Help! My Fanservice Partner is Looking at Me Differently Lately - Chapter 40

Well, his fans did not understand either. But not understanding did not stop them; before long, people below started to analyze it.

【First meaning: I cannot stand this guy, go get him. But knowing my idol’s temperament, that is unlikely.】

【Second meaning: Do not make things difficult for others. But he has been in the industry for so many years and has never stood up for anyone before. I will reserve judgment for now.】

【Third meaning: My heart has fluttered, I have taken a liking to him. He has never made his sexual orientation public, and he has been single since birth for 27 years. I have to say, this possibility is the greatest.】

【Fourth meaning: Sharing a nice picture. Uh, I am just lying to myself with this one.】

Shen Qiang’s girlfriend fans and career-focused fans were split down the middle, both feeling quite conflicted at this moment. But regardless of how they viewed the repost, the first wave of people had already retreated from the battlefield of trying to take Chi Li down.

“Shen Qiang,” Chi Li turned his head to look at Shen Xunye, who was buried in his food beside him. “Couldn’t this be your doing?”

Do not blame him for having this thought; Li Ming simply did not have that kind of capability. And Shen Qiang just happened to share the same surname as this wealthy young master.

“My second brother,” Shen Xunye said honestly.

“Your second brother?” Chi Li repeated.

“Yes, my second brother.” Shen Xunye suddenly felt a bit guilty for being asked. He had originally intended to go directly to his eldest brother, Shen Yu. But the thought of spending time and effort persuading Shen Yu made him feel annoyed. Since Shen Qiang happened to be one of the six, and he was much easier to talk to than Shen Yu, Shen Xunye changed directions and found Shen Qiang instead. People are naturally inclined to follow the crowd. When the fans of six households were all cursing together, once one withdrew, the other five would naturally withdraw as well to save face.

“Thank you.” Other than expressing his thanks, Chi Li did not know what else to say. His parents had divorced early and both started their own families; other than providing living expenses, they barely paid him any attention. Growing up, he had been accustomed to solving his own problems. This was the first time he had encountered someone, other than a colleague, who was willing to clear up his troubles for him.

Shen Xunye was not quite used to Chi Li’s politeness. He picked up half a mouthful of white rice with his chopsticks and said in a relaxed tone, “This favor is not free.”

“Tell me, how should I repay you?”

Hearing that it was not a free favor, Chi Li actually felt a sense of relief. He firmly believed that nothing in this world is good for no reason, so compared to a free favor, he preferred a fair transaction. Just like when he asked his cousin Gu Nan for help, he had given him a cut of the profits. This made him feel safe.

“I told my second brother that I like you,” Shen Xunye said, dropping a bombshell.

Chi Li: “…”

“That is why he was willing to help.” Shen Xunye paused dramatically.

“Mhm, and then?” Chi Li pressed a hand against his heart, which had started beating faster for no reason, and asked with his usual composure.

“And then,” Shen Xunye reached out and removed a grain of white rice stuck to the corner of Chi Li’s mouth. “In order to make him respect me, in the future, could you pretend to be my boyfriend?”

“Just this?” Chi Li blinked slowly. His parents, who had both latched onto their respective small wealthy families, were never stingy when paying his living expenses, so he was accustomed to hiring others for help with money. This was the first time he had encountered someone who did not want money. Though, a wealthy young master probably did not need money anyway.

“What do you mean ‘just this’? It is very difficult, okay?” Shen Xunye disagreed with his assessment. “My second brother has a very sharp eye, so it has to be performed more realistically. Fooling him is not an easy task.”

“It is not much different from fan-service,” Chi Li said offhandedly, then seemed to remember something else. “You are not short of money, so why did you come to participate in this variety show?”

“Curiosity,” Shen Xunye explained with a straight face. “Also, I am quite fond of helping others.”

Chi Li: “…”

Thinking of Shen Qiang stepping in just now, Chi Li believed him. He could not help but advise, “You cannot help with just anything.” The consequence of abusing one’s kindness is having people ride roughshod over you.

Shen Xunye nodded quite obediently. “Mm-hmm, got it.”

Just as Chi Li was about to say more, his phone rang. It was a call from Li Ming. He answered it right in front of Shen Xunye. “Hello?”

There was a moment of silence on the other end before Li Ming’s voice came through. “It is fine now.” His voice carried an eerie calmness. “I did not expect this matter to be resolved in such a way.”

“Uh,” Chi Li felt a bit dazed. Generally, should Li Ming not be interrogating him about his relationship with Shen Qiang right about now? Why was he acting as if he accepted it, as if it were a matter of course?

“However, you still need to provide some positive guidance to your fans regarding this kind of event. Being taken a liking to by Shen Qiang and then having him step out to clear the air is a very rare, accidental event.”

Chi Li was nearly frightened into a high-pitched squeak. “What?!”

“You do not know yet?” Li Ming really did not know how to put it. “Go look at Weibo yourself.”

Chi Li: “Oh.”

“Also, your live stream channel will resume in 15 minutes. Remember to adjust your state.” Li Ming added another reminder.

Chi Li took the phone away from his ear to check the time. “Understood.”

…

After 11 p.m., Chi Li finished tidying up. He had just sighed about what a quiet night it was and was preparing to burrow into his quilt when his door was knocked upon unexpectedly.

He moved softly to the door and peered through the peephole. Standing outside was Zhou Yang.

It was so late, and their meeting time had already passed. What did Zhou Yang want with him? He had not changed his clothes, meaning he must have come straight here after the meeting ended.

Not hearing a response from Chi Li, Zhou Yang frowned and knocked on the door three more times.

“Chi Li, I know you are not asleep. Open the door; I have something to tell you.”

“Get lost,” Chi Li said through the door.

Just thinking about someone shipping him with Zhou Yang made him feel sick; he really wanted to go out and slap them twice.

“I really have something to say to you.” Zhou Yang’s tone sounded extremely sincere. “Do you not want to know what Xie Weishui just said?”

For Chi Li to trust Zhou Yang was impossible. Although Xie Weishui was the one pulling the strings among that group, Zhou Yang was a hypocrite with his own hidden agenda; he could not afford to be careless.

“He asked about our past relationship, but I did not say anything,” Zhou Yang suddenly became much more patient. “My heart is still with you, Xiao Li. Open the door, let us talk this through, okay?”

Chi Li leaned against the door and took out his phone to message Shen Xunye: Are you asleep?

Shen Xunye replied quickly: No.

Chi Li: Come to my room in ten minutes.

Shen Xunye: ?

Chi Li did not reply to the question. Instead, he cleared his throat twice, then used a feigned, fragile-sounding voice to speak through the door: “Is what you said true?”

Heh, want to act? Who does not know how?

“Of course, it is true!” Zhou Yang was ecstatic. “Open the door and let me in quickly, otherwise, it will not be good if people hear the commotion later.”

Chi Li acted as if he had been persuaded and gently pulled the door open.

Zhou Yang pressed his right hand against the door, pushing it inside with force. “Xiao Li, believe me.”

“It is very hard for me to believe you.”

Despite saying it was hard to believe, the door had opened. Zhou Yang quickly squeezed into the room, his face splitting into a wide grin. “Xiao Li, you just have a habit of saying the opposite of what you mean.”

Chi Li closed the door behind him but did not lock it. Anyone who pushed lightly from the outside would be able to open it.

Zhou Yang acted as if he had returned to his own home, immediately pulling up a chair to sit. “Xiao Li, I really, really want to have a good talk with you.”