IBFV Chapter 3

Carrying a black pot

Translator: Zenne

Editor: Anna and Reya

The room fell silent.　　

Bai Zhi keenly felt that the plot was heading in the wrong direction. “System, what’s the problem?”

“The villain is testing your loyalty for him.” The system stated: “There’s no need to be worried. Just say it.”

“What do I say, ah?” Bai Zhi frantically asked the system.

The system, however, didn’t speak.

Fang Jingmo patiently waited for a while without seeing the person in front of him answer. Internally, he was somewhat baffled. However, after carefully observing Bai Zhi’s expressions and movements, he came to a conclusion:

His eyes are drifting, not daring to look at him face to face. Oh, he’s shy.

Stammering, and not finishing his sentence. Ze¹, he’s nervous.

The umbrella still titled in my direction. En, he likes me.

Forget it, I don’t hate him anyway. I’ll just tactfully reject him later.

Fang Jingmo silently thought.

“Let’s go, ba.” Fang Jingmo said.

“Oh, oh.” Bai Zhi was finally freed of his worries, hurriedly doing his duty of holding the umbrella for Fang Jingmo with all of his heart.

The two people didn’t speak at all for a moment, the atmosphere was strange as they left the film set. A black commercial car parked in a short distanced place ahead.　

Fang Jingmo frowned, thinking that it was time to speak:

“Du Jian.”

“I’m here!” Bai Zhi promptly replied.

Fang Jingmo was silent for a few seconds, then voiced out: “Don’t follow me again, and don’t send things too. I don’t like you.”

Bai Zhi was dazed on the spot as expected. 　　

Fang Jingmo gave him a somewhat complicated look and stepped directly out from under the umbrella, doing large strides towards the vehicle ahead. 

“Umbrella.”

Bai Zhi’s voice rang out from behind him.

Fang Jingmo turned around, noticing that Du Jian had already extended his arms, half of his body drenched in rain. Yet he still stubbornly reached out to hand over the umbrella. 

“There’s no need.”

Fang Jingmo turned back around, then ran off without looking back.

He ran in the car amidst his assistant’s panic, only slightly calming down when he sat in the car. He didn’t know why when he had rejected Du Jian just moments prior, his heart kept beating uncomfortably- like he had let someone down. Fang Jingmo glanced into the distance through the rearview mirror. Within the torrential rain, there was an image of someone with his back to him, the rain sliding down the side of his umbrella. The curtain of rain seemed to isolate him from the rest of the world.

He must’ve been deeply hurt. 　

Fang Jingmo suddenly thought.

And on Bai Zhi’s side.

“Machine uncle, you deceived me.” Bai Zhi’s tone was full of hidden bitterness, “The villain hates me now.”

“Aiya, that’s not true. It’s your fault for not handling it properly. How can you blame your uncle!” The system shifted the blame with a deadpan face.

“How did I not handle it properly?” Bai Zhi was depressed.

“It must be that you weren’t sincere enough.”　

“That can’t be, ba…what should I do now?”

The system pondered for a while. “Since going directly to the villain’s side won’t work,² we’ll just start from the other side. You can start with the villain’s beloved.”

“The female lead?”

“Naturally.” The system said: “Go and get close with the female lead, brush up a favourable impression of the villain in front of her, and help the villain win the beauty’s heart!”

“I understand.” Bai Zhi clenched his hands.　

………….

The next day.

Xu Feng frowned, motionlessly staring at the person before his eyes. 　

“You want to participate in 《The Joys and Sorrows of Life》?”

Bai Zhi nodded. “Reality shows are quite hot nowadays, and I want to try one. I promise I absolutely won’t perform horribly.”

Xu Feng thought about the exaggerated acting of the person in front of him, and couldn’t help sighing: “Okay, ba. If you act then you’re going to be ridiculed by the crowd, so I’ll try to help you strive for it.”

Happily, Bai Zhi expressed his gratitude and left, and the system heaved a sigh of relief.　

“This reality show is the first variety show the female lead has taken on since she was reborn, you must grasp this good opportunity and try hard to help the villain achieve a good impression.”

Bai Zhi nodded like he was pecking rice, “Rest assured, rest assured. I’ll say good words, I know.”

“Also, one other thing.”

“What?”

“The first meeting is extremely important.” 

Just as the system’s words fell, Bai Zhi remembered  the reason why the female lead, Liu Yi, was cold and indifferent to Fang Jingmo in the original storyline. After 《Night Scene》 had finished, Fang Jingmo had crashed into her after she was returning from the closing dinner party for the film, causing the female lead to sustain heavy injuries and miss the opportunity for a drama. Thus, then she could only participate in a reality show.

Their first impressions weren’t good. This is a very crucial issue.

“Nephew, at half-past ten tonight, number 20 Yupin road. The time has finally come for you to be unafraid of any difficulty for the villain and change history.”

“I understand. I’ll go there in advance and drag the female lead away.”

“Heh, stupid.” The system unhurriedly spoke, “Of course you shouldn’t do that. You should ensure that the female lead is safe first, and then pretend to bully her. If Fang Jingmo sees it, he’ll definitely come and  a heroic rescue of a damsel in distress will ensue. Wouldn’t it perfectly turn around their first impressions?”

“So, that’s how it’s done.” Bai Zhi suddenly realised.

…

Twilight.

Bai Zhi wore a black mask, his sweatshirt’s hood covering his forehead. Taking advantage of the cover of the night, he quickly went towards his destination.

“First, pull away, then bully, pull away, and bully, en.” Bai Zhi silently repeated the sequence of actions in his mind, walking forwards full of confidence.

But things developed somewhat unexpectedly.

“…I haven’t bullied her yet, why did the female lead fall over?”

Bai Zhi was dumbfounded. 

“Detection complete. Rest assured, Liu Yi is ahead.” The system’s words interrupted Bai Zhi’s confused ramblings.

Under the dim lights, there were very few pedestrians. The female lead miserably lay on the ground, her thin dress swaying back and forth in the cold wind.

“Fuck!” Bai Zhi hurriedly ran over in fright, one hand searching for her breath. “Seems like she’s alive.”

“You don’t say!” The system said: “Send her to the hospital quickly, ah, this is someone’s life, ah!”

The terrified Bai Zhi promptly carried the female lead on his back. He only ran for a moment before he was abruptly swarmed by reporters.

“Mr Du, could you³ please explain why you’re holding Miss Liu Yi this late into the night?”

“Mr Du, why did Liu Yi faint?! Did you⁴ do this to her?”

Bai Zhi dodged left and right, his forehead rapidly sweating: “Step aside! Liu Yi, Liu Yi has fainted, don’t block me and let me bring her to the hospital!”

“Who was Miss Liu Yi attacked by?”

“Has the culprit already run away, Mr Du?” 

The culprit? Bai Zhi’s head suddenly lit up⁵ as he remembered something. According to the original work, Fang Jingmo bumped into the female lead, causing her to sustain injuries…

I’m done for. It’s unlikely to be Fang Jingmo… or did he bump into her and secretly run away in accordance with the plot?

Bai Zhi’s heart immediately turned cold. His complexion was pale, and without thinking, he took the microphone, trembling as he said:

“I bumped into her, it was me who bumped into her.”

The sounds of camera clicking immediately became overwhelming and engulfed everything in their white light. Bai Zhi helplessly took a step back. Liu Yi who was on his back became like a thousand jin⁶, pushing his entire being down, rendering him unable to breathe.

“Step aside, step aside!” Several voices suddenly rang out, Bai Zhi looked towards the  left and saw several black-clothed bodyguards forcing their way through the reporters. They stiffly walked in front of Bai Zhi, stooping down to ask him to follow them.

Bai Zhi: “?”

The bodyguard mouthed, “Fang Jingmo.”

Bai Zhi: “!”

He carefully carried Liu Yi on his back to leave, and didn’t walk very far before a silver sports car appeared in front of him.

The car window rolled down, and Fang Jingmo wearing an opaque, white shirt,  glanced at Bai Zhi, speaking without emotion.

“Get in.”

After Bai Zhi placed the female lead in the car, he sat properly and asked, “Where to?”

Fang Jingmo indicated for the bodyguard to leave and started the car himself.

“The hospital.”　

Bai Zhi’s mind was preoccupied with the unconscious female lead and the icy face of the villain. The two went without a word, speeding to the hospital.

As soon as he got off, Bai Zhi expressed his thanks and intended to rush into the hospital. He thought about it again and went back to knock on Fang Jingmo’s car window.

“Senior, how about you⁷ go first, ba, I’ll help you⁸ take responsibility.”

Fang Jingmo paused mid step, he had not been able to ask anything by the time Bai Zhi had already fled.

It was suddenly quiet all around. Fang Jingmo’s eyes slightly twitched and raised his hand to take out the key.

Bai Zhi stupidly circled half of the hospital, and with great difficulty, remembered to find the doctor. After the treatment came out, he was very dumbfounded by the results.

“Hypoglycemia? What?”

The doctor in the large, white coat patiently explained to him, “Nowadays, girls like to go on diets to lose weight when they have nothing to do. Being healthy is beautiful, talk more about it with your girlfriend, you know?”

Bai Zhi was muddled: “She’s not my girlfriend.”

Doctor: “Oh, then talk about that with her too.”

“No, doctor.” Bai Zhi was not at ease: “Are you sure you⁹ don’t need to do more examinations? Does she have a concussion? Broken bones or anything else?”

The doctor heard what Bai Zhi said and lifted his head, looking at him for a long time. He then switched his tone, “Do you and that girl hate each other?”

“How could that be?!” Bai Zhi denied at once. “It’s just…wasn’t she run into by a car?”

“Remote control car or bike?”

Bai Zhi simply shut up.

“We’ll put her on an intravenous drip overnight, and she’ll be alright tomorrow.” The doctor continued,  “If you’re not at ease, you can also stay and keep watch tonight.”

“Forget about it.” Bai Zhi remembered his big bed at home all of a sudden: “I think I’d rather go home to sleep.”　　

Bai Zhi took the fee bill, walked out with his head bowed, and immediately ran into a ‘wall’.

The ‘wall’ had a hand in one pocket and stood outside of the door, silently staring at Bai Zhi. It was obvious that it had been standing there for a very long time.

“Fang Jingmo?” Bai Zhi was even more surprised: “Senior, you,¹⁰ how did you¹¹——”

“What’s this you said about taking responsibility for me?” Fang Jingmo slightly lowered his head, leaning a bit closer to Bai Zhi.

The smell of the man’s hormones filled his nose, making Bai Zhi’s heart suddenly tremble.

“I, I thought it was you who bumped into Liu Yi.”

Fang Jingmo narrowed his eyes.

Upon seeing this, Bai Zhi hurriedly apologised. “I’m sorry.”

However, Fang Jingmo paid no attention to his apology. He was silent for a moment, “You thought I did it, so, in front of the media, you hurriedly carried the black pot¹² for me?”

“Yes. Yes, that’s right ba.” Bai Zhi didn’t find anything incorrect in what he said.

Fang Jingmo stopped talking, giving Bai Zhi a profound look. The youngster was only wearing a sweatshirt, seeming somewhat thin.

The air became quiet for a moment.

After a long time, Fang Jingmo broke the silence. “Did you finish paying?”

“The expenses haven’t been paid yet.” Bai Zhi gestured to the bill in his hand.

“I’ll pay and send you home.”

“Ah? Bai Zhi was even more puzzled, but he hadn’t even opened his mouth to inquire further when the system roared inside of his mind: “Ah, what ah? Go quickly, ah! You can return home together when you’re finished paying- what a good opportunity, ah!”

Bai Zhi ran away-as instructed by the system- from Fang Jingmo,  obediently heading to pay the bill.

Fang Jingmo observed Bai Zhi’s particularly fast pace, believing it was due to his excitement. He turned around, and after a long time, he suddenly laughed.

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1. ‘Ze’ is the sound of someone clicking their tongue.
2. 曲线救国 means someone who seemed to be collaborating with the Japanese during the Sino-Japanese war of 1937-1945, but they were secretly working for the Nationalists. I wasn’t sure on how to convey that in this context though, so if anyone has suggestions – then let me know.
3. Formal ‘you’ is used.
4. Formal ‘you’ is used again.
5. I think this is like when a lightbulb appears in an anime character’s head when they get an idea, but I didn’t know how to phrase this.
6. 1000 jin is 500kg and 1102.31lb.
7. Formal ‘you’.
8. Formal ‘you’ used again.
9. Formal ‘you’.
10. Formal ‘you’.
11. Once again, formal ‘you’.
12. ‘Carrying the black pot’ means taking the blame.

Zenne: Ahhhh, many sentences sound kinda off and I want to fix it, but when I think of ways to fix it, it derails too much from the translation! I’m frustrated but, whatever. Hope you’ve enjoyed this chapter, I’ll also try to finish the next chapter earlier if I can be bothered. 🙂 Again, any mistakes found, please comment so I can fix it.

Reya: My fellow sisters, please make sure you are eating enough and healthily! You’re the most beautiful when you’re healthy!

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