FLME Ch42

While Feng Chengzhou was busy spending money over here, Bian Ce was suppressing the trending search over there.

The Feng family’s situation was complex. Feng Chengzhou grew up receiving an elite education. Although he has a bit of arrogance, he’s always excelled in whatever he does. Due to his family background, his thinking is more rigid than most people’s. So, in Bian Ce’s view, occasionally indulging in some spending is actually a good thing. After all, the young master has money. He started working before he even became an adult.

…But letting him spend money recklessly wasn’t the plan.

He’s not a celebrity; too much exposure does no good. Seeing that it was about to hit the top of the trending searches again, Bian Ce, while arranging for his secretary to contact Weibo, also dialed Feng Chengzhou’s phone. As soon as the call connected, he opened his mouth and cursed: “Feng Chengzhou—”

The young master promptly hung up on him with a beep.

Bian Ce: “…Feng, Cheng, Zhou.”

Damn, I’m going to commit fratricide!

Yu Wen watched as the young master picked up the phone, listened for just a second, then calmly hung up, turned on silent mode, and placed the phone face down on the table without changing his expression.

“Anything else?” he continued asking.

Yu Wen: “…”

Yu Wen’s phone was also ringing, though he didn’t realize it.

Xi Su: [Teacher Yu! I just grabbed a red envelope worth 40,000! Oh my god, keep chatting with him, keep chatting! Let’s bleed him dry!]

Sent a few minutes ago, Xie Heyu was speechless as he stared at the lit-up screen.

After a while, the phone vibrated again.

Chu Han: [Yu Wen, Xi Su said if we grab 100,000 today, he’ll do the cleaning for a week. You… talk more.]

Xie Heyu: “…”

The young master ended up sending out over three million in surprise red envelopes. By the time the live broadcast ended, he also gave each actor a bottle of limited-edition vintage wine. Everyone came empty-handed and left with full arms, their smiles harder to suppress than AK.

Feng Chengzhou’s gaze toward him had changed; it was not only warm but also filled with gratitude and trust—definitely the look one gives to a confidant.

He suggested exchanging contact information, “…If you ever want to switch jobs, feel free to contact me. Huiteng will offer you the most generous terms.”

Yu Wen, unable to refuse his enthusiastic offer, turned to find Xie Heyu, who was holding his phone.

Without needing to be told, Xie Heyu, who had been paying close attention to the situation, approached.

After handing over the phone, Xie Heyu gave Feng Chengzhou a slight nod, a gesture of greeting.

Feng Chengzhou also nodded slightly in response, feeling rather surprised. Starlight Media didn’t have many people, but the one by Yu Wen’s side carried himself with composure, like someone who had seen the world.

After exchanging contact information, Yu Wen left with Xie Heyu. Feng Chengzhou had walked halfway when he suddenly remembered something and looked back at the young man next to Yu Wen.

…Have I seen him somewhere before?

The young master had no clear memory but thought he’d ask Bian Ce to investigate later.

–

Having already been surrounded once, they definitely couldn’t leave through the front door. However, as Yu Wen was heading downstairs, he noticed quite a few fans still lingering near the main entrance, making him hesitant to move forward.

Xiao Zhou said, “How about you go first, Teacher Yu? I’ll buy some milk tea and bring it to the fans?”

In the sweltering heat, holding up banners is tough work. With Yu Wen’s approval, Xiao Zhou and Xiao Zhong went downstairs. Xie Heyu asked, “Do you want to get in the car first?”

Yu Wen, looking out from the one-way floor-to-ceiling windows on the third floor, shook his head and said, “I’ll wait for you all. Teacher Xie, you should help them too; three people will be quicker.”

After a moment’s thought, Xie Heyu agreed, “Keep your phone on.”

Yu Wen was looking at his new banner.

Blue and yellow, with a beautifully done gradient, the colors were very eye-catching. If he were to compete with other celebrities, the banner’s colors would probably outshine them all…

He chuckled at his own thoughts.

He suddenly remembered what fans had shouted downstairs earlier—something about checking the fan group—but he hadn’t heard clearly. Yu Wen took out his phone, found the super-topic, and after fumbling around for a while, found his fan group.

He had several fan groups, but the other groups were full, so he used a small account to apply to join the third group.

Since there was an event today, the fans were very active, and his application was quickly approved.

As soon as he entered the group, Yu Wen was dazzled by the rapidly scrolling messages.

The group was extremely lively, with conversations about all sorts of topics. He had to scroll up; in just ten minutes, several hundred people were discussing four or five completely different topics.

Some were discussing the drama.

「Hey, have you guys watched Episode 10 of Legend of the Immortal Sect? Someone analyzed that Liu Zhenzi might already be dead. Is that true?」

「Get lost. What kind of Xianxia drama kills off characters? Even if he’s dead, he better come back to life, or I’ll shove an umbrella up the writer’s butt and open it.」

「The analysis seems reasonable. I’ve always found some things suspicious, like how everyone fears Liu Zhenzi, but he’s never appeared; how Jiang Qiuyue goes to that cave every week to bring him food, yet the grass at the entrance is a meter tall—I always wonder if there’s really anyone inside; and then there’s the Third Sister, who trains really hard, but in Episode 5, the Second Sister clearly said she hated training…」

「Maybe it’s just the director’s lack of skill.」

「I don’t think it’s a lack of skill. In the ten episodes aired so far, each one has had a small theme and a protagonist, which proves the director’s storytelling ability. But the main theme of the entire drama hasn’t emerged yet.」

「I think it’s a setup.」

Some were discussing the recent livestream.

「Did anyone win anything? I won over 20,000! Sharing some luck with everyone!」

「Rubbing it in!」

「Rubbing it in!」

「How funny, I’m really curious about what Xiao Yu said to the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince is acting like he’s been possessed.」

Also, let’s talk about Yu Wen being lifted up in the lobby.

「Picture.jpg Picture.jpg Picture.jpg」

「Feels like it’s going to trend… The more I look at this B picture, the funnier it gets.」

「The main character sitting on someone else’s shoulders, our house is truly unique in the entertainment industry.」

「Reborn: Following the Melon King to See the World (Wow, What a Crazy World)」

「You can never guess what’s going to happen next with Xiao Yu.」

「But speaking of which, Xiao Yu’s smile is so sweet; look at this one. Picture.jpg」

「Cheeks making a heart shape, yo yo yo, the baby is so stylish.」

「Did no one notice that Xiao Yu’s makeup and outfit today were designed? He used to go out in slippers if he could.」

「Yeah, today he really looks so pretty, pretty baby.」

Yu Wen scrolled down and finally found the topic he was looking for.

Someone had noticed his makeup during the live stream.

「Did the makeup artist redo it after going upstairs? It seems a bit different from when he first entered.”

「I’ll say this first: Yu Wen is a guy. But in this picture, he’s so delicate, he could be a girl for an hour.」

「Even a casual glance makes it seem like he’s seducing me…」

「Ah! Women dress up to please those they love! This is my wife trying to please me! (Spins) (Jumps) (Flies with joy)」

The discussion was lively, and after glancing at it, Yu Wen found it hard to make sense of their chaotic exchange, so he exited the group chat.

Still, he was quite pleased. So many people noticed, which meant his makeup skills were indeed quite good.

Downstairs, Xie Heyu and the other two had already bought milk tea and were distributing it.

Fangirls are always easy to please; as long as they feel a mutual connection with the person they like, they can be overwhelmingly happy. A small cup of milk tea can make them sweat and cry in the scorching heat.

“Ugh…” Xie Heyu handed out a cup of cold milk tea, and the next second, he heard someone sobbing. He stiffened and cautiously looked toward the source of the sound.

“What happened?” he asked.

Is the milk tea that bad?

The girl didn’t say anything; she just kept sipping the milk tea. She was holding a banner and a bouquet in her arms, with a backpack on her back. She couldn’t free up a hand, so she used her thumb to hold the milk tea and kept drinking, then sniffed after finishing, “I’m alive again.”

Today was really hot, but in all her years of being a fangirl, it was the first time she so easily got a clear picture of a celebrity’s face.

Although Yu Wen’s style was always strange, and his fans often referred to themselves as “crazy,”  there’s no denying that following Yu Wen was a novel and pleasant experience. When there’s nothing going on, they gossip; when there’s a show, they watch it; and when they want to meet, they chase after offline events. In the entertainment industry, there’s no other star who would sit on their manager’s shoulders and pose for fans’ photos.

Her Xiao Yu even made a heart!

Her Xiao Yu even bought them milk tea!

Her Xiao Yu even tricked the CEO into giving out red envelopes!

…She won over 30,000 yuan today!

After a while, the girl stuffed the bouquet, banner, some miscellaneous support items, and a few handwritten letters into Xie Heyu’s hands, all at once, while saying, “Manager, thank you for taking care of Xiao Yu. These are some samples made by the fan club for Xiao Yu to see if he likes them. If he doesn’t, that’s fine; we’re too lazy to change them anyway. These letters are from a few big fans in the fan club who couldn’t make it today…”

Xie Heyu accepted the hodgepodge of things and nodded, “We should be the ones thanking you.”

After distributing the milk tea, Xie Heyu lied and said that Yu Wen had already left in the crew’s car. Yu Wen watched from above, and within ten minutes, most of the crowd had dispersed.

That night, as expected, there were four or five trending topics, with #YuWenSittingOnShouldersMakingAHeart# in the top ten, followed by a string of promotional posts for the show. However, Feng Chengzhou, usually a big topic on social media, didn’t make much of a splash this time, likely because someone deliberately suppressed the trending topics.

Yu Wen’s gesture of giving out milk tea also sparked some discussion.

「My Xiao Yu is not just a living person in the entertainment industry anymore… Please respectfully call him the Little Sun of the entertainment world.」

「Really, every time he appears on camera, he’s full of energy; just looking at him makes people happy!」

「At most, he spaces out, but he’s never shown a dark face.」

「Back when he wasn’t famous, didn’t he reply ‘thank you’ to fans’ private messages one by one? So well-behaved it could kill.」

「??? How did this get dug up?」

「No need to dig; just compare the screenshots; it’s obvious. It wasn’t an instant reply; clearly, it was not automated. And the replies were concentrated in the same time period.」

「You old fans have it so good???」

「Back in the day, even Empress Dowager Cixi didn’t have it as good as we do.」

Yu Wen removed his makeup, took a shower, and went downstairs. Chu Han and Xi Su were sitting in the living room watching TV—Legend of the Immortal Sect Anecdotes.

Yu Wen was surprised, not expecting the blue-haired guy to love his show so much. Even after being spoiled about the ending, he still couldn’t resist watching and torturing himself.

He hadn’t eaten dinner, but he wasn’t very hungry. He rummaged through the fridge, found two bento boxes left by Xie Heyu, heated them in the microwave, and ate them with a fork.

The TV was on episode four. Yu Wen sat down on the single sofa, chewed on some vegetables, and asked puzzledly, “Haven’t you seen this already…?”

Chu Han was engrossed in the show and found him annoying, “Don’t talk.”

Next to him, Xi Su gave a sly smile, like a plot had succeeded.

Yu Wen: ?

“I’ve seen it, but Teacher Chu hasn’t. It’s fine, I can watch it again.” Xi Su generously said.

Yu Wen felt something was off.

Is Xi Su such a kind person?

After finishing the bento, he went to the kitchen to wash the dishes. When he came out, it was already episode five, and Xi Su was excitedly previewing the upcoming iconic scene where the male and female leads first meet, “Get ready, get ready, next is the CP feast…”

This was also the first time Jiang Qiuyue officially appeared.

The second senior brother sent the fourth junior to invite Jiang Qiuyue for a meeting, but the fourth junior, afraid of getting beaten, bumped into Pu Yangxi along the way and conveniently passed the task to him.

The male lead couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity to explore Yunxiao Mountain and eagerly accepted the task.

He first followed Chu Zhiyao’s advice, visiting several places where Jiang Qiuyue often appeared. When he couldn’t find her, he boldly headed toward Yunxiao Mountain’s few “forbidden areas.” The first place he went was the peach grove on the back mountain, which Chu Zhiyao had repeatedly warned him not to go to.

A hundred and fifty pounds of body weight, a hundred and forty-nine pounds of rebelliousness.

This season was the perfect time for peach blossoms. Although the peach grove on the back of the of the mountain had long lost its former glory, with spring approaching, the branches were still budding with pale pink flowers.

Jiang Qiuyue was napping on one of the trees.

Pu Yangxi cautiously advanced, just passing under the tree where Jiang Qiuyue was napping. Unaware, the woman on the tree closed her eyes and broke off a two-inch-long peach branch with a backward motion.

Sensing something, Pu Yangxi stopped.

When those eyes opened, they were as clear as the mountain springs formed from melted snow on a heavenly lake. The next moment, the peach branch, carrying a gust of wind, was already approaching Pu Yangxi’s neck.

He spun to dodge, and the peach branch, like a sudden storm, attacked fiercely. In the blink of an eye, they had exchanged more than ten moves.

Amidst the delicate clusters of peach buds, Pu Yangxi saw a pair of beautifully shaped peach blossom eyes.

“Good footwork.”

This was Jiang Qiuyue’s first sentence.

She held the peach branch lightly and pointed it at Pu Yangxi with a hint of interest and the natural arrogance of a strong person.

“No one on Yunxiao Mountain can take my moves; you’re the first. I permit you to draw your sword.”

With a soft, easily breakable peach branch in hand, she didn’t even use her inner strength, casually and lazily pointing it, saying, “I permit you to draw your sword.”

This was Jiang Qiuyue’s first appearance.

“Look! The mutual love-and-hate dynamic is really coming out, isn’t it?!” Xi Su grabbed a handful of chips to calm his nerves. No matter how many times he watched this scene, it always moved him. He joked that when he died, this scene should be burned onto a DVD and buried with him.

Chu Han tore open a bag of banana chips, nodding continuously, “So shippable, so shippable…”

Xi Su: “My ship is divine.”

“I think so too.” Chu Han was clearly getting a bit too into it, his face full of satisfaction. “Pu Yangxi is usually so alert that just breaking a branch would set him off, but every time Chu Zhiyao sneaks up on him from behind, he takes a moment to react. What does that mean? It means he’s doing it on purpose, pretending not to notice, so Chu Zhiyao…”

Xi Su: “Wait a minute, what are you shipping?”

Chu Han blinked in confusion, “I’m shipping ‘XiYao’.”

Yu Wen, who had just finished washing fruit and came out, happened to hear this.

“‘XiYao’ who?”

Chu Han: “Pu Yangxi and Chu Zhiyao.”

Yu Wen: “Huh?!”

Xi Su: “…You rebel against the natural order!”

Chu Han was a die-hard ‘XiYao’ fan, and despite Yu Wen and Xi Su preaching in his ear for half an hour, he remained unmoved.

“It’s okay; shipping tastes are subjective. Everyone has their own aesthetics. On this long journey of life, you’ll meet people who share your interests and those who don’t. I wish you both well in the future, you tasteless fools.” Chu Han said peacefully.

The two CP fans who had their ship torn apart gritted their teeth, and Yu Wen almost wanted to smash the bowl on Chu Han’s head.

For the first time in his life, he and Xi Su were on the same side.

“Let’s go.” Xi Su was so angry that his hair almost stood on end, but he couldn’t do anything about it. “Yu Wen, let’s go; we’re not watching with him!”

Yu Wen stomped upstairs in his slippers, making sure to stomp loudly so that the whole villa echoed.

That night, after watching twenty beautiful videos of his own CP, he finally calmed down. Embracing the mindset that “CPs are so beautiful, why be angry?” he opened WeChat.

He clicked into the “Spicy Teachers” group chat that he hadn’t paid much attention to lately due to his busy schedule.

The group was discussing CPs.

At some point, several teachers had changed their group nicknames, and at first glance, Yu Wen thought he had entered a hotpot restaurant.

Spicy Teacher Yi Ming: [Cordially invite everyone to enjoy the ‘XiYue’ beautiful fanfiction.]

Yuan Yang Hotpot Teacher Tong Li: [This isn’t my ship. Where’s our ‘XiYao’ content?]

Clear Broth Teacher Daniel Li: [Jiang Qiuyue is cuter with the third senior sister…]

Tomato Soup Teacher Fan Xiangyang: [The fourth junior brother and Pu Yangxi also have a bit of something…]

Cumin Seasoning Jian Heng: “Doesn’t anyone think Jiang Qiuyue and Chu Zhiyao are the best ship? The sixth junior brother was raised by the senior sister; he’s most afraid of her but also likes her the most… Whether it’s ‘YaoYue’ or ‘YueYao’… they both smell so good.”

In less than five minutes, Yu Wen’s vision went black.

Baka!¹ Japanese word that means “fool” or “idiot” in English

Rebels against the natural order!

Footnotes:

• 1
  Japanese word that means “fool” or “idiot” in English