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Nuannuan did as she was told, and the two figures reappeared in the camera. Nuannuan froze, and the viewers froze too the moment they got a clear look. They had already been unconsciously drawn in by that brief glimpse earlier, but now that they could see more clearly, they were even more dazzled.

[Oh my God, two unbelievably handsome guys showed up outside such an ordinary shop! Take any screenshot and it's wallpaper-worthy!]

[Are these two really not celebrities? They're way too good-looking.]

[What I want to know more is what their relationship is. Hehe, they're actually sharing ice cream so intimately. Does ice cream taste sweeter when you eat it like that? Hehe, now I want some too.]

[I want to know too. The one in black is so doting toward the one with glasses. He even ate the bread the other guy didn't want and held the ice cream for him.]

[Exactly, I noticed it too. The one in black naturally took a bite of the leftover bread and fed the one with glasses ice cream. Were all three ice creams bought for him? Hehe, anyway, I don't feed ice cream to my good friends.]

[I was there! I was standing in line behind the man in black. Important point: he had the handsome guy with glasses sit down while he waited in line alone. The three flavors were all picked by the handsome guy with glasses, and after buying them, the man in black didn't take a single bite. He waited until that handsome guy finished before he... Not only did he eat the bread the handsome guy didn't want, they even shared the same ice cream. The man in black had such an imposing presence that I didn't even dare look at him on the spot. You can tell from the video too. When that man looked over, Nuannuan was so scared her hand trembled. But think about it—such a man was actually so good to the handsome guy with glasses, so attentive and patient, taking such thorough care of him. Tsk tsk, I refuse to believe they're just ordinary friends or brothers.]

[I ship them so hard! They're such a feast for the eyes!]

[Seriously, when the handsome guy in black suddenly looked over, his gaze startled me too. Then Nuannuan didn't dare point the camera at them anymore, hahaha. So timid. But it also indirectly proves that he treats people differently, hehe. He was so gentle toward the person beside him.]

[These two are both handsome in their own distinctive ways.]

The video's spread also boosted the ice cream shop's popularity.

It was not easy even for a celebrity to get a trending topic, much less two passersby who had only appeared in someone else's camera.

The video was extremely short, and the footage was not especially clear. Yet this screen recording from a livestream went viral online. Its popularity and discussion only grew, never fell, and it remained at the top. Before long, the topics were marked with "Explosive," ranking either first or second, and there was more than one trending topic.

[#IceCreamHandsomeGuys# Explosive]

[#CanHumansReallyHaveFacesLikeThis# Hot]

[#MyBrotherAndIDontEatIceCreamLikeThat# Hot]

Some passersby clicked in without understanding. What ice cream? What handsome guys? Then—[Woohoo! Mom asked why I was kneeling while licking my screen!][Looks really are justice, and this proves it perfectly.][Within one minute, I need to know who these two are!]

Some people thought they were merely two good-looking men. Was that really worth taking up the trending list?

[Is this merely good-looking?! Tsk tsk, you don't understand.]

[Tsk tsk, you don't understand.]

[Tsk tsk, this is far more than just good-looking.]

Very quickly, comments like those were drowned out.

The comment saying "looks are justice" was absolutely right. Besides, it was not just because they were pleasing to look at. There was also the atmosphere between them, that intimate bearing that left no room for anyone else to intrude. Every bit of it made viewers' hearts pound, their lips unconsciously curving into indescribable smiles.

Just as the buzz continued to explode, Cai Jinbai had Xu Yuqing post a second Weibo update.

—It announced that he would be appearing in a new film personally directed by Director Chen Chengrong, who was returning after four years of silence. The film was titled "Black or White," filmed from a script Director Chen had painstakingly polished, and Xu Yuqing would play the third male lead, Zhuang Xiaowu.

When Xu Yuqing auditioned for the most crucial scene in the film, Chen Chengrong had not held out any hope at all. He did not believe this young man could portray such a resolute, bright, complex gaze filled with conviction.

But the result greatly shocked him. He had even leaped to his feet in excitement and could not help clapping in praise.

Because Xu Yuqing's portrayal felt as if he were Zhuang Xiaowu himself, as though he had stepped right out of the script.

How long had he spent reading the script? How long had he studied it? Yet he could perform at such a level. Chen Chengrong was immensely delighted, beaming as he repeatedly praised Xu Yuqing's acting. Of course, he praised and flattered Cai Jinbai's eye for talent even more, marveling at how accurate he had been in choosing people and how pleasantly surprised he was.

Chen Chengrong seemed to have suddenly found his tongue. No longer clumsy with words, he kept changing up the ways he praised people, to the point that it was no different from sucking up. Xu Yuqing's face turned red as he explained that Star Universe Entertainment had shelved him for three years, and whenever he had nothing to do, he practiced acting at home. Three years of sharpening his craft had finally paid off.

Once those words were spoken, Chen Chengrong could not help feeling deeply moved. Hadn't his script also taken three years to polish?

Thinking of it that way, his script and Xu Yuqing seemed to share quite a bit of fate. Perhaps that peculiar connection could make his film an even bigger hit. After all, in a sense, they were remarkably compatible.

Cai Jinbai took Chen Chengrong's flattery calmly. Since the audition had succeeded, they moved on to discussing the film's investment.

When Chen Chengrong left the office building, the smile on his face was impossible to hide. He could not conceal it at all.

Next, Cai Jinbai would be planning Xu Yuqing's comeback.

—How could they make netizens, passersby, fans, and others pay the greatest possible attention to this matter?

At the same time, they would bring Jinbai Entertainment into the public eye.

What Cai Jinbai wanted was attention and buzz. Both could gather immense financial fortune.

Thus, guided by the financial fortune he glimpsed, Cai Jinbai brought Xuan Yu to that viral ice cream and bread shop.

After the buzz exploded, the second step was Xu Yuqing updating his Weibo.

But when the news came out, the fans were not exactly cheering.

[No way, Little Xu, you're going to be in Director Chen Chengrong's movie? He hasn't made anything in four years, and his last movie was so terrible...]

[Ahhh, no, Little Xu! You're not even the male lead in this movie, you're the third male lead. Is there any point in appearing in it?]

[Brother, don't gamble with your future!]

[Does this movie really have to be made? Could the new company you joined be forcing you into it?]

[Brother, what kind of new company did you sign with? Is it reliable? Do they even have any decent resources?]

[It's over. I think this new company is really exploiting Little Xu.]

[Everyone, don't panic and don't insult Little Xu's new company either. Don't cause trouble for Little Xu. It was not easy for him to get another chance to appear on screen. Objectively speaking, Director Chen Chengrong has made quite a few films. Aside from that especially awful one, weren't the others all pretty good?]

[Forget Director Chen Chengrong for now. I just want to know what's going on with Little Xu's new company. Why can't we find out anything about it?]

[I want to know too...]

Cai Jinbai watched the fans' comments, and the corners of his lips curled into a smile.

Then he reached out and tapped Golden Ingot, who was waiting nearby, smiling as he said, "Golden Ingot, stir up more public opinion. Put the trending rank on par with the topic about Xuan Yu and me, so more people will see it."

"Yes, Master!" the plump ingot answered loudly, its entire body radiating golden light.

Immediately afterward, related comments began increasing online, and many "paid commenters" with different IP addresses appeared.

There were supporters, naturally, but also mockery.

[Hahaha, your Brother Little Xu's new company is definitely going to squeeze every bit of value out of him. A drug-related actor and a director who's run out of talent—what a perfect match.]

[Any movie this director makes again is definitely going to be another pile of crap. Tsk, a small company is still a small company. They don't even have any decent resources.]

Mixed among the "paid commenters" were antis, hurling all kinds of half-true, half-false insults online. The fans hurried over to defend him.

The reason Xu Yuqing had been shelved by Star Universe Entertainment was dug up again. A celebrity being implicated in a drug case was a big deal anywhere.

Thus, as fans and antis argued, the topic's discussion grew hotter and more intense, eventually making its way onto the trending list.

Curious passersby clicked in to look and could not help recalling Xu Yuqing, the actor. Then they began digging into what had happened back then, adding even more buzz to the matter.

On top of that, there was Director Chen Chengrong, who had reappeared after four years of silence with a new film.

The idol celebrity once implicated in a drug case was now going to appear in the new film of the director who had once made terrible movies and deceived audiences...

This combination, tsk tsk, was really something to watch.

And Jinbai Entertainment?

What kind of company was that?

In the end, the topic's trending rank stood alongside the video topic about Cai Jinbai and Xuan Yu.

On the surface, they seemed completely unrelated.

Chapter 14

There were two topics on the trending list. Click into one, and it was all praise and screen-licking; click into the other, and it was all insults and mockery. The completely different attitudes and comments occasionally had netizens jumping from one topic to the other. Some could not care less because it had nothing to do with them, while others left a comment to join the discussion.

[What the hell? A celebrity actor implicated in a drug case? I don't think he's anything good either. He attended that party, so how could he possibly not have taken drugs? I suggest the police investigate again.]