The Entire Entertainment Industry Knows the Best Actor Has a Crush on Me - Chapter 24

Pei Yuan had been in the shower for quite a while. When he finally emerged, the person on the bed had already fallen asleep. Qiao Zhiyu’s cheeks were slightly flushed; Pei Yuan reached out to press his hand against them, confirming the fever hadn’t returned before he felt at ease.

The screen on the nightstand hadn’t fully dimmed yet, and the content on it was reflected vaguely in the eyes of the man standing by the bed.

Pei Yuan seemed to recall something. He picked up his own phone, switched accounts, and checked into his personal Super Topic as well as the CP Super Topic. Once finished, he turned off the lights, lay down, and closed his eyes with a clear conscience.

The following days were a constant cycle of filming, filming, and more filming. Bei Qianqing still didn’t have a good attitude toward the others, but things remained relatively peaceful.

“As a woman! How dare you publicly contradict this Palace in the imperial court!”

An angry roar filled the air, nearly knocking the director off his chair. He wiped the non-existent sweat from his forehead, marveling at the sheer intensity.

Immediately, a voice responded, refusing to back down.

“So what if I am a woman! The Crown Prince’s words are far too biased!”

“Qiao Zhiyu” held his hands in a formal salute above his head, his voice ringing with conviction: “I work for the people! I ease the Emperor’s burdens! So what if I am a woman!”

“On the other hand, Your Highness, as the future heir to the throne, don’t you find it unreasonable to speak such divisive words?”

Veins bulged on Chu Mingzheng’s forehead, his hands trembling at his sides from rage. Rendered speechless, he swung his sleeves forcefully and knelt directly on the floor.

“I beg the Emperor to be the judge! The flood crisis is urgent and cannot be delayed; I merely spoke in haste! The Fourth Princess has been frail and sickly since childhood. If she were to fall ill herself, what would become of the thousands of commoners?!”

The court fell silent for a moment. Soon, someone stepped forward to report.

“Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has a point. The Fourth Princess is indeed unsuitable for this journey.”

Several others followed suit, all opposing Chu Mingxin without exception. Hidden within his sleeves, Chu Mingxin’s hands tightened. Indignation and a sense of being wronged filled him. Too many people followed Chu Mingzheng; what he currently possessed was simply not enough.

“Your Majesty, this official does not believe the Fourth Princess is incapable of managing the flood.”

Chu Mingxin was stunned. It was Ruan Yuan’s voice. Ruan Yuan had abandoned the Fifth Prince to join the camp of Chu Mingxin the unfavored Princess. Through Ji Yuli’s constant whispering in the Emperor’s ear, Ruan Yuan had successfully been promoted to a fifth-rank official.

Ruan Yuan continued: “The Princess is highly intelligent. This official believes that managing a crisis requires a brain, not brute strength. In serving the people, why must we distinguish between men and women?”

The Emperor’s expression was grave. He gave no reply to either side. Ji Yuli leaned down close to the Emperor’s ear, whispering a few words, after which the Emperor waved his hand heavily in annoyance.

“The Emperor is tired. Dismissed!”

With those words, the scene successfully came to a close.

The director beamed. “Excellent! That segment was very powerful!”

In an instant, the tense atmosphere dissipated. The actor playing Chu Mingzheng smiled and made small talk. “Teacher Qiao is too intimidating; I almost couldn’t hold my own just now.”

“It was Teacher Liu who pulled me into the scene so quickly.”

“Hahaha, not at all, not at all!”

As the actors began to leave, only Qiao Zhiyu remained standing in place. Pei Yuan, dressed in his dark purple round-collar robe, stopped and asked in a low voice, “What is the Princess waiting for?”

“Waiting for the Great Movie Star. Has Lord Nine Thousand Years seen him?” Qiao Zhiyu replied with a smile.

Pei Yuan suppressed a laugh, feigning ignorance. “What kind of thing is a ‘Great Movie Star’? Why doesn’t the Princess wait for me? Perhaps I can put in a good word for you?”

“Fair enough. Then I shall trouble Lord Nine Thousand Years to join me for lunch.”

The two huddled together, whispering. Although their words were inaudible, the smiles on their faces made their intimacy obvious to anyone watching.

The next scene was [The Noble Consort whispers into the Emperor’s ear for her son]. Bei Qianqing was currently standing not far away, watching them. The paid shills her manager found were useful, but not exceptionally so. Seeing Qiao Zhiyu’s rapid progress made her eyes burn with jealousy. Pei Yuan seemed to sense her gaze and looked up, but she had already withdrawn her eyes.

During lunch, Gu Jiao called with a “condolence” check-up.

“Is the wrap-up coming soon?” Gu Jiao asked, taking a sip of water.

“Mhm. About a month?”

A small cat kept rubbing against the camera lens, sniffing at it occasionally as if greeting him. It was adorable.

“Those two have gotten much fatter. They’ve grown a lot, too.”

Two months had flown by. Gu Jiao wasn’t as busy as before, and even the two cats had put on weight.

“Please, it’s been two months.” Gu Jiao cleared away her takeout box and looked at Qiao Zhiyu on the screen, raising a question. “Have you gained weight?”

Qiao Zhiyu’s hand froze as he ate. He instinctively touched his face. Did I get fat? Just as he was thinking, a piece of meat was placed into his lunch box.

Qiao Zhiyu pursed his lips, picked it up, and ate it. Mhm… a bit dry.

Gu Jiao immediately spotted the pair of chopsticks that appeared briefly in the corner before vanishing. She was puzzled for a moment, then it dawned on her. She coughed lightly, her tone probing. “Is Movie Star Pei next to you?”

“Yeah,” Qiao Zhiyu replied casually, not noticing anything amiss. “Le’an and Xiao Yuan are here, too.”

“I see… so you guys are on quite good terms?”

“Mhm, everyone is easy to get along with. Very kind.” Just as he finished, another piece of meat was placed in front of him.

This time, he didn’t eat it immediately.

On the screen, Gu Jiao saw her artist’s gaze shift to the side, seemingly receiving some kind of signal. After looking back, he stared at the meat for a while before finally eating it.

Aha—someone’s being a bit bratty.

Gu Jiao had been managing Qiao Zhiyu since his junior year; it had been nearly two years. They spent a lot of time together, and she understood him quite well. On non-working days, he found it hard to get out of bed. No matter how tired he was from work, his grades were always top-tier. He didn’t like being half-hearted and always held himself to high standards.

If Qiao Zhiyu ever told her he was giving all that up for something, Gu Jiao would think he’d gone mad. However, she felt that was unlikely.

If she had to use animals to describe Qiao Zhiyu, his personality was like a cat or a rabbit. His appearance, though? A fox or a peacock.

Take just now, for instance he clearly didn’t want to eat that piece of meat.

Wait a minute… Gu Jiao suddenly remembered. My artist isn’t a picky eater…