Chapter 31

After the stream ended, Ji Wei started on the homework his teacher had assigned. Suddenly, his phone vibrated. He put down his writing brush and picked it up.

It was a call from his idol.

He felt a flicker of inexplicable nervousness, swallowed, and answered the call. A man’s low voice came through the phone, “If you’re short on money, you can tell your big brother.”

Perhaps afraid of hurting his pride, the man’s tone was exceptionally gentle, causing Ji Wei to feel dazed for a moment.

How did his idol know he was short on money?

Ji Wei came back to his senses, suppressed the doubt in his heart, and shook his head. “I’m not anymore.”

“Did something happen?”

Ji Wei walked out to the dorm balcony and hesitated for a moment before saying, “I want to terminate my contract with Yancheng Television Station, but I’ve already gathered enough money for the penalty. Please don’t worry about me.”

“Why do you want to terminate the contract with Yancheng Television Station?” the man continued to ask.

“Because you got hurt.”

Ji Wei answered, holding the phone in one hand and gripping the balcony railing with the other. The cool touch of the metal eased a tension he couldn’t place. But the man’s next words made him tighten his grip on the railing, his knuckles turning white from the force. Not even the slightly chilly night breeze could calm his violently pounding heart.

“So, can I take that to mean—” The man paused, his voice laced with a hint of a smile as he asked, “—that you care about your big brother?”

A long moment passed.

Only then did Ji Wei let out a soft “mhm.”

Then, he quickly said goodbye to Lu Shenxing and hung up. He closed his eyes, a trace of bewilderment on his face, unsure of what was happening to him. In the beginning, he just wanted to get a little closer, just a little bit. In the beginning, he was just waiting, hoping that when his god looked down, he might see him standing in the light.

***

At the hospital, Ying Guanxiao walked into the room carrying a lunch box. He looked at the man half-reclining on the bed with a pleased expression and said in surprise, “You’re smiling.”

“Do I rarely smile?”

The man lowered his gaze.

“Not really.” Ying Guanxiao placed the lunch box on the bedside cabinet and opened it layer by layer. “Do you remember when you first entered the industry? That cold and stubborn young master attitude, you didn’t like to smile, acting like the whole world owed you something. You offended a lot of people.”

He handed the prepared pork rib soup to Lu Shenxing. “You still remember Director Wang, right? You had no roles, and he sincerely invited you to act in his show. The first thing you said was that you would never act in an idol drama in your life. Forget Director Wang, even I was furious when I heard that. What did idol dramas ever do to you?”

“At least you know how to be a person now.”

Recalling the past, Ying Guanxiao felt a bit emotional. Someone like Lu Shenxing, who grew up in such a family, was pampered from a young age, unable to hide his sharp edges and spirit. Even during those years when his family cut him off, after he had suffered and matured, he put on a gentle facade, but he was still cold to the bone.

No matter how adept he was in social situations, the smile never reached his eyes. In private, he was completely relaxed, rarely smiling, and exuded an invisible pressure. This was the first time he had ever seen him smile like that—his eyes curved, his lips forming a pleasant arc, his entire being suddenly softening.

***

Ji Wei stood on the balcony for a while before turning and walking back into the dorm. His mood had calmed considerably. Just as he was about to continue painting, he suddenly received a WeChat message.

[Lu Shenxing] Check your bank card balance.

Ji Wei froze for a few seconds before replying with a single word: “Okay.”

Since he usually used Alipay, he hadn’t enabled SMS notifications for his bank card. It was already nighttime, so he couldn’t go to an ATM to check. He downloaded a mobile banking app.

He entered his card number and password, then checked the balance.

The result left him stunned.

“When did I get ten million!” Ji Wei was so shocked he almost dropped his phone, but luckily, he caught it just in time.

Cui Jiu, who was writing a paper on the opposite bunk, heard the commotion and chuckled. He poked his head out and said, “If I didn’t know you were playing a game, I would’ve thought you were talking about real money. Is it really worth making such a fuss?”

It really was real money.

Several minutes passed before Ji Wei finally calmed down. He guessed Lu Shenxing must have transferred it to him. He took a deep breath, carefully composing a message to send.

[Ji Wei] Isn’t this too much?

[Lu Shenxing] Get used to it.

Ji Wei’s hand trembled. “…”

Possessing such a huge sum for the first time, Ji Wei lay in bed, unable to sleep. The next morning, he went to class with two heavy dark circles under his eyes, looking utterly exhausted.

During the break, he couldn’t help but ask Chen Yan, “If someone gave you ten million, what would you do?”

Chen Yan gave him a look that said, is that even a question? “I’d rush over and call him daddy, of course.”

“He’s pretty sensitive about his age.”

Ji Wei said after some thought.

An idea suddenly struck Chen Yan, and he blurted out, “Classmate Ji Wei, don’t tell me someone wants to keep you?”

Ji Wei denied it. “We’re legal.”

Chen Yan was speechless. There’s a legal and illegal version of this?

After class, Ji Wei rejected Chen Yan’s request for a heart-to-heart talk and boarded a bus heading to Yancheng Television Station.

Station Director Zhou sat in his office, looking over the planning documents for Great Nation’s Artifacts. He had swallowed his pride and convinced the biggest advertiser for National Style to invest, but the production budget had been drastically cut to only a third of the original funds. The good news, however, was that the ratings for Tomato Television Station’s Esports Youth had also plummeted. Rumor had it that its most popular guest, Wen Zheng, had gone abroad, afraid of offending someone important.

This news put Station Director Zhou’s mind at ease. As long as there was no competition in the same time slot, even though Great Nation’s Artifacts couldn’t compare to the popularity of National Style, it could at least break even. Otherwise, his position as station director would be in jeopardy during the year-end evaluation.

Station Director Zhou shook his head. Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door. “Come in.”

Ji Wei walked into the director’s office.

Station Director Zhou was a bit surprised. “Here to terminate the contract, I assume. Have a seat.”

Compared to his loss of composure on the phone last time, he could now face Ji Wei calmly because he had found a better candidate for the guest spot—Gu Huaiyi. To be honest, Ji Wei was more handsome than Gu Huaiyi, but Gu Huaiyi was eloquent and knew how to play the game. He didn’t shy away from exposure and could bring far more value to Yancheng Television Station than Ji Wei ever could.

Just then, Director Zhang also pushed the door open and entered. Seeing that Ji Wei looked much more haggard than before, he advised with some regret, “It can’t be easy for a family like yours to scrape together a million. Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?”

He truly felt it was a pity. In all his years of producing variety shows, he had never seen a non-celebrity gain popularity so quickly, only to give up before he could truly become a hit. Moreover, he came from an ordinary family. They might have had to borrow money just to come up with the one million in cash. Debt only begets more debt, and he couldn’t bear to watch the young man go down the wrong path.

“No need.”

Ji Wei refused.

With an extra ten million suddenly in his bank account, he had no idea how to spend it. Spending a portion of it would actually make him feel more at ease.

After completing the contract termination, he walked out of the office without any hesitation. Because of this, he didn’t hear the sympathetic discussion that arose after he left.

“This is why I don’t like dealing with young people. They only see right and wrong, and can’t distinguish between pros and cons. You remember that Qi Ke, right? He played the hero on Weibo, and now no TV station dares to hire him.”

“Yeah, they don’t understand what compromise means. I really like this kid, Ji Wei, but for someone who looks so gentle, why is he so stubborn?”

***

Ji Wei only felt a sense of relief as he walked out of the Yancheng Television Station building.

He was completely at ease.

Yancheng Television Station wasn’t far from Lu Shenxing’s hospital, but there was no direct bus. He hailed a cab and arrived at the hospital. It was nearly the end of visiting hours, so the hospital corridors weren’t too crowded. He bumped into someone head-on.

An unexpected person.

“Ji Wei?”

The person’s lips moved as he stared at him in disbelief. “So… your family moved to Yancheng. No wonder no one knew where you went.”

Ji Wei’s body suddenly stiffened.

Many distant memories surfaced in his mind, uncontrollably bubbling up. He pressed his lips tightly together, his hands and feet growing cold.

Things he thought he had long forgotten.

“Why doesn’t he say anything?”

“He actually memorized the entire textbook!”

“My mom told me not to play with him. She saw him at the hospital and said his mom is crazy, and he’s crazy too.”

“Is Ji Wei a monster then?”

“He must be. He’s not like us.”

***

In those black-and-white memories, he always seemed to be alone. No one dared to approach him, no one dared to speak to him; they all kept their distance. Because everyone said that being abnormal was contagious, and only monsters would play with other monsters.

No one wanted to be a monster.

The person took a step forward and said apologetically, “I’m very sorry about what happened in the past. I hope you can forgive me…”

Ji Wei instinctively took a step back.

Just then, he heard a voice from behind him say, “Weiwei.”

He turned around.

It was Lu Shenxing.

The man was in a wheelchair, the blue-and-white striped hospital gown making his features appear even more handsome. His gaze fell upon him, his voice deep. “Come here.”

As if granted a pardon.

Ji Wei walked over with a sense of relief, taking the wheelchair from the nurse. The moment he took hold of it, for some reason, a feeling of security washed over him, as if he had found solid ground. Those black-and-white memories also vanished.

Ji Wei pushed Lu Shenxing into the hospital room.

The door closed softly.

The man paused for a moment, seemingly organizing his words. “Are you afraid of him?”

Ji Wei shook his head. “No.”

“Did he make you unhappy?”

Ji Wei was silent for a moment. “Yes.”

“Then don’t see him again.”

The man said in a low voice.

Ji Wei “mhm-ed” again.

Suddenly, the man grabbed his arm. Before he could react, the man’s cool hand was on his waist, pulling him forcefully into his lap. By the time he realized what was happening, the man’s warm lips had already descended upon his, while his other hand gently but firmly held the back of his head, preventing him from moving.

It started as a light, tentative touch, but when Ji Wei’s lips parted slightly, he seized the opportunity, his kiss turning aggressive, making escape impossible. Ji Wei felt as if he was completely enveloped in that kiss.

It was a very passionate kiss.

Yet the man had such an ascetic appearance.

It made the scene seem exceptionally erotic.

Just as Ji Wei was about to run out of breath, the man finally released him, asking with a hint of allure, “Are you happy now?”

Ji Wei’s face instantly turned crimson. He didn’t know how to answer. Saying he wasn’t happy didn’t seem right, but saying he was happy didn’t seem right either.

The man asked again, “You don’t know?”

The tips of Ji Wei’s ears turned red.

Lu Shenxing lowered his eyes and spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, “Then let’s do it again.”

The next second, Ji Wei was pulled back into his embrace. The man’s fine kisses fell on his forehead, lips, and neck, so intense they left distinct red marks. As the boy was being kissed into a daze, a thought suddenly occurred to him: Didn’t the agreement say we only had to kiss once a day?

Today seemed to be the second time.