YA Ch52: The Side Character

“It’s really not about the money,” Lu Yu frowned and shook his head.

“I’ll give you ten million, and you can keep him alive, then make some merchandise,” Second Brother Wu gritted his teeth and waved his hand grandly. At that moment, he transformed into that tiger-slaying hero who ordered the landlady for “three more bowls.” He refused to believe that nothing could be done after three bowls① and was determined to use money to crush Lu Yu, the big tiger standing in the way of Shen Ying’s future.

Lu Yu was stunned for a moment, coughed dryly, put his arm around his big brother’s shoulder, and led him out of the operation room, explaining patiently, “Let me finish. Hua Wenyuan was designed to be the AI assistant, and Shen Ying’s death is key to his final character development. What I’m selling is an emotionless emperor, not a playful general. If Hua Wenyuan’s sales don’t do well, it’s not just about ten or twenty million — it’s a huge problem of company debt over ten billion that I wouldn’t be able to repay.”

Hong Wuyang listened, slowly scrunching his face like a steamed bun: “Lu Yu, how did you end up like this?”

Lu Yu was momentarily speechless and said, “Yeah, if it wasn’t for Big Brother’s support, I’d barely be able to eat. Here’s what we’ll do — I’ll write an exclusive side story for you. If you like it, we can even simulate it, and we can make merchandise too. Tell Xiao Jiang what kind of merchandise you want, and we’ll note it down.”

The top donor remained silent for a moment, not immediately agreeing: “I’ll think about it.”

Clearly, he hadn’t given up on his obsession with keeping Shen Ying alive.

Xiao Jiang came over and invited the big brother to visit the merchandise display room to pick out some items.

Lu Yu watched his grand exit and said to Ming Yan, “I almost agreed just now, but fortunately, I held onto my writer’s integrity at the last moment.”

Ming Yan glanced at him, raising an eyebrow: “The integrity to write a side story for him and play it out in a simulation?”

Lu Yu buried his face in Ming Yan’s neck, rubbing it: “It’s about sticking to the integrity of not changing the main plot. Side stories don’t count.”

Ming Yan, tickled by the rubbing, couldn’t help but laugh: “Haha, alright, stop messing around. The staff might see.”

“So what? Let them see. What’s the big deal about the boss being affectionate with the boss?” Lu Yu retorted with righteous confidence.

Lao Yang, who came out to verify some data with them, stood there speechless: “…You should clarify your words.”

Everyone knew there were three bosses in this company.

At noon, Xiao Jiang ordered food from a nearby restaurant, treating the top donor to lunch. When hosting, one must do it properly and make the guest feel at home.

At the dining table, Hong Wuyang chatted endlessly about Shen Ying’s appearance, as if he were a teenager in love, remembering every detail clearly.

“He’s so cute! When he was sixteen, he was so small. Ah, President Ming, you drew him just like I imagined. It’s simply perfect.”

Ming Yan smiled, “I’m glad you like it. Shen Ying has several more outfits coming up. Today’s viewers tipped a lot and requested more costumes. I’ll urge the art team to finish them soon.”

The big brother was overjoyed and clinked glasses with Ming Yan.

In social settings, Ming Yan was quite adept, chatting smoothly and extracting a lot of information. It turned out Hong Wuyang was indeed a second-generation rich kid from a very wealthy family, with businesses in a wide range of industries, seemingly focusing on venture capital.

Ming Yan made a mental note and accepted a fan art card from Xiao Jiang, signing it and drawing a chibi Shen Ying to give to him.

After eating, drinking, and being merry, the big brother held the chibi art Ming Yan gave him and sighed: “Ah Ying, my dear Ah Ying.”

Ming Yan glanced at the previously cheerful Hong Wuyang, who had suddenly fallen into melancholy. He softly asked Lu Yu, “Is he going to be alright?”

“He’s fine. It’s just post-idol-meeting syndrome, like someone who drinks alone after coming home from a concert. It’s the aftermath of a dopamine overload — emptiness and loneliness,” Lu Yu smacked his lips, whispering to Ming Yan, “After I secretly watched you in school, I had the same reaction.”

Ming Yan elbowed him, reminding him there were guests around and to be more serious.

Lu Yu, content with the sight of Ming Yan’s reddened ears, sat back down.

Just then, the AI assistant notified him of a new message in the chat software. He glanced at it — it was from his fellow author buddy.

[Garlic Again: Hey Lu Yu, are you okay?]

Lu Yu was puzzled and casually replied.

[Lu Yu: I’m fine, why are you asking?]

He had known this buddy since he started writing and was as familiar with him as Old Yang, someone he could joke around with.

[Garlic Again: Hey, just checking in. By the way, your livestream is doing great. Could you use my character as an AI assistant too? I’ll be cheap, just give me a share of the assistant’s profits. I mainly want to see my guy wreak havoc in the simulator.]

[Lu Yu: Your character is a womanizer — it’s not going to work.]

Lu Yu made a painful face. Who would want a womanizing character as their AI assistant? Someone who flirts with everyone, even possibly hitting on the user’s mother.

[Garlic Again: Who said that? I’m writing a no-romance plot now, just haven’t finished it yet…]

The rest of his message sounded quite guilty.

Lu Yu scratched his head. Though he didn’t mind helping a friend, buying rights to make a new AI assistant was a business decision, and it was uncertain if his buddy’s story would become popular. Lu Xiaoyu knew he needed to be cautious with his words, but he wasn’t sure how to phrase it smoothly, so he handed the AI to Ming Yan for help.

Ming Yan took a look and typed a reply.

[Lu Yu: Finish writing it first. If it becomes popular and looks profitable, I’ll talk to the platform about buying the rights.]

His buddy was overjoyed, sending a teary cat emoji.

[Garlic Again: Lu Yu, you’re the best. Love you.]

Seeing his friend’s reply to Ming Yan, Lu Yu was instantly furious and quickly took the AI back, furiously tapping the virtual keyboard.

[Lu Yu: Get lost! You straight guy! By the way, what was the name of that top donor who tricked you into meeting in person and then forced you to write a side story?]

It was a bit impolite to fiddle with the AI in front of a guest, so Lu Yu thought of telling a joke to lighten the mood for the big brother. This “top donor lured the author into a real-life fight” joke had to be told in full detail, with names included, so it could become a staple story for social occasions.

[Garlic Again: That would be Yiqu Hongxiao.]

Lu Yu: “…”

[Garlic Again: I thought you knew? Weren’t you livestreaming with him today? I was worried about your safety, that’s why I asked. This guy, let me tell you, he’s rich but very stubborn. I swear, if he didn’t pay so much, I never would have caved. Hold strong! pats shoulder]

Lu Yu’s mouth twitched as he glanced at the curious top donor and asked, “Have you met Garlic Again before?”

Hong Wuyang nodded, “Yeah, he killed off my beloved little demoness and refused to change it. So, I had to meet him for a heart-to-heart talk.”

Ming Yan caught the implication, exchanging glances with Lu Yu: “He’s…”

Lu Yu nodded solemnly, wiping his face: “Why are you always so fixated on liking side characters? The chances of side characters dying are always high.”

Young Master Hong gently stroked the smiling chibi Shen Ying on the fan art and sighed: “Because I’m just a side character, always in the shadow of my brother. He’s 187 cm tall, I’m 178 cm; he got into MIT, I got into provincial university; he’s the CEO of our family’s corporation, I’m the family’s loser.”

Lu Yu snapped his fingers with sympathy: “Perfect contrast!”

—

Author’s Note:

① Three bowls are not enough to pass the hill comes from the story of Wu Song in Water Margin. After getting drunk at the Three Bowls Inn, Wu Song killed a fierce tiger with his bare hands on Jingyang Ridge, becoming a renowned tiger-slaying hero.