Chapter 245: Met a Scammer

Chapter 245: Encountering a Con Artist

The Mango Center building in Malanshan is quite striking, its llama-shaped silhouette visible from a great distance.

Shortly after 2:00 PM on December 2nd, Meng Fan, Bai Zhi, and their entourage arrived at a hotel near the "Beast Building," a venue specifically reserved for celebrities and performers.

"Are you tired?"

"I'm alright."

"Get some rest first. I'll come get you at three."

"Okay."

Meng Fan parted ways with Bai Zhi and entered his room. No sooner had he set his bag down than his phone rang; it was Lou Lan.

"Iron God, you haven't been to the studio in nearly thirty hours," Lou Lan whined. "Without you here, I can't find an ounce of motivation. I've grown so used to your pace that working with anyone else feels utterly dull. I could sleep for five hours during a ten-hour recording session and still get by. How does that saying go? 'Once you've seen the vast ocean, other waters seem trivial; once you've seen the clouds over Mount Wu, other peaks are not clouds.' After getting used to your efficiency, watching others work feels like child's play."

"Oh, give it a rest. You complained plenty when you were working with me," Meng Fan laughed. "I'm out of town right now. If there's anything urgent, just hand it off to someone else. I expect to be back the day after tomorrow."

"The day after tomorrow? Fine, I'll set aside the non-urgent tasks for you. Sigh, another thirty or forty hours of agony ahead."

After a few more words, Meng Fan hung up, feeling a bit speechless. Why was this bearded man acting so clingy?

He hadn't rested long before someone knocked on his door. When he opened it, Meng Fan was surprised to see Su Qingcen standing there alongside Bai Zhi. It turned out Su Qingcen was in town to record an episode of *Happy Camp* at Mango TV, and upon learning Meng Fan was nearby, she had come over with Bai Zhi.

The three of them headed toward the Mango Center together. With Meng Fan’s stature, anyone who didn't know better would have mistaken him for a bodyguard. Of course, given Meng Fan's presence, he wasn't exactly cut out for bodyguard work.

"I should be done with my recording pretty quickly. Once I'm finished, let's go grab a late-night snack!"

Having spent more time with her, Meng Fan found Su Qingcen to be quite playful and charming—a stark contrast to her usual "bossy big sister" persona. Moreover, she was a true foodie; the way she rattled off Changsha snacks made Meng Fan hungry just listening to her.

"I'm afraid we won't have that luxury."

This was the second time today Bai Zhi had said this. With a sorrowful expression, she added, "You have no idea how brutal *Voice Master* is. Forget late-night snacks; we'll be lucky to get any decent rest. After we finish going over the script and shooting the promotional stills, it’ll be evening. And once night falls, it’s nothing but endless practice."

Bai Zhi had experienced the show's rigor during her last visit. The production team selected numerous voice-acting clips, and mastering them required immense time. With top-tier domestic voice coaches involved, the standards were incredibly high. Last time, she had nearly pulled an all-nighter just to meet the coach's requirements.

So, regarding Su Qingcen’s tempting offer, she could only sigh mournfully: "If you're still here tomorrow night after we finish recording, maybe we can grab that snack. Otherwise, you'll have to go alone. As for tonight, ha! Don't even think about seeing us!"

"How pitiful! I guess I'll have to eat alone then. Don't worry, I'll take pictures and send them to you."

Su Qingcen gave Meng Fan and Bai Zhi a playful wink before heading off toward the *Happy Camp* studio.

When Meng Fan and Bai Zhi arrived at the *Voice Master* set, they happened to run into Zhang Xiaotaiye, an actor known for his "plastic surgery-level" acting skills.

Bai Zhi had worked on a drama with Zhang once, but they didn't share many scenes, so they were little more than nodding acquaintances. They exchanged a few polite pleasantries.

Zhang Xiaotaiye’s guest partner was Huang Yi, known as the "Nation's Daughter-in-law." The two had collaborated on both television and film projects, were close friends, and had an excellent relationship with Mango TV, so she had accepted his invitation immediately.

While Bai Zhi wasn't close with Zhang, she and Huang Yi were good friends. They hadn't seen each other in a while, and the moment they met, they launched into an animated conversation, their laughter filling the conference room.

Seeing that the two women wouldn't be quieting down anytime soon, Zhang Xiaotaiye approached Meng Fan, shook his hand, and smiled. "I know you. The Iron Tower, a real man."

"Nice to meet you, Xiaotaiye. I'm a fan of your work."

Meng Fan pulled out a copy of *Unreliable Actors Love to Say 'If'*, which he had asked Sister Sun to help prepare, and smiled. "Could you sign this for me?"

Seeing his own book, Zhang Xiaotaiye laughed, took the pen, and signed it with a flourish, adding a personal inscription.

Once the two women settled down, the two groups were taken by their respective directors to go over the scripts. The scripts were simple enough, and a quick run-through sufficed; any points needing attention would be prompted during the actual recording. After the script review, they moved on to promotional photos and videos.

The shoot was straightforward. Even without acting experience, Meng Fan managed to follow the photographer's instructions with ease. The results, however, shocked the photographer, who looked up at Meng Fan several times. To a photographer sensitive to subtle nuances, Meng Fan possessed an uncanny, almost eerie quality—he was incredibly photogenic!

Whether it was his looks or his temperament, everything seemed to be elevated by a whole level.

"Finished?"

"Finished."

"Thank you, sorry for the trouble." Meng Fan had never done this before and felt quite awkward. He breathed a sigh of relief once he changed back into his own clothes and quickly asked for the location of the restroom.

"Hmm? Xiao Fan!"

Just as Meng Fan was mid-stream, someone in the stall next to him called his name. The person then said, "Something's come up," and hung up the phone.

Meng Fan turned his head, stunned. "How unlucky can I be? I run into you even in the bathroom."

"Is that any way to talk to me, you brat!" Tao Dongli glared at Meng Fan. "Am I really that unwelcome to you?"

"You're a con artist, why would I welcome you?" Meng Fan finished up, walked to the sink, and asked suspiciously, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for a meeting." Tao Dongli finished his business and joined him at the sink, laughing. "What about you? Let me guess, here for some show? You've been busy lately. Don't tell me you're planning to enter the entertainment industry? Need any help?"

"Stop right there. I'm just here to help Bai Zhi. Don't you dare meddle in my affairs." Meng Fan immediately shut him down, wiped his hands with a paper towel, and added, "Your image as a con artist is deeply ingrained in my mind. That’s not changing, at least not with me."

"Do you have to hold such a grudge? It's been over ten years! It was just a fake action figure I bought you, why are you still so bitter?"

Meng Fan glared. "A fake action figure? Is that all it was? Do you know how long I was laughed at for showing off that Batman figure of yours, the one wearing Superman underwear? You lied and told me you brought it from abroad, and you spent forever telling me how powerful Batman was! Do you know what a childhood trauma that is?"

Tao Dongli burst into laughter at the memory. "Didn't you use that same trick on Xiao Shan later? I'd say we're even!"

At the mention of his nephew's name, Meng Fan’s expression finally softened, and he asked Tao Dongli for several photos and videos. Still, he grumbled, "Even? Not in this lifetime. The action figure was a minor issue. The main thing is that you swindled my sister away. You promised she’d return to Wenzhou after graduation, and then—humph—the two of you ran off to study in the States. I didn't see my sister for years! Even later, you promised you'd move back to Wenzhou, but you went to Beijing instead. I barely see her twice a year."

Meng Fan had four older sisters. Meng Caiju, from his uncle's side, was the gentle one; the others were either rough, wild, or devilish. Since Meng Caiju was over a decade older than him, Meng Fan had been very dependent on her growing up. He was still a child when she married, and combined with the fake action figure incident, he had branded his brother-in-law as the world's greatest con artist.

As he grew up, he understood better, but they had fallen into this dynamic and no one bothered to change it.

"I'm heading back to Beijing tonight. Want to come with me?"

"I've got things to do here. I'll go when I have time."

"Then let me treat you to a meal before I leave?"

"Probably won't have time. You'd better get back to your business."

"Wait, let me take a photo for your sister. You've lost a lot of weight since the last time we met, haven't you?"

"You think I don't video chat with her?"

The two left the restroom, chatted for a moment longer, and then parted ways. Meng Fan went to find Bai Zhi, while Tao Dongli turned toward a quiet area to make a phone call; he needed to confirm some details from the meeting he had left halfway through.

When Meng Fan reached Bai Zhi's studio, she was still filming.

"You finished so quickly?"

"Mine was simple."

About ten minutes later, Bai Zhi finished her shoot. After a quick change of clothes and makeup, she was led by a staff member to the rehearsal hall.

When they arrived, the voice coach hadn't arrived yet. The director brought out several voice-acting clips for Meng Fan and Bai Zhi to choose from.

The *Voice Master* annual gala featured group competitions, with the eight winning voice actors divided into four teams.

The show's process was straightforward.

First, the voice actors and their guest partners performed individual voice-acting shows. During recording, each pair recorded two segments, though only one would be aired—sometimes, if the guest wasn't a big enough star or the performance wasn't spectacular, neither segment would make the cut.

After the individual shows came the collaborative performance, where they also recorded two segments and chose the best one for broadcast.

Then came the "Director's Exam," where the two voice actors from each group performed according to the director's requirements, with the audience voting for the winner.

Once all four groups finished, the audience would decide the annual champion.

Some of the selected clips were prepared by Bai Zhi herself, while the rest were provided by the production team. In theory, Meng Fan could have prepared his own, but there hadn't been enough time.

Bai Zhi said, "Xiao Fan, take a look. If there's nothing you like, or if there's something specific you really want to perform, you can tell the production team."

Meng Fan looked over the prepared clips. To him, they were all a bit too simple.

I am detained by affairs abroad today, so only one chapter shall suffice; I will make amends tomorrow.

(End of chapter)