Referring to - 22

Chapter 22

Because Lin Zixi's endorsement of Esther had not been announced to the public, his trip to B City this time was actually confidential, so his fanclub did not organize fans to pick him up and see him off at the airport.

However, some evil wind began to blow ever since the domestic fan circles had followed in the footsteps of neighboring countries. A popular young actor like Lin Zixi who took the route of idol as well as actor would inevitably have one or two illegitimate fans. Unfortunately, one of them happened to have bought young actor Lin's flight information from the hand of a celebrity news trafficker this time and was waiting for him at B City’s airport.

As soon as the news of Lin Zixi's flight BY2628 being forced to land in N City came out, this illegitimate fan’s Weibo of ‘Pray for blessings for Brother Zixi *cry*’ detonated her ‘Brother Zixi’ fan circle. The entertainment news reporters and marketing accounts who had been worrying about the lack of big news recently were also very excited that they acted at once upon hearing this news.

Therefore, by the time Lin Zixi and Gu Zecheng completed the plane transfer procedures and went to the VIP lounge to wait for boarding, ‘Lin Zixi flight BY2628’ had already climbed to the fourth place on Weibo’s hot search list—this was under the circumstances where Stars Entertainment did not spend any money.

"I’ve already contacted Esther and postponed the shooting of the advertisement until tomorrow morning. When you and Xiao Zhang arrive at B City today, take a good rest and relax, okay." Chen Yunyun sighed and continued to talk on the phone, "The company's phone has almost been rung off the hook. It’s estimated that some reporters and their ilk will buy your flight information and wait at B City’s airport. If you don't have the energy to deal with them, I’ll contact the airport to provide you with VIP passage service. "

Lin Zixi, who had had a narrow escape, was still in shock and certainly not in the mood to entangle with the media and illegitimate fans. "I remember that I have an endorsement event next Tuesday. I think I’ll accept the interview by the media at that time…. Sorry to trouble you, Sister Yunyun."

“You're too polite..." Chen Yunyun comforted Lin Zixi with a few more words and exhorted before hanging up the phone, "Don't forget to post on Weibo to appease your fans. They’re all worried sick."

"Absolutely." After young actor Lin ended the phone call, he opened the selfie camera and took a selfie of himself looking energetic. Then he posted the photo on his Weibo with the caption: "This roller coaster is too exciting *doge*".

He also gave a brief report to his mom, Mrs. Lin, on WeChat that he was safe and sound. After turning off his mobile phone and putting it away, he sighed with a tired look on his face.

"You have the media staring at you when you travel?" Dad Gu, who was sitting next to Lin Zixi, vaguely heard some of the conversations between him and his agent and could not help but feel a little sorry, "Being a star isn’t easy."

Young actor Lin sighed, "No. This time it's because of an illegitimate fan…."

"Illegitimate fan?" Big Boss Gu naturally had never heard of such a fan circle culture term.

"It's fans who like to stalk and take pictures of stars. The moderate ones guard the hotels and tail behind chartered cars, while some extreme ones can even dig out the stars’ home addresses and move to that area to be their neighbor." Lin Zixi sighed again. "Fortunately, my illegitimate fans aren’t too crazy, otherwise I would've been photographed by them the couple of times I went to your house."

Gu Zecheng's expression became serious, "Isn't this a crime?! What are children thinking nowadays?"

Seeing his dad speak like this, young actor Lin suddenly became energetic and began to popularize the fan circle culture for Dad Gu, whom ‘had never seen this side of the world’. From official fanclub to group fans and ‘poisonous fans’, pure fans and CP fans.

In the end, he sighed with some admiration, "Actually, I’ve always admired the brain holes and imaginations of CP fans. They really can make an associative connection between short sleeves and illegitimate sons, and a hug can be rounded up to the level of getting a marriage certificate. For example, a stud earrring I just bought last month is very similar to the one Qiu Lianyi wore last year, so they’re firmly regarded as a couple earrings by those 'LianXi Fufu' fans and a solid proof of official candy…. It made my agent specially come to tell me not to wear it any more."

After Lin Zixi finished speaking, he added regretfully, "It’s specially customized by me and quite expensive, too. In the end, I could only wear it once."

Like other children who secretly had their ears pierced behind their parents' backs, Lin Zixi deliberately did not wear the stud earring when he met with his dad before. Until he accidentally divulged it, and now the man beside him knew that he had a pierced ear.

After Gu Zecheng heard Lin Zixi's words, he subconsciously fixed his gaze at Lin Zixi's left ear and really found a hardly noticeable mark on the dainty and delicate earlobe.

Dad Gu's line of sight moved from Lin Zixi's ears to his face and then turned towards his pure white neck. For some reason, he was suddenly very interested in seeing this young man wearing a stud earring—perhaps a diamond one would be best?

Gu Zecheng's throat rolled slightly. Then he withdrew his gaze, uttered one of his doubts, and at the same time changed the subject: "Qiu Lianyi? This name sounds like the name of a male star..."

Young actor Lin's whole body stiffened being asked this by his own dad. Only then did he realize that he had actually disclosed to Gu Zecheng information that should not be disclosed—although he and Qiu Lianyi were only business CP commonly seen in the entertainment circle, but as a gay man who had not come out of the closet, he lacked self-confidence and had a guilty conscience when dealing with his gold master daddy.

Lin Zixi touched his nose and replied awkwardly and perfunctorily, "It's a male star...haha…. Speaking of children nowadays, their brains are just different, hahaha..."

Gu Zecheng frowned and opened his mouth to say something.

Fortunately, the airline's service staff came at this moment to inform them that their new flight was about to take off and asked the passengers in the VIP lounge to board the plane, interrupting Dad Gu's words.

Lin Zixi pretended not to notice that his dad had another lecture for him. He hurriedly called his assistant, Xiao Zhang, and boarded the plane. Once this wimp was seated in his seat, he showed an extremely tired look and began to pretend to fall asleep.

Although young actor Lin was pretending to fall asleep, he was indeed very tired because he had been filming all night and went through a torment of life and death today. So he had not pretended for too long before he really fell asleep.

When Lin Zixi woke up, the plane was about to arrive at B City safely.

He patted the shoulder of the man sitting in the row ahead and asked, "My agent has helped me contact the airport in B City, so I can take the express passage later. Do you want to go with me?"

Gu Zecheng waved his hand and refused politely. "No, I have an old friend who will pick me up."

It was only then that Lin Zixi remembered that his dad was a second-generation soldier who grew up in B City and only moved to S City after he started his own company and expanded his business. This city could be considered as half of his dad's home field, so his concern was obviously unneeded.

However, Gu Zecheng still left with Lin Zixi in the end—it was not because there were media or illegitimate fans waiting for him outside, but….

"Zecheng, this way!" They had just gotten off the plane from the passenger boarding bridge, and the ‘old friend’ whom Gu Zecheng mentioned was already waiting there.

This location was still a long way from the pick-up area and obviously not the normal pick-up area, not to mention that the other party took Gu Zecheng directly to the VIP passage.

Lin Zixi looked at his dad's friend with some surprise and saw that the other person really looked like a man who was almost forty. He looked slightly older than the young-looking Gu Zecheng and had a more mature and steadier aura. The man was wearing a dark coat, and he didn't look like an airport staff member but a bit like a bookish university professor or lecturer.

But Lin Zixi only needed to meet the other party’s gaze to know that his dad's old friend was definitely not as nice as he appeared to be—this man's gaze was too sharp, like a dagger that would stab straight into people's hearts.

As Lin Zixi silently watched his dad and his dad’s friend, his dad's friend obviously discovered his existence as well.

"Your friend? Aren’t you going to introduce him?" The man asked Gu Zecheng while nodding toward Lin Zixi.

Gu Zecheng glanced at Lin Zixi, and Lin Zixi immediately got the drift and said to his assistant, whom had been following at his side, "Xiao Zhang, you go first to see if the person Esther sent to pick us up is there. We’ll wait for your call."

Assistant Zhang nodded, dragging the small suitcase and leaving quickly.

Only then did Gu Zecheng turn towards his old friend and say, "This is Lin Zixi, the star I’ve mentioned to you before, and he happened to be on the flight BY2628 today…. If you see my old lady in the future, don't mistake his identity."

He stopped for a moment and then introduced his friend to Lin Zixi, "Qiao Weidong. You just call him 'Brother Qiao' in front of the old lady." 

Dad Gu's introduction of his friend was simpler than ever before, but young actor Lin estimated that his dad’s old friend was a wealthy and respectable person, one who would not have any interaction with him in the future. So he just shook hands with the other party calmly and did not care much about Gu Zecheng's omission.

And Qiao Weidong clearly lost interest in Lin Zixi after knowing his identity. He only said two sentences about young actor Lin to Gu Zecheng on their way out of the airport—"He resembles Zeyi a little, but he’s more like you…. If you didn't tell me just now, I'd still think of him as your illegitimate son."

...

……

Damn it, you can eat things indiscriminately, but you must not speak (the truth) indiscriminately, okay?!

Young actor Lin, who was thunderstruck into a white face by a sentence, howled in his heart while frantically peeking at his dad's expression.

Previous | Next

Referring to - 21

Chapter 21

When a loud "bang!" came from the right side of the plane, this passenger plane flying from S City to B City had already climbed to an altitude of 30,000 feet.

Lin Zixi had already dozed off due to tiredness from filming night scenes all night long, but he was suddenly awakened by this unusual sound.

"What happened?" He rubbed his eyes and turned towards Gu Zecheng beside him to inquire.

Gu Zecheng's face was very calm, and so was his tone of voice, but the words he whispered in young actor Lin's ear made people not calm at all—"The engine of the plane may have failed."

"Oh…. What?!" Lin Zixi was a little muddle-headed at first, but he almost jumped out of his seat when he reacted, "You mean the plane..."

He originally wanted to confirm with his dad if he had heard it wrong, but soon, the pungent smoke pouring into the cabin and the fuselage that began to shake violently proved that he had no auditory hallucinations just now.

This time, more than 200 passengers in the entire plane realized that the situation was not right.

A female flight attendant, who tried to sound unperturbed but was actually speaking in a trembling voice, made an announcement, waking up passengers to fasten their seat belts and take relevant safety measures. This announcement confirmed in a roundabout way that the BY2628 flight they were taking now had a high probability of becoming front-page news and lead story in every big media—with a headline that no one liked.

In an instant, frightened screams and helpless weeping came from the cabin behind like a raging tsunami. Even if the flight crew kept going back and forth in the cabin, checking luggage racks and reminding passengers to sit up straight in their seats, their expressions were tense, and their faces pale.

Lin Zixi had lived for more than 20 years in this life and gone through some storms, but this was the first time he encountered such a life-and-death crisis. Infected by the atmosphere in the cabin that was full of fear and desperation, he just couldn’t help but start letting his imagination run wild. 

In case the plane really crashed, would they change the script of The Legend of Concubine Ling and directly let Sun Yuwen be the first male while turning his role into the second male instead of changing the actor and re-shooting? He always thought of the missing Qiu Lianyi. Now that he also had an accident, he guessed Esther might obtain a name of ‘young actor killer’ and a nationwide legend of ‘whoever endorses it is unlucky’.

Young actor Lin brooded for a long time and eventually realized that dying in a plane accident when he was only in his twenties was actually not terrible. What was terrible was that when his mom, Mrs. Lin, looked at the victim list, she found that he was actually sitting together with his dad like the saying ‘the most important thing for a family is to be neat and tidy‘.... This would certainly provoke her greatly.

Thinking of that scene, Lin Zixi couldn't help trembling a little.

At this moment, a hand suddenly held his right hand, which was gripping the armrest of the seat tightly.

"Don't be afraid…. As long as the situation doesn't worsen, this plane should be able to fly for quite a long distance even with a single engine. We aren’t far from N City now, so as long as the captain doesn’t make a mistake in piloting the plane and the control tower is properly deployed, this plane will definitely make a safe emergency landing at N City’s airport." Gu Zecheng looked into Lin Zixi's eyes while holding his hand and said gently but firmly, "Don't be afraid, we’ll be fine." 

Lin Zixi suddenly felt that the speech uttered by the person next to him just now was the most pleasant thing to listen to in this world.

Just like a child who hid in his father's wide arms to seek refuge, his originally anxious heart was gradually comforted by Gu Zecheng's words and the warmth from his palm.

He blinked and confirmed to Gu Zecheng, "You really didn't lie to me?"

"I swear." Gu Zecheng pointed a finger to the sky.

But Lin Zixi still asked relentlessly, "What if you lied to me?" It was just that he did not realize it himself that the way he spoke was more like a child acting spoiled than questioning.

Nevertheless, Dad Gu understood that this young man beside him, whom had looked so vulnerable a moment ago but now was staring at him with bright eyes, was not distrusting him but merely asking for an assurance.

He smiled and held Lin Zixi's hand tighter, "If I lie to you, I’ll go to the Yellow Springs with you."

Lin Zixi was moved for a second and then reacted: his dad was just kidding, wasn’t he?!

Anyway, his heart had strangely and completely let go. It was not that he put his life and death outside the sphere of his consideration, he just firmly believed in Gu Zecheng's words—they would definitely be fine.

After that, young actor Lin began to look for someone to blame, complaining in a low voice in the ears of the man beside him, “You and I are people with Mercury retrograde, and you still made a bad joke about jumping off the plane while on board?!"

Big Boss Gu never expected that this fool did not even thank him after being calmed down by him; on the contrary, he began to lay the blame on him, and such a huge blame too.

He was not angry but felt funny instead, and he firmly refused to take the blame. "We can't jump off the plane. The air route from S City to B City doesn't pass above the sea, so even if the plane crashes..."

"Fuck!" Seeing his gold master daddy, who was as ‘unlucky’ as himself, was about to set up a deadly flag of ‘the plane crashes’, Lin Zixi was so frightened that he covered the other party's mouth with his left hand, "Bah, bah, bah! Children's words carry no harm, and everything is thriving!"

Gu Zecheng had lived until this age and was preached “children's words carry no harm” by someone who was much younger than himself. He could not help laughing all of a sudden.

The hot and humid breath sprayed on Lin Zixi's palm along with Gu Zecheng's laughter, making him faintly feel limp and numb.

For some reason, Lin Zixi's cheeks suddenly turned a little red, and he retracted his hand and hid it behind his back as if it had been scalded.

"You..." Just as he was about to tell his dad to stop laughing, he was interrupted by the flight captain's announcement.

"The crew has contacted the airport in N City, and the airport control center has started to prepare the runway for the plane to land. Please rest assured, we will land safely in N City within half an hour."

Most of the desperate aura that originally permeated the plane dissipated because of the captain’s words. The noisy cabin gradually quieted down, and the majority of the passengers began to pray while waiting for the ‘safe landing’ that came from the captain’s mouth.

Assistant Xiao Zhang, who had changed seats with Gu Zecheng, also calmed down. He put away the recording pen that had recorded his ‘last words’ for more than ten minutes and said to Lin Zixi in the row before him, "Brother Lin, I was almost convinced that I was going to follow you to flood Weibo's hot searches and entertainment headlines…. And without the company having to issue a press release and money."

Although young actor Lin had also thought about this before, noticing his dad's teasing smile, he still glared back and replied fiercely, "...Shut up!"

After that, Lin Zixi, just like the other passengers, began to wait quietly for the plane to land either safely or fatally.

Twenty minutes later, the plane, which had experienced a life and death situation shortly after departure, finally landed accurately on the runway of N City’s airport amid the bumps and jolts, and a huge cheer broke out in the cabin all at once.

Lin Zixi also let out a cheer and then realized that he and Gu Zecheng who were originally just holding hands had somehow interlocked their fingers.

But in the current festive atmosphere of escaping from danger without dying, he did not feel embarrassed by it. Instead, he wrapped his arms around his father's neck and said happily in Gu Zecheng's ear, "Fortunately, you’re here. Fortunately, you're here..."

Dad Gu was stunned, and after a few seconds of hesitation, he put his arms around the person in front of him, patted his back lightly, and did not stop until Lin Zixi withdrew from his arms.

Perhaps it was because the hug came so suddenly and lasted too long, until Gu Zecheng stepped out of the cabin, he could still sense the other person's body temperature and the faint scent of his perfume.

This scent was too sweet—Dad Gu reflected in his heart.

It was really too sweet.

TL’s note:

一家人最重要的是整整齐齐 = The most important thing for a family is to be neat and tidy, which means that after the death of the whole family, the bodies are all neatly displayed somewhere. Now it is often used to describe that people or things that appear in the family have suffered the same (bad) end. 

黄泉 (huáng quán) = the Yellow Springs; the underworld of Chinese mythology; the equivalent of Hades or Hell

Previous | Next

Referring to - 20

Chapter 20

When Lin Zixi returned to the hotel the next morning, someone was already waiting for him in his hotel room.

"This is an endorsement contract, and the legal department has already checked it." Chen Yunyun pointed to the document on the coffee table and said, "You can sign it if you have no objection."

"Why is it so sudden? I’ve never heard you talk about this before…." Young actor Lin picked up the document curiously and was totally bewildered when he saw the name of the manufacturer, "Esther? Are you sure?"

Esther was an internationally famous affordable luxury cosmetic brand, and their target market was young women. Although asking a male idol of young women to represent their brand was not a strange thing, the question was….

"Isn't this brand always endorsed by Qiu Lianyi?" Lin Zixi asked while looking over the contract. "Does Esther plan to launch a double series in the new season, so they add a spokesperson?"

Chen Yunyun extended her right index finger and waggled it, "It’s only you. Nothing to do with him."

Young actor Lin was stunned, "You, you... are you trying to make me grab Qiu Lianyi's endorsement?! Damn, this is asking for a fan war, ah!"

"I want to make you grab it?" His agent sneered and ruthlessly poured cold water on him, saying, "Do you think that with your popularity and our company's connections, you can move the resources of Fengcheng’s first brother?!"

This was a heart-breaking statement. Fortunately, young actor Lin did not have much aspiration and ambition. So he did not feel any displeasure because of it, only curiosity. "Then why did Esther stop using Qiu Lianyi and look for me? I haven't heard any negative news about him recently."

"It’s not that Qiu Lianyi has no negative news, but there’s no news about him at all…." Chen Yunyun stopped in the middle of her speech and crooked her finger at Lin Zixi, pretending to be mysterious.

Young actor Lin very cooperatively moved closer to her and listened attentively, waiting for her to announce the answer to the riddle.

"My friend in Fengcheng told me in private." Chen Yunyun paused for a while and then released the explosive news word by word: "Qiu Lianyi is missing."

    

Lin Zixi's eyes widened all of a sudden, "When did it happen? Wasn’t it said that he was doing closed training and experiencing life for the filming of a movie?! I’ve seen the press release several times."

"He seemed to be missing after attending the annual TV drama celebration of S Satellite TV. In order to suppress this matter, Fengcheng deliberately released all kinds of fake news outside. But now that the new season of Esther's advertisement is about to be shot, if he can't appear, Fengcheng can only give up the endorsement…. Fortunately, Qiu Lianyi's endorsement contract has just expired, otherwise it’d be enough trouble for Fengcheng to terminate the contract halfway." Chen Yunyun said.

"A big living person, and a star on top of that. How can he really be missing?" Lin Zixi could not figure it out but soon realized that something was wrong, "You said that Qiu Lianyi was missing after S Satellite TV’s celebration? But he still replied to my WeChat the next day, although it’s just two or three sentences…. I won't be the last person to have contact with him, right?!"

"Who knows." Chen Yunyun shrugged her shoulders.

Young actor Lin went through his last WeChat conversation with Qiu Lianyi on his mobile phone, "Please help me contact Fengcheng and tell them that I’ve been in contact with him after S Satellite TV’s celebration."

At first, Chen Yunyun only glanced casually at Lin Zixi's mobile phone, but then she snatched it away and pointed at Master Qiu's original sentence [There’re two trained people in the venue looking at you with abnormal expressions, but I think you should be able to deal with them.] with a serious expression while asking, "What's this all about?!"

...You still asked what’s this all about?!

You were the one who foolishly bought a hot search, resulting in the ‘Lin Zixi looks like Gu Zecheng’ to anger his gold master daddy, which subsequently made him live a too-blessed life of ‘referring to his father as his elder brother, and recognizing his grandma as his mother’.

Young actor Lin glanced at the initiator of a thief shouting to catch a thief and snatched his mobile phone back, "It's nothing. Anyway, I don't have anything to do now, but Qiu Lianyi has been missing for almost two months…. You contact Fengcheng, and I can provide screenshots of our conversation if needed."

"Whom should I contact?" Chen Yunyun shook her head, "You don't have Qiu Lianyi's location back then in your WeChat conversation. If I contact Fengcheng, they’ll only know that I’ve bribed their internal staff, and I’ll no longer be able to get any other useful information. Great Holy Mother Lin, I think you should take a break. Take care of your own affairs first before thinking of others’.... Are you optimistic about the outcome of the contract?"

Although Lin-Holy Mother-Zixi still wanted to inform Fengcheng that young actor Qiu had been in contact with him before he went missing, considering that Chen Yunyun's words also had a certain truth, he could not just betray his own agent as he wished. So he had to find a chance to talk about it again later.

Lin Zixi scanned the endorsement contract in his hand, pondered for a while after closing it, and said, "The contract is OK, but the problem is…. Qiu Lianyi's fans don't know that he’s missing. As soon as I grab this one endorsement, I reckon our fans will fight and tear apart the 'LianXi Fufu' CP."

Chen Yunyun sneered, "His ordinary fans don't know what's going on, do those big fans and professional fans not know the score? If his team can't placate the fans at that time, it can only mean that they’ve also wanted to tear the CP themselves."

"Also?" Young actor Lin noticed a certain word in what his agent said.

"Since the romantic scandal between you and Liu Xia was not hyped up, but her black history was dredged up instead, the company felt that your CP with Qiu Lianyi was too crazy and needed to cool off. So killing this CP is just a matter of time." Chen Yunyun stared at Lin Zixi’s face from left to right, "I really didn't expect this group of CP fans to be so sincere when they joined together to hype 'LianXi Fufu' back then. Even your crazy girlfriend fans can't compare."

Young actor Lin and young actor Qiu were just doing romantic CP for business. Now that their partnership was going to be torn apart, he had no reluctance at all. His only worry was, "But if you rely on me 'grabbing an endorsement' to kill the CP, I think I’ll reap a huge wave of fans unfollowing and turning into anti-fans."

Chen Yunyun, however, was calm and composed. "Haven't you heard a rumor in the rivers and lakes? The number of the so-called BG CP fans is approximately equal to the number of fans of the girl, while the number of BL CP fans is approximately equal to the number of fans of the shou (bottom).... Just add some extra propaganda, and those fans who unfollow ‘LianXi Fufu' won’t unfollow you."

    

……

…………

Young actor Lin, who had never cared about fandom management, was completely shocked, "There’s actually such an operation?!"

"There’s such an operation." Chen Yunyun patted Lin Zixi on the shoulder, "This is all a routine…. But in the future, when you have a BG CP, you’ll probably get a reversal of the wheel of fortune, and your fans will be purified."

"The company still plans to hype a BG CP for me?" Young actor Lin felt a little annoyed.

"It’s actually unlikely." Chen Yunyun said, "But you’ll always find a girlfriend in the future, right? I think with you being such a homebody, there’s little chance that you’ll find someone from outside the circle. I guess you’ll walk the route of falling in love on set in the end "

His own agent obviously looked down on otaku, did she?!

Who said that otaku stars could only find a female co-star to fall in love on set, ah…. He could also find a male star.

Young actor Lin, who was male and liked men, swallowed the words in his mouth down and lowered his head to sign the endorsement contract in his hand.

Although Lin Zixi's endorsement could not be said to be an emergency rescue, it could be regarded as the most urgent. A few days after the contract was signed, he asked the crew for leave and flew to B City to shoot the advertisement.

Young actor Lin and his assistant, Xiao Zhang, boarded the plane through the VIP access. After taking their seats in the first-class cabin, Lin Zixi pushed down his peaked cap extremely low, hoping that people on the plane would not recognize him.

However, his hope quickly came to nothing.

Moreover, the one who recognized him was quite brazen and said directly to his assistant sitting next to him, "My seat is right behind you. Let's change seats."

As a result, Xiao Zhang actually got up and changed seats with the other party. Not only that, but he also didn't ask young actor Lin's opinion.

Lin Zixi raised the brim of his hat in astonishment and looked at the person who had just sat down next to him… only to see a man in a suit and leather shoes, with a noble temperament and a majestic appearance, written as ‘eldest brother’ but read as "biological father".

"President Gu, are you going to City B too?" Young actor Lin asked Gu Zecheng beside him.

His gold master daddy replied jokingly, "I've already got on the plane. If I don't go to City B... can I jump off the plane halfway?"

……

…………  

    

“You and I are people with (inherited) Mercury retrograde, and you still made a bad joke about jumping off the plane while on board?!" When the plane they were taking had an engine failure half an hour after takeoff, Lin Zixi grievingly and indignantly made a belated complaint to Dad Gu.

TL's note:

I'm taking a vacation, so there won't be an update on Thursday. Next chapter will be posted on Monday, June 27.

Previous | Next

Referring to - 19

Chapter 19

Guanlan Bay was located in the central area of ​​S, and the Gu family lived on the top floor of the ‘best building’ in this community. Lin Zixi stood on the balcony, looking at a multitude of tall buildings in the distance and the river scene nearby, and could not help but sigh in his heart that his gold master daddy was really rich.

However, no matter how rich Gu Zecheng was, it had nothing to do with him because it all belonged to his unborn half-siblings. While watching a bird’s-eye-view of the night scene, young actor Lin could not help but wonder why his dad was still single and ‘childless’ until now.

Gu Zecheng, who was standing beside Lin Zixi, took out a case of cigarettes from his pocket, drew one, and held it between his fingers. When groping for a lighter, he found that he was not carrying it, so he turned around to go back to the house to get it.

Young actor Lin had gone through arduous training in the entertainment circle for a few years. He could not be said to be a master of worldly wisdom, but at least he still had some eyesight. He quickly fished out his own lighter and reached out to light the cigarette for the man beside him.

Gu Zecheng glanced at him in surprise, took a drag of the cigarette, and exhaled the smoke slowly before saying, "I thought you didn't smoke."

Lin Zixi, who was originally rushing to be courteous, was like a minor getting caught smoking by his parents when he heard those words. He straightened his body reflexively and hid the hand holding the lighter behind him, "No, no, ah... I don't usually smoke, but sometimes I smoke to refresh myself when I shoot night scenes.”

At first, Dad Gu only spoke such words casually, but seeing how Lin Zixi now looked like a kid who was caught doing bad things, he could not help but feel a little funny. He took a cigarette from the case and handed it to him. "I didn't accuse you for it…. A smoke?"

Lin Zixi accepted the cigarette readily, lit it himself, and took two drags of the cigarette to suppress his shock.

Gu Zecheng looked at Lin Zixi’s fingers holding the cigarette then at his lips puffing forth smoke and took a drag of the cigarette himself. Then he suddenly asked, "Did your body-shape class teach smoking?"

"No, ah." Young actor Lin was stumped by this question.

Which body shape class would teach this, ah?!

    

Except, his gold master daddy's smoking gesture was handsome and charming, just like he had been taught in a class.

Lin Zixi stared at his dad’s hand holding the cigarette for a long time. When he realized that he was actually fascinated watching Gu Zecheng smoking, he could not help but feel a little embarrassed and hurriedly tried to cover it up by taking a few drags of the cigarette. Then he took out his mobile phone, bowed his head, and scrolled his Moments madly.

Gu Zecheng watched him play with his mobile phone and remembered one thing, "You didn’t play your drawing card game again these days?"

What drawing card game, it was a large-scale, European-style turn-based mobile game…. Although, for Lin Zixi, the essence of the game indeed seemed to be drawing cards to collect the characters.

As a result, since Dad Gu cheated and drew out all the orange cards for him, young actor Lin's interest in this game had been declining day by day. Some time ago, he was too busy concentrating on filming, so he simply stopped playing.

"Yes…. Since you helped me get all the orange cards, I felt like I’ve come to a successful end, and then I gradually stopped playing." Lin Zixi took the last drag on his cigarette and put the cigarette butt into the lotus-shaped ashtray while smiling in a self-deprecating way, "I’m this kind of person, I guess. One of my shortcomings is that I always have three-minute enthusiasm. After the time passes, my enthusiasm fades, and I start to disregard what I got."

Hearing him say this, Gu Zecheng suddenly and inexplicably felt uncomfortable, and he blurted out, "The same is true for relationships?"

Lin Zixi had never been in a (romantic) relationship during his twenty plus years of life and had no experience in this matter. He initially wanted to answer casually, “I can’t say for sure. Maybe yes." But somehow, looking at Dad Gu's surprisingly serious face, he suddenly felt that it would be better not to let his dad think he was a scumbag.

"I haven't been in a relationship with anyone, so I don't know. But..." He looked into Gu Zecheng's eyes and said with the most sincere expression, "If I really have someone I love, I’ll definitely be faithful and constant to them forever. "

It went without saying that Lin Zixi's peach blossom eyes were naturally seductive, and they were even more amorous under the dim light. Gu Zecheng's heart beat faster for a second when he was stared at by those eyes, and he could not help but evade that seemingly inviting gaze. To cover it up, he began to watch the cruise ship on the river nearby.

Young actor Lin, however, thought that his dad was not interested in his view of love, but he felt that this was a rare opportunity to inquire discreetly about his parents' story back then. So he pretended to casually bring the topic to Gu Zecheng, "What about you? It’s also rare for such a successful person like you to still be single until now."

When Gu Zecheng was unexpectedly asked about himself, he at first wanted to give a casual and perfunctory answer, but seeing Lin Zixi's focused expression, he suddenly didn't want to lie to him, "Actually, I’ve had two or three relationships in the past, but we broke up later…. There’re too many variables in life, and the forever thing is often just an empty talk uttered impulsively."

Young actor Lin looked at his dad in surprise, "You don't look like someone who’ll impulsively talk about forever."

"Of course I didn't say that." Gu Zecheng shook his head, "If I promise someone forever, naturally, I’ll continue to walk hand in hand with the other party no matter what kind of twists and turns we encounter." 

This statement was actually in line with Lin Zixi's understanding of his dad. He rolled his eyes and continued to try worming facts out of his dad, "But you’ve said these sweet and empty words to your first love, right?"

Gu Zecheng, standing beside him, was in a daze, as if he was reminiscing about something. After a long time, he finally answered, "I haven’t…. At that time, there’re so many things, and it’s all very chaotic, so it ended before it began…."

Listen to those words…. It did not even begin, and here he was. If it had not ended early, wouldn’t he have had enough siblings to form a soccer team by now?!

Young actor Lin complained in his heart, but he was full of understanding on the surface, "It's puppy love that was broken up, right?!"

Who knew that his dad actually shook his head, "It's not just that."

Thus, Lin Zixi’s spirit of gossip was completely awakened at once, "What is it then, what is it?"

However, Dad Gu refused to say more this time. He just took out another cigarette and motioned Lin Zixi to light it for him.

Lin Zixi took out the lighter and obediently lit a cigarette for him for the second time. He initially wanted to continue to question his dad, but someone called him at this moment.

When he saw the caller’s name on the phone screen, he did not dare to stay in front of his dad a second longer.

"I'm going to answer the phone!" Lin Zixi covered the phone number with the name ‘Mrs. Lin Jing’—aka Lin Zixi's mom whom back then put her hand to a minor, was separated, and ended up giving birth to a child alone and whom also seemed to have some other secrets—and embarrassedly fled from the balcony back to the bedroom prepared for him.

"Mom... what's the matter?" Young actor Lin asked in a low voice after the call was connected.

"You're not filming now?" The voice on the other end of the phone, which sounded far younger than her real age, sighed and said, "It's your little sister…. Her classmates have been playing the popular Battle of the Kings on their mobile phones recently. She also followed them and played the game every day instead of studying, and her mid-term exam results suddenly fell out of the top 100 in her grade. Her dad and I have told her off so many times, but it was useless. She listens to your words the most, so you talk to her well, okay…. It’s bad if she continues like this!"

Of course Lin Zixi knew about the mobile game Battle of the Kings. This game now was not only popular in his little sister's class but had become a big hit nationwide, and some stars had been playing it on livestream recently. He just didn't expect that Zhou Qianqian, who had always been stable in the top ten of her grade, also became a member of the legendary harmful ‘primary school gamers’.

Lin Zixi and his little sister had the same mother but different fathers, and they were quite different in age. It stood to reason that their relationship should be delicate.

However, who made young actor Lin looked very good and a popular star to boot, so that he was fortunate enough to be ranked second—the first place was a member of a certain teenage idol group, which was decided after a bloodbath that should not be mentioned—in Zhou Qianqian and her classmates' ‘Most Admired Person List’ all year round.

The NPC heroine Lin released a mission that was not the main thread but could not be skipped. The player Lin Zixi had to accept the order and call the mission object, NPC Zhou Qianqian. During the half-hour call, he was almost dragged into the abyss of Battle of the Kings, a MOBA type mobile game, by the other party.

Fortunately, he resisted the temptation and finally used the condition of ‘enter the top ten in the grade at the end of the term and get a reward of a certain teen idol's signature; enter the top three in the grade and get a reward of a 15-day trip to Europe during the winter vacation’ to barely persuaded his little sister.

After Lin Zixi finished his phone call, his large-scale xuanhuan drama Po Tian Ji also finished airing. Gu Zecheng had already returned to the living room and was chatting with the old lady.

Young actor Lin could only sigh inwardly that he had missed a golden opportunity. He had no other choice but to ask about his dad and mom’s past again later on.

Previous | Next

Referring to - 18

Chapter 18

Calling his dad to lie that his grandma was ill, Lin Zixi felt that doing such a thing would shorten his life, so he hurriedly tried to persuade the old lady, "This isn’t good. In case my brother is busy with his business..." 

But before he even finished speaking, the old lady picked up the phone in the living room and pressed Gu Zecheng's mobile phone number.

Young actor Lin was at his wits’ end and had no choice but to take the telephone handset. The call was connected within three seconds.

"Big Brother, it’s not good! Our mom suddenly fell ill! You go home immediately!" Lin Zixi shouted with all his strength.

Dad Gu on the other end of the call was silent for a few seconds and then commented unceremoniously, "Your recited lines were too exaggerated. Your training in the basic skills is so poor; it’s no wonder that you always use dubbing."

Father, Big Brother, you paid attention to the wrong point, ah!

    

"Most TV dramas are now dubbed, so it doesn't matter how good my lines are." After young actor Lin finished speaking, he realized that he had been carried away by Gu Zecheng, so he quickly forced himself to remedy it, "Our mother is really ill. You come back quickly, okay!"

Then he heard a sigh and a sentence coming through the telephone handset, "Does the old lady forget that there’re surveillance cameras installed at home? I can monitor her in real time from here."

The air was instantly quiet.

After Lin Zixi coughed a few times, he turned his head towards Grandma Song, an expert at harming her grandson, and said helplessly, "Big Brother said that there’re surveillance cameras at home..." 

He and the old lady stared at each other for five seconds before she winked. Then she covered her chest with a hand, closed her eyes, and slumped on the sofa.

Young actor Lin watched his grandma's awkward performance and could not help but lament that his Mercury retrograde was passed on from his ancestors, and his poor acting skills might also be passed on from his ancestors.

Thus... "Big Brother, it’s not good! Our mom’s so angered by you that she fell ill! You go home immediately, okay!" He changed his lines and read them again with no expression on his face.

One of the most tiring things in life was that the people who formed a group to defraud were exposed right away, so they instantly changed their methods into touching porcelain—in addition, one of the people involved was your own mother, and the other one was your ‘own young brother’ hired by yourself.

Big Boss Gu took a deep breath, "...Tell the old lady to stop making trouble. I'll go home now."

Gu Zecheng was finally home more than half an hour later. As soon as he entered the house, he was called to the living room by his mom and ended up sitting opposite Lin Zixi.

The old lady sitting on the sofa in the middle took a sip of tea, looked at her eldest son, and asked, "Tell me, what disaster did your little brother rush into this time that made you unhappy?"

"Mom! My cooperation project with Tianyuan International is about to start soon, and I also have many things to do on the domestic side. Haven’t I told you already?"

    

"Gu Zecheng, who’re you fooling?!" The old lady put the teacup back on the table heavily, "If you didn't have something on your mind, could you not contact your brother for more than a month?!"

Just as Dad Gu was about to explain again, Grandma Song continued to lecture, "How did your dad and I teach you two back then? If there’s something between brothers, don’t keep it in your heart. There’s no knot that cannot be untangled between blood-related brothers.”

Gu Zecheng acknowledged what Grandma Song said, but the problem was—the handsome young man sitting opposite him was not the real Gu Zeyi; moreover, even if they were really blood-related brothers, the knot between them was not easy to untangle—who made Lin Zixi fall in love with him.

    

Yes, in Dad Gu's opinion, young actor Lin pretended to be drunk and uninhibited to kiss him, but at the same time he also said he did not accept unspoken rules and had not had his first kiss yet in real life…. If this was not a crazy hint of confession to him, what was it then?!

Regardless of whether it was true or false, if it was someone else, Gu Zecheng would have definitely rejected them without the slightest hesitation.

But Lin Zixi was the one he hired to impersonate Gu Zeyi, and the old lady was involved in the middle. Gu Zecheng could only refrain from acting against evil so as to prevent harm to the innocent. Therefore, he simply avoided and did not see Lin Zixi for more than a month, intending to treat him coldly.

However, Big Boss Gu was not completely at ease with young actor Lin and was afraid that Lin Zixi would take advantage of his absence to deceive the old lady to do something. So although he had not shown up, he always monitored the situation at home through the surveillance cameras whenever Lin Zixi came to visit.

After many observations, Gu Zecheng had to admit that Lin Zixi, the little star who had made a disturbance by hyping up his resemblance to him at the beginning, was indeed not a person with deep scheming.

This person was good-looking, but after staying in the muddy waters of the entertainment circle for several years, he unexpectedly could still be what he was now. Although he could not be regarded as pure, he was at least very simple, and he also had no ambition or desire, which was quite rare and precious.

Although at first Gu Zecheng really looked down on young actor Lin’s unmotivated appearance, after watching him for a long time, he actually began to think that such a person was also very good. In any case, he was better than those who demanded too much and ended up dragged into the cesspit in return.

In short, in Dad Gu's heart now, although he could not accept the feelings of this ‘cheap little brother’, he did not feel much trouble either for having this young and handsome suitor—besides, with Lin Zixi's character, Gu Zecheng did not believe that he had the courage to make his intentions clear to him.

Gu Zecheng believed that he had figured out the entanglement between him and Lin Zixi, so now he was able to face Grandma Song's questioning skillfully and easily, "Actually, I don't want to say it, *sigh*.... Xiao Yi has probably told you. He got drunk when we met last time, but he himself might not know what happened afterwards…."

Dad Gu sighed again and then said, "He drank too much. Not to mention vomiting all over my body, he even vomited on my face.... Until now, I still feel disgusted whenever I think of it, and it almost became a trauma in my heart. It just so happened that I’ve been busy these past few days, so I went ahead and avoided my little brother."

Young actor Lin heard this utterance and realized at once that his dad was arbitrarily putting the blame on him—the clothes on his body were still dry and clean when he woke up the next day; how could he had vomited—but at this moment, he could not dismantle his gold master daddy’s platform. After giving the other party a quick glare, he put on a very apologetic look, "I'm so sorry, Brother! I was very happy that day, so I drank a lot and put you to a lot of trouble. Fortunately, you’re my own brother. If it were someone else, maybe they’d just leave me on the spot."

Gu Zecheng was the boss of such a big group, and he had been the pillar of the family for so many years, so he was naturally very credible when he spoke in front of his mom, plus there was Lin Zixi's cooperation. The old lady was also shocked knowing that such a disgusting yet not despicable trivial thing actually happened between the two brothers.

Grandma Song finally breathed a sigh of relief at this time and turned around to educate her ‘little son’, from the dangers of drinking too much alcohol to being careful of getting inebriated and led into a trap by people, whom were so chaotic nowadays.

Lin Zixi suffered a long lecture for no reason, so he could only comfort himself inwardly: replacing his dad to get thundered was where filial piety lay, and what his daddy said was what he said.

After he finally finished listening to the old lady's lengthy speech, and the three of them had their dinner together, it was eight o'clock in the evening.

A certain xuanhuan drama with surprisingly decent ratings was about to begin.

Young actor Lin's eyelids twitched, and he immediately got up and pulled Gu Zecheng's hand, dragging the other party to the balcony while saying to Grandma Song, "My brother and I haven't seen each other for more than a month, so we brothers are going to chat by ourselves for a while."

The old lady was a little surprised, "Why now, ah? Po Tian Ji is about to begin, and today is the finale."

At first, when Dad Gu was dragged away, he was a little mystified. Hearing what his mom said, he immediately followed his son to stand on the same front. "We haven't seen each other for so long, so we have a lot to say now. This TV series... we’ll watch it online later."

Thus, the two ‘brothers’ both hid on the balcony to seek refuge... eh, no, to communicate their feelings.

Previous | Next

Referring to - 17

Chapter 17

After drinking too much alcohol the day before, Lin Zixi woke up the next day with a little pain in his head. He massaged his temples and sat up, grabbing the mobile phone on the bedside table to check the time.

It was now 8:20 in the morning, and he was expected to start filming today's scenes at 3:00 in the afternoon, so there was still time.

Lin Zixi's memory was cut off after he secretly and unilaterally acknowledged Gu Zecheng as his dad in the car last night. He absolutely had no idea what happened next or where he was now. Just judging from the bedroom he was in, it neither looked like Gu’s house nor a hotel, and he was still wearing the same outfit from yesterday.

Lin Zixi got out of bed, opened the door, and walked out of the room. When he came to the living room, he saw Dad Gu in casual clothes sitting upright on the sofa drinking coffee while watching the morning news on TV.

This was the first time Lin Zixi saw Gu Zecheng wearing clothes other than formal clothes, and the other party was also sitting on the sofa watching TV. For a split second, he actually had the illusion of a pair of father and son getting along at home.

This feeling was both strange and familiar. It was something he had never experienced in his life but had imagined over and over again when he was a child. It filled Lin Zixi's heart with indescribable joy and excitement as well as something like homesickness and apprehension.

Young actor Lin decided to compose himself. He took a deep breath and then tried his best to walk to the sofa nonchalantly to greet his employer dad, "Morning. Thank you so much last night. I thought I wasn't very drunk then. Who would’ve thought that I’d actually slept until now. Sorry for the trouble of having to take me in."

Gu Zecheng nodded. His expression did not show pleasure or anger, but his tone was quite stern, "I asked you to go, so of course I’d take responsibility to deal with the aftermath. But you, as an adult as well as a public figure, should have the ability to control yourself. If you can’t drink, drink less. Otherwise, you’ll definitely be in big trouble if you encounter someone with ulterior motives.”

This point was actually true. The incident of big and small stars getting drunk and taken advantage of or cheated was nothing new in the entertainment circle, but….

"Don't worry, I usually know what’s appropriate. Last night was because I felt that you’re there, so I was a bit too relaxed." Young actor Lin quickly flattered his dad, "Anyway, I trust you, Big Boss Gu."

Hearing what Lin Zixi said, a subtle look flashed across Gu Zecheng's face, but then it quickly returned to a serious expression, "Sit down, I have something to talk to you about."

This was the pattern of the gold master daddy having something important to discuss. Lin Zixi immediately sat on the single person sofa on the left with his back straight and his hands on his knees, listening carefully.

However, Gu Zecheng took his time before he started talking, "I looked for you to pretend to be Gu Zeyi just to appease the old lady. I have no other intentions, and I hope you don't have other ideas either."

Of course Lin Zixi knew that his dad was just trying to fool his grandma, neither looking for a real younger brother nor a real son. "I know. I’ve always abided by the confidentiality agreement in our contract. If you hadn't personally looked for Feng Yuan yesterday, I would’ve never thought about using your connections."

"I didn't mean this, I mean..." Dad Gu, who had always been in the top position and spoke strongly, was a little hesitant this time, but he still made it clear in the end, "I'm not interested in unspoken rules such as power and sex transaction."

"I know." Young actor Lin answered in puzzlement, not understanding why his dad specifically told him such an obvious thing—if Gu Zecheng was interested in such a thing, he would already have countless little moms by now.

Dad Gu was distraught with anxiety after being kissed by Lin Zixi out of the blue last night. After thinking about it in the middle of the night, he decided to speak upfront and cut off the other party's idea of ​​selling his body. As a result, seeing Lin Zixi's calm appearance without any embarrassment, he was now unsure whether he thought too much or the other party was employing his acting skills of a lifetime.

"Then you..." Dad Gu originally wanted to ask Lin Zixi why he would kiss him, but after saying two words, he felt that asking such a question was lame and would lower his status. So he did not continue but took a sip of coffee to cover it up instead.

Gu Zecheng stopped halfway through his words. However, Young actor Lin, who had no impression at all of having given his dad a big, solid ‘kiss’ last night, misunderstood and thought that his dad was asking his opinion on unspoken rules.

At this time, of course Lin Zixi had to answer seriously. It was a chance for him to make a good impression in front of his gold master daddy (besides, he himself really thought this way), "I also can't accept unspoken rules. It’s true that resources, popularity, and social status are important, but it's not important enough to be worth selling your body and soul. Our circle is indeed very messy, but there’re also many who’re clean and honest…. You may not believe it if I say that although I've filmed a lot of bedroom scenes, in reality, I don't even have a partner for my first kiss."

After young actor Lin finished speaking, he beamed at his dad, waiting for the other party to praise him, a rare pure breed in the entertainment circle.

As a result, Dad Gu did not praise him one bit. He stared at him for a long time with a strange expression and then stood up without any warning.

"This is my house near the company. Sometimes I live here after a meeting. You’re drunk yesterday. If I brought you home, the old lady would definitely be worried, and going to the hotel was also not good, so I brought you here. You have to film today, don’t you? It’ll take nearly three hours to drive to the movies and television city from here. You’d better leave early to be safe and not be late.”

Gu Zecheng’s intention to see off the guest after a disagreement was quite obvious, but Lin Zixi did not think much about it and was even very grateful to his dad for worrying about him arriving late for the filming.

But after his last adventure yesterday, he did not dare to take a taxi casually anymore. "Can I trouble your driver to send me to Qinjiang Club? My car is still there, and I still have enough time to pick it up today. "

Dad Gu took out a car key from the cabinet in the entrance hall, "I got someone to drive the car over for you yesterday."

His relative was so considerate!

    

Feeling happy, young actor Lin blew a kiss to his dad before leaving, which once again stimulated Big Boss Gu's absolutely-not-weak spirit.

In the following month or so, Lin Zixi participated in the filming of The Legend of Concubine Ling for most of the time and spent the rest asking for leave to do his magazine interviews, variety show recordings, and activities for manufacturers' platforms—this really wasn’t because young actor Lin was not dedicated to his work, but in today's fickle and impatient entertainment circle, it was actually normal for him to be like this—even if he wanted to keep a low profile and stay on the set, Stars Entertainment would definitely not agree.

After all, "your time is very valuable"—by a certain game advertisement and Agent Chen Yunyun.

During this period of time, Lin Zixi also made an appointment to visit Zhou Fan's studio twice. Although an instant effect that would make him progress rapidly was not guaranteed, he could be regarded as getting enlightened with wisdom and benefited a lot every time he ‘went to class’.

In addition, young actor Lin was also called home by Grandma Song for a few meals and was ruined by his own Po Tian Ji several times, which made him more and more determined to improve his acting skills.

But it just so happened that when he went back to Gu's house a few times, he actually never met Gu Zecheng again.

Lin Zixi had just ‘acknowledged’ his dad, and in a part of his heart that was still pure and innocent, he could not help but feel a little disappointed. However, considering that the other party's business was so big, it should be the norm for him to be so busy even his shadow was not seen. Young actor Lin naturally wouldn’t be like a left-behind child, wanting to see his parents with tears in his eyes.

The parent did not come back from working outside, and the ‘left-behind child’ did not mind, but the ‘empty-nester old lady’ was angry.

Today, as soon as Lin Zixi entered the door of Gu's house, the old lady asked him with a stern face, "Ze Yi, tell Mom honestly…. Are you quarreling with your brother again?"

"No, ah!" Young actor Lin wondered why his grandma suddenly asked this. "I haven't seen Big Brother for more than a month. How can I quarrel with him?" 

“This isn’t a quarrel?!” The old lady gave him a glance of reproach. “Your big brother hasn’t taken care of you for over a month. Do you think it's normal?! Tell me, what happened between the two of you?"

Lin Zixi admitted that the last time he parted company with his dad, the two of them were considered to be happy with each other. He helplessly comforted Grandma Song, saying, "Mom... You’re thinking too much. I’m already an adult. Why do I still need my big brother to keep taking care of me?! In fact, I’m busy, but my brother is busier than me!" 

The old lady snorted coldly, "He’s certainly busy with work, and he indeed has to return late frequently. But every time you’re coming back, he’d be so busy that he wouldn’t even go home late at night…. This is too coincidental, right?!”

Lin Zixi was really unaware of this fact. He thought it was normal for Gu Zecheng to not go home regularly, but unexpectedly, the other party seemed to be avoiding him on purpose.

Lin Zixi felt heavy-hearted. He was both puzzled and a little aggrieved.

But in any case, he could not manage and also had no right to interfere in his gold master daddy’s affairs.

Young actor Lin could not manage Dad Gu's affairs, but Grandma Song could.

"You call your brother and say that I’m suddenly unwell. Let him go home quickly." The old lady sneered, "I don't believe I can't manage you two!"

……

…………

Grandma, you’re indeed an expert at harming your grandson!

TL's note:

Sorry for the late update. I thought today's Thursday, while in fact, it's already Friday here. I'll post the next chapter first thing in the morning on Monday for compensation.

Previous | Next

Referring to - 16

Chapter 16

Lin Zixi had not thought of investigating the cause of death of his blood-related little uncle, but according to the meaning of Gu Zecheng's words, it was probably related to drunk driving.

The gold master daddy lost his own younger brother in a car accident, which probably still left a trauma in his heart—no wonder he always asked him to wear a seat belt, even if he sat in the back seat.

Young actor Lin buckled his seat belt while thinking meanderingly. But he was drunk now, and his mind was fuzzy. After trying several times, he was still unable to successfully insert the latch piece into the buckle, and he could not help but get a little twitchy.

At this moment, his hands were suddenly held by a pair of hands that were slightly larger and warmer than his. He moved a little to the side, and before he could react, his hands were already released.

It took several seconds for Lin Zixi to realize that Gu Zecheng had just helped him buckle his safe belt and to say thanks.

But he said "thanks" too late. Dad Gu thought this thanks was for the dinner tonight, so he replied, "Don't mention it. Just learn well from Zhou Fan later…. Don't let me see your current level of acting in your next drama."

Young actor Lin thought for a while and felt that the gold master daddy looked beautiful and thought beautifully, too.

"That..." He hesitated for a while and still popularized the science to his dad, "TV series can't be aired right after filming. Besides The Legend of Concubine Ling that I’m currently filming, I also have two other dramas that have already been filmed and are waiting to be aired. One of them is already set to be aired on both S TV and J TV two months later…. Even if my acting skills are improving at lightning speed, you probably have to wait for the next-next-next drama to see it."

Gu Zecheng obviously didn’t expect that there were actually such things as ‘waiting-to-be-aired dramas’ and ‘stockpile’ in this world. After a moment of stunned silence, he asked, "What kind of drama is the one that will be aired next January?"

Young actor Lin blinked his eyes, "Modern romantic idol drama."

　　

Gu Zecheng automatically cross-questioned him, "What about the specific?"

Young actor Lin's eyes blinked faster, and after a long while, he finally whispered, "The overbearing, overbearing president is in love with me?"

Dad Gu frowned again, "What about the other one?"

Once some words were spoken, the rest were easier to say. This time, Lin Zixi quickly answered, "Although the drama is claimed to be a historical suspense wuxia drama, considering the type of dramas I’ve filmed, it’s probably some kind of the overbearing fugitive is in love with me..."

Gu Zecheng snorted coldly, "I guess this legend of something you’re currently filming is ‘the overbearing emperor'...."

Dad Gu did not go further, but Lin Zixi immediately understood what the other party meant and denied, "This drama is a major female lead one, so it should be ‘the overbearing concubine'...."

Gu Zecheng took a deep breath and spoke at a slightly faster speed than his normal speech, "Don't you claim to be a popular young actor? Why did you even accept this kind of drama that wastes the audience's time?!"

"My company has no resources, ah…." Young actor Lin did not know whether to sympathize with the other party or himself. "Po Tian Ji is already the most reasonable drama I’ve filmed in the past year. Judging from the scripts handed to me currently, it may be the most reasonable one in the following year, so please watch and cherish it ...."

"Cherish it..." Gu Zecheng's voice suddenly rose and then stopped abruptly—even with his self-restraint, he actually almost cursed and was really infuriated.

After Dad Gu swallowed the profanity back, he remained somber and silent. Lin Zixi naturally wouldn't go up and irritate him any more, so he slumped against the back of the seat and closed his eyes to rest.

He could barely hold on as he talked with Gu Zecheng just now. Once he stopped like this, the strong liquor immediately got the upper hand, and he soon felt drowsy.

But the man beside him unexpectedly spoke again at this moment, "You follow Zhou Fan well and learn to act from him. When your acting skills have improved, everything else is easy to talk about."

Young actor Lin thought for a long time before realizing that after his biological father helped him find a teacher, he was also planning to help him find resources.

Lin Zixi half-opened his eyes to look at his dad's older but more imposing face, and in that instant, he suddenly didn’t know what to say.

At the age of fourteen, his mother had a new family and a second child. At the age of seventeen, he went north to enter Central Film Academy. At the age of nineteen, he formally entered show business…. It had been a long, long time since he met someone who was willing to shelter him from wind and rain and yet harbored no filthy desires for him.

Even if the original intention of everything this man did was not for his own good, it was enough to make him feel warm and moved.

At this moment, Lin Zixi finally and genuinely acknowledged the correct identity of the man beside him, Gu Zecheng.

Not a fucking victim, not his gold master daddy, but his father.

He had never acknowledged his father and would probably never do in this life.

Lin Zixi had tsunamis in his heart, but Dad Gu, whom the waves rushed towards, was actually confused.

After Gu Zecheng said that sentence which should be regarded as a promise, he thought that young actor Lin would be as happy as when he had drawn that game card previously. Who knew that the other party was like taking the wrong medicine this time, saying nothing at all while smiling at him.

Moreover, it was the kind of smile that came from the bottom of one’s heart, especially gentle and affectionate.

Dad Gu admitted that Lin Zixi smiled very nicely, making people's hearts become warm and soft, but this reaction was wrong.

"What…” happened to you? Gu Zecheng initially wanted to ask what was the matter with Lin Zixi, but as he was just about to start talking, he was stunned.

Because young actor Lin, under the influence of alcohol, suddenly leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

　　

Especially hard, especially loud, and especially like the kind that children would do when they were happy while playing with their parents.

Then young actor Lin simply fell into a deep sleep on the spot, leaving Dad Gu to face his drunk self and a sudden and unclear kiss in stupefaction.

TL’s note:

想得美 (xiǎng de měi) = think beautifully = having overly optimistic and beautiful thoughts; often used to indicate that things are impossible. 

Previous | Next

Referring to - 15

Chapter 15

Lin Zixi returned to his room. He initially planned to continue playing the mobile game and raise the orange card drawn by his dad’s golden hand, but he eventually couldn’t resist the guilty feeling of having eaten too much in the morning. After struggling for a long time, he still went to the hotel’s gym.

As a result, he had just been jogging on the treadmill and sweating profusely for nearly two hours when a dinner invite message was sent to his mobile phone.

Saying that it was an invite was actually not very accurate.

After all, "Let’s have dinner together tonight, okay?" was called a dinner invite; as for "Come to Qinjiang Club at 7 o'clock tonight. Don't be late.", this was… probably a notice to participate in a meeting?

Young actor Lin stared at the message on his mobile phone and pondered for a while, but he still returned a message back: [Sent to the wrong person?]

[Just try to be late.] Gu Zecheng replied ten minutes later.

Apparently, it was really for him. But the gold master daddy suddenly invited him for dinner for no reason and even chose a well-known private club in S City…. Could it be that the old lady still felt that she had not stuffed him enough in the morning and wanted to do it again in the evening?

Thinking of this possibility, Lin Zixi trembled involuntarily. Originally, he had planned to call it a day, but now he continued to stay in the gym for more than an hour. Only when it was almost four o'clock in the afternoon did he take a shower and return to his room. After he had taken good care of his whole body, changed into a suit, and drove himself to the place appointed by Gu Zecheng, it was already 6:50.

Lin Zixi handed the car key to the parking valet. As soon as he entered the club hall, the lobby manager came up and welcomed him.

As a high-level private club, Qinjiang Club had always been a place where celebrities from all walks of life gathered. Young actor Lin did not especially disguise himself when he came here this time, so the other party naturally recognized him all at once.

"Mr. Lin, President Gu said to please wait for him first." The lobby manager very politely led Lin Zixi to a large sofa.

Lin Zixi did not sit down; rather, he asked in a seemingly casual way, "Is there anyone who’s already here?"

The lobby manager recalled, "Mr. Zhou Fan and President Jiang Youliang have just arrived."

Lin Zixi nodded without changing his expression and thanked the other party, but he was very surprised in his heart.

You had to know, the name ‘Zhou Fan’ sounded ordinary, but this person was actually not ordinary at all. He had won two awards in three international major film festivals and swept countless best actor awards in the domestic film festivals.

And Jiang Youliang was the president of Fengcheng Entertainment, the company that Zhou Fan currently had a contract with. Fengcheng Entertainment belonged to Yu Fengyuan’s Fengcheng Group, but President Jiang was the one in charge of its daily operations.

Gu Zecheng’s dinner appointment actually invited Fengcheng Entertainment's president and the most powerful movie emperor under its banner. Lin Zixi could not help but suspect that his dad was so horrified by his drama that he could not stand it anymore and decided to personally get resources for him.

After all, based on his current positioning and the strength of Stars Entertainment, it was estimated that Gu Zecheng could be harmed by his drama for three years—in fact, it should be eight years, but he reckoned Dad Gu would be used to being harmed by then, so it could no longer be called harming.

Although young actor Lin had no goals in his acting career, being able to have the opportunity to participate in more reliable movies or TV series was always a happy thing.

Call Gold Master Daddy!

Lin Zixi’s heart was bursting with excitement. When Gold Master Daddy arrived at the club at 6:55, he could not help but smile radiantly while looking at the other person.

Young actor Lin’s face was originally extremely handsome; now it was coupled with a sweet smile from the bottom of his heart, excuse Gu Zecheng for being unable to stop himself from staring at Lin Zixi dazedly. Only after a while did he manage to reply, “You already know that I’m looking for someone to make up for your acting class?"

"Acting class?" Lin Zixi was taken aback, "It’s not giving me resources?"

Dad Gu glared at him with an expression of ‘you couldn't teach an old dog new tricks’. "As far as your acting skills are, if I forcibly put you in a movie of a famous director, won’t you be ashamed to act?"

….

…………

He was not ashamed!

He was not ashamed at all!

Those who came from talent shows and idols were not ashamed to act in Director Zhang's drama. Why would he, a (not very professional) drama graduate, be ashamed to act?!

Even though Lin Zixi said that, he knew that Gu Zecheng did not owe him anything. It was already Gu Zecheng’s great help and kindness to find him an acting teacher—a veteran movie emperor like Zhou Fan to boot.

He was not too disappointed. When he followed Dad Gu into the private room, he was already smiling from ear to ear.

Zhou Fan and Jiang Youliang were already waiting inside. As soon as they saw Gu Zecheng, they left their seats and came over to greet him. "President Gu! I'm really sorry, our president Feng has a board of directors meeting tonight. He’s really busy and unable to get away, so he can only let Zhou Fan and I receive you first. Someday in the future, he’ll make an appointment with you to get together."

Gu Zecheng took Lin Zixi to take a seat, "You’re too polite, President Jiang…. It’s originally my presumptuous request, but President Feng immediately helped me to make a proper arrangement. Thank you for finding the time to come today."

"No, it happens that Zhou Fan and I are both in S city. He hasn't joined the crew now, so it's all good." Jiang Youliang and Zhou Fan glanced at each other, then the former smiled and said to Lin Zixi, " Mr. Lin is the most popular young actor now. It’s also good for us to have such opportunities for cooperation and exchanges."

...He was not, he was not!

Whether it was in terms of popularity or fan fighting strength, the most popular young actor now was Qiu Lianyi under the banner of their Fengcheng. It was hard to say whether young actor Lin was the second.

However, in the face of such business flattery, Lin Zixi only complained in his heart and naturally wouldn’t really expose it. Instead, he said sincerely, "As far as I’m concerned, being able to learn from Teacher Zhou is a great thing…. I’ll trouble Teacher Zhou to give this unworthy student a lot of guidance from now on."

Lin Zixi said ‘teacher’ and ‘student’, but it did not mean that he was going to formally become an apprentice to a master right now—with his aptitude, he reckoned that Zhou Fan might not be willing to accept him even with Gu Zecheng's face.

According to the current situation, Movie Emperor Zhou should be regarded as his private cram class teacher, and their relationship as a business teacher-student relationship.

And Zhou Fan clearly positioned himself like this.

Movie Emperor Zhou exchanged contact details with young actor Lin at the wine table and made an appointment for the class a week later in his own studio instead of his private residence in S City. The time for class was set for just an hour.

But no matter what was said, for Lin Zixi, being able to get one-on-one guidance from a widely acclaimed senior like Zhou Fan was like pies falling from the sky, the kind of pies with edible gold foil outside and stuffed with truffle, foie gras, and caviar inside.

Therefore, whether he was toasting or being toasted, he drank very happily during this dinner without the usual dilly-dallying spirit of ‘ten thousand persuasion to drink a cup’ like when he was forced to socialize.

In all fairness, as a person who had been in the show business for several years, young actor Lin’s alcohol tolerance was still pretty good.

It was a pity that he was facing an old movie emperor and two bosses who had been on the battlefield for a long time. In addition, he had hardly eaten anything since breakfast and exercised for more than three hours in the afternoon. When the dinner was over, he looked fine on the surface, but in fact, he was already a bit drunk and even walked a little crookedly.

"How do you plan to go back tonight?" Gu Zecheng frowned behind him and asked.

Lin Zixi did not speak and subconsciously raised the car key in his hand.

Dad Gu's brows furrowed even tighter. "You’ve become drunk like this, and you still drive? Where’s your assistant?!"

　　

"I...hiccup...I didn't call him, ah..." Lin Zixi walked to the door of the club and answered, while his brain sluggishly considered whether it would be troublesome if he looked for a substitute driver.

　　

However, before he could think about it, he was pulled into the black SUV that stopped at the door.

"You look like Gu Zeyi, and you didn’t study well like Gu Zeyi. Why... even the cause of death also wants to be like his?" Gu Zecheng, who had pulled Lin Zixi into the back seat, saw his startled expression and sneered.

….

…………

A nephew resembled his uncle. In this case, let’s forget about it, thank you!

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