Chapter 80

I’m a Player Too, Can You Please Be a Little More Professional?

Where’s my marriage certificate? Could you at least give me back the marriage certificate?

On the terrace on the second floor, Hu Xiu happened to run into Du Mingquan. Han Yiqiu unfolded the crumpled marriage certificate in front of him: “Mr. Du, didn’t expect you were secretly signing a marriage certificate with someone behind Shen Ling’s back?”

Du Mingquan, both in and out of character, was straightforward: “I can’t read, what’s this?”

Han Yiqiu was quite pleased with this line and turned back to Hu Xiu: “Did you hear that? He’s using the fact that the other person can’t read to get away with signing a marriage certificate. It’s really underhanded.”

The insult was too strong! She couldn’t lose this one—Hu Xiu straightened her back: “Minister Qin doesn’t want me. After years of hardship, I came to join a renowned gang, which is perfectly reasonable.”

Du Mingquan, who couldn’t understand what was going on, found it amusing. The two of them were arguing over a piece of paper, and his face showed a moment of quiet satisfaction.

Hu Xiu knew that there were players who secretly had a crush on him and even created a marriage certificate for him. It was typical of handsome guys to be so self-satisfied.

He wasn’t the type to tease girls. Instead, he directly stepped in to save Hu Xiu: “Han Yiqiu, if you have a problem, come at me. Don’t bully my people.”

Oh, right, she was from the gangster. Han Yiqiu put on a stern face, crumpled the marriage certificate again, and shoved it back into his pocket: “I didn’t officiate the marriage. This paper doesn’t have my seal, so it doesn’t count.”

Hu Xiu followed behind. They encountered a group of top players pouring up the stairs, and even with two meters of space, they couldn’t get through.

Han Yiqiu stopped at a step, and Hu Xiu bumped into his back with a thud, stars in her eyes. He didn’t move, instead, he reached behind and gently pulled her into a half-circle, protecting her.

The crumpled paper in his pocket was clearly visible. Hu Xiu reached her hand in to try and sneak the marriage certificate out, but Han Yiqiu quickly grabbed her wrist. The grip wasn’t too tight, but the message was clear: don’t go too far.

This was his usual gentle demeanor. He had expected her to try something at this moment.

The warmth of his hand made Hu Xiu feel a pang of sorrow. Even after three, five, or ten years, this unspoken mutual understanding might never fade. The hot trend of scripted murder games might only last for three years, but in an environment filled with physical interaction, with no distractions from social networks, no worldly cruelty or restlessness, the immersive scenes and the mutual attraction between the characters was a strange feeling that only those who had experienced it could understand.

She thought the two of them would finish and move on to a new story, and the spark might not be as intense. But at this moment, if time were to freeze, everyone around them would be moving.

Only they were very close. Even without looking at each other, their hearts were connected in this stillness, indistinguishable between illusion and reality.

The wrist being held shifted direction, fingers brushed against the other’s wrist, tentatively moving forward, and together, their hands reached into the pocket.

Along with their hands, the string of beads was there, as if the seven-year love story from Rongcheng to Shanghai was real. He hadn’t moved, letting his fingers be gently pressed into the soft palm of the other.

Their story was definitely not over.

Just as this thought crossed her mind, Han Yiqiu pulled his hand away. The crowd scattered, and the stairs became empty. He took a few steps down, pulling a prepared rose from his pocket. After confirming the false report about the shooting at the press office, Han Yiqiu was ready to confess.

Hu Xiu grabbed a familiar top player nearby: “Is there anyone else who could kill Shen Ling, besides Han Yiqiu?”

“Yes, Xue Xia from the Saint Anna Ballroom, who was the runner-up in the Miss Shanghai competition.”

“Is it still possible to take on the mission?”

Hu Xiu hid in the crowd, holding the fragrant balm that Xue Xia had given her. It was said to be something both of them had used during the beauty pageant. Shen Ling and Xue Xia had a deep bond, and she would never refuse it.

Han Yiqiu was seriously confessing to Shen Ling: “Shen Ling, I like you! Do you remember the promise we made? When we turned eighteen, if we’re both still unmarried, we would get married privately.”

“What are you talking about? I’m already married.”

“Yueyue, you can’t have forgotten me, Yueyue…”

“Just go already. If Du Mingquan sees you, you’re dead.”

“A brute like me, marry him?”

His eyes were red.

The confession failed, and the players were still joking. Han Yiqiu looked at Hu Xiu, and the marriage certificate fell out of his pocket.

He picked it up and turned to leave, heading to the next small scene. Hu Xiu didn’t stop, delivering the fragrance balm to Shen Ling, sweet-talking her: “Miss, this is from Xue Xia, she asked me to give it to you. That Han Yiqiu earlier, he clearly seems like a bad guy. You must not get involved with him.”

Shen Ling laughed: “To me, he’s just a little brother. I like mature and steady men.”

How could she escape that line, no matter where she went? Hu Xiu raised her voice, emphasizing: “You’re right, he’s a little brother wherever he goes.”

As expected, ten minutes later, Hu Xiu heard Han Yiqiu and Du Mingquan arguing.

She squeezed through the crowd and saw Du Mingquan’s gun pressed against Han Yiqiu’s forehead. Having watched this grand scene five times already, she couldn’t be bothered to focus on how much better Diào Zhìyǔ’s acting had gotten—she was almost shipping these two as a couple.

A top player had told her that neither Du Mingquan nor Han Yiqiu could easily be replaced by other actors. There was no one else who could match their height, age, and looks.

Hu Xiu watched the two top handsome men acting out their scenes—one with veins popping, the other glaring angrily—both so handsome they were causing a stir. It was set in stone.

It wasn’t that they couldn’t fall in love, in her fantasies, she could ship her and the male actors.

An elderly man was walking around the set. Hu Xiu recognized him as the director of Shanghai Windstorm, a national-level drama actor, who was observing everyone’s acting.

She walked over respectfully: “Teacher Luo, did you see Shen Ling die just now? To be honest, I’m the murderer, because I want to become the next wife of the gang leader.”

Teacher Luo laughed three times: “Clever!”

This conversation reached Han Yiqiu’s ears. Teacher Luo hadn’t finished laughing: “When the game is over, go to the concession and get a stamp. Just say it’s my suggestion, and officially certify you as the gang leader’s wife.”

Hu Xiu smiled and made a bow: “Teacher Luo, the modern-day Yue Lao!”

The fighting and crying were all done, and the game was almost over. Hu Xiu extended her hand to stop Han Yiqiu: “Minister Han, could you help me stamp this? Teacher Luo already certified it, you’re the only one left.”

“You killed Shen Ling. How can I let you be happy?”

“She was never your woman to begin with.” Hu Xiu was getting frustrated—did she really have to repeat this for another three weeks?

The Qixi event lasted a month, and it had to be pushed to the final week before the stamp was given? It was just a certification, so petty.

“You killed my love.” Han Yiqiu looked at her, smiling: “How can I forgive someone who so easily tramples on my love and the things I hold dear?”

Hu Xiu went home to check the trending topic, only to find that her running around with the marriage certificate had already spread throughout the actor group. Teacher Luo was even gloating about it, proudly claiming that the players in Shanghai Windstorm were skilled, not only acting but also rewriting the script themselves.

A small actor commented in the trending topic, saying that Teacher Luo had specifically asked Du Mingquan if he had a girlfriend, pushing him to pursue the player.

This rumor spread quickly. Players began rehashing which player it could be, only remembering that they were from the gangster faction, had long hair, were thin, and had great hair quality. They couldn’t remember anything else.

Everyone was curious to see what the actual marriage certificate looked like and hoped the player would post it in the trending topic for everyone to learn from.

Hu Xiu thought to herself, “You can’t see it. The marriage certificate is with your Minister Han, and not only hasn’t it been stamped, the paper’s gone.”

The following week, she didn’t go to Shanghai Windstorm. She stayed home studying, then went to REGARD for a coffee.

This time, she absolutely didn’t slow down the pace to deliberately attract Diào Zhìyǔ to the café. She just simply thought…

She shouldn’t go; there were probably many players watching her. It would be awkward to run into Du Mingquan too.

The only thing she could do in her free time between studying was read fan fiction. In Shanghai Windstorm’s trending topic, a player had written a love story between Du Mingquan and Han Yiqiu.

Because the escape cards were blue and red, the CP name was “Qinghong Zaobai” (Blue, Red, and Grey).

Du Mingquan was a little gangster taken in by Du Ruosheng. He nearly died in the Battle of Shanghai and changed his surname after following Du Ruosheng. He was ruthless and cruel. Han Yiqiu, on the other hand, was the illegitimate son sent to Japan. His first mission upon returning to China was to assassinate Du Ruosheng. However, Du Mingquan discovered and stopped him, beating him bloody. Du Ruosheng saw his birthmark and slapped Du Mingquan across the face…

The next meeting was already two opposing sides: one swore to kill his biological father, while the other fought to protect his adoptive father, with a woman, Shen Ling, in the middle, adding to the love triangle. The drama, set in Shanghai Windstorms, was growing intense. Currently, the plot had progressed through several chapters and was approaching a point where the characters were almost about to strip and get into bed together. Besides the main characters, the other actors were fueling the drama, and readers were eagerly following along. It seemed that fan culture had infiltrated every corner, with two handsome men in a Republican-era story being turned into a couple by fans. Audiences, feeling unsatisfied, expanded the narrative into a boys’ love (BL) story. Outsiders, after reading the novel and seeing the actors’ photos, immediately traveled to the suburbs to catch a glimpse of them… a true fan obsession.

In the latest chapter, the characters had actually taken off their clothes. Hu Xiu clicked quickly to read, replaying the scenes of them not wearing clothes over and over, sneering at the absurdity.

As for Du Mingquan, it was one thing, but how could Han Yiqiu have such muscular, sculpted abs? It was too fake. He had trained classical dance for over ten years and knew how straight his bone structure was. The lines certainly weren’t those of a burly man. His beauty was not overly feminine either; Qin Xiaoyi was delicate, but Han Yiqiu was a real man.

Though he seemed slim, his bottom was surprisingly round, and his strength was considerable. Occasionally, he hunches not because he’s actually hunched, but because he’s shy and wants to escape from the crowd. Was anyone really paying attention to the actors? Damn it, even the details of the colors had to be mentioned! Shut up!

After thinking this through, Hu Xiu realized that only she had seen Han Yiqiu without clothes.

Quieting her mind, she wasn’t sure how to face Diao Zhi Yu. His words, “You killed my love,” left her speechless.

What mattered to her—her future—had indeed hurt his heart precisely. The hand in her pocket, fingers entwined, didn’t lie. He wasn’t trying to sever ties with her; it was just a matter of stubbornness.

She took out a piece of paper, drawing lines and mapping out a timeline, coming to a conclusion: Diao Zhi Yu, the naive boy, placed love above all else. Even during their breakup, he refused to talk about it, and now that he had won, he wasn’t ready to discuss it either. There must be something else she didn’t know. Out of pride, he refused to speak about it.

Looking at her fingers, the familiar sensation made her sad. If they had just broken up and never met again, time would heal the wound, but now the gap was widening, and it felt like salt was being poured in the wound, blowing in the wind. Worse than despair was the expectation.

After a week of restraint, she finally booked a ticket for Shanghai Windstorms. She was eager to see him.

What she didn’t expect was that, with the summer vacation, the summer sessions were so packed that she couldn’t get a ticket a week in advance.

Hu Xiu hounded the customer service for days, finally finding a player willing to swap their ticket for a night session.

From afar, she could already sense that something was off. An acquaintance, a red-haired woman, and a jade-green qipao… Wasn’t this the wealthy lady clique?

The women were chatting in the ticket exchange area, and it turned out they had already seen Diao Zhi Yu for over ten sessions.

While calculating the costs of those sessions, the woman in the jade-green dress spoke: “Qin Xiaoyi isn’t in Snowpiercer, and he’s not as charming as before.”

That was because you’re all too lustful…

“He used to be great with customer service, even letting you touch his hand.”

The Snowpiercer mechanism was just about visiting brothels…

“You could even act out romantic scenes with him.”

The reason you can’t act now is because your acting skills are subpar!

Hu Xiu silently cursed for a while, feeling her anger rise. When she saw the intel cards they were holding, she couldn’t keep her blood pressure down—she wasn’t the only one here to see Diao Zhi Yu.

Looking around, she noticed young girls waiting nearby: “Hello, is this the Intelligence Department? We have military department tickets and want to switch to the Intelligence Department to see Han Yiqiu…”

Hu Xiu looked at the intel card in her hand. Well, this marked a clear distinction between her and the fans. This time, at least she was in Han Yiqiu’s camp. The wealthy ladies… wait until I get in there, and we’ll see who wins!

The sessions were fully booked, and Hu Xiu walked purposefully beside Han Yiqiu.

She could hear his breath next to her, his hand resting on his knee, veins clearly visible under his pale skin. That hand, she had once held.

This time, her only goal was to meet his gaze and convey her apology, even if she didn’t speak. She wanted him to feel her urgency.

Once inside the Intelligence Department, Han Yiqiu pointed at her: “Step out…”

Other players were curious about this special treatment—getting singled out by a handsome guy like this made Hu Xiu feel inflated. “Do you have this kind of treatment?” she thought. Well, of course, they were just ordinary players. At most, they were top fans in the East China region. As for her… she was his ex-girlfriend.

Han Yiqiu didn’t let her enjoy her pride for long: “Mr. Chen Qiaonian has just arrived in Shanghai. Manpower is tight, so I’m sending you to assist him.”

Huh?

They went to Youth magazine’s office, where eleven different teams were each pulling one person in. They exchanged glances.

Chen Qiaonian was a handsome guy with a small mustache and high brows. “Everyone, I’m Chen Qiaonian. The reason I gathered you all here is to investigate some of the hidden secrets in the concessions.”

“I’m sure some hidden corners have never been unlocked,” he said.

The first half of the session progressed quickly. Hu Xiu followed Chen Qiaonian, helping deceive other mainline actors. She got a key and unlocked a cabinet in the St. Anna ballroom, revealing a hidden passage.

The room was dim, only four candles flickered, and the rest was disordered. A player stepped on a trap, and one of the candles went out—a secret room!

Using the dim light, they opened the box and returned to the magazine office. Hu Xiu overheard some new information: Han Yiqiu had been only three years old when he was sent to Japan and raised to be an assassin. In exchange, his identity had been swapped with a playboy from the business guild, the tobacco king. The Yiguandao cult, a sinister organization, had infiltrated both the gangs and the Nationalist government, long coveting power…

The first half of the session ended, and Chen Qiaonian tore off his mustache. “Thanks for helping unlock the hidden plot. There are more secret rooms waiting in the second half!”

Players screamed from behind: “Oh my god, I can’t believe I was drawn into the hidden line! They normally never open this!”

Hu Xiu thought to herself, these players are so lucky. They don’t have a specific person they want to meet or any personal issues; playing the murder mystery game and getting into the hidden plot is like winning the lottery.

But she was different—she came to see Diao Zhi Yu, only to be forcibly removed from his faction.

Fuming while eating, Hu Xiu found herself sitting right behind the wealthy lady clique—just as annoying as it gets.

Tank, satisfied, bragged: “Diao Zhi Yu’s perks today were pretty decent. I asked him if he remembered me, and he said of course he did.

I’ve chased him from downtown to the suburbs to see him over ten times, and he still hasn’t added me on WeChat, but he’s so patient.”

“It seems he had a girlfriend but broke up. Maybe he’s heartbroken…” Green Gem drawled. “I’m really curious what kind of goddess he falls for—he’s so handsome, his standards can’t be too low or he’ll lose fans.”

“Oh, by the way, have you seen the Qixi Festival event for the last week? If you send in a video of your improvised performance to their WeChat public account, they’ll review it and post a poll. The winner gets to act in that show. Do you want to join?”

“No way, it’s so embarrassing.”

“What’s the big deal? I bet the open role will be Shen Ling, since she’s the female lead. It’ll be a royal treatment for female players.”

“Acting is fine, but the voting part is a hassle—it’s like voting for my kid in kindergarten, so annoying.”

Hu Xiu opened the webpage to check the Qixi Festival event. Sure enough, forget about stamped approval—this chance to play the female lead in person was truly tempting.

Not far away, the girls were discussing the same thing: being surrounded by handsome guys, including top actors like Du Mingquan and Han Yiqiu, it was enough to make one dizzy.

The players of Shanghai Windstorms were mostly seasoned, with enough money to spend a thousand yuan on tickets to the suburbs—definitely acting enthusiasts.

Hu Xiu thought, I’m not going to bother with this fuss. I’ll just come to watch. The wedding certificate doesn’t matter; it’s fine if I don’t get it stamped.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching her from upstairs. Looking up, Diao Zhi Yu was gazing down from the second floor. Their eyes briefly met, and then he withdrew—signal failure.

She couldn’t eat anymore and stood by the rest area door, waiting for Diao Zhi Yu. When she saw him, she was fuming. “Stop right there…”

Glancing at her, Diao Zhi Yu kept walking. “Let’s talk while I go. I need to get ready for the second half.”

“Why did you send me out?”

“Hidden plots are hard to draw, and they only open during the summer when there are more players. It’s not like you can participate just by playing more. You were lucky.”

“I’m here for my seventh session. It was hard enough to draw Intelligence Department. You know Shanghai Windstorms doesn’t allow secret roles.”

Diao Zhi Yu remained expressionless. “Don’t overthink it. It’s just that you drew the name tag ‘Lin Huaiyu.’ It’s always fixed.”

“Why is it that other players can perform well, but Diao Zhi Yu, whenever I see you, you have personal issues? Don’t you believe I’ll report you?”

“Go ahead…” Diao Zhi Yu knew she wouldn’t actually go through with it.

Hu Xiu reluctantly backed down. “Do you really not want to see me?”

“You didn’t show up last week,” he said, stepping confidently into the venue. The players couldn’t enter during the actor’s waiting time.

Hu Xiu stood there, feeling the heat rise. Diao Zhi Yu’s grudge was as fresh as ever.

The second half began, and Hu Xiu couldn’t care less about the escape room. All she wanted was to run out and find Han Yiqiu.

Finally, after the escape room ended, she went to get the guarantee card. She was too late—Han Yiqiu had already finished, and the roses were in his hand, ready to confess to Shen Ling.

This session was absolutely miserable.

Still wearing the gray dress from the archive room, Hu Xiu blended into the crowd. Observing Shen Ling, who was acting alongside two tall and handsome men, she showed no signs of nervousness. She was stunning, with clean facial lines and a sweet smile, her every gesture exuding noble grace—this was the kind of person who deserved to be the female lead.

Han Yiqiu picked up the roses. “Shen Ling, I beg you, don’t marry Du Mingquan. Be with me, okay?”

Hu Xiu couldn’t tell what was part of the act and what was real. Her eyes welled up, watching the man she liked confess to someone else. No, she couldn’t take it.

There’s no such thing as noble self-sacrifice in love. The true madness of love is unapologetically claiming what’s yours, regardless of the consequences, even if it means both sides are burned.

Why suppress your desires? When you truly love someone, there’s no room for compromise.

Moreover, those who get addicted to acting can’t easily let another person exit the stage.

As soon as the second half ended, Hu Xiu called Zhao Xiaoru, her voice full of fire. “Zhao Xiaoru, do you have any trolls? I’m going to make myself the female lead!”