CH 34

Gu Qingchi got into the car and leaned back in his seat. He naturally laid his head against the headrest, like a cat who had too much catnip.

He was finally revealing a bit of his drunkenness. His silk shirt was riding up, revealing a section of his midriff. He wore a wide belt around his waist which outlined his thin waist. 

Xie Luyu turned on his GPS and turned his head to the side. He wore a black leather jacket. His studded earrings were glittering in the dark.

He started up the car and checked for paparazzi out of habit. Then, he turned the steering wheel with one hand and looked out the rear window. He didn’t forget to remind Gu Qingchi.

“Don’t sleep. We’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

When Gu Qingchi heard Xie Luyu speak, he turned his head towards his direction and shot him a smile. Even his eyes were smiling. 

Xie Luyu was dressed in a very trendy outfit today. He had sharp eyebrows and an aloof look in his eyes. He didn’t have much of an expression in his face. His entire person exuded an unapproachable aura.

When Gu Qingchi smiled at him, however, he instantly softened. He returned Gu Qingchi’s smile with an uncharacteristically gentle smile of his own.

However, this gentleness completely disappeared once they reached Gu Qingchi’s apartment. In fact, he seemed even colder than before.

Gu Qingchi was still living in the dorms assigned by the company. Trainees who had yet to debut all lived here.

The trainees’ apartments were all single person apartments. It only had one bedroom.

Two people. One bedroom.

Xie Luyu furrowed his brows. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel so much so that his knuckles started turning white.

Gu Qingchi was still able to walk on his own. He didn’t really look drunk, but, after what happened earlier, Xie Luyu didn’t want him to go back by himself. He ended up sending Gu Qingchi all the way up to his front door. 

Xie Luyu didn’t plan on going inside. He was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to hide his petty jealousy.

“Is there anyone home? Have him make you some hangover soup or something. Drink it before going to bed. Otherwise, you might have a headache tomorrow morning.”

“I’ll just send you up to here. Are you okay on your own?”

“I’m okay.” 

Gu Qingchi was opening the door as he answered Xie Luyu’s question. As soon as he finished speaking, the door opened, and he headed inside. He didn’t even close the door behind him. He didn’t pull out the key either.

Xie Luyu called out to him several times, but he wasn’t able to catch Gu Qingchi’s attention. He pulled out the key, muttering to himself.

“How is this okay? Look at how drunk he is.”

As soon as he entered, he noticed a belt, tie, and shirt all strewn across the floor. 

A trail of clothing led towards an open bedroom door.

Xie Luyu stood by the door and knocked several times, but no one answered. He couldn’t tell if anyone was at home or not.

However, he was worried that Gu Qingchi would be too drunk to take care of himself, so he called out to whoever was inside.

“I’m going in.” 

He took his shoes off by the entrance. There was an unopened pair of disposable slippers next to him, so he helped himself.

Xie Luyu noticed that there was only a single pair of slippers in the shoe cabinet.

When Xie Luyu entered the apartment, he couldn’t help but look around at the furnishings. He was trying to find clues about Gu Qingchi’s life with his so-called other half.

He knew that this was wrong and tried to keep his eyes from wandering, but everything his eyes swept across ended up being deeply imprinted within his mind. 

The apartment wasn’t big, but, since there weren’t very many things in it, it looked quite spacious.

There was only one mug on the table, and there were two pillows on the sofa. Who doesn’t have two pillows on their sofa? If two people are living together, they should have four.

Xie Luyu pettily thought to himself, “This scumbag probably isn’t that important. Xiao Gu probably doesn’t even care about him.”

Even though he had the spare time to think about nonsense like this, Xie Luyu’s heart was actually pounding nonstop. He couldn’t help but feel a little guilty. 

He kept telling himself that he needed to know his enemy in order to be able to compete. Plus, he couldn’t help what it was his eyes saw. It wasn’t like he was doing it on purpose.

Xie Luyu’s upbringing was telling him that he shouldn’t be behaving so pathetically.

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There were several pieces of Gu Qingchi’s clothes on the ground. Xie Luyu stopped, wondering whether he should pick them up or not. In the end, he bent down and picked them up.

Xie Luyu cunningly thought about how doing so would make him seem particularly considerate in comparison.

He put all of Gu Qingchi’s clothes away. 

Then, Xie Luyu knocked on the door to the bedroom. He was afraid that he would walk in and see two people inside.

However, no one responded. There was only the faint sound of rustling.

Xie Luyu took a few steps forward. He stood by the bedroom door and saw Gu Qingchi lying across the bed. He was lying on his stomach, revealing a bright and clean backside. His shoulder blades were like beautiful works of art.

He already pulled out his hairband. His hair was spread out across the light-colored bed sheets. His hair covered most of his face, revealing only a delicate chin. He didn’t have anything covering him. He didn’t even use a pillow. 

There was a Dragon Li next to Gu Qingchi. It was biting onto the blanket and dragging it towards him. The rustling sound from earlier was probably the cat. As soon as Xie Luyu walked through the bedroom door, it stopped and started hissing at Xie Luyu.

It hadn’t been hissing for very long when Gu Qingchi raised his head and looked at the cat.

The cat instantly changed its tune. It pranced over to Gu Qingchi and started purring, putting on a coquettish show for him.

Gu Qingchi pushed it away. Then, he sat up and stepped straight onto the floor. He was just about to put on the shirt sitting next to him. 

Xie Luyu stopped him.

“Hey, hey, hey. Where are you going in the middle of the night?”

Gu Qingchi pulled a silk shirt on, but he didn’t button it. He just headed out of the room like that.

He didn’t forget to answer Xie Luyu’s question. 

“I’m going to make food.”

Xie Luyu felt a little sour. Even after all the drinking he did, he wouldn’t forget to make food for someone else.

“Relax. It’s not like he’s going to starve. He probably already went out to find something to eat. There’s no one here except for us. Who are you cooking for?”

Gu Qingchi silently looked at the cat who was still clinging to his ankle. 

The two of them huddled together in the kitchen in the middle of the night.

Xie Luyu was wearing an apron. There were two small pots in front of him. One was for congee, and the other was for hangover soup.

Gu Qingchi leaned against the counter not too far away.

The cat was chowing down next to his feet. Xie Luyu had been the one to make the cat food. It seemed to suit its tastes, but, even so, it still hissed at him if he got too close. 

Xie Luyu didn’t care if the cat hated him.

He was in a good mood. His gloominess from earlier was completely swept away. Although the kitchen was fully equipped, it was practically untouched. It was plain to see that the owner of the house didn’t cook.

Xie Luyu happily started thinking to himself. Only one of them needed to know how to cook. He could just do all the cooking for them.

Xie Luyu was very pleased. It was a good thing he used his family’s money to hire a three-star Michelin chef as his tutor. 

There was an old saying that said something along the lines of “the quickest way to a man’s heart was through his stomach”.

“Hangover soup is almost done. I’ll make some more food for you later. You can pop it in the microwave tomorrow morning and eat it for breakfast.”

As soon as Xie Luyu took a single step forward, the little cat raised its head and stared at him intently. All the fur on its body was standing on end.

Xie Luyu secretly started messing with the cat. 

“I think it might be in heat. You should probably get it neutered.”

The movie was released shortly after filming ended.

Unsurprisingly, the box office numbers skyrocketed as soon as the movie was released. After all, Xie Luyu was in it. He was a guarantee of quality.

Several movie reviews immediately started showing up on major film review websites. 

However, it didn’t matter whether it was a professional film critic or just a regular audience member who was writing their own thoughts.

Pretty much everyone’s attention was focused on Gu Qingchi.

After an obligatory word of praise for Xie Luyu, they started putting all their effort into praising Gu Qingchi up to the sky.

Professional film critics were a bit more restrained and artistic with their wording. 

[I have to say that Gu Qingchi truly made the character, Ke Mu, come to life. I originally thought that this character was a bad move on the screenwriter’s part. No one could possibly be this beautiful. This was beyond the scope of my cognition. I was like an old peasant who had never seen the world before. The most extravagant thing I could possibly think of was a golden hoe. Gu Qingchi is someone who is beyond the scope of human cognition.]

[At first, I couldn’t understand why a princess would fall in love with a fool. However, when he looked back and smiled during the celebration banquet, I knew that he was worth it.]

On the other hand, the audience didn’t care so much about wording. They directly expressed their feelings on various social media.

There was this one verified account that had quite a few followers. This account was a breath of fresh air in the film critic industry. It was known for its sharp and down-to-earth language. It often combined professional criticisms with audience ratings into a comprehensive review. 

[I first saw Chi Chi’s photos online, and I immediately fell in love. It didn’t matter to me whether it was a marketing tactic or if his photos had been retouched. As long as he looked good, I didn’t care. However, I stopped stanning after he announced that he would be acting in Wang Haisheng’s movie. After all, it’s Wang Haisheng. Wang Haisheng’s camera lens is like a demon-revealing mirror. Other than Xie Luyu, who else can hold out against his camera lens!? Who else!? Why can’t you just stick with photos? No matter how good your acting skills are, I won’t be coming back. At the time, I thought that, if I were to ever stan him again, I’m as good as a dog. Now, I just want to say woof woof woof.]

This comment had accumulated 180,000 likes.

[Crying myself to sleep. How could you do this to me!? Give me back my Ke Mu!]

[Don’t ask me. I don’t know anything. All I know is that I’m in love!] 

[Even if this was the trashiest movie in the world, I would still watch the whole thing as long as I can see that face!]

[Everyone, join me! My idol’s the best in the world!]

At the same time, Ye Li made an official announcement on Weibo—Gu Qingchi had officially debuted.

Ye Li’s Weibo was originally very low-key. He only tagged Gu Qingchi, but, as soon as he posted the announcement, he soon gained tens of thousands of followers. 

At this moment, Gu Qingchi was in Ye Li’s office.

“As of today, you have officially entered the entertainment industry. I’ll send in an application for a new place to live very soon.”

“Also, from today onwards, you must understand that you are an actor. You need to maintain your image at all times. After all, it’s entirely possible for you to be photographed even if you’re just walking down the street—”

Suddenly, he paused and looked at Gu Qingchi’s face. With a face like his, even the most pixelated camera quality wouldn’t be a problem. 

Ye Li nonchalantly changed the subject.

“Actors need to live through their roles first and foremost. You want people to pay more attention to your roles. Watch out for the paparazzi. Don’t reveal any of your private information to them.”

Gu Qingchi nodded softly.

“I’ll pay attention.” 

“In that case, I don’t have anything else to remind you about. Be careful on your way back.”

Xiao Ke, who was standing next to them, handed Gu Qingchi a mask. She also had a coat hanging on her arm. Recently, she had been helping Gu Qingchi get used to going out in a disguise. Lately, Gu Qingchi was often recognized whenever he was out on the street.

Gu Qingchi didn’t actually care that much about it. As long as it didn’t cause him any trouble, he didn’t mind others looking at him. He had long since gotten used to it.

However, he still did as Xiao Ke asked him to. He put on the mask, and he even pulled up the hood of his sweatshirt. 

Xiao Ke then opened the door for him. Having an assistant was also something that he needed to get used to.

“The driver’s already arrived. He’s waiting for you outside.”

Whenever Gu Qingchi walked through the hallway, there were always people from various other offices poking their heads out to look at him.

This kind of treatment was something only the truly famous celebrities would receive. 

Xiao Ke’s ponytail swayed back and forth. She kept her gaze fixed ahead as she followed Gu Qingchi through the crowd.

As for Gu Qingchi, he was like this before, and he was like this now.

Chen Chen was a pretty big streamer under one of Starlight’s subsidiaries. He was famous for his pranks and funny videos.

Since his pranks were fairly appropriate, they never went too far. In between pranks, he would even explain himself and apologize afterwards. 

Plus, he was really quite funny, so his reputation was pretty good.

He was also very capable. Recently, he got in touch with one of Starlight’s department managers and organized a joint activity.

Basically, he was going to sneak into one of the dorms for trainees. He was going to go in with his camera and knock on each door, one by one. He would be disguised as one of Starlight’s employees.

Technically, it could be considered an official live broadcast for the company. After all, Starlight already gave their permission. 

The audience was very curious about the trainees’ living conditions. Plus, since it was going to be a surprise visit, a lot of the trainees showed interesting reactions.

Chen Chen’s live streams weren’t as rigid as official live streams done by the company. Furthermore, he was an eloquent speaker.

Therefore, the live stream had always been pretty popular. The trainees were also able to attract a wave of fans. There was one trainee who attracted a lot of fans by showing off his dance skills and debuted as an idol.

It was a win-win situation for everybody. By now, most trainees already knew about it. They were all willing to cooperate. 

The trainees were also graded. They were ranked from C to A.

Chen Chen first turned the camera towards himself.

“Right now, we’re in the territory of the elites. Here are all of Starlight’s A-level trainees. Unlike the C-level or B-level dorms, the A-level dorms are single person apartments. There will only be one girl or guy behind this door.”

Chen Chen usually started by knocking on the door in the farthest corner of the hallway. 

Once he heard someone approaching the door, he would shout out.

“This is a Starlight employee. Don’t open the door just yet. Make sure to pay attention to your clothing. There are cameras outside. We’re currently live streaming.”

Usually, the person inside would pause for a bit. Then, they would come out.

Chen Chen was used to waiting for ten or so minutes. 

However, this time, there wasn’t any pause at all. The door opened straight away. Chen Chen thought that the person inside didn’t hear him and subconsciously wanted to cover the camera.

It wasn’t fun to film something that shouldn’t be filmed.

He didn’t manage to cover the camera lens. Chen Chen looked up and was stunned.

Gu Qingchi opened the door. His hair was still damp, and he had a towel draped around his neck. He wore a simple button-up and black pants. The cat poked its head out from behind him. 

He looked up, seemingly unconcerned about the camera.

“Is there a problem?”

Chen Chen blanked for a second.

“This is an official live stream. We’re approaching trainees at close distance. W-would you like to say hello to everyone?” 

Gu Qingchi took a step forward and placed a hand against the wall. Chen Chen subconsciously backed up until he was up against a wall. He was still holding the camera in his hands.

Gu Qingchi looked at the camera.

“From this day forward, I will no longer be a trainee.”

“I’ll be their senior.” 

The comment barrage had been furiously flooded by comments ever since Gu Qingchi appeared. After he said this, the comment barrage stopped for a while.

That was until a big, bold comment slid across the screen.

[If you think about it, he technically just kabedon-ed me!]