After a Top Idol Married the Sickly Young Master of a Wealthy Family to Bring Him Good Luck - Chapter 12

While Pei Xinglu was mocking Yu Zhihan for being a “hopeless illiterate,” he himself ended up on the “Black Hot Search” (trending for negative reasons) due to allegations of being a bully, hanging right at the top of Weibo’s rankings.

#The Folding Blade Opening Ceremony

#The Folding Blade Behind the Scenes

#Pei Xinglu Set Bullying

Entertainment Circle LeleGao V: Today marks the commencement of the highly anticipated drama The Folding Blade. The cast is pretty much what was rumored a few days ago. It’s a big production with a grand scale, but a certain someone’s ego is also quite grand. [Video]

[Comment]: …Is Pei Xinglu rolling his eyes at Yu Zhihan? [Screenshot] His expression looks so cold and fierce; Yu Zhihan looks so pitiful?? I can feel the suffocating atmosphere through the screen.

[Comment]: Don’t you all know? Pei-Dog is just that kind of person. At the red carpet and award ceremonies last year, Fishy (Yu Zhihan) greeted him politely, and he just straight-up ignored him. If your eyes are blind, you can donate them to someone in need. [Heehee.jpg]

[Comment]: The Folding Blade really knows how to pick ’em. Putting those two in one production to play a monarch and an official who are close early on but drift apart later—the buzz is through the roof.

[Comment]: I hate this! Sui Ning, you have no heart! How could a pretentious person like Pei-Dog play Meng Ce! It’s been four years; where is your new book? [I’m just asking.jpg]

[Comment]: But actually, the lineup is strong. Looking at the leaks, Pei Xinglu actually suits Meng Ce quite well. I’m starting to look forward to it.

[Comment]: Hard pass, thanks. Meng Ce isn’t a bully.

The fans of both sides arrived in full force with their “long cannons” (professional cameras) and started tearing into each other again.

Xiao He was so angry that she puffed up like a pufferfish: “Brother Pei, Yang Xing has already arranged the PR. I knew that ‘Dead Salted Fish’ (Yu Zhihan) was acting strange earlier, specifically bringing tea and snacks over—turns out he was waiting for this! He starts trouble on the very first day. If he has the time for this, he’d be better off reading the Xinhua Dictionary and learning first-grade Pinyin!”

Pei Xinglu flipped a page of the script, indifferent. He appeared on these deliberately orchestrated black hot searches a dozen times a year; he was long used to it.

Yang Xing arrived at the set soon after, advising Pei Xinglu to mind his manners and exercise a bit of restraint.

By the time the last scene was finished, it was past nine o’clock, and the crew wrapped up early. After Pei Xinglu finished removing his makeup and costume, he remembered he had left his watch at the set and went back to find it.

Inside the traditional Chinese courtyard set, the lanterns were dim.

“Teacher Sui Ning, I feel that for this part, Zhong Yuheng might not actually need to go discuss it with Meng Ce. Meng Ce was at war then, so Zhong Yuheng could make the decision on his behalf and then apologize to Meng Ce after the fact. My understanding is that the situation was very urgent; it would be a waste of time to go find Meng Ce…”

Yu Zhihan was sitting inside with Ling Suiyao, discussing the plot. His “calculation beads” were practically bouncing off Pei Xinglu’s face (he was being very calculating).

If changed this way, the “decisive and killing” highlight would go to Zhong Yuheng, making the male lead (Meng Ce) look passive and lacking in strategy.

Pei Xinglu stood outside the door with his arms crossed, waiting to see how Ling Suiyao would react.

Under the glow of the candlelight, Ling Suiyao’s profile flickered between light and shadow. His hair was slightly messy, and his exquisite, beautiful face showed a subtle trace of coldness.

Ling Suiyao had stayed with the crew all day. Even when Ling Jing sent someone to pick him up, he didn’t leave. His face currently looked quite exhausted.

After hearing Yu Zhihan’s suggestion, Ling Suiyao took the script and shook his head. “No. Doing that violates Zhong Yuheng’s character design and lacks logic. He is extremely cautious; even as a strategist, he has the feeling of ‘accompanying a monarch is like accompanying a tiger.’ Moreover, at this point, he has only recently joined Meng Ce’s ranks. His life and death are uncertain; there is no way he would overstep his bounds. It’s alright, Teacher Yu, there is no issue here. It also takes time for the opponent to prepare their armor; they won’t breach the city instantly.”

“Oh, I see…” Yu Zhihan mused.

After the audition that day, Yu Zhihan had gone to the restroom and accidentally overheard staff members saying the original author, Sui Ning, was his fan. That was why, even though he failed the audition for Meng Ce, Sui Ning had suggested he try out for Zhong Yuheng.

Since the author was a fan and looked soft, cute, and seemingly submissive, Yu Zhihan had sought him out alone to discuss plot changes. He hadn’t expected to be rejected directly, and looking at the tone, the author was actually quite stubborn and uncompromising.

“It was my lack of consideration. Now that Teacher Sui Ning explains it, I understand. It seems my grasp on Zhong Yuheng’s character isn’t deep enough. Does Teacher Sui Ning have time later? I’d like to treat you to supper so we can discuss the characters and plot further, okay?”

Yu Zhihan offered his usual gentle smile, but Ling Suiyao hesitated.

After a long day, he was very tired and just wanted to go home, shower, and sleep.

Just as he was weighing how to refuse, he heard a magnetic voice from outside the door, dripping with sarcasm.

“The drama has already started filming, yet Teacher Yu hasn’t even grasped the character or the logic. No wonder you even get the pronunciations wrong. If a strategist is at this level, the Lord probably isn’t far from downfall.”

Pei Xinglu strode toward the table. Without even looking at Yu Zhihan, he picked up a watch from a pile of props, slapped it onto his right hand, and snapped the strap shut with a flick of his wrist.

It was a crisp, clean, and handsome movement.

Ling Suiyao’s mind flashed back to Pei Xinglu’s singing and dancing in the Ding Feng Bo livestream—it seemed to be the same watch.

Yu Zhihan didn’t lose his composure and extended a warm invitation. “Xiao Pei, why don’t you join us for supper? We could take a few photos to clarify today’s hot search. Although I posted a Weibo explanation, photos would have higher credibility.”

Pei Xinglu replied, “No. Forget about not being able to stomach the food; I’m afraid I’d vomit. If I were photographed doing that and it was posted online, my already precarious image would only get worse.”

Ling Suiyao, who had just thought Yu Zhihan’s suggestion was decent, silently shut his mouth.

Yu Zhihan shrugged helplessly at Ling Suiyao. “Xiao Pei still loves to joke. Well then, Teacher Sui Ning, let’s go. Actually, I’ve always wanted to thank Teacher Sui Ning for giving me the chance to play Zhong Yuheng. I can give you an autograph later; I still have some merch in my car for you. Thank you for your support.”

Pei Xinglu paused, feeling inexplicably annoyed. Ling Suiyao was just like “Suisui’s Little Rice Cake”—fanning both him and Yu Zhihan at the same time.

Ling Suiyao said apologetically, “Maybe next time, Teacher Yu. It’s quite late today.”

Yu Zhihan’s smile faltered slightly.

He was starting to doubt it. Was this really his fan? He refused this, and then he refused that…

Pei Xinglu’s annoyance lessened slightly.

After grabbing his phone and other things from the dressing room, Pei Xinglu prepared to return to the hotel. Xiao He suddenly ran over, looking guilty: “Brother Pei, let’s wait a bit longer. Xiao Qian’s car broke down; he’s contacting another vehicle now. Estimated time is fifteen minutes.”

Pei Xinglu: “…”

Xiao He pressed her index fingers together, “kneeling” in apology: “I’m sorry, Brother Pei! It was my work oversight. I didn’t consider other scenarios or make a timely backup plan. You can deduct my bonus!”

Mainly, when Xiao Qian’s message came through, she was busy using an alt-account on Weibo to passionately argue with haters over whether “Pei Xinglu is a bully,” and she completely ignored her actual job. Cry-face.

Pei Xinglu looked at her with some disdain: “Are you sure it’ll arrive in fifteen minutes?”

Xiao He nodded frantically, “Definitely, definitely!”

Just as Pei Xinglu was about to say he’d wait, Ling Suiyao—who had been quietly listening from behind—had eyes shining bright. He said, “Brother Pei, why don’t you take my car?”

Yu Zhihan also chimed in, “Xiao Pei, take my car? We can go back to the hotel together. We have a scene together tomorrow; we can use the time to talk about it.”

Pei Xinglu suppressed the urge to gag.

In the end, he got into Ling Suiyao’s black Porsche.

Xiao He put on an act of being a woman of the world, acting composed while screaming internally—this car was a global limited edition, expensive enough to make one faint!

“Yes, I just took my medicine. Don’t worry, Mom, today went very smoothly. I’m on my way back now… Yes, yes, I know, I’ll follow the director’s arrangements… Okay, I won’t be staying with the crew in a few days…”

“Let’s wait until The Folding Blade is finished filming. I’ll ask Brother Pei later?”

Pei Xinglu looked up.

Ling Suiyao hung up the call with Mrs. Ling. Noticing Pei Xinglu’s gaze in the rearview mirror, he explained with a smile: “It was my mom. She and my dad said they want to find a time to invite you to dinner.”

Pei Xinglu frowned. “No need.”

He just wanted to survive these three years and didn’t want any excessive interaction with the Ling family.

“Yeah, I already told them that.”

Ling Suiyao pursed his lips. Pei Xinglu’s blunt refusal left him feeling a tiny bit disappointed.

He forced himself to perk up and logged onto Weibo. Under his team’s management, the heat for the hashtag #Pei Xinglu Set Bullying# was gradually dying down.

Yu Zhihan’s graceful clarification was receiving public praise, while Pei Xinglu’s “playing dead” and his studio’s robot-like statement were met with dissatisfaction and insults from passersby. He randomly clicked a hashtag further down the rankings; aside from fans trying to control the comments, it was full of criticism toward Pei Xinglu. His image really was, as he mocked, “precarious.”

Ling Suiyao looked at the GIF extracted from the video again. His own face was blurred out, but Pei Xinglu’s and Yu Zhihan’s expressions were magnified—the former looking mean, the latter looking innocent. The contrast was stark.

At the time… it really did look like that. As for an explanation, there really wasn’t one to give.

Ling Suiyao sensed there was a major grudge between the two. But if Pei Xinglu kept acting this way and got caught on camera again, it would affect his reputation. For an artist, frequent black hot searches are very damaging.

After hesitating for a moment, he said, “Brother Pei, maybe you should be a bit more restrained toward Yu Zhihan? After all, you have many scenes together in the future.”

Pei Xinglu turned off his phone screen and said expressionlessly, “Pleading for your idol?”

Ling Suiyao was stunned. “No, I just think it will affect…”

“It won’t affect the filming of The Folding Blade; Teacher Sui Ning can rest assured.” The annoyance from earlier returned to Pei Xinglu as he said coldly, “Work is work, personal is personal. I can tell the difference. Instead of worrying about me, you should worry about whether that illiterate will misread another word tomorrow.”

Ling Suiyao turned back sheepishly. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Did Young Master Ling forget our agreement?”

In the agreement, it was forbidden to ask about privacy or intervene in each other’s lives.

“I didn’t forget, I’m sorry…” Ling Suiyao turned around and lowered his head to fiddle with his phone.

Xiao He didn’t dare move, feeling like she was sitting on pins and needles. The car was eerily quiet; even the notification sound from a Weibo refresh made one’s heart jump. Sigh, the Little Young Master didn’t say much, and he was doing it for his sake. Why is Brother Pei so mean?

Pei Xinglu knit his brows and looked out the window.

The window reflected Ling Suiyao’s profile—silent, quiet, and looking aggrieved.

His brows knit even tighter. The irritability came out of nowhere.

Ten minutes later, the car arrived at the hotel.

Because of Pei Xinglu’s unique job, the two didn’t need to sleep together. Pei Xinglu stayed at the hotel during filming, while Ling Suiyao—who wasn’t used to hotels—lived in a large flat nearby that Ling Jing had bought. It was close, only a five-minute walk.

Xiao He and Pei Xinglu got out of the car.

Ling Suiyao rolled down the window. Against the backdrop of the night wind and neon lights, he was still beautiful and well-behaved. He waved generously and said, “Then, see you tomorrow, Brother Pei?”

His emotions were processed quickly; there was no sign of grievance left.

This time, it was Pei Xinglu’s turn to be stunned. “See you tomorrow. Earlier, I…”

Ling Suiyao shook his head, his eyes curving into a smile: “I will abide by the terms of the agreement.”

After the car drove away, Pei Xinglu stood there, a bit dazed.

…

Before sleeping, Ling Suiyao browsed Weibo for a while. Just as he was about to turn off the lights, he accidentally clicked into Pei Xinglu’s fan group. The group was being flooded with messages, and his sleepiness vanished instantly.

[Fan]: I’m so angry! What are Brother Pei’s studio and company doing? How many black hot searches has it been this year? That “Dead Salted Fish”—he’s everywhere!

[Fan]: It was like this seven years ago, too. If it wasn’t for him, would Brother Pei have had to leave the group? Damn, he really is a “white lotus,” acting all indifferent to fame and fortune.

[Fan]: I’m a new fan. What exactly happened seven years ago?

[Fan]: Brother Pei was blacklisted because he refused an “unspoken rule” (casting couch). There are rumors that it was related to Yu Zhihan; some even say Yu Zhihan was the one who tricked Brother Pei into going to the social dinner. Regardless, it definitely has something to do with him. Otherwise, why would Brother Pei despise him so much and not even try to hide it!

Ling Suiyao went to search for the “Group Departure Incident” from seven years ago. The truth was mixed with lies, and opinions were divided. The overwhelming amount of verbal abuse directed at Pei Xinglu was unbearable to look at. And since his comeback, Pei Xinglu had never uttered a single word of defense, bearing all the infamy himself.

No one knew the exact grudge between Pei Xinglu and Yu Zhihan, and no one knew how he felt in his heart.

Ling Suiyao realized that since he didn’t know the inside story, he truly had no right to “advise” Pei Xinglu from a moral high ground.

He clicked on Pei Xinglu’s avatar in WeChat, hesitated for a while, but eventually switched back to Weibo.

He had just said he wouldn’t interfere in private life, so he’d better use a “mask” (alt-account).

Ling Suiyao went to Pei Xinglu’s Weibo, clicked on private messages, and began editing text.

Wait—

Suisui’s Little Rice Cake: Ahhh, Brother Pei was super-duper-mega-tornado handsome tonight! You danced so well, specifically well! Brother Pei, you are so hardworking, I will be a fan forever!

[Pei Xinglu: Thanks. But I still messed up two moves.

Wait! He hadn’t replied to Pei Xinglu’s private message!

That was Pei Xinglu!

Ahhh, and it was from several weeks ago, during the Ding Feng Bo livestream benefit!

It must have been buried because there were too many messages. Ling Suiyao immediately pinned Pei Xinglu’s private message to the top.