Before Lu Yanchu could speak, his manager, whose head was buzzing with anger, continued, "Tell me who that boy is. Are you two actually dating or what?"
A passerby had originally posted the photos on Xiaohongshu. Gossip accounts quickly picked them up, and by the time his manager saw them, they were everywhere.
Apart from being dragged into a publicity stunt when he first debuted, Lu Yanchu had stayed clear of dating rumors all these years. He was always either preparing for a role or already on set-a bona fide workhorse of the entertainment industry and a dream for fans of young male actors.
His manager had never imagined that the moment he arrived overseas, Lu Yanchu would drop such a bombshell on him.
"We're not dating." Lu Yanchu glanced at Ji Ting and lowered his voice a little. "It's Ji Ting."
Kong Yu froze, then opened his mouth in realization. No wonder the person in the photos looked familiar. "The one with the brain-"
"Yes, him." Sensing Ji Ting looking over out of the corner of his eye, Lu Yanchu cut him off.
Kong Yu had never in a million years expected Ji Ting to be the one to break Lu Yanchu's spotless record. "Wait, how did you two end up together?"
"It's a long story. We still have something to do right now. I'll explain later."
"Forget later. Nothing's more important than damage control. I've already arranged everything on my end. Take Ji Ting back to Shangwen Road right now."
"Do we have to trouble him with this too?"
"Obviously," Kong Yu snapped. "Why else would I tell you to bring him?"
Lu Yanchu fell silent for a moment. "Then I need to get Ji Ting's consent first."
His manager lectured him for another few moments before he lowered the phone from his ear.
Lu Yanchu turned to Ji Ting with a helpless smile. "My manager called. A passerby took photos of us holding hands, and they're trending right now."
Ji Ting had already guessed the gist from the conversation. His expression remained calm as he said, "A person must pay the price for his impulsiveness."
"Yes, you're right to lecture me."
It was a perfectly sincere admission of fault, yet Lu Yanchu couldn't help smiling.
He found Ji Ting interesting. Despite being only nineteen, he always had a maturity and composure that seemed at odds with his age.
His phone buzzed twice. With remarkable efficiency, Kong Yu had already sent over the PR plan.
After skimming it, Lu Yanchu gave Ji Ting an apologetic look. "Even though this was entirely my fault, I may need your help making up for it."
Ji Ting said nothing, so Lu Yanchu held out his phone. "If you're uncomfortable with it, you don't have to agree. I'll find another way."
Ji Ting lowered his eyes to the screen and quickly scanned the text.
Kong Yu's plan was to have them return to where they had been earlier and eat at a restaurant with a few other people. Prearranged paparazzi would photograph the meal, and as long as they deliberately obscured the timing, they could explain it as an ordinary gathering of friends.
As for what the two had done by the roadside, the story was that Ji Ting had gotten drunk during the meal and wandered out of the restaurant in a daze. Lu Yanchu had forcibly pulled him into the car out of concern for his safety.
His manager must have racked his brains to come up with such a watertight explanation in so little time.
After reading it, Ji Ting didn't immediately answer Lu Yanchu. He silently thought, If I refuse, he'll definitely have to leave first to deal with this.
I have better uses for my time. I can't waste it waiting for Lu Yanchu.
Lu Yanchu froze for a moment. It was the first time since becoming famous that he had felt someone's disdain so plainly, and somehow, it tickled his sense of humor.
Ji Ting looked up to find him holding his right fist against his lips, apparently suppressing a laugh. Uninterested in what he found so funny, Ji Ting said evenly, "I'll cooperate with this plan."
Lu Yanchu cleared his throat, the corners of his lips lifting. "Thank you."
A little over ten minutes later, they arrived at a private restaurant on Shangwen Road.
When they entered the private dining room, the others had already arrived. They were all employees of his management company.
"Mr. Ji, just eat normally in a moment. Try not to be nervous, and don't make a point of looking at Yanchu."
Ji Ting nodded. "All right."
Naturally, Lu Yanchu needed no special instructions. He looked perfectly at ease the moment he sat down.
While the staff confirmed the camera angle with the paparazzi in the building opposite, Lu Yanchu picked up the ordering iPad and offered it to Ji Ting. "See what you'd like to eat."
Ji Ting didn't take it. "Anything is fine."
Lu Yanchu didn't seem to feel rebuffed. With a faint smile, he said, "I remember they make a pretty good Bodhi Leaf here. The bamboo shoots in it come from..."
Bamboo shoots? Not eating those.
Lu Yanchu instantly changed tack, adapting with perfect ease. "But the bamboo shoots come from a poor-quality growing region, so we won't order that today."
The nearest staff member turned to look at him as though he'd seen a ghost. What was Yanchu doing? Performing a one-man comedy routine?
After hearing several rounds of Ji Ting's thoughts, Lu Yanchu discovered that he was no ordinary picky eater. He seemed to refuse anything even remotely related to vegetables.
So he ordered a few good meat dishes and left the rest to the staff.
Once all the dishes had arrived, everyone took their seats. They even deliberately placed someone between the two of them.
Ji Ting ate normally as instructed, but shortly after he started, the staff member beside him leaned over slightly. "Mr. Ji, could you please take a few sips of grape juice?"
Ji Ting obligingly picked up the wineglass in front of him and took a sip.
When the meal was nearly over, the paparazzi opposite sent over the photos for Lu Yanchu to check first.
At one thirty that afternoon, the paparazzi released the "secretly filmed" video, and the gossip accounts backed by the management company quickly jumped in to boost its visibility.
For something like this, the studio couldn't issue a formal statement. That would only make them seem overly concerned, as though they were trying to hide something.
His manager had planned everything out, and the hand-holding controversy subsided just as he had expected. What he hadn't expected was for random onlookers to start arguing for no apparent reason.
[Good lord, what kind of genetic lottery did Lu Yanchu's family win? How can even a younger cousin be this good-looking?]
[I think two of the people in the video work for Yunhe. I remember them from when I visited the set of "Splendid Journey." Is Lu Yanchu planning to sign his cousin to the company too?]
[It's rare to see someone with such a fresh, clean look. Don't tell me he's entering the entertainment industry. Damn it, Lu Yanchu, what are you thinking?]
The comment accusing Lu Yanchu of poor judgment blew up. Plenty of people actually wanted Ji Ting to debut and told the commenter to shut up.
Fang Jie came out of Ji Yanzhi's office, intending to deliver some documents to the finance department, only to find another secretary playing on his phone.
He walked over and knocked twice on the man's desk. "Slacking off during work? Do you want to get-"
Before he could finish, the other man looked up blankly, then turned his phone screen toward him. "Fang Jie, isn't this the Second Young Master?"
Before you continue