Chapter 54

Mo Dian noticed that Gu Xi seemed to be trembling slightly. But with the air conditioning in the room on, it shouldn’t have been from the cold.

Gu Xi stood with his back to him, frozen in place, holding the same posture for what felt like an eternity. It was long enough for the crew to come knocking for the third time, urging them to hurry.

“Gu Xi. We need to go.”

There was still final styling to do before the event began, and time was running out.

Finally, Gu Xi turned around. His eyes shimmered, as if freshly washed by water. They carried a vibrant glow, alive and luminous, like the glint of a tear or something like a drop of dew resting on a leaf at dawn.

In his hand, he held what appeared to be a simple cross necklace. He looked at Mo Dian and said, “I want to wear this.” This is going to be my armor.

Gu Xi hadn’t expected that the necklace he had thought about for so long would show up here, completely unannounced.

When he’d first seen it, he was sure it wasn’t meant for him. But Rong Jing… Rong Jing was infuriating.

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Rq usw oydv vs cl wdelapvsse, vs cl zshle—qkapv, usw xwpv vlya esod uswa sod oyzzp.

Zsw oydv vbkp ps cyezu, kv’p eakhkdt usw xye. Ebu dsv qynl uswa blyav?

Rv’p clnywpl usw’al yqayke.

Gqayke vbyv vbl zwdyvknp swv vblal okzz ekpnshla bkx, yde usw osd’v cl yczl vs rasvlnv bkx.

Gqayke usw’zz clnsxl y cwaeld vs bkx.

Gqayke vbyv, okvb vkxl, bl’zz pll rypv vbl pwaqynl yde alyzkgl usw’al dsv yp rlaqlnv yp usw ralvlde vs cl.

The voices whispered these wordsto him, like they were carried on the wind from some far-off place above.

Was it Gu Feng’s voice? Or was it something else, stirring deep within his heart?

Gu Xi didn’t realize it yet, but the heavy walls he had built so carefully were starting to crack.

However, Gu Xi ignored those whispers, shutting them out completely. He turned away, dismissing Gu Feng’s voice as irrelevant, and went to the bathroom. There, he washed his hands, dried them, and carefully placed the cross necklace around his neck. The ruby in its center caught the light, glowing like an ember, burning with fiery intensity.

He’d already figured out where the hidden trigger on the necklace was when he helped Rong Jing pick it out. A small press activated a faint blue light that quickly dimmed, returning it to the appearance of a regular necklace. The tracking feature now allowed Rong Jing to monitor his location through the backend.

A faint smile tugged at Gu Xi’s lips, almost imperceptibly.

Mo Dian noticed the shift immediately. Don’t ask how he knew—he just did. Gu Xi always maintained an aloof and distant persona, largely as a shield against the overwhelming attention of his admirers. Over time, this facade had become less a persona and more a part of his true character. However, those close to him, who had spent enough time by his side, could clearly sense the fluctuations in his mood.

Right now, Gu Xi seemed… lively.

When they stepped out, Mo Dian noticed Gu Xi hadn’t fastened the top button of his shirt. A small section of the necklace’s black cord peeked out, along with the faint shadow of his collarbone.

Mo Dian couldn’t resist giving a comment: “You know, there’s this saying I’ve heard before…”

Gu Xi: “What?”

Mo Dian: “When an Alpha gives you clothes, it means they want to personally take them off you one by one.”

Gu Xi’s face instantly turned red. He raised a hand and smacked Mo Dian’s forehead. “What the hell are you talking about! Dirty minded!” How could Rong Jing…

But his mind betrayed him, drifting back to the cramp stall in Terminal 3. Breath mingling. Bodies pressed close.

The memory made him even more flustered. His earlier good mood took a sharp turn, and the sudden speed of this emotional rollercoaster left him dizzy.

As they waited for the elevator, the doors opened to reveal a hotel staff member holding an expensive-looking box. He walked straight toward Gu Xi’s room and knocked on the door, clearly delivering some kind of gift.

Gu Xi exchanged a quick glance with Mo Dian before they hurried into the elevator, their steps quickening.

Once they reached the hotel entrance and slid into the car, both let out simultaneous sighs of relief, like they’d just narrowly escaped something.

As expected, whenever Gu Xi faced a challenge, the plot from the original story always managed to move.

This time was no exception. Keeping tabs on Gu Xi meant missing no chance to swoop in with a grand gesture.

Rong Jing, meanwhile, hadn’t logged into the tracking system yet and had no idea Gu Xi had already activated the necklace.

The truth was, Rong Jing had never given a gift like this to another man before. He had thought about asking Gu Xi first, but knowing him, the moment he saw the tracking necklace, he’d probably blow up. Then he’d hunt Rong Jing for an explanation right away.

So far, though, it seemed like Gu Xi hadn’t noticed it yet.

Should I ask?

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Rong Jing looked up to see Xie Ling staring at him from across the room. Xie Ling had lifted his head from a stack of documents and was now fixing Rong Jing with an intense gaze, like he was holding something back.

“Why didn’t you let Zhou You suppress the news?”

Still groggy from last night’s hangover, Xie Ling felt miserable. His body was rebelling against him, but when his younger brother showed up with a hangover soup he had made himself, he felt a rare wave of warmth.

It had been so long since he’d felt cared for by family that he couldn’t resist drinking the whole thing. Now, his stomach was uncomfortably full.

“What, everytime something happens, we’re just going to bury it?”

“And why not?”

“How would that make our Xie family look?”

Xie Ling froze at Rong Jing’s choice of words—our family. For a moment, he was stunned. And a little pleased.

On his way to the office, Xie Ling had already found out that his little brother had been dragged through the mud all night. His first thought was to crush those trending searches by force.

But Rong Jing didn’t plan to handle things that way. Stifling a problem would only make it blow up worse later.

These days, netizens are practically omnipotent. The moment they realize Rong Jing was part of the Xie family, it will only solidify the impression of the Xie’s as an overbearing and privileged clan.

For an old, established company, building a reputation took generations of effort. But destroying it? That could happen in a single moment.

“So, what? The Xie family’s young master has to keep his identity a secret?” This was the real reason Xie Ling was upset.

“Of course not. I’m proud to be part of the Xie family,” Rong Jing replied smoothly, throwing in just the right amount of flattery. Sure enough, Xie Ling’s expression softened. I’m such a genius, Rong Jing thought. “But I want people’s first impression of me to be as an actor—then as a Xie. Big brother, I want you to be proud of me, not for people to think everything I’ve achieved is just because of our family name. I’m an adult now. I can handle this. And honestly, a little criticism? This is nothing.”

In his past life, Rong Jing had come from a family of performers. He’d been in the spotlight constantly. But because in the first few years he didn’t meet the audience’s expectations, he spent years surrounded by harsh public opinion. There was even a hate site dedicated solely to him called the Blacklisted Jing.

Compared to those brutal days, this was nothing.

Xie Ling stared at Rong Jing, like he was watching a soaring eagle. After countless test flights, it was finally about to take off into the boundless sky.

His role as an older brother wasn’t to cage the eagle but to protect it when its wings couldn’t carry it anymore.

“You handled yesterday well. Those company executives couldn’t stop singing your praises. If there’s anything you need for future collaborations, don’t hold back.”

Rong Jing slyly brought the conversation to his real target while also sneakily dropping a hint of guilt-tripping, “Big brother, if there’s any prime opportunity, shouldn’t it go to our Xie’s Entertainment first? Have you agreed to invest in Imperial Power yet? No matter what people say, it’s my—”

“It’s already signed. It’ll be finalized in a few days.”

Xie Ling directly cut off his brother’s self-recommendation. All that grand talk earlier, and in the end, wasn’t he just asking the family for help? Unlike others who were hesitant about Imperial Power, Xie Ling had no such doubts. Even if it was just to support his brother, he would still invest.

Feeling victorious, Rong Jing arrived at Xie’s entertainment department. But the moment he stepped into the practice room, he noticed something strange. Most of the people were gathered around a large LCD TV, their eyes glued to the screen with unusual focus.

Rong Jing suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar face on the screen. Just as he was about to step closer, a few trainees in front of him, without even looking, shoved him aside.

“Don’t push, don’t push! Can we have a little order here?”

Not long after, the crowd erupted with excited screams.

“Ahhh! Ahhh!!! Gu Xi’s here! He looks so handsome today!”

“It’s my first time seeing Gu Xi in white. It suits him so well! Why hasn’t he worn this before? My heart can’t take it!”

“Oh my goodness, I’ve been watching him since I was a kid! I became a trainee just for him!”

“They said it’s custom-made from V. How come I’ve never seen this design before?”

Rong Jing could only stand a bit further back, peering at the screen through gaps in the crowd. On it, Gu Xi was wearing the outfit Rong Jing had given him. Clearly, something must’ve happened for him to wear it today.

Gu Xi stepped out of a stretch limousine, clad in a perfectly tailored suit that outlined his slender yet strong frame. His expression was calm and cool, exuding a faint chill. Yet in fleeting moments, there was an understated warmth.

As all the lights and cameras turned toward him, he remained poised, walking forward with steady confidence, occasionally greeting fans along the way.

It was as if he was draped in a suit of armor uniquely his own—confident and composed, shining brilliantly on his own stage.

The Chinese fans who had traveled all the way to Venice chanted his name in perfect unison.

Even international fans, unfamiliar with him at first, couldn’t help but be drawn in by his universally captivating face. As the wave of cheers swelled, they learned to pronounce his name and joined in.

The deafening screams continued to rise and fall. Even the western stars walking ahead of him couldn’t help but glance back, wondering what major celebrity had arrived.

Gu Xi seemed to sense the camera zooming in on him. In the close-up shot, his cool, distant gaze softened, infused with a vivid brightness that made hearts move. His fingers lightly rested on his collarbone, as if pressing on something there.

Then, under the gaze of the entire world, the corner of his lips slowly curved upward.

It felt as though he was looking at someone through the lens.

As if saying: I really like this gift.

Rong Jing stared at the radiant figure on the screen. In that moment, his calm heart felt as if a feather had gently brushed across its surface.

***

*tells the whole world that he likes it a lot*

Gu Feng: Just a friend, huh?