Bai Tang was going to participate in “Wild Extreme.”
The police had already proven that Bai Tang had not been involved with the people at that gathering—he was innocent. It was just that netizens refused to believe it. Wanting to create buzz, the production team agreed to let Bai Tang join the show. After all, he had once been a hugely popular traffic star, so he still carried plenty of attention.
The production team had also invited Heng Xingjian, but Assistant Yan didn’t want him to lower his status by participating in a variety show that could destroy his image. So, he declined on Heng Xingjian’s behalf.
Author’s Note:
Heng Xingjian: For my wife, even if it lowers my status, I’ll still join the variety show.
Bai Tang (preparing barbecue): A-Jian, come start the fire!
Heng Xingjian: Coming.