The Vicious Cannon Fodder Despised by Everyone Really Doesn't Want to Go Viral - Chapter 28

The man speaking was Jian Panxia, a relatively well-known music critic in the industry and the only son of an entrepreneur in City A. He had been sent abroad as a teenager to study at a prestigious music conservatory.

While studying overseas, Jian Panxia frequently hosted live streams to critique newly released albums by various singers. He had accumulated a significant following due to his sharp and venomous style. That was until he critiqued Mu Yunji’s new album, where he was met with a scathing, relentless rebuttal during a live link-up by Mu Yunji’s most famous obsessive fan, Lin Zhiyu. Since then, he had held a grudge against both of them.

He had not come here with Mu Yunji today; he had likely just run into them at the restaurant by chance. Realizing that all his enemies were gathered in one place, he decided to launch an immediate verbal assault.

The air stagnated for a second.

Lin Zhiyu, who had been leaning casually against the back of his chair, paused. He then composedly rested his hand on the edge of the table, hiding the mocking sneer at the corner of his mouth, and used his other hand to add more water to his teacup.

The low hum of conversation in the restaurant gradually thinned out. It seemed others had sensed the subtle tension and were stealing glances over. Jiang Yubai frowned and swept a cold gaze toward that table. Just as he was about to speak, he was gently stopped by Lin Zhiyu.

“It is such a small matter. Why bother arguing with them?” Lin Zhiyu laughed nonchalantly, appearing unmoved by the provocation.

Jiang Yubai hesitated. “But…”

By the time Lin Zhiyu finished the tea in his cup and looked up, the smile had vanished from his eyes. If Jian Panxia had said anything else, he might not have cared as much. Unfortunately, that one sentence had struck a nerve.

“Mu Yunji, how do you always manage to attract clowns who hop around so loudly?” Lin Zhiyu glanced at their table and spoke in a moderate volume. “I do not know where this desire to perform comes from. I can smell the sourness of someone desperately trying to gain attention from all the way over here.”

The opposite side went silent for a moment.

The man had not expected Lin Zhiyu to strike back so directly. His expression changed, and he immediately retorted, “Defending him so fiercely? It seems you are not quite as indifferent as the recent trending topics claimed. You still cannot let him go, can you?”

Lin Zhiyu laughed. Instead of following the bait, he said, “I hate people like you who always preach about original intentions. You are like those sheltered aristocrats who ask why the starving do not just eat meat.”

“If Mu Yunji does not please his fans, is he supposed to please a fool like you? Or do you plan to cover all the production, promotion, and copyright costs for his classical music yourself?” Lin Zhiyu rolled his eyes and continued, “If original intentions could fill a stomach, what are you stuffing your mouth with right now? The north wind?”

His voice was not loud, but it reached the other man’s ears with precise, biting sarcasm.

“Lin Zhiyu!” The man slammed the table and stood up, his face flushed deep red.

Lin Zhiyu tilted his head and said innocently, “Oh, did I hit a nerve? I am sorry. I do not have much of a filter when I speak, though I am still a bit behind you in that regard.”

Jian Panxia was momentarily speechless, stunned in place. He gritted his teeth, trying to find a way to reclaim the upper hand, but he was only further agitated by Lin Zhiyu’s lazy and indifferent attitude.

Just as he was formulating a response, Mu Yunji finally spoke up. “Jian, if the subpoenas I sent you before were not enough, you can keep talking. But do not use him to disgust me.”

Hearing this, Jian Panxia immediately turned his spear toward Mu Yunji. After a long pause, he squeezed out a sentence through his teeth. “What, did I hit your nerve too?”

Lin Zhiyu was almost moved to laughter by this “copy-paste” style of arguing. Just as he was about to add a few more insults, Mu Sui interrupted him first.

“Enough.” His tone was flat, lacking the aggressive sharp edges of the other three, yet it carried an irresistible authority.

Lin Zhiyu shot him a subtle glance, then leaned back lazily against his chair, adopting an “I no longer care” attitude. Jian Panxia clenched his fists in frustration and glared at Lin Zhiyu. Ultimately, he said nothing more and sat back down, seething.

However, he continued to mutter under his breath, “What a damn joke. No wonder he stopped sucking up to Mu Yunji. He found a taller branch to climb onto.”

Mu Sui glanced at Lin Zhiyu. Seeing that Lin Zhiyu was acting as if he heard nothing while pouring himself another cup of tea, Mu Sui tapped his finger on the table.

Lin Zhiyu looked up at him blankly, and then he suddenly remembered Jian Panxia’s previous comment. This was bad. When they signed the agreement, Mu Sui had explicitly stated that he did not like hearing such things.

Lin Zhiyu’s grip on his teacup tightened. While he was considering how to appease his boss, Mu Sui coldly closed the menu and said, “Let us go somewhere else.”

Lin Zhiyu immediately understood. He shot up from his seat like a spring, scurried behind Mu Sui’s wheelchair, and grabbed the handles. He leaned down, his cheek lightly brushing Mu Sui’s ear as he leaned in close to his face. His voice was soft and tender. “Sure, hubby! I made you angry last night, so today I will go wherever you want.”

After saying it, Lin Zhiyu almost broke out in goosebumps himself. He glanced at the dumbfounded Mu Yunji and Jian Panxia’s group and asked, “What are you looking at? Did you not already know I moved on? Or do you want to see the marriage certificate to confirm it?”

Jian Panxia was silent. Mu Yunji was silent.

Having achieved his goal, Lin Zhiyu called out to Jiang Yubai and leisurely pushed the wheelchair out of the restaurant. Nobody noticed that as the glass doors closed, Mu Yunji cast a complex look after them, appearing as though he had much to say but could not speak.

Mu Sui remained silent throughout the journey. Lin Zhiyu did not know if he was satisfied with the performance and asked tentatively, “So, where are we going now?”

Mu Sui finally turned his head to look back, staring at Lin Zhiyu gloomily. Without the aid of sunlight, his eyes were startlingly dark, like an endless deep pool. Within those depths, tangled weeds seemed to swirl, threatening to pull anyone who fell in down into the abyss until they drowned. Yet, there also seemed to be a flicker of wild fire. It was so complex that one could not immediately discern what he was thinking.

Lin Zhiyu’s heart skipped a beat, and his palms began to sweat against the handles. Mu Sui’s gaze swept across his face, every inch of the look feeling substantial. Time seemed to stretch infinitely. Just as Lin Zhiyu saw his lips move as if he were about to speak, Mu Sui suddenly turned away and said playfully, “Did you not say you made me angry? You decide then.”

Lin Zhiyu licked his dry lips and looked toward Jiang Yubai, who had caught up. He was still thinking about the purpose of their day off.

“Then… shall we go home?”

They ultimately ended up at Mu Sui’s home.

Along the way, Jiang Yubai several times considered the idea that perhaps he should just leave first. However, seeing Lin Zhiyu hunched over his phone researching recipes, he eventually swallowed the words.

Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhiyu were public figures. A private place like Yujing Estate was fine, but if they went to any other public setting, they would likely end up on the trending topics again. Not to mention, they had the highly conspicuous Mu Sui with them. Furthermore, he and Jiang Yubai had a task to perform. Aside from a private home, Lin Zhiyu could not think of any quiet place where they could cultivate their bond without being discovered. Since Mu Sui showed no intention of leaving, it would be strange to drive either party away.

Fortunately, when Lin Zhiyu made the request, Mu Sui quickly agreed. The result, however, was that the three of them ate a very strangely vibed lunch in Mu Sui’s dining room.

Naturally, the boss was not going to cook. Jiang Yubai had not expected Lin Zhiyu’s efficiency in the kitchen to rival his own, despite Jiang Yubai having lived independently for many years. One was responsible for washing, one for cutting, one for stir-frying, and one for plating. Through this process, they actually displayed the silent understanding of “real brothers.”

After lunch, a peaceful quiet settled over the living room. Mu Sui sat alone by the window in his wheelchair, flipping through a book. The sunlight through the floor-to-ceiling windows outlined a soft silhouette. His expression was indifferent as usual, appearing focused, yet making his inner thoughts impossible to gauge.

When Lin Zhiyu came out to pour water for Jiang Yubai, he stole a glance. He did not quite understand why Mu Sui did not return to his study or bedroom, but in the end, he asked nothing and hurried back into the room.

“I am back! Are you dead yet? Can we start the next round?”

Jiang Yubai shot him a helpless look and pointed at the character still moving on the screen. He said slowly, “It might take another twenty minutes.”

Lin Zhiyu’s pupils shook. “I die every time I get to this level. Why can you last so long?”

This guy, Jiang Yubai, with his serious and honest face, was actually a gaming genius?

Lin Zhiyu lost his energy and flopped onto the bed. He casually summoned the AI on his phone, told it to pull up the original Blue Bird novel, found the scenes where the brothers interacted, and asked it to read them to him again.

The sun outside gradually shifted westward. After playing a few rounds of games, the two took advantage of the heightened mood to practice their lines. It was not until the sky was filled with vast stretches of pink and orange clouds that Jiang Yubai finally rubbed his sore legs, declined Lin Zhiyu’s dinner invitation, and took his leave. Before departing, he cast a subtle glance toward the wheelchair entering the study, his thoughts unknown.

The oblivious Lin Zhiyu stretched his stiff limbs and wandered to the study to ask Mu Sui what he wanted for dinner, only to find that the other man had already ordered food in advance. This time, the meal was not a disaster. If it were not for wanting to maintain some semblance of an image, Lin Zhiyu would have loved to scrape the plates of grilled ox tongue and osmanthus jelly clean.

Perhaps because the day’s itinerary had been so full, Lin Zhiyu fell asleep surprisingly early that night. He thought he would sleep through until dawn and head to the film set feeling refreshed.

However, in the middle of the night, he suddenly heard a noise. Lin Zhiyu woke up instantly and snapped his eyes open, only to see a person standing by his bed.