“Is your hand alright?” Feng Bujue asked.
“Huh? Of course it’s alright. Even if there’s a problem, it’s the problem of my in-game character,” Xiao Tan replied. “Brother Jue, don’t tell me this is the reason you’re calling? You know I’m on duty, right?”
This was the afternoon of the following day, and Feng Bujue called Xiao Tan from home.
“Oh… Of course, I was merely concerned about you.” Feng Bujue then got to the real reason he was calling. “It’s like this… Today, I went out to discuss a cooperation that does not have much to do with writing with the editor.”
“Huh?”
“Three days from now, or this coming Saturday, I will go shoot a TV program. It is not that convenient to get over there. I remember that should be your off day, right? How about you come to be my driver for a day?” Feng Bujue said.
“Huh?” Xiao Tan uttered in confusion before yelping louder, “Huh?”
“What’s wrong with you?” Feng Bujue’s tone though was as normal as ever. “Did you accidentally eat the culture in the petri dish because you thought it was pudding?”
“You’re finally getting on the television, Brother Jue! You’re going to be famous!” Xiao Tan exclaimed excitedly.
“That’s unlikely.”
“Finally, in the future, you can earn money while lying down.”
“Why do you make it sound like I’m changing to a different kind of career?”
“I mean, you can finally earn your living by relying purely on your loyalty like those big authors. You don’t need to force yourself to write every month anymore.”
“That’s why I said, ’that’s unlikely’,” Feng Bujue corrected. “Nothing will change; you’re overthinking things.”
In his excitement, Xiao Tan ignored Feng Bujue’s denial. He asked again, “By the way, what program is it, Brother Jue?”
“I am writer,” he replied calmly.
“Huh? I know that. I mean, what is the program that you’re getting on?”
“I am writer,” Feng Bujue repeated.
“Huh?” Xiao Tan seemed to have short-circuited.
“Sigh…” Feng Bujue took a deep breath. “The program is called ’I am writer’. It is a variety game show where the contestants compete to eliminate one another.”
“Oh? Then other than yourself, who will be participating?” Xiao Tan asked.
“Don’t know, don’t care,” Feng Bujue replied.
Xiao Tan punched the table and laughed. “Ha ha ha… Brother Jue, you are as amazing as ever.”
“Don’t know because the information of other contestants is confidential,” Feng Bujue explained. “Don’t care because caring is pointless… Personally, I wish to show up this once and then get eliminated immediately so that I won’t have to go again.”
“Don’t be like that! This is such a rare chance to get on the television…”
“I do not like appearing around crowds, and leaving too much video evidence of my existence is not my intention either,” Feng Bujue said. “If not for the high payment… I wouldn’t…”
“Brother Jue, did you inform Master Bao of this?” Xiao Tan asked.
“No. After all, I know you will call him after this anyway, so I’ll leave that job to you.” Feng Bujue paused before warning him. “Also, please remember this. It is one thing for you to tell Master Bao, but that is where the news stops. Don’t go blabbing off to random people about this.”
“I won’t… do something like that.” Xiao Tan raised his pitch to answer.
“Remember when my first book was published? Even the boss of the fruit stall five streets away from your house knew about that,” Feng Bujue retorted.
“Ha… Haha… That’s…”
“In any case… it’s decided. This Saturday afternoon, you’ll drive me over there, then you’re free. Since I don’t know how long the recording will take, I’ll go back on my own after it’s over. After all, I still have some money on my travel card,” Feng Bujue said.
“Can I go into the studio to spectate?” Xiao Tan asked.
“No.”
“But…”
“No.”
“Fine,” Xiao Tan grumbled with disappointment. “Then when will the show appear on television?”
“Don’t know.”
“Never mind, I’ll go online to check it myself.”
“Don’t you need to go do your rounds? I’ll talk to you later tonight.” Feng Bujue maintained a weak tone from beginning to end.
“Okay, bye.”
“Bye.”
After hanging up, Feng Bujue took another deep sigh. “Hmm… I can only pray that the kid won’t go overboard.”
Two hours later…
Someone knocked on his door. Feng Bujue cried, “Coming.”
But he had just reached the entrance when his guest used the key to open the door.
“I say… Auntie Liu… Since you never need me to open the door, why do you insist on knocking every time?” Feng Bujue sighed.
It was the landlady, Auntie Liu, who stood outside the door. “Well, you young kids need your privacy. What if there’s a girl in the room? What if you’re doing something not so presentable? Therefore, I always knock first. When I hear your answer, I know that it is okay for me to come in.”
“Your sentences are contradictory, and your logic can easily cause misunderstandings…”
“Don’t confuse me with stuff like that.” Auntie Liu gave him a once-over. “I hear… that you’re going to go shoot a movie?”
The first word that burst out of Feng Bujue’s mind was an expletive, but on the surface, he only groaned and replied, “Who did you hear this from?”
“I heard it from Auntie Wang at the market.” Auntie Liu started to ramble. “Sigh, I say, Xiao Feng, my granddaughter who is ten years old is actually gifted in acting…”
Feng Bujue really felt like slamming his head against the door frame. “Auntie Liu… I am only going to go and record a variety show. It’ll end in mere hours. After editing, the show will be made into a concise broadcast of about half an hour. In fact, I doubt I’ll even show up on the television for more than ten minutes.”
He slowed to take a breath before continuing. “Plus… even if I was going to go shoot a movie, I wouldn’t have the ability to arrange your granddaughter to join the cast. You need to find the producer for that…”
“Ah? Is that so?” Auntie Liu was stunned. “How come I hear a different story from our building’s security guard? He said that you are going to direct and act in a local production…”
From what she said, it sounded like the news had travelled far beyond Feng Bujue’s imagination.
“Fine, fine, fine… You’re overthinking stuff, Auntie Liu…” Feng Bujue quickly ended the topic. “Rumors, these are all rumors! I am not even an actor and have no interest in starting a career in acting. I am merely going to join a variety show, kinda like Jeopardy.”
“Oh…” Auntie Liu nodded. “Huh? Xiao Feng, when is the show going to be broadcast?”
“What are you planning?”
“What’s wrong? It’s rare for someone I know to be on television. Can’t I stay before the television and watch?”
“Sure…” Feng Bujue was helpless before her. “The recording is this coming Saturday, so I’ll ask the crew then. Don’t worry, in a few days, I will hand over this month’s rent, the money that I owe you from the cat, and the news of the broadcast all at the same time. Is that good enough?”
“That’s a promise then. I will wait to hear from you,” Auntie Liu said.
“Alright… See you around…” Feng Bujue tried his best to chase the woman away. He closed the door and leaned against it, sighing. “The rate of this rumor travelling and changing is preposterous… In another forty-eight hours, people might even believe I’m leaving the country to accept an Oscar.”
He shook his head while returning to his room. He applied the three locks on the door, including the chain lock. Then, he went to the gaming hub, removed his shoes, and crawled into it.