After Dumping the Scumbag Top, I Was Relentlessly Chased by a Top-Tier Idol - Chapter 21

Director Tu was sitting in front of the monitors when the phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated. He pulled it out impatiently, but his expression froze when he saw the caller ID. He stood up with the phone and walked to the side to answer: “President Song.”

Song Chizheng’s voice was cold and clipped, getting straight to the point: “Kick Lin Yizhou off the show.”

Director Tu looked troubled. “President Song, as you know, the guests have all signed contracts. If we initiate the termination, the liquidated damages wouldn’t be a small sum. Besides, kicking someone off the show for no reason requires an explanation to the audience. You see…”

Song Chizheng spoke as if he hadn’t heard a word: “I’ll cover the liquidated damages. As for the reason for removal, relevant topics are already being manufactured. I want to see him personally announce his withdrawal on the show shortly.”

Director Tu wanted to say something more, but the call was abruptly disconnected. At that exact moment, the assistant director approached him, face as pale as ash, holding a phone.

On the show.

Lin Yizhou couldn’t withstand Pei Yutai’s persistent nagging and finally took the half-orange the other was insistently offering.

Pei Yutai then split his remaining half in two and offered a piece to Shen Xu.

Shen Xu waved his hand, declining the kindness. “Forget it, I’m not eating.”

As he spoke, he watched Lin Yizhou eat a segment of the orange, then covered his mouth and turned his head away to cough a few times.

Seeing this, Pei Yutai asked with concern, “Brother Xu, why the sudden cough? Is your throat too dry? Why not have some orange to quench your thirst?”

Shen Xu kept saying, “No need, I’m fine,” followed immediately by a few more muffled coughs.

Pei Yutai frowned. “Brother Xu, do you just dislike oranges? You’re coughing like that and still won’t take a bite?”

Shen Xu nodded. “Right… cough cough… I don’t like them.”

Lin Yizhou glanced at him, broke off a segment of the orange in his hand, and held it out to him. “Have some?”

Shen Xu nodded, leaned forward, and took the orange directly with his mouth, wearing a look of pure bliss.

Pei Yutai: ???!!!

He realized a moment too late—it wasn’t that Shen Xu disliked oranges; he just didn’t like the oranges he gave. He stared at the interaction between the two, forcefully snapped off a segment for himself, and tossed it into his mouth, only for his entire face to wrinkle up instantly from the sourness.

Lin Yizhou asked Shen Xu: “Is it sour?”

Shen Xu shook his head, speaking loudly as if afraid a certain someone wouldn’t hear: “Not sour at all. It’s very sweet.”

Opposite them, Nan Qiguang, who was organizing materials, paused his hands. He turned back toward the source of the voice, only to see Shen Xu tilting an eyebrow at him slightly.

He understood the meaning of that look. It was the same as his own earlier:

Smugness.

Provocation.

Lin Yizhou handed Shen Xu another segment.

Shen Xu ate it happily. “So sweet.”

Sensing an unusual aura nearby, Shen Xu looked up to see Pei Yutai staring at him with a face full of resentment. The bitterness was practically overflowing, yet Shen Xu acted as if he were completely oblivious, even kindly reminding him: “Little brother, make sure to finish all the oranges. It would be such a waste to leave such sweet oranges behind.”

Pei Yutai: …

His fists were starting to itch.

Hahahaha, Shen Xu, doesn’t your conscience hurt? Little Pei’s face is wrinkled like a hundred-year-old grandfather.

Look at Shen Xu gloating. That smugness is almost leaking out of the screen. I finally get it—Shen Xu, you brat, you just switch between ‘mature’ and ‘childish’ whenever you’re in front of your wife, don’t you?

To the person above, this perfectly proves the saying: Without the pampering of the ‘older’ one, where would the ‘younger’ one get his madness?

The current vibe is… watching a survival show and a dating show at the same time? Are shows nowadays all multi-genre? Good, good! I love it, keep it coming!

After the three finished the orange, Lin Yizhou sorted the remaining materials. He assigned Shen Xu and Pei Yutai different steps for constructing the wooden shed, while he went back to the spot where he found the vines yesterday, climbing trees again to gather a large amount.

He handed the vines to Shen Xu, who was currently joining the “roof beams,” then took a knife to clear the head-high plants blocking the front of the clearing. Halfway through, Shen Xu came over to offer a trade in tasks, but Lin Yizhou refused.

Lin Yizhou gathered all the plants into a pile, tied them into two bundles with vines, and delivered them to the neighboring team. “Captain Nan, these are for you. You can use them to make grass beds.”

Nan Qiguang thanked him. Turning to see the previously dense vegetation completely cleared—the area now flat and open—he said in surprise, “You cleared all of that by yourself? You could have asked us to swap out. Look at your sweat…”

As he spoke, he reached out, intending to wipe the beads of sweat from Lin Yizhou’s forehead, but Lin Yizhou reacted quickly, tilting his head to dodge. “I’m fine. I’m leaving now.”

With that, he turned and walked away.

Nan Qiguang watched his receding back, then looked at his hand hanging in mid-air, letting out a somewhat helpless smile.

On the other side, just as Pei Yutai finished digging the eight holes Lin Yizhou had assigned him, he saw the man walking back. He tossed his tools aside and slumped onto the ground, wiping sweat from his forehead while panting slightly. He called out, “Brother Zhou, I’ve dug the holes. See if they’re deep enough; if not, I’ll dig them deeper.”

Lin Yizhou nodded slightly, seriously inspecting the depth of each hole, then said: “It’s enough. Thank you for your hard work.”

Pei Yutai waved his hand, grinning heartlessly. “It’s not hard work. To be honest, Captain, it’s lucky the tools you made for me are so good, otherwise I probably would have thrown in the towel long ago.”

Lin Yizhou: “Mhm, take a break.”

Having said that, he himself didn’t stop for a second, moving to grab the timber meant for the “main pillars.” Beside him, Shen Xu pressed down on his hand, frowning. “Captain, you need to rest.”

As he spoke, he reached up to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

The warm back of a hand pressed against his brow, taking away the sweat and leaving a trace of coolness. This woke the dazed Lin Yizhou. Realizing what was happening, he pushed Shen Xu’s hand down and roughly wiped the sweat off his own face. Saying “I’m fine,” he picked up the timber and walked away.

Pei Yutai watched him and wailed, “Captain, are you the reincarnation of a spinning top? Do you never need to rest? You just keep turning and turning.”

In response, Lin Yizhou only gave him a slight curl of the lips.

Pei Yutai lay on the ground for about three minutes before scrambling up to help Lin Yizhou stand the main pillars.

By the time they had all the pillars upright, the “roof beams” Shen Xu was joining were also finished.

Lin Yizhou inspected the results and similarly said to Shen Xu: “Well done, thank you for your hard work.”

Seeing that he was about to continue assembling the roof, Shen Xu pressed his hand down again. “Captain, rest.”

His tone brooked no argument.

But Lin Yizhou had no intention of complying. He said, “I’ll rest after this is up. It’ll be quick.”

Shen Xu didn’t say anything like “You rest, I’ll do it,” because he knew the other would never agree. Since he couldn’t stop him, he got up to help.

Time flowed through their busy work. The sun had reached its zenith, its light intense, roasting the entire deserted island in its heat.

Through the three-man cooperation and full coordination, the skeletal frame of the wooden shed was quickly completed. All that remained were the roof and the walls to be covered.

Lin Yizhou stood before the frame. He casually brushed his sweat-soaked hair away from his forehead; droplets of sweat flew with the movement, and under the sunlight, they looked like a shower of shattered gold.

The hazy sunlight, the dancing “golden rain,” and the handsome, youthful face beneath it.

It was like a painting by nature; everything was depicted just right.

Two people were so transfixed by this scene they couldn’t look away.

Or rather, thousands upon thousands of people were.

The blue-haired singer called his captain three times. Seeing no response, he followed his gaze and sighed. “Captain? Are you envious of how fast they’re working?”

“Captain!” the blue-haired singer shouted.

Nan Qiguang finally snapped out of it and retracted his gaze. “What is it?”

The blue-haired singer said resentfully, “Captain, if you’re jealous of their efficiency, then just tell me if I’m tying this right. What’s the point of just staring at their results?”

Nan Qiguang gave an embarrassed laugh, checked the item in his hands, and nodded. “Yes, that’s right. Keep going.”

Shen Xu had also been snapped back to reality by the singer’s shout of “Captain,” but his gaze didn’t soften; it remained blunt and lingering, stuck to Lin Yizhou.

Pei Yutai walked over with his arms crossed and nudged his arm, teasing: “Brother Xu, Brother Zhou is quite good-looking, right? Both handsome and beautiful.”

Shen Xu didn’t just give a simple agreement. Instead, he said calmly: “If anyone thinks Teacher Lin isn’t good-looking, I’m willing to fully fund their eye surgery.”

“True,” Pei Yutai admitted. “Even though my prejudice against the Captain was as thick as a city wall at the start, when I saw him, I couldn’t help but think: this guy really has the potential to be a ‘vase’ [eye-candy]. I even wondered if he’s responsible for global warming—icebergs could melt for him.”

Before Shen Xu could respond, he changed the subject: “But, I still think my friend is better looking.”

Hearing this, Shen Xu arched an eyebrow and glanced at him. “After all that talk, it turns out you’re just here to sneak in a personal bias.”

Pei Yutai shrugged. “To each their own.”

Because his damp hair kept falling into his eyes, Lin Yizhou shaved some vines into small strips to make hair ties, pulling his fringe into a small ponytail on top of his head.

His entire face was now exposed. His full forehead was beaded with sweat, his fair skin almost transparent in the sunlight. His cheeks were slightly flushed, his jawline sharp and clear, and his fox-like eyes were half-closed. He looked completely relaxed and lazy.

Mom, Lin Yizhou is seducing me by showing his forehead!

He even knows how to make hair ties out of vines! Waaaa, I want one too! Can we get a purchase link for the vine hair tie?

A zombie eats Shen Xu and Pei Yutai’s brains and spits them out: Bah, two ‘love-brains’.

I have a feeling… the person Shen Xu likes and is pursuing is Lin Yizhou…

Seeing this bullet comment, Cui Sula sat bolt upright on the sofa. With a darkened expression, she grabbed her phone and dialed a number to give orders: “Control the public opinion! Divert the narrative!”

After hanging up, she threw the phone aside and stared resentfully at Shen Xu on the screen, venting to Jiang Yue beside her: “Xiao Jiang, look at your boss. If he doesn’t want to announce to the world that he’s chasing Yizhou and cause trouble, can’t he restrain himself a little?”

“Day in and day out, he’s basically following Yizhou around with heart-eyes. Anyone who isn’t blind can see his intentions, okay?”

Jiang Yue looked at the screen, unhurriedly nibbling on a potato chip. Only after Cui Sula finished her outburst did he weakly remind her: “Sister Sula, my boss is also your boss.”

Cui Sula: “…I don’t care! Some days, I’d rather not have this boss.”

Jiang Yue swallowed the chip and comforted her: “I think the boss wanted to be low-key at first, but who knew that on a survival show, there would be so many wolves and tigers eyeing Brother Zhou…”

Cui Sula found herself agreeing. “That’s true…”

Before she could finish, she was interrupted by Jiang Yue’s scream: “Ah! Sister Sula, look at this!”

Cui Sula looked over. There, at the top of the VB hot search list, was a hashtag: #Lin Yizhou has improper relationship with the head of Yongxing# [EXPLOSIVE]

The leaker had posted a blurry photo. Although it was indistinct, the back of one man was clearly Lin Yizhou, while the other figure was intentionally blurred, making it impossible to tell who it was.

Jiang Yue scrolled through the comments section. Netizens’ resistance toward Lin Yizhou had reached a new peak; every comment was a demand for him to quit the show and get out of the entertainment industry.

Cui Sula turned serious in a second, grabbed her phone, and walked out while making a call.

On the show.

Lin Yizhou used a knife to split the cylindrical vines down the middle. He called Shen Xu and Pei Yutai over to the shaded area where the vegetation was piled and personally demonstrated how to weave these various plants together with the vines to create grass mats.

Once woven, they could be used for the roof or the walls.

He wove several bundles back and forth, explaining as he went and demonstrating in slow motion several times. Only then did he look up at the two men standing before him. “Do you get it now?”

Pei Yutai, seemingly distracted by something, scratched his head and said, “I think I saw how to do it, but whether I’ve actually learned it is another story.”

“It’s fine,” Lin Yizhou said, standing up. “You guys try it first.”

The two “apprentices” began their practical work. Pei Yutai got stuck by the third step. Lin Yizhou walked over, squatted down, and taught him hand-over-hand how to weave.

Seeing this, Shen Xu’s weaving speed slowed down… He kept staring at the side, occasionally twisting a vine, pretending to be a very diligent student.

Lin Yizhou finished teaching Pei Yutai and looked up, intending to check on Shen Xu, only to unexpectedly collide with Shen Xu’s burning gaze.

The young man was bathed in sunlight, his smile reaching his eyes. The light radiating from him seemed capable of dispelling the shadows in their corner.

In fact, the light was a bit too brilliant—dazzling to the point of stinging. Yet, Lin Yizhou didn’t feel the urge to run away; instead, he felt an urge to reach out and catch it.

“Captain?”

The line between light and shadow was torn open, and Lin Yizhou was pulled back into the shade.

He lowered his eyes, quickly returning to a state that showed no sign of having been attracted by that light. He looked at Pei Yutai. “What is it?”

Pei Yutai pointed to the state of the grass mat under his hands, sounding a bit frustrated. “Is it okay if I keep weaving it like this?”

Lin Yizhou shook his head slightly and patiently taught him the method again.

Right then, a staff member from the production team broke into the shot. He walked up to Lin Yizhou and whispered in his ear: “Teacher Lin, the Director would like to see you.”

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