After a Top Idol Married the Sickly Young Master of a Wealthy Family to Bring Him Good Luck - Chapter 4

Downstairs, Ling Suiyao sat cross-legged on the sofa, slowly sipping water.

He bit the rim of his glass, looking a bit distressed as he scrolled through his Weibo page.

An hour ago, Pei Xinglu had tagged him in a post, and he still hadn’t replied.

Pei Xinglu V: SuiSui’s Little Rice Cake, looks like a choice must be made. Come on, one of two, who do you choose?

How was he supposed to reply to this?

He had been a fan of Yu Zhihan for nearly three years, deeply admiring the man’s gentle, elegant, and composed manner of speaking and temperament.

Pei Xinglu was a “new wall” (new favorite) he’d just started following. He was handsome and had that “high mountain flower” (aloof) vibe, with acting skills that were the best among top-tier idols. He looked cold and stern but was actually soft-hearted and kind—take, for instance, that time he helped an old lady on a variety show.

If it were a choice between the two…

Ah, no, no, no, how did he actually start choosing?!

That wasn’t the point.

He kept refreshing the feed, and new replies from netizens kept pouring in.

【Ahhh, Brother Pei is online! Why do I feel like he’s a bit fired up lately? [Taobao Link: One case of twelve cans of Heart-Clearing Heat-Reducing Herbal Tea xxxxxx]】

【Anti-fans keep running into the line of fire, but our Pei Dog isn’t easy to bully either. Pei Dog, go ahead and let loose; don’t let the fans waving flags behind you down! [Firmly Charging Forward.jpg]】

【 SuiSui ’s Little Rice Cake, damn, hurry up and choose! Brother Pei has spoken! You! Are! Still! Hesitating! [9 Handsome Photos of Pei Xinglu]】

【Wooo, Brother Pei, I was wrong, [Wailing.jpg] I take back that sentence about the trash recycling bin. SuiSui’s Little Rice Cake, [Slapping self three times.jpg] I was wrong! Hurry up and join our Pei Fan family. But you have to quit being a Salted Fish fan first.】

【Hmm? (CEO tone / pulling tie) Today you must choose. Is it me, the handsome, cool, overbearing, sensation-causing, staying-in-power-via-looks-but-relying-on-strength, male lead of a phenomenal hit drama, owner of 3 billion in box office, the true top-tier, Pei Xinglu! Or is it that “Salted Fish” who fakes a smile every day and survives on a single breath of fairy air? Hmm? Speak up.】

【The person above is an idiot.】

【To be fair, that was greasy.】

【Stilled Waves won’t break 3 billion; the fans really know how to brag.】

【[Image] Three daily questions: Does Pei Xinglu have any awards? Does Pei Xinglu have any awards? Does Pei Xinglu have any awards?】

【The name “Pei Upstart” really appears in every era. Rushing to snatch someone—how embarrassing.】

【In the entire domestic entertainment circle, who doesn’t know that your Salted Fish brother’s awards are basically “Golden Mountain Floods” (meaning low quality/bought awards)? You still have the nerve to brag.】

【No… you guys are getting off track! SuiSui’s Little Rice Cake, who do you choose?!】

【Little Rice Cake is an old fan; he’ll definitely choose Yuyu. Pei Upstart’s move is truly a self-inflicted humiliation.】

【Tsk tsk tsk, didn’t you just tell him to get lost and go to Pei’s side? [Face-changing.jpg]】

#PeiXingluSuiSuisLittleRiceCake

#PeiXingluOneOfTwo#

There were so many messages that Ling Suiyao couldn’t keep up.

The trending topic reached the top quickly, followed by the “Hot” tag.

Ling Suiyao quickly switched to his phone’s memo app, racking his brain to edit a “peace-making” paragraph. He deleted and revised it, but it always felt like he wasn’t conveying his meaning right, or he sounded like a “white lotus” (fake/innocent).

Weibo was going crazy, with notifications popping up incessantly.

Weibo notification: Someone you follow has tagged you!

YuZhihan: Reading scripts through the night, didn’t check my phone… I’m sorry, everyone knows I don’t really look at the comments. I didn’t expect the argument to get so heated. Don’t make things difficult for SuiSui’s Little Rice Cake. Who you like is a freedom; chasing stars is for your own happiness. If it becomes a shackle or a burden, it loses its original meaning. I would also feel bad about it.

YuZhihan: Also, sharing a bit of April’s spring with everyone [9 Images]. Live well and stay peaceful.

【The class/maturity level is obvious now.】

【So beautiful! It’s spring!】

【Yuyu! Is that The Folded Blade’s Journey?!】

【Yuyu is just so gentle! Beats Pei Dog by a mile!】

【By comparison, Pei Dog is really low. But it’s understandable; Yuyu has a Master’s from A-University’s Film Dept, and Pei Dog is a high school dropout.】

【Wooo, how can Sui Sui’s Little Rice Cake be so lucky? If he knows what’s good for him, he should unfan Pei Dog now!】

With Yu Zhihan’s appearance, the heat reached a new peak.

Ling Suiyao read this post over and over several times.

He glanced through the comment section.

Yu Zhihan’s reply was perfect; no fault could be found.

Yet, Ling Suiyao felt a strange sense of discomfort for some reason, an indescribable feeling, especially when he saw the new hashtag #YuZhihanTheFoldedBladesJourney suddenly drop onto the hot search list.

It was like a warm spring breeze that carried willow catkins—the ultimate allergy trigger.

Pei Xinglu let out an ambiguous smirk.

In the front seat, Xiao He was frantically arguing with people on Weibo, her expression contorted: “Nonsense! ‘I don’t really look at the comments section’—my foot! I saw his fingers practically sparking from typing so fast at the gala last year!”

Pei Xinglu pulled down his sunglasses. “Just like you’re doing now?”

“Even worse, Brother Pei!” Xiao He grabbed the seatback excitedly. “Salted Fish is so fake! Look: ‘Reading scripts through the night, didn’t check my phone’~ ‘I would also feel bad about it’~.”

Xiao He mocked him in a weird voice, reading Yu Zhihan’s Weibo.

“And then! These photos are so calculated—showing off his scholarly home decor, that tranquil balcony full of flowers, and the physical copy of The Folded Blade’s Journey with a dog-eared page!”

Xiao He zoomed in on the picture to the maximum, pointing at a very blurry blotch of color. “This rose is already dead! Someone who truly loves plants wouldn’t let a rose die!”

Pei Xinglu was speechless. The blotch was pitch black; if that was a rose, it’d be a miracle.

Xiao He’s ranting couldn’t be stopped: “And this book, The Folded Blade’s Journey, is so new it’s reflecting light! I bet he just unwrapped it! And what does he mean? Casting for The Folded Blade’s Journey hasn’t even started, and he’s already drumming up hype for himself! I beg you, stay away, don’t ruin the original work, okay?!”

Pei Xinglu’s head throbbed from the noise. He picked up his phone to reply to WeChat messages.

Three hours later, the plane landed in City B.

Fully armed in a disguise, Pei Xinglu used the VIP passage to quickly evade the crowds and head to the advertisement shoot.

He adjusted his state quickly and threw himself into the work.

What was originally expected to take a full day was finished in half a day.

The photographer marveled at Pei Xinglu’s flawless features, his keen sense for the lens, and his excellent professionalism. It was as if he were born for this.

No wonder he became a top-tier star.

After the commercial, there was another schedule. When they finally finished, Pei Xinglu rested in the car.

Outside the window, neon lights flashed; it was nighttime.

Yang Xing finished a phone call and got in the car, telling the driver, Xiao Qian, to head to the hotel.

She had been overwhelmed recently—on one hand, her mother was hospitalized, and on the other, her top artist, Pei Xinglu, was facing a career crisis. Fortunately, they had survived both.

After the bitterness came the sweetness; Yang Xing couldn’t stop smiling.

“I have a few pieces of good news. Which one do you want to hear first?” Yang Xing counted on her fingers. “A hint: script, business endorsement, movie.”

“Whatever.” Pei Xinglu massaged the corners of his eyes, his mood listless.

Seeing him like this, Yang Xing advised: “I know you’re in a bad mood because of the Ling family matter, but the contract is signed; the deed is done. Let’s just look on the bright side. Once the three years are up, won’t you be free?”

The word “Ling” was the last thing Pei Xinglu wanted to hear. He frowned. “Don’t mention it again. Just pretend it doesn’t exist. Sister Yang, what was the good news you mentioned?”

“Then I’ll say them one by one.” Yang Xing pulled out her notepad. “The preliminary investment and preparation for The Folded Blade’s Journey, produced by Maisui Media, have been completed. They’ve set Xu Bo as the director, Zhang Xuewen as the producer, Tang Ying, and the original author Sui Ning as scriptwriters. The next step is auditions to cast the actors.”

Yang Xing sent Pei Xinglu a picture showing the lineup for The Folded Blade’s Journey.

The director, writer, supervisor, cinematographer, and composer were all top-tier big shots in the industry, possessing countless awards.

From this, one could see Maisui Media’s ambition to create a masterpiece.

Pei Xinglu enlarged the photo, slightly surprised. “The original author is participating in the scriptwriting?”

The Folded Blade’s Journey had burst onto the scene four years ago and became an internet sensation.

At that time, Pei Xinglu had been banned from the entertainment industry and was working as a game booster in an internet cafe; he had followed the entire book. He remembered that the author, Sui Ning, was in poor health and took leaves frequently—a few times it seemed quite serious.

“Yes, his name is on here. They say he might participate in casting. Remember to go back and flip through the book or look up some reviews online. Competition for the male lead is going to be intense. You saw it, right? In Yu Zhihan’s Weibo today, the book cover he showed was The Folded Blade’s Journey.”

Pei Xinglu smiled disdainfully, seemingly not viewing Yu Zhihan as a rival.

“Second thing: the CEO of Luming Jewelry just called me. They intend to set you as their global brand spokesperson. If you think it’s suitable, we can talk about the cooperation tomorrow.”

Xiao He was shocked. “Is it that century-old national brand, Luming? Their spokespeople have always been at the Movie King or Movie Queen level.”

Pei Xinglu’s face darkened. “Refuse it.”

Yang Xing quickly explained: “Don’t be hasty. I asked their internal team; this has nothing to do with the Ling family.”

Pei Xinglu didn’t believe it.

With his current status, he wasn’t high enough for Luming.

He knew his own weight. He was a top-tier idol—even if every TV drama he starred in was a ratings champion, his lack of awards meant he lacked real backing.

It was hard not to suspect the Ling Group’s influence behind this.

“Really! You just finished work and don’t know yet—the box office for Stillwater broke 3 billion! This achievement is beautiful; no one among the new generation can beat it.”

“These brand owners are very sharp. Xiao Pei, you will definitely become even more famous!”

Yang Xing was dancing with excitement.

Pei Xinglu, however, was much calmer. “How did it rebound on the last day?”

Yang Xing patted his shoulder, saying with relief: “You have a very impressive fan.”

Xiao He had already rushed off to catch the gossip and let out a scream. “Brother Pei, look at Sui Sui’s Little Rice Cake’s Weibo!”

Sui Sui’s Little Rice Cake?

Before Pei Xinglu could look at his phone, Xiao He impatiently thrust her screen in front of him.

Published at 1:00 PM.

SuiSui’s Little Rice Cake: Caught Stilled Waves before it goes off-screen tomorrow. It’s super good!

It’s a suspenseful light comedy set in the Song Dynasty, probably the late period. The Song era was elegant, yet the crisis of “mountains and rain approaching, wind filling the tower” and dense clouds was everywhere.

The creation of the marketplace bustle and the lively, light drum music in the BGM contrast with the backdrop of continuous heavy rain, green landscape silhouettes, and slightly dim filters—but the visuals are truly beautiful! Even though there are many laughs, when combined with the protagonist’s background, experiences, the era, and the coming chaos, those laughs instantly turn into tears.

(PS: When the film is released online, I’m going to take screenshots! I’m going to edit videos! Beggar-style Brother Pei is truly handsome in several scenes!)

Several pictures were attached, featuring comments on the film’s details, suspense, and foreshadowing hooks. Every memo page was filled with text.

Stilled Waves had been popular across the internet since its release. If one searched online, discussions and reviews were everywhere; no matter how one reviewed it, it was hard to say anything new.

But Sui Sui’s Little Rice Cakes’ angles were unexpectedly fresh; no one had mentioned them before.

His writing was delicate, his expression clear and accurate.

Plus, since both Yu Zhihan and Sui Sui’s Little Rice Cake were currently on the hot search, anyone who clicked into his Weibo would see this post.

Soon, the comments and reposts broke ten thousand.

【Such a detailed watch; it makes me want to watch it a third time.】

【Ticket bought, let’s go!】

【Damn! What’s happening? Why are you guys so fast? The seating chart is all red (sold out)??? [Screenshot]】

【We’re innocent; the passers-by are the ones who are truly fierce. And today is Friday! Look at this gold content!】

【Little Rice Cake, you’ve got something. Salted Fish is going to be fuming, haha.】

【Scheming Little Rice Cake! Posting a review of Stilled Waves at this critical juncture. I don’t believe you just watched it today!】

The official movie account even reposted Sui Sui’s Little Rice Cake’s Weibo, using this free heat for massive promotion.

Consequently, both passers-by and film enthusiasts noticed, saying they would watch it one more time.

The box office, which had been stuck at the end of 2.9 billion and refusing to move, was pushed up just like that.

A final kick, a last-minute sprint, and it thoroughly stepped into the ranks of the 3-billion-box-office club.