Pretending Not to Love You [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 61

Chapter 61

The man nodded and said nothing. After all, few women would remain calm upon learning that their ex-boyfriend was GAY.

Zeng Xinyi didn’t know about the man’s sexual orientation. She only knew he had just returned from overseas, came from a wealthy family, and was the perfect candidate for her new boyfriend. Therefore, she deliberately spoke ill of Xiao Bojun and Zuo Qiu in front of him.

“That Xiao Bojun is absolutely despicable. He was with me but still thought about hooking up with Zuo Qiu. And that Zuo Qiu, he looks so sweet and innocent, but it turns out he’s just a hustler who sells his ass.”

When she was dating Xiao Bojun, Zeng Xinyi actually had a good impression of Zuo Qiu—he was handsome, smart, and considerate. She had even felt a little guilty for ignoring Zuo Qiu earlier due to her personal feelings. But now, hearing Zuo Qiu was also GAY, that guilt instantly turned into disgust. She felt Zuo Qiu’s previous innocence had all been a pretense.

This time, it was the man’s turn to be surprised. “Who did you say they were?”

Zeng Xinyi replied with a little astonishment, “Zuo Qiu, Xiao Bojun, the very popular Z.X duo recently.”

Zeng Xinyi actually found the question strange. The two had gained significant popularity recently due to the high box office success of the movie Fledgling. Everyone online and around her was discussing them. Most young people knew who they were, but Zeng Xinyi thought that since the man had just returned from abroad, it was normal for him not to recognize them, so she didn’t think much of it.

The man turned back to look at the hotel entrance again, his eyes full of interest. So, it was them!

…

Xiao Bojun didn’t care at all about running into his ex-girlfriend. Zuo Qiu, on the other hand, was relieved to see Zeng Xinyi with a possible boyfriend, feeling that she had quickly moved on from Xiao Bojun’s “bad” influence.

Ou Sheng had prepared a full evening of entertainment for the crew. After a lavish dinner, they headed straight for a KTV.

Since two of the people present were newcomers who had debuted as singers, Ou Sheng suggested they sing the first song. Zuo Qiu and Xiao Bojun didn’t hesitate, taking the microphones to perform a duet of the song “Us.”

After singing, the two didn’t hog the mic. They handed it over to others and sat down next to Ou Sheng.

Ou Sheng suddenly said, “I just had an idea.”

Zuo Qiu and Xiao Bojun both looked at him.

“I want to commission a song for this movie, a soundtrack piece, and have you two sing it.” Every film has some background music. Ou Sheng felt it would be very cool if their movie had its own unique song. He had friends who could write music, and with ready-made singers, it couldn’t be better.

Zuo Qiu looked at Xiao Bojun. In their duo, Xiao Bojun was the main vocalist, so it depended on his opinion.

Xiao Bojun looked back at Zuo Qiu and nodded. The two had reached a consensus.

…

The party ended at 11 PM. As soon as Zuo Qiu stepped out of the KTV, his phone rang. It was Zhao Zhixian. A call from Brother Zhao this late gave Zuo Qiu a bad feeling.

After the call, Zuo Qiu’s face was solemn.

He and Xiao Bojun were already in Guo Chen’s car. Seeing Zuo Qiu’s face grow more serious during the ten-minute call, Xiao Bojun asked him what was wrong.

Zuo Qiu put away his slightly warm phone and replied, “Brother Zhao said someone online exposed that the leads of the drama I Think I Love You are dating after filming together.”

When the post first appeared, it didn’t make much noise because many people thought it was promotion for the upcoming broadcast, a common industry tactic. But slowly, Zhao Zhixian realized that someone was guiding the narrative, linking the two “in-love” leads to Zuo Qiu and Xiao Bojun, and had even posted many slightly intimate photos of the two on set.

Due to the hit movie, the two had been receiving a lot of attention lately and appeared on the trending search list almost daily for various reasons. Therefore, the news immediately attracted the attention of many netizens, who quickly turned into ‘Sherlock Holmes’ to find proof and verify the rumor’s authenticity.

After understanding the whole situation, Xiao Bojun was silent for a moment before directly calling his older brother.

“Bro, help me investigate someone. Male, mid-twenties, about $175 text{ cm}$ tall, a sneaky face, and a black tear mole under his right eye. Focus your investigation on the old man Tang’s side.”

After running into Zeng Xinyi, who knew some of their secrets, this afternoon, and then getting into trouble tonight, Xiao Bojun had to be suspicious. Furthermore, the man with Zeng Xinyi had a seven- or eight-tenths resemblance to Tang Lingqu. Xiao Bojun hadn’t heard about his son, so he guessed the man was Tang Lingqu’s nephew or something similar.

“No need to investigate. The person you’re describing is Tang Lingqu’s son. He’s been abroad for over twenty years and only returned half a month ago.”

Half a month ago, Tang Lingqu had sent invitations to almost all respectable families in the city, holding a grand banquet to formally introduce his son who had returned after completing his studies. Xiao Bailin received the invitation but didn’t go, but he knew everything relevant. The physical description Xiao Bojun just gave matched the man exactly. Before this, not a single person in the city knew that Tang Lingqu, who was known to have only one daughter, actually had a son.

Xiao Bojun frowned slightly. “I saw Zeng Xinyi with him today.”

Xiao Bailin understood immediately and said he would investigate as soon as possible before hanging up the phone.

“You suspect Sister Xinyi?” Zuo Qiu asked doubtfully after listening to the entire call next to Xiao Bojun.

Xiao Bojun glanced at Zuo Qiu. “She wasn’t even willing to greet you, and you still call her ‘Sister’?”

Xiao Bojun was actually more petty than Zuo Qiu. Zuo Qiu had politely prepared to greet her, but the woman pretended not to recognize him. Although Xiao Bojun didn’t say anything at the time, he was still somewhat resentful.

Zuo Qiu rubbed his nose, saying nothing. He felt deep down that they owed Zeng Xinyi a little. Moreover, she was meeting her ex-boyfriend—and they had broken up unhappily—while with her current boyfriend. In such a situation, few girls would greet an ex-boyfriend’s friend with a pleasant face. Zuo Qiu felt Zeng Xinyi hadn’t done anything wrong, and he didn’t care much, but to his surprise, Xiao Bojun cared more than he did.

Xiao Bojun’s expression told him what Zuo Qiu was thinking. In the car, completely ignoring Guo Chen, he took Zuo Qiu’s hand and said, “If anyone owes her an apology, it’s me. It has nothing to do with you. I just don’t like her taking it out on you and giving you a hard time.”

Ultimately, Xiao Bojun couldn’t stand to see Zuo Qiu suffer even the slightest grievance.

Zuo Qiu squeezed Xiao Bojun’s hand without speaking. He understood Xiao Bojun’s intent and appreciated his feelings, but they were a unit now, and he was willing to share the blame for past mistakes.

Not mentioning Zeng Xinyi again, Zuo Qiu got back to the main point. “Who did your brother say that man is?”

“Tang Lingqu’s son.”

Tang Lingqu was the owner of Lingqu Entertainment. Lingqu was already on bad terms with Bailu. Now that his son might know about their relationship, Zuo Qiu also began to suspect that the online leaks were the work of Lingqu.

Both were lost in thought and didn’t speak. Silence fell in the car.

…

After returning to the hotel, Zuo Qiu scrolled through Weibo and saw many ‘super topics’ speculating whether they were brothers or a couple. Some fans were even publicly asking on their duo’s Weibo whether they were dating. Some fans commented that the two loving people looked perfect together, while others said they couldn’t accept it and hoped it wasn’t true. Of course, some extreme fans directly started cursing, telling the “fucking homos to get out of the entertainment industry.”

Zuo Qiu tossed his phone onto the bed and started thinking about whether they should just come out. Watching Ou Sheng and Cheng Ye go out together in public without any hesitation made him inevitably envious. He and Xiao Bojun were just dating, just like everyone else. They weren’t stealing, robbing, or breaking the law. Why should they hide?

Thinking about his so-called career, Zuo Qiu was already philosophical about it. The entertainment industry was full of examples of people being hailed by the masses today and thrown into the cold palace tomorrow. Who knew if they would be instantly condemned if they became extremely successful and then came out? After all, not everyone was as lucky as Brother Sheng and Brother Ye.

So, coming out sooner or later wouldn’t make too much difference. Perhaps coming out when they weren’t extremely popular might even have less of an impact.

When Xiao Bojun finished showering and got into bed, Zuo Qiu brought it up. People would find out eventually, so it was better for them to announce it themselves than let netizens keep guessing.

Xiao Bojun listened, said nothing, and lit a cigarette.

Zuo Qiu, who didn’t get an answer, couldn’t fight off his sleepiness and fell asleep. He didn’t know if Xiao Bojun had made up his mind.

…

But the next day, things took a turn. Late at night, at 2 AM, Dai Ni confessed her relationship with Zhu Mao on Weibo.

“I originally didn’t want to announce it so soon, but everyone’s imagination is just out of this world. I thought, if I don’t admit it now, will you start guessing that Director Zhao’s girlfriend is actually the dog guarding the set (Director Zhao, I’m sorry, I’m just using an example. Please don’t take offense, my apologies!). And why didn’t I want to admit it? Because I was afraid my dad would have a heart attack. Sorry, Dad, even if you don’t agree, I still love him @ZhuMao”

This Weibo post was trending at number one early that morning. Everyone had been guessing who was dating whom on the set. Now, Dai Ni had proactively stepped forward, confirming their relationship and implying that the guesses about Zuo Qiu and Xiao Bojun were wild speculation. She even put a spin on her relationship, framing it as “an unapproved but persistent love.” Netizens were instantly distracted, and many supported her and Zhu Mao, even going to Dai Ni’s father’s Weibo to plead on their behalf.

Zuo Qiu felt complicated seeing the many fans apologizing to them in the comments, saying they had wrongly accused them.

After breakfast, Zuo Qiu called Dai Ni.

“Thank you,” Zuo Qiu said sincerely.

Dai Ni chuckled on the phone. “I should be thanking you two. You won’t believe it, but my follower count jumped by a few million after yesterday’s post. My manager said people are even looking for me to endorse products now.”

Zuo Qiu wasn’t fooled by her forced cheerful laugh and asked directly, “What about your family?”

Dai Ni fell silent. She had both good news and bad news that morning. The bad news was that her father had announced a ban on Zhu Mao. Any TV advertisements or dramas featuring Zhu Mao were not allowed to be broadcast on H Channel. H Channel was one of the top-rated satellite TV stations in the country. Eight out of ten dramas or variety shows broadcast there became huge hits, making it a badge of honor for many artists to appear on H Channel.

Her father was truly ruthless. This move wouldn’t hurt her much—at most, she’d retire from the entertainment industry, as she had enough money to squander for decades—but using it against Zhu Mao was toxic. Dai Ni decided not to tell Zuo Qiu, lest he feel guilty.

“It’s fine. It’s not like my dad and I haven’t been like this for a day or two. It’ll get better after a while.”

Zuo Qiu still looked worried after hanging up. He felt the situation was not as optimistic as Dai Ni made it out to be.

Xiao Bojun was also on the phone, speaking to none other than Zhu Mao.

“Chen Song will contact you tomorrow. He will discuss the specific details of the contract with you.”

Xiao Bojun had directly learned from Zhao Zhixian about Dai Ni’s father’s order to blacklist Zhu Mao. The directive officially only applied to H Channel, but many directors and other TV stations who were on good terms with H Channel would reject Zhu Mao to some extent to curry favor with the channel director. Thus, Zhu Mao’s future prospects were bleak.

Moreover, Xiao Bojun had previously discussed signing Zhu Mao with Xiao Bailin, but since Zhu Mao’s abilities weren’t outstanding in all areas, a contract hadn’t been finalized. Now that Zhu Mao and Dai Ni had taken the heat for him and Zuo Qiu, Xiao Bojun couldn’t just sit back and let them face ruin. Signing the contract was a certainty, but the announcement would be subtle, as this period was too sensitive.

Zhu Mao on the other end of the line was silent for a moment before saying, “When Xiao Ni and I decided to do this, it wasn’t to pressure you into signing me. We just feel you’re good friends, and when you’re in trouble and we can help, we should.”

Their public announcement would have a much smaller impact than a public announcement from Xiao Bojun and Zuo Qiu. Furthermore, they were in a position to help with this particular situation. If it were a different scenario, they might truly be powerless despite their intentions.

Xiao Bojun had actually considered having Dai Ni and Zhu Mao distract the public last night, but he had dismissed the idea quickly. Doing so would be forcing Dai Ni to openly defy her father, and Xiao Bojun knew Zuo Qiu wouldn’t want to put Dai Ni in a difficult position. So, he had scrapped the idea, planning to find a more attention-grabbing story to divert public focus, as he had done before.

Yet, to think that these two people, whom they had only known for a few months, were willing to go this far for them—Xiao Bojun inwardly promised that Bailu would never shortchange them in the future.

After hanging up, Xiao Bojun saw Zuo Qiu looking dejected and comforted him. “Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to Zhu Mao.” H Channel might blackball him publicly, but he would find Zhu Mao work with Z Channel, which was H Channel’s rival. If he lacked resources, he would prioritize Bailu’s resources for him. He refused to believe that one H Channel could truly cause Zhu Mao’s career to collapse.

Zuo Qiu breathed a sigh of relief knowing Bailu had signed Zhu Mao, but he still felt uneasy, sensing that the matter wouldn’t end here.

What Xiao Bojun didn’t tell Zuo Qiu was that he knew from his brother that the mastermind behind the incident was indeed Lingqu, and Tang Lingqu’s son was the instigator, with this incident being only the first step of their warm-up.

Xiao Bojun could roughly guess when their real move would be. He counted on his fingers. They didn’t have much time, so he had to start preparing urgently.

Looking back and seeing Zuo Qiu lost in thought, Xiao Bojun was worried he would overthink things. So, he pulled him out the door while distracting him.

“I saw on the schedule that you don’t have many scenes today. After we wrap up this afternoon, let’s go to that bar and eat luroufan.”

Ou Sheng had mentioned it was delicious a few days ago, but they hadn’t gone. Since they had time today, they could try it.

Zuo Qiu’s mind was indeed diverted. “Sounds good.” Ou Sheng occasionally recommended good food on Weibo. Zuo Qiu noticed many fans would go out of their way to try it, and he heard the taste was excellent. Zuo Qiu always trusted Ou Sheng’s taste. If Brother Sheng said the luroufan was delicious, it must be.

“Let’s go to the same private room as last time.”

That room was quite good and offered excellent privacy. Zuo Qiu nodded.

“That room has a lot of supplies. Let’s try them out tonight,” Xiao Bojun added, leaning close to Zuo Qiu’s ear.

Zuo Qiu remembered the various strange things he had seen in that room last time and immediately refused without a second thought. “In your dreams!”

To express his strong reluctance, Zuo Qiu took a large stride forward, refusing to discuss the matter further.

Xiao Bojun, however, revealed a determined smile behind him. As long as you’re willing to go, I will definitely make that ‘dream’ come true!