A Slacker Talks Back

Chapter Fourteen

The "scheming" Li Wenchuan crawled out of bed, his hair a mess, with several strands sticking up like uneven antennae.

He narrowed his eyes, replied to He Meng with a few words, then hung up.

Yesterday—more precisely, in the early hours of the morning—he had returned from the cinema with Jiang Hansheng. The other man had driven him home. After taking off his mask, that familiar face had left Li Wenchuan unable to stop his thoughts from wandering. Aside from his expression, every feature was exactly as Li Wenchuan remembered.

But he was no green young man. After so many years of power struggles among the people, in the deep palace, and at court, he had long mastered the art of revealing nothing.

His face looked listless, showing only drowsiness and exhaustion. Even Jiang Hansheng could not tell what he was thinking.

For Li Wenchuan, he had only just died before crossing over here. The people and events of his former life remained vivid and alive in his memories, as though they had happened yesterday. Yet every time he woke up, reality cruelly reminded him that none of it existed anymore.

He avoided everything related to the Qing Dynasty and did not want to read any of that information. He was like the woodcutter in the tale who watched a game of chess on the mountain and lost countless years. His family and friends had died one by one, turning to bones, while he alone remained a man of yesterday, lonely for the rest of his life.

Yes, he was afraid.

And because of that, he could not recognize the Jiang Hansheng before him.

The Jiang Hansheng in his memories had been a youth—the young prime minister who rode through the streets on horseback, full of spirit and ambition. Amid a group of elderly ministers, he had been like spring sunlight bursting forth in March. Walking the streets of Chang'an, he had been the brilliant young man who haunted the dreams of Chang'an's maidens.

But in reality, youths grew old, heroes turned gray, and even one who had once stood as tall and straight as a pine would one day walk with faltering steps, bent and decrepit.

Jiang Hansheng was the Great Qing prime minister who had lived through three emperors, ruled as regent for forty years, and gathered all power into his hands. He was someone who had long since grown old, with time gone forever and the air of twilight clinging to him.

In the blink of an eye, forty years truly lay between them. No one could confirm the truth.

After returning home, Li Wenchuan had clung to a sliver of hope. What if—just what if—Jiang Chengyu had met with an accident after him? What if he had crossed over too? Then the Jiang Hansheng before him...

That hope was vile and shameful, yet he could not calm the emotions in his heart.

He took out his phone and searched for Jiang Hansheng. It detailed the young Best Actor's achievements over more than twenty years. But as he read it word by word, he found nothing that felt out of place.

Jiang Hansheng had been exceptional from birth. Born into a scholarly family, he had excelled in school from childhood. During university, he had balanced his studies and career, begun shining from his very first film, and fought his way through every obstacle to rise to the top.

So Jiang Hansheng had always belonged to this era.

Unlike him, Jiang Hansheng was not a lonely soul from a thousand years ago.

"Ha..." Li Wenchuan rubbed between his brows, something he did whenever he felt upset and irritated.

Before Weibo had even finished loading, an unfamiliar call came in.

Li Wenchuan narrowed his eyes and answered it.

"Wenchuan, are you all right? Don't look at what's on Weibo. It's just a bunch of people making things up. One day, you'll prove how outstanding you are. They just don't know you or understand you."

In truth, Jin Yue's face was completely expressionless on the other end of the call. Yet his voice rose and fell dramatically, and the concern on his face was almost tangible.

"You're worried about me?" Li Wenchuan drawled.

Jin Yue raised a brow. He took the bait. He put on an act and sighed. "Don't be angry, all right? I told you before, even if you quit the entertainment industry, I could still take care of you. If you want to stay, I can help you."

"Then can you give me five million first? I'm a little short on cash lately."

"..."

"Aren't we best friends? You wouldn't refuse to help me over such a small amount of money, would you?" Li Wenchuan said expressionlessly, though his voice sounded as if he were on the verge of tears.

"I..."

"What do you mean, 'I'? Why are you making such a clear distinction between us?" His tone became even more heartbroken.

Jin Yue's expression cracked. He had never expected things to go in this direction. It was suffocating. He had not expected Li Wenchuan to have such thick skin now. Back then, whenever money was mentioned, the young man would blush bright red.

As though the word "money" would trample mercilessly over his dignity.

Li Wenchuan: No, I liked the direction money was heading in now.

"I heard your role is gone... But it's not a big deal. I spoke to the director. There's still a role in For the Phoenix that you can play." He paused, as though considering something. "You won't need to audition."

It was practically a deluxe gift package prepared for the talentless, useless Li Wenchuan.

If it had been the original owner, he probably would have accepted it. Li Wenchuan snorted.

"You should know that even though I'm the male lead, there are plenty of things I can't decide. But this role has lots of screen time too. Take it one step at a time. It's not like you have no chance."

It sounded nice enough. The meaning was: I can protect you now, though my power is limited. I still put in effort to secure this for you because I want what's best for you.

Jin Yue truly was an old hand at PUA. Every word came in a neat little package.

"So what role is it?" Li Wenchuan asked pleasantly.

"The male lead's personal attendant." Jin Yue's voice was gentle.

Li Wenchuan drew out a long "Oh." Just as Jin Yue thought he was about to receive a response full of tearful gratitude, he heard a clear, moving, deeply affectionate sentence: "Eat shit."

Then the call ended. When he tried calling again, he had been blocked.

Jin Yue was so furious that he smashed his phone, his chest heaving. "Good. Very good, Li Wenchuan."

He tugged open his collar, his face fierce.

Sun Hao knew it was not the right time to speak, but he had to say it. "Bro, big bro, that was my phone you smashed."

"..."

Silence was probably the protective color of the night.

The trending topic remained up until noon before its heat faded somewhat. Li Wenchuan looked at those comments without making a statement. In truth, celebrities did not need to explain their private lives to anyone.

This time, Jiang Hansheng did not speak up either. Once before had been enough; doing it again would not be good for Li Wenchuan. Tall trees caught the wind, and besides, Jiang Hansheng was not someone who posted on Weibo over a trending topic. He could not be bothered to keep up appearances.

Yet amid the chaotic public discourse, a few pink little voices emerged:

"Is it just me? I think these two look perfect together."

"Jiang Hansheng's movement when he took the drink looked so natural."

"Hahahaha, wasn't Li Wenchuan giving it to him like it was perfectly natural too?"

"Oh no, I'm obsessed with this pairing. It's such a forbidden ship. Am I going to get attacked?"

"Sis upstairs, you're not alone."

"+1."

And so, a group calling itself "Cold River" quietly came into being, secretly creating their own content and feeding themselves ship fuel. Most gossiping bystanders and fans of the various celebrities knew nothing about it.

Even after some people noticed such comments, they responded with disdain, saying outright, "If this is a CP, I'll livestream myself eating shit."

Li Wenchuan also received a call from He Meng around noon. Her voice was delighted. "You have another schedule! A really popular variety show wants you as a guest for its next episode."

"... You should believe that things like this will happen more often in the future." Do not sound like a million had fallen from the sky. It was a little hurtful.

"Really? I don't believe you." He Meng gave a dry laugh. "Hurry up, pack your things, and get over here."