Chapter 40

Gu Huaiyi sat in front of his computer, his hand on the mouse as he browsed the web, his expression far from relaxed.

His agent returned from a phone call and sighed at the sight of Gu Huaiyi. “You’re not still taking that Ji Wei fan’s insults to heart, are you? The more he insults you, the more sympathy you’ll get.”

The agent was in a good mood. He opened his phone and showed Gu Huaiyi his Weibo homepage. “Look, you’ve gained almost four million followers today. It won’t be long before you have over ten million.”

Gu Huaiyi didn’t respond, instead asking, “Is that person really a Ji Wei fan?”

The agent scrolled through Weibo. “Don’t worry about it so much. You’re just too nice. If it weren’t for this fan incident today, he would have used you to climb up the ladder.”

“Is he really that good-looking? It’s all just paid water army,” the agent said with a raised eyebrow. “Look, some people are even saying he’s queer-baiting for marketing.”

Gu Huaiyi glanced at Weibo.

[EntertainmentUncovered]As we all know, the movies Film Emperor Lu acts in are all serious subjects. His fandom is jokingly called the ‘elderly fandom,’ and his Super Topic is full of posts about his work. How did a whole bunch of CP fans suddenly appear? The fan works on Lofter are also at the top of the charts. It’s impossible to say there’s no one pushing this from behind.

[AntarcticPenguin]+1, no one ships Film Emperor Lu x Zhao Yue, and Zhao Yue’s fanbase is much larger than the little streamer’s.

[DyingFromMyLuWeiFix]Uh… Film Emperor Lu and Zhao Yue have barely spoken two sentences to each other. If you can ship that, why not just go write a novel? Anyway, now anyone who says a word in Ji Wei’s defense is a water army, right? Is it just kicking someone while they’re down?

Although some people spoke up for Ji Wei, the vast majority were cursing him. At this point, it wouldn’t matter whether Ji Wei issued an apology or not; he couldn’t turn the tide. He had already missed the best opportunity.

Gu Huaiyi said, “What a pity.”

The agent was noncommittal. “The Fanzhou endorsement was such a great opportunity. It’s definitely gone now. But our Huaiyi is different from him. A film and television company has already called to discuss a collaboration. He’ll be playing the second male lead in a web drama. I think the production team is good, so we can give it a try.”

“Thank you.”

Gu Huaiyi gave his agent a deep look.

The agent shook his head. “Don’t thank me. The first time I saw you, I knew you would be famous. You were just waiting for an opportunity, and today, that opportunity has finally arrived.”

“But this is just the beginning,” the agent said with emotion. “The entertainment industry is much bigger than Bilibili. Being an internet celebrity can only earn you small money. The entertainment industry is where the big money is.”

As he was speaking, Gu Huaiyi suddenly asked, “That fan account isn’t linked to a phone number, is it?”

The agent’s heart sank. He picked up his phone and rushed out in a panic.

***

Ji Wei looked at Weibo. All the negative trending topics about him had been taken down. It was clearly Ying Guanxiao’s handiwork. Ying Guanxiao had only signed Lu Shenxing, so his work usually focused on reviewing scripts and negotiating collaborations. He dealt with negative public opinion by simply deleting it. The reason why no one could find any information about his real-life identity before was also likely due to Ying Guanxiao’s protection. Otherwise, his information would have been all over the world by now.

Zhao Yue’s team was clearly more experienced. They had posted countless comparison threads on the most popular gossip forums, such as “The difference in looks between Ji Wei and Gu Huaiyi is ten Mount Everests” and “As a Ji Wei fan, let me just say, Gu Huaiyi’s looks are just plain…” At first, people were mocking, but gradually, some began to catch on.

[MoonInTheMiddleSky]Wait a minute, was that thread really started by a Ji Wei fan? Any fan with a brain would be lying low right now.

[HangingGardens]+1, Ji Wei doesn’t seem to have much of a team, and his fans aren’t organized and have no fighting power. He must have gotten in someone’s way.

[WantToEatFish]Can’t say, can’t say. If you say anything, you’re a Ji Wei fan.

There were still a lot of people cursing him, but far fewer than before. As time passed, this matter would probably just blow over. After all, the internet was never short of gossip. But looking at the replies on the forum and thinking back to what Zhao Yue had said, a vague idea began to form in Ji Wei’s mind.

He wasn’t very sure, but he wanted to give it a try. He immediately opened Bilibili, went to Gu Huaiyi’s homepage, where Gu Huaiyi’s agent’s contact information was listed. He backed up his own contact list, then deleted everyone except for Gu Huaiyi’s agent. Then, he switched to Weibo.

—Find friends in contacts.

The network lagged for a moment. Ji Wei felt that his actions were a bit like judging a gentleman by the standards of a petty person. Just as he was about to close the page, Weibo prominently recommended the “Ji Wei’s Fan Girl” account to him.

His feelings were somewhat complicated. The three of them had chatted quite pleasantly when they last met. He didn’t have much time to think. He quickly screen-recorded it. Just as he finished recording, the “Ji Wei’s Fan Girl” account disappeared from the recommended friends from his contacts. Gu Huaiyi’s agent must have realized and turned off the contact search function.

Ji Wei couldn’t help but feel lucky that he had acted quickly enough. Otherwise, he would have had no evidence at all. He didn’t like to hit people where it hurts, so when he uploaded the screen recording to Weibo, he only tagged the “Ji Wei’s Fan Girl” account, not Gu Huaiyi.

After posting, he continued to work on the meticulous painting of a court lady that he hadn’t finished in the afternoon. And Weibo exploded at once. Ji Wei’s post received over ten thousand comments in just half an hour, a level of popularity comparable to a third-tier celebrity.

[Cherry]He’s apologizing this late… huh, it’s not an apology? Holy crap, this drama took a turn?!!

[MangoTree]My god, this is so disgusting! I was just saying why there were suddenly so many nasty posts on a certain forum. Turns out they weren’t satisfied with just stepping on Weiwei, they had to step on him again.

[MonsterThousandLayerCake]Gu Huaiyi gained over three million followers today. He must have gotten a taste of success. If his idiot agent hadn’t forgotten to turn off the contact recommendation, we’d all still be fooled by this white lotus.

[HuaiShuiYiyi]Apologies to the original poster, but I really want to explain for Huaiyi. His agent has always been very ambitious and wanted him to go on variety shows and enter the entertainment industry. Huaiyi himself just wants to play the guzheng. He definitely didn’t know about this.

[DaLongShan]I’m a casual fan of Gu Huaiyi. He’s a really laid-back person. You can judge a person’s character by their zither playing. I don’t think we should negate a person just because of his agent.

Ji Wei didn’t finish painting until eleven-thirty at night. He rubbed his tired neck, opened Weibo, and was shocked to find that Gu Huaiyi’s agent had resigned.

[Gu Huaiyi’s Agent]I am very sorry for what happened today. Huaiyi truly knew nothing about it. I know many people won’t believe me, but I swear on my career. From today onwards, I am no longer Gu Huaiyi’s agent, and I will not work in this industry in the future. @JiWei

The comments below were all cursing him.

[NamingIsHard]If apologies were useful, what would we need the police for?

[PickledPepperRabbit]He said he’s not going to be an agent anymore. It’s very difficult to change careers at his age. I think Gu Huaiyi might really not have known. Otherwise, there’s no need for his agent to make such a big sacrifice for him.

[BlackTruffle]I still have to say, you’re disgusting. Go back to the furnace and be remade.

Gu Huaiyi also posted an apology. Because his agent had taken all the responsibility, the treatment he received was completely different from his agent’s.

[ButterflyMonster]Having such an agent, Huaiyi has it tough too. He has to clean up his mess.

[FlatPoleLongBenchWide]Sigh, the casual fans he’s accumulated have been pretty much lost. Huaiyi needs to be more careful when signing an agent in the future.

[ALittleGoldfish]Confused, Gu Huaiyi has it tough, so Ji Wei has it easy? Why does everyone think he’s the victim now? I’m out.

[HuaiShuiYiyi]Let’s not start a fight. It’s not easy for anyone.

Gu Huaiyi’s fans tended to want to quell the matter, and Ji Wei really didn’t have the energy to bother with it. However, Ying Guanxiao had plenty of energy. The top five trending topics were all about him.

#JiWeiClarificationWeibo#

#JiWeiIsMiserable#

#GuHuaiyiMaliciousHype#

…He saw Gu Huaiyi’s follower count drop all the way to three million, while his own skyrocketed to seven million. Perhaps Gu Huaiyi also felt that he was losing followers too quickly. An hour ago, he had sent him a long private message, a full thousand words, expressing his apologies. Finally, he asked.

[Gu Huaiyi] Is it convenient to take down the trending topics?

He asked very tactfully, because it was obvious that his trending topics had been bought. Although many people were paying attention to the matter, it wasn’t to the extent that five trending topics were all about him.

[Ji Wei] It’s not convenient.

After all, Ying Guanxiao had bought the trending topics. Seemingly not expecting him to answer this way, it took Gu Huaiyi a long time to send a reply: “Sorry to bother you.”

After washing up, Ji Wei lay on the bed and looked at Lu Shenxing, who was reading a script with his eyes lowered. He couldn’t help but ask, “Why aren’t the custom-made blankets for the guest room ready yet?”

Hearing his question, Lu Shenxing’s hand, which was turning a page, paused. He said calmly, “The craftsmanship is rather complex.”

“Then can you rush them?” Ji Wei pulled the blanket up, leaving only his head exposed, and mumbled in a low voice, “Otherwise, it’s affecting my review for the final exams.”

The man raised his eyes. “How am I affecting you?”

Word by word—Ji Wei’s face immediately turned red. The man suddenly turned off the light. His kiss landed on Ji Wei’s lips. After a passionate kiss, he asked in a low, hoarse voice, “Like this?”

“Or like this?”

Like what? Ji Wei hadn’t figured it out yet when he was pulled into the man’s embrace, their bodies pressed together with only a thin layer of clothing between them, so close there was no gap. Inevitably, Ji Wei felt the man’s heat. His face instantly turned scorching hot, and he pulled away from the man to a safe distance.

“I’m going to sleep.”

He closed his eyes, feigning composure. After a while, his racing heart slowly calmed down, but then he heard the sound of water from the bathroom. His idol seemed to be taking a cold shower. His face seemed to get… even redder.

***

The next day, Ji Wei arrived at the university early. Bilibili had sent him a message.

—To celebrate the pre-sale of The Age of Great Contention, you are invited to participate in today’s promotional event.

It was a kind of livestream relay, where each streamer would connect and stream with the streamer after them in the sequence. Ji Wei didn’t really have time today, but as the endorser for The Age of Great Contention, it seemed wrong not to participate. So he sent a message to the staff.

[Ji Wei Who Plays Games] I can only participate in the event at noon. I was wondering if that would work with the schedule?

After receiving an affirmative reply, he put away his phone. This morning’s classes were all flower-and-bird painting. The teacher brought in a few cages of chirping little birds, which were more interesting than static landscapes. However, they were also more difficult to draw. It was hard to get the shapes right. Therefore, after class, the students were all listless, reminiscing about the landscape painting classes. Ji Wei, however, felt it was fine.

He walked out of the campus with Chen Yan. Along the way, girls kept greeting Chen Yan, and Chen Yan looked completely used to it, handling relationships with women with ease. Ji Wei thought about yesterday’s events and couldn’t help but ask, “Can I ask you something?”

Chen Yan put his arm around his shoulder. “What’s our relationship? Of course, you can.”

Ji Wei coughed and began, “I have a friend…”

Before he could finish, Chen Yan interrupted him. “Alright, I know that friend is you.”

Ji Wei was speechless. “…”

He hesitated for a moment and said, “If someone actively remembers your preferences, doesn’t mind kissing you… or even having a more intimate relationship, does that mean he likes you?”

“Even just a little bit?”

Did he even need to ask? Chen Yan was about to nod when he suddenly remembered that Ji Wei was a married man. Although no one was satisfied with his marriage partner, with his level of fame, an affair during marriage would definitely become a trending topic. Besides, how good could a person who hooks up with a married man be?

He retorted, “Of course not.”

“Relationships between adults are very messy these days. I can remember the preferences of all the girls on my phone, and I want to sleep with them. Does that mean I like all of them?”

Ji Wei lowered his head and “oh-ed.” Seeing his disappointed expression, Chen Yan breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t in vain that he had made up a story to blacken his own name. If this got out, he would never be able to get a girlfriend. But after a while, the young man looked up, his tone complicated as he said to Chen Yan, “I never thought you were this kind of person.”

Chen Yan was speechless. I’m doing this all for you.

The two of them walked out. Ji Wei was a bit distracted. The people handing out flyers loved people like him. They stuffed several flyers into his hand, and he took them without even looking. At the school gate, he said goodbye to Chen Yan and returned to Hua Ting. He took the elevator back home and, as soon as he looked up, saw Lu Shenxing in a suit, his chin tilted up as he tied his tie with one hand, looking like he was about to go out.

Their eyes met—

The man looked straight at him. Ji Wei felt a little flustered for some reason, pursed his lips, and looked away. He put his backpack on the sofa and was about to pick up the water glass on the coffee table to get some water when he realized he was still holding the flyers in his right hand. He casually placed the flyers on the coffee table. After a subconscious glance, his whole mood soured.

—Problems with marital life? A ten-year veteran traditional Chinese doctor can help you, aiming to solve men’s problems of being short, soft, and fast, bringing a blue sky and happiness back to the family. Scan the QR code to follow on WeChat for a one-on-one consultation.

Before Ji Wei could throw it in the trash, a corner of the flyer was grabbed by Lu Shenxing. The man lowered his gaze. “What’s this?”

“Junk mail.”

Ji Wei explained, steeling himself. “I’ll go throw it away.”

As he spoke, he secretly tried to pull the flyer back. But his small movements seemed to have been discovered. In the next second, the flyer was snatched from his hand by the man. His heart leaped into his throat. He didn’t know how Lu Shenxing would react when he saw it.

Ji Wei lowered his head, took a deep breath, and tried to minimize his presence. Someone else had given it to him. He hadn’t taken it on purpose. But it felt… impossible to explain. Ji Wei felt the man’s deep gaze fall on him, looking him up and down, finally landing on his waist.

He quietly looked up.

“You don’t need to worry about this,” the man said calmly, pausing for a moment before adding, “If I weren’t afraid of scaring you—”

“Big brother could make it so you can’t get out of bed.”