Top Chinese celebrity: Debuted from Running Man

Chapter 410 The Birth of the Demon Child

Chapter 410 The Birth of the Demon Child (7.2k)
……

……

"Little brother!! Have you missed me lately?"
Why don't you even call me first? I, your older brother, have to go out of my way to find you!

As soon as the video call connected, Deng Chao's highly recognizable face filled the entire screen.

Like an energetic imp, he started shouting loudly with childlike complaints, trying to dispel the grief and depression accumulated from days of filming.

however,
When his gaze focused, he clearly saw Gu Qing's flawless, divine face on the other end of the video, so close yet so perfect, as if meticulously sculpted by the Creator.

His deliberately feigned "mournful" expression instantly crumbled, replaced by a genuine smile that tinged with teasing and friendliness on his haggard face.

He made an exaggerated, slightly greasy kiss gesture towards the camera: "Tsk tsk, my little brother is still so handsome, I never get tired of looking at him! Come on, give me a kiss through the screen, mua~!"

What puzzled Old Deng was that...
From the moment the video call connected, Gu Qing's expression clearly froze, her eyes widening slightly.
It was as if he had seen something incredible, and even his earlier antics failed to elicit an immediate response.

"What's going on? Is the signal stuck? Is the image frozen?"

Deng Chao frowned in confusion, waved at the camera, and raised his voice, "Hey, little brother! Can you hear me? Can you see me?"

Next second,
The face in the lens, which had been frozen like a delicate work of art, suddenly seemed to be infused with life, instantly becoming vibrant.

Gu Qing's face was filled with astonishment, and she almost blurted out, asking in an incredulous tone:
"Handsome guy, who are you? Where did you hide Brother Chao?"

"Ah?"

Deng Chao was taken aback by this unexpected question.
immediately,

His signature facial expression control completely spiraled out of control—

His nostrils flared slightly involuntarily, and the corners of his mouth, which had been slightly downturned, arched upwards uncontrollably, like a runaway elevator.
Finally, he broke into an extremely hearty laugh that almost revealed his back teeth: "Hahahaha—!!!!"

The laughter was loud and infectious, filled with the smugness and joy of a middle-aged man caught off guard by praise.

"Am I that handsome?! So handsome that you wouldn't even recognize me?! Hahahaha!"

He chuckled as he stroked his stubble chin, clearly delighted by Gu Qing's "unintentional" praise.

"Yes...he's really handsome."

Gu Qing nodded half-jokingly and half-seriously, her gaze still fixed on Deng Chao on the screen with a hint of curiosity.

At this time, Deng Chao is completely different from the comedic figure he was during his time on "Running Man," with his neat buzz cut and constant "we are a family."

He wore a pair of old-fashioned black-rimmed glasses and had medium-length hair that gave him an artistic air; his hair color was even deliberately dyed a slightly weathered grayish-white tone.

There was still a bit of sparse, ungroomed stubble on his chin.

His overall look exudes a mature and steady air, even carrying a touch of melancholy, reminiscent of a handsome middle-aged man, which contrasts sharply with his usual carefree image.

have to say,

In his specific look in the movie "The City of Light," Deng Chao's appearance truly brought him back to his peak of handsomeness.

"Hey bro, with that glamorous background over there, where are you having a good time?"

After Deng Chao finished laughing, he glanced at the beautiful figure standing on tiptoe, looking somewhat flustered and anxious, outside the camera's view, and casually asked with a smile.

"I just finished filming this afternoon and am having lunch with the director and the others at a restaurant."

Gu Qing held up her phone and answered truthfully, then asked with concern, "Brother Chao, how about you? How's filming with Senior Sister Shi on set? Is it going smoothly?"

"Speaking of which, it seems like Senior Sister hasn't messaged me in a long time. Has she forgotten about me?"

"Shishi? Liu Shishi?"

Jing Tian, who had been a little bored because Gu Qing was on the phone, was about to peek over to see which "expert" was on the phone.

Upon hearing the name, he abruptly stopped in his tracks.

As if a pause button had been pressed, her body, which was about to lean forward, froze in mid-air, and her beautiful phoenix eyes narrowed instantly.

Especially when she saw Gu Qing inquiring about Liu Shishi's recent situation, the familiarity and concern that naturally flowed through her stirred up a strange, bittersweet feeling in her heart.

She rested her chin on her hand, while unconsciously clenching her chopsticks with the other. Her pearly teeth gritted against the tender flesh inside her left cheek, her inner voice screaming:
Hey!
They only kissed 'me' all afternoon.

Is it appropriate for him to show such concern for another woman right in front of me?!

"Gu Qing and Liu Shishi... talked?"

"I don't know."

Director Lin Yufen and screenwriter Gu Man quickly exchanged a glance, completing a silent, unspoken dialogue with their eyebrows and the corners of their mouths.

"Liu Shishi? Is that the Liu Shishi from 'The Legend of Mingfei'?"

Zhou Ye instantly perked up, his eyes shining like searchlights, his inner gossip-loving soul burning brightly, even the delicious food in front of him temporarily losing its appeal.

Zhang Jingyi, who had been listless and dazed after an afternoon of "stimulation,"
After catching Jing Tian's obviously jealous and depressed expression, a strange sense of "what goes around comes around" arose deep within him.

You dared to be arrogant towards me? Now you've been arrogant yourself!

Those who are exceptional will inevitably be surpassed!
She couldn't help but prick up her ears, unwilling to miss any gossip about Gu Qing.

For a time,

The private room, which had been filled with occasional laughter and conversation, suddenly fell silent as if a mute button had been pressed.

Five female compatriots,
From the director to the actors, everyone's gossip radar was on high alert, their attention focused intently on Gu Qing and the phone in his hand.

Only Gu Qing and Deng Chao's voice from the phone echoed clearly.

"How could I forget!"

Deng Chao's voice came through with a laugh, "Mi Nan (Liu Shishi's character name in 'Psychological Crime') misses you so much."
He would talk to me about you whenever he had free time on set, but...

He paused, then said with a hint of mockery, "She's just 'too embarrassed' to see you right now."

In the shot, Old Deng appears to be squatting on the roadside where the film crew has booked the set, a cigarette between his fingers. He takes a rather dashing puff and exhales a smoke ring.
He glanced at the outside of his phone screen again, his smile widening even more. "She's right next to me right now, do you want to say a few words to her yourself?"

"You're too embarrassed to see me?"

Gu Qing became increasingly confused, her brows furrowing slightly. "Why? What happened to Senior Sister?"

at the same time,

He heard a faint, slightly hoarse, and urgent female voice coming from the other end of the phone, seemingly trying to stop Deng Chao:
"Fang Mu! Didn't you promise me you wouldn't tell?! How could you go back on your word!"

Gu Qing recognized the voice; it belonged to Liu Shishi.

"Senior Sister?!"

Gu Qing called out subconsciously, her voice filled with clear surprise and doubt.

When Liu Shishi heard that familiar and melodious voice she had been longing for on the other end of the phone, an overwhelming joy welled up in her heart.

However, this joy lasted only a second.
When she raised her hand to touch the "horrible" hairstyle on her head, her gentle and delicate face instantly crumpled into a bitter expression, filled with sadness and frustration at the thought of losing all hope in life.

I was heartbroken beyond words.

"Come on, come on, don't be shy. You can run away from it one day, but you can't hide it the next."

With a grin and a hint of enjoying the drama, Deng Chao shoved the phone into Liu Shishi's hand without a word.

"You and your younger brother have been filming together for months, spending every day together. What hasn't he seen of you? Why would he care about this?"

Liu Shishi was torn internally, holding her phone as if it were a hot potato.

On the one hand, there is extreme insecurity and embarrassment about one's current appearance.
On the other hand, the desire to see Gu Qing and hear his voice was like a kitten's claws scratching at her heart.

In the end, longing and emotion prevailed.

"younger brother……"

She took the phone, nervously covering it with both hands, deliberately avoiding pointing the camera at herself.

Her voice was filled with obvious trepidation and warning, "You...you mustn't...you absolutely mustn't laugh when you see me later, otherwise...otherwise I really will cry!"

She had prepared herself in advance, her tone filled with a tragic sense of facing death without flinching.

"Senior Sister, why am I laughing?"

Gu Qing was even more puzzled, completely unable to imagine what had happened.

however,
The next second, as if Liu Shishi had used all her strength to point the camera at her face—

Gu Qing saw a... well, rather "handsome and refined," with a slightly tomboyish face.

His expression suddenly froze, and he blinked rapidly twice, as if to confirm whether he was seeing things.

Dude, who are you?

"Ugh—I told you I look ugly right now!! Don't laugh! Don't laugh!!"

Gu Qing's momentary stunned silence and subtle change in expression, though devoid of laughter, were like the last straw, breaking down Liu Shishi's fragile psychological defenses.

She immediately burst into tears, opening her small mouth in grievance, tilting her head back to the cold night sky of the film crew, letting out a mournful wail, tears streaming down her face.

At the beginning of filming "Psychological Crime",
Liu Shishi did indeed know that the role required her to cut her hair short, making a significant change and sacrifice in her appearance.

after all,

In the original novel, the character Mi Nan, whom she plays, is a capable and efficient policewoman, and her hairstyle needs to match the characteristics of her profession.

Initially, she didn't think much about it, and even had the mindset of breaking through her own limitations.

She took on a modern drama precisely to step out of her comfort zone as a period drama beauty and broaden her acting range.

It's just a short haircut, what's the big deal?
She thought it was pretty cool at the time.

But Liu Shishi never expected this!

There are differences between different short hairstyles!

Moreover, this gap is comparable to the East African Rift Valley!
The short hair she envisioned was the kind that would highlight her gentle temperament, with a soft, curly bob that was both refreshing and feminine.

But the stylist on set designed a short hairstyle for her...

It was a style of haircut resembling a bowl cut, with irregular, "dog-chewed" bangs.
I also got a perm with loose, wispy curls, the length of which barely covers the area above my eyebrows!

When this hairstyle comes out, everyone who sees it will pause in surprise, and then exclaim from the bottom of their hearts, "Wow, what a handsome young man!"

He's a complete tomboy trying to pretend to be a tomboy!

This is completely different from her previous ethereal and gentle image, a truly subversive change!
This is why Liu Shishi never dared to contact Gu Qing again after joining the crew.

She was deeply hurt by her own appearance, and her self-confidence was severely damaged. How could she dare to let Gu Qing see her in such an "unseemly" state?

however,
Despite all precautions, it's hard to guard against a traitor within your own family... In the end, I was betrayed by my "bad friend" Deng Chao in such an unexpected way.

"Fang Mu! It's all your fault! It's all your fault!!!"

While sobbing in grievance, Liu Shishi vented her anger on Deng Chao, the "culprit."
She kept slapping his arm, "I told you not to video call! I told you not to video call! But you insisted! Now look what happened! My image is completely ruined! Waaaaah—"

"Senior Sister, I didn't laugh, I really didn't laugh."

Gu Qing finally recovered from her initial shock, quickly suppressing the urge to smile and trying to make her expression appear sincere and serious.
Trying to comfort the other person, "Actually... this hairstyle is quite... quite cool, very unique!"
Look at that tuft of hair on your forehead... uh, that little curl, like a little wool, so... so cute, so playful!

They racked their brains to find a positive word.

He was about to offer a few more words of comfort when he suddenly realized that the atmosphere around him was unusually quiet, eerily quiet.

Huh? Why is it so quiet?

Gu Qing subconsciously looked up, and her heart skipped a beat.

Across the table, five pairs of eyes, gleaming with a gossip-like green light, were staring intently at him.

"Uh... um... I... I'm going outside to take this call, it's a bit noisy here."

Gu Qing's expression froze. She quickly made an excuse, pulled up the hood of her sweatshirt to cover her head, and got up and left the private room almost as if she were fleeing. "The food is here, you can eat first, don't wait for me."

Even after he gently closed the door to the private room, separating the inside from the outside, an eerie silence remained inside.

You can hear the needle drop.

Zhou Ye shrank back, secretly taking out her phone and rapidly tapping on the screen, subtly sharing her gossip with Zhang Jingyi.

After Gu Qing left, Jing Tian, who had been trying to maintain her composure, completely lost control of her expression and became expressionless.

She unconsciously and repeatedly tore at the clean white napkin in her hand.

quickly,

The poor napkin turned into countless snowflake-like fragments in her hand.

She spoke abruptly, her voice devoid of emotion, yet carrying an invisible pressure.
He asked, "Director, are Gu Qing and Liu Shishi...having a good relationship in private?"

"I...I don't know."

Director Lin Yufen continued to employ her "playing dumb" skills, spreading her hands innocently, "You know, I've only directed A-Gu's 'The Journey of Flower' and 'Legend of Nine Tails Fox,' and I haven't participated in any collaborations between him and Shishi."

How would I know what their personal relationship is like?

She skillfully kicked the ball away.

"Senior sister! Senior brother and Shishi senior must have a very good relationship! I've even shipped them as a couple before!"

Completely oblivious to the subtle tension, Ono happily caught the ball. As if she had found a kindred spirit, she excitedly looked up, her eyebrows dancing with delight, and began to act as a "knowledge whiz."
"They've known each other since the 'Brotherhood of Blades' era, and they were already very close back then! They even went to a comic convention together and cosplayed as Haku and Chihiro from 'Spirited Away'!"

Wow, the way my senior looked as the white dragon back then was amazing! He looked like he stepped right out of an anime, so handsome it was breathtaking!

Later, they collaborated again on "The Imperial Doctress"...

She got more and more excited as she talked, completely unaware of Jing Tian's increasingly dark expression: "That's another huge hit!"

Last summer, who didn't shed tears and obsessively ship Qi Yu and Yun Xian's love story in front of the TV? They had tons of fans who shipped them!

Da Tiantian listened calmly, outwardly remaining expressionless, but the chopsticks she was pressing tightly with her fingers were already making a faint, strained "creaking" sound.

Thankfully, these chopsticks are of good quality, otherwise they would have broken long ago.

"Senior sister, senior sister, there's more!"

Zhou Ye seemed to have opened a floodgate of words, his little hands clasped together excitedly, his face full of envy and longing, "Everyone online says that the senior wrote two songs for Senior Shishi!"

One is "Spring Snow in the Courtyard," and the other is "Small Town Ballad."
This is so romantic! Especially a line from the song "Spring Snow" that's become incredibly popular and often used: "My heart is not a stone that cannot be turned, my heart is not a mat that cannot be rolled up..." This line means...

"Ahem! Yi Ran,"

Director Lin Yufen suddenly coughed loudly, abruptly interrupting Zhou Ye's endless "science popularization."
At the same time, he placed his empty water glass heavily on the glass turntable and turned it around, saying, "I've finished my tea, and my throat is a little dry. Could you please pour me some more? Thank you."

"Okay, director, right away!"

Zhou Ye then belatedly realized that he might have said too much, so he obediently got up, picked up the delicate little teapot next to him, and carefully poured water for the director.

"My heart is not a stone that cannot be moved, nor a mat that cannot be rolled up..."

This line of poetry, brimming with unwavering affection, had already penetrated Jing Tian's mind like a bewitching melody, making the nameless fire in her heart burn even more fiercely.

Stealing a glance at her senior sister's extremely unpleasant expression, which seemed ready to explode at any moment, Zhang Jingyi, who had remained silent,
The subtle "devil child" mentality that had been "suppressed" all afternoon was now quietly sprouting like vines.

She pursed her lips, a sudden impulse of "evil rising from the heart" making her walk on the edge of a dangerous tightrope. She spoke softly, seemingly unintentionally adding, "Actually... senior has also written songs for other people."

Personally, I... prefer older...

"Yes, yes! Weiwei!"

Seeing that the situation was about to get out of control, screenwriter Gu Man immediately stepped in to save the day, putting on a smile and saying, "I remember Xiao Nai also wrote a theme song for your movie 'The Great Wall', didn't he?"
I remember the song title, it's called "A Bridge of Fate", right?
Look at this song title, how romantic, how full of destiny! What does that tell us?
This means that Xiao Nai expressed his affection for you through this song even before he had met you in person!
Isn't this even more of a sense of destiny than songs written after a collaboration?

She tried to steer the conversation back to Jing Tian and Gu Qing.

however,
Jing Tian closed her long eyelashes and gritted her teeth, saying, "I spent a lot of money to ask someone to buy that song from him!"

Gu Man: "..."

Well, I meant to put out the fire, but I ended up pouring oil on it.

She herself delivered that final blow.

She was speechless for a moment, gave an awkward laugh, and didn't know how to respond.

"Oh, it's alright, it's alright! Out with the old, in with the new!"

Director Lin Yufen knows how to comfort people, although it sounds a bit strange. "What if, after we finish filming this drama, A-Gu has a burst of inspiration and writes four, five, six, or seven songs for you in one go?"
Wouldn't that leave all those one or two songs far behind?

With a wave of her hand, she declared with great bravado, "Two songs? What good are they! So stingy!"
My drama needs at least four background songs! I'll have Gu provide them all!

"Why...why did he write a song for me..."

Jing Tian awkwardly raised her hand and brushed away the non-existent messy strands of hair behind her ear, trying to hide her inner turmoil. Her tone was a little awkward as she said, "I...I've never dated him."

Is she the kind of person who craves superficial fame and special treatment?
Uh…it seems…that really is true.

……

"Squeak-"

The door to the private room, adorned with exquisite carvings, was gently pushed open.

Gu Qing walked in with a relaxed and natural expression, having chatted about something for a while.

He noticed the almost untouched food on the table and asked in surprise, "Director, why haven't you touched your chopsticks?"

"Don't wait for me, the food won't taste good if it gets cold."

As he spoke, he naturally returned to his seat.

however,
As soon as he sat down, a voice beside him, clearly filled with emotion and deliberately turning its head away from him, came:
"Who's waiting for you? Don't flatter yourself! The dishes haven't all been served yet. Everyone is being polite; no one is as eager to start eating as you are."

Jing Tian turned her back to him, pretending to be casual, and in a slightly sarcastic tone, asked the question she had been holding back for so long:

"How did it go? Finished the call? Did you... win your girlfriend back?"

"girlfriend?"

Gu Qing turned to look at her in surprise, "Who's my girlfriend? Brother Chao?"

"towards……"

Jing Tian's lips twitched involuntarily.

"puff--"

"Cough cough cough..."

the other side,
Zhou Ye, who was drinking water; Zhang Jingyi, who was observing silently; even Lin Yufen, who was holding a cup, and Gu Man, who was picking up food with her chopsticks—all of these were present.

They were all amused by Gu Qing's brilliant reply and almost lost their composure, trying hard to suppress their laughter, their shoulders twitching slightly.

"Hmph! Don't play dumb with me, you know the answer already!"

Jing Tian suppressed the urge to laugh, trying to maintain a cold expression, and turned to glare at him, "Liu Shishi! I'm talking about Liu Shishi! Isn't she your girlfriend? Look at how concerned you were when you called her just now!"

"Should I call my girlfriend 'Senior Sister'?"

Gu Qing looked at her speechlessly, "Am I sick?"

Sister Zhao struggled to survive on the verge of leaving the entertainment industry, and now she is wholeheartedly dedicated to her career.

Little Lion finally achieved double success in both television and film, and his career is booming.
She had long forgotten her image of being a serene and unassuming person, otherwise she wouldn't have wanted to try again in the film industry and attempt to change her image.

As for Teacher Bai, that was just a fleeting affair.

And these three relationships,

What annoyed Gu Qing the most was that
He was the one who was "slept with," but the other person just walked away and didn't mention it afterward. What kind of nonsense is that?

of course,

Whether it's the clever Sister Zhao or the clueless Little Lion.

They all understood Gu Qing's current identity deep down.

A top-tier celebrity at the age of twenty, the hottest new generation in the entertainment industry.

Who dares to announce their relationship?
Don't be fooled by the fans online who seem to genuinely wish them well, shipping them as a couple.

That's all bullshit!
These fans who ship couples simply enjoy finding pure love in the entertainment industry, and within that pure love, they seek a harem; they crave a sense of ambiguity that blurs the lines between reality and fantasy.

If you really dare to announce your relationship,

Still shipping couples?

Your fans will immediately swear by your whole family!

Since the birth of the entertainment industry

When popular male and female celebrities announce their relationships, none of them end well.

For a career, this has always been the most significant blow.

You want money and a career.

Or do you still want a fleeting, elusive love?

nonsense,

Of course, career comes first, then love!
Adults usually manage to do both.

……

"You're not my girlfriend, yet you call her so sweetly."

Jing Tian's pretty face relaxed, and her depressed mood finally became a little more cheerful.

"Is it sweet to call me 'sister'?"

Gu Qing didn't understand.

"It's the tone, do you understand tone?"

Jing Tian poked at the porcelain bowl with her chopsticks and said angrily, "You call me so casually off-screen, but you call her so gently. Isn't that how you treat your girlfriend?"

"You're only half right."

Gu Qing looked at her.

Which half?

Jing Tian met his gaze with unwavering eyes.

"I'm only very casual with you."

Gu Qing used her chopsticks to pick up a plump, bouncy fish ball, turned her head, and placed it in Zhang Jingyi's bowl.

He said, "Jingyi, don't just eat vegetarian food all the time. You're still growing. Even artists need to pay attention to a balanced diet with a mix of meat and vegetables."

Zhang Jingyi stared blankly at the fish balls that had suddenly appeared in her bowl, glistening with an enticing sheen.

Gu Qing's gentle, warm tone, so different from when he was arguing with Jing Tian earlier, echoed in his ears.

In a flash,

She felt as if her fragile heart, shattered by witnessing all sorts of intimate scenes throughout the day, was being gently picked up and pieced back together by a pair of tender hands, instantly finding healing and comfort.

She... felt like she had come back to life!

Full blood resurrection!!
My senior still cares about me!
Zhang Jingyi's inner self was overjoyed.

"Come on, Ono, eat more of this too, you've gotten so thin."

Gu Qing then placed another piece of food on Zhou Ye's plate that she couldn't reach.

"Hehe, thank you, senior! I want that one too!"

Zhou Ye immediately beamed and pointed to another dish in a coquettish manner.

"Director Yu Fen, Teacher Gu Man, I think this soup looks good. Let me serve you some to warm your stomachs."

"Okay, okay, thank you so much, Gu. You're so thoughtful."

Jing Tian: "..."

She watched as Gu Qing, like a central air conditioner, thoughtfully took care of Zhang Jingyi and Zhou Ye at the table, and even looked after the two middle-aged women.

She was the only one left out, as if she were invisible.

Da Tiantian pouted, her phoenix eyes brimming with tears.

She's about to cry, and nobody can stop her!!
No one paid attention.

Jing Tian opened her mouth, ready to cry.

A fresh, fragrant, and tender fish ball was placed near her mouth by chopsticks.

She looked.

"Weiwei, ah~"

Gu Qing chose to feed them.

"snort--!"

With her two signature rabbit teeth biting into the fish ball, Jing Tian chewed forcefully and angrily, "Don't think you can bribe me with this!"

"How about another piece?"

Gu Qing picked up another piece.