Chapter 74 – Meddling Unnecessarily

Are this generation’s netizens too idle? Who made a rule that celebrities can’t take the high-speed rail? And that’s supposed to be called “fallen on hard times”? Why did this have to drag Yan Shengping into it again? Was Yan Shengping a workhorse, to be constantly paraded around under the trending topics?

Lin Ganzhi lost all interest in his game and focused on messaging Tian Nini.

[Does Yan Shengping know about this?]

Tian Nini: [He knows, but CEO Yan didn’t say he was going to handle it. I thought he was tacitly admitting it, which is why I rushed to ask you!]

Yan Shengping didn’t say he would handle it? Lin Ganzhi frowned. Could he really think it was his fault? The thought made Lin Ganzhi’s heart ache. How could he let his brother take the blame?

[I was in a hurry to get back for Yan Shengping’s birthday. The flight was delayed, so I switched to the high-speed rail. The place I was filming at was like summer, so isn’t it normal to be wearing less when I came back? [Angry Rabbit.jpg]]

At home, Tian Nini was doing a face mask when he saw this message. A cryptic smile spread across his face, scaring Chi Feibai, who was staying over, into a state of shock.

Tian Nini: [Oh~ Rushing back for CEO Yan’s birthday, huh~ Ganzhi, you’ve made progress. When CEO Yan saw you, did he just want to hehehe you? Wait, what… state are you in while messaging me? [Shy.jpg]]

Lin Ganzhi wished he wasn’t the kind of guy who understood innuendos instantly, but thinking of his online persona, he resisted the urge to defend his innocence.

After fobbing Tian Nini off, he was about to contact his respected manager, Brother Zhang, but before he could send a message, Zhang Dianhuai called him directly.

Lin Ganzhi hurriedly answered the phone. The furious roar of a corporate slave came through the receiver. “Lin Ganzhi! Do you have any self-awareness as a celebrity? You went to take the high-speed rail without even wearing your mask properly? Fuck! The one person in the company who least wants to be famous is trending every day. I’m speechless!”

Lin Ganzhi couldn’t help but agree with Zhang Dianhuai’s last sentence. In his previous life, he couldn’t get famous no matter how hard he tried. In this life, he did nothing and it was like he lived on the trending topics list. What could he do? He was helpless too.

“Maybe this generation of netizens just really likes to eat radishes,” Lin Ganzhi concluded seriously.

“What does that have to do with eating radishes?” Zhang Dianhuai didn’t get it at first.

Lin Ganzhi sighed and continued, “It’s a saying: meddling unnecessarily. Seriously, I don’t like my private affairs being on the trending topics every day. Is it that interesting?”

Zhang Dianhuai: …

This time, it was Zhang Dianhuai’s turn to agree. “Tell me, what were you doing on the high-speed rail that night? Didn’t you just finish filming the show?”

“I came back to celebrate my husband’s birthday,” Lin Ganzhi said with complete frankness.

Zhang Dianhuai was speechless, almost forgetting that this troublesome kid was a love brain. He took a deep breath, his boss’s scolding voice still echoing in his mind. “This matter has also affected the company’s reputation. It’s not a big deal for me, but the boss is furious. Post something on Weibo later to explain. In a few days, I’ll assign an assistant to you. Even if you don’t want to be famous yourself, things have already reached this point. Unless you leave the entertainment circle, you still need to maintain a celebrity image when you’re out. If you look too shabby, the company will get criticized too.”

Lin Ganzhi pondered for a moment. What Brother Zhang said made sense.

“How about I just quit—”

“The breach of contract fee is six figures, and you still have a year and a half left. Think carefully before you speak,” Zhang Dianhuai said menacingly.

Uh, Lin Ganzhi swallowed. Although he now had a hundred million, a six-figure sum wasn’t a huge problem. But there were so many better things to do with that money. He’d have to be crazy to just give it to the company. Yet, he had a mental block and was unwilling to get too involved in this circle.

“Brother Zhang, I’ll go explain the trending topic on Weibo now, but you don’t need to assign me an assistant. I don’t like that sort of thing,” Lin Ganzhi said seriously.

There was a pause on Zhang Dianhuai’s end before he asked very seriously, “This is a personal question, and it won’t be reported to the company. Lin Ganzhi, I want to ask you, are you really planning to leave the entertainment circle after a year and a half? No matter what, this is the most popular you’ve ever been. This is an opportunity that money can’t buy. If you don’t seize it, you might never get another one.”

“Pretty much,” Lin Ganzhi said, freeing a hand to turn up the heat in the bathtub. He shifted his position, his exposed shoulders turning pink from the soak. He didn’t care about this popularity; it didn’t seem to have much to do with him. People had just found a target for their gossip.

On the other end, it sounded like Zhang Dianhuai took a long, deep breath before finally saying, “Fine. Go and explain it quickly. If you’re not careful about wearing your mask properly outside next time, I’ll have to pay you a personal visit. Understood?”

Lin Ganzhi nodded like an obedient child. After hanging up, he went to surf Weibo. This generation of some netizens really had foul mouths!

[Is Lin Ganzhi sure he’s not just selling a sob story? What celebrity goes to a public place without wearing a mask properly? This is just trying to get sympathy, haha!]

[I second the comment above. Celebrities these days make so much money, taking a second-class seat on the high-speed rail is ridiculous. Other than seeking attention, I can’t think of any reason for Lin Ganzhi to do this.]

[Who is this person? He has no works to his name but he’s always on the trending topics. Isn’t it embarrassing? If you have money to buy trending topics, you might as well do something worthy of your salary!]

[Wait, what does this have to do with Ganzhi? Shouldn’t it be the company’s fault? Not to mention, the popularity he’s generating now is enough for that crappy company of his to assign him an assistant, right? Ganzhi just came back from filming a show, isn’t it normal for him not to have a thick coat? What sob story? The celebrity himself hasn’t even said anything!]

[Now that you mention it, I think his partner is a real piece of work too. Lin Ganzhi always cues his partner in every situation, making him sound like he’s one of a kind, the best in the world. And now he comes home and can only squat in a second-class seat. Where’s his husband?]

[Yeah, Ganzhi has been insulted so badly, and his husband hasn’t said a word to stand up for him. Could he have a guilty conscience?]

[If my mom was wronged like this outside, my dad would definitely go out and fight back!]

[Haven’t you guys noticed? Before Lin Ganzhi got married, although some people criticized him, they only called him dramatic and a poser. Now that he’s married, not only has he gained nothing, but he’s also a daily target and has to take the blame for his husband! What was exposed before? Planting vegetables? Has Yan Shengping fallen so low that he needs his wife to plant vegetables outside?]

As Lin Ganzhi read these comments, the anger in his eyes deepened. He tapped the plus icon on his main screen. All pretense of being well-behaved and serene was flushed down the drain.

At twelve-thirty in the morning, Lin Ganzhi, whose account now had five million followers, updated his status: [If there’s a problem with my work, you can criticize me all you want. But if I’m going to be questioned and even have my family dragged into it just for taking a second-class high-speed rail seat, then don’t be mad if my words are harsh. Since the people scolding me are still awake and begging me to scold them back, then listen up!

First of all, I don’t think taking a second-class high-speed rail seat is selling a sob story. When I was a student, I couldn’t even afford the high-speed rail. Now that I can, I’m proud of it! The trending picture was clearly a sneak shot. You people have the guts to take sneak shots, but now you don’t have the guts to come forward and say you uploaded the photo? You should be proud. A trending topic that costs fifty thousand, you got it with just a click of a shutter and a moment of your conscience. Why aren’t you stepping up to claim your victory now?

Secondly, I know I have countless anti-fans. I don’t care what labels you put on me. It’s nothing more than you being unhappy in real life and wanting to pick someone online to curse at. Anyway, I don’t read Weibo, and I won’t even open my private messages, so you can make up whatever you want. Because I know you’ve never truly known me, and I don’t need to make myself unhappy over these things.

Finally, my partner is doing great. As for why he didn’t come out to speak for me, you can refer to point number two. There’s no need to kneel and listen to your uninformed slander. We’re not masochists, looking for trouble. If you’ve read this far and you’re not angry, then I believe you are a rational person who thinks rationally. And if you’ve developed a liking for me because of my performance on the variety show and think you can check out my Weibo or shows in your spare time, I want to tell you: it was my request to the company not to have an assistant. I don’t have that much work and I don’t want to waste resources. I’m at home now, just celebrated my partner’s twenty-ninth birthday. I think it’s pretty great that I managed to get home in the last hour during a blizzard. That’s all, good night~]

The moment Lin Ganzhi’s Weibo post went live, it set off a new wave online. Lin Ganzhi completely shed the kind and docile persona from the show, his words merciless and sharp, even implicitly targeting some of his own fans. Those who insulted him became even more vicious, but there was also a group of people who were sobered up by his words, and some unbiased netizens even developed a better impression of him.

[I can’t find any fault with what this obscure celebrity Lin Ganzhi is saying? Who says celebrities can’t take second-class seats? What, are celebrities so noble? Do rich people have to be suckers and take first class? I didn’t see him holding a big banner telling everyone he’s a celebrity and disrupting public order. Damn, it’s making me kind of like him. I’ll follow him first and see.]

[So Lin Ganzhi can be this fierce? Damn, the way he defends Yan Shengping is so hot!]

[Ganzhi, I’m sorry~ We were muddle-headed before. It turns out you were trying to surprise Yan Shengping for his birthday and that’s why you didn’t tell him! Sob sob sob, we’ll never jump to conclusions based on a picture again!]

[Pfft, I bet this couple, being professional universally disliked people, don’t even read Weibo. Their management company probably told Lin Ganzhi, and that’s why he went online to look. Look at the stuff these people make up. His partner didn’t speak up not because he doesn’t care about Lin Ganzhi, but because he doesn’t care about YOU! Hahahaha, that’s hilarious!]

[Pfft! The comment above, “universally disliked professionals,” that killed me. But it feels so true. Who would read their DMs when they’re being spammed like that? In real life, that’s just asking for trouble. Suddenly, I think these two are really shippable!]

[Did Ganzhi’s management company see this? You can ignore the online comments, but the real fans really want to talk to Ganzhi! Even just to say ‘keep it up.’ Can you arrange an offline fan meeting? I’ll definitely fly over in a flash!]

[I second the offline fan meeting~]

Yan Shengping, who was about to go to bed, saw Lin Ganzhi’s Weibo post. He was surprised, and then his heart was warmed by Lin Ganzhi’s use of the word “family.”

At twelve-fifteen in the morning, Yan Shengping’s Weibo updated with a new post. On a black velvet cloth lay a fountain pen glowing with a warm yellow light. The caption was just one word: “Thanks.”

Yan Shengping, who never posted any personal photos on his Weibo, posted his first picture during this low point in his life, and it was the pen Lin Ganzhi had given him.

This love, I can ship it until I’m old!

The key employees of Yan Shengping’s company all switched to their alternate accounts, crying and liking the post, sending blessings and showering him with compliments that reached the heavens. However, Yan Shengping only caught a glimpse of some employees’ alternate accounts before his Weibo was flooded by Lin Ganzhi’s fans. The fans weren’t doing anything else but frantically @-ing Lin Ganzhi.

[Baby Ganzhi, your husband is secretly showing off his affection while you’re asleep! Get up and give that hopeless tsundere a kiss ahhhhhh!]