Chapter 51

"Ah, what are you doing again?" Li Jingming squinted his eyes into slits, his face etched with dissatisfaction, as he was woken up early in the morning by his mother.

"You're about to go on a show, right? How can you not put on makeup? Even boys need to look good. People say you look like me, but if you don't put on makeup and look bad on camera, they'll think I look bad too." Jin Runshu, who was in her early forties, was now jumping around on Li Jingming's bed like a child, preventing him from continuing to sleep.

After a couple of grunts, Li Jingming closed his eyes again, wrapped himself in the blanket and pillow, and rolled onto the floor to continue sleeping. This time, no matter how much Jin Runshu jumped on the floor, it had no effect. As Li Jingming smugly thought to himself that he was indeed a Harvard graduate and a product of open education, he was even ready to laugh out loud and say the classic line that villains often use after foiling the protagonists' plans: "You have your strategies, I have my ways." Unfortunately, his smugness didn't last long, as he received a solid kick to the buttocks.

"Mom, do you know what kind of show I'm going to, and you still want me to put on makeup? It's a radio show, where my face won't even be shown. What kind of makeup do I need?" Suddenly remembering that the person in front of him was his mother, Li Jingming swallowed the few ungraceful words that were about to come out.

"Even for a radio show, you still have to go to the studio, right? Will the people walking around not see your face? Opportunities are always for those who are prepared. If you look good, maybe a director or screenwriter will spot you and cast you as the lead. Maybe a pretty girl will spot you and become your mistress. Maybe—"

"Mistress?" Li Jingming was speechless. Had his main wife already appeared, and now it was directly to a mistress?

Jin Runshu looked matter-of-fact, "If you want to marry an entertainer as your main wife, your grandfather won't agree. Wait until he's 'gone.' But the studio isn't just full of female entertainers. If you really want to marry, you might meet the daughter of the station president, an intellectual screenwriter, a beautiful writer, a sexy anchor, or even get a little uniform temptation—"

What kind of wife is that, and what does 'gone' mean...

"Li Kan, why are you playing a game when I told you to brush your teeth and wash your face?" Jin Runshu saw Li Kan, with a wrinkled and sullen face, getting up, thinking her heartfelt persuasion had worked. But then she saw Li Jingming sitting on the floor outside, playing the PS2. "What are you doing?"

"Killing people." Li Jingming chose Zhao Yun in the infinite combo mode and charged into a sea of soldiers.

An hour and a half later, as Li Jingming got into the car heading to SBS, he couldn't help but think that despite Jin C's lazy appearance, she was incredibly diligent. Could it be that everyone in this world has a hidden charm? His recent performance had been good, but Jin C had called him right after dinner yesterday to arrange a radio show to promote his album. Li Jingming, of course, refused. The name of the show made him feel a sharp pain somewhere: "Jin C, A Lovely Morning." Is there such a thing as a lovely morning? Unfortunately, his mother didn't go home that night to force him to go on the show, so Li Jingming had to sleep on the sofa again.

Li Jingming's attitude towards mornings stemmed from two things. One was when his master in China would wake him up before dawn every day to practice, which was beneficial to his health, so he didn't have much resentment. The second was the awkward breakfast custom in Korea. When he was young and living with his grandfather, he would face a pile of food he couldn't eat every morning. His high IQ of 167 came into play, and he realized that if he could stay in bed until noon, he would only have to eat lunch (indeed, he was clever).

The car was Jin Runshu's, and she took Li Jingming to get a fresh look, different from the one in the MV. This look highlighted Li Jingming's youthful appearance, making him look like a pure, innocent young man, the kind that everyone likes.

Li Jingming was initially reluctant, but then Jin Runshu's words struck him like a bolt of lightning, shaking his entire plan. It was just a common phrase that every mother would say, but it was the first time Li Jingming had heard it.

"You're so young and you're already out there. You only come home a few times a year. I even dream that I suddenly can't recognize your face. Your father is busy with his career and isn't often at home. Now that you're back, I just want to see you more on TV." Jin Runshu said.

Yes, even seeing him on TV would be good. Li Jingming thought a lot as he sat in the car. In this life, he had thought too much about himself, possibly neglecting some people and things he should cherish. He needed to think about the people around him. He could firmly grasp what he wanted with his own hands, but what about what they wanted?

SBS is one of the top three terrestrial TV stations. To understand this concept, one must mention a show called "X-Man," which changed the status of Korean entertainment in Asia and could be called a generation of variety show empires. However, the days of "Liu Zaishi and Jiang Hudong bringing healthy smiles to the nation" are long gone and will never return.

Li Jingming had no intention of meeting those big stars right now. The person he wanted to see was Jin C.

"Bro, are you deliberately styling yourself to look tired to attract women? Why do you always look so exhausted?" Li Jingming had never seen Jin C look energetic since they met.

Hearing Li Jingming's teasing, Jin C didn't just take it lying down. He retorted, "I think you're just a woman. Why have I never seen you arrive early? Being late is a woman's privilege."

Li Jingming checked the time on his phone. The show started at 7:30, and it was now 7:26.

Li Jingming didn't need to know the process of the radio show. He wasn't there to be an assistant MC but a guest. Guests just need to follow the MC's rhythm, laugh at the right times, and say a few "uh," "ah," "oh," "eh," and "hi." It's similar to the role of a supporting comedian in a crosstalk show. However, Jin C would give Li Jingming plenty of "screen time." He was leaving for the U.S. on Wednesday, and others would take over, so this was his last chance to promote Li Jingming and "Confession."

"Good morning, listeners. In this beautiful morning, we meet again. I'm Jin C, and this is 'Jin C, A Beautiful Morning.'" Jin C said this line fluently, as he often used it.

Meeting again, how exactly are we meeting? Li Jingming started to create his own jokes out of boredom.

"Today, we have a guest who will accompany me and our listeners throughout the show. Are you curious who it is?"

Who could it be? Kim Tae-hee on a radio show? Listeners probably had no expectations for radio show guests. Li Jingming was determined to keep his complaints to himself, as saying them out loud would be a broadcasting accident.

"Recently, a special song has been widely circulated in the streets of Seoul, causing a lot of discussion and receiving great feedback. The song is called 'Confession.' Let's listen to it first." Jin C praised the song without blushing, even though Li Jingming himself didn't know about the positive feedback.

As the song played, messages started appearing on the computer screen. Jin C's show had high ratings and a lot of interaction. Many people driving in traffic would send text messages to participate.

Li Jingming laughed when he saw the messages. They were full of praise. His song "Confession" was a pure love ballad, easily appealing to people with some life experience. The more they lost, the more they missed. There were no outrageous settings or controversial lyrics, just a gentle and light touch. Even if someone didn't like it, they wouldn't say they hated it.

"Is today's guest Li Jingming?"

"That guy is so handsome."

"I love pure love stories."

"The guy has great singing skills. Let's hear your voice."

"This guy looks like my son."

"Is Jin C using his position to promote? Didn't he direct the MV?"

Seeing the message from the truth emperor, Jin C wasn't embarrassed at all. The purpose of the show was to promote, and slogans like "giving the nation the best smiles" and "sacrificing the small self for the entertainment of the masses" were common in the Korean entertainment industry, but few truly lived up to them. Big stars would only appear on variety shows to promote their movies or dramas, maintaining a sense of mystery. Jin C really liked Li Jingming's "Confession" and Li Jingming himself, so bringing him to his show was a way for a senior to support a junior, a common practice in the entertainment industry.

"From the messages, you can see that this new song is very popular. There's more interaction than usual. Many people have already guessed today's guest. Yes, it's our Li Jingming." After the song ended, Jin C introduced Li Jingming to the listeners.

"Good morning, everyone. I'm Li Jingming." Li Jingming finally got his first line of the morning.

"Wow, you might not know, but the real Li Jingming sitting next to me is even more handsome than in the posters." Jin C said.

"Hehe, just handsome, just handsome." Li Jingming didn't know how to respond to Jin C's comments.

Jin C continued reading from the script, "Is our Li Jingming here today to promote his new song?"

Of course, do you not know if I'm here to promote my new song? Li Jingming realized that this was how radio shows were done: "Yes, I'm here to share my new song with the listeners."

"Your song 'Confession' is self-composed. Did you have any special experiences that inspired such a great song?" Jin C, with years of radio show experience, wouldn't just say meaningless things. Now came the meat of the show, and any juicy details would be a big win.

"Actually, I did have a special experience." Li Jingming's tone became low, "I remember it was a dark and stormy night..."