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Nuannuan did as told, and the two figures reappeared in the frame. Nuannuan froze, and the viewers froze too the moment they saw them clearly. They had already been unconsciously drawn in when the pair had only flashed past the camera; now that they could see them properly, they were even more stunned by their beauty.

[Oh my God, two drop-dead gorgeous 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.]

[I want to know 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 his ice cream for him.]

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

[I was there! I was standing in line right behind the man in black. Key point: he had the handsome guy with glasses sit down while he lined up alone. The three flavors of ice cream were all picked by that handsome guy with glasses, and after buying them, he didn't take a single bite until the handsome guy was done eating... Not only did he eat the bread the handsome guy wouldn't eat, they even shared the same ice cream. The man in black had such a powerful presence that I didn't even dare look at him in person. You can tell from the video too—when he looked over, Nuannuan's hand shook from fright. But think about it: such a man was actually so good to the handsome guy with glasses, so attentive, patient, and considerate. Tsk, tsk. Anyway, I don't believe they're merely friends or brothers.]

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

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

[These two are both handsome in completely different ways.]

The video's spread also made the ice cream shop go viral.

It wasn't easy even for a celebrity to get onto the trending searches, much less two passersby who had merely appeared in someone else's camera frame.

The video was extremely short, and the footage was not particularly clear. Yet this screen recording from a livestream went viral online. Its popularity and discussion volume only rose higher, never falling, and soon the topic was marked with "explosive." It ranked either first or second, and there was more than one trending topic about it.

[#IceCreamHunks# Explosive]

[#CanHumansReallyHaveFacesLikeThis# Hot]

[#MyBrothersAndIDontEatIceCreamLikeThis# 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!][Beauty is justice, truly demonstrated right here.][I need their information within one minute!]

Some people thought they were merely two good-looking men. Was that really worth taking up spots on 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 saying that beauty was justice was absolutely right. Moreover, it was not merely because they were pleasing to look at. There was also the atmosphere between the two of them, their intimate manner that left no room for outsiders to intrude. Every bit of it made viewers' hearts pound and their lips unconsciously curl into knowing smiles.

Right as the buzz continued to explode, Cai Jinbai had Xu Yuqing immediately post a second message on Weibo.

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

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

But the result left him utterly shocked. He had even leaped to his feet in excitement and couldn't help clapping and shouting his praise.

Because Xu Yuqing's performance made him seem like 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 had managed to perform it to this degree. Chen Chengrong was overjoyed, beaming as he repeatedly praised Xu Yuqing's acting skills. Of course, he spent even more time complimenting and flattering Cai Jinbai for his excellent eye, marveling at how accurately he had chosen someone and how pleasantly surprised he was.

Chen Chengrong seemed to have suddenly found his knack for words. No longer tongue-tied, he kept changing up the ways he praised people, making it no different from blatant flattery. Xu Yuqing blushed furiously and explained that Star Universe Entertainment had shelved him for three years, so whenever he had nothing to do, he practiced his acting at home. Three years of hard work had finally paid off.

Upon hearing that, Chen Chengrong could not help feeling deeply moved. Hadn't his script also taken three years to polish?

Thinking about it that way, his script and Xu Yuqing actually had quite a bit of fate between them. Perhaps that unusual connection would make his film an even bigger hit. After all, to a certain extent, they were an excellent match.

Cai Jinbai remained calm in the face of Chen Chengrong's flattery. Since the audition had succeeded, they moved on to discuss investment in the film.

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 plan Xu Yuqing's comeback.

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

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

What Cai Jinbai wanted was attention and popularity. Those could gather enormous Wealth Aura.

Thus, guided by the Wealth Aura he had caught sight of, Cai Jinbai brought Xuan Yu to that viral ice cream and bread shop.

And after the hype exploded, the second step was for Xu Yuqing to update Weibo.

But once this news came out, the fans did not cheer so enthusiastically.

[No way, Little Xu, you're going to be in a film directed by Chen Chengrong? He hasn't made anything for four years, and his last film was so awful...]

[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 joke around with your future!]

[Does this movie really have to be made? Could the new company you joined be forcing you to do 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 or curse Little Xu's new company. Don't cause trouble for Little Xu. He finally has a chance to appear on screen again. Objectively speaking, Director Chen Chengrong has made quite a few films. Aside from that especially terrible one, weren't all the others 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 looked at the fans' comments, and the corners of his lips could not help curving upward.

Then he reached out and tapped the Golden Ingot waiting nearby, smiling. "Jinbao, stir up more public opinion. Make the trending ranking tie with the topic about Xuan Yu and me, so more people will see it."

"Yes, Master!" the chubby ingot answered loudly, then golden light radiated from its entire body.

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

Some voiced support, while others naturally mocked them.

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

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

Mixed among the "paid commenters" were anti-fans cursing online, blurring truth and lies. The fans hurried over to defend him.

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

Thus, as fans and anti-fans argued, discussion of the matter grew hotter and fiercer, gradually making its way onto the trending searches.

Curious passersby clicked in to take a look and could not help recalling the actor Xu Yuqing. Then they started digging into everything that had happened back then—adding even more heat to the matter.

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

The idol star who had been implicated in a drug incident back then was now going to appear in the new movie of the director who had once made a terrible film and deceived audiences...

What a combination. Tsk, tsk, this was worth watching.

And Jinbai Entertainment?

What kind of company was that?

In the end, the trending ranking of this topic tied with the video topic about Cai Jinbai and Xuan Yu.

On the surface, the two seemed to have no connection whatsoever.

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 attitudes and comments were completely different. Occasionally, netizens jumped from one topic to the other and back again. Some did not care because it had nothing to do with them, while others left a comment to join the discussion.

[What is this? A celebrity actor implicated in a drug case? I don't think he's any good either. If he went to that party, how could he possibly not have used drugs? I suggest the police investigate him again.]