Chapter 53

Lying in Lu Shenxing’s arms, Ji Wei felt an inexplicable sense of security, and a wave of drowsiness washed over him. Well, he would try sleeping on his own again next weekend.

When he woke up the next morning, he breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to get up, the man’s arm lay across his chest, pinning him down.

He turned his head to glance at Lu Shenxing, who still had his eyes closed, his thick lashes casting a small shadow on the area around his eyes.

He was still asleep.

Ji Wei gently pushed Lu Shenxing’s hand off himself and placed it by his side. Suddenly, the man opened his eyes, his dark pupils staring at him motionlessly.

Their eyes met—

The air hung still for a moment, the surrounding atmosphere freezing as if an impenetrable wall had risen from the ground.

Ji Wei swallowed, his breathing unconsciously slowing. Realizing he was still holding Lu Shenxing’s wrist, he quickly let go.

Thump—

Perhaps because he wasn’t fully awake yet, the man’s reaction was half a beat slow. His arm fell onto the quilt with a muffled sound, and a hint of confusion appeared on his face.

Ji Wei hadn’t expected this either. He said haltingly, “It’s time to get up.”

“Good morning kiss.”

The man narrowed his eyes slightly, his voice revealing obvious sleepiness. Ji Wei couldn’t tell if he was awake or not.

It wasn’t until the man started kissing him that Ji Wei was certain he was definitely awake. How could someone still in a dream be so proactive?

Lu Shenxing leaned over him, finding a perfect angle for a kiss. He lazily propped one hand on the bed and used the other to lift Ji Wei’s chin, making him tilt his head up slightly.

Then his warm lips descended—

This position made the lines of Ji Wei’s neck tense up involuntarily. Blood rushed through his body, forcing him to focus solely on the kiss.

The man pried open his lips, tirelessly sucking and licking, leaving him in disarray. The already quiet room was filled only with the sound of Ji Wei’s panting and their lips and tongues exchanging saliva.

Ji Wei couldn’t catch his breath and subconsciously pushed against Lu Shenxing’s chest, but the man pressed him into his embrace, their bodies clinging together tightly as the kiss deepened.

Ji Wei suspected that if it weren’t for the live broadcast today, he might not have been able to leave this room.

When the long kiss finally ended, Ji Wei couldn’t help but remind him, “A good morning kiss is just a light peck.”

There was no such thing.

As a passionate good morning kiss.

He couldn’t think about it.

He couldn’t think about it.

Thinking about it made his face flush and his heart race.

Ji Wei stood up from the bed, but before he could steady himself, his hand was pulled, and he unexpectedly sat back down on the bed.

The sleepiness on the man’s face had vanished, his eyes now extremely bright. He leaned in and gave him a light kiss on the forehead.

In that instant, Ji Wei felt that he probably… would never be able to leave this fandom in his life.

His idol was really, really good at this.

***

It wasn’t until nine in the morning that Ji Wei and Lu Shenxing left together. He had once again changed into a high-collared shirt, wrapping himself up tightly.

It wasn’t because he was afraid of the sun, but because his idol had nibbled and bitten him, leaving bright red love bites that made it impossible for him to dare wear a low-collared shirt.

After getting in the car, the makeup artist couldn’t help but say, “There’s no need for a boy to dress so conservatively. You can show your neck and collarbones; it makes you look more energetic.”

Ji Wei was drinking water and almost choked when he heard the makeup artist’s suggestion. Lu Shenxing patted his back and said in a gentle voice, “Be careful.”

He showed no awareness of being the culprit.

Ji Wei politely declined the makeup artist’s request.

Due to the weather, the flight was slightly delayed, and it was already ten o’clock at night when they arrived at The Forbidden City’s Little Shop.

However, the popularity of the live stream was not affected.

[Ahhh, I see the Lu-Wei couple again! I hope Weiwei isn’t affected by the Gao Cheng incident.]

[Looks like he’s fine. Gao Cheng is being condemned by everyone now, right? His paintings won’t sell, he got expelled from Yan University, and his wife is divorcing him. Truly, what goes around comes around.]

[Am I the only one who cares that Weiwei is wearing a shirt again? The production team should really consider more styles, although the shirt looks great too.]

[Typical Yan University style. Walk on campus and nine out of ten guys are wearing shirts and long pants.]

The guests all arrived around the same time. After a week of being unoccupied, it took them over an hour just to wipe down and clean the shop.

Old Sir Ma Liqing was in charge of cooking. Last week, they had to eat noodles because they hadn’t stored any ingredients. This week, they had stocked the refrigerator in advance with food that had a long shelf life.

After Ji Wei and the others finished preparing the shop for opening, a table of fragrant Sichuan dishes was also ready. Looking at the boiled pork slices, fish-flavored shredded pork… everyone’s appetite was whetted.

Before eating, Lu Shenxing took out his phone to take a picture.

The bullet comments were stunned.

[Film Emperor Lu has changed! He’s even learned to take pictures before eating!]

[Oh my, he even knows how to find the right angle.]

[Hahahahahaha, his mindset is so young now.]

Ji Wei was also a bit shocked. His idol was the type who was completely out of touch with electronic devices. He really couldn’t imagine his idol taking pictures to share.

On second thought, maybe he was just purely documenting his life.

At that moment, everyone’s phone except Ji Wei’s vibrated at the same time.

He was the only one not looking at his phone, which felt a bit awkward, so he picked up his phone too. He opened WeChat and found that his idol had posted the picture he took to his Moments.

[Lu Shenxing] Very pleasant.

Ji Wei looked at his idol’s Moments and thought that his photography skills still needed improvement. The picture was of the food, but he had also been captured in it, disrupting the composition’s coherence.

While he was looking at his phone, for some reason, the atmosphere at the table became solemn.

When Zhao Yue picked up his phone, he had a bad feeling. Sure enough, he saw that Lu Shenxing had posted another Moments update.

He used the word “another” because Lu Shenxing had posted hundreds of Moments this week.

It was only because it was Lu Shenxing.

If it had been anyone else, he would have blocked them long ago.

He looked at Lu Shenxing’s new post, torn about whether to like it or not.

There was nothing wrong with the text.

It was only three words.

But the accompanying picture was of Ji Wei sitting at the table, with two faint pear dimples when he smiled.

And Lu Shenxing had evolved. He had actually tagged all of them in this post, so they couldn’t pretend they hadn’t seen it.

Was it really a good idea to encourage this kind of behavior from Lu Shenxing? It made him so jealous.

Before Zhao Yue could answer, Xiao Chi had already become a qualified liking machine. He looked up and said, “Senior Lu, I’ve liked it.”

Zhao Yue looked at the eager Xiao Chi and could only reluctantly give a like, praising insincerely, “Senior Lu’s photography skills are getting better and better.”

[Um… did anyone else notice that Zhao Yue is being passive-aggressive? What’s wrong with Film Emperor Lu taking a picture before a meal? Is it really necessary?]

[I think sharing one’s life is very interesting, much better than those who show off their relationships on Moments all day.]

[+1, it makes me so mad. Film Emperor Lu, won’t you consider moving to Weibo? I’ll like your posts every day!]

Everyone was looking forward to opening the shop tomorrow. The variety of goods had greatly increased, with sun hats, pens, notebooks… It could finally be called a general store.

Ji Wei opened the app to check tomorrow’s mission.

—A spacious area will provide customers with a better shopping experience. Before that, please sell out all your stock! Mission reward: expand the store!

“The production team is finally acting human.”

Zhao Yue said excitedly.

A larger store meant they could display more goods, and their profitability would also be greatly enhanced. And there wasn’t even a sales target requirement. This was practically a freebie reward.

The expression on Ji Wei’s face became subtle. “Do you guys remember we bought the Palace Museum miniature models last week?”

After a week, Zhao Yue’s memory was a bit fuzzy. “The models should sell well, right? Kids should like them a lot.”

Xiao Chi vaguely remembered something. “The price is a bit expensive, right?”

“One thousand dollars.”

Lu Shenxing added.

“Holy crap, a thousand dollars??” Zhao Yue shot up from his chair.

“And we bought two hundred thousand dollars’ worth of goods at cost price last time,” Ji Wei sighed.

The production team had clearly designed this mission specifically for them.

“How about we sell them at a discount?”

Zhao Yue thought about the two hundred thousand dollars’ worth of goods. Considering the usual high markup of Forbidden City cultural and creative products, the sales revenue would have to be over five hundred thousand. It was impossible to achieve that in one day.

Old Sir Ma Liqing said worriedly, “We can offer a 20% discount at most. We still need to save funds to buy next week’s goods.”

[The production team is too cruel. They just stocked up on so much merchandise, and now they’re required to sell it all. Where are they going to find so many suckers?]

[Watch your words, person above!]

[This is too much of a hell mode. Forget one day, even selling that much in a week would be tough. The production team has no heart.]

As the bullet comments were discussing this, a flood of English subtitles, and even some French ones, suddenly appeared. Many viewers were not happy about it.

[My god, people are showing off even while watching a variety show. Didn’t your nine years of compulsory education teach you to use Chinese?]

[The cringe is making my skin crawl. Asking a simple question like the address of The Forbidden City’s Little Shop, and they have to use English. I believe the elementary schoolers are really on vacation now.]

[Will you die if you use Chinese?]

Gradually, the English bullet comments stopped appearing, and everyone focused on watching the live stream. Suddenly, a number of bullet comments with awkward grammar appeared.

[Sorry, I should use Chinese. I just want to ask how I can support the guests.]

[I’m in the US, can I go and buy things?]

[I really like Wei’s paintings. If I go and buy a product, will he draw for me? It’s okay if he doesn’t, I’m his loyal fan.]

…

Everyone finally understood. These were foreigners who had come to watch the domestic live stream. The bullet comments were most likely translated by Google Translate. The meaning was understandable, but they read a bit strangely.

Moreover, two out of every three sentences were about Ji Wei.

[I didn’t believe it when The New York Times said the little shop was popular abroad, but now I really believe it.]

[Are they forming a group to visit? Ahhhhh, I’m so envious. Why am I not in the US!]

[Ji Wei is really popular. I feel like his popularity on YouTube is on par with some major influencers. He should open a YouTube account and post videos of him painting. I think the income would be substantial.]

[True, it’s more profitable than Bilibili.]

Not only was the live stream buzzing, but the topic also quickly started trending on Weibo. Foreigners using Google Translate to post bullet comments immediately hit the trending topics.

[A Fresh Thing Every Day] It’s finally the foreigners’ turn to watch raw videos! It’s a headache watching American shows without subtitles.

[Medicated Oil] Hahahahahaha, I wonder how they understand it. By guessing? I saw in the comments that they were even scolded for showing off by using English. I’m dying of laughter.

[Big White Rabbit] Huh, I thought everyone knew. The video of Ji Wei painting has a highest view count of 12 million on YouTube. He’s really popular abroad.

It was late at night, but with the boost from the trending topic, the live stream’s popularity broke twenty million!

Ji Wei and the others had just finished discussing tomorrow’s opening plans in the shop when they received a message.

—Congratulations on reaching a popularity value of twenty million. You are rewarded with one lottery draw opportunity!

Everyone was a little surprised. It was almost twelve o’clock, yet the live stream’s popularity had hit a new high. They suspected the production team was giving them a boost because they were afraid they wouldn’t be able to complete the mission.

Nevertheless, the guests couldn’t help but feel excited, wondering what they would get this time. The atmosphere became a little tense.

After entering the lottery interface.

The shop became even quieter.

Ji Wei couldn’t help but hold his breath.

His gaze was fixed on his phone, watching the pointer on the lottery wheel spin continuously. It finally wavered back and forth between “Mysterious Gift” and “Unlock Hot Pot.” Everyone silently chanted, “Hot pot, hot pot…”

Zhao Yue even said it out loud.

[Wuwuwuwu, I want to eat hot pot too!]

[It has to be hot pot! Old Sir Ma Liqing’s cooking skills are so amazing, I think it will definitely be a hit.]

[Am I the only one looking forward to the mysterious gift?]

[Raising my hand. I think the mysterious gift is better. It looks very high-end.]

The lottery countdown began.

3…

2…

1.

The pointer stopped on “Mysterious Gift”!

Everyone let out a breath. They weren’t particularly disappointed; after all, the items on the lottery wheel were usually good things.

But when Ji Wei and the others received the gift, they realized they were wrong. Zhao Yue directly cursed, because the mysterious gift was just… a small cake.

At most, it was a particularly delicious small cake.

The director was also helpless. “This was prepared by Director Lu.”

Meaning it had nothing to do with them.

After hearing the words “Director Lu,” Lu Shenxing gently shook his head. He was acting just like a child.

Ji Wei silently thought to himself, why did Director Lu also like sweets as much as his idol? He glanced at his idol. And it seemed Director Lu didn’t like his idol very much either.

Because everyone else’s cake was four inches.

His was the largest, a full six inches.

Lu Shenxing’s was the smallest.

Sigh, his idol was the one who loved sweets the most.

The bullet comments were also speculating about the reason.

[Film Emperor Lu and Director Lu don’t have a good relationship, do they? He’s the biggest star, but he got the smallest cake.]

[Maybe it’s based on labor contribution? Weiwei contributed a lot, but I think Film Emperor Lu’s contribution isn’t small either. He’s still working while in a wheelchair. If it were me, I would have slacked off.]

[Director Lu is a bit inconsiderate, isn’t he? It will hurt Film Emperor Lu’s feelings. I don’t want any problems with the show.]

Meanwhile, Director Lu was lying on the sofa with Lu Qi, eating potato chips and watching the live stream. He finally felt satisfied. Who told A-Xing not to bring Weiwei home? Now he could only watch others eat cake.

“A-Xing won’t ignore me, will he?”

Lu Qi stopped eating his potato chips and suddenly asked.

“Probably not.”

Director Lu comforted him.

“That’s right, you arranged the gift.” Lu Qi thought for a moment, then stood up. “I have to distance myself from you.”

He called his secretary. “Help me order a cake. Yes, order it tonight. The bigger the better…”

Before leaving, Lu Qi even took the bag of potato chips that Director Lu had just opened, calling it “respecting the old and loving the young.”

Director Lu was speechless. This brother of his was really…

Was it really necessary?

He disdainfully took out his phone and sent a WeChat message to his nephew.

[Lu Dong] My bad.

[Lu Dong] Do you like Yuan Blue and White Porcelain?

Ji Wei was unaware of all this. After the live stream ended, he pushed Lu Shenxing back to their room. Seeing the palm-sized cake in Lu Shenxing’s hand, he couldn’t help but say, “Yours is too small.”

How about we switch?

Before he could say the words, his hand was suddenly grabbed. Because of the significant height difference with the wheelchair, his body tilted downwards.

Unlike his usual cool body temperature, the man’s warmth was too high to ignore, making his face flush and his heart race. He subconsciously wanted to pull away.

But the man didn’t let go of his hand. He stared into his eyes and asked slowly and deliberately, “Brother isn’t small, is he?”