"Sure." Gao Yuan was only responsible for passing on the message; he had never guaranteed they would come. He simply started gossiping right there. "Xie Weishui is a completely different person on and off camera."
"Obviously." Chi Li leaned sideways against the doorframe. "Aren't you going to get Shen Xunye?"
"I already did. He said to get him if you were going..." Gao Yuan lowered his voice. "Did you two know each other before?"
"No." Even if Gao Yuan barely counted as half an ally, Chi Li had no intention of sharing his secrets with him.
"Then I guess coming in together just naturally made you closer." Gao Yuan supplied a reasonable explanation for Shen Xunye's behavior himself. "...Since you're not going to see Xie Weishui, let me give you a heads-up."
"Come in and tell me." Chi Li stepped aside, motioning for Gao Yuan to enter.
"Okay," Gao Yuan said.
Chi Li shut the dorm room door and dragged a stool over from the wall for Gao Yuan. "Uh, there's no water in here. You'll have to make do."
"It's fine." Gao Yuan couldn't care less about that. "I'll get straight to it. Xie Weishui gathers people in the audiovisual room for a little meeting every day. First, he criticizes whoever didn't perform well during the livestream, then he starts assigning tomorrow's scripts."
Chi Li was both surprised and speechless. "Every day?"
Whatever else could be said about Xie Weishui, he certainly had plenty of energy.
"Yes, every day." Gao Yuan nodded emphatically. "For certain reasons, I haven't attended in two months... But he invited me again today. Probably because of you guys."
Chi Li was curious. "Why do the others accept this kind of... control?"
"Because his scripts... really can give people a temporary boost in popularity."
"Hasn't a single person noticed that all the scripts he gives them are supporting roles?"
After watching three days of livestreams, Chi Li had easily figured out the Raising House's ecosystem.
"In this script, Xie Weishui is the only protagonist. Fang Jin and Zhou Yang are the main supporting characters who enhance his appeal, while everyone else plays minor supporting roles that make the protagonist shine. Even you, who don't have a script, automatically take on the role of the villain who picks fights with the protagonist."
Gao Yuan looked stunned.
That last sentence hit him like a blow to the head.
He had figured out the first half himself, and had even thought being excluded from the "meetings" was a good thing, since it meant he didn't have to follow Xie Weishui's arrangements.
But he had never considered that this was actually another form of arrangement.
"You're so caught up in opposing Xie Weishui that you've completely forgotten to show who you are," Chi Li pointed out.
"You're right..." Enlightenment dawned on Gao Yuan, followed by a bitter smile. "I really do care far too much about his presence."
"It's fine. I'm here now." Chi Li smiled at him. "Just leave opposing him to me."
Gao Yuan didn't doubt for a second that Chi Li was capable of it.
At least during today's welcome party and dinner, Chi Li had been the protagonist whose screen time absolutely crushed Xie Weishui's.
"Do... do you have some kind of grudge against him?" Gao Yuan asked uneasily.
"No." Chi Li shook his head. "If anything, you could even say he did me a favor."
He really was grateful to Xie Weishui for taking that bastard Zhou Yang away from him.
"Huh? Then..." Gao Yuan's eyes widened.
"I'm not repaying kindness with enmity." Chi Li knew what Gao Yuan was thinking. "I just benefited from something he did, but he didn't do it specifically for my sake."
The favor was only a joke. He really couldn't treat Xie Weishui as his benefactor.
"If you put it that way, he's done me a favor too." Gao Yuan laughed. "Seventy percent of my current paying viewers are his anti-fans."
"Mm... I suppose that's just human nature." Chi Li smiled. "After all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend."
"But I still don't know why you want to 'oppose' him," Gao Yuan said honestly.
"This is a workplace." Chi Li pointed out the show's true nature. "If you want good results, you have to compete for resources, and resources are limited. It's that simple."
The main livestream always had the most viewers, and those viewers were all potential paying customers. Some small detail might be all it took to make them want to pay.
If you didn't compete for screen time on the main livestream, you would never win over that group of viewers willing to spend money.
Compared with cautiously trying to sneak into a shot, stealing the spotlight was much less trouble.
"Master, I have attained enlightenment," Gao Yuan said.
"Of course, disliking his personality and the way he acts is also one reason I chose to oppose him rather than fit in."
"I knew it!" Gao Yuan clenched both fists. "The way he acts is just so damn annoying! But-I'm still a little worried about you."
"No need..."
Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock-
Before Chi Li could finish, urgent knocking rang out.
He knew who was outside without having to ask.
"Chi Li-open the door!" Zhou Yang's loud voice carried through the door.
Gao Yuan immediately rose from his chair, unable to suppress his nerves. "They probably sent someone to hurry us up because I haven't brought you guys over."
"It's fine. I'll handle it."
Chi Li walked to the door and pulled it open.
Zhou Yang still had his hand raised to pound on the door, his face looking somewhat contorted.
...So ugly.
Without the "boyfriend filter," looking at this man's face grew more disgusting by the day.
"Get lost," Chi Li said succinctly.
"What's with the tantrum? We're asking you to come to the meeting for your own... Gao Yuan?!" Before Zhou Yang could finish, Gao Yuan, seated inside Chi Li's room, caught his attention. "What the fuck are you doing in his room?"
This guy had been clinging to Chi Li during the day, and now he'd fucking followed him into his room!
Did he have any shame?
"What?" Gao Yuan didn't really understand why Zhou Yang was so agitated. "What's it got to do with you?"
"Everything!"
Furious, Zhou Yang shoved aside Gao Yuan, who had come out to speak, then dragged Chi Li into the room and swiftly shut the door.
Chi Li frowned in pain and forcefully shook off Zhou Yang's hand. "Are you sick in the head?"
"Chi Li, I admit you've won." Zhou Yang's eyes were red. "Seeing you being close with other men hurts like hell. I won't give you the cold shoulder anymore. Let's get back together right now."
A question mark slowly appeared over Chi Li's head.
"I give up." Zhou Yang's voice was heavy with pain. "Will you please stop deliberately trying to upset me?"
"Do you think you're acting in an idol drama?" Chi Li almost laughed in anger. "Who are you trying to have some tortured romance with?"
"Stop denying it." Zhou Yang stepped forward and gripped Chi Li's shoulders with both hands. "Unless you wanted to get back together with me, I can't think of any reason for you to come here."
He abruptly pinned Chi Li against the wall, puckered his thick lips, and forced them down toward him.
Chi Li turned his head to dodge the kiss that disgusted him just to look at, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
He drove his knee hard into the other man's crotch in one clean, decisive movement.
Zhou Yang screamed and crumpled to the floor.
Chi Li looked down at his face, twisted in pain. "I was wrong. Idol dramas don't cast male leads as ugly as you these days."