Chapter 13
The next afternoon, Ji Wei’s prize arrived. After class, he went to the school gate to sign for the delivery and then headed back to his dorm. As usual, the dorm was empty. Chen Yan had gone to a bar to flirt with girls, Cui Jiu was undoubtedly at the library writing his thesis, and his other roommate, Xie Cheng, was dedicated to his theological pursuits—telling fortunes under a pedestrian bridge. He was generally nowhere to be found except during exam week.
With a new computer, of course, he had to play a new game. Ji Wei turned on the computer, downloaded the Steam client, and purchased The Scroll of Taiwu, a domestic game that his fans had been recommending to him.
After adjusting his streaming settings, he went live. Over ten thousand viewers immediately flooded into his stream, and the popularity continued to climb. This gave the perpetually obscure Ji Wei the feeling that “he might actually be famous” for the first time!
[Ahhhhhhh, the little brother is live!!! Are you really not considering showing your face?!]
[Heard about what happened yesterday. Keep it up, streamer.]
[Came from Weibo, cheering crazily for the little brother! I also want to see his face, but I’m fine with just listening to his voice!]
He was suddenly a little nervous. Ji Wei took a deep breath and then started the game. “Good evening, everyone. Thank you for coming to my stream. The game I’m playing today is called The Scroll of Taiwu. Unlike common RPGs, when a character dies, the player can choose to continue the game as the character’s child or a companion. The NPCs also have their own experiences and preferences…”
Ji Wei had only read the game’s description; he had never played it before. He created a male character and casually designed a face with the appearance of a Celestial Being.
[A Celestial Being???! I’ve played ten times, painstakingly creating faces that are always ordinary-looking. What kind of luck does the streamer have? I’m depressed.]
[Hey, look on the bright side. Maybe it’s not luck. Maybe it’s… a beauty bonus. Good-looking people create good-looking faces.]
[…Dude, what you said just made me even more depressed.]
Ji Wei controlled his character to join the Wudang Sect, planning to cultivate diligently and experience the charm of a traditional martial arts game. That was the original plan. However, the sect leader of Wudang kept coming over to give him pointers on techniques, handing out God First-Grade and Profound Second-Grade techniques like they were cabbages. Who could possibly… cultivate diligently under these circumstances?
[Holy crap, is it really like this? Being good-looking really lets you do whatever you want.]
[How to survive in the world of The Scroll of Taiwu? First, you have to be good-looking. If you’re good-looking, you’ll have a bunch of simps.]
[But the sect leader is a man!]
[Your thinking is very problematic. Same-sex marriage is legal now, so what’s wrong with it being a man? I’m suddenly curious what the streamer would do if the sect leader confessed to him.]
Ji Wei’s response to this was… no initiative, no refusal, no responsibility!
He abandoned the idea of diligent cultivation and engaged in a series of friendly exchanges with the members of the Wudang Sect. With his Celestial Being looks, he gained countless fanboys, receiving techniques and treasures until his hands were full, never tying himself down to a single tree. The stream’s entertainment value was off the charts.
[Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap, what kind of insane play is this? The streamer’s skills are blowing my mind!]
[I don’t usually play standalone games, I only started watching because of the little brother. Are all standalone games this awesome now? I feel like words can no longer express my shock!!!]
[It’s not the game! It’s the streamer who’s so damn amazing. I suggest the streamer publish an autobiography: I Reached the Pinnacle of Life by Being a Green Tea or Those Years I Was a Male God in the Wudang Sect.]
[Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap, holy crap, holy crap! When will I ever be as amazing as the streamer!]
Most of the netizens, who had initially come just to watch the spectacle, were soon captivated by the game (and his gameplay). The stream’s popularity continued to rise, and it quickly made it to the homepage of the gaming section, pushing down the recently popular newcomer, Wen Zimu.
***
Wen Zheng rarely watched variety shows; he had only participated in Esports Youth because of the program’s persistent invitations. Since the news broke yesterday that Ji Wei was the amateur guest on National Style, he had started watching the show as if possessed. Under the sunlight, the young man’s skin was exceptionally fair. When he smiled, two shallow pear dimples appeared, warm and bright.
So… he’s this good-looking. Wen Zheng stared at Ji Wei’s photo on Weibo, momentarily lost in thought.
Just then, Wen Zimu pushed open the study door with a terrible expression, still wearing the Bluetooth headset he used for streaming.
Wen Zheng immediately turned off his phone screen, somewhat displeased. “You didn’t even knock. Why did you end your stream so early?”
Wen Zimu glanced at his phone, then leaned against the bookshelf with his arms crossed. “It’s all because of Ji Wei. He used to be so high and mighty, everyone else turned on their cameras but him. Now he’s using his face to push me off the homepage. Who knows what he’ll become in the future.”
Wen Zheng didn’t want to talk about this. In terms of skill, Ji Wei was much better than Wen Zimu. If Wen Zimu didn’t stream with his face visible, he probably wouldn’t even have ten thousand fans, let alone his current two hundred thousand.
“He’s not in the same category as you. There’s no need to be so concerned.” Wen Zheng tried to placate Wen Zimu.
But Wen Zimu shook his head. “Aren’t you in talks with the platform for a partnership? Get them to ban him. I don’t want to be on the same website as him.”
Wen Zheng frowned. Occasional tantrums were cute, but constant tantrums were just being unreasonable. He didn’t know why he had been so infatuated with Wen Zimu back then. If Wen Zimu hadn’t been there, could he and Ji Wei have…
Wen Zheng shook his head, suppressing the thought.
“Wen Zimu, the way you are now scares me.”
After saying that, he left the study.
Wen Zimu’s eyes showed shock. Wen Zheng had never called him by his full name, nor had he ever used such a tone with him. He glanced at Wen Zheng’s phone, which had been left on the desk, and took a few steps forward. He opened it. Ji Wei’s photo was right there on the screen.
Wen Zimu bit his lower lip and gripped the phone tightly, with enough force to seemingly crush it. He knew it… Ji Wei was definitely still trying to seduce Wen Zheng.
***
Soon, it was time for the second recording of National Style. After the first episode aired, the audience rating reached a staggering 1.9. Although Tomato Television Station’s Esports Youth performed impressively, it only got less than 0.7. This greatly boosted the station’s confidence in National Style, and they generously approved a large budget. The filming location was set in Nice, in the southeast of France, hailed as one of the most charming seaside resorts in the world.
The show chartered a private plane for the guests. Since they had already been on one episode, everyone had become familiar with each other. There was an empty seat next to Ji Wei. Du Ruosong greeted him and sat down beside him, showing him photos of his son’s one-month celebration.
[Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha Songsong, that’s enough! Isn’t showing him off on Weibo enough? You have to show him off on the show too!]
[Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, the little brother’s “he’s so cute” expression is going to kill me!]
[Those of you calling the little brother cute can go watch the recording of his The Scroll of Taiwu stream.]
[Hahahahahahahahahahaha, the person above is toxic. Don’t go watch it. I watched the recording until late last night and couldn’t stop.]
When Lu Shenxing boarded the plane, the only seat left was next to Zhao Yue. He glanced at Du Ruosong and said thoughtfully, “Given the age gap between Teacher Du and Ji Wei, you probably don’t have much in common to talk about.”
Du Ruosong was still immersed in the excitement of showing off his baby. “Not at all! Weiwei really likes my son. Look at my son’s little wrinkled face, isn’t he just adorable?”
Lu Shenxing stared at him blankly.
[Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha, I can already predict the outcome.]
[Film Emperor Lu casts a threatening glare.]
[I love that look. When will Film Emperor Lu play a gangster boss? A godfather type would be perfect!]
Being stared at by Lu Shenxing like that, Du Ruosong finally snapped out of his excitement. He quickly stood up and coughed. “Film Emperor Lu, why don’t you sit here?”
Lu Shenxing smiled gently. “How could I impose?”
Du Ruosong was speechless.
[Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha, from Film Emperor Lu’s expression, it looks like he’s more than willing to impose.]
[I’m going to say it out loud, Lu-Wei is real love!]
[No, Film Emperor Lu probably just wants to… slack off.]
[Hahahahahahaha, so true.]
Having not seen him for a week, Ji Wei felt a little nervous facing Lu Shenxing and didn’t know what to say. He grew even more nervous, especially when he felt the man’s deep gaze intentionally or unintentionally falling on him, moving from his neck down to his waist, seeming to scrutinize him inch by inch, as if seeing right through him.
He’s gotten a bit thinner. Lu Shenxing retracted his gaze.
The invisible pressure dissipated, and Ji Wei relaxed, though not completely. Suddenly, Lu Shenxing asked slowly, “You like kids?”
“Yeah.”
Although Ji Wei didn’t understand why he was asking, he still nodded. Then came several minutes of silence. Just as he thought the topic was over, Lu Shenxing handed him his phone, gesturing for him to look.
Ji Wei paused for a moment before taking the phone. It was a photo of a child. At about four or five years old, the child’s features were already showing their superiority—long, narrow eyes and a high-bridged nose, vaguely resembling Lu Shenxing.
[Why does he look a bit like Film Emperor Lu?]
[Holy crap! I think it really is Film Emperor Lu. He was so handsome even as a child. I’m so envious. To think people used to say he had plastic surgery.]
[Hahahahahahaha, he was just saying Teacher Du and the little brother have nothing in common, and then he turns around and shows off his own photo. What can I even say!]
[Du Ruosong is crying in the bathroom.]
“He’s handsome.”
Ji Wei expressed his opinion with great restraint, though in his heart, he was already writing an eight-thousand-word essay of excessive praise. As he handed the phone back to Lu Shenxing, the man suddenly leaned towards him, lowered his voice, and asked lazily, “Then… do you like gege?”