Chapter 34.2

　　Silence enveloped the duo, leaving them utterly flabbergasted. ‘And you call that a mission?’

　　As they chatted away, the fourth male lead eavesdropping nearby could not contain himself and spew out a mouthful of water. Doubled over in a coughing fit, he mustered just enough strength to give Jing Xi a shaky thumbs-up, setting off a contagious burst of laughter in the group.

　　Meanwhile, Hu Xiao was done with his scene and headed over only to stumble upon a lively scene. Second Uncle was at the center, surrounded by an animated crowd, their animated chatter pulsating with contagious excitement.

　　In an instant, Jing Xi’s sharp gaze locked onto him. With a glint of recognition flashing across his eyes, he sprang to his feet and handed Hu Xiao a bottle of water. However, curiosity gripped him when Hu Xiao gestured toward the dressing room. “Why are you heading there?”

　　Hu Xiao informed, “De Wen suggested taking advantage of our current emotions to film the upcoming argument scene, and the director agreed.”

　　Jing Xi arched an eyebrow in response.

　　De Wen, a moderately acclaimed actor, took on the role of the second male lead in the TV series. Adding an intriguing layer to the scenario, he happened to also be from the same entertainment company as Hu Che.

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　　Tw Dkys tyhl yd yqqkaxkdt dse yde prwd sd bkp bllzp, pvakekdt yoyu okvb rwarspl.

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　　Fxynj!

　　Rd y przkv plnsde, vbl ldvkal plv rzwdtle kdvs pkzldnl.

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　　The director’s abrupt “Cut!” pierced the silence, jolting De Wen forward a half-step. With genuine concern, he apologized, “My bad, I got lost in the moment. You good?”

　　Hu Xiao gently probed the tender spot where he was hit with the tip of his tongue and simply shrugged off the pain with a nonchalant “Mmm” response.

　　Meanwhile, De Wen brushed him aside and strode over to the director. With a discerning eye, he scrutinized the footage and was not impressed by the tepid emotions captured. Consequently, he insisted on a retake.

　　Meanwhile, the director pondered the idea of reshooting a scene to perfect the expected imperfections in the newcomer’s acting. Hence, his gaze briefly flickered to De Wen before settling on Hu Xiao, awaiting his take on the matter.

　　Without any hesitation, Hu Xiao replied, “Sure, why not?”

　　As he said so, he returned to his previous position, prompting De Wen to walk over and follow suit.

　　Tension crackled on the film set as the production crew exchanged knowing looks, sensing De Wen’s plan to make things difficult for the newcomer. Conversations came to an abrupt halt, and all eyes were now fixated on the unfolding spectacle. The scene erupted into a fiery argument, with De Wen’s fury escalating. In a bold move, he raised his hand to deliver a resounding slap.

　　Just when the impending strike was mere moments away from connecting with Hu Xiao’s face, he deftly intercepted it with a powerful retaliatory slap of his own.

　　Smack!

　　Dead silence returned anew to the entire film set. Shortly after, chaos erupted, a cacophony of exclamations and bewildered whispers. ‘Bloody hell! Is there a need to go this far on the first day?’

　　De Wen’s eyes widened in disbelief, a jolt of surprise racing through him. However, he quickly regained his composure and erupted, “Did you just hit me?!”
　　Hu Xiao smirked with feigned remorse. “Oops, my bad. Got a bit too carried away there, but hey, you know how it is, right?”
　　De Wen exclaimed, “This isn’t even in the script!”
　　Hu Xiao confessed, “Well, I may have gotten way too deep in character. I mean, he’s a rich kid who’s been pampered all his life, so I don’t see him backing down when things get physical during an argument.”

　　This was just typical of Hu Xiao’s personality.

　　If the slap were to happen unintentionally due to being deeply immersed in the character, he would have easily dismissed it without a second thought. However, if it were a deliberate act, the other party would undoubtedly face severe consequences.

　　After all, he was never one to suffer any mistreatment in silence, especially with the influential allies at his back. With the first day of filming here, he knew tolerating this frustration would cloud the days to come on the film set.

　　Ever since De Wen landed himself a sugar daddy, his days of putting up with grievances were nothing but a distant memory. So, how could he possibly not handle someone perennially disregarded and sacrificed by the Hu family?

　　Fuming with rage, he spat out, “You did that on purpose! I deserve a public apology!” Casting a sharp glance to the side, he challenged, “What do you say, Director?”

　　Before the director could even utter a word, Hu Xiao interjected, “Didn’t I apologize earlier?”
　　De Wen refuted, “I didn’t catch it!”
　　Hu Xiao smirked, “Well, that’s on you.”
　　De Wen laughed incredulously, “Fine! If I don’t get a satisfactory explanation today, I’m pulling out of this production!”

　　Just as his final words fell, he spun on his heels and strode into his trailer.

　　Once his figure vanished from view, Jing Xi made his way to meet up with Hu Xiao. Finding him discussing the matter with the director, he offered, “Let’s have his assistant listen to our proposal and let them decide whether it’s suitable?”

　　At that juncture, the director and Hu Xiao turned their gaze toward Jing Xi, curiosity dancing in their eyes.

　　The former puzzled, “What proposal?”

　　Jing Xi emphasized, “You should call for the assistant first.”

　　Now that the director’s first day of shooting had hit a snag, it left him utterly irked. Not willing to waste any more time, he promptly sent someone to fetch the assistant.

　　The moment Jing Xi laid eyes on De Wen’s condescending assistant, he wasted no time and pulled out his phone with a mischievous grin. Without giving the other a chance to speak, he unlocked the device and revealed a scandalous photo of De Wen and his sugar daddy entwined in bed.

　　“…” A look of sheer disbelief washed over the assistant’s face as he struggled to find words upon seeing the photograph.

　　Jing Xi declared, “I’ll give him until the count of twenty. If he doesn’t apologize for his foolishness and absurdity, I’ll post it online. 1, 2, 3…”

　　Without a second thought, the assistant turned and bolted, leaving a trail of dust in its wake. 

　　Just seconds later, a slightly disoriented De Wen emerged offering a public apology that resonated through the air.

　　The astounded people in the vicinity could not help but inwardly exclaim, “What the f*ck!?”

　　Despite not having seen the photograph, the director intuited that there was more to the situation than met the eye. Immediately thereafter, he found himself caught between a rock and a hard place. However, he adeptly mediated the situation, smoothing things over by calling for the actresses and seamlessly transitioning into filming the next scene.

　　Trailing behind Jing Xi, Hu Xiao’s thoughts swirled in a tumultuous whirlwind, trying to make sense of the events that had transpired.

　　Just as he was about to call that enigma he called a husband, the rabbit quickly turned the tide and resolved the matter. Intrigued, he queried, “What’s going on, Second Uncle?”

　　Jing Xi smirked, “Oh, it’s nothing, really. I just happened to have a little something on him.”
　　Hu Xiao applauded and wisely chose not to pry further. “Sure, sure.”

　　As they settled into their chairs, a familiar ping reverberated around them, signaling the arrival of a message in the group chat.

　　Amidst his hectic day, the manager took a moment to check in on how they were doing.
　　[How’d the morning shoot go?]

　　In the peculiar ambiance of the film set, both of them replied at the same time.
　　[Hu Xiao: It went smoothly 🙂 ]
　　[Jing Xi: Pretty good *Thumbs up* ]

　　The manager scanned the messages, a relieved grin graced his lips as he decisively closed the group chat.

　　With that, Jing Xi let his gaze draw to Hu Xiao, eager to gauge his reaction. All of a sudden, a fleeting red dot flickered in his mind, bringing everything to a screeching halt.

　　System’s voice rose in astonishment as it exclaimed, “Whoa, what just happened?”

　　This was from the energy detector designed to track down the Divine Lord of the Transmigration Department that he snapped up back at the Administration Bureau.

　　In the ensuing moments, Jing Xi hastily commanded, “Give me the names of all the people within a one-kilometer radius!”

　　Caught off guard, System blurted out, “Huh?”
　　Jing Xi urged, “Hurry up!”
　　Without a moment to spare, System dove into action, no questions asked.
　　Seizing the moment, Jing Xi tossed in another question. “Where’s Duan Chi right now?”

　　System briefly averted its gaze and sneaked a quick peek. “Howe.”
　　 Jing Xi paused, deep in thought for a moment. “Are you certain?”
　　System affirmed, “Absolutely! It is the dead of night there, and he is in his study… um, engrossed in a novel.”
　　Jing Xi could not contain his surprise, “What?”
　　System remained silent but then unexpectedly erupted into tears, letting out a sorrowful wail.

　　Meanwhile, CEO Duan was avidly reading a captivating novel.

　　When Duan Xiuwen stepped into the study, his attention was immediately drawn to CEO Duan, whose intense gaze was fixed on the screen. Intrigued, he briskly approached to see what had captivated the CEO’s undivided attention.

　　Ever since his aunt went on a trip, his uncle began entrusting him with the responsibility of overseeing the subsidiary company. As he prepared to leave Howe, he found himself unable to resist the chance to seek guidance from his uncle about some work-related matters.

　　“Is everything alright, Uncle?”

　　As he uttered those words, he leaned in, his eyes illuminated with curiosity as they focused on the screen. The title boldly declared, “I’m Done Being a Scumbag (Transmigration).” Surrounding it were enticing reads such as “Winning Over NPCs in a Holographic Game,” “Transmigrated as the Big Shot’s Sweetheart,” and “How Can Mum Rescue You, My Villain?”

　　The sight left Duan Xiuwen dumbfounded, as his mind struggled to comprehend what was before him.