I Was Forced into the Limelight After Pairing with a Top Star - Chapter 10

Following Yu Qi’s conversation that day, Lin Wang immediately went online to search for the relationship between the original owner of his body and Liu Linjia. He also called Shi Yu, casually fishing for information during their chat.

On the phone, Shi Yu cursed Lin Wang for being blind. She had finally negotiated a great resource, a third lead role in a drama, only for Lin Wang to ruin it in the blink of an eye.

“Do you even look at yourself to see if you have any merits? If Liu Linjia was not after something, why would he have associated with you when he first debuted? You knew him for only a month and dared to get drunk with him. If you told me he took your phone to curse at directors and seniors, I would believe it, but who outside would believe you? Have some sense!”

Lin Wang pieced everything together by combining the overwhelming online headlines: “Lin Wang Beats Liu Linjia,” “Lin Wang Spreads Rumors About Liu Linjia,” and “Lin Wang Steals Liu Linjia’s Resources.”

Three years ago, Liu Linjia had been secretly competing with the original owner for the third lead in a web drama that later became a massive hit. He first feigned friendship with the original owner, then used underhanded means to steal the role. Without evidence, the original owner resorted to physical violence, which Liu Linjia turned against him, leaving the original owner to suffer in silence.

Later, Liu Linjia used that drama to win the Best Newcomer Award, stepping firmly into the circle of top-tier celebrities.

The original owner was only twenty-two at the time. Although his online reputation was poor, he had no major scandals. If he had acted in that drama, he truly might have turned his career around. Losing that role was a significant blow.

Lin Wang did not want to get involved in the relationship between these main characters. After drying his hands, he intended to leave, but Liu Linjia took a few quick steps to block him. Lowering his eyelashes and pursing his lips, Liu Linjia said, “Lin Wang, I know you were angry last time. You hit me, and now I still consider you a friend.”

Liu Linjia was indeed handsome. From Lin Wang’s perspective, he was attractive enough. He had a small face that looked good on camera, a long neck, and the elegant posture of someone who had studied folk dance. Standing there, he looked like a humble and gentle swan.

It was a pure, clean beauty, the image of a fragile and gentle boy next door.

“Do not say that; it is easily misunderstood.” It was a bit of a pity, but Lin Wang did not like the overly fragile type. He kept his head down, not looking at Liu Linjia, and naturally reached into the other man’s jacket pocket to pull out the phone inside.

The recording page had not been turned off yet, and it was still flashing.

Liu Linjia’s movement to touch his pocket had been quite subtle. If Lin Wang had not been sharp, he truly might have been caught in a trap.

Liu Linjia looked at Lin Wang as if he did not recognize him, unable to speak for a long while.

Lin Wang pressed stop, deleted the audio, and put the phone back into Liu Linjia’s pocket with a pat. “Recording while talking to a friend? Our friendship is certainly worth commemorating.”

Having said that, he ignored him and tried to walk around him.

“Lin Wang!” Liu Linjia grabbed Lin Wang’s wrist persistently. He had to look up slightly to see him, much like the way Lin Wang looked at Chi Yuan.

Lin Wang could not be bothered to argue with a twenty-one-year-old kid, so he stood still and waited for him to speak.

Liu Linjia’s brow furrowed slightly: “You, did you come here to get revenge on me?”

The question made Lin Wang want to laugh. He pulled his hand away with gentle force and said teasingly, “Feeling guilty? You might be right.”

Liu Linjia pursed his lips, and his eyes suddenly turned red. For someone with fair skin, red eyes were even more heart-wrenching, as if they felt more grievance and pain than others. This effect might have worked on someone else.

However, Lin Wang had seen too many young people with red eyes. If he felt sorry for every single one of them, Brother Lin’s bed would not be large enough to hold them all.

“You did not come here just to talk to me, did you?” Lin Wang stopped teasing him and glanced outside. “Go do your business. I have things to do as well.”

Lin Wang was unsure if Chi Yuan had started filming yet. The restroom was quite far from the studio, and he was anxious to get back.

“Lin Wang, please do not be angry with me.” Lin Wang’s waist tightened as he was pulled into a firm hug from behind.

“Did you not like me the most? You clearly contacted me just last month. Are you blaming me for not lending you money? Do you really still have those photos of us?”

Lin Wang was genuinely stunned for a moment. He realized that the original owner had been quite the criminal, attempting to blackmail an ex when he had nowhere else to borrow money.

Lin Wang’s hesitation led Liu Linjia to believe he had admitted it. Thinking Lin Wang was there to threaten him, Liu Linjia bit his lip and whispered, “Let us get back together, Lin Wang.”

Lin Wang wanted to say, “Do not ruin me,” but before the words could come out, he was interrupted by a voice.

“Who does Brother want to be with?”

Lin Wang moved quickly this time. He directly pried Liu Linjia’s arms off, pushed him a meter away, and stepped back three or four times to stand between Chi Yuan and Liu Linjia before he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“No, nothing. You heard wrong.” Lin Wang turned to speak to Chi Yuan. Chi Yuan was already wearing makeup but had not changed his clothes. He walked silently like a cat, and Lin Wang had no idea how long he had been standing there.

Chi Yuan leaned against the hallway wall with his hands in his pockets. His gaze swept over the pale Liu Linjia for only a fraction of a second. He tilted his head and smiled directly at Lin Wang, the slight curve of his lips making Lin Wang’s heart turn cold.

Lin Wang walked up to Chi Yuan, looking at him from the same upward angle Liu Linjia had used. He appeared calm as he asked casually, “Using the restroom? I will wait for you here.”

Chi Yuan looked down at Lin Wang and breathed out two words, “Finding you.”

Lin Wang’s breathing hitched, and his fingers rubbed together unconsciously. “Then let us go back.”

Chi Yuan suddenly leaned down to Lin Wang’s ear. His eyes were fixed on the nearby Liu Linjia, his gaze cold. He whispered with a low laugh, “I came to see where Brother’s heart has drifted.”

Lin Wang wanted to say that he and Liu Linjia were completely innocent, but he swallowed the words. He truly did not know everything the original owner had done before he arrived.

The previous silence had made Liu Linjia think Lin Wang wanted to threaten him; the current silence made Chi Yuan certain that Lin Wang felt guilty.

A moist sensation touched his ear. Chi Yuan’s fingertips rested on Lin Wang’s wrist, rubbing gently a couple of times. There was a red mark there from Liu Linjia’s grip.

“Brother, come with me to change clothes.”

“Alright.”

The two figures walked away. Liu Linjia finally snapped out of his daze, leaning against the sink. He could not even begin to wonder how Lin Wang knew Chi Yuan.

He looked in the direction they had left with eyes full of alarm, his lips pale.

He thought Chi Yuan wanted to kill him just now.

“Is the dressing room this way?” Lin Wang was being pulled by the wrist by Chi Yuan, following him down another direction in the hallway.

Chi Yuan’s hand was very cold, and his grip was light, as if he might let go at any moment. Lin Wang had to exert his own strength to keep up, his heart hanging in suspense.

They were filming outdoors. The further they went, the more Lin Wang realized the direction was wrong. He asked again, “Chi Yuan, are you going the wrong way?”

Chi Yuan stopped at the door of a small storage room at the very end. He turned and looked down at Lin Wang. Under that gaze, Lin Wang slowly closed his mouth until Chi Yuan said, “Go in.”

He did not call him Brother. Lin Wang sensed something but still followed Chi Yuan’s lead and walked inside.

This appeared to be a temporary storage room filled with stacks of cardboard boxes and random cloth. It was pitch black inside with no lights. After the door closed with a click, Lin Wang could see nothing.

“Chi Yuan?” Losing his vision was difficult to adjust to. He reached forward but felt nothing.

Click, click, click. The sound of fingers tapping on the metal door in the cramped space was as clear as a heartbeat.

The sound echoed three times, and Lin Wang’s nerves tightened with each one.

He instinctively took half a step back. His shoe hit a cardboard box with a thud, startling him.

The unventilated room was so hot that his breathing felt thick. What made it even harder for Lin Wang was Chi Yuan’s silence. The person who had spent half a month lazily calling him Brother had suddenly turned cold. Even though he knew the person was right in front of him, Lin Wang could not touch or see him, leaving him feeling inexplicably awkward and stifled.

In just a dozen seconds, Lin Wang reflected on everything thoroughly, from the first word he spoke to Liu Linjia to allowing Liu Linjia to hug him and ask to get back together.

Get back together? Lin Wang felt that no matter what he said, he was in the wrong.

However, he could not let the tension continue; he had to solve the problem.

Lin Wang took two steps forward in the darkness. He stopped only when his hand touched the hem of Chi Yuan’s clothes. After a thought, he moved forward a bit more and said calmly, “What are we doing here? Are we not filming later?”

Chi Yuan always carried a faint floral scent that teased the sense of smell, making Lin Wang’s mind wander. At the moment he blinked, a cold fingertip suddenly pressed against his left eyelid, preventing him from blinking.

Long fingers spread across his cheek, stroking the soft skin with light pressure. They rubbed Lin Wang’s ear and eyes with an agonizingly slow speed.

Lin Wang’s breathing slowed uncontrollably. His eyeballs trembled under his eyelids, and he did not dare open them. His ear, rubbed red, began to feel hot. He opened his mouth: “Chi.”

The finger on his eye suddenly applied pressure. Lin Wang’s lips trembled, and the words got stuck in his throat.

“Did I allow you to speak?” Chi Yuan’s hand moved across the straight bridge of his nose to Lin Wang’s lips. His thumb pressed down on the lower lip, and his tone was unreadable. “You talk too much.”

Lin Wang swallowed dryly. His planned explanation died before it could be born. At times like this, Chi Yuan left him with no way to handle the situation. Tension had climbed to the tip of his heart, announcing its presence tremulously.

“Do you know your mistake?” Chi Yuan’s voice was low and calm. He held Lin Wang’s ear, making him hallucinate the sound of fingers tapping on the door, thumping heavily against his heart. In a daze, he forgot Chi Yuan’s rules.

“I,” before he could even start, the finger on his lips slid between his parted teeth and pressed against Lin Wang’s tongue.

Chi Yuan pressed down on the soft, moist area with ruthless force: “Do you not remember?”

Lin Wang wanted to bite down from the pain, but his jaw muscles were too tense to function. Physiological tears from the pain flowed from his eyes. Something was pulling at his soul again, controlling him as he lightly closed his lips, taking the finger in and nodding quietly and submissively.

Chi Yuan cupped Lin Wang’s face with one hand. The finger he withdrew was wet as he pressed it against Lin Wang’s jaw. “Since you like taking photos so much, have you ever taken any of yourself?”

The original owner had taken photos of Liu Linjia, but Lin Wang did not know that. He was truly being wronged and could only shake his head while frowning slightly.

From his angle, he could only see Chi Yuan’s blurred silhouette. The shadow leaning against the door seemed capable of pinning Lin Wang down and swallowing him whole. Lin Wang’s shoulders pressed back as his subconscious told him to run, but a deeper layer of instinct made him stand perfectly still, unable to move.

When Chi Yuan’s hand stroked down to his neck, Lin Wang’s body shivered. His memory honestly provided him with the most realistic fantasies. Lin Wang’s breath turned hot, and the sound of him swallowing was loud enough for him to close his eyes.

In the darkness, Lin Wang heard the sound of Chi Yuan’s hand rubbing against fabric. He pulled something out and pointed it directly at him. The moment the phone flash lit up, it captured Lin Wang’s lost and nervous expression.

Lin Wang briefly saw Chi Yuan’s deep red lips as they uttered words that made him instantly flush with heat.

“Strip,” Chi Yuan said.