Chapter 6: Collaborating with Little Blackie
“Doo doo doo~”
Standing at Cheng Cheng’s doorstep, Lu Chen nervously knocked on the door.
Even now, it all felt surreal, almost unbelievable.
This morning, when Cheng Cheng messaged him, Lu Chen thought it was some scam. He never expected it to be Cheng Cheng himself!
Seeing that unmistakably familiar face on the video call, Lu Chen was completely stunned!
And to top it off, Cheng Cheng had actually taken the initiative to propose a collaboration, wanting to make videos together!
Not a clarification video.
Not some ulterior motive.
Just the kind of playful videos Lu Chen usually made, poking fun at Cheng Cheng’s quirks!
Lu Chen was utterly baffled—he even questioned his own sanity, wondering if this Cheng Cheng was the real deal. He couldn’t fathom what Cheng Cheng was thinking, just like he couldn’t understand the Weibo post Cheng Cheng had made last night.
Could it be true that, as rumors said, Cheng Cheng had lost his mind? Or was he using some unexpected tactic to handle the fallout?
Questions swirled in Lu Chen’s mind.
But not understanding it all was fine.
Who was Cheng Cheng?
A former top star!
And now, at this critical juncture of his scandal, right in the eye of the storm, with the entire internet’s attention focused on him—if Lu Chen could collaborate with Cheng Cheng, he would surely burst onto the public stage. Bilibili, that small patch of digital ground, wouldn’t matter anymore!
This was an explosion of traffic!
This was unimaginable fortune!
Realizing this, there was only one thought in Lu Chen’s mind: go for it!
After getting Cheng Cheng’s address, he immediately booked the nearest flight, flew straight to the capital, and hurried nonstop to Cheng Cheng’s home, afraid Cheng Cheng might change his mind or something might go wrong.
Soon enough, footsteps came from inside. Cheng Cheng opened the door.
“Hello, are you Lu Chen?” Cheng Cheng smiled warmly and extended his hand.
It really was Cheng Cheng! It truly was him!
Lu Chen’s heart roared with excitement, his expression barely controlled. He bent slightly, extended his hand humbly, and shook Cheng Cheng’s hand.
“Brother Cheng, nice to meet you. I’m Lu Chen.”
Cheng Cheng chuckled inwardly.
“No matter how much you roast me online, when we meet, you still call me ‘Brother Cheng,’ huh?”
“Come in,” Cheng Cheng said, ushering Lu Chen inside.
“Okay~” Lu Chen nodded, still feeling a bit awkward and hesitant to face Cheng Cheng in person.
After all, he was one of the biggest critics of Cheng Cheng, a name well-known on the blacklist. At this moment, he couldn’t help but feel a little weak.
Cheng Cheng guided Lu Chen to sit and poured him a glass of water. “Time’s limited, Mr. Lu. Let’s not waste it—shall we start filming now? Do you have any ideas?”
Lu Chen quickly expressed his thanks, watching Cheng Cheng’s expression carefully, and cautiously asked, “Brother Cheng, do you have any concepts in mind?”
Cheng Cheng smiled. “My idea is simple. We each have our specialty. You keep playing with your yo-yo, and I’ll dance.”
---
Lu Chen finally relaxed. It really was just a collaborative video—they hadn’t been tricked.
He looked at Cheng Cheng expectantly. “Shall we start now?”
Cheng Cheng said, “Find your angle, set up the camera. I’ll go change clothes. Wait for me.”
“Okay, okay,” Lu Chen nodded eagerly.
Ten minutes later, Lu Chen powered on his filming equipment and set it up. Cheng Cheng came out of the bedroom.
Lu Chen’s mouth dropped open.
Isn’t that the outfit Cheng Cheng wore on “Rising Star”?
Isn’t that the classic costume so admired and cosplayed by countless small anonymous creators?
He’d changed specifically into that outfit just to film with me!
I’m really crying!
Cheng Cheng grinned. “I checked my wardrobe and found this still here. Not suitable?”
Lu Chen hurriedly shook his head, “No, no, it’s perfect! Absolutely perfect! Nothing could be more fitting!”
Cheng Cheng said, “Good, then let’s start filming.”
The shoot went smoothly, lasting just two minutes. Cheng Cheng and Lu Chen exchanged positions—sometimes Lu Chen was in front with his yo-yo, sometimes Cheng Cheng danced up front. After five or six takes, they were perfectly in sync.
Before Lu Chen arrived, Cheng Cheng had even brushed up on the original signature dance and studied a dance tutorial book. His dance score was now 77, better than the original!
During filming, Cheng Cheng offered quite a few suggestions, which stung Lu Chen a bit.
When it came to roasting Cheng Cheng, Cheng Cheng seemed even more talented than him!
When they finished filming, both felt it wasn’t enough.
Cheng Cheng, thoughtful, said to Lu Chen, “Don’t turn off the camera yet. I have a new idea.”
He began to demonstrate slowly, practicing punches and kicks, frowning in concentration. Gradually, his stiff and awkward moves grew smoother and more fluid, eventually forming a recognizable style.
Lu Chen’s eyes lit up, pointing with a finger.
“This… this is—”
Cheng Cheng looked at him and nodded. “Yes, it’s a fusion of dance and taekwondo. I call it—”
“Frog Fist!”
Those two words struck Lu Chen like a bolt of lightning, sending shivers down his spine as he murmured, “Frog Fist?! Is this the power of the sect founder?”
—
After filming, Cheng Cheng treated Lu Chen to dinner.
“Thank you.” Lu Chen said gratefully. “Brother Cheng, I don’t even know what to say. Meeting you in person, I realize how kind you are behind the scenes, not at all arrogant. I really was wrong to roast you before—”
Cheng Cheng raised a hand to stop him. “No need to mention it. I’ve come to understand things myself. I used to rely on traffic, no real work, just marketing and a good face. I took advantage of fan dividends and had to endure hate attacks. Actually, your criticism is a kind of supervision—something reasonable.”
Lu Chen was stunned. “Brother Cheng, I didn’t expect your insight to be so deep...”
Cheng Cheng smiled. “People change.”
Lu Chen hesitated. “Then what about that woman online—”
He wanted to ask if it was true but didn’t dare say it aloud.
He added, “Actually, some people online doubt her claims too. Brother Cheng, if it’s fake, I could help clear things up—I have some fans myself.”
Having spent the day with Cheng Cheng, Lu Chen’s impression of him had shifted.
Cheng Cheng said, “No need for you to clarify. I’ll handle it myself. But I can tell you this: the relationship is real, the cheating is fake, and the defamation of the senior happened for reasons.”
Lu Chen breathed a sigh of relief. This meant collaborating with Cheng Cheng was less risky.
After dinner, they parted ways. Before leaving, Cheng Cheng told Lu Chen to let him know when he submitted the video—they would do a joint submission.
Lu Chen thought to himself: he even knows about joint submissions.
—
Back at the residential complex, Cheng Cheng was spotted by paparazzi.
“Is that Cheng Cheng?”
“Looks like him with that figure!”
“Quick, don’t let him get away!”
Several paparazzi rushed forward, fearing he would escape. But when Cheng Cheng saw them, he didn’t run. Instead, he stopped, took off his mask, and waited with a smile.
“Cheng Cheng! How do you respond to the cheating scandal?”
“Cheng Cheng, was last night’s Weibo post from you?”
“What do you think about your downfall?”
“Are you willing to accept this?”
“Do you think cheating is right?”
“People say you’re finished online—do you think so?”
Cheng Cheng was quickly surrounded, multiple microphones thrust in front of him, reminding him of some unpleasant scenes.
“At the company’s request, I’m not able to make any comments now. But regarding Ms. G’s claims, I can only say they are untrue,” Cheng Cheng said calmly, brushing aside one microphone.
A paparazzo swiftly pressed, “So you mean the company is restricting your speech?”
Cheng Cheng silently gave him a mental thumbs-up. “I never said that.”
“Anything you want to say to the public?”
Cheng Cheng replied, “I met a Bilibili UP creator today and did a simple collaboration. By tomorrow at the latest, everyone will know what it’s about.”
“Can you share more?”
“Cheng Cheng! Give us a hint!”
“Is this some kind of reputation repair?”
“Alright, I’m heading back. Everyone, get some rest,” Cheng Cheng said, ignoring the paparazzi’s attempts to stop him, forcing his way through the crowd and entering the complex.
The watchful security guards watched silently as the paparazzi sighed, seeing Cheng Cheng off.
But they were satisfied! That brief interview alone could produce a dozen articles from different angles.
They had struck gold!