Author: 公子于歌 / Gong Zi Yu Ge

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 54: Countless Fans

“Is filming over?” Yan Qiuchi asked as he kept staring at Shen Jintai.

Shen Jintai’s hair was longer, which accentuated his round head, making it look small. It looked like he had just taken off his makeup and costume. His face was fair, showing white skin and rosy lips as it was adorned with a warm and bright smile.

Shen Jintai: “I’m about to call it a day. Why are you here at this time?”

“Came to have a look at the crew.” Yan Qiuchi’s heart was pounding. He felt as if Shen Jintai had a layer of light enveloped around him that wasn’t from the headlights behind him, but from a natural aura that came from the charm of his performance.

Shen Jintai gave him another smile, bowed, and walked towards his RV.

Yan Qiuchi’s eyes followed him. His heartbeat was pounding so uncontrollably that he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Jintai.”

Shen Jintai turned his head, leaving Yan Qiuchi speechless. He quickly blurted out, “I watched today’s broadcast. You acted phenomenally.”

Shen Jintai smiled. “Thank you.”

“President Yan?”

Yan Qiuchi glanced back and saw a crew member greeting him. He greeted the man and exchanged some pleasantries. By the time he finished, Shen Jintai had already gotten into his RV. It was given to him by Monsoon. It wasn’t comparable to Bai Qingquan’s or Yang Lizhi’s, but it was sufficient for eating and sleeping.

Shen Jintai closed the door. Xiao Tang, who was resting inside, immediately sat up. “Brother.”

Shen Jintai: “You don’t have to stay with the crew all the time. I’m staying with the crew. Generally, there’s nothing else to do. You should go to the hotel to sleep. I’ll call you if I need something.”

Xiao Tang said, “Brother treats me so well. Of course I have to do my duty.”

Shen Jintai had always been generous when he had money on hand. On the 11^th, Shen Jintai had sent him a large red envelope. When Shen Jintai was richer than now, he had never sent him such a large amount before. He knew Shen Jintai’s family was bankrupt, and he needed to help them out. So far, Shen Jintai hadn’t earned much besides the renumeration from The East Palace and Aishang’s endorsement.

Shen Jintai half-jokingly said, “In the future, I will become more popular and richer. I’ll give lots of benefits to my employees and gift them a house.”

Although the goal was still far away, with Shen Jintai’s current popularity level, it was still within the realm of possibility. How could this not make Xiao Tang highly motivated?!

Shen Jintai also knew the importance of making money. He had a two-day break. With the schedule arranged in advance, he asked Li Meilan to help him find promotional activities he could participate in during these intervals. He had multiple events in four different cities.

A lot of people were alarmed by Yan Qiuchi’s sudden appearance on the set. Director Guo and the others also came over to greet him. Yan Qiuchi was polite to them as he exchanged greetings, all while he kept staring at Shen Jintai’s RV. The RV started to drive off into the night, and his heart seemed to move with it.

Coming out of his promotional trip, Shen Jintai felt his popularity was much higher than before. The first city event was a newly opened shopping plaza. The six floors were so full of people that it made him a little intimidated. When he came on stage to give his greetings, he couldn’t help but keep looking up. The crowd was so rambunctious that he was worried something bad would happen.

Compared with before, when there were more gold powders, these events had more passersby than fans. Many just came to shop, but when they heard that Li Xu was there, they started to crowd around him. It could be considered that Li Xu had become a household name.

The promotional event in the second city was even more sensational. On a freezing cold day, fans had already gathered and waited before dawn. When it was noon, they were notified that the event was cancelled due to too many people and insufficient security measures.

“Can I go and say hello to the fans?” Shen Jintai asked. “I heard Xiao Tang said that many fans flew over from other cities just to see me.”

Li Meilan: “Make a post on Weibo. Don’t go to the scene. Safety first.”

“Why don’t you do a live broadcast, brother?” Xiao Tang said. “Open a live feed for a few minutes and comfort the fans. It’s really not easy for them on such a cold day. Besides this can help repair any animosity your fans are feeling.”

Li Meilan asked Shen Jintai, “Do you want to do a live broadcast? If so, I’ll have Xiao Sun and the others come over.”

Xiao Sun was the makeup artist assigned to him by Monsoon Entertainment. They also assigned him a fashion designer and others who specialized in serving him. He now had over seven people on his team.

Shen Jintai: “No, that’s not necessary.”

Shen Jintai was good in this aspect, and Li Meilan believed in his vision.

“Brother doesn’t look good with makeup on now,” Xiao Tang said. “I’m not trying to flatter him.”

“You’re such a rainbow fart,” Li Meilan said.

Shen Jintai posted on Weibo: [I am sorry about today’s cancelled event. At 8:00 PM tonight, I’ll interact with you live on Weibo. Be careful and make sure to keep warm when it’s cold out. Thank you for your love. Everyone has worked hard.]

After this Weibo was sent out, he felt that his Weibo followers had skyrocketed and it broke 10 million in a short amount of time. This live broadcast could be considered a benefit to more than 10 million people.

“Report, Touhua is going to do a live broadcast!”

“This is the first time he’s done a live broadcast. I’m so excited.”

“He’s so popular now. I wonder how many people will watch it.”

“Is this better? It seems better than doing endorsements. The black history of Touhua has been dragging on. His fire has become like this, yet the follow-up endorsements have not kept up.”

“Actors should rely on their work. I think Touhua will get up sooner or later. Isn’t it rumored that skin care brands xx and xxxx are in contact with him? Monsoon Entertainment has no film and television resources, but they are still capable of tearing endorsements.”

“Last week’s drama really got me. I hope Touhua will grow red. His acting skills are really awesome.”

“For sure. I keep watching it to cry again. In the past few days, almost five of the top ten clips from Station B were all Jintai Qiongying. Shen Jintai has a lot of lalang* matches. I found that regardless of age and appearance, he’s just right to be CPed with many people.”

*(拉郎) Buzzword that means to pull together two people who have no emotional foundation to form a pair (CP).

“I don’t care. I will only recognize him and Zheng Siqi. Is Zheng Siqi gay? If so, can you wrap your head around it? The two of them are now a national couple.”

“The two of them have too little interaction in real life. The last time was at Shen Jintai’s signing ceremony. I could swipe the GIF of the two of them whispering to each other 10,000 times! It’s so sweet!”

“Is Jintai Qiongying really like this? I don’t believe it!”

“I think Jintai Qiongying’s CP fans are puzzled. The analysis says that the prince should not be dead. However, in the original work, he is indeed dead. It is also shown in the TV series of him poisoning himself and vomiting blood. Damn, when I think about it, I just can’t help…”

“You think it’s easy to be a CP fan? They go through every scene and line just to find any trace of evidence that His Royal Highness is still alive. I think the evidence they found is that Zheng Siqi, the actor of the prince, is still alive. According to the tradition of <The East Palace is Coming>, the official blog would post death stills of any character that died… But they haven’t done it with Zheng Siqi.”

“Oh my God, really??? If they can make this CP have a good ending, I’m willing to refresh a hundred times a day to contribute to the click-through rate!”

“This drama is being filmed and broadcast. The episode of the prince’s death that just aired should have been filmed at least a month or two ago. What has Zheng Siqi been doing in the past two months? Has no one picked this up?”

“This crew is very bad. Zheng Siqi’s fans said that there had been no news from their brother for two months. It’s a sign that this is a sure thing.”

“That being said, I really doubt that his character has been killed off. Otherwise, why are they trying to hide this if he’s truly dead.”

“The crew is happy to see the common hype tactics from Monsoon Entertainment. Jintai Qiongying carries half of the ratings for this drama. Now that the prince is offline, the crew is afraid the ratings will drop, so they’re deliberately hiding it and won’t announce it.”

“There must be a lot of CP fans on the live broadcast today to ask him this question. Time to squat!”

Shen Jintai was a little nervous. This was his first live broadcast ever. He was mainly afraid that he didn’t know what to say. After thinking about it, he asked his assistant to order takeout and prepared to broadcast while eating.

“Let me remind you in advance that as soon as the live broadcast barrage opens, your psychological strength must be strong. There is no guarantee that it’s all gold powders. There may also be black powders coming to cause trouble or ask some messy questions. If you see those questions, just ignore them. Pick the questions you want to respond to.” Li Meilan reminded him.

Shen Jintai nodded as Xiao Tang and the others helped get his meal ready. Shen Jintai took the chopsticks and looked at the time. It was almost eight.

—

Bai Qingquan had a rest day today. After eating at around 7, he went back to the hotel to relax.

Zhou Jing was now the crown prince. He had to deal with the old ministers in the front while also handling all the palace fights between He Lanbi and a bunch of women in the back. Li Xu also hadn’t made things easy for him either. His position as crown prince was also coveted by several of his brothers, and the emperor still had multiple suspicions against him. With all these scenarios, Bai Qingquan now had the most scenes. All the characters in the drama had rival scenes against him, making him particularly tired due to the increased workload.

Seeing that he was so exhausted, the director gave him a half-day off.

Lately, the scripts were slow to come out. With the ratings so popular, the screenwriters were under a lot of pressure, so they were more cautious when writing. The filming had resolved to rely on flying pages now. The script for the next day’s scenes would be released later that night. After a day of filming, Bai Qingquan would return to his hotel and memorize his lines for the filming tomorrow.

However, instead of memorizing his lines, he decided to turn on his phone and squat on Shen Jintai’s live broadcast. With 10 minutes left before it hit 8, he went to browse Weibo and forums. Perhaps it was because he was tired for the day or he had grown accustomed to it, but whenever he saw Shen Jintai being praised everywhere, he no longer had any feelings towards it.

As a little 0 beauty who was looking forward to love very much in his heart, he was also fond of Jintai Qiongying. The love between men always poked at his girlish heart the most. Wuwuwu.

Although he had already watched when they filmed the scene of the prince’s death, when he watched it again on the broadcast, he still burst into tears! He was so afraid Wei Gei, who was next door, would hear. He had to strongly endure it!

He felt that he was going to become a fan of Shen Jintai. He had both jealousy and admiration for the close-up shots that lasted over a minute. He was jealous because Director Guo had never arranged for such a close-up facial shot for him before. He admired him because he felt that if such a shot was arranged for him, he didn’t think he had the ability to act like that.

Filming this kind of scene was extremely testing. It took a long time to cry. If you released your emotions too early, your tears would dry before the scene could finish.  The rhythm of when to release your tears and how long you needed to cry was also very important. But the most critical thing was Shen Jintai’s eyes. It held so much emotion. Looking at his eyes and watching him cry, you couldn’t help but cry along with him.

When Bai Qingquan finished crying, he thought, ‘How could Shen Jintai act so well!’

It was truly awe-inspiring. This emotion lingered in his heart and didn’t dissipate even after a full day. Shen Jintai had only been away for a day, but he had already missed him.

These good feelings he had… It couldn’t be stopped. Bai Qingquan was a man with ambition. He couldn’t hate this kind of solid acting ability. Performing together with Shen Jintai had given him immense enjoyment. He was jealous, but also loved it.

He couldn’t help but think that one day in the future, he would become an actor of the same caliber as Shen Jintai. When that time came, he would surely have a good time acting with him.

—

“I thought Xiao Jin would take a two-day break,” Mrs. Yan said. “Instead he ran off to four cities in two days. He probably slept while on the road.”

“He’s very popular now. Though the itinerary looks full, it’s normal for an artist in his position,” Yan Qiuchi said.

“I haven’t seen him for a long time.” Mrs. Yan took out her phone. “I’ll ask him what time he will be back tomorrow. If he comes back early, I’ll ask him to have dinner together.”

Although she no longer had thoughts about matching the two of them anymore, her old habits were hard to change. Mrs. Yan smiled and asked, “Do you want to come along too?”

Yan Qiuchi surprisingly responded with, “Okay.”

Mrs. Yan was still dialing on her phone with a smile and didn’t react. Suddenly, she raised her head and abruptly said, “Ah?!”. She looked at her son’s expression, which seemed usual. She returned to her phone and said, “I’ll ask the assistant to book a restaurant.”

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The author has something to say:

Sit and collect two heavyweight fans.

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Kinky Thoughts:

Lol I love how the fans are becoming detectives and trying to find any kind of clue that Zhou Ying isn’t dead. Sorry to break it to them, but even Sherlock Holmes can’t save him. We all know the fucking producer and screenwriter are sadists.

Bai Qingquan is so adorable!!! He pokes MY heart whenever he wuwuwu. He’s also a Jintai Qiongyang fan. You and me both sis… you and me both.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 公子于歌 / Gong Zi Yu Ge

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 53: The Crown Prince and Li Xu

“A’Xu, A’Xu.”

Li Xu sat up from the couch. In the dark, he grabbed a dagger under his pillow. “Who?”

“It’s me,” He Lanbi said softly.

Li Xu lit the lamp, ran over, and opened the door. He Lanbi came in and was stunned when she saw the dagger on the table. The crown prince was deposed while Li Xu was living on the edge. He looked as if he hadn’t had a single good night of sleep.

“Have you heard?” He Lanbi took off her veil, revealing a delighted look. “Elder Prince Brother was named King of the East China Sea. His fief is the richest among the princes.”

Li Xu was taken aback, then his eyes lit up, and he asked, “Will the emperor release the crown prince?”

He Lanbi nodded. When she saw how happy Li Xu looked, tears welled in her eyes. She said, “Elder Prince Brother will be sent to his fiefdom tomorrow. It’s thousands of miles away. I’m sorry you look so happy, but I’m afraid you’ll never be able to see him again.”

“The palace is too dangerous. When he reaches his fiefdom, no one will harm him. As long as he lives, I believe I’ll see him again one day,” Li Xu said incredulously. “A few days ago, didn’t you hear that he was going to die?”

“You should know it’s just a rumor,” He Lanbi said. “It’s better to leave in life than to say goodbye in death. Come with me and see him again while Elder Prince Brother is still in the palace.”

Li Xu: “I can see him!?”

He Lanbi nodded. “We have to go quietly. Come with me.”

Li Xu casually took a robe and put it on and followed He Lanbi out. It was late winter, and the night was dark and cold. There wasn’t a single strand of moonlight. Li Xu followed He Lanbi closely as they walked through the corridors and the long palace roads before finally reaching the gates of the East Palace.

Li Xu’s hands were shaking. He hadn’t seen Zhou Ying for almost a year. The East Palace was usually heavily guarded. Today, there were only a few guards patrolling outside. He Lanbi took out a waist card from her arm and the guards let them in.

The East Palace had seen better days. The courtyard was bleak. The weeds in the corners of the walls grew tall, rustling from the howling of the north winds. Only a single dim light glowed from a widow in the huge palace. The beam of light hit Li Xu’s heart instantly. As soon as his eyes lit up, he ran towards it.

The north wind blew on his robe. His figure was exceptionally thin. Li Xu trotted up the steps, getting closer to the light. He opened the window and saw Zhou Ying sitting inside.

Though he wore bright clothes, Zhou Ying’s figure looked haggard and downcast. Under the candlelight, he still looked noble and valiant. His eyes were much softer than before as he beckoned gently. “A’Xu, come here.”

Li Xu bent over and crawled through the window. Once he entered, he rushed into Zhou Ying’s arms. The impact was so strong that it pushed Zhou Ying to the ground. Zhou Ying warmly smiled as he hugged him.

“A’Ying. A’Ying.” Li Xu called.

“It’s alright.” Zhou Ying patted his head as his eyes moistened. He then kissed his neck.

The two of them embraced tightly for what seemed like ages. Li Xu got up abruptly. He stared at Zhou Ying and said, “The Emperor is releasing you. Did you know that you will be named the King of the East China Sea? From now on, you’ll have a better life with your own territory, so cheer up.”

Zhou Ying smiled and nodded. “I have known about this for a while now.”

Li Xu looked at Zhou Ying, then couldn’t help but hug him. “If you can live well, I won’t be afraid that you’re on the verge of death every day. It’s worth it to kowtow and worship Buddha daily.”

Zhou Ying: “Are you afraid that I’ll die?”

“Of course.” Li Xu let go of him. Tears were flowing as he kneeled on him. He caressed Zhou Jing’s face and said, “There’s always hope when you’re alive. We will see each other again in the future. Maybe if I beg the second prince, he’ll let me leave with you.”

“I wanted to tell you this as well,” Zhou Ying said in a gentle and slightly hoarse voice. “My fief is far away. I don’t know when I will be able to see you. As long as you think of me in your heart and I think of you in mine, and we both live well, we’ll always be able to meet.”

Li Xu nodded frantically as his tears endlessly fell. It was painful to part in life, but it was still better than parting in death.

Zhou Ying stretched out his hand to wipe the tears from Li Xu’s cheek. He took out the jade pedant from his arms and said, “Why did you secretly put it on the window last time? Keep it with you so that you’ll always have me by your side.”

Li Xu took the jade pendant from his hand. It still had residual warmth from Zhou Ying’s body. He raised his head to look at Zhou Ying and was unable to control his emotions. His face distorted and became flushed. He clenched the jade pedant and covered his face. Zhou Ying tightly embraced him again.

Li Xu wanted to tell him that he was sorry that he hurt him. He was sent by the second prince with the goal of approaching Zhou Ying to pull him off the seat of the crown prince. The actions he took led Zhou Ying to his present state. Zhou Ying fell into the abyss, and he was the one who pushed him.

All his words were meaningless, though. Their minds were connected, and they both understood.

“You saved me. If it weren’t for you, I might not have been able to hold on. I’m very happy to have experienced these events with you.” As Zhou Ying said those words, a tear slid down his handsome face and fell on the jade pendant in Li Xu’s hand. “A’Xu, in this life and the afterlife, I will always find you.”

“There will definitely be that day,” Li Xu said. His eyes were desolated, but they remained bright. He still held onto the hope that one day he would work hard and be able to climb up to the highest position possible and would no longer be an eunuch controlled by human flesh. At that time, he would be able to reunite with the person he loves, and they would be able to live together indefinitely.

The sky was getting brighter. Li Xu sat by himself in front of the window while holding the jade pendant in his hand tightly.

He Lanbi suddenly rushed in and shouted, “A’Xu!” The cold north wind blew in with her. Her voice was trembling; her eyes were red and swollen as she looked at him.

Li Xu froze as he had a sudden and dreadful premonition.

He Lanbi said, “A’Xu, I can’t lie to you. Elder Prince Brother is not going to a fiefdom. He’s going to be executed. They were unwilling to kill him in the palace so they will do it halfway through his journey.”

“What?!” Li Xu frantically got up and wanted to run outside. He Lanbi grabbed him as he shouted, “I have to go tell him quickly!”

“Elder Prince Brother has known for a long time!” He Lanbi said. “He has known for a long time…”

Li Xu stared blankly at her. His hair scattered down as his eyes turned red.

“The second prince couldn’t bear it. He allowed you to see the crown prince one last time and had me lie to you. A’Xu… I can’t lie to you. I can’t lie to you… We’ll never see Elder Prince Brother again.” He Lanbi sobbed. “It’s too pitiful for Elder Prince Brother and too pitiful for you if you didn’t know the truth.”

Li Xu’s face instantly flushed.

He Lanbi: “The second prince won’t let anyone speak about it. Just know in your heart that I had to tell you, but you cannot speak about it to outsiders. Elder Prince Brother doesn’t want you to know. They all… Hope that you’ll live well.”

Li Xu felt as if he had descended from heaven straight to hell. If Zhou Ying could live, even if he could never see him again for the rest of his life, he would still be able to accept this small wish.

He Lanbi burst into tears silently and let go of his hand. “He’s about to leave the palace. Go and see him for one last time.”

Li Xu hurriedly ran out. He was wearing only a thin robe and was barefoot. The sky was bright, filled with snowflakes floating around. The palace was covered with snow, as if it was dressed in silver. His feet were blistered and red. He ran, panting, as his clothes began to loosen, revealing his thin chest. He finally reached the carriage that was carrying Zhou Ying.

Momentarily stunned, he immediately ran towards it. The curtains of the carriage suddenly lifted. Zhou Ying saw his figure running towards him and immediately stretched out his hand.

Li Xu grabbed his hand and ran with the carriage. Suddenly, he burst into tears. He was speechless. He didn’t know what to say. He just looked at Zhou Ying and shook his head. The jade pendant fell to the ground and shattered into two pieces.

For nearly a minute, the close-ups focused on this scene until a guard pulled Li Xu away and pushed him to the ground. There was no dialogue.

After the music stopped, there was only silence as snow fell on his head. Only the sound of the wind could be heard. Li Xu gave a long and loud knock with his head to the ground as he kowtowed to the carriage that was speeding away.

The theme song of <The East Palace is Coming> sounded. Two shots then appeared.

One was the prince, sitting in the carriage with his eyes closed as blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. He had taken poison and was dying.

The camera swayed for a moment and turned back to the first time Zhou Ying and Li Xu met at the royal banquet. This was the classic shot of Jintai Qiongying. Li Xu raised his eyebrows, glanced at the prince, and lowered his head. A gentle smile appeared at the corners of his lips.

The picture then froze as the ending theme song sounded.

—

“Oh my god, I’m crying to death!”

“Is the prince dead like this?! Sobs!”

“A minute and a half closeup! Shen Jintai is awesome!”

“The acting is amazing. I got goosebumps all over my body when watching it!”

“He shot this scene with no makeup at all, so why is it so beautiful to look at.”

“The original work will also make you cry! A lot of lines were deleted. In the drama, Li Xu and the crown prince’s farewell were processed without a single line.”

“I think they handled it very well. Li Xu didn’t even call out his name. Zhou Ying opened the curtain when he heard the sound of footsteps. The moment he lifted it, you could see his anxiety. Their feelings were connected to their hearts and came out all at once. Seeing this, I just burst into tears!”

“There was no need for words. It would pale in comparison to the helplessness and emotions that came out all at once. Everything should be said during farewells, but their emotions were too complicated. It’s impossible to put into words. Sobs!”

“The farewell lines and the specific scenes of the prince’s suicide have been deleted. Can I expect that the prince is not dead? Just a humble Jintai Qiongying’s fangirl expectations!”

“Shen Jintai’s acting skills here are really superb, and the shots are awesome. The director is so fucking good at shooting. I’m crying for Touhua!”

“Really, I tried to endure it but couldn’t hold back. I cried into a sand sculpture* alone. My mother was so scared and asked me what’s wrong.”

*(沙雕) Refers to funny people nowadays. Originally, it was a homophone for the term “silly dick”.

“I’m different from you. We watched it together in the bedroom and all cried like dogs. I want to send knives to the crew!”

“I really can’t stand it. I originally said that I was here for the palace fighting drama, but I didn’t expect to be abused like a dog!”

“I think it’s worth a golden bell award for Shen Jintai’s performance without lines.”

—

When the ending theme was over, the trailer for next week aired. The trailer was different from usual, which usually showed exciting palace fight scenes. This time, the trailer had no dialogue.

Li Xu was staggering aimlessly along the road in the heavy snowfall. There was no soundtrack played. Only the sound of the north wind blowing could be heard. He finally squatted down as the camera zoomed towards the ground, showing the half-broken jade pendant covered by snowflakes. Li Xu’s fingers were blistered and red from frostbite. His hair turned completely white overnight.

A voice-over rang out. “A’Ying, all my tears have been shed for you. From now on, I will never shed another tear. Only others will shed tears for me.”

Yan Qiuchi turned off the TV, unable to calm down. After showering, the shock and dull pain in his heart were still lingering. This was something he had never felt before. He got dressed and went downstairs.

In the hall downstairs, discussion from the household staff was in full swing. Mrs. Yan couldn’t watch Shen Jintai’s crying scene. Her voice was full of sorrow as she blew her nose and turned to look at Yan Qiuchi. “Are you heading out?”

Yan Qiuchi let out a “Nn” and left. It was winter, and the night was freezing. He drove directly to the set. The crew was currently filming a night scene. In the winter night, the lights were foggy. During the day, when he looked at the palace walls, he felt they were a little too bright and that he couldn’t help but feel the vicissitudes of life.

As soon as he arrived on the set, he saw a person walking towards him. There was a huge headlight behind the person. It was so bright that it made the figure melt into a halo with only a slender shadow curling up.

As the shadow gradually approached, the figure became clearer.

It turned out to be Shen Jintai.

Yan Qiuchi wasn’t sure if this was some kind of coincidence.

Shen Jintai was wearing a black down jacket while holding a script in his hand. For a moment, he was taken aback when he saw Yan Qiuchi. He then smiled, nodded at him, and shouted, “President Yan, good evening.”

Maybe it was because of the contrasting color of the black down jacket, but Yan Qiuchi couldn’t help but think that Shen Jintai’s smile was so bright and cheerful that it warmed his heart.

---

The author has something to say:

It’s time to be sweet and refreshing next.

Enthusiastic readers of <The East Palace is Coming> have made Doujin videos. Interested relatives can go to Weibo to watch them.

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Kinky Thoughts:

Me while translating this chapter: ‘Who’s fucking cutting onions in here?!”

You guys, I’m so sad about this story. I did not expect tragedy when I picked up this project. I REALLY HATE TRAGEDIES!!! That’s why I don’t read them. The last tragic novel I read was The Ten Years That I Loved You the Most, and that was enough fucking dog blood to last me ten years.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 公子于歌 / Gong Zi Yu Ge

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 52: Husband Powder is Coming

The original script of <Welcome Rain on a Spring Night> was very well written. It was warm, restrained, and touching. However, Shen Jintai also understood why, after Qiu Hong wrote this script, he hadn’t been able to find investors for it. The plot was too plain and dull. There were very few ups and downs. Although the story was moving, it wasn’t a good film for the box office.

If this movie was made, it probably wouldn’t attract much attention and would result in poor box office numbers. Shen Jintai felt that if he starred in the movie, the result might be different. With his own heat and topicality, he could push the movie to become more visible and garner more attention for it.

After he told Li Meilan, Li Meilan was surprised and asked, “Didn’t you say you were going to reject it?”

Shen Jintai: “The script is not the original one. It’s a completely new story. I’ll send it to you.”

After reading it, Li Meilan cried and said, “It’s so touching.”

“This script is very good, right?”

Using her professional vision, Li Meilan said, “It’s more suitable to be a novel than a movie. Regardless, if you decide to pick it up, I will agree. My mother died of Alzheimer’s disease, and it was portrayed very realistically. Qiu Hong should be someone who has experienced it.”

“Sort out the schedule required for <The East Palace is Coming> and let me take a look at it. I’ll be able to give Director Qiu a more specific time.”

Li Meilan nodded. “Jintai, I think you will definitely become a good actor in the future.”

Shen Jintai smiled and said, “You can tell?”

Li Meilan chuckled. “At first, I thought you only participated in The East Palace to make money. You have never liked acting. I sometimes think we have had too little contact in the past two years that we almost lost touch. I wasn’t sure if something traumatic happened to you. Thinking about it, I couldn’t help but pity you. I know my abilities are average compared with other agents. When you signed with Monsoon, you could have picked a better agent, but you still stayed with me and Xiao Tang. I really thank you.” Her smile and eyes were sincere after she finished speaking.

“I am a nostalgic person,” Shen Jintai said. “I will be a big star and a good actor in the future. We’ll go on this path together. We’re all facing a new and unfamiliar stage. Let’s learn and make progress together.”

Shen Jintai had a very rational side. Despite his dislike for hype and marketing, he would gladly participate in them because he knew it was necessary in this industry. A white lotus couldn’t survive here. Despite that rationale, he was still sentimental. Even knowing he could change to a more capable agent, he still chose to go with Li Meilan.

Sometimes he would lose his bottom line, but he still kept some of his humanity. He would never cross the line and blacken his heart like in Vanity Fair*.

* I believe this is referring to the novel Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray. The book depicts a picture of the arrogance and intrigue of the upper class. It ruthlessly exposes the nature of the feudal aristocracy’s shamelessness, depravity, hypocrisy, and the bourgeoisie’s pursuit of fame, wealth, and intrigues.

—

Fang Yun had been in the company for several years. She started as an entry-level assistant serving tea, and step by step climbed the ladder to achieve the position of senior assistant today. Now that Gao Qiao was sent away on business, she had become the executive assistant.

Recently, the company’s workload had been particularly heavy, and it kept increasing for two consecutive days. The first few days were fine, but today was when the new episodes of The East Palace would be broadcast.

Yes, Fang Yun was an East Palace fan. It was almost 7 when she looked at the clock. As a loyal fan, she wanted to participate in the live broadcast and contribute to The East Palace ratings, but President Yan was still working. The office blinds were drawn, vaguely revealing light inside.

She had just asked Yan Qiuchi if he wanted her to order dinner for him. He had told her no, so she thought that she should be able to get off soon. As she was lost in her thoughts, she suddenly heard footsteps coming from inside. She stood up quickly and saw Yan Qiuchi walking out of his office with his coat on.

“President Yan.” She immediately picked up her bag and stood up.

Yan Qiuchi responded with a “Nn”, and she followed him downstairs.

Despite working by Yan Qiuchi’s side for a while, her heart would still pound quickly whenever she was near him. It wasn’t because of fear, but more so because she felt both shy and awe. Although she knew President Yan was out of her reach, she, as a single woman, couldn’t help but gaze at such an excellent man like him. He was incredibly handsome and certainly didn’t lose when it came to looks compared with major celebrities.

She accompanied Yan Qiuchi into the elevator as her heart continued beating wildly. Most likely, it would take a long time before she could adapt to working with Yan Qiuchi. When the elevator reached the first floor, her phone suddenly rang. The ringtone was the theme song of <The East Palace is Coming> with the lines “History does not leave my name, still I remain in your memory” rang out.

The elevator bell suddenly rang as Fang Yun quickly connected her call. She chatted in a low voice and then hung up. She glanced over at Yan Qiuchi embarrassingly.

Yan Qiuchi asked, “Are you chasing The East Palace too?”

Fang Yun blushed as she nodded. “Everyone is chasing it.”

Since Yan Qiuchi rarely talked, despite taking the initiative to ask, he said nothing more after that. When the elevator reached the underground floor, Fang Yun walked out and said, “The ratings for The East Palace have broken 2.5 this week.”

She was really excited. As a fan of the show, she would refresh and provide clicks to The East Palace’s ratings daily. Her excitement level was equal to that of chasing stars.

Breaking 2.5 meant that the ratings of <The East Palace is Coming> was the most popular drama in the past five years. The average ratings for both stations have surged above 2.8. Nowadays, if you didn’t watch The East Palace, you couldn’t chat with colleagues*!

*Clarity: It’s saying ratings are so high that anyone and everyone is watching this show and talking about it. If you don’t watch it, then you have nothing to talk to your acquaintances with.

The explosive ratings mean that more effort will be spent in the latter stages of the show. The company would be more willing to invest, the writers and directors would be more attentive, and the cast members would be as excited as chicken blood, returning an even greater investment. This kind of cycle would allow for it to continuously improve*.

*Clarity: Good ratings -> More investment, hard working staff, actors more motivated -> Greater return on investment -> Better ratings -> ect. Rinse and repeat.

“Who do you like best among the characters?” Yan Qiuchi asked her suddenly.

Fang Yun was stunned at the question. After struggling for a while, she said honestly, “Li Xu.”

She knew about the scandal involving her boss and Shen Touhua. She even had to witness one of their entanglements once. She became nervous after she answered Yan Qiuchi. She couldn’t help it. Lying to one’s boss for assistants was a taboo. To edge around the corner, she used Li Xu’s name instead of Shen Jintai.

Unexpectedly, Yan Qiuchi responded with a “Nn” and said, “He’s really good at acting.”

Fang Yun had reached her car. It was parked in front of Yan Qiuchi’s. She stood there and watched as Yan Qiuchi took out his keys and got into his car. The Maybach lit up, and as it drove by, Yan Qiuchi said, “See you tomorrow.”

Fang Yun quickly bowed, then straightened up as she tucked her long hair back behind her ears.

When Yan Qiuchi returned home, he saw Mrs. Yan and several of the household staff sitting together watching The East Palace. Mrs. Yan rarely chased dramas. As a rich housewife, there were more exciting things to do in life. This time, she was chasing after Shen Jintai. It was boring to watch alone, so she invited the household staff to watch it with her every time a new episode premiered.

There was nothing more comforting than watching a drama with a few women. They could be sad together when they encounter sensational scenes and excited together during joyful scenes. This kind of experience could never be inseparable after experiencing it once!

The scene currently playing showed a princess falling out of favor and unable to vent her hatred, she perversely tortured a pure and innocent palace attendant.

“Oh my.” Several of the maids sighed together. “It’s too bad for this woman.”

“When will He Lanbi take this princess down? It’s too sad. So sad.”

Mrs. Yan turned her head and glanced over. “Qiuchi is back.”

Yan Qiuchi responded with an “Nn”.

The cook got up and asked, “Have you eaten yet?”

Yan Qiuchi: “No.”

The cook glanced at the TV again and hurried to prepare a meal for him. Yan Qiuchi sat down at the dining table. The TV in the living room was very loud and he could hear it clearly. He listened to half an episode of the drama while eating.

After he finished eating, he was about to head upstairs when Mrs. Yan called to him, “Let’s watch it together. It will be Xiao Jin’s scenes soon.” Mrs. Yan kept her gaze focused on the TV without giving him a look.

When Yan Qiuchi returned to his room, he turned on the TV that he rarely uses. As soon as it was turned on, <The East Palace is Coming> was already on screen. It was the first time in his life that he chased a drama; a drama that his own company produced, at that.

In the beginning, he watched it because it was something his company produced. It carried the hopes of his company’s chances of being listed. Coupled with the significant investment made in it, the pressure was high. He watched the drama to ensure the quality and saw this as more work than pleasure.

Watching it now, it was more for enjoyment.

Though The East Palace had dog blood and excitement, the lines were solid with feelings of humanity that were well shot. The aftertaste it left behind made it feel as if there wasn’t even a real villain in the series. Everyone had their own moving parts. The love and hate entanglements were restrained to the highest point and then released all at once at the climax of the plot. Truly beautiful.

Yan Qiuchi had now followed the live broadcast like an ordinary audience.

Among the veteran actors, the best was Song Wei, who played Empress Xiao, and among the newcomers, the most outstanding was Shen Jintai. His acting skills were stable beyond his age. His range was commendable. He was able to perform well with heavily emotional scenes but also excelled with subtle parts. Yan Qiuchi felt that without the role of Li Xu, this drama would lose its color.

After continuously following the drama, Yan Qiuchi sometimes felt he couldn’t differentiate between Li Xu and Shen Jintai. He felt as if Shen Jintai had made Li Xu into a character that reflected his own personality. When he looked at Li Xu, it was like looking at Shen Jintai.

Li Xu was soft when he was in the arms of his lover, poisonous in front of his enemies, and cold when he was alone. Despite his ambition, it never affected the softness of his body.

The East Palace seemed to have become a popular nationwide drama. On the bus, the subway, in restaurants, there were people all watching it on their phones.

Near the end of the 20 episodes, it would reach the climax of the first half. Zhou Ying would kill himself, thus completely blackening Li Xu. Zhou Jing would ascend to the East Palace and He Lanbi becomes his liangdi*, paving her path to becoming empress.

*(良娣) Prince concubine. Second highest rank in the crown prince’s harem (only after the main wife).

The episodes were filled with high-energy plots, and Jintai Qiongying’s life would be ushered to its destined ending. The popularity of the CP had reached a fever pitch. As early as the day before the broadcast, “Jintai Qiongying” was already hotly searched.

The official blog put a photo out in advance. It was a poster of Shen Jintai and Zheng Siqi. Zhou Ying was on the left, and Li Xu was on the right. They both had their eyes closed as they held red and white roses in their hands. In the middle, between them, was the double mandarin duck jade pendant that was broken in half.

Both Zheng Siqi and Shen Jintai retweeted this Weibo post.

At noon on the second day, that godforsaken official blog even thought that the knife wasn’t deep enough, so they posted a 15-second video of the time when Zhou Ying took Li Xu out of the palace. It was the 15^th Lantern Festival of the first month. The two went out together to watch the scenery. Zhou Ying took Li Xu’s hand and the two walked through the crowd with smiles on their faces as the city was decorated with lanterns.

At the sweetest point in the last few seconds, blood dripped out of the corner of the prince’s mouth. His stoic eyebrows wrinkled as tears filled his eyes. Li Xu’s hair turned white as he looked blankly at the camera.

“Just tonight, my Royal Highness, my A’Xu. Wuwuwuwu!”

“The screenwriter and director are so cruel. After begging for a few months, they still haven’t relented!”

“I predict that tears will flow into a river tonight!”

---

The author has something to say:

Thank you all.

I recommend a song that is very suitable for listening. It’s a Korean folk song: Hong Jingyin’s “Alive“, which can be eaten with it.

---

Kinky Thoughts:

WTF <The East Palace is Coming> blog?! You’re fucking inhumane. That poster gave me too many feels!!! And I didn’t need to know about that 15-second video clip! My poor babies. Li Xu and Zhou Ying T___T.

Me listening to the song recommended by the author while thinking about Li Xu and Zhou Ying… *sobs uncontrollably on the floor*.

Just a warning for the next chapter: get your fucking tissues ready.

Here’s a rough translation of the song for those interested (yeah no I’m not going to try to make it rhyme lol):

It’s said that living is like this.
Although it’s hard and painful, it’s always painful.
They say that being alive is so beautiful.

You have worked hard today.
How are you doing?
Did you drink alcohol today?
Even if one thing goes well,
Don’t be sad even if you sigh.
In which cloud,
Who knows if the rain is hidden.
Alive, alive.
Usher in a good day.

It’s said that living is like this,
Although there are many hard and painful days.
They all say that being alive is beautiful.
You worked so hard today.

Envy your neighbor?
Is my friend doing well lately?
No matter what others say.
Don’t be sad even if you are depressed.
Actually everyone has,
A lot of unspeakable difficulties.
That’s the big deal in life.
Isn’t that the case?

It’s said that living is like this,
Although there are many hard and painful days.
They say that being alive is so beautiful.
You worked so hard today.

It’s said that living is like this,
Although the world is unpredictable,
They say that being alive is really wonderful.
Everyone, cheer tomorrow.
Dear you worked hard.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 公子于歌 / Gong Zi Yu Ge

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 51: Movie Pie is Coming

“Are you sure you want to take this movie?” Li Meilan asked.

“Let’s finish reading the script first,” Shen Jintai said. “I quite like the name.”

“I don’t suggest you pick it up. It’s not a matter of personality. A good actor should look at the script, not at the characters. I know Li Xu is a villain, but this character isn’t very good. The most important thing, though, is that you’re going to play a role where you like men again. I’m afraid you’ll be typecast if you star in a similar role like this back-to-back.”

Li Meilan was hesitant to advise him on the matter, mainly because Shen Jintai was different from ordinary actors. He had already come out of the closet, and the whole world knew he liked men. The typecasting was more serious than just simple character stereotypes.

Even if he didn’t accept this kind of work, it was unlikely he would be cast to act in heterosexual love dramas in the future.

After Shen Jintai returned home, he finished reading the script of <Welcome Rain on a Spring Night> overnight and called Li Meilan the next day. “Forget about this movie.”

“What’s the matter?” Li Meilan was very curious. After all, it was the first movie script they received.

“I think the format of this movie is too small,” Shen Jintai said. “There are two male protagonists, one is a junior, and the other is married and an adulterer. I can’t agree with their views on love and can’t act.”

A bai fumei*, who wanted to surprise her husband, quietly went home without notifying him first, opened the door to the living room, but heard an indescribable sound from the bedroom. She walked over with roses in her arms, opened the bedroom door, and saw that her husband and her best friend were in bed together. Her best friend was a man.

*(白富美) Buzzword referring to a white (fair-skinned), rich, and beautiful girl.

The plot was exciting but vulgar.

Whether it was the male junior, the bai fumei, or the wavering male lead who cheated in his marriage, they were all very facile. While the general status quo of gays was discussed, the main focus was on serving love. It was mainly a sao sao* literary and artistic film. Shen Jintai knew what the director was looking for.

*(骚骚) Referring to an urgent appearance. If translated, I would replace the word with riotous given the context, but there’s really no direct translation for this.

Compared to Li Xu, this was like a modern version of him. The difference, though, was that Li Xu was placed in an ancient period context, so Shen Jintai was able to empathize and understand him. He was confused by the relationship and emotional direction of the characters in <Welcome Rain on a Spring Night>.

In the end, it was forcibly flipped into a revenge suspense movie, which he felt was a bit ridiculous. It became a “if you hurt my brother, I will destroy your marriage” kind of plot. This kind of drama was more suitable for dog-blooded eight o’clock file than in movies. The scope was too small, and the direction was too low.

It made him inexplicably think of the restricted films made in Hong Kong that he watched when he was young. Many of them had this similar feeling, salty, wet, cold, exposed, emotional and erotic from beginning to end, and finally a forcibly tragic conclusion to improve the style.

He felt that this kind of thing was inferior to just pure emotions and eroticism without a forcibly tragic ending.

Li Meilan said, “Alright. You don’t have to worry about it. I’ll call the director and reject it.”

Shen Jintai: “Besides this, are there any other jobs for me? Either TV series or movies are fine.”

“I have received scripts for two TV series, but I don’t think you should take them.” Li Meilan felt that Shen Jintai was very rational and would listen to her opinions. She said sincerely, “Because The East Palace will be broadcast for at least half a year, we don’t need to rush. The response to this drama is good, so we should plan carefully and be cautious when taking on your next project. If it’s a movie, we can consider it if the team is like the one you’re in now. As for TV series, if it can’t match The East Palace, then it’s best to pass on it. Otherwise, it’ll be regressing your career.”

Shen Jintai nodded. “Okay. If there are still no good scripts after the drama finishes its broadcast, we can lower our standards a little.”

“That’s what I intend,” Li Meilan said. “Didn’t Monsoon say that it would guarantee to help you get a big production for at least one year? There are also variety shows. Let’s not worry too much.”

The signing conditions offered by Monsoon Entertainment included a national variety show, but the latest season would not be recorded until next summer. As for movies, the most recent one would not be released until the second half of next year.

He was very interested in the movie mentioned by Monsoon Entertainment. It was a war film. The role he was fighting for was the second male lead, a pilot.

The investment in this film was very large, which was suitable for him to take advantage of the box office, but most importantly, he liked pilots and thought this role was very attractive.

An actor couldn’t just blindly pursue literary and artistic films or the so-called depth of characters and acting skills. He had chased after these things in the past, which resulted in him acting in so many films but still remaining a small-time star. If he wanted to be a superstar and play the lead role, he had to achieve massive fame. Stardom depended on popularity. The box office was very important regarding that matter, especially for male actors.

Bai Qingquan had the same thought.

Bai Qingquan: “I heard the director of the movie that you looked into for me last time, <Welcome Rain on a Spring Night>, contacted Shen Jintai.”

Wei Ge was stunned. “How did you know?”

“The director of this film said it in an interview.”

As a star, he felt that this film wasn’t suitable for him, but as a gay, he really wanted to watch it. “Love action movies” were too mechanical, emotionless, and boring to watch, but “ordinary pure love movies”, where it was only holding hands and light kisses, couldn’t quench his thirst.

This kind of large-scale same-sex literary blockbuster must be very interesting to shoot.

The idea of a male junior seducing a married middle-aged man would definitely destroy the three views, but it was exciting, so Bai Qingquan had paid special attention to news about this movie.

“I really don’t know anything about it. After rejecting it, I stopped paying attention to it. So they went and contacted Shen Jintai…” Wei Ge pondered for a while, and said, “They are very clever.”

Who didn’t know that Shen Jintai was a gay actor and was currently playing a massively popular gay character?

“Do you think Shen Jintai will pick it up?” Bai Qingquan asked. With Shen Jintai’s current popularity and topicality, if he picked up this film, it would surely explode. His underwear ad was still being talked about. Bai Qingquan imagined what Shen Jintai would be like if he played the role of a young junior. It must be fascinating.

“It’ll be up to Monsoon Entertainment. If they are smart, they won’t pick it up,” Wei Ge said. “This film is vulgar, and the theme and content aren’t very good. If he wants to pick it up by relying on the popularity of <The East Palace>, he’ll be able to make it hot.”

—

The director of <Welcome Rain on a Spring Night> was Qiu Hong. His first film won an international award. He thought the road to directing would be smooth sailing after this. He was forced to face reality when his second film ran into multiple problems. First, he couldn’t get the investment. After he finally secured the funds, the actors were hard to find. He tried contacting a few popular celebrities, but they all rejected it due to the poor setting and controversial plot.

He was then stuck in a conundrum. If he wanted to make this film bigger than his debut film, he would need a bigger investment. But investors wouldn’t bet on his film if he couldn’t find well-known actors to star in it.

It was also fate that he accidentally watched <The East Palace is Coming> and fell in love with Shen Jintai. When he found out that Shen Jintai had rejected his movie, he personally called to ask why. The two chatted for a while, and Qiu Hong said that he would change the script.

Shen Jintai didn’t make anything definite. He just said that he looked forward to the revised edition.

Qiu Hong seemed fascinated by him, saying that he wanted to tailor the movie to him and change it according to his characteristics. Sincerity was really important, especially for people like Shen Jintai, who had tasted the taste of popularity for the first time, so they were easily moved when they encountered someone who was sincere.

Shen Jintai thought that if the script changed for the better, he could pick it up.

“Did you see the movie pie for Touhua? I searched for the synopsis of the film, and damn, it’s so explosive.”

“Madden¹, but it’s a bit low. It looks like a third-level movie. As a JTQY² girl, I don’t want him to pick it up.”

¹(劲爆) Buzzword referring to fashionable, dazzling, cool, unconventional, sudden announcement of shocking news, or use to describe EDM. It originally came from a food ad for KFC.
²Jintai Quiongying acronym.

“Yes, although Li Xu is also a schemer, the crown prince is immaculate. The appearance is beautiful enough and the ending is so tragic that it feels pure. That pie Spring Night, I don’t think it’s a good pie for the flow.”

“If Touhua really dares to pick it up, then I’ve got to hand it to him.”

“A big fan of the gold family said that Touhua had rejected the movie. Touhua is no longer the Touhua of the past. His mind is clear.”

“Popularity can change people. Touhua is really getting better and better now. He was on the platform for xx department store last time. Did you see it? I think his whole body was shining.”

“Red to the extreme is black. He has so much praise now, which shows that it’s not red enough. Look at the bloody winds in your area from the former top-ranked red-hot stars.”

“He’s so fast too. Now moonlight powders and plum powders have joined forces and started attacking him. In the past two days, the black posts have become more obvious.”

“Hahaha, I can’t sit still anymore. The heat has all been sucked away by Shen Jintai’s pair. The male and female protagonists have become transparent, and the broth is almost impossible to drink.”

“To be honest, he really has a lot of black history. I originally wanted to be a fan of his, but when I saw a bunch of black history, I was immediately scared away. I’d better be honest as a passerby.”

“As long as it’s not a legal issue or a moral issue, the black material is useless in the fan circle. The one that should be red will still be red. Black powders can sometimes increase a lot of heat. The most important scenes for Touhua are in the later stages. He relied on love dramas to earn sympathy in the early stages, but the prince goes offline in the later stages. His role will become more vicious and perverted, so the audience might not like it.”

“As a fan, I really want to see his later scenes. There is more room for acting skills, and without love scenes, maybe it will purify the CP fans. This move depends on how he acts.”

“When will the scene of the parting of life and death arrive? I want to look at the flowers and cry!”

“Some people have famous names, like Shen Jintai. Why do you call him Touhua? Isn’t Touhua a black name?”

“The name Shen Touhua was originally a black name, but now I think it has a good connotation like Bai Yueguang.”

“Me too! Touhua feels inexplicably very red and beautiful!”

Qiu Hong said he wanted to change the script, but a week passed and Shen Jintai didn’t hear from him.

The weather was getting colder, and the filming schedule for <The East Palace is Coming> was getting tighter. As soon as he got busy, Shen Jintai forgot about the movie.

On the day of the beginning of winter, he received a call from Qiu Hong.

“The script has been changed several times, but I wasn’t satisfied,” Qiu Hong said. “Why don’t I show you the original version? It’s completely different from the current story.”

Shen Jintai: “Okay.”

Qiu Hong sent him the electronic version of the original script by e-mail, with the text saying: [This is the first version I wrote at the beginning, but I couldn’t find anyone to invest in. Later, for the sake of gimmicks, I changed it to be more colorful and dramatic. It eventually got to the point where almost the entire framework was changed. Looking at the initial version, it may look dull compared to the changed version.]

Li Xu’s scenes became more and more demanding, and occasionally there were flying pages, so he didn’t have time to read the script. Shen Jintai eventually found the opportunity to rest and was able to finish reading the script for <Welcome Rain on a Spring Night> in one sitting.

At the end of the script was a poem by Du Fu¹, <Welcome Rain on a Spring Night>²:

¹Chinese poet and politician of the Tang dynasty. He’s frequently called one of the greatest Chinese poets.
²Clarity: The movie title is the same title as Du Fu’s work.

[The good rain knows its season,
When spring arrives, it brings life.
It follows the wind secretly into the night,
And moistens all things softly, without sound.
On the country road, the clouds are all black,
On a riverboat, a single fire bright.
At dawn one sees this place now red and wet,
The flowers are heavy in the brocade city.]

After Shen Jintai finished reading it, he isolated himself for a while. He then called Qiu Hong and said, “I will take it but you must wait for my schedule. Remuneration is not a problem.”

---

The author has something to say:

This poem is so beautiful.

Of course, the first flowers are also beautiful.

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Note: I didn’t translate the poem. Source.

I struggled with the title of the movie. Looking at many translations online, even they can’t seem to have a consistent title or translation for the poem. I decided to go with the title I liked the best. Original title of the movie is: 春夜喜雨.

I agree with Shen Jintai’s assessment. I have watched my share of gay movies in the past, and I ask myself why they always have to end tragically or bittersweet. Don’t get me wrong, some are good, but can’t I just get something normal like mainstream straight movies? It makes me feel as if gays can’t get a happy ending.

On a side note, these are the gay movies that I like and strongly recommend:
Call Me by Your Name
Love Simon
Maurice (the book is amazing too)

If you have recommendations, comment below and let me know! It’s even better if they’re foreign films, as long as they have English subtitles. (Yes, I’ve seen Brokeback Mountain.)

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 公子于歌 / Gong Zi Yu Ge

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 50: Fengqi Jintai

“Did you see the signing ceremony between Touhua and Monsoon Entertainment today? There were so many fans on the scene that the security guards almost couldn’t stop some of them who slipped by. I felt that he really is popular.”

“Do you have any doubts? Now it’s going to be a top-tier battle with Bai Qingquan.”

“He’s really smart. Signing with Monsoon Entertainment is a wonderful step. I feel that all the gold powders that took off before has now gone back.”

“Yes, he used to be able to retreat for love, but now he has such a brain. It’s really surprising. It was rumored that he was going to sign with Sunshine Media, and I wondered why he would be so stupid. Thank God he didn’t miss this big opportunity.”

“There are really too many people who have eaten the prodigal son’s* return. <The East Palace is Coming> is still being filmed and broadcast. If he can turn over in the later stages and completely overwhelm Bai Qingquan, then he will win this battle so beautifully.”

*(浪子) Refers to a bohemian person who is not bound by customs and ethics, a person who has no home, and especially a person who leads a debauched life without a proper job.

“I’m all excited about what that person said upstairs. Let’s not talk nonsense. I want to see the two of them tear it up. The quiet appearance of these few years now really makes me uncomfortable!”

“Everyone didn’t notice, but when Shen Jintai became a hit, the momentum of moonlight powders suddenly went down.”

“Hahaha. The whole world is celebrating. In the past two years, there has been no new traffic in the entertainment industry that can compete with Bai Qingquan. Look at the ferocity of moonlight powders in the past two years. They have been violent all over the internet.”

“Honestly, Shen Jintai has too much black history. There are also too many people. Who could grab the top spot in the entertainment industry? He also brings bloody winds. On the other hand, Bai Qingquan’s personality is too immortal and ungrounded.”

“I also think Bai Qingquan is a little bit stiff, but his fans are too fierce, so I dare not say it before.”

Bai Qingquan sat on the set and swiped Weibo during the break. He felt that he was probably the most gossip-loving male star in the entertainment industry. He became furious when he saw these comments.

Some said that he and Shen Jintai have a Yuliang complex*, and there could only be one. There was no way to coexist.

*(瑜亮情結)  Refers two people who had similar backgrounds and talents and had to work together but were jealous of and secretly competed against each other. It comes from “Romance of the Three Kingdoms“.

He went to look at Shen Jintai’s red carpet photos. Shen Jintai was born to attract attention. The flower on his chest was different from the big red rose last time. This time it was a pink rose with small petals that paired well with his gray suit.

Bai Qingquan felt that he liked this match more than the black suit with red rose last time. It had a younger, more fashionable feeling.

Shen Jintai was very serious when it came to filming. He once said on set that he wanted to grow his hair long for <The East Palace is Coming>. Due to this, his hair was longer than previously, and he didn’t comb it back. It gave him a very noble and reserved look.

It looks good.

Why didn’t he think of the idea of attaching a flower to his chest pocket?

Shen Jintai was really more suitable to be a star than he was. He also had many strange ideas.

Bai Qingquan thought he needed to reconsider whether he had similar ideas to Shen Jintai.

—

The signing ceremony was still in full swing. There were many celebrities on the scene. Some of them had never interacted with Shen Jintai before. The biggest star there was an actor named Cai Jun.

When Cai Jun was young, he spent two years with Monsoon Entertainment and had a good relationship with them. He came this time to support them. His appearance immediately caused a commotion among reporters.

Cai Jun won his third actor trophy at the International Film Festival. His appearance raised everyone’s spirits at the event as he walked with wind*.

*(走自带风) It refers to someone walking very quickly bringing wind with them, implying a meaning that you are proud/feeling good about certain success and happiness you have made.

“I’m an old friend of Ji and Monsoon Entertainment, and I have worked with them for a long time,” Cai Jun said to the reporters who were holding their cameras. “Today, I’m here to participate in this grand event, and to meet with old friends.”

“Then do you know Shen Jintai?”

“I know of him as I’m also watching his drama. It’s very popular. Today’s the first time I’m meeting him in person. He looks like a very energetic young man,” Cai Jun said with a smile.

“Is it possible for the two of you to cooperate in the future?”

“Anything is possible,” Cai Jun replied. “I have never excluded cooperation with newcomers.”

“It’s rumored that Monsoon Entertainment won Shen Jintai this time because it had offered conditions for working with you on a movie. Is this true?”

Cai Jun was stunned for a moment. He smiled but didn’t answer immediately. The man in his forties, who looked tall and elegant, began to answer, “This…”

His agent immediately stopped him. Cai Jun waved his hand at his media friends and then followed his agent into the room.

This kind of vignette that captured the wind and the shadows*, most people wouldn’t care too much about it, but the gold powders got very excited when they heard it.

*(捕风捉影的) Metaphor referring to speaking or doing things without a factual basis. 

What fans didn’t want to see their own cooking act in a movie, and which actor didn’t want to act in a movie!

“It would be great if my brother could really cooperate with actor Cai. Unite strongly!”

“I’m very curious about the rumors of cooperation they said. Does anyone know what Cai Jun will star in next?”

“Cai Jun has gained too much momentum in the past few years. A once-in-a-lifetime kind of person, he had a double harvest with both good box office numbers and multiple trophies. Many big cakes are licking him. It’s hard to say whether that rumor is true or not, but I also look forward to my brother acting in movies with him in the future. Brother’s acting skills are so delicate, which is most suitable for the big screen.”

“Yes, the most subtle expressions can be expressed on the big screen. It’s the ultimate dream of every actor. I hope that my brother will also be a film actor in the future.”

“Towards the path of the actor, rush!”

“Brother Jin, will he only focus on being an actor in the future? I really want to see him return to the stage. He’s so dazzling on the stage!”

“But it’s a short career span to be an idol. My brother should want to take advantage of this comeback and transformation. The artistic life of male actors is relatively long. Look at Cai Jun. He’s in his forties and has only reached the golden age of actors.”

“Brother Jin is only 20 years old, and there’s still a long way to go in the future. Maybe he’ll try everything and fully bloom.”

“Right! Youth is capital. Everything is possible. Brother Jin has a promising future!”

“I still hope that he will take advantage of his young age and good appearance to play more love scenes. Jintai Qiongying is really good. Woo, woo, when I finish the live broadcast, I’ll go to watch today’s update.”

The theme song of <The East Palace is Coming> was also played at the signing ceremony. Together with this song, fans at the scene screamed uncontrollably. The melody of this song was too brainwashing. It was also very emotional.

Shen Jintai on stage laughed when he heard this song.

“I know that Jintai has received invitations from many entertainment companies since your comeback. Why did you choose Monsoon Entertainment in the end?” The host asked solemnly.

Shen Jintai was familiar with driving lightly* and said with a smile, “To be honest, it’s because of sincerity.”

*(驾轻就) Metaphor meaning to be familiar with things, so it’s easy to do. || In this context, it means he’s used to interviews like these, so this was easy for him.

Ji Fengxing took the microphone and said, “The conditions we have given to Jintai are really unprecedented. Of course, this is mainly because we are unanimously optimistic about the future development of Jintai and we also believe that our cooperation can push each other to greater heights.”

Ji Fengxing was a big boss. He spoke and did things slowly, had a special tone, and a domineering aura that was beyond his age.

At the end of the signing ceremony, Ji Fengxing smiled and said, “We also prepared a gift for Jintai.”

The host cooperated very willingly and made a curious look. “There are gifts? What Jintai said just now regarding sincerity, I now believe it!”

There was a burst of laughter at the scene, and Ji Fengxing raised his hand and said with a smile, “Our gift is over there.”

The song that had been gradually lowered just now suddenly sounded again, singing the climax of <Moths to a Flame>:

[I am a moth drawn to the flame.
Love and hate burn inside of me.]

But it wasn’t the familiar female voice of the original theme song, but a clear male voice. The singing was also very gentle and serene. Shen Jintai was stunned. He looked across the stage at the audience and saw Zheng Siqi walking up from the other end with flowers in his arms.

The CP fans exploded all at once. Since the CP of “Jintai Qiongying” became popular, Shen Jintai and Zheng Siqi haven’t had many interactions. At most, they only interacted on Weibo, and it could only be added up to a handful of times. This was the first time they had been on the same stage in public.

Zheng Siqi was also an artist for Monsoon Entertainment. Now that Shen Jintai had signed with Monsoon, it was natural for Zheng Siqi to come to the scene to congratulate him.

The CP fans had guessed that the two of them would be on the same stage. As the signing ceremony was nearing its end and he hadn’t shown up, they thought that Zheng Siqi wouldn’t be part of it.

When it came to marketing, it had to be Monsoon Entertainment. As soon as Zheng Siqi showed up, he went directly on the hot search. Jintai Qiongying became a general trend and was today’s national CP.

Prince Zhou Ying’s character was too good. He was portrayed as the beautiful and infatuated prince who had a miserable end. This gained a lot of sympathy from the viewers, leading to an explosive CP. It was just the result of being at the right time and place. If the actors were other people, this effect might not have happened.

As such, gold powders also had special affection for Zheng Siqi, belonging to a kind love the house and the crow*. Likewise, Zheng Siqi’s fans were also the same, and the two fandoms had a harmonious relationship.

*(爱屋及乌) A metaphor for loving a person and caring about people/things related to him. Originally came from Shang Shu Da Biography. || In this context, it refers to how Zheng Siqi impacted Shen Jintai and their CP, fans of Shen Jintai also had special feelings for Zheng Siqi, and the same applies to his fans.

Zheng Siqi was a newcomer. Though he had become popular due to the popularity of the drama, this was the first time he attended a public event. He was very sentimental on stage. Though he was a few months older and a little taller than Shen Jintai, on the stage, Shen Jintai was more like a big brother to him. As the host was talking, Shen Jintai turned his head slightly to talk to Zheng Siqi. Zheng Siqi looked serious and leaned over with his head slightly lowered. The audience didn’t know what was said, but both of them laughed.

This scene almost made Jintai Qiongying fans faint.

The two actors were so sweet in reality, but in the drama they had just ushered in a sad moment tonight. In the preview of next week’s broadcast, it was going to be the night the poisoning case broke out and the crown prince was arrested. Li Xu’s hair was scattered as the jade hairpin loosened, shattering on the ground. “The prince was wronged” was shouted, directly hitting people’s hearts.

After taking sugar here, the tears from watching the trailer over there couldn’t stop.

Several more hot searches all related to Shen Jintai appeared. After attending the dinner organized by Monsoon Entertainment, it was already late at night. On the way back to the film and television city, Xiao Tang was happy and worried. “There seems to be a too many hot searches recently?”

Li Meilan: “I also think there’s a bit too much, but we didn’t buy them.”

Going by usual practice, if a drama was in the prime-time slot on satellite TV, the producer would buy one or two. This method could be regarded as the default to normal marketing. There were so many actors participating in <The East Palace is Coming> that could drive traffic, and that didn’t even include Yang Lizhi and Bai Qingquan. Even resource coffee shops like Liu Hui would take advantage of the heat and buy some hot searches. With all these factors, sometimes Shen Jintai got dragged along.

In addition, Weibo themselves will rub heat and occasionally send one or two.

Li Meilan said, “Why don’t we spend money to take it down?”

Shen Jintai was happy when he heard this. Xiao Tang couldn’t help but laugh. “If other celebrities heard this, they’d cry in anger.”

Li Meilan smiled and looked at her phone. “You have almost 10 million Weibo fans now. There is still more than half a year remaining.”

Shen Jintai smiled, lowered his head, and flipped through the script in his hand.

The script looked very plain. It was just a white-bound version. Big black words hung on the top: <Welcome Rain on a Spring Night>.

---

The author has something to say:

The movie pie warms up.

---

Kinky Thoughts:

In case you forgot, this was the script Bai Qingquan passed on (Chapter 37).

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 公子于歌 / Gong Zi Yu Ge

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 49: He’s as Beautiful as a Rose

Yan Qiuchi came down and saw Mrs. Yan eating breakfast downstairs. The maid saw him and hurried to prepare breakfast for him. He pulled out a chair and sat down.

Mrs. Yan turned her head and asked, “Is Xiao Jin sick?!”

“Is he?” Yan Qiuchi said. “I don’t know. You have to ask his agent about this.”

“You know about the signing, right? I heard people say that Xiao Jin signed with Monsoon Entertainment. What’s the matter with you? Didn’t I tell you to let your company sign him?”

“Our company also tried, but he chose Monsoon Entertainment,” Yan Qiuchi said.

“Have you read the contract? Are there any issues?”

Yan Qiuchi said, “Why would he show me his contract with Monsoon Entertainment.”

Mrs. Yan was disappointed and said, “I don’t know what Monsoon Entertainment is like. Aren’t they your rival? I heard they’ve been working against you.”

“Competition is normal.”

Mrs. Yan was silent for a while, then said, “Xiao Jin actually signed with your rival. I don’t know what he’s thinking. He probably really wants to draw a line with you. How badly did you break his heart that he could break it off so simply this time?”

Yan Qiuchi didn’t speak.

After a while, Mrs. Yan raised her head again and said, “But forget it. I won’t have to worry about you two in the future. Having said that, your dad and I were talking yesterday. You’re 25 now, yet we’ve never seen you in a relationship. I don’t think you’re having some secret affair.”

Yan Qiuchi said, “Busy.”

“There are many busy people who have delayed falling in love and getting married. It’s time for you to consider this as well.”

“Let’s talk about it after the company goes public,” Yan Qiuchi said.

“There’s nothing wrong with you, is there?” Mrs. Yan asked suddenly and seriously.

“What?” Yan Qiuchi frowned.

Mrs. Yan looked at him, smiled, and waved her hand.

After watching Shen Jintai’s commercial yesterday, she, like those gossip fans, had a question floating in their mind: ‘That President Yan… If Shen Jintai’s not possible, then what kind of person does he want?!’

But she was different from those gossip fans. She grew up watching over Shen Jintai, so in her eyes, Shen Jintai was almost flawless! He used to be a bit willful and arrogant, but now that had all changed.

Yan Qiuchi never imagined that one day, his own mother would wonder if he had a problem with that aspect. This wasn’t the first time that he had been faced with such doubts. His circle of friends were all either rich or elite. Not all of them were men. From junior high through college, they all experienced some kind of love. All except for him.

In Xiao Yang’s words, not only did he not fall in love, but he also had no sex life!

The young men in his circle were different from ordinary people, especially someone as handsome as Yan Qiuchi, who was good in all aspects. If the standards weren’t too high, there were many willing types around that they could easily take the initiative to pounce on. But for someone who was at his age who had never been in love or had sex, if there wasn’t a problem in that area, what else could be the reason?!

Yan Qiuchi felt that he might really need to fall in love. He didn’t really want to think about it. He didn’t have anyone he particularly liked, and he was also too busy.

He started his business when he graduated at the age of 22. He had his nationally famous father, Yan Tiefang, above him. He was the eldest son in the family, so he was under a lot of pressure. His company had developed rapidly within the past two years, and his burden had become heavier. Let alone love, he didn’t even have time to meet new friends.

There was also the issue with Shen Jintai. He was a wealthy second-generation top idol who had an attractive face who chased after him and was continuously rejected. Due to this, the public thought that his standards were way too high and that probably no one could meet them.

—

Li Meilan called early in the morning. “Jintai, I have good news that’ll put you in a good mood for the day.”

Yesterday’s filming went late into the middle of the night. Shen Jintai woke up still in a daze. He rubbed his eyes and glanced out the window. The sky was already bright, and the autumn light outside was gleaming.

Shen Jintai asked in a lazy voice, “What good news?”

“Two days ago, weren’t we still worried about clothing?”

The signing ceremony was about to be held and he needed an outfit to wear. Last time he attended the press conference, Mrs. Yan helped him out. He couldn’t keep bothering her constantly as he would be attending more and more events in the future.

While others were excited, he was embarrassed. They had been discussing whether he should buy or borrow his next outfit.

Li Meilan’s voice was full of energy. “A well-known men’s clothing brand just contacted me and offered to give us the clothes to wear to the signing ceremony.”

Shen Jintai immediately sat up from bed.

Shen Jintai’s signing ceremony was held very solemnly. Monsoon Entertainment invited all the big names who could be invited. Shen Jintai took a leave of absence from the crew and went to participate in the signing ceremony titled: “Fengqi* Jintai”.

*(风起) Means the wind rises.

Monsoon Entertainment knew the best way to promote it. The time of the signing ceremony had been arranged on the day the next episodes of <The East Palace is Coming> aired. Netizens had been paying attention to an unprecedented degree.

This was also his first official public appearance since <The East Palace is Coming> was broadcast.

Fans were already squatting at the place where the signing ceremony was held in the early morning. Their numbers were so great that they were blocking many areas. Xiao Tang rushed to the scene first, took a picture, and sent it to Shen Jintai. When he saw the picture, his adrenaline soared.

There were so many fans that a single photo couldn’t capture them all. His support banners were everywhere.

Xiao Tang sent him another short video. The video was noisy. Many people were looking in the same direction. Xiao Tang texted: [Brother, it’s all for you!]

“How are you feeling when you make your first public appearance after becoming popular?” Li Meilan asked him with a smile.

Shen Jintai sat in the car, breathed a sigh of relief, and said, “It’s okay.” His eyes were already moist.

“Don’t be nervous. This will be commonplace in the future.” Li Meilan said.

Shen Jintai became even more thrilled upon hearing her words. He could now be considered a real star.

The car stopped at the entrance of the hotel, and the gold powders who had been waiting for a few hours turned to look at them. There were a lot of celebrities coming today, so they weren’t sure if Shen Jintai would be the one who got off next.

They had given cheers and shouts to other celebrities, but of course, the strongest and warmest cheers should be reserved for the person they came for.

“Are you ready?” Li Meilan asked.

Shen Jintai let out a long breath, as if he was about to enter an acting scene, and nodded solemnly at Li Meilan.

Li Meilan opened the car door and got out of the car first. Xiao Tang, who had been waiting on the red carpet, immediately ran over.

The old fans knew who Xiao Tang and Li Meilan were, and they started to boil.

The restlessness of the crowd quickly spread, and the crowd was ignited all at once, as if a bomb had just detonated. Everyone knew that Shen Jintai was here!

His sister fans, his mother fans, and his girlfriend fans were all boiling. They first saw a pair of long, thin, straight legs step out. It had on a gray pants suit, black socks, and black leather shoes.

They then noticed Shen Jintai lower his head and exited the car, stood up straight in the spotlight, buttoned up his gray suit jacket, and walked towards the red carpet, escorted by Li Meilan and Xiao Tang.

The screams were endless. Some called his name, and some called him Li Xu. Shen Jintai was dressed in a gray suit, walking calmly with a straight back. A flower was inserted in his chest pocket.

“Is it a rose?!”

“What kind of flower is that?”

Netizens squatting upstairs during the live broadcast were also talking about it.

“The last time he placed a flower in his chest pocket, he won countless praises. Now he’s going to make it his own personal signature. It looks really good!”

“It kind of looks like…”

“Oh my god, it’s a rose!”

“It’s the symbol of Jintai Qiongying! The rose! Oh my god! Oh my god!”

“Oh my God, I’m really convinced of Touhua’s mind!!!”

“Ahhhhhh. So fucking be it! I cried with real excitement!”

“It’s a rose! My God, it’s really a rose!”

Shen Jintai on the red carpet still looked calm. His face was fair, and his lips were rosy. Looking tall and handsome in the slim gray suit, it gave him a quiet and calm look. He smiled, waved, and bowed to the fans, looking humble.

Netizens were the fastest and pulled out a passage, he said at the press conference. At that time, the host interviewed him about his understanding and feelings about the script and the characters.

Shen Jintai described Li Xu as “a villain with a sense of vulnerability”. He said that when he read the script, “After reading it, tears will flow out, and your heart will surge.”

Talking about the love between Li Xu and the crown prince, he tilted his head and thought for a while. Then, with a smile on his face and a tone that seemed to be wrapped in waves, he said, “It’s like the flower language of wild roses, romance, and repentance.”

“Shen Jintai, Shen Jintai!”

“A’Xu, A’Xu!”

Shen Jintai laughed. His smile was bright, and there were stars in his eyes.

---

The author has something to say:

I’m going to be a gold powder, and it’s another day to shed tears for my head!

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Fans are all crying for Shen Jintai. I’m crying for all the dialogue I have to translate from them…

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 公子于歌 / Gong Zi Yu Ge

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 48: A Self-Disciplined Man

“Ding dong.” The familiar sound almost made Shen Jintai fumble his lines.

“Congratulations, you got another six points for a total of nine points,” Xiao Mei said in a cold voice.

Last time, he earned three points inexplicably in the middle of the night. Shen Jintai didn’t understand what was going on. He immediately turned his head and glanced at Bai Qingquan and saw Bai Qingquan looking at him quietly, exactly as he should have looked in the scene, with no expression on his face.

“Is it Bai Yueguang’s favorability for me?” Shen Jintai asked.

Xiao Mei: “Nn.”

Shen Jintai: “Nn?”

He couldn’t believe that a system staff member would say something like this. It made him think of…… Yan Qiuchi, who loved saying “Nn” the most!

Wasn’t this tone too cold, like an iceberg? Xiao Ai, come back soon!

“Xiao Ai can’t return for the time being. Before he returns, I will serve you,” Xiao Mei said coldly. “If there is no other issue, I will go offline first.”

“You wait a minute,” Shen Jintai asked hurriedly. “So the three points in the middle of the night last time were the same as these six points, right? Bai Yueguang’s favorability for me has increased?”

“Nn.”

“…But I didn’t do anything.”

“Our system had detected it.”

Shen Jintai looked at Bai Qingquan next to him again. Bai Qingquan pursed his lips, raised his brows slightly, and looked at him with an expression of “What’s the matter”.

“Then what is my next reward? It’s a beauty reward, right?”

“The next reward is indeed a reward for becoming more beautiful. Choose one: you’ll still have thick jet-black hair after middle age, or delicate and fair skin.”

It was rare that there were no qualifiers for skin, such as until sixty years old.

“It’s natural to grow old. If there was no change after sixty, it may not be a good thing for you,” Xiao Mei said lightly.

Shen Jintai: “…”

“Can I know when Xiao Ai will be returning?”

“One week.”

Alright. A week wasn’t too long.

“Do you prefer rainbow fart type people?” Xiao Mei asked suddenly.

Shen Jintai was surprised for a moment and said, “…I just established a deep revolutionary relationship with Xiao Ai.”

Xiao Mei didn’t respond and went offline with a beep. Shen Jintai became embarrassed.

“What’s the matter?” Bai Qingquan came over and asked him.

Shen Jintai recovered, laughed, and said, “My arrow actually shot so far just now.” When Shen Jintai laughed, there was a bright energy in his smile that made him a lot more approachable.

Bai Qingquan looked at his smile and let out a sigh of relief. Shen Jintai’s arrow just made his heart jump. For a moment, he felt that Shen Jintai had a kind of chic and romantic look. Fortunately… Fortunately, it was just an illusion.

He must be holding back too hard. It wasn’t easy for him as a young 22-year-old. In order to pursue his career, he remained a virgin. He didn’t know when the time would come for him to enter into a sweet relationship.

Except for his fans, no one should believe that a super handsome guy like him was still a virgin!

Bah.

Bai Qingquan remained staring at Shen Jintai. Shen Jintai was wearing a costume, so he couldn’t see much except for the thin waist. How did Shen Jintai exercise to get such a figure? When they debuted together, his figure wasn’t very good.

And then there was that ass. It made Bai Qingquan feel itchy whenever he looked at it. As long as Shen Jintai had those two pieces of flesh, he had the potential to attack. That ass truly was a male’s ass. Whenever he looked at it, he couldn’t help but think, ‘Fuck!’

The hot search for “Shen Jintai’s Advertisement” lasted a long time. It was already noon, yet the words “boiling” were still hanging on it.

Mainly thanks to the power of CP fans, a gay man playing a gay man could greatly enrich the imagination of the fans. It was difficult for ordinary people to completely separate the actor from the character they played, especially when their popularity was high. Once true feelings were felt, the sense of separation became even harder to achieve.

As soon as this advertisement was broadcast, there were only a few people that still used the “head flower dance” meme.

Aishang themselves was stunned. Their flagship store on Taobao had explosive sales growth. They originally asked Shen Jintai to do an endorsement for exposure, but most of his fans were women. They didn’t expect him to drive their sales exceedingly up for men’s underwear!

Yan Qiuchi remained oblivious to all this. He didn’t go on Weibo to read about Shen Jintai’s hot search. He didn’t have time for Weibo or these kinds of things. Now that the results of <The East Palace is Coming> had far exceeded expectations, the company’s IPO was just around the corner.

Though Yan Qiuchi wasn’t paying attention, many in his friend’s circle were. <The East Palace> was just too popular. As soon as it was broadcast, these friends circle would develop the next day to talk about it. Among them was a female friend who had recently been obsessed with Shen Jintai. She had been blowing rainbow farts in the circle every day.

He had few male friends who were into dramas. Among Yan Qiuchi’s male circle were all elite and rich second generations that had high-profile careers, but there were still some that remained idle.

Yan Qiuchi suddenly received a message. It was from his best friend, Xiao Yang. The first message was a screenshot. He clicked on it and saw his name.

A netizen named Qianqian Caoqing said, “How near-sighted is this young Master Yan?”

The little rainbow fart user replied, “Really, can’t you see this? Dumbfounded.”

“I guess it’s his cold personality, hahahaha.”

“Iceberg Yan doesn’t look like he’s cold. You can tell by looking at his nose and face that he’s not simple!”

“My son was ignorant when he was young, so don’t mention the mistakes he made. He has also learned his lesson. I hope this building won’t mention the Yan family again. Let’s go to Jintai Qiongying together. Isn’t it good?”

“Who cares about Yan Qiuchi. Ignore him. Is BaiJin not good to eat? Or is Jintai Qiongying sugar not sweet enough!”

Yan Qiuchi frowned, and after reading it again, he realized that the “son” was referring to Shen Jintai.

Xiao Yang immediately sent a second message, which was a video link.

Yan Qiuchi frowned as he clicked the link. It was a video of Shen Jintai. After watching the video in a daze, his Adam’s apple bobbed and his heart felt hot.

Seeing that he hadn’t responded in a long time, Xiao Yang called directly and said, “My god, Shen Jintai is still Shen Jintai. Is Shen Jintai still Shen Jintai?!*”

*Clarity: He’s saying Shen Jintai is still the same (can create hype and go viral) but not the same (noticeable change in a lot of things, like acting well, not chasing after Yan Qiuchi etc.)

Yan Qiuchi understood the meaning of his two sentences.

Xiao Yang said, “I really admire you.”

Yan Qiuchi: “What do you admire about me?”

“How did you hold back in the first place?” Xiao Yang said. “If it was me, I also thought I couldn’t stand him either. You said you hadn’t seen him like that before. It’s just…”

Yan Qiuchi asked coldly, “Just what?”

Xiao Yang: “Just… didn’t you see it? So pink and tender, and that slender waist and that ass…”

“I’m hanging up now.” Yan Qiuchi said. “Busy.” After speaking, he disconnected the call.

Yan Qiuchi continued to work. After working for about two minutes, he picked up his phone to take a look. The screen lit up when suddenly a knock came from the door. He put down his phone and said, “Come in.”

Gao Qiao brought in coffee and put some documents on his desk.

“Haven’t left yet?” Yan Qiuchi asked.

Gao Qiao didn’t know why Yan Qiuchi had sent him to work in City B. It stood to reason that it was a promotion. Their company was currently cooperating with the municipal government of City B to build a film and television city there. He went to take charge of the project, but it was his first time heading out alone. If this project went well, he would almost certainly be promoted when he returned to headquarters.

However, while it was considered a promotion, he felt as if it was more like a transfer. Perhaps this was punishment related to the fact that he couldn’t sign Shen Jintai. It was also possible that he was reading too much into it with his guilty conscience.

The fact that Shen Jintai had become too popular recently only exacerbated his guilt for failing to sign him.

“My plane flies out tomorrow,” Gao Qiao said.

“If you have any questions over there, please contact me directly.” Yan Qiuchi glanced up at him. “Anything else?”

Gao Qiao shook his head and said, “President Yan, although Xiao Fang has been in the company for only a few years, she usually listens to my instruction very well. It might not be a smooth transition at first, but she is capable. Give her some time and she’ll certainly be competent.”

He and Xiao Fang had also worked together for many years. Xiao Fang rarely had direct contact with Yan Qiuchi. He felt that Yan Qiuchi wasn’t easy to get along with given his reclusive and cold personality.

Yan Qiuchi: “Got it.”

Gao Qiao then turned around and walked out. When he reached the door, Yan Qiuchi suddenly stopped him. “Gao Qiao.”

Gao Qiao turned around. He had been by Yan Qiuchi’s side for a long time, so he was reluctant to leave.

“Work hard.”

Gao Qiao was stunned for a moment and nodded.

When Gao Qiao came in, the strange warmth in Yan Qiuchi’s heart dissipated. He didn’t look at the commercial again but continued to read the screenshot sent by Xiao Yang again. “Jintai Qiongying”. He knew that this CP was hot, but BaiJin was also rising.

How did Bai Qingquan and Shen Jintai form a CP? There was no emotional connection between them. Had the script been flipped?

Due to his busy schedule, Yan Qiuchi hadn’t watched anything beyond the first two episodes with Shen Jintai and his family when the drama aired. Taking advantage of his break, he caught up with the series. He didn’t see any emotional scenes between Bai Qingquan and Shen Jintai but was caught by the Jintai Qiongying scenes.

When he was watching Shen Jintai and Zheng Siqi hug, he felt an inexplicable sense of emptiness. He had also caressed Shen Jintai and had even accidentally grabbed his ass. He still remembered the feeling that shocked him at the time. It was very… soft.

When he saw the commercial, Shen Jintai’s ass was voluptuous and firm. The shape was nice and round but not big. Very alluring and sexy.

Does it look and feel completely different?

Yan Qiuchi wiped his forehead with his hand, then got up and poured a glass of water. It was starting to get cold, but he habitually drank cold water. Even with the cold, he still sweated a bit.

Yan Qiuchi thought suddenly, ‘Did Shen Jintai… stuffed socks?’

He was a person that rarely had drastic swings in his emotions. The feeling of his body being burned by flames had never happened to him. Though he watched Shen Jintai’s commercial, he wasn’t excited like those fans. Sure, he was a little surprised and felt a little strange, but his overall feelings were still stable.

This feeling of emptiness was too unfamiliar. It kept lingering in his heart. While it wasn’t a strong feeling, it was lasting. In the dead of night, it continued to ferment slowly.

Yan Qiuchi lay in the dark for a long time. His hands played with his phone, continuously flipping it over. Suddenly, the screen lit up, showing Shen Jintai’s underwear advertisement video. It was frozen as the triangle symbol in the middle needed to be clicked on.

The light from the screen lit up Yan Qiuchi’s eyebrows, illuminating his dark and longing eyes, showing the full energy of a young man that couldn’t be released during the day.

Ultimately, he clicked on <The East Palace is Coming> and watched a few episodes. After watching two episodes, his mood calmed down. He watched Shen Jintai’s performance very intently, and occasionally he was amazed by Shen Jintai’s wonderful micro-expressions. The best of Shen Jintai’s acting weren’t the emotional crying scenes, but the small details in his expressions. With just his fingers, Shen Jintai could lead a scene.

Yan Qiuchi felt that he was getting drowsy, so he turned off his phone and went to sleep. He thought Shen Jintai’s performance was spectacular, and it left him with a pleasant aftertaste.

That night, he dreamt of Shen Jintai.

Unlike his last dream, this one was unusual. It was very vague, and he couldn’t remember any vivid details. When Yan Qiuchi woke up, he was in a daze. His thoughts could only remember Shen Jintai, and it gave him a sense of joy.

The body of abstinence preceded the awakening of the soul. Yan Qiuchi, as usual, watched CCTV news for a lengthy amount of time before he was able to completely calm down. He then got out of bed and showered.

This had nothing to do with dreaming or thinking of Shen Jintai. He was still young, and like all young people, it took him a while to get out of bed in the morning.

The cyan stubble became obvious overnight. The man in the mirror had bright eyes as fierce as dragons and tigers. There was a tiger hidden in his body, and he had to maintain vigilance, or it could jump out and eat people.

---

The author has something to say:

The first step for my husband’s fans.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 公子于歌 / Gong Zi Yu Ge

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 47: The Ad is Coming

Aishang’s advertising production cycle was very short. The brand felt that taking advantage of the soaring popularity of Shen Jintai, launching the ad at this time would be like pouring oil onto fire. Before the launch, they communicated with Shen Jintai. Li Meilan felt that it should be able to make the hot search.

Recently, news about Shen Jintai was everywhere. He had multiple hot searches related to him. The unprecedented popularity of <The East Palace is Coming> cause the third week broadcast to pass 1.8 in ratings. Breaking 2.0 was just around the corner. There was no current series that could match against it. Even in the last five years, it could be regarded as the most topical TV series. If it stabilized in the later stage, it would become a phenomenon-level drama.

With the TV series being hot, and everyone knowing about it, there were enough fans that reviews could be controlled. In addition, with so many hot searches revolving around Shen Jintai, it would be crazy not to take the offensive now. What was more, she and Shen Jintai had watched the commercial in advance. They believe it would be unreasonable if it didn’t make the hot search.

Li Meilan was watching the time. Shortly after the advertisement was released, it went viral. The hot search keyword was: [Shen Jintai Advertisement].

The video showed a pair of shiny leather shoes on the floor. Suddenly the sound of the door closing could be heard, followed by the sound of keys on the table. The camera moves up from the pant suit to the belt that was tied around the slender waist of a young man. Slender fingers clicked on a tablet as music started to play from the smart speakers.

Formal wear represented the most abstemious form of clothes. For an advertisement of underwear to start with this, it was obvious what their intention was!

It was portraying a white-collar worker who had just returned home from work. He stretched out his hand to pull off his tie and began to undress. The lens became very seductive as it focused in on his rosy lips and well-line chin, then protruding Adam’s apple to his fair and slender fingers. His nails were shiny and neatly trimmed. Button by button was undone as his white shirt was taken off revealing his chest.

Shoes, socks, and pants were taken off until there was only underwear remaining. Holding the edge of his underwear with both hands, he slowly pulls it down as a shallow mermaid line was exposed. As he was about to fully undress, the camera suddenly cut away revealing the handsome face of Shen Jintai that was giving a mischievous and ruffian smile.

Sudden rhythmic drum beats accompanied by cheerful music sounded as the video cuts to different images of showering, swimming, a 360 degree shot of Shen Jintai’s well-proportioned body, then to Aishang’s various style and color of underwear. The finale of the shot showed an indistinct scene as the music suddenly slowed down and the camera abruptly stopped. The picture became clear showing Shen Jintai sitting on the toilet with only his underwear on, holding a cigarette in his hand. He raised in head in slow motion giving a piercing look with his sharp eyes at the camera showing anger.

“Oh my god! It, wrung, all, my, blood, completely, dry!”

“Worthy of being the number one ass in the entertainment industry. This ass!”

“Did you see the waist?!”

“The beautiful venus dimples are my favorite! Touhua is absolutely superb!”

“Whet popular fresh meat dares to make this kind of advertisement. Even if it’s Touhua, I will still take it!”

“Mom, look, it’s this little waist spirit that took my heart away!”

“This waist, this ass, this face value!”

“Look at these long, straight, fair and thin legs. I don’t deserve to be a woman!”

“Ohhh, oh, ah. I can’t control my brain. It’s being filled with Jintai Qiongying!”

“I used to think that Touhua wasn’t beautiful enough. But now look at him. My god. So hot!”

“Are you embarrassed to mention it or something? Why didn’t you specify which part is hot!”

“Sister upstairs, I understand you! You are such a fan!”

“AWSL*! I didn’t even notice whether the cuckoo upstairs was praising him or not!”

*Acronym for ah I’m dead. Kinda like saying “Oh my god!”

“Just two words: I can*!”

*Reminder: Refers to someone or something that you like very much as in “I can sleep with him” or “I can be in a relationship with him” ect.

“Sister, sister, sister!”

“Call out bravely! We’re sisters!”

“This is really a white glow. It brightens people’s eyes when they look at it.”

In the last shot, Shen Jintai woke up from a bed. The morning sun shone on his sleeping face illuminating the white skin and rosy lips. His sleeping face had a strong and cold aura. The music had stopped. Quietly, a vase of flowers bloomed brightly at the head of the bed.

The ad started with a routine shot and ended with a routine shot. Shen Jintai long and delicate eyelashes shook a few times as he opened his eyes to the sound of an alarm. The camera started to slowly blur in the sun as it gave him a close-up shot around his gorgeous eyes.

He stretch his body and then got out of bed. Faint sounds of footsteps could be heard as he walked towards the window. With a “swish” the curtains were drawn open. The sun came through basking him in sunlight as the window scenery blurred into a ball. His figured was bathe in the sun as the light slowly covered his thick black hair, moving downwards to his straight shoulders, then to the grooves on his back as it winded down to the venus dimples. It was finally fixed on the Aishang’s underwear he was wearing.

The tall and beautiful figure stood there as a background narration said: “I’m in love. How about you?”

The top hot comment was: [OH MY GOD!!!] followed by the second hot comment: [I’m in love! I’m in love!]

This hot search quickly reached the top with lightning speed, and with the aftermath of <The East Palace is Coming> and the signing of Monsoon Entertainment, it quickly spread all over the Internet.

Bai Qingquan was stunned after reading it. His heart was beating wildly. Shen Jintai was such a hot commodity!

He looked up at Yang Lizhi on the opposite side. Yang Lizhi couldn’t control herself: “Wow, wow, wow!”

She shouted out the point she personally admired most: “Shen Jintai actually has a waist!”

His love handles were perfect. When Bai Qingquan held Shen Jintai’s waist, he felt that such a waist was unattainable anywhere!

The ad quickly spread to the entire crew. With the exception of those who were actively working, everyone else had turned on their phone to watch. While engrossed in it, they saw the man of the hour came walking in.

Shen Jintai usually wore very casual clothes on the crew. Now that it was cold, he stopped wearing shorts and T-shirts. This time he was wearing sneakers, with long pants and a denim jacket.

“Good morning.” Shen Jintai greeted the crew.

“Li Xu, your advertisement is so exciting.” Chang Ji said with a smile.

Shen Jintai smiled and said: “Oh that underwear ad? Thanks.”

People didn’t pay much attention before. After seeing the ad, everyone started to look at Shen Jintai again in a different way.

He was currently wearing a robe with a belt that was wrapped around his slender waist. He was tall and handsome whether he had his clothes on or off. This feeling had gone beyond just handsomeness to the realm of magnificent. It was unknown whether it was because of the psychological result of watching the commercial.

It seemed like there was a white and pink halo glowing around Shen Jintai that made people amazed when they look at him.

The weather was good today, and the autumn light was brilliant. Shen Jintai looked particularly radiant today. His energy affected his appearance and made him emit some kind of compelling radiance. When people were popular, they were different*.

*Clarity: As explained in a past chapter, now that Shen Jintai has become more popular and people are starting to see him in a different and better light, their perception of him has changed and they couldn’t help but look at him more positively. Before it was “How average looking he is” vs now “How magnificent he looks” and it’s all mainly due to perception changes (not the actual person himself).

At this point in the plot of the drama, Li Xu had started to slowly ascend. He practiced archery with Zhou Jing in the courtyard.

Shen Jintai was wearing a brown robe with a black belt wrapped around his waist looking tall and handsome. Before he shot his arrow, he nodded as he listened to the guidance of the person next to him.

“Raise it a little higher.” The guide said: “Look at the direction of the arrow with your eyes, raise your chest, try not to move your head, and sink your arms.”

Shen Jintai smiled and nodded to the guide.

“Three, two, one, action!”

As soon as the director’s words fell, Shen Jintai raised the bow and arrow in his hand. With a serious expression he pulled it to the tightest point. He released the arrow with a “fwish” as the arrow shot out.

Bai Qingquan, who was standing next to him suddenly felt the beating of his heart as if the arrow had directly hit it.

Badump, badump.

---

Kinky Thoughts:

YASSSS I’M IN LOVE TOO!!!

Is the BaiJin ship taking off?

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 公子于歌 / Gong Zi Yu Ge

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 46: Sudden Burst

After arriving on the set, everyone was concerned about Shen Jintai’s condition.

“Are you alright?” Bai Qingquan asked him.

“The fever has subsided,” Shen Jintai said. “It’s just my mouth is sore, and I can’t taste anything when I eat.”

Bai Qingquan smiled and said, “It’s like that when you’re sick. Just wait a few days and it’ll get better.”

“I haven’t thanked you yet,” Shen Jintai said. “If you hadn’t given me a hand, I don’t know what I would have fallen into.”

“It was very scary. I’m glad you’re okay,” Bai Qingquan said. “I wanted to go to see you yesterday, but it was past midnight after I finished filming. I was afraid that it would affect your rest, so I didn’t go.”

It wasn’t easy for Bai Qingquan to care so much about him. He was too kind-hearted. Bai Qingquan gave him a smile when he saw Shen Jintai looking at him, causing Shen Jintai to smile as well.

Director Guo was afraid that Shen Jintai wouldn’t be able to bear it, so he moved today’s emotional scene to tomorrow, thus giving Shen Jintai only a few scenes today.

The most heartfelt scene was a shot of Shen Jintai getting dressed. As he unbuttoned his robe, he smiled and said to Director Guo and the others, “Am I the man in charge of our crew now?”

The crew laughed for a while. Guo Rui chuckled and said, “Don’t waste your good figure.”

Shen Jintai’s figure was really good, and it was extremely suitable for the camera.

As actors, the more they tend to be neutral, the greater their plasticity. It was easy to stereotype both the sun and fresh meat. Shen Jintai’s body was young and smooth, and he could show different body language in different states. It could be very tough and upright, but could also be attractive.

It was a shame that the scale of TV dramas was still relatively strict, so not much exposure could be filmed. It made this particular kind of scene difficult to shoot. Shen Jintai grabbed his clothes with both hands as multiple shots captured him. The pictures were taken from different angles, reminding him of his experience with the underwear advertisement shoot.

In the end, the effect was very good. The moment the robe covered his body, he vaguely caught a glimpse of his smooth and graceful shoulders. The camera followed his hand as it captured his thin, fair fingers tying a belt. He turned his head around, hearing someone calling him.

His long hair was scattered, and his clothes were loose. He was dressed in a romantic style costume, but his facial expression showed only gloom. His cheeks and lips were pale, as if they were covered with frost.

Li Xu had proceeded to blacken.

Guo Rui had begun to appreciate Shen Jintai more and more. He felt that Shen Jintai had a unique charm. He was handsome and thin, with bright rosy lips and clear eyes. His skin was fair, and he had a bright complexion. His temperament was a bit rigid and wasn’t very soft at all, so he looked a little cold when he wasn’t laughing. When he smiled, it was like he had completely transformed and become another person, with or without makeup. These two contrasting feelings, this kind of temperament, really molded Li Xu on screen. He didn’t cast this charming little eunuch to be a beautiful little baby.

This kind of feeling that was emitted on the screen was particularly pleasing. They would like it, whether straight or gay, and the older generation would not be disgusted if they saw it.

Not everyone could control this scale well when acting, and not everyone had this characteristic. Acting skills and personal circumstances were indispensable, which made casting Shen Jintai in Li Xu’s role very reasonable.

Guo Rui was even a little proud. When he chose Shen Jintai to play the second male lead, he was under a lot of pressure, and many people weren’t optimistic. He glanced back at Zheng Siqi next to him and joked, “Our Royal Highness is stunned.”

Everyone around laughed, while Zheng Siqi stood up with a smile.

There had been no announcement from him in the past two days, but he, a newcomer, had no other job at the moment, so since he was free, he would come to the set to watch Shen Jintai and the others act.

He also wanted to cultivate more feelings with Shen Jintai.

He was a novice. This was the first time he ever acted in an emotional drama. It was very intense. When he acted with Shen Jintai, he was always afraid that he wouldn’t be able to keep up. The solution he found was to enter the act and empathize with Shen Jintai. He visualized the crown prince’s feelings for Li Xu. Each time he gazed at Shen Jintai, he would brainwash himself until he couldn’t think straight. The more he looked at Shen Jintai, the more drawn he felt.

Zheng Siqi was especially excited today. Tian Wenwen had told him yesterday that Shen Jintai had signed with their company. This was his debut drama that he filmed together with Shen Jintai, so he had a good working relationship with him. He was happy for Shen Jintai.

After Shen Jintai finished filming, he followed Shen Jintai back to the hotel. Bai Qingquan couldn’t help but glance at Zheng Siqi again. Zheng Siqi was still relatively reclusive at the beginning. Overtime, he had adapted to the environment and that cramped, withheld feeling in his body had disappeared, and he had become more confident, clean, and undaunted.

Zheng Siqi and Shen Jintai had quite the CP. When they stood together, their heads were only a few centimeters apart. When Zheng Siqi talked to Shen Jintai, he still had the feeling of intimacy as a lover would have. His eyes were completely focused on him.

They’re not going to make love, are they?!

Bai Qingquan looked at Yang Lizhi, with whom he was about to have a rivalry scene, and sighed silently in his heart. He also wanted to have a sweet relationship with a handsome guy. Even if it couldn’t be negotiated in reality, it was acceptable if it was just faked on screen. He didn’t know what it felt like to be hugged tightly by a handsome guy.

“Stunned?” Yang Lizhi said with a low smile.

“What?” Bai Qingquan frowned.

“I have a lot of gay honeys. You can’t hide it from me.” Yang Lizhi leaned into his ear as she chuckled softly. “The way you look at a man can’t deceive people.” From a glance she could tell he was a little 0 beauty lacking love.

Bai Qingquan was taken aback. His eyes were too straightforward! His brow frowned as he said, “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

Yang Lizhi didn’t argue with him. She just mischievously remained smiling and looked at Shen Jintai and Zheng Siqi, who were far away. She wasn’t sure who Bai Qingquan was looking at. Either of them wasn’t bad.

Recalling her thoughts, she remembered that Shen Jintai was a well-known gay, yet she could never see through him. She felt his attributes were very fascinating. Sometimes he showed some attacking traits, other times he could be a receiver, and on occasion he could be just plain straight.

Most of the scenes filmed today were rival scenes between the male and female protagonists. Under Li Xu’s arrangement, He Lanbi finally met Zhou Jing. As the two lovers met, jealousy started to brew and the drama of falling in love and killing each other was about to commence.

They filmed late into the night. Bai Qingquan was exhausted after filming and wanted to sleep while sitting in the car.

“I heard from people in the company that Sunshine seems to be signing Shen Jintai,” Wei Ge said suddenly.

Bai Qingquan immediately opened his eyes. “What?”

Wei Ge: “Shen Jintai used to be a lone wolf. Now that he wants to open for business, a large company is required. He’s very popular now. Many companies have been vying for him, including Sunshine Media.”

Bai Qingquan was surprised. “Isn’t he and President Yan always at odds?”

“If President Yan couldn’t separate public from private, he would’ve never agreed to let him play the second male lead. Liu Hui would’ve grabbed that role instead, but President Yan intervened and fought for him. What has happened is all in the past. If you have been paying attention to Shen Jintai’s series of performances these days, you obviously have let go as well,” Wei Ge said. “He’s an interesting man. To give up his career for love; not even girls nowadays would do such a thing.”

Bai Qingquan sat up. “Then, did he sign?”

“I don’t know the details. It seems he hasn’t selected anyone yet,” Wei Ge said. “I would know if he signed with us. They’ll tell me since they know you’ll definitely be angry. After all, having two rivals in the same company, the company will care about your feelings.”

“I don’t want to be in the same company as him,” Bai Qingquan said. “I can’t compete with him. I want to be a big brother. I don’t want to be second in line.” With the exception of his debut in the talent show where he came in second, he had always been first in everything else.

“I find that since Shen Jintai made his comeback, your strength, which I considered the best in the world, has disappeared again.”

“In terms of strength and popularity, I’m not a match.” Bai Qingquan turned his head and looked out the window. The light and shadow hit his face, making him look somber. “He will overtake me sooner or later. I just know it.”

“Don’t say that kind of thing,” Wei Ge said. “Cheer up. I will continue to work hard. If you really want to compare yourself to him, it’s not a guarantee that you’ll lose. Don’t forget the tens of millions of moonlight powders behind you. You’re willing to let yourself be suppressed by Shen Jintai? Do you think the moonlight powders can stand it? How uncomfortable they’ll feel. Don’t let those who love you down so easily. You have seen how terrifying it is to have your fans turn against you.”

Bai Qingquan turned his head and said nothing.

He took a shower after he returned to the hotel. When he was about to go to bed, he received a call from Wei Ge. “I have inquired about it. Shen Jintai rejected Sunshine Media.”

“Huh?” Bai Qingquan was surprised.

“He signed with Monsoon Entertainment,” Wei Ge said. “You can rest assured that you can fight him steadily in the future.”

Bai Qingquan pursed his lips, not knowing what to say. Shen Jintai didn’t choose Sunshine Media and went to Monsoon Entertainment. Their CEO was President Yan’s arch-rival.

This was shaping up to be a real right. He couldn’t lose. It didn’t matter if he lost. He just couldn’t embarrass Sunshine Media, who was backing him up.

He was really impressed with Shen Jintai. What kind of person Shen Jintai had become now, even he may not be able to see through it. He was able to end his emotional entanglement quickly with no muddy waters left behind, and his business skills were solid, desperate, and motivated.

This goddamn person was what he dreamt of becoming. Thinking about it made him embarrassed. He secretly poked his heart, looking forward to the day he would become a top star, filled with sweet love.

Suddenly, with a ding dong, Xiao Mei came online. “Congratulations, your favorability has increased by three points.”

Shen Jintai jumped up from the bed abruptly. Before he could react, he heard a beep, and Xiao Mei had gone offline.

What happened? What did he do? In the middle of the night, why did Bai Yueguang suddenly increase his favorability for him?

Feeling utterly confused, he began to miss Xiao Ai!

—

“Report! The latest news is not true. Shen Jintai is going to the same company as Bai Qingquan!”

“I also saw it in Group 8, saying that Shen Jintai signed with Sunshine Media?”

“Oh my god, this melon* is too big. It surprises me more than the two of them acting together.”

*Buzzword for gossip.

“Isn’t Yan Qiuchi the boss of Sunshine Media? The one that Shen Touhua was chasing but couldn’t catch? So had Touhua caught him now?”

“No, I just think that Shen Touhua is now a person who has changed his face. He seems very reasonable now.”

“The Touhua team is like that. My mind’s not clear, so it’s really hard to say.”

When the gold powders got the news, they almost blew up. Even the old fans of the “Gold Powder Family” weren’t calm anymore, so they hurried to ask Xiao Tang in a private message.

Xiao Tang consulted for Li Meilan’s opinion before replying, “Fake!”

“I’m relieved. It really scared me to death.”

“Really, I was about to cry when I first got the news. Brother, don’t sign with Sunshine Media. Not only is Bai Qingquan there, there’s also Yan Qiuchi!”

“You ignored me yesterday, but today I’ll make you unable to climb high*. This is Xiao Jin’s personal motto.”

*Basically saying, don’t look down on people.

“That’s it! I want to see my brother walk the flower road* with all my heart. Let Yan Qiuchi regret his decision. Brother will grab the throne back first. I want to watch the moonlight powders cry with a smile!”

*(走花路) Buzzword which means walk a beautiful, smooth road. The full term is “walk the flower road together” (Hope everything goes well for you).

“My sister, you said what’s in my heart. Brother Jin, you can do it!”

“Hahahahahaha, I think the moonlight powders can’t laugh anymore.”

The moonlight powders had been quiet recently. It was fine to just brush the beautiful picture of Bai Yueguang and nibble on the prosperous beauty of their brother, so they didn’t bother with blackening Shen Jintai anymore.

It was impossible anyway. No matter how many fans there were, they couldn’t match the number of passersby. Except on Weibo, where comments could be controlled, they were powerless in other places.

Whenever the topic of <The East Palace> came up, no matter what the original topic was, it would all eventually become home to “Jintai Qiongying”.

These CP fans were so stupid and scary. They could only guard one acre and three-quarters of land* alone. Moonlight powders, who had always been invincible in the entertainment industry, tasted frustration for the first time.

*(一畝三分地) Refers to one’s sphere of influence.

“It’s not worth it for my brother to pick up this drama.”

“Don’t say that. Many people like to see their elder brother in costume. What a fairy.”

“Is our group having more deserters? I just checked the number of fans. It’s like hundreds less?”

“Don’t mention those traitors. Those people are wall grass*. They turned out to be gold powders. Later, they climbed the wall for our brother, and now they have climbed back again!”

*(墻頭草) Metaphor for people who are good at changing their positions according to the situation.

“Is Qianqian Caoqing also a gold powder? I can talk to her quite well, alas.”

“They are waiting for their faces to get slapped. For the latest news, Touhua has also signed with Sunshine Media. Let’s wait for him to be a foot-washing maid*!”

*(洗腳婢) Refers to a member of a group who is relatively low in popularity and has poor resources.

“Touhua is coming to Sunshine? He won’t take away all our brother’s resources, will he?”

“What are you thinking? My brother is Sunshine’s biological son. Shen Jintai is a piece of halfway goods. How could he possibly grab our brother’s resources? He can only pick up the junk that my brother doesn’t want!”

“Sign it, sign it, come to Sunshine to be the second brother. When he debuted that year, he was originally the second brother, and he grabbed the C position of our elder brother, and now he should return it!”

No one knew where the rumors about Shen Jintai signing with Sunshine Media came from, but it created a lot of noise. Moonlight powders liked it, gold powders firmly denied it, and passersby ate melons* and watched.

*An activity of consuming gossip without taking sides or expressing any particular opinion.

<The East Palace is Coming> was in its third week of broadcast. The flogging scene came online, followed by the scene of Li Xu being thrown into the ditch and the crown prince jumping in to save him, saying the lines, “I will never doubt you again.” This caused Jintai Qiongying to reach its first emotional climax.

After the episode finished, the official blog super topic was posted, as well as video clips. As the drama became more popular, the number of highlights increased dramatically. Some of the highlights were even better than the main series. They not only allowed the audience to see clips that weren’t shown in the broadcast version, but they also satisfied the curiosity of ordinary viewers about the filming process.

For example, the tidbits posted by the official blog today were when Shen Jintai couldn’t control his crying. The director had already shouted “cut” but Shen Jintai was still hugging Zheng Siqi as tears were flowing.

The quality of the tidbits wasn’t as high as that of the main show. It was filmed vaguely and very shakily, giving it a documentary vibe. In the video, Director Guo Rui stood up and said, “Jintai, dry your tears.”

My god, this line made the fans of “Jintai Qiongying” tear up uncontrollably.

—

“Oh my god. Is this in the drama? I feel like it’s more touching than the main series.”

“I couldn’t hold back my tears when I saw Touhua crying. Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah. My Jintai Qiongying. My Li Xu and Zhou Ying!”

Especially after the director shouted this sentence, Zheng Siqi let go of Shen Jintai, and the two looked at each other. Shen Jintai smiled, but the tears fell even more fiercely.

“Sorry. Give me a minute.” He raised his hand, then lowered his head to cover his eyes.

The director said, “Calm down. We’ll shoot it again.”

Shen Jintai wiped his eyes and said, “I just thought of this line… Ah. He couldn’t remember anything. Only one thought came to his mind, A’Ying.”

Though the sound quality wasn’t very good, this sentence could still be heard clearly. The official blog also included subtitles and music for “Moths to a Flame”. The melody at the end was full of sadness and sorrow.

“Ohh ohh, that hurts!”

“I know what he said! The white-haired Li Xu was there, sitting madly and saying to Zhou Ying. Ahhhhh, I’m dead!”

“This stuff is really better than the main series. Oh, my god, I got goosebumps when I heard those words.”

“Touhua, don’t cry. This sister will put you on the wall in the future, and I will never hack you again!”

“Come to Mom’s arms. Mom loves you!”

“Hahahaha, does the eunuch have no girlfriend fans¹? I think they are all mother² and sister fans³.”

¹Refers to female fan who regard themselves as the girlfriends of a male celebrity.
²Refers to fans who have given birth to children or older female fans who treat their celebrity like their child.
³Refers to fans who are older females who treat their celebrity like their brother.

This wave of operations was so fierce that it overpowered the main drama series. That night <The East Palace Tidbits> was hotly searched. Jintai Qiongying CP completely exploded.

The hot search remained for over a day and a night. By the third day, while the heat was still hot, Monsoon Entertainment posted on Weibo:

[We welcome @ShenJintai in joining our big family of Monsoon Entertainment. Next, Monsoon Entertainment will give Shen Jintai full support in all directions and conduct in-depth cooperation in many fields, such as film and television dramas, singing and dancing, variety shows, etc.. The wind will rise for Jintai and the future will shine!]

Monsoon Entertainment planned to hold a grand signing ceremony this weekend with unprecedented splendor.

—

Black powders: “My face doesn’t hurt!”

Gold powders: “Monsoon Entertainment is the enemy of Sunshine Media. Brother, I love you! Don’t be polite if you’re slapping faces!”

Moonlight powders: “What the hell? I said to go to Sunshine to be the second brother! Shen Jintai combined with Monsoon Entertainment will cover the hot searches in the future!”

Passersby: “As soon as people become popular, the real momentum comes. There’s been wave after wave of Touhua leaving behind a feeling of prosperity. No one can stop it!”

Momentum was really important. When the momentum came together, passersby would get excited when they looked at it. It made people feel that this person’s luck was uncontrollable and getting out of hand.

On the fourth day on set, the male and female protagonists stood in front of the lighting board ready to shoot their first scene.

Yang Lizhi was browsing on her phone when she said, “Shen Jintai is on the hot search again!”

Bai Qingquan froze when he heard those words and asked, “Because of what?”

Yang Lizhi raised her head. “Underwear advertisement.”

Bai Qingquan immediately took a look at his phone. Before he clicked on the advertisement video, he saw the first hot comment: [OH MY GOD!!!]

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The author has something to say:

Popular people always explode in every series.

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Kinky Thoughts:

Hmm… Is the author going to do a Bai Qingquan x Zheng Siqi ship?

Lol. Yang Lizhi gaydar is on point. She’s surrounded by gays!!!

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Author: 公子于歌 / Gong Zi Yu Ge

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 45: Returning Your Suit Jacket

The crew immediately surrounded them at once. Shen Jintai felt dizzy. When he opened his eyes, he saw Bai Qingquan’s face. In a daze, he could hardly tell if he was still in reality or the drama. It was as if he had become Li Xu. Otherwise, how could he hear the Prince Zhou Jing in front him.

He grabbed the hand and pulled on it firmly. He suddenly heard Bai Qingquan call out to him, “Shen Jintai.”

Shen Jintai froze, then came back to his senses. He quickly waved his hand and said, “I’m okay. I’m okay.” He stood up, holding Bai Qingquan’s arm as the people around him looked at him nervously.

“He has a fever.” Bai Qingquan said to Director Guo.

“Are you okay?” Director Guo asked. “I was wondering why your face was so red.”

His face was flushed, and his eyes were scattered. Usually, Shen Jintai’s eyes were extremely bright and energetic. Seeing him like this now, Bai Qingquan wanted to take a picture of his eyes, thinking it looked very funny.

Fainting in public wasn’t a good situation. Shen Jintai felt embarrassed. He recovered after a bit and was taken to the hospital by Xiao Tang and Li Meilan.

“You really scared me to death,” Li Meilan said. “We want to be famous and make money, but our bodies have to come first. In the beginning, we fought alone. Didn’t we just want to work leisurely? Xiao Tang too! Why didn’t you tell me anything?”

Shen Jintai lay in the car and said, “It’s just a fever. It’s not a big deal. I have already taken medication. It should work out.”

When he got to the hospital and had his temperature taken, it was almost 40 degrees*. The doctor said that an infusion was necessary.

*104 degrees Fahrenheit. That is a very bad fever, up to dangerous levels.

Li Meilan went out to call the crew. Just after saying a few words, she saw a familiar person walking over with a fruit basket, followed by a middle-aged man wearing sunglasses, looking very stylish. It turned out to be Monsoon Entertainment’s CEO, Ji Fengxing.

Ji Fengxing hooked his hand, and Tian Wenwen quickly handed him the fruit basket. He carried it as he greeted Li Meilan.

When Shen Jintai heard voices coming from outside, he glanced up and saw Li Meilan leading Ji Fengxing in. He abruptly sat up. Ji Fengxing waved his hand quickly, and said, “Lie down. I heard you were sick, so I came to visit.”

Shen Jintai knew that Monsoon Entertainment wanted to sign him, but the fact that Ji Fengxing came in person and so quickly made him beyond moved by sincerity. He was very emotional. Sometimes sincerity was more important than strength.

Sure enough, after a few exchanges, Ji Fengxing stretched out his hand. Tian Wenwen immediately took out a stack of papers from her bag. Ji Fengxing handed it over to Shen Jintai. “Perhaps you’re still not satisfied with the conditions we offered last time. I have asked the people below to draft up a new offer. Look at it again and see if this meets your requirements. This is really the highest condition we can offer.”

“This really is the first time our company has made such an exception,” Tian Wenwen added.

“Thank you, President Ji.” Shen Jintai took it in his hand and said, “I will seriously consider it.”

“I heard that Sunshine Media has also made some moves and wants to sign you.” Ji Fengxing smiled and said, “Singing a contract is a big deal. You should think carefully about it. I want to add that when you come to our company, you will be our big brother*. Sunshine Media already has Bai Qingquan, who they consider as their biological son. He signed with them as soon as he debuted. His position will not be shaken by anyone. Now that <The East Palace> is popular, his popularity will continue to rise to an outstanding level. Although you two are different types, you are still the same age. If you go with Sunshine, there will inevitably be competition. Instead of going with Sunshine and ranking behind Bai Qingquan, come to our company and be your own boss.”

*Big brother/big boss/first brother (一哥) When used in a unit, it usually refers to the top leader of that unit. || In the context here, it means the #1 talent in their company.

As soon as Ji Fengxing left, Zhang Yuan from Sunshine Media also came with a proposal. Before Zhang Yuan set off, he had read the contract conditions with Gao Qiao. Gao Qiao thought it was good and was in line with the current industry standards.

“Shen Jintai should sign it.” Gao Qiao said.

Zhang Yuan: “I just want to make one final confirmation. Did President Yan really say that it’s business as usual?”

Gao Qiao: “President Yan always made a clear distinction between public and private. You may not know this, but when Shen Jintai debuted, President Yan wanted to sign him, but he refused, saying he wanted his freedom.”

Zhang Yuan said, “Our company’s development has good momentum. Given Shen Jintai and President Yan’s relationship, I think he will probably agree. The conditions we gave are quite good.” Thinking about this, Zhang Yuan couldn’t hide his happiness. “In fact, if Shen Jintai signs with our company, the combined talent of him and Bai Qingquan will definitely be prosperous.”

It was already good that Shen Jintai and Bai Qingquan were in the same drama. To have them be brothers in the same company was even more exciting.

What’s more, these two people were completely different types, but they could both make huge waves in the entertainment industry. The more Zhang Yuan thought about it, the more excited he became. He brought a bouquet of flowers with him as he went to the hospital. When he reached Shen Jintai’s ward, he knocked on the door.

Li Meilan came over to open the door and was stunned when she saw that it was him.

Zhang Yuan smiled and said, “Hello, I am Zhang Yuan from Sunshine Media.”

Zhang Yuan was well-known in the industry, so of course Li Meilan recognized him instantly. She couldn’t help but wonder what was going on today. Shen Jintai fainted, then suddenly good things started to fall from the sky. When the monsoon had left, the sunshine appeared.

She smiled and said, “Please come in.”

—

When Zhang Yuan set off, Gao Qiao sent a message to Yan Qiuchi: [Zhang Yuan had set off.]

Yan Qiuchi replied simply with: [Nn.]

Gao Qiao was a little nervous. He wanted Shen Jintai to sign, but was also afraid of Shen Jintai signing. He still remembered last year when Shen Jintai was still chasing President Yan. He rushed directly in front of the car, acting like a lunatic.

Due to Yan Qiuchi’s culture and dignified nature, he would never embarrass Shen Jintai in public. When a situation like this arose, Gao Qiao was the one who had to step in. He did what his boss couldn’t do and pulled Shen Jintai’s arm to drag him away. As a result, Shen Jintai slapped him, became even more crazed, and told him to fuck off.

Gao Qiao had really hated him since then. He couldn’t even retaliate against Shen Jintai. The two of them were born unequal. Shen Jintai could slap him, but he couldn’t hit him back. Fortunately, President Yan intervened and, for the first time in public, rebuked Shen Jintai.

The incident made a lot of noise and attracted bystanders’ attention. It was photographed by the paparazzi and made headlines. Yan Qiuchi had always acted gentlemanly when in public. No matter who the person was, he always remained polite with them. Though he didn’t talk much, he had a clear line between love and hate. The best way to deal with people like Shen Jintai, who were paranoid and willful, was to simply ignore them.

Gao Qiao knew that Yan Qiuchi broke his image mainly to support him at that time. He worked under President Yan, and it was natural for his boss to protect him. He couldn’t help feeling he had a very good employee-boss relationship.

He was a child from a poor family. Because of the Yan’s poverty alleviation fund, he was able to be admitted to and graduate from a prestigious university. There were other better places to go to at that time, but after hearing that the Yan family had established Sunshine Media, he wanted to repay their kindness and joined the company without any hesitation.

He had always followed Yan Qiuchi, and it could be said that he had accompanied Yan Qiuchi from the start of Sunshine Media until this day. Though Yan Qiuchi didn’t usually chat much with him, he had treated him very well and attached great importance to him. While the title of the CEO’s assistant may not be grand, he still had real power and sway.

Gao Qiao had felt that Yan Qiuchi’s life wasn’t easy. From the perspective of an outsider, he became a boss at a young age and his family was extremely wealthy. Having a father like Yan Tiefeng, everything could be easily done. Only he knew the real pressure that Yan Qiuchi faced.

As a young man in his twenties, he was in charge of the livelihoods of hundreds of families. Yan Qiuchi worked day and night, devoting almost all his time to his job so that he couldn’t even rest for a few days in a year. He worked tirelessly and devotedly.

They were both twenty-five yet had never been in love. It wasn’t that it hadn’t been talked about; it was just that there really was no suitable match. He had followed Yan Qiuchi every day, so he knew it best.

If the world was a big fan circle, he was Yan Qiuchi’s only fan.

President Yan was truly a great catch! He was tall and handsome, had a good family background, and a high level of education and cultivation. He was also pure and clean, and a just person. However, due to Shen Jintai’s involvement, he was dragged into the gossip world and was painted as licentious by others.

Could you understand the mood when your cooking was being tied up by some star who was not worthy to rub the heat and stir up gossip?! Couldn’t he let his brother be beautiful alone?!

Hanging on to his fanboy mood of “no one can match my brother”, Gao Qiao didn’t have any good impressions of all the people who rushed to Yan Qiuchi.

In the future, Shen Jintai would come to Sunshine Media, so he must be optimistic.

Estimating that enough time had passed, he called Zhang Yuan. “Is it settled?”

Zhang Yuan replied, “No.”

Gao Qiao was shocked. “What conditions did he propose?”

“He signed with Monsoon Entertainment.”

Gao Qiao was dumbfounded. His heart was throbbing. But… Monsoon Entertainment was their rival! His mind became confused as it was flooded by images of the Shen Jintai of the past and the Shen Jintai of the present. The two didn’t overlap, creating a phantom image that he could not see clearly.

“What should I do?” Zhang Yuan said, “Would you like to talk to President Yan? We were a step too late. Monsoon came earlier than we did.”

“Let me talk to President Yan.” Gao Qiao said.

After hanging up the phone, he was silent for a minute before he called Yan Qiuchi. “Shen Jintai signed with Monsoon Entertainment.”

After a period of silence on the other end, Yan Qiuchi’s voice remained unchanged as he said, “I see.”

“It’s my fault,” Gao Qiao said. “I thought this was a shoo-in, so I just talked to Zhang…” His voice became anxious as he continued, “President Yan, I… I seem to have brought my personal feelings into work again.” It was really difficult to separate public and private.

He really had to admire Shen Jintai. When he loved, he was crazy about love. When he gave up, it was a clean break, leaving no mud or stains behind. Truly impressive. Gao Qiao couldn’t help but compare it to how contrary he was. His vision was too small.

—

Shen Jintai lay on the hospital bed, reading the contract details one by one.

“Have you decided yet?” Li Meilan asked.

Shen Jintai nodded.

From the perspective of an actor, he actually wanted to sign with Sunshine Media. But if he entered Sunshine Media, he and Bai Qingquan would become competitors. The difference between competition at different companies and competition within the same company was very subtle. Intuition told him that Bai Qingquan wouldn’t be happy if he joined Sunshine Media.

What was more, there was also Yan Qiuchi. If he went with Sunshine Media, Yan Qiuchi, the people around him, and even netizens, especially his gold powder, would definitely think that his old feelings had been rekindled or that the thief’s heart had never died.

If he didn’t change his inverted image, let alone catch fire, his own gold powder would abandon him. Thinking about it this way, choosing Monsoon Entertainment was the best choice.

Setting aside the conditions offered by Monsoon Entertainment, the relationship between the two companies were sworn enemies. He wanted to be the first brother of Monsoon Entertainment and fight against Bai Qingquan, the first brother of Sunshine Media, to see who could stand tallest at the highest peak.

After the infusion, his body temperature had subsided. Li Meilan and Xiao Tang took him back to the hotel to rest. After getting out of the car in the underground parking lot, Shen Jintai was about to enter the elevator when he heard someone call to him, “Shen Jintai.” The voice was very familiar.

Shen Jintai turned his head and saw Yan Qiuchi get out of the car. Li Meilan and Xiao Tang were stunned when they saw him.

Li Meilan was in utter shock. Is this real life? Did Yan Qiuchi come to talk to them in person?! Those rumors about Shen Jintai and Yan Qiuchi that she had heard before were all false!

“President Yan,” She greeted.

Yan Qiuchi nodded and walked directly to Shen Jintai. Shen Jintai put on his coat and looked at Yan Qiuchi.

“If you’re refusing Sunshine Media because of my personal feelings…” Yan Qiuchi stated unequivocally. “I can tell you that there is a clear distinction between public and private. I wanted to sign you before. That still hasn’t changed. I don’t have any prejudice against you now. On the contrary, I appreciate your abilities.”

Shen Jintai was speechless for a moment. He gave Yan Qiuchi a smile and said, “It is indeed partially due to our relationship, but it’s also for my personal future. I’m not afraid to sign because I think you’ll treat me unfairly.”

Shen Jintai, who was sick, looked haggard. When he laughed, he looked incredibly gentle, and his eyes were sincere and clear.

Shen Jintai stretched out his hand as he said, “My feelings for you are in the past, and I believe the feelings you had for me are also there as well, right?”

Yan Qiuchi shook his hand. Shen Jintai’s hands were freezing, but Yan Qiuchi’s were very hot. Letting go of his hand, Yan Qiuchi put his hand in his trouser pocket and asked “Have you thought about it?”

“Well,” Shen Jintai said with a smile, “Your company already has Bai Qingquan. As for me, no matter which company or field I’m in, I want to be number one.”

Yan Qiuchi smiled when he heard this. This was the first time he had seen Yan Qiuchi smile. It was very good-looking. For people who didn’t smile when they suddenly did, it could cause a contagious feeling.

Yan Qiuchi said, “I really believe in you.” He truly felt anything is possible if it was Shen Jintai.

After Yan Qiuchi left, Li Meilan finally breathed out a long sigh of relief as she got into the elevator. “Oh my god, what’s with this inexplicably feeling of coolness.”

Xiao Tang said, “I’m a little moved.”

Shen Jintai smiled and asked, “Because I was too upside down before?”

“That’s great,” Xiao Tang said. “You are so good and so many people like you. Why would you want to ruin yourself.”

Only when you cherish yourself, would others love you.

It could be because he was sick, or because he had that conversation with Yan Qiuchi, but when he returned to his hotel room, he became very emotional. He opened the closet and took out Yan Qiuchi’s suit jacket.

People could always change, and sometimes they realize they couldn’t understand what was going on in their head at the start.

He threw the thong into the trash can, picked up Yan Qiuchi’s suit jacket, and pondered for a while. He then called him Xiao Tang.

On the morning of the second day, Yan Qiuchi received a package. It was his suit jacket.

The suit jacket that had disappeared from his bed on that fateful day. He vaguely remembered that Shen Jintai had worn it when he was kicked out, and he had almost forgotten about it.

The suit jacket was washed, ironed very neatly, and a note was placed on it.

[I’m really sorry. Once upon a time, I was too young and naïve to love someone. No matter what, the Shen Jintai of the past is gone, and the things that he has entangled you with will never happen again. I hope we will all have someone to love in the future.
– Shen Jintai.]

Yan Qiuchi folded the note and looked at his suit jacket. He thought about it for a while, then he put the small note into the chest pocket of the suit jacket and hung it in the closet.

He rarely smoked cigarettes. Yan Qiuchi watched the autumn sun rise as the thin smoke from the cigarette drifted in the air. The sun shone on a pool of autumn water, reflecting the golden pavilion*.

*This has a metaphorical meaning. Pool of autumn water refers to [Qiuchi] (秋池) which translates to autumn pond. Golden [Jin] (金) pavilion represents Jintai. The pool reflecting the golden pavilion means that his feelings are now being moved as Yan Qiuchi is now starting to fall for Shen Jintai.

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The author has something to say:

What’s the matter with being a little sad?

A small suit jacket can say too much, and thousands of words are packed in it.

Suit Jacket: I feel that I will have an important part in the future, so I’ll stay quiet.

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Kinky Thoughts:

‘Only when you cherish yourself, will others love you.’ Wise words from Xiao Tang.

I can’t help but feel a bit emotional about this chapter. This is really good character growth for Shen Jintai. I was not expecting him to join Monsoon TBH. The ending left me with a bittersweet feeling.

On a lighter note: I can’t help but the rottenness in me wants Ji Fengxing to join this mess of a love (what are we at now??) Square? Hexagon? Jiayou Shen Jintai! Be a shou master and catch em’ all!

1. Yan Qiuchi
2. Bai Qingquan
3. Yan Yaoxuan
4. Zheng Siqi
5. Ji Fengxing (my bias is rooting for you!)

I really enjoy older men x younger guy (like about 7-10 years apart) romances… As long as the younger guy is at least over 20. (Not into that teenage shit).

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