Chapter 17
The red-haired youth’s companion took out his phone and started recording a video of Ji Wei’s hands. The moist brush touched the dry paper, quickly blooming into a continuous mountain landscape. He dipped the brush in water, lightening the ink, and began to paint a calm lake. On the pristine surface of the lake was a small boat, and the rower, wearing a conical hat, was depicted with a sense of imminent motion, creating a sharp contrast with the static landscape.
[Ahhhhhhh, Weiwei looks so refined when he’s doing traditional Chinese painting! He really looks like a scholar from ancient times.]
[I never thought I’d see the day when I’d watch someone paint with such fascination. I can’t tell if it’s good or not, but it’s just so comfortable to watch.]
[Yes, yes, me too!]
[I kneel before the master. The painting is really amazing. The technique is masterful, and the combination of static and dynamic elements is very clever. If he weren’t showing his face, I’d really suspect it was Master Ma Liqing’s hand double.]
On Weibo, the Super Topic for National Style exploded. The topic “Ji Wei’s Godly Painting” quickly shot up the trending list. Everyone was discussing where the production team had found such a godly little brother.
[Red Pomelo] It’s one thing to be so handsome—there are plenty of good-looking people in the entertainment industry—but to be so good at painting too, I’m willing to die in the little brother’s pear dimples!
[I’m Bald and I’m Stronger] He’s also amazing at gaming! I’ve been following his streams and lamenting that he has the skill but not the fame. I didn’t expect him to trend. The gaming section will probably be his and Wen Zheng’s domain from now on.
[East Wind Express] Truly godly!! Have you guys seen the video of him drawing the portrait? He’s a printer come to life. I’m really curious who the little brother is. How come there’s no information about him online?
[Twinkle] +1, can’t find anything. He must have an extraordinary background.
Half an hour later, Ji Wei added his signature to the painting, placed the brush on the brush rest next to the inkstone, and said to the red-haired youth, “I hope you like it.”
The red-haired youth was extremely excited, even gesturing with his hands and speaking in French. But the next second, he took back all the guqins he had laid out! The bullet comments were stunned.
[What does this mean! Is he dissatisfied and regretting it? I’m so done. If you’re not satisfied, give the painting to me!]
[Exactly, no one is after his zither. His actions are just speechless. I wonder who was begging Weiwei to paint before.]
[Seriously, this is so disgusting. I’m getting angry just watching.]
Even the usually jocular Du Ruosong had an indescribable look in his eyes. He sighed. “Why don’t we just leave?”
Zhao Yue’s face turned pale with anger. If it weren’t for the live broadcast and the need to maintain his image, he would have probably started cursing.
“Let’s wait a bit longer.”
Lu Shenxing’s expression was calm.
“What are we waiting for?” Zhao Yue muttered, looking at Ji Wei for support. “He’s treating us like monkeys, don’t you think?”
Ji Wei was obedient. “I’ll listen to Film Emperor Lu.”
Zhao Yue was speechless. So naive.
Who knew that the red-haired youth would return with another guqin, carefully placing it on the square table in the hall. The body of the zither was made of paulownia wood, and the cracks were so realistically crafted they looked authentic. It was less an instrument and more an exquisite work of art. Even someone who knew nothing about zithers could tell at a glance that the material was expensive.
“Only this zither is worthy of your painting.”
The red-haired youth placed the guqin in its case and generously handed it to Ji Wei without any reluctance.
[This is a Pei Zither, its market price starts at one or two hundred thousand. It’s famous for its metallic, stone-like sound. I just called him stingy, I was wrong, master.]
[He really likes that painting. His eyes are glued to it.]
[Congratulations to the King of Luck for getting another piece of orange gear.]
Ji Wei accepted the zither. If he didn’t… the red-haired youth looked like he was about to cry. Accompanied by the youth and his companion, the four of them left the zither house.
“Next time you’re in Nice, I’ll treat you to oysters at Café de Turin.”
The red-haired youth held the painting and waved at them with a smile.
“Okay.”
Ji Wei and his group waved back.
It was already noon. They were about to take a taxi to the next instrument store when they were told the live broadcast was being suspended.
Qi Ke said apologetically, “There’s a problem with the live broadcast equipment. We might have to wait until one in the afternoon to continue. We’ll repair it as soon as possible and won’t delay your time.”
“It’s fine, I was just about to go shopping anyway.” Du Ruosong took out his phone and looked at the shopping list his wife had sent him. “Xiao Qi, give me my wallet.”
Qi Ke had a headache. “…I can’t give it to you just yet. Why don’t you have lunch first?”
Du Ruosong put away his phone. “No, thanks. I’ll go check out the mall first.”
Qi Ke was speechless.
After a whole morning of broadcasting, Ji Wei was also a bit tired. He found a bench to sit on, opened a bottle of mineral water, and took a couple of sips. Suddenly, a shadow fell over him. He looked up, and to his surprise, it was… “Zhao Yue?”
Ji Wei stood up, a little puzzled. “Do you need something from me?”
“You must look down on me, right? You don’t have to pretend when the cameras are off.” Zhao Yue’s head was lowered, his expression unreadable, his tone cold. “You don’t care when I mock you, you don’t care when I steal your screen time. It’s because… you don’t think I’m worthy of your attention, right?”
“No.”
Ji Wei shook his head.
Zhao Yue was silent for a moment, his thick eyelashes trembling, before he regained his composure. “I said you don’t have to lie to me when the cameras are off. I don’t care what others think, I respect myself. I don’t think it’s shameful to use any means necessary to become famous. Only when you’re famous do you get roles. If you’re not, you’ll be stuck playing supporting roles for the rest of your life. I want to be famous, no matter how.”
He seemed to have finally found an outlet, blurting it all out in one breath before turning to leave.
“I don’t look down on you.”
Ji Wei honestly shared his thoughts. “I’m on the show because the production team is paying me. They give me money, I film. Nothing else matters.”
So he didn’t care about Zhao Yue. He preferred earning money by streaming games every day, watching his fan count grow bit by bit.
Zhao Yue stopped but didn’t turn back. He sneered, “No ambition.”
Ji Wei was taken aback. Before he could think of a reply, Zhao Yue spoke in a very unnatural tone, “Thanks for what happened today.”
After saying that, Zhao Yue quickly left, as if afraid Ji Wei would call him back. Ji Wei was stunned at first, then a moment later, he remembered the apology from the red-haired youth at the instrument store. It was just a small matter, and he hadn’t given it a second thought. He didn’t expect Zhao Yue to take it to heart and come to thank him so shyly.
After figuring it out, the corners of Ji Wei’s mouth curled up, and his eyes curved into a smile, revealing two shallow pear dimples. From a distance, Lu Shenxing caught sight of Ji Wei and also smiled slowly, the warmth softening the natural coldness of his features. He ended his conversation with Director Zhang and walked towards the young man.
When Ji Wei saw Lu Shenxing approaching, he immediately took a box from his backpack and nervously handed it to him. Lu Shenxing raised an eyebrow, opened the box, and saw the expensive Patek Philippe watch lying inside.
“A gift for me?” Lu Shenxing asked gently.
“Yes.”
Ji Wei nodded emphatically.
“Why did you want to give gege a gift?”
His tone grew even gentler, his voice low and coaxing as he asked. Lu Shenxing’s gaze was incredibly focused, his pupils unmoving. Ji Wei felt the air grow a little hot, and his mind went blank as he answered, “It looks good on you.”
He didn’t know the brand of the watch. He just saw the cool, metallic mechanical watch and thought it suited Lu Shenxing. That’s why, out of all the things, he had taken only this watch. Lu Shenxing took off the Hybris Mechanica from his left wrist and tried on the watch Ji Wei had given him. He said lazily, “It’s on.”
Ji Wei was a little happy. He would have to send Boss Lu more Chinese specialties when he got back, like Beijing’s roast duck and Chongqing’s hot pot base! As he was thinking about famous local specialties from various places, he suddenly heard the man’s voice from above his head. “Then, is gege handsome?”
He enunciated the word “gege” with extra gentleness, the end of the word carrying an indefinable ambiguity. His dark eyes stared straight at Ji Wei. It was almost like he was seducing him.
Ji Wei swallowed and replied involuntarily, “Gege is always handsome.”
Hearing Lu Shenxing’s soft chuckle, he realized what he had said. He quickly lowered his head, his face turning visibly red all the way to the tips of his ears, extremely shy.
“Why are you lowering your head?” The man’s voice was filled with amusement. He said slowly to Ji Wei, “If you think I’m handsome, then look more.”
Ji Wei was speechless.
The young man’s face turned even redder.
Around one in the afternoon, the broadcast equipment was repaired. Du Ruosong returned from the mall, drenched in sweat. The four of them took a taxi to the second instrument store: China Musical Instrument Store.
As they stepped into the shop, Du Ruosong’s sharp eyes noticed that Lu Shenxing’s watch had changed. “Why did you change your watch? What about the one from this morning?”
He remembered Lu Shenxing had been wearing a classic Hybris Mechanica model before, which cost several million. The one he was wearing now was just an entry-level Patek Philippe, a significant price difference. Lu Shenxing said faintly, “It broke.”
Du Ruosong muttered to himself, puzzled, “It was fine this morning. How did it break…”
[Why does the watch on Film Emperor Lu’s wrist look so familiar? I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere.]
[Isn’t that the one Boss Lu gave to Weiwei? How did it end up on Film Emperor Lu’s wrist? Is this the fall of humanity or the decay of morality?!]
[Watson, you’ve discovered a blind spot.]
[Listen up, sisters, just ship it!]
The four of them stepped into the instrument store. Ji Wei took the portrait and asked the owner, “Excuse me, have you seen this person?”
The owner was a middle-aged man in his thirties. He took the portrait, looked at it carefully, and then pointed towards the stairs. “He’s on the second floor.”
The four of them looked at each other. They had finally found him.
What they didn’t know was that the red-haired youth had posted the video of Ji Wei drawing on Twitter. Because it was handheld, the camera was a bit shaky. It was originally just filming the drawing, but it accidentally caught a few seconds of Ji Wei’s face. As a result, the number of retweets snowballed, and it went viral on Twitter. Someone even uploaded it to YouTube, and everyone was asking who this beautiful Asian boy was.