After Dumping the Scumbag Top, I Was Relentlessly Chased by a Top-Tier Idol - Chapter 6

“What? Afraid to listen?” Seeing him staring blankly at the phone, Jiang Siyuan interlaced his fingers and rested his chin on them, reminding him leisurely, “Or should I play it from my end?”

“What is this?” Lin Yizhou’s thumb unconsciously brushed against the back of the phone. For some reason, he felt an instinctive urge to escape, a desire not to listen.

“Won’t you know once you listen?” After speaking, Jiang Siyuan took a cozy sip of his coffee, his movements exceptionally elegant.

Lin Yizhou frowned. After hesitating repeatedly, he finally adjusted the phone volume to a moderate level and clicked on the audio file.

Static… After the rustling sounds in the recording ended, a man’s voice emerged:

“Great Painter Jiang, you’re finally willing to come back, huh? How long has it been… over ten years? Tsk tsk, you’re really heartless enough. But now that you’re back, Ah Zheng hasn’t waited in vain. It makes me emotional just thinking about it; I really didn’t expect that kid Ah Zheng to be such a romantic.”

Lin Yizhou’s temple throbbed. He had a good memory; almost the moment the voice appeared, he recognized it as the voice of Song Chizheng’s best friend. The voice sounded a bit floaty, as if he had already been drinking quite a bit.

“Is that so? What do you mean by that?”

This was Jiang Siyuan’s voice.

Lin Yizhou looked up at the person across from him, only to see him still sipping his coffee with leisurely interest. When their eyes met, Jiang Siyuan simply gave a faint shrug, gesturing for him to continue listening.

“Hiss, you have no idea how much Ah Zheng loves you.” The best friend’s voice paused before continuing, “Back then, to chase that little star who looks like you, he really put in a lot of effort.”

“When that little star suddenly became famous, Ah Zheng spotted him and invited him to dinner. Who knew that little star would be so ‘lofty’? He couldn’t even be invited after ‘three visits to the thatched cottage.’ That really ticked Ah Zheng off. He dug up all the guy’s dirt—having an illegitimate child, being kept by various sugar daddies, acting like a diva, abusing animals… he leaked it all. After that, the little star was in deep trouble.”

“He was originally a rising superstar, but he was swatted down by a giant palm named ‘Song Chizheng.’ With a ‘splat,’ he hit the ground and instantly became a street rat that everyone wanted to hit.”

Jiang Siyuan’s voice sounded very puzzled: “Was that little star’s conduct really that bad?”

“How could it be? Ah Zheng used every ounce of strength he had and couldn’t find a single piece of real dirt on him. Oh, except for the one about the suspected illegitimate child; everything else was fabricated. Who told that little star to be so ungrateful?”

Jiang Siyuan chuckled: “You’ve said so much, but what does this have to do with him loving me?”

The friend let out a drunken hiccup and continued: “How could it not? If that star didn’t look like you, Ah Zheng wouldn’t have bothered with him.”

Jiang Siyuan gave a cold laugh and said slowly: “Come on, Ah Zheng made such a big show of chasing him for a year that I even heard about it abroad. And he still loves me?”

“You don’t understand, Great Painter Jiang.” The friend hiccuped again. “Everything I said before was just one part of Ah Zheng’s plan. Back when that little star rejected him, he formulated a revenge plan.”

“He knew everything about that star. Manipulating him was just too easy. Someone from an unhappy family, someone who is already riddled with holes—they’re bound to be extremely starved for love when they grow up. So, when that little star fell to the bottom of the abyss, if someone stepped out to give him a hand, he would definitely treat that person as his god and be eternally grateful.”

“As the saying goes, to kill someone, you must first destroy their heart. What could be more ruthless than getting someone into your hands and then kicking them away? Hehe.”

The friend seemed truly intoxicated, speaking incoherently and saying whatever came to mind.

“However, there was a small accident. That little star was indeed grateful to Ah Zheng, but he was unexpectedly firm in his principles. Aside from work, he completely ignored Ah Zheng! Ah Zheng said that lofty look was exactly the same as yours back then. Isn’t the purpose obvious?” The friend’s voice suddenly became excited. “Chasing someone who looks exactly like you… all that high-profile publicity was just to make you jealous so you’d come back to him!”

Jiang Siyuan’s leisurely voice came through: “From what you’re saying, everything Ah Zheng did to him was based on revenge and the goal of provoking me. But if I remember correctly, didn’t he push the guy all the way to the position of Best Actor? That must have taken a lot of effort.”

“Hahaha, you’re jealous, aren’t you?” The friend teased before explaining the reason. “That’s because Ah Zheng felt that the little star wasn’t worthy of him! Besides, falling from the highest point is what makes it hurt the most, right?”

Jiang Siyuan’s voice turned slightly serious: “Tell me the truth, did Ah Zheng ever tell you he wanted to get revenge on me?”

“No.” The friend seemed to sober up suddenly, his tone incredibly certain. “He only ever drank himself into a stupor and cried for you…”

The audio file ended abruptly.

It was July, the height of summer, and the sun outside was blazing. Yet Lin Yizhou felt as though he were in a cold cellar. A chill surged up from his feet, spreading through his limbs until his body couldn’t stop trembling slightly.

So, the hope of his debut back then had been extinguished by his so-called lover. The darkest moment of his life had also been orchestrated by his so-called lover.

The most ridiculous part was that when Song Chizheng settled the scandal for him, he truly thought he had finally grasped the one ray of light in his life…

“Heh… ha!”

The hand resting on his thigh gradually clenched into a fist. Lin Yizhou tried his best to control his emotions, but he still couldn’t help letting out a jagged laugh.

The laughter was desolate—laughing at how foolish he once was, laughing at how pathetic he was now.

It hurt… his heart really hurt…

Only now did he realize that “heartache” could be felt as a physical sensation…

He wanted to get up and leave, but his legs felt as if they were filled with a thousand pounds of lead; he couldn’t lift them at all.

“You’ve achieved your goal. Please… leave first. I want to be alone for a while.” Lin Yizhou did his best to steady his voice, but it still trembled uncontrollably.

How could he not know Jiang Siyuan’s motive for disregarding Song Chizheng’s reputation, tricking his best friend into talking, and delivering this recording to him?

It was nothing more than wanting him to give up on Song Chizheng completely.

Isn’t it enough that he admits defeat…?

Jiang Siyuan put down his coffee cup, his movements still slow and deliberate. He spoke unhurriedly: “You might not know the history between Ah Zheng and me, but I am very sorry that my part in it caused you pain. Truly, I apologize.”

Watching the man across from him say he was sorry while his face showed no hint of regret, Lin Yizhou couldn’t help but laugh out loud again.

“Heh…” He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them to look at the man opposite him. A stiff smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Thanks for the hospitality.”

With that, he leaned on the table and used all his strength to stand up, but before he could stand straight, his wrist was grabbed.

He looked up at the person in front of him. Jiang Siyuan gazed at him from below, his fox-like eyes shimmering. The smile on his face was as refreshing as a spring breeze, and his tone was gentle, as if coaxing a lover: “As expected of a Best Actor; this emotional control is truly impressive. However… it’s quite heartbreaking.”

“How about we go for a drink tonight? Consider it my way of soothing your wounded soul?”

“If you agree, I can help you leave Ah Zheng’s company and introduce you to a new talent agency. What do you think?”

The hand gripping his wrist gradually moved down, sliding across his palm to pinch his fingers. The movement was flirtatious, and his words were filled with suggestion: “Don’t you think that with the two of us having such similar faces, doing it would be quite interesting?”

“Just a one-night stand, how about it?”

Lin Yizhou took a deep breath. He didn’t shake off the man’s hand; instead, he used his other hand to pinch Jiang Siyuan’s cheek and smiled: “Does it hurt?”

Jiang Siyuan blinked. His light tea-colored pupils reflected the glow of the fluorescent lights. He gave a small shake of his head; he could feel that the other person wasn’t using any force at all. In that case, this behavior could be interpreted as… flirting with him?

Thinking this, his smile grew wider. He grabbed the hand on his face and pressed it against his cheek: “You can’t bear to see me in pain, can you?”

Lin Yizhou smiled and shook his head. His eyes, backlit against the fluorescent light, were dim and devoid of any mirth. His voice was cold: “It’s normal that it doesn’t hurt. With a face like yours, even a bullet couldn’t pierce through.”

He didn’t use a question; he used a statement, giving the other man no chance to refute it.

He withdrew his hand and had just turned around when his wrist was grabbed once more. A voice behind him carried a chilling, mocking smile: “I have always been able to get exactly what I want. Are you really not going to reconsider? Right now, I can satisfy any demand you have. That might not be the case in the future.”

The subtext was clear: I will get my hands on you one way or another. Right now, there’s a reward; later, there won’t be.

Lin Yizhou wrenched his hand away without a word. He walked straight to the front desk, asked the server for a wet wipe, and cleaned his hand thoroughly. He opened the door to leave, tossing the used wipe into the trash can by the entrance.

Jiang Siyuan swiveled the coffee cup in front of him with his fingertips. Watching the retreating back, he curled his lips and muttered to himself, “It’s been a long time since I’ve encountered a toy this challenging.”

Back home, Lin Yizhou took a bottle of cold water from the fridge and downed the entire thing in one go. Immediately after, he pulled out his laptop and began crafting his resume.

Once the resume was finished, he searched for job postings on reliable recruitment websites, submitting his application to any company with a suitable position.

That audio recording had undoubtedly shattered every last one of his illusions.

Song Chizheng had never felt a shred of affection for him from the very beginning. To think he had actually been delusional enough to hope that Song Chizheng might let him go out of some sense of past sentiment…

Time slipped away in his business. By the time he looked up from the computer screen, the orange-red sunset had already bled across the horizon.

He massaged his aching shoulders, checked the time, and headed into the kitchen to prepare dinner for himself.

He methodically prepared a bowl of egg noodles. But when he sat down and took a bite, his mouth was filled with a sickly, cloying sweetness…

He spat the noodles out and looked at the jar of white crystals he hadn’t put back yet.

He had mistaken the sugar for salt.

Sugar and salt looked so similar that it wasn’t strange for someone to confuse them occasionally. However, their true nature never changed. A person who prefers salty flavors might occasionally try a taste of sugar, but they would never fall in love with its sweetness.

Song Chizheng didn’t like sweets. Lin Yizhou was merely a taste of sugar he tried on a whim; he could never compare to the flavors Song Chizheng truly loved.

Lin Yizhou himself usually liked sweets, but today, the sweetness felt inexplicably impossible to swallow.

He picked up the bowl and walked toward the trash can. But thinking of his current situation, his hand hesitated. He turned back to the fridge, sealed the bowl with a freezer bag, and placed it in the cold storage.

He just didn’t want to eat anything sweet for now.

After this ordeal, his appetite was completely gone. He sat back down at the computer to continue checking recruitment updates.

An unknown amount of time passed before the phone beside him suddenly vibrated.

The vibration jolted Lin Yizhou back to reality. He grabbed the phone and saw an unfamiliar number. Thinking it was a call from a recruitment agency, he answered directly, only for Jiang Siyuan’s voice to drift from the other end: “Are you really not going to consider my proposal from this morning?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, he hung up.

The call reminded him of something. Leaning against the sofa, he opened his phone and blacklisted Jiang Siyuan’s contact, along with every unfamiliar number that had called him. While he was at it, he blocked and deleted all of Song Chizheng’s contact information as well.

Just as he set the phone face-down on the table, another thought occurred. He picked it up again, re-downloaded the Weibo app he had previously uninstalled, and deleted the only post he had—one set to “visible only to me.” At the same time, he unfollowed Song Chizheng.

After finishing this, Lin Yizhou collapsed backward, his head resting on the sofa cushions. Like a fish stranded on a beach, his chest heaved violently as he struggled to draw in fresh air.

There was no sense of relief—only a heart-piercing pain.

But it was all over…

What he didn’t know was that his act of unfollowing Song Chizheng quickly surged to the top of the trending searches, triggering a digital flood. Netizens began placing bets on whether Lin Yizhou would leave Song Chizheng’s company.

[Hot Take]: Definitely won’t. Every move a “love-brain” makes is just a desperate attempt to get attention.

[Reply]: I think he’ll leave. When some people’s hearts die, they never look back.

[Reply]: LMAO, you think you can just leave once a contract is signed? Can that guy named Lin even afford the liquidated damages?

[Reply]: Person above me, you took the words right out of my mouth.

At that moment, the final scene of Shen Xu’s movie had just finished filming.

He returned to his dressing room and opened his phone, only to find his screen flooded with “Lin Yizhou” related keywords. His brow furrowed deeply.

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