Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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Nearly ten days had passed since Si Huang arrived in the United States, yet the number of new articles and discussions about her in China continued to rise.
Rumors of her trip to the US had already been unearthed, and Fenghuang Entertainment officially confirmed that Si Huang went there for work.
What kind of work? They didn’t rush to reveal that, but that didn’t stop entertainment reporters from speculating. The previously low-profile “Real Entertainment” unexpectedly resurfaced.
Their immediate target was to smear Si Huang, a move that was both expected and unexpected. They released a report that thoroughly criticized Si Huang, claiming she was exaggerating, that her trip to the US might have been just a formality, or that she was lucky enough to be chosen for a minor role in a program, but was deliberately keeping it a secret while portraying herself as an international superstar.
This kind of situation was not uncommon in the entertainment industry of Country Z. Many celebrities were invited to walk the red carpet in Country M, but they were at best minor figures. However, they deliberately took a few photos, posted them in China, and then added exaggerated keywords such as “the center of attention” and “fashion icon” to attract attention, making unsuspecting Chinese people think that they have become international stars. In fact, it was just a publicity stunt.
It was not surprising that Real Entertainment would publish such reports— even the best actors and actresses in China may not be able to enter the upper echelons of the entertainment industry in Country M. How could a small star who has only debuted for a year really get an important role in the film and television market in Country M?
In this past year, Si Huang had become too popular. There were many, many people who like him, but there were also many people who were interested in him and wanted to see the “perfect emperor” make a fool of himself.
Therefore, the moment Real Entertainment’s report was published, it immediately attracted countless people’s attention. Fans of Si Huang vehemently criticized it, while those who wanted to see Si Huang embarrass herself “rationally” analyzed various factors. Many more joined in the fun, actually pulling Real Entertainment back from the brink of collapse in recent years, giving it a boost in popularity thanks to Si Huang.
“Why is Real Entertainment specifically targeting Si Huang?” Many people wondered, as Real Entertainment had been keen on smearing Si Huang from the very beginning.
This puzzled many, but some insiders analyzed the reasons: “Initially, it might have been unintentional, but they’ve already gone this far, and there’s no turning back. Real Entertainment is now trying to make a desperate gamble, to get back up from where they fell. If they guess correctly and win this time, they can wash away their past stains and regain their former popularity. Conversely, if they fail again…”
What would happen if they failed? Even if they didn’t die, they would definitely be severely injured!
Yu Xi learned about this the next day. He didn’t immediately explain to Si Huang but instead checked the situation in China and discovered that the hype was spreading quite quickly and extensively.
Since the people at Fenghuang Entertainment weren’t fully aware of Si Huang’s situation in the US, and Real Entertainment had only started releasing the news yesterday to generate buzz, Fenghuang Entertainment hadn’t yet retaliated. However, the department in charge of this had already called Yu Xi, which was how he learned about it.
After checking domestic websites and reviewing the materials sent by his company, Yu Xi took out his phone and called James.
“Can I release the news about Si Huang and Ace’s partnership in China?”
James replied quickly, “No problem. Even if you don’t release the news, we’ll still hype it up here.” He laughed heartily, “Si Huang’s Asian identity and appearance will definitely attract a lot of people.”
After reaching an agreement, Yu Xi hung up and began his online activities.
He emailed several photos of Si Huang and Ace together to the head of the publicity department at Fenghuang Entertainment, along with a message instructing them to seize the opportunity to deliver a heavy blow to Real Entertainment and further fuel Si Huang’s popularity.
After finishing these tasks, it was already noon when the doorbell rang.
Yu Xi closed his laptop and opened the door to find Yu Ling standing there.
“Si Huang and Simon went out. They told us to pack our luggage so we can go to the airport when they return,” Yu Ling explained.
“Okay,” Yu Xi nodded.
Meanwhile, Si Huang was being dragged by Simon to a club.
“I came to Los Angeles entirely for you. You can’t just have a meal, a fight, and then leave!” Simon glared at her with an accusing look that seemed to say, “If you really do that, you’re being a terrible friend.”
Si Huang wasn’t fooled. “You came here just to have a meal and then fight, right?”
“Of course not!” Simon’s serious face broke down after two seconds, revealing a wide smile. “There’s also this, shooting! Shooting! I’ve always wanted to compete with you in this!”
Since he’d already dragged her over, Si Huang didn’t refuse. “How do you want to compete?”
“Following the club’s games, from stationary targets to moving targets to smart targets!”
“Okay.”
With Si Huang’s agreement, Simon’s eager smile intensified, clearly wanting to get back at Si Huang.
The two seemed to have completely ignored the other man.
Qin Fan, watching Si Huang walk beside him, patiently waited, thinking that this match would be a good opportunity to see if the kid had made any progress lately.
The club staff took Simon’s membership card and led the three to a shooting range reserved for VIP members.
There was no one else in the range; the staff said Simon had booked it in advance.
Just then, Si Huang didn’t want strangers to see her shooting skills, and Simon probably felt the same way.
Both put on earmuffs and goggles, and were assigned the same guns, but the bullets were different colors, allowing them to distinguish their final scores.
Just before starting, Simon gave Si Huang a provocative look, “Let’s make it clear, if I win this time, our previous bets are canceled, and if you don’t, your previous bets are canceled. You’re not allowed to call me ‘Little Boy’ or any other nicknames.”
“Okay, Little Boy,” Si Huang readily agreed, though she teased him a little at the end.
Seeing their interaction, Qin Fan secretly clenched his fist, feeling a little itchy but holding back.
“Start—” came the electronic voice over the loudspeaker.
Fixed targets automatically popped up in front of them, not just one, but several in succession.
“Click—click—” The safety latches were released.
“Bang!” “Bang!” “Bang bang bang!”
Neither of them were pushovers; their hand speed was incredible. The fixed targets rose quickly, and their shooting speed was even faster.
Such speed!?
Hmm? Evenly matched?
Although they were wearing earmuffs, it didn’t stop Si Huang and Simon from noticing that the other’s shooting speed was almost the same as their own. They just didn’t know how accurate their shooting was!
A feeling of meeting a worthy opponent rose in their hearts, prompting them to take it even more seriously. Firing, reloading, and even competing for the target were all in full swing.
They were having a blast, but it startled the club staff controlling the operation from behind the scenes. One staff member gaped, exclaiming, “The target launch speed can’t even keep up with their firing rate?! Are these two special forces soldiers?!” Despite his surprise, his operating speed was quick. He switched the stationary target to a higher-level moving target, adjusting the launch speed to the lowest level, 5.
“Hey! Let’s get this exciting, hurry up!” Simon shouted, getting into the swing of things.
The staff member’s lips twitched. He thought that since it was a high-level member’s request, he wouldn’t be blamed if they embarrassed themselves.
He quickly adjusted the moving target difficulty to the highest level, 1.
Machines launched targets from three directions— left, right, and bottom— firing saucer-like targets at incredible speeds, both in terms of launch speed and target flight speed.
“Bang bang bang bang—” A continuous barrage of gunfire rang out. Shockingly, almost every target was hit mid-air and landed, instead of automatically completing its flight.
“Oh my god! They did it! They really did it!” The employee’s blood was boiling. As a man, he had a natural love for shooting sports. Especially seeing such a wonderful scene, the employee couldn’t help but take out his phone and film the backs of the two people outside the tempered glass window, while controlling the backstage to enter the intelligent target segment.
The intelligent targets not only flew fast, but also flew erratically, like a flock of crazed birds darting around.
This time, Si Huang and Simon’s shooting speed was finally a bit slow. It wasn’t that their shooting speed was bad, but it would be embarrassing to fire the bullets and miss.
Si Huang narrowed her eyes. She already possessed superpowers. Once her eyes’ superpowers were activated, they could not only tell if a person was capable, but also had a bright and soft light effect, making her eyes more deceptive. After filming with Ace a few days ago, she had been using her eyes’ superpowers for a long time, and she discovered another enhancement after activating her eyes’ superpowers— it made her see clearer and farther, and everything in front of her seemed to slow down.
If she used her powers now, these flying smart targets would be much easier to hit.
The thought flashed through her mind, but she quickly dismissed it.
She wasn’t necessarily after this victory; her opponent was Simon, an ordinary person. Using her powers would be dishonorable and would diminish the excitement of the competition.
They felt their shooting speed had slowed down, but to the backstage staff, they were still no different from sharpshooters, watching in stunned silence, their faces flushed.
“Ding—!” An electronic sound rang out, and then the backstage screen showed that all the smart targets had been shot down.
“Amazing!” the staff member couldn’t help but shout again.
He operated the backstage computer, starting to tally the scores.
This score tallying would take some time.
Si Huang and Simon in the arena had already removed their earmuffs and goggles.
“Who do you think will win this time?” Simon deliberately asked Si Huang.
Si Huang thought seriously for two seconds, then smiled and said, “You.”
“When did you become so humble!” Simon, having gained an advantage, smiled broadly, revealing his white teeth.
Si Huang almost wanted to pinch his cheek, but glancing at the man beside her, she refrained. “You can only win this once.”
“Tsk tsk.” Simon continued to chuckle, seemingly unconcerned about Si Huang’s subsequent words.
Qin Fan handed Si Huang a towel and a bottle of mineral water.
Si Huang accepted them without ceremony, wiping the thin layer of sweat from her forehead, then gulped down a couple of mouthfuls of water, feeling the tension and fatigue from focusing entirely on shooting ease.
“Give me a couple of sips.” Simon was also exhausted. Competing against an evenly matched opponent, the slightest lapse in concentration could result in defeat, and he hadn’t been this focused in a long time. However, having an opponent who could make him serious was truly a joyful thing, as evidenced by his flushed face and bright eyes.
Before Si Huang could react to his words, the man beside her casually grabbed another bottle of mineral water from the table and tossed it at Simon.
Simon caught it, looked at Qin Fan with surprise, and casually joked, “Master Qin, you’re not a fan of King either, are you? This attitude is just like Xia’s, haha!”
“Also?” This was the first thing Qin Fan said since arriving here. “Who is Xia?”
“A friend of ours.” Simon didn’t say Xia Qitong’s full name. “I met King through Xia’s introduction!”
Qin Fan nodded calmly, without asking any further questions.
He seemed not very interested, which conveniently saved Si Huang from having to explain.
However, this time Si Huang was wrong. Qin Fan wasn’t uninterested; on the contrary, he was very interested and concerned. He was just used to not letting outsiders see when he was seriously thinking about something.
A man’s good memory came in handy at this moment. He remembered that once when he was on the phone with Si Huang, he had only heard Simon’s voice once, and the other party had said something that made him very unhappy.
—I remember now, there’s an idiom in China called “Perching on a Phoenix Tree”—
—Xia, you and Si Huang are a perfect match.
—If Simon hadn’t called out the name Xia in the exact same voice as before, he wouldn’t have imagined what happened last year.
Xia? Is his name Qitong? Xia Qitong!
Qin Fan stared at Si Huang without showing any emotion.
“What’s wrong?” Si Huang was very sensitive to his gaze.
“Nothing.” Qin Fan reached out and took the mineral water bottle from her hand, took a couple of sips, and felt a little better.
Tsk! So what if his wife is too charming and attracts too many suitors? Anyway, only he can be her man!
If anyone dared to come and snatch her away…
“Hiss.” Simon exaggeratedly shook his body, gave Si Huang an inquiring look, and then gestured towards Qin Fan with his lips, silently asking: What’s wrong, Master Qin?
Did this pressure come on so suddenly?!
Si Huang was quite used to it, chuckled softly, and shrugged to indicate that she didn’t know either and didn’t need to care too much.
At this moment, the score statistics appeared on the screen, and the result was just as Si Huang had said: Simon had won. Simon only won by a narrow margin, scoring five points more than Si Huang.
“Great!” Even so, Simon was still very happy, asking Si Huang, “How many years have you been learning shooting? I’ve been involved in this since I was little; my grandfather said I’m a natural sharpshooter!” Involved since childhood? Simon really didn’t hold back with his trusted friends.
Si Huang thought for a moment and smiled, “It’s been a while.” It wasn’t that she intentionally wanted to hide it, but she didn’t want to dampen the spirits of this excited young man.
She couldn’t very well tell him that she had only started using firearms in the last six months.
Simon had indeed misunderstood. The phrase “it’s been a while” was interpreted by him as at least a year or two. “Oh, I think you’re a genius too! Grandpa would love to see you!” He walked over to Si Huang, intending to give her a warm hug, but since Qin Fan had stopped him earlier, he opted for an arm-in-arm and a warm invitation, “If you ever come to the US again, remember to call me beforehand. You can visit my home; the Dolly family warmly welcomes friends!”
“Okay.” Si Huang didn’t refuse. This second encounter made her feel that Simon was indeed a friend worth having. His enthusiasm felt genuine, easily winning people’s favor. Even Qin Fan hadn’t stopped him from getting close, hadn’t he? “If you go to China, give me a call too. You can come visit me.”
This caught Qin Fan’s attention.
Simon readily agreed.
The two understood it was time to part ways.
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