The trending topic was full of screenshots of his private messages.
"Wifey! I love you so much!
I really regret not meeting you sooner, but from now on, I'll do my best to protect you!
Wifey, I hope things keep getting better for you, that you get more and more stages to perform on, and that you achieve your dreams!"
This was a private message from a new fan, a heartfelt blessing that even Wen Jiu himself found heartwarming.
Yet the reply this little sweetheart received was-
"You unfilial child! I'm your daddy! Hahaha, didn't see that coming, did you? I'm your dad, ever-changing. You came rushing over to get roasted, so there's nothing I can do.
Hahaha, don't tell me you're already triggered? You little punk!
Did Daddy's words pierce your chest like an ancient knight's sharp sword?
Is your head now full of thoughts of dropping to your knees and begging Daddy for mercy?
If possible, please take back what you said. I never knew the fine traditional Chinese written language could be so lethal coming from your mouth. It's like surviving a nuclear explosion only to suddenly trip over a rock and never get back up again.
You've really mastered the art of words, huh, you unfilial child! Here in my dark basement, I'm grateful you haven't died of your own stupidity yet, or I might actually miss the day you die. Forget it, I haven't even figured out how to live yet, so you go die first, hahahaha!"
Several angrily scowling reaction memes were attached at the end.
Wen Jiu: ...
That new fan was probably a little sweetheart too. Not expecting this style of reply, they sent three question marks in a row.
The reply they received was still "you unfilial child," blah, blah, blah.
Wen Jiu admitted that this one really had been unethical of him.
But what could he do?
Back then, his inbox had been full of haters and keyboard warriors coming to curse him out. Wen Jiu had gotten so angry that he changed his automatic reply.
You like cursing people out, don't you? Keep it coming. For every insult, you get to call me Daddy a few times.
Either way, once they traded replies, he wasn't losing out too badly.
He never expected friendly fire.
Wen Jiu didn't even need to open the other screenshots to know they must be disastrous.
There were also plenty of netizens who had caught wind of the drama and specifically sent him private messages.
No wonder he had received so many messages.
Wen Jiu pursed his lips and switched back to the old text.
"Thank you for being willing to share your joy and sadness with me. Thank you for your support. I hope we'll all do well! Let's improve together and achieve our dreams together. Keep going, keep going! Love yourself and work hard to grow stronger! (heart) (cheering)"
Look, how sweet and lovely, how warm, sunny, and positive!
That was more like it. Wen Jiu rubbed his nose and posted on Weibo.
[I've changed the automatic reply back. Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to get to be everyone's daddy for so long (slides to knees). Please forgive any offense caused (palms pressed together)]
Within seconds, the comments had piled sky-high. When he opened them, they were all laughing at him.
[That's what you get for being a little menace. Got smacked, didn't you?]
[I'm dying. Wifey definitely did this to clap back at the haters. What a power move. No one beats Wifey when it comes to being wicked, hahaha.]
[Have you forgotten the director by Daming Lake who got put through the rice harvester's chug-chugging?]
[Who would dare forget? I don't want Wifey to smack me to death with a concrete slab.]
[Brother Qu is probably going to lose his mind again, hahaha.]
Wen Jiu scrambled to soothe his manager and promised he wouldn't mess around again.
Then he lay in bed and studied the variety show coming up.
"Blazing Stage" was a competitive music variety show with an elimination format.
There were five performance rounds, each corresponding to a different theme.
Seven contestants would compete in total. Two would be eliminated in the preliminary round alone, followed by one each round until the overall champion was chosen.
It was all about getting the heart racing.
Even more excitingly, the entire show would also be livestreamed. Each person got only one vote, with weighted scoring from viewers online in the livestream, the live audience, and music industry professionals. No pitch correction, no postproduction, no backroom dealings-everything was open and transparent.
Livestreaming could easily expose flaws in a singer's performance, with even the slightest imperfection potentially magnified. Conversely, it was also the most effective way to demonstrate a singer's ability.
Wen Jiu raised a hand to rub his chin, his eyes sparkling.
Feng Chi was working on the sofa beside him. Seeing Wen Jiu so excited that he wished he could immediately get up and head to the company to practice dancing, he couldn't help curling his lips into a soft chuckle.
His wifey had confessed to him, and his wifey was also very pleased with the variety show he had arranged. Feng Chi was in a very good mood.
Yet that good mood plummeted first thing the next morning when Wen Jiu's movements as he got up woke him.
"Wifey..."
Wen Jiu was sitting on the edge of the bed, putting on his trousers as quietly as possible, when a clingy big dog suddenly pressed up against him from behind, wrapped both arms around his waist, and nuzzled his head against the small of his back.
"Where are you going so early?"
"Ah, did I wake you?" Wen Jiu stroked the man's head guiltily and whispered, "Lie back down and sleep. I'm getting up to move around a bit, then I'm planning to head to the company early and take a look."
At that moment, the first reaction in Feng Chi's slightly muddled brain was, Is Wifey coming to work with me?
Wen Jiu slipped his other leg into his trousers and muttered softly, "It's my first time meeting my new boss. I should get up early. After saying hello, I'll go to the vocal practice room and discuss things with the teacher."
The theme keyword for the first performance was "stunning."
Wen Jiu wanted to catch everyone's eye from the very first round, so he decided to bring out an original song he had once released in the real world.
Yesterday afternoon, while lying on the bed with nothing to do, Wen Jiu had written down the lyrics and music.
Wen Xiaojiu planned to choreograph the dance today.
"...Hmm?" In the darkness, Feng Chi opened his eyes and realized his wifey was going to Starlight Entertainment.
He felt around for his phone and checked it.
4:30 a.m.
Feng Chi: "..."
Even at his busiest at the end of the year, Feng Chi got up at five and went to bed at midnight.
President Feng firmly believed that only a regular routine and sufficient sleep could ensure normal, efficient work during the day.
This law, which President Feng held to be the truth, faced an unprecedented challenge in Wen Xiaojiu.
"If you go now, no one at the company will be at work yet." Overwhelmingly sleepy but gentle, Feng Chi pulled Wen Jiu back under the covers, his voice indistinct. "Sleep a little longer, okay?"
"You went to sleep so late last night. Sleep a little longer..."
As he spoke, the man's voice grew quieter and quieter, until his breathing evened out again.
Poor little Wen Xiaojiu still had his trousers hanging around his knees when he was bundled groggily back into this warm little nest.
A large hand held his waist firmly, his whole body pressed into the man's arms.
Wen Jiu hesitated for a long time, but in the end, he couldn't bear to move.
Last night, inspiration had poured out of him, and he had rearranged the song in a style better suited to the stage.
He hadn't finished the arrangement until midnight.
However late Wen Xiaojiu stayed up, Little Hubby Feng stayed up with him. Only when he finally couldn't hold out any longer had he firmly stuffed him under the covers and wrapped him up, forcing Wen Xiaojiu's brain to shut down.
Now, just like last night, Wen Jiu blinked his sparkling eyes in the dimness, utterly unable to sleep.
He took out his phone, dimmed the screen all the way, and turned his back to Feng Chi to start browsing.
After his usual surfing, Wen Jiu struggled inwardly for a moment but still couldn't resist secretly opening the Lasting CP Super Topic.
For the record, he wasn't shipping them. He just wanted to see how many more strange little sweet moments the fans had edited together after the variety show ended.
But before he could even open a shipping video, a particularly eye-catching and wicked title diverted his attention.
"An Illustrated Guide to Wen Xiaojiu's Silly Antics"
The thumbnail showed him from behind, waving while driving the rice harvester, with three sides styled like Spring Festival couplets.
Left couplet: Watch once every day
Right couplet: Send your worries away
Heading: Do not open
Wen Jiu: ...
Wen Jiu huffed, fished his earphones out from under the pillow, and put them on.
Don't want me to open it? I'm going to anyway!
It was a meme remix video, and it was actually several minutes longer than that shipping video that had broken out of the fandom.
The background music was "A Laugh Hangs by a Thread."
"..."
Wen Jiu felt his respectable soul had been insulted.