Chapter Ten: Better to Wrong the Young and Poor than the Old and Wise!

Chapter 10

Watching Li Shixin with his air of seniority and authority, Liu Xin was seething with anger. As a rising star with millions of followers, an idol at the peak of his career, Liu Xin had never been so disregarded—not by extras like Li Shixin, nor even by minor celebrities of the second or third tier. In the entertainment industry, seniority and hierarchy had always mattered, but what era was this? In an age where entertainment reigns supreme, the one who’s popular holds all the cards!

Li Shixin sat upright on his folding chair, sipping tea leisurely. Liu Xin, thoroughly provoked, whispered a few words to his assistant, then turned his back on Guan Lan, heading straight for the nanny van. His intentions were clear: handle it as you see fit.

As the car door slammed shut, Liu Xin’s assistant walked up to Guan Lan. “Director Guan, you called Mr. Liu at the last minute to add a scene. He was participating in a charity event in the community, and we rushed here from afar. Mr. Liu had a dinner engagement at 7:30, which he canceled for your shoot. Now, with all this drama, I believe Mr. Liu deserves an explanation. Surely you haven’t forgotten—when Mr. Liu joined the cast, it was made clear that his lines would be dubbed in post-production.”

They hadn’t explicitly said Liu Xin would quit if Li Shixin didn’t cooperate, but anyone could tell Liu Xin was determined to make Li Shixin yield.

Stars have their dignity. If this had happened with a second or third-tier actor, Liu Xin might have swallowed his pride. Five lines weren’t much, after all. But to be held up by an extra? How could he let that stand?

Guan Lan looked at the tightly closed nanny van, then at Li Shixin calmly drinking his tea. She felt utterly defeated. What kind of world was this? She was the assistant director, finally in charge for once since the director was away, yet now she had to bear the brunt of the actors’ tempers and even defer to an extra!

At this moment, Guan Lan felt not just heartbroken, but as if a powerful force had pierced her heart, surged through her lungs, and blocked her windpipe. Sighing inwardly, she bent down and gave Li Shixin a bitter smile. “Sir, the director isn’t here today, so I’m carrying the load. For the sake of harmony, could you please make an exception? Would you go and apologize to Mr. Liu?”

“Me, apologize?” Li Shixin slammed his tea mug on the ground.

He was about to lose his temper, but seeing Guan Lan’s crestfallen face and her hands pressed together in a pleading gesture, he held back. Glancing at the darkened nanny van window, Li Shixin squinted. Apologize, huh?

Very well.

He dusted off his coat and stood up, handing his tea mug to the crew member behind him, then walked toward the nanny van, hands clasped behind his back. As the crowd followed, Li Shixin clicked his tongue. “What, you all want to see an old man like me bow his head to a youngster? Are you hoping for a spectacle?”

In truth, none of them had such intentions. Though unfamiliar with Li Shixin before, they’d seen his impressive performance earlier, and many had spent the afternoon chatting with him, finding him knowledgeable and affable. Their impression of him was quite favorable. They followed not to gawk, but out of concern that Liu Xin might go too far, so they could step in if needed.

Hearing Li Shixin’s words, the group stopped.

“Sir, please be accommodating.”

“Yes, sir, though he’s young, he is a star. And you’re just an extra… cough, bowing your head doesn’t diminish you.”

Damn it!

Li Shixin glared at a few prop masters who’d spent the afternoon discussing Qing history with him, and they fell silent.

With no one trailing him now, Li Shixin approached the nanny van alone, knocked thrice on the door. The electric door slid open, revealing Liu Xin, legs crossed on an airline-style seat, idly tapping his phone. He waited for Li Shixin to speak, saying nothing himself.

Li Shixin had seen it all. Before his return, he’d dealt with plenty like Liu Xin in his company.

“Heh, young man. Sorry about earlier,” Li Shixin said with a deep breath and a forced smile.

“Mm.” Liu Xin didn’t look up, still tapping his phone.

The message was clear: not sincere enough.

“Well, the night’s fallen. I’m just an old coffin ready for the grave—my time’s not worth mentioning. But for a big star like you, surely every minute counts, right? Ah, I was foolish, wasted sixty years. You’ve been in the industry for years, and it’s my first time acting; technically, I should call you ‘teacher.’ Teacher Liu, you’re magnanimous, don’t hold it against this old man.”

He’d lowered himself enough.

Liu Xin’s anger abated considerably, and he put away his phone.

Seeing this, Li Shixin quickly stepped forward. “Come, Teacher Liu, let me help you out of the car.”

“No need.” Liu Xin instinctively fended off the two aged hands reaching toward him.

He had no idea that this gesture would ruin everything.

From a distance, Guan Lan and the others watched Li Shixin bowing and scraping before the car, feeling uncomfortable. Anyone could see where the issue lay. The old man, an extra in his sixties, dutifully acted for three hundred yuan a day. And you, a star earning three or four million, come to the set to recite numbers?

The old adage says you reap what you sow. The entertainment industry is thriving now, and indeed, popularity rules. But is this what it means to be an actor?

No one spoke aloud, but watching Li Shixin bow and apologize to Liu Xin in the car, then bend over shakily to help him out, their hearts felt sour.

“Ah!”

At that moment, something happened that no one could control.

Inside the car, Liu Xin waved both hands, and Li Shixin tumbled out headfirst. With a muffled thud, he landed solidly on the ground.

“Damn it!” Xiao Wang, the prop master who’d spent the afternoon chatting with Li Shixin, couldn’t hold back. He tore off his hat and slammed it to the ground.

“Liu Xin, you little bastard! Are you even human?”

“He’s over sixty! No matter how big a star you are, is there any need to bully someone like this?”

“Don’t stop me! If I don’t beat some decency into him today, so he learns the meaning of respecting elders and cherishing the young, then my nine years of compulsory education are wasted!”

With a rush, several young crew members charged forward.

Inside the nanny van, seeing the old man grinning coldly from the ground after his tumble, then glancing at the oncoming crowd with unfriendly faces, Liu Xin’s mouth fell open.