After Dumping the Scumbag Top, I Was Relentlessly Chased by a Top-Tier Idol - Chapter 33

The “home-wrecker” rumors were reaching a fever pitch. Less than a day after being summoned for a talk by Director Tu, Lin Yizhou found himself back in that same tent.

The door curtain fell, plunging the interior into dimness, save for the faint glow emanating from electronic devices.

As soon as Lin Yizhou sat down, Director Tu placed a phone in front of him, signaling for him to look.

“Resource-dabbler, a ‘Pacific Ocean’ level [fake/bloated] Best Actor, kept man… are these labels not enough? To think he’s also a homewrecker stepping into someone else’s relationship. Truly disgusting!”

“Can homewreckers just get out of the entertainment industry? Trending every single day, it’s honestly nauseating!!”

“Yongxing Entertainment must think they’re doing too well; why would they sign trash like this?”

Lin Yizhou set the phone down and said calmly, “I am not.”

Director Tu sighed, looking somewhat helpless. “We had an internal discussion. Either you produce evidence that you aren’t and slap it in the audience’s faces to shut them up, or… we terminate the contract amicably. You leave the show, and we won’t hold you liable for the losses brought to the production.”

Was he being asked to prove his own innocence?

But those people surely knew better than he did just how wronged he was.

The air grew still; silence flowed through the tent. The light from the phone screen illuminated Lin Yizhou’s face. His eyes were downcast, hiding his emotions, his expression void of any flicker.

He slowly looked up, his gaze as stagnant as dead water. He spoke softly: “Director Tu, was this prompted by that person again?”

Director Tu immediately shook his head. “No, these are the netizens’ own speculations, but it truly has affected our program. The official Weibo has been overrun, and the live stream comments are full of vitriol. Some marketing accounts even leaked my family’s information to call me out. I… am in a difficult position.”

Even so, Lin Yizhou knew without thinking who the mastermind behind the scenes was.

His emotions remained muted. “Director Tu, may I make a phone call?”

Director Tu gestured toward the desk. “You can use this phone.”

“Can I step outside to make it?” Lin Yizhou asked.

Director Tu nodded. “Just be mindful of the cameras.”

Lin Yizhou nodded back, stood up, and left the tent.

He walked to a secluded large tree, standing in the spot where the sunlight gathered most densely beneath the leaves. With his back to the sun, watching his own shadow, he dialed the number he knew by heart.

“Beep—”

As if waiting for this very call, the phone was answered before the first ring could even finish.

As usual, the person on the other end did not speak first.

“It’s me,” Lin Yizhou said.

Song Chizheng let out an extremely smug sneer. “This isn’t your phone. It seems you remember my number quite clearly.”

“Yes,” Lin Yizhou didn’t deny it. “Because I really loved you once, I remember everything about you clearly.”

The blunt words caused Song Chizheng to freeze instantly.

“I want to know, why are you doing all this now?”

“To make me lose my reputation with no hope of recovery? Or do you want me to beg you humbly to let me go?”

“Or perhaps, after I left, you suddenly had an epiphany and realized the person you love is actually me, so you’re trying to get my attention?”

He fired off a string of questions, yet his tone remained flat, as if the person speaking wasn’t himself.

There was no response from the other side.

Lin Yizhou drifted into a crouch, picking up a twig nearby and tracing something over his shadow.

“Song Chizheng, I remember you telling me that your greatest wish in this life was to love only one person, marry them, and grow old together. You wanted to show your parents who don’t believe in love that there are people in this world who love only one person for a lifetime.”

“Have you ever considered that by pushing me into the position of a ‘homewrecker,’ you are simultaneously pushing yourself into the position of a cheating betrayer?”

“In that case, where does that leave Jiang Siyuan?”

“How are you any different from your parents?”

Having said his piece, Lin Yizhou didn’t wait for a reply and hung up.

He remained crouched, sketching the final petal of a sunflower, then stood up and took a photo of the flower.

Only after the cold electronic silence filled his ear did Song Chizheng slowly lower his phone. He stared at the screen as it faded from bright to black, his mind reeling with Lin Yizhou’s words.

But what he thought of most wasn’t Jiang Siyuan, nor his parents, but that one sentence:

“Realized the person you love is me, so you’re trying to get my attention?”

Was it?

How could it be!

The one he had always loved was Jiang Siyuan. He only sought out Lin Yizhou as a substitute.

Right. There would be plenty of opportunities to deal with Lin Yizhou later, but he couldn’t allow Sisi to be placed in the position of being betrayed.

He pulled out his phone and posted a Weibo: [To those of you spreading rumors about a “homewrecker,” where exactly does that put me?]

He then pressed the intercom and ordered: “Delete all comments alleging Lin Yizhou is a homewrecker. And for those following the trend to spread rumors, send out lawyer letters immediately.”

With just that one sentence, a massive wave erupted online.

“Stupid scumbag, at least you have a bit of a conscience!”

“I knew Zhouzhou was innocent, sob. People who make up rumors really deserve to die!”

“Heh, so in the end, the ‘Vase’ still has to rely on his ex-husband to clear his name.”

Soon, the hashtag #Song Chizheng Clears Lin Yizhou’s Name# climbed to the top of the trending list.

Lin Yizhou turned the phone screen toward Director Tu and said calmly, “This shouldn’t affect the program anymore.”

With that, he rose to leave. At the tent’s entrance, as if suddenly remembering something, he turned back. “Director Tu, I took a photo with your phone just now. Please send it to me later. Thank you.”

On the way back to the base camp, Lin Yizhou ran into Shen Xu, who was sprinting toward him. Shen Xu stopped in front of him, his breath slightly ragged, his expression frantic and filled with worry.

Unbidden, Song Chizheng’s face flickered in his mind. In his memory, that man had never looked at him with such an expression.

The most vivid memory was during their first year together. Lin Yizhou had fallen while filming a wire stunt. It wasn’t life-threatening, but he had large scrapes on his hands and feet that took half a month to heal. At the time, Song Chizheng had merely asked, “Are you okay?” as a matter of formality before moving on.

No worry, no care.

Strangely, although Shen Xu said nothing, Lin Yizhou’s restless heart seemed to gradually settle.

Lin Yizhou offered a slight smile to the man before him. “Why are you back so early today?”

Before being called away, Lin Yizhou had just assigned the day’s tasks. Wen Yue, Jiang Siyuan, and he were to tidy up the wooden shed messy from the rain, while Shen Xu and Pei Yutai went to the shore to see if they could scavenge any seafood. Usually, these trips took several hours, but this time, it hadn’t even been one.

Hearing the question, Shen Xu dithered for half a second before quickly recovering. Seeing Lin Yizhou’s calm state, he slowly broke into a grin and shrugged slightly. “The tide rose after the storm, and there are many fish and other seafood in the tide pools. I wanted to come back and grill fish, but I realized the captain who knows how to start a fire was missing. I had to hurry out to find you.”

Shen Xu didn’t press for details. If the other didn’t want to talk, he wouldn’t ask.

Lin Yizhou nodded. “Let’s go back then.”

The two walked back in silence, neither speaking, leaving only the sound of waves crashing against the sand. Lin Yizhou walked on the inner side, stealing a glance at Shen Xu beside him.

Should he… clarify things completely with Shen Xu now? Let him know that all his previous rejections weren’t jokes, but serious.

He truly hoped Shen Xu wouldn’t waste time on him…

But after a moment’s hesitation, he chose not to break the peace of the moment.

Back at the base, Pei Yutai saw them and immediately dropped his fire-starting tools. He ran over, grabbed Lin Yizhou, and pulled him toward the prepared pile of wood, muttering, “Captain, you’re finally back! This fire-starting job really isn’t for normal people. I’ve been drilling at this thing since I got back, and not a single spark has come out!”

The midday sun was scorching, and the firewood soaked by the rain had already dried.

Lin Yizhou took the tools and quickly started the fire.

Pei Yutai leaned in. “Captain, do you know how to grill fish?”

Lin Yizhou nodded.

Pei Yutai’s eyes lit up. “Then you grill the fish today. I want to taste your cooking!”

Shen Xu set down the cleaned fish. “Captain, I’ll leave these to you.” He then pulled Pei Yutai up. “Captain, you focus on the fish; we’ll go back to tidying up.”

Lin Yizhou watched their retreating backs and then looked at the fish beside him, unconsciously curving his lips into a smile. Even if he were eventually forced to quit the show or even the industry, meeting these two seemed to make it all worth it.

Though the storm hadn’t collapsed the shed’s frame, the thatch on the walls and roof had been scattered, some even blown into the forest. While Lin Yizhou grilled, the others gathered the thatch to repair and reinforce the structure.

As Shen Xu and Pei Yutai were securing the rewoven thatch to the roof with vines, Pei Yutai leaned toward Shen Xu and whispered, “Brother Xu, is Brother Zhou okay?”

Shen Xu’s hands didn’t stop moving. He glanced over the roof at Lin Yizhou and said calmly, “Don’t worry. Yongxing won’t let anything happen to him.”

Speaking of which, Pei Yutai followed up, “Brother Xu, you’ve been at Yongxing for so long. They’re definitely reliable, right? Although you won’t tell me, the director calling Brother Zhou away twice probably means that guy surnamed Song is pulling strings behind the scenes.”

Pei Yutai’s expression grew more disgusted. “Bah! Is that Song guy even a man? Resorting to slander like this… he’s basically trying to drive Brother Zhou to his death. But then again, few can go against the Song family’s power. If he really wants to crush Brother Zhou, Yongxing might not be able to protect him even if they want to…”

A flash of ruthlessness crossed Shen Xu’s eyes, but he said nothing.

Time flowed quickly amidst the busy work. As the sun shifted west, Lin Yizhou skewered a new fish and placed it on the grill, walking over to the shed. “Everyone, let’s have some fish and take a break.”

The roof was slanted; the back was shorter than Pei Yutai by a head, while the front was half a head taller. He stood up, his view completely blocked, so he hopped up to call out to Lin Yizhou: “Captain, finally!” He looked down at Shen Xu, who was still wrapping vines around a pillar. “Let’s go, Brother Xu.”

Shen Xu shook his head. “You go ahead. I’ll finish this up and join you.”

“Then hurry up.” Pei Yutai finished and ran to Lin Yizhou. “Let’s go, Brother Zhou.”

“You go first,” Lin Yizhou said. “I’ll see how much longer Shen Xu needs.”

Pei Yutai nodded and went ahead.

Shen Xu was focused on his work. Hearing movement behind him and assuming it was someone calling him, he said without turning his head, “I’m almost done, you go ahead.”

The person didn’t speak but knelt on the other side with a vine, quickly winding it around the pillar.

Shen Xu looked up, slightly surprised. “Captain? Why are you here?”

Lin Yizhou looked up at him briefly. “I’ll help you. Two people are faster.”

Shen Xu smiled. “Okay.”

The two worked from opposite sides toward the middle. As time passed, the distance between them closed. Being too absorbed in the weaving, they both forgot the proximity, and their heads accidentally bumped together.

Shen Xu reacted first, reaching out to rub the spot where Lin Yizhou had been hit, his voice laced with anxiety. “How is it? Does it hurt?”

Lin Yizhou’s body stiffened for a moment. He looked up; the shed completely blocked the setting sun, but the other man’s eyes were exceptionally bright. And the focus of that brightness was his own reflection.

Shen Xu frowned. “Why aren’t you saying anything? Does it hurt a lot?”

Recovering, Lin Yizhou leaned back to avoid the hand. “Force is reciprocal. If you don’t hurt, I don’t hurt.”

“How could that be? Everyone’s pain tolerance is different.” He raised his hand again, wanting to check, but Lin Yizhou dodged once more.

“I’m fine.” Lin Yizhou stood up, handing the vine to him. “You do the finish.”

Shen Xu nodded and took the vine, quickly tying the two ends in a dead knot. After a two-second pause, he looked up at Lin Yizhou, who was waiting at his side.

Caught off guard by the eye contact, Lin Yizhou quickly looked away. “Since it’s tied, let’s head over,” he said calmly.

Just as he was about to walk away, a hand blocked his path.

Confused, he looked down. Shen Xu smiled at him and extended his hand.

“Captain? Give me a pull?”

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