The Entire Entertainment Industry Knows the Best Actor Has a Crush on Me - Chapter 31

At 4:00 AM, Qiao Zhiyu was jolted awake by the persistent ringing of his phone. The white glare of the screen made his eyes ache as he groggily squinted at the caller ID. Before he could even utter a word, a woman’s high-pitched, excited voice erupted from the receiver.

“Zhiyu! You’re on the trending searches! It’s a hit! It’s a hit!!!”

Qiao Zhiyu didn’t quite grasp the context, but he knew Gu Jiao wasn’t the type of person to drag someone out of bed in the middle of the night for something minor. He exhaled a tired breath and said patiently, “Sister Jiao, slow down. What exactly is a hit?”

“Orders! Iw’s orders have exploded!”

Exploded? He had expected that after a period of time, the sales wouldn’t be too bad, given that the designs were solid. But how long had it been? Just a few hours…

“How is that possible…”

As he was wondering, Gu Jiao spoke again, “Because of Pei Yuan!”

This was the reason for Gu Jiao’s urgency. She had been so ecstatic that she had launched a phone bombardment. Calming herself down, she said, “Forget it, just look for yourself. I can’t explain it properly… Zhiyu, you…” She swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue. “Just look. I’m hanging up now.”

“Okay…”

Qiao Zhiyu’s palms felt cold, and his fingers trembled slightly as he tapped the screen. All traces of sleepiness vanished the moment he heard that name.

He opened the shopping apps; every single one of Iw’s new arrivals was marked “Out of Stock.” Then, he turned to Weibo and scrolled through the posts. Finally, he understood what Gu Jiao meant. A fan of Pei Yuan had posted late last night with a photo of the actor.

[Post]: Met Brother at the airport in the early hours! He looked like he was in a hurry, but he still stopped to give me an autograph! Here’s a super handsome raw photo! Oh, and by the way! Brother is exceptionally cute today~ [Image]

In the photo, Pei Yuan was looking down while signing an autograph. He looked a bit tired but was still smiling while interacting with the fan. As everyone knows, everything a celebrity wears is considered a treasure, and dissecting their private outfits for prices has become common practice. This raw photo was no exception.

Wanwan Entertainment V: As everyone knows, Movie Star Pei’s outfits are always expensive. Someone once joked, “I stole one of Pei Yuan’s pairs of underwear and bought a new car the next day.” But this time, the Movie Star is wearing a hat worth just over two hundred yuan. Compared to the luxury brands covering the rest of his body, it’s just the tip of the iceberg. [Image] So, what does everyone think? Is there something special about this hat?

• Comment: “Why? Even if he’s wearing it for [expletive], it’s none of your business. ‘Something special’? You’re just a stupid pig!”
• Comment: “Is that underwear theft event still on? I have a friend who’s interested.”
• Comment: “Stealing underwear to buy a car? Are his [expletive] made of gold or silver? One pair of underwear for a car talk about extreme flattery.”
• Comment: “If he’s so rich, why doesn’t he do charity? Marketing a hat I can eat for a week on two hundred yuan! To him, it’s just pocket change?”
• Comment: “Some people are way too possessive over other people’s wallets. What, you didn’t get that pair of boxers so you can’t trade it for a car? Feeling unbalanced?”

Pei Yuan’s fame was so vast that he had become a human traffic label; as long as his name was attached, people would swarm in regardless of the content. Why was he wearing that hat? Was it a coincidence or…

Qiao Zhiyu didn’t dare to think about it. Avoidance seemed to be etched into his very bones. He could only keep sliding the screen to distract himself.

• Comment: “I could never afford Brother’s private clothes before, and I never had a chance to wear the same style. But now it’s different because I actually have 200 yuan…”
• Comment: “Truth be told, it looks great. Even his cold features look softened by it, and the ears on top are so cute. Which brand? I’m sold.”
• Comment: “It’s Iw’s new winter arrival. I was hesitating, but now it looks like I HAVE to buy it.”
• Comment: “Guess what I found? This brand is endorsed by Qiao Zhiyu! Holy [expletive]… I feel like…”

Starting from that comment, Qiao Zhiyu’s name began to dominate the discussion, securing the top spot on the trending list. More people poured in, and the conversation was no longer limited to individuals.

The rest of the comments were predictable. Qiao Zhiyu had no heart to keep reading. He lay on his side in bed, his phone tossed onto the pillow, the screen frozen on a few glaring comments.

• Comment: “Does Pei Yuan like Qiao Zhiyu and have a crush on him? Why is he always present whenever it involves Qiao Zhiyu?”
• Comment: “If you ask me, even if it’s not a crush, there’s definitely a good feeling. Qiao Zhiyu has heat now, but heat only means he has good exposure. Without this photo of Pei Yuan, this endorsement would never have reached these results.”

The comments were vivid in his mind, causing Qiao Zhiyu intense anxiety. The netizens were right; without Pei Yuan… he would never have sold so much.

Why? Was it a coincidence that the other person happened to have the same hat and wore it out? Or… was it for him?

Humans are like that the more they try to avoid something, the less they can escape it. The more they don’t want to think, the more vividly the thoughts appear. Qiao Zhiyu cared too much about the ending.

If it really was like the netizens said… that he had a crush on him… what would he do?

Reject him? Could I really? He asked himself over and over in his heart: Can you reject him, Qiao Zhiyu? Then, what about accepting him?

Qiao Zhiyu suddenly felt a surge of self-loathing. He was extremely dependent on Pei Yuan, even in this life. Just like he was with Song Yuanjia. He knew clearly that the two lifetimes were different, yet he couldn’t distinguish them.

He turned over gloomily, telling himself: Don’t think too much. Maybe it’s just a coincidence, or maybe he’s just being kind and helping out. He felt terrible for misinterpreting the other man’s intentions.

“…”

[Qiao Zhiyu, what’s the difference between you and the Song Yuanjia who cheated your feelings in your past life? You’re a coward… you’re even worse than Song Yuanjia…]

He sat up abruptly, clutching his chest and gasping for air.

Daylight had fully broken, and strands of light pierced through the gaps in the curtains. But he felt it wasn’t enough. It was too dark; he felt the room was too dark. His movements as he got out of bed were clumsy, practically crawling. He yanked the curtains open, but the warm sunlight he expected did not appear.

The weather today was not good.

A sense of powerlessness washed over him, and his heart contracted slowly. It took a long time before he could let out a breath. Perhaps due to the weather, Qiao Zhiyu felt listless all day. Fortunately, he had no work.

A scratching sound came from the bedroom door, and he suddenly remembered he hadn’t fed the two cats yet. He opened the door to see Naidou squatting there, watching him.

“Sorry,” he said with an apologetic face. “I forgot. I’ll feed you now. How about some canned food today?”

The cat: Human, I don’t understand you.

After opening the cans for the two cats, Qiao Zhiyu, fearing he would forget again, topped off their dry food and water. The phone on the bed lit up and dimmed, but unfortunately, its owner was not beside it.