Feng Yiqian froze at those words, then his face instantly flushed bright red.
He lost all interest in bantering with the reporters. Turning around, he opened the door and shoved Tao Zhiyan inside, then waved them off. "Go on, clear out! We're closed! I'm off the clock! No more questions!"
Then he slammed the door shut with a bang.
That night, they earned themselves two Trending Topics:
#TheFengFamilyButlerTheAncientGreekGodOfBeauty#
#Feng Yiqian Brand New and Unopened#
The moment the interview went public, netizens swarmed in. Some found it hilarious, while others accused Feng Yiqian of shamelessly manufacturing publicity. The buzz was enormous.
[LMAO, does "brand new and unopened" mean Feng Yiqian is still a virgin?]
[Hahahahahahaha, he looks like such a flashy playboy and spends every day cultivating that womanizing heartbreaker image, but he's actually a virgin!!!]
[I don't think this hashtag works. It should be "Feng Yiqian, the ancient Greek god of virgins"!]
[? Can you people stop being ridiculous? Just because the butler says he's a virgin, that makes him one?]
[Stop trying to whitewash him. Photos of him screwing a fan already trended, okay? And he sounded so practiced asking a fan to hook up in that recording. He obviously does this all the time???]
[Anyone making light of this is either stupid or malicious! Don't you know how serious sleeping with fans is? And he's suspected of taking drugs too. Anyway, Feng Yiqian, you criminal scumbag, go die!!!]
[People online these days really believe anything after a couple of excuses. Not a brain among them.]
[Stop worshipping men, seriously. Trash like Feng Yiqian deserves to be exposed and utterly destroyed, okay??]
At the dining table, Feng Yiqian frantically scrolled through the comments, his brows knitted the entire time.
When Tao Zhiyan brought over the food and set it in front of them, Feng Yiqian slapped the table and pointed at him. "Big brother!!! Look at him!!!"
Startled, Tao Zhiyan swiftly pulled back his hands and blinked in confusion.
Who? Me?
Feng Ze had been lost in thought, and Feng Yiqian's slap on the table startled him too.
Feng Ze took a deep breath, then lifted his gaze, his voice icy. "This had better be important."
But Feng Yiqian completely missed Feng Ze's mood and continued excitedly, "It is! It is!!"
"Big brother! Butler Tao's bullying me! He told all those people I was brand new and unopened!" Feng Yiqian held his phone up in front of Feng Ze, swiping rapidly as he complained. "Look, look! It's on the Trending Topics now!! They're all calling me a little virgin!!!"
Feng Ze looked at Feng Yiqian. "Aren't you?"
"I am! But he can't say that! A man has his pride!" Looking deadly serious, Feng Yiqian countered, "Would you be happy if someone called you an old virgin?"
Feng Ze: "..."
Clack.
Feng Ze set his chopsticks down on the table.
Tao Zhiyan hurried to smooth things over. "Third Young Master, those reporters were asking me about it. Of course I had to help clear your name."
"That still doesn't mean you can say that about me!" Feng Yiqian pulled his phone back and placed both hands on the table, looking at Feng Ze. "Big brother, I've never asked you for anything, but today I'm begging you. Please get that hashtag taken down!"
Having just been called an old virgin, Feng Ze clearly had no intention of helping him.
Wounded by Feng Ze's indifference, Feng Yiqian wanted to cry but had no tears. He lowered his head and kept scrolling through the Trending Topics.
His fingers tapped noisily against the phone screen. He sniffled, growing sadder the more he scrolled. "Fine, call me a virgin."
"But why is Butler Tao's hashtag ranked higher than mine? I'm only sixth, and Butler Tao's second?" The more Feng Yiqian thought about it, the more miserable he felt. He tilted his head toward the heavens and lamented, "Have I really become irrelevant?!"
Tao Zhiyan thought, You just admitted to the reporters that you were a washed-up celebrity. Why are you getting upset about it now?
Feng Ze, who had remained silent all this time, finally reacted. He looked up at Tao Zhiyan and said, "Contact my assistant. Have the trending hashtag removed."
"Big brother!" Feng Yiqian instantly sat up straight, his lips curling into a smile. He wriggled in his chair, wheedling, "Bro~~ I knew you were the best~~ I'll alw-"
Feng Ze paid no attention whatsoever to what he was saying.
He simply kept looking at Tao Zhiyan and said quietly, "Have yours taken down."
Feng Yiqian cut himself off. "???"
Tao Zhiyan was a little overwhelmed by the unexpected consideration. "Mine?"
Feng Ze gave a quiet hum of assent.
Tao Zhiyan glanced at Feng Yiqian. "What about the Third Young Master's hashtag?"
"Yeah, yeah, what about mine?" Feng Yiqian stared at Feng Ze.
Feng Ze gave Feng Yiqian a cool glance and sneered. "Fend for yourself, little virgin."
Feng Yiqian's eyes went wide. "!!!?"
Seriously, why are you such a vindictive old virgin?
You cold, heartless capitalist!!
In the end, Feng Ze had Feng Yiqian's embarrassing hashtag removed too.
While he was at it, he asked someone why Feng Yiqian's career opportunities had dwindled so drastically.
He wasn't in the entertainment industry, but given his position, asking a few questions was hardly difficult.
The person on the other end was vague. "People in the industry originally thought you were Yiqian's backer, but once they realized you weren't getting involved, fewer people bothered to curry favor with him."
The Feng brothers didn't have much contact with one another. Apart from the youngest, Feng Cheng, who had previously stayed home living off the family, the other two had long since gone out on their own.
Feng Yiqian in particular hated using connections. He repeatedly insisted that Feng Ze shouldn't secure opportunities for him; he wanted to rely on his own abilities.
And Feng Yiqian was capable. He had ranked first when he was admitted to the Imperial Drama Academy.
His acting was solid, and his looks were a gift from heaven. He had inherited his mother's face and his father's height. Even a stroll down the street could earn him invitations from several talent scouts.
"Just because of that?" Feng Ze didn't think that explanation held up.
"...Well, not entirely. There were other things too..." The person hesitated for a moment, then explained what had happened.
After listening, Feng Ze hung up, his gaze dark and unreadable.
Early the next morning, Feng Ze left for work while Feng Yiqian stood admiring himself in the mirror.
"That's odd. Where's my second brother?" Feng Yiqian muttered as he fussed with his hair.
Hearing that, Tao Zhiyan blinked.
Feng Yan had gone to look for Bai Ruan.
In a city as huge as the Imperial Capital, finding someone who was deliberately hiding was like looking for a needle in a haystack. It was practically impossible. And Bai Ruan was about to leave the country, too.
Tao Zhiyan pressed his lips together.
Who knows how long Feng Yan will keep searching? I still haven't given him the book Bai Ruan asked me to pass along.
"Oh, right, Butler Tao." Feng Yiqian turned to look at Tao Zhiyan, raised his eyebrows, and flashed a confident smile. "Can you take me for a urine test in a bit? To thank you, I'll treat you to my music festival today."
Tao Zhiyan had never been to a music festival, so he asked casually, "What kind of music festival?"
"Just, you know, a place to dance and party." Feng Yiqian wasn't sure how to explain it either. "Anyway, I'll be performing on the same stage as a few other singers. We each sing two or three songs. The crowd gets really hyped."
"Want to come?"
Since transmigrating here, Tao Zhiyan hadn't really gone out for fun except for that trip to the escape room. He didn't have many friends and didn't know where to go. His days had consisted of going to work and coming home, and he had been cooped up for a long time.
Hearing Feng Yiqian's invitation made him genuinely happy, so he nodded. "Sure. I'll go."
Before you continue