Chapter 5

The accompanying image was a GIF of Ye Zexi unable to smile. Someone had even added four words beneath it: forcing a smile.

Chapter 5

The young man in the GIF had exquisite features. The corners of his lips seemed to lift, but the attempt failed. The next moment, his beautiful eyes abruptly reddened. Even so, he still gave the audience a strained smile.

As soon as this GIF came out, the comments were full of netizens asking for the original image:

"This GIF is too good-looking! Please, I need the original!"

"I want a handsome little brother too, please!"

"I'm seriously obsessed with Ye Zexi's looks! He has heavenly visuals!"

"Not only is he good-looking, he sings pretty well too. I wonder when they'll announce the rankings. I'm boldly predicting Ye Zexi will make the top ten!"

Once rankings were mentioned, more and more netizens joined the discussion.

"Tang Jing is pretty good too. He should make the top ten as well."

"Every contestant on Era Idol is pretty good! It feels like it'll be a decent idol survival show. Looking forward to the upcoming full episodes."

Era Idol got off to a flying start on the night of its premiere, with peak concurrent viewers reaching tens of millions!

It was highly discussed not only on the trending charts, but across trending topics all over the internet.

At the same time, related hashtags such as #He JinyunJoinsEraIdol#, #ShanZeyuMentor#, and #QuXiaoDanceMentor# also trended, sparking heated discussions among fans and netizens.

Quite a few contestants were mentioned as well, and Ye Zexi was naturally the one with the most buzz.

The clearest indication was that Ye Zexi's Weibo gained tens of thousands of followers overnight.

Ye Zexi was rather shocked by this. Early the next morning, he received a call from Wei Lifei.

Wei Lifei was the original owner's best friend. Like the original owner, he was an incompetent rich second-generation heir.

The moment the call connected, Wei Lifei could be heard howling from the other end. "Ye Zexi, you're incredible! I always thought you were just there to make up the numbers, but you actually made something of yourself! My mom even called me this morning. She said she was going to have all the employees at her company vote for you!"

Ye Zexi had originally worried that talking to Wei Lifei would expose him, but hearing Wei Lifei's tone put him much more at ease. "There's no need to go through all that trouble, because I didn't plan to—"

"Oh, right. You said on the livestream yesterday that you weren't pursuing Tang Jing anymore? Is that true?" Wei Lifei interrupted Ye Zexi.

Ye Zexi smiled helplessly and answered, "It's true."

Wei Lifei said, "It's fine! Brother, there are countless men in this world. If one makes you unhappy, just switch to another every day! I told you long ago that Tang Jing wasn't right for you. I'll send your WeChat to a few premium power tops later. I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

Ye Zexi's brow twitched. "Hey, wait, I—"

Before Ye Zexi could finish, Wei Lifei hastily hung up.

Ye Zexi felt a breath stuck in his throat. He really wanted to correct him—he was the power top. He didn't need anyone introducing power tops to him!

A few pretty bottoms, on the other hand, would do nicely.

At that thought, Ye Zexi came back to himself. Didn't he happen to have one right beside him?

The corners of Ye Zexi's mouth rose before he could stop them, and his face suddenly grew a little hot. His smile widened further, but just as he raised a hand to cover his face and grin like an auntie, the light before him suddenly dimmed.

"Good morning." An unfamiliar male voice sounded.

The smile on Ye Zexi's lips instantly froze.

"What are you smiling about?" the man asked next.

Ye Zexi looked up and realized that He Jinyun had somehow appeared in front of him.

Good morning?

Good my ass.

Ye Zexi grumbled inwardly as he wiped the smile from his face.

Ye Zexi had already seen He Jinyun during last night's performance, and he had wanted to sigh in admiration then.

As expected of the male lead in a novel, He Jinyun had broad shoulders and a narrow waist. He wore a custom black suit, and his long legs were straight and firm.

Under the warm indoor lighting, beneath the man's high nose was a pair of smiling lips. His brows and eyes were handsome and heroic. Though his looks were highly aggressive, he somehow made people feel at ease.

Those eyes, dark as deep pools, felt as if one might be drawn into them with a single careless glance.

That sort of face really was enough to make a pretty bottom's heart flutter.

But unfortunately, Ye Zexi considered himself to be the same type as He Jinyun. Seeing such a handsome face so close to him did not stir his heart in the slightest. Instead, he felt a faint displeasure, as though his territory had been invaded.

Without revealing anything, Ye Zexi took half a step back before putting on a faint smile again. "Good morning, Mentor He. I wasn't smiling about anything."

The form of address was rather novel. He Jinyun raised a brow slightly, his smile unchanged. "This is the first time I've heard you call me that."

Ye Zexi still wore a professional fake smile. "What can I do for you, Mentor He?"

He Jinyun nodded. "Yes." He paused, confirming that no one was around before continuing. "I've recently been preparing a new film. It happens to begin shooting after your idol survival show ends. Would you be interested in playing a role?"

Ye Zexi was secretly surprised. He had not expected He Jinyun to seek him out for this reason.

His expression did not change, and he quickly gave his answer. "Sorry, but I may not have any talent for acting."

He Jinyun had clearly expected Ye Zexi to refuse. "That's all right. We'll have professional teachers to instruct you. Do you have other plans after the competition ends? I heard you haven't signed with an agency yet, and you don't have any clear ideas about your future career path either. Don't you want to make a name for yourself in the entertainment industry?"

Ye Zexi's smile finally gained a touch of sincerity. Meeting He Jinyun's slightly expectant gaze, he slowly shook his head. "No."

He Jinyun choked for a moment before showing a helpless smile. "Then didn't you come to Era Idol with some kind of dream?"

Ye Zexi opened his mouth.

He Jinyun cut him off before he could speak. "Other than pursuing Tang Jing."

Ye Zexi swallowed the words already at his throat. After thinking about it, he said, "Then I suppose all that's left is going home to inherit the family business."