Chapter 81: I’ve laid out the truth before you, child—don’t say you weren’t warned!
The next morning.
Li Shixin had just finished washing up after getting out of bed when the phone rang—it was the publicity director from Tianmeng Entertainment.
Ever since Li Shixin’s exclusive interview was released yesterday, the director said, several media outlets and the actors’ union had reached out, requesting to schedule interviews.
Last night, Li Shixin had stayed up past eleven, following the interview’s comments in front of his computer. It was the first time since coming to Rongdian that he had burned the midnight oil.
After all, his body was not as young as it once was.
Staying up late felt good in the moment, but upon waking he was dizzy and exhausted, as if he’d been drained dry. Still, when he heard this news, his spirits soared.
As expected, with his son “offered to the heavens,” his power was boundless. Judging by this momentum, it seemed that he was finally about to become famous!
He thanked the director and told him to let the media know that, aside from his filming schedule, he was available for interviews at any time. Then, he sat at the dining table, falling into deep thought.
From his observations last night, although the stir he had caused hadn’t yet fully fermented, the trend and online response indicated it would be no less impactful than the previous on-set incident. The persona of the lonely, elderly man chasing his dreams at death’s door was taking root nicely.
But this also brought a rather serious problem—every step of this event, from planning to execution, had been carried out by him alone.
Being a drama king, using his innate artistic flair to coax a few tears was one thing. But if he wanted the matter to truly gain traction and produce a positive effect—if he wanted to channel all this attention and turn it into his own following—this was clearly beyond his power alone.
Drawing on his experience from his idol trainee days, he knew that when an artist’s hot topic reached this stage, it was time for the operations team to step in: harnessing PR to promote the artist and their works, converting the idle onlookers into genuine fans.
If nothing else, the core fans could be mobilized to control online commentary and leave a good impression on the broader public.
But when he thought of his loyal, older fans who still hadn’t learned to use Weibo, Li Shixin could only sigh.
If he asked Auntie Wu and the other grandmas from around 98th Plaza to manage the comments, they’d handle it flawlessly in the neighborhood. But online…
He could only picture his high-aged die-hard fans who, to this day, had failed to master Weibo and had naturally turned their fan group into a wellness and karaoke chatroom. With a heavy heart, Li Shixin sighed deeply.
They were not to be relied upon!
After pondering for a long while, he concluded that this kind of operations work should be left to the younger generation.
Narrowing his eyes, he smiled.
Fortunately, I was prepared for this!
He fished through his coat pocket and dug out the business card of his “Godson No. 2,” Chen Antang.
Speaking of Chen Antang, perhaps traumatized by his strict mother, the boy had left town the day after the fan meet. Li Shixin had later called him, but was told he was at the airport, about to board a flight to Shanghai—barely a few words were exchanged before the call ended.
After that, Li Shixin became busy with filming and hadn’t contacted him again.
Now that his “real son” had been “offered to the heavens,” it was time for “Godson No. 2” to step up and prove himself.
After all, wasn’t he a veteran agent?
The first time he dialed Chen Antang’s number, the call didn’t go through. The second time, there was no answer, which made Li Shixin frown. It wasn’t until his third persistent attempt that the call was picked up at the very last moment.
“Hello? Uncle Li, you’re calling so early?” came Chen Antang’s slightly awkward voice from the other end.
Li Shixin chuckled, “Antang, just woke up?”
“Ah, haha, yes, Uncle Li. I was working late last night, busy with something... haha…”
Li Shixin raised his eyebrows, ignoring the obvious lie. He chided gently, “Kid, why are you still calling me ‘Uncle Li’?”
There was silence on the line for a moment, then Chen Antang seemed to make up his mind and said solemnly, “Uncle Li, it’s a good thing you called this morning. I wanted to talk to you about this.
My mother’s getting older, and she’s worried about me plenty over the years. I feel guilty I can’t be by her side. Now that she’s retired, she’s free to chase idols and spend money as she likes—I let her be. But the whole ‘godfather’ thing… you know how it is. My mother forced me into it. Let’s not count it between us, alright?”
Oh?
Your mother made you do it?
Hearing Chen Antang trying to back out cleanly, Li Shixin’s eyes narrowed in amusement.
Young man, you’ve forgotten the lessons of the past!
You’re taking the wrong path!
What to do?
Let’s see.
Cradling the phone, Li Shixin asked with a friendly laugh, “Antang, do you have something against your godfather?”
“Uncle Li, what could I possibly have against you?”
“Really?”
“…Alright, since we’re talking, let’s be frank. I’m not sure if you realize this, but my mother’s feelings for you might not be just the admiration of a fan for her idol.
Ahem… We’re both men, so I’ll be straight with you. My father’s been gone for years, so as her son, I should support her if she wants to move on. But honestly, it makes me uncomfortable. So I figured, if you just stay as her idol, that’s fine with me. As for…”
Ah.
Listening to Chen Antang’s lengthy, veiled confession, Li Shixin understood; the boy was jealous on behalf of his late father!
No wonder his mother always complained about him.
Crossing his legs and lifting his straight, long, white brows, Li Shixin interrupted him with measured seriousness, “Your mother sent me a message a few days ago, inviting me over for dinner at your place.”
“…So I think we shouldn’t recognize—wait, what did you say?” Caught off guard by Li Shixin’s bombshell, Chen Antang was stunned.
This is a disaster!
Every evening, Chen Boshi went to tutoring after a few bites of dinner, but to invite this old man to their home for dinner? Just the two of them, a man and a woman…
Father! If you can see from above, your wife… she can’t wait to find you a successor!
With tears prickling at the corners of his eyes, Chen Antang asked, voice trembling, “Did… you agree?”
Tapping his fingernail, Li Shixin smiled gently, “Not yet. But Antang, let me put it this way—see if it makes sense:
Would you rather call me godfather, help support my career from time to time, and keep me and your mother at a safe fan-idol distance? Or should I, as I approach my twilight years, stop making a fuss, pursue a late romance, move into your house, and have you call me Uncle Li, or even ‘Dad’?”
Laying out the logic in one breath, Li Shixin sighed, “After all, I’m an old bachelor of several decades now. My boy, I’ve said all I can—think it over carefully… Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Hearing Li Shixin’s diplomatic tone laced with pressure, Chen Antang sucked in a cold breath on the other end of the call!
“Godfather! You’re calling so early—there must be something you need, right? Don’t be a stranger, we’re family! If there’s anything I can do, just say the word!”
Hearing the sweet and eager cry of “godfather” over the phone, Li Shixin chuckled.
“Good child. You’re sensible.”
Just as Li Shixin began to explain the recent developments to Chen Antang and instruct him to handle the online traffic and Weibo operations, the door to Zhang Ying’s bedroom opened.
Having not returned to the hotel the previous night, An Xiaoxiao, who’d stayed over with Zhang Ying, shuffled out in an oversized onesie and fuzzy slippers.
She blinked sleepily at Li Shixin, who was already up and orchestrating grand plans, discussing things that sounded so lofty and impressive, and couldn’t help but let out a long yawn.
Rubbing her eyes and tears, the little girl blinked again.
Such professionalism!
An Xiaoxiao, study hard—this is your role model!