The Vicious Cannon Fodder Despised by Everyone Really Doesn't Want to Go Viral - Chapter 39

Jiang Yubai was stunned by the remark, his eyes shimmering with shifting light. Ultimately, he managed a slight, somewhat forced smile and slowly stepped forward to stand in front of Lin Zhiyu.

“Is it okay?”

Lin Zhiyu had originally intended it as a casual joke and had not expected him to take it seriously. The bustle of the film crew seemed to fall silent instantly. The sight of Jiang Yubai’s reddened eyes made Lin Zhiyu’s heart skip a beat.

This kid still has not snapped out of character, Lin Zhiyu thought to himself. However, he did not leave him hanging. He opened his arms wide and beckoned Jiang Yubai with his finger, looking like a hero bracing for a noble sacrifice. “Come here.”

Jiang Yubai stepped forward and gently embraced him. Their shoulders collided, and Jiang Yubai’s chin accidentally knocked against Lin Zhiyu’s shoulder. Lin Zhiyu hissed as he sucked in a breath of cold air, while Jiang Yubai lowered his head, resting his forehead against the crook of Lin Zhiyu’s neck. His eyes were burning with emotion.

“Good job,” Lin Zhiyu said, patting his back. “It has not been easy acting this role for so long.”

He could feel Jiang Yubai’s shoulders trembling slightly. Perhaps it was the lingering emotions of Xie Zhuoyu, or perhaps it was a sense of reluctance belonging to Jiang Yubai himself.

“I do not know why, but I feel like it is ending before I could finish saying goodbye,” Jiang Yubai said. He suddenly took a step back as if embarrassed and covered his eyes with his hand. “Sorry, I am just feeling a bit… distressed. I cannot seem to get out of it.”

Lin Zhiyu glanced at him. A character like Xie Zhuoyu, burdened with family vendettas and a lonely fate, was heartbreaking to watch and agonizing to play. One would need a long time to recover after filming.

It really should be considered a workplace injury.

“It is fine. We will have a great meal tonight. I guarantee you will wake up tomorrow feeling refreshed.” Lin Zhiyu patted his head and then slung an arm around his shoulder, leading him out like a close friend. “Let’s go. We should ask Director Zhao if a wrap party has been prepared for me tonight.”

“When you play Xie Yunce, are you not affected?” Jiang Yubai turned to look at him, his eyes filled with a spark of hope.

Lin Zhiyu said nonchalantly, “I am affected. Did I not cause a scene before? However, I have always had great professional standards. Work is work. Once I am off the clock, I have nothing to do with the job.”

This was despite the fact that getting calls from his boss late at night was the norm.

Jiang Yubai let out a light laugh.

“Teacher Jiang, Teacher Lin, come for the group photo!” a crew member shouted from nearby. The photographer was already in position.

Lin Zhiyu was forced to change direction, dragging Jiang Yubai toward the photographer.

That evening, the hashtag #JiangYubaiLinZhiyuCenturyReconciliation# trended on Weibo.

The top post was from a fansite administrator. The photo was taken from a very clever angle, likely from a distant rooftop using a telephoto lens.

In the picture, Jiang Yubai’s chin rested on Lin Zhiyu’s shoulder with his eyes half-closed, a posture of complete reliance. Jiang Yubai wore deep blue martial arts attire marked with bloodstains and tears from sword energy. Lin Zhiyu was in a moon-white robe with wide sleeves, his slender waist cinched by a light yellow sash.

The resolution was not high and a filter had been applied. The two were pressed close together, and the twilight in the background merged with the dim yellow lights to create a dreamlike sense of fate. At first glance, it truly looked like a movie poster.

The comment section was quickly flooded by fans and netizens discussing the emotional tension of the photo.

“Based on the costumes, is this the scene where Xie Zhuoyu returns to the Xie Estate after completing everything? Does that mean filming for The Blue Bird is almost over? I order you to release it next week! I will binge-watch it!”

“They look like two babies leaning on each other. For a split second, I actually shipped them.”

“According to insider news from the set, today was Lin Zhiyu’s final day of filming. Jiang Yubai could not snap out of character after the scene, so Lin Zhiyu hugged him to comfort him. By the way, Jiang Yubai was the one who walked over first.”

“? Is the person above speaking Chinese? I recognize every word but I cannot understand the meaning. Who comforted whom???”

“The sky is falling! Nooooo! I have been fighting with Lin Zhiyu’s fans since his trainee days. I fought until he became so irrelevant that he barely has any fans left, and now you tell me Jiang Yubai has reconciled with him? I am going crazy.”

“Haha, just a passerby here. You guys curse each other while your idols hug. It is what it is. :)”

“To be honest, Xie Zhuoyu is such a huge brother-con. Anyone playing him would find it easy to project those feelings. Not to mention Lin Zhiyu has turned over a new leaf. For the sake of that face, let’s give him another chance.”

“I used to think their relationship would always be tense. I did not expect it to end so peacefully. I do not know what to say; my feelings are complicated.”

As the comments grew, many people began using magnifying glasses to study the sorrowful expression on Jiang Yubai’s face. It looked as if Xie Zhuoyu were saying goodbye to his respected brother, or as if Jiang Yubai were reluctant to part with his partner. Meanwhile, Lin Zhiyu looked at him with a smile, like Xie Yunce looking dotingly at his mischievous younger brother.

Finally, all the comments converged into one sentiment: “Hurry up and release the show so we can judge it properly.”

Meanwhile, Lin Zhiyu had just escaped from a group of actors and was standing on the restaurant terrace, feeling dead inside as he felt the wind.

He looked down at his WeChat notification bar, which was constantly popping up with friend requests. He accepted them one by one with a blank expression, his knuckles turning stiff from the cold.

Suddenly, among the many notifications, he saw a profile picture of a hand holding a koi fish.

Lin Zhiyu’s breath hitched. He could hardly believe it. The photo seemed to have been taken at a pond. It looked familiar, but he could not quite place it. A brilliant koi fish had landed right in the palm of a hand held in the water, its beautiful tail fin splashing translucent droplets.

There was no message in the friend request, and the WeChat name was just a simple string of letters, but Lin Zhiyu was certain of his identity.

“Do big bosses believe in koi fish too?” Lin Zhiyu murmured. He accepted the request with interest and clicked into Mu Sui’s Moments.

The Moments page was very sparse, with only two posts. One was a photo of a window taken over a month ago, seemingly in an office. Blue-purple larkspur flowers were blooming in a glass vase, with a beam of light passing through the glass to create a hazy, gorgeous glow.

The other post was from a few nights before the set visit, showing a fish tank on a desk containing several plump goldfish.

Lin Zhiyu felt that his hobbies were somewhat limited. However, considering Mu Sui’s current mobility issues, he could no longer reach many of the joys others had. Perhaps only things that could be done with his hands could bring him a little comfort.

[Zhiyu: (Sticker: A cat arriving late to save the day.jpg)]

Mu Sui did not reply.

Lin Zhiyu did not mind. After all, the boss was a busy man; he might even be working overtime at the company right now. He leaned over the railing, letting the cold night wind mess up his hair. Although it made him shiver, it felt comfortable and free.

“No work for me tomorrow! It is going to be great! So satisfying!” Lin Zhiyu shouted enthusiastically.

To his surprise, a voice suddenly drifted up from the dark night below: “Impossible!”

Lin Zhiyu: “?”

Then came another shout: “Lin Zhiyu’s mom does not allow you to stop working! You are not allowed to leave the industry!!!”

Lin Zhiyu’s expression shattered. “???”

What on earth is this?

He had only mentioned it casually when he finished filming. How did it reach other people’s ears so quickly? The speed of information travel in the entertainment industry was truly terrifying.

Fans often waited near the filming base, which Lin Zhiyu already knew, but he did not expect to be caught while coming out for a breath of air during his wrap party. He raised an eyebrow and looked down. Guided by the faint moonlight, he finally saw the excited fans standing in the open space nearby. Seeing him look their way, they immediately turned on their light boards.

Lin Zhiyu was startled and gripped the railing to steady himself.

“Lin Zhiyu, we finally waited long enough for you to make a comeback! You are not allowed to slack off or quit!”

Then they simultaneously unfurled two banners. One said: Work hard today, get eight male models tomorrow.

The other said: Love can only accompany you for a while, but the film city is your forever home.

Lin Zhiyu was speechless.

However, the wind was piercing, and his conscience would not allow him to let them stand downstairs indefinitely. Moreover, those two banners made him feel incredibly embarrassed. Lin Zhiyu had no choice but to rush downstairs. He walked toward the crowd and said helplessly, “It is so cold. It would be so much more comfortable to stay home wrapped in a blanket and playing on your phone. Why come here to suffer in the middle of the night?”

The leader was the fan who had led the group to ask for his signature before. She was now the administrator of a fan group. She handed over a signature board with a smile and said, “We asked around and heard you were finishing today. Since it is your last scene after your comeback, we had to give you a grand send-off.”

Lin Zhiyu’s heart stirred. He blew a breath onto his cold hands and signed his name on the board.

“Do not go to such trouble in the future,” Lin Zhiyu said. After signing, he handed the board back and added lightheartedly, “If I catch a cold, it counts as a workplace injury. If you catch a cold, no one is going to reimburse you.”

“And who wrote the text for these banners? Quick, put them away. I am dying of embarrassment.”

The administrator could not help but laugh. “We found it online! Lin Zhiyu, your comeback has been truly brilliant. Things will definitely get better and better from now on. So do not say unlucky things like leaving the industry. We are all waiting for you to help us reach our goals!”

Lin Zhiyu sighed. He really wanted to leave the industry and just lie low. After finishing The Blue Bird, combined with the money Mu Sui was going to give him, he would have enough to live on for the rest of his life as long as he was not extravagant.

It was all the fault of that cursed contract.

“But who told you I was leaving the industry?”

The administrator tilted her head in confusion. “Was it not posted by the official show account? It is spreading all over the internet now.”