Our Tender Harmony

In another section of the hotel, Ma Xiaotian had set up shop. An upper-floor auditorium had been reserved and set up with couches and a projector. A table of pizza, alcohol, and miscellaneous snacks sat off to the side as he and his friends sat around.

‘Game night for the inner circle’ as Ma Xiaotian had dubbed it.

A man arrived late, and Ma Xiaotian set aside his game controller, content to be last place in the racing game they had been playing. Walking over, Ma Xiaotian extended a hand. “Welcome, welcome, we’re here for a cozy, on the down low hang out. No need for the extraneous people, you know what I mean? There are snacks off to the side, feel free to pick up a controller and hop in, we’re planning on switching to a shooter in a bit.”

“MY GUY!” The man took Ma Xiaotian’s hand with a smile. “Knew I could count on you. Man, I owe you one for organizing this. Whenever you need my help, just hit me up.”

“Thank you so much,” Ma Xiaotian smiled, his eyes crinkling as he ushered the man further inward. Once the man picked up a bottle of beer and sauntered over to the couches, Ma Xiaotian walked off to the side to join Peng Yao.

“Prince Ma, want to join the next round?” A woman called out from the couch.

“No, play one without me! I’m going to get some food,” Ma Xiaotian waved back to the group. Once they had refocused on the game, he nudged Peng Yao. “Thoughts?”

“I think your plan is unfolding quite nicely,” Peng Yao answered in a low voice.

“Couldn’t have done it without you,” Ma Xiaotian cracked a faint smile. “You really do have talent as a manager.”

“it’s just some basic psychology,” Peng Yao shrugged, his broad shoulders bumping against Ma Xiaotian’s. “By establishing an in versus an out group, you get better cohesion within the in group. Politicians use it all the time with war against a foreign country or with a specific group of people.”

“And now that they’re loyal, it’s like I’m building my own network alliance,” Ma Xiaotian leaned back against the wall. He offered a fist bump to Peng Yao. “Soon enough we’ll be able to become a force that needs to be contended with.”

“It’s only a matter of time, I believe in you,” Peng Yao bumped his fist against Ma Xiaotian’s. “You’ll ascend the throne.”

“Thanks.”

---

Another couple weeks later, and the cast had arrived at the third, and final financial deal scene. Feng Wei, by now, looked like he slept in a coffin every night. His usual messy—but charming—side overhang hair had become a bird’s nest. He ran around the set with his mouth on fire adjusting every detail: the lighting, the camera, the makeup. Everything.

“I want your outfit to be a little messier, it’ll work better for this type of climactic scene.”

“I want your makeup to be a little heavier. It’ll bring a little more ceremony to the scene.”

“Make this lighting colder. It’ll help make it a little more dramatic.”

“Catch her from this side angle. Her side profile looks more heroic.”

Everyone stood in position, facing each other like two opposing armies. Near the front, the two main factions had split across the border. Chu Changfeng stood beside Xia Ruyun and Liu Fangjie while Li Feiling stood beside Ma Xiaotian and Han Jingyi.

Cold.

The atmosphere, without anyone getting into character, already felt electric.

Li Feiling cracked a cold smile. “Chu Changfeng, did you have diarrhea? You seem a little pale.”

“Yeah, I was emptying myself of mercy,” Chu Changfeng cracked his knuckles before rolling his neck, cracking it too. For once, he tore away all pretenses. “Don’t fall behind in this scene. If you come to me, begging, because the internet tore you apart, I won’t take you in. I’m only interested in someone who can match me. Everyone else has just been practice for you, don’t make me regret this herculean effort.”

A faint few murmurs broke out while the rest of the cast stayed quiet. They knew better than to speak.

“As if I’d ever come to you,” Li Feiling snorted, sliding her hands into her pockets. “Go hurt yourself rather than all those young women.”

“They did it willingly,” Chu Changfeng swept his hair back. “I’m Chu Changfeng, after all. Movie King. Heir to the Chu Family. CEO.”

As the atmosphere turned electric, even other actors and actresses in the scene turned to look at each other. Given the status of the two leads, most had nominally sided with one or the other, and now, taking advantage of the situation, those who couldn’t stand one another began trash-talking.

“Don’t fall behind me.”

“As if, your acting skills are pig-rated at best.”

As for the three other women targeted by Chu Changfeng in the cast, they all had varying reactions. Xia Ruyun let out a faint, exasperated sigh. She rolled her eyes back, shifting her weight away from Chu Changfeng.

He really speaks as if he’s the main character of some cultivation novel.

All the people in the entertainment industry are so dramatic compared to the rest of the population.

Her actions though, didn’t go unnoticed by the man in question. Chu Changfeng’s eyes glimmered as he noted down her reaction; yet, for a man usually so easy to read, no one knew what he truly thought about below his pompousness.

Devious plots? Masterful deception? Literally nothing at all? Childish delusions that he thought of as masterful deception? Horniness?

Nobody knew.

Han Jingyi, meanwhile, felt a weight lift off her shoulders, like the weight of the world had been lifted off her and she had escaped from an eternity of punishment. Her fingers fidgeted with the edge of her pant pocket. Her eyes flicked over to Li Feiling, who took a step forward, half-shielding her from Chu Changfeng’s gaze.

Thank the heavens that I chose to hop ship.

As for the third party in question, Liu Fangjie, she felt a well-spring of nausea well up inside her. Her rose-tinted glasses had already begun cracking, and Chu Changfeng’s words felt like a needle, piercing through. Cold hair seemed to seep through the hole, bleeding into her bones.

She pushed aside the feeling.

Surely, he’s lying.

Surely, he’s not this type of person.

And I haven’t done anything compromising with him, so I can just leave after this show without worries anyway…

Everyone’s thoughts, though, came to an abrupt halt as Feng Wei clapped his hands. “Everyone ready?”

A chorus of answers came back. Li Feiling and Chu Changfeng’s expressions disappeared, cooling to stone as they each got into character.

---

“This deal decides it, wouldn’t you agree?” Jiang Jinlong quirked up an eyebrow. His dragon unsheathed itself as everyone around him took a step back. “Under the heavens, I am invincible. Give up now, Zeng Xiaojing.”

“Since when have I been afraid of a snake like you?” Zeng Xiaojing squinted her eyes against the overwhelming wind pushing her back. She took a staggering step forward as she released her own aura, a wave of scorching heat.

The bang of a gavel filled the room, and a gravelly voice filled the air. The voice dragged against the floor, its rattling timbre reminiscent of chattering bones. “Today, we decide the fate of our generation’s most promising VR company. Recent reports have come out, claiming that this technology is well on its way to becoming the apple of the world. The dream of not only every gamer, but every worker, every student, every parent.”

“Full dive VRMMO!”

“Time dilation to live longer lives!”

“Today, we bid on the future!”

“We open the floor to Jiang Jinlong and Zeng Xiaojing! Present your cases!”