I Was Forced into the Limelight After Pairing with a Top Star - Chapter 12

The shooting process was more tedious than expected; it was after eight in the evening by the time Lin Wang followed Chi Yuan back to the hotel.

Since there was more work the next day, Chi Yuan was quite cooperative. He ate his meal, and after watching him wash up and lie down, Lin Wang finally stepped out of the room.

Xu Wenyang was waiting right by the door. Seeing Lin Wang come out, he hurried over and whispered, “Asleep?”

Lin Wang nodded. “I think so. His eyes are closed.”

“The weather is not so hot now, so he should sleep better. It will be even better in the winter,” Xu Wenyang said.

Lin Wang let out a short laugh but said nothing, thinking to himself that Chi Yuan was the exact opposite of a hibernating bear.

The night was pleasant and cool, so Lin Wang wanted to take a stroll downstairs before sleeping. Xu Wenyang, eager to build a better rapport with Lin Wang, decided to follow along.

As they headed down, Xu Wenyang pulled out his phone and opened Weibo. “Brother Lin, have you seen the trending searches? You are on fire today.”

Lin Wang truly had not noticed. If he had not transmigrated into the body of a minor actor, he would almost never check Weibo’s trending topics. “How am I on fire?”

Xu Wenyang handed the phone to Lin Wang, looking quite excited. “Look, it has been on the hot search list all day and still has not dropped. It was even at the top earlier.”

Lin Wang took a look.

#Lin Wang and Chi Yuan Sharing a Car for an Event was currently ranked ninth. Below it were various related tags: #Lin Wang Chi Yuan, #Chi Yuan Being Leeched, #Who is Lin Wang’s Sugar Daddy, #Lin Wang’s Background.

Lin Wang looked at the entry about the sugar daddy and rubbed his nose. In a certain sense, Chi Yuan was indeed his patron.

Providing resources, paying off his debts, giving him a house to live in; there was no relationship more standard for a kept man than this.

“Do not be afraid, Brother Lin. The studio is controlling the public opinion, saying you are just good friends sharing a ride,” Xu Wenyang said, accustomed to the industry’s ways, trying to comfort him. “The two of you will inevitably attend events together in the future. They will get used to it after the initial shock.”

Lin Wang was a grown man; he was not going to be scared by something like this. He pushed open the hotel lobby door to let Xu Wenyang out first and asked casually, “Does Chi Yuan hate waking up during the summer?”

Xu Wenyang walked a few steps faster to get outside. “I have followed him for three years, and it is like this every year. Brother Yu does not even arrange events in the summer because he knows for sure that Brother Chi cannot wake up.”

Lin Wang hummed in response. In his memory of the original novel, this detail was never described.

Ultimately, it was just a novel with limited descriptions. Only after transmigrating did he realize that the characters in this book were living, breathing people, no different from those in his original world.

Full and real.

Lin Wang felt his pocket. He was used to smoking when he was deep in thought, but there were rules in the villa. Chi Yuan disliked the smell of smoke, so Lin Wang had inadvertently quit a habit he had held for nearly ten years.

Having only known each other for a day, the two were not very close. Their only common topic was Chi Yuan. As they talked about the new album, Xu Wenyang patted Lin Wang’s shoulder heavily, telling him to keep it up. Then he said with a grin, “Brother Lin, you are really nothing like what I imagined. I feel close to you, like you are a father figure. Mature! Steady!”

Lin Wang was amused by the kid and gave him a playful kick to the back of the knee. “You little brat, I am not that old. I am only twenty-five, still young.”

When Liu Linjia blocked Lin Wang’s path, both were momentarily stunned.

Lin Wang was the first to react. He said to Xu Wenyang, “We need to talk. You go back first and check if your brother is sleeping soundly.”

Xu Wenyang, being very perceptive, nodded and withdrew.

There were very few people outside the hotel at this hour. In such an open space, they did not have to worry about eavesdroppers, and more importantly, it was a public area where any trouble would be easily noticed.

Lin Wang stood his ground. Once Xu Wenyang was out of sight, he said, “I do not have the photos. Everything I said before was a lie. I am sorry.”

Liu Linjia was at the bottom of the steps while Lin Wang stood above him, hands casually in his pockets, looking entirely composed. “Let what happened years ago stay in the past. I have forgotten, and you should forget too.”

Liu Linjia bit his lip. The current Lin Wang felt like a stranger to him. The schemes he had planned seemed impossible to carry out while looking at him. He asked, “How can I believe you?”

Lin Wang shook his head. As he smiled, he thought of Chi Yuan asking him in a low voice if he had ever taken photos. After a pause, he said, “You just have to trust me. I have no way to prove it. Or would you like to search me? That is fine too.”

Given Liu Linjia’s relationship with the original owner, Lin Wang figured the man might actually know where certain things were hidden.

“How could I search you? If you hid them, where would I even look?” Liu Linjia hesitated for a few seconds, his expression complicated. He finally asked, “Lin Wang, you and Chi Yuan.”

Lin Wang watched him quietly without saying a word. After a brief standoff, Liu Linjia backed down first. He lowered his head and whispered, “I understand. Goodnight.”

Lin Wang hummed. “Goodnight.”

After going upstairs, Lin Wang stood outside his door for a moment. After some thought, he pulled out his phone and typed while pushing the door open.

In the room separated only by a wall, Chi Yuan’s phone chimed.

The person who was supposed to be sleeping soundly opened his eyes. He reached out a long arm to pick up the phone, propped up his chin, and clicked the message.

“Lin Wang: Liu Linjia is gone. I did not find any photos. Go to sleep.”

A low laugh escaped Chi Yuan’s lips. He stared at the screen for a while and sent a reply.

Lin Wang took a shower. By the time he came out drying his hair, more than ten minutes had passed. His nicotine cravings were acting up, so he had a candy stick in his mouth. He was setting his alarm when he saw Chi Yuan’s message.

“Chi Yuan: Sleepy, tired, cannot sleep.”

Lin Wang let out a snort. He had never done a magazine shoot before, but after watching Chi Yuan change clothes all day, he saw that the man looked good just standing there. It did not look that exhausting to him.

Despite his thoughts, Lin Wang’s words remained soothing.

“Lin Wang: Cannot sleep? How about I sing you a song?”

He was not confident enough to sing for a professional singer; he was just teasing him. He did not expect Chi Yuan to reply with a “Mm,” followed two seconds later by “I am listening.” This completely cornered Lin Wang.

Lin Wang’s singing was not out of tune; it was actually quite good for an ordinary person. But compared to Chi Yuan, it was better not to compare. If he did, he would be too embarrassed to speak.

Since he had suggested it, it would be poor sportsmanship to back out now. Lin Wang pressed the record button. He did not overthink the song choice and, after a two-second pause, casually hummed a Russian song he used to like. He felt the slow pace was suitable for sleeping.

“Lin Wang: Шаг за 20, Руки мокрые, Мне не хватит, ни сил ни локонов волос.”

After singing for a minute, Lin Wang hit send. He felt a bit shy afterward, wondering what score Teacher Chi would give his amateur performance.

Lin Wang rolled over, feeling like a student who had not yet graduated, waiting for a reply with a bit of trepidation.

After a full three or four minutes, Lin Wang finally received a reply. Chi Yuan sent a voice message, saying a single word in a lazy, tired voice: “Sleepy.”

Lin Wang put down his phone and laughed for a long time. Whether it sounded good or not, it had achieved the desired effect.

The next morning at 6:10 AM, Lin Wang woke up before his alarm went off. Xu Wenyang had arranged things well: Chi Yuan’s makeup was scheduled for 7:30 AM, meaning they had to leave the hotel by 7:10 AM.

Because he did not trust Chi Yuan to wake up, Xu Wenyang had persuaded Lin Wang to set six consecutive alarms on Chi Yuan’s phone from 6:00 to 6:30 AM.

After Lin Wang washed up and got ready, he pushed open his door and saw Xu Wenyang crouching suspiciously by Chi Yuan’s door.

Lin Wang rubbed his stiff neck and walked over. “What are you doing? You have the key card, so why are you not going in?”

Xu Wenyang looked filled with self-doubt. “Brother Lin, why is there no sound yet? It is 6:30 AM; even the sixth alarm should have gone off by now.”

Ever since Lin Wang had seen him forcibly drag Chi Yuan out of the room once, Lin Wang had become a god in Xu Wenyang’s eyes.

Now that the god was standing before him, Xu Wenyang did not even want to think for himself. “Brother Lin, why don’t you go in and check?”

Lin Wang took the key card, pressed it against the door, and yawned. “I have to ask, how did you all wake him up before I was here? Did you just let him sleep until the sun hit his backside?”

“Not quite,” Xu Wenyang said, peeking through the crack in the door. “When you were not here, I would go in wearing a level-three helmet. That morning temper is no joke. For big events, Brother Yu has to come personally to beg him.”

Lin Wang pushed the door open, entered with him, and said with a smile, “I truly cannot imagine it.”

Chi Yuan was still sleeping, and he was sleeping very deeply. When Lin Wang reached out to nudge him, he saw the phone by the pillow. Assuming Chi Yuan had just turned off the alarms, he did not pay it much mind and patted Chi Yuan’s shoulder. “It is 6:30 AM. If you get up now, you can still eat.”

Boss Chi, whom Xu Wenyang claimed required a helmet to face, rubbed his pillow. After ten seconds, he opened his eyes. Lin Wang struck while the iron was hot, half-holding and half-dragging him up to lean against the headboard.

Xu Wenyang quickly brought over the clothes Chi Yuan needed to wear and whispered, “I will go order breakfast,” before leaving.

Chi Yuan woke up for another two minutes before grabbing Lin Wang’s arm to stand up and wash his face.

Xu Wenyang had eaten early. Lin Wang and Chi Yuan sat together for a hurried breakfast and rushed to the shooting site the moment they put down their bowls.

The shooting process went as smoothly as expected. Chi Yuan’s professionalism was beyond doubt, and Lin Wang spent another day admiring the view from the side.

When he was free, Lin Wang watched instructional videos. He sent the acting techniques he had figured out to his teacher and took notes on the teacher’s suggestions. During this time, he had recorded dozens of pages of notes in his memos.

As they stayed busy, three days passed in the blink of an eye. Before they left, the designer gave Chi Yuan a set of clothes he had complimented once. The clothes looked great on Chi Yuan, and Lin Wang found it quite refreshing.

Xu Wenyang packed them into a suitcase as if it were routine, showing off to Lin Wang. “We cannot even collect them all. People give him things every time we go out. Brother Lin, once you have seen it enough, you will not find it rare anymore. I will tidy things up when we get back.”

A couple of days ago, Xu Wenyang had said the weather was cooling down, but as soon as they got home, the temperature made a u-turn. It remained sweltering and humid for several days. Lin Wang himself felt like he could not catch his breath, while Chi Yuan stayed in the air-conditioned room from morning until night without moving.

The stifling weather lasted until the day before a luxury jewelry endorsement event, when it finally poured with rain.

It rained continuously from the afternoon until the next morning, knocking all the roses in the yard to the ground. Lin Wang could smell the fragrance the moment he pushed open the window.

The sky cleared up, revealing a transparent, bright blue color.

Lin Wang took a long breath as he stepped out. The cool air, carrying the scent of earth, rushed into his nose, making him feel incredibly refreshed.

This time, Xu Wenyang carried a large backpack. On the van, he kept moving things around to organize them.

Lin Wang sat in the back row with Chi Yuan. Watching the chaos in the passenger seat, he asked, “What did you pack? Why is the bag so big?”

“I cannot find the power banks! I remember I brought four! Where did they go?” Xu Wenyang scratched his head, talking a mile a minute. “Brother Lin, do you think I have amnesia?”

Lin Wang said, “Why did you bring so many power banks? I came out with a full charge this time; it is not going to shut down.”

“It is not many. Brother’s phone battery is failing. During the last event, it was fully charged at night but dead by morning. He did not even hear the alarm. Ah, found them!” Xu Wenyang pulled out a small one and turned to ask Chi Yuan, “Brother, want to charge?”

Chi Yuan lifted his eyelids and glanced at him. He leaned his head onto Lin Wang’s shoulder and closed his eyes again.

Xu Wenyang was spooked by that look. Holding the power bank, he did not know whether to charge it or not. He kept asking Lin Wang with his eyes: “What is the situation, Brother Lin? Did I make a mistake somewhere?”

Lin Wang did not understand either. The weight on his shoulder was quite heavy. He adjusted himself and teased him with mouth movements: “Did you step onto the car with your left foot first?”