Gu Shiyan Wasn't That Kind of Person

Jin Mao seemed to be closer to Chu Tian in private and couldn't resist messaging him directly.

[Jin Mao: Seriously? You actually caught feelings?]

[Chu Tian: What's real or fake about it...]

Chu Tian felt guilty. He couldn't tell anyone about the dating contract, so he could only vaguely spout a bunch of nonsense about how his feelings for Gu Shiyan were undying, hoping to muddle through with Jin Mao.

Clearly, Jin Mao on the other end was profoundly shocked. The "typing" indicator lingered for several minutes before he finally sent a message.

[Jin Mao: Everything you said is true?]

As if text alone couldn't convey his shock, Jin Mao sent a voice call request.

Chu Tian hesitated for a moment before accepting it.

"Chu Er, was what you said in the group just now true? You actually settled down for that pretty boy named Gu? Oh my god, City A's social butterfly actually fell this hard? That's unbelievable!"

"..." Chu Tian weakly retorted, lacking confidence. "Don't talk nonsense. What social butterfly? Don't ruin my reputation."

"Hahahahahaha!" Jin Mao burst into laughter as though he'd heard the funniest joke in the world. "You? Reputation? I can barely recognize those words when they're put together. With how often you switch men like clothes, your reputation disappeared ages ago!"

Chu Tian: "..." What?!

Chu Tian really wanted to argue that he wasn't that kind of person, but the words reached his lips before he reluctantly swallowed them back down.

He knew he wasn't the kind of person Jin Mao described, but he couldn't guarantee that the original owner of this body hadn't been!

With his heart turned to ashes, Chu Tian could only wait until Jin Mao had laughed enough before cautiously probing him, wanting to understand what "Chu Tian" was like in his friends' eyes so he wouldn't accidentally expose himself through too great a change later.

What he got was an image completely opposite to who he really was—

"Chu Tian" had no hobbies besides spending money and finding men.

Any man he took an interest in, whether through throwing money at him or using other means, he would do everything possible to get him. But once he had him, he would quickly grow bored. Within three days, he would pay the man a huge breakup fee and kick him to the curb.

The fastest record was a man agreeing to pursue a relationship that morning, only for Chu Tian to send him packing that afternoon.

In Jin Mao's words, he doubted Chu Tian even liked most of the men he set his sights on. What he enjoyed more was the process of getting them.

His friends, Jin Mao included, were all spoiled rich kids who didn't need to inherit the family business and could simply coast through life. In private, they all played wildly.

Someone like Chu Tian, who seriously pursued people and even paid a substantial breakup fee when ending things, was the truly rare one.

But this time seemed different from before.

"Forget it, as long as you're happy," Jin Mao suddenly changed his tone and earnestly warned Chu Tian, "Just be careful. Don't get conned out of even your underwear."

"He wouldn't," Chu Tian instinctively refuted. "Gu Shiyan isn't that kind of person."

Jin Mao felt even more heartsick upon hearing that. It was like watching his own precious cabbage get rooted up by a pig, yet being powerless to stop it.

Not wanting to argue over something so pointless, Jin Mao decisively changed the subject and brought up the farce at the club.

"Qian Feihe's crimes are backed by conclusive evidence, and he's waiting to be sentenced. He was brought into the club by some young rich kid from another city, and he colluded with the manager. I sent the manager to the police station and revoked that idiot rich kid's membership too. I put in a word with people—Qian Feihe will definitely get a heavy sentence."

Hearing such good news, Chu Tian's mood instantly brightened.

Then inspiration struck him, and he came up with a brilliant idea.

"I have a great opportunity to make money," Chu Tian said mysteriously, lowering his voice. "Don't say your brother here doesn't look out for you. Is Young Master Jin interested in investing?"

Jin Mao found that rather novel.

Usually, their friends were the ones scrambling to get Chu Tian to invest. Some genuinely wanted to do something worthwhile and make money, while others simply wanted to scam him.

Chu Tian had been pampered and indulged by his family. He never lacked spending money and was like a walking money dispenser—anyone who came to him could pry some cash out of his pocket.

This was the first time he had taken the lead on a project himself, and Jin Mao immediately responded.

"Sure," Jin Mao said carelessly. "What kind of investment? While the money in my pocket hasn't gone toward buying a sports car yet, I'll invest it in you. I'll put up three million."

Chu Tian perked up. "Young Master Jin, you're so generous!"

Wasn't this exactly where the importance of fair-weather friends showed?

None of them lacked money!

Before Chu Tian could figure out which friend's pockets to empty next, Jin Mao proactively ended the call and sent a message to the group chat.

There were eight people in the small group, including Chu Tian. They got along well because they were all cut from the same cloth.

The moment they heard it was Chu Tian's project, they all responded generously. Before long, they had scraped together over ten million for him and transferred it directly into his account.

Chu Tian could barely count all the zeros. It was the first time in his life he had seen so much money, and he was so excited that his hands trembled.

After thanking each friend in the group for their generosity and promising that he absolutely wouldn't let them lose money, Chu Tian grandly slapped his bank card down in front of Little Cai.

"We have money!" Chu Tian said proudly. "Getting investment? Piece of cake!"

Little Cai cooperatively praised Chu Tian a few times, then pushed up his glasses and did the math. "Including the money in your card, Young Master, we now have a total of 11.27 million. Do you have any ideas regarding the actors, director, screenwriter, and the production team for the script?"

Without even stammering, Chu Tian swiftly rattled off a string of names. "Get them for the director and screenwriter. As for the script... I think the adaptation rights to the original novel Nine Provinces Sword would be pretty good."

"Little Cai, the time has come for you to shine," Chu Tian said, finally revealing his true intentions with a sly grin. "When something happens to the production in a few days and filming gets suspended, quietly go find Sun Bo. Find a chance to get the rights from him. Remember to bargain him down—a little saved is a little earned. Even a landlord has no surplus grain."

Little Cai froze, wanting very much to ask what Chu Tian was basing his certainty on that something would happen to the production.

But as a working man, he knew better than to question his employer. He simply agreed decisively.

As Wang Yang's antics became more and more outrageous, the atmosphere on set grew increasingly heavy and strange by the day.

Under the screenwriter's tireless revisions, the current script had diverged wildly from the original novel. It had gone from an ensemble drama to a showcase entirely for the first and second male leads.

Zhou Han, the third male lead, had spent two days with no scenes, bored enough to pick at his feet. Chu Tian, who played his little lackey, had also been free for two days.

With no scenes to shoot and no agent to keep them in check, the two of them completely let loose. They stopped going to the set altogether and wandered all over Hengdian looking for good food.

Gu Shiyan did have scenes, but his original character and plot had been drastically altered. He had become a clown meant to highlight the first and second male leads, trapped on set playing house with them.

Chu Tian was still thinking about investing in his own production once he got the rights, planning to recruit Gu Shiyan as the male lead and make a fortune. Even while running around with Zhou Han, he didn't forget about him. Whenever he found something delicious, he brought Gu Shiyan a portion.

Just as Chu Tian was having the time of his life, he received a notice from the Soul Shocker production team. The date for the next episode's livestream had been set, and the guests were asked to coordinate their schedules.

The guest group chat, which had been silent for a long time because of Qian Feihe's sudden incident, finally stirred again.