Chapter 61

Of course not.

Ji Wei’s breath hitched at the question, but then—

The man put down his book, placed a hand on the small of his back, and pulled him into an embrace. An overwhelming, cool scent of grass and wood washed over him, a fragrance that was uniquely Lu Shenxing’s. Ji Wei expected a kiss, but Lu Shenxing simply rested his chin on the side of his head, his low voice coming from above.

“I’ll stop teasing you.”

“Are you in a bad mood today?” the man asked slowly.

How did my idol know?

Ji Wei pressed his lips together, not wanting his idol to worry. It was all in the past, something he couldn’t even remember clearly, but his subconscious registered it as something unpleasant. He shook his head, thinking he had concealed it well.

“No.”

“Ji Wei,” the man suddenly said, using his full name.

Ji Wei answered in a fluster.

The man’s hold on him tightened, a restraining force that was impossible to break free from, yet his tone was gentle. “Have you forgotten that I’m an actor?” He stated it more as a fact than a question.

Only then did it dawn on Ji Wei that his acting must seem incredibly clumsy to Lu Shenxing. Exposed, he immediately hung his head in shame.

It was so embarrassing. Truly, so embarrassing.

He tried to break free from the man’s grasp, but he couldn’t push him away. Instead, the hold grew tighter, and the temperature of their bodies rose rapidly, the points of contact scalding hot.

He didn’t dare to dwell on it.

While holding him, Lu Shenxing unhurriedly went back to his book, saying nothing and asking nothing, as if waiting for him to speak.

Ji Wei finally couldn’t take it anymore and said hesitantly, “I ran into someone today.”

Lu Shenxing put down his book.

“He wanted to give me a cake, but I didn’t want one made by him.” Ji Wei suddenly found that voicing his thoughts wasn’t so difficult; in fact, he felt much more relaxed. “Actually, the cake looked pretty delicious.”

“What kind was it?” the man suddenly asked.

“A chiffon cake,” Ji Wei said.

The man simply lowered his gaze. Ji Wei thought he was just asking casually and didn’t give it another thought.

***

The next day, Lu Shenxing woke up very early.

He opened a recipe book, separated the egg whites and yolks, and added sugar to the whites, whipping them into a fine foam with a mixer.

This was no easy task for him.

He had never cooked before.

After mixing all the ingredients, he poured the batter into an 8-inch mold and placed it in the oven.

Half an hour passed.

Lu Shenxing wheeled himself to the oven, steadied himself against the counter, and stood up to take out the chiffon cake.

He placed the cake on the table and stared at the collapsed sponge for a long time before finally deciding to throw it away.

As he was making the second cake, a call came in from Ying Guanxiao. He stopped mixing and answered with his left hand.

Ying Guanxiao’s excited voice came through the phone. “Old Lu, you’ve been nominated for the Berlin Silver Bear Award!”

The Berlin Film Festival was extremely prestigious, ranked alongside the Cannes Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival as one of the three major international film festivals.

After a three-year absence, he was once again nominated in Berlin.

Lu Shenxing was notoriously casual about the roles he accepted. If a script caught his eye, he would act in it even without pay. If he wasn’t interested, he would refuse even if a top director invited him.

Even now, Ying Guanxiao was under immense pressure. There was no shortage of people who criticized him, saying his marketing skills were outdated and that if Lu Shenxing had a different agent, his looks and acting could take him even further.

But Ying Guanxiao didn’t see it that way.

Lu Shenxing was destined to shine brightly in the annals of film history.

Everyone could only look up to him, and they only needed to look up to him.

It wasn’t just Ying Guanxiao who was excited; Weibo was in an uproar over the news.

[Global News Express]: Congratulations to Film Emperor Lu on another nomination for the Berlin Best Actor award!

[Cloud in a Bottle]: Holy shit, just looking at the nominations is suffocating. They’re all Film Emperors who’ve won at the three major European festivals, and one has an Oscar Lifetime Achievement Award. This is an even bigger group of death than Cannes last year.

[Hermes’s Boots]: No one’s ever won the Silver Bear twice, right? Just getting nominated is already a huge honor.

But Lu Shenxing just listened quietly to Ying Guanxiao on the phone, glanced at the watch on his wrist—the hands pointed to 8:05—and thought about how Ji Wei would be waking up soon. He said slowly, “I’m a bit busy. I’ll call you back later.”

“Busy with what?” Ying Guanxiao asked, puzzled. Even if he had something to do, could he really stay calm and continue with it now? But then he remembered Lu Shenxing’s face and thought, it was actually possible. He recalled three years ago when Lu Shenxing was nominated for the Golden Rooster Film Emperor for his role in Wind of Qin. At the time, they hadn’t landed a role in a whole year and didn’t even have enough money for rent. When he heard the news, he got dead drunk in their rented apartment, tears welling up in his eyes. But Lu Shenxing had just calmly ironed his wrinkled suit, only the slight tremble of his fingers betraying his emotions.

Before Ying Guanxiao could get lost in his memories, Lu Shenxing’s faint voice pulled him back to reality. “Busy making a cake.”

Ying Guanxiao was speechless. Okay, that’s very Lu Shenxing!

But since when did he make cakes himself? He always sent him to buy them. Ying Guanxiao was a little shocked.

Lu Shenxing, oblivious to Ying Guanxiao’s silent complaints, hung up and continued making the cake. When the second one came out of the oven, steaming hot, he took a bite and was still unsatisfied.

He expressionlessly switched to a smaller mold.

Making a cake is much harder than acting, he thought.

***

Ji Wei slept in for once. His mind told him it was time to get up, but his body wouldn’t move. When he finally woke up, he glanced at the time—it was almost eleven. He had never woken up this late before.

He got dressed and walked out of his room.

The aroma of cake filled the air.

On the dining table sat a beautiful chiffon cake with a pot of brewed black tea beside it. The man in the wheelchair saw him and lowered his eyes.

“Did you buy this?” Ji Wei asked.

“I made it for the first time.”

“That’s amazing,” Ji Wei praised, looking at the cake. “I thought you bought it from outside. It doesn’t look like it was your first time making a cake at all.”

Lu Shenxing’s tone was flat. “It was pretty simple.”

Ji Wei cut the cake, served a slice to Lu Shenxing, and took one for himself.

He took a bite with his fork. The chiffon cake was delicate, soft, and sweet, instantly filling his mouth with a sugary flavor. He didn’t usually like sweets; most of the time, he would just have a taste, as too much would be cloying. But for some reason, he didn’t find today’s cake cloying at all.

Ji Wei looked up slightly and met Lu Shenxing’s gaze. His heart traitorously began to race, and he quickly looked away. “Why… why did you suddenly decide to make a cake?”

As long as he kept his head down.

His idol wouldn’t notice him blushing.

“You didn’t want a cake made by someone else—” The man paused, then said slowly, “So your brother had to make one for you.”

Perhaps in his idol’s eyes, not being able to eat cake was an unbearable tragedy. But for Ji Wei, it felt like an empty space in his heart was slowly being filled, a warmth so profound that it caused the wintering seeds to quietly begin to sprout.

He was still lost in his own world when he heard the man’s gentle question.

“How about I make them for you for a lifetime?”

He remembered saying yes.

***

In the afternoon, Ji Wei received a phone call.

It was from his father.

“Weiwei.”

Whenever his father called him that, it was never good news. Ji Wei didn’t really want to listen, but he had to. “What is it?”

“I have to attend a seminar this afternoon. A few high school students from the neighborhood are coming over for a lesson. Could you watch over them and teach them?”

Before Ji Wei could agree or disagree, his father hung up. He had no choice but to go back home and wait for the students to arrive at three in the afternoon. His father was probably born to be an educator. He couldn’t sit still during breaks and was always roping in neighborhood kids to teach. He never charged for it; at most, the parents would bring some fruit or pastries as a thank you.

There was still some time before three, so he logged into his long-neglected Bilibili account.

He was startled when he logged in. He didn’t know when his follower count had reached one million.

He opened his private messages and found them all begging him to stream.

[Cuttlefish Jr.]: A million followers! Where’s the fan bonus? No cross-dressing, no vlog, nothing. So disappointed.

[Garlic Sauce]: I really want to watch a stream. I refresh your page every day.

[Dandong Strawberry]: If you’re not playing games, just letting us see your face is fine too!

[Yellow Orange]: I miss Weiwei.

Ji Wei was flattered by his fans’ enthusiasm. He hadn’t streamed in a long time due to his exam week.

[Ji Wei Who Plays Games]: How about this? I’ll stream a slice-of-life video for everyone.

Not long after he posted this update, it received several thousand comments, all filled with anticipation.

[Probiotic]: Aaaahhhhh, I really want to see a slice-of-life video!

[Wang Wang Milk]: It doesn’t matter if you play games or not, I’ll watch whatever Weiwei does!

[Yakult]: It’s okay, I’ll wait for your gaming stream tomorrow. Post the slice-of-life video soon, I want to see it!

Ji Wei was relieved to see that everyone was receptive. When the students started arriving in the afternoon, he assessed their knowledge level and then began his stream for the day.

Thankfully, they were all liberal arts students.

He wasn’t asked to teach science.

“In the Northern Hemisphere’s summer, days are long and nights are short. The further north you go, the longer the days become…” He began to go through the key knowledge points.

[Wait??? Did I enter the wrong stream?!]

[You’re not wrong, but who would’ve thought this was a slice-of-life stream? This is too hardcore, I choose to die on the spot.]

[What kind of demonic streamer is this?]

Since he didn’t have a globe on hand, it was inconvenient to talk about world geography. Ji Wei thought for a moment and then started drawing a world map freehand on the whiteboard. He didn’t start with Greenland or Antarctica but just drew as he went.

As he drew on the whiteboard, he explained concepts like climate and ocean currents.

His hands never stopped, and neither did his mouth; both actions were incredibly fluid.

At first, the bullet comments thought he was just sketching a rough outline, but when he finished and they saw the connected whole, they realized it was a complete world map!

Since the students were all in their final year of high school, he categorized and connected the knowledge points, presenting a large amount of information. The students were busy taking notes, but the bullet comments were already in shock.

[Hand-drawn map??? That’s so impressive. Ji Weiwei is a human photocopier today as well.]

[I’m seriously in awe. If my geography teacher back then had this level of skill, I definitely wouldn’t have dozed off in class.]

[Well, I probably would’ve just stared at his face the whole time.]

[True.]

Before long, the topics of Ji Wei’s hardcore stream and hand-drawn map were trending. More and more people flooded into the stream, and it even briefly made it to the homepage.

***

At the Yancheng Television Station, in the station director’s office.

Station Director Zhou looked at this week’s live broadcast data chart. It was obvious that the popularity of The Forbidden City’s Little Shop far exceeded that of Great Nation’s Artifacts. He had launched this program under pressure from all sides, but the results were far from what he had expected.

If it weren’t for the decent audience ratings, he might have had to step down.

Thinking of this…

He frowned. Everyone knew that The Forbidden City’s Little Shop had been bought by a satellite channel, but no station had come forward to claim it. Many were speculating that CCTV had bought it.

That couldn’t be, right?

Although he looked down on CCTV’s ratings, its status was undeniable. He had never heard of CCTV buying a web variety show.

Station Director Zhou hesitated before making a call. “Hello, this is Xiao Zhou.” He stood up and said politely, “I’d like to ask if The Forbidden City’s Little Shop has been bought…”

After receiving an affirmative answer, his heart sank. If it aired at the same time as The Forbidden City’s Little Shop, he honestly didn’t have much confidence in the ratings for Great Nation’s Artifacts.

He couldn’t help but try to persuade him. “Actually, I’ve watched that show too. There’s a guest on it who plays video games. That kind of promotional message isn’t very good, is it? You know how parents these days often complain to the television station…”

“Are you talking about that Ji Wei?” Shen Cunbo suddenly asked.

“Yes,” Station Director Zhou replied.

“What a good kid he is. I just saw that his study stream was trending. What’s wrong with playing a few games? We can just edit it out later.” Shen Cunbo didn’t take it to heart. Instead, he turned around and earnestly advised Station Director Zhou, “Xiao Zhou, the year-end evaluation is coming up. You should focus more on matters within the station.”

Station Director Zhou was helpless. Wasn’t this precisely for the year-end evaluation? The Forbidden City’s Little Shop hadn’t even aired on television yet, and its popularity already far surpassed Great Nation’s Artifacts. He didn’t know if he could maintain the ratings once it aired.

He was about to say more, but to his surprise, Shen Cunbo hung up. Station Director Zhou was somewhat taken aback.

Now he could only hope that the viewership for The Forbidden City’s Little Shop and Great Nation’s Artifacts didn’t overlap.

After all, Great Nation’s Artifacts was clearly more appealing to a middle-aged and elderly audience. Even if The Forbidden City’s Little Shop was a hit online, it was hard to say if it could attract that demographic.

But a study stream?

He hadn’t heard of it. He thought for a moment, opened Weibo, and clicked on the trending topics. There it was—a clip of Ji Wei’s livestream teaching students.

[Radish Pier]: I actually watched him draw a map with great interest. What was the name of that strait again?

[Golden Silk Jujube]: Hahahahahahahaha, I watched it over and over again. It’s drawn so fluidly, it’s very satisfying to watch.

[Crispy Jujube]: Look at their geography teacher, then look at mine. I want Weiwei to teach me too, waaaaah.

Station Director Zhou couldn’t help but feel a little discouraged. Why did this study stream have to trend now of all times, and why did Shen Cunbo have to see it? Even the official account of the Communist Youth League had posted a Weibo for him, with extremely high praise.

[Communist Youth League Central Committee]: Highlighting positive role models: Ji Wei. In the fickle live-streaming industry, his conduct is commendable. Young people should study hard and shine through passionate struggle. [Video]

This brought out all of Ji Wei’s fans.

[Tempura]: Aaaahhhhhh, an official repost! My Wei is so respected, his career fan is thrilled!

[Mochi]: I remember someone said before that him playing games wasn’t positive enough. Now that the officials have spoken out, I’d like to ask those people, does your face hurt?

[Brown Sugar Rice Cake]: Yesterday, some water army hired by who-knows-who was making a fuss. I feel like it’s really going to be on CCTV, otherwise why would they be so agitated?

[Xiao Jingkai]: Aaaahhhhh! It might actually be true. I want to see Weiwei on CCTV! Ah, I’d better not jinx it. I’ll just wait for the official announcement.

***

By the time Ji Wei finished teaching and returned to Hua Ting, it was already nine in the evening. He didn’t rest but went straight to the study to continue answering the students’ questions from the afternoon.

There were too many to answer one by one, so he had to add them on WeChat to talk slowly.

Lu Shenxing wheeled himself in. Seeing him constantly sending messages, he lowered his eyes and asked, “Chatting with someone?”

“No, I was subbing for my dad this afternoon,” Ji Wei said after sending off the last message. “I’m answering questions for the students. This is the last one. They’re all very eager to learn.”

The last student had quite a few questions, and it took nearly half an hour. He thought Lu Shenxing had left, but when he turned around, his idol was still there.

“Are they done with their studies?” the man asked.

“Yeah,” Ji Wei nodded.

“Teacher Ji—” The man looked into his eyes and suddenly spoke slowly. “I want to learn too.”

“Learn what?”

Being called “Teacher Ji” made Ji Wei blush a little. He taught geography; he probably couldn’t help his idol, could he?

“Learn how to kiss.”

The next second—

The man’s warm lips pressed against his.

It was completely unexpected.