The Ninth Star
A WeChat group named “Four Heavenly Kings Battle on the Forbidden City Peak” was currently chatting lively.
A Puddle of Mud (tl: play on “Tan” in Wang Tan): “Image”
A Puddle of Mud: “Image”
A Puddle of Mud: “Shocking — Popular idol Zong Ye openly pampers fan in public, stunning his teammates”
Ah Kai: “What is Little Zong doing? Didn’t buy enough coffee, so now he’s started taking photos for others? Is this how a big star should be?”
A Puddle of Mud: “@Ah Kai, watch your tone, that’s why you have so few female fans, you could learn from Zong Ye-gege.”
After teasing Zong Ye, before Wang Tan could put down his phone, he suddenly saw a prompt pop up in the group:
[You have been removed from the group chat by “Zong Ye”]
He turned his head and looked emotionally at Zong Ye, asking, “Baby? What did I do?”
Jiang Chuyi, who was sitting next to them, trembled.
Little Zhong pretended not to care, lowering her head, her round eyes widened, her face flushed red.
Oh my god, oh my god, I’m dying, I’m dying, wuwu… ZongTan is scoring big points tonight.
Zong Ye put away his phone and calmly said, “Be normal.”
Wang Tan: “You have such a cruel heart, gege.”
Fu Cheng seemed unable to stand Wang Tan’s nauseating appearance and shook off the hand he had placed on him.
Ji Kai was sitting not far away and shouted towards them, “Why was my Tan-ge kicked out? Zong Ye, are you excluding my buddy? Tan-ge, just wait. I’ll consult a lawyer for you tonight. I’ll say Zong Ye is bullying his teammate and send him a lawyer’s letter tomorrow.”
Jiang Chuyi silently spaced out, pretending not to hear their conversation.
Before getting to know them, she never thought that these top stars, who seemed so aloof in the eyes of outsiders, would actually interact like this in private. Jiang Chuyi couldn’t help but feel her cool and distant filter for them cracking a bit, thinking that Chen Yi would probably like the types like Ji Kai and Wang Tan. Both handsome and crazy.
Seeing that the rain wouldn’t stop anytime soon, the director picked up the walkie-talkie and notified each team to wrap up.
The director instructed the assistant, “We need to go film some outdoor scenes in the afternoon and still have a night scene in the evening. Notify everyone in the group later.”
The assistant director glanced at his watch, “Why don’t we go eat together?”
Wang Tan raised his hand, “Director, we won’t be going. Don’t we have half a day off this afternoon?”
“Why?”
“Zong Ye is cooking later.”
“Zong Ye can cook too?”
It was the first time the assistant director heard about this and was a bit curious.
Ji Kai: “Of course. Teacher Zong’s level can completely match a professional chef trained by New Oriental.”
“Where is Zong Ye going to cook?” Xin He pursed her lips and smiled, her tone very familiar, “What are you guys eating? Let me freeload a meal. Am I welcome?”
Ji Kai: “How could we dare not to welcome a lady? We had asked the hotel manager to borrow their kitchen for a bit.”
Seemingly feeling that something was off, a hint of hesitation appeared on Xin He’s face. She glanced over, “Teacher Jiang, Director, do you want to join us?”
Jiang Chuyi remembered Gao Ning’s instructions and waved her hand, “I won’t go. I have something to do later.”
The assistant director also declined, “You young people can get together. I won’t disturb you. Take this opportunity to deepen your relationships.”
“Don’t stand on ceremony. Come on, everyone.” Ji Kai had the appearance of everyone being bros, don’t be polite, “Today, I specially had my assistant go buy ingredients. There’s enough to eat.”
Xin He: “That’s right, Teacher Jiang, come together. Is your matter very important? Eating a meal won’t take much time.”
Jiang Chuyi thought for a moment and negotiated with her, “How about this? I’ll finish my task first. If I’m done early, I’ll come. If I’m not done, you guys can eat first. No need to wait for me.”
*
At 7 PM China time, the joint live broadcast event for “Blades of Reflection” officially began.
The signal in the hotel wasn’t very good, and the live broadcast interface had some lag and delay.
Jiang Chuyi changed locations several times, but the result was mediocre. Helpless, she could only sit on the sofa near the door.
Today’s event was arranged for some young actors who played supporting roles with memorable scenes in the drama, so the popularity in the live broadcast room was neither high nor low. Jiang Chuyi was a typical actress pulled in to make up the numbers. She only needed to occasionally say a few words. Her camera was placed in a small frame in the lower right corner, without much presence. For most of the event, it was mainly Bu Xiangchen interacting with fans.
His current status was incomparable to the past. His resources and popularity had clearly risen to a new level.
It could be seen that Bu Xiangchen was very intent on distancing himself from her, indicating that they were not close at all. Jiang Chuyi was already experiencing network lag being abroad and didn’t say much. Every time she spoke, whether intentionally or unintentionally, Bu Xiangchen, who was originally laughing and talking, would immediately shut up, as if afraid to follow her lead.
After he did this two or three times, Jiang Chuyi couldn’t be bothered to speak anymore.
The live broadcast event proceeded in this lukewarm manner. When it was about to end, the doorbell of the hotel room rang.
Little Zhong ran over to the door, opening it just a crack.
Jiang Chuyi glanced over out of the corner of her eye.
She didn’t know who was outside. Little Zhong peeked her head out, speaking in a lowered voice.
After a while, she opened the door wider, letting someone in.
Jiang Chuyi was originally glancing over casually, but suddenly her gaze paused.
Zong Ye was carrying something unknown, with a book underneath as a tray.
Little Zhong followed closely beside him, her face full of difficulty, whispering, “Teacher Zong, you’re too kind. Why don’t I do it instead?”
Jiang Chuyi was stunned.
What was going on?
She watched the scene in front of her, her mouth slightly open, momentarily forgetting that she was still in a live broadcast.
Perhaps to avoid suspicion, the door was opened more than halfway. Ji Kai and Wang Tan were leaning against the doorframe waiting, bored, and waved at Jiang Chuyi.
“It’s very hot. I’ll do it.” Zong Ye signaled for her to point to a spot, “Where should I put it?”
Little Zhong was a bit dumbfounded, “You can put it anywhere. Just don’t burn yourself.”
Jiang Chuyi’s attention shifted, mechanically turning her head from left to right, following Zong Ye’s steps.
Little Zhong also stood there, momentarily forgetting to stop him. She didn’t dare to speak loudly and could only watch helplessly as he walked inside.
No, Teacher Zong, when I said you could put it anywhere, I didn’t mean for you to put it on the dining table in the living room…
The host suddenly called out to her, “Chuyi! Is Chuyi there?”
Jiang Chuyi seemed to be startled awake and let out a short “ah” sound, “I’m here.”
“Just now, a fan asked a question. They want to know, in this drama, which character is your favorite?”
“My favorite character…”
Jiang Chuyi stared at the phone screen, breaking out in a cold sweat. She paused for a moment, trying to ignore the person in front of her, and recited the words according to the script given earlier.
In less than two minutes, the atmosphere in the live broadcast room suddenly changed.
Sure enough, some eagle-eyed netizens still recognized the silhouette that had just flashed by.
[Am I hallucinating? Why do I feel like the person who just walked by was Zong Ye…]
[Oh my god? What’s going on? Is that Zong Ye? Why would Zong Ye appear in Jiang Chuyi’s room… Huh? This world is too crazy…]
[It’s definitely Zong Ye. I recognized him at a glance! The entertainment industry is about to collapse!!]
[Zong Ye? Where’s Zong Ye????]
Seeing that the situation was already out of control, Jiang Chuyi felt that something was very wrong.
As if they had a tacit understanding, the entire live broadcast room, everyone, including the host who was livening up the atmosphere, fell silent for three seconds.
As more and more people flooded the screen, new viewers also kept pouring into the live broadcast room. The topic was diverted a few times but couldn’t be steered away. The host had no choice but to ask, “Chuyi, where are you now?”
Big trouble.
Jiang Chuyi steadied her mind and answered ambiguously, “I’m abroad. I recently started filming for a new movie.”
The host immediately responded, “Oh, it’s that recently announced movie with BloodxGentle, right?”
“Yes.” Jiang Chuyi pretended to be calm while quickly thinking about how to handle the situation. “Everyone just happens to be here, along with some staff members, so we’re planning to have a meal together.”
Jiang Chuyi took the opportunity to glance at Zong Ye.
He placed the soup on the table, grabbed a napkin, and wiped his hands.
“So that’s how it is.” The host continued to ask, “Is everyone there?”
Jiang Chuyi answered, “Everyone’s here.”
Fortunately, Ji Kai and Wang Tan were also here; otherwise, Zong Ye probably wouldn’t be able to clear his name even if he jumped into the Yellow River today.
The host felt relieved and spoke in a much more relaxed tone, “Hahaha, it seems like our live stream is filled with a particular person’s name, right?”
Jiang Chuyi played dumb and didn’t respond to him.
But there was no need for her to answer as the host read out the name himself.
Coincidentally, Zong Ye was passing by and paused his steps when he heard his name, turning his head.
Jiang Chuyi found herself in a passive position and quietly explained to him, “My live stream event hasn’t ended yet.”
“What live stream?”
“For ‘Blades of Reflection.'”
“I see.” Zong Ye seemed to think for a couple of seconds before calmly asking, “Do you need me to say hello?”
Jiang Chuyi: “…”
How could he seriously misunderstand to this extent?
That was not what she meant at all!
Just by vaguely overhearing their conversation, the host seemed to sense something and became excited, enthusiastically saying, “Teacher Zong Ye, have you been following the drama recently? Would you like to come to the live stream and say hello to us?”
Jiang Chuyi thought to herself. This host really knows how to seize an opportunity, managing to get a big shot to join.
She was still thinking about how to refuse when suddenly, it darkened in front of her.
Zong Ye slightly bent down, first glancing at the live stream. Then, he sat down to Jiang Chuyi’s right, his enchanting eyes curving as he said, “Hello everyone, I’m Zong Ye.”
Jiang Chuyi instantly felt her breathing become a bit difficult again.
In the short few minutes after he said hello, the number of people in the live stream skyrocketed.
The previously slow-moving comments started scrolling up at an accelerated pace, making people dizzy.
[No way, Zong Ye, you really came???]
[Zong Ye in person?? I’m shocked, Jiang Chuyi, you’re amazing (crying)]
[Even ants passing by have to come to the live stream to take a look]
[Cheng Jing crew: Which direction should we bow our heads? Can we get BloodxGentle members to promote for us?]
[Zong Ye’s face is simply an indiscriminate attack on all age groups, so handsome, I’m dying, just looking at him adds years to your life (collapses)]
The live stream, which was supposed to end on time, was forcibly extended by ten minutes due to a certain someone’s arrival. Zong Ye himself seemed oblivious and politely accompanied her for the promotion.
Due to the high demand, Wang Tan and Ji Kai also came over very gracefully to say hello.
Wang Tan sat on the other side of Jiang Chuyi, his tone lazy, “Good afternoon everyone… oh no, it’s evening in China, right? Good evening, everyone.”
Half of Ji Kai’s handsome face entered the frame, he never had much of an attitude and said with a smile, “I hope everyone will support Teacher Chuyi’s new drama.”
Jiang Chuyi was sandwiched between them, unable to leave. She didn’t know whether to smile or not, and could only maintain a stiff, business-like expression, pretending to be focused on reading the bullet comments.
Jiang Chuyi, who had been serving as background half an hour ago, seemed to have suddenly become the main guest.
Some uninformed passersby who had just entered and didn’t recognize Jiang Chuyi thought she was some new heavyweight star with a strong background in the entertainment industry.
How powerful must her backing be? How much clout must she have? Look at the men standing beside her, each one a popular male star who could easily trend on hot searches for the smallest things. Their fans’ fighting power combined could easily overturn half the industry… You wouldn’t even dare to dream of this.
Jiang Chuyi felt a bit tormented, each second feeling like a year, her fake smile almost making her face go stiff.
She reminded the host in her heart. That’s enough, it would be impolite to keep leeching off them.
In the live stream, there were some young actors warmly greeting Zong Ye and the others, expressing that they would definitely go support BloodxGentle’s tour next year.
Bu Xiangchen spoke in a tone as if they were good buddies, “If we go to your concert, can you save a ticket for me?”
Zong Ye gave a faint smile but didn’t provide any other reaction.
Wang Tan pretended not to hear.
Bu Xiangchen awkwardly laughed to himself a couple of times and gave up.
When the live stream ended, Jiang Chuyi, who had been highly tense for nearly twenty minutes, suddenly relaxed.
She spaced out for a moment, then abruptly came back to her senses, immediately expressing sincere thanks to the few people beside her, “Thank you for your hard work, and for helping to advertise, I’m really sorry about that.”
“Helping to advertise?” Wang Tan snickered, “Don’t be sorry, we charge by the second.”
Jiang Chuyi’s smile froze.
Recalling how a certain manager had once gossiped to her about BloodxGentle’s sky-high appearance fees, she was afraid it wasn’t a joke. Jiang Chuyi immediately decided to change the subject, “How come you all came here?”
Ji Kai had a difficult expression, “The situation is quite complicated.”
“It’s about time.” Wang Tan checked his phone, “Let’s go back to eat.”
“That soup.” Jiang Chuyi pointed.
“Put it in the fridge, she can still eat it after reheating.”
*
Jiang Chuyi followed beside them, walking in the quiet hotel corridor.
In a rare moment of leisure, they were all bare-faced. Zong Ye was wearing sportswear and black-framed glasses, almost covering half his face. Under the soft lights, his skin was clean, making him look like a pure male college student.
She stole a glance, then another.
He looked straight at her, “What’s wrong, is there something on my face?”
Jiang Chuyi explained, “It’s the first time I’ve seen you wear glasses, so you’re nearsighted?”
Zong Ye paused slightly and smiled, explaining to her, “It’s hereditary myopia, I had surgery before, so it’s a bit better now, I usually only wear them at home.”
So that’s how it is.
Jiang Chuyi fawned a bit, “It’s fine, you look quite good in glasses too.”
Hearing this, Wang Tan turned his head to look at the two of them, “Isn’t Teacher Jiang a Zong Ye fan? How come you didn’t even know he’s a four-eyes, are you a fake fan?”
Jiang Chuyi was speechless after being jabbed by him.
Unable to hold back, she quietly muttered a sentence, “It’s not like I go to his house.”
Ji Kai laughed out loud.
Just like that, following them to the door of the room, Jiang Chuyi suddenly heard a bang, sounding like a chair being bumped.
They stopped in their tracks.
From behind a door, Xin He’s aggrieved and clear yell reached their ears, “Fu Cheng! Don’t bully me too much, just because I like you–”
Jiang Chuyi was stunned, her mouth slightly agape.
For a moment, she suspected that there was something wrong with her hearing.
