Chapter 110: It Certainly Isn’t That Simple—There Must Be a Deeper Meaning!

The video of Sumu riding a horse with a sword strapped to his back and cracking his whip had completely gone viral online.

If it had been posted by any other account, some might have thought it was a deliberate publicity stunt orchestrated by Sumu’s own management team.

But the problem was, this video was released by the infamous Black Scoop King—the one who always delivers explosive insider news.

Given their usual approach, there was no way they’d intentionally promote someone else.

After all, it had been so many years.

If they truly wanted to collaborate with celebrity teams for profit, they wouldn’t be on the verge of having their accounts shut down now.

So while many were jumping on the bandwagon, a good number of people began to suspect there was a deeper meaning behind this.

Who exactly was Black Scoop King?

Back in the day, when gossip public accounts were vying for dominance, this one emerged as a dark horse.

If you dared to reveal yourself, they would dig up dirt on your ancestors—the undisputed kings of scandal.

So was this second installment of their expose really just about horseback riding?

Not necessarily.

There had to be some hidden significance!

[Comment:
This is only the second episode, and I’m already looking forward to the third! I bet it’s not just about Sumu riding a horse! There’s probably something even juicier coming! Hurry up with the updates! Don’t keep us waiting too long. Keep it up, Black Scoop King!]

At this moment, a small group online was speculating about the deeper implications of this release.

It felt like they alone were sober while everyone else was drunk.

In their eyes, Black Scoop King wouldn’t just release a single horse-riding video about Sumu.

There had to be more to come.

...

At the Gubei filming location, the chill of the early year still lingered.

Even with the car’s heater on, hands and feet remained cold.

Yet, at this moment, Sun Liaojun and his two companions had shed their earlier lethargy.

To be honest, this second reveal was initially intended to be just a perfunctory effort.

Sun Liaojun himself had thought of it as a last-ditch attempt.

But he never expected that a single horseback riding video would explode in popularity like this!

It felt like a triumphant return to his prime.

Watching the backend data, it was still soaring—likes and shares climbing by the second.

Crucially, the account’s followers and comments had reached historic highs.

What was this?

This was the sign of a comeback!

The days when he dominated the gossip scene and everyone awaited his juicy scoops were back!

Xiao Li said, “Boss! This traffic is enough to sustain us for half a year!”

Xiao Zhang asked, “So, are we finally getting bonuses?”

Sun Liaojun, excited, patted Xiao Zhang’s shoulder. “Bonuses? That’s nothing! We need to think long-term now. Did you cross mountains and rivers to come to this godforsaken place just for a little bonus? You’re too young, too naive!”

Xiao Li said, “Boss, stop sugarcoating it.”

Xiao Zhang added, “If you’re going to sugarcoat, at least give us some first—we made a killing this time!”

Sun Liaojun sighed, then said seriously, “Look at you two. How do I usually teach you? When opportunity knocks, everything else is just dust in the wind! Do you even realize what’s going on right now?”

Xiao Li and Xiao Zhang both nodded.

Sun Liaojun continued, “This is the critical moment for Black Scoop King’s comeback! Isn’t this episode’s feedback obvious enough?”

Xiao Li: “Obviously.”

Xiao Zhang: “Obviously profitable.”

Sun Liaojun grimaced: “I mean, can’t you see the long-term goal and direction that will keep us from worrying about food or shelter in the future?”

Xiao Li and Xiao Zhang exchanged confused looks.

Sun Liaojun explained, “Sumu, just riding a horse, can explode like this. We also have his sword training videos, martial arts practice... If we keep following Sumu and expose his secrets, won’t that be our steady paycheck?”

Xiao Li: “Got it!”

Xiao Zhang: “So, does that mean bigger bonuses?”

Sun Liaojun twitched his mouth, feeling like none of his words had sunk in.

“Xiao Zhang, go buy three meals from the restaurant next door.”

Xiao Zhang: “But it’s not mealtime yet.”

Sun Liaojun: “I don’t want to see you right now, okay?”

Xiao Zhang was speechless.

After kicking Xiao Zhang out, Sun Liaojun stared at the backend data, already envisioning his future career path.

Honestly, Sumu’s sudden viral fame from horseback riding hit him like a jolt.

In other words, it completely woke him up.

Why stick to just scandalous gossip?

As long as what you expose goes viral, that’s good enough.

And right now, what’s most likely to go viral?

The answer was, of course, Sumu’s story.

In Sun Liaojun’s eyes, Sumu was almost superhuman.

Riding horses and practicing swordplay every day without fail—what other actor preparing for a new role was this dedicated?

And that made the best material.

Scandal or not, if it explodes, it’s good content.

Sun Liaojun had already made up his mind—not to return to the capital city for now.

He was going to follow right behind Sumu and pick up the money!

After a long time, Xiao Zhang returned carrying three lunchboxes.

Sun Liaojun took one and opened it, only to find fragrant mixed noodles inside.

“Xiao Zhang, I told you to buy a meal, right? With my status, I should at least have a pork chop rice. How can I eat noodles?”

Xiao Zhang replied, “Boss, as long as you give the bonus, I’ll arrange for pork chop rice.”

Sun Liaojun’s expression softened. “Alright then, next time remind the boss to add some scallions. How can you eat mixed noodles without scallions?”

Xiao Li and Xiao Zhang exchanged silent looks.

Truly, Sun Liaojun was flexible when he needed to be.

...

In the hotel room, Qian Jida and Fan Xiaoju were glued to their phones, occasionally shouting out in excitement.

“Wow, Sumu, you’re on fire again! Your horse-riding moves are so cool!”

“Isn’t it Sumu? Every morning at the stables, didn’t you notice paparazzi filming you?”

Across the room, Sumu executed a beautiful spinning kick and landed steadily.

[Martial Arts Proficiency +1]

[Skill Points +0.1]

“I know. They’ve been following me every day since before the New Year.”

Xiao Ju said, “What? You knew all along?”

Qian Jida was even more confused. “Sumu, if you knew, why let them film you? Tell me earlier. Luckily, public opinion is positive now. But what if they caught you paying utility bills along the way? What would you do then?”

Sumu patted Qian Jida on the shoulder, then said meaningfully:

“Qian, you have to think long-term. Think carefully—why would I give up the New Year’s holiday and keep training here instead of going home?”

Xiao Ju: “To improve yourself!”

Qian Jida: “To better portray the role of Xin Qiji?”

Sumu shook his head. “Too shallow. You two are still only on the surface.”

Xiao Ju and Qian Jida looked puzzled.

Sumu continued, “Improving for the role or to perform better—that’s superficial. The core reason, of course, is to make money.

But someone has to show the investors that Sumu is the kind of guy who will give you a bright future if you invest in him.

At a time like this, when Zheng Quan, Zhao Zhouming, and Yu Hong see how hard I’m working, don’t you think they’re already preparing offers for my next role?”

Xiao Ju was stunned.

Qian Jida said, “But this time it’s Black Scoop King! Do you know how many stars he’s exposed before?”

Sumu smiled. “Times have changed. Back then, Black Scoop King bit everyone. But now, he definitely won’t bite me. Want to know why? Because I’m supporting him!”

Qian Jida and Xiao Ju were speechless.

Suddenly, Master Zhu entered with takeout in hand.

He paused for a moment.

Master Zhu said, “Right!”

...

At the Kiwi Headquarters building, Zheng Quan was watching the video of Sumu riding a horse on his phone.

His face was full of relief and emotion.

After a long moment, he closed the phone and sighed deeply in his chair.

Perhaps this was true brotherly loyalty.

Before this, he had only heard from Chen Anzhi and Yuan Zheng about how hard Sumu was working there.

He never imagined that Sumu would go to such lengths for this role.

He really didn’t have to.

With his current fame and popularity, even a casual performance would be acceptable.

But Sumu didn’t settle for that.

Yes, he trained relentlessly, even skipping the New Year’s holiday, practicing horse riding in such harsh weather and conditions.

Why?

Zheng Quan felt he understood perfectly.

It was all for him—for the promise made.

At a previous drinking party, Sumu had said he would portray the role well and not let him waste money.

Now it was clear this wasn’t a joke.

So wasn’t this true loyalty?

But what moved Zheng Quan even more was something else.

During this time, Sumu hadn’t posted a single status on social media—no moments, no Weibo updates.

Why not post about such handsome horse riding?

Because he didn’t want Zheng Quan to see it.

He didn’t want to seek praise or cause unnecessary thoughts.

This showed his character.

A true gentleman.

Zheng Quan was deeply moved. Sumu, this younger brother of his, was someone he could truly trust.

He never complained about hardship, was loyal, sincere, and straightforward.

Thinking of this, Zheng Quan opened his computer.

He decided to check the company’s upcoming investment projects to see if any suited Sumu.

After all, as long as it could make money for his brother, he’d prioritize it.

...

[Sumu’s Moments: Half a month ago / Horse riding and sword training video HD]

(Visible only to Yu Hong, Zhao Zhouming, Zhang Huaimou)

Comments:

Zhang Huaimou: “Sumu, well done. I always knew you could do it!”

Zhao Zhouming: “Sumu, once this film is done, come work with me!”

Yu Hong: “Old Zhao, you can cool off. Our Penguin has a new drama that fits better!”

Zhao Zhouming: “Don’t listen to him. Our Oil Depot is preparing a big production, with a foreign special effects team, in prep for over a year. How about it, Sumu? Interested?”

Yu Hong: “As if Penguin can’t afford it. Sumu, come next year, you name your terms!”

Zhang Huaimou: “Hua Yi has a movie in a year’s time, with a 1 billion investment.”

Zhao Zhouming: “Director Zhang, that’s not playing fair.”

Yu Hong: “By the way, why is Zheng Quan so quiet lately...?”

...

In the hotel room, Sumu read the comments from a few days ago.

Then he deleted the post.

It seemed the major projects on these platforms and Hua Yi were all scheduled for a year later.

Sometimes, film investment was all about trends and timing.

Though these past two years had been lukewarm, history showed that after a period of calm, a surge would come.

From the subtext, their focus was on the next one or two years.

Sumu analyzed that new themes would likely emerge.

But for this year, it would probably remain as is.

Adding everything up, he’d only earned about 100 million.

He had an agreement with Elephant Company before, but they handled the taxes.

Now that his studio was self-run, taxes were inevitable.

Qian Jida had told him that at his current level, personal income tax was 35%, plus about 6% VAT.

So from 100 million earned, he probably took home around 60 million.

Still, that was a modest sum.

Only 60 million a year.

He felt suffocated.

To break into the box office market, acting alone wouldn’t be enough.

He wanted to take it further.

But with so little capital, how could he bet big?

Moreover, good scripts in hand wouldn’t bring profit from pure copyright sales.

For those classic masterpieces, even if he didn’t star in them, he had to invest personally.

He wouldn’t let others cash in on this money.

As he thought this, his phone pinged with a WeChat message.

Sumu smiled when he saw it was from Zheng Quan.

[Zheng Quan: Sumu, I saw your recent horse-riding video. You don’t have to push yourself so hard. If you hurt yourself, you’d miss out on great opportunities ahead.

A friend sent me some century-old ginseng; I’ll send you a few pieces. Eat well—it’s good for your health.

By the way, your two scripts have attracted investment and production. The screenwriters will soon assign titles.

Also, I wanted to tell you something important: our Kiwi venture capital department is ready to invest in a new film. The project isn’t finalized yet, so I can’t say much. But if it’s confirmed, I’ll be the first to recommend you!]

[Sumu’s reply: Thank you, Director Zheng! I’m really touched. I’m doing great here, not tired at all.]

Zheng Quan was moved to tears reading the reply. Even now, he wanted to keep it from him.

What a good younger brother!

...

After the fifteenth day, the New Year celebrations ended.

It was already late February.

Chen Anzhi and Yuan Zheng led the crew back to the filming location.

Equipment might take a few more days to arrive.

But that was only three or four days at most.

The rest was final preparations and waiting for the remaining actors to join.

Then shooting could officially begin.

During this time, Sumu’s proficiency training had paused.

He took advantage of the rare free time to push his skills as high as possible.

Otherwise, with increasing work and new skill projects starting, he might have little chance to focus on these again.

Just like his fish-killing skill—after filming his first drama, he never practiced it again.

[Horse Riding Proficiency LV4: 12/10,000]

[Sword Techniques Proficiency LV3: 3,560/5,000]

[Martial Arts Moves Proficiency LV3: 3,550/5,000]

Sumu had already reached Level 4 in horse riding.

His current riding skills, aside from the wild horse-catching competitions on the grasslands or world-class equestrian acrobatics, were still a bit behind.

But in the entire entertainment industry, few could match him.

As for sword techniques and martial arts moves, though not yet Level 4, they were already quite impressive.

At least many difficult moves no longer required a stunt double.

...

At the end of February, Chen Anzhi’s crew officially began filming.

Meanwhile, Black Scoop King’s third episode arrived as scheduled...

[Black Scoop King V: Oh my god! I never thought Sumu was this cunning! The sword training sword!]

P.S.: More updates later. Today’s hits are in the tens of thousands, all big chapters. Thanks for the support!

(End of chapter)