Chapter 36 – Going Live
His good friend looked over, quietly waiting for his response, still smiling gently, with a hint of expectation in their eyes.
Although he didn’t quite understand, it was obvious that now was a good time to say something nice. Master Chen’s brain started working quickly, trying to think calmly.
The god of wealth’s strengths—first, rich; second, rich; in summary, rich.
Mother Huo “…”
“That’s right.”
Putting aside thoughts of wealth for a moment, Chen Bai’s brain sped up, and he said with utmost seriousness, “Mr. Huo is very capable.”
By capable, he meant very good at making money.
“Very generous.” An 80,000 yuan raise—he’s a good boss.
“He’s pretty nice to people too.” Although he hadn’t really experienced this firsthand, saying it felt like the right move.
At the very least, Huo was nice to his “white moonlight,” so this wasn’t exactly a lie.
Some people could endlessly praise a good neighbor without much thought, but that only applied to praising neighbors.
Although he didn’t show it, Chen Bai did feel a bit out of his depth while praising the god of wealth. The three sentences he managed were the best his mind could come up with after some serious thinking.
But those three sentences seemed enough.
His good friend’s smile widened, and they said, “He’s not as good as you think—he has many flaws.”
Chen Bai wasn’t too concerned about the god of wealth’s flaws.
For a true employee, no matter how many flaws a boss has, as long as the boss is good at giving raises, that boss will always be the best.
Zhang Ling glanced at his expression and had a good sense of his thoughts. She unconsciously touched the hair hanging by her side and smiled.
The sound of birds chirping and footsteps could be heard from the courtyard.
It was Uncle Wang, the butler, who had come into the garden, saying that Miss Huo had already come downstairs and was looking for them.
Their courtyard conversation ended there, and Zhang Ling was wheeled back inside by her nurse.
By the time they got back inside, Huo Qing was already waiting at the entrance. As soon as they approached, she greeted them with a cheerful, “Brother Bai!” She lifted the hem of her long dress and spun around, saying, “Do I look good?”
She was wearing a long dress. It had rained yesterday, so going into the courtyard would have gotten mud on it, which was why she was waiting there.
Brother Bai nodded and said, “You look great.”
Huo Qing smiled brightly, her eyes curved in happiness. The group then returned to the large living room on the first floor, where they usually hung out.
While the god of wealth worked in his study, the others downstairs chatted happily, enjoying fruit platters and cut fruit, the atmosphere as harmonious as a family of three.
After finishing up his last-minute work, Huo Chuan rubbed his temples and came out of the study, the first sound he heard was laughter from downstairs.
The loudest laugh came from Huo Qing, who was laughing without restraint.
Despite wearing an elegant long dress, it didn’t stop her from slapping her thigh as she laughed, making a loud ‘slap slap’ sound.
Huo Chuan “…”
Huo Chuan, who was walking downstairs, rubbed his temples again.
In the midst of the conversation, when they heard movement upstairs, the people in the living room who were chatting and eating fruit suddenly quieted down. One of them still had an orange slice in their mouth, cheeks puffed out, but quickly swallowed it and called out a greeting.
Huo Chuan glanced down, his gaze lingering for a moment on the black hair, and then he nodded.
It was almost time, and everyone had gathered, so the butler instinctively went to arrange for the driver.
The driver pulled the cars to the front door, and the doors were opened as a few of them got into the cars.
Zhang Ling, in her wheelchair, was pushed to the entrance by her nurse. She waved as the vehicles left.
The people in the car turned back, smiling and waving in return.
The two cars left one after the other, disappearing from sight, and the estate returned to its quiet state.
The butler bowed slightly and said, “Madam, the air outside is damp. Let’s head back inside.”
Zhang Ling pulled her gaze back and nodded.
As they drove from the mountains back to the city, the sky gradually darkened.
The sky was painted with rosy clouds, the orange-tinged layers swirling. The last bit of light illuminated the strands of hair of the person sitting by the window, turning the edges of their black hair a reddish hue as the wind blew through it.
Successfully managing to sit next to Chen Bai before her brother, Huo Qing quickly pulled out her phone and began snapping pictures.
The sound of the camera caught the attention of the person being photographed. As he turned to look, he was reminded of his money-making partner by the way she snapped photo after photo.
Just that morning, someone had been taking pictures of him the same way.
As the light dimmed, Huo Qing, quite pleased with her shots, put away her phone and admired her work for a moment. Then she said, “I’ll send these photos to you.”
She then looked up and asked, “Can I send a copy to Ms. Zhang?”
She liked to refer to her own mother as Ms. Zhang.
It was just a few photos, so Chen Bai didn’t mind. He nodded and casually forwarded the photos to his good neighbor and money-making partner.
His good neighbor was probably still working, so there was no reply yet. His money-making partner, however, responded quickly, immediately saving the photos to their collection.
The dinner party was being held at a large hotel to celebrate the birthday of someone named Zhang’s father.
Before getting out of the car, Huo Qing, feeling a bit uneasy, gave Chen Bai a heads-up, saying that Zhang was the only son of his father, born late in life, and had a bad temper because he was spoiled. He was also a bit unserious, so if he said anything rude, Chen Bai should just ignore him and let her brother deal with it.
She was straightforward in her warning, but fortunately, her brother, the god of wealth, was in another car, so he didn’t hear his sister’s blunt comments.
Just after mentioning “Zhang something,” a slightly familiar face appeared as they got out of the car.
Zhang something was standing at the entrance of the banquet hall, greeting guests. For once, he wasn’t wearing one of his flashy shirts, opting instead for a relatively normal suit.
However, his tie stubbornly remained flashy, subtly showing off his personality.
Remembering his own 200,000-yuan salary, Chen Bai didn’t immediately walk forward after getting out of the car. He waited for his good boss before proceeding.
It was clear that Huo Qing and Zhang something didn’t get along. As the two stood there, the atmosphere visibly shifted.
Polite as always, Huo Qing understood the situation and didn’t say much. Zhang something, on the other hand, tolerated her presence since she was his friend’s sister. The two exchanged awkward greetings and quickly parted ways.
As they separated, Zhang Wenxuan’s gaze fell on the person standing behind them, smiling faintly.
Their hair color had changed, and they were wearing a shirt. They looked different from the last time Zhang had seen them, but he still recognized the face.
Immediately identifying the person, his expression shifted noticeably as he exclaimed, “When I invited you, didn’t you say you were busy?”
His voice was tinged with surprise, the pitch slightly off due to his shock.
In contrast to Zhang’s astonishment, the person standing there remained composed, their smile unchanged. They calmly replied, “Well, the situation just happened to change.”
Zhang glanced at the man standing next to him, and suddenly it all made sense. He wiped his face and said, “Ah, I see. I invited the wrong person.”
He had thought he could maneuver between the two of them, but it turned out he was the odd one out.
Chen Bai, however, didn’t see it that way.
It had nothing to do with anyone else—it was mainly because the god of wealth paid well.
But since the god of wealth was standing right there, Chen Bai chose not to say that out loud and simply responded with a smile.
No need for pleasantries between close friends. Zhang waved them inside.
At high-society gatherings, the banquet hall was filled with elegance and wealth in every corner.
Chen Bai vaguely remembered this part of the plot, but his simple mind couldn’t recall the details.
According to the original story, this was the first banquet the god of wealth attended after being discharged from the hospital following an injury, giving Zhang something a lot of face.
The side character also came along, though Zhang something didn’t care much for them. Still, they tried to fit into the circle and ended up making things worse for themselves.
Chen Bai wasn’t trying to force his way into this circle.
Switching perspectives, no employee would be interested in building relationships with their client’s friends ABC.
Chen Bai opted to stick close to the god of wealth, eating and drinking.
While the god of wealth chatted, Chen sipped his grape juice. When business talk started, he tactfully excused himself to quietly and quickly devour some snacks.
The hotel’s chef was indeed skilled. The freshly baked cookies were fragrant, crispy, and light, without being too rich.
Midway through the banquet, Zhang finally wrapped up his stint as the welcoming host.
Spotting his friend still deep in conversation, he found the person in the corner, happily chatting with a chef wearing a hat. Taking the opportunity, he introduced them to a few other friends with whom both he and Huo Chuan were on good terms.
These friends had noticed this person from the very beginning, having arrived with Huo Chuan and Huo Qing.
They were well aware of Huo Chuan’s situation and Huo Qing’s attitude towards it. Because they understood, they were even more surprised that Miss Huo hadn’t shown any displeasure towards this new person.
And even more surprising was that Zhang Wenxuan, who also typically disapproved of the people around Huo Chuan, was now introducing them as a “friend.”
Though unsure of the situation, they politely greeted Chen Bai.
Master Chen, likewise, greeted the god of wealth’s friends ABC politely.
So far, the interaction was still within the bounds of normalcy. Both sides were polite and restrained.
But then, out of courtesy, they engaged in some small talk.
What began as small talk soon escalated. The polite exchange turned into a full-on gossip session. The group found a spot to sit, and Zhang something talked so much that he went through several glasses of wine.
Unlike the young CEO Huo Chuan, they still had their fathers over their heads, so they didn’t need to network. Their goal was simply to enjoy the food, have fun, and talk endlessly in some corner.
A naturally talkative newcomer had infused fresh energy into the chat group.
Unfortunately, midway through, Zhang was dragged away by his father to give a speech, and Huo Qing took the newcomer away, causing the gossip group to disband.
Huo Qing took the person to meet her friends. In truth, they had already met at the last engagement party, and the photos were still around.
Ever helpful, Chen Bai snapped a few pictures for the friends.
The group of friends “…”
When they gathered around to look at the photos, the group fell into a long silence, reflecting deeply on life.
Finally, Huo Qing looked up and, in the most tactful tone she could muster, said, “Brother Bai, you… have a talent for art.”
Even though the photos were not flattering, they had been taken by Chen Bai himself. She saved them with tears in her eyes, encrypting them multiple times, and said, “From now on, I’ll take photos of you instead.”
Her friends nodded in agreement, and in the end, they asked someone else to take a group picture.
The banquet wasn’t too long. After wandering around the hall for a while, Chen Bai finally returned to the god of wealth, who had finished his business discussions, and dutifully earned his 200,000 yuan.
By dutifully, it meant standing beside the god of wealth, drinking his grape juice, occasionally greeting people, and helping smooth over conversations for the god of wealth.
A naturally chatty person like Chen Bai wouldn’t let any conversation fall flat. Anyone who came to talk to Huo Chuan left with a smile, feeling even more pleased as they walked away.
Meanwhile, Zhang something and a few of his idle friends were lurking in the distance, observing quietly. “Doesn’t he seem completely different from the others?” Zhang asked.
The friends nodded, objectively agreeing that this one seemed more reliable than their own group. They decided to ask around for more details once the discussions ended.
In the end, after waiting for ages, they never got the chance to speak to the person they’d been watching.
As the night grew late and the event began to wind down, in the blink of an eye, the person they were watching disappeared, leaving only the crowd slowly filtering out of the banquet hall.
Chen Bai had finished work.
The moment the God of Wealth informed him that his work was done, Chen Bai left promptly without working a minute extra.
With his taxi fare reimbursed, he splurged on a taxi ride home, seamlessly stepping into the car as soon as he walked out of the hotel.
When he arrived, it was still daylight, but by now the sky was completely dark, nearing midnight.
As the taxi drove from the city to the suburbs, the wind blew in through the window. Chen, sitting in the backseat, leaned to the side and scrolled through his contacts list on his phone, realizing he had somehow added a lot of new people tonight.
While trying to match the names to the faces he had seen that evening, a notification popped up at the top of his phone screen.
Tired from the day’s work, Chen Bai shifted in his seat, leaning back as he opened the message.
It was from his money-making partner, telling him that ‘The Ordinary Road’ had premiered today, and the official Weibo account had tagged him. She had already helped by sharing it, and if he had time, he should check it out.
Lifting his hat slightly, Chen replied to the message, then clicked the link she sent, taking a quick glance at the post.
He hadn’t been following closely, but it turned out ‘The Ordinary Road’ had officially aired today.
Based on the time it aired, it must have been playing while he was still at the banquet, snacking.
Someone in the comments helpfully pointed out that A-Huai’s official appearance was in episode five, even kindly providing a link.
Clicking the link, Chen’s phone automatically redirected him to the fifth episode on a video streaming app.
A friendly reminder popped up on the screen.
[You are not a VIP yet. Become a VIP to enjoy more content!]
Chen Bai “…”
Chen calmly put down his phone and closed his eyes to rest.
By the time he returned to the filming base, it was already late at night.
After going out, the pink hair had turned back to black. The former pink-haired Chen Bai took a shower, sent his usual good-neighbor message, and then peacefully went to sleep.
While some people slept peacefully, others stayed up late crying over their TV shows.
‘The Ordinary Road’ aired at the beginning of the month and ended by the end of the month. Aside from the male and female leads’ storylines, the most heart-wrenching one belonged to A-Huai.
When A-Huai died by the sea in the original novel, many readers had already cried their hearts out, swearing they wouldn’t cry over his death again.
But when the scene by the sea aired, tears still flowed.
The production team had faithfully recreated the scene from the novel. The more faithful it was, the more it made people cry.
[Damn it! My A-Huai! How am I supposed to live without you?]
[It’s my fault for not reading the book! Everyone kept warning me not to fall for A-Huai, and I thought he’d turn bad—never expected this! I wasn’t prepared at all, sob sob sob!]
[Good news: it’s very faithful to the original; bad news: it’s very faithful to the original.]
[I was already heartbroken when I read the book, and I thought I’d toughened up, but nope, I got hurt again, sob sob sob!]
During the final days of ‘The Ordinary Road’, Chen Bai felt like it wasn’t just his imagination—his diligent assistant and his male co-star seemed to have red, puffy eyes more often than him, who was constantly staying up late.
Being somewhat concerned about his co-workers, Chen asked and received the answer that they had been staying up late binge-watching the show.
No matter where they were, working people would always find moments to entertain themselves and relax. But looking at their faces, it didn’t seem like they were relaxed—it looked like they had cried, probably quite a bit.
Chen Bai noticed but, being kind, chose not to point it out or ask which show they were watching to avoid reopening old wounds.
That day, he finished work early and was back at the hotel by 6 PM. After changing back into his own clothes, he parted ways with his red-eyed co-workers and returned to his room.
Last month, Chen Bai had barely managed to hit his streaming hours on the very last day. With the end of the month fast approaching again, he was once more on the road to catching up on his hours.
He promised his viewers he’d start his livestream at 7:30 sharp, but before that, he met up with his money-making partner.
She hadn’t been around the set for a few days, busy with other work, and this time she brought back the results of her efforts.
As soon as she entered the living room, she downed a couple of gulps of water, sat on the sofa, and handed over two scripts.
Chen Bai took one and skimmed through it.
“This time I got you two scripts. Pick one you like. If neither suits you, we can wait for something better.”
While Chen skimmed the script, she added, “One’s a xianxia (fantasy) drama, kind of similar to the image you have now as Si Yang. The other is a high school drama, which is the one you’re holding now. Both are supporting male roles.”
With only about a month left before the current production wrapped up, it was time to start preparing for the next one.
—Supporting roles were good, less pressure for ratings. But a high school student? That might be a stretch.
“I’m at this age,” Chen said slowly, putting down the script, “playing a high school student feels a bit… rebellious.”
“…”
His manager wasn’t sure which part—his age or the rebellious comment—made her frown more.
“If you put on a school uniform and stand in a crowd, you’d look younger than the high schoolers,” she replied, rubbing her temple. “Today’s high schoolers are more mature than you.”
Having just been overtaken by high school students, Chen Bai said, “Alright.”
He picked up the script again and continued reading. “Looks like there’s a basketball scene… but my back…”
His manager cut to the point: “The high school drama pays 300,000 yuan more than the fantasy one.”
Chen Bai “…”
The script, which had been slowly put down, was now firmly in his hands again. With newfound determination, the man with the bad back studied the script more closely. He continued where he left off, saying, “…I think I can handle a bit of back exercise.”
Sorry, back.
His manager had predicted this exact response. “According to them, as long as you agree, the role is yours. You’ll still need to go in for a formal audition, but that’s just a formality.”
Chen Bai might have bad luck in other areas, but when it came to making money, he had always been fortunate. He always ended up with solid, well-funded productions, and the roles were always great.
The manager seemed to remember something and added, “There were some endorsement and performance invitations, but I turned them down.”
She explained, “Not much money, and they’d interfere with future opportunities to earn bigger sums.”
Chen Bai, trusting the professional judgment of his manager, nodded in agreement.
The manager smiled and said, “Alright, now I have a clear idea. I’ll let you know when there’s progress. You’ll probably join the crew when students go on summer break.”
Having just returned to the hotel and with other tasks to handle, the manager didn’t linger. After finishing their business, she left.
As soon as she was gone, it was exactly 7:00 PM. Alone again and with nothing else to do, Chen Bai went to his bedroom, turned on his computer, and sat down to start his stream a little early.
Coincidentally, his friend Qingzhou had also just started streaming, so the two quickly connected via voice chat.
[I used to take daily Bai Zhou streams for granted, but now I finally realize how precious every second is, sob sob sob]
[You two finally connected for the first time in ages]
[How long will Bai stream today? It really matters to a fragile college student!]
[It’s been so long, Bai! Pull an all-nighter to prove your strength, haha]
“Didn’t I just stream a few days ago?” Chen Bai coldly exposed the chat’s exaggerations. “I’ll go until midnight—I have to wake up early tomorrow.”
As the computer entered the game interface, Qingzhou suddenly called for a pause before they began, saying he needed to check on the porridge he was cooking.
A very “house husband” thing to say, according to the chat, and it seemed he was still wearing an apron.
Qingzhou returned in under a minute, explaining, “My sister got a bit too absorbed in her TV show… Yeah, too emotionally involved. She wasn’t in the mood to cook, so she came to my place to eat.”
As he said this, a loud wail came from outside the room, so loud it could be heard through the headphones.
[Blind guess: ‘The Ordinary Road’, A-Huai just exited. Today’s Weibo is full of tears]
[The Ordinary Road +1, my dorm mate has practically turned our room into a waterfall with her crying—it’s like Flower Fruit Mountain in there]
[Haha, so even Qingzhou’s sister is watching *The Ordinary Road]
[Bai’s voice is so similar to A-Huai’s—I can’t help but start crying as soon as I enter the stream]
Chen Bai, propping his head on one hand and moving the mouse with the other, acted as though he hadn’t seen the comments and steered the conversation back on track, asking, “Where do you want to go this time?”
Qingzhou suggested they try the desert map.
They hadn’t changed out of their pink character skins yet, and Chen Bai had noticed it worked well for their baiting strategy—many players would underestimate his skills for no apparent reason.
As they prepared to start the match, Chen thought the chat had moved past the earlier topic, but then his eye caught a few rapid comments amidst the scrolling messages.
[I wonder if Chen Yibai watches ‘The Ordinary Road’. I’d love to know what he feels about his own performance]
[Haha, maybe he doesn’t because he doesn’t have VIP on the streaming platform (jk)]
[Good point! His infamous frugality! I bet his Weibo membership is still something his company paid for]
[Haha, no way! It’s only 15 yuan for a membership! Chen Yibai surely wouldn’t be stopped by 15 yuan]
Chen Yibai: “…”
Chen Bai quietly wiped his face, thinking it was the first time he regretted having such good peripheral vision.
HAHA THEY WERE RIGHT