CH 7

“Congratulations on wrapping up.” The director smiled and patted Chi Yu’s shoulder.

Chi Yu rarely took on TV dramas since his debut, having only accepted two roles in the past ten years. This time, he owed the director a favor and had no choice but to repay it.

This drama was a fantasy martial arts series, and he had a special appearance with very few scenes. It was wrapped up in three days.

“Chi, Chi, the Film Emperor.” Chi Yu had just come out of the dressing room and ran into Lu Xuan head-on.

Chi Yu glanced at Lu Xuan and didn’t say anything.

Lu Xuan was dressed in a moon-white robe, resembling a gentle young master who had walked out of the screen. He was the male lead of this drama and Chi Yu’s adopted son in the story.

Chi Yu was only eight years older than Lu Xuan, but he had to play the role of his father. When the official makeup photos of the cast were released, Chi Yu’s fans questioned why the Film Emperor would lower his status to support a newcomer. The director came out to explain that Chi Yu was just repaying a favor, which calmed down the heated argument.

A few days later, someone leaked spoilers online, and the search terms “Chi Yu x Lu Xuan” began trending. Chi Yu suddenly found himself in an unexpected CP (couple pairing).

“Are you leaving already?” Lu Xuan asked.

“Yeah,” Chi Yu replied.

Lu Xuan didn’t mind Chi Yu’s indifference and smiled at him, saying, “I’ve learned a lot from working with you these past few days.”

Chi Yu’s gaze stayed on Lu Xuan’s face without moving.

“I don’t remember teaching you anything,” Chi Yu said.

Lu Xuan blushed and apologized, “I, I secretly learned from you.”

“Oh, what did you learn?” Chi Yu asked.

“The correct way to express emotions. I, I’ll make sure to have fewer NG takes in the future. I’m sorry for causing you trouble,” Lu Xuan said nervously. In front of Chi Yu, he felt like a student who had done something wrong. He had never learned acting and had been causing delays on set with continuous NG takes these past two days. Most importantly, he had lost face in front of Chi Yu.

“It’s not necessary,” Chi Yu said.

“Huh?”

Whether they could collaborate in the future was still unknown. Chi Yu didn’t explain to Lu Xuan. He said “goodbye” and walked past him.

“This kid has been clinging to you lately.” It wasn’t until the car door shut, blocking out the outside noise, that the assistant Da Zhuang dared to speak.

After a day of filming, Chi Yu was tired. He leaned back in his seat and half-closed his eyes, lazily uttering a “yeah.”

“He’s really using you to boost his popularity, like a vampire. I checked, and in just three days, he gained over a hundred thousand fans,” Da Zhuang said. He had been with Chi Yu for eight years, and they were like brothers who could talk about anything.

The leaked photos were taken by paparazzi, and the CP topic was started by others. It seemed unrelated to Lu Xuan, but after so many years in the industry, Da Zhuang knew exactly what Lu Xuan’s team was up to, even though he usually appeared clueless.

“Brother, why did you agree to join the love variety show?” Da Zhuang complained about something he saw.

“It’s a favor.”

“…”

Chi Yu’s contract was expiring, and he amicably parted ways with his current agency. His previous agency had treated him well, providing him with various good opportunities since his debut. Before leaving, he promised to help the company, and they wanted him to participate in a dating variety show with a new talent.

For Chi Yu, creating CP rumors was a piece of cake. Usually, he was forced into fake relationships, and he would deny the rumors as soon as they surfaced. This time, he didn’t need to do it proactively. They only asked him not to deny the rumors until the show finished airing, and then both parties could clarify the situation to avoid any suspicions.

The entertainment industry nowadays is so restless. By marketing CP (couple pairing), one can become an overnight sensation. Chi Yu knew that the company wanted this new talent to take the popularity route.

“Someone leaked online that Lu Xuan is also one of the guests on the show,” Da Zhuang said.

Chi Yu didn’t react much. The manager didn’t tell him who the new talent he was supposed to bring along was, and he didn’t ask. It didn’t matter to him who it was. After the show ended, they would go their separate ways, and they would never cross paths again.

“Damn, Jiang Mo is also here. Putting these two together, the production team must be up to something,” Da Zhuang said.

In Chi Yu’s mind, the face of a clever young boy under a streetlamp suddenly appeared, along with the two sweet dimples on his cheeks.

“Which company is Jiang Mo from?” Chi Yu suddenly asked.

“If I remember correctly, it’s Starlance. Both he and Lu Xuan are your juniors,” Da Zhuang replied.

Chi Yu pondered, with Jiang Mo and Lu Xuan together, the only face that kept coming back to his mind was Jiang Mo’s. If he had to choose between the two, he thought Jiang Mo would be a good choice.

At least he seemed obedient.

…

When Chi Yu returned home, it was already 7 o’clock. The empty house was enveloped in darkness. He turned on the lights, walked straight into the bathroom, and let the hot water dispel the chill and fatigue from his body.

Chi Yu liked to read before going to bed. He habitually picked up a book he hadn’t finished reading a few days ago and flipped through a few pages. However, he couldn’t calm his mind. Unexplainably, one name filled his thoughts.

Chi Yu opened his phone, and MOMO had been forwarding him the same link for the past few days without saying a word.

It was already 8 o’clock in the evening, and the link hadn’t been sent yet. Chi Yu waited for a while and guessed that the other party had probably given up.

Chi Yu’s fingertips caressed the pages, and his gaze had been fixed on one page for a long time.

Lost in thought, Chi Yu decided to close the book and opened Xiao Mao TV instead.

SVP wasn’t the first team to make it to the World Finals, but they were the first team to narrowly lose 2-3 to their opponents. They didn’t win the championship, but each player gave their all and proved themselves. Within just a year, the team’s fan count surpassed one million.

Each player on the team had a massive fanbase. Xie Ning, the top laner, was the most popular player. Whenever he started his livestream, his channel would always be in the top three in the League of Legends section.

Chi Yu created a new account and entered Xie Ning’s livestream. Xie Ning was playing ranked games, and there was an ID on his team that looked familiar.

MOMO.

Was it a coincidence?

“Brother~ Wasn’t that move awesome?” It was the familiar affected voice again. Just like a few days ago in the team’s training room, Xie Ning loved following behind the jungler and eagerly sought his praise.

[“Xie Ning, stop messing around. Xiaojieba said you’re noisy and affecting his performance!”]

[“Who the hell did I become a fan of?”]

[“Who is Xiaojieba? I don’t know the newcomer. This jungler is so skilled. Is he a new member of the team? How can he duo queue with Xie Ning?”]

[“Xiaojieba’s livestream is xxx. If you’re interested, go check it out. He’s a super cute little brother!”]

Amidst the continuously scrolling barrage of comments, Chi Yu quickly memorized the string of numbers and left Xie Ning’s livestream, finding a livestream room called “Yu Jian Ni.”

This livestream room’s popularity couldn’t compare to Xie Ning’s, with only a few hundred thousand viewers.

Chi Yu entered the room for a minute, and there were only barrage comments and keyboard sounds in the livestream room. The broadcaster named MOMO seemed to dislike talking.

[“Xiaojieba, why aren’t you speaking? Did Xie Ning make you go silent?”]

[“Xie Ning is so annoying, don’t play with him. Let’s play solo, anyway you can carry alone and kill everyone. We don’t need him.”]

[“Boss Xie bought ten fireworks. Can’t help it, Xiaojieba likes watching fireworks. Taking someone else’s gift, it’s awkward not to bring it!”]

[Xiaojieba smashed a starry fireworks in your livestream room and left a message: “Little brother, don’t play with Xie Ning anymore. If you want to see fireworks, I’ll smash them for you~”]

“Thank you… Thank you, Boss,” a slightly trembling voice suddenly sounded.

This voice, Chi Yu had heard it a few days ago at the Jiang family’s banquet, and it stuttered just like in his memory, with a hint of childishness. Although it sounded slightly different through the headset filter, he was certain that it was Jiang Mo’s voice.

[“Don’t be so distant, don’t call me Boss, call me brother.”]

[“Hahaha, you think Xiaojieba will call you brother? Impossible! Xiaojieba emphasizes that he is the brother, and he even wants us to call him brother!”]

[Xiaojieba smashed a starry fireworks in your livestream room and left a message: “Call me brother, and I’ll smash for you as a brother!”]

A team fight erupted at the top dragon pit, and Jiang Mo didn’t have time to respond. Foyego activated the black mist and stealthily controlled the enemy AD carry. There was no need to communicate with Xie Ning; Xie Ning had a perfect understanding and quickly joined the battle with him.

——Quadra kill!

The fight ended in less than ten seconds, 2 versus 5. Jiang Mo got a quadra kill and secured the dragon.

Foyego was recalling in the base, and a clear and pleasant voice rang out in the livestream room.

“Brother.”

The scrolling barrage suddenly quieted down, and in the next second, the livestream room was filled with question marks.

[“I was just thinking, will he stutter when calling him brother? Wow, I didn’t expect him to say it so nicely! Smash, smash, smash! He likes fireworks, right? Sister will smash for you. Can you call me sister?”]

[“Damn, he was so fierce a second ago, and now he’s so sweet. He’s too cute!”]

“What the hell, I didn’t mishear, you called me? Are you admitting that I was cool in that play?” The rising atmosphere was abruptly disrupted by Xie Ning’s exclamation, and the viewers from both livestream rooms unanimously told him to get lost.

[“Xie Ning, I hope you have some self-awareness. You don’t deserve to be called brother by Xiaojieba.”]

[“Xie Ning, just so you know, Xiaojieba got the quadra kill in that play, and you’re the one who stole his penta kill!”]

Xie Ning: “What’s this? So it’s the boss of your livestream room calling you. Then let me smash ten more fireworks for you. Can you call me brother too?”

[“What are you thinking!”]

[“Our Xiaojieba would never be so lacking in principles!”]

Jiang Mo looked at the scrolling barrage and thought to himself that he indeed had no principles.

If Xie Ning really smashed the fireworks, he would still call him brother.

Chi Yu leaned on his hand, fixedly watching Foyego killing monsters on the screen, with Jiang Mo’s voice of “brother” echoing in his ears.

The original host was just like Jiang Mo, barely reaching a height of 170 cm. Jiang Mo thought that at 19 years old, he might still grow a few centimeters taller with some effort. Ignoring Xie Ning’s attempt to keep him, he resolutely ended the livestream at exactly eleven o’clock.

Jiang Mo’s livestream room closed, and Chi Yu only noticed the passing of time. He didn’t expect himself to stay in Jiang Mo’s livestream room for so long, even feeling the same as the viewers who hadn’t left yet, wanting more.

As if sensing his thoughts, MOMO sent him a message. He didn’t need to open it to know it was the same link.

[MOMO: Can you help me with a task if you’re free?]

Chi Yu didn’t know what he was thinking. By the time he realized it, he had already replied to the person.

[CY: ?]

A few days ago, Jiang Mo accidentally opened an app that popped up a red envelope. It could be cashed out once the target amount was reached, and many people online claimed to have succeeded. Jiang Mo tried several times but always got stuck at a few cents. The app prompted that he needed to invite friends to get more chances to draw. Jiang Mo had many WeChat friends, most of them were work colleagues, some with notes, some without.

Jiang Mo chose a few that seemed safe to forward, but the recipients ignored him. Unexpectedly, he received a reply from one person.

This person didn’t have a note, and Jiang Mo didn’t know who they were. The person’s Moments were only visible for three days, and the profile picture was a cute stuffed cat.

Surely someone who likes cats is a girl.

[MOMO: Sister, can you click on the link for me?]

Seeing the address prefix, Chi Yu’s lips curled up, a smile of unknown authenticity.

[CY: Change the way you address me, and I’ll help you.]

[MOMO: Ah?]

[CY: I’m a guy.]

Author’s note:

Chi Yu: What should you call me? Do you understand?

PS: Xie Ning is a good brother, admires experts, likes to stick to the submissive role, and won’t develop a romantic relationship. Don’t misunderstand.