Chapter Eleven: Would Anyone Believe Me If I Said I Was Faking It?
Chapter 11
When such an incident broke out on the set, everyone panicked! Especially Liu Xin.
Ever since he entered the industry, he had been working in South Korea. While he wasn’t a major sensation amid the countless boy groups there, he did enjoy a measure of fame. The company protected him, fans adored him, and life was carefree.
As the most popular member of his group, he eventually went solo, and as the boy band faced disbandment, his agent adeptly seized the trend back home, rebranded him, and launched his domestic career. His popularity soared—he shot up from a third-tier idol to a second-tier star, and after participating in several variety shows recently, he was on the verge of breaking into the top tier.
It could be said that Liu Xin’s twenty-five years of life had been nothing but smooth sailing.
But too much ease is sometimes a curse.
Why? Because when life is too smooth, you miss out on certain experiences. If one day trouble truly comes knocking, you’re left utterly helpless!
Liu Xin was experiencing exactly that now.
He watched helplessly as that damned old man staged a fall right in front of him, groaning incessantly on the ground. Meanwhile, a group of angry people from the set rushed over, and Liu Xin’s mind went blank.
With a loud bang, he slammed the car door shut.
A few prop masters hurried over, first helping Li Shixin sit up, then pounding on the car door, their anger barely contained.
“Start the car! Go!”
Seeing their stance, Liu Xin, terrified that things might turn against him, ordered the driver at once.
The driver, too, was rattled. The incident had happened so fast, he hadn’t even grasped what was going on. At Liu Xin’s command, he started the car. With a hard press on the accelerator, the white Alphard van roared through the set’s floodlights, kicking up dust and smoke as it sped away.
In the chaos, no one noticed Zhang Shuo, the extra wrangler who should have been waiting for wrap. He glanced furtively around and slipped his phone into his pocket.
...
Li Shixin, on the surface, was after all a man in his sixties—a pile of old bones. If something were to happen to him on set, no one could bear the responsibility.
In the hospital, Guan Lan’s face was filled with anxiety as he supported Li Shixin’s arm, unable to stop himself from asking the doctor again, “Are you absolutely sure the old gentleman is alright?”
The doctor didn’t even lift his eyelids. “I don’t see any major issues, but the CT shows a pretty serious thrombosis in his neck. If you’re worried, have him stay for observation.”
Stay in the hospital? As if!
Right now, Guan Lan couldn’t wait to send Li Shixin, this troublesome elder, away. His regret was eating him alive.
He had originally planned to use Li Shixin’s role to add color to the third male lead. Instead, that fell through and brought nothing but trouble!
Watching Guan Lan flounder, Li Shixin crossed his legs.
This elderly body was frail; every part seemed to be failing. But he wasn’t a fool. When he performed his “Forceful Lean Back” earlier, he had carefully calculated everything: the van’s height was limited, and besides... he was wrapped up in a thick military coat!
“How are you feeling, sir?” Guan Lan wiped the sweat from his brow and asked.
“Not bad,” Li Shixin replied, more dignified than the doctor, lifting his eyelids.
His original intent had been to show Liu Xin a bit of real power, to curb his arrogance and get him to act properly.
Who could have guessed, the brat was so utterly cowardly.
He just bolted!
Embarrassing, really. Seems that in the future, even faking an accident requires choosing the right target. Never pick someone who’ll flee at the slightest provocation. It’s a losing game!
Those few lines he’d managed to snatch earlier in the day—now, thanks to this debacle, all was lost.
No matter how he thought about it, it felt like a loss...
With things at this stage, filming was certainly impossible. Regret churned in Li Shixin’s gut.
“Sir, I truly apologize for today’s incident. There’s little I can offer in compensation, but here’s three thousand yuan. It’s a token from the crew; please accept it. If there’s nothing more, let’s go... I’ll take you home.”
Watching Guan Lan stuff a large envelope into his hand, Li Shixin raised an eyebrow.
He opened it, saw the small stack of bills inside, and chuckled. He drew out three, then tossed the envelope back.
“We agreed on three hundred a day. No reward without merit; I’m not faking accidents for money. What’s the meaning of this, Director Guan?”
“I can’t accept this.”
Was Li Shixin short of money?
Of course he was! His unfilial son and daughter-in-law had neglected their duties for years, and the old man’s meager pension was stretched thin. When he packed up earlier, he’d found a bank card at home—with just over seven thousand yuan left.
His entire fortune.
But that wasn’t the point.
If he took the money, what would he become? Just another scam artist faking accidents!
And more than money... what Li Shixin lacked was life itself...
Beep.
Received 66 points of acclaim.
Hearing the system prompt, Li Shixin grinned.
Well, a mosquito is still meat, isn’t it?
Director Guan was deeply moved.
He stepped forward, grasped Li Shixin’s hands, and said with emotion, “Please don’t misunderstand; this isn’t meant to belittle you. It’s just... whatever Liu Xin is like, he’s still an actor in our production now. We rely on his popularity to promote the show. So about today... I hope you can be generous, and not let it get out.”
“Director Guan! Are you there?”
Before Li Shixin could respond, a commotion erupted in the hospital corridor.
“Mr. Liu demands an explanation!”
Guan Lan stood at the door, bewildered.
“What more does he want? After all this mess!”
Even a clay idol has some backbone—let alone a living person like Guan Lan. Seeing Liu Xin’s assistant chase all the way to the hospital to stir trouble, he felt his patience pushed to its limit.
“What explanation? See for yourself!”
With that, a figure burst into the examination room and shoved a tablet into Guan Lan’s hands.
On the screen, a video was playing.
Li Shixin glanced at it out of the corner of his eye, surprised.
The footage was shaky but shot at close range. It clearly captured his apology to Liu Xin, his gesture of helping Liu Xin into the car, and their conversation. But due to the van’s privacy glass, nothing inside was visible.
Yet the entire sequence of events had been recorded in detail.
Including Liu Xin’s escape while being surrounded!
“Who filmed this?! What the hell—who took this and sent it out?!”
At the sight of the video, Guan Lan’s mind exploded. It felt as though someone had slammed a giant hammer against his skull!
He knew now—today’s affair would not have a tidy ending.
“No idea who exactly, but it must be someone from the crew! Mr. Liu just called to tell me—he never touched the old man, it was all the old man’s own doing! I expect your production to handle this properly. If there’s any reputational damage to Mr. Liu because of this, you’ll bear the consequences!”
The assistant was clearly furious.
Only now did she notice Li Shixin sitting upright in his chair.
Her eyes widened, finger pointing.
“Perfect, the man’s right here! You must find a journalist immediately and clarify everything!”
Watching the young woman’s frantic demeanor, Li Shixin pulled out his old phone, went online, squinted at the latest topics on Weibo, then stood up with a smile.
“You’re not allowed to leave! If you go, today’s incident will never be clarified!”
Facing the girl blocking his path with arms spread, Li Shixin clasped his hands behind him and stood tall.
“My dear, the video’s already out. If I claim I staged an accident, and you say...”
He chuckled, utterly at ease.
“Who would believe it?”