When Liang Yin heard this, she did not refute. Instead, she said very solemnly, “In the past, I felt that you didn’t have any real capability and that you were supported by brainless fans. Now, I feel that you’re very good. You’re really a high-quality idol.”
The actor froze with a mouthful of water still in his mouth. He didn’t know whether to spit it out or to swallow it. It took him a long time to realize that Liang Yin was complimenting him, and he was momentarily distracted.
When he snapped back to his senses, he gulped down the water in his mouth and said dramatically, “You… you actually praised me?”
He was merely self-deprecating in nature. He did not really expect to hear a compliment.
“Those are my heartfelt words.” Liang Yin’s lips twitched mockingly. “Perhaps it’s really difficult for people to understand that not everyone will put themselves in other people’s shoes. It was only after I had swapped identities with you, that I understood how deep the waters of the entertainment industry are, how nasty people can be, and how difficult it is to be a celebrity.”
The actor sighed in response to Liang Yin’s serious expression.
“It is indeed very difficult. It’s exhausting.”
“Uh huh. It just feels like being bound by very heavy chains. Sometimes, it feels really tough.”
The actor said meaningfully, “The world is a cage, everyone is shackled in one way or another.”
When Liang Yin heard this, she didn’t speak for a long time. Then, she finally smiled and said, “That’s right. It’s as though everything between heaven and earth is a cage. Everyone is heavily shackled.”
They exchanged a glance.
Liang Yin suddenly leaned over strangely and said, “By the way, there’s one thing that bothers me.”
“Mmmm?”
“Do you… do you like women or men?!”
“…”
Fortunately, the actor wasn’t drinking. Otherwise, he would have choked and spat it all out.
“Why do you ask?”
“Because I sense that there is something very wrong with your orientation.”
“What’s wrong with it?”
“That time we went to the Halfway Hot Spring, I sensed some sort of ambiguity between you and that man called ‘Gong Jie’…”
It would have been better if Liang Yin hadn’t mentioned that name. At the very mention of Gong Jie, Hua Jin turned furiously red.
“What ambiguity? What could he and I possibly have going on between us?” The actor bristled. “Don’t you spout nonsense! I’m straight as steel.”
“Steel?”
Liang Yin laughed out loud on hearing this word. “I can’t tell. Instead, I think you’re the sort of straight guy that’s like a rubber band!”
The actor’s face transitioned through all the colors of the rainbow…
In an instant, everything changed. Furious, he rose and turned to leave.
Liang Yin quickly stopped him. “What’s your problem? Getting all worked up just like that?”
Scowling, the actor asked her, “Do you know that it is a great insult to a man, to question his sexual orientation?”
“I was just joking!”
“Can one joke about a matter like this?” The actor was genuinely angry now.
Liang studied his expression. When she saw that he was really angry, she was puzzled. “Most people would laugh it off as a joke when they hear something like that. At most, they would clarify it and not take it to heart. Why are you being so serious?”
“…”
Liang Yin cautiously warned him, “Why do I feel like you’re trying to hide something!”
“Don’t talk nonsense!” He snorted. “I like women. I have no feelings for men.”
