Chapter 67: I will protect you.
[Anonymous 1666]: I also want Chen Xing to scold me, I envy Xia Huanming so much
【Anonymous 2135】: No, you upstairs...
[Anonymous 556]: I don't think she cried because of scolding. Xia Huanming is not that fragile.
【Anonymous 42586】: What did you do to deserve such harsh criticism?
[Anonymous 66686]: Ah, I also met them. My friend and I guessed if it was them, and it turned out to be true! Go Hwan is really tall, and Xiao Zhu is a handsome guy even with a mask. Weren't they still talking and laughing on the road? Why did they suddenly quarrel?
[Anonymous 75648]: Are they trying to steal the oden?
[Anonymous 2323]: Ahhh, the OP was just joking. They weren't quarreling, they were more of a heart-to-heart talk. Later on, Xiaozhu even hugged Xia Huanming and comforted him. Please don't misunderstand me (kneeling) [Photo]
【Anonymous 7775】: To be honest, Xiaozhu’s profile is invincible
[Anonymous 3554]: I am dying of laughter. Fast forward to the original poster: I will never dare to play with abstraction again.
Fortunately, the poster took the initiative to clarify that the title was fictitious, otherwise Xia Huanming would have to personally come out to dispel the rumor.
After the original poster posted the clarifying photo of "Chen Xing comforting Xia Huanming", everyone's attention was focused on Chen Xing's face. Although Chen Xing was basically bare-faced in the show, some people thought that the production team had adjusted the beauty and whitening effects in the later stage. It was not until this photo came out that everyone was silent - it turns out that he really looks like this.
Xia Huanming switched to camera mode and called out to Chen Xing, who was eating chopped pepper beef across from him: "Wake up."
Chen Xing looked up when he heard the voice, his lips covered with shiny chili oil: "Huh? What's wrong?"
"Someone suspects that you don't look like this without makeup. Leave a picture." Xia Huanming quickly pressed the camera button.
In the 1:1 composition, Chen Xing's fluffy bangs covered his forehead, leaving a pair of confused eyes facing the camera, and his right cheek was bulging because of the beef stuffed in it. Xia Huanming's shot was very lifelike.
Chen Xing saw the photo and praised: "Wow, it's so beautiful."
"Great photos." Zhao Xingyu adjusted his collar, put his hand on his forehead, and pretended to think. "Quick, quick, take a photo for me too. I feel like I'm in a really good mood today."
"Are you sure? Don't blame me if the photo is ugly."
"No, no."
Xia Huanming finally took a photo for him and sent it to Zhao Xingyu. Zhao Xingyu was very satisfied and shared it with his friends, boasting: "The handsome guy is here."
Zheng Qi said that handsome guys wouldn't call themselves handsome guys, so Zhao Xingyu quickly edited it to: "The ugly guy is here."
As a result, Wang Baiyue was the first to like the comment: "You are right."
Zhao Xingyu: “? No.”
Zhao Xingyu slammed the table and threatened to have a PVP duel with Wang Baiyue in the game. Wang Baiyue covered his ears and pretended not to hear.
The two people's bickering made everyone laugh.
The meal was still lively.
After dinner, everyone returned to their respective rooms. Matisse sat on the edge of the bed and shared with Xia Huanming the photos of the promotional booth set up today.
Today is the day to promote and set up the booth. The people selected by their group are Matisse and Zheng Peiya. When setting up the booth, they have posted some photos, but they are all taken by Zheng Peiya, and they are very artistic, like the promotional photos of the official account.
Looking at Matisse's photo again now, Xia Huanming said in his heart: No wonder it was not published.
Matisse only cared about the appearance of the stalls and paid no attention to the faces of the people, resulting in the people in the camera either having their eyes closed or their mouths wide open, with extremely distorted faces.
One of the photos is over-sharpened, comparable to Dead Rising.
Xia Huanming smiled and said, "Because they don't publish photos, they are afraid of being offended." (No wonder they didn't let you post photos, because taking photos would be a bit offensive to them.)
"Hahaha," Matisse said in broken Mandarin after laughing, "I want Li to teach me how to shoot."
Xia Huanming pointed at his phone and said, "You should ask Chen Xing to teach you. He takes great photos and has a camera."
Only after he finished speaking did he realize a problem - if he introduced Matisse to Chen Xing, then he would have even less time to spend with Chen Xing.
Xia Huanming was annoyed for a moment. He was so busy praising Chen for waking up that he forgot about this matter.
When Mattis hesitated, he quickly added: "If he is not free, you can ask me."
Matisse thanked him quickly.
After talking with Matisse, Xia Huanming went back to studying the script.
His main role is at the end. As a supporting character who drives the development of the plot, the plot seems to have installed a locator on him, using his and Chen Xing's ending to foreshadow the ending of the entire drama.
This technique is very common in dramas, using minor characters to hint at what will happen to the protagonist later, so that when the audience watches it, they will have a sense of foreshadowing.
In a drama that is neither too long nor too short, such plot design can better mobilize the audience's emotions.
If Xue Si Nian and Zheng Pei Ya hadn't said that this was the first time they wrote a play, Xia Huanming would have thought that it was a script that they had rehearsed dozens of times.
There is really a promising future ahead.
Xia Huanming read the script for a while, and then Chen Xing called him to go for a walk. It was the two of them and Qi Yinrui again.
On the way, the three of them bought a popsicle each and happened to meet an aunt selling flowers on the roadside. She was selling wild roses for two yuan a branch, and there were several rose flowers on one branch, which was considered cheap.
Xia Huanming bought two, took a photo holding them in his hand, and posted it on his microblog account.
[@夏小h]: [Picture] When you give someone a rose, the fragrance lingers on your hands.
Netizens expressed their doubts about Xia Huanming's unusual behavior of sending photos of flowers.
[@橘子owo]: Brother, are you finally thinking of updating your Weibo?
[@Change your name in 30 days]: What beautiful flowers?! Who are you giving this to?
[@Cookie Collector]: What's going on? Do you grow flowers?
Xia Huanming didn't intend to give away the plot, so he replied with an emoticon that said "Guess what happened", which caused everyone to guess again.
Then, he gave the flowers to Chen Xing on the pretext of using them as props.
Chen Xing was also an honest man. The next day, he brought the two bouquets of flowers to the practice room as props. Zhang Jin'an saw it and gave him a lesson.
"In fact, there are also etiquettes for sending flowers. Different characters and different plots require different gestures for sending flowers."
Zhang Jin'an held one of the bouquets of roses and stood in the middle of the practice room, asking all the contestants to look at him.
"I'll get a few people to act out how different people give flowers."
Chen Xing lowered his eyes and looked at the roses wrapped in kraft paper in his arms. Each rose had light pink petals, like rouge diluted by water. The buds were swollen and slightly white at the edges, as if they would bloom completely if exposed to the sun for a moment longer.
Yesterday he found a cup and made some water, and he is still in good shape today.
"It's so beautiful." Zheng Peiya looked at the flower and praised it.
"Yes." Chen Xing put his nose against the petals and sniffed the faint sweet scent.
"Xia Huanming has a good eye." Zheng Peiya gently stroked the soft petals with her fingers, "These must be the two most beautiful ones."
Chen Xing recalled that moment—Xia Huanming gently tapped his shoulder.
When he turned around, a bouquet of fresh roses suddenly appeared before his eyes. Following the petals upwards, he saw Xia Huanming's smiling eyes under the brim of his hat.
Xia Huanming was wearing a casual black and white jacket. When he lowered his head, the ends of his hair were stained with the afterglow of the sunset. His collar gently touched the petals. A gentle smile spread across his handsome face. He whispered, "For you."
At that moment, the sound of the road flute disappeared, the shadows of the trees swayed, everything was silent, and the purple light flowed into the western sky.
He could smell the fragrance of the rose, and what he thought in his heart was: How nice it would be if it was not used for practice, but was just given to him.
He should be happier.
"But it's okay now." Chen Xing murmured, rubbing the brown paper with his nose.
Everyone used the flowers in Zhang Jinan's hand to simulate the "scenes of giving flowers in different plots" in turn: some people performed visiting sick family members; some people played the secret admirers who were about to confess their love; and of course some people played the heartbreak.
Xia Huanming was the first one to be called on stage to perform, and was pulled aside by Zhang Jin'an after the performance.
The two men talked in low voices for a few words. Zhang Jin'an obviously had no intention of letting him go, so Xia Huanming could only stand on the side and watch the performances of others.
Xia Huanming glanced towards Chen Xing from time to time.
As soon as he left, Zhao Xingyu moved his butt to sit next to Chen Xing, and was now happily chatting about something. As he was talking, he leaned his head on Chen Xing's shoulder.
Xia Huanming: “…”
Just speak, what do you rely on?
Who needs to rely on others to speak?
Xia Huanming's expression became increasingly gloomy as Zhao Xingyu approached.
Even more unfortunate was that Chen Xing was completely immersed in the performance in front of him and didn't notice the vague sight in the distance at all.
In the middle of the practice room, Huang Canni walked a few steps to Shen Miao who was sitting on the ground and handed the flower to Shen Miao: “This is the last thing he gave you.”
Shen Miao took the bouquet with trembling hands, with a look of fear and sadness on his face: "Why did you tell me now that he is gone? What's the point of telling me now?"
Huang Canni squatted beside Shen Miao and patted her back comfortingly: "...He left this bouquet of flowers for you because he wanted you to remember him when you forgot about him, instead of being unable to leave."
"How could I... possibly forget him?"
Shen Miao is indeed a very good actor, and he can shed tears of sadness at will.
The way she stared at the bouquet of flowers, it was as if her lover had really left her, and her tears fell on the smooth floor.
Huang Canni plays her friend, who always remains calm and comforts her friend, but when she gets emotional, she will look up to prevent the tears in her eyes from flowing down.
Everyone held their breath and no one interrupted their conversation until Shen Miao and Huang Canni stood up, and then everyone burst into applause.
Cheng Pei-ya applauded and said, "It was a great performance."
Chen Xing nodded and replied, "Yes."
This made Zhao Xingyu laugh: "Why are you two just like robots? You keep the same dialogue no matter what you praise."
Chen Xing and Zheng Peiya stared at Zhao Xingyu and curled their lips.
Zheng Peiya explained: "This is called the great way of simplicity."
Chen Xing poked Zhao Xingyu's arm with the flower stem: "It seems that I can praise flowers."
Zhao Xingyu rubbed his arms and said, "Aren't there flowers in your hands? Do you still need to praise them?"
Chen Xing was embarrassed. He twitched his lips and said, "When did you learn to tell jokes from Brother Qi?" He was so shocked.
After the performance, Zhang Jin'an returned the flowers to Chen Xing, and Xia Huanming also returned to the team and stood directly in front of Zhao Xingyu.
The three people sitting on the ground looked up at him at the same time
Xia Huanming kept smiling and said to Zhao Xingyu politely, "Please make way. Thank you."
Zhao Xingyu wisely made way for him, wondering: Isn't there a large space next to him? Why did he have to squeeze in?
The practice was after the rehearsal, and everyone followed Zhang Jinan to the theater for a group audition.
The red curtain slowly opened, and Zhang Jinan stood in the second to last row of the audience with his arms folded, inspecting their performance so far.
Although everyone was wearing their own casual clothes, they performed like ancient people and were very into the role.
Chen Xing, who was standing behind the scenes, would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous, but he quickly regained his normal state of mind and comforted Zhao Xingyu who was a little nervous.
"First, take a deep breath, and then exhale it in four breaths." Chen Xing first demonstrated how to exhale and inhale, and asked Zhao Xingyu to follow him.
The other contestants saw this and began to learn from him silently.
There was a sudden sound of breathing coming from behind the scenes.
Shen Miao on the side laughed and said, "You really have a strong heart. You are not afraid at all."
Huang Canni, who was holding Shen Miao, was also puzzled and asked Chen Xing: "If you were recording a horror special, would you not say a word the whole time?"
Chen Xing waved his hand modestly: "You think too highly of me. If it was a face-kill, I would still be scared."
Would Chen Xing be afraid?
Xia Huanming's eyes lit up: "If you are afraid, you can..."
"You can come with me" Before they could finish their words, they were interrupted by Chen Xing's words.
Chen Xing thought seriously: "But if my companions are afraid, I will feel that I can protect them, so I won't be afraid."
Xia Huanming: “…”
Chen Xing seemed to hear Xia Huanming talking, so he turned around and asked him, "What did you just say?"
Xia Huanming hesitated to speak, and pulled Chen Xing aside, clutching the corner of his clothes as if he had gone through a mental struggle. He whispered to Chen Xing: "Actually, I'm a little afraid of this. If we were in the same group, would you protect me?"
Chen Xing suddenly realized.
No wonder Xia Huanming was so conflicted and awkward. It turned out that he was afraid that others would know that he was afraid of ghosts, and he felt a little embarrassed!
Chen Xing quickly patted his chest and assured: "I will definitely protect you."
Xia Huanming showed a satisfied smile, pulled his sleeve and said, "As agreed, I'll rely on you."
Xia Huanming was not at all panicked when signing the contract, but he didn't expect that he was also afraid of ghosts.
Chen Xing unexpectedly couldn't imagine what the frightened Xia Huanming looked like. Would he scream in surprise and then hug his arms tightly for comfort?
Chen Xing couldn't help but laugh secretly.
It's so cute to think that such a tall creature can be huddled in a small room.
The contestants didn’t chat for long before it was their turn to go on stage, and the rehearsal went on smoothly until it ended at four in the afternoon.
This time the competition ended early, and the contestants packed their clothes and got on the bus to go back. But when the bus was halfway there, everyone felt something was wrong - because the bus entered another tunnel halfway.
The moment the bus came out of the dark tunnel, a dazzling picture of sea and sky suddenly unfolded before our eyes.
The sky in the distance showed a gradient of colors - rich orange-red near the horizon, gradually changing to soft pink-purple upwards.
The pale orange sunlight dyed the entire sea into a soft honey color. The waves beat against the dark reefs, and every collision stirred up white waves, which were gilded in the sunset.
This is different from the seaside they encountered in the "port area". The sea here is more vast and magnificent.
"Wow--"
Everyone in the car turned their heads to the left at the same time, marveling at the scenery outside and momentarily forgetting to ask the production crew why they brought them here.
Finally, one of the contestants came to his senses and asked, "Where are we going?"
The assistant director sitting in the front said, "Let's go have dinner."
If you eat by the sea, the price will definitely be high.
The contestants shouted happily: "Wow - what a big deal!"
A few minutes later, they realized they were too early.
It’s a big deal.
The bus stopped in front of a large house just across the street from the beach.
The appearance of the house is not much different from the large mansions of the Republic of China era. The blue-gray brick walls are covered with vines, the vermilion lacquered door has long been mottled and peeling, the door knocker is rusty, and the once ferocious animal face patterns can be vaguely seen.
In front of the house stood a faded red-painted ticket booth with the window half open. A dim light was on inside, casting a swaying shadow.
Everyone stood in front of the rusty iron railings and peered around the house.
There are two rows of tall pine trees on both sides of the house, but you can also see a few tree stumps among the many pine trees.
If it weren’t for the plaque in the ticket office that read “The House of Resentment and the Centennial Corridor”.
Everyone almost believed the program crew when they said this was a place for dinner.
The contestants glared at the lying assistant director, who stood behind the camera and whistled at the sky.
Everyone:"……"
How childish!
Someone hugged himself worriedly: "How horrible is this? They asked everyone to come here before dinner. Are they afraid that everyone will vomit in there?"
The ticket booth opened the window from the inside, and a staff member poked his head out: "Actually it's not that scary, just a little bit scary."
The crowd instantly let out a sharp roar: "Ahhh! Why are there still people here?!"
The photographer was startled by the sound and ran away from the ticket booth holding the camera.
Haunted house staff: “…”
Someone asked cautiously: "No! Has this already started? Is this a human or a ghost?"
Haunted house staff: “It’s a person.”
Contestant: "I don't believe it. Ghosts can also say they are human."
Haunted house staff: “?”
Finally, the staff showed their work badges, and those sensitive contestants believed it.
The other brave contestants standing by were almost dying of laughter.
Afterwards, the production team began to divide the players into teams, and the contestants who would not participate in the horror special walked out of the teams, with three of them walking out sporadically.
Adding in the guests who didn't need to attend and the screenwriters who chose to participate, there were only twenty-four left.
The assistant director clapped his hands and said, "The remaining people will be divided into four groups. Draw lots to decide which group you will be assigned to. Those with the same numbers will be in one group. Each group will enter the venue in the same order. One round will take about 20 minutes."
The staff of the haunted house continued to poke their heads out: "Six people will go in together, and then we will be divided into three groups. Everyone will meet halfway."
Xia Huanming drew the number "2". Chen Xing opened the white paper with him. When he saw the number 2, Chen Xing said happily, "Great, we are in the same group."
In such a dark environment, Chen Xing was like a peach wood sword that could dispel evil spirits, emitting full yang energy.
Such a living feeling, even ghosts would take two steps back when seeing it, right?
Xia Huanming pinched Chen Xing's face and was about to speak when Qi Yinrui's voice came slowly.
"Don't be happy too soon."
As soon as they turned around, Qi Yinrui was holding a piece of white paper with the number "2" written on it between his fingers and smiled at them.
Xia Huanming: “…”
"That's great, Brother Rui! We are in the same group," Chen Xing was even happier, "Let me share in the joy of being first."
Qi Yinrui's team won first place in the second round of the competition with their work "Feng Yue Ji" which was "full of martial arts style and ups and downs in the judgment of the case". Each person was rewarded with a specialty gift package worth 1,000 yuan.
Now the big gift packages are piled up in their room, and Chen Xing would squat down to take a look every time he passed by.
This grouping is good now, as they are all people he is familiar with.
"It's hard to tell whether my appearance is a blessing or a curse~" Qi Yinrui raised the last word and glanced at Xia Huanming.
Xia Huanming: “…”
Finally, the members of their team number two were: Xia Huanming, Chen Xing, Zhao Xingyu, Qi Yinrui, Huang Canni, and Jiang Ke.
Xia Huanming stared at the list, looked up at the two men who were talking to Chen Xing, and fell into deep thought.
...As long as Zhao Xingyu or Qi Yinrui are not assigned to the same group with Chen Xing, everything will be fine.
After the groups were divided, the contestants who did not need to participate went to a nearby restaurant to eat, and the remaining contestants walked into the house in order, while the others waited at the door.
After a few minutes, several screams were suddenly heard in the house. The screams were intermittent, and after a while of silence, they suddenly started again.
Twenty minutes later, the first group of people finally came out. Their hair was all standing on end, and their eyes lit up when they saw the large group outside, as if they had seen their family.
"Wow, I actually made it out alive—"
"Ahhh the light! It's the light!"
Seeing the people inside in this state, the contestants outside sounded the alarm and inquired about the situation inside.
The first group of six people shook their heads in tacit agreement and kept silent.
"Okay, let's go." The staff member raised her hand and asked the second group to follow her into the house.
They came to the entrance of the passage, and the staff put a blindfold on each of them and asked them to hold the hand of the person in front of them and walk forward slowly.
After crossing three flights of stairs, they stopped again, and it seemed that two more staff members appeared and separated them.
“Watch out for the steps, and keep your head down.”
Xia Huanming followed the staff into a room and heard the door closing and then locking.
More than a decade later, a broadcast voice came from the upper right corner: "You can take off the blindfold now."
Xia Huanming took off his blindfold and fell silent when he saw the person in front of him.
Xia Huanming: “…”
In the dark cell, Qi Yinrui stood in front of the wall covered with the word "death" and waved and smiled at him: "What a coincidence."
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