The Entire Entertainment Industry Knows the Best Actor Has a Crush on Me - Chapter 33

Since that day, the two hadn’t been in contact.

The trending searches were indeed taken down. Some netizens claimed Pei Yuan was angry about being “leached” for clout, while others insisted that an explanation is just a cover-up, and a cover-up is the truth. Even Yue Yan messaged him to ask, “Does the Movie Star have a crush on you?”

In the blink of an eye, the month passed. The weather turned thoroughly cold, and winter arrived. During this time, Yu Yuan mentioned he joined a variety show, but ended up being a “companion runner” when it aired, his total screen time didn’t even add up to a minute. The kid was severely traumatized and nearly lost his spirit. Meanwhile, Qi Le’an stayed home every day playing Identity V.

Yue Yan still chatted with him frequently, seeming very interested in the “Pei Yuan situation,” but seeing Qiao Zhiyu’s lack of enthusiasm every time, he eventually stopped asking.

In the past month, aside from the initial Iw endorsement, Qiao Zhiyu hadn’t taken on any other work. It wasn’t that he was being lazy; he just hadn’t found the right fit. However, the date for that “variety show” opportunity was approaching. He hoped he’d be selected.

Today, he attended a birthday banquet for a well-known director. The venue was public, so anyone could enter, but the areas for those with invitations and those without were separated. Gu Jiao had insisted he come. Originally, she was supposed to join him, but Qiao Zhiyu felt he could handle this kind of occasion himself; besides, Gu Jiao was already swamped.

After finishing another round of small talk, Qiao Zhiyu found a seat nearby. The desserts in front of him were small and exquisite, but the taste was mediocre.

“Hello, is this seat taken?”

He looked up to see a young man with decent features, looking at him with a face full of smiles.

“Of course not.”

Seeing he wasn’t rejected, the man’s smile grew even more sincere. “I saw you sitting here alone, so I took the liberty of disturbing you. I hope you don’t mind.” He pushed the wine glass in his hand toward Qiao Zhiyu.

Qiao Zhiyu looked at the glass and smiled. “The venue is public; you can sit wherever you like, sir.”

Interesting, Qiao thought. If you truly felt it was a ‘liberty,’ why come over at all? The rejection wasn’t overt, but a smart person would have caught the drift. A fool, however, might not.

For example, the man in front of him.

“Hahahaha, well said. My surname is Hao, given name Pang. And yours?” (Note: “Hao Pang” sounds like “So Fat” in Chinese).

“Qiao Zhiyu.”

Hao Pang narrowed his eyes, acting as if he were a connoisseur of names. “…A good name… Zhiyu… Zhiyu… it feels very romantic.”

“…” Qiao Zhiyu nearly gagged on his dessert. So greasy. He lost his appetite instantly.

He took a tissue to wipe his mouth and suppressed his disgust. “I think Mr. Hao’s name has more depth. Hao Pang, Hao Pang it sounds exceptionally grand and majestic.”

Qiao Zhiyu wanted to laugh at his own words. Hao Pang? I think it’s ‘So Fat’… pfft…

But the man actually thought he was being complimented. He looked incredibly smug while trying to act humble. It seemed this man couldn’t understand indirect sarcasm at all.

Qiao Zhiyu didn’t want to stay in the same vicinity as him any longer. Fortunately, he had achieved his goal for being here; there was no point in staying. As he rose to leave, the man suddenly grabbed his wrist.

Hao Pang looked regretful. “Leaving already? Did I offend you? I’m sorry…”

“…” Now I’m definitely offended.

He tried to pull his hand back but failed. He frowned and warned, “Sir, I’m leaving. Please let go.”

“I truly want to be your friend. How about this: give me some face and drink this glass of wine.”

Drink your head!

The man gripped Qiao Zhiyu’s wrist tightly, and no matter how much Qiao struggled, he couldn’t break free. People around them cast various glances, but without exception, no one stepped forward to help.

Fuming, Qiao Zhiyu grabbed the things off the table and threw them. He followed up by kicking the chair out from under the man, sending him crashing to the floor on his rear. Cake, drinks, and the glass of wine the man had offered were splattered all over him.

The man finally dropped the act. He scrambled up from the ground, ready to strike Qiao Zhiyu. “A mere actor! It’s your luck that I took an interest in you! Dressed so wantonly, yet pretending to be pure?!!”

Qiao Zhiyu’s hand was ready to deliver a slap.

But just as the man lunged, someone grabbed his collar and forcefully threw him aside.

“Where are the security guards? Getting paid for doing nothing? Why let a mad dog in?”

The deep, casual voice reached his ears. Qiao Zhiyu looked at the figure in front of him and froze on the spot. The man on the ground began to curse, but silenced himself the moment he saw who had intervened. His voice became a stutter.

“Pei… Pei Yuan!”

But Pei Yuan ignored him completely. He composedly took the hand of the dazed person before him, carefully inspecting the reddened skin of the wrist.

“What happened?”

Qiao Zhiyu pursed his lips and said, “He wanted to hit on me… he tried to get violent when I refused.”

“You’re lying! You’re the one who seduced me first!” the man shouted.

“Seduced you?” Pei Yuan acted as if he’d heard the world’s biggest joke. “Then why did he only ‘seduce’ you and not anyone else? Sometimes, one needs to look for the problem within themselves.”

His tone was so sharp it felt like he was a second away from a dismissive whistle.

The man on the floor said proudly, “Because I have the capability! It’s normal for him to see my looks and want to seduce me.”

Pei Yuan laughed out of sheer anger. Qiao Zhiyu fell silent. The former curled his lips into a smirk full of mockery.

“If you’re sick, go get treatment. He’d be better off seducing me. Someone like you wouldn’t even qualify for the back of the line to be his ‘licking dog.'”

“Pfft…” When those words hit the ears of the bystanders, a wave of laughter erupted in the hall.

Hao Pang turned red with rage but was eventually hauled away by security.

Qiao Zhiyu was led away from the scene. He looked back at the mess, then at Pei Yuan beside him. He wanted to ask why the other was here, but then realized it was perfectly normal for someone as famous as Pei Yuan to be at this event.

“Thank you…” he whispered.

Pei Yuan led him forward without looking back. “Why are you here alone? Where’s your manager?”

Qiao Zhiyu answered honestly, “Sister Jiao is too busy, so I came by myself…”

Silence. The atmosphere remained heavy as they went upstairs. When the doors at the end of the hall were pushed open, they were met with a space much larger and more exquisitely decorated than the first floor. There were more people here, all dripping with jewelry. The birthday banquet felt more like a grand ball.

Qiao Zhiyu realized Pei Yuan had brought him into the circle that required an invitation to enter. But just as they were about to step in, he reached out and grabbed Pei Yuan’s hand. He looked hesitant and whispered:

“Yuan… I don’t have an invitation…” “And I’m dressed too casually…”

He had dressed up, but compared to the people inside, he was lacking.

“The person I bring doesn’t need an invitation.” Pei Yuan reached out and very lightly brushed his hand against Qiao Zhiyu’s waist, leading him into the hall before quickly letting go.

He leaned in and whispered, “Don’t worry. Your manager isn’t here, and it’s hard to get a cab around here. When this ends, I’ll have Bai Chao drive you back.”

“Where are we going now?”

“A guest room.”

The ceiling of the second floor was open, connecting directly to the third. Pei Yuan led him up through a less crowded area and found an empty room.

“You can use anything in here. If you need anything, message me or use the number on the table to call the staff. If they ask, just mention my name. If you want to go out, tell me don’t make me unable to find you, okay?”

Qiao Zhiyu lowered his eyes and nodded. Pei Yuan stared at him for a moment, ignoring the strange vibe in the air, and gave one final instruction: “Remember to lock the door.”