I Was Forced into the Limelight After Pairing with a Top Star - Chapter 9

Yu Qi threw a phone number at Lin Wang before she left. “Xu Wenyang, Chi Yuan’s life assistant. He follows along for all these activities. If anything comes up, look for him.”

Lin Wang noted the number, and a short while later, he received a friend request on WeChat with the note “Xiao Xu.”

After he accepted the request, Xu Wenyang sent over a schedule. He mentioned that Chi Yuan had a magazine shoot in three days, and Lin Wang would need to accompany them in the van.

It was a simple itinerary that did not have much to do with Lin Wang directly; he would essentially just sit in the car and wait at the hotel for a few days. Lin Wang did not make any special preparations and spent the next few days as he usually did.

On the morning of the departure, however, Lin Wang realized that there were quite a few troublesome details.

Xu Wenyang was only twenty-two but had already been Chi Yuan’s assistant for three years. He was not very tall and had large eyes, looking quite sharp. Since he did not have his fingerprints registered to enter the villa, Lin Wang had to open the door for him. Upon meeting, Xu Wenyang immediately bowed and greeted him as “Brother Lin,” then peered inside to ask, “Is Brother awake yet?”

Lin Wang was amused by the bow and stepped aside to let him in. “Your brother is having a bit of a hard time. It is only six o’clock.”

“Oh, I called him yesterday. We have to leave at six-forty because the shooting location is quite far. Brother Lin, you can just call me Xiao Xu,” Xu Wenyang chattered as he walked upstairs with Lin Wang. Standing outside Chi Yuan’s door, he took a deep breath and knocked softly. “Brother? Are you up?”

Lin Wang could not help but laugh. “Are you calling a mosquito? You are being too quiet.”

“His morning temper,” Xu Wenyang whispered, pressing his ear to the door and winking at Lin Wang to signal him to be quiet and not provoke Chi Yuan.

“Watch this,” Lin Wang said, patting Xu Wenyang on the shoulder and pushing the door open. When there was urgent business, he did not care about anyone’s temper.

Xu Wenyang was startled and did not dare enter, staying outside and considerately closing the door behind Lin Wang.

Chi Yuan looked quite innocent while sleeping, lying on his side and usually clutching a pillow. His hair was soft, with a single stray lock often sticking up at the back. When asleep, his lips were lightly pursed, and his pajamas were always unbuttoned at the top, revealing two clavicle piercings on the left side of his collarbone.

Lin Wang used to think that piercings, whether on the collarbone, lips, or tongue, looked painful and not particularly attractive. He was traditional and felt that body piercings were somewhat informal. But on Chi Yuan, Lin Wang found them quite alluring.

People truly are visual creatures. Lin Wang did not consider himself superficial, but he had to admit that looking at Chi Yuan felt different than looking at anyone else. One was beautiful, and the other loved to look.

“Xiao Xu is here. Get up and get dressed,” Lin Wang said. His way of waking people up was not gentle; it was just a standard call, similar to how his mother used to wake him up as a child.

Chi Yuan was sleeping near the edge of the bed, his fingertips brushing against Lin Wang’s leg. He was a light sleeper and had woken up the moment Lin Wang entered the room, but he did not move even after Lin Wang spoke several times. Only when Lin Wang nudged his shoulder did he let out a lazy “Mm” and complained, “It is hot.”

Lin Wang had accumulated plenty of experience waking him over the past half-month. He knew not to listen to what Chi Yuan said; if you wanted him to do something, you had to take action. When he was drowsy, you could move him however you liked.

“How is it hot? The air conditioner is on.” Lin Wang grabbed Chi Yuan’s arm, trying to pull him up into a sitting position. Chi Yuan opened his eyes slightly and leaned his chin on Lin Wang’s shoulder, deliberately using his weight. Due to the disparity in strength, Lin Wang could not lift him and instead lost his balance, falling onto the bed with him.

The two of them landed on the bed with a loud thud. Chi Yuan’s lips brushed against Lin Wang’s ear, whether intentionally or not.

Lin Wang’s nerves, which had been quiet for a long time, suddenly tensed without warning. His Adam’s apple rolled, and he began to feel hot as well.

According to the contract, Chi Yuan could do whatever he wanted, but Lin Wang felt he could not let it interfere with professional business. He straightened his upper body and patted Chi Yuan’s head as if comforting a child. “Work first.”

Chi Yuan lay beneath Lin Wang, his phoenix eyes half-closed. He turned his head, his lips brushing the inner side of Lin Wang’s forearm. The emotion in his dark pupils was murky as he asked seriously, “Brother, do you want to do it?”

Lin Wang was stunned for a second by Chi Yuan’s preemptive strike. In that second, Chi Yuan’s knee squeezed in between his legs, pressing against him. He mimicked Lin Wang’s tone in a low voice: “We cannot. We still have to work.”

Lin Wang had also just woken up and had not eaten yet. Being kissed and rubbed like this caused his body to react, even if his mind was not focused on it.

It was a natural occurrence, but Chi Yuan’s words made it seem as though Lin Wang spent all day thinking about such things. His face burned with shame.

His ears were red and hot, and his physical reaction became more apparent, but Lin Wang held his composure. No one could endure like he could. He stood up as if nothing had happened, straightened his trousers, and acted like an older brother. “If you are not sleepy, get up. Look at the time.”

Chi Yuan did not move. He remained on the bed in his disheveled pajamas, staring directly at Lin Wang. A faint line of a tattoo was visible on his exposed back. Those phoenix eyes were as perfect as a painting, looking at him with a hint of suppressed arrogance.

Lin Wang’s gaze flickered and his face felt hot under that stare. Feeling guilty, he finally surrendered. He sighed, covered his eyes, and said, “Fine. I think about it every day. Just get up already.”

Chi Yuan let out a lazy yawn before getting out of bed and heading toward the bathroom. As he passed Lin Wang, he leaned in and whispered, “Brother, do you want to go first?”

Lin Wang pushed him toward the door by the shoulder. “Forget it. I do not need to. Hurry up.”

Chi Yuan went in to wash his face. Lin Wang, unable to leave comfortably at the moment, stood in the bedroom waiting for him, listening to Chi Yuan laughing inside for quite a while.

Lin Wang, feeling restless, pulled at his trousers and sighed. The kid’s voice sounded damn good even when he was laughing; he was truly meant to be a singer.

After that ordeal, neither of them had a peaceful breakfast. They sat side-by-side in the van, eating the breakfast Xu Wenyang had packed.

“Brother Lin, you have no idea. Our Brother, wait, Brother Lin is older than him,” Xu Wenyang chattered on. “Anyway, Boss Chi has to shoot for this magazine for three days. This is a fashion resource others would beg for, and they contacted us voluntarily. If the designer were not friends with Auntie Jiang, we might not have even agreed.”

Lin Wang ate quickly. He put down his lunch box and asked, “Auntie Jiang?”

Chi Yuan was slowly drinking soy milk. “My mother.”

Lin Wang recalled Doctor Qu saying something about Chi Yuan’s mother before: “Your mother will not be happy if you do this.” Lin Wang empathized; if his own son had such a special source of inspiration, he would not be able to rest easy either.

They arrived at noon. Lin Wang felt stiff after the long ride and wanted to get out for a walk, but Xu Wenyang stopped him.

This was not a secret trip. Fans had heard the news a week ago, and now the shooting location was surrounded by nearly a thousand people waiting to see Chi Yuan. Fans had been waiting all morning; if Lin Wang went out now, he would be trampled.

“The car cannot get through,” the driver said, looking at the rearview mirror.

“Can we squeeze through?” Xu Wenyang asked, while already calling the magazine staff. “Security is coming to meet us. We entered through the wrong entrance.”

Outside, people were already screaming “Chi Yuan! Chi Yuan!” Lin Wang heard several voices going hoarse. In addition to the high-pitched screams of young girls, there were actually quite a few male voices.

Before getting out of the car, both Lin Wang and Chi Yuan put on masks and hats. Chi Yuan also wore black sunglasses.

Since Chi Yuan planned to take Lin Wang on a variety show anyway, he was not afraid of being photographed together. As Lin Wang followed him out, he truly experienced what it meant to be a superstar.

Even with a dozen security guards, they could not stop the waves of people. Chi Yuan stopped after a few steps and began to sign autographs for the fans nearby.

The man who was slow to wake and eat was surprisingly fast at writing. Lin Wang stood beside him, shielding him from the sun with an umbrella while Xu Wenyang repeatedly shouted for fans to maintain order and stay safe. Lin Wang’s ears actually hurt from the screaming.

While things were going smoothly, a fan suddenly shouted, “Lin Wang?”

The surrounding area was immediately filled with the sound of cameras clicking. Lin Wang neither denied it nor nodded, but he was impressed that someone could recognize him even when he was wrapped up like a mummy.

Chi Yuan signed for half an hour before putting down the pen. The fans were anxious to follow him, and as they pushed forward, the ones in the front lost their balance. Seeing them about to fall, Lin Wang, Chi Yuan, and several security guards stepped forward to catch them.

“Stay still,” Chi Yuan said, taking off his hat and placing it on one fan’s head. He stood at the front of the crowd, his voice lazy. “Do not move.”

Lin Wang saw the young girl clutching her head, nearly moved to tears. The crowd came to a halt, obediently watching Chi Yuan and cheering.

Suddenly, Lin Wang felt a sharp pain in his chest. The young man he was supporting pushed him away, ignoring his own unsteady footing, and screamed at Chi Yuan: “Ahhh! Chi Yuan, I love you!”

“Hey,” Lin Wang said, grabbing him again to steady him. “He loves you too. Be careful.”

Whether the young man heard him or not, he only screamed louder.

Lin Wang, busy looking after the fans, unknowingly drifted away from the security team. Suddenly, his collar tightened. He was about to swat the hand away when he caught a familiar floral scent. He took a step back and let the force pull him back into the group.

Chi Yuan leaned in and whispered something. Lin Wang did not hear it clearly, but he was pushed inside by Chi Yuan’s hand on his shoulder.

Finally sitting in the dressing room, both Lin Wang and Xu Wenyang were drenched in sweat. Xu Wenyang unscrewed a bottle of water and handed it to Chi Yuan, then did the same for Lin Wang. “Brother Lin, you will be this famous sooner or later.”

“I will take your word for it,” Lin Wang gasped. This was much more exhausting than working on a construction site.

The dressing room was air-conditioned, and Xu Wenyang held a small fan to cool Chi Yuan down. “Brother, we have to go to makeup soon. They want the sunset scene this afternoon. About Brother Lin…”

“He is coming with us,” Chi Yuan said, tilting his head to drink water. His black T-shirt was slightly damp, and the sweat on his neck accentuated his clavicle piercings. His Adam’s apple rolled as he swallowed, drawing everyone’s eyes.

Yu Qi had said to ask Xu Wenyang for anything, but Lin Wang did not truly treat himself like a master. He quickly understood the duties of an assistant. He carried the items Chi Yuan needed and followed behind with Xu Wenyang. He watched Chi Yuan get his makeup done in silence, and listened as the photographer and designer discussed the concept and shooting details with him.

Chi Yuan had a completely different aura when he was working. There was no oppressive tension from their intimate moments, nor his usual lethargy. Current Chi Yuan was serious and professional. He occasionally lowered his eyes to offer suggestions or provide an analysis of the designer’s words.

Lin Wang, a layman, did not understand the artistic aspects, but he could feel the aura Chi Yuan emitted. It filled the small studio, making everything around him feel more valuable.

Midway through, Lin Wang went to the restroom. On his way back, he ran into someone he was not entirely surprised to see.

“Lin Wang? It really is you,” Liu Linjia said, washing his hands. He looked Lin Wang up and down, trying to guess why he was there. “Do you? Did you know Chi Yuan was coming?”

Lin Wang wiped his hands with a disposable paper towel, let out a short laugh, and looked at him calmly. “Yeah. I just guessed.”