His Face Was Bright Red

Two episodes a day meant that the twenty-six-episode television series only took thirteen days to air. That was because its ratings were exceptionally good; otherwise, what production crew would dare do this?

The series really had become a hit. Some viewers had been drawn in by the excellent plot, while others were there because of Gu Ze and Ye Qing's interactions in the show.

Most of them were interested in the interactions between the two, and they especially liked Ye Qing's character.

"Boohoohoo, Mo Hua was really miserable later on. Why did Lu Yan treat him like that?"

"But their meeting had been planned from the beginning. It was never pure."

"But the later Lu Yan was sincere. Even though he tied Mo Hua up, he used strips of cloth to bind his hands, gave him good food and drink, and didn't even put a camera in the room."

"That's right. He really didn't want to do it."

It was precisely because of this role that Ye Qing became completely famous. The most obvious sign was that he now had to wear a mask whenever he went out.

His number of fans skyrocketed, and he was no longer the obscure eighteenth-tier celebrity he had once been.

The CP between Ye Qing and Gu Ze was incredibly popular online. Even some people who had originally been solo fans couldn't resist joining in. However, knowing that Gu Ze disliked promoting CPs, they only dared to quietly enjoy the pairing within their own circles.

Ye Qing was naturally delighted. After being obscure for three or four years, he had finally become famous.

The production crew struck while the iron was hot and planned to ramp up their promotional activities. The first promotional event would be held in the city.

The moment the event's location and date were announced, all the tickets were snatched up. The tickets were free, and the people who came were genuine fans of the series or the actors. The production crew hadn't hired any extras—the whole point was authenticity.

Moreover, the production crew had gone against the usual approach. While others promoted their shows around the time they began airing, they were promoting theirs after it had finished airing.

It was really more like a benefit for the fans.

Knowing how popular Ye Qing and Gu Ze's CP was, the production crew wanted the two of them to promote it a little during the event. However, they also knew that Gu Ze had always disliked this sort of thing, so no one dared bring it up for a while.

The producer still felt it would be a pity to give up this opportunity. Swallowing his pride, he called Gu Ze's manager, and, as expected, was rejected.

At Gu Entertainment, Gu Ze was taking a break when his manager pushed open the door. He couldn't help complaining to Gu Ze, "Everyone knows you don't like promoting CPs, but someone always thinks they'll be the exception. You can't reject them outright, either—you have to turn them down tactfully every time."

"Who was it this time?"

"This time, it wasn't anyone's manager who came to me. It was the Dawn Production Crew. Aren't you and Ye Qing's CP really popular these days? They want you two to promote it during the event."

"Agree to it."

"I knew you wouldn't... Wait, what did you say?" the manager asked in disbelief.

"I said I agree."

The manager circled around Gu Ze. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. You won't even cooperate when I call for you normally. Why are you willing to do it now?"

Recalling Ye Qing's appearance, the manager was horrified. "You wouldn't happen to have some ulterior motive toward him, would you?"

Gu Ze said nothing.

He hadn't denied it. He actually hadn't denied it. The manager was going crazy. It seemed that when someone who was usually well-behaved started causing trouble, it was always something huge.

What could the manager do? Strictly speaking, Gu Ze was also his boss. Since the person involved had agreed, he could only carry it out.

If only he had asked one more question earlier. Now he had to put on a thick face and tell them that Gu Ze agreed.

Boohoohoo, this was so difficult!

The people from the production crew hadn't expected the matter to take such a sudden turn. They didn't know why Gu Ze had agreed, but as long as he had, that was enough.

They immediately contacted Ye Qing as well. His manager didn't refuse, but Ye Qing himself didn't agree.

"Let's not do this. Brother Gu won't agree, either." Gu Ze was his idol, after all, and Ye Qing knew that Gu Ze wouldn't agree.

"But they've already agreed."

Ye Qing raised his head in surprise. "Really?"

"Mm. That's what the production crew said. There shouldn't be any mistake."

Ye Qing was even more action-oriented. He took out his phone and sent Gu Ze a message.

Ye Qing: Brother Gu.

Gu Ze: Here.

Ye Qing: Brother Gu, you agreed to promote a CP?

Gu Ze: Mm.

Ye Qing: But didn't you dislike it before?

A long time passed before the other side finally sent another message.

Gu Ze: It depends on the person.

Ye Qing stared at the message, not daring to think too deeply about what it meant. What if he misunderstood? His face, however, slowly turned red.

The manager beside him spoke up. "Xiaoqing, what do you think?"

Ye Qing came back to himself and coughed several times. "Since they've already agreed, I have nothing to say about it."

And so, the matter was happily settled.

Soon, the day of the promotional event arrived. To heighten the effect, the production crew had Gu Ze and Ye Qing appear together.

As expected, the venue erupted in screams. Although Ye Qing walked steadily when he came out, he had actually been nervous right before stepping onstage. This was his first time promoting a CP, and he had no idea what he was supposed to do.

But in reality, he didn't need to do much. The fans would find things to gush over on their own. For example, Gu Ze would look at him while he was speaking. Or Gu Ze's microphone would lean toward Ye Qing whenever he spoke. Gu Ze would also cue him from time to time.

To CP fans, all of these things counted as sweetness.

Looking at the enthusiastic atmosphere, Ye Qing couldn't help sighing.

[Why does Brother Gu look so experienced? He really doesn't seem like someone who's never promoted a CP before.]

[This makes me look so clumsy.]

Gu Ze: No one is born knowing how to promote a CP.

Because Ye Qing didn't want to look even more clumsy, he took the initiative to respond to Gu Ze.

Now, not only did the audience below the stage feel this way—even several of the lead actors felt that they couldn't get between the two of them.

It began with some simple questions about the plot. Then they finally reached the segment the audience liked best: audience questions.

At first, everything was quite proper. The people selected were all fans of the series, so their questions were related to the plot. But the later questioners were no longer just fans of the series. They were CP fans.

"I'd like to ask Emperor Gu whether Lu Yan's feelings for Mo Hua in the series are friendship or love."

Ye Qing was stunned. He hadn't expected this question, but Gu Ze clearly wasn't worried.

"I think Lu Yan's feelings for Mo Hua in the series are more friendship. Because of his family circumstances, Lu Yan has very few friends. You could even say that he has never had a true friend who treated him well. Mo Hua happens to be that kind of person, which is why Lu Yan treats him the way he does."

"But that's only my interpretation. Different people have different opinions."

The first question had been fine, but the second wasn't even a question. A girl stood up with a flushed face and looked at Gu Ze. "Emperor Gu, could you carry Ye Qing and do squats?"

Gu Ze smiled. "You'll have to ask Xiaoqing."

Ye Qing's face reddened slightly. A bridal carry? That was way too intimate. These people were so bold.

But Gu Ze had asked him directly. Considering that they were supposed to promote their CP, and hearing that Gu Ze didn't seem opposed to it, Ye Qing gritted his teeth and agreed.

However, after walking over to Gu Ze, he still asked one more question. "Brother Gu, can you handle it?"

Gu Ze swept Ye Qing up into his arms, proving with his strength that he could. "Don't underestimate your Brother Gu."

He even asked the fans how many squats he should do while holding Ye Qing.

When Gu Ze began, Ye Qing obediently stayed still. He was afraid of adding to Gu Ze's burden.

Feeling the vibration of Gu Ze's chest and hearing his breath become especially sensual from the exertion, Ye Qing inevitably blushed.

Ye Qing had thought this was already the limit. He hadn't expected the next request to be even more outrageous.

"Can Emperor Gu play that game where he and Qingqing eat a biscuit together?"

The entire venue erupted, and Ye Qing's face was already bright red.