I Rely on My Versatility to Reach the Top of the Entertainment Industry [Ancient Times to Modern] - Chapter 55

“The autumn sky is clear and the air crisp—perfect for romance!”

“I wonder what King Kong’s wife looks like. Is she a beautiful gorilla?”

“I heard she’s actually an American gorilla.”

The fans chuckled and chattered about other topics, skillfully avoiding directly answering Jing Yi’s question.

Jing Yi didn’t press further and continued painting.

This time he was working on an eight-foot xuan paper scroll, and due to the intricate floral techniques, he had only completed one-third by the afternoon.

A fan observing the vibrant blossoms competing in brilliance asked: “What’s this painting called? With so many flowers, I can only recognize the crabapple blossoms.”

“Radiant Autumn.”

Jing Yi replied with a gentle smile as he secured the xuan paper with weights.

The scene he depicted was one he had witnessed personally—when the abbot was invited by imperial relatives to attend a Buddhist ceremony. The venue featured gardens meticulously maintained even in autumn, with various flowers vying in splendor.

The painting remained unfinished, the ink still damp, leaving it temporarily set aside.

He estimated Lu Yuzhi would be returning soon.

Jing Yi adjusted the live stream camera toward himself: “I’m going to prepare dinner. Everyone should eat early too.”

Suddenly seeing Jing Yi’s face and noticing the different wall background compared to previous streams, fans bid farewell while asking about his location.

But Jing Yi didn’t notice their questions, having already ended the broadcast.

For dinner, Jing Yi prepared vegetable noodles, specially adding meat for Lu Yuzhi.

Avoiding meat had become his habit, but there was no need for Lu Yuzhi to follow suit.

As the noodles finished cooking, Lu Yuzhi indeed walked through the door.

“Jing Yi, I’m back.” Catching the aroma of food, Lu Yuzhi smiled while heading toward the kitchen. “Never thought I’d experience coming home to warm meals after work.”

Living alone usually made him reluctant to cook, and he disliked having extra people around the house.

“It’s noodles.” Jing Yi brought the bowls to the dining table. “Fans mentioned the zoo is closed today and tomorrow, and they captured interesting aerial footage. Yuzhi, do you know what happened at the zoo?”

Hearing this, a subtle gleam flickered in Lu Yuzhi’s eyes: “Is that so? We’re going tomorrow anyway—we’ll find out then.”

Jing Yi sensed Lu Yuzhi seemed to be withholding something.

But since Lu Yuzhi avoided answering, he didn’t press further.

After dinner, Lu Yuzhi suggested going for a walk.

They stepped out together, their shadows stretching long under the streetlights.

Returning home, Jing Yi began meditating.

Lu Yuzhi started reviewing invitations in Jing Yi’s mailbox.

Thanks to the wildlife conservation PSA and donations boosting his online popularity, over a dozen new offers had arrived—variety shows, lead roles in TV dramas and films, even endorsements for daily necessities.

Selecting suitable opportunities matching Jing Yi’s current stature, Lu Yuzhi checked Weibo again.

Seeing his feed flooded with “shush” emojis from netizens, he smirked faintly and took a photo of Jing Yi meditating.

In the picture, the fair-skinned youth sat cross-legged with closed eyes, evoking the serene image of a temple Buddha.

Ascetic yet captivating.

Lu Yuzhi applied a photo filter and posted: “My wife.”

The post immediately drew countless reaction memes from fans, some directly taunting: “Claiming ‘wife’ without proof! Shame on you, Emperor Lu!”

“The creep who’s sneaking photos of our little Yi, if you dare take pictures of him meditating, then dare take pictures of him sleeping too!”

Lu Yuzhi didn’t reply, putting away his phone as he waited for Jing Yi to open his eyes.

Then, timing it perfectly, he met Jing Yi’s soft lips.

—Soon there would be evidence, if all went well.

Caught off guard, Jing Yi yielded to the pressure from Lu Yuzhi, falling back onto the soft pillow, tilting his head up to passively accept the kiss.

He had learned to breathe properly now!

He also realized… kissing truly seemed to be something so pleasurable it could become addictive.

Lu Yuzhi’s lips and tongue were soft yet carried a certain forcefulness. In their back-and-forth, his mind seemed to drift into a weightless layer of clouds.

After tasting his lips, Lu Yuzhi moved to tease Jing Yi’s earlobe. Only when the person beneath him had gone completely limp, even his clear, innocent eyes glistening with moisture, did Lu Yuzhi finally release him, breathing slightly heavily, and roll over to head to the other bathroom to wash up.

After both had finished washing, they embraced and fell asleep.

The next day, as usual, they woke at five.

They exercised for a while in the fitness room, and once the sky was fully bright, they had breakfast and set off for the zoo.

Parking the car in the zoo’s garage, the two of them, now in disguise, got out and stood at the main entrance.

As if aware someone was coming, a staff member inside opened the gate.

Jing Yi glanced curiously at the staff member who had opened the door, thinking that although the person was wearing a zoo uniform, their face seemed unfamiliar.

Perhaps they were a newly hired employee?

Thinking this, Jing Yi entered the zoo.

After only a few steps, he saw a snow-white cat crouching in the middle of the path.

“What a beautiful cat.” Jing Yi crouched down, stroking the white cat’s head and chin. “What are you doing in the zoo? There are plenty of big cats in here.”

The white cat comfortably narrowed its eyes, allowing Jing Yi to pet it, its upright tail curling into a hook.

Suddenly, the sound of a bell rang out.

The white cat opened its blue eyes and dashed toward the source of the bell.

After a few steps, it turned back and meowed at Jing Yi.

Jing Yi understood that the cat wanted him to follow. He glanced sideways at Lu Yuzhi. “Shall we follow it?”

Lu Yuzhi smiled and nodded.

The two followed the white cat all the way to the monkey enclosure.

Beside the monkey enclosure sat a Samoyed. The large white dog, holding a balloon in its mouth, bounded joyfully over to Jing Yi and offered him the balloon.

Attached to the balloon string was a small card.

Jing Yi picked it up.

“For the one-year-old you.”

The handwriting looked familiar—it had appeared before in study notes.

Jing Yi smiled, turning to look at Lu Yuzhi.

Lu Yuzhi was also smiling, taking Jing Yi’s other hand. “It’s waiting for us to follow.”

They continued forward.

The Samoyed met up with a Golden Retriever, which held a small cart in its mouth.

On the cart was a sign that read: “For the two-year-old you.”

The cart carried a rattle drum, seemingly newly made, with a fresh drumhead and wooden handle.

The two dogs obediently tugged the cart’s rope and continued forward.

Jing Yi, holding the balloon, followed.

Three years old: a sandalwood calligraphy brush.

Four years old: rice paper.

Five years old: a jade flute.

Six years old: a jade xun.

…

Along the way, there were adorable dogs and gifts at every turn. The small cart filled with various items, including Buddha statues and scriptures.

Finally, they reached the zoo’s plaza.

The dogs ran to the center of the plaza, where a performance stage stood.

From somewhere, the sound of a flute began to play.

The dogs changed formations in sync with the flute’s melody, spelling out the words “Happy Birthday.”

Jing Yi had just made out the characters when a roar from Lu Yi echoed from behind the stage.

A magnificent tiger burst through the curtains, howling fiercely at the dogs.

The frightened dogs quickly leaped off the steps and scattered in all directions.

Lu Yuzhi watched the tiger on the stage with resignation.

Once the dogs had all disappeared, Lu Yi turned and dashed back behind the curtains, then trotted over to Jing Yi with its mouth open, emitting a rumbling purr from its throat, completely ignoring Lu Yuzhi’s outstretched hand.

Lu Yuzhi looked embarrassed and tried to snatch the box from Lu Yi’s mouth, but the tiger twisted away and ran to Jing Yi’s side, nudging his arm with its head.

Understanding the gesture, Jing Yi took the object from Lu Yi’s mouth.

It was a small, square red box.

Lu Yuzhi sighed helplessly, looking at Lu Yi beside Jing Yi.

Lu Yi wagged its tail, pretending not to notice.

Jing Yi glanced at Lu Yuzhi, then at Lu Yi, and smiled as he handed the box to Lu Yuzhi. “This must be for you, right?”

Lu Yuzhi accepted it, a hint of embarrassment coloring his expression.

He had bribed Lu Yi with plenty of meat and rehearsed repeatedly with the tiger, all to ensure this moment went smoothly.

Who would have thought that upon seeing Jing Yi, Lu Yi would forget all their practice?

Not only that, but it had chased away the dogs before they could even form other characters.

“I’ve thought about it for a long time, unsure of what to give you,” Lu Yuzhi steadied himself, gazing at Jing Yi. “I don’t know where you lived in the past—perhaps it was a world I can’t even comprehend.”

“But from now on, I don’t want to miss a single year of your life.”

Lu Yuzhi opened the box, presented it to Jing Yi, and knelt on one knee.

“Jing Yi, I love you. Will you stay with me forever?”

Jing Yi’s eyes fell upon the two rings. He couldn’t identify their material, but they were engraved with a “swastika” pattern.

He had no idea when Lu Yuzhi had prepared the rings, but judging by the intricate design, a lot of thought had gone into them.

“I had the abbot of Jialan Temple bless these rings,” Lu Yuzhi explained anxiously, noticing Jing Yi’s focus on the rings. “If you don’t like them, I can exchange them.”

His words carried a trace of panic.

Jing Yi smiled softly.

“I do like them,” he said quietly. “I like everything you give me.”

With that, Jing Yi extended his hand.

The tension in Lu Yuzhi’s eyes faded as he picked up a ring.

Just as he was about to slip it onto Jing Yi’s finger, a powerful force struck his backside.

Caught off guard, Lu Yuzhi stumbled forward. In his panic, he snapped the box shut with one hand and clenched the ring in the other, landing face-first on the ground with a solid thud.

Lu Yi let out a roar, pressing down on Lu Yuzhi while rubbing against Jing Yi’s hand.

Its round, innocent eyes gave no hint that it was lying atop someone.

Chuckles and snickers erupted from the surroundings, and even the bushes rustled with laughter.

One person laughed so hard they pounded the ground, exclaiming, “Hahaha, how did Film Emperor Lu end up so pitiful?”

“Lu Yi stealing the show, hahaha!”

Jing Yi couldn’t help but laugh and sigh at the absurdity, though the strange tension in his heart finally eased.

He coaxed Lu Yi off Lu Yuzhi and helped him up.

“Sorry I didn’t catch you in time.”

Jing Yi brushed the grass from Lu Yuzhi’s face and extended his hand once more.

Lu Yuzhi quickly slipped the ring onto Jing Yi’s finger this time, then turned his head and shot a sharp glare at Lu Yi.

Lu Yi licked his paws as if he hadn’t noticed anything.

The people hiding in the nearby bushes stood up and sprayed confetti.

“Congratulations, hahaha! You two can play freely in the zoo today.”

“We’ll be leaving now, we’re leaving now.”

The staff members scattered and departed.

Jing Yi looked at Lu Yuzhi with his dark, gleaming eyes.

“So what did the netizens see?”

But Lu Yuzhi shook the other ring in his hand: “You haven’t put mine on yet.”

Jing Yi picked up the ring and slipped it onto Lu Yuzhi’s left ring finger.

Lu Yuzhi beamed with joy: “It was probably the first scenario we imagined yesterday – flowers and balloons.”

He had originally designed a scene with flowers, balloons, and even letter-shaped balloons, but after completing it, he felt it didn’t quite suit Jing Yi.

In the end, he dismantled and simplified it.

Jing Yi raised an eyebrow slightly: “I heard about a custom from your friend.”

Lu Yuzhi: “What custom?”

Jing Yi: “Shouldn’t the household finances be managed by one person?”

Lu Yuzhi’s eyes sparkled: “Yes, I’ll let you manage all my money from now on.”

Jing Yi smiled: “Good, from now on you can only carry 100 yuan with you each day.”

“Ah?” Lu Yuzhi was stunned.

Jing Yi glanced at the confetti scattered on the ground around them: “To prevent you from doing such wasteful and environmentally unfriendly things again.”

Lu Yuzhi: “…”

Was he wrong for trying to create a surprise?