Chapter 44.2

After finishing the conversation with the professional manager, Rong Jing instructed Zhou You to take the remaining files to the company. At this hour, his robotic elder brother might still be working overtime.

Other companies could wait, Rong Jing emphasized that Zhou You should focus on the development of FUN and pay special attention to the acquisition of Shengteng Entertainment. He wanted to completely clean up this infamous company.

Zhou You expressed understanding and, veering off-topic, mentioned that the Ji family wanted to bring Xie Jisheng back. He wondered if they should do something about it.

Xie Jisheng possessed both the bloodline of the Xie and the Ji family. However, due to the old man Xie’s disapproval of the affair between the Ji family lady and Xie Zhanhong, coupled with the Ji family’s insistence on framing it as a win-win situation, he never held the Ji family in high regard, let alone Xie Jisheng with the Ji blood running through his veins.

This was the reason why from a young age, Xie Jisheng grew closer to the Ji family. However, with too many descendants in the Ji family and intense power struggles, those people ingrained Xie Jisheng the necessity of holding power. Only by obtaining power could he surpass everyone else.

If Xie Jisheng could plot against Xie Ling and Xie Zhanhong, then why should the Ji family go unscathed? No. Xie Jisheng chose to have it all.

Now, the Ji family was helping him purely because they saw him as useful and out of consideration for the second young master of the Xie family.

Rong Jing knew that the Ji family was also on Xie Jisheng’s target list. However, the Ji family’s involvement was part of the original plot, and his mind couldn’t quite remember much of the story again, making him confused.

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Who would have thought that the one stirring up everything was the seemingly non-business savvy young master forced by his older brother to spend money on investments? This hidden thread was buried deep.

After Zhou You left, Rong Jing walked towards the window, gazing at the sky that mirrored the one on his own world. The velvety blue sky was adorned with stars, and the serene environment was suitable for contemplation.

He had nearly lost his life today, and his fear of this matter had only been temporarily suppressed. As characters who didn’t have much presence in the original plot, why, after he helped him once, did Xie Ling not encounter danger again?

What’s the difference between him and Xie Ling? Was it because had more presence in the story? Both were cannon fodder characters destined to be written out of the story, so did their screen time in the novel really matter?

Rong Jing looked at the full-length mirror beside the desk, examining the reflected face that seemed to be tens of percentage points uglier than his original self.

Was it because he wasn’t handsome enough? It couldn’t be such a silly reason, right? No. Rong Jing looked back at the mirror again.

I am not me.

Because I am a soul from another world?

Xie Ling was not just a stumbling block to the protagonist’s OP life but, according to the logic of this world, he was also an original character of the original plot.

His existence was reasonable, while what was unreasonable was the soul that came from Earth—it was him.

Suddenly, a lightning bolt struck the top of a mountain, illuminating Rong Jing’s face. The weather changed dramatically once more, as if it was foretelling something.

Did I guess it right?

He was the bug that needed to be eradicated the most. Only by removing him could the plotline have the chance to return to its original course.

Before and after realizing that he had transmigrated, he already changed too many plot points. He cut off the chance of Wu Fuyu and Gu Xi’s fateful encounter, and Xie Jisheng’s supposedly terrific life has been going downhill. Even the originally destined-to-die characters escaped their fate… If this world really had a will of its own, it would undoubtedly want to eliminate him first.

As long as he wasn’t dead, others would be temporarily safe. With him up there in their list, the heavens temporarily lacked the energy to deal with the others. Therefore, what he needed to do was survive in every life-and-death situation as much as possible!

A lightning bolt slashed across the sky.

As if it wanted to split apart the heavens and the earth, its sound seemed to tear through eardrums.

As if it were rebuking this tiny human, ignorant of the power of the one above.

Rong Jing snorted coldly. Trying to kill him wouldn’t be so easy.

Worried that the thunder might wake up Gu Xi, Rong Jing walked up to the door and knocked. From inside the room, he could hear Gu Xi’s soft voice, “I’m not asleep yet.”

The glow from his phone’s screen illuminated his face. It showed Pear’s official website, displaying the necklace that he had already ordered. Upon hearing Rong Jing’s voice, Gu Xi immediately turned off the phone screen.

Rong Jing grabbed the medicine kit then opened Gu Xi’s door. It was pitch dark inside, with the occasional flashes of lightning near the window.

Gu Xi, nestled under the covers, blinked and looked at him.

Seeing that Gu Xi was still quite awake, Rong Jing turned on the bedside lamp, casting a warm glow over both of them. “It’s been an hour, why are you still awake?”

“Got woken up by the thunder.”

In truth, he hadn’t closed his eyes; everytime he did, thoughts of tomorrow afternoon’s verdict flooded in. 

He was unhappy, kind of wanting to make some trouble.

Gu Xi indeed had a severe case of insomnia, but Rong Jing wasn’t here to expose him, “Hold out your right hand.”

Gu Xi, “!”

His hand retreated under the covers. Rong Jing remained silent, and the two stared at each other like that. Gu Xi felt a bit overwhelmed under Rong Jing’s plain gaze, his heart pounding hard.

Pouting in frustration, he slowly held out his right hand.

Gu Xi asked, “How did you know?”

“If I hadn’t noticed, are you going to pretend like nothing happened?” Rong Jing saw the green and purple marks on Gu Xi’s skin. It looked even more obvious against his pale complexion. “How did it get like this?”

“I accidentally bumped into something.”

“Did you really?” As the two of them became more familiar with each other, Rong Jing’s words became a bit less polite.

Gu Xi glanced at him with questioning eyes, as if asking ‘are you implying that I haven’t been completely honest?’

Rong Jing was experienced in treating injuries. Seeing that there were no open wounds, he applied ointment and gently massaged the bruises. “Bear with it for a bit.”

Gu Xi felt some pain, but he could endure it. What he was more focused on was the warmth from someone else’s touch. The ointment, which was wet and sticky, seemed to seep into his heart in circles.

The atmosphere became somewhat homey. Rong Jing kept his eyes lowered, not looking at Gu Xi, “Don’t always endure it by yourself. If something hurts, speak up. You can try relying on others.”

It was an advice that Guan Hongyi had also told him. However, Gu Xi never took it seriously because he felt his life was like a curse, and he didn’t want to burden others with it.

With a light smile, Gu Xi asked innocently, “By others, you mean someone like you?”

Ring Jing didn’t make any promises but simply nodded.

Gu Xi gazed at the man who exuded a gentle aura beneath the gentle glow of the lamp.

This moment was actually quite ordinary. It didn’t carry the same kind of tension of the car ride earlier, but Gu Xi found it particularly moving. He felt like he was soaking in afternoon lemon tea, tangy and effervescent, with numerous little bubbles popping up.

He initially thought that the pancake was already sweet enough. But every time, it managed to surpass his expectations, becoming even sweeter. Sweet to the point where he couldn’t let go anymore.

Rong Jing had a special massage technique. With his experience in fight scenes from his previous life, he knew how to disperse the bruising. The skin he massaged still felt warm.

After he closed the medicine box, Rong Jing instructed Gu Xi to keep his hand outside until the ointment dried before putting it back under the covers. He turned off the bedside lamp and was about to leave with the medicine kit.

“Rong Jing.”

Rong Jing turned around.

Gu Xi: Can you stop being so good to me? I can’t take it anymore.

Seeing Gu Xi hesitating to speak, Rong Jing asked, “What’s wrong?”

Gu Xi: “…Good night.”

This pancake that was handed to him on a silver platter; he decided to take another bite of it. He swore it would be the last time.

“En, see you tomorrow.”

As he remembered the pile of documents still to be dealt with, Rong Jing admired Xie Ling. He must be a three-headed, six-armed person to be able to manage such a large company all on his own. He couldn’t even manage his own small business, feeling completely overwhelmed.

Before this, there were already one, two, three… more companies that needed restructuring, acquisitions, merging, and many more business matters. Should he ask his older brother to hire another manager for help?

He also needed to find time to read his scripts. Acting was his lifeline, so he could only rely on this hobby to continue his life. He couldn’t lose it.

Can a day extend for another 24 hours? It’s not enough.

Why is life so challenging?

The room darkened again, and Gu Xi felt enveloped by darkness once more. He decided to sit up and turned on the overhead light. Since he couldn’t sleep anyway, he might as well do something.

Gu Xi also saw the trending topic #Imperial Power, Fake News# on Weibo. It was obviously a manipulated trend, but there was also a portion of genuine discussion.

For now, he wouldn’t reveal the name, just to intensify the debate and rejection. Later, when there was more controversy, he would reveal it.

This newcomer would easily be ousted from the cast. Even if not immediately, the uncertainty about future roles and the loss of casual fans before debuting would be a significant blow. Moreover, Rong Jing had a dark history.

The past couldn’t be erased, and many people already knew about it. The videos from back then still existed, making his start difficult.

Gu Xi called the water army company he had hired before, asking them to closely monitor the situation. If there was a widespread resistance in the comments, they were to post some neutral comments to balance it out.

Too much positive feedback would be too obvious and might backfire.

As a seasoned idol, Gu Xi knew he couldn’t flood the comments with praise. Since Rong jing didn’t have any works or fame yet, a balanced evaluation would instead garner some favor among casual passersby.

Rong Jing was someone he had chosen because he genuinely found his performance stunning. Rong Jing displayed a tension that controlled the entire scene when acting, allowing Gu Xi to see his potential.

That was why Rong Jing never questioned why he was chosen for the role. He trusted Gu Xi’s professionalism and knew he wouldn’t mess around when his career was on the line.

The fansite that Gu Xi created had received over a dozen applications. The promotion he did on Baidu Post Bar and other forums seemed to be somewhat effective.

Gu Xi carefully screened the applications, ensuring that these fans at least knew the basic information about Rong Jing. Among the applications, aside from some random ones just joining for fun, most were attracted by Rong Jing’s looks. Many of them were already loyal fans from Rong Jing’s weibo account.

They were excited upon being approved. Rong Jing wasn’t actively managing his fan base, and they thought he might be retiring. They didn’t expect that a fansite would suddenly appear. It was an unexpected surprise.

“Wu wu wu, the baby has finally come home.”

“I never thought I’d live to see the day when the fansite would be created[Buddha’s light shines everywhere/Blessed.jpg]”

“I’ve been paying attention to Rong Jing’s private server photos, but there have been so few in recent years. He’s incredibly handsome, with kind of a gap moe. There are so few celebrities with this type in the entertainment industry!”

“Thanks to the fansite master for making this! My youth is coming back to me~~”

“If I managed to get into Rong Jing’s fansite, would passing CET-4 still be a dream?”

“Thank you, everyone. Hope you continue to support Rong Jing!”

Building the Great Wall of China wasn’t built in a day. Gu Xi felt that he needed to take it slow, laying a solid foundation for Rong Jing.

He knew he wasn’t a professional, and he didn’t have time to manage a fanbase. He planned to wait until Rong Jing’s fan base grew, then find reliable people to transfer the management to them. That way, he could gracefully retire. He didn’t have much to contribute to Rong Jing, but every little bit counted.

Gu Xi thought about Rong Jing’s history, the one that couldn’t be erased. Since it couldn’t be deleted, he decided to let it stay that way.

During the audition, he noticed that Rong Jing seemed afraid, not just of the camera itself but of being observed by people.

To overcome this fear, he needed repeated training, training under the gaze of others. Rong Jing’s situation was more psychological, and he already had a desire to change; it just required time and training.

Gu Xi called a familiar junior, who was pleasantly surprised to hear from him, almost screaming when they realized it was him who called.

“En, it’s been a while… I’m doing well, no need to worry. I’m not busy lately… Can I ask for a favor?”

After this call, he made another, coordinating schedules and setting up time to meet. He hoped these people could be of some help.

Having finished the calls, Gu Xi seamlessly pulled out the script from his bag and started highlighting and making notes with watercolor pens. He had a flight the next night to attend the Venice Film Festival and would be away for several days, unable to accompany Rong Jing.

This script wasn’t for himself; it was a gift for Rong Jing. Despite Rong Jing’s talent, he was still a newcomer and bound to make rookie mistakes. Breaking down the script would make it easier for him to get into character.

Gu Xi didn’t know how long he had been writing. As he continued, a drop of water unexpectedly fell onto the script.

Gu Xi hurriedly wiped it away, but more drops followed.

Embarrassed, Gu Xi wiped the water stains off his face. He had momentarily forgotten while busy with work, but once his mind wandered, his emotions surged back up.

Why cry? What’s there to cry about?

Don’t I just have to find a partner for my physical needs? As an adult, I have to be more mature. It’s just a temporary arrangement, no big deal.

Yes. It’s okay. I’m okay.

…

I’m just… I’m just a little bit upset.

I just… I just really wanted to give my first time to that person.

***

Author’s note: Tomorrow is your big day!

Nezu’s note: wawawaw that kinda made me cry uwuwuwuwu