Chapter 54

—Brother isn’t small, is he?

Hearing Lu Shenxing’s question, Ji Wei choked. He used all his strength to yank his hand back and quickly walked away from the man.

He didn’t know if it was just his imagination, but when he was washing up in the bathroom, the running water on his hand still carried a lingering, scorching heat.

He looked at his flushed reflection in the mirror, splashed his face with cold water, and silently thought, Not only is he not small, he’s huge.

Ji Wei came out of the bathroom. He glanced at the man eating cake and mustered his courage to say, “I need to rest well today. I want to sleep alone.”

The man sat in his wheelchair, put down the small cake, and asked leisurely, “You can’t rest well sleeping with me?”

Ji Wei didn’t expect his idol to actually ask a question back. He got into bed and pulled the covers over his head, his voice muffled as it came out. “It’s just… you’re always kissing me.”

“Is that so.”

The man’s tone was thoughtful.

He didn’t ask any more questions.

Ji Wei heard the sound of running water from the bathroom. He poked his head out from under the covers to breathe in some fresh air.

After washing up, Lu Shenxing indeed went to sleep on the other bed. He turned off the light, and the room plunged into darkness.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

Time ticked by, second by second. He closed his eyes and heard Lu Shenxing’s steady breathing. It seemed he had fallen asleep, but he… couldn’t sleep.

He had been able to sleep on the show the first two times. Ji Wei didn’t know what was wrong. As he tossed and turned, he suddenly remembered… he had slept with his idol.

He had a mission to complete tomorrow, and he couldn’t even sleep. The more Ji Wei thought about it, the more anxious he became, making it even harder to fall asleep.

It was almost one o’clock.

Ji Wei gave up.

He made a decision.

He’d just sleep with his idol.

Ji Wei quietly walked to Lu Shenxing’s bedside, gently lifted the covers, and then carefully slipped in. He only took up a small half of the bed, and after lying down, he was a little worried he might roll off.

But in the next second—

The man’s arm wrapped around him, pulling him into an embrace. Ji Wei’s body instantly stiffened. Was his idol not asleep yet?

He really wasn’t.

The man gently rested his chin on his head and said in a low voice, “Sleep now.”

His voice sounded very sleepy. Ji Wei closed his eyes in relief, but he soon discovered his mistake. Lu Shenxing meant for him to sleep, but the man himself had no intention of sleeping at all.

His kisses descended, from his forehead, to the tip of his nose, to his neck, and all the way down. The sea air of St. Lawrence was chilly, and the night wind was strong, causing his exposed skin to feel cool.

“Just one kiss is fine, right?”

The man said gently.

And then—

He lowered his head and started again.

As Ji Wei was being kissed into a daze, he thought, the problem between them wasn’t that they kissed too many times, but that… the kisses were too long.

No.

They were exceptionally long.

***

The next morning, Old Sir Ma Liqing was already up early making breakfast. Everyone else was awake, except for Ji Wei.

He looked at the refreshed Lu Shenxing and couldn’t help but say, “Weiwei is good at everything, except he can’t get out of bed in the morning.”

Lu Shenxing helped serve the dessert, his eyes lowered. “He’s probably just too tired.”

[Ji Wei is from Yan University, right? He must be tired from studying for finals.]

[After all, he has to balance exams and a variety show. I wonder if the show will affect his grades. I think his GPA was number one in his college last semester, right?]

[Now that you mention it, I’m worried too. It wouldn’t be good to lose the greater for the less. The Chinese Painting Department at Yan University is top-notch in the country. The exams must be incredibly difficult.]

By the time Ji Wei came out of his room, breakfast was already ready. He embarrassedly helped set the table.

Today’s breakfast was very Western-style.

There was bread, sandwiches, and even macarons.

“Who made the macarons?”

Ji Wei asked in surprise.

“I just happen to know a little.”

Old Sir Ma Liqing said modestly, “Xiao Lu went out this morning to buy the almond flour, white sugar, and all that.”

[That’s more than just a little!]

[Ahhh, a food assault first thing in the morning! Production team, you’re not a food show!]

[Aww, I’m going to become Grandpa Ma’s die-hard fan! The macarons look so delicious!]

[Film Emperor Lu went out so early to buy them? He probably didn’t get enough yesterday, that cake was so small.]

Ji Wei ate a blue macaron. The taste, how should he put it, seemed a bit too sweet.

He silently swallowed it and quickly ate a piece of toast, and the taste in his mouth returned to normal.

He scanned the table and saw that Zhao Yue and Xiao Chi’s expressions weren’t great either. However, his idol and Old Sir Ma Liqing seemed to really like them, eating quite a few.

[Hahahahahaha, I was just about to say that macarons are really sweet. I don’t know how Film Emperor Lu can eat them without batting an eye.]

[Old Lu’s fan here to speak. He really loves sweets!]

[He probably lived in France when he was young, right? During National Style, I heard his French was very authentic, without any accent.]

“Is it too sweet?”

After finishing his fourth one, Old Sir Ma Liqing saw that no one else was eating much and spoke apologetically.

Zhao Yue shook his head. “It’s just right.”

After some mental preparation, Xiao Chi picked up another macaron. “The taste is really amazing.”

Ji Wei felt he should also express his opinion. “I’ve never had such delicious macarons before.”

He wasn’t lying. He had never actually eaten macarons before. Firstly, he didn’t really like desserts, unless they were a gift from his idol. Secondly, there were no authentic macaron shops in Yancheng.

Perhaps seeing that everyone had spoken, Lu Shenxing also said faintly, “It’s not that sweet.”

Ji Wei was stunned.

If this wasn’t considered sweet…

He couldn’t help but ask, “Have you tasted anything sweeter?”

Lu Shenxing looked up at him and slowly uttered two words: “Yesterday.”

Yesterday’s little cake…

Ji Wei regretted not trying it.

[That look from Film Emperor Lu, awsl.]

[Yesterday’s cake probably wasn’t that sweet, right? Even someone like Xiao Chi who maintains his figure finished it.]

[Hmm~ I have a reasonable suspicion that Film Emperor Lu is making a dirty joke.]

The production team brought over the merchandise and placed it outside the store. It was only six in the morning, and everyone worked together to put the products on the shelves.

But they had brought in too much merchandise. The four shelves couldn’t hold it all, so they had to move the excess goods into the storage room.

Ji Wei felt a little guilty.

Because Zhao Yue and Xiao Chi wouldn’t let him do any work at all.

“Your hands are for painting.”

“Can’t you just sit there nicely?”

[When Zhao Yue and Xiao Chi are talking, can they turn around and look at Film Emperor Lu? I can smell the jealousy through the screen.]

[Hahahahahahahaha, who told him to sit in a wheelchair and just watch others be attentive.]

[Don’t discriminate against people with disabilities!]

After all the goods were placed on the shelves, Ji Wei insisted on cleaning the store. Zhao Yue and Xiao Chi couldn’t win the fight for the mop in his hand and left in disappointment.

The others had been busy for nearly an hour and were all resting.

Ji Wei breathed a sigh of relief. He could finally do something. He tied on an apron, took the mop, and started cleaning the store, not missing a single corner, cherishing this hard-won opportunity to work.

[Aww, Weiwei in an apron is so cute!]

[He’s so serious even when mopping. I’m taking him home!]

[I used to be envious of Ji Wei for marrying Film Emperor Lu. Now I’m actually a little envious of Film Emperor Lu.]

***

Wilson was a game streamer. He held up his live streaming device and walked down the streets of St. Lawrence. “Everyone, do you see this opera house behind me? It has a history of over a hundred years. In the summer, a song and dance troupe from Chicago comes here on tour.”

[Hahahahahaha, acting like a travel blogger.]

[Hurry up and find an internet cafe. I want to see you play PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.]

[+1, the scenery isn’t important.]

Wilson smiled at the bullet comments. He had come to St. Lawrence to visit his aunt and also wanted to show his fans the local customs of the small town. However, his fans were all gamers and clearly had no interest in these things.

Just as he was about to find an internet cafe on the side of the road to play a game, several more bullet comments suddenly appeared.

[St. Lawrence?! Isn’t that the filming location for The Forbidden City’s Little Shop? Streamer, can you take us there to have a look!]

[Ji Wei is there, right? I’ve seen his videos, they’re absolutely incredible. The fans in China call him a Human Photocopier.]

[Ahhhhh, can you buy things for me? I want to support the guests there. It would be even better if you could get their autographs.]

Wilson was puzzled. Was it a new American reality show?

He wasn’t interested in TV shows or variety programs himself. Besides visiting his aunt in the summer, he usually stayed at home playing games.

However, he took out his phone and checked. The Forbidden City’s Little Shop turned out to be a Chinese variety show. There was a guest named Ji Wei who was particularly good at painting and had recently become somewhat famous online.

Although the other people in the bullet comments didn’t know Ji Wei, their curiosity was piqued, and they begged him to go see The Forbidden City’s Little Shop.

Wilson smiled helplessly. “Alright then.”

He used Google Maps to locate The Forbidden City’s Little Shop. It wasn’t far from this street, only a ten-minute walk.

The Forbidden City’s Little Shop wasn’t large, and its exterior decoration was quite ordinary.

The audience in Wilson’s live stream was unimpressed.

[Doesn’t look like anything special.]

[I thought it would be a palace-like building.]

[Go inside and have a look! You won’t be disappointed.]

Wilson also found it uninteresting, but since he was already here, he stepped into the shop.

As soon as he entered.

He stared at the painting on the wall, stunned. It was hard to describe the impact of the huge artwork—the old red palace walls, the mottled black withered trees, and the layers of white snow. Standing in front of this wall, he felt as if he had been transported to another world.

It must have been painted by that person named Ji Wei. The bullet comments were right; it was really good.

[Wilson, get the camera closer! I want to take a screenshot.]

[Wow, that’s amazing.]

[Is Ji Wei’s video on YouTube? I want to go watch it.]

[Yes, yes, it has over ten million views. You’ll fall in love with him after watching it. He’s the one mopping the floor over there.]

Mopping the floor?

Wilson looked towards Ji Wei. A very handsome young man was diligently mopping the floor, while everyone else was sitting on the sofa resting. Making people like him mop the floor?

He found it absurd, completely forgetting that they were actually filming a variety show.

The bullet comments were also filled with confusion, saying that if they were the shop owner, they would definitely not let Ji Wei do the cleaning.

[Can’t the others help out? They’re all just sitting there. That’s too much bullying.]

[Ah, looking at Ji Wei, I think I’m in love.]

[The person above… isn’t your profile set to male?]

But Wilson wasn’t the shop owner. He could only ask tactfully, “Are you tired from work?”

Ji Wei wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand and shook his head. “Not tired.”

What a good kid. Wilson couldn’t bear to watch anymore and said directly, “You should stop cleaning.”

“I can’t. The shop is about to open, and we have to sell all these things. There won’t be time to clean then,” Ji Wei patiently explained to the potential customer.

Before Wilson could speak, the fans in the live stream started saying they wanted to buy things.

[Then help me buy something!]

[Me too!]

[Does this mean he won’t have to clean anymore? Then I’ll buy something too.]

Wilson coughed at the bullet comments. His fans had never been this enthusiastic about him. It was so embarrassing.

Of course, he was joking.

Acting as a shopping agent was still very troublesome. He wasn’t willing to check addresses and amounts one by one. After thinking for a moment, he said, “It’s like this, I’m a game streamer, and I need to find someone to team up with for a game. Are you willing to help?”

“I can talk to your shop owner.”

Wilson thought simply, if he asked him to help play a game, he could take a break, right? The man in the wheelchair suddenly looked over at him.

For some reason, he felt the gaze… was not very friendly.

Maybe Chinese people were more wary.

Wilson thought he was the shop owner and, afraid he would disagree, quickly said, “I can help promote your shop. I have eight million fans in my live stream.”

Eight million fans was a top-tier streamer in the country. Although Ji Wei didn’t know who he was, he guessed he must be quite popular.

[Isn’t he EVE, a very famous player on the foreign servers of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds?]

[Holy crap, I can’t believe I’m seeing EVE while watching the show. My luck is insane. He’s a beast at gaming, and PUBG isn’t even his best game.]

[Quick, get a picture together!]

Ji Wei felt it was indeed a good opportunity for promotion. He asked Wilson, “What game?”

“PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.”

Wilson chose a simple one.

Seeing that Ji Wei didn’t speak, he added, “If you don’t know how to play…”

“I do know how.”

Ji Wei paused for a moment, then nodded.

[Weiwei seems a bit hesitant. He plays more standalone games, right? He’s probably not very familiar with this kind of competitive game. I’ve never seen him play it.]

[Then the comparison will be brutal. Although EVE isn’t a professional player, his skills are amazing.]

[Sigh, well, let’s just treat it as a promotional opportunity. He has so many fans.]

Ji Wei didn’t know that the live stream was worried for him. He was just wondering why he chose this game.

His old fans used to call him…

A Human 8x Scope.