The Beautiful but Obscure Star Is Targeted by a Scheming Movie Star - Chapter 10

“Your hearing is quite good,” Tang Jingran said, stepping back slightly with his arms crossed as he looked up at the man who was half a head taller than him.

Only now could Gong Yingxiao carefully observe Tang Jingran’s expression. He looked him over thoroughly, and only after seeing that his emotions had stabilized did he feel slightly relieved.

“Mm,” Gong Yingxiao let out a low laugh. “I am in very good health.”

“It seems you were prepared long ago.”

“Knowing oneself and knowing one’s enemy is the way to victory in a hundred battles.” Tang Jingran gave a mirthless smile. “I imagine Teacher Gong understands this principle much better than I do.”

“You did well, but remember not to put yourself in danger next time.”

“Mm.” Tang Jingran thought back to the injured Siamese cat and felt his interest wane. Although he appeared calm and indifferent on the surface, his mood was actually quite terrible.

He didn’t want to take his anger out on anyone, so at this moment, he just wanted to head back to the dormitory and lie down on his bed.

“I still have things to do, I’ll be going first,” Tang Jingran said with a smile. As he walked past the man, his wrist was suddenly caught by a dry hand.

Irritated, Tang Jingran turned around, intending to shake the other man off, but he froze when he saw his movements. “Let go—”

“I noticed you’re always wearing a bracelet.” Gong Yingxiao gripped the other’s wrist and placed a plain black hand-woven cord into his palm. “A gift for reaching fifty thousand followers on Weibo.”

Tang Jingran stared blankly at the black cord on his left wrist. The two ends were fastened with iron buttons, and the body of the cord consisted of two separate, textured, round lines.

The red string on his left wrist was a safety charm his orphanage mother had sought from a temple when he was a child. He had been frail and constantly sick back then, and his orphanage mother had been heartbroken.

She had traveled alone to a temple high in the mountains to pray. Perhaps her sincerity had moved the heavens, as he truly did stop falling ill so often after he started wearing it.

Hearing the other man say this was a gift for breaking fifty thousand followers, Tang Jingran suddenly felt a strange, inexplicable surge of emotion. He knew it was somewhat nonsensical, but he couldn’t control it.

He didn’t know why such a thought had occurred to him.

But his mood had indeed improved significantly.

“Thank you,” Tang Jingran said, his dark eyes crinkling into a genuine smile.

Looking at that bright smile, Gong Yingxiao inexplicably felt his hand itch. After a few seconds, he spoke leisurely, “You’re welcome. I’m glad you like it.”

Then he murmured in a low voice, “Smiling suits you better after all.”

His voice was too quiet for Tang Jingran to hear clearly. “What?”

“Nothing.” Gong Yingxiao shook his head before changing the subject. “Tsk, thinking about it this way, I feel like I’m at a bit of a loss.”

Tang Jingran naturally knew what he meant; there was no reason to receive a gift without giving one back. “What do you like? I’ll get you something.”

“I’m not picky. I’d like whatever you give me.”

Gifts for people who aren’t picky are actually the hardest to buy, as the best gifts are the ones the recipient truly loves.

Tang Jingran wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but whenever they were doing tasks together, he always saw Gong Yingxiao petting the cats. Whenever there was a spare moment, he would reach out and stroke them a few times.

Suddenly, he knew what gift he could give the other man.

Tang Jingran lay flat on his bed, stretching out his arm to admire the two crossing hand-cords—one red, one black… they actually matched quite well.

Tang Jingran: “…Tsk, matched my foot.”

Tang Jingran had just opened his phone to browse Weibo when Yan Jun knocked and entered with some things.

“Xiao Ran, I brought you some food. Come eat and fill your stomach.” Yan Jun sat in the living room and called out to him from the bedroom. “And while we’re at it, let’s talk about Tao Shuiyuan and the Weibo followers.”

Tang Jingran came out wearing his pajamas and slippers.

Yan Jun had brought stir-fried dishes, rice, and soup; it was a very rich meal.

“Uncle Yan, have you eaten?” Tang Jingran took a bite of the stir-fried shrimp. The tender juice burst in his mouth, exceptionally delicious.

His appetite, which had been nonexistent before, was now triggered, and he began to eat heartily.

As expected, appetite is the greatest supplement in life.

“Yeah, I ate downstairs with the other managers.” Yan Jun looked up from his phone and asked, seeing him eating like that, “How is it? Is it good?”

Tang Jingran nodded like a woodpecker, his mouth stuffed like a little squirrel.

“Alright, you keep eating, and I’ll fill you in.”

“The entertainment company on their side is sending Tao Shuiyuan back tomorrow to rest at home for a while. So, they’ll be sending another artist tomorrow, but that’s not something we need to worry about.”

Yan Jun continued, “Now let me tell you how to manage your Weibo account.”

“Since you haven’t posted before, it’s relatively easy. In a bit, edit a post yourself about your mood or feelings after joining the cat cafe variety show. Remember to tag the official account.”

“The artists participating in the show will likely all post one collectively. Remember to follow each other back and repost.”

“Usually, just watch your wording and don’t post negative information; anything else is fine.”

“Alright, do you have anything else you want to ask?”

Tang Jingran looked up from his rice bowl, let out a satisfied burp, and patted his stomach. “No problem, I’ll follow your lead, Uncle Yan.”

Seeing that his appetite was good, Yan Jun finally felt at ease.

“Okay then, tidy up and post on Weibo. I’m heading out.”

“Take care.”

After Yan Jun left, Tang Jingran cleaned up the aftermath at lightning speed, throwing the takeout boxes in the trash, wiping the table, and sweeping the floor. After that, he quickly showered and hopped into bed.

Because his hair was short, Tang Jingran always rubbed it dry vigorously after a shower instead of blow-drying it, letting it air dry naturally. He was now lying flat on the bed with his head hanging off the edge and his legs crossed. His pajama shorts slid down toward his fair thighs as he moved.

It had been so long since he used Weibo that Tang Jingran had forgotten how to post. He even switched to another app specifically to search for instructions.

Tang Jingran first followed the other artists from the variety show. While following Gong Yingxiao, he discovered that the other man had already followed him.

Tang Jingran blinked in surprise.

After some editing, Tang Jingran finally successfully sent out a Weibo post.

[#CatCafeVarietyShow Tang Jingran V: Thank you to the production team of the Cat Cafe Variety Show for the invitation… Attached are the program stills, image.]

Since it was evening and people were resting at home after work, the post received many comments shortly after it was posted on Weibo.

[Wow, wow, wow! Teacher Tang posted! First comment! (Heart Heart Heart)]

[Husband is so handsome! A critical hit of beauty! Lick lick lick lick, slurp slurp]

[Ahhh! So happy, this cleared away all the exhaustion of a day of hard work!]

[Whether you like him or not, this face is truly high-class!]

[Husband, husband, you finally posted on Weibo!!! Scattering flowers, scattering flowers!]

[Husband, what are you doing right now?]

[How does it feel to be with the Film Emperor every day? (Smirk.jpg)]

[This face couldn’t be plastic, right? How can anyone’s nose be that straight?]

[Hehe, no need to act like this just to start an account. Your behavior is truly unsightly!]

[Husband, husband, don’t worry about the jealous faces of others, we support you!]

[Being able to pet cats every day is so blissful!]

Tang Jingran was stunned by the constant vibration of message notifications. He hadn’t expected to receive so many comments all at once, and thinking back to how he used to be, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia.

However, he still began to pick a few questions to answer seriously.

Before he could reply to many, he saw a new notification pop up.

[#CatCafeVarietyShow Gong Yingxiao V: Thank you for the encounter.

Tang Jingran V: Thank you to the production team of the Cat Cafe Variety Show…]

In the next second, the comment section exploded instantly.

[Holy crap, Daddy! You, the missing person, have finally returned!!]

[How long has it been since the Film Emperor posted on Weibo? He actually took the initiative to repost Teacher Tang’s Weibo?!]

[You two have already followed each other back?!]

[Man, I’m telling you, there’s an atmosphere between these two in the show that others can’t break into (Smirk)]

[Both are so handsome, standing together is so easy on the eyes!]

[Am I the only one who thinks they match quite well?!!]

[Damn, sister upstairs, we are of the same mind!!!]

However, in the next second, Gong Yingxiao followed up with several more Weibo posts, all reposting the other members of the program.

[#CatCafeVarietyShow Gong Yingxiao V: First time meeting you. //@Bai Wensheng V: Thank you to the production team…]

[#CatCafeVarietyShow Gong Yingxiao V: First time meeting you. //@Xu Sheng V: Thank you to the production team…]

[#CatCafeVarietyShow Gong Yingxiao V: First time meeting you. //@Ying Chen V: Thank you to the production team…]

[#CatCafeVarietyShow Gong Yingxiao V: First time meeting you. //@Jiang Nannan V: Thank you to the production team…]

[#CatCafeVarietyShow Gong Yingxiao V: First time meeting you. //@Jing Xianmeng V: Thank you to the production team…]

[So it wasn’t just him alone.]

[Sister, pay attention to the details! Daddy wrote “thank you for the encounter” for Teacher Tang! For the others, it was “first time meeting you”!]

[Oh damn, sister, you’re the one who understands!]

[If it weren’t for the netizens, I really wouldn’t have seen it clearly!]

[A modern-day Sherlock Holmes!!!]

[Ahhhh, then that means what I think it means, right!!!]

[Eat the ship with confidence!!]

Tang Jingran returned from watching the battle on the other side and began to repost the other members of the program.

Seeing that one person was missing, many people began to inquire.

[Is there someone missing?]

[Is it the teacher surnamed Tao?]

[Yes, yes, yes, why isn’t that teacher there?]

But in the next second, the program team directly issued a notice, answering everyone’s doubts.

[Cat Cafe Variety Show V: Due to Teacher Tao Shuiyuan’s physical discomfort, he is unable to continue participating in the upcoming variety show episodes. We apologize to all the fans. However, we will hold a repost lottery later to make it up to everyone. We hope everyone participates enthusiastically. You can also look forward to tomorrow’s guest! Thank you for your understanding and support!]

[Physical discomfort? So sudden?]

[Mm… I’m not a fan of Teacher Tao, so I won’t comment.]

[Actually, I expected this. I always felt Teacher Tao was targeting the other teachers.]

[Yes, yes, I had that feeling too.]

[Anyway, I hope Teacher Tao rests well.]

[Speaking of which, I still prefer Teacher Tang and Teacher Gong!]

[+1, the interaction between those two is so ship-worthy!]

[Looking forward to tomorrow’s guest!]

[Hope it’s an artist I like!]

Tang Jingran watched as everyone “shipped” him and Gong Yingxiao as a couple, and he felt a bit of an indescribable sensation in his heart.

In this circle, “shipping” was more than normal, but looking at the bracelet the other man had given him, Tang Jingran touched his earlobe, and a trace of strangeness rose in his heart.

But Tang Jingran didn’t think too much of it. He intended to close Weibo and prepare for rest.

However, in the next second, his phone lit up and a new message popped up.