After a Top Idol Married the Sickly Young Master of a Wealthy Family to Bring Him Good Luck - Chapter 15

Three in the morning.

Pei Xinglu was of the deep opinion that Ling Jing’s description of Ling Suiyao “not sleeping soundly at night” was an extreme understatement; the boy was simply impossible to serve.

He coughed incessantly, tossed and turned, and threw up once midway through the night—vomiting until his stomach convulsed with pain—before taking medicine and lying back down. One moment, he was freezing, wrapping himself tightly in the quilt, and the next, he was burning up, kicking the covers away.

Pei Xinglu wrapped him back up in the quilt. “Stop moving around.”

Ling Suiyao touched the back of his neck, feeling as though every muscle and tendon in his body was throbbing with pain. He let out a weak, powerless “mm” and actually stayed still obediently after that, save for the muffled coughs from beneath the covers that made it sound like he was about to run out of breath.

Pei Xinglu pulled the quilt down a bit, revealing a face flushed bright red. He was speechless. “Why are you coughing so sneakily?”

Ling Suiyao felt extremely guilty. “I’m sorry, Brother Pei. Go sleep in the guest room next door. The second brother left a few days ago, and the room has already been cleaned.”

He truly looked pitiful.

Pei Xinglu’s tone remained calm as he said, “No need. I signed an agreement with the Ling family; taking care of you is my responsibility. Besides, if I leave and something happens to you in the middle of the night, I won’t be able to explain it.”

“Apologies,” Ling Suiyao repeated. Then, in a daze, he added another sentence: “Maisui Media has great ambitions for The Folding Blade. We will work hard and strive to win awards. When that time comes, I hope Brother Pei successfully takes home the Best Actor trophy.”

Under the dim yellow glow of a tulip nightlight, tear droplets clung to Ling Suiyao’s eyelashes due to the coughing. He rubbed his eyes, the corners of which were flushed red, looking as though he had been bullied.

Pei Xinglu looked away and turned off the nightlight.

Ling Suiyao didn’t fall asleep until after five o’clock.

Pei Xinglu slept for only three hours. He turned to look at the teenager, who was deep in a heavy, troubled sleep with a furrowed brow, before quietly getting out of bed. He went downstairs and splashed cold water on his face. In the mirror, the man had dark circles under his eyes; his naturally prominent dark circles were even more obvious now, giving him a somewhat decadent appearance.

“It’s been hard on you, Mr. Pei. Please go ahead with your work; I’ll keep an eye on things here today,” Butler Zhou said.

“Mm.”

The news had fermented overnight, growing more intense by the hour, with major media platforms being flooded. Under the guidance of various parties, Pei Xinglu’s “house had collapsed”—he had become a tainted artist.

According to the rumors, he had engaged in unspeakable transactions to get close to Maisui Media, successfully signed with Luming Jewelry, collaborated with a small streamer on Qingti TV to hype up a giveaway for heat, and even intercepted the “big pie” of The Folding Blade, stealing Yu Zhihan’s resources.

Even the old history of the boy band “Moonstar” was dug up, claiming that Pei Xinglu’s insistence on leaving the group and breaking his contract caused the entire group—which had been developing well at the time—to fall apart.

For a moment, the curses were endless.

Pei Xinglu’s WeChat and phone were ringing nonstop. He replied to a few sincere check-ins from friends within the industry; as for the hypocrites who came to fish for information or gossip, he ignored them all.

He ate his meal calmly. After eating, he drove to the headquarters of Xinghuo Entertainment.

“You finally showed up! Why didn’t you pick up the phone last night?” Yang Xing looked anxious. “The fire is singeing our eyebrows. This matter has made President Han so frantic; let’s see how you explain it to him later.”

Pei Xinglu yawned. “Explain what?”

“Hiding such a big matter from the company and then asking ‘explain what’… Why are you so tired? Your dark circles are so heavy. Did you not sleep well last night?”

Xiao He ran over in a hurry, bringing coffee. Gasping for breath, she said, “It’s still a bit hot; wait a moment before drinking it, Brother Pei.”

“What else could it be? Ling Suiyao is sick.”

Pei Xinglu took a sip; it was hot, but manageable.

Xiao He let out an “ah” and immediately asked, “How is Young Master Ling? Is he okay? It must be because the auditions for The Folding Blade were too hard these past few days. Brother Pei, you have to persuade the Young Master to drink more hot water and mind his health.”

“…” Pei Xinglu glanced at her, half-smiling. “Song He, is he the one paying your salary?”

Xiao He giggled and hid behind Yang Xing. “I just think the Young Master is fun. To think he actually livestreams privately! He’s so down-to-earth, giving out jewelry and red envelopes. Wuwu! If I had known, I would have tried to grab one too!”

Yang Xing warned her: “Still joking around. Don’t let anything slip in front of President Han later.”

In the time it took for Pei Xinglu to appear at Xinghuo Entertainment, paparazzi had already taken photos, and in a flash, he was on the trending searches again.

#Pei Xinglu First Appearance Since Controversy

[Looks like his complexion isn’t very good.]

[It would be weird if it were good. I bet Pei-dog didn’t sleep all night; he’s probably dying of anxiety, haha. Waiting for his PR today.]

[Even his disheveled look is so handsome. This face is truly a masterpiece… Can the entertainment industry please restock quickly? Give us a substitute for Pei Xinglu.]

[My heart aches for Brother Pei; he was cursed all night. Blackening his name across the entire internet without a shred of evidence—it’s exactly like seven years ago. How could this not be premeditated? [smile.jpg]]

…

In the meeting room, President Han of Xinghuo Entertainment was pacing in circles. He repeatedly asked what the relationship between Pei Xinglu and Ling Jing actually was, why they were in the same car, and whether Maisui Media could be asked to clarify the situation.

Pei Xinglu rested with his eyes closed.

The matter of the “auspicious marriage” was a secret; only his manager and assistant knew.

President Han was turning red with rage. His already thinning hair dropped a few more strands. He made frantic phone calls, arranging for internet trolls to suppress comments and remove trending searches, while also trying to contact Maisui Media.

Xiao He whispered secretly, “This is the first time I’ve seen President Han this worried. He probably thinks his cash cow is about to keel over. Sigh.”

Pei Xinglu spun his new phone, lost in thought.

The trending searches were still a mess—passers-by were eating melons (gossiping), fans were weeping, and rivals were stomping on him.

It wasn’t until after eleven o’clock at noon that a four-minute audio recording dropped onto the trending searches. Its heat skyrocketed, climbing to the number one spot, followed by the word “EXPLOSIVE.”

This audio recording was spliced together from two different scenes.

The first two minutes featured the conversation between Yu Zhihan and his manager in the dressing room regarding the incident where the “Suisui’s Little Rice Cake” dual-fan had sparked public outrage. The latter two minutes featured Yu Zhihan discussing with his team how to use the “Suisui Nian Nian” livestream as an entry point, utilizing the four photos in their possession to ruin Pei Xinglu’s reputation.

Netizens were shocked. The Yu Zhihan who appeared gentle and indifferent in front of the camera was actually so arrogant and contemptuous in private.

[I’m going! What a massive melon. So this whole setup was made by Yu Zhihan. My god, I have goosebumps. What kind of grudge is this? He really wanted to kill Pei-dog?]

[[Screenshot] So these lines were written by staff? My goodness, Salted Fish (Yu Zhihan) must be disgusted in his heart. Although the @Suisui’s Little Rice Cake dual-fan deserved to be scolded a bit, you, Yu Zhihan, are even more hypocritical.]

[Wait, what did our Sui Ning (original author) ever do to you? After all that, you haven’t even read the original novel? Couldn’t you even understand it? You’re illiterate, aren’t you? And you want to play the male lead with this level of skill? Sending out press releases saying you’re the ‘Chosen Meng Ce’? Get out! Even though Pei-dog is a poser, at least he’s not this shameless.]

[I wanted to say this earlier, some of his interpretations of the original work were the same as what I wrote on X-ban years ago. I thought it was strange—turns out it really was plagiarism.]

[Hahaha, a sister of mine was in the production crew. Yu Zhihan… all I can say is, it’s hard to praise him. He bought a ‘scholarly family’ persona, but he even mispronounces common words.]

[Wuwu, in a corner where no one is paying attention, I am seeking justice for our Suisui too! How could Suisui cooperate with Pei Xinglu to hype things up for money! He’s a young master himself; his health is just poor, and he livestreams for fun occasionally. To have such dirty water splashed on him…]

[Isn’t our Brother Pei the most innocent one! Everything is clear now! Luckily, he held on until now. I knew it, Brother Pei must be innocent! To hell with that evil Salted Fish xxx [ten thousand words omitted here].]

[This persona… has collapsed all the way to the Atlantic. So, in the entertainment industry, what is actually real?]

[Raises hand! I have a friend who worked for Yu Zhihan’s team. Hehe, all I can say is he’s an arrogant ‘Heavenly Dragon,’ finding superiority in bullying us ‘commoners.’ If his coffee sat for too long and he felt it was cold, he’d spit it out, splashing it on someone’s skirt. If it was too sweet, he’d directly dock their bonus. It was completely at his whim. It’s also true that he and Pei Xinglu don’t get along; it’s a life-or-death rivalry.]

[I think the whistleblower above is telling the truth. This recording was clearly made by an insider. The team will probably find the person quickly after narrowing it down. They’ll basically lose their career and be blacklisted by the industry. That person must really hate him.]

“Where is Cheng Xiaorong!”

“Brother Yu, you forgot, Xiaorong-jie resigned a week ago.”

Yu Zhihan couldn’t get through to her phone. In a fit of rage, he smashed his phone to pieces.

Zhou Wan’s phone rang incessantly; the office was in a state of chaos.

Cheng Xiaorong was already at the airport waiting to board. She checked the balance in her bank account—it was enough for her to live the rest of her life. She found a number from her contact records and sent a text message.

Ding-dong.

Pei Xinglu spun his gaming chair, sliding smoothly to the other side as he turned the meeting room’s air conditioner up by one degree.

He checked the message: “Thank you.”

Pei Xinglu didn’t reply. He dialed Ling Jing’s number.

It was picked up in three seconds.

Ling Jing questioned him sharply: “The person who set the trap was actually you, wasn’t it? Were the photos also the ‘bait’ you secretly sent to Yu Zhihan?”

Pei Xinglu didn’t deny it. His aura was no weaker than Ling Jing’s as he admitted it directly: “Second Young Master Ling truly understands the killing tactics of the entertainment industry.”

The photos had been sent to the team’s email by a paparazzi named “I’m Just Passing By,” using the “scandal between Pei Xinglu and President Ling of Maisui Media” as a basis to extort hush money. Pei Xinglu simply utilized this, prompting the person to turn to Yu Zhihan instead to seek a higher profit.

“Suisui was also in the photos! Did you never consider that netizens would dig into Suisui?” Ling Jing lowered his voice, gritting his teeth.

Pei Xinglu tapped a decoration on the desk, saying nonchalantly: “The Ling family will protect him regardless. Now that not a single photo or piece of information about Sui Ning can be found on the whole web, that much is evident. President Ling, isn’t it time for Maisui Media to step in for PR? In the marriage contract, there is a clause about ‘maintaining the interests of Party B, Pei Xinglu,’ right?”

“…” Ling Jing’s tone was forceful: “I am warning you, this is the last time. If you dare to use Suisui again, I have plenty of ways to make your life in this circle very miserable.”

Pei Xinglu laughed, his eyes devoid of emotion. “Of course. After all, when you were coercing me into this marriage, I already witnessed President Ling’s capabilities.”

Within three minutes of hanging up the phone.

Maisui Media V: Our company’s President Ling and artist Pei Xinglu are actually in a cooperative relationship; they happened to be in the same car due to an accident. President Ling already has a fiancée and maintains personal integrity; there is no such thing as ‘unspoken rules.’ The auditions for “The Folding Blade” were completely fair and open; there was no inside maneuvering. We hope everyone stops fabricating rumors; violators will be prosecuted. Additionally, @I Love Surfing @I’m Just Passing By @Yu Zhihan, prepare to receive a court summons.

[Even so, this clarification feels a bit weird. It’s vague and slightly passive-aggressive.]

[Upstairs, I think so too. But it couldn’t be that Pei Xinglu forced Ling Jing to post it, hahaha.]

[Wait… where is Sui Ning? How come it feels like Sui Ning has been invisible from start to finish?]

[It really is a bit strange. That little streamer on Qingti TV has also gone invisible. I posted about Suisui Nian Nian in my last Weibo, but it was deleted.]

…

Pei Xinglu clicked his tongue and logged on to repost on Weibo.

Yang Xing tapped on the computer, suddenly looking a bit hesitant. “Xiao Pei, do we really have to go this far? On the Jiang family’s side…”

“Seven years have passed. I’ve held this breath for seven years, and I’ve been waiting for today.”

Pei Xinglu pressed the Enter key without hesitation, the sound landing with a heavy finality.