The Vicious Cannon Fodder Despised by Everyone Really Doesn't Want to Go Viral - Chapter 21

Lin Zhiyu pushed Chen Chen into the driver’s seat and walked around to the passenger side himself.

Chen Chen had already pulled out his phone and started a desperate series of calls to Xu Dongdong, but for some unknown reason, the outgoing calls simply would not connect.

Lin Zhiyu watched helplessly as he dialed back and forth several times before finally reaching out to block the screen. “Forget it. It is just a piece of clothing. I will just find a random suit to wear when the time comes. Who is going to look closely enough to see if the buttons were hand-sewn?”

Chen Chen was clearly unwilling to give up. “Brother Lin, although our status hasn’t reached the level of competing over ‘battle robes’ yet, there will be so many cameras and reporters staring at the red carpet. If some meddling media outlet notices, the trending search tomorrow will be something like ‘Obscure Actor Wears Cheap Goods on Red Carpet’.”

“Then what should we do?” Lin Zhiyu sighed. “Should I go out bare-chested as a piece of performance art? When asked about my styling inspiration, I could just act profound and say, ‘Because I was born naked’?”

Chen Chen didn’t catch the joke; instead, he was overjoyed. “…That is a great idea! It perfectly matches the theme of the red carpet!”

The theme of the Aurora Tenth Anniversary red carpet was “Me.” It was abstract and could be interpreted wildly—discussing mountains, lakes, seas, birds, and insects as reflections of the inner world and the soul. Or, one could take a conservative approach, because “Me” is also equally ordinary.

As for the plan Lin Zhiyu had just made up, on some level, it wasn’t impossible. But the red carpet was primarily a place for artists to compete in beauty and style.

“Great my foot!” Lin Zhiyu rubbed the intern’s head, though he already had a plan in mind. He leaned back and buckled his seatbelt. “Just take me back first. It is getting late.”

“But the clothes…”

“At worst, I will borrow something from Mr. Mu’s closet. Even his cheapest item… probably won’t embarrass me.”

Despite saying that, Lin Zhiyu didn’t actually intend to rummage through Mu Sui’s wardrobe. Their builds were too different. With an outfit like a suit, a slight deviation in size can make the temperament shift by ten thousand miles. Back when he was doing his graduation defense, he borrowed a suit from a roommate; he looked like an exhausted office worker who had stolen his parents’ clothes to go sell insurance. A group of people had laughed at him for a long time.

However, when he returned home, there was no sign of Mu Sui. With a call time the next morning, the matter of borrowing clothes was temporarily shelved.

Xu Dongdong finally replied to a message. Under Chen Chen’s relentless pestering, he reluctantly contacted several more brands, but not a single one was willing to lend clothes to Lin Zhiyu.

“Zhiyu, I have done my best. You can only blame yourself for being too reckless in the past. Brands have to consider their public image,” Xu Dongdong said leisurely. “The editor-in-chief of Gaze is willing to lend clothes, but they are all last year’s styles, and they are the ones Jiang Yubai picked over. I assume you aren’t willing to wear them, but if there is really no other way, that is all we can do.”

“Otherwise, we can only give up on this opportunity.”

Chen Chen, who had overheard the entire conversation, finally understood where Lin Zhiyu’s strange attitude toward this manager came from.

“Brother Lin, what does he mean?” Chen Chen complained indignantly. “Does he think you aren’t being cursed enough online? I can already guess how much the haters will mock you if you walk the red carpet in Jiang Yubai’s leftovers. It is one thing if he doesn’t help you find a way, but how can he advise you to give up?”

Lin Zhiyu, however, was accustomed to it. He comforted Chen Chen, sent a message to Zhou Ming, and then calmly finished filming his remaining scenes for the day.

As soon as Zhao Jinyu shouted “Cut,” Chen Chen rushed forward, panting. “Brother Lin, someone called you just now. I answered for you. He said to have the driver pick you up tomorrow morning to try on clothes and told you to wait punctually downstairs at the hotel.”

Lin Zhiyu took the phone and sent a message to Zhou Ming: Thank you, Assistant Zhou.

“Brother Lin, who did you borrow clothes from? Is it reliable? The voice on the phone sounded a bit familiar… but the tone wasn’t very good. I thought it was a debt collector at first.”

Lin Zhiyu gave him a puzzled look. “I don’t think so. Assistant Zhou has always spoken quite kindly.”

Chen Chen: “? Brother Lin, do you have some misunderstanding of your friend? Not a single one of those words describes him.”

Lin Zhiyu found the comment bizarre. If he hadn’t double-checked the time with Zhou Ming, he would have thought some rival had sent a smokescreen just to watch him make a fool of himself on the red carpet.

Xu Dongdong’s failure to secure clothes wasn’t a secret; the members of the “Taixu Academy F5” group had more or less heard about the situation from their managers. When Lin Zhiyu woke up the next morning, he saw messages from Shen Chengyi and Xie Jingyao asking if he needed help.

Lin Zhiyu thanked them but declined. Jiang Yubai likely knew about the picked-over clothes and, worried about hitting a sore spot, only offered a hint in private: President Mu knows many brands.

Lin Zhiyu obviously knew that. His act of contacting Zhou Ming certainly wouldn’t escape Mu Sui, and borrowing the clothes would definitely be done in Mu Sui’s name.

However, he thought Mu Sui would be like an emperor, simply marking a report with “read” and then leaving everything to his subordinates. So, seeing Mu Sui leisurely drinking coffee at the studio gave Lin Zhiyu a genuine shock.

Even after trying on the clothes and standing before the mirror, he couldn’t help but mutter a line: “Today, President Mu brought me to Metersbonwe. He picked out many clothes and shoes. Standing in front of the mirror, I couldn’t believe…”

A staff member came over to help him adjust the wide-legged culottes, and Lin Zhiyu immediately silenced himself.

The texture of the high-end custom gown was worlds apart from the clothes he had seen before. Lin Zhiyu’s gaze swept over the white cropped suit jacket; shimmering embroidery was hidden at the cuffs and collar. The entire outfit felt as if it had been tailored specifically for him, the cut fitting his silhouette perfectly.

Lin Zhiyu still couldn’t resist finishing the second half of his thought: “I couldn’t believe who the person inside was.”

Hearing this, the designer revealed a proud smile. “Of course, this is my masterpiece. When Teacher Lin wears this out, the effect will definitely blow everyone away.”

As he spoke, the wheelchair rolled quietly behind Lin Zhiyu. Mu Sui’s scrutinizing gaze swept over Lin Zhiyu from bottom to top.

Lin Zhiyu’s shoulders weren’t broad, but he benefited from having a small head and good proportions. The cropped suit with shoulder pads and the floral ornaments on the shoulder perfectly masked his weaknesses. Paired with the large culottes, his already slender waist looked even thinner, and his legs appeared long and straight. The lining inside the cropped suit was very thin, and the collar opened almost to his chest, so the designer had added a simple chain as an accent.

“What does President Mu think?” The designer asked tentatively, seeing Mu Sui lost in thought and fearing he was dissatisfied.

Lin Zhiyu instinctively straightened his back, waiting expectantly for Mu Sui’s response, but he felt strangely flushed under those deep eyes, as if all his disguises had been stripped away. He lowered his head uncomfortably and was about to change the subject when he heard Mu Sui speak.

“Come here.”

His tone brooked no argument. The staff immediately stepped aside respectfully. Lin Zhiyu pursed his lips and, like a cat summoned by its owner, hopped over in two steps.

Mu Sui tilted his chin up, signaling him to squat. Lin Zhiyu hesitated for a second before obediently kneeling beside him.

“What is it?” Just as he asked, his earlobe was gently pinched by cool fingertips.

He instinctively shrank his neck as if struck by an electric current. Then, fearing he had misunderstood Mu Sui’s intention, he reached up to lightly press the man’s wrist, his voice full of confusion: “Mr. Mu?”

Mu Sui lowered his head, coming very close. His fingertips rubbed the small hole in Lin Zhiyu’s earlobe. He asked softly, “You have pierced ears?”

Lin Zhiyu nodded. The original owner had owned quite a few messy accessories.

“Mhm.” Mu Sui withdrew his hand and said casually to the designer, “Something is missing here.”

The designer reacted immediately, picking an asymmetrical set of demantoid garnet earrings from the display case and hurrying over.

Lin Zhiyu hadn’t worn jewelry in his earholes for a long time, and the skin around them had contracted slightly. As the cool silver needle pierced through, a slight sting spread out. Lin Zhiyu instinctively squinted and tried to pull back, but he was held in place by Mu Sui’s forearm.

“Don’t move,” Mu Sui said, his voice deep and his tone somewhat nonchalant. His other hand held Lin Zhiyu’s jaw; the palm was cool and firm, yet it didn’t have a repulsive sense of pressure. “It is inconvenient for me this way.”

Mu Sui leaned in closer, his warm breath brushing against Lin Zhiyu’s ear. He had changed his perfume today; it was no longer the aggressive leather and tobacco, but a bitter, clean, cold soapy scent. Strangely, it made Lin Zhiyu’s head feel heavy.

He tilted his head back, stiff as a taut string, unable to make a sound for a long time. When one earring was in place, Lin Zhiyu saw Mu Sui reach for the other and said hurriedly, “I can do it myself…”

Before the words were finished, the other earring was already securely fastened.

This time, Mu Sui’s movement of withdrawing his hand was notably slow. His fingertips brushed past the tassels of the earring as if by accident, flicking them gently, and seemed to casually stroke Lin Zhiyu’s ear tip and the side of his face. That touch was like a soft feather, sending a numbing sensation from the ear tip all the way down to the neck, making him feel restless.

Lin Zhiyu held his breath and instinctively took a half step back, only to be “pulled” back by the other man’s look. He felt a trace of frustration, as if he were being teased.

“Alright, go get your styling done,” Mu Sui said, leaning back into his wheelchair as if nothing had happened.

Lin Zhiyu rubbed his itchy earlobe, feeling as though Mu Sui’s temperature still lingered on his skin; the more he thought about it, the more it persisted.

If not for the ending in the original book, Lin Zhiyu would think Mu Sui was a very good person. Though he looked cold on the surface, he was actually surprisingly easy to get along with. After all, bosses who speak little and pay quickly are rare, and bosses who solve problems immediately are even rarer. But as soon as he thought of the events that occurred later in the story, Lin Zhiyu felt as if he were being torn in two.

One half told him not to have any connection with these three people and to run away as soon as the year was up. The other half argued that since the original story had collapsed to this point—with Lin Zhiyu diligently acting and walking red carpets—there was nothing that couldn’t be changed.

His chaotic thoughts lasted until he left the studio; he didn’t even notice he had gotten into Mu Sui’s car. By the time he realized it, Mu Sui was already sitting next to him.

On the way to the red carpet, Lin Zhiyu leaned against the car window, his fingers unconsciously touching the tassels of the earring. As the thin chain brushed his fingertips, the gentle coolness sent his thoughts drifting back to Mu Sui’s actions in the studio.

Separated by a few seats, Mu Sui appeared to be resting with his eyes closed, but Lin Zhiyu always felt the man’s gaze was on him. He didn’t dare turn his head to look but couldn’t help stealing glances. Fortunately, Mu Sui didn’t seem to notice his odd behavior. After dropping him off outside the red carpet, Mu Sui had the driver head to the main gala venue.

It was only then that Lin Zhiyu realized Mu Sui was also among the invited guests for the gala.

Lin Zhiyu signed in backstage and leaned against a backdrop to wait for the cue. The artists attending the red carpet were all beautiful and handsome, with various gowns and suits that were dazzling to the eye.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated, and several messages popped up:

[Assistant Zhou]: Mr. Mu asked me to tell you on his behalf: don’t be nervous.

[Assistant Zhou]: Mr. Mu also said that being nervous won’t turn you into an immortal.

Lin Zhiyu couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his eye. Then, he let out a breath, his heart suddenly racing violently.