Chapter 29: Mutual Harm

Han Jiayi’s assistant was able to perfectly resolve Bai Renzong’s filming issues, since before Han Jiayi was signed by the entertainment industry, her assistant had already been responsible for filming her, helping her gradually build up popularity. So in this area, her assistant was quite experienced—perhaps not quite at the professional photographer’s level, but more than sufficient for an online content creator.

However, Bai Renzong was still missing one last member for a complete team: post-production. His own editing skills were passable for simple gaming guides, but more complex videos proved a real challenge and wasted a lot of his time, while the final product never looked particularly professional. If he could find a professional video editor to help with post-production, he’d have more time to gather material. Once he found someone for editing, the team would be complete: he and Han Jiayi as on-screen leads, one person handling filming, another handling editing—perfect.

Bai Renzong posted a recruiting ad online and waited for applications. Just then, he heard a commotion outside. Glancing down the stairs, he saw Han Jiayi holding a young woman, joyfully talking about something. The newcomer looked about twenty-three or twenty-four, with an innocent air, big eyes, a round face, and a cute bob haircut. She was actually quite adorable, but inevitably paled in comparison to Han Jiayi.

“And who might this be?” Bai Renzong asked, curious.

“This is my assistant Xiaobei—real name Wang Bei,” Han Jiayi introduced. “She was my junior in high school, and after college, she came to join me when I opened the restaurant. She’s been my assistant ever since, absolutely trustworthy.” Then she turned to Wang Bei. “Xiaobei, this is... the tenant who’s renting my brother’s apartment—now our housemate.”

“Hello,” Bai Renzong said, smiling and waving at the girl.

“Hello,” Wang Bei replied politely, returning a slight bow. Then, turning to Han Jiayi, she said enthusiastically, “Jiayi, I looked up that troll’s background. Judging by the latest video he posted, he seems to be right here in Beichang—mmph!”

Before she could finish, Han Jiayi quickly covered her mouth. “Xiaobei, you must be exhausted after such a long drive! Take a break while I whip up something tasty to welcome you!”

With that, Han Jiayi turned to Bai Renzong. “What about you? Anything you want to eat?”

“I’m easy,” Bai Renzong replied, then returned to his room. He was still quite busy. He needed to quickly build up popularity, so he had to speed up his video releases. Even though he’d just posted a new video today, he had to start preparing for the next already.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Han Jiayi and Wang Bei exchanged information.

“What? He’s the troll who’s harassed you for three videos straight?” Wang Bei exclaimed, rolling up her sleeves as if ready to storm upstairs. “Let me go teach him a lesson—let’s see how tough he really is behind a keyboard!”

“Oh, let it go!” Han Jiayi hurriedly held her back. “He’s not actually a bad person—just a bit dense... But honestly, he’s kind of cute in a straightforward way...”

“Sis, don’t tell me you like him?” Wang Bei stared at Han Jiayi in shock.

“As if!” Han Jiayi shot her a look. “I’m just saying he’s not a bad guy! If I were that easy to win over, I wouldn’t have been single for more than twenty years. Anyway, I’m planning to team up with him and try filming a video together. If it’s mutually beneficial, great; if it holds him back, then I’ll call it off.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Wang Bei mused. “That troll’s actually pretty amazing. Did you know he’s only posted six videos so far, but two of them have already hit number one on the daily charts at D-Station?”

“He’s that good?” Han Jiayi blinked in surprise.

“Yep!” Wang Bei said seriously. “And ever since he started uploading, his follower count has been climbing the charts almost daily. In less than two weeks, he’s nearly hit a hundred thousand followers—he’s about to set a record at D-Station. The only ones who’ve gained fans faster are famous esports teams or big outlets like Global Times, who already have a huge following. No individual creator can compare.”

“I really underestimated that troll... he wasn’t exaggerating after all,” Han Jiayi muttered in mild astonishment, then patted Wang Bei on the head. “Alright, let’s cook! What do you want to eat?”

“Mapo tofu, of course!” Wang Bei replied with a grin. “I’ve been craving it.”

To Bai Renzong’s surprise, dinner that night was a fully traditional Chinese meal: mapo tofu, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, shredded pork with green peppers, spicy and sour shredded potatoes, salt and pepper ribs, and a huge bowl of boiled beef in chili oil.

“What’s wrong? Did you think I could only cook Western food?” Han Jiayi teased. “Try it.”

Bai Renzong didn’t stand on ceremony and sampled a bite. As always, it was delicious—perhaps even more suited to his taste than her Western cooking. But he soon noticed something...

“Why is everything spicy?” Bai Renzong frowned.

“Xiaobei loves spicy food,” Han Jiayi said, ruffling Wang Bei’s hair. “Oh? Can’t handle spice?”

“It’s not that I can’t, just not too much,” Bai Renzong answered, but he quickly realized he’d underestimated the situation. His “divine tongue” gave him incredibly sharp taste, but also heightened his sensitivity to chili. He’d never been a fan of spicy food, but today he was completely outmatched—after just a few bites, sweat poured down his face.

“My, look at you,” Han Jiayi giggled behind her hand, placing a rib and some eggs in his bowl. “Eat the salt and pepper ribs and the eggs—they’re not spicy.”

“But... the spice is delicious,” Bai Renzong replied, wiping his nose and eyes.

“Oh?” Han Jiayi arched her brows and laughed. “How does that saying go? ‘Can’t play, but loves to try’?”

Bai Renzong realized she was turning his own words from the previous night’s horror movie against him, but couldn’t argue, so he just glared at her. Han Jiayi stuck out her tongue playfully and served more food to Wang Bei. “Eat up, Xiaobei.”

After dinner, Bai Renzong joined Han Jiayi and Wang Bei in washing the dishes. While they worked, Han Jiayi brought up the idea of Wang Bei helping with the filming.

“No problem,” Wang Bei replied with a smile. “I’m your assistant, after all—it’s only right to help with these tasks.”

“Good girl, I knew I could count on you,” Han Jiayi said, patting her head. “Why don’t you just stay here with me? It’d be more convenient for work.”

“I’d rather not,” Wang Bei replied with a wry smile. “My family’s actually from Beichang, and since I finally made it back, I want to spend some time at home with my parents. After more than a year working with you, I’ve barely been home at all.”

“Well... alright then,” Han Jiayi said, a little reluctant but unable to object.

“You’d better keep your hands off my sister,” Wang Bei warned, glaring at Bai Renzong.

“If you knew what happened last night, you wouldn’t worry about that,” Bai Renzong replied with an awkward laugh.

“What happened last night?” Wang Bei asked suspiciously.

“N-nothing! We just watched a movie together!” Han Jiayi jumped in, waving her hands between them. “Alright Xiaobei, go get some rest—you must be exhausted after that long drive. Take the next two days off and spend time with your parents!”

“Thanks, sis,” Wang Bei said with a smile. “I’ll head home then. I’m dead tired...”

After Wang Bei left the kitchen, Han Jiayi shot Bai Renzong a fierce glare.

“Why are you glaring at me? Is telling the truth not allowed in this house anymore?” Bai Renzong raised an eyebrow.

“Last night was unfair!” Han Jiayi protested. “It was my first time watching, but you’d already seen it!”

She had realized afterwards that Bai Renzong had set the pace the whole time, and wondered if that’s why he’d been able to mock her so calmly—because it was his second viewing.

“If it were my first time, who knows how scared I’d be!” Han Jiayi said stubbornly.

“I can’t say whether I’d be scared, but you definitely would be,” Bai Renzong replied with a slight smile.

Han Jiayi crossed her arms, full of fighting spirit. “Then let’s both watch a horror movie neither of us has seen tonight! That’ll be fair!”

“Oh come on, what’s the point?” Bai Renzong sighed. “Then we’ll both be too scared to sleep.”

“I wasn’t too scared to sleep!” Han Jiayi blushed. “Are you afraid?”

“Fine, you pick,” Bai Renzong said, a little provoked.

“‘It’!” Han Jiayi announced eagerly. “The best horror film of 2017, adapted from Stephen King’s classic. Have you seen it?”

“No...” Bai Renzong shook his head.

“Then it’s settled!” Han Jiayi said happily. “I’ve already downloaded it—we’ll watch it together in a bit.”

As it turned out, there was a reason the film had been crowned best horror movie of the year.

“This is way too scary...” Within thirty minutes, Bai Renzong was already on edge. The monster in the film didn’t have a single form; it would appear as whatever its victim feared most. Each of the six main characters had a different terror—vengeful ghosts, twisted monsters, clowns, giant spiders—so almost every viewer would find something that struck a nerve. Fortunately, he wasn’t the only one frightened.

“Eek!” Han Jiayi trembled beside him, hugging a cushion and edging closer. She hid the lower half of her face behind the pillow, as if it could offer some protection.

“Aren’t we just hurting each other at this point?” Bai Renzong frowned. “It’s bad enough being scared yourself, but dragging me in too...”

“I don’t care! Losing together is better than you winning alone!” Han Jiayi retorted defiantly.