Chapter 113: Organizing the Gathering, Variety Shows, and Hypocrisy

It has only been 19 days since the start of 2024, and so far, things are going well. Everyone has been keeping up appearances, and thankfully, neither male nor female celebrities have had any major scandals break out yet.

During this period, every time Lin Xing visited the Imperial Capital, it was always a rush. Whether it was for the press conference of *Sweeping the Dark Waves* or its celebration banquet, he barely had time to see anyone else.

Thinking back, the last time he saw Guan Peng was during the recording of the finale for *Back to Farming*. It feels like such a long time ago.

Since *Back to Farming* concluded, Guan Peng hadn't taken on any film or television projects, but he did participate in two variety shows: *Weight Loss Dash* and a slow-paced variety show called *Chasing Dreams*.

Guan Peng performed well on both. In variety shows, celebrities either gain fans or get bashed. Guan Peng has high emotional intelligence, and paired with his easy-going, somewhat carefree personality, he managed to maintain his popularity through these two shows.

Beyond that, there was the premiere of his drama, *Studious Parents*. He was originally cast in a special appearance, but director Zheng Zhou kept adding more scenes for him until he eventually became the second lead.

It turns out that if you give a good actor even the slightest chance, they will seize it and shine. It’s like those roles where, even with only a few scenes, an actor can leave a deep impression.

Before *Studious Parents* aired, people were worried that Guan Peng and Ning Shu wouldn't have any chemistry. After all, while they were roughly the same age, Ning Shu was still maintained like a sophisticated beauty, while Guan Peng already looked like a greasy middle-aged man.

And guess what happened?

In the show, Guan Peng played a somewhat successful businessman. The role itself required a touch of "greasiness," but Guan Peng also brought out the character's multifaceted nature. He was lecherous, yes, but he was truly afraid of his wife and deeply loved his daughter; he would occasionally try to show off in front of his friends, only to be slapped back down by reality.

Audiences ended up loving this portrayal. Overbearing CEOs are too far removed from the audience, but Guan Peng played a grounded, ordinary person—a bit of middle-aged greasiness, but not too much—capturing both the pressures and the helplessness of middle age. Even if you are a successful businessman, there are some things you are powerless against, such as your child's education.

If someone else had played this role, they might have become annoying, but Guan Peng managed to make it humorous.

As for Ning Shu, she seemed somewhat out of place. She is a Best Actress winner, a film star, and acting in movies is ultimately different from acting in television dramas. Everyone had high expectations for her, but they were left disappointed. To put it in one phrase: she was like a fairy descending to earth, having lost her spark.

Zheng Zhou, Tang Yu, and the others gave standard performances. Consequently, the standout Guan Peng became the biggest winner of the show. After all, Zheng Zhou, Tang Yu, and Ning Shu were already A-list stars. Guan Peng was different; before this drama, he hadn't had a chance to act for a very long time and had been considered a has-been for ages.

If it hadn't been for the sudden viral success of *Back to Farming*, Guan Peng would never have been cast in *Studious Parents*. Even being friends with Zheng Zhou wouldn't have been of any use, because of that old saying: friends in the entertainment industry are only good for icing on the cake; you should be lucky if they don't kick you while you're down, let alone provide help in your time of need. But after he gained recognition through *Back to Farming*, Zheng Zhou was willing to give him a hand.

Now, it goes without saying that Guan Peng’s popularity has surged.

Back during the *Sweeping the Dark Waves* press conference, Guan Peng had wanted to sit down with Lin Xing. Later, at the celebration banquet, he asked again, but because Lin Xing was rushing between schedules for *Portrait of a Killer*, he missed the chance.

Today, Lin Xing couldn't put it off any longer. Some friendships require effort to maintain. If you invite a friend to dinner and they turn you down three times, there’s no point in asking again, because a real friend would return the favor. Besides, even Zhuge Liang was only asked three times.

So, when *Portrait of a Killer* wrapped filming yesterday, Lin Xing called Guan Peng. This was Lin Xing taking the initiative, whereas before, it was Guan Peng asking him. Hearing that Lin Xing called him right after wrapping, even before returning to the capital, Guan Peng was clearly pleased. They settled on meeting that evening at "Yu-Zhou Hot Pot."

The restaurant was owned by Zheng Zhou, the name taken from the "Zhou" in Zheng Zhou and the "Yu" in Li Xinyu. Li Xinyu is Zheng Zhou’s wife, a former A-list actress who retired after marrying him to become a supportive wife. Guan Peng had mentioned that Zheng Zhou would be there, along with a few others from the industry.

"Surprised?"

When Lin Xing walked into the private room and saw Ren Yi hiding behind sunglasses, he was taken aback. Especially when Ren Yi took them off and asked if he was surprised, Lin Xing couldn't help but laugh. At his age, why was he still doing this?

"Brother Yi, I really am surprised," Lin Xing said with a smile. "Brother Guan only told me that Teacher Zheng and a few other industry friends would be here, but he didn't mention you."

Ren Yi laughed heartily. "I specifically told old Guan not to tell you. I didn't get to drink enough with you at the last banquet, so tonight, it's just the two of us."

"Don't, Brother Yi, you should drink with Brother Kong instead. I really can't handle it."

Lin Xing had nearly vomited from Ren Yi’s drinking at the last banquet. The main thing was that Ren Yi was fine when sober, but he turned into a wild man once he started drinking.

"Forget about old Kong," Ren Yi said, shaking his head slightly, though he didn't elaborate.

"Come, A-Xing, I don't think I need to introduce these three to you, right? Da Hui, A-Le, Mimi..." Ren Yi introduced the other three in the room one by one: Lü Hui, Zhou Le, and Mimi.

These three were all active in major variety shows. Lü Hui was once the youngest Best Actor and the most promising TV actor, but eight years ago, he seemed to let himself go. He made two high-grossing but poorly received movies and one drama that was torn to shreds by critics, burning through his public goodwill before becoming a variety show regular.

Zhou Le was a younger artist who had acted in a few dramas, but they were all flops, so he switched to variety shows and gained decent popularity.

Mimi was the top host at Tan Province Satellite TV.

"A-Xing, long time no see," Mimi said, looking at Lin Xing with a smile.

"Sister Ni, how is it that you’ve only grown younger over the years?" Lin Xing replied with a smile. "When I participated in *Following Stars for Poverty Alleviation*, I thought I’d run into you, but I heard from Teacher Shen that you were preparing a new show..."

Sixteen years ago, Mimi hosted the show *Swapping Lives* produced by Feng Gang, which is when Lin Xing first met her. Unlike Mimi, Lin Xing, as a former member of "Star Glare Ocean," had gradually fallen out of favor after the group disbanded, spending ten years in obscurity before making a comeback last year. Mimi, however, never had a career slump. She had been at Tan Province Satellite TV for sixteen years and was still firmly seated as the lead host.

"A-Xing, after all these years, you’re still as charming as ever," Mimi laughed. "I was busy preparing my new show, *A Day with Mimi*. If you’re free in a few days, you should come record an episode."

"Sure," Lin Xing replied.

"It’s a deal, then. I’ll contact you separately," Mimi said with a light smile.

Now that Lin Xing had some popularity, she needed to make use of it. Her show, *A Day with Mimi*, was also an interview-style variety show, but it was filmed outdoors, focusing on interviewing and following guests throughout the day. She only interviewed popular, big-name stars with high engagement. If it were before, she wouldn't have bothered with Lin Xing, but now, while he wasn't as explosively popular as when *Sweeping the Dark Waves* ended, it was enough. He was a hot topic, had traffic, and was damn handsome. Wasn't he the perfect interview subject?

"Don't, A-Xing. You shouldn't go on Mimi’s show. She’s always digging traps for people..." Ren Yi interjected mercilessly. "I’ve never seen a traffic star go on her show without getting roasted. If you don't believe me, ask A-Le."

Ren Yi kicked the ball to Zhou Le. Zhou Le gave an honest smile and said, "Brother Yi, please, let me off the hook."

"Ren Yi, you have to be fair. You can't be biased against all interview shows just because you got roasted on Zhao Fang’s," Mimi said, slightly displeased. "Brother Hui, don't you think?"

"Actually, Mimi's show is quite comfortable," Lü Hui added with a fair assessment.

"See?" Mimi turned to Lin Xing. "Brother Hui is quite reasonable."

Just then, Zheng Zhou pushed the door open. "A-Xing, we meet again."

"Teacher Zheng, hello," Lin Xing greeted him.

Zheng Zhou pretended to be annoyed. "Didn't I say not to call me 'Teacher' in private? You call everyone else 'brother' and me 'Teacher.' Are you trying to distance yourself from me?"

"Of course not," Lin Xing quickly said.

"Then call me Brother Zhou," Zheng Zhou said as he sat down. "Everyone, sit. Let’s eat and talk."

It was clear that the gathering revolved around Zheng Zhou.

"A-Xing, here's the thing. I’ve wanted to sit down with you for a long time. Whether it was your visit to the set or your promotion for our show on Zha-Lang, I want to say thank you."

"Brother Zhou, you just said not to distance ourselves, but isn't what you're saying doing exactly that?" Lin Xing said jokingly.

"Seriously, why are you two being so formal?" Ren Yi chimed in. "A-Xing, the truth is, we’re planning a variety show and were hoping to invite you to record two episodes..."

Ren Yi liked to get straight to the point.

"Ren Yi is right." Although Zheng Zhou wanted to lay some groundwork, since Ren Yi had already spoken, he continued, "This is a slow-paced outdoor reality show. Audiences are tired of competitive, high-pressure shows. People want to lie flat, to relax and enjoy themselves..."

Listening to Zheng Zhou’s pitch, Lin Xing roughly understood. In short, the theme was escaping the city and enjoying nature. For an actor, this kind of show is a treat because there are no tasks to complete, no struggling to do this or that, and no need to repeat takes for a single good shot.

Reality shows, reality shows—the emphasis is on the "show." There is definitely a script, but Zheng Zhou wanted each episode to have a simple theme, leaving the rest to the actors' improvisation. This made the demands on the actors a bit higher.

Zheng Zhou invited Guan Peng, Lü Hui, Zhou Le, and Mimi as permanent guests, totaling five with himself. They would invite guest stars for each episode. Ren Yi and Lin Xing were to be the guests for the first two episodes. Ren Yi didn't want to be a permanent guest—he didn't want to overexpose himself and had his own artistic goals—but he was happy to come and play for two episodes.

Ren Yi had recommended Lin Xing. After *Sweeping the Dark Waves*, Ren Yi genuinely felt Lin Xing was talented, hardworking, and eager to learn. *How the hell was he a 'functional illiterate'?* Ren Yi often wondered what kind of bad luck Lin Xing had to be slandered by so many people. Their relationship had also grown closer during filming.

Zheng Zhou hadn't originally planned to invite Lin Xing. Given his status, he could have invited stars with much more buzz. But with Ren Yi and Guan Peng strongly recommending him, he agreed.

"Brother Zhou, I’d love to join everyone, but when does filming start?" Lin Xing asked.

"In a few days. We want to finish the first few episodes so they can air around the New Year," Zheng Zhou said. "I plan to film and broadcast simultaneously so we can get immediate feedback and adjust accordingly."

"If it’s in a few days, that shouldn't be a problem," Lin Xing smiled. "I’m currently in talks for a script, and once that starts filming, I probably won't have the time."

"Oh?" Ren Yi’s eyes lit up. "What drama is it?"

"It’s not a drama, it’s a web series," Lin Xing explained. "But I’ll know the details after meeting with them tomorrow."

"A web series again?" Ren Yi was speechless. "Why are you so obsessed with web series?"