Huayu Chunqiu, starting from being adopted by a fairy mother

Chapter 358 A True Test

Liu Jing was indeed troubled by the fact that his junior sister was his little cotton fairy.

His troubles weren't related to relationships; since he dared to be so carefree, he felt no psychological pressure.

He won't be bothered by "Chinese Paladin 3" either. For him, filming such a movie is not difficult at all; he treats it as a vacation.

His real worry is the upcoming film "The Message," which is in preparation. As the box office of "Painted Skin" rises, so do people's expectations for "The Message."

"The Message" is directed and starred by Liu Jing. If this film is successful, many negative opinions will disappear.

If "The Message" is a box office flop, it will also affect his career.

The success of the first "Holy Flame Order" was attributed to the appeal of Yu Hui, Zhang Min, and Fatty Wang from "The Cult Leader," and many people believe that these two factors were the key to its success.

The second film, "Under the City Walls," won awards, which many attributed to its international situation and historical subject matter. It's an art film, so box office expectations weren't high; awards were the primary concern.

The high box office of "The Warlords" is thanks to the efforts of Li Lianjie, Liu Dehua, and Liu Jing.

That's just how it is. Liu Jing doesn't want to argue about these things; results will tell everyone the truth.

But as the box office of "Painted Skin" rose, the tide turned, and many people began to praise him, which was not a good thing.

With the film "Under the City Wall" about to be released, the previous clamor has subsided, which is problematic in itself.

Before the autumn winds even blow, the cicadas sense it first. The public relations department hadn't found anything, but he had a vague feeling that something was wrong.

Liu Jing smoked a cigarette, secretly making up his mind that he couldn't be stingy anymore. He decided not to go anywhere for a while, and to go back to the hotel after filming was over to virtually rehearse every scene of "The Message" and then draw detailed storyboards.

One must be strong to succeed; achievements are the foundation for defeating all conspiracies.

"Hey! How's the next part going? If it's not good, let me know in advance, and I'll go back and memorize the script." Yang Mi walked over.

"Then you can go back." Liu Jing exhaled a smoke ring.

"You've given your heart to Qianqian, haven't you?" Yang Mi wasn't going back. She snatched the cigarette from her older brother's mouth, threw it on the ground, and stomped it out.

"You understand now?" Liu Jing said unhappily. There was still half a part left; what a waste.

"If you dare give it to Fatty Bing, she might not say anything on the surface, but she'll definitely make a scene when she gets back," Yang Mi analyzed.

"That's just a variety show; it's all scripted," Liu Jing reminded her.

“Variety shows have scripts, but life doesn’t even have a rehearsal,” Yang Mi said with a smile.

"Life is like a play; the script is already set, but the interpretation is in your hands," Liu Jing said earnestly.

"You have the right to interpret my story," Yang Mi said stubbornly.

Liu Jing patted Yang Mi on the shoulder, "Brother, you guessed wrong this time. Qianqian's identity has been exposed, of course I'll give my heart to Pang Bing. Even a fool could tell the answer, do you think I'm a fool?"

"Sisi isn't angry?" Yang Mi was surprised. Of course you're not stupid, but you are when it comes to Liu Yifei.

"Didn't you say that Qianqian is very easygoing?" Liu Jing looked at this face and indeed it wasn't so square anymore.

“That depends on the person and the situation. If you don’t hit her sore spot, she’s very easygoing. If you do hit her sore spot, she’s very petty. Someone is just like her, equally easygoing and equally petty.” Yang Mi mocked, then changed the subject, “But that makes sense, you two can’t show affection in public, after all, your relationship is still a secret.”

"Oh, can our relationship be made public?" Liu Jing remained noncommittal.

“If you want, there’s nothing between us that can’t be made public.” Yang Mi looked up and stared directly at her older brother.

"I'm afraid I'll be ruined if I see the light of day," Liu Jing said with a chuckle.

"Tch! Coward." Yang Mi avoided her older brother's gaze, not daring to look him in the eye.

"Let's go, the commercial break is over."

The two had just entered the house when they heard an explosion coming from the television.

"boom!"

"Tch! Coward, you still gave it to Qianqian." Yang Mi secretly sneered. He spoke so grandly, but he was just making excuses for me.

"Good heavens, Fatty Bing is a heartbreaker!" someone in the crowd exclaimed.

"Holy crap, what the hell?" Yang Mi exclaimed.

Not to mention Yang Mi, the hosts and guests of the Choice Hall, the audience at the scene, and the viewers in front of the TV all wanted to shout "Holy crap!" at this moment.

Only these two words can express my feelings at this moment.

Liu Yifei is a traitor, a heartbreaker—this is not only universally acknowledged, but also something she herself admitted. After exposing herself, she gave up trying to defend herself.

On TV, Sisi was stunned, her mouth agape. Fan Xiaopang took out a banner from his exploding heart, and she finally realized, "You guys have made a mistake, right? I'm the Heartbreaker. I have a mission, and I drew it during the lottery."

"You're also a Heartbreaker?" Fan Xiaopang was dumbfounded. She thought that Qianqian had misspoke, not let it slip. Because when they drew lots, she had also drawn the Heartbreaker.

So, using Xixi's words, she did a lot of dirty tricks on the other party.

"Haha, when I read the rules, I never said there was only one Heart-Destroying Ghost." He Jiong laughed, and the other hosts also laughed.

"The three of us are the only ones who don't know about this," Sisi said with a self-deprecating laugh, having finally understood.

Xie Na came over, hugged Qianqian, and comforted her.

"In other words, no matter whether I find true love or not, and no matter who I give my heart to, my heart will explode," Liu Jing said with a resentful tone.

Sisi had recovered and patted Liu Jing on the shoulder, "Poor thing. This game teaches you a lesson about life: whoever you give your heart to, it will all explode in the end. Bang! Like this! No one cares how heartbroken you are; they'll just think of the fireworks, so beautiful and colorful."

Not only did she say it, but she also gestured triumphantly, which made Liu Jing even more upset.

“Sissi is right, but there’s one more thing. No matter how appearances change, the most precious things are sincerity and perseverance. No matter how this sincerity explodes, our blessings for ‘Painted Skin’ will not change.” He Jiong elevated the theme while waving his hand, “Come on! Happy Family, let’s send our blessings to ‘Painted Skin’.”

Xie Na and Wu Xin received the banner from Fan Xiaopang. Unfurling it revealed a line of large characters: "Wishing 'Painted Skin' a box office hit! See you on September 28th!"

Then, several hosts shouted out their slogans at the same time.

"Thank you, thank you everyone, see you on September 28th!" Sisi clapped.

"My God! You can play like this?" Tang Yan exclaimed in disbelief.

"It's just a word game," Old Cai shook his head.

"Great! The ending was even more exciting than the process." Zhao Shiyao disagreed.

The program didn't end; after a few words of discussion, something else happened on TV.

"La la la la..."

With a series of clapping sounds, Zhang Liangying appeared on screen, ready to sing "Painting Heart".

Viewers at home were relieved, as they felt that the Happy Camp episode themed around "Painted Skin" wouldn't be complete without this song.

What's the hottest song lately? It has to be "Painting Heart".

Liu Jing felt no shame whatsoever; he rightfully claimed the title of lyricist. The composer was Fujiwara Ikuro, whom Liu Jing didn't claim, as the melody for "Painted Skin" was borrowed from him.

The music for "Painting Heart" is an adaptation of the piano piece "Asian Road," which was published by Fujiwara Ikuro five years ago. Liu Jing bought the relevant copyright from him in advance.

With the immense popularity of "Painted Skin," its theme song has become even more popular than the movie itself.

Upon release, it immediately topped the ringtone download charts and swept across major music charts.

Because of this song, numerous film production companies invited Zhang Liangying to sing theme songs. In response, Red Star Film Studio urgently expanded her team.

As the song ended, the scene returned to the stage, where the three guests and several hosts emerged from the maze.

Everyone looked glamorous again. While it was only the time it took to sing a song on TV, more than an hour had already passed on the recording site.

"Welcome back, everyone! Did Liangying sing 'Painting Heart' well?" He Jiong shouted.

The audience responded positively, saying, "You've asked that question, how are you expecting everyone to answer?"

After a few words of interaction, He Jiong moved on to the next segment, "Just now in the Zetian Hall, we found General Wang Sheng's true feelings. Now there's another question: is his sincerity genuine or not? Do you want to know?"

"Teacher He, his sincerity just exploded. This one must be fake." Xixi concluded with a smile, having caught the loophole in the program.

“Liangying just drew one using magic.” He Jiong reacted quickly and immediately came up with a solution.

“Wouldn’t the drawn version look even more fake?” Xie Na retorted.

"So we need to verify the authenticity at this stage," He Jiong responded.

"Okay." Sisi surrendered; any further discussion would just be unreasonable.

"How do we verify it? By taking Liu Jing's heart out?" Xie Na asked, while reaching out to grab Liu Jing's chest.

Sisi remained calm, pulled Xie Na aside, and offered a suggestion, "Sister Na, sing 'White Fox' again, and his heart will jump out on its own."

"I am a fox who has cultivated for a thousand years. A thousand years of cultivation, a thousand years of loneliness. In the dead of night, does anyone hear me crying..." Xie Na's roar made Liu Jing's liver tremble.

"Help! Someone save the child!" Hai Tao cried out, clutching his chest.

"Okay, okay, don't scare the guests..."

Without even saying hello, He Jiong kept trying to stop him, and sang a few more lines.

Liu Jing frowned. This host was so easily startled; how could so many people like him?
He was puzzled. He had been in contact with Zhou Tao quite a bit recently, and comparatively, he preferred that hosting style.

Liu Jing also likes hosts with a humorous style, such as Sa Beining, He Jiong, and Wu Zongxian, but he can't appreciate Xie Na's style.

After He Jiong tried to stop them for a while, the singing finally stopped. He quickly explained, "This segment is called 'Truth Quiz,' where each person answers five questions that netizens are most interested in. See that chair over there? Put on the device; it will light up red when you lie. It will also light up if you don't answer for more than three seconds. If you lie, you will be punished..."

"What kind of punishment?" Sisi's eyes lit up, eager to try.

"There are five drinks on the table: plain water, snake grass water, lemon juice, cilantro juice, and houttuynia cordata juice. Drink one drink for every lie you tell. If all five answers are lies, congratulations, you've drunk them all." He Jiong laughed.

"I choose plain water and lemon juice," Fan Xiaopang quickly declared.

"Plain water is real water, and lemon juice is pure lemon juice," He Jiong reminded.

"In other words, there's one chance to lie," Sisi said thoughtfully.

“If you like to drink, you have five chances to lie,” Wu Xin said with a smile.

"Let's begin." Sisi took a deep breath; who would like to drink these things?

"Hey! Why are you so eager?" Liu Jing grabbed Qianqian. She was so straightforward; was there some kind of conspiracy behind it?

"Can you even dodge it? Whether you stick your neck out or hide, you'll still get stabbed." Sisi sighed, then suddenly put her arm around Liu Jing's shoulder. "Isn't your older sister usually good to you?"

"Oh no." Liu Jing understood. No wonder he agreed so readily; he was being asked to drink for him.

"Behave well today, or you'll be treated even worse in the future." Sisi covered her mouth and laughed.

The audience was excited, watching the equipment being adjusted busily on stage.

Liu Jing wasn't particularly excited. The interview and game segments had scripts, but they weren't very detailed. However, the "heart-to-heart" interrogation segment had an incredibly detailed script.

Every question is prepared in advance, and not only is the guest's consent obtained, but it also needs to be reviewed by the guest's team.

It's not just about the problems; the team also checks out the drinks and clothes beforehand.

If they were just ordinary actors, Hunan TV wouldn't have tolerated them, but which of these three actors is ordinary?
The bigger the customer, the more the shop bullies the shop; the bigger the shop, the more the customer bullies the shop. This is true everywhere.

"Teacher He, is this device fake?" Qianqian was very curious, touching it over and over, and she was also very suspicious.

"Would you like to give it a try first?" He Jiong asked with a smile.

Sisi hesitated, glancing at Xiao Fan, who had a smile on his face. She then glanced at Liu Jing, who silently stepped back.

“I suddenly remembered that he’s the male lead in this play. He doesn’t have many scenes today, so let’s give him a chance and let him try it out.” Sisi, who was already sitting on the stool, stood up again.

"Thanks, sir." Liu Jing said irritably. Now you remember I'm the male lead? What were you doing just now? Do I need your two shots?
“Gentlemanly conduct,” Xie Na urged. “Isn’t it ladies first?” Liu Jing retorted.

"You set an example first." Xixi pulled Liu Jing over and sat him down in a chair.

Liu Jing sighed, "Other people's older sisters are all 'brother-supporting demons,' but you're just a jerk to me."

Sisi chuckled and watched curiously; she was very interested in the instrument.

These instruments typically use changes in physiological indicators such as heart rate monitoring and muscle response as a basis for judgment, but these indicators are not directly related to lying.

In other words, it's for reference only, more for entertainment than for realism.

Xie Na asked the first question, "Between Liu Yifei and Fan Bingbing, who do you think is prettier?"

The audience erupted in cheers; this was a bombshell question! Both actresses are stunningly beautiful; were they going to have to decide who was better in Liu Jing's opinion?

Not only were some spectators cheering, but the two beautiful women were also staring at him with subtle glances.

"It must be Sister Bingbing," said Xixi.

“Of course it’s Sissi,” Fat Bing replied.

Liu Jing panicked a little; this wasn't one of the questions he had prepared for.

“Each one is prettier than the last.” Liu Jing had a strong survival instinct; it wouldn’t matter if someone else answered, but if he answered poorly, he would definitely be in trouble.

"Boo..." The audience was disappointed, and their voices were in unison.

beep beep...

Hahahahaha...

The whole room burst into laughter. While Liu Jing was completely bewildered, the instrument flashed a red light and started beeping.

"This is even more standard than the standard answer, so why is it still ringing?" Liu Jing shouted.

"The machine must be broken," Sisi said with a smile.

Liu Jing reached for a glass of water, but He Jiong stopped him, saying, "No need to drink, I was just trying it out."

"I..." Liu Jing's hand was already on the cup, and he really wanted to spill the water.

"What Xixi just said is that you don't have enough screen time, so she's letting you try out first," Xie Na explained.

Liu Jing closed his eyes. "Let's begin."

"First question: If Liu Yifei and Fan Bingbing both fell into the river at the same time, who would you save first?" He Jiong asked.

"I'll protect myself first," Liu Jing replied directly.

"Hahaha, the light isn't on, he really has to protect himself." Xie Na laughed loudly.

Sisi, holding onto Fan Xiaopang's shoulder, couldn't stop laughing. "He...he wants to protect himself? My god, is he that cowardly?"

Fan Xiaopang was speechless. He couldn't even protect himself; what was he supposed to do? It was the same as asking who was prettier. If he said anything about me, you'd break off all contact when you got back. But if he said anything about you, that would really hurt me.

It's not easy to keep a bowl of water perfectly level; if you don't want to spill it, you have to make things difficult for yourself.

The viewers in front of the television burst into laughter; they were just enjoying the spectacle, unaware of the intricacies involved.

Everyone expected that Liu Jing would answer that he wouldn't save anyone, but unexpectedly, he replied that he would save himself first.

"The second question is to describe Fan Xiaopang in three words." This time it was Vega's turn to ask the question.

"Beautiful, pretty, good-looking," Liu Jing answered quickly. There was no other way; he had a three-second time limit. He had a whole vocabulary, but within that limited time, these were the only words that came to mind.

"My third question is, will you invite me to your next movie?" This is what Xie Na asked.

"Yes," Liu Jing replied without hesitation.

Drop drop drop...

The instrument then promptly went off.

Xie Na looked like she'd been struck by lightning, slumping to the ground. "I didn't see it, I didn't hear it, he wasn't lying."

“You must have heard something,” He Jiong said, pulling her up and casually mentioning Liu Jing’s new movie.

Liu Jing picked up the glass of water and drank it all in one gulp. There was nothing to argue about; everyone was just watching for fun.

He admired the equipment; how could he possibly ask for it?

"The fourth question is, how much do you hope 'Painted Skin' will gross at the box office?" This was Hai Tao's question.

"The more the better," Liu Jing replied, referring to it as an easy question.

He gave his true thoughts, so the instrument naturally didn't light up.

"One last question, name three of Yifei's strengths?" This time it was Wu Xin's turn to ask the question.

The room fell silent for a moment, then became truly silent, and then it was like a pot boiling over.

Liu Jing didn't answer, and the instrument didn't make a sound. He picked up the snake grass water, made a bitter face, and drank it all in one gulp.

"I'll beat you to death, don't I have a single redeeming quality?" Sisi was furious and started slapping Liu Jing with her notebook.

"There are too many advantages to describe in three seconds," Liu Jing quickly explained.

His mind went blank just now, and the answer he had thought of beforehand seemed too fake after a quick review.

Upon closer examination, it seems to have advantages everywhere, yet it also seems to have disadvantages everywhere.

With three seconds left, let's drink this first.

The second person to be interrogated was Fan Bingbing. She was a little nervous and kept holding onto Qianqian's hand.

"My first question is, when you were filming scenes with Liu Jing, did you ever feel a flutter in your heart for him?"

"Yes!" Fan Xiaopang answered decisively, then explained, "Talented and a young hero, who wouldn't like him?"

"Second question: If Liu Yifei and Liu Jing fell into the river, who would you save first?"

"Liu Yifei and Liu Jing are good swimmers."

The instrument lit up a red light, and amidst the cheers of the crowd, Fan Xiaopang drank a glass of plain water.

"What would you do if your lover was like Wang Sheng in real life?"

"divorce."

"Bingbing, if you were a demon, would you stop at nothing to steal someone's love?"

"meeting."

When will "Painted Skin" be released?

"November 9."

"Xu..."

The audience booed, because it wasn't exciting at all, suspected it was scripted, and was nowhere near as stimulating as Liu Jing's answer earlier.

Another point is that I was disappointed to see the big star only drinking plain water and not any other beverages.

When it comes to creating entertaining content, it has to be Xixi. She raised the audience's expectations to the maximum and left them thoroughly satisfied.

"Sisi, if Liu Jing and Fan Bingbing fell into the water, what would you do...?"

Before He Jiong could finish his question, Qianqian interrupted him, "Teacher He, why do they always fall into the water? Aren't there waters in the sea or rivers? Or fall into a mountain of knives, a sea of ​​fire, or a pot of boiling oil? Anything is possible. Your program team comes up with questions that have no originality at all."

Liu Jingzhi wiped away cold sweat. This was what he really thought: the instrument wasn't lighting up at all.

Xie Na laughed and changed the question, "If they both fell into a pot of boiling oil, who would you save first?"

"They've already fallen into the oil pot, is there any point in saving them?" Sisi said with a smile.

beep beep...

Her laughter froze. "Save them! We must save them..."

"Haha, sorry, you answered too late, you're three seconds over the time limit." He Jiong laughed loudly, and the audience laughed even harder. You really are like this, Liu Yifei.

After drinking a glass of water, Sisi became even more confident. "Come on, this machine is definitely designed for me."

This time it was Haitao's turn to ask, "Sister Fei, can I treat you to a movie? Let's watch 'Painted Skin'..."

Sisi replied without hesitation, "No! I've already watched it several times."

Fan Xiaopang looked on with admiration; she had managed to refuse the other person without embarrassing them, and without saying anything bad about the movie. Her handling of the interview was indeed not as skillful as Xixi's.

She even felt that this was not so much about being experienced, but rather a kind of refinement ingrained in one's very being.

"Yifei, there are rumors online that you and Bingbing didn't get along on set and almost had a falling out a few times. Is that true?" Wu Xin asked.

"In the drama, we've already fallen out, but off-screen... we're always as close as sisters." A few images flashed through Qianqian's mind: that scoundrel thought she was asleep and secretly slipped out to find Fan Xiaopang. Not even taking a shower—that's what being as close as sisters is like!

beep beep...

"Do you know which statement was a lie?" The hosts looked at each other in bewilderment.

Sisi picked up the lemon juice, hesitated for a long time, and still felt that it was edible.

"Let me try it. I wanted to taste it earlier, but I didn't get the chance," Fan Xiaopang said with a smile.

"Okay, thank you, sister." Sisi smiled.

"The first sentence must be a lie," Xie Na judged. How could there be discord in such a scene of sisterly affection?

“Yifei, please name three of Liu Jing’s good points,” Vega asked the fourth question.

"Handsome and dashing, gentle and considerate, brave and fearless," Sisi answered quickly, without even thinking.

beep beep...

The instrument started beeping very quickly and rapidly.

"So, which one is lying?" Liu Jing took a deep breath. This instrument must be broken. These three are his strengths.

"I reckon even three advantages wouldn't be enough to list them all," Fan Xiaopang laughed.

"The first one," Sisi replied weakly.

Everyone laughed; you actually answered correctly.

"The machine only started beating because of you, so of course you have to drink it for me." Sisi didn't say it aloud, but glanced at Liu Jing, conveying her regret.

Liu Jing sighed, picked up the snake grass water and drank it all in one gulp; he didn't find it unpleasant to drink.

"Sissi, did you ever have feelings for Liu Jing while filming?" He Jiong asked the last question, his eyes full of worry.

He Jiong is an insider when it comes to the relationship between the brother and sister.

He wanted to remove the question at the time, but Sisi insisted on keeping it.

"Of course." Sisi's expression was resolute. Things would always come to light eventually, so she might as well let me do it.

beep beep...

(End of this chapter)