Switched Life:I Went Viral on a Family Variety Show
Chapter 198: It’s Good to Have a Backer

Chapter 198: Chapter 198: It’s Good to Have a Backer

After taking a seat, Sang Ning covered her mouth, leaned toward Shen Yi’s ear, and whispered, "Do you not want to interact with Qingyue? If that’s the case, just nod."

Shen Yi took a deep breath and, after a few seconds, gave a firm nod.

Got it, Sang Ning understood.

She wasn’t certain whether Shen Yi and Qingyue’s situation was as she speculated, but clearly, this was something Shen Yi didn’t want to discuss.

She wouldn’t press further; her role was simple — keep Qingyue away from Shen Yi.

Next, whenever Qingyue leaned forward, she matched by leaning forward too.

When Qingyue leaned back, she followed suit and leaned back as well.

The main goal here was to deny Qingyue any opportunity to strike up a conversation with Shen Yi.

Qingyue grew frustrated. His once smiling face darkened in an instant.

Turning toward the camera, he looked at Sang Ning with a sinister expression and gritted his teeth, muttering, "What do you mean by this?"

Sang Ning also turned toward the camera, her lips curving into a beautiful yet ambiguous smile. She replied, "Exactly what you think it means."

Watching Qingyue grow increasingly vexed, gritting his teeth but helpless, he finally sat upright. Only then did Sang Ning resume her normal posture.

"Don’t worry. With me here, he won’t get near you," Sang Ning murmured to reassure Shen Yi.

Shen Yi pressed his lips together and gave Sang Ning a grateful glance.

Once all the participants had arrived, the lights in the waiting room suddenly dimmed, and the large screen in front lit up. This screen displayed real-time updates from the stage ahead.

The stage lights on the screen brightened, and amidst the applause of the audience, the host slowly walked to the center of the stage.

"Welcome, everyone, to the live recording of ’Who’s the Acting Pro?’ I’m your host, Brother Hua."

A burst of loud applause erupted. After it quieted down, Brother Hua began explaining the rules of today’s preliminary round.

The preliminary challenge for today was a group performance. Thirty-six actors would form teams of six on their own, resulting in six groups in total.

After taking the stage, each group would randomly draw a performance scenario. Without any discussion or preparation time, they would directly dive into a scene using imaginary props.

Each performance was limited to five minutes. After the enactment, each actor had to explain to the audience and the mentor panel the logic behind their portrayal.

Following the actors’ explanations, the professional mentor panel would provide feedback. However, they wouldn’t determine any actor’s advancement. That decision rested with the 100 audience acting evaluators present on-site.

Each group allowed only four advancement slots. The 100 evaluators needed to choose four actors from each group of six to advance to the next round.

After the rules were outlined, it was time for the highly anticipated reveal of the mentor panel lineup.

"The first mentor is a director—an internationally renowned one."

As soon as Brother Hua finished speaking, every gaze in the waiting room turned toward Qin Kai.

Chu Xi whispered, "Brother Kai, the first mentor wouldn’t happen to be Director Qin, right?"

Qin Kai quickly shook his head in denial. "No way. My dad said he was heading overseas for location scouting. There’s no way he’d have the time—"

"Let’s give a warm round of applause for Director Qin Jiaxiang!"

Before Qin Kai could finish, the host’s enthusiastically loud introduction plunged him into silence.

Under the spotlight on stage, the little old man, smartly dressed in a buttoned Zhongshan suit and waving to the audience as he approached, was undeniably Director Qin.

"I swear, I had no idea. I wasn’t trying to mislead you guys..."

Facing everyone’s scrutinizing gazes, Qin Kai felt, for the first time, how powerless explanations could be.

"Damn, with Director Qin here, doesn’t that mean Qin Kai is basically guaranteed to win?"

"Exactly. It went from a competition of 36 to a battle of 35 just like that."

"Tsk tsk tsk, it’s great to have connections!"

The contestants began whispering among themselves, their attitudes toward Qin Kai shifting visibly.

Qin Kai felt increasingly awkward, bowing his head to minimize his presence.

"Some people’s acting skills can’t be propped up even with connections. Have you even cleared up your diction? Aside from rattling off 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, have you made any progress? Do you think you could manage A, B, C, D, E properly now?"

Leaning back with her arms crossed, Sang Ning cast a sharp, provocative glance toward a certain corner.

The man locked under her gaze immediately turned ashen and stood up angrily to argue, "Who are you calling someone who can only reel off 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6! You’re just a third-rate actress who needs onions to cry for scenes—what gives you the right to criticize me?"

The man who snapped, exposed by Sang Ning’s remarks, was named Lu Ye. He was the nephew of Huaying’s boss. Unlike Qin Kai...

Qin Kai couldn’t wait for his family background to remain hidden. If not for recording the rural variety show, the public wouldn’t have known Qin Jiaxiang was his father.

In contrast, Lu Ye desperately wanted everyone to know he was the nephew of Huaying’s CEO, flaunting their connection at every opportunity without reservation.

Thanks to this relation, Lu Ye had secured numerous premium resources. Yet, despite extravagant investments to custom-tailor projects for him, his career still hadn’t taken off.

Instead, he’d gone viral for tags like #ToxicActingSkills, #MrDigits, and #CringeKing, stirring the internet as a laughingstock.

If anyone had the least right to sarcastically jab at Qin Kai, it was Lu Ye.

Someone like him—the spoiled yet unremarkable offspring of a wealthy family—how could he dare ridicule someone as talented and good-looking as Qin Kai?

Sang Ning shot Lu Ye a disdainful glance and waved impatiently, "Do us all a favor and sit down. My eyes aren’t tolerant of ugly things."

Even Qin Kai and Shen Yi broke into a cold sweat for Sang Ning. Does she ever think before letting her temper get the better of her?

Even Qingyue was momentarily stunned, looking at Sang Ning with a shocked expression.

"Stop it, stop it. We’re filming a show, keep it together, keep it together," Shen Yi stealthily tugged Sang Ning’s sleeve from behind, discreetly urging her to lower her tone.

Qin Kai also stood up to smooth things over. "Haha, come on, we’re all colleagues. Let’s approach this calmly and maintain a harmonious discussion!"

But Lu Ye wasn’t having it. People usually tiptoed around him, and directors rarely dared reprimand him. What was Sang Ning to him, that she dared berate him like this?

"Do you believe I can’t have my uncle blacklist you!" Lu Ye erupted in fury, blurting out a thoughtless threat.

"Blacklist?" Sang Ning echoed mockingly.

"That’s right. Are you scared now? If you apologize right away, I’ll let this go!"

Sang Ning lightly tapped her temple, exuding an air of absolute defiance. "Your uncle can barely keep Director Qin in good spirits with sweet-talking, and yet you think you’re above Director Qin? Are you out of your mind?"

That single retort left Lu Ye speechless. If he dared assert he was superior, he’d likely be done with this program after the first episode’s recording concluded.

Though fuming with frustration, Lu Ye could only glare helplessly before grudgingly returning to his seat.

If not for his uncle’s stern warning not to act out during the show, he would have taught Sang Ning a lesson long ago.