Chapter 46: The Bullet Is Still Flying

No matter how the netizens called out, the blog of [Monday See] remained unupdated.

This made the reporters, who had their notebooks ready to copy down some groundbreaking material for their own publications, grow restless.

Did he chicken out?

Given the fierce and explosive personality [Monday See] had previously displayed, this didn't make sense.

Could it be that he had run out of tricks?

Unable to figure it out, the crowd flocked once again to Xu Ming's blog comment section.

"Stop pretending, everyone knows you are [Monday See]. Get up and write your article already."

"In Go, there are standard moves, brilliant moves, and vulgar moves. But meeting you made me realize what I want to see most is your diligently updating hands."

"Update now!!! (Roar) (Turns into a monkey) (Flies into the primeval forest) (Swings on a vine) (Knocks away a passing monkey eating a banana) (Roar) (Turns into a monkey) (Flies into the primeval forest) (Swings on a vine) (Knocks away a passing monkey eating a banana) (Roar) (Turns into a monkey) (Flies into the primeval forest) (Swings on a vine)"

Strangely enough, what started as a serious comment section gradually transformed into a contest of literary talent among netizens as they begged for updates.

This trend even spread to other forums, prompting many disinterested netizens to drop by just to witness the spectacle.

However, the silence of both [Monday See] and Xu Ming allowed the previously silenced critics to resurface.

They were certain that Xu Ming lacked the capacity to fight back this time.

Otherwise, given his usual style, how could he possibly endure in silence until now?

"Keep posting, why aren't you posting anymore? Finally realized you kicked an iron plate, didn't you?"

"A single rat dropping doesn't represent the entire Hong Kong entertainment industry, but a cheesy, effeminate actor like you will never reach the heights of Dicky Cheung in a lifetime."

"Your sketch made me want to vomit. It's utterly vulgar, and all you know how to do is play dirty tricks. A person like you only deserves to live in the gutter."

"Go back to the Northeast and sing your crappy Errenzhuan. You have no right to appear on the stages where Hong Kong and Taiwan artists perform."

They went wild with mockery in the comment section and began hurling insults at the netizens who were demanding updates.

In an instant, the blog descended into foul chaos.

Even so, [Monday See] and Xu Ming still refused to show their faces.

Consequently, a trickle of Hong Kong artists tentatively began to follow Wong Jing's lead and speak out.

At a time of choosing sides like this, the earlier one stepped forward, the easier it was to reap the rewards.

Originally, everyone was afraid of following in the footsteps of that previous blockhead.

Now, with Wong Jing taking the lead at the front, the Mainland kid surnamed Xu seemed to have run out of ammunition.

The fans of the Hong Kong artists instantly broke into a celebration.

Meanwhile, Xu Ming, who was on everyone's mind, had just arrived at Liaoning Television.

Xiao Yuan occasionally swiped on her computer tablet beside him and worriedly said, "Brother Ming, the online public opinion is currently very unfavorable to us. Should I hire some internet trolls to control the narrative?"

"No need, let them make a fuss. They're just a minor skin rash," Xu Ming replied calmly, shaking his head.

No matter how lively the online uproar was, it couldn't harm him in the slightest for the time being.

"Then... do you have contact information for [Monday See]? We've tried sending private messages via the blog, but we can never reach him," Xiao Yuan said tentatively.

Everyone was convinced that [Monday See] was Xu Ming's creation, yet the latter had never admitted it. Even when his martial arts brothers asked, he always maintained an indifferent attitude as if they weren't close.

It left her, the assistant, completely in the dark.

"Focus on your own duties; the rest is not for you to consider."

Xu Ming glanced sideways at Xiao Yuan, whose face turned pale, before continuing, "There's a saying: you finish singing your song and I take the stage. They haven't even finished singing yet, what's the rush?"

With that, he walked unhurriedly into the Liaoning Television building.

Hearing these words and looking at the back ahead of her, Xiao Yuan instantly felt at ease.

Although Brother Ming hadn't explained anything, for some reason, she was no longer panicking.

"Oh, hello, Teacher Xu."

Not far into the building, they bumped into a bewildered pair of a man and a woman.

The girl turned her head, saw Xu Ming, and immediately greeted him pleasantly.

Looking past her unpolished facial features, Xu Ming recognized her at a glance: "Sister Ling, here to record a show?"

"I don't deserve to be called sister, just call me Jia Ling. My partner and I came here to record a show, but we got lost," Jia Ling said, pressing her hands together in a humble gesture.

Born in 1982 and a graduate of the Central Academy of Drama, she had won the professional first prize at the 'Inaugural Beijing Crosstalk and Sketch Invitational Tournament' back in 2003.

Yes, that was the exact competition where Guo Degang and Uncle Yu won the third prize.

That year, the final judges were Feng Gong and his colleagues, along with Teacher Hou Yaowen.

Subsequently, Teacher Feng's two beloved disciples, Song Ning and Jia Ling, tied for first prize. The former made it to the Spring Festival Gala in 2005, while the latter made it in 2010.

Rumor had it—just rumor—that in the preliminaries, Guo and Uncle Yu had ranked first, but by the finals, they had dropped to third prize, and that was only out of respect for Uncle Yu's master, Shi Fuquan.

The following year, Guo apprenticed himself to Hou Yaowen.

In 2005, when Guo became a special guest at the competition, He Wei and Li Jing won first prize.

"What a coincidence, I'm heading that way too. Let's go together."

Xu Ming raised his chin and led the two forward.

Bai Kainan, standing beside Jia Ling, wanted to strike up a conversation with him, but never found the right opportunity.

"Teacher Xu, you aren't participating in this recording as well, are you? If you're here, the rest of us can only compete for second place," Jia Ling joked.

"My martial brothers are leading a team, but I couldn't spare the time. You guys just go have fun."

Xu Ming waved his hand, escorted them to their destination, and said, "Before the official recording, contestants aren't allowed to meet. Go find the director yourselves, I'll head back first."

"Alright, thank you, Teacher Xu," Jia Ling said, bowing slightly.

"Ling'er, let me give you a piece of advice: with your image, if you want to become famous, you need to stay plump so that your comedic charm can come through."

Xu Ming still quite liked Jia Ling before she lost weight, and after hesitating for a moment, he decided to offer her a hint.

"Huh? I'll think about it later," Jia Ling said, looking a bit baffled.

"I'm just saying it casually. Just make sure you don't forget your original aspiration once you become famous."

After saying this, Xu Ming glanced at Bai Kainan, who was waiting for some guidance, turned around without a word, and walked away with Xiao Yuan.

As for this fellow, there was nothing to advise. In his past life, he could be seen on various variety shows—he was quite hardworking, but it still couldn't change the fact that he was painfully awkward.

"Bah! Just got lucky and popular, what the hell is he acting all high and mighty for?"

Bai Kainan spat in the direction where Xu Ming had left, then turned to the pensive Jia Ling and said, "Don't worry, we'll make it to the Spring Festival Gala next year too. Who gets famous in the end is still anyone's guess."

Oddly enough, Xu Ming found that he kept running into familiar faces today.

Taking a turn, he spotted Cao Yun(crossed out)jin and Liu Yuntian again.

The two were bantering about something and didn't notice Xu Ming.

Xu Ming didn't mind either. He looked at Cao Jin's youthful face, knowing that a decade later, this guy's path would be full of bumps, and his physiognomy would grow as fiercely unforgiving as his master's.

Unfortunately, he didn't run into any other contestants afterward.

Xu Ming walked straight into Director Su's office.

Meanwhile, that bullet fired toward the Hong Kong entertainment circle was still flying.