Your Rival in Love Gets Prettier Every Day

Chapter 36: The Meal was Blocked, and the Couple CP First Appeared

Before they even had a chance to sit down and eat their meal, today’s interview was already hotly discussed on the Internet. The fact was Shen Jintai own admittance was just too explosive. One of the hot topics on Weibo was Shen Jintai’s voice saying: “The two of us did not get along before.”

The resulting comments were all being controlled by moonlight powder.

“Shen Touhua is still Shen Touhua. It’s all hype.”

“It’s always right to say that the first flower is dead.”

“Please learn to walk independently Shen Touhua. Please learn to be an individual.”

“Isn’t there too many hot searches for Touhua recently? His pay for filming this drama has all been used up.”

Wherever moonlight powder goes, no grass will grow*, and following popular microblogs was their home court. Later they felt scolding him was helping the poor, so they began to post stills of Bai Qingquan in an organized manner.

*Clarity: it means no new comments can gain traction since the moonlight powder will just drown it out with their own comments and upvotes pushing it down.

“On September 11th, I will share the beauty of the East Palace with you.”

Since the broadcasting was going to start on September 11th the moonlight powder had to brainstorm and decide on a support slogan. Bai Qingquan played the male lead, Zhou Jing, and the TV series was called <The East Palace is Coming>.

It was easy to control Weibo comments by having large numbers of likes and retweets, but there was no way to do it in forums. The comments from these were completely another style of painting.

“Although there is suspicion of hype, I still eat this kind of true temperament.”

“Yes, the two of them really don’t get along. On the contrary, I think Bai Qingquan smiles hypocritically every time he mentions Shen Jintai.”

“Haha, hypocritical? That’s called politeness, okay? What kind of three views* do you have in your area? You call it true temperament when you pull the head* in front of the camera?”

*Three views (三观) = generally refers to world outlook, outlook on life, and values.
*Pull the head (扯头) = refers to take the lead.

“Anyway, Shen Touhua has been very successful in a series of operations recently. I don’t know if he has changed teams. I feel that passersby’s favorability for him has soared. ”

“Come on, what passerby will pay attention to him? He has been angry for several years and been blowing up and stepping on all those fan circles.”

“The entertainment industry has really lost a lot of color without Shen Jintai. Personally, I really hope that he can take the opportunity to become popular this time.”

“Same hope.”

“Hope +1.”

“He’s already popular, and his Weibo followers have risen by almost one million.”

“When I squatted on the live broadcast today, his performance really shocked me. I dare not say how good his acting skills are. It’s just a fluke!”

“Yes, yes, it was just a fluke. I didn’t expect him to be like this. It was simply a fluke that made him look good!”

“I was really taken aback. The crew was really scheming to pick this section to open up to the media and visitors. I just went to read the original novel and I couldn’t stop reading! I want to say that if Shen Jintai can hold this role, he’ll definitely become popular!”

“The role of Li Xu is really emotional. You don’t see this kind of vicious and handsome eunuch on the screen often. After acting, he can become a representative role. Shen Jintai’s beauty didn’t keep up, who knows if his acting skills did as well.”

“Speaking of beauty, have you found that Shen Jintai is much better-looking now than before? Has he moved his hands and feet*?”

*Moved hands and feet (动手脚) = to tamper with, to mess around with.

“He didn’t look that bad, did he? He used to wear heavy makeup, and honestly, the public has forgotten what he looked like when he was normal.”

“Looking at the photos of him when he had black hair when he debuted in <Pick Me> back then, it’s obviously different from now.”

“It’s long open*, he was barely an adult at the time.”

*Long open (长开) = refers to big changes when getting older. It’s basically saying past Shen Jintai was still a kid (young) so it’s obvious his looks changed drastically now that he’s an adult (older).

“Shen Jintai is only twenty now, and he hasn’t fully grown up yet. A man only reaches the peak of his appearance at about twenty-five. He still has several years to go.”

“His foundation is actually not bad, but he was compared to Bai Qingquan. I always thought he had red hair and heavy makeup because he knew that he didn’t look as good as Bai Qingquan, so he deliberately went the other way.”

“What you said, that’s too clever for Shen Jintai, right? He wouldn’t retire for love if he had this brain.”

“Hahahaha. Speaking of retiring from the circle for love, did he really break it off with the prince of the Yan family? I don’t know how the Yan family would feel when they see him like this.”

“Why didn’t anyone dig up the relationship between the two of them? I really want to see it.”

“The relationship between the two of them is still prickly. As we all know, there is a mountain of hard evidence. Coupled with Bai Qingquan, their love triangle is super bloody. In summary, Shen Jintai chased Yan Qiuchi madly. Yan Qiuchi was unmoved and seems to like his rival Bai Qingquan.”

“To be honest, Bai Qingquan and Yan Qiuchi don’t have stone hammers* at all, and the fans are all just kidding. It’s very funny to say that there are no pants left for anyone who has a scandal with Bai Qingquan not to be torn. Only the son of the Yan family survived. Since they knew Yan Qiuchi was untouchable, the moonlight powder continued to agitate Shen Jintai by deliberately calling Bai Qingquan the Yan’s son-in-law.”

*Reminder: stone hammers = irrefutable evidence.

“It was because of this that the gold powder was removed on a large scale!”

“What kind of love triangle is this? I only saw Shen Jintai upside down*.”

*Upside down (倒贴) = the person who should have receive money and material, in turn gave it to others. Not only did they not profit, they actually had to pay more for it.

“Now that the two of them are acting in a Sunshine Media drama together, it seems that these three people are going to be entangled to the end of the world.”

“Those two are so funny. They both like to rub against the Yan family. Honestly, people like the Yan family look down on those in the entertainment industry.”

“Prince Yan is really handsome, and fate is really destined. Shen Jintai didn’t catch up with the prince in reality. He can only talk with a prince in the drama, hahahaha. ”

“Hahahaha, this drama has so many surprises and coincidences. Both inside and outside the play! It’s super exciting.”

—

Bai Qingquan and Shen Jintai debuted together, and they were also in a group together, but this was the first time that the two have eaten together in private. It felt quite awkward. Fortunately, Shen Jintai has changed. He was quite magnanimous and decent and was very passionate about him.

Though, Shen Jintai was very passionate about everyone.

This was really evil.

Since Shen Jintai was born a rich second generation, he always had a big temper and is capricious. He could see very few things in his eyes. Except for flattering Yan Qiuchi, everyone else depended on his mood.

Now, not only had he beaten him in acting, his popularity was catching up.

“You eat it.” Shen Jintai interrupted Bai Qingquan thoughts, smiled and said to him: “I don’t think you’ve eaten much lately.”

“I need to lose weight.” Bai Qingquan said.

“You still have to lose weight?” Shen Jintai asked.

Bai Qingquan, still maintaining his appearance as a little fairy in front of Shen Jintai, said softly: “It’s not like you don’t know. I easily get fat in the face. It doesn’t look good on camera.”

“You are good-looking enough,” Shen Jintai said: “You have to leave some way for others to live*.”

*Leave some way for others to live = means leave some leeway and not be too overbearing that other can’t get any benefits.
*Clarity: he’s complimenting Bai Qingquan saying don’t look TOO good or you’ll take away all the benefits from everyone else.

Bai Qingquan was incredibly happy to hear it.

Both Zheng Siqi and Shen Jintai could eat. They were young and had a fast metabolism, so they could eat whatever they wanted. While Bai Qingquan doesn’t easily get fat, if he gains a few pounds, it becomes very obvious in his face, so he had to pay great attention to his diet. In fact, he wanted to eat those foods too. Wei Ge will reward him with a chicken drumstick in a week.

Bai Qingquan: “Is this delicious?”

“Extremely delicious.” Shen Jintai said.

Bai Qingquan couldn’t help but had a small taste. It’s fucking delicious. To maintain his appearance, he kept his mouth shut. Bai Qingquan wiped his mouth and said: “I can’t eat anymore. ”

Shen Jintai: “Just take another bite.”

“I’ll just have some salad.” Bai Qingquan restrained himself.

Shen Jintai felt that Bai Qingquan was really self-disciplined. Bai Qingquan, who only eats vegetarian food, is more in line with the essence of his little fairy. He sat there and didn’t talk much. Seeing him every day, Shen Jintai still thought he was good-looking enough. But it’s not the kind of exquisite and exceptionally good-looking that’s like 8 points in appearance and 2 points in temperament.

The three words, Bai Yueguang, really portray Bai Qingquan: gentle, bright, and shining.

He suddenly smelled a faint fragrance on Bai Qingquan’s body. He didn’t know what cologne he used but it smelled very good. Bai Qingquan’s aptitude was also impressive. At such a young age, his acting skills have already surpass a lot of people.

Bai Qingquan noticed his gaze and turned his head. Shen Jintai smiled at him and turned to listen to Zheng Siqi. Bai Qingquan was left in awe by his smile. He actually thought it was charming and radiant.

When did Shen Jintai smile so beautifully?

“I was actually not very satisfied with my performance of a few scenes today,” Zheng Siqi said: “Later, I reflected on it and felt that I could perform better.”

Shen Jintai: “But you didn’t tell the director to do redo them.”

Zheng Siqi smiled, sat upright, and said: “I was embarrassed to tell the director.” After all, a reshoot not only wastes the time of the crew, but also requires the cooperation of the actors in the scene. A newcomer actor like him, unless the director was not satisfied and asked to start over, he dares not bring it up.

“Director Guo trusts the actors more, and he is willing to discuss with the actors. You met a good director when you debuted.” Shen Jintai said: “You may not know this, but some directors are not very talented, but they have a very good temper. Just because they are the director, they think they have the final say. If the newcomer is not good at acting, they will scold you, occasionally mention their different opinions, or they can just directly let you go.”

“What you said is as if you have experienced it yourself.” Bai Qingquan said.

Shen Jintai smiled. This was really his personal experience. Newcomers with no background and no money really had to work hard by themselves, step by step. The acting profession can make money faster than other industries, but the road at the beginning is also the most difficult to walk.

The three of them unknowingly discussed tomorrow’s scene as the dinner table was rearranged. Bai Qingquan was still holding back at the beginning, but after a few lines, they all forgot about everything else.

There will be a match between the three of them tomorrow. The imprisoned prince Zhou Ying, knowing that it was the end for him, asked Zhou Jing to come over and entrusted Li Xu to him. Li Xu belongs to Zhou Jing, and he has always known it.

“You don’t have to play the role of Zhou Ying too complicated. He’s not a white moonlight character. The simpler the more moving it is.” Shen Jintai said, “When you plan your movements, you don’t need to have a lot of emotional ups and downs. You mainly use micro-movements and your eyes, as well as the rhythm when speaking your lines. The more forbearing, the more the audience will feel sorry for you.”

The three of them recited their lines. With each lines spoke, it created a stoic scene between the three of them. It was very somber. After leaving the East Palace in the night, Li Xu and Zhou Jing also had a scene. The lines have flickered and the rift between the two have started to appear*.

*Clairty: this is referring to the relationship between Li Xu and Zhou Jing.

Bai Qingquan felt it was really comfortable to rehearse with Shen Jintai. Shen Jintai wasn’t so serious during the rehearsals. He was casual and relaxed, and his mood was 8 points*. Although he was also a rookie in acting, his aura was like a play bone*, confident and gentle.

*Translation help: I’m not sure what 8 points is referencing unless the author is referring to a scale out of 10.
*Play bone (戏骨) = I believe the author is referring to old play bone (老戏骨) which refers to old film and TV drama actors who are skilled in performing arts. They are dedicated to acting and have developed superb acting skills.

Bai Qingquan felt that when Shen Jintai was acting, he really had light on his body, that would dispel all his animosity. All the things he hated about Shen Jintai disappeared and what remained were his favorite parts. It would make him occasionally feel as if this was the person he wanted to be. A talented individual with both beauty and acting skills!

Go your own way and leave others nowhere to go*!

*Go your own way and let others nowhere to go (走自己的路,让他们无路可走) = follow your own path and don’t care what others think. The original is “Go your own way and let people talk” by Lu Xun.

The three of them had rehearsed and ate for a long time without realizing it. After they were full, they decided to leave the restaurant. Bai Qingquan walked to the door and when he suddenly turned around.

Shen Jintai was about to ask him what was going on, when he suddenly heard someone shout: “Bai Qingquan!” Only then did he notice that there were several people in the restaurant taking pictures with their phones.

Bai Qingquan quickly took out a mask from his pocket and put it on. Shen Jintai and Zheng Siqi were stunned. Neither of them had ever tasted being popular before so they were not prepared in this regard. As several people raised their phones and surrounded them, Shen Jintai hurriedly reached out to block them. He started to feel a little excited.

He was also a star so were some of them shooting him as well? He obviously thought too much since they were all just focused on Bai Qingquan. He wasn’t sure how these people found out.

When they exited the restaurant, they found that there were dozens of people squatting outside. As soon as they caught sight of them, all those people rushed over. Shen Jintai hurriedly shielded Bai Qingquan behind him, took Bai Qingquan’s arm with one hand while blocking the phones of the fans, and quickly walked in the direction of the car.

Bai Qingquan was startled, his eyebrows drooped slightly, as he saw Shen Jintai’s well-knotted fingers clutching his arm tightly.

Three* words came into Bai Qingquan’s mind: See you for a long time*.

*In Chinese characters it’s three (活久见).
*See you for a long time (活久见) = means you can see everything if you live for a long time. Now it’s mostly used to describe the surprise of the person concerned in the face of strange things.

Not only did Bai Qingquan see for a long time, passersby also have seen it for a long time.

“Is that Shen Jintai?”

“It seems to be.”

“It’s not “it seems to be”. It really is Shen Jintai!”

The attitude of passersby towards celebrities is that whether they like them or not, recognize them or not, as long as it’s a star, they must watch and raise their phones!

More and more people crowded around as someone in the crowd shouted: “Shen Jintai!”

Shen Jintai froze for a minute then continued walking faster. Zheng Siqi followed them closely and was a little frightened by this battle. Fortunately, many of the passersby were just onlookers so the excitement of chasing stars was limited. They didn’t pose any immediate danger.

Looking at Shen Jintai and Bai Qingquan in front of him, Zheng Siqi couldn’t help but feel like… like Shen Jintai and Bai Qingquan were trapped in a relationship and Shen Jintai had switch into full-powered boyfriend mode. He was a star himself, yet Shen Jintai didn’t bother taking care of himself. All he knew was he needed protect Bai Qingquan with all his heart*!

*Clarity: this is not describing the actual event but what Zheng Siqi thinks Shen Jintai is feeling based off of his observation.

—

“Ah, ah, ah! Don’t allow me to scream alone! Shen Jintai and Bai Qingquan were photographed having dinner together. Did you see it?”

“I’m in shock! I can’t believe my eyes!”

“Why did the two of them eat together? Are the two of them hyping jointly?! ”

“It’s normal to eat together when filming together. Obviously, there are other members of the crew there and it’s not just them!”

“Someone is Kang Kang* in the picture above, what happened?”

*Translation help: Kang Kang (康康) = I think it’s referencing the guy in the link. I have no idea what’s it’s supposed to mean in terms of this context.

“The picture is here!”

Someone immediately uploaded several pictures, one of which was a GIF.

Bai Qingquan in the picture was wearing a black mask and dressed very low-key. In front of him, a young man about the same height as him grabbed his wrist and walked forward with great strides. It was none other than Shen Jintai!

“Touhua used to be a flirtatious bitch. I just like the way he looks. Since he dyed his hair back, he’s becoming more and more attractive.”

“If you hadn’t told me, I thought it was a bodyguard. It looked pretty cool.”

“Touhua’s picture is for me, isn’t it so handsome?”

“This one is really handsome. With dark hair and fair skin, red lips and bright eyes, and a heroic walking posture. Bai Qingquan is simply a little wife behind him.”

“I have a terrible idea in my head!”

“Me too, don’t stop me, I want to become fans of a crab foot* CP!”

Translation help: I’m not sure what crab foot/feet (蟹脚) is referring to.

Gold powder and moonlight powder were dumbfounded at the same time.

The author has something to say：

Ding dong, BaiJin CP is online.

Kinky Thoughts: I ship it.