Chapter 21
But that wasn’t all.
Because the dorm was extremely quiet, he also clearly heard a soft click—
It was the sound of the man slowly unbuckling his metal belt.
As if a string had been plucked in his mind, Ji Wei’s thoughts went completely blank, leaving only a single fact.
His idol was taking off his clothes…
Taking off his clothes right in front of him…
Even though he couldn’t see anything, the reality of the situation made Ji Wei’s face flush crimson. He felt hot all over as if he had a fever, and his heart pounded wildly, threatening to leap out of his chest at any moment.
It wasn’t until he heard the sound of running water that he realized Lu Shenxing was preparing to take a shower, and he quickly hung up the video call.
After ending the call, he felt as if all his strength had been drained. His body went limp, and he leaned against the dorm wall, the image of his idol’s strong, well-built physique under the tailored suit flashing in his mind.
Ji Wei closed his eyes and seriously reflected on his thoughts.
He was being a little too… lecherous.
He went to the bathroom to take a shower and had calmed down by the time he came out. However, he was shocked to discover that the private messages on his side account had exploded.
Since his debut, Lu Shenxing had never participated in any commercial activities and was practically immune to scandals. But that didn’t mean he had low exposure; any news about him would become a headline.
Under the comment he had posted—”Not cold, and very big”—thousands of replies had appeared, sparking a massive argument.
[Goldfish Blowing Bubbles]: How do you know Film Emperor Lu isn’t cold and is very big?? I smell gossip.
[Braised Chicken and Rice]: Judging by the username, you must be a male fan of Film Emperor Lu. I never expected him to sleep with fans, let alone male fans. I’m shocked. Bumping this to the trending topics!
[Caramel Pudding]: Film Emperor Lu isn’t that kind of person.
Before the argument could hit the trending topics, Ji Wei guiltily deleted the comment. He thought with lingering fear, Thank god Lu Shenxing didn’t see it.
***
Yancheng, downtown.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Wen Zimu opened his phone and frowned at the screen, which showed him in fifty-second place. “My fans are so useless. I never ask them for gifts, but when it comes to voting, they’re so unenthusiastic.”
“Why do you care about this? It’s just a small poll,” Wen Zheng said, his hands on the steering wheel as he drove.
Hearing this, Wen Zimu’s mood sank. “I don’t care about some stupid poll. I just want to go to the event in Jiangzhou with you.”
Wen Zheng sighed. “I can just take you with me then.”
“That’s different.”
Wen Zimu squeezed his phone. “If Ji Wei goes too, you two will be standing on stage together while I can only watch you from below.”
An indescribable emotion flickered in Wen Zheng’s eyes before quickly vanishing. “Ji Wei can’t go. He didn’t even make it into the top one hundred.”
“Really?”
A look of surprise crossed Wen Zimu’s face. He scrolled down the voting page and, sure enough, found Ji Wei’s name at one hundred and twenty-third place. He smiled. “Didn’t Ji Wei gain a lot of fans from that variety show? How is he only ranked in the hundreds?”
“He probably just got popular recently, so his fanbase isn’t stable yet,” Wen Zheng said slowly.
Wen Zimu turned off his phone and shook his head. “It’s because he’s not as popular as they say on Weibo. He has over a million followers, but he’s only ranked in the hundreds for voting. I bet he’s being kept by some sponsor who’s trying to force him into the spotlight, but we’ll see if he can actually make it.”
Someone like Ji Wei…
During his livestreams, he only ever talked about games, and on the variety show, he was awkward and couldn’t carry a conversation. A block of wood, no matter how good-looking, could never become popular.
He came to this conclusion in his heart.
Wen Zheng’s expression had been indifferent, but upon hearing that last sentence, his face instantly changed. The car screeched to a halt, and his knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel. “Ji Wei is not the kind of person you think he is.”
Wen Zimu was startled by his action. When he recovered, he was filled with anger and indignation. “How could you get mad at me for his sake? Are you thinking that if you hadn’t gotten together with me, you could have been with Ji Wei instead?”
Wen Zheng let go of the steering wheel and rubbed his temples, avoiding Wen Zimu’s question. “I don’t want to fight with you.”
He had indeed entertained such a thought…
When he saw the young man with his back ramrod straight, a brush in hand, painting a vast landscape on pristine Xuan paper, he couldn’t help but fantasize about holding such a beautiful person in his arms.
But it was only for a few seconds.
Wen Zimu came from a privileged background and was highly educated. His parents were also very satisfied with Wen Zimu and were urging them to get married. Aside from a bit of a temper from being spoiled his whole life, he was, in every respect, a more suitable partner than Ji Wei.
***
After his afternoon classes, Ji Wei went to the sports field with Chen Yan and played basketball for two hours. After returning to the dorm and washing his hair, he finally opened his phone.
He had received a private message on Weibo.
[Protecting the Best Weiwei]: Weiwei, I hesitated for a long time before messaging you. I wanted to ask if you’re willing to participate in Bilibili’s offline event. Can we vote for you? If you’re not willing, we won’t cast a single vote. We don’t want to interfere with your schedule!
Perhaps because he never showed his face during streams, his fans assumed he would definitely refuse the event. Even their wording was cautious.
Ji Wei was touched. He started to wonder if he was a bit too serious during his streams and should probably smile more.
[Ji Wei]: Of course you can. Thank you for the trouble.
[Protecting the Best Weiwei]: Wuwuwuwuwu, it’s no trouble, no trouble at all! We’ll definitely get you into the top ten!
Ji Wei smiled when he saw the message. The voting period was only one day, and it was already six in the evening. The tenth-place spot had 1.3 million votes, while he only had 86,000.
The gap was too large.
But he still solemnly replied with a “thank you” to his “fan.”
Regardless of the outcome, he had to thank these fans who voted for him.
However, Ji Wei soon discovered he was wrong…
His million Weibo followers didn’t seem to be fake fans after all. Most of them had been drawn in by National Style and were now sincerely rallying for votes for him on Weibo.
[Stir-fried Water Spinach]: A little kindness goes a long way, won’t you spare a vote? Save the child, save Weiwei!
[Boiled Romaine Lettuce]: If you don’t vote, and I don’t vote, when will Weiwei ever get his shot!
[Radish and Cabbage Stew]: Avril Lavigne once said, “I smoke, I drink, I fight, I have tattoos, but I know I’m a good girl,” because I voted for Ji Wei.
There were even international friends who used VPNs to post vote-rallying messages with Google Translate.
[Lili]: Saw Ji Wei in France. A good-looking person, very amazing at painting. Hope for many votes. I will mail you tangerines.
Seeing this spectacle, Ji Wei momentarily suspected that this wasn’t a vote to send him to an event, but a vote to make him… debut as an idol!
The effect was also quite remarkable.
He was originally ranked in the hundreds, but in less than a moment, he shot up to fiftieth place, leaving Wen Zimu behind.
At 7:01 PM, he was 48th…
At 8:54 PM, he was 37th…
At 10:15 PM, he was 24th…
By 11:50 PM, he was only eighteen thousand votes away from the tenth-place spot’s 1.54 million votes. But there were only ten short minutes left until the voting ended!
[Cola Fizz]: Sigh, so close. This is agonizing.
[Snatching Away the Wild Weiwei]: Come on, sisters, don’t give up until the very last moment! I’m going to post on my Moments to rally more votes.
[Lu-Wei’s Top Fan]: I’ll go ask in Film Emperor Lu’s Super Topic and see if there are any CP fans who haven’t voted yet.
[Baihe]: +1
To comfort his fans, Ji Wei started a livestream.
“Thank you all so much for today. I’ve received all your kind intentions. I hope everyone stays happy and doesn’t feel down.” He opened Steam, preparing to stream Don’t Starve.
Suddenly, his phone vibrated. He had received a message.
Bilibili invites you to participate in Saturday’s streamer meet-and-greet event.
What was going on…
While he was still clueless, the bullet comments began to scroll by in a frenzy.
[Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Film Emperor Lu posted on Weibo to rally votes! Lu Wei is real! CP fans, let us see your hands!]
[Raising my hands!]
[Wait, Film Emperor Lu actually updated his Weibo? Isn’t he the type who never posts? I thought he forgot his password.]
[Congrats to Weiwei for getting to go to the meet-and-greet. Any friends in Jiangzhou want to go together on Saturday? We can meet up.]
Ji Wei opened his phone and clicked on his special follow list.
[Lu Shenxing]: Rallying some votes for my fan.
On its own, the sentence seemed fine. But Ji Wei’s gaze drifted to the video of Lu Shenxing’s interview from that afternoon.
Lu Shenxing had been in Shanghai promoting his new film. The female host asked him for his thoughts on his character. “What kind of person do you think Zhao Changming from Sun Eater is?”
Lu Shenxing thought for a moment before answering, “People are complex, just as it’s hard to define the shape of a drop of water. When facing his child, he’s a good father. When facing the weak, he’s despicable and cruel…”
As he said “despicable and cruel,” his eyes naturally turned gloomy and terrifying to better convey the meaning, startling the female host. She took several steps back before recovering and saying admiringly to Lu Shenxing, “You truly integrate your acting into your life.”
Lu Shenxing just lowered his gaze and said nothing.
As the interview drew to a close, the host selected a question from the online submissions. “The netizens on Weibo are very eager to ask you a question.”
Lu Shenxing looked at her.
“Have you ever slept with a fan?”
Stared at by his deep eyes, the female host blushed slightly.
Lu Shenxing spoke coolly, “Not… yet.”