Young Master

Sheng Ke said, "I understand being in love and feeling the same way, but aren't you two the exact opposite? Someone who's truly interested in you won't need you to get on your knees and beg for his affection. You only got to hold his hand because you insisted on forcing things."

"Wait, how have I forced him to do anything?"

"You offered him something tempting, and he's just making an exchange with you. That's not affection, and it won't turn into affection. If you insist on making him fall for you, that's forcing things."

Zou Yan fell into thought.

"Take my advice," Sheng Ke said, hitting the nail on the head. "If you're throwing money and resources at him to get close to him, don't expect him to fall in love with your soul. It's enough if he loves your money and resources."

He knew how competitive and proud Zou Yan was. Although he had established himself through wealth and power, he still wanted people to admire him for his talent and personal charm.

Wasn't that a contradiction?

"Seriously, man," Zou Yan said, studying him, "why are you always telling people to break up instead of make up? I've noticed you really want to split us up."

"People forced together won't be happy," Sheng Ke said. "That's my simple view of love."

"You're wrong. These days, everyone says a forcibly twisted melon is the sweetest."

"Suit yourself. I won't be the one suffering when the time comes."

Zou Yan thought their relationship hadn't reached the point where a phrase as serious as "a forcibly twisted melon" applied. He and Xie Yibai were both willing. Though there was an element of exchange, they had an understanding.

It could hardly be called a "transaction." They were simply each getting what they needed.

But he couldn't accept that the only thing about him worth liking was his material wealth, rather than who he was inside.

People were greedy, after all.

Xie Yibai had no idea he had caused someone else so much trouble. If he had witnessed Zou Yan and Sheng Ke's conversation, he would only have said, "Brother Yan, you're overthinking it. I've always run hot and cold."

He wasn't singling Zou Yan out, nor could it be called punishment. Whenever he was unhappy, he simply didn't feel like dealing with people.

Besides, there were several overlapping reasons for his unhappiness. Recently, his Blue and White CP with Qi Lan had been hyped up all over the internet. Forum threads introducing the ship had gone viral, and fan-made edits and photoshopped images kept appearing.

The suddenly popular CP had been given a nickname corresponding to "Blue Fields Produce Jade": "Blue Sky and White Clouds."

A Chu had been working overtime to find out who was leading the hype, but the original posters of the first few massive threads had newly registered accounts, and marketing accounts were reposting everything on Weibo.

Among the creators posting on video sites, some had paid channels for commercial editing, while others were doing it purely for love.

The scale of the hype and the one-stop dissemination channels made it obvious that a professional company was behind it.

CPs were usually hyped to attract viewers to dramas or variety shows, helping platforms and production teams make money. Later, fans were put through emotional turmoil to purify the fandom, helping celebrities gain fans, sell products, and harvest their followers.

But the only variety show he and Qi Lan had filmed together had been taken down ages ago.

No one stood to profit from their CP becoming popular, including the two of them.

Xie Yibai hadn't joined a production in six months, but he had continued making public appearances. His fans were fiercely devoted, and every event drew enormous crowds. He didn't need to pay to generate that kind of buzz. Qi Lan, meanwhile, was a top star; hyping a CP with anyone would be charity for the other person.

A Chu said, "I reckon he really did give the go-ahead himself."

"Why?" Xie Yibai couldn't understand. The next time he and Qi Lan met, they should have been enemies glaring daggers at each other.

"Even you know that whoever Qi Lan hypes a CP with, they'll be leeching off him and he'll be doing them a favor. How could his fans not know? His fans are vicious. Now that you're in a CP with him, not only can his toxic solo stans not stand you, but the fans of his most popular CP, Blue Fields Produce Jade, hate you even more. The way they started threads to curse you out-tsk, tsk, they were gnashing their teeth! They wanted to eat you alive.

"But there's one very strange thing. The different fandoms have already had several rounds of fights, yet those popular threads introducing the ship are still sitting untouched on the front page. I've been watching for days. Why hasn't anyone reported them? Someone must have pulled some strings." A Chu laid out her reasoning methodically. "Trust me, Teacher Xiaobai. Only an artist's official team stepping in could pull that off."

Xie Yibai said in horror, "Qi Lan is hyping a CP with me? What does he want out of it?"

"Who knows?" A Chu shrugged. "Let's wait and see. Sooner or later, he'll give himself away. All's fair in war, and I have a plan!"

Xie Yibai had reaped the benefits of great popularity, but he had also suffered when anti-fans violated his right to his reputation. The fabricated narratives they spread could sway many people, and the power of rumors was not to be underestimated.

Hearing how reliable A Chu was, he said with mixed feelings, "Then I'm counting on you... my strategist."

These problems and troubles brought on by online attention came with the acting career he had chosen. There was nothing he could do but endure them.

But he was still very unhappy. Who would be happy to be paired in a CP with their archenemy? Every time he went online, he saw his name tied to the person he hated most.

If only there were a battle royale variety show. He would invite Qi Lan on it and fight him to the death.

Damn it, damn it, damn it.

He had a temper too, and the truth was exactly the opposite of Zou Yan's deduction-he showed Zou Yan this dejected side of himself because he had accepted him in his heart.

He and Zou Yan were close now, so he could show his happiness, anger, sorrow, and joy on his face. If he were still as guarded as he had been at first, he would have had to force a smile.

It was such a shame Zou Yan couldn't understand that.

He didn't need anyone to coax him, either. Once his mood passed, he would be smiling more sweetly than anyone.

Xie Yibai remained in a sulk, drifting through each day with his mind elsewhere. Before long, he received the production notice for the film There Will Always Be Someone in the World Who Loves You.

Lin Wen, the second male lead he played, had only four scenes, and his lines weren't difficult. He had memorized them all. However, the locations were more complicated, requiring travel between two cities. If they kept to a tight schedule, they could finish filming within a week.

Yin Ran had told him in advance that she wouldn't be going with him, so he brought only A Chu and his assistant Xiaodao.

To his surprise, Zou Yan came on the day he joined the production. He had booked a room at the same hotel and said he would stay with him on set for the whole week.

Xiaodao was putting away the luggage in the room, while A Chu was busy making and answering calls.

Xie Yibai brought Zou Yan in from the corridor and asked in surprise, "Isn't this making a bit too much of a fuss? Isn't it too high-profile?"

Zou Yan closed the door and asked him, "Are you going to send me away, then?"

"No, I wouldn't..." Xie Yibai said. "I'm just afraid it'll hurt your reputation if word gets out."

What would people think if word got out that the famous film producer spent all day following him, an actor known for web dramas, and hanging around the set of an urban romance starring someone else?

"My reputation can't get much worse than it already is," Zou Yan said breezily. "Or is it that you don't want to see me?"

Before joining a production, Xie Yibai always dealt with his mental obstacles so his personal feelings wouldn't affect his work. He tilted his head up, a dimple appearing on one side of his pursed mouth, and said with great reserve, "Then I'll allow you to follow me."

Zou Yan received only those words of permission, but his heart was sweeter than if he had drunk honey. He reached out to pinch Xie Yibai's cheek and poked a finger into his dimple. "You should smile more, Xiaobai."

Chapter 36: Young Master

After six months away, Xie Yibai was joining a production again. Such happy news had to be shared with a photo or two of him going to work and a behind-the-scenes clip, to make his fans happy and let them know he hadn't let them down and was working hard.

Fans who followed his offline activities had their ways of finding out his schedule, and hired photographers stationed themselves along his routes to and from work. The moment he got out of the car, camera lenses of every size were thrust at him, and Xiaodao's cries of "Don't push, don't push" were drowned out by the clicking of shutters.

Whenever and wherever it happened, Xie Yibai was always shocked by his fans' enthusiasm. In the past, it had been a pleasant surprise; now, it was a fright.

When he hadn't been so popular, he would accept the letters his fans wrote, sign autographs for each of them, and chat with them. Once he became famous, he no longer dared. After learning his lesson the hard way, he was even more afraid of attracting trouble now that he was famous. These days, all he could do was keep a cold face and pretend to be deaf and mute.

Xiaodao held back the crowd and cleared a path for him, while A Chu stayed right at his side.

Zou Yan was with him. As someone who worked behind the scenes, he wasn't used to such a spectacle, but he remembered that Xie Yibai feared sun exposure, so he took the umbrella from A Chu and opened it to shield him from the sun overhead.

Xie Yibai was dressed very much like Lin Wen today: his short hair fell naturally loose, and he wore a pure white shirt tucked into his waistband, with straight-leg trousers covering his slender, graceful legs.

The mass of dark figures around him and the black umbrella made him stand out at the center of the scene, like a white crane passing through a forest of dawn redwoods.

No sooner had he left than videos and photos of the scene appeared online.

The light was good today, and the angle happened to be just right. His clothes and appearance contrasted clearly with the people and scenery around him, producing an excellent effect on camera. The unedited photos were eye-catching enough; with filters and music added to turn them into a short video, its appeal went without saying.

Xie Yibai's fans had waited months for him to join a production. Coming across this set of photos was like rain after a long drought, and they emerged to celebrate, sending activity in his super topic soaring.

@RippleSnowWhite: He's finally joined a production! Clocking in for work.

[Image][Image][Image]

[Image][Image][Video]

[Video][Image][Image]

5,634 reposts 1,254 comments 12,000 likes

--

@Wh9234: Baby is so beautiful today, a jade Guanyin //@CheeseKaka: Fuck aaah this is just... help //@CharcoalGrilledFishBalls: Holy shit... //@TrigonometryImmortal: Master level //@AuroraFlyingCloud8: Kissing his eyes, kissing his mouth, kissing the back of his hand //@YoungMasterNeverSmiledAgain: That face, that figure, that angle, they're all perfect, my work of art, help aaaaah

@DeterminedToSpeakMyMind: Husband, could you slap me for no reason? //@SheepfoldLeadWolf: I want to transmigrate into the guy holding the umbrella beside him [frustrated][frustrated]

@WhaleFallIslandGone: So beautiful I'm fainting... Master, please bestow your favor [spicy][spicy]

A Chu refreshed the fandom updates in real time. She also thought today's photos were skillfully taken, natural and unforced, with atmosphere to spare.

But the immediate visual impact wasn't just because Xie Yibai was so good-looking. Zou Yan had also played his part well beside him.