Chapter 213: Li Hanchen Fools Mu Sheng Into Calling Him Big Bro
Li Hanchen was caught by surprise, but he quickly composed himself. “How did you know?”
Mu Sheng showed him her phone. “That’s what people are saying online.”
Li Hanchen glanced at her phone. “I see. Well, I took it for fun. Is there a problem?”
Mu Sheng looked at Li Hanchen perplexedly before she asked quizzically, “Did you know you would be partnering with me?”
Li Hanchen raised his brows slightly. “Is that so? That is quite the coincidence.”!!
Just as Mu Sheng was about to continue, Li Hanchen turned his head. “I did not know you were appearing on this show. I agreed to it because they offered me money.”
Mu Sheng swallowed the words at the tip of her tongue. They had a lot of expenses to deal with, so Mu Sheng had an inkling of the kind of pressure Li Hanchen was under. “Fine. You have to promise me one thing.”
“Uh huh.”
“Don’t let anyone know that we know each other.” Mu Sheng looked at Li Hanchen solemnly.
Jiang Tian had said this to Mu Sheng a gazillion times.
Mu Sheng was an up-and-coming idol, so she could not have any scandals. She especially could not be caught dating.
Despite how friendly Jiang Tian was by nature, he was very persistent when it came to matters of work.
Li Hanchen contemplated before he nodded slightly. “I get it. Don’t worry.”
For some reason, Mu Sheng felt Li Hanchen seemed particularly disappointed right now. “I…”
Before Mu Sheng could finish her sentence, Li Hanchen turned his head. “I get it that you are a celebrity. Don’t worry. I won’t let the viewers find out that you are acquainted with the likes of me.”
Mu Sheng went quiet. Although it was exactly what she wanted, she inexplicably felt upset when she heard it from Li Hanchen’s mouth.
It sounded as though Mu Sheng detested Li Hanchen or something.
“That was not what I meant. It is not that I don’t like you. I just need to keep up my image as a single woman, okay? I can’t let the viewers find out I am seeing someone.” Mu Sheng told Li Hanchen exactly what Jiang Tian said to her.
Li Hanchen’s eyes glinted slightly. “I see. Does this mean we are dating?”
Mu Sheng went speechless and was stunned by Li Hanchen’s logic. She opened her eyes wider. “No, we aren’t.”
Li Hanchen could no longer suppress his laughter. “I was just teasing you. Don’t worry. I already promised not to make your life difficult.”
Mu Sheng went quiet. She was absolutely infuriated by his teasing, so she turned to walk out.
Li Hanchen called her from behind, “I would like to have some water. Never mind. I will get it on my own.”
Mu Sheng went quiet. She turned to glance at Li Hanchen on the bed. “How could you get yourself water in the state you are in? Just stay put.”
Mu Sheng went out to get a cup of water for him the moment she finished her sentence.
Li Hanchen smiled as he looked at Mu Sheng’s cool face.
——
Meanwhile, at the Li family.
Li Jun was finally saved. Sadly, it took so much time to save Li Jun that he was already beaten until his face was unrecognizable by the time they got to him.
Li Ting’s brother threw a temper and refused to let Li Ting explain.
Li Ting was naturally unwilling to lower himself to explain things to Li Cheng.
The moment Li Ting arrived home, he called the internet addiction treatment facility to ask about it. He finally found out that Li Hanchen had taken Li An home and destroyed the institute.
Li Ting raised his brow promptly. “Did Li Hanchen really send someone to destroy the school?”
“That’s right, Mr. Li. You have no idea how much loss we made…” The Principal kept telling Li Ting about all the damage that was done.
Li Ting felt annoyed and hung up the phone altogether.
The secretary entered the room. “Hi, Mr. Li.”
“What?”
“You instructed us to keep an eye on Li Hanchen and Mu Sheng. I heard they are going to appear on an entertainment program together.” The secretary updated Li Ting on the situation.
Li Ting was even more furious when he heard about this.
It was already embarrassing enough for Mu Sheng to be in the entertainment industry. How could Li Hanchen join the business as well?
Li Ting was unconcerned about their images, but he could not stand by and allow them to ruin his reputation.
Plenty of people in town knew Li Hanchen. If anyone saw Li Hanchen appearing on television, what would they think of the family?
How could the eldest son of the mighty Li family make a living using his pretty face? The Li family was loaded after all.
“Go to the production team and tell them they have to get rid of Li Hanchen.”
Li Ting paused before he continued, “No. Handle this quietly and ensure Li Hanchen is removed from the program.”
He had to keep Li Hanchen’s true identity under wraps as far as possible so that he could protect the dignity of the family.
Before long, the production team received comments from all the investors.
“A lot of investors called and demanded Li Hanchen to be taken off the program. They wanted us to use a celebrity and suggested Qiao Siyu.”
The director was clipping his nails when he heard what his staff said. His hands trembled and he accidentally clipped his flesh, so tears instantly welled in his eyes.
The employee was startled. “Are you alright? Even if we really have to take him off the show, you don’t have to cry.”
“Be quiet.” The director rolled his eyes. He covered his hand as he quietly winced in pain. “Why do we have to take him off the show? I’m not doing it.”
The director had already produced enough episodes of the show and knew what kind of guests it needed far better than any investor.
“But they are our investors,” reminded the assistant. “Without them, what are we going to do about funds?”
The director waved his hand. “I am not changing them. I am not going to do as they say. They keep forcing me to use their artists or pulling threats on me. If they really want to pull their funds, then I won’t produce this show. I’m not going to let those investors ruin my show.”
Since the director received a traditional education, he was a proud man. He was only able to produce such great work because he refused to give in to such unreasonable demands for the sake of money.
Now that the investors were threatening to drop the program, the director refused to yield. He had made up his mind to dismiss the production team and stop filming if it had to come to that.
The assistant was unable to change the director’s mind, so he could only tactfully respond to those investors.
Sure enough, several main investors pulled out of the show.
The Li family was highly influential in the country, so no one wanted to offend them for the sake of an entertainment program.
People quickly found out about the investors pulling out of the shore.
“A Journey Through Food” was the hottest entertainment program on the market, so everyone found it unfathomable why so many investors would suddenly pull out of the project.
[What is going on with the show? Weren’t things going well? Why did so many long-time investors pull out?]
[I heard people saying online that the investors pulled out mainly because they did not like the guests. After all, Mu Sheng is just a small-time actress. Also, Li Hanchen only has a pretty face. That was probably the reason the investors pulled the plug on the show.]
[Pfftt. They deserve it. The show was blind to choose Mu Sheng over great choices like Ruan Yingying and Qiao Siyu. Now they have to reap what they sow.]
At this point in time, work for the program had already commenced. Now that the investors suddenly pulled out, production came to a standstill.
Their initial plans and preparation might get completely scrapped.
The investors were all about money. When the show was a hit, investors lined up to throw money at them.
Now that a few investors had backed out of the project, everyone felt things would only get worse for the show. Also, there were all kinds of negative gossip going on about it.
After considering the gains and losses, other minor investors also left one after another.
It was like a pack of dominoes. The moment the first investor left, the rest would follow suit.
Before long, most of the people had left the filming location and only small-time investors remained.
All the staff used to work confidently with great motivation, but all that remained were sad faces.
Everyone had painstakingly worked to put the program together. Now that the show was dead, they could not help feeling miserable.
The director might put on a brave front, but he undoubtedly cared about the show.
In this time and age, everyone wanted to see glamorous programs, so countless people ridiculed him for being outdated the moment word got out that the director wanted to produce an entertainment program located in the countryside.
He had painstakingly explained every detail to the guests and personally reached out to all the investors.
“Sigh.” The director quietly sighed.
The director looked at the depressing sight and suddenly wondered if his values mattered.
Was the world genuinely ruled by capitalists? If they wanted some other guests, he had to bend over his back and get it done. They could pull the plug on a program anytime.
The director was a grown-up in his thirties, but the cold wind left tears trickling down his face.
He always worked diligently and wanted to give the audience the best, but it wasn’t enough.
Even if the show was now top in the industry, its fate was in the hands of its investors.
He felt as though all his ideals had collapsed.
At this very moment, his phone suddenly rang. The director sniffled before answering it, “Hello?”
The moment Mu Sheng heard the director’s voice, she asked, “Are you crying?”
“Of course not!” said the director in a high pitch. “I would never cry. I’m just a little teary from eating chili. Why did you call?”
Mu Sheng went quiet briefly before she answered, “I saw the news online.”
The director acted tough. “Oh that. I have to apologize to you. We probably can’t film this show anymore. I don’t know if we will see each other again in the future, but I really hope we can work together.”
“I have some money. I can invest.” Mu Sheng cut to the chase and explained the reason for her call.
Ever since the problem occurred, people have comforted him, ridiculed him, or even said nasty things to him.
Mu Sheng was the only one offering money. After doing his utmost to suppress his tears, the director bawled. He said breathlessly to Mu Sheng, “Woo woo… Thanks… Sigh…”
After listening to the director talking unintelligibly for some time, Mu Sheng finally made out one clear line from all the gibberish. The director was asking, “How much money do you have?”
Mu Sheng did some Math for her income from doing live telecasts, her advertising fees, and cash prize. It added up to around $2,000,000.
“$2,000,000,” answered Mu Sheng.
The director cried even more loudly. “Sob sob sob. Lil Sis, I know you mean well, but…”
Her money is only enough to cover a single day’s production costs. It was hardly enough to put out the fire.
The director did not say this out loud so as to not hurt Mu Sheng’s feelings. However, she could sense from the director’s reaction that she was too impoverished.
There was nothing else she could do. She genuinely did not have that kind of money.
“Thanks, my dear.” The director was a 1.8-meter straight guy. After Mu Sheng volunteered to invest all the money she had, she was like a little sister to him. “I know you meant well, but there is nothing we can do about it anymore. I hope I can still work with you in the future.”
Since Mu Sheng had a cool personality, she did not seem like the gossipy sort.
The director finally wailed sadly in front of Mu Sheng. He hugged the railing as he cried until he was breathless and felt absolutely miserable.
“Okay then…” Mu Sheng felt sad when she heard him crying nonstop over the phone.
Although Mu Sheng barely knew the director, she could not help feeling sad when she heard how miserable he was.
“I have to go.” Since his assistant was coming in his direction, the director wiped his tears and hung up the phone.
“What?” By the time the assistant came closer, the director reverted to his usual confident aura.
Sadly, the tears on his face and his red eyes had given away his secret.
The assistant cleared his throat and did his utmost to pretend he did not know about the director crying. “Tiger Shark wants to sponsor us.”
“What are the conditions?”
“We have to take Mu Sheng and Li Hanchen off the show.”
Mu Sheng was Cat Live’s live telecaster. It was public knowledge that Tiger Shark and Cat Live were major competitors, so it was understandable for them to request Mu Sheng to be taken off the show.
The assistant looked at the director before he cautiously said, “Why don’t we compensate Mu Sheng for taking her off the show? If we take them off the show, everything can go back to normal.”
The director was briefly swayed by the assistant’s words, but he swiftly recalled how Mu Sheng volunteered to invest all her money earlier.
Although it was not much, the thought was there.
She was such a loyal person. If he took her off the show, he would never forgive himself for it. The director waved his hand. “Never mind. Let me think about it.”
“Okay.” The assistant nodded before turning to leave.
The director roared from behind, “Why did you give me a packet of tissue? I didn’t cry. Take this away instantly!”
The assistant quickened his pace and disappeared from the director’s sight.
Meanwhile, inside the hospital.
Li Hanchen was recovering well. Mu Sheng performed some acupuncture on him before she massaged his meridians.
Li Hanchen felt warmth surging through his body and felt a lot better. He glanced sideways at Mu Sheng as she stood beside him.
He felt warmth surging through his body and felt a lot better. He glanced sideways at Mu Sheng as she stood beside him.
“Huh?” Mu Sheng was caught by surprise.
Li Hanchen had already grabbed Mu Sheng’s hands as he massaged them carefully.
He was simply innocently massaging Mu Sheng’s hands.
Mu Sheng had been a doctor for ages. She was always the one asking the patients whether they were okay and gave them massages. No one had ever asked her those questions before.
Mu Sheng did not know what to say and simply looked at Li Hanchen in shock.
Moments later, Li Hanchen put down his hands and saw Mu Sheng looking at him, so he raised his brow and asked, “What?”
Mu Sheng pursed her lips. “I am sure you were a good older brother.”
Judging from the way he treated her and how good he was at this, he must have taken good care of Li An in the past.
Li Hanchen thought about the kid walking around with his milk bottle making trouble all the time and instantly went speechless.
He usually lifted Li An by the collar and dragged him away when he made trouble.
Li Hanchen cleared his throat gently. “I am more than a good older brother.”
“Huh?” Mu Sheng looked at him perplexedly. “What do you mean?”
Li Hanchen looked at Mu Sheng profoundly. “I am also a good…”
He paused before finishing his sentence. “You will know in time.”
Mu Sheng went speechless.
“Enough. Were you talking to the director earlier?”
“Uh huh.” Mu Sheng automatically shared the dirt with Li Hanchen. “The director is crying his eyes out now that all the investors have pulled out of the show. I wanted to help, but it wasn’t enough.”
After talking to the director, Mu Sheng had a clearer understanding of exactly how poor she was.
Li Hanchen frowned when he heard this. “Don’t worry. Things will work out.”
“Uh huh.” Mu Sheng simply thought Li Hanchen was trying to comfort her.
Mu Sheng looked terribly disappointed by the outcome. Li Hanchen’s heart twinged the moment he saw the look on her face and felt sorry for her.
He could not bear seeing Mu Sheng sad, so he sat up slowly and waved her over.
“Sit here.”
Mu Sheng sat on the bedside.
Li Hanchen smiled ambiguously with a strange look on his face as he looked at Mu Sheng.
“What did you praise me for earlier?”
Mu Sheng thought about it and said, “A good big bro.”
A smile spread across Li Hanchen’s face as his eyes gleamed. Since he already looked handsome to begin with, the smile made him even more mesmerizing.
“Say it again.”
“Good Big Bro. Why?” Mu Sheng failed to detect anything amiss until she noticed Li Hanchen’s smile broadening.
She said it in a different tone to herself before she raised her head and looked at Li Hanchen with her eyes slightly wide.
“How could you fool me into saying that?”