Who said this top flow is crazy! This top flow is awesome!

Chapter 198 Pesticide Sister

Bang! Bang!

The third round of fireworks went off.

Colorful fireworks constantly changed shapes in the night sky. Some formed the Chinese character "福" (fortune), some formed the Chinese character "春" (spring), and some formed a beautiful Chinese knot pattern, symbolizing a happy and prosperous new year full of spring.

Chi Ye and Sheng Ning looked up at the same time, and a waterfall of light, like shattered gold, cascaded down instantly, igniting their slightly upturned chins and cheeks with crimson flames.

They are colorful and quite beautiful.

"Are you alright?"

Chi Ye watched the fireworks for a while, then lowered his head again. He caught a whiff of unpleasant smoke and frowned slightly. "If you want to smoke, go to the side."

Sheng Ning glanced at him with her phoenix eyes and suddenly asked, "Have you been 'possessed'?"

Chi Ye was stunned.

He always felt that Sheng Ning was a strange woman, with an inexplicable awkwardness about her.

He had asked Coco and several other former "acquaintances" privately more than once, but they all said they didn't understand why he asked that question.

He wondered if he was overthinking things, but this time, he was sure he wasn't.

So he asked directly, "Have we talked before?"

"...?"

This time, Sheng Ning was stunned for a moment. After a full ten seconds, she stared at Chi Ye with extremely complicated eyes, filled with anger, but also with unspeakable embarrassment and guilt: "How could you say such a thing?! You brought Jin Xia to swagger in front of me, just for this?"

Seeing her expression, Ikeno also had a question in mind—it didn't seem like they had talked, but it didn't seem like they hadn't talked either.

What's going on?
He paused, not responding to that question at all, and instead gave a vague, all-purpose reply: "You must hate me quite a bit."

Sheng Ning stared at him for a long time, holding back for a while, but finally couldn't help herself, her tone a mix of sarcasm and curiosity: "I'm very curious... what was your mindset when you came to freeload off me?"

Chi Ye's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't say anything.

Sheng Ning looked at his expression and tilted her head: "Do you think that I would never hurt you, so you only bully me?"

Ikeno raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself, "Why the hell don't you just tell me straight? What exactly was our relationship before?"

Thinking this, he said it directly: "If I've ever apologized for anything in the past... I'm sorry. Also, I've been having a bit of a headache lately, it's because of many things from the past..."

"You don't need to explain."

Sheng Ning waved her hand dismissively, exhaled the last smoke ring, stubbed out her cigarette, turned and left, leaving behind only one sentence: "You didn't come to visit my grave last Qingming Festival, go by yourself next time, I'll only take care of my own share."

Chi Ye was confused.

His mind raced as he stared at Sheng Ning's tall, slender back—going to a grave? What grave?

Whose grave are we visiting? Our parents'?

Could it be... that you have a child?

what?
Ikeno was completely flustered. Normally, he wouldn't be this out of control, but now that he had a vague idea of ​​the "truth," he was still caught off guard.

No, that's not right, it's definitely not a child.

Because when he was researching the original owner, he also studied Sheng Ning. Her career development trajectory was very clear. She started working before she was twenty years old and basically never disappeared for a long time.

More importantly, given Sheng Ning's obsessive personality, if it really was an accident, then the other party wouldn't just hate Chi Ye now; they might even kill him.

and so…

Chi Ye thought for a moment and suddenly remembered someone—Teacher He.

The original owner had very few friends. Apart from Coco, it seemed that only Teacher He was on good terms with her. Moreover, rumors in the industry said that Teacher He and Sheng Ning were also very close, and Teacher He had taken good care of Sheng Ning before she became famous.

Hmm... standard procedure.

Chi Ye took out his phone and dialed Teacher He's number.

The call was quickly answered, and He Laoshi's familiar, gentle voice came through, tinged with surprise and delight: "Chichi?"

"Happy Chinese New Year, Teacher He."

Ikeno smiled and said, "Happy New Year to you."

"You silly child, who gives New Year's greetings on New Year's Eve?" Teacher He was a shrewd person, and he really didn't expect that "the current Professor Chi" would actually call him... To be honest, Chi Ye hadn't had much contact with Teacher He since his rebirth.

Recently, Hunan TV made another mistake in its judgment regarding "My Love from the Star".

Chi Ye is incredibly popular these days, while He Jiong is a veteran in the industry and has experienced everything.
Therefore, he thought that Ikeno, like everyone else, would probably "cut ties" with the group after becoming famous.

"Is there anything I can help you with? Just say so, and I'll definitely help if I can."

Chi Ye felt ashamed inwardly; Teacher He was indeed a good person…

He thought for a moment, then tried to ask tactfully, "Um... I wanted to ask about Sheng Ning, you know her temper... She just contacted me again, and I was thinking..."

"Sheng Ning? She's looking for you? What does she want?"

To everyone's surprise, Teacher He was also stunned for a couple of seconds before remembering something: "Ah, did she ask you to discuss going back to your hometown to pay respects to your ancestors? Well...aren't your two families neighbors? You're so famous now, it would be good for you to go back and pay respects to your ancestors."

Ancestor worship? Neighbors?
Chi Ye's heart raced, but his tone remained calm: "Yes, but I don't know many people back in my hometown anymore..."

"You two are familiar with each other."

Teacher He laughed: "Aren't you and Sheng Ning from the same place? She took good care of you back then... Sigh, actually, she just asked me to give you some resources... Who would have thought that you two would get to where you are today, both of you so famous, haha..."

Chi Ye paused for two seconds, then inquired, "Do you know anything about Sheng Ning? Well... as you know, we have a lot of conflicts right now, and she has changed a lot too."

"...Chichi, I can't comment on your conflict...but Ningning has had a tough time these past few years."

After a moment of silence, Teacher He sincerely said, "She started working as an extra in Hengdian when she was seventeen or eighteen. She can't compare to Jin Xia and Shang Youshu. She worked her way up step by step... No one knows how much she suffered, so her personality will definitely change. In fact... once you enter this industry, how many people won't change?"

Ikeno paused for a moment before continuing, "Do you know anything about her past?"

"what?"

Although Teacher He was puzzled by Chi Ye's question, after thinking for a moment, she said, "I've known her for quite a long time. She... she does have a bad personality, but it depends on the person. She did take good care of you back then, it's just... she might not have told you that."

"Exactly how bad is it?"

Having roughly figured things out, Chi Ye relaxed and casually asked, "Does she have some kind of... um... mental... problem?"

"...When she first debuted, she had a girlfriend, her best friend who shared an apartment with her in Hengdian. They asked me to go on a variety show... I heard from Ningning's best friend that when Ningning was in school, she had a conflict with her family and didn't want to go to school. Her mother forced her to go, so she...she drank a whole bottle of pesticide. Luckily, she was taken to the hospital for a stomach pump in time, otherwise...she would have died."

Chiye: "..."

Holy crap, he really is a madman!
He was once again convinced of his judgment about Sheng Ning—this person was definitely not mentally normal, the kind who had been abnormal since childhood.

"Chichi, Ningning has a million faults, she is also your 'older sister'... I'm not really in a position to say this, but if possible, you two should try to get along well. It hasn't been easy for either of you to get to where you are today."

Meanwhile, Teacher He was still patiently giving advice. He had clearly watched Chi Ye and Sheng Ning "grow up" all along, so he had a bit of an elder's mentality.

Chi Ye agreed verbally, but then asked tentatively to confirm, "Sheng Ning... has Sister Ning ever been pregnant? Hmm... what's her family situation like?"

Teacher He shook his head: "She's definitely never been pregnant. I know who's in trouble in the industry... cough cough... it's just that I really don't know anything about her family situation. She's never mentioned it... but it seems... it seems like she's from a single-parent family. After all, think about it, someone from a traditional family wouldn't do something like drinking pesticide when they're angry..."

"That's too extreme."

Chi Ye had mixed feelings. He chatted with Teacher He for a few more minutes and promised to have dinner with him and watch a few of his variety shows next time he went to Xiangnan. Only then did Teacher He hang up the phone, satisfied.

"Ugh."

Chi Ye stared at the off phone screen, feeling inexplicably irritable.

—Sheng Ning, Sheng Ning, tell me, you're a god of war in the game of mobile games, right?
He laughed for no apparent reason, but the smile was tinged with bitterness.

……

at the same time.

Sheng Ning, wearing high heels, returned to the meeting room's rest area. She casually pulled a red envelope from her pocket. The envelope was decorated with a gilded auspicious cloud pattern around the edge, exuding joy and luxury. The front center had the four characters "吉祥如意" (meaning "good fortune and happiness"), while the back featured a chubby baby holding a large carp with a bright smile, symbolizing abundance year after year.

In the lower right corner, the words "Ikeno Shou" are written.

She glanced at it indifferently, expertly tore the red envelope into pieces, folded it up, tore it several more times, and threw it into the trash can.

"Sister Ning, all the ones I bought last time have been torn up."

The assistant stood at a distance watching, and only came over to remind Sheng Ning after she finished tearing it up.

"Buy some more around this time next year."

Sheng Ning paused, her voice ethereal: "This time, don't tear it up, just burn it."

"?!" The assistant was stunned, astonished: "Burned?! Why...why?"

Sheng Ning thought for a moment, a hint of confusion flashing in her usually assertive phoenix eyes: "He might already be 'dead'."

"Isn't it said that if you burn something, the dead will get it... Let's start burning it from next year."

Seeing her like this, the assistant felt goosebumps rise uncontrollably on her skin and a chill run down her spine: "...Ning... Sister Ning... calm down, it really doesn't have to be like this..."

Sheng Ning was taken aback, then realized what she was thinking and laughed: "What are you thinking? Of course I won't kill anyone... but it would be better if he 'died'."

The assistant was silent.

She has been by Ning Jie's side for many years and knows many of Ning Jie's "secrets"... Ning Jie is indeed different from normal people. She... she is a bit... "crazy".

"By the way, Sister Ning, just now... Sister Xu was looking for you."

She paused for a moment, then quickly got back to the point: "Several bigwigs in Beijing's elite circles live next door."

"...What do you want with me?"

She said to let you come over.

Sheng Ning was silent for a moment, then walked to the next room: "Let's go."

The assistant glanced at her ramrod straight back, pursed his lips, and hurriedly followed.

...Inside the parking lot.

After getting a general idea of ​​what was going on, Chino planned to go back to find Coco and then go home to rest. But as soon as he entered the venue, he saw a familiar figure.

—Peng Chen.

Peng Chen seemed to have been looking for him. When he saw Chi Ye, his eyes lit up and he quickly walked over: "Captain."

Chino glanced at him sideways: "You damn dog thief."

Peng Chen: "...No, I need to talk to you about something, something really good!"

He pulled Chi Ye to a corner before saying mysteriously, "Don't tell me I had good news I didn't want to share with you, Captain. You're so famous now, congratulations..."

Chi Ye glanced at him a few times, took a few steps back, and covered his nose: "Let's just get straight to the point, no need for formalities."

Peng Chen: “?!”

Lao Peng was furious, but when he thought of the task the "big shots" had given him, he gritted his teeth and said, "There's really good news!"

"You've heard of Director Lu, right? And Director Yang... those big shots in the Beijing film circle. They want you to make a movie, and the script they've given you is very sincere."

"Oh."

Chino said calmly, "Then why don't they come and say it themselves?"

"..." Peng Chen said awkwardly, "It's not that I don't have time... The main thing is that Ji Heming used to be in their circle, and Yu Yan also had a good relationship with them. You... you have to give the big shots a way out."

"So they hired you as their messenger eunuch?"

Peng Chen was truly furious: "Chi...Captain, how could you say that to me? I'm only doing this for your own good! After 'My Love from the Star,' your next step will definitely be to transition into the film industry. Without connections and without entering this circle, how will you make it?"

“Sheng Ning is already bending over to get into the industry, and what about other people like Chu Hanzhou, Shang Youshu… including Jin Xia and Shi Jinwei? Do you think they have any hope of getting into the film industry? I heard that you want to work with Shang Youshu in your next film… How many movies did Shang Youshu make in the past few years? Every one of them flopped. This industry is different from the drama industry!”

Peng Chen explained hastily, "You should understand, if you want to transform your business, you have to build good relationships with people."

Chi Ye remained noncommittal. He felt that Peng Chen was telling the truth and that it made a lot of sense, but…

"What you mean by 'building good relationships' is just actively letting them exploit you, taking advantage of my first wave of popularity after 'My Love from the Star'?"

Peng Chen was taken aback and remained silent.

Because Ikeno guessed correctly, the Beijing entertainment circle, and even several other circles, were all playing the same game.

Ikeno is so popular right now!
But his popularity is "superficial." Here, "superficial" does not refer to his status, but rather to the superficiality of his online popularity. In other words, even if his first movie after "My Love from the Star" was just a thesis defense, countless fans would still be willing to be "deceived."

So, they wanted to send Ikeno scripts, scripts for films with very low budgets, or scripts that looked high-end but actually had very low production costs—scripts that were 99% likely to be bad films.

Then, they cast Ikeno in the lead role. In this way, they made the most money with the least investment. Ikeno gained an "entry ticket" and prestige in the film industry, and they also made real money. They could even make a current "top Asian star" humble himself.

Whether from a psychological or physical perspective, it's absolutely exhilarating, enjoyable, and makes you feel incredibly proud.

In fact, Yu Yan, Ji Heming, and many other top celebrities who entered the industry have all experienced this kind of "business operation" and "paying homage to powerful figures".

To put it bluntly, it's a case of "each getting what they want." You want the high-class image of the movie and admission tickets, while I want to make money and maintain my superior status and demeanor.

Very normal.

But... Ikeno felt that he didn't need to lower his head right now.

He's a bit rebellious, well, the kind of rebellious that's justified.

"Go back. Don't talk to me until you return the dog."

Ikeno waved his hand, already seeing Coco walking towards them.

Peng Chen: "...You're really getting a little... cocky. I'm doing this for your own good..."

Seeing that Chi Ye had already turned around, he became anxious and his tone quickened: "Besides, I take good care of the dog, so don't even think about it... And... Chi Ye! Do you think I'm trying to ride on your coattails? Why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

"Let me tell you, even if I, Peng Chen, jump off this cliff, I won't try to ride on your coattails!"

He was furious. Looking at Chi Ye's departing figure, he felt that he had been completely despised by the "old captain" this time.

I'm very angry and feel wronged.

I felt a little secretly pleased... It's better if you don't come; if you don't come, I'll have a chance to surpass you.

……

On the other side, next door.

In the lounge.

Xu Yingying, Ling Bingbing, Director Lu, Director Yang, and other big names in Beijing's entertainment circle were sitting and chatting.

Sheng Ning stood there.

"Xiao Ning, how did your talk with Chi Ye go? Did he agree?"

Xu Yingying looked at Sheng Ning and asked with a smile, "You said you weren't familiar with him, but you went to find him specifically."

Sheng Ning's expression remained unchanged as she shook her head: "Sister Xu, you misunderstood. I'm just feeling a bit stuffy and want to go downstairs for some fresh air."

"..."

Everyone's expression changed. Director Yang frowned in displeasure and asked, "Didn't you tell him?"

"say what?"

Sheng Ning frowned as well: "I already said I'm not familiar with him."

"...Xiao Ning, is it so hard to say a few words, whether you know him or not? Even if you don't know him well, my assistant just saw you talking to him. Is this really the point?"

Xu Yingying's expression was a little unpleasant, because while the Beijing circle was a whole, there were also many small cliques. Sheng Ning was one of her "subordinate" friends, someone she had "introduced into the circle."

Therefore, Sheng Ning's attitude and "lying to their faces" made her feel very embarrassed in front of so many big shots.

Sheng Ning was already in a bad mood—she had indeed considered discussing the matter that the Beijing entertainment circle had "entrusted" to her when she went to see Chi Ye.

But in the end, she gave up without hesitation and didn't mention it at all.

Firstly, because she is a seasoned veteran in the industry, she knows what these people in the Beijing circle, or rather the film circle, are up to, and how dirty their thoughts are.

Secondly... she didn't want Ikeno to be smug, not even a little bit.

Perhaps deep down, she herself was unwilling to admit it... she really didn't want to intentionally "harm" Ikeno.

She never offered him any help, but she couldn't bring herself to ruin him either.

"That's all for now. I'll head back now if there's nothing else."

Sheng Ning raised her hand and rubbed her temples: "I'm not feeling well today, I'll try again another day..."

"Change what?" Director Lu crossed his legs. "I'm not trying to criticize you, Sheng Ning, but you're practically a veteran in the industry. How come you can't tell who's superior?"

"We asked you to pass on a message: we're helping you get into the industry. If Chi Ye's movies make money, aren't you going to share? We all know what your relationship is like with him; don't you both want the other dead? What are you pretending to be a good person for?"

Sheng Ning's face turned cold, her phoenix eyes fixed on Director Lu, and she remained silent.

"...Alright, alright, let's leave it at that for now. I've asked Xiao Peng to go ask him too. He wants to make a name for himself in the film industry, so he definitely won't refuse."

Xu Yingying sensed the awkward atmosphere and smoothed things over by waving to Sheng Ning, "Let's go, you go back first, we'll contact you later."

Sheng Ning stood there in silence for a moment before saying, "Okay, I'll go back first."

"..."

Sheng Ning walked out of the private room.

As soon as she stepped outside, Director Lu burst into a tirade, his voice "just in time" audible to Sheng Ning: "Fuck her, what is she pretending for? She acted in some movie called 'Mountain City'... it was Old Zhang who carried the box office, and look at her, now she dares to glare at me!"

"What kind of look is that?! She's got such a striking appearance!"

"Alright, can't you show some respect for women?"

Ling Bingbing, who hadn't spoken until now, said with displeasure, "Why is your mouth so dirty?"

"Look, you're still angry with me. Ugh, never mind. If you ask me, this industry needs to be properly managed. Those celebrities are getting more and more arrogant. If you don't do anything about it, who will listen to you in the future?"

"Listen to me, I'll listen to you. If all else fails, just find someone else to stage your so-called scheme."

"Damn, I'm impressed!"

……

1 month 26 number.

New Year's Day.

Suitable activities include: wearing red, offering sacrifices and prayers, and speaking auspicious words.

Avoid: using needles and scissors, using brooms, borrowing money or collecting debts.

But early in the morning, Chi Ye received news that various young male celebrities and popular figures in the industry were "taking action".

First, Lao Peng, who was still as tough as nails, began to shamelessly untie himself.

#RiseGemini# quickly rose to the top of the trending search list—the so-called "Gemini" refers to Ike and Peng Chen.

Following that were #TheNewFourTopCelebrities#, and finally #YuYanChiYeDoubleFault#, #LinYangQianRuiChiYeSpringFestivalGalaTwinStarsAbsolutelyAmazing# and other related trending topics.

Even Chu Hanzhou marketed a #Chi Ye Chu Hanzhou "brotherhood"#.

Ikeno was puzzled, confused, and bewildered.

Where did his "brotherly affection" with his husband come from?
This is even more outrageous than Lao Peng's "Rise Twins"—at least Peng Chen's team had a "legitimate" reason for their collaboration.

Isn't your husband just a pure void brother?!
Finally, Ikeno also faced the day when he was the target of a crazy scam.

As the new year begins, the landscape of top celebrities in the Chinese entertainment industry is changing once again, and an even more intense power struggle has begun.

(End of this chapter)