Gossip: Si Di and Producer Qin Were a Couple

Lu Chen made it sound utterly convincing.

Si Di stopped in his tracks. His mind spun several times before he finally understood what Lu Chen meant.

At that moment, he felt like he had been transported into some wildly viral Yang Mi commercial and only wanted to repeat one line: Are you okay?

But Lu Chen gave him no chance to speak. With his head lowered, back hunched, and every ounce of backbone gone, he said:

"Brother Di, I really didn't know you and Producer Qin were a couple. Everything before was my fault. You're a generous man, so please don't let Producer Qin target me behind the scenes. Just treat me like a fart and let me go, okay?"

Si Di's features nearly twisted together.

He had once thought Lu Chen was merely a brainless hothead. Only now did he realize the bastard had no brain at all!

A couple!

A fart couple!

You're the one who's a couple with Qin Wei! Your whole family is a couple with Qin Wei!

Speechless, Si Di rubbed his brow and said through gritted teeth, "Qin Wei and I have nothing to do with each other, and there's no star-making plan. Besides, Lu Chen, I'm not as petty as you think."

Even if he had a grudge, he would not resort to underhanded tricks.

At most, he would fight a couple of open, honest battles.

Lu Chen did not believe him at all. Clinging to his arm like a lapdog, he cried, "I understand! I understand, I understand everything! Brother Di, I swear I won't tell anyone about you and Producer Qin. I'll keep it secret, okay? Please let me off!"

"..."

This kid was beyond saving.

He was so loud that staff members in the adjacent hall, where filming was underway, were already peeking over.

Unable to shake him off, Si Di could only say helplessly, "Fine, fine, fine. As long as you let go, our grudge is wiped clean!"

Hearing that, Lu Chen finally released him.

He had nearly been scared out of his wits just now.

The matter between Si Di and Qin Wei was practically common knowledge in the industry.

When he learned Si Di would be competing, Lu Chen had assumed Qin Wei would make things difficult for him. That was why he had dared to act tough and run his mouth so brazenly.

Who would have thought that not only had Si Di not been eliminated, Qin Wei had even shown concern for him and sent him clothes!

Even after getting forgiven, Lu Chen remained uneasy. He followed Si Di back to the filming hall, fawning over him by opening the door for him and even bringing him juice with utmost respect.

The show had only just begun airing, and aside from trainees from the same company, most of them were not very familiar with one another yet.

Though the others found it strange, they did not say much.

Only Yu Ning, who had already become familiar with Si Di, tugged at his arm and asked quietly, "What's going on? Why did Lu Chen suddenly change personalities? Last night, he was barking orders and acting like he feared no one. Why is he suddenly acting like a grandson today?"

Si Di sighed.

He had not wanted to say anything, but Yu Ning would not let it go. In the end, with no other choice, he could only recount the whole matter exactly as it had happened.

After hearing it, Yu Ning stared blankly for a full two minutes before sharply inhaling and saying, "What past-life grudge? You and Producer Qin are clearly childhood sweethearts, innocent little friends! Even Lu Chen has noticed something's up, so why are you the one being so clueless?"

For the Nth time, Si Di was speechless. "We were talking about Lu Chen. Why is your focus on Qin Wei?"

Clearly, his elementary school Chinese grades had been terrible.

His grasp of the main point had veered off by miles.

Yu Ning selectively ignored him and continued, "I used to wonder how an obscure nobody like you could possibly have anything to do with Qin Wei, a Triple Crown Best Actor and top star. You hated Qin Wei so much that I thought he'd sexually exploited you."

Si Di's face darkened slightly.

Yu Ning did not notice at all and continued analyzing, "In the end, it's just some childhood issue. If you ask me, Qin Wei didn't do anything wrong. The only problem is that he was too outstanding. Your dad liked him more than he liked you, so you should blame your dad for that."

Yu Ning sounded utterly sincere.

Si Di was utterly pissed.

"What, was I supposed to break with my dad and become his mortal enemy? My dad may have been wrong, but the biggest problem was still Qin Wei."

"Even if they were neighbors, would my dad have known Qin Wei's test scores if Qin Wei hadn't told him? Would he have known Qin Wei was named a model student and outstanding class leader?"

Si Di turned toward him and said with complete seriousness, "Qin Wei just loved showing off. He deliberately provoked my dad and drove a wedge between us!"

"Uh..." Yu Ning bit his lip. "Is there any chance the adults on both sides told each other?"

"..."

Si Di choked on his words.

It was not that he had never considered it. When he was young and ignorant, he had always believed Qin Wei was deliberately targeting him.

Later, the grudge took root. Whenever they met, they would either trade barbs or throw punches. After all those years of conflict, hostility and hatred had long been carved into their bones.

To the point that now—

Even without what happened in childhood, they still could not stand the sight of each other.

Seeing him fall silent, Yu Ning's eyes spun as he leaned closer and whispered, "Di, I'm only saying this for your own good. Going against a top-star Best Actor over something that happened when you were kids is not a wise move."

"A real man knows when to bend and when to stand tall. If you just softened up a little and said a few nice things, Qin Wei couldn't possibly ignore you, considering you grew up together. With him looking after you, even if things went badly, you could still make it into the first or second tier, right?"

"If..."

Yu Ning trailed off.

Si Di eyed him suspiciously. "If what? Go on."

"You can't get mad if I do."

Yu Ning took precautions in advance.

Si Di looked into his sincere eyes, sighed, and nodded.

With his immunity token in hand, Yu Ning no longer had any reservations. He smiled shyly and coaxed him along.

"Di, you're good-looking, and you've got that childhood-friends connection. If you can make Qin Wei fall for you, wouldn't you be able to swagger through the entertainment industry from then on?"

"..."

Si Di regretted it.

He should never have let Yu Ning talk so much.

Great. He had successfully been disgusted.

Dating Qin Wei—just thinking about it made every tendon in Si Di's body twist backward!

Seeing his hackles rise, Yu Ning held back a laugh and said, "Think about it carefully. You two are actually quite compatible. Producer Qin is aloof and noble, while you're lively and loyal. Producer Qin has a successful career, while your future is bright. Producer Qin—"

"Stop!"

Si Di could not take it anymore. "Don't even think about it. Qin Wei and I are absolutely impossible!"

Yu Ning loved stirring up trouble. "Don't speak so absolutely. The future is long, and everything is unknown. Never leave yourself no room to maneuver."

Room to maneuver?

Heh.

Si Di clenched his teeth, his expression resolute. "Anything else is possible, but Qin Wei and I are impossible! Let me put it this way: if I ever feel even one second of attraction toward Qin Wei, I'll gouge out my own eyes and give you the eyeballs to use as marbles!"

"Oh."

Yu Ning nodded blandly.

That reaction hit harder than arguing back.

Si Di stared at him for two seconds before reaching out to tickle him.

Yu Ning happened to be severely ticklish and immediately curled up, laughing loudly.

Si Di relentlessly chased after him, tickling him.

The two tangled together.

Everyone else was discussing the theme song's melody and choreography, while those two suddenly began fooling around. For a moment, everyone turned to look their way.

The cameras focused on them as well.

The sight of the two boys playfully roughhousing suddenly appeared on the livestream feed.