Chapter 9
A man in his twenties would never understand the heart of a forty-year-old father.
After writing his answer on the card, Du Ruosong turned to exchange child(grandchild)-rearing experiences with old Sir Ma Liqing, discussing whether it was better to buy imported milk powder from Germany or the United States, and whether to enroll their children in piano or erhu classes.
The bullet comments also ignored Lu Shenxing’s words and started discussing parenting topics, even getting into a heated argument about whether to have a second child.
[Is… no one gossiping about Film Emperor Lu and the little brother? What does ‘he’s my person’ mean!]
[Hahahahahahahahaha, you must have just arrived. Everyone has calmed down from the initial frenzy. Film Emperor Lu just likes to joke around with the little brother.]
[+1, mainly because if there was really something going on between them, how could they let anyone see it? We CP fans can only entertain ourselves, sob sob sob sob sob.]
After everyone filled in Ji Wei’s answer, Director Zhang walked out from behind, looking resigned. “Congratulations everyone, you’ve answered correctly. You may now board the bus back to Yancheng.”
According to his original estimate, the show should have ended at nine in the evening at the earliest. But he hadn’t expected Ji Wei to guess the answer so quickly, rendering all the subsequent planned segments useless.
Sitting in the car, Ji Wei opened his phone.
He was surprised to find that the number of viewers in his live stream room had reached over eighty thousand. Many people were reluctantly saying goodbye to him.
[Little brother, see you next episode!]
[Can I add you on WeChat? If not, a Weibo account would be great too!]
[Aaaaaah, I don’t want to close the live stream. I want to look at the little brother’s godly visuals.]
[You have to come next time, we’ll be waiting for you.]
Reading the farewell messages, Ji Wei was quite touched, but he felt they were praising him a bit too much, especially on Weibo.
[Green Bamboo] I won’t allow anyone to have not seen the photos of the National Style non-celebrity little brother. Come see what godly visuals look like.
[Quan Shun] This little brother’s name is Ji Wei. He’s completely, totally my aesthetic. To all the producers and directors out there, please cast him in an idol drama! I can only accept this level of visuals. Throwing shade at Zhao Yue, who only looks good in still photos.]
[Cabbage and Tofu Skin] And he knows about traditional Chinese painting! He must frequent art galleries and museums. His cultural cultivation is also very good. It’s not a problem to call him an academic ace in the entertainment industry, right?
[Carrot and Vegetable Congee] Sister, you’re absolutely right! A little brother this good-looking must have graduated from a drama academy. It’s really rare for someone to take the initiative to learn about traditional culture.]
[C-li C-li] I just don’t know which drama academy he’s from. The Central Academy of Drama, Beijing Film Academy, or Shanghai Theatre Academy?]
While flattered by the praise, Ji Wei also found it amusing. At first, people were just speculating that he had graduated from a drama academy, but as the rumors spread, it became…
He did graduate from a drama academy!
And they said it with such confidence.
[No Heating in the South] With those looks, he’s definitely from the Beijing Film Academy. Has the Beijing Film Academy ever lost in terms of visuals?]
[Sealed by the Quilt] As someone from the Central Academy of Drama, I’m not happy to hear that. Just look at how many film emperors and empresses the Central Academy of Drama produces every year.]
[Beijing Film Academy Li Student] I think I’ve heard this name at school. He seems to be a freshman junior, but I’m not sure if it’s the same person. I’ll post a photo if this comment gets a thousand likes.]
Regarding the netizens’ ability to fantasize, Ji Wei could only express… his awe.
Ji Wei was about to close his phone after a while when his roommate Chen Yan sent him a Weibo link on WeChat, followed by an emotional outburst of curses.
He was so angry he sent a voice message.
It seemed he was truly furious.
[Chen Yan] Damn it, I’m so pissed off. Someone actually said you graduated from a third-rate university. Since when did a top-two university become a third-rate university?
Ji Wei clicked on the link. It was a Weibo post from an entertainment gossip blogger with over three million followers, more than many minor celebrities.
[Entertainment Sharp Comment] A fan just asked me what I think of a certain non-celebrity who got popular today. My view is to watch with a smile. It’s obvious there’s a sponsor backing him. And everyone says he’s an academic ace, but I was very particular and checked the admission lists of the three major academies for recent years and couldn’t find a Ji Wei. There’s a lot of water in that ‘academic ace’ title.]
The comments below were full of shock.
[Squirrel Fish] Holy crap, I just retweeted a promo video of him. My face is stinging from the slap.]
[Boiled Cabbage] I really like Sharp Comment Lord’s style of using data to back up his claims. A non-celebrity getting on several trending topics just because of his face, is he really that good-looking? Who would believe he didn’t buy his way onto the trending topics?]
[Pickled Pepper Rabbit] But still, Ji Wei is genuinely good-looking. It’s not that his features are exquisitely perfect, but he has a very pure look. I didn’t expect him to be so dirty. A casual fan turning into an anti-fan now.]
[Brown Sugar Rice Cake] I kind of feel bad for Zhao Yue now, being used as a stepping stone by this resource-heavy celebrity. He’s at least a graduate student from the Central Academy of Drama, right? If Ji Wei can put out press releases calling himself an academic ace, then wouldn’t Zhao Yue be considered… an academic god?]
Ji Wei understood what was going on, but he wasn’t angry. When he streamed FPS games, people had cursed him out for being a cheater and wished death upon his entire family. Compared to those hot-tempered guys, the girls’ insults were practically… a spring breeze.
Instead, he comforted Chen Yan.
[Ji Wei] Let them say what they want. It’s all just online stuff, it won’t affect my real life.]
[Chen Yan] You’re thinking too simply. I just had my dad’s secretary look into it. This blogger is just a marketing account that posts for money. Someone is definitely behind this, trying to slander you. They won’t even let you pay to have the post deleted. I’ve asked someone to investigate. You should be careful. I’m going to pick up a girl first.]
[Ji Wei] I think I remember her. The one with long hair, right?]
[Chen Yan] No, I got a new one.]
[Ji Wei] …
Ji Wei really couldn’t think of anyone who would pay a marketing account to slander him. He checked the prices for sponsored posts from marketing accounts; a major blogger with three million followers would charge at least a hundred thousand yuan per post.
That person might as well give him the money. He would immediately run over, apologize, bow, and do a triple combo.
The car slowly started to move. Ji Wei glanced out the window and saw Director Lu and Lu Shenxing talking not far away. Both of their expressions were very serious; clearly, their conversation was not going well.
Perhaps sensing his gaze, Lu Shenxing turned his head to look at him.
Unexpectedly—
Their gazes met and intertwined.
The man’s initially slightly cold eyes curved into a smile, and his dark pupils instantly lit up, carrying a faint, bewitching charm.
Being stared at by him like that—
Who could possibly withstand it…
As if he had been caught doing something wrong, Ji Wei swallowed, his heart thumping in his chest, each beat more violent than the last.
He quickly turned his head, sat up straight, and asked the driver, “Isn’t Film Emperor Lu coming back with us?”
The car slowly pulled away. The driver, holding the steering wheel, replied, “No, I heard he’s taking his manager’s car directly to Qin’an Airport.”
Qin’an…
Ji Wei suddenly felt a little worried.
His idol was from Qin’an. Could it be that something had happened to his family?
Perhaps because his idol had a face that screamed “rich,” there were always rumors online that he came from a wealthy family. But Ji Wei had been his fan for seven years and knew better than anyone that his idol had grown up in a poor family, possibly even less well-off than his own.
When his idol first debuted, he couldn’t get any acting roles and even worked as a delivery driver. How could he possibly be a child from a wealthy family?
Thinking about how his idol had suddenly started taking on variety shows.
Ji Wei suddenly had a theory: his family must be putting financial pressure on him, forcing him to earn money to support them.
Sigh, how tragic.
Truly tragic.
The more Ji Wei thought about it in the car, the more his heart ached for him.
Meanwhile, Director Lu watched Ji Wei’s car drive away and sighed longingly. “I just wanted to see Weiwei, but you, as his nephew, insisted on stopping me. What has the world come to!”
Lu Shenxing frowned. “Weren’t you afraid you’d scare him?”
Director Lu: “…”
That did seem to have some truth to it.
The Lu Clan was a prestigious family with a century-long history, their businesses spanning across the globe. In Lu Shenxing’s generation, he was the only child.
As his uncles, they had long been hoping for Lu Shenxing to get married. The value of the wedding gifts they had been accumulating for their nephew’s wife over the years was immeasurable, not to mention their frequent visits. It was indeed an overwhelming… enthusiasm.
Director Lu was still trying to argue. “I can restrain myself a little.”
“What’s decided is decided,” Lu Shenxing said, unmoved. “Once it’s decided, it’s decided.”
Director Lu could only cast a resentful glance at Lu Shenxing. “I don’t know who you take after, you’ve been stubborn since you were a child. Back then, when the family blacklisted you and wouldn’t let you act, you went out to be a delivery driver the very next day. You really angered your father.”
Lu Shenxing calmly retorted, “I don’t seem to remember that.”
Director Lu: “…”
Suddenly, Lu Shenxing’s phone lit up. He swiped the screen open, and upon seeing the content, his gaze turned cold, his lips pressed into a thin, straight line.