Chapter 60
Did his idol’s words mean what he thought they meant?
Although he knew no camera was pointed at his phone, Ji Wei still abruptly turned off the screen. He lost his grip, and the phone flew in an arc through the air, about to fall to the floor—
Lu Shenxing bent down and caught his phone, handing it to him. “Hold it tight.”
His tone was slow and deliberate.
Not a trace of anything unusual could be heard.
But Ji Wei’s face turned redder and redder. Fortunately, the night wind was cool, and the faint blush quickly disappeared, leaving only a hint of shyness in his eyes.
[The cameraman has no soul! Point the camera at the phone for me, I want to see what Weiwei saw! Did Film Emperor Lu send some kind of lewd message!]
[How did you turn so yellow, person above?]
[I’ve found that after watching the live stream, I can’t read the fanfiction on Lofter anymore, except for Seven-Day Prisoner. It’s all just cold and aloof male leads. Why do I feel like Film Emperor Lu is more of a… refined scoundrel?]
[You’re not alone!]
The wind was really too strong, so Ji Wei closed the window.
He held his phone, slowly steadying his breathing. They had signed an agreement before, but because of his idol’s leg injury, they had never fulfilled their spousal duties.
It wasn’t really a big deal.
It was bound to happen eventually.
He thought this as he gazed out the window.
His eyes wandered over the rows of streetlights on the highway. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of a reflection in the car window. His idol was quietly watching him, inch by inch, with unusual focus.
In an instant, the mental preparation he had just done, vanished without a trace.
Sleeping with his idol.
Forget seeing it, just thinking about it made him incredibly nervous.
[Ah, that look from Film Emperor Lu…]
[Who can resist that?]
[I can’t take it anymore, I have to go make a Lu-Wei edit, otherwise I won’t be able to calm down today. Why is this CP so good to ship! screams wildly]
The car arrived at The Forbidden City’s Little Shop.
The guests also received a message.
[Congratulations on completing the daily mission! The mission completion reward is the expansion of The Forbidden City’s Little Shop’s backyard.]
[The backyard? What’s there to expand?]
[The current backyard is already quite large, you could even put a swing set in it. I wonder how they’re going to expand it.]
[Ahhhhh, I want to see the next episode.]
Ji Wei had just read the message and was also confused when another one popped up on the app.
[Congratulations on reaching a popularity value of forty million. Unlocking the Forbidden City Hot Pot!]
He seemed to understand now.
He guessed the backyard would be converted into something like an outdoor restaurant. He didn’t know how many people it would accommodate or if anyone would order, but the thought of being able to eat hot pot made his mood unconsciously brighten.
All five of them were in a good mood. Xiao Chi picked up a flyer from the table. “They told us to come back early because there’s a summer fireworks festival at the beach at eight tonight.”
“It’s a tradition in St. Lawrence,” Old Sir Ma Liqing added. “They say you’ll have good luck if you see the glowing jellyfish.”
[Please note, this is not a drill! Not a drill! All members are about to enter leisure mode.]
[Hahahahahaha, next up, Old Sir Ma Liqing will lead everyone on a tour of St. Lawrence.]
[Publicly funded tourism.]
Ji Wei and the others closed the shop. They should have been discussing the purchasing plan for the next episode on the way, but the streets were filled with tourists holding glow sticks, and no one was in the mood for work.
They walked towards the beach.
The beach was unusually lively. Besides those selling fireworks and glow sticks, there were also food stalls. The way of eating was much simpler and cruder than at the seaside restaurants.
Sea urchins were scooped up from the sea, their long spines cut off, and they could be eaten after being opened.
He didn’t know if it was because he had been hungry all day, but Ji Wei held the sea urchin and scooped it out with a spoon. It had a slightly fishy taste at first, but it was quickly masked by a sweet aroma. He narrowed his eyes in satisfaction.
[Blocking, blocking. Are you trying to kill people late at night?]
[The oysters in Old Sir Ma Liqing’s hand look delicious too! Just scooped out of the water, so fresh.]
[I hear the sound of fireworks. Is the fireworks festival about to start!]
Ji Wei heard the sound of fireworks exploding. He looked up, and in the sky above St. Lawrence, countless fireworks lit up the dark sky.
In an instant, it was as bright as day.
The sea reflected the fireworks, like flames burning beneath the water. When this ball of fire burned out, the whole world was once again submerged in darkness. Ji Wei closed his eyes, a sense of unreality washing over him.
“Ji Wei.”
Lu Shenxing suddenly called his name.
The next second—
More fireworks suddenly erupted. Before Ji Wei could ask any more questions, his attention was drawn to the sky.
A huge wave of sound poured down from the sky. The man looked up at him, paused, and said, “I like you.”
“I’ve always liked you.”
Ji Wei couldn’t hear what Lu Shenxing was saying clearly. He tried hard to make it out, but in the end, he still heard nothing. He could only smile apologetically.
***
The Forbidden City’s Little Shop live stream ended with a fireworks display, and its popularity hit a new high at the very last moment.
[Lu Wei is Real] Are there any level-ten lip-reading scholars to decode what Film Emperor Lu said at the end? The suspense is killing me.
[Hot Dry Noodles] Same here, sister! The live stream is just not enough. I strongly demand that Weiwei start a vlog. I want to see the couple’s daily life.
[Mille-Crepe Cake] Holy crap, Weiwei’s Bilibili followers have broken two million. Can we schedule the cross-dressing now?]
[Cactus] Is it that exciting!]
Besides Weibo, the esports forums were also discussing Ji Wei.
[Original Poster] It’s a bit of a pity that Ji Wei isn’t playing professionally. Although his effective hand speed isn’t high, his accuracy is terrifying. He basically never makes mistakes. I guess it might have something to do with his painting. I’ve seen videos of him painting, and he barely ever corrects his strokes.
[1F] Now that you mention it, that’s true.
[2F] Crap, I’m getting goosebumps.]
…
[5966F] What are the various clubs waiting for? Calling out DOX, hurry up and throw money at him to recruit him!]
The manager of DOX was also helpless. They had offered an unbelievably high price, but what could they do if the person didn’t accept? He wasn’t short of money.
It wasn’t just in the country; the video of Ji Wei playing an instrument with wool thread was also a hot topic abroad. The YouTube view count reached forty million!
All the data pointed to one fact.
The Forbidden City’s Little Shop was a huge hit!
The Deputy Station Director of Tomato Television Station couldn’t be bothered to write his report anymore. He quickly dialed Director Lu’s number. “Director Lu, about the matter of selling the copyright you mentioned last time…”
He thought he was reacting quickly, but unexpectedly, a voice came from the phone, “You’re too late. It’s already been sold.”
After hanging up, the Deputy Station Director felt a little regretful. If only he had been a little bolder and bought it earlier.
That night, the heads of the major satellite TV stations didn’t sleep well, wondering which station had bought The Forbidden City’s Little Shop. They all comforted themselves that it must be a small, unknown station.
***
The day after returning from St. Lawrence, Ji Wei’s summer vacation began. Compared to yesterday’s excitement, everyone’s enthusiasm had cooled down. A small number of people suddenly raised questions.
[Almond Dew] I heard that The Forbidden City’s Little Shop was sold to a local TV station. I’m curious how it will be broadcast then. It’s not good to openly promote gaming, right?]
[Fried Squid] +1, Ji Wei is now famous abroad, but I think cultural export should still have positive energy. It’s fine for a web variety show, but not necessary for a TV variety show.]
[Yogurt Puff] ??? What era is this? Why make such a big deal about playing a game?]
Ji Wei was still unaware of this matter. He was walking towards Hua Ting with his backpack on.
Suddenly, someone called out to him.
“Ji Wei.”
The voice was somewhat familiar.
Ji Wei turned his head, and when he saw the person’s face clearly, he froze on the spot.
The person was wearing an apron and holding a steaming chiffon cake, clearly having just come out of the kitchen. “I saw you at the hospital last time and didn’t bring anything. I opened a dessert shop near the school. You should try it.”
Ji Wei shook his head.
“Didn’t you used to like eating it?”
The person tried to hand the cake to Ji Wei. Ji Wei’s body trembled subconsciously, and he took two steps back. “I stopped liking it a long time ago.”
The person was about to say more when two tall high school boys in No. 3 Middle School uniforms suddenly appeared, one fat and one thin. They stood between him and Ji Wei, staring at him fiercely, not allowing him to get close.
Liang Heng was thin and weak, so he had to give up.
He held the cake in his hands, watching Ji Wei slowly walk away.
He remembered that Ji Wei loved to eat cake when he was a child. He would bring a small cake made by his father to school every day. When he ate it, he would smile faintly, revealing two pear dimples.
Ji Wei didn’t talk much and spent most of his time quietly in a daze. No one could enter his world. But when he liked someone, he would give them a small cake. All the classmates had received a small cake from Ji Wei.
His family was poor back then, and it was the first time he had eaten a sweet cake. He tried hard to remember the taste, but after only one bite, he heard whispers from the back of the class.
“He actually ate it? Isn’t he afraid of getting dirty?”
“Does that mean he’s sick too? When can we change seats? I’m so worried about getting infected.”
“Don’t be so loud, be careful he hears you.”
He hastily threw the small cake on the ground and even stomped on it twice. The once beautiful small cake became dirty, and only then did the unsettling whispers disappear.
What was Ji Wei like back then?
It seemed he didn’t react much, just stared blankly at the small cake on the ground and said nothing.
He probably didn’t care, right? Ji Wei always gave him a sense of distance. Even though he was sitting right next to him, he felt very far away, as if he were detached from the crowd.
But Ji Wei never brought a small cake to school again, and he became even more silent.
He only realized later.
No matter how reclusive Ji Wei was back then, he was still just a child.
***
Although he didn’t know why those two students from No. 3 Middle School had appeared, looking like they wanted to say something but couldn’t, they had helped him out of a difficult situation. Ji Wei thanked them before leaving.
Back home.
Lu Shenxing was reading in the study, a thick stack of books piled on the desk.
Ji Wei was supposed to be streaming games, but for some reason, he wasn’t in a good mood today. He quietly walked into the study and sat down next to Lu Shenxing.
His idol really had a lot of books. A whole wall of them, and that was less than a quarter of his entire collection. Some were even rare editions that were hard to find on the market.
Ji Wei sat in the chair next to Lu Shenxing, watching the man read and make notes in a script.
He couldn’t help but ask his curiosity out loud, “Do you need to read so many books for acting?”
He had always thought his idol could act well with ease, but looking at the densely packed annotations in the script, where even the rhythm of each line’s pause was sorted out—for example, whether the last word should have a one-beat or three-beat pause, or a sudden silence—he finally realized that behind his idol’s seemingly effortless performance was extreme hard work and a passion for acting.
“It’s necessary. Especially when playing historical figures with few records in official history, you have to read all the historical materials, and you can’t miss the unofficial histories either.”
Lu Shenxing lowered his eyes, the corner of his brow slightly raised. “Books can increase your experience. Reading people in daily life is also very important.”
Reading people?
Ji Wei subconsciously asked, “What kind of person do you think I am?”
He regretted asking as soon as the words were out, because with a different tone, it would have sounded like he was being coquettish. His idol would definitely comfort him by saying he was a very good person.
So, why did he have to ask this unnecessary question?
Who knew the man would look up and say calmly, “That man of mine is as beautiful as jade.”
Beautiful as jade, so different from the ducal clan.
—From Airs of the States: Airs of Wei.
A poem written for a lover.
Ji Wei’s mind went blank, deprived of oxygen, and his heart skipped a beat. It wasn’t until he saw the highlighted line in the script by Lu Shenxing’s hand that he realized it was probably just a simple recitation.
It was no different from saying he was a very good person.
He calmed down and awkwardly changed the subject. “In that case, life experience is also very helpful for acting, right?”
“Weiwei.” Lu Shenxing called his name.
Hearing it made Ji Wei’s heart tremble. “What’s wrong?”
The man asked slowly and deliberately, “Are you hinting at something?”